Production of Global 5500s, 6500s, and 7500s in Toronto has temporarily stopped after 1,350 Bombardier employees represented by the Unifor Local 112 and 673 unions went on strike yesterday at midnight. The union and company did not reach an agreement by the 11:59 p.m. strike deadline on Saturday, stopping work at the Global aircraft assembly center at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Bombardier opened this new $500 million aircraft production facility early last month.

According to the union, its bargaining committee members are “working towards an agreement and both parties remain committed to continuing the bargaining process.” Negotiations between Unifor and Bombardier continued Saturday night into midday yesterday before resuming this morning.

A Bombardier spokesman told AIN that “discussions are progressing [and] we are keeping our focus solely on that. What we can say at this stage is that Bombardier is continuing to negotiate with all parties. Our collective goal remains to swiftly reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”

Private aviation company Volato Group, which is the largest HondaJet operator in the U.S., has announced that the first of its HondaJet fleet—and the first HondaJet ever—is now equipped with a SmartSky Lite connectivity system.

“Volato is dedicated to exceeding customer expectations on every flight,” said Matt Liotta, CEO of Volato. “The addition of SmartSky’s next-generation in-flight connectivity is a direct response to customer feedback and underscores our commitment to delivering a superior in-flight experience. Early feedback indicates our passengers will be thrilled with the seamless connection and blazing-fast speeds.”

The SmartSky system will be installed in Volato's entire fleet of 26 HondaJets on a rolling basis. Volato also expects to add another eight to 10 HondaJets to its fleet by year-end.

The company’s latest quarterly report shows that flight hours increased by 39% and blended yield by 8% year-over-year in the three-month period. Volato also achieved a demand mix of 50% owner and 50% program/ad hoc charter.

Despite OEM aircraft delivery delays, the company said it achieved significant year-over-year growth in key metrics, including total flight hours and light jet market share, by executing a strategy to optimize demand mix to achieve a higher blended yield and lower empty percentage. The first quarter saw "strong blended yield performance," and the company told AIN that it anticipates continued year-over-year growth in the second quarter and beyond.

Arizona’s Sedona Airport (KSEZ) has become the second location in the state to receive continuous supplies of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Lone FBO Red Rock Aviation, in partnership with the Sedona-Oak Creek Airport Authority, accepted its first 8,000-gallon truckload provided by Avfuel earlier this month. That amount is equivalent to a 19-tonne reduction in life cycle carbon emissions, and SAF shipments will be delivered to the airport on a set periodic basis throughout the year.

The fuel is a 30/70 SAF blend, produced by Neste in Long Beach, California.

“We are excited to incorporate SAF into our growing list of sustainability initiatives,” stated Ed Rose, KSEZ’s manager. “SAF is a safe, proven, and sustainable blend of jet fuel that will help the Sedona Airport be a good neighbor and do its part to reduce the overall production of greenhouse gases.”

Avfuel has served the FBO at Sedona since 2022. This marks the Michigan-based fuel provider’s first SAF distribution location in the Grand Canyon state and its 20th overall. While the SAF it delivers will be available to general aviation customers at KSEZ, it will also be used to support the area’s aerial firefighting activities.

Loft Dynamics’ virtual reality (VR) Airbus H125 helicopter simulator has become the first qualified by EASA for helicopter external sling load (Heslo) pilot training.

Loft’s simulator combines outside VR views with real helicopter equipment such as controls and avionics with a six-degrees-of-freedom motion base. Instead of viewing screens as in traditional simulators, the VR device allows the pilot to look in any direction, including back inside the helicopter, and see what would normally be seen in real life.

A training syllabus developed by Loft specialists replicates sling loads such as boxes, concrete buckets, Bambi Buckets, and tree trunks, with various rope lengths. A field study that Loft commissioned showed that after simulator training, pilots could fly sling loads in a real helicopter with a 65-foot rope “without intervention from the instructor.”

"After a pilot initially trained on the Loft Dynamics simulator, it was the only time I didn’t have to take corrective actions at the controls during a first real-world sling load instruction flight," said André Mühlematter, pilot and instructor at Heli Austria.

“It’s essential for pilots to see the load in the electrically adjustable mirror and be able to look down vertically to position the cargo precisely,” said Fabi Riesen, Loft Dynamics founder and CEO. “These are the core techniques for Heslo training, and our VR simulator replicates them more realistically than ever before.”

Global Jet is celebrating several milestones—the expansion of its fleet over the last several months, an expanded presence in Spain, sales of aircraft, and new completion work.

The company has added seven aircraft, including an Airbus ACJ330 and ACJ320; a Bombardier Global 7500 and Global Express XRS; two Dassault Falcon 7Xs; and an Embraer Praetor 600. It has also introduced what it claims is the world’s only VVIP Boeing 747-800 to its fleet.

The company also expanded its team size in Madrid, including the addition of a team member assisting in charter operations. The charter business in Spain has doubled in size since June 2023.

Regarding sales, at the end of 2023, a Gulfstream 650 and Falcon 7X were sold. Its aircraft management team announced 10 new aircraft in its pipeline, including the delivery of three Gulfstream G700s.

Global Jet Completion Management announced in December that it designed a new cabin for a BBJ Max 8. The special projects department also redelivered an Airbus ACJ320 to its owner after completing refurbishments and modifying the in-flight entertainment system.

GPMS International has secured FAA supplemental type certificates for the installation of its Foresight MX HUMS aboard Airbus EC135s and AS332 Super Pumas. Metro Aviation and operators Blackcomb Helicopters and Precision worked with GPMS on the latest STCs, which brought the total number of Airbus models approved for the health monitoring unit to five.

GPMS v-p of marketing Ronnie Ries said demand for the Foresight MX units is being driven by customers wanting to monitor their entire fleet, operators needing to meet contractual requirements, and operators looking at ways to mitigate significant business challenges.

“We’re finding external demand for HUMS has increased substantially because of new and evolving contracts requiring HUMS (like the U.S. Forest MATOC), BARS compliance requirements, and especially because of the impacts of supply chain and manpower challenges. They need HUMS to win contracts in this super competitive era,” Ries said.

He further noted that operators are recognizing that the impact of unscheduled maintenance goes beyond the price of an AOG part. “The stress to their already shorthanded maintenance team and the lost revenue from an easily detectable bearing that’s going to make metal is having skeptics take a closer look at why their peers are adopting Foresight MX HUMS.”

MD Helicopters has selected Thoroughbred Aviation as its first authorized service center (ASC) location in Texas. The Thoroughbred facility is located in Georgetown and is the company’s second MD ASC and its sixth location.

Thoroughbred Aviation is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. At the Georgetown ASC, the company offers full-service maintenance support for MD models, including blade balancing, basic through advanced maintenance, and specialized tools. A multi-year government contract is also part of the work that will be done at Thoroughbred’s Texas location.

“We have been focused on ensuring our network is geographically aligned with our fielded fleet,” said MD Helicopters v-p of aftermarket service and support Ryan Weeks. “By adding an ASC in Texas, we are better serving our customers with our trusted partners at Thoroughbred Aviation and expanding our network into a region that has one of the highest concentrations of MD helicopters in the country.”

“We look forward to serving the helicopter community in this region, bringing the excellent service and technical expertise we are known for across our other locations,” said Thoroughbred Aviation v-p Joe Otte. He added that the range of its services includes completions, avionics, paint, and routine maintenance.

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