With the completion of a G600 at the company’s St. Louis facility for a customer in Asia-Pacific, Gulfstream’s combined G500 and G600 fleet has surpassed 400 customer deliveries, the Savannah, Georgia-based jet maker said today.

The G500 and G600 were certified by the FAA in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and both twinjets received EASA approval for steep approaches last year, expanding access to airports including London City (EGLC), which has a 5.5-degree glideslope. Notably, the G500 and G600 also introduced the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight Deck, and feature a Mach 0.925 Mmo.

“Reaching 400 deliveries is a testament to the confidence customers around the world continue to place in Gulfstream and in the G500 and G600,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “Together, these aircraft have fueled sustained demand for our next-generation fleet and play a pivotal role in Gulfstream’s vision to offer an aircraft for every mission.”

Since entering service, the G500 and G600 fleets have logged more than 519,000 flight hours and 200,000 landings. The program has set more than 190 city-pair speed records, contributing to Gulfstream’s overall total of 815 records. A recent G600 flight from Sapporo, Japan, to Savannah covered 5,835 nm in 11 hours 38 minutes at an average cruise speed of Mach 0.88.

Daher Aircraft’s TBM 980 has racked up orders extending to mid-2027 and has surpassed 30 deliveries in the six months since its introduction in January, the company said today at EAA AirVenture. Daher is targeting more than 60 deliveries of the type this year, which would mark an annual production record for TBM models. More than half of TBM 980 customers are repeat buyers.

The preowned market for 900-series TBMs reflects similar high demand. Just three TBM 960s are on the market out of a total production run of 218, and only four of the 124 TBM 940s built are currently for sale, with both variants retaining value near their original prices, according to Daher.

“The exceptional response to the TBM 980—including the confidence shown by existing TBM owners—demonstrates how our strategy continues to resonate with customers around the world,” said Daher Aircraft CEO Nicolas Chabbert. “Each new version incorporates improvements while preserving the qualities that make our TBM the benchmark in its category.”

Chabbert lauded Daher’s engineering, production, sales, and support teams. “Their efforts reflect Daher Aircraft’s unwavering focus on product quality, operational excellence and customer satisfaction,” he said.

The TBM 980 sports Garmin’s G3000 Prime avionics suite with three 14-inch touchscreen displays, Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6E-66XT Fadec engine, and Garmin Autoland.

Epic Aircraft today celebrated the issuance of EASA type certification for the E1000 AX turboprop single, the company's latest model and the first of its E1000 line to receive European approval. The certification opens the door for Epic Aircraft to market the airplane to European customers.

The Bend, Oregon aircraft manufacturer now plans to begin European sales activities this year. This will be supported by the region’s first Epic-authorized service center, Airlink Salzburg, and Personalized Flight Training & Examinations, the OEM’s first European flight-training organization.

Equipped with a Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite with autothrottle and Autoland, and True Blue Power lithium-ion main-ship battery, the E1000 AX has a 34,000-foot ceiling, climb rate of 4,000 fpm, maximum cruise speed of 333 knots, and full-fuel payload of 1,177 pounds. A 1,200-shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A powers the six-seat, all-composite airplane.

“EASA certification for the E1000 AX is a significant milestone and reflects the dedication, expertise, and perseverance of our entire team," said Epic Aircraft CEO Doug King. “The E1000 AX has earned a reputation for exceptional performance, advanced safety technologies, and first-class comfort. We're excited to bring those capabilities to pilots and owners throughout Europe.”

Bombardier underlined the billing of the Global 8000 business jet as the world’s fastest civil aircraft by setting a city-pair speed record on the way to its appearance at the Farnborough Airshow. Leaving Los Angeles on the roughly 4,700-nm journey, the Global touched down in Hampshire 8 hours 46 minutes later.

Less-than-favorable winds prevailed during the flight, but a top speed of Mach 0.93 was achieved, just short of the Global’s maximum of Mach 0.95, the company said. The new city-pair record was 2.2% faster than the previous figure.

Boasting an 8,000-nm range, the Global 8000 is also one of the most comfortable business aircraft, with the lowest equivalent cabin altitude—just 2,691 feet—of any type. It also has exceptional landing performance, allowing it to operate from 30% more airports than its competitors.

However, speed is its most eye-catching attribute. “Speed is without a doubt the Global 8000’s calling card,” said Stephen McCullough, executive v-p, engineering, product development, and Bombardier Defense, “and this latest accomplishment aptly underscores what sets this aircraft apart—the ability to bring the world closer and closer than ever before.”

The Blackhawk Group today unveiled its newly formed propeller solutions initiative, led by Chip Kiehn, v-p propeller programs. The company is highlighting the propeller initiative and its progress on certification of the heated deice system supplemental type certificate (STC) for Piper Meridian turboprops this week at its EAA AirVenture exhibit.

