FBO chain Atlantic Aviation has made a major splash in the advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure arena with the announcement today of its acquisition of Ferrovial Vertiports. Ferrovial is one of the leaders in the development of specialized eVTOL operations hubs, and as a wholly-owned Atlantic Aviation subsidiary it will be rebranded as Vertiports by Atlantic. The acquisition will allow the company to continue to develop vertiports in multiple locations as air taxi services approach commercial launch.

Atlantic is preparing to meet the coming AAM sector with ongoing installation of electric aircraft charging stations at key FBO locations, as well as commencing upgrades to New York City’s East 34th Street Heliport to accommodate their arrival. Ferrovial, which is part of the Spain-based airports, highways, and railroads group, previously announced partnerships with eVTOL aircraft developers including Eve Air Mobility, Lilium, and Vertical Aerospace, covering plans for vertiports at multiple sites in Europe and North America.

Along with rival FBO groups such as Signature Aviation, Clay Lacy Aviation, and Avflight, Atlantic Aviation has been progressively investing in charging infrastructure for both electric aircraft and ground vehicles. This has involved partnerships with eVTOL developers Beta Technologies, Archer, and Joby, among others.

The FAA confirmed to AIN that a Gulfstream G550 experienced a midair collision with a mysterious object at FL270 in Miami airspace on December 11 during a flight from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE) to New York’s Westchester County Airport (KHPN). According to the FAA statement, the twinjet diverted to, and landed safely at, Palm Beach International Airport (KPBI) “after the pilot reported striking an object in Miami airspace.”

Little information is available publicly about the incident, other than an entry on Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network website and a post on social media platform X by Ryan Graves, co-founder and executive director of Americans for Safe Aerospace, an organization for reporting unidentified anomalous phenomena. According to Graves’ post, one of the G550’s engines failed after the encounter with “an unidentified metallic object…at approximately 27,000 feet.”

“We can largely eliminate the possibility of common objects because: a weather balloon would have been transponding; this altitude is too high for hobby drones and illegal for any drone; there is no biological indicator of a bird strike; [and] video of the engine shows metal damage,” said Graves, a former Navy F/A-18F pilot. “I am concerned the incident is being downplayed by FAA. The report is being classified as an ‘incident’ and not an ‘accident,’ which would require public announcement, investigation by NTSB, and an explanation.”

Gulfstream Aerospace delivered two more G700s to Qatar Executive, bringing the total of the ultra-long-range aircraft in its fleet to six. Qatar Executive, the first carrier to offer Gulfstream’s new flagship for air charter, received its first two copies in May and still anticipates taking delivery of four more. The Savannah, Georgia business jet manufacturer delivered the two latest aircraft to Qatar Executive last month using a sustainable aviation fuel blend, the company reported.

“The unprecedented speed with which the team has been able to deliver this remarkable aircraft is a true testament to the quality and maturity of the G700 program,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “Qatar Executive has been a long-standing, valued partner of Gulfstream for many years, and we are pleased to continue that partnership by adding more of these exceptional aircraft to their growing fleet.”

In addition to the G700s, Qatar Executive’s fleet counts 15 Gulfstream G650ERs. Based on the G650, the G700 is 10 feet longer with 20 panoramic oval windows, has a maximum range of 7,750 nm at Mach 0.85, and can fly at speeds up to Mach 0.935, making it the largest and fastest model in the Gulfstream fleet.

While relatively new on the market, the twinjet has already set more than 65 city-pair speed records and has received approvals from the FAA, EASA, and 10 other national aviation agencies.

EASA has released its NORAH2 prototype software and database developed to support industry efforts to reduce the noise impact of rotorcraft. The new tools—recently published for download—are intended to provide a reliable estimate of noise levels on the ground and are the result of a four-year research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program.

