This week, Heli-Expo—the show’s 35th-anniversary edition and final under that branding—set a new record attendance, attracting 15,000 people to the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

A major point on the eve of the event was the change of its organizer’s name from Helicopter Association International (HAI) to Vertical Aviation International (VAI), to better reflect its embrace of the growing UAV and AAM segments.

“We chose to announce our rebranding at the show because, each year, it becomes the center of the vertical aviation universe,” said Nicole Battjes, chair of the VAI board of directors. “Our theme for the 2024 show, Building Tomorrow, perfectly aligned with our reasons for rebranding.”

Visitors from 87 countries saw 63 aircraft on display, along with the latest technology, products, and services for the vertical aviation industry. The show featured 125 educational and training courses on topics ranging from aerial firefighting to automation, which were attended by nearly 4,200 participants.

"Both our attendees and exhibitors reported experiencing an outstanding show in Anaheim," said VAI president and CEO James Viola. "Every exhibiting company I spoke with reported high-quality traffic, and our attendees took advantage of the hundred-plus networking and education opportunities."

This year’s show was the last Heli-Expo. Next year’s conference and exhibition—to be held in Dallas from March 10 to 13—will be rebranded as VAI Verticon in line with the organization’s name change.

Unsurprisingly, given its fixation on novelty and one-upmanship, Dubai was among the first places on the planet to claim to be an early adopter of eVTOL aircraft. Multiple pioneers of so-called advanced air mobility (AAM) have flocked to its streets paved with gold seeking a piece of the action there and in neighboring Gulf States.

So, picture the consternation among rival eVTOL aircraft developers who woke up to the news on February 12 that the Dubai government had granted Joby Aviation exclusive access to the local market for air taxi services. Local officials and Joby confirmed that the move expressly excludes other manufacturers from the market for six years. Can you imagine the outcry if airports, FBOs, or entire cities announced they would allow access only to leading private flight providers like NetJets and VistaJet?

Joby has partnered with infrastructure group Skyports for the construction and operation of a network of vertiports that will start with the following four locations in 2026: Dubai International Airport, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina, and Dubai Downtown.

Did someone say "monopoly"? Well if they did then Joby’s direct rival, Archer Aviation, wasn’t listening because this week chief commercial officer Nikhil Goel and founder and CEO Adam Goldstein were back in the UAE for talks with the local General Civil Aviation Authority.

Following a petition for reconsideration by Tamarack Aerospace, the NTSB has issued a revised final report for the Nov. 30, 2018 crash of N525EG, a Cessna 525 CitationJet equipped with a Tamarack active winglet system. The new probable cause is: “The pilot’s inability to regain airplane control after a left roll that began for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.”

The NTSB issued the original final report on the accident on Nov. 21, 2021. Tamarack submitted the petition for reconsideration in January 2022.

In a statement about the revision, Tamarack president Jacob Klinginsmith said, “Tamarack is very pleased that the NTSB has decided to grant our petition for reconsideration concerning this 2018 accident and taken steps to correct multiple technical errors in the original investigation. This reversal shows the NTSB has the courage, professionalism, and proper process to make these corrections, and for that, we applaud the NTSB."

In granting the petition for reconsideration, the NTSB concluded: “After review of the evidence, the petition for reconsideration of the NTSB’s probable cause in connection with the aircraft accident involving a Cessna 525 airplane, N525EG, on Nov. 30, 2018, in Memphis, Indiana, is granted in part because the available evidence for this accident does not sufficiently show that the Atlas was the cause of the in-flight upset from which the pilot was unable to recover."

Leonardo helicopter deliveries jumped by 36 units to 185 in 2023; however, order intake ebbed from a strong 2022 that had included a sale to the Polish Ministry of Defense for 32 AW149s.

