Bombardier this weekend rolled out the final Global 7500 produced in Downsview, Ontario, ending an era for the Montreal-headquartered manufacturer at the assembly facilities it inherited with its 1992 acquisition of de Havilland from Boeing.

A spokesman confirmed that the “last fly away was this past weekend” and that there was no more aircraft production activity at the Downsview site, marking the full transition to its new Global jet facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Bombardier is planning a formal inauguration of its $400 million, 770,000-sq-ft factory at Pearson on May 1 in concert with its Investor Day.

The final Global 7500 Downsview departure marks a significant milestone for the transition to the new factory that has been methodically ongoing for months. Bombardier announced in 2018 that it planned to build a new facility at Pearson and transfer Global production there, noting that the new modern plant would reduce energy consumption and help consolidate its industrial footprint.

While product transfer is ongoing, the Global 7500—which has a top speed of Mach 0.925 and  7,700-nm range—continues to rack up speed records, now topping 30. The latest round included record-setting flights from Farnborough to Muharraq and Phoenix to Paris on February 28 and March 6, respectively. Charter company Catreus established the Global 7500 record from Farnborough to Muharraq, while charter firm Phenix Jet Cayman flew the record-setting route from Phoenix to Paris.

The FAA has issued a proposed airworthiness directive (AD) that would require owners of Cessna Citations modified with Tamarack Aerospace winglet systems to comply with a Tamarack service bulletin issued on April 19, 2023. The bulletin calls for installation of placards on the winglets’ Tamarack active camber surface (TACS) as well as a revision to the airplane flight manual (AFM) supplement.

Tamarack’s autonomous load alleviation system (Atlas) modifies CitationJet 525, 525A, and 525B models with winglets and the TACS, which actuate during flight to reduce the increased load on the wings caused by the winglets.

According to Tamarack president Jacob Klinginsmith, the company notified the FAA that during a periodic design review, it found an Atlas failure mode that would not be annunciated to the pilot. If one of a pair of opto-isolators in the Atlas control unit fails, this would prevent an enable signal from being sent to the TACS control unit, thus preventing the TACS from operating and not providing load alleviation for the winglets. If the TACS aren’t working, pilots need to reduce speed to prevent overloading of the wings and potential exceedance of the limit load.

“This is not something we’ve seen in the fleet,” Klinginsmith told AIN. Tamarack issued the service bulletins last year to warn pilots about this issue, but it is also working on a permanent fix.

Dassault’s new Falcon 6X made its debut in Macau, where it was hosted by the TAG Aviation Macau FBO. The aircraft is on its first tour through Asia following service entry late last year and its appearance at the Singapore Airshow in February.

“We are honored to be chosen as a preferred FBO for this remarkable aircraft and appreciate the trust placed in our team,” said facility general manager Rita Tam. “Our team is fully equipped to provide top-notch service and support to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for aircraft owners and passengers.”

According to Tam, the addition of the 6X to its repertoire expands the capabilities of the facility. Year to date, the location has seen a 27 percent uptick in operations from a year ago. “We hope to see the same increase if not more throughout the year and with the arrival of such aircraft like the 6X, it highlights that our FBO can handle the latest aircraft on the market successfully and is also able to offer static display for such aircraft,” Tam told AIN.

“We are thrilled to have also achieved IS-BAH Stage 3, making TAG Macau FBO one of the youngest FBOs to reach this pinnacle,” said Tam. “This accomplishment reflects our team’s pursuit of excellence and unwavering commitment to safety, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.”

Boom Supersonic on Friday said it flew its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator for the first time. Operating from the Mojave Air & Space Port, the aircraft reached an altitude of 7,120 feet and a speed of 238 knots.

Like the company’s Overture supersonic airliner due for first flight in 2027, the XB-1 uses carbon fiber composites, advanced avionics, digitally optimized aerodynamics, and an advanced supersonic propulsion system.

The propulsion system became a subject of some controversy after Rolls-Royce signed an “engagement agreement” to explore the technical requirements for powering the Overture and told AIN that it reached a decision not to further participate in the program.

“We’ve completed our contract with Boom and delivered various engineering studies for their Overture supersonic program,” Rolls-Royce said in a statement. “After careful consideration, Rolls-Royce has determined that the commercial aviation supersonic market is not currently a priority for us and, therefore, will not pursue further work on the program at this time. It has been a pleasure to work with the Boom team and we wish them every success in the future.”

Undeterred, Boom announced in late 2022 that it had formed a team of engine designers, an additive manufacturer, and a turbine engine maintenance specialist to help develop a home-grown engine called the Symphony, four of which would power the Overture.