The NORAH2 software and database have been developed to support the noise-monitoring activities the rotorcraft industry is required to conduct under the European Noise Directive 2002/49/EC legislation. This project was led by Dutch aerospace research agency NLR, and NORAH stands for Noise of Rotorcraft Assessed by a Hemisphere approach.

According to EASA, the new tools are intended to track noise from existing helicopters, as well as drones and eVTOL aircraft. They have been developed to take account of varied operating conditions, including urban environments, weather, and others.

The NORAH2 development team has built an extensive database of rotorcraft to establish baseline noise data. The system also provides a new noise-modeling method that EASA hopes will be more accurate for assessing the local impact of ground noise to match provisions already made for airplanes.

The Blackhawk Group, a provider of modifications and maintenance services for light turbine aircraft, announced its acquisition of Arizona-based Glendale Aero Services’ maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business. Glendale Aero will be rebranded as a Blackhawk Performance Center (BPC). 

Located at Glendale Municipal Airport (KGEU), BPC-Glendale is a Part 145 certified repair station and is a factory-authorized service center for Cirrus Aircraft and Textron Aviation (Cessna). It specializes in servicing Cirrus SR pistons and SF50 Vision Jets, along with Cessna models, and the location's capabilities include Cirrus Airframe Parachute System servicing and avionics installations as a Garmin dealer. This marks Blackhawk's fifth acquisition and expands the network of existing Blackhawk and Avex performance centers across the U.S.

Glendale Aero Services maintenance director John Fisher will continue in his role at BPC-Glendale. He expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “Partnering with the Blackhawk Group is a significant achievement for our business,” he said. “Our dedication to high-quality service and customer-centric operations makes this a natural fit and a mutually beneficial partnership.”

Global air charter broker Smart Aviation is marking its 20th anniversary this year. Over the past two decades, the company has flown thousands of passengers to major football championship finals, organized pilgrimages for passengers annually to Lourdes, and brokered aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) leasing agreements. Additionally, Smart Aviation has transported more than a million business and leisure passengers on private jets and helicopters worldwide.

The company was founded in October 2005 by managing director Mark Hawkins, who has more than three decades of experience in the travel and aviation sectors. “As a company, we are trusted, not only by our loyal clients but by our staff, many of whom have been with me since the very beginning. We have welcomed four new members in the last six months due to a period of accelerated growth, so I am excited to see what the next 20 years holds for Smart Aviation,” he said.

In 2024, Smart Aviation experienced a surge in ACMI bookings during January and February, defying seasonal trends. Between April and October, Smart completed its 19th consecutive year of charter services to Lourdes, flying more than 40,000 worshippers. During the 2024 Summer Olympics, Smart facilitated VIP and team charter flights to Paris. In May, the company supported fans traveling to major sporting finals, including the European Rugby Champions Cup and UEFA tournaments.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has revealed its 2025 Executive Committee leadership team, responsible for guiding the association’s strategic direction and policy initiatives. The team, elected during GAMA’s fall board meeting, highlights a diverse group of leaders with significant expertise in the aviation industry.

Henry Brooks, president of the power and controls division at Collins Aerospace, will assume the role of chair of the board. Brooks previously served as the U.S.-based industry group's vice chair and chaired the Security Issues Committee.

Ron Draper, president and CEO of Textron Aviation, will take over as vice chair. Draper previously served as chair of GAMA's Flight Operations Policy Committee.

Chuck Wiplinger, president and CEO of Wipaire, will transition to immediate past chair after serving as GAMA’s 2024 chair. Wiplinger has also led the Policy and Legal Issues Committee and the Technical Policy Committee.

Several appointments were announced for GAMA’s policy committees. Tony Brancato, president of business aviation at StandardAero, will continue as chair of the Airworthiness and Maintenance Policy Committee. JJ Frigge, president of Hartzell Propeller, will chair the Communications Committee. Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of Beta Technologies, and Oliver Reinhardt, chief risk and certification officer at Volocopter, will co-chair the Electric Propulsion and Innovation Committee.