The 2026 Special Olympics Airlift delivered more than 800 Special Olympics athletes and coaches to St. Paul Downtown Airport (KSTP) on Friday, with roughly 130 “Dove” missions flown by volunteer pilots from 26 locations nationwide ahead of this week’s Special Olympics USA Games. The airlift coordinated by Textron Aviation includes Cessna Citations, Beechcraft turboprops, and Hawkers.

A Cessna Citation Latitude operated by Prent Corp., given the call sign “Dove 1,” was the first to land at St. Paul on Friday, carrying athletes and delegation members. “The arrival of Dove 1 is always a powerful moment,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper. “It represents months of planning, the generosity of the aviation community, and most importantly, the excitement and anticipation of athletes arriving ready to compete.”

Dove 1 pilot Chris Clawson said the mission carries personal significance for participating crews. “This is one of the most meaningful missions we fly,” he said. “The airlift brings together aviation and purpose in a way that creates unforgettable experiences for these athletes and reminds all of us we’re part of something much bigger than ourselves.”

Aircraft continued arriving throughout the day at intervals of three to four minutes in a complex operation involving pilots, air traffic controllers, airport authorities, and Special Olympics staff. Total round-trip distance covered by the operation was expected to reach nearly 300,000 nm.

Following his indictment last year on federal fraud charges, Patrick Britton-Harr has been found guilty of six counts of wire fraud related to the failed AeroVanti private flying club. A federal jury found that Britton-Harr “defrauded customers by making false promises about how he planned to use their money.” He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years per count in federal prison and is also set for trial in October for a Medicare fraud scheme.

During the trial, evidence showed that Britton-Harr and AeroVanti offered “Top Gun” members block discounted flight hours in Piaggio P.180 Avanti turboprop twins for $150,000, which was to be used to buy aircraft. Top Gun members paid about $15 million, but Britton-Harr never bought any aircraft and instead used the money to buy yachts and jewelry and to fund living expenses.

“Evidence at trial further established that Britton-Harr then attempted to conceal his fraud by obtaining a $1.5 million loan to purchase one of the aircraft he already claimed that he purchased with Top Gun member funds by withholding material information from the lender to obtain the loan,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

“This conviction sends a strong message that if you scam and defraud others, we’re coming after you with the full weight of the law,” said Kelly Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

Maintenance record management provider Bluetail has released the latest version of its aircraft records platform, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) “to deliver a conversational records management experience.” According to the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company, the goal of the new system is to free maintenance teams from the burden of manually searching through voluminous documents, allowing them to focus on more productive work.

New capabilities leverage Bluetail’s “ingestion engine,” which digitizes aircraft documents and creates “structured, queryable data from virtually any document type, not just traditional aircraft records,” the company said.

Four key capabilities take advantage of the digitized data, starting with Ask Bluetail, which allows users to make queries in plain language. An example might include, “How often is the main battery replaced?” This type of query can help maintainers surface important information, such as a premature replacement cycle for an expensive component.

Technicians can view a chronological, visual picture of an aircraft’s maintenance history using the Lifecycle Timeline. Bluetail’s previously released AI-Generated Logbooks are integrated into the new platform, and this allows uploading of new documents with the AI engine reading dates and times and storing records in chronological order. The Compliance Check examines maintenance documents to determine whether there are any missing dates, signatures, or compliance gaps.

Wyvern has released a post-maintenance flight check guidance document to help operators improve return-to-service decision-making and reduce risk associated with post-maintenance flights. The guidance provides a framework for evaluating return-to-service requirements, assessing residual risk, and determining the appropriate level of verification based on what maintenance was performed.

It distinguishes three categories of post-maintenance flight operations: confidence flights, lower-risk shakedown flights that confirm normal system operation; functional check flights; medium-risk flights prescribed for certain maintenance activities to validate affected systems; and test flights, higher-risk flights designed to test specific aircraft systems that can approach or exceed the normal operating envelope.

Crew qualification and readiness; operational recommendations for flight execution; and the importance of collaboration among maintenance, flight operations, safety, and leadership personnel are also addressed in the document. It includes sample checklists covering maintenance release authorization, flight crew qualifications, pre-flight risk assessment, in-flight execution, and post-flight disposition.

“Developed by Wyvern’s passionate team of safety professionals, our motivation for this guidance document was simple—to prevent the next fatal accident,” said Wyvern COO Andrew Day.

West Star Aviation is advising Bombardier Challenger operators of a newly issued FAA Airworthiness Directive (AD) that addresses a critical—but easily correctable—component within the nosewheel steering (NWS) system.

Recent data from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard revealed that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s (ERAU) residential campuses in Arizona and Florida produce the highest-paid graduates in their respective states. The data placed the university graduates alongside those of institutions such as California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Yale University, Columbia University, and the University of Notre Dame, according to ERAU, citing Business Insider analysis.

