The Weekly of Business Aviation

The Add+Process machine has been developed in collaboration with the University of the Basque Country and Tecnalia research center, and is capable of automatically producing a finished part from scratch, including 3-D printing and finish machining.

LONDON—Turbomeca’s Arrius 2R turboshaft—the first European engine to be fitted to a Bell-produced helicopter—has been certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The EASA certification, announced by Bell and Turbomeca on Dec. 16, is one of the final hurdles for the new Model 505 JetRanger X turbine-powered light helicopter currently undergoing flight testing. Certification of the helicopter is expected early in 2016.

JetSmarter offers a mobile app that lets users book private jet flights using their smartphones, with pricing and availability for private jets worldwide, it said. Memberships are $9,000 a year with a $3,000 initiation fee.

Textron Aviation has signed an agreement to buy Able Engineering and Component Services and Able Aerospace for an undisclosed purchase price.

The Sky for All: Air Mobility for 2035 and Beyond challenge opened on Dec. 21, 2015, with submissions due by Feb. 26, 2016. The challenge is administered by open prize platform HeroX.

FlyRight, a major provider of King Air pilot-training, is not content to simply maintain that position...

EHang, a Chinese drone maker, unveiled a drone on Jan. 6 that can fly a human passenger short-to-medium distances at low altitudes, the company said.

The new standard addresses the structural airworthiness requirements of small aircraft, from lightweight propeller-driven aircraft to light business jets, ASTM International said.

Textron Aviation is no longer building the Citation CJ2+ light business jet, a second-generation CJ2, though the company has said it could build one if a customer requested it.

Australia is unexpectedly buying two Gulfstream G550s as intelligence and electronic warfare (EW) aircraft from L-3 Communications for $93.6 million.

Germany light-sport aircraft manufacturer Flight Design reports that an FAA audit closed successfully late last year.

The National Business Aviation Association’s Domestic Operations Committee has created a customs checklist to help business aviation operators meet Customs and Border Protection requirements at U.S. ports of entry.

Business aviation operators responding to a survey reported plans to refurbish and buy new and used aircraft.

ExcelAire, based in Ronkonkoma, New York, has begun private jet charter service to Cuba.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has a new logo and brand. It’s a small step in a process to attract more people to fly.

Dassault Aviation’s business jet unit saw reduced orders and deliveries in 2015, a disappointing year that was offset in part by new export contracts for the company’s Rafale combat jet.

Embraer delivered its first Legacy 450 mid-light business jet to a company: Smart Air SA, in Europe.

Aero Shade Technologies has acquired the assets and intellectual property of MSA Aircraft Partners, which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in June.

Putting the focus on how a variety of products are integrated within the business jet cabin, Inairvation is gaining momentum.

Cabin completion and refurbishment leader GDC Technics has had what General Partner Mohammed Alzeer calls “an excellent year,” and the San Antonio-based center is expecting more of the same.

Finmeccanica-owned companies such as AgustaWestland, Alenia Aermacchi and Selex ES have now been absorbed into the larger Finmeccanica entity and will operate as divisions rather than separate companies.

Textron Aviation has scrapped its unsold Model 162 Skycatchers that it had in storage.

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ALPHA AVIATION CONCEPT LIMITED Model R2160 aircraft [Docket No. FAA-2015-3956; Directorate Identifier 2015-CE-032-AD; Amendment 39-18345; AD 2015-25-07] —adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) to supersede AD 2008-09-01 for the Alpha Aviation R2160. This new AD requires revision of the maintenance manual to include revised airworthiness limitations for the internal wing structure and wing attachment inspections.

Dallas Brooks has been named director of the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University. Brooks most recently was director of UAS R&D at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Brooks also will serve as associate director of research for the Mississippi State-led Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence.