At its Bordeaux-Mérignac facility in France, Dassault Aviation is completing assembly of the first Falcon 10X, which features the largest cabin cross-section of any purpose-built business jet. Service entry of the 10X is planned for late 2027.

While final assembly of the first article is underway, engineers are conducting airframe load and fatigue limit testing on a mechanical testbed to validate airframe life limits. Like its military cousin, the Rafale, the 10X features a carbon-fiber composite wing.

Falcon 10X systems are being tested on two multi-system test benches at Dassault’s Istres flight-test center. Each bench includes subsystems computer suites that represent actual aircraft systems, according to Dassault. “These test benches will verify proper functioning of avionics, engine controls, flight controls, hydraulics, electrical distribution, braking, fire protection and other aircraft systems.” Tests of the flight deck and the digital flight control system are underway at Dassault’s Saint-Cloud headquarters near Paris.

Late last year, Rolls-Royce completed the flight-test campaign for the 10X’s 18,000-pound-thrust Pearl 10X engine. This involved more than 25 flights on Rolls-Royce’s Boeing 747 testbed over six months, including flights to 45,000 feet and at up to Mach 0.90.

With a cabin that is 6 feet 8 inches tall and 9 feet one inch wide and 7,500-nm range, the 10X will be Dassault’s largest and longest-legged jet.

Ahead of its anticipated entry into service later this year, construction on the first production example of the Bombardier Global 8000 is nearing completion at the airframer’s final assembly center near Toronto. When it enters service, the Global 8000 will be the fastest certified civil aircraft since the Concorde, with a top speed of Mach 0.94. It will also have an 8,000-nm range.

“The first Global 8000 production aircraft is steadily progressing through final assembly, and we are on track to meet our targets for this incredible aircraft—the industry’s fastest and most impressive ultra-long-range business jet,” explained David Murray, the Canadian OEM’s executive v-p of manufacturing, IT, and operational excellence. “Our engineering and production teams continue to display unmatched levels of commitment, innovation, and expertise at all stages of the manufacturing process.”

Meanwhile, the program’s Wichita-based test aircraft (the modified former Global 7500 FTV 5) has been busy of late flying missions to Europe to showcase its performance attributes under real-world operating conditions. With its extended range, the Global 8000 will be able to link city pairs such as Dubai-Houston, Singapore-Los Angeles, and London-Perth.

The large-cabin twinjet will feature four living zones and a separate crew rest area.

The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) returned to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Florida, for its annual Safety Symposium, opening the 2025 event with a focus on the human element in safety. The event has continued to grow with 150 attendees in person and more than 50 tuning in virtually.

Kent Stauffer, ACSF chair and v-p of safety at Flexjet, stressed that many of the sessions planned throughout the event surround the human element. He asked attendees how they felt now about aviation, eliciting responses of concern, nervousness, and media attention. Then, he asked, “What are you going to do about it?”

Stauffer contended that it comes down to the human rather than technology. People reference human factors but he asked what that means and suggested that people need to dig deeper and think differently about decision-making. Pilots are taught that they can’t bring their emotions to the job, but Stauffer contended that people should prioritize both emotion and logic.

Convergent CEO Tony Kern followed that sentiment during his keynote, saying it is not possible to operate without emotions, but it is key to learn how to control them and use all of your resources. He noted that in aviation, people are taught how to do things right, but they are not taught as much about the wrongs—and there are many of those.

Unither Bioélectronique test pilot Ric Webb lifted off in a Robinson R44 helicopter powered by a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system at Roland-Désourdy Airport in Bromont, Québec, Canada, on March 27. A subsidiary of United Therapeutics, Unither is developing hydrogen-powered helicopters, including a hybrid-electric R66, that it plans to use to transport manufactured organs for transplants.

The flight of the proof-of-concept demonstrator R44 achieved several firsts, including the first flight of a hydrogen-powered helicopter and the first such flight in Canada. It also validated the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology, which Unither said is “proving its capability to support the demanding power requirements of a vertical takeoff and landing powered-lift profile.”

Plans call for subsequent designs to feature a liquid-hydrogen storage system that will provide more range. “Just as protons from hydrogen atoms drive the mitochondrial powerplants in each of our bodies’ cells, we look forward to using protons from green hydrogen to drive the membrane-based fuel cell powerplants in our Robinson R66 organ delivery electric helicopters,” said United Therapeutics chairperson and CEO Martine Rothblatt.

Unither and Robinson Helicopter are collaborating on the hydrogen-powered helicopter program, called Project Proticity. The Torrance, California-based helicopter manufacturer is responsible for engineering, technical, and regulatory expertise, while Unither is focusing on integrating hydrogen technology and conducting testing toward certification in Canada and the U.S.

