FAA Floats Special Conditions for Skyryse Fly-by-wire R66

The FAA has published proposed special conditions for the certification of Skyryse’s fly-by-wire flight control system in the Robinson R66 helicopter. It notes that the fully digital system is a novel design feature not addressed by existing FAR Part 27 regulations for control margin awareness—a cue pilots normally feel, and one the fly-by-wire system will have to synthesize. Public comments on the proposal are due by October 13.

Skyryse of El Segundo, California, applied in 2023 for a supplemental type certificate to install its SkyOS flight control system in the R66 light turbine-single helicopter. A production-representative cockpit design for the converted R66, called Skyryse One, was revealed in January 2025, replacing mechanical controls with a single control stick and touchscreen displays.

Existing Part 27 rules—written to address hydromechanical flight control systems—assume that pilots gauge control margins by the cyclic and pedal positions relative to cockpit control stops. Skyryse’s fly-by-wire system removes the tactile link between cockpit controls and the main and tail rotor actuator positions. The proposed condition would require the system to make flight crews “suitably aware whenever the means of primary flight control approaches the limits of control authority.”

The special conditions apply only to the crewed conversion. Skyryse and Robinson separately agreed in June to adapt the R66 into an uncrewed variant for defense missions using the same SkyOS platform.

AINsight: Go-arounds Are a Normal and Expected Outcome

Earlier this month, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a safety notice warning aircraft operators and pilots about an unacceptable rise in unstable approaches that continue to land rather than go around. The regulator, citing historical data, said this practice makes a subsequent adverse event 80 to 100 times more likely.

Safety Notice SN-2026/008 “sets out the actions that operators are expected to take within their operational, safety management, and training systems to reduce the incidence of unstable approaches continued to landing and to reinforce the go-around as a normal, expected, and well-practiced response.”

A stabilized approach is a well-established defense against approach and landing accidents. The practice is effective at reducing runway excursions, hard landings, tail strikes, and runway contact events.

However, according to the CAA, data from mandatory occurrence reports and operator safety data indicated a concerning negative trend. The regulator acknowledged the fact that an unstable approach does not always result in a negative outcome; in many cases, these approaches that continue without a go-around conclude with an uneventful landing.

“This is precisely why the practice is so insidious,” the CAA said. “The absence of a negative outcome on any individual occasion can be misread by crews and organizations as evidence that the margin was acceptable.”

Wisconsin FBO Chain Expands with Janesville Purchase

As it celebrates its 30th anniversary, Wisconsin-based Spring City Aviation has expanded to four FBOs in the Badger State by acquiring the former Revv Aviation facility at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport (KJVL) in Janesville.

The facility—the lone service provider at KJVL—offers a 2,725-sq-ft terminal with lounges, concierge, and an eight-seat conference room, as well as a 7,700-sq-ft hangar. While guests there will continue to enjoy the quality of service they’ve come to expect, enhanced offerings include charter services, onsite aircraft maintenance, and quick turns.

The location remains an Avfuel-branded dealer, offering the fuel provider’s Avtrip customer loyalty program and access to its contract fuel plan.

Headquartered in Waukesha, Spring City Aviation is a comprehensive aviation company providing private charter, aircraft management, maintenance, sales, and ground handling services. It also operates FBOs in Wisconsin at Waukesha County Airport (KUES), Milwaukee at Lawrence J. Timmerman Airport (KMWC), and Baraboo/Wisconsin Dells Regional Airport (KDLL), along with an air charter base at Burlington Municipal Airport (KBUU).

“As we celebrate 30 years in the sky, we’re excited to welcome Janesville into the Spring City Aviation family,” said company owner and CEO Brian Behrens. “The addition of KJVL enhances our ability to provide charter passengers, aircraft owners, and pilots with expanded access to premium FBO services and exceptional customer care.”

CrewBlast OS Now Includes A&P Mechanics on Platform

Aviation staffing technology company CrewBlast has added A&P mechanics to CrewBlast OS, moving the platform beyond pilot and flight attendant staffing and into aircraft maintenance personnel sourcing. The addition lets operators source mechanics for AOG events, supplemental coverage, and other short-notice maintenance needs.

