Business aircraft sales and acquisition company JetAviva is intensifying its focus on Brazil’s business aviation market by assigning managing director Timon Huber to lead operations in the region. Huber, a Brazilian native with four decades of experience at Embraer, will split his time between JetAviva’s Fort Lauderdale headquarters and Rio de Janeiro while maintaining oversight of Mexico and other Central and South American markets.

The move positions the company to capitalize on Brazil's status as the world’s second-largest business aircraft market outside the U.S., with more than 1,100 business jets in operation.

“Brazil represents a strategic priority for JetAviva as we build on decades of industry experience,” said company CEO Emily Deaton. “With one of our own leading this effort—a professional who knows the region deeply and brings unparalleled insight and relationships—we are ideally positioned to meet strong demand and deliver the specialized, client-centric service our customers expect.”

JetAviva also promoted Egan Rzonca to sales director and market specialist for the Phenom 100. Rzonca joined the firm in 2021 after working at Embraer Executive Jets and will focus on the entry-level jet segment.

“Egan’s OEM background and data-driven approach have elevated our entire Embraer program,” said JetAviva president Ryan Scott. “His deep knowledge of the Embraer market is a major reason our clients continue to see results.”

Bombardier has acquired Velocity Maintenance Solutions, expanding its U.S. maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities and its aircraft-on-ground support network. The acquisition was completed through Bombardier U.S. subsidiary Learjet and forms part of the company’s broader strategy to expand its services business. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Velocity Maintenance Solutions operates a 35,000-sq-ft hangar at Delaware’s Wilmington Airport (KILG) and supports its maintenance operations with 14 mobile repair trucks across the U.S.

“Velocity Maintenance Solutions’ capabilities and customer-focused culture make it an excellent fit for Bombardier,” said Paul Sislian, executive v-p for aircraft sales and Bombardier aftermarket services. He added that the acquisition supports Bombardier’s ongoing efforts to raise service standards across its global network.

According to Bombardier, the purchase strengthens its U.S. service footprint and aligns with its long-term strategy of expanding services through targeted investments, infrastructure growth, and acquisitions. The company said the expanded network will provide operators with broader coverage and increased access to maintenance and support resources, including for its recently certified ultra-long-range Global 8000.

In a recently issued Information for Operators (InFO), the FAA warned “many operators or pilots are referencing or using the wrong runway length source data when performing takeoff and landing data calculations,” adding that this type of error could lead to inaccurate aircraft performance calculations and possible runway overrun.

Guidance in the InFO emphasizes that runway information varies depending on the source and that not all published runway lengths are suitable for regulatory performance calculations. While the FAA publishes runway length and width data in the Chart Supplement, operators must pay particular attention to declared distances—takeoff distance available, takeoff run available, accelerate-stop distance available, and landing distance available—when determining whether a runway can be accepted.

The document cautions that some commercially produced flight publications display physical runway length, stopways, overruns, or other usable lengths that may be misinterpreted. “Airport diagrams or airport information pages are designed to facilitate ground movement of aircraft, not for obtaining accurate runway distance information for performance planning,” the InFO says.

Onboard databases and flight management system calculations may not be up to date and “might not reflect the actual runway available for takeoff and landing performance calculations,” the FAA added.

The InFO strongly recommends that pilots and operators “reference the appropriate FAA Chart Supplement for runway declared distance information for preflight planning or in-flight landing distance assessments.”

After experiencing a significant amount of business last year, preowned business aircraft broker SmartJets and sister company VIP Completions have already started on four refurbishment projects for customers who recently purchased an airplane.

As owner and president of both companies, Ben Shirazi is in the unique position of being able to find the right aircraft for his client, then refurbish and upgrade it to meet their needs. More than 50% of buyers opt for the VIP Completions treatment, he said. “We’ve been doing this for many years, so it’s not a new concept.”

Transactions accelerated in the fourth quarter due to the last-minute rush to capture bonus depreciation tax benefits. “A lot of them scrambled to buy at the end of the year,” Shirazi said. While many buyers wanted the refurbishing package, they had to take business-use flights by the end of the year to get the tax benefit. In some cases, the buyer put their jet into service and planned for the work at VIP Completions in 2026.

“This has been our niche for many years,” he explained. SmartJets knows the aircraft that it specializes in—Gulfstreams and Bombardier Globals—and can evaluate what they need so the customer will be happy with the final product. “We customize it to your liking and expectations…and produce some of the most modern and unique projects."

West Star Aviation is excited to share an incredible achievement: the company has successfully completed its 175th installation of Starlink systems. This milestone represents West Star Aviation’s commitment to providing advanced connectivity solutions in the aviation industry and enhancing the flying experience for its valued customers.

