The last deadline for a comprehensive rule to transition to a fully electronic pilot records database (PRD) passed recently, calling on commercial operators to report historical training and other key data going back to 2005 and for fractional providers to 2010. In addition, the September 9 deadline marked the end of the transition, sunsetting the nearly 30-year-old Pilot Records Improvement Act (PRIA) as an alternative to the electronic PRD.

For operators in general, the rule presented a double-edged sword: the promise of easier access to records in a much faster timeframe, which is important as the industry continues its hiring spree. At the same time, it represented new, recurring, and deceptively complex requirements, some of which extended to a much broader swath of industry.

Textron Aviation is upgrading the flight decks of its Citation CJ4, CJ3, and M2 business jets, along with some other improvements. Announcing the changes during the recent NBAA-BACE show in Las Vegas, the manufacturer explained that the CJ4 Gen3 model will be equipped with Garmin’s latest G3000 Prime avionics suite, while the G3000 suites in the Gen3 versions of the CJ3 and M2 will get Garmin's Autoland technology, as will the CJ4 Gen3.

In this video, you'll get a better look at the new models that were on display at the NBAA-BACE show.

It is symbolic of the malaise cloaking aviation as it celebrated the centennial of powered flight that, for the first time since Orville and Wilbur Wright made history in 1903, mankind had to settle for flying more slowly than before. Concorde, the airplane that opened supersonic flight to anyone with the means to buy a ticket, retired after 27 years of service with British Airways and Air France. The British flag carrier operated its last commercial Concorde flight on Oct. 24, 2003, five months later than Air France, which terminated its scheduled supersonic transport (SST) operations on May 31.

It was not decrepitude that finished off the crown jewel of the airline fleet, but the alignment of other, less manageable forces.

In September, a New York jury awarded $116 million to the mother of the front seat passenger who died after a doors-off helitour flight autorotated into Manhattan’s East River in 2018. Trevor Cadigan, 26, and four other passengers died after his supplemental harness became entangled with the floor-mounted fuel shut-off control lever (FSOL) on the single-engine 2013 Airbus AS350B2 being operated by Liberty Helicopters on behalf of “shoe selfie” photo aerial tour firm FlyNYON. The entanglement caused the engine to stop.

While the pilot was able to successfully autorotate into the river, the Dart Aerospace skid-mounted pop-out emergency floats failed to fully inflate and the helicopter rolled inverted. The pilot, who was not wearing the supplemental harness, extricated himself; however, the passengers were unable to do so and drowned. At 2019 hearings, then NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said the use of the construction-grade harnesses turned the flight into a “death trap” and the accident was otherwise survivable.

Rolls-Royce has quietly confirmed its exit from electric propulsion activities in the advanced air mobility sector. In a trading update released on Thursday, the aircraft engines manufacturer mentioned the move in a one-line reference without providing any details as to how the business unit will be wound down.

Group chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic announced plans to sell this part of its electrical power business during its Capital Markets Day event in November 2023. Since then, Rolls-Royce has not found a buyer and has not denied reports that the business unit is now being shut down, although its work on hybrid-electric propulsion technology is expected to continue.

Airshare, started 25 years ago as a small fractional aircraft provider out of Wichita, has steadily increased its footprint across the U.S. to become the one-stop aviation services enterprise it is today. Last year, Airshare tripled its fleet and doubled its number of employees after acquiring Wheels Up’s aircraft management division.

Today, the company offers everything from charter to aircraft management, including a days-based fractional model, and has offices based throughout the U.S. Business Jet Traveler sat down with Airshare CMO Andy Tretiak to discuss the ins and outs of fractional shares, company ambassador and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and more.

Bentonville, Arkansas-based Game Composites has delivered its 100th GB1 GameBird, a single-engine, carbon-fiber composite airplane that is not only at home in the competitive unlimited aerobatics realm but also comfortable to fly on long-distance trips.

With a range of more than 1,000 nm, the GameBird cruises at 200 knots and has load limits of plus or minus 10 G and a roll rate of 400 degrees per second. It is “the only FAA-certified two-seat airplane manufactured in the U.S. capable of unlimited aerobatics,” according to Game Composites.

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