With its long history of aircraft production, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) was at the forefront of the rebirth of the Japanese aviation industry in the post-Occupation period. It was at the heart of a consortium that began development of the YS-11 twin-turboprop airliner in the mid-1950s. In 1956, work started on the MU-2 high-wing, small-cabin twin that went on to become quite a success, with over 700 having been built by the time production ended in 1987.

Success with the MU-2—especially in the U.S., where Mooney Aircraft sold and supported the type from 1963, and assembled it at San Angelo, Texas, from 1965—encouraged Mitsubishi to explore the general aviation/executive market further. In 1977, a business jet program was born, which crystallized as the MU-300 Diamond.

Passengers on business jets have probably overheard pilots talking to each other in aviation vernacular that may sound like a foreign language. In most cases, avspeak simply consists of abbreviations for words and numbers. For example, notices to air missions becomes notams and the number-one attitude direction indicator is referred to as ADI-1.

Airports also have identifiers, consisting usually of three letters for larger facilities and alphanumeric codes for smaller airfields. These abbreviations help to prevent confusion as to the intended facility and are used by pilots to quickly enter airport information into electronic navigation systems. For the U.S., two organizations—the FAA and ICAO—assign identifiers to be used in flight planning.

Although the Afghan government began to lay the foundation for some semblance of scheduled air service into the country with a recent deal with the UAE’s GAAC Solutions to furnish ground handling at key airports, the beleaguered administration still needs to address a litany of infrastructure needs as well as safety and security concerns as it plots the way forward. 

Whether the Afghan government styles itself the ‘Islamic Emirate’ or ‘Islamic Republic,’ it seems clear the situation in Afghanistan will continue to worsen before it gets better. In an April 2022 report, the World Bank set out a litany of problems facing the current government, including a 60 percent decline in public spending due to cessation of international aid; major disruption to health services; loss of access to the overseas assets of the central bank of around $9.2 billion, or 46 percent of 2020 GDP; cessation of international payments; and declines in investment confidence given pervasive uncertainty and fear. “Afghanistan’s economic outlook is stark,” the institution concluded.

Last year, the FAA released a draft advisory circular (AC 136-B048) that could worsen helicopter tour operator safety in Hawaii instead of doing what the AC is intended to do: improve safety by limiting altitudes below which tour aircraft can fly.

Operators, such as Maverick Helicopters Hawaii in Kahului, expressed concern that the AC’s advice, which is intended to be advisory only, will be incorporated into commercial operators' operations specifications.

At long last on March 30, Gulfstream Aerospace was able to celebrate the certification of its new flagship, the ultra-long-range G700, after an approval process that took at least two years longer than the Savannah, Georgia airframer anticipated.

Announced in 2019, the company initially targeted 2022 for certification but by April 2022, Phebe Novakovic—chariman and CEO of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics— warned of delays looming related to time-consuming, extra requirements that she said were “the result of events independent of us.” That obliquely referred to the FAA requesting more elements to be documented and tested and also demanding more test flying for the G700.

Vertical Aerospace has revealed its just-completed, second full-scale prototype of its VX4 eVTOL ahead of the anticipated start of flight testing. On Thursday, the UK company released pictures of the aircraft and reported that it will proceed with the first flight as soon as the UK Civil Aviation Authority issues a permit to fly.

The latest prototype is significantly different from an earlier version that Vertical had been using for flight tests since August. The company said 60% of the technology and components used for the second prototype has been supplied by key program partners such as GKN Aerospace, Hanwha, Honeywell, Leonardo, Molicel, and Synesqo.

GE Aerospace is working with NASA to make hybrid-electric, high-bypass turbofan engines for the next generation of single-aisle airliners, the company announced on June 19. The work will build upon the partners’ ongoing collaboration on the NASA Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program, which aims to rapidly mature electric propulsion technologies to begin electrifying commercial airline fleets in 2035.

Now GE Aerospace and NASA are working to modify GE’s Passport 20 engine with hybrid-electric components for testing under NASA’s Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project, which seeks to reduce fuel burn through the development of small core engine technologies.

Gulfstream Opens $150M Jet Service Center Expansion in Savannah, Georgia

NetJets To Expand Its Dedicated Airport Infrastructure Network

New Protections Deployed Against Attacks On Navigation Systems

Jefferies: 2Q Bizjet Deliveries from Top Five OEMs Ahead of Forecast

Families of Idaho Hangar Collapse Victims Sue Contractor

Boeing Insists It Is Making Progress On Safety and Program Delays