West Star held a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday on a more than 109,000-sq-ft expansion of its MRO facilities in Grand Junction, Colorado. The celebration marked the beginning of construction on adding 40,000 sq ft of hangar space to enable the MRO chain to meet increasing demand for maintenance services. In addition, the project will encompass 38,000 sq ft of office and back shop space and an extra 31,000 sq ft of ramp space.

West Star is working with Tectonic Management Group on the design and build of the expansion, which is slated for completion in the second quarter of 2026. West Star said the new facility will enable it to enhance its resources to support employees and customers and position it for long-term growth.

“As we officially break ground, we look forward to the opportunities this expansion will create for our customers, employees, and the local community,” said West Star president and COO Allen McReynolds. “The expansion at Grand Junction reflects our focus on customer needs, service excellence, and operational efficiency.”

Curtis Englehart, executive director of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP), noted the importance of the project to the community. “The collaboration between West Star, GJEP, and other key stakeholders has been instrumental in making this vision a reality. We are excited to see the continued investment that this project will bring to our community.”

The NTSB yesterday issued two urgent safety recommendations to the FAA regarding helicopter routes near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA), citing a history of close calls voluntarily reported by pilots from 2011 to 2024. The recommendations come as the agency continues its investigation of the January 29 midair collision over the Potomac River involving a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines Flight 5342 that killed all 67 aboard.

In light of the data it has examined so far, the NTSB is urgently recommending that the FAA permanently prohibit operations on helicopter Route 4 between Haynes Point and the Wilson Bridge when Runways 15 and 33 are used for departures and arrivals at KDCA, and that the FAA designate an alternative helicopter route that can be used to facilitate travel between Haynes Point and the Wilson Bridge when the segment of Route 4 is closed.

During a March 11 media briefing on the agency’s preliminary report for the accident, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said the collision could have been prevented and alluded to the unusual step the agency was taking to issue the recommendations while its investigation was ongoing.

“Urgent recommendations require immediate action to prevent similar accidents or incidents,” Homendy stressed. “When we issue them, we believe a critical safety issue must be addressed without delay. For this investigation, we’re reviewing airport operations and prior incidents, including near-midair collision events.”

Gogo received FAA parts manufacturing approval (PMA) for its Galileo HDX, paving the way for the connectivity provider to begin full-scale production and sales of the electronically steered antenna. Gogo’s dealer network is moving ahead with installation and supplemental type certifications of the Galileo HDX units on more than 30 aircraft types.

Designed for business aviation use, Galileo HDX fits onto the aircraft fuselage and connects to the Gogo Avance system through simple cabling to support high-speed broadband of up to 60 Mbps throughout the cabin. The HDX antenna will bring low-latency connectivity to the cabin via the global Eutelsat OneWeb low-earth-orbit satellite constellation.

HDX, offered for new aircraft or as retrofit equipment, can be fitted on aircraft ranging from turboprops and small jets to executive airliners.

“The PMA approval represents a significant change for the connectivity landscape as the introduction of the Gogo Galileo LEO HDX antenna opens up a whole new world of connectivity for existing and new customers,” said Gogo CEO Chris Moore.

“We know operators and private owners of the smaller cabins want access to the same high-speed connectivity options as the large jets, and with HDX installed, we are filling that gap in the market. For larger aircraft, the HDX can complement existing connectivity solutions or boost redundancy to support the ever-increasing appetite for data to power multiple applications.”

The UK should seek to rejoin the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to resolve constraints on industry growth, according to a panel of industry leaders addressing the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) conference in London yesterday. Panelists, including prominent aviation lawyers and aircraft operator executives, concluded that efforts by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), while well intended, have not been sufficient to overcome market access and regulatory disadvantages since the country left the EU at the end of January 2020.

According to data shared during the conference by WingX, since 2019, the UK’s aircraft register has slipped from 12th place in the world rankings to 18th. The number of G-registered business aircraft now accounts for just 1% of the global total.

Addressing concerns about declining numbers of UK-registered aircraft, Mark Bisset, with the London-based Clyde & Partners law firm, said that regulatory disconnects have discouraged aircraft owners from adopting G tail numbers, and instead they have gravitated to registers such as Malta (9H) and San Marino (T7). “If I could change one thing [to boost the G register], it would be for the UK to be back in EASA, and then also improve factors such as tax issues for imports and crew licensing,” he told the 150 BBGA members at the conference.

Enstrom Helicopter has partnered with Canadian service provider Heli-Lynx Helicopters to perform authorized maintenance, repairs, and overhauls on its piston-engine and turbine models.

“Enstrom owners will be in very capable hands with Heli-Lynx,” said Doug Smith, the OEM’s v-p of product support, as the company announced the partnership during Verticon this week in Dallas. “The company boasts nearly 23 years of helicopter completions, maintenance, STC development, repair and overhaul, and some of the finest paint work in the industry.”

Located in Southern Ontario and supporting private and commercial operators for more than two decades, Heli-Lynx recently completed construction on a new 14,000-sq-ft facility to enhance its capacity. The new service center has an LED-lit paint booth, the latest avionics testing equipment, and maintenance bays suitable for up to medium-size helicopters.

“With Heli-Lynx’s close proximity to the U.S. and international airports, we are thrilled to expand our scope of work and better serve Enstrom clients,” said Bentley Thistlethwaite, Heli-Lynx’s director of maintenance.

As 25% steel and aluminum levies take effect this week, a broad swath of aviation organizations are appealing to the Trump Administration to consider an exemption for aerospace from tariffs to ensure there are no unintended consequences. In a letter sent on Wednesday to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, 15 aviation organizations urged a meeting to discuss the complexities of the supply chain.

Pointing to a report on the risks of the supply change, the organizations wrote, “It is essential that both the government and industry work together to minimize cost and availability disruptions in the aviation supply chain.”

The letter came a day after the White House implemented the 25% metals tariffs but also vowed (and then rescinded plans) to double those tariffs on Canada. Business aviation leaders have been trying to dig into the details of the tariffs implementation, but the situation is constantly shifting.

This month, the White House implemented 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and doubled tariffs to 20% on goods from China. However, last week, it also paused for a month tariffs on goods that fell under a previous U.S., Mexico, and Canada (USMCA) trade agreement negotiated by the first Trump Administration. Aircraft and gas-turbine engines should be covered by the exemption, said Jonathan Epstein, a partner with the law firm Holland & Knight, during an NBAA webinar.

PWI is now offering an LED cabin lighting option for Hawker 400XPs and Beechjet 400/400As under an FAA parts manufacturer approval (PMA). The company's system replaces existing fluorescent lighting with LED hardware, providing an upgraded cabin experience while reducing maintenance requirements. Four new LED cabin lighting system part numbers are included in the PMA supplement.

“Our LED cabin lighting systems enhance the flight from boarding through disembarking—the entire aircraft passenger experience,” said Robi Lorik, president and CEO of PWI. “Beechjet 400s have been a popular aircraft from their introduction, and our LED cabin light system helps extend that service.”

The LED lighting system replaces power inverters and fluorescent tubes, removing the need for high-voltage operation and reducing the potential for electrical interference. It features 4,000K neutral white light and a service life of 100,000 hours, as well as no heat generation. To ease installation, it uses the aircraft’s existing wiring and 28-volt power supply, and the LEDs are designed to match the size of the original fluorescent fixtures.

Beyond improved reliability, the LED system offers instant-on performance without the flicker, hum, or buzz commonly associated with fluorescent lighting.