Ahead of the start of deliveries in a 34-ship order to Brazilian fractional aircraft operator Avantto announced earlier this year, Oregon-based airframer Epic Aircraft has received type certification for its E1000GX from Brazil’s civil aviation authority (ANAC).

The turboprop single had received FAA type certification in 2021, but ANAC approval was required as well before the aircraft could enter service with Avantto.

“Over the last four months, Epic Aircraft has worked closely with the Brazilian regulators to achieve ANAC certification of the E1000GX,” said Doug King, the OEM’s CEO. “This is a huge accomplishment in such a short time.”

The first Avantto E1000GX is scheduled to come off Epic’s production line in the next week or so, followed closely by the second. Both are expected to be delivered by the end of the year, followed by another in January. Deliveries of the remainder will be spaced out, with one every two months.

“We are excited to launch our sales in Brazil and join Avantto in providing top-notch aviation solutions to the Latin American market," said King.

Epic also announced that the E1000GX has received flight into known icing (FIKI) certification from the FAA, following the conclusion of a test program that used three aircraft and amassed more than 450 flight hours in addition to 280 hours in icing wind tunnels. Previously delivered versions such as the E1000 will require retrofit to meet the FAA requirement.

Dassault Falcon Jet plans to expand its presence in Little Rock, Arkansas, to support the development and delivery of its new Falcon 6X business jet and future Falcon programs. The decision comes after a meeting at the Paris Airshow this past summer between Dassault executives and Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, whose delegation offered what Dassault called “strong support” for the expansion project.

Apart from state incentives, the company said it chose Little Rock for the completion center expansion based on the availability of skilled workers and its presence at existing facilities.

“Our expected demand for new Falcons—such as our Falcon 6X which has just entered service—required that we evaluate our production needs including our completion capacity,” said Éric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. “The State of Arkansas has always been a vital part of our success in Little Rock and we appreciate the leadership of Governor Huckabee Sanders as we build a bigger presence.”

For her part, Sanders pointed to plans to add 800 jobs as more evidence of the state’s status as an aerospace “powerhouse.”

“I’m grateful to Dassault’s leadership for doubling down on their investment in central Arkansas and will keep cutting taxes, growing our workforce, and improving our schools to help Arkansas’ aerospace industry continue to expand,” she said.

Pratt & Whitney on Tuesday celebrated the 60th anniversary of the PT6 turboprop engine. Since Dec. 12, 1963, the OEM has delivered more than 64,000 PT6 engines to power nearly 21,000 aircraft, and the engine family has since exceeded 500 million flight hours on a broad range of missions in every region of the world.

“For six decades, the game-changing innovation and versatility of the PT6 engine have served as a foundation for industrywide achievement and modernization in general aviation, powering 155 different aircraft,” said Maria Della Posta, president of Pratt & Whitney Canada. “The PT6 is living proof of how one product and our team of people who make it possible continue to positively impact the industry year after year. Its global reach consistently makes it the engine of choice for the markets and missions it serves.”

Examples of the PT6’s mission profile include firefighting, agricultural uses, emergency medical services, humanitarian missions, and pilot training.

Most recently, the company launched the PT6 E Series, the first engine family in general aviation to feature a dual-channel integrated electronic propeller and engine control system. According to the engine maker, the technology allows for simplified operations and control systems and data intelligence, resulting in what it calls a more intuitive way of flying.

TAG Aviation has secured approval from the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority for its maintenance bases in Hong Kong, Macau, and Subang in Malaysia. The new authorizations announced on Wednesday cover work on Bermuda-registered aircraft, including Bombardier’s Global 5000/6000/6500/7500 jets, as well as Dassault’s Falcon 7X and 8X models, and the Gulfstream G450/550/600/650.

According to the Europe-based TAG group, it has seen increased demand from Asian aircraft owners to support equipment registered in Bermuda. “We’ve noticed an uptick in transit traffic and upcoming aircraft deliveries in Asia among Bermuda-registered operators,” said Phil Balmer, TAG Aviation’s director of maintenance. “Obtaining this approval demonstrates our commitment to adapt our services based on changing customer needs in the marketplace.”

TAG Aviation’s facilities in Hong Kong and Macau are already authorized service centers for Bombardier and Dassault. The company provides maintenance support under EASA and Hong Kong Part 145 certifications in these locations. Around the world, it employs 500 staff, including those stationed at other bases in the UK, Switzerland, Malta, Singapore, Bahrain, and Beijing.

