Business & Commercial Aviation

Safran CEO Philippe Petitcolin says the company still sees “a great future” for its troubled Silvercrest business jet engine program and is working on redesigning its high-pressure compressor to have a fix finalized by next spring.

Textron Aviation now has built more than 130 Cessna Citation Latitudes since the first deliveries began in early 2015, and operators say the aircraft is a worthy testament to the company’s time-proven, conservative design philosophy.

Duncan Aviation is partnering with SmartSky Networks on SmartSky's new 4G LTE-based inflight network. The air-to-ground network delivers connectivity for passengers to stream video, chat, text, play games and hold videoconferences.

Honda Aircraft introduced an upgraded HondaJet at EBACE 2018. Named “Elite,” it will replace the current version of the light business jet after a few months' transition.

The National Air Transportation Association has formed a group to address a growing concern among members and the industry: illegal charter operations.

Rolls-Royce said it began the Pearl program in 2012 amid an unprecedented attack by competitors on its previously unchallenged grip on the large business jet segment.

Bombardier proved to be a master of stealth when in late May it unveiled the Global 5500 and 6500, and rebranded the Global 7000 as the 7500.

News of promotions, appointments and honors involving professionals within the business aviation community

HK Bellawings Jet plans to field up to 18 Bombardier Global 6500 and Global 7500 very-long-range jets.

Serge Dassault, chairman and CEO of the parent company of Dassault Aviation, died May 28 after suffering heart failure at his office in Paris. He was 93.

There is a considerable complication with directional control when the thrust reversers deploy asymmetrically.

ImagineAir, the membership-based charter outfit headquartered outside Atlanta that operated a fleet of Cirrus SR22s, ceased operations May 24.

MagniX promises to have an electric motor installed and flying on a Cessna 208 Caravan by August 2019.

Bombardier has completed the $635 million sale of its aircraft assembly operation at Downsview Airport outside Toronto to Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board.

In modern aircraft, the bang may be worse than the bite, but lightning can kill.

Flexjet pilots voted in late May to decertify representation by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters 1108 by 318-220.

VistaJet and Avinode have announced a partnership that will allow brokers to request flights directly.

German industrial giant Siemens is stepping up its involvement in the growing electric-aircraft market, supplying propulsion motors for projects in the U.S. and Europe.

By January 2019, Inmarsat expects to offer its European Aviation Network inflight Wi-Fi services to business aircraft operators.

Britain’s Gama Aviation is the latest to add its voice to the growing concern that the business aviation community is flirting with disaster if operators continue to ignore the Jan.1, 2020, deadline for equipping their aircraft with ADS-B technology.

The review of computing weight and balance isn’t the problem. It’s the lack of focus on the importance of measuring, or at least accurately estimating, the actual weights of passengers, bags, crew, stores and equipment.

“The art of international flight operations includes the science of knowing how to pick up the pieces when they fall.”

The tables show Jet-A and avgas prices from a survey of U.S. fuel suppliers conducted in May 2018.

Pilatus is on schedule to deliver its 1,600th PC-12 aircraft this year, by far the largest number of single-engine pres- surized turboprops in the business aircraft fleet.

This year’s EBACE gathering drew something like 12,000+ attendees from 100 countries, 450 exhibiting companies and 54 show aircraft on the static line next door at Geneva International Airport.