The Weekly of Business Aviation

Live drone flights under a European project to validate the use of autonomous aircraft for emergency medical services are planned to begin in Stavanger, Norway, on Sept. 21.

The FAA has awarded Raytheon Intelligence & Space an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with a ceiling of $375 million over 10 years to upgrade the Wide Area Augmentation System space-based precision navigation system.

Detroit startup Airspace Experience Technologies has completed the first hover flight of its proof-of-concept Sigma Six, a tiltwing electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle with interchangeable plug-and-play payloads for defense, emergency response, cargo and passenger transport missions.

HondaJet fractional share provider Volato is expanding its all-HondaJet fleet with an order for Gulfstream G280 super mid-cabin business jets.

Miami-based Global Crossing Airlines Group (GlobalX) has signed a letter-of-intent (LOI) for 50 all-electric Eviation Alice aircraft as part of plans to introduce sustainable services for growing markets in Florida, the Bahamas and around the Caribbean.

Air Canada has placed a preorder for 30 of the aircraft, now called the ES-30.

Constant Aviation expands its mobile response network that will focus on servicing southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.

A team led by Hanwha Systems plans to launch South Korea’s first commercial urban air mobility service in 2025 linking tourist destinations on Jeju Island using Joby Aviation electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) air taxis.

Europe has launched a research project to develop a liquid hydrogen tank that is integrated into the aircraft’s fuselage to maximize volume and minimize weight.

Swedish startup Jetson is closing a $10 million seed round to fund production of its single-seat ultralight electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle.

Both FAA and EASA approve new software that will remove flight restrictions for G500s and G600s.

Oklahoma and Arkansas are making a bid to be a hub for research, development and production for advanced mobility, including drones, air taxis and technologies such as batteries and autonomy.

For those in the aviation community who haven’t heard of Pilots N Paws, the organization could provide a great opportunity for pilots to attain hours

The NTSB has located the wreckage of the DHC-3 Turbine Otter seaplane that crashed in the Puget Sound off Whidbey Island, Washington.

De Havilland Canada is providing engineering support to modify a Dash 8-100, replacing one of its two P&WC PW120-class turboprops with a 2-megawatt parallel hybrid-electric powertrain.

The company wants to certify its technology for continuous autopilot engagement through all phases of the Cessna 208’s operations, including taxi, takeoff, cruise, landing, braking and rollout.

“Much of the focus in advanced air mobility today has been on the vehicle,” says David Stepanek, the Bristow Group’s chief transformation officer. “There hasn’t been a lot of focus, or any focus at all, on what happens after production."

The challenges involved in electrifying aviation powertrains remain considerable, but an important developmental corner may have been turned, according to Rolls-Royce.

Details of the five-year agreement were not provided as part of the Sept. 7 announcement.

The FAA has awarded type certification of the Matternet M2 quadcopter after a four-year evaluation, the company has announced.

Patrick Gallagher, who joined NetJets in 2010, currently serves as president of sales, marketing and service.

The various crises faced by Europe’s aviation sector in recent months are often presented as headwinds the industry has to contend with.

Gil Wolin, a former publisher of BCA, died on Sept. 5.

Explosive growth in demand for private aircraft charter following the COVID-19 pandemic has remained on the rise since 2021.

The company is building an extension to its facility at Subang Airport as it reaches capacity from growing business aviation activities in the region.