Gulfstream’s G700 flagship will make its Catarina Aviation Show debut when the three-day event opens on Thursday at São Paulo Catarina International Executive Airport. The G700 will be on display at the show alongside Gulfstream’s super-midsize G280 and ultra-long-range G600.

“Gulfstream is experiencing significant interest and demand throughout Latin America, and the region is an important market for us,” said Gulfstream Aerospace senior v-p of worldwide sales Scott Neal. “The company has had a strong presence in Latin America for many years, including Brazil, and there are currently more than 230 Gulfstream aircraft based in the region.”

According to Neal, the Gulfstream fleet in Latin America has grown by more than 35% in the last 10 years. “Gulfstream’s product line—from the G280 to the G400, G500, G600, G650ER, G700, and G800—offer a compelling mix of size and range to suit a wide variety of operators’ needs, whether they are flying domestically or taking trips halfway around the world,” he added. “The G650 and G650ER have been popular in the region since the G650 was introduced in 2008, and we are seeing great interest in the G500, G600, G700, and G800 [there].”

Gulfstream has chosen the Catarina show over LABACE 2024 at São Paulo–Congonhas Airport; the aircraft manufacturer told AIN that it will not be exhibiting at that event in August.

NBAA has changed the venue and date for next year’s Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference (SDC). The event, which is typically the first major conference on the organization’s calendar, was originally scheduled for March 11 to 13 in Portland, Oregon. It has now been pushed back to March 25 to 27 and relocated more than 2,000 miles to New Orleans.

As initially scheduled, the conference conflicted with Helicopter Association International’s annual Verticon (née Heli-Expo) show, possibly forcing some exhibitors to choose between the two events.

The date change opened up new possibilities for NBAA, among them New Orleans, which remains a popular destination among its conference-goers. As a result, 2025 will mark SDC’s first return to the Big Easy since its 25th anniversary edition in January 2014. The show typically attracts more than 400 exhibiting companies and several thousand attendees, who can benefit from dozens of education sessions led by industry experts.

“NBAA’s Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference stands among the most important events on the industry’s calendar, bringing people together to gain new perspectives, to move forward in professionalism, and to enjoy the excitement of a shared passion,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “This adjustment positions SDC 2025 to build on the record-breaking success of recent editions of the conference.”

With runway safety incidents on the rise, Honeywell Aerospace is preparing to introduce Surf-A, a runway surface alert system that will provide a “third set of eyes” for pilots. Honeywell last week demonstrated Surf-A in a series of flights between Seattle and Yakima, Washington, with its Boeing 757 testbed. If all goes according to plan, Surf-A could be FAA certified and available for retrofit in the next 12 to 18 months.

Surf-A directly alerts pilots onboard the aircraft to the risk of runway incursions, excursions, or other wrong-surface events. The software uses GPS and ADS-B data in the runway engagement zone to monitor traffic and provides an aural alert to the pilot when its algorithms determine that the airplane is on a trajectory that could result in a collision in the next 30 seconds.

Surf-A builds upon Honeywell’s already-certified runway awareness and advisory system and SmartRunway/SmartLanding software, which use the aircraft’s GPS location combined with geographical data to provide onboard alerts when a pilot is at risk of a runway overrun or wrong-surface landing.

The next evolution of this Honeywell technology is Surf-IA (Situational Awareness on the Airport Surface with Indications and Alerts), which adds more sophisticated visual indicators to the flight displays. Honeywell has been testing this since 2018 in collaboration with Airbus and Dassault.

Skyservice Business Aviation will designate capacity at its Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal locations for Gogo Business Aviation Avance installations, the Ontario-based MRO and business aircraft management, charter, and broker firm said.

The Gogo-authorized dealer has established a program to create a center of excellence in which customers operating a legacy air-to-ground (ATG) system can reserve a priority booking for installation of Avance ahead of Gogo's anticipated early 2026 network migration to newer long-term evolution (LTE) technology.

Aircraft owners who do not upgrade to an Avance system before then will lose their Gogo in-flight connectivity upon completion of the network migration. Those who do upgrade from a legacy system to Avance will see an immediate improvement in connectivity performance when Gogo completes the network transition to LTE. Customers who upgrade to Avance from a legacy ATG system can take advantage of Gogo rebates.

"Skyservice has been a valued Gogo partner since 2013," said Gogo v-p of aftermarket sales David Salvador. "Having completed 20 system installations, Skyservice's expertise will help guide customers through our anticipated migration to newer technology."

Having received supplemental type certification approval from Transport Canada Civil Aviation and the FAA for the Gogo 5G system, Bombardier Challenger 300 owners who elect to install a Gogo Avance L5 today can also install the full Gogo 5G provisional kit.

