Bombardier is closing out its year with a firm order from an undisclosed customer for a dozen Challenger 3500s valued at $326.4 million, based on list prices. Deliveries for the order announced late last week are set to begin in 2025.

The order is among several fleet deals that Bombardier has secured for the 3500 during 2023, including an agreement from ABS Jets for three and a commitment from Airshare for an additional 20.

In addition, the order further stretches out Bombardier’s production backlog, which, according to president and CEO Éric Martel, had spanned between 18 to 24 months across its product lines by the end of the third quarter. Bombardier does not separate delivery numbers by model but the airframer had delivered 39 of its Challenger series through the first nine months of the year, a jump from the 30 delivered a year earlier. Bombardier expects to see shipments increase as it executes plans to deliver more than 45 of its Challengers and Globals in the fourth quarter alone, in line with its guidance.

The latest variant of Bombardier’s Challenger 300/350 series, the 3500 entered service in September 2022, bringing to market new safety features such as an autothrottle system, cabin technologies including a voice-controlled cabin management system, and some features found in the higher-end Global family such as Nuage seats.

Canada-based aviation services provider Skyservice Business Aviation on Thursday completed its purchase of the majority share of Miami FBO Fontainebleau Aviation, a deal announced in October at NBAA-BACE. One of the dominant providers at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (KOPF), Fontainebleau offers 350,000 sq ft of hangars and a 15,000-sq-ft multi-level terminal with an aircraft arrivals canopy.

Skyservice first expanded into the U.S. in 2021 and has since added several other U.S. locations, for a total of 12 in its North American network. The Fontainebleau facility, which is keeping its name in recognition of the iconic brand, will give Skyservice its first foothold in the U.S. Southeast.

“The completion of this transaction marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for Skyservice as we continue our expansion to better meet the needs of our clients and the growing demands of our industry,” said Skyservice president and CEO Benjamin Murray. “Together we are well positioned to accelerate growth across our platform while enhancing our customers’ travel experiences.”

Before the deal, Fontainebleau—with an eye toward expansion—had acquired the former Jetscape FBO facility that is under development at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL). Regulatory approvals for Skyservice’s investment into this location are still ongoing.

Despite rising interest rates this year, aircraft financing has remained largely available even if the banks have become more regimented in their lending requirements. In fact, forecasters expect financing to increase over time.

A study Airbus Corporate Jets released during the most recent NBAA-BACE found that 82 percent of U.S.-based business aviation financiers and private jet brokers expect access to financing to grow over the next three years alongside steady demand. However, nearly half did see a slight rise in cash requirements.

Bart Demosky, executive v-p and CFO of Bombardier, said financiers recently told company executives that they “are seeing growth in their books. They all said that they're deploying more capital into business aviation because it's been high performing for them.”

Global Jet Capital CEO Vivek Kaushal has been encouraged that business has remained steady. “Business has been good this year,” Kaushal told AIN. “We're roughly on pace with where we were back in 2022.” However, he did note that with the rising interest rates, traditional banks may be “aiming themselves farther up the credit spectrum.”

The market is normalizing, Philip Winters, v-p of aircraft sales and charter management with Western Aircraft and incoming chair of the International Aircraft Dealers Association, also acknowledged, “except for interest rates, which is going to be an interesting evolution.”

Sheltair has broken ground on a hangar complex at Kissimmee Gateway Airport (KISM) in Central Florida. The aviation real estate developer and FBO operator has had a presence at the airport—the closest to the region’s theme parks—since 2001 and manages nearly 116,000 sq ft of hangar space, comprising 86 individual hangars.

“Being at full hangar capacity, Sheltair’s foresight in constructing the additional hangar facilities will assist us in accommodating the needs of our aviation community,” explained Shaun Germolus, KISM’s director of aviation. “We value or partnership with Sheltair and look forward to welcoming our new pilots and aircraft owners.”

This latest phase of development will span 2.7 acres and add another 42,622 sq ft of space, including ten 2,500-sq-ft box hangars capable of sheltering light jets or turboprop singles and nine oversized T-hangars. All of the new hangars will feature hydraulic doors.

Construction on the multi-million project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2024, and the company is now fielding lease inquiries.

“This new expansion is a significant investment that reflects the company’s long-term commitment to the city of Kissimmee and the airport,” said Sheltair COO Todd Anderson. “It further supports driving additional economic growth for the airport and community.”

Canadian fractional-share operator AirSprint has taken delivery of its 15th Embraer Praetor 500, the sixth aircraft to join the fleet this year. The company’s fleet now totals 36 jets, including Embraer Legacy 450/500s and Cessna Citation CJ2+ and CJ3+s, providing more than 500 share owners travel from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, and the Maritimes. 

“This achievement underscores our dedication to meeting the demand of our ownership base, reaffirming AirSprint's leadership position in Canadian private aviation,” said James Elian, president and CEO of AirSprint. “We look forward to the continued growth and further innovation that awaits us in 2024.”

With a transcontinental range of 3,340 nm, the fly-by-wire Praetor 500 is a popular choice for fractional-share operators. At its maximum altitude of 45,000 feet, the low cabin altitude of 5,800 feet adds to the comfort of the six-foot-tall, flat-floor interior. A unique Embraer feature is the cabin’s upper technology panel, with touchscreens showing flight status and providing access to ambient lighting and cabin controls. The cabin management system is Honeywell’s Ovation Select, with 1080P video streaming and immersive audio.

AirSprint offers either a capital purchase option or five-year lease to fractional-share buyers. Plans are available in 25-, 50-, or 75-hour increments, and owners can interchange between aircraft types. 

The NTSB is faulting the actions of both student and instructor practicing a vortex ring state (VRS) recovery maneuver in a Bell 429 that led to an in-flight breakup and their deaths.

According to the NTSB, the probable cause of the April 26, 2022, accident in Elba, New York, was “the pilots’ inappropriate flight control inputs while in vortex ring state, which resulted in main rotor blade contact with the tail boom and a subsequent in-flight breakup. Also causal was the flight instructor’s inadequate monitoring of the flight.” A different student faulted the instructor for not reacting during an accelerated sink rate on a previous VRS exercise.

Parametric data recovered from the accident flight revealed that the helicopter was operating within a VRS envelope with a descent rate between 800 to 1,300 fpm. The NTSB noted, “Shortly thereafter, multiple abrupt control inputs were recorded, which [included] a forward cyclic input, followed by a nearly full-aft cyclic input within one second, as well as a concurrent full-down collective input with an increasing left pedal input.”

Contact signatures found on the tailboom and main rotor blades were indicative of an in-flight break-up. The NTSB found “no evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures.”