Former Hansen Helicopters CEO John D. Walker, 60, today was sentenced by federal judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood to 33 years and 9 months of confinement, meaning he likely will spend the rest of his life in federal prison. Walker was convicted of multiple counts of aircraft parts fraud, bribery, money laundering, and employing unlicensed pilots and mechanics by a jury in the Guam District Court in 2022 after an eight-month trial and has been in custody since. He will be credited for time served.

He was also fined $250,000 and was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to forfeit all assets connected to the crimes. The government estimated this amount at $400 million, but used Hansen’s net sales over decades to calculate the amount. The actual value of his assets is around $58 million according to court documents, including thousands of acres of Missouri farmland and a large collection of personal aircraft.

Hansen operated a fleet of 50 Hughes 369 helicopters for tuna spotting in the northwestern Pacific. The government charged that Walker, who purchased Hansen in 1998, conducted a decades-long, wide-reaching fraud scheme that involved using counterfeit aircraft parts and data plate swapping to create a fleet of “Frankenstein helicopters” registered to a variety of international shell companies.

The U.S. government asserted that his behavior was responsible in part for up to 30 crashes that claimed nine lives.

Business jet inventory is contracting for the first time since 2022, signaling a major shift after two years of softening market conditions, according to Jetcraft’s Q2 2025 Market Intelligence Update. However, as supply shrinks, sellers are raising price expectations faster than buyers are willing to match, it said.

Jetcraft’s data show a widening spread between asking prices and sale prices over the past 12 months. The current divergence, Jetcraft said, “reveals early signs of overconfidence” among sellers and risks sidelining buyers unwilling to pay inflated premiums.

The supply shift is also prompting changes in purchase patterns. As newer inventory becomes harder to source, the average age of aircraft being sold is rising. This trend opens opportunities for brokers to revalue older aircraft and tailor sales strategies for owners who may not have been in the market previously.

Despite the evolving dynamics, the company emphasized that business aviation remains resilient. “In today’s tightening market,” the company stated, “insights like these help Jetcraft clients price more competitively, time their entries wisely, and take advantage of evolving demand trends.”

The company cited geopolitical uncertainty and a growing “wait-and-see” approach among sellers as possible drivers of the trend. Jetcraft also noted macroeconomic and policy factors likely to influence activity in the second half of the year.

Senate leadership is continuing to step up safety oversight in the aftermath of the January 29 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA). Members on both sides of the aisle are calling for an independent review of airspace safety and a Democrat contingent is offering a bill to address concerns stemming from the crash.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) led a contingent of two dozen Senators that sent a letter yesterday seeking concurrent inspector general audits within the Department of Transportation (DOT OIG) and the U.S. Army.

The lawmakers requested that the DOT OIG probe the FAA’s management of the KDCA area and its oversight of safety gaps, as well as the agency’s decisions surrounding airspace design failures and enforcement of ADS-B Out exemptions. In addition, the senators are seeking an Army OIG review of its coordination with the FAA, pilot training and qualification standards, and policies on ADS-B equipage, usage, and activation. 

Separately, seven Senate Democrats, led by Cantwell and aviation subcommittee ranking member Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), introduced the Safe Operation of Shared Airspace Act of 2025 to address many of the issues that have already surfaced in the accident’s aftermath, including the U.S. Army’s lack of use of ADS-B, mixed traffic at busy airports, lack of FAA/DOD coordination, and ATC controller shortages.

Boeing Business Jets has introduced the Jetquity Protect Program, a resale value guarantee for BBJ Select customers, in partnership with financial services firm Jetquity. The program offers BBJ Max 7 owners financial predictability by ensuring a minimum resale price after a specified ownership period, typically six to eight years.

“As the aviation industry continues to evolve, we remain committed to delivering innovative solutions that meet the needs of jet owners and enhance their investment experience,” said Chris Shindle, director of marketing for BBJ. “We are proud to highlight the Jetquity Protect Program to BBJ Select customers to ensure financial security and flexibility and support longer-term marketability.”

