In a move that expands its presence across eastern Iowa and western Illinois and strengthens its ability to deliver comprehensive aviation services, Galesburg, Illinois-based aviation services provider Jet Air Inc. has purchased two FBOs and a satellite Part 145 repair facility from Revv Aviation. Jet Air has rebranded the former Revv FBOs at Davenport Municipal (KDVN) and Muscatine Municipal (KMUT) airports in Iowa, as well as the maintenance station at Quad Cities International Airport (KMLI) in Moline, Illinois.

It also purchased the aircraft management contracts at those locations. Jet Air now owns, operates, or manages 20 turbine aircraft, primarily Cessna Citations and Beechcraft King Airs, in addition to a large fleet of training aircraft.

The acquisition brings Jet Air to six FBOs in the region, including its existing locations at Iowa City Municipal (KIOW) and Southwest Iowa Regional (KBRL) airports, and at Galesburg Regional (KGBG) and Macomb Municipal (KMQB) airports in Illinois, along with five maintenance facilities situated within approximately 100 sq mi.

“Our concentrated presence allows us to collaborate across facilities, share expertise, and offer capabilities that are not typically available in rural markets,” said Jet Air president Phillip Wolford.

The owners of business aircraft brokerage Guardian Jet are breaking into the on-demand charter flight sector with a service—Capstone Jet Charter—that they say will provide clients with a higher level of expertise and accountability than online marketplaces. Capstone Jet, announced today, is independently owned and operated from Guardian Jet.

According to the company, rather than simply locating available aircraft for clients seeking to book flights, the Capstone team will thoroughly evaluate operators based on factors such as the quality of their aircraft maintenance and mission suitability before making a recommendation. An assigned advisor will take full responsibility for each trip from the initial request through to final billing to maintain continuity.

Capstone is led by Victoria Reina-Duffy, who has spent more than 10 years as director of charter sales with Jet Aviation. Her previous roles include sales v-p with Priester Aviation and account manager with Jet Professionals.

The trip process will be supported by the Vault, which is Guardian Jet’s proprietary database spanning the past 15 years with comprehensive information about an individual aircraft and its operators. The new charter interface will allow customers to see all aspects of each trip and previous transactions, including contracts, approvals, and spending reports.

Garmin issued a service alert on Thursday that reminds pilots to follow instrument approach procedure minimum descent altitude (MDA) limits when flying an approach with advisory vertical guidance. These approaches are identified by a “+V” indication on primary flight displays.

While the alert doesn’t mention the February 13 crash of an Epic E1000 on approach to Colorado’s Steamboat Springs Airport (KSBS), this accident raised questions about the importance of not following the advisory glide path below the MDA unless the required runway environment is in view.

According to the service alert, “Garmin avionics may display advisory vertical guidance (+V) during certain nonprecision instrument approaches. Advisory vertical guidance provides vertical path information only and does not provide obstacle or terrain clearance assurance in the visual segment of an approach. Although advisory vertical guidance can assist with maintaining a glide path angle that complies with altitude restrictions, it remains the pilot’s responsibility to fly in strict compliance with the published approach procedure.

“While an advisory glide path indication may be displayed, this guidance must not be flown below the published MDA without having met the conditions prescribed in FAR 91.175.

“Advisory vertical guidance is intended to assist with continuous descent final approach technique but does not change approach classification or minima and must not be relied upon for obstacle or terrain clearance, particularly in the visual segment of the approach.”

Textron Aviation launched a donation campaign for the 2026 Special Olympics Airlift, which provides athlete and coach travel to and from the Special Olympics USA Games scheduled from June 20 to 26 in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Donations go directly to Special Olympics and support travel essentials, including comfort items for long travel days and operational support for the coast-to-coast effort.

“Support for the Special Olympics Airlift helps ensure athletes from across the country can arrive ready, welcomed, and celebrated as they begin an unforgettable Games experience,” said Greg Epperson, regional president and managing director of Special Olympics for North America.

Textron Aviation continues to seek volunteer pilots, aircraft owners, and operators to transport athletes to and from the games. The company encourages Cessna, Beechcraft, and Hawker owners to participate.

“This mission is built on generosity, and every contribution helps create a meaningful experience for these athletes,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper. “We invite our customers to join in orchestrating the world’s largest peacetime airlift.”

More than 100 volunteer owners and operators are donating aircraft, crew, fuel, and time for this year’s airlift. Some 10,000 athletes and coaches have been transported on donated aircraft since 1987. Omani and Jeanie Carson are flying the Dove 1 mission on June 27 to bring athletes home from St. Paul Downtown Airport (KSTP).

While pressure washing can quickly remove grease, fluid, and debris from aircraft landing gear, improper technique and cleaning agents can compromise safety, drive up maintenance costs, and shorten component life. West Star Aviation explains what parts are vulnerable, and makes recommendations for safer cleaning.

