Business & Commercial Aviation

Bell Helicopter has added Agrarflug Helilift, located in Ahren, Germany, to its network of authorized customer service facilities. Agrarflug Helilift has more than 40 helicopters in its fleet and provides charter services, aircraft maintenance, pilot training and maintenance training. The newly authorized company will provide field maintenance services for the Bell Helicopter 204, 205, 206A/B, 206L, and 212 model aircraft. It will also offer customization and refurbishment services.

Daher has appointed Exec Aero at Orlando Executive Airport as the TBM service center serving TBM aircraft customers based in Central Florida and visitors to the area.

Flexjet and its sister company, Flight Options, will be recognized as a single carrier within its parent company, Directional Aviation, the National Mediation Board ruled on Sept. 30.

Rockwell Collins received an FAA supplemental type certificate for Future Airspace Navigation Systems (FANS) 1/A upgrade for Pro Line 4 avionics-equipped Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft. With FANS 1/A, Challenger 604 aircraft operators will have access to preferred wind-efficient transatlantic routes to save both time and fuel.

Wheels Up, a membership-based private aviation company, has completed a round of funding that will allow it to establish a base for operations in Europe and enhance the company's technology platform, the company said. With the funding, Wheels Up's valuation is now greater than $500 million.

One of the modest news announcements at last year’s NBAA Convention was that of the creation of Global Jet Capital, a business jet leasing and lending organization. Backed by three global investment firms — Franklin Square Capital Partners with Blackstone advising, AE Industrial Partners and The Carlyle Group — and overseen by business aviation veterans Shawn Vick and Bill Boisture, the future looked promising. When looking back from the 2015 NBAA Convention, set for November 17-19 in Las Vegas, that promise will have been fully realized. And thensome.

Readers share opinions on FAA enforcement, twin takeoff performance, safe aircraft refueling.

Business-aviation activity remains stagnant in Europe, as a few key markets show modest improvement while Italy and Turkey join already struggling Russia on the list of countries where departures are down.

Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) have introduced legislation to clarify that aircraft management services are not subject to federal air transportation taxes.

Appointed to IBAC’s top post in September 2012, Kurt Edwards previously served in high-level positions with the International Affairs and Environmental offices of the FAA. He also led the FAA’s outreach efforts while based in Brussels and Paris.

JFI has grabbed attention for flights into Cuba. An important market?

OneJet will select an aircraft capable of carrying seven or eight passengers update 1,000 mi. in the fourth quarter and has selected SkyWorks Capital for help in structuring and closing the transaction.

Pilatus has been building rugged, versatile aircraft since 1939, and today nearly 3,000 aircraft are in service throughout the world.

Jet Aviation St. Louis has received FAA approval for the Supplemental Type Certificate for installation of its Future Airspace Navigation System for the Bombardier Challenger 604.

Spike Aerospace is developing the supersonic Spike S-512 with a maximum cruise speed of Mach 1.8 and capability of taking 18 passengers from Los Angeles to Tokyo in 6 hr. at Mach 1.6.

The Falcon 8X’s engines are growth versions of the Falcon 7X’s 6,405-lb.-thrust PW307A powerplants, flat rated up to ISA+18.4C.

Former Naval aviator John Koon spent his last tour on active duty assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana, where he flew the American ambassador throughout West and Central Africa in a Beech C12 (King Air 200) where he had plenty of opportunities to assess the quality of ATC and competence of controllers.

Embraer is introducing the E2VS, short for Embraer Enhanced Vision System, a two-part package that includes Rockwell Collins’ HGS-3500 compact head-up guidance systems and its new triple-band EVS-3000 enhanced vision sensor. E2VS could be a breakthrough for business aviation.

Astra, an African flight support company, has signed ground handling agreements with National Aviation Services at Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

As Wynand Meyer, director of UAS International Trip Support’s Africa division in Johannesburg puts it, “Africa is the next big development,” as it’s the last continent still fresh for modernization of its infrastructure — mainstream as well as aviation.

Corporate Eagle, a small, membership-based fractional and managed business aviation company, has taken delivery of the first of four Falcon 2000s as it expands its fractional fleet.

AAR, Wood Dale, Illinois, announced that Steven B. Harrison has been appointed president of AAR Airlift, which is headquartered in Palm Bay, Florida, and has operations worldwide.

Pentastar Aviation is adding a new aircraft interior design studio at the company’s site at Oakland County International Airport.

Universal Avionics in Tucson, Arizona, has completed its second ground-testing round for software changes to support the integration of EFI 890H Advanced Flight Displays in the AS332 Super Puma helicopter, the company said.

Making timely and correct decisions is an important part of many jobs, but few professions require this skill at the level of a pilot flying a large, transport category airplane.