Honda Aircraft has launched its first certified preowned program (CPO), the company said Thursday, following Bombardier’s lead in forging an alternative pathway to owning a business jet. Bombardier initiated its CPO program in 2021 and exhibited a fully refurbished 2012 Challenger 605 last month at EBACE. Honda's CPO program covers customers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia through the company’s authorized sales network.
Calling it the sole CPO choice in its very-light-jet class, Honda practices what it calls a discerning selection process for choosing aircraft, a rigorous inspection, and expert maintenance processes before receiving the CPO designation. The program also offers “end-to-end services,” from entry-into-service to post-sales support.
Each CPO HondaJet must pass a 208-point standard inspection conducted by Honda-trained technicians across the authorized service network. The company added that it will upgrade all aircraft qualified for the CPO program to the highest performance level available for each model, based on applicable service bulletins. As part of the program, CPO buyers will also receive a FlightSafety International initial pilot training session and a six-month or 100-hour credit—whichever occurs first—applied toward the cost associated with Honda’s Airframe Flight Ready Performance program.
“As demand for the HondaJet continues to rise, preowned aircraft has become an increasingly important entry point into the HondaJet community,” said Honda Aircraft COO Amod Kelkar.
The global civil aviation industry will need a combined 1.3 million new professionals by 2032 to support the growing airline and business aviation markets, according to flight training giant CAE. In its recently released 2023 Aviation Talent Forecast, CAE projected that the business aviation industry alone will need 106,000 to join the segment—32,000 pilots and 74,000 maintenance technicians. Airlines will need to recruit 252,000 pilots, 328,000 maintenance technicians, and 599,000 cabin crew, it added.
“With a need for 1.3 million people by 2032, CAE’s Aviation Talent Forecast is a call to action for the industry to promote careers in aviation to the next generation, reach out to underrepresented communities, and develop innovative support programs to expand the pool of talent needed for the continued growth and safety of our industry,” said CAE civil aviation group president Nick Leontidis.
The forecast projects 18 percent growth in the business aviation fleet over the next decade, from 22,000 at present to 26,000 aircraft in 2032.
Compounding this growth, from a workforce standpoint, is the aging population. “With massive retirement numbers projected over the next 10 years, the percentage of aviation personnel over the age of 50 will keep increasing in comparison to the total civil aviation industry pool,” the forecast notes. “The retirement of experienced pilots will need to be countered with an even larger wave of new hires.”
Skyryse has kicked off a flight-test campaign for its FlightOS automatic flight control system that could improve safety and reduce pilot workload for rotorcraft and airplanes. The California-based startup has been testing its FlightOS system in a Robinson R44 light helicopter since 2018 and on an R66 testbed since last year. Now the company has launched a full flight-test campaign using the R66, the first aircraft for which it plans to obtain a supplemental type certificate (STC) for FlightOS from the FAA.
According to Skyryse, it is now conducting daily flights with the R66 testbed with production-representative versions of the FlightOS flight control system, as well as the full suite of sensors that provide real-time situational awareness. While the company’s R44 testbed maintained its traditional manual controls, all of the mechanical controls on the R66 have now been replaced with the FlightOS system.
FlightOS replaces many of the controls found in typical general aviation flight decks with a touchscreen display and a joystick, while fly-by-wire hardware and software handle most of the core piloting functions, Skyryse said. The company claims the system is simple enough that any pilot could learn to use it in just a matter of minutes.
Skyryse is also working to certify a FlightOS-equipped version of the R66 that will be capable of operating under instrument flight rules.
Air bp has added five fueling locations in New Zealand, with new outlets announced on Monday at Thames Aerodrome (NZTH), Oamaru Airport (NZOU), Motueka Aerodrome (NZMK), Albany Helipad, and Nelson Airport (NZNS). The aviation fuel supplier now supports aircraft operators at some 50 locations across the country.
The company acquired the locations from an existing supplier between late 2022 and early 2023. It said that four of the five bases offer self-service fuel pumps for operators and that all are implementing Air bp’s operational and safety standards. At NZNS, the company provides into-plane fueling for airlines.
“We are pleased to be growing our network in New Zealand, which is an important market for Air bp,” said Scott McCarthy, the company’s general aviation sales manager for Australia and New Zealand. “This latest acquisition enables us to strengthen our presence in New Zealand, particularly in the general aviation sector, to build new relationships with customers, and grow established relationships by having a broader offer to the New Zealand aviator.”
Air bp said it intends to expand the availability of sustainable aviation fuel in New Zealand.
Your Dream Plane’s Maintenance Journey: What’s Next?
Now that you’ve got your wings, you might be wondering, “What’s next?”
A well-informed and "engaged" facility should be reaching out to you several weeks prior to input to discuss and verify several things - and here are just a few..."