Gogo Business Aviation is migrating its Gogo Biz air-to-ground (ATG) network to LTE technology. Anyone operating an aircraft that currently has a “legacy” Gogo system (ATG 5000, 4000, 2000 or 1000) installed will be impacted and needs to act quickly by upgrading to AVANCE by Dec. 31, 2025.

Aircraft interior lighting specialist PWI has received FAA PMA approval for its LED cabin lighting systems for the Learjet 35/35A and 36/36A. PWI’s 1,000K neutral white color temperature LED lighting systems are plug-and-play, ready-to-install packages that require no aircraft modifications. They use the original 28-volt AC aircraft wiring and match the original cabin configuration.

According to the Wichita-based manufacturer—which has been an OEM supplier of fluorescent cabin lights to airframers such as Dassault Falcon, Gulfstream, Cessna Citation, Learjet, and Beechcraft for decades—customers switching to LED can expect 100,000 hours of maintenance-free cabin lighting use without the side effects found in high-voltage fluorescent lights. Its LED systems include a three-year warranty and can be purchased directly from the company or through its authorized dealer network.

“There are several hundred dedicated Learjet 35 and 36 owner/operators that are very excited to see continuing support for this aircraft,” said PWI president and CEO Robi Lorik. “This specific PMA approval is especially gratifying in that PWI was the OEM cabin lighting supplier to Learjet. I remember back to our first complete aircraft lighting system in 1972.”

Chile’s General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) and Thales have partnered to launch the world’s first completely solar-powered air traffic control radar station. The project, developed by Thales for the DGAC for both civil and military air traffic control, began a year ago and the site became operational this month.

“For DGAC, at a strategic level, this air traffic control radar station is undoubtedly a great contribution to air safety in the north of the country where there is currently a high air traffic density that will be fully covered by this new system, given its measurement range. [This range] is the highest in the market at 100 nautical miles in the case of the primary radar and 250 nautical miles in the case of the secondary radar,” said DGAC systems director Juan Alegría.

”This project delivery is a milestone in the civil aviation industry and a commitment to sustainability. This is not only a technological achievement for DGAC and Thales, but also an example of environmental responsibility,” said Thales vice president of civil radars Lionel de Castellane.

The station is located in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile and is equipped with 340 strategically positioned panels that can generate 960 kWh per day. It also sports a backup generator. It features a STAR NG primary radar and RSM secondary radar.

A coalition of biofuel producers and agriculture advocates have sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the administration to swiftly resolve any hurdles in the ramp-up of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Specifically, the group is pushing for the adoption of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) model, which many believe will weigh corn ethanol-derived SAF more favorably and make it eligible for subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

In consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation, and Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy had promised to release an updated version of GREETs by March 1, which would incorporate new data and science, including new modeling of feedstocks and processes used in SAF production.

“We are disappointed that the administration did not fulfill its commitment to release a modified GREET model by March 1, but we appreciate the importance of getting the modeling right,” said the group of 26 organizations including the Renewable Fuels Association, Clean Fuels Alliance America, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union, and Growth Energy. “At the same time, we caution against contradictory changes to GREET that would stack unwarranted penalties on agricultural feedstocks, cut rural America out of a promising green energy market, and undermine any realistic path to achieving U.S. SAF goals.”

Persistent production problems and accompanying public relations crises have prompted a management shakeup that will see Dave Calhoun “step down” from his position as Boeing Company CEO at the end of the year and the immediate retirement of Stan Deal from his role as head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Boeing Company COO (and former president and CEO of Boeing Global Services) Stephanie Pope assumes Deal’s position, effective immediately. The moves come as board chairman Larry Kellner opts not to stand for re-election. The board has elected Steve Mollenkopf to replace Kellner and begin the search for a new CEO.

Mollenkopf, who has served on the board of directors since 2020, previously led Qualcomm as its chief executive. Pope has served as COO of Boeing since January. She previously served as CFO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Boeing has suffered through a spate of problems with its airplanes before Calhoun took over as CEO from Dennis Muilenburg in January 2020, following two fatal crashes of the 737 Max 8 in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346. Most recently, Calhoun oversaw quality control efforts related to January’s incident in which a door plug blew out of the side of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9.

On February 28, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker gave Boeing's senior leaders 90 days to develop a “comprehensive action plan” to address systemic quality-control deficiencies.

AIN’s senior-level Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit (CALS) East, set for July 15 to 17 in Jersey City, New Jersey, will address the latest hot topics, strategies, and solutions in business aviation. The summit is attendee-centric and serves as an educational and professional networking platform, connecting corporate aviation leaders with peers, industry experts, and solution providers in a relaxed, informal environment. We invite U.S.-based flight department leaders to apply to attend this all-expenses-paid event as our guests. Seats are limited, so don’t wait to apply.