ExecuJet MRO Services’ facility at Johannesburg in South Africa has completed extensive modifications to a Dassault Falcon 900EX during a 2C heavy maintenance check. Reporting on the work this week, the company said the project included additional tasks such as removing and reinstalling the outer surface of the wing and modifying its dry bay.

The modification added a sealed boundary area in the wing’s structural fuel tank, acting as a safety buffer and providing an extra layer of protection to the aircraft. The labor-intensive process involved the removal and refitting of around 2,000 screws.

During the 2C check, ExecuJet MRO Services, which is wholly owned by Dassault Aviation, conducted an extensive refurbishment of the cabin and overhauled the Falcon 900EX’s landing gear. In another recent project, the company conducted a 1C inspection on a South Africa-based Falcon 50B.

According to Vince Goncalves, regional vice president for Africa with ExecuJet MRO Services, the Johannesburg facility is popular with Falcon owners because it is a factory-owned service center with staff fully trained by Dassault. “We support all in-production Falcon models at our facility,” he explained. “With the growing number of Falcons in the region, we look forward to more line and base maintenance work coming to the facility.”

Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) president and CEO Mike Adamson announced the launch of a technician certification program today at the opening session for the 68th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show in Phoenix. The Certified Aircraft Electronics Technician (CAET) program will offer three tiers of certification to recognize technicians at different career stages, with the entry-level certification set to launch May 1.

“As an unrelenting supporter of technician training, standards development, and certification in our industry, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of our own technician certification program,” Adamson said.

In addition to CAET, the tiered certification structure will include CAET Advanced for technicians with more in-depth knowledge and practical skills, and CAET Pro for recognizing senior technicians with field experience and management responsibilities. AEA has partnered with the Unmanned Safety Institute to distribute the certification program.

Adamson also noted strong growth in the general aviation sector, citing a recent economic impact study funded by AEA and seven other associations. “The numbers are impressive as the industry supports 1.3 million jobs and 339 billion in economic output in the United States,” he reported. “While there’s work to be done on infrastructure, air traffic modernization, regulation, and policy revision, the significance of general aviation cannot be overstated, and our association is well positioned to address the issues and take advantage of these opportunities.”

The White House selection of long-time Republic Airways president Bryan Bedford to become the next FAA Administrator is drawing wide praise throughout the industry as he is considered “exceptionally well-suited for the role.” President Trump announced the nomination yesterday, noting Bedford “brings over three decades of experience in aviation and executive leadership to this critical position.”

Bedford, who needs Senate confirmation, would step into the position vacated ahead of the presidential inauguration in January by former FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker. The position currently is being held on an acting basis by former NBAA COO Chris Rocheleau.

Bedford has led Republic since July 1999 as president and CEO after serving in the same roles at Mesaba Holdings in Minneapolis and Business Express Airlines. During his tenure at Republic, the airline has grown from $85 million in revenues and 36 turboprop aircraft to more than $1.3 billion in revenues and an operating fleet of nearly 200 Embraer E-Jets, the company said.

Regional Airline Association president and CEO Faye Malarkey Black noted Bedford has led Republic Airways “through decades of powerful growth and expansion with integrity, ingenuity, and a relentless focus on safety...I can think of no better person than Bryan to take up the mantle of leadership at the FAA and set the course for a stronger, safer tomorrow.”

Datalink connectivity provider Send today introduced MyTIS, a textual transcription of automatic terminal information service (ATIS) broadcasts for its AirText and FBOLink users. Announced during the new products session at the Aircraft Electronics Association Convention, MyTIS provides textual ATIS transcriptions at towered airports without digital ATIS (D-ATIS).

Pilots like D-ATIS because aircraft with airborne connectivity or a suitable datalink can receive ATIS information in textual form well before arrival at the destination. But there are only 76 U.S. airports with this feature.

At the 444 U.S. airports without D-ATIS, pilots must dial in the appropriate frequency, listen to the ATIS broadcast, and write down the pertinent information. Often the ATIS broadcast can’t be received until the aircraft is closer to the airport, and line-of-sight radio limitations can prevent clear reception. Pilots may also have to interrupt listening to ATIS to communicate with ATC, further lengthening the process of receiving necessary airport information.

Send has launched MyTIS at 148 airports—82 in the U.S., 36 in Canada, and 30 in Australia. MyTIS is advisory information and includes recent Metar or ASOS weather, but it doesn’t include notams, so pilots still need to monitor the ATIS radio broadcast. Each MyTIS requested will cost 25 cents. AirText reception is via the Iridium satcom network, and FBOLink works via airborne connectivity systems.

The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union is welcoming the reinstatement of 132 FAA employees who were terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on February 14. A federal judge in Maryland ruled the layoffs unlawful, ordering their return to duty on March 20 with full back pay.

PASS national president David Spero praised the decision, calling it a "win for public safety and a critical workforce dedicated to the FAA’s mission." He condemned the terminations as demoralizing and unjustified, stating, "These excellent civil servants, many of whom are veterans, can now return to duty and collect a well-deserved paycheck."

Affected employees were on probationary status when they were dismissed as part of DOGE's cost-cutting measures. While termination emails cited performance issues, Spero said FAA managers refuted those claims. "We are pleased that these false allegations have been removed, allowing these employees to continue their service without an unsubstantiated blemish on their records," he added.

While the FAA has yet to issue a formal response, sources indicate the agency is preparing for the employees’ return. Legal experts said the ruling could set a precedent for other challenges to DOGE’s federal workforce reductions.

PASS said it remains committed to defending its members and ensuring the integrity of the aviation safety workforce, vowing to push back against unjust terminations that threaten the FAA’s mission.

Aireon, which provides space-based ADS-B tracking information and other safety services to air navigation service providers (ANSPs), has deployed a GPS interference metric on its safety dashboard. This metric is designed to highlight areas where GPS interference is taking place.

Aireon ADS-B receivers are installed on Iridium Next satellites and enable tracking of ADS-B Out-equipped aircraft anywhere in the world, as long as the aircraft carry an antenna configuration that can interact with the satellites.

The interference metric displays a heat map showing the trending of position integrity category (PIC) and individual position check (IPC) values. PIC is “an industry standard for measuring interference and possible jamming,” according to Aireon, while the IPC value is “an Aireon-unique measure of possible spoofing through time difference of arrival, only possible with Aireon’s global satellite network.”

Identifying areas of GPS interference will help aircraft operators, ANSPs, and other aviation stakeholders gain insights on potential jamming and spoofing activities, according to Aireon. “With this new addition, Aireon’s safety dashboard not only helps to identify potential threats but also empowers ANSPs to take proactive measures, ensuring safer skies for all.”

The Genesys Aerosystems autopilot and avionics product lines are now part of Moog Avionics, following a rebranding announced last week at Verticon. Moog purchased Genesys Aerosystems in December 2020.

Also at Verticon, Moog Avionics introduced a new line of Genesys displays: the 13-by-8-inch touch-enabled IDU-1380. While the display incorporates features of the IDU-680, it adds more mission-planning capabilities, according to Moog. “The larger display expands page layout options and can be quickly customized to customer-specific mission requirements,” the company said.

Meanwhile, Moog began work on the Genesys GRC-4000 four-axis helicopter autopilot in 2022, adding collective control and hover and hold functionality to the HeliSAS product line. Now Moog has demonstrated hands-free takeoff, approach, hover, and landing capability with the GRC-4000 in the Bell OH-58 Kiowa and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

“With a single button push activation, pilots can enable the autopilot functions to focus on mission-critical activities, increasing safety in high-workload environments,” Moog said.