Highly automated flight guidance systems improve safety and reduce workload; however, they require a high level of understanding and different pilot competencies. When the automation becomes unable to safely operate in a complex environment or simply disconnects, pilots must rely on foundational stick-and-rudder skills that must be sustained. FlightSafety’s instruction emphasizes both technology and fundamental flight skill training.

Malawi's vice president Saulos Chilima and nine others were killed when a Dornier Do-228 operated by the country's Defence Force crashed on Monday. In a broadcast on Tuesday afternoon, President Lazarus Chakwera confirmed that the wreckage of the turboprop twin had been found in a mountainous area with no survivors.

The Do-228 lost radar contact after failing to land in poor weather at Mzuzu International Airport (FWUU) in the north of the East African country at the end of a Monday morning flight from the capital Lilongwe. In addition to vice president Chilima, the aircraft was carrying six other passengers, including Malawi’s former first lady, Shanil Dzimbiri, to attend the funeral of an ex-government minister. There were three flight crew on board.

The airplane was one of three of the German-made types acquired by the Malawian government between 1986 and 1989. The Malawi Defence Force also operates a Chinese Xian MA600 turboprop twin for government transportation flights.

California-based private aviation services provider Clay Lacy Aviation has partnered with NBAA on a pilot program that will establish memberships in the organization for all of Clay Lacy’s managed aircraft customers.

“NBAA has a responsibility to the business aviation industry, and we are constantly collaborating with them,” said Clay Lacy chief commercial officer Joe Barber, who added that the organization plays a critical role in establishing a culture of learning and continuous improvement. “Our flight departments, professionals, and aircraft owners gain from advocacy, professional development, and an incredibly robust and authoritative resource hub.”

As a result of this agreement, Clay Lacy’s management clients will have access to NBAA’s events, networking opportunities, industry discounts, professional development programs, and information resources. The collaboration builds on the company’s involvement with the association, which includes membership in the management committee, safety committee, schedulers and dispatchers committee, and young professionals council.

“NBAA thanks Clay Lacy for partnering with us on this exciting initiative, and we are pleased to welcome its clients onboard for our shared mission of fostering business aviation and supporting all entrepreneurs and companies using aircraft for a business purpose,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.

Worldwide trip support expert UAS has introduced several enhancements to its Global Trip Manager offering as part of its ongoing drive to improve the trip management system’s features. Launched in 2022, the cross-platform technology allows effective real-time interactions and immediate access to vital trip information, whether the user is in an office or on the move.

“Operators’ challenges are always in flux and this, in turn, dictates demand,” said co-founder and executive president Mohammed Al Husary. “We have dedicated ourselves to anticipating and responding to these new demands in every aspect of our offering, from flight support to air charter and, of course, technology.”

Recently introduced is a live chat function that allows users to communicate immediately with the UAS operations team. Through this feature, they can stay fully informed, with full disclosure throughout the trip planning and execution phases. The introduction of live chat has been positively received by the user community, UAS said.

UAS is currently nearing the introduction of self-service options and a communications portal for suppliers. Another feature will be the integration of advanced passenger information system data to enhance travel security and immigration compliance, fuel quotations, and bookings for hotels and transport.

The International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) has presented Wayne Starling, executive director of the group, with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Starling also serves as a senior advisor to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and is executive director of AircraftExchange, IADA’s online marketing portal. (Ed. note: AIN is a marketing partner with AircraftExchange.)

IADA chairman Phil Winters said the award recognizes “Starling’s aviation industry accomplishments, and especially his leadership of IADA since October 2018.” He added, "We are grateful for his leadership and dedication to the association." Only three other individuals have been recognized with IADA's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Starling’s decades-long career in aircraft finance included his involvement in the startup Aviation Finance Group. Following PNC Financial Services’ acquisition of that company, he served as senior v-p and national sales manager for PNC Aviation Finance Group. He simultaneously held a position on the board of directors of the National Aviation Finance Association. The association had also presented Starling with its Lifetime Achievement Award for his leadership and service. He retired from PNC Aviation Finance in 2017.

AIN sister publication Business Jet Traveler has launched its 14th annual Readers’ Choice survey. The poll solicits private aircraft fliers’ opinions about and experiences with flying privately and asks them to rate charter, jet card, and fractional-share providers, membership clubs, aircraft manufacturers and models, and more. All respondents will receive a prepublication copy of the results, be entered into a drawing for a $500 Amazon gift card (gift cards apply to U.S. survey respondents only), and have a donation made on their behalf to Corporate Angel Network. Take this year's survey or view results of the previous Business Jet Traveler reader surveys.