Charter and fractional provider FlyExclusive completed its combination with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) EG Acquisition Corp. in a move that cleared the company to be traded beginning today on the NYSE American exchange under the ticker symbol FLYX. The union had received approval from EG Acquisition Corp.’s stockholders on December 18. The stock opened today at $11.98 per share but by midday had drifted down to $4.91.

“Today marks another milestone in our company’s mission to elevate the private aviation experience,” said FlyExclusive founder and CEO Jim Segrave. “We built FlyExclusive around the value that minutes matter for our customers, and this principle will continue to guide the disciplined approach that has defined our success in the industry.”

FlyExclusive announced the planned merger in October 2022 with ambitions to continue to grow its floating aircraft fleet, which numbers around 100 aircraft.

“As we noted when the transaction was announced, FlyExclusive has become one of the fastest-growing providers of premium private jet charter experiences thanks to their world-class leadership team, business model designed to maximize utilization and flight unit economics, and the consistent high-quality service they provide to customers," said Gregg Hymowitz, CEO and director of EG Acquisition Corp. and chairman and CEO of EnTrust Global. "We…believe they are ready to further accelerate their market position as a public company.”

With many major business aviation destinations in the U.S. short on hangar space and hundreds more aircraft entering the market every year, the FBO industry has been hard-pressed to keep up with demand.

“The day [the customer] puts the money down for the deposit to buy the airplane, I really wish they would call their local FBO and say, 'I need a hangar right on the day the plane comes,'” said Milo Zonka, Sheltair’s v-p of strategic growth. "You’re too late if you are looking for hangar space 90 days out because we need lead time; everything is full.”

Yet the construction of new hangars is typically a multi-year, multi-million-dollar commitment, and one that is facing several hurdles, according to industry experts.

Coming out of the Covid pandemic, the construction industry is still facing supply chain shortages. While some materials have come down in price and are now less constricted, others remain tight. Zonka pointed to electric meters. “We would have had a built project sitting there waiting to open because we couldn’t find electrical meters,” he said.

Chuck Suma, COO of Million Air, encountered similar difficulties in acquiring electrical transformers for his company’s development projects. “They were like an 80-week lead time, and here over the last three months we’ve gone from 80 weeks down to 12,” he explained.

Part 135 charter, fractional ownership, and private jet management company Volato expanded its fleet by 50 percent this year to 24 HondaJets as of December, the Atlanta-based company reported. The largest HondaJet operator in the U.S., Volato took delivery of three new aircraft in December, two directly from Honda and one as a managed asset. All told, the company added eight aircraft to its HondaJet fleet in 2023.

The aircraft additions and rapid integration into the company’s operations aligned with Volato’s growth strategy, including direct deliveries and contracting with owners to manage their aircraft.

"Volato's measured and thoughtful approach to fleet expansion is critical to achieving our long-term plan for sustainable growth," said Matt Liotta, co-founder and CEO of Volato. "The recent deliveries allow us to expand our capacity at a pivotal time in Volato’s growth and increase our capacity to support our growing customer base.”

For 2024, Volato expects to add another 10 HondaJets while plans for the remaining 12 call for deliveries mainly in 2025 and possibly into 2026. Volato’s next endeavor will see it enter into larger airplanes, namely Gulfstream G280s, four of which it expects to take in 2024. Finally, Volato has signed a letter of intent with Honda Aircraft for its new Echelon aircraft.

The Icon A5 amphibious light sport aircraft (LSA) has received FAA certification in the primary category, which will facilitate certification of the A5 in countries that have reciprocal agreements with the FAA. This includes Australia and countries in Europe, Asia, and South America.

“Receiving FAA type certification for the Icon A5 in the primary category is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire Icon team,” said CEO Jerry Meyer. “It allows us to expand our market potential around the world, and it underscores the commitment of Icon Aircraft, to innovation and excellence in design. The Icon A5 offers an unparalleled blend of performance, safety, and versatility, and we are confident that it will captivate the imaginations of new customers and enthusiasts as we expand our sales and marketing presence outside of the U.S.”

Icon’s A5 Certified Edition (CE) is priced at $439,000 for the base model, and adding the optional Garmin two-axis autopilot with LVL button and G3X Touch display brings that to $464,000.

The specifications for the LSA and CE versions are the same, and Icon will produce both, with the LSA for the U.S. market and the CE for international markets that don’t recognize U.S. LSA regulations, according to Icon. The company expects to receive an FAA production certificate in four to six months.