Releasing preliminary results yesterday afternoon, Leonardo reported that revenues for its helicopters division reached €4.725 billion ($5.12 billion) last year, a nearly 4 percent improvement from the €4.547 billion ($4.927 billion) in 2022. Leonardo scaled up its deliveries as it was able to "navigate around the supply chain," said CFO Alessandra Genco. At the same time, orders dipped by 9 percent to €5.513 billion on the year in the helicopters unit, compared with 2022’s €6.06 billion that had the Polish Ministry order as an anchor. Backlog at the end of the year stood at €14.4 billion.

Even so, Leonardo remained encouraged that its commercial sales and customer service business remained strong throughout the year.

The helicopters business helped contribute to the 4 percent increase in revenues for the company overall as it continues to streamline its businesses and reorganize. Leonardo CEO and general manager Roberto Cingolani noted that the company would more fully outline its plans during its investor day on March 12, when its 2023 results have been fully audited. In addition, Leonardo will release its 2024 guidance at that time.

The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday voted 410 to 19 to further extend the deadline for passing a comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill to May 10. Expected to pass the Senate as well, the stopgap measure would mark the third such short-term extension of the FAA’s authorization since September as lawmakers work on a long-term bill.

Under the second extension approved in December, lawmakers faced a March 8 deadline to complete work on the FAA bill. The House passed its version of the long-term reauthorization bill in July, but the Senate’s version had stalled over issues such as the age-65 mandatory retirement age and the 1,500-hour requirement for Part 121 pilots.

The Senate Commerce Committee last month was able to approve the long-term bill out of committee. But rather than bring that bill to the floor first, the House and Senate have begun informally hashing out differences between their respective bills. A compromise agreement could go to the Senate floor instead, as well as return to the House for approval.

“Though I am pleased that we are moving closer to passing a longer-term bill, we will not be done before the current authorization expires on March 8,” said Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Washington), the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, offering support for the extension. “We need more time for negotiations...to reconcile the two bills and produce a final, comprehensive bill.”

Icon Aircraft has increased the gross weight of its amphibious A5 light sport aircraft (LSA) by 60 pounds, and the useful load is now 490 pounds. With a fuel capacity of 20 gallons, this boosts full-fuel payload to 370 pounds, giving owners more loading flexibility or up to two hours of additional endurance. The A5 is powered by a 100-hp Rotax 912iS engine that burns less than five gph.

The gross weight increase is standard on all 2024 A5s and it is available as a retrofit on earlier models. The retrofit requires upgrading to the four-blade propeller that Icon introduced last year, which reduces ground takeoff roll by 21 percent.

“In response to feedback from our owners and prospective customers, we elected to undertake further research and development to test the airframe and fully understand what we needed to do to increase the useful load,” said Icon CEO Jerry Meyer. “The solution is a reinforcement of our commitment to innovation, and a 60-pound increase is significant, especially in the LSA category.”

The A5 has a starting price of $409,000, and options include Garmin G3X Touch avionics and autopilot, SiriusXM Weather, and custom paint schemes.

With the California Senate introducing a bill that would phase out the distribution and sale of leaded avgas beginning in 2026, FBOs in the region are starting to make alternative plans. Among them is Million Air Burbank, which has now introduced supplies of Swift Fuels UL94 unleaded avgas ahead of any possibly leaded fuel ban.

UL94 has received a spike in interest since the U.S. EPA announced its final determination that the lead emissions resulting from aircraft operating on leaded fuels could possibly endanger public health.

In December, the FBO invested in a new dedicated 1,000-gallon refueler to handle the unleaded fuel, which meets ASTM International D7547 specifications and has the same fuel density as 100LL for the calculation of weight and balance. It will continue to offer 100LL until all makes and models of piston aircraft are certified to run on unleaded fuel.

“In our commitment to a greener future, we recognize UL94 as a crucial transitional measure,” said Priscilla Howden, general manager of the location, which also offers sustainable aviation fuel and has achieved carbon neutrality. “We believe in identifying and implementing sustainable offerings at our FBO, and this is something we have been working towards. It seemed the right time to bring UL94 to Burbank, to make it even more accessible to pilots who want the fuel.”