MedAire is seeking volunteer pilots, flight attendants, and maintenance technicians willing to help others in the industry deal with some of the challenges their jobs can pose. This month, the company will launch a series of training courses for the Peer Supporter program it runs as part of its mental health initiative.

The risk-management specialist launched Peer Supporter in partnership with wellbeing group OdiliaClark in 2024. The program gives aviation professionals an outlet to speak confidentially with peers and share concerns over their experiences and the problems they face.

MedAire is building a global network of professionals willing to provide guidance and support others across the aviation industry. The basis for the program is that they know better than anyone about challenges such as unpredictable schedules, time away from loved ones, high-pressure situations, and heavy responsibilities.

The next series of training courses will be held on February 23 and 24 at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, and February 26 in Phoenix at MedAire’s headquarters. Before the in-person training sessions, volunteers complete four hours of e-learning through the OdiliaClark training academy to prepare them to support peers. During the main sessions, participants discuss anticipated scenarios and practice potentially difficult conversations. 

After gaining Peer Supporter certification, volunteers are supported through regular supervision and recurrent training. They can stay in contact with other supporters and mental health professionals arranged by MedAire.

Rotortrade has released its 2025 North America Helicopter Market Report, concluding that strong mission-driven demand across the U.S. and Canada continues to outpace limited aircraft availability.

The report characterizes North America as “the world’s largest and most mission-intensive helicopter market,” driven primarily by EMS, utility, firefighting, and public-service operations, and concludes that the region will remain strong into 2026. However, growth will depend less on demand and more on access to suitable, mission-ready aircraft and the ability to deliver them quickly as OEM backlogs extend two to three years.

Citing JetNet data, the report notes that the North American market fleet stood at 2,260 rotorcraft (as of 2024) with twin engines accounting for 999 of them. Bell is the fleet leader, accounting for 45%, with Airbus Helicopters following at 33.9%.

Meanwhile, global helicopter sales remain below their 2014 peak with activity shifting toward services, life cycle support, and preowned aircraft as operators contend with long OEM delivery timelines. According to the report, “global helicopter sales remain structurally subdued,” but services and preowned market activity “have strengthened considerably.”

The Air Charter Association (ACA) will host educational and discussion sessions at this year’s Aero Friedrichshafen show in southern Germany. The industry group announced a partnership with the event’s organizers on Tuesday.

On April 21, The ACA will host its new Air Charter Essentials course at the Messe Friedrichshafen site. These sessions support accreditation and professional training for air charter industry employees. The UK-based group also runs an internship program and networking events.

The following day, the association will stage its European Union Regional Forum. This will feature charter industry experts addressing developments in the sector, such as broker-operator relations, regulations, technology, cybersecurity, and sustainability.

Aero Friedrichshafen will be held from April 22 to 25 and is expected to draw around 756 exhibitors from more than 38 countries and more than 32,000 visitors. This year, members of The Air Charter Association will get access to what is the 32nd show at a discounted rate.

“We are very proud to see this partnership with The Air Charter Association happening for the upcoming edition of Aero Friedrichshafen,” commented show director Tobias Bretzel. “Having the ACA EU Regional Forum and the training course as part of our conference program means a lot to us and truly reflects the growing importance of the Aero Business Aviation Show Hub within the European business aviation industry.”

Pilots opting to carry a Starlink Mini terminal as portable equipment have created various ways of mounting the antenna in a window where it can cleanly connect to the constellation’s low-earth-orbit satellites. Now Sporty’s Pilot Shop has introduced a new Flight Gear Starlink Mini suction cup mounting system.

The mount secures “directly into the Starlink Mini’s main cavity,” according to Sporty’s. Dual 3.5-inch double-gasket suction cups are fitted to each side of an aluminum bracket. Its suction cups can rotate 360 degrees and the bracket’s “multi-positional arms” enable secure attachment to curved or angled windows. “A single-press locking mechanism ensures a firm hold—even as temperatures and conditions change.”

Sporty’s designed and tested the mount to support weights up to 8.5 pounds and temperatures from -20 to 50 degrees C. The bracket can be extended to fit windows up to 19.5 inches wide, but the typical range is 17 inches, or it can be compressed to 13 inches for smaller windows. Price of the Flight Gear Starlink Mini mount is $59.95.

Join the editors of Business Jet Traveler and AIN on February 11 for an exclusive webinar that will detail everything you need to know about business aviation safety. Our editorial team will provide a safety checklist for passengers that begins with the charter booking process, offers air safety advice, outlines guidelines for flight departments, and includes expert analysis of several real-life accidents and what could have been done to prevent them. We will discuss best practices for safe operations and share practical steps you can apply to feel confident that your private flight will be as safe and seamless as possible.