Brazilian entrepreneur Cesar Augusto Olsen placed an order with Daher Aircraft for a TBM 980 turboprop single today at LABACE 2026. The customer—founder of medical equipment group Olsen Indústria e Comércio—already operates a TBM 850 and has chosen to upgrade to the latest TBM version, which has Garmin G3000 Prime avionics and emergency Autoland.

During the signing event at LABACE, Olsen said he will use the new aircraft to visit his company’s distributors throughout Brazil. “Our TBM is an essential tool for the development of our activities,” he commented. “After [having] benefited for two years from the performance and reliability of the TBM 850, the transition to the TBM 980 is the natural choice. It gives us the speed, the efficiency, and the necessary technology to support the growth of our business.”

In October, France-based Daher opened a Brazilian subsidiary in São Paulo to better support its clients. Since then, it has sold six TBM 980s and a TBM 960 in the country.

Since rolling out the new $5.82 million model in January, Daher has delivered 30 TBM 980s to clients worldwide. Its latest TBM offers a maximum speed of 326 knots and an NBAA IFR range (with four passengers) of 1,730 nm.

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) is on hand this week at LABACE in Brazil to recognize several local organizations for their recent International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) and International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) accomplishments. The two voluntary, three-tiered programs, based on industry best practices, were designed to improve the safety and efficiency of business and general aviation.

“A special congratulations to TAM Aviação Executiva for becoming the only organization in Latin America to hold both IS-BAO Stage 3 and IS-BAH Stage 3 registrations,” said IBAC director general Kurt Edwards. “The entire TAM team should be proud of voluntarily achieving this exemplary display of dedication to safety.”

In addition to TAM’s achievements, the São Paulo Catarina Airport (SBJH) recently achieved IS-BAH Stage 2 registration, while Aerovida Taxi Aereo, Air Jet Taxi Aereo, Cosan, and UpStar Aviation became IS-BAO Stage 1 operators. Prime Aviation Taxi Aereo and Romanof Ltda both advanced to IS-BAO Stage 2.

According to IBAC, participation in IS-BAO (established in 2002) and IS-BAH (launched in 2014) promotes a strong safety culture and enhances organizational and client confidence. It also directly supports IBAC’s global advocacy to improve aviation safety and ensure that business aviation has a voice on the international stage at ICAO.

Aircraft owners whose aircraft are based outside of California but spend significant time in the Golden State may face new taxes in Los Angeles County. State law provides that an aircraft is subject to property tax if it establishes situs in California, and it further provides that the aircraft should be taxed in the county where it is “habitually situated.”

According to Joe Park, managing partner of business aviation tax firm BizjetCPA, neither the law nor the regulations provide any specific guidance with regard to the determination of sufficient connectivity with California as to constitute situs.

“Each of the 58 California County Tax Assessors is essentially free to make their own separate determination of what is required for an aircraft to establish situs, or taxability, in California,” Park told AIN. “Historically, most counties in California have provided aircraft owners with informal guidance that excludes taxation if an aircraft spends less than 30 or sometimes 60 overnights in their county.”

Recently, Los Angeles County took steps to significantly change how it defines situs and enforces property tax compliance, taking the position that an aircraft that spends as few as 19 overnights annually in the state has established situs and is taxable.

To identify those aircraft, the county claims to be using an “advanced aircraft discovery software” that has resulted in nearly 1,000 new tax assessments worth almost $40 million.

SC Aviation, a wholly owned affiliate of Colony Brands, has purchased Heartland Aviation, expanding both Wisconsin companies’ aircraft charter, management, and maintenance services across the U.S. upper Midwest. SC Aviation is based in Janesville, while Heartland’s headquarters are in Eau Claire.

Following the acquisition, SC Aviation plans to expand by adding more aircraft in Eau Claire. The SC Aviation fleet includes Bombardier Challenger 300/350s; Dassault Falcon 2000s and a 7X; and Hawker 750s, 800s, and 850s. 

“We’re excited to welcome Heartland Aviation’s team and customers into the SC Aviation family,” said v-p and general manager Adam Singer. “Heartland Aviation has built a strong reputation in the Eau Claire region, and this acquisition allows us to combine that local expertise with SC Aviation’s resources and network to better serve our customers throughout the upper Midwest.”

“Heartland Aviation has been built on relationships, and when I looked at who could give this operation the best platform to grow, SC Aviation was the clear answer,” said Nick Fancher, president and CEO of Heartland Aviation. “We share the same commitment to doing things right and the same vision for what aviation in this region can become. I am proud of what this team has built, and I look forward to continuing to work with SC Aviation to grow and expand.”

West Star Aviation has become a leading resource for Citation operators navigating cabin electronics obsolescence.

Strengthening aircraft systems and design standards, operational safety and procedures, and general aviation and recreational flight safety were among key areas that EASA spotlighted as it sought to address the recommendations it received as a result of accident investigations and other safety reviews.

