Business aircraft maintenance provider West Star Aviation broke ground yesterday on an expansion of its MRO facility at Tennessee’s Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (KCHA). According to the company, the project will increase the site to approximately 400,000 sq ft, with completion targeted for next February. Up to 200 additional skilled positions are expected to be created over the next five years thanks to the expansion, it said.

Under the plans, 40,000-sq-ft Hangar 26 and an adjacent 15,000 sq ft of shop and office space will be added. The maintenance hangar will include an overhead crane, fall protection systems, dedicated fire-rated aircraft document storage rooms, and a customer lounge.

West Star’s development will also expand Hangar 27 with a two-story, 30,000-sq-ft addition. The new footprint will house an expanded aircraft service department and accessories, composite, and sheet metal shops, bringing critical functions closer together.

“Chattanooga continues to be a strategic location for West Star and for customers who need dependable access to maintenance support,” the company said. “With convenient reach across the Southeast, East Coast, and North Central U.S., the airport’s accessibility, combined with the region’s connectivity and amenities, makes it an ideal place to expand and a strong foundation for long-term service growth.”

The KCHA facility can handle everything from line maintenance to major modifications, including avionics upgrades, interior refurbishment, and paint, according to West Star.

FAA deputy administrator Chris Rocheleau laid out a detailed public accounting of where the FAA stands in modernizing the air traffic control system yesterday during an NBAA News Hour webinar. He described the plan as fueled by a tragic catalyst, an unprecedented coalition, and a hard deadline of December 2028.

Rocheleau touched on the full arc of the FAA’s modernization push: how high-profile accidents early last year and a series of notam and ATC outages in the weeks that followed created the conditions for the formation of the Modern Skies Coalition and a $12.5 billion congressional appropriation toward an estimated $30 billion overhaul. He detailed early progress on copper-to-fiber conversion for telecommunication infrastructure, radar replacement, and controller hiring and training, as well as the agency’s internal reorganization under Administrator Bryan Bedford. He also touched on the state of UAS beyond-visual-line-of-sight rulemaking and gave a preview of imminent eVTOL Integration Pilot Program awards expected in March.

Notably, Rocheleau pointed to several progress markers achieved in the ATC modernization effort. The foundational step—converting copper wire to fiber-optic cable—is roughly half complete. He said the FAA has ordered more than 600 radar units and has started to deploy them. The agency also selected vendors to supply and install equipment. Digital radio replacement is underway, a step Rocheleau described as essential for controllers to operate within the upgraded system.

Air charter operator FlyHouse announced a strategic partnership with mixed-fleet operator TAM Aviação Executiva to expand its charter booking platform into Brazil, which FlyHouse noted is the world’s second-largest general aviation market. Under the agreement, Brazilian operators and aircraft will be added to FlyHouse’s booking system while meeting local regulatory requirements. Participating operators must obtain FlyHouse Safety Seal certification, which the company developed to set safety benchmarks.

“This partnership with TAM Aviação Executiva represents a major milestone in FlyHouse’s global expansion strategy,” said FlyHouse CEO Jack Lambert. “By pairing FlyHouse’s technology and ecosystem with TAM’s longstanding experience and credibility in Brazil, we’re creating a platform that benefits operators, aircraft owners, and travelers while raising the bar for efficiency and transparency.”

According to TAM CEO Leonardo Fiuza, “The partnership allows us to introduce that technology to the Brazilian market in a way that respects local processes while expanding opportunities for aircraft owners and charter operators. Working with FlyHouse provides access to a global booking platform while preserving the operational structure the market already trusts.”

Established 65 years ago, TAM operates light to super-midsize jets and rotorcraft and provides aircraft management, charter, maintenance, training, and FBO services across Brazil. It also is the Brazilian representative for Beechcraft, Bell, Cessna, and FlightSafety. The company has earned Stage 2 IS-BAH and IS-BAO registrations.

Private flight provider Wheels Up is targeting further sales growth from premium Signature Membership products it launched last year. Reporting fourth-quarter financial results this morning, company CEO George Mattson said that increased revenues from this source, combined with further growth in charter flight bookings and efficiencies achieved from rationalizing its fleet, should mean it achieves “a sustainably profitable business model” by year-end.

