A consortium led by Delta Air Lines and investment firms Certares and Knighthead announced a tentative deal this morning to take over 95 percent of Wheels Up for $500 million. The plan provides Wheels Up with a $400 million term loan plus a $100 million “liquidity facility” from Delta.

Last week, Delta announced that it was providing Wheels Up with short-term financing of $15 million. Under the plan, Todd Smith will remain as Wheels Up interim CEO, while Delta chief financial officer Dan Janki replaces Ravi Thakran as Wheels Up chairman.

“The partnership will create new opportunities for Wheels Up to drive strategic, operational, and financial improvements for its customers in the months and years ahead” and “speed Wheels Up on its path to profitability,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian.

Prior to this morning’s announcement, Delta was Wheels Up’s largest individual shareholder, holding 20 percent of the company, which it had received in exchange for selling Wheels Up Delta Private Jets in 2013. Last year Wheels Up announced that it was moving its operations center to Atlanta—the same city where Delta is headquartered—and that it had hired retired Delta executive Dave Holtz to run it as chairman of operations.

Late yesterday, Wheels Up released its second quarter 2023 10-Q financial report, which showed losses of $161 million on $335 million in revenues.

Business aviation services group FlyExclusive is the first member of the customer advisory group that Textron’s eAviation division is establishing for its new Nexus eVTOL aircraft. The companies announced on Tuesday that FlyExclusive, which operates private charter flights and a fractional ownership program, will provide Textron with input on the development of the hybrid-electric Nexus, including the perspectives of pilots and passengers.

FlyExclusive has not indicated whether it intends to acquire the eVTOL vehicle. Moves to establish a customer advisory group for the four-passenger Nexus have begun just over 12 months after Textron publicly confirmed it is actively working on the aircraft.

The company has started wind tunnel tests with a 23 percent scale model of the aircraft to calibrate simulations and validate the design.

“The Nexus eVTOL is being designed to offer customers sustainably powered mobility and flexibility in a variety of locations and missions,” said Textron eAviation president and CEO Rob Scholl. “Our collaboration with FlyExclusive demonstrates our strong focus on further developing the product and ensuring it delivers an exceptional customer experience. As we begin the building of our first eVTOL prototype aircraft, FlyExclusive’s input will be important as we finalize our aircraft design and as the technology and market evolve over the coming years.”

Black Widow is donating two of its Sikorsky UH-60L helicopters to the rebuilding efforts on the fire-ravaged Hawaiian island of Maui. "The profound loss of life and property in Maui has deeply resonated with us. Our commitment is solidified with the donation of two of our Black Hawks, dedicated to Maui's restoration operations that will be pivotal in the foreseeable future," said Todd Dunphy, Black Widow head of corporate development.

The company said it would collaborate with nonprofit and philanthropic entities and custom-build the Black Hawks to ensure that they are equipped to cater to the specific needs of the community. It said engineering resources will be provided by Primehawx, a specialized Black Hawk maintenance company that will “ensure the helicopters are always flight ready for any deployment on the island.” 

Based in Wyoming and California, Black Widow Helicopters provides aerial firefighting and utility mission aircraft, with specializations in the Sikorsky UH-60 and Bell UH-1 models.

The comment period for the FAA’s proposed Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) for Integration of Powered Lift: Pilot Certification and Operations closed on Monday, with GAMA submitting comments on behalf of multiple member companies looking to introduce new advanced air mobility services. The proposed rules are intended to form a foundation for the introduction of eVTOL aircraft in the U.S. in 2025.

GAMA’s submission highlighted four aspects of the SFAR about which aircraft manufacturers have concerns, namely: the basis on which pilots will be certified to fly the new aircraft types; dual controls in the flight deck; flight simulation training devices; and requirements for the energy reserves electric aircraft will need to have to ensure they can land safely in the event of an emergency.

Among GAMA’s proposals was a call for the initial cohorts of eVTOL pilots to be certificated by adding a powered-lift type rating to an existing airplane or helicopter category type certificate and to apply what the association said would be appropriate operating rules for powered-lift operations based on the performance characteristics of each aircraft type. The group also called on the FAA to address the sections of the proposed SFAR covering, “the legacy fuel-based energy reserves and the antiquated requirement to design and certificate a dual control variant of each aircraft platform.”

