Florida-based ambulance operator Global Jet Care will embark early Thursday from Witchita on a "century in the making" flight in N41GJ, a 40-year-old Learjet 36. Dubbed the “Century Mission,” the journey will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first around-the-world flight in 1924.

The company aims to circumnavigate the globe in a record 54 hours 30 minutes as a fundraiser for the Classic Lear Jet Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring to flying condition the first production Lear Jet 23 delivered to a customer. By comparison, the original 1924 flight, carried out by eight U.S. Army Air Service members split among two different aircraft, took 175 days and 74 stops to complete.

After departing Witchita at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, the Learjet 36 will head west with a total of 11 planned stops in California, Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Singapore, India, Dubai, Egypt, Italy, Portugal, and Canada before returning to Wichita on April 6.

The mission's flight crew includes Global Jet Care president—and Classic Lear Jet Foundation board member—Bart Gray and Global Jet Care pilots Joshua Podlich, John Bone, and Kirby Ezelle. Foundation v-p Joel Weber will be on board as an observer. Gray is funding the flight.

UK facilities dominated the top of the charts outside of the Americas in this year's AIN FBO survey. Business aviation gateway Farnborough Airport (EGLF)—with an overall score of 4.67—again earned the highest accolades for the EMEAA region in the survey—as it has virtually since the day it opened two decades ago.

Second place saw a tie between two FBOs at London Stansted Airport (EGSS): Harrods Aviation’s The Brompton (formerly the Fayair complex, which Harrods acquired last year) and Universal Aviation; both received a score of 4.61. Following them, with a tally of 4.54, is Harrods’ original location at EGSS—now known as The Knightbridge to distinguish it from its newer sibling—giving the London airport three FBOs in the top tier outside of the Americas this year.

For proof that there are quality FBOs outside the UK capital, ExecuJet Australia at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (YSSY) earned a score of 4.52, tying it with Jet Aviation’s facility at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (EHAM).

Other top performers in EMEAA this year included Eccelsa Aviation at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (LIEO) in Italy and Signature Aviation’s facility at Germany’s Munich International Airport (EDDM), both of which received a score of 4.49, landing them in the top 20 percent of all FBOs worldwide.

Atlas Air Service and Gogo Business Aviation are jointly developing EASA supplemental type certificates to install the Gogo Galileo HDX communications antenna on both the Cessna CitationJet and Embraer Phenom 300. Announcing the plans yesterday, the companies said the STCs will be the first for the broadband system in Europe.

Initially, Bremen, Germany-based MRO Atlas Air Service is focusing its efforts on completing the STC for the CitationJet/CJ series. The first installation is expected to be made this summer on a CJ1+.

The Phenom 300 STC is being developed in parallel, with the expectation that various international air safety regulators will validate the EASA approvals. According to Gogo, the STCs will apply to more than 2,600 in-service aircraft including some 1,850 Citations and 750 Phenom 300s.

Gogo’s Galileo system will operate on the Eutelsat OneWeb enterprise-grade low-earth-orbit satellite network, which is fully deployed. Following ground tests and verification work now being conducted, the U.S. manufacturer intends to flight test the prototype HDX terminal in the next few months.

At EBACE later next month, Gogo plans to demonstrate the Galileo HDX system onboard a CJ1+ at the static display area.

GE Aerospace became an independent company today following the official spinoff of energy division GE Vernova. GE Aerospace now trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “GE.” The standalone companies rang the opening bell together at the NYSE this morning to mark the occasion.

“With the successful launch of three independent, public companies now complete, today marks a historic final step in the multi-year transformation of GE,” said GE chairman and CEO Lawrence Culp Jr. “I am tremendously proud of our team, their resilience, and their dedication to achieving this defining moment.”

With an installed base of approximately 44,000 commercial engines and some 26,000 military and defense engines, GE Aerospace stands as an established global leader in propulsion, services, and systems. GE generated adjusted revenue last year of some $32 billion, 70 percent of which came from services and strong economics in the engine aftermarket.

The launch of GE Aerospace represents the completion of GE’s multi-year financial and operational transformation. GE has reduced its debt by $100 billion since 2018 as part of an effort to strengthen the business. The completion of the spinoff marks the creation of three independent companies—GE HealthCare, GE Vernova, and GE Aerospace—each well-positioned to build upon “GE’s history of innovation,” the company said.

How to invest in the development of knowledgeable, motivated technicians.

The FAA is reviewing two dozen recommendations from the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee, stressing yesterday that the work of the group is building on the agency’s priorities for pilot mental health.

Release of the recommendations yesterday comes less than four months after the FAA formed the aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) as it grappled with breaking down barriers that prevent pilots and air traffic controllers from seeking mental health care. Established on December 4, the ARC was tasked with examining those barriers and providing recommendations on ways to break them down.

Broken into working groups, the ARC examined and made recommendations on the FAA’s handling of mental health diagnosis; the mental health screening process; barriers preventing pilots/controllers from reporting mental health issues; and education, training, and awareness.

Recommendations included creating a non-punitive pathway for disclosing mental health conditions and treatments; revising requirements surrounding reporting and certification/qualification surrounding psychotherapy, depression/anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder; ensuring screening protocols based on safety management system protocols; developing education and awareness campaigns; and modernizing the FAA’s information management system.

The ARC included people in aerospace medicine, psychiatric and psychological medical experts, and representatives from the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine, FAA Flight Standards Service, the NTSB, industry trade associations, pilot/controller representative organizations, academia, and international aviation industry associations and civil aviation authorities.

Web Manuals is preparing to upgrade its digital documentation system for aircraft operators by applying enhanced search capabilities powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Today, the company announced the acquisition of Gothenburg-based ManualAI Sweden to tap its expertise in this area.

According to Web Manuals, ManualAI will now integrate AI functions into its documentation platform to help pilots and support crew more easily and intuitively find the information they need in documents. According to Web Manuals CEO Martin Lidgard, the first AI functions could be available to subscribers in the next few months. The Malmö-based company now has more than 600 customers and partners worldwide and also has offices in New York, San Diego, Singapore, and Sydney.

“Acquiring ManualAI is a testament to our growth trajectory and affirms our reputation as a steadfast, leading brand,” Lidgard commented. “Thanks to the quick integration of both business and software, we plan to deliver Web Manuals’ first AI function by spring 2024. Supporting our aviation customers to drive operational efficiency and reduce time spent on managing compliance tasks, ManualAI’s AI functionality will help us to deliver a first-class solution.”

SmartSky Networks has developed a mobile ground testing device for installers of its air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity system. After installing a SmartSky ATG system in a customer aircraft, the dealer’s technicians can fully test the system on the ground using SmartCart, avoiding the need for flight testing. 

Using SmartCart eliminates the need to find a qualified crew to flight test the system, explained SmartSky president and co-founder Ryan Stone. If there is a problem with the installation, troubleshooting is much easier on the ground and prevents having to do multiple test flights.

The SmartCart kit comes in a special case and includes a laptop PC, a spectrum analyzer, and an indicator light. Connection to the aircraft is via a localized RF link, and SmartCart then connects to the SmartSky core network. Testing includes end-to-end data connectivity, antenna operations, cable validation, power levels, and electromagnetic interference.

Typical speeds on the SmartSky network, which covers the continental U.S., are 5 to 10 GB download and upload with peaks at more than 20 GB download and 15 to 20 GB upload. 

Retail price for the Flagship system is $119,999, and the Lite system is $59,999, although trade-in and other rebates are available. Service prices range from $3,495 per month plus $1,495 per additional 5 GB to $9,995 per month for unlimited data.