Participants in the program pay a fixed monthly fee in exchange for a guaranteed minimum buyback value. If an aircraft sells above the guaranteed amount, the customer retains the additional proceeds, with no cap on upside potential. Boeing Business Jets said this mitigates exposure to market volatility and enhances long-term asset planning.

The Jetquity Protect Program is offered exclusively to BBJ Select customers, who also benefit from simplified cabin configurations and shorter lead times. Backed by Boeing’s global support infrastructure, BBJ Select is designed for high utilization and long-term reliability. According to the company, BBJs typically retain more residual value than competing models, which Jetquity’s new offering aims to further strengthen.

Spatial disorientation following autopilot disengagement led to the in-flight breakup of an air ambulance Pilatus PC-12 near Stagecoach, Nevada, on Feb. 24, 2023, according to the NTSB’s final report. The pilot, flight nurse, flight paramedic, and two passengers were killed.

The PC-12, N273SM, was operated by Guardian Flight under the Care Flight brand. At 9 p.m. local time, the non-emergency medical transport departed Reno-Tahoe International Airport (KRNO) under IFR clearance in night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).

The NTSB concluded that the flight profile was consistent with a graveyard spiral, a form of spatial disorientation in which the pilot misperceives a descending turn as level flight and, adds backpressure to the yoke to compensate for a perceived level descent. These inputs tighten the spiral until the aircraft crashes or loses structural integrity due to forces of flight.

An autopsy of the pilot revealed a three-centimeter brain tumor in the right parietal lobe—an area responsible for integrating sensory and navigational input. While the NTSB could not determine whether the tumor contributed to the accident, it acknowledged that the condition “may have impacted the pilot’s ability to synthesize and respond to sensory interpretation.”

The aircraft was not equipped with cockpit voice or flight data recorders, but onboard systems and GPS data allowed investigators to reconstruct the flight path.

With FAA certification of the Garmin GFC 600H helicopter flight control system in the Robinson R66, Torrance, California-based Robinson Helicopter is making the two-axis version of the autopilot a standard feature. R66 NxG helicopters with Garmin avionics and the autopilot will begin delivering early next year.

R66 buyers have long had the option of adding Moog’s two-axis Genesys HeliSAS to the R66, but the Garmin autopilot is available with an optional third (yaw) axis. Buyers of R66s with serial number 1510 or later can amend their order and switch to the GFC 600H, according to Robinson. The optional third axis is priced at $25,000.

To learn how to use the autopilot most effectively and in concert with the R66 NxG’s Garmin avionics suite, Robinson has developed a two-day avionics and autopilot class. The first will be held in September, appended to the end of the company's safety course.

In addition to the GFC 600H, the R66 NxG is equipped with Garmin’s touchscreen G500H display with engine data and optional synthetic vision and GTN 635Xi GPS/com (a GTN 750Xi is optional). The GFC 600H autopilot can be operated with cyclic-mounted controls. In addition to hover assist (GPS-based position hold), airspeed stabilization, heading hold, and LVL mode, the autopilot’s modes include altitude capture and hold, vertical speed hold, airspeed hold, heading select, navigation, and approach.

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) presented Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) with its highest legislative recognition, the Pilot Partisan of the Year award, last week during the organization’s annual Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C.

This award acknowledges Duckworth’s advocacy for aviation safety legislation and her support of pilot interests through her role as chair and ranking member on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee’s subcommittee on aviation, space, and innovation. ALPA specifically cited her contributions to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which established new safety protocols and workforce provisions for the aviation industry.

“Sen. Duckworth is one of the strongest champions for pilots in Congress,” said Jason Ambrosi, ALPA president. “She has been a tireless advocate for safety and security across the airline industry.”

The recognition came as ALPA conducted its 12th annual Legislative Summit last week, where approximately 200 pilot volunteers engaged with congressional members and staff on critical aviation issues. Summit participants advocated for air traffic control system modernization, updates to mental health protocols affecting pilots and controllers, and measures to address safety concerns related to reduced crew operations.

Duckworth’s legislative efforts have focused on maintaining pilot training standards established by congressional mandate and supporting aviation workforce development initiatives. Her committee position has enabled her to influence policy discussions affecting commercial aviation operations and safety requirements.