Business & Commercial Aviation

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.

Red Aviation, Georgetown, Texas, has acquired DFW Instrument in Addison, Texas. Founded in 2001, Red Aviation provides parts and services. DFW Instrument provides repairs of flight-critical instrument and equipment repairs to the business aircraft industry.

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

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.

Dassault launched the Falcon 2000 program in 1989 as a large cabin aircraft that would have double-club seating, 3,000 nm range and operating costs nearly as inexpensive as midsize jets.

The recent rebound in used-aircraft sales and generally positive flight-activity figures from major markets bodes well for business-jet aftermarket providers, according to the recently released Aviation Week Intelligence Network Business Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast.

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

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.

The FAA will abolish 950 jobs by June 30 without a single “layoff,” adhering to a cost-saving mandate from President Johnson. Annual FAA turnover is about 8% , which means 3,200 jobs will be vacated this year, not all of them to be filled.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

Headquarters and production buildings are largely heated with renewable energy produced by locally grown and waste timber that is converted into gas in a complex process at a wood gasification plant.

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.

Knowing something about the International Civil Aviation Organization is important for all pilots, even those who never fly outside their home country.

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.

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.

Pilatus Aircraft's first jet will be able to operate from short, unimproved landing strips and will feature a large cargo door, providing flexibility to operators.

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) claims to represent more than 100,000 pilots among nearly 100 member associations and unions, 16 of which are based in Africa.

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.

Join BCA's Fred George on the Legacy 500 as he evaluates Embraer's Enhanced Vision System (E2VS).

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.