The business aviation market is growing, and Thornton Aviation is growing, too, providing much needed capacity and expertise. 

Victor Sierra Aviation Holdings has added The Av8 Group to its stable of general aviation aftermarket component manufacturing companies. Av8, which specializes in FAA parts manufacturer approval (PMA) development, has an in-house maintenance team that can handle overhaul and repair of business and regional airplane landing gear and electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic components.

The companies under the Victor Sierra umbrella collectively serve more than 45,000 customers and offer more than 3,500 proprietary PMA parts. In addition to Av8, the companies include Aviation Products Systems, McFarlane Aviation, and Tempest Aero Group.

“The acquisition of The Av8 Group enhances our position within our core product base of landing gears, wheels, and brakes while allowing us to expand our presence within the business and regional aviation segments,” said Victor Sierra CEO Scott Still. “Our collective brands are recognized leaders in engineering, manufacturing, and distributing high-quality aftermarket solutions. We’re excited to expand our market and product portfolio and deliver even greater value to our customers.”

“Securing a strategic partner capable of accelerating our growth trajectory and driving market expansion—while also recognizing the value of the culture we have created over the years—was a key priority,” said Av8 CEO Yoel Arnoni. “Victor Sierra brought a clear vision for growth and a deep respect for the foundational elements that have made our business successful.”

Textron Aviation is celebrating a decade of service at its European Distribution Center (EUDC) in Düsseldorf, Germany. The facility supplies customers across Europe and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Since its opening, it has grown into the company’s second-largest parts distribution center, handling more than 50% of orders for customers in these regions.

The 21,500-sq-ft (2,000-sq-m) facility stocks more than 20,000 SKUs, ensuring same-day shipments and minimizing aircraft downtime. As the center has expanded, shipment volume has increased year over year.

“Since opening, our European Distribution Center has doubled in size, added a customer support parts and warranty team, and quadrupled inventory value to continue providing unrivaled support in the region,” said global parts distribution senior v-p Brad White. “Most recently, EUDC has increased stock-keeping units by 40%, supporting less downtime for our customers and bolstering our commitment to provide the most robust services in the industry.”

The EUDC offers factory-direct support, maintenance, and modifications for Beechcraft, Cessna, and Hawker aircraft. In 2024, the center introduced a state-of-the-art training center. With more than 150,000 unique part numbers in stock and a team of more than 600 professionals, Textron Aviation’s global network provides delivery of parts across more than 115 countries worldwide.

The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) kicked off its annual Safety Symposium yesterday evening with a career panel of three industry entrepreneurs—one who started a corporate flight department, another a Part 135 operation, and a third a charter brokerage—who shared their insights before a packed room of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) students. This year’s panel featured Candace Covington, the senior director of aviation for Adobe; Nicole Battjes, CEO and founder of Rainbow Helicopters; and Kolin Jones, an ERAU alumnus who is founder and CEO of Amalfi Jets.

Covington joined Adobe in 2019 to start a small flight department with its first jet, a Gulfstream G650. That department now has a team of seven and logs roughly 400 hours a year. She called the invitation to stand up a flight department from scratch a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Battjes founded Rainbow Helicopters in 2011, the first new major operator to break into that market in decades. Rainbow now employs 55, with a fleet of 10 helicopters. Battjes stressed the importance of remaining open to opportunities and perseverance.

The third panelist, Jones, is five years into his business, which he founded at 19 in his dorm room at ERAU. He faced skeptical eyes as a youth entering a well-established business but moved forward because he felt like the space needed something different—a charter brokerage that goes far beyond just the minimum requirements.

Charter broker Air Charter Service (ACS) has expanded its presence in Canada with the opening of a new office in Montreal. This location complements ACS’s existing Canadian operation in Toronto and marks the company’s 36th office worldwide.

Gary Hopkins, CEO of ACS Canada, said the company has served the entire country from its Toronto office for 15 years but saw an opportunity to enhance service in Quebec. “The city is an important center of commerce, finance, industry, and technology, and the new operation means that we can be closer to our French-speaking clients in the province.”

The Montreal office is being led by Adila Djerrar, who has been with ACS for more than three years and has extensive experience in the airline and travel industries. Hopkins expressed confidence in Djerrar’s leadership, noting that she has already been working closely with clients in Quebec and now has an expanded platform to continue developing relationships in the region.

Djerrar emphasized that she and her team have been preparing for this launch for several months. She intends to strengthen connections with local clients and further expand ACS’s reach in the province.