Private charter flight broker Vicuna Air has launched a service allowing pets to travel without their owners. The Biscuit Class offering announced on Thursday offers trips in a Gulfstream V with a Vicuna Air concierge flying with the pet in the cabin.

According to the UK-based group, the service is a significant change in options for transporting pets. “No traumatizing cages in the hold. No separation anxiety, or agonizing uncertainty,” the company said. “Instead, Biscuit Class offers a gentler alternative, one built around comfort, care, visibility, and peace of mind for pets and the people who love them.”

Vicuna Air, which mainly uses an aircraft operated by U.S.-based Talon Air, books flights between London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris, and Dubai. It plans to offer routes to Milan, Frankfurt, and Toronto. It said its flights are comparable cost-wise to standard charters plus a supplementary charge for Biscuit Class that varies by route and pet size. For a trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the surcharge starts at $850, while London to New York starts at $3,500.

According to the company, the “Pawprint Economy” is set to be worth $500 billion by 2030. It said 99% of owners consider their pet to be an immediate family member.

Leonardo inked a trio of firm orders for twin-engine helicopters from two longtime customers in Asia—HeliKorea and Mitsui Bussan—on Wednesday at Verticon 2026. At list prices, the combined deals are worth more than $40 million.

The South Korean commercial and public utility aircraft operator opted for another EMS-configured AW169, building on an order HeliKorea placed for three of the light intermediate twins last year. Founded in 1996, HeliKorea is the largest private helicopter operator in the country, conducting helicopter EMS flights in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare; offshore operations with Korea National Oil; aerial firefighting for local governments; cargo lifting operations for Korea Electric Power; simulator training; and MRO services for Korea Forest Aviation, fire departments, and the coast guard.

Meanwhile, Mitsui Bussan—Leonardo’s distributor in Japan—announced an order for two more AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopters, with deliveries expected in 2028. This latest order is part of a framework agreement signed last year and based on a commitment to procure 11 new-production helicopters between 2025 and 2027. According to Mitsui Bussan, emerging public service requirements in Japan—particularly for law enforcement and firefighting duties—are driving market demand for helicopters such as the AW139.

Customers booking air charter services next month departing from Singapore will have to pay a new national sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) levy, applicable to flights departing on or after October 1. The scheme—part of a national SAF mandate announced in November—is intended to help Singapore meet its 1% aviation fuel blending target for this year.

All commercial passengers, be they airline customers or private charter users, will be subject to the levy, charged on a per-aircraft basis and varying depending on the distance traveled. The actual amount rises across four geographical bands and the aircraft’s size.

For example, a Bombardier Challenger 650 would pay between S$100 and S$1,040 per flight, while a Gulfstream G650 would be between S$190 and S$1,950. Training, charitable, and humanitarian flights will be exempt, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).

In 2025, the national Singapore Aviation Fuel Co. (SAFCo) was established to aggregate demand and centrally procure SAF, funded by upfront levies. Last month, CAAS, SAFCo, and nine other companies launched Singapore’s “first trial for central procurement of voluntary SAF.”

Singapore’s SAF uplift target is projected to rise to 3% to 5% of national aviation fuel needs by 2030. In November, SAF producer Aether Fuels and energy and chemical solutions company Aster also signed an agreement to develop a commercial-scale SAF refinery in Southeast Asia.

Bristow Group is adopting TrustFlight’s Centrik 5 software to help with safety reporting, risk assessment, and compliance oversight for its global helicopter fleet. The selection of Centrik 5 expands on Bristow’s use of TrustFlight’s Baines Simmons training and consultancy services.

With a focus on rotorcraft operations, Bristow will use Centrik 5 for reporting and compliance efforts as well as support for risk assessments that are linked to safety management system reports and findings. This will enhance oversight and operational responsiveness, according to TrustFlight, by bringing “safety, risk, and compliance into an integrated environment that supports fast access for distributed teams.”

“Establishing consistent global standards for safety, compliance, and HSE [health, safety, and environment] requires the right systems to support how our teams operate in real life,” said Bristow chief safety officer Russell Gould. “Centrik 5 gives us an intuitive and scalable platform for safety reporting, clear risk visibility, and increased engagement across departments.”

“Bristow operates in some of the most demanding flight environments in the world, and a high-performance safety system must make it easier for teams to report, respond, and continuously improve,” said TrustFlight CEO Karl Steeves. “We’re proud to support Bristow as they focus on safety leadership across their global operations, and we value the broader relationship built through our Baines Simmons training programs that help operators elevate safety performance.”

Weather radar has changed. What was once an art—managing tilt angles, experimenting with views, and building a mental picture of the weather—has become a fully automated system with the RDR-4000 and RDR‑7000. This session isn’t about revisiting legacy radar techniques. Instead, it’s a small but important reset in understanding the architecture and philosophy behind modern weather radar. Join AIN and Honeywell on March 31 and learn why not all weather radars are the same, how to better interpret your radar data, and real-world insights from a customer. Sponsored by Honeywell.