EBACE will look a little different this year with two business aviation market heavyweights, Bombardier and Gulfstream, deciding not to exhibit. However, the annual show—to be held May 28 to 30 in Geneva—will sport its first eVTOL vehicle on static display, from VoltAero, and have a focus on hydrogen as well as electric, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said. He further told AIN that all of the other aircraft manufacturers that traditionally exhibit at the event have committed to returning.

Bombardier confirmed yesterday that it was not exhibiting and “is exploring various regional marketing concepts as part of our broader business plan.” The Canadian manufacturer of the Global and Challenger business jet lines also emphasized that it “supports the great work of both the EBAA and NBAA in key areas.”

The loss of two major exhibitors at this year’s show no doubt will have an impact, but Bolen stressed, “We’ve got a lot going for us as we are moving into the show.” Acknowledging the decisions of Gulfstream and Bombardier, he further said, “We do have a number of exhibitors that are very enthusiastic about the show…We're very excited about that continued level of support that we see.”

Though registration just opened in recent weeks, Bolen said it is off to a good start.He further noted strong support from Geneva and Eurocontrol.

FBO chain Sheltair on Monday opened a new hangar complex at its Denver Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (KBJC) facility. Consisting of three hangar and office space structures, the complex covers 52,000 sq ft of hangar space, large enough to accommodate a Bombardier Global 7500. The project also created another 3,700 sq ft of office space.

"We are dedicated to supporting the airports and communities in which we operate," said Sheltair COO Todd Anderson. "The completion of these three new cutting-edge hangars enables our KBJC location to better support the region’s aircraft storage and business needs and the local economy.”

Each hangar complex features large flexible spaces, two offices, restrooms, and a three-car garage. The expansion includes parking for 56 vehicles and 67,856 sq ft of new ramp space.

Situated at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, just 20 minutes from Boulder and downtown Denver, Sheltair KBJC offers access to major business parks, universities, event venues, shopping, and outdoor recreation areas in the Denver area. The FBO's location also makes it ideal for aircraft repositioning when flying into the region's ski resorts, according to Sheltair.

At the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) Safety Symposium this week, speakers and participants shared important safety information, lessons learned, and opportunities for improvement. The symposium began with an acknowledgment that business aviation's safety record hasn’t gotten off to a good start in the first quarter, with three fatal business jet accidents and nine fatalities occurring in the U.S., up from two accidents and two fatalities during the same period last year.

Held at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, not only was the ACSF Symposium an opportunity for business aviation operators to share safety ideas, but the organization also welcomed Embry-Riddle students to participate. The event began on Monday with a panel of industry experts sharing their career experiences, and this was well attended by Embry-Riddle students who are interested in business aviation opportunities.

During the following two days, sessions covered managing risk; just culture in human factors; runway excursions and incursions; the hype of advanced air mobility; concepts of proactive compliance in building a culture of excellence; safety through the lens of system theoretical analysis; the biological basis of complacency; and safety issues related to hangar and production facilities.

The emotional final day presentation by the parents of Colgan Air Flight 3407 victim Lorin Maurer highlighted issues facing affected families when aircraft accidents happen.

Aircraft interiors company Primadonna last week completed the acquisition of SJ Lipkins, the manufacturer of Cloudstone, a lightweight stone surface for business aircraft. Primadonna CEO Seth Newman told AIN the acquisition comes with history between the two companies.

“I owned Lipkins before I owned Primadonna. I bought Primadonna basically with the idea of buying these different specialized business aviation companies and specialized interior products. We'll ultimately merge them together to be one entity. That's how it kind of came about,” he said.

According to Primadonna, the acquisition will help expand its stone surface catalog to “galley countertops, entry and lavatory flooring, cabin bulkheads, drink rails, and game tables.” Newman said the combination will also lead to more creative projects in the future.

“Typically in an airplane, everything is wood veneer, right? We do stone and stone veneer, so we can make tabletop stone, which is like what people are used to in their homes,” he said. “It's more resistant to scratches and things. So we're excited about integrating more stone into the interiors of airplanes and working with designers to do that.”

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A public information workshop held last Thursday outlined future expansion plans for North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT). The meeting in the general aviation airport’s terminal was chaired by Eric Pfeifer, the senior planner and project manager at Coffman Associates, the consulting company chosen for the project.

In cooperation with the FAA and Clark County Department of Aviation, several plans were shown that would extend the various taxiways and runways. Using land already set aside for the project, the plan is to consider extending and widening the 5,000-by-75-foot Runway 12R/30L to more than 6,000 feet long and 100 feet wide. Similarly, Runway 12L/30R will be upped from 4,199 by 75 feet to more than 4,300 feet long and 100 feet wide. Runway 7/25 would be unchanged at 5,005 by 75 feet.

If extensions are carried out, the ILS also will have to be moved. Once current leases end, the plan includes removing several small hangars for tenant aircraft. However, new hangar space would need to be considered since there is a waiting list of more than 100 aircraft owners. Adding scheduled airline operations and a non-municipal-run FBO are not part of the study.

Oregon-based cabin electronics company Rosen Aviation has announced a new in-seat audio system for business aircraft. It said the system uses “newly patented technologies in sound wave propagation to produce life-like sound and music that accurately recreates tone, timbre, and spatiality for an engaging and authentic experience.”

The technology was developed in partnership with Laurence Dickie, co-founder of Vivid Audio and the inventor of the “Nautilus” loudspeaker.

“The steady increase in demand for truly high-end audio has been gaining momentum in commercial and VIP aviation over the past decade, and we now have a unique approach that offers passengers a next-level experience. Existing solutions are still far from what customers can experience in their car, let alone at home, and Rosen’s system represents a culmination of hardware and software that will ultimately create a new paradigm in inflight audio capabilities,” said Rosen Aviation senior v-p of strategy Lee Clark.

The demo will be showcased by appointment next month at the Aviation Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, as part of what Rosen calls its “PO-RT-AL (Personally Optimized Real Time Augmented Luxury)” passenger experience. This display features digital windows and skylights, curved carbon composite inflight entertainment display, hologram controller, and a smart cupholder.

Desert Jet Center is partnering with Titan Aviation Fuels to offer sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its FBO at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (KTRM) in Thermal, California. Under the partnership, Desert Jet will offer SAF to customers of its charter aircraft fleet, as well as FBO customers.

"We are delighted to provide an option for aircraft management clients and FBO customers who desire to use a renewable alternative fuel source for their aircraft through our Desert Jet Center FBO. Offering SAF to our clients is a significant milestone for us as we continue to lead the way in sustainable aviation practices,” said Desert Jet CEO Jared Fox.

“Titan Fuels looks forward to working with Desert Jet to support its SAF initiative by providing a source for current and future sustainable fuel needs,” said Titan Aviation Fuels executive v-p Mike Allen.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials has certified that SAF meets the same safety and performance standards as conventional jet-A and can be used in existing aircraft without requiring any modifications. Neat SAF also lowers life cycle carbon emissions by up to 80 percent versus jet-A.