Business Aviation

VistaJet, based in London, added 10 new aircraft to its fleet during the first three months of 2015 to keep up with strong global demand, the company said. It also plans to add up to 10 new Bombardier Challenger 350 business jets for use in the U.S. over the next two years, the company said.

​ Diamond Aircraft has received European Aviation Safety Agency type certification for its DA62 twin-engine composite aircraft, the company said. It is the largest aircraft in its lineup to date. The DA62 is powered by two 180 hp AE330 Jet-A piston engines from Austro Engine. It is available in two versions, one that will accommodate five people and one that will carry seven passengers. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 201 kt. and a maximum range of 1,314 nm. The order book officially opened at the AERO Friedrichshafen show in April.

Landmark Aviation has begun operations at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport through an equity purchase of Era FBO, a subsidiary of Era Group. The former Million Air facility has been rebranded to “Landmark Aviation.” The 26,400-sq.-ft. facility has the largest heated hangar at the airport as well as pilot and passenger lounges, an executive conference room and 7,000 sq. ft. of office space for rent.

Honeywell, Inmarsat and satcoms technology specialist Kymeta are developing a Ka-band antenna for business and commercial aviation that should offer better broadband service and suit installation in smaller aircraft. It will be the first truly flat-panel antenna for aviation, says Leo Mondale, president of the aviation business at Inmarsat. “The smaller and more compact design will allow the antenna to be installed on a wider variety of aircraft, including smaller business aviation aircraft,” Honeywell says.

The Pilatus PC-24 took off on its maiden flight on May 11 from Buochs Airport. Just under 1,800 Pilatus staff, all of whom are directly or indirectly involved in the PC-24 project, were there to applaud the business jet as it taxied for takeoff. Prototype P01, (HB-VXA), flew across central Switzerland for a total of 55 min. The twin-engine business jet took off from Runway 7 in just under 600 meters and climbed to 10,000 ft. (approximately 3000 meters) in about 3 min. where the two pilots completed a series of planned tests.

Airbus Helicopters has been awarded European Aviation Safety Agency certification for the utility version of its EC145 twin-engine light helicopter. The EC145, previously known as the EC145e, is essentially a civil version of the UH‑72 Lakota Light Utility Helicopter being delivered to the U.S. Army, but equipped for single-pilot day and night operations.

Mooney International revealed its new M10 design to the U.S. market with a full-scale mockup at Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida. The M10 J and T model aircraft were unveiled in November at the Zhuhai Airshow. Mooney is in its final construction phase of a proof-of-concept flight-test aircraft scheduled to fly later this year. This follows the preliminary type certification board meeting between Mooney and the Los Angeles FAA-ACO in February.

Shell Aviation has expanded its refueling network in Germany and is now the exclusive supplier at Saarbrucken Airport in Germany. Shell will provide Jet A1 and Avgas 100LL, and implement its Aviation Center of Excellence program, which focuses on efficient operations and high safety standards, using state-of-the-art equipment and marketing support through the Shell brand. Customers will have access to electronic invoicing and dedicated account managers.

Rapidly growing Luxaviation Group, a driving force behind the consolidation of business-aircraft management in Europe, will become the world’s second-largest operator of business jets following the acquisition of Swiss-based ExecuJet Aviation Group.

Aero Kinetics, based in Fort Worth, announced a partnership with FreeFlight Systems to integrate its ADS-B avionics into Aero Kinetics unmanned aircraft systems for commercial use in the National Airspace System. FreeFlight has designed a lightweight, low-power ADS-B unit, which will be an integral part of Aero Kinetic’s development of unmanned aircraft. The technology will communicate with manned aircraft and ground control stations.

Honeywell Aerospace has introduced a new router, the CNX-250, which will allow business aircraft to connect to a cellular network while on the ground and then transition to a satellite connection while in flight. The router will enable connection to a variety of network sources instead of connecting exclusively to a satellite communications network, Honeywell said. That will give operators and maintenance personnel the ability to stay connected while in the air or on the ground.

Mason Holland, Chairman of the Board, ONE Aviation, Charleston, S. Car., discusses the Eclipse 550 and Kestrel Aircraft development and what CEO Alan Klapmeier brings to the organization.

FAA takes datacomm babysteps as secure texting replaces voice for departure clearances.

Light and medium business jet sales are not profiting from the surge in profits in the corporate realm, but large business jets are. Here are some reasons why.

Momentum is building as Aerion Corp. moves forward with its three-engine AS2 supersonic business jet.

Fokker Services a business line of Fokker Technologies and GKN Aerospace have announced the official launch of the first ever SkyView Window for a civil jet aircraft.

EAN Aviation, the Lagos-based integrated business aviation services company, is completely refurbishing its FBO VIP Lounge at Murtala Muhammed International Airport following a period of increased customer demand.

The bizav sector is confident in upper-market segment growth, but small jets are still suffering.

Earl Robinson dusts off his StarLiner 100 project and receives Chinese funding for a dash to 2019 certification. Fifty-seat airliner comes first; bizjet soon after.

Earl Robinson dusts off his StarLiner 100 project and receives Chinese funding for a dash to 2019 certification. Fifty-seat airliner comes first; bizjet soon after.

Dassault Aviation has approved ExecuJet Aviation Nigeria, as a Falcon Authorized Service Centre (ASC) for line maintenance. The Lagos-based company will provide scheduled and unscheduled line maintenance and inspections for the Dassault Falcon 7X, Falcon 900 and Falcon 2000 family.

Piaggio isn’t displaying at EBACE for the first time in 15 years, a sobering reminder of the declines suffered by the company in recent years.

Fatigue management starts before the mission by determining if each crewmember is fit for flight.

Farnborough-based Acropolis Aviation has ordered the first corporate jet version of A320NEO, valued at $125 million, with a 19-seat custom interior at current list prices.

Gulfstream Aerospace announced first flight of the G500 on Tuesday, a critical milestone that keeps the aircraft’s flight test and certification program on track for its slated 2017 FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency certification.