The capability runs on CrewBlast Connect, the company’s geolocation tool, which lets operators send a maintenance need to nearby available A&P mechanics through the CrewBlast network instead of working through directories or making individual calls.

Timothy Griffin, founder and CEO of CrewBlast, said the addition builds on the company’s existing crew-sourcing model. “We’ve proven that model with flight crews,” he said. “Bringing A&P mechanics into CrewBlast OS is a natural extension of that technology and gives operators another resource when time matters.”

CrewBlast OS, launched earlier this month as a monthly subscription platform, also includes contract crew sourcing, full-time placement, operator-controlled Blasts, preferred contractor networks, and the company’s CertiFly qualification-document technology, which is being configured to recognize maintenance-specific credentials.

Griffin said this latest expansion addresses a common operational pressure. “The operator needs the right person, in the right place, quickly,” he said. “That is exactly what CrewBlast technology was designed to solve.”

New Treasury Rule Limits LLC Information Reporting

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has published a final rule that clarifies—and narrows—the scope of companies required to report beneficial ownership information under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), which was part of the broader Anti-Money Laundering Act enacted in 2021.

The act is intended to combat money laundering and other financial crimes by reviewing financial transactions. It initially required certain limited liability companies (LLCs) and other entities to report “ultimate beneficial-owner information,” including name, date of birth, current address, and more, to FinCEN. According to NBAA, this applied to many entities that own business aircraft in an LLC, which is a common structure to establish leases under which companies may share aircraft.

The final rule mitigates many of the previous privacy and legal concerns by permanently removing beneficial ownership reporting requirements for U.S. companies and U.S. persons. As a result, NBAA noted, domestic entities—including U.S.-formed LLCs, corporations, and other entities commonly used in aircraft ownership structures—are no longer subject to CTA beneficial ownership reporting.

FinCEN also stated that it will address privacy concerns raised by industry stakeholders by removing previously reported ownership information concerning U.S. persons from its database. Foreign entities registered to do business in the U.S. are still subject to CTA reporting, but that is generally limited to information on foreign beneficial owners.

Garmin Expands SmartCharts Reach to Canada and Mexico

Garmin has expanded SmartCharts coverage to Canada and Mexico for Premium-level subscribers of Garmin Pilot (web and Apple iOS app). The move makes SmartCharts available in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

SmartCharts offers dynamic, data-driven depictions of terminal procedures and airport diagrams, optimizing the way information is displayed on the charts, allowing pilots to see the information they need when they need it and minimizing distracting, non-pertinent information. By selecting aircraft type, transition fixes, runway, and other attributes, the pilot sees only the information needed, such as routing, fixes, and crossing restrictions for the selected or expected procedure.

It also includes quick access buttons for briefing information, frequencies, graphical missed approach icons, and other pertinent information. In the latest release, Garmin has also added a missed approach climb gradient table and climb gradient values on departure procedure charts. Another feature within SmartCharts is cold-weather adjustments for airports in Canada and the U.S.

To help smooth the glide path on nonprecision approaches, SmartCharts shows a continuous descent final approach path on the vertical profile view. The georeferenced SmartCharts displays the aircraft symbol on the plan view and profile views simultaneously, and each can be zoomed in and out independently.

Photo of the Week

Partly froggy. Richard Depinay, who flies the Cessna Citation Longitude that can be partially seen here in his photo, said it was “partly cloudy with a chance of good flying.” But we can’t stop seeing how much that lone cloud in the sky looks like a frog. Thanks for sharing, Richard!

Keep them coming. If you’d like to submit an entry for Photo of the Week, email a high-resolution horizontal image (at least 2000 x 1200 pixels), along with your name, contact information, social media names, and info about it (including brief description, location, etc.) to photos@ainonline.com . Tail numbers can be removed upon request. Those submitting photos give AIN implied consent to publish them in its publications and social media channels.