At first glance, the Diamond DA50 RG might not seem to add much to the ranks of high-performance piston-powered single-engine airplanes. It isn’t especially fast, doesn’t carry a huge load, and it is expensive, with a price tag well over $1 million. Diamond Aircraft, however, isn’t about ordinary, and its airplanes have all carved a niche in the general aviation marketplace.

The DA50 RG is no exception, especially because it carries on Diamond’s penchant for putting jet-A-burning diesel engines into light airplanes.

James Carville and Mary Matalin, whose improbable marriage has now lasted three decades, agree on at least two things: they love each other and they love business jets. But on many other issues, they remain at least as far apart as America’s two major political parties.

In separate conversations, BJT asked Matalin and Carville about their experiences with flying privately and then moved on to some of the other topics with which many of us are preoccupied as the November election approaches.

More than a decade ago, the then-CEO of Eclipse Aerospace (EAI) vented his exasperation at the multitude of "phoenix rising from the ashes" stories to describe his company and its hallmark product, the Eclipse 500 very light jet. Alas, comparisons to that mythical bird, reborn from its own remains, are probably even more apropos today.

On Nov. 30, 2020, following a protracted and often calamitous trip through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, assets of the Eclipse 500 program were purchased by British entrepreneur Christopher Harborne out from under the umbrella of beleaguered One Aviation. Among Harborne's portfolio of companies is international fuel provider AML Global.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is getting ready for the series production of an upgraded version of the super-midsize G280 business jet it builds under license for Gulfstream Aerospace. Following type certification in Israel and the U.S., plans call for first deliveries to be made in 2026.

According to Shmuel Kuzi, executive v-p and general manager of IAI’s aviation group, the company has already produced a prototype of the upgraded G280 and is now adapting its production lines. "We have designed the upgraded version and we will certify it as we did with previous models of Gulfstream business jets that we have made," he told AIN. "We plan to manufacture 30 aircraft a year."

More and more Americans are hedging their bets and going through the arduous process of obtaining a second—or third, or fourth—passport. The wealthy are building their so-called passport portfolios with the same intentionality that they employ to build their other asset portfolios.

According to Henley & Partners, a law firm that specializes in high-net-worth citizenships, no other nationality is engaged in such avid passport-portfolio-building.

The U.S. Air Force’s Afwerx innovation unit has awarded VerdeGo Aero a $1.24 million contract for the development and testing of a hybrid-electric propulsion system that could power military aircraft. Under the Phase 2 SBIR contract, the Air Force aims to test VerdeGo’s VH-4T-RD turbine hybrid powerplant in experimental uncrewed aircraft.

VerdeGo said it has already built its first prototype of the powertrain and intends to begin testing the 380-kilowatt system in May. The company expects the subsequent production version of the VH-4T to have a greater power output of 415 kilowatts.

Boom Supersonic recently said it flew its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator for the first time. Operating from the Mojave Air & Space Port, the aircraft reached an altitude of 7,120 feet and a speed of 238 knots.

Like the company’s Overture supersonic airliner due for first flight in 2027, the XB-1 uses carbon fiber composites, advanced avionics, digitally optimized aerodynamics, and an advanced supersonic propulsion system.

Vref: Preowned Business Jet Market Undergoing Adjustment Period

FAA Selects First Airports for New Runway Safety System

Growing Demand in Central Europe Draws Gulfstream to Aero Friedrichshafen

Piper M700 Makes World Debut at Sun 'n Fun 2024

AINsight: Medical Standards and FAR 61.53 Part 2

Argus: Business Aircraft Ops Continue Slide in March but April Improving