In addition, the data helps underscore earnings potential in the aviation and aerospace disciplines. “As the global leader in aviation and aerospace education, Embry-Riddle has always been dedicated to student success as well as providing a high return on investment for its more than 170,000 alumni,” said ERAU president Barry Butler.

College Scorecard is designed to inform prospective students as they make career choices, as well as serve as a resource for policymakers and researchers. ERAU cited a range of fields in demand that it offers, including engineering, aeronautical science, advanced air mobility, safety, cybersecurity, uncrewed aircraft systems, space physics, space operations, and aviation and aerospace business and analytics.

ERAU’s residential campuses exceed 11,000 students, with 7,943 undergraduates at its Daytona Beach, Florida campus and 3,232 in Prescott, Arizona. Many remain in their respective states after graduation, the university noted.

The Czech police aviation service will receive new Airbus H145s after the country’s interior ministry signed a contract for 11 of the medium-twin helicopters. The police service will use the H145s for law enforcement, search-and-rescue, and emergency medical missions.

Currently, the Czech police operate a fleet of nine H135s, and the H145s will replace those. Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines and equipped with a four-axis autopilot and Helionix avionics, the H145 is “the quietest helicopter in its class, while its CO2 emissions are the lowest amongst its competitors,” according to Airbus Helicopters.

Of the more than 1,800 H145-series helicopters in service, more than 200 are operated for public service and law-enforcement missions. The entire fleet has logged more than 8.5 million flight hours.

“As the Czech police currently operate the H135, transitioning to the H145 is the logical next step in their fleet’s evolution, allowing crews and maintenance teams to benefit from a high degree of commonality and ensure seamless operational readiness from day one,” said Airbus Helicopters head of Europe Thomas Hein. “This agreement highlights the H145’s versatility as a multi-mission aircraft, capable of shifting quickly from demanding police work to life-saving rescue duties.”

Angel Flight West’s 12th Annual Endeavor Awards event raised more than $1 million for the first time in the fundraiser’s history, the organization announced.

The Los Angeles-based nonprofit coordinates free, non-emergency air travel for patients with serious medical conditions who need access to healthcare far from home. Funds raised through sponsorships, auction proceeds, and hosted tables directly support the organization’s network of volunteer pilots, drivers, and commercial airline partners serving the Western U.S.

“In today’s economic climate, this level of generosity is truly remarkable,” said Mary Hunter, executive director of Angel Flight West.

The annual fundraiser recognized several honorees: Will Cutter and Cutter Aviation, the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, volunteer pilot Chris Bennett, and Jerry Hill, a volunteer pilot with Challenge Air for Kids & Friends. Several sponsored tables raised more than $50,000 during the event. Major sponsors included Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, AOPA, UCLA Health, Cutter Aviation, and the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.

The 13th Annual Endeavor Awards is scheduled for May 7, 2027, in Los Angeles.

Global helicopter utility operator Helicopter Express has selected TracPlus to manage its fleet of 46 helicopters. TracPlus helps operators with real-time visibility, analytics, and reporting for aerial and ground assets, especially for firefighting operations. The two companies ran a trial period, then began the formal deployment earlier this year.

TracPlus specializes in helping utility operators gain real-time visibility of aircraft, crews, and operational activity. Purpose-built analytics are available for firefighting operations, including performance reporting and transparency for clients. Validation of flight and billing information is available automatically, “reducing manual processing and improving billing accuracy,” according to TracPlus.

The single platform supports a flight operation’s various teams, such as operations, finance, maintenance, and executive leadership, with insights that eliminate fragmented workflows, reduce administrative burden, and enable scaling operations “with greater confidence.”

Helicopter Express’ fleet includes Sikorsky S-64 Skycranes, Kaman K-Max K-1200s, Airbus AS350s, and Bell 412EPXs, 205s, and 407s.

“As Helicopter Express has grown, so has the complexity of running our fleet,” said Scotty Runyan, Helicopter Express v-p, government services. “TracPlus has given us the platform to manage that complexity without adding overhead. We can track every aircraft across every base, automate our reporting, and make faster, better-informed decisions, whether we’re fighting fires in California or managing lift operations overseas. For a growing company, that kind of operational clarity is invaluable.”

AIN’s 2027 FBO survey is open! The deadline to vote in the 2027 survey (results to be announced at our 3rd annual FBO Awards Dinner & Gala and published in March) is December 6. It's earlier this year than usual. The survey takes only a minute, and you can do it while waiting for passengers, on the shuttle bus to/from the hotel, or at any other time that is convenient for you. Participants will be entered to win a $250 Amazon gift card (winner must reside in the U.S.).Log in to rate your experiences at the FBOs you visit.