FlightSafety prepares aviators to be capable and confident in every situation. Using cutting-edge technology and tailored curriculum, simulators and ever-improving training methods enable pilots to practice real-life scenarios safely and more consistently in ways not achievable before.

Moments before the Feb. 13, 2022, fatal crash of a Piper Meridian just after takeoff from Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, Kansas, the pilot of the single-engine turboprop radioed an “urgent need to return to the airport,” according to the recently published NTSB final report. The airplane stalled and crashed, killing the 51-year-old pilot and sole occupant.

Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Due to the extent of damage, the NTSB could not determine the nature of the emergency.

The 2012 PA-46-500TP had recently undergone an annual inspection, and the pilot planned to fly the airplane under Part 91 IFR back to his base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Weather was day VMC with wind from the north at 15 knots. Once airborne from Runway 36, the airplane drifted slightly right, and the pilot radioed an urgent need to return to the airport. The controller cleared the airplane to land but no further transmissions were received.

Flight path data showed the aircraft slowing before turning back, with the speed continuing to decrease. Final data recorded the airplane at a groundspeed of 45 knots. “The groundspeed would equate to 60 knots airspeed when considering the 15-kt headwind,” said the NTSB. “The stall speed chart for the airplane listed the minimum stall speed for any configuration as 64 knots.”

European aviation security specialists Dyami, Corposec, and Tarmak Aviation are joining forces to provide clients easy access to their various areas of expertise. Announcing the strategic partnership recently, the companies said they are looking to provide a highly personalized service to protect passengers, crew, cargo, and assets, and a holistic approach to risk management for commercial and private aircraft operators.

Dyami, which is based in the Netherlands, was founded by Eric Schouten, a former aviation security officer with the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service. The company has provided advice to the European Business Aviation Association and NBAA over security arrangements for the EBACE show in Geneva. It helps airlines and other aircraft operators, as well as airports, enhance their security measures.

Austria-based Corposec has experience in both aviation and supply chain security. Founded by security veteran Elad Gadot, it supports companies in implementing and managing security operations and compliance systems covering customers, employees, and partners.

Tarmak Aviation is based in Belgium and specializes in security for the air cargo sector. Founded by Thomas De Maertelaere, the company has expertise in areas such as IATA’s dangerous goods handling requirements, ground operations training, and security audits.

Aircraft Performance Group (APG) has added a standard instrument departure (SID) analyzer to its iPreFlight Genesis flight planning and performance calculation software.

The SID analyzer integrates with APG’s runway analysis and TERPS/PAN-OPS compliance checks, allowing pilots and dispatchers to ensure “compliance with TERPS/PAN-OPS while maintaining the safety of APG’s existing runway analysis calculations,” according to APG.

“Before SID analyzer, meeting rigorous climb requirements for SIDs was left to ‘best judgment.’” With the SID analyzer, the departure process is simpler and it also reduces “the need for engine-out procedure briefings.” Pilots can also toggle between all-engines operating and one-engine inoperative calculations “to meet TERPS/PAN-OPS climb requirements, ensuring compliance and safety.”

The iPreFlight Genesis software is available in a Pro version for the web and iPad that includes worldwide flight planning, runway analysis, and a weight-and-balance calculator. Flight planning is fully Eurocontrol-compliant and can be customized to avoid specific areas—for example, regions where pilots should fly well away from military operations.

APG’s software supports more than 350 aircraft types. The Navigator version of iPreFlight Genesis is available just for the iPad, while the Performance version for the iPad doesn’t include flight planning.

Boeing has updated its Cascade climate impact modeling tool to make it easier for users to glean insight from the wealth of information and data visualizations that can be found on the online platform. Cascade is a free tool that allows anyone to measure the impact of various decarbonization strategies—such as the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the adoption of new electric, hydrogen-powered, and hybrid aircraft—as the global aviation industry strives to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Neil Titchener, Boeing’s Cascade program lead, told AIN that the Cascade team has made several improvements to the platform based on feedback from a variety of users, including airlines, financiers, and universities. Many users reported feeling overwhelmed by all of the information the platform contains, so the team created a new “insights” feature that provides additional context and guided tutorials.

Cascade has also been updated with new data, including charts that project energy requirements for the production of SAF, hydrogen, and electricity. The tool now includes data from the Commercial Market Outlook Boeing published in June and the World Air Cargo Forecast it published in November 2022, combining those 20-year projections and extending that data through 2050.