Pilatus Aircraft is expanding its advanced composites capabilities with the opening of its “Schwarzhorn” building in Nidwalden, Switzerland. Employing 300 people, the center represents a CHF100 million ($123 million) investment, marking the most expensive facility the company has built, according to Pilatus CEO Markus Bucher. Importantly, it combines Pilatus’ composite component development and production under one roof, the company added.

The Swiss manufacturer of civil and military turboprop and jet aircraft has used composites, or fiber-reinforced materials, for more than 40 years. But this has mainly involved non-load-bearing secondary structures such as covers and cowlings.

However, its PC-24 incorporates composites in its primary structural components, which Pilatus notes are lighter and improve fuel efficiency. With this experience on load-bearing control surfaces, Pilatus is planning to expand its use of composites.

Named after a Swiss mountain and the color of the composite components, the Schwarzhorn building houses all activities from delivery and storage of raw materials to component production, subassembly, surface treatment, and storage. This streamlines the process of delivering components directly to final assembly as finished kits.

The building was also built with sustainability in mind, including solar panels on the roof and facades, and use of process-related waste heat and groundwater for heating and cooling. In addition, the building was designed to enable Pilatus to obtain its first LEED Platinum recognition.

When a pilot experiences symptoms that lead to an emergent evaluation, the FAA often will not determine that pilot’s aeromedical eligibility based on a single test result. The FAA will expect that not only are test results favorable, but that the pilot’s symptoms have abated and are not likely to return. In other words, the pilot is safe to return to the cockpit.

How is that determination made? For example, a pilot sought emergent evaluation at a hospital twice in one year for symptoms of chest pain. This is quite concerning, as significant chest pain can be incapacitating.

Further, if the diagnosis turns out to be heart disease requiring formal treatment, the pilot has then found themself in the special issuance process. Then that pilot would need a formal authorization for special issuance of a medical certificate to continue to fly, given that heart disease requiring treatment is a specifically disqualifying medical condition as per the FARs.

But if it’s something else, the decision tree might not be all that clear-cut. What do we do to move forward in the FAA medical process? More importantly, what do we do moving forward to protect the pilot’s health and future?

Fresh off its successful air charter trip to Spain to view Wednesday’s total eclipse, UK-based private lift specialist Air Charter Service (ACS) is already planning for next year’s celestial occurrence.

For this most recent event, the company arranged for nearly 100 people to travel on a chartered Embraer 190. Its planning identified three possible locations for prime viewing of the eclipse on the path of totality: Keflavik, Iceland; Valladolid, on mainland Spain; or Palma, Mallorca. The decision for Valladolid was made last Friday based on weather forecasts, and the passengers who departed from London Stansted Airport (EGSS) enjoyed spectacular views. Thousands of Spaniards also experienced the first total solar eclipse visible in the country in more than a century.

“We booked the day return flight more than a year ago, knowing that we would be able to help eclipse-chasers, astronomy enthusiasts, and photographers get the best view of the first total solar eclipse in continental Europe since 2006,” said Matthew Purton, ACS’ group aviation services director. He added that the company chartered private jets into Zaragoza, Spain, and Palma for other clients also eager to see the phenomenon.

According to Purton, ACS is now looking ahead to next year’s eclipse on August 2, which many are dubbing “The Eclipse of the Century” due to its lengthy 6.5 minutes of totality.

U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Democratic leaders are seeking an investigation into the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) purchase of four Gulfstreams—two G650s and two G700s—and eight Boeing 737s for the Trump Administration’s use.

Appropriations Committee vice chair Patty Murray (D-Washington) and Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), the ranking member of the homeland security subcommittee, sent a letter to both DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and the DHS inspector general requesting the investigation, calling the purchases a “gross misuse” of tax dollars.

“It has come to our attention that the Department of Homeland Security is effectively running an in-house private jet service for Trump Administration officials with a slew of new luxury jets and other airplanes it has acquired and begun providing to officials over the last year,” they wrote in the letter. 

The DHS used $200 million in OBBBA funding for the U.S. Coast Guard to acquire two G700s, they said. “The jets were acquired despite the fact that DHS already owns two Gulfstream jets to support executive travel and despite the fact that DHS had never raised the need for any additional jets in any of its annual budget requests.” Other aircraft acquired include two G650s, a VIP Boeing Max 8, and seven more Boeing 737s.

Brazilian offshore operator Omni Táxi Aéreo has selected Honeywell Aerospace’s IntuVue RDR-7000 weather radar for all 33 of the Leonardo AW139 helicopters in its global fleet of 88 rotorcraft. According to Honeywell, Omni’s opted to install IntuVue on its AW139s to provide maximum airborne weather radar capability for offshore flying, where conditions can deteriorate rapidly.

“Safety is the foundation of everything we do at Omni, and that starts with giving our pilots the clearest possible picture of what’s ahead,” said Omni Táxi Aéreo CEO Roberto Coimbra. “Upgrading our entire AW139 fleet with Honeywell Aerospace’s radar technology is an investment in our crews, our passengers, and the long-term reliability of our operations.”

The RDR-7000 uses 3D volumetric scanning, continuously sampling the atmosphere to create a real-time depiction of conditions along the flight path. That approach allows the system to resolve overlapping cells, including weather masked by a nearer storm front. Maximum scan range is 320 nm under optimal conditions.

The radar functions automatically, requiring no in-flight tilt or gain adjustments, which Honeywell said lowers crew workload during high-tempo operations. New software capabilities can be activated remotely through over-the-air updates.

Honeywell cited independent testing indicating that the system predicts turbulence with up to 93% accuracy and cuts the likelihood of a turbulence-related event by more than half. Detection coverage also includes hail, lightning, and wind shear.

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