Leonardo has reported the completion of initial ship-based flight testing with its AW609 tiltrotor. The Italian aerospace and defense group yesterday said that between April 3 and 12, its production-conforming AC4 aircraft relocated from the company’s Cascina Costa facility in northern Italy to Maristaer Grottaglie Naval Base to conduct trials with the ITS Cavour aircraft carrier.

The AW609, which is being developed for both military and civil applications, demonstrated approaches to the ship, as well as stable deck landing and touchdown capabilities. Leonardo is still working to achieve civil type certification, almost 12 years after it first applied for approval from the FAA.

Prior to the sea trials, Leonardo conducted extensive ground tests using the AW609 development and engineering simulator in Cascina Costa. Digital twin technology was used to make a preliminary assessment of the operations subsequently tested in flight. Deck landing and takeoff procedures were performed in more than 15 different operational conditions to evaluate performance with straight-in and lateral approaches, vertical landing and takeoff, and lateral exits.

The evaluation of the AW609 for military services involves Italy’s Navy, Army, and Customs Police, which have formed a joint working group with the manufacturer.

Following the issuance of a criminal complaint, Suk Min “Alex” Choi was arrested on June 5 by the Department of Transportation-Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

The arrest came about a year after Choi allegedly arranged and directed filming of a helicopter stunt involving shooting fireworks from a Robinson R44 at a Lamborghini and then posting a video of the stunt on his YouTube channel. The video, which has since been removed but is still viewable on other websites and social media accounts, is titled “Destroying a Lamborghini With Fireworks.”

According to the DOT-OIG and ATF, “Choi did not have a permit to film using fireworks on a helicopter and purchased the fireworks in Nevada because they were illegal in California.”

The affidavit does not identify the pilot of the R44. The DOT-OIG learned about the filming on Dec. 5, 2023, when an FAA inspector notified the DOT-OIG “that he investigated a video production organized by Choi involving a helicopter flown by a pilot carrying passengers who shot fireworks from inside the helicopter towards a vehicle driving on the ground at what the FAA believed was the El Mirage Dry Lakebed.”

ExecuJet has signed an agreement with Air Seychelles to manage the FBO at Seychelles International Airport (FSIA). Operating under the name Air Seychelles VIP, it is the only full-service FBO in the Indian Ocean island nation.

The facility offers a terminal with four private passenger lounges, onsite customs and immigration services, showers, refreshments, and concierge service. Air Seychelles VIP also provides chauffeured luxury vehicle airside transfers to and from the aircraft and airline terminals.

Air Seychelles is the country’s national carrier and is owned entirely by the Seychelles government. In addition to owning the FBO, it also operates a fleet of Airbus A320neos for international travel along with de Havilland Twin Otters for domestic service. Additionally, it provides ground handling for commercial and private airlines at its FSIA base.

“We are thrilled to partner with ExecuJet to bring world-class FBO services to our VIP clientele,” said Air Seychelles CEO Sandy Benoiton. “This collaboration underscores our commitment to providing exceptional travel experiences and reinforces our position as a leading carrier in the region.”

ExecuJet has more than 40 FBOs globally following its recent purchase of Sky Valet and manages a network that includes some 140 locations after its acquisition of the Paragon Aviation Group.

Scheduled charter provider JSX has announced new routes to “sun and ski” destinations, including seasonal sunshine routes to Naples (KAPF) and West Palm Beach (KPBI) in Florida. In addition, it will resume seasonal service to Boca Raton, Florida (KBCT), Salt Lake City, Utah (KSLC), and Morristown, New Jersey (KMMU), starting in late November and December.

“We look forward to increasing access to seamless, comfortable and enjoyable air travel for customers traveling with friends, family, pets, and grandparents this holiday season to these idyllic vacation destinations across Florida and Utah,” said JSX CCO David Drabinsky. “As we continue to expand our network, we take great pride in ensuring an unmatched level of service at an unbeatable and attainable price point.”

JSX touts its “crowd-free hangars and 30-seat [Embraer ERJ-135s] featuring business-class legroom, frictionless security, free onboard high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi, in-seat power, and enhanced complimentary inflight snacks and beverages.” The company said customers can check-in for most flights just 20 minutes before departure. Founded in 2016, JSX  operates 48 Embraer ERJs.