The last three months of 2025 saw Wheels Up establish a mix of 600 new and existing members in the Signature Membership program through which they are guaranteed access to Embraer Phenom 300s and Bombardier Challenger 300s. This involved what the company called “a planned exit from unprofitable flying” through a transition that partly explained a 10% dip in revenues from the same period in 2024, to $184 million, as customers migrated from flights on its legacy fleet.

During the fourth quarter, Wheels Up achieved the first positive EBITDAR in its history—a figure that Mattson said provides a balanced assessment of its membership and charter businesses and provides confirmation that the company is moving in the right direction. Factoring in $20 million higher cost savings than had been targeted, the company achieved a net loss of $28.9 million for the quarter, representing a 67% year-over-year improvement.

Aircraft Researchers Group (ARG)—a community for business aircraft market researchers, analysts, brokers, operators, and related professionals—is set to hold its first happy hour networking event in conjunction with an NBAA regional forum. It has previously held these in-person gatherings only during NBAA-BACE but is now expanding them to coincide with NBAA’s regional forums in Miami–Opa Locka next week and in White Plains, New York, in late May. (ARG is an AIN Media Group subsidiary.)

Membership in ARG is free, as are its happy hour events, web-based coffee talks, online group, and newsletters, thanks to industry sponsors. While ARG’s happy hour allows for networking in a casual environment, its frequent coffee talks and WhatsApp group bring members together to discuss current aircraft market trends, research techniques, and analyst insights, among others.

The group’s mission is “to support and elevate aircraft market researchers by providing unbiased education, data-driven discussion, and meaningful professional connection across the business aviation ecosystem.” ARG chair Mackenzie Messier added, “Aircraft market researchers needed a space that was truly their own. ARG was built to fill that gap by prioritizing honest conversation, peer learning, and independence.”

Transport Canada has approved a supplemental type certificate (STC) for installation of the Alpine Aerotech Utility Basket Kit on the Bell 412. The basket is already approved by the FAA and Transport Canada for the Bell 205 and 212, and FAA approval of the Bell 412 STC is pending.

Operators of helicopters such as the Bell 205, 212, and 412 can use the Alpine Aerotech baskets to carry tools, equipment, and other gear so they don’t impinge on cabin space. The kit weighs 143 pounds and can be installed in four hours, and with 300 pounds capacity, it has a volume of 32.8 cu ft.

Launch customer Wildcat Helicopters is based in West Kelowna, British Columbia. “Our experience operating the Alpine Aerotech utility basket on our fleet of Bell 212 helicopters has proven without a doubt that this basket represents the highest quality and best value utility basket available in the marketplace,” said Mike Westie, business development and operations manager. “The robust design and enhanced safety features, combined with the increased usable capacity, made it the clear choice for our operations. This will be a significant upgrade to our Bell 412 heli-skiing operations this season.”

Robinson Helicopter and Vertical Aviation International (VAI) are partnering to bring the EAA Vertical Lift Center to this year's EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, from July 20 to 26. Announced at last year’s AirVenture, the Vertical Lift Center will highlight rotorcraft, including helicopters and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft.

The Vertical Lift Center will be located in the AirVenture Aviation Gateway Park. Along with aircraft displays, it will be used to promote rotorcraft education, recruit new entrants to the industry, and highlight innovative vertical lift technology.

“While homebuilt rotorcraft have long been a judged category at Oshkosh and we’ve always welcomed other rotorcraft, drones, and similar technology as part of the world of flight, the EAA Vertical Lift Center is a unique area that focuses on this unique segment and its potential,” said Ren Scott, EAA v-p of business development, sales, and events. “Working with Robinson Helicopter and VAI brings the expertise in this area that connects with the rotorcraft and vertical lift communities with the international visibility available only at Oshkosh.”

Onboard weather radar has changed—what was once an art, managing tilt angles, experimenting with views, and building a mental picture of the weather has become a fully automated with systems like the RDR-4000 and RDR‑7000. This session isn’t about revisiting legacy radar techniques. Instead, it’s a small but important reset in understanding the architecture and philosophy behind modern onboard weather radar systems. Join AIN and Honeywell on March 31 and learn why all weather radars are not the same, how to better interpret your radar data, and real-world insights from a customer. Sponsored by Honeywell.