Flexjet has raised $800 million in equity from a consortium of investors led by L Catterton, the consumer-focused private equity firm affiliated with French conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH). The funding will support the private aviation provider’s growth strategy, which includes responding to demand for larger aircraft, terminal infrastructure, and curated luxury travel experiences.

Also included in the investor group are affiliates of KSL Capital Partners and the J. Safra Group. Existing shareholders and Flexjet management will retain control, with the new partners positioned to enhance the company’s reach in the upscale travel, hospitality, and financial sectors.

Flexjet said the capital will be directed toward scaling infrastructure and services that differentiate its offering in the competitive fractional ownership and charter market. These include further development of its global private terminal network—11 locations are currently operating or in development—as well as its in-house maintenance operation and cabin attendant training academy. A private terminal at London Farnborough is expected to open early next year.

“This investment creates a unique and differentiated strategic partnership,” said Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci. “L Catterton, with its special relationship with LVMH and its family of brands, provides the perfect opportunity for collaborating in areas such as consumer insights, brand strategies, retail expansion, and luxury product delivery.” Recent investments reflect increased demand from its client base for long-range travel and highly personalized experiences.

Hartzell Propeller has become the first company to achieve FAA certification for a propeller designed specifically for advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, the company announced today. The Ohio-based manufacturer developed the propeller in collaboration with Beta Technologies and tested it exclusively on the latter’s electric aircraft to obtain FAA Part 35 type certification.

According to Beta, the propeller has undergone thousands of hours of ground and flight testing on the Alia CX300 electric airplane over the past four years. Beta is also using the propeller for its Alia 250 eVTOL. Although designed for Beta’s aircraft, Hartzell intends to make the propeller available to other manufacturers of AAM aircraft with similar electric propulsion systems.

“Hartzell Propeller is pleased to work with Beta Technologies on this AAM breakthrough development,” said Hartzell president JJ Frigge. “Our design specifically for Beta Technologies is a five-blade, carbon fiber, ground-adjustable fixed pitch propeller that will have future applications for the entire AAM industry.”

Both the Alia CX300 and Alia 250 have a single Hartzell propeller mounted on the aft end for forward propulsion, and these are powered by Beta’s own H500A electric engines. The eVTOL model has four additional two-blade, top-mounted vertical lift propellers, each powered by a Beta V600A electric motor.

Safran has completed its acquisition of Collins Aerospace’s flight control and actuation business, which provides mission-critical systems for commercial and military aircraft. Announced today, the closing of the transaction completed a process started two years ago when the companies announced the deal in July 2023.

The business that will now form part of the French aerospace group’s Safran Electronics & Defense unit employs around 4,000 people in eight facilities in Europe and Asia, with some associated activities in the U.S., Poland, and India. Flight control and actuation systems produced by RTX group subsidiary Collins are fitted on 180 aircraft platforms and in 2024 generated revenues of about $1.55 billion.

“This acquisition offers a unique opportunity to solidify our position in mission-critical flight control and actuation functions and create a global leader in this domain,” said Safran CEO Olivier Andriès. “It will enable us to deliver a comprehensive offering to our customers and position us extremely well for next-generation aircraft. This business fits perfectly with both our product portfolio and our DNA with a high technology content, recurring aftermarket sales, and profitable growth.”

Safran and Collins had aimed to complete the transaction in the second half of 2024. To meet regulatory requirements, Safran has sold its North American electromechanical actuation business to Woodward.

Aircraft modification specialist Blackhawk Group has completed the application process for supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for its integration of the Hartzell advanced five-blade composite propeller with Blackhawk’s XP67A Engine+ upgrade on the Beechcraft King Air 350. The company said today at EAA Airventure that it has submitted all flight test data—derived through the installation of the package on its testbed King Air—to the FAA for validation.

According to Blackhawk, the upgrade provides a 24% increase in available horsepower (1,200 shp), with improved performance including cruise speeds of more than 337 knots and climb to FL350 in less than 18 minutes.

Hartzell’s five-blade composite propellers offers a 10-pound weight reduction on each side of the aircraft versus standard four-blade aluminum propellers. Its reduced diameter also lowers cabin noise while enhancing occupant comfort and its blades offer unlimited service life.

Blackhawk’s XP67A modification has been in service for more than eight years and is a replacement for the stock Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A engines.

“This STC approval is a major step for King Air 350 operators seeking to elevate the performance of their aircraft without the cost of a new airframe,” said Edwin Black, president of Blackhawk’s proprietary upgrades division. “By combining Hartzell’s cutting-edge propeller technology with our proven XP67A engine upgrade, we’re offering a next-level solution that maximizes value, performance, and long-term ROI.”

Gogo Galileo HDX revolutionizes business aviation connectivity with global, high-speed broadband powered by Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO constellation. Offering seamless, low-latency internet—even over polar routes—this compact antenna enhances passenger experience and operational efficiency, delivering always-on, multi-orbit, multi-band connectivity for jets worldwide.