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The FAA has finalized the substantive relief proposed five years ago that removes a requirement for check pilots, check flight engineers, and flight instructors at Part 135 and 121 operations to hold an FAA medical certificate when performing in-flight duties. This move also eliminates Part 135 and 121 regulatory inconsistencies.

“Removing the conflicting medical certificate requirement enables the utilization of pilots who are otherwise qualified to function as check pilots, check flight engineers, and flight instructors in aircraft,” according to the agency. This relief “would increase the number of experienced pilots who would be able to qualify as Part 135 check pilots on aircraft.” Similar clarifying changes were also made to Part 121.

Comments received to the NPRM noted that the originally proposed revisions were insufficient to achieve the goal of the rulemaking: elimination of medical certificate requirement confusion. Therefore, the FAA is adopting different language than proposed for further clarification.

“The substantive relief remains unchanged from that proposed in the 2019 NPRM and historical practice—elimination of medical certificate requirements if not serving as a required flight crewmember,” the agency said. The new rule becomes effective on July 18.

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Coalition, an advocacy group that supports the development and expansion of the SAF market, recently welcomed 10 new members. The organization—not to be confused with the Business Aviation Coalition for Sustainable Aviation Fuel—is a nonprofit group of companies and trade associations that seek to promote U.S. economic competitiveness in the SAF marketplace and rapidly increase investment in the sector. It represents the entire value chain, from airlines and aircraft operators to fuel producers, agricultural enterprises, aircraft and engine OEMs, airports, and technology developers.

The newest members include Biotechnology Innovation Organization, EarthOptics, Honeywell, Infinium, Marquis Sustainable Aviation Fuel, National Air Carrier Association, Shell, SkyNRG, Southwest Airlines, and Syzygy Plasmonics. They have brought the SAF Coalition to more than 50 members since its founding in April.

“We are excited to welcome this additional group of leading companies and organizations into our coalition,” said executive director Alison Graab. “The expansion of our membership shows the deep and growing support that SAF enjoys across many stakeholders. Together, we will continue advocating for federal policies that support and increase SAF production.”

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has published the second edition of its Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP). Released yesterday, the plan has been prepared in response to ICAO Assembly Resolutions A41-18 and-19, with the United Nations agency committed to monitoring the progress of member states in implementing the latest measures through the Universal Security Audit Program.

The document spells out the following six priorities for governments and the industry: risk awareness, security culture, human factors, technological innovation, oversight and quality assurance, and cooperation among stakeholders. It provides strategy and guidance to guard against changing security threats.

Earlier this month, a ruling by the Ontario superior court found Ukraine International Airlines liable for damages to be paid to Canadian families who lost relatives when flight PS752 was shot down by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard soon after takeoff from Tehran in January 2020. According to legal and security experts, the decision is a landmark ruling with serious implications for all aircraft operators as to their responsibility for identifying risks associated with all flights.

Jean-François Georges, who retired from Dassault Aviation in 2003, passed away on May 11. “He was the stitching that knitted [Falcon] operators and Dassault employees into a special family,” said Jean Kayanakis, senior v-p of worldwide Falcon customer service and service center network.

A graduate of France’s Supaero aerospace engineering school, Georges worked his entire career at Dassault, starting as a flight test engineer on the Falcon 20 in 1966. He was the architect of the first head-up display installation in an airliner while designing the flight deck in the Mercure, which became certified for Category III all-weather landings. Georges also worked on Europe’s Hermes spaceplane program.

After Georges became responsible for Dassault’s civil aviation activities in 1992, his commitment to serving customers took on new importance. “After many successful years laser-focused on technological advances, he fully embraced the new complexities of understanding customer perspectives,” Kayanakis wrote. “Always a great team leader; his love of others shone through in a new way.”

Two key changes that Georges embraced included renaming the U.S. division as Dassault Falcon Jet “in part, to emphasize the unity of the transatlantic organization,” according to Kayanakis. “He also rebranded ‘after-sales service’ as ‘customer service.’ With the change, the word "service' took on its noble meaning," he said.

AIN’s FBO survey is now open for year-round feedback, but the deadline to vote in the 2025 survey (to be published in April) is February 3. The survey takes only a minute, and you can do it while waiting for passengers, on the shuttle bus to/from the hotel, or any other time that is convenient for you. Log in to rate your experiences at the FBOs you visit.