The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a type certificate for the Subaru Bell 412EPX, making it possible for European operators to put the utility helicopter to work in European Union countries.

Bell Textron has secured orders for the 412EPX in Europe, including one for the Canton of Sarajevo's Ministry of Interior and two for the Republic of Croatia’s Ministry of Interior. All of these helicopters are intended for civil protection, firefighting, medical transport, and natural disaster support, according to Bell.

“We’re pleased the Subaru Bell 412EPX has received EASA certification and look forward to seeing its growing success in the European region,” said Bell chief commercial officer Danny Maldonado. “This is a testament to the program’s dedication to bring the most advanced Bell 412 model and its unparalleled capabilities to different markets and serve new customers and their missions.”

The 412EPX can carry a maximum internal weight of 12,200 pounds, external weight of 13,000 pounds, and 5,000 pounds with a cargo hook. Capable of flying with up to 14 passengers and one pilot, the 412EPX can cruise up to 123 knots and has a range of 361 nm. It is powered by electronically controlled Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T-9 Twin Pac engines.

In an industry where pilots see having a decal of eco-activist Greta Thunberg with “How dare you!” text on the inside fuel door of the business jets they operate as a badge of honor, maybe touting sustainable aviation fuel’s environmental credentials hasn’t been the best marketing play? At least in the U.S., many business jet pilots think climate change is, well, cow manure, which ironically could be used as a feedstock to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

General and business aviation associations, fuel providers, and sustainability consulting companies have been playing up SAF’s green credentials for years, while all but ignoring the message most likely to resonate with climate nonbelievers: SAF can help increase U.S. energy independence. Other benefits of SAF that almost anyone—climate change activists and skeptics alike—can get behind include catalyzing new opportunities, investing in promising technologies that spark private sector innovations, and creating jobs.

While SAF adoption has been slowly increasing over the past decade, it’s nowhere near fast enough. SAF producers are seeking demand/buyer commitment for jet biofuels before plunking down tens of millions of dollars for new production plants.

Fuel buyers—in this case, the operators of business aircraft—are the ones who have to buy into SAF. And the current “save the earth” decarbonization push isn’t resonating with an audience that is—as my late colleague Paul Lowe described himself—“to the right of Atilla the Hun.”

MTJ Aviation, a private charter service launched by 2017 NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr., is now transporting lifesaving organs and surgical teams across the country. The company, which transports Truex Jr. to NASCAR events, began transitioning during the Covid-19 pandemic to also become a vital service provider for transplant centers across the U.S.

“I decided to launch a private aviation charter company because of our experience flying to NASCAR races every weekend over the last decade or so,” said Truex Jr., who is now retired from driving in the NASCAR Cup series. “Over the past five years, MTJ Aviation has evolved into lifesaving missions 24/7 where performance, safety, and the look of our aircraft is critically important.”

MTJ Aviation operates a fleet of five Hawker 400XPs that can fly up to 1,500 nm. The twinjets are equipped to handle medical missions, offering a cabin volume of 368.3 cu ft and accommodating up to eight passengers.

“We’re typically flying surgical teams around the clock. They want to see an airplane that not just looks nice, but presents the image of something that’s well-kept and shows professionalism,” said MTJ Aviation chief pilot and director of operations Guy Cooper. Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings maintains the exterior coatings for the company's aircraft.

Poor crew resource management and failure to heed an advisory message that should have triggered a no-go call contributed to a passenger’s fatal injuries on a March 3, 2023 flight onboard a Bombardier Challenger 300, according to probable causes and findings published in a final NTSB report about the accident.

The accident occurred about eight minutes into the Part 91 flight, which included two crew members and three passengers. According to the report, the pre-flight walkaround done by the SIC was interrupted by an FBO employee delivering ice to the aircraft. The SIC then forgot to remove the cover on the right pitot probe, which led to a first takeoff attempt being aborted.

Both the PIC and the SIC continued troubleshooting multiple advisory messages on the crew alerting system (CAS), which included engaging and disengaging the autopilot several times during climb. The seatbelt light remained lit throughout the climb, but the crew did not notify passengers of a potential hazard, and the injured passenger did not have her seatbelt fastened at the time of the accident, according to the report.

After being notified of a medical emergency onboard following pilot-induced oscillations, the crew landed, and the injured passenger was pronounced dead later that day. Some of the CAS alerts were the result of the right pitot tube being covered during the first aborted takeoff, according to the report.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is marking the 80th anniversary of the signing of its convention, which set in motion the development of a global civil aviation system with a collaborative approach to safety standards.

On Dec. 7, 1944, 52 signatories signed a pledge during the Convention on International Civil Aviation to create the body, and the organization was formally established two years later with the ratification of the agreement by 26 member states. Now, ICAO has 193 members.

In commemoration of that landmark event, ICAO held a celebration on Wednesday and Thursday this week at the birthplace of that convention: the Hilton Chicago Hotel, formerly the Stevens Hotel.

With the theme “Safe Skies. Sustainable Future: Together for the next 80 years,” the event was designed not only to reflect on the achievements of the international body but also to look forward to how ICAO could support aviation development in the coming decades. The celebration included an extraordinary session of its governing body, the Council, followed by a series of roundtable discussions.

Aviation organizations recognized the milestone, underscoring the importance of ICAO’s role in civil aviation. “Even as World War II raged on, there was worldwide recognition of the need for a single body to coordinate the evolution of a rapidly developing industry to become a unified, global civil aviation system,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.