Textron Aviation’s Orlando Service Center recently installed a Garmin G5000 integrated flight deck in a Brazilian-based Cessna Citation XLS. The installation—the first involving a Brazilian aircraft since Textron Aviation obtained the supplemental type certificate—modernizes the flight deck, solving parts obsolescence issues and meeting the latest equipment mandates, the company said.
“With more than 100 of the Cessna Citation Excel and XLS fleet now flying with G5000s, it’s a significant milestone to have completed the first installation for an aircraft in Brazil,” said Textron Aviation senior v-p of customer support Brian Rohloff.
Garmin’s G5000 avionics suite includes three landscape-oriented displays with split-screen capability, intuitive touchscreen controllers, and georeferenced Garmin SafeTaxi airport diagrams. In addition, the Citation XLS G5000 package includes a fully digital automatic flight control system, offering precise performance throughout the aircraft’s flight envelope. It also provides PBN/RNP 0.3 with localizer performance with LPV/APV approach capability.
Dart Aerospace has received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) amendment approval for the installation of its Fire Attack System (FAS) for Airbus Helicopters H145D2 and D3 five-blade models. It was previously approved for installation on the H145C2.
The system mounts on the underside of the helicopter and features the ability to convert a payload of water into fire-retardant foam as needed during a mission. Water/retardant is dropped via two hydraulically actuated drop doors, while a hover refill system allows the crew to refill the water tank. The FAS is certified for day/night VFR operations and can be installed and removed in less than 30 minutes.
Specifications include a capacity of 260 gallons of water and 14 gallons of foam, a system weight of 566 pounds, a hover refill rate of 450 gallons per minute, and a never-exceed speed of 125 knots with either the hover pump installed or removed.
Dart fire attack systems are in use worldwide. The company holds more than 1,500 STCs and offers a portfolio of mission equipment and related services, replacement parts, and tools for civil and military operators, completion centers, and MRO facilities. Dart's product line includes aerial firefighting systems, flotation systems, landing gear, interior and exterior accessories, cargo expansion, cable cutters, environmental control systems, and ground support equipment.
The FAA is taking the next step in replacing 31 aging air traffic control towers at small airports and is now seeking comments on a draft environmental assessment for newly-designed, more sustainable facilities. In April, the agency said it had set aside more than $500 million to support site evaluation, preparation, and construction activities for the towers.
Initial towers slated for replacement are functioning beyond their intended design life and are located throughout the country, from Key West, Florida, to Bellingham, Washington, the FAA said.
Designed by Practice for Architecture and Urbanism of New York, the towers will range in height from 60 to 119 feet and incorporate elements such as all-electric building systems, materials that are free from chemicals known to pose health risks, a thermally efficient facade, high-recycled steel and metal products, renewable mass timber when usable, and ground-source heating and cooling in some environments, the agency said.
A required step in the replacement process, the draft assessment details the conditions and potential environmental impacts of the replacements, including the construction and operation of the proposed towers along with the decommissioning and removal of the existing towers. The FAA will accept comments on the environmental assessment through July 31.
Airbus Helicopters has selected Thales’s third-generation Integrated Electronic Standby Instrument (IESI) for new-production H135, H145, H160, and H175 civil and military helicopters. Progressive entry into service will begin in 2026 for those civil variants and in 2027 on the Guépard joint light helicopter—the military version of the H160. The IESI weighs 25 percent less and uses 33 percent less power than first-generation backup units that entered service in 1999.
Thales's IESI incorporates pressure probes, sensors, accelerometers, and gyrometers, which form an artificial horizon, as well as an LCD display that provides the pilot with speed, altitude, and attitude information. It is designed to withstand high levels of vibration and electromagnetic interference and is compatible with night vision goggles.
“Tens of thousands of pilots around the world rely, every day and in all circumstances, on this safety-critical equipment, which our engineers were first to invent and has again today demonstrated its importance," said Thales v-p of flight avionics Jean-Paul Ebanga.
Thales has been producing artificial horizons since 1993 and 30,000 aircraft have been equipped with its IESI instruments to date. Thales facilities in Vendôme, Châtellerault, Moirans, and Valence, France, will all support production and repair services for the new-generation IESI.
Sustainability Question of the Week
Sponsored by
What is an example of a Scope 1 emission?
A. Aircraft emissions generated by a company-owned aircraft.
B. The emissions generated by the fuel truck that’s fueling your aircraft.
C. The vehicle emissions generated by delivering the catering order for the flight.
D. The electricity generated for the hangar lighting.
Vision Systems in Business Jets: SVS, EVS, and CVS Webinar
Join us on July 19th for a webinar panel discussion with Collins Aerospace and experienced business jet pilots discussing synthetic vision systems and how they improve the operational efficiency of business jet flights.
Falcon 6X Makes Paris Air Show Flying Debut
The fly-by-wire Dassault Falcon 6X performed a graceful aerial display last week at the Paris Air Show, marking its debut at the biennial Le Bourget event. The twinjet, which is slated to be certified in the third quarter, flew the demonstration flight using a 30 percent sustainable aviation fuel blend.
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