In its newly released Annual Safety Recommendations Review, EASA reported receiving 39 recommendations in 2025 from investigations of 20 events: 13 accidents, five serious incidents, and two incidents. Most of these came from safety investigatory agencies within the EU. None involved uncrewed aerial vehicles.

More than half (56.4%) surrounded issues involving aircraft, equipment, and facilities, while another 33.3% centered on procedures and regulations. In other areas, personnel-related issues were the focus of 5.1% of the recommendations.

In all, in 2025, EASA addressed some 78 safety recommendations (including those issued before 2025), 31 of which were final replies and the remainder interim updates.

Evaluating these results, EASA said five key focus areas emerged, including strengthening aircraft systems and design standards and continuing airworthiness. Another area touched upon operational safety, flight crew procedures, and human performance. Others involved safety promotion and risk awareness campaigns; new regulatory frameworks and strengthened oversight; and general aviation and recreational flight safety.

Enstrom Helicopter’s authorized distributor for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, Safomar Aviation, has taken delivery of a new 480B turbine helicopter. This is Enstrom’s first commercial delivery since resuming production. 

In addition to helicopter sales, Modderfontein, South Africa-based Safomar Aviation provides full maintenance services, aircraft sales and leasing, and parts and supplies. Its 480B will be used to demonstrate the helicopter’s capabilities to potential customers.

“Safomar has been an exceptional representative of the Enstrom brand for many years,” said Chuck Wade, Enstrom’s senior v-p of product, sales, and customer excellence. “This delivery reflects more than the transfer of an aircraft; it represents the continued strength of our partnership and our shared commitment to supporting customers throughout South Africa and the broader African market. It also marks an important milestone for Enstrom as our first commercial aircraft delivery since resuming production, reinforcing our ability to serve both commercial and military customers around the world.”

“Enstrom and Safomar’s [relationship] is a living example of trust, collaboration, and focus on a superb product, superior support, and [dedication to] constant improvements,” said Safomar Group CEO Shai Shalem. “We both have our customers’ safety and requirements as our top priorities. Our joint objective is to further expand the African market with solutions that Enstrom’s superb products provide.”

As required by the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, the FAA has released “The Transition Plan to Unleaded Aviation Gasoline.” This initial version of the plan will be updated as new information is incorporated and phases of the plan are completed.

Phase 1 requires completion of FAA approvals and authorizations for the three candidate unleaded fuels that have been fielded or are under development. “Phase 1 also includes comparison testing and reporting to facilitate more informed decision-making by the end users,” according to the FAA.

The three fuels in Phase 1 are GAMI’s G100UL, which has been supplemental type certificate (STC)-approved for all avgas-burning piston aviation engines except for those in helicopters; Swift Fuels 100R, STC-approved for several engines but not yet for high-performance engines that require the detonation-protection features in 100LL; and LyondellBasell/VP Racing’s UL100, for which the companies hope to gain an FAA fleet-wide approval later this year covering certain aircraft and engines but not yet high-performance detonation-sensitive engines.

During the transition to unleaded avgas, which is supposed to happen by the end of 2030 in the continental U.S. and 2032 in Alaska—although the FAA has indicated that these deadlines may slip—the FAA is “encouraging airports to introduce unleaded fuel alternatives while requiring maintaining 100LL availability for aircraft through the transition.”

U.S. student loans could become more accessible for aspiring pilots, aircraft mechanics, and air traffic controllers under a bipartisan House bill that would classify aviation degrees as professional degrees under federal policy.

The Workforce Innovation for Next-Gen in Skies (WINGS) Act was introduced by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) and co-sponsored by Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-New York) and Frederica Wilson (D-Florida). More than a dozen universities and several industry stakeholders have expressed support for the legislation.

“We thank Representatives Beatty, Stefanik and Wilson for recognizing that financial constraints are among the obstacles confronting those seeking careers in aviation,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “This legislation will help remove those barriers, ensuring talented individuals are able to complete the education and training needed to pursue rewarding vocations in an essential American industry.”

NBAA senior v-p of education, training, and workforce development Jo Damato previously identified the cost of aviation education as one of the greatest barriers to entry into aviation careers in testimony before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Aviation Subcommittee. Damato drew that conclusion from her service on the Department of Transportation’s Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force, which recommended developing financial support mechanisms of the kind reflected in the WINGS Act.

AIN’s 2027 FBO survey is open. But the deadline to rate facilities in the 2027 survey (results to be announced at our third annual FBO Awards Dinner & Gala and published in the March 2027 issue of AIN) is December 6. It takes only a minute to rate an FBO, so you can do it while waiting in an FBO for passengers or any other convenient time. Participants will be entered to win a $250 Amazon gift card (winner must reside in the U.S.). Log in now to rate your experiences at the FBOs you've recently visited.