The U.S. Senate version of the FAA Reauthorization Act (S.1939) passed earlier this month would require nonstop sightseeing and skydiving flights to be operated under Part 135, provisions not contained in the version of legislation passed in July by the House of Representatives (H.R. 3935). Those operations historically have been conducted via FAA issuance of a letter of authorization under Part 91.147.

This morning, aviation alphabet groups including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, U.S. Parachute Association, and the Commemorative Air Force urged leaders of the House Transportation Committee and its Aviation Subcommittee to remove these provisions from the final version of the legislation when it is considered by the House-Senate conference committee. The groups warned that if the Senate bill were enacted, it would “have significant and insurmountable direct impacts on thousands of small general aviation businesses and the airports at which they operate” and would “negatively impact those conducting air tours and sport parachuting operations.”

Citing the high costs and regulatory burden associated with obtaining and maintaining a Part 135 certificate, the groups maintained that the requirement “would be nearly impossible and financially unattainable for these small businesses, resulting in their likely closure.” They also claimed that it would overburden the FAA, tax its already limited resources, and be harmful to its overall mission of aviation safety.

Set Jet members who depended on the business jet per-seat charter broker to fly them to some of the West Coast’s most desirable destinations for high-net-worth travelers (including Cabo San Lucas, Aspen, Las Vegas, Scottsdale, and three Southern California counties) will have to find another club to join.

Set Jet emailed its $99 per month members—of which there were more than 2,800—on Saturday to tell them the company, which was founded in 2014, was ceasing operations.

Its website doesn’t sugarcoat things: “Set Jet is faced with the unavoidable reality of ceasing all service operations, effective immediately,” reads a note on the landing page. “This decision was reached after exhaustive deliberation and consideration of all available options, and it is not one that we make lightly.” The landing page (the only page in operation) goes on to say that all flights, memberships, and client services are no more.

At a time of flux in the private aviation space, Set Jet’s failure underscores the difficulty in making a go of a business jet startup and the risks that customers face when sending money to companies in exchange for future travel. Set Jet has crashed and burned so suddenly that CEO Tom Smith said that members will not be refunded for future flights.

With the presidential State of the Union Address scheduled for March 7, the FAA—at the behest of the Department of Homeland Security—will amend the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area Special Flight Rules Area (DC SFRA) and Flight Restricted Zone (DC FRZ) airspace for the event.

While a notam will be published no later than March 1, the agency has already said Part 135 and Part 91 aircraft on an active IFR flight plan will be authorized to arrive and/or depart Dulles International (KIAD), Baltimore Washington International (KBWI), and Manassas Regional (KHEF) airports only.

Part 135 and Part 91 IFR/VFR flights are not authorized to transit through the DC SFRA, except for landing on an IFR flight plan at KIAD, KBWI, or KHEF.

During the notam period, only Part 121 and Part 129 regularly scheduled commercial passenger carriers operating under a TSA Aircraft Operator Standard Security Program, Full All Cargo Aircraft Operator Standard Security Program, or Model Security Program (MSP) will be authorized to operate into and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA).

All aircraft operating in the DC SFRA and the DC FRZ must receive Air Security Operations Center approval, remain in continuous communication with ATC, have a discrete transponder code assigned by ATC, and be on an active IFR flight plan unless locally based with a Potomac Tracon beacon code.

Lockheed Martin Ventures, the venture investment arm of Lockheed Martin Corp., is hoping for a bright forecast in its latest strategic investment—weather forecasting technology company Meteomatics. Lockheed said the investment will allow Meteomatics, founded in 2012 by German mathematician Martin Fengler, to expand its technology into industries such as aviation and defense.

Meteomatics boasts weather modeling technology with a resolution down to the equivalent of street level with hourly updates. The company said the technology will allow for the observation of phenomena such as hail, thunder, wind, and other weather features on a close-up level. By contrast, most government weather observation technology operates at resolutions of roughly 6 to 30 miles and only updates several times a day.

The company operates weather drones called Meteodrones, which can fly at altitudes of up to 20,000 feet and collect data that is used, along with more than 100 other sources, to accurately map the weather in the mid and lower atmospheres.

Chris Moran, v-p and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures, believes the technology will become a vital asset to the company’s customers.

“Meteomatics’ weather intelligence has the potential to give the U.S. and its allies a better understanding of the dynamic environments in which assets and personnel operate, both improving operational effectiveness and reducing risk,” he said.

The crew of a search-and-rescue Leonardo AW189 narrowly avoided an accident due to an incomplete understanding of the helicopter’s automatic flight control system (AFCS) modes. So concluded the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in a recently released report.

The incident occurred on July 26, 2021, at Ballintoy Harbour in Northern Ireland. The helicopter was on its third approach to collect a casualty from a site adjacent to high ground in poor visibility. A mismatch between the previously selected AFCS heading reference and the heading flown by the pilot flying (PF) triggered uncommanded yaw oscillations. According to the AAIB, the pilot selected AFCS hover mode, which resulted in yaw toward the high ground. The PF then selected AFCS go-around and the helicopter accelerated toward the terrain. The crew made a climbing turn to its planned escape heading, recovered to a safe height, and returned to base.

The AAIB concluded that "the unexpected yaw occurred as a result of flying out-of-detent, thereby overriding the engaged HDG [heading] mode. Consequently, the reference heading used by the AFCS did not capture the helicopter’s current heading, but instead remained at the heading selected when HDG was last engaged. When the PF stopped flying out-of-detent, the AFCS yawed the helicopter towards the previously captured reference heading, which resulted in the helicopter tracking towards high ground.”

Duncan Aviation newly constructed hangars at its Lincoln (Nebraska) Airport (KLNK) and Battle Creek (Michigan) Executive Airport (KBTL) locations have received their first customer aircraft. On February 12, a Bombardier Global 5000 arrived at the new KLNK hangar, and a Challenger 300 was brought to the KBTL one a few days later.

The aircraft MRO provider broke ground in 2022 on the hangars, which were built in collaboration with Tectonic Management Group. Jeff Lake, president and CEO of Duncan Aviation, said the construction of the hangars was part of the company’s plan to continue growth and stay competitive. “We did not build these hangars to gain market share, but to maintain the market share we have in a growing industry,” he said.

Lake added that while the additional hangars will initially give Duncan Aviation some flexibility, they will fill up fast. Hangar availability is a growing issue within the industry, he noted.

Duncan Aviation also has an MRO facility in Provo, Utah.