XTI Aerospace on Monday updated investors on plans to bring the TriFan 600 VTOL aircraft to market, almost two weeks after the company’s March 13 listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange following the merger between XTI Aircraft and tech group Inpixon. CEO Scott Pomeroy said his Colorado-based engineering team is now working to complete the critical design review for the turbine-powered six-passenger model, which the company is pitching as an alternative to current business and regional aircraft.

The merger and share flotation process has taken more than six months to complete since being approved by Inpixon shareholders on September 8. Company officials indicated that they expect to start flight testing a full-scale aircraft in the next two years.

XTI describes the TriFan 600 as a “vertical lift crossover airplane,” indicating it will have a range of 700 miles—potentially longer when performing a conventional takeoff from a runway. The design features a pair of tilting ducted fans on the wing and another fan integrated into the rear fuselage. 

The company abandoned earlier plans for a hybrid-electric propulsion system combining a turbogenerator with electric motors and batteries. “The numbers didn’t add up,” said chief commercial officer Saleem Zaheer. “So we’ve said, ‘Let’s start first by certifying with certified turboshaft engines, then keep watching the technology develop and switch to hybrid-electric when that is feasible.'”

Bangor, Maine-based C&L Aerospace this week opened a 20,000-sq-ft parts warehouse in Leipzig, Germany. According to the company, it carefully researched and chose the location to provide the most convenient shipping hub for Europe and beyond.

The warehouse will carry aircraft parts for many of the aircraft types it services, including Beechjet, Hawker, Bombardier Challenger, Embraer Legacy, and Cessna Citation XLS and Sovereign business jets. It will also store inventories for commercial aircraft such as ATR 42 and 72 turboprops, Embraer ERJ-145s and E170/190 family jets, and Saab 340s.

“Positioning a new warehouse in the EU allows us to better support our customers in the European Union and Northern Africa,” said C&L Aviation Group CEO Chris Kilgour.

The move constitutes part of a larger expansion plan by the company designed to store aircraft parts closer to its worldwide customer base. Earlier this year, C&L announced the opening of a parts warehouse in Wichita, and the company also plans to open one in South Africa in the second quarter. C&L currently operates warehouses in the U.S., England, Scotland, and Australia.

The UK’s former chief inspector of border security has accused the government of covering up his allegations that the Border Force failed to adequately screen business aircraft arriving at London City Airport (EGLC). In a report presented to parliament, David Neal highlighted what he said were failings in how flights categorized as “high risk” were screened at the airport-owned Private Jet Centre FBO, indicating that officials were at times under-resourced and had not been provided with sufficiently clear guidance and training.

In February, UK Home Secretary James Cleverly fired Neal for allegedly breaching “the terms of his appointment.” The government has yet to appoint a successor to the role, which is supposed to provide independent oversight of border security arrangements. 

In an interview with the BBC today, Neal suggested that the issues identified at EGLC may also be happening at other airports, calling for closer scrutiny of business aviation movements. “If I were still in post, or if my successor had been appointed, then I would have expected to commence an inspection much more broadly into general aviation because clearly there are problems here,” he said on the "Today" show. “We’d want to do something right across the country, I suspect, but there is no one that can independently do this now.”

The FAA has certified Bell’s Basix-Pro avionics upgrade for the 412EP helicopter, offering operators the opportunity to add the same avionics configuration as new 412EPXs and Bell 429s. The Basix-Pro upgrade is available through Bell’s Aeronautical Accessories unit and can be accomplished at Bell completion centers in Miami, Singapore, Australia, Prague, and Piney Flats, Tennessee.

With four Astronautics 6-by-8-inch high-resolution Badger Pro+ smart displays, the retrofit kit also adds Garmin GTN 750 Xi and GTN 650 Xi GPS navigators, a Mid-Continent Standby Attitude Module, and an optional upgrade of the Honeywell SPZ-7600 automatic flight control system to a four-axis configuration.