Garmin has released a OnePak database subscription for its new guided visual approaches, which can be flown in aircraft equipped with Garmin avionics capable of radius-to-fix legs. These approaches allow pilots to receive lateral and vertical navigation guidance to runway ends at airports with complex geographical or airspace constraints. Pilot workload is lower when flying guided visual approach procedures, which are labeled as “RNAV G” in the avionics, and the approaches can also be flown coupled to the autopilot.

So far, Garmin and its partner Hughes Aerospace have published 31 approaches to 25 airports, including Aspen Runway 15 (KASE), Teterboro Runway 01 (KTEB), Van Nuys Runway 34L (KVNY), Truckee Runway 29 and 11 (KTRK), and Scottsdale Runway 21 (KSDL). More guided visuals are planned by the partners. The OnePak annual subscription to add guided visual approaches costs $500.

Avionics that qualify to use the guided visual approaches include GTN/GTN Xi navigators, WAAS GPS products, and select Garmin integrated flight decks. Guided visual approaches can be displayed on select Garmin cockpit displays and using the Hughes iOS app. The approaches are loaded into the avionics using the same process as any procedure.

“We are confident these approach procedures will help simplify approaches for pilots who often find themselves in challenging terrain or airport environments,” said Creighton Scarpone, Garmin director of airline and business aviation sales.

Lightspeed is demonstrating its just-announced headset, the Zulu 4, this week at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Priced at $1,099, the Zulu 4 adds more comfortable ear seals, clearer Bluetooth calls, and flexibility improvements.

The new FrameFit ear seals feature tapered foam that forms a better seal around glasses and hats, minimizing pressure points. Like its predecessors, the headset has large ear cups that don’t impinge on the ear and a low-profile stainless steel headband.

According to Lightspeed, the Zulu 4 features the same noise-canceling dual-aperture-disc microphone as the Zulu 3, which provides “clearer, more intelligible communications.” Pilots can adjust the mic gain to balance loud and soft voices when different-brand headsets are being used. The headset also has Lightspeed’s front row center stereo crossfeed technology for “crisp, rich audio and unparalleled music fidelity.”

New for the Zulu 4 is dual Bluetooth, which allows connecting to two devices simultaneously. Other features include a 10% longer boom mic and a longer upper-stay cable, and these enable adjustment of the headset to suit the individual wearer.

The Zulu 4 is available in Panel Power (6 pin), GA dual plug, or helicopter U-174 configurations. It is also compatible with Lightspeed’s FlightLink app for in-flight recording and playback of intercom audio and radio transmissions.

Aviation jobs specialist JSfirm rolled out a searchable airmen database that enables companies to seek out professionals by category, location, rating/type, and last name. The search tool covers a range of categories, from pilot and dispatch to maintenance and UAV/UAS.

Complementing JSfirm’s existing job board and resume search tools, the airmen database is designed to provide a more comprehensive and proactive tool for sourcing the most relevant professionals, the company said.

“This new programming gives our customers a unique and powerful tool to find aviation professionals,” said JSfirm executive director Abbey Hutter. “We’re always striving to develop new ways to provide aviation companies with more effective hiring resources.”

Meanwhile, JSfirm is once again hosting an aviation job fair this week during AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. More than 20 companies—including Bombardier, PlaneSense, Garmin, and Air Methods—are hiring at the event.

“JSfirm is proud to continue our longstanding partnership with EAA by supporting a week-long job fair at the world’s largest aviation fly-in,” Hutter said. “Aviation companies will be onsite throughout the week to network and connect with job seekers.”

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has tasked Bell Textron with an X-plane demonstrator high-speed VTOL aircraft for its Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) program. The manufacturer recently announced its selection for Phase 2 of this program, saying it is responsible for design, construction, ground testing, and certification of the demonstrator in the build-up to Phase 3, which would involve flight testing.

During Phase 1A and 1B of the SPRINT program, Bell competed with Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences. DARPA’s objective is to support the development of a VTOL aircraft that can fly at speeds of between 400 and 450 knots. Its tiltrotor concept has been selected in preference to the Aurora design that featured a blended-wing-body concept incorporating three vertical lift rotorfans. Northrop Grumman and Piasecki Aircraft were also involved in Phase 1 of the process.

Bell’s SPRINT design is based on a new folding rotor propulsion concept it refers to as “Stop/Fold.” According to the U.S. company, the rotors have been engineered to produce the required lift without generating adverse downwash conditions that can compromise safety on the ground. It envisages that the aircraft could operate in VTOL mode, or with a short takeoff and landing capability that would require no more than 400 feet of runway, including unprepared or damaged surfaces.

AIN’s senior-level Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit (CALS) Europe, set for September 15 to 17 in Switzerland, will address the latest topics, strategies, and solutions in business aviation. The summit is attendee-centric and serves as an educational and professional networking platform, connecting corporate aviation leaders with peers, industry experts, and solution providers in a relaxed, informal environment. We invite flight department leaders to apply to attend this all-expenses-paid event as our guests.