Offering a variety of propeller upgrades and installations as well as maintenance and long-term support, the new propeller solutions operation delivers “proven performance improvements, OEM-backed service and support, and expert guidance from purchase through installation and beyond,” according to Blackhawk.

Propeller upgrades are available at Blackhawk’s Performance Center network, now with seven locations in the U.S. and UK. Propeller upgrades boost performance with faster climbs, higher cruise speeds, and quieter cabins.

“Operators are looking for complete performance solutions,” said Kiehn. “By combining premium propeller technology with the Blackhawk Group's installation expertise and customer support, we’re helping customers get more from their aircraft.”

The Piper Meridian STC, expected to be approved “in the September timeframe,” adds a heated anti-ice boot on the elevator horn gap for legacy Meridians. Blackhawk is also highlighting its MT X-Range 135A Engine+ upgrade, which replaces the original Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A with the more powerful PT6A-135A for improved performance and efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and reduced noise.

Private flight provider Luxaviation has boosted its fleets in Europe and Asia by adding nine business aircraft between the continents. The aircraft management and charter group is deploying a mix of Gulfstream, Bombardier, Textron, and Sikorsky models.

In Asia-Pacific, two Gulfstream G700s and a G800 are set to arrive to support customers needing long-haul range. In Europe, a G550 and a Bombardier Challenger 650 will be operated for charter by Luxaviation UK, with a Challenger 604 to soon follow. That division also manages three Embraer Praetor 600s.

Luxaviation’s air operator certificate holders in Belgium and France are respectively adding a G700 and a Cessna Citation CJ1+. A Sikorsky S-76 helicopter is going to the group’s Starspeed and Heliflite charter operation.

“The addition of aircraft ranging from the Citation CJ1+ and Challenger 604 to the G700 and G800 demonstrates the strength and diversity of our operating capabilities and the confidence aircraft owners place in Luxaviation,” said Luxaviation CEO Patrick Hansen. “By combining deep local operational expertise and a global aircraft management, charter and compliance platform, we can support owners throughout the aircraft lifecycle while giving charter clients access to a broader range of aircraft, missions and destinations.”

Prospective Embraer Phenom 100 buyers now have access to model evolution analysis, upgrade and options paths, and cost and performance data across the type’s variants in a new buyer’s guide published by Aerocor.

The Henderson, Nevada-based aircraft brokerage said the Phenom 100 Buyer’s Guide is designed to give buyers a single, comprehensive reference to replace the marketing-driven and often inconsistent data that can sometimes dominate business jet research. 

“Buyers researching the Phenom 100 often run into marketing material with cherry-picked numbers instead of real operating data,” said Aerocor president Gavin Woodman. “This guide is built to close that gap, giving buyers and sellers a clear, accurate picture of the aircraft—not a sales pitch.”

The guide is part of Aerocor’s broader educational platform, which also includes fleet updates and quarterly market reports. It is the latest addition to Aerocor’s growing library of aircraft-specific buyer’s guides and is available at no cost on request. Future editions will incorporate updated market intelligence and operating data as the Phenom 100 fleet evolves.

Audits, certificates, and safety management system (SMS) documentation demonstrate compliance at a point in time but don’t by themselves prove that an operator is tracking how risk changes between those checkpoints, contends Sonnie Bates, CEO of aviation safety intelligence provider Wyvern.

Bates cites his own doctoral research, based on data from 257 U.S. business aviation participants, that found that emotional intelligence was a strong predictor of safety culture. He offers five questions for leaders to reflect on before their next audit: What has changed since the last safety review? Where is drift occurring? Are weak signals reported early enough? Do corrective actions change behavior? And, does the SMS influence operational decisions?

The FAA’s expanded SMS rule, which brings certain Part 135 operators and other certificate holders under Part 5 requirements by May 28, 2027, shouldn’t become an administrative exercise, according to Bates. “The real question is not simply whether an operator can produce an SMS manual,” he said. “The better question is whether the SMS helps the organization make better decisions under real operating pressure.”

Bates draws on NTSB findings on the January 2025 midair collision of a regional jet and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA). The NTSB attributed the accident to systemic failures in airspace design, safety oversight, and risk management rather than a single isolated error. While the accident involved specific circumstances that shouldn’t be overgeneralized, Bates said one lesson applies broadly: serious safety failures typically begin earlier, in weak signals, normalized exposure, and risk that doesn’t translate into action quickly enough.

AIN's sister publication, Business Jet Traveler, invites you to participate in its annual Readers' Choice Survey. We'd love to hear your opinions and experiences with private aviation. Please click here to take the survey. If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of the 2026-2027 BJT Buyers' Guide in September, be sure to reserve your copy today.