According to Astronautics, features of its Badger Pro+ integrated flight display system include aircraft parameter, chip, and exceedance recording for 70-plus hours; external video on a full screen and with a pan feature; multiple HD digital video inputs; display of weather radar and HTAWS in full and arc HSI formats; route mapping with five declutter levels; and non-ITAR night vision goggle compatibility.

Bell already has a contract to modify several analog-instrumented 412EPs with the Basix-Pro upgrade.

“The Bell BasiX-Pro glass cockpit retrofit Kit will provide Bell 412EP operators with modern flight deck technology to improve situational awareness and decrease pilot workload, while also offering the same look and feel of a new production Bell 412 cockpit,” said Eyton Zelazo, Astronautics director of displays and cockpit integration. 

VoltAero’s Cassio 330 hybrid-electric aircraft will be making its EBACE debut in Geneva in May. It will be among several advanced air mobility (AAM) companies to exhibit at the event, which for the first time this year will showcase AAM both at the Innovation Pavilion inside the Palexpo exhibit hall and at the outdoor static display. 

Attendees at EBACE 2024 will have the opportunity to look inside the Cassio 330, which is designed to seat four or five occupants, at the static display. It is the first of three hybrid-electric aircraft that VoltAero intends to produce for cargo, air taxi, and medevac applications.

Other AAM companies exhibiting at EBACE this year include German eVTOL developer Lilium, French hydrogen-electric bizjet developer Beyond Aero, and Dutch electric regional airplane developer Electron. Vaeridion, another German AAM company, will present its all-electric Microliner at the convention. California-based Hydroplane will also showcase the hydrogen fuel cells it is developing to power various types of aircraft.

“Innovation is always front and center at EBACE, and this year is no exception,” said EBAA conference and innovation lead Rachel Clementi. “There is perhaps no better example of game-changing innovation underway in business aviation than with the advent of electric, hybrid, and hydrogen propulsion systems for aircraft. EBACE 2024 is proud to feature the latest of these pioneering technologies poised to enter the market.”

AOne Parts & Logistics recently opened an inventory and distribution center in South Florida, the company said Tuesday. AOne had previously held parts and material in several locations, including its headquarters in Asheville, North Carolina.

AOne moved to the new location to improve overall efficiency and consolidate key inventory items. “The proximity to South Florida airports will improve distribution channels as well as our ability to support what is now one of the most active private aviation communities in the country,” said AOne managing partner Jack Caloras.

The AOne inventory will reside under the control of Marcus Cortez, who happens also to reside in the Sunshine State. “This move is part of our never-ending commitment to meeting our clients’ requirements and continuous improvement process,” said Cortez.

AOne will house inventory for various Bombardier, Gulfstream, Textron Aviation, and Dassault Falcon airframes.

Duncan Aviation has carried out leadership changes at its Turbine Engine Services business in Lincoln, Nebraska, naming Scott Stoki, Brad Wales, and Tyler Spurling managers of engine services for Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), Honeywell, and line services, respectively. The company’s engine overhaul services business has experienced significant growth since 2015, when it extended its Honeywell service authorization to include HTF7000 turbofans. It also earned designation as a Honeywell TFE731 heavy maintenance facility in 2017.

Most recently, Duncan Aviation announced during NBAA-BACE 2023 that P&WC named Duncan Aviation’s MRO facility in Lincoln as a designated overhaul facility for PW300 and PW500 engines. In the third quarter, Duncan plans to break ground  on a 36,000-sq-ft powerplant overhaul facility featuring 12 engine maintenance bays, dedicated storage racks, a parts inventory warehouse, and an expanded back shop area.

“The rapid expansion of our turbine engine overhaul services underscores our commitment to our OEM partners, including Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney Canada, their engines, and mutual customers,” said Duncan Aviation v-p of engine services Doug Alleman. “Nearly 63 percent of the engines sent in for inspection, repair, and overhaul are shipped in from aircraft located at airports worldwide. Our engine Rapid Response Teams network will be vital in supporting the increased business.”