Semi-private conversions remain a niche market with only a few MROs providing conversion and upgrade services. As one of those MROs, we often get asked about the available semi-private options – from basic interior refurbishment to the complete luxury VIP experience.

After more than 400 hours of validation and environmental testing, Satcom Direct’s Plane Simple Ka-band tail-mount antenna and terminal has received DO-160 approval. The environmental testing included “extensive weather, thermal, and vibration qualifications,” according to Satcom Direct. Flight testing took place on Satcom Direct’s Gulfstream G550.

With DO-160 approval in hand, Satcom Direct has lined up its first customer for the Ka-band satcom. The first supplemental type certificate is expected to be approved by the end of the first quarter of 2024. Development of the Plane Simple Ka-band satcom follows Satcom Direct’s commercial introduction of the Plane Simple Ku-band system early this year.

The new satcom connects to Viasat’s Jet ConneX service on the Global Xpress GX satellite constellation, part of Viasat’s recent acquisition of Inmarsat. According to Satcom Direct, buyers of the Plane Simple Ka-band system “can later upgrade to Viasat’s full Ka-band network, including the ViaSat-3 satellites and next-generation GX satellites as they come online.” Jet ConneX customers can now also opt to pay an hourly rate for the satcom service.

“This second iteration of our Plane Simple antenna technology is a game-changer for the industry as it unlocks the complete current and future performance capabilities of the Global Xpress network and minimizes beam and satellite switching time,” said Satcom Direct president Chris Moore.

Since 2018, the FAA has experienced “mixed progress” meeting milestones in its ongoing effort to modernize air traffic management, known as the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). “This mixed progress, has slowed FAA's NextGen efforts...to improve the safety and efficiency of air travel and address growing congestion in the national airspace.”

For example, the GAO commends the FAA for beating its milestone date for deploying more reliable digital communication services at ATC towers. However, the agency did not deploy initial services to all 20 facilities serving en route flights by its September 2021 milestone. As of August, the FAA has still not completed the deployment of those services at eight en route facilities. But the GAO concedes that the “pandemic played a large part in missed milestones.”

The report also noted that the FAA did not meet its scheduled timeline to replace paper flight strips with electronic flight strips at 89 airports, and the first site didn’t become operational until October 2022—two years late. Revised timelines now schedule the final completion date in February 2030. Additionally, the FAA decreased the number of airports designated to receive the electronic flight strips from 89 to 49.

Today, Helicopter Association International (HAI) celebrates 75 years of advocacy in the vertical flight sector. HAI was founded on Dec. 13, 1948, in Burbank, California, by a group of 16 individuals originally known as the Helicopter Council. Since then, the organization has grown to include thousands of members from at least 65 countries, including pilots, technicians, manufacturers, and suppliers.

“Seventy-five years ago, a small group of visionaries had the foresight to establish an organization that would become the beacon for the vertical aviation industry,” said HAI president and CEO James Viola. “Today, HAI stands as a testament to their vision and the collective efforts of our members, volunteers, and staff. We are thrilled to celebrate this momentous occasion, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to promote vertical aviation worldwide.”

HAI remains committed to promoting safety and community in the vertical flight sector, which in recent years has evolved to include new types of rotorcraft, including electric and autonomous vehicles, in addition to traditional helicopters. The changing landscape of the industry has prompted HAI to consider rebranding with a more inclusive title—one that may or may not retain the word “helicopter.” Announcing the move at the 2023 Heli-Expo convention, Viola pledged that the rebranding will “look to the future while honoring the past.” HAI will hold its next Heli-Expo event in February 2024 in Anaheim, California.

Robinson Helicopter will offer its new symmetrical horizontal stabilizer as a retrofit for its R66 single turbine at a discounted price of $3,600 between now and the end of next year. The retrofit kit is currently available for installation on R66s with the exception of those registered in EASA member states, China, Israel, Japan, UK, Russia, and some CIS states.

The stabilizer assembly is supplied unpainted with primer only. An extra charge of $375 to $750, depending on color, applies to those that are ordered factory-painted. Robinson estimates that the installation will take eight labor hours.

Robinson received FAA approval for an improved empennage on its R66, including the new stabilizer, in September, and foreign validations are ongoing. It is mounted on the tailcone a little farther from the tail rotor than the original, providing enhanced roll stability during high-speed flight, according to the company.

It also has a 4,000-hour TBO—double that of the original horizontal stabilizer. The new configuration is standard on all new-production R66s beginning with S/N 1279. Robinson stressed that the improved stabilizer does not alter the aircraft’s approved flight envelope, including prohibitions on low-G maneuvers.