Business Aviation

Negotiators for NetJets and its pilots union, NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, have reached an agreement in principle on a new collective bargaining accord, the union said.

A Thales Watchkeeper UAV has become the first unmanned system to be operated in U.K. nonsegregated, controlled airspace.

U.S. business jets gain toehold in Cuba; Fledgling lender/lessor Global Jet Capital nears one-year milestone.

British government sees unmanned aerial systems as a tool for streamlining government, accelerating economic growth.

There are three alternatives for the world’s third-largest civil aircraft manufacturer to survive: sell assets, shut down the C Series or accept government intervention.

Brazil’s Embraer delivered 30 business jets during the third quarter of 2015, double the amount from the same time a year ago when it delivered 15 executive jets.

Britain’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) is using small lightweight UAVs to conduct surveys of accident sites.

A project to convert two Boeing 727s into oil spill dispersant spray aircraft may finally achieve certification by year’s end.

Bell Helicopter has named Mitch Snyder president and CEO, replacing John Garrison, who is joining Terex Corp. as president and CEO.

New York charter operator JFI Jets has acquired ACP Jets, based in West Palm Beach, Florida, the company said.

Private-equity firm Weinberg Capital Group and its portfolio company, Aero 3, have acquired the Wheel & Brake Division of Montreal-based Avianor.

Gogo says business jet operators who equip their aircraft with its new Biz 4G air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity service, announced on Oct. 14 and to be made available in early 2017, will get the “speed they need to power their digital lifestyles without skipping a beat.”

The number of business turbine aircraft accidents rose during the first nine months of 2015, although the number of fatalities dropped.

The recent rebound in used-aircraft sales and generally positive flight-activity figures from major markets bodes well for business-jet aftermarket providers, which are expected to see business grow more than 3% annually from 2016-25, the Aviation Week Business Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast projects.

U.S. flight activity by business aircraft in September increased by 3% over the same time a year ago, while year-to-date activity from January through September rose 2.2% over the same period in 2014, according to Argus International.

Mooney International Corp. has launched a program aimed at attracting new customers by increasing the number of quality used Mooney aircraft available in the marketplace.

OneJet plans to buy up to 50 light business jets for its air transportation network over the next three years as it expands.

Airbus Helicopters is preparing to fly the second prototype of its new-generation H160 twin-engine medium helicopter by the end of this year.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention & Exhibition 2015 will offer new speakers, a National Safety Day and an emergency response simulation on the trade show floor when it returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center Nov. 17-19.

The FAA will evaluate technology to detect unmanned aircraft near airports under a Pathfinder program with developer CACI International.

Ian Moore joined VistaJet, a private jet travel company based in Baar, Switzerland, in 2010.

For travelers with a true need for speed, 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.

Yingling Aviation plans to remanufacture more than older Cessna 172s as it gets into the airplane remanufacturing business.

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, the latest figures from WingX’s Business Aviation Monitor show.

StandardAero has signed an agreement with SmartSky Networks to certify and install SmartSky’s high-speed wireless Internet system in a variety of business aircraft.