Nashville, Tennessee-based Ryan Aviation Group has partnered with aviation sustainability specialist 4Air for every flight it arranges. By collaborating with 4Air, Ryan Aviation Group has employed various strategies to minimize its environmental impact, including carbon offsetting, sustainable practices, and raising environmental awareness about protecting natural resources.

“Ryan Aviation is committed to providing unparalleled service to our clients,” said Ryan Aviation Group founder and CEO Dan Ryan. “In tandem with that dedication to service, it is our responsibility to help lessen the impact on the environment.”

4Air promotes itself as the first and only “sustainability solutions” program dedicated to aviation. It seeks to address climate effects of all types and provides a simplified and verifiable path for the aviation industry to achieve meaningful aircraft emissions counteraction and reduction.

Since 4Air’s launch in January 2021, it has offset or reduced more than 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions using verified carbon offset credits and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The company recently rolled out its Assure SAF Registry program to provide a digital registry for documenting, tracing, and accounting for SAF sustainability benefits.

“4Air’s comprehensive programs are designed to be easy to implement, making achieving a sustainability goal simple and turnkey,” said 4Air COO Nancy Bsales.

B. Coleman Aviation at Gary/Chicago International Airport (KGYY) is the latest FBO to be accepted into the Air Elite Network, the World Fuel Services-sponsored group of upscale service providers. All FBOs that are invited to join the group must undergo an audit of their facilities and services before being voted on by the existing members.

Established in 2014, the FBO—which is a 35-minute drive from the Loop in Chicago and is open 24/7—offers a modern 18,000-sq-ft facility with a rampside canopy large enough to shelter large-cabin business jets and 90,000 sq ft of hangar space. Other amenities include a café, a theater room, a pilot lounge, a fitness center with showers, a pair of conference rooms, and a concierge. On-site U.S. Customs and Border Protection service is available.

“Welcoming B. Coleman Aviation to the Air Elite Network aligns with our commitment to curating elite service,” said Malcolm Hawkins, World’s senior v-p for global business aviation. “B. Coleman Aviation’s unique position as an alternative to the commercial airspace in Chicago ensures our customers have an option that will get them where they need to be quickly.”

With this latest addition, the network now lists 83 locations in 23 countries.

The Classic Learjet Foundation, a nonprofit group of current and former Wichita aerospace workers seeking to restore the first production Learjet (23-003), has raised enough money to purchase the aircraft.

“The financial acquisition of the aircraft completes a major goal of the Classic Lear Jet Foundation's mission to restore and operate the world’s first purpose-built business jet as part of a living flight history program,” said foundation president Bill Kinkaid. “This milestone comes less than one year after the creation of the foundation in August 2022.”

The foundation negotiated a sale price of $90,000 with the Learjet 23’s former owner, who had stored the light jet for years, knowing its historical significance. It had last flown in 1998.

As of June, the group was still approximately $50,000 from its goal when it invited legendary Learjet owner and aviator Clay Lacy and Lynn Krogh, founder and CEO of International Jet Services, to Wichita to view 23-003 in the Bombardier Learjet delivery hangar where it is being stored prior to restoration. In mid-July, Lacy and Krogh, along with Bill Lear’s daughter-in-law, inspected the airplane and received a presentation on the foundation’s plans for it. The pair became the primary acquisition sponsors, making up for the shortfall in purchase funds. While the engines had previously been removed and sent for overhaul, the restoration process on the airframe itself will now commence.

Women in Corporate Aviation (WCA) has opened the application process for its fall scholarship program. This latest round is the largest scholarship offering that WCA has had, the organization said. Noting that its spring scholarship program drew an all-time high number of applications, WCA anticipates another record round this fall.

The scholarships provide a growth path for new, current, and transitioning professionals, WCA said. The organization's founders first gathered 30 years ago, and since then WCA has grown into an entity that provides scholarships, networking, and mentoring to help foster business and corporate aviation careers. In the past 17 years, the group has awarded 280 scholarships valued at $1 million.

The 2023 program includes pilot, maintenance, flight attendant, and dispatch training, and covers corporate aviation careers, safety workshops, and human factors, among other areas. For more information, email WCA or call Jim Huntoon at (386) 736-3379 or Emily Kennedy at (404) 452-3745.