The general aviation community is mourning the passing of Russell W. Meyer Jr., Cessna Aircraft chairman and CEO emeritus, who led the manufacturer for 32 years and championed the 1994 General Aviation Revitalization Act. Meyer, 93, died yesterday evening in Wichita surrounded by loved ones.

A Yale and Harvard Law School graduate, Meyer joined Cessna as an executive v-p in 1974 and was tapped to lead the aircraft manufacturer a year later. During his tenure, Cessna reintroduced single-engine piston aircraft production at a time when it had nearly disappeared in the U.S. and expanded and modernized the company’s Citation business jet line.

An influential voice in national aviation policy and a tireless advocate for general aviation interests, Meyer helped craft legislation in 1994 that strengthened the industry. His leadership extended across trade organizations and industry coalitions, where he championed collaboration, safety, and the future of flight.

“Russ’ contributions to aviation and humanity are the stuff of legend,” NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said in a tribute to Meyer. “His leadership on the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 generated countless aviation jobs.”

“Russ Meyer was a giant in aviation, not only because of what he built, but because of how he led,” said National Aviation Hall of Fame president and CEO Aimee Maruyama.

While business aviation in the Gulf states remains largely grounded by the ongoing military conflict with Iran, data from WingX reveals the extent to which traffic patterns have shifted since Friday. In the week spanning February 23 through March 1, overall business departures from airports in the wider Middle East region declined by 10%—from 1,086 in the previous week to 981.

The data released today shows that despite the dip in traffic caused by the outbreak of hostilities early on Saturday, 371 aircraft did depart Middle East airports. Many of these appear to have been moved to seemingly safer locations within or close to the region.

For example, Oman, through which a partially-open air corridor is now being used for some evacuation flights, saw a 220% increase in business jet arrivals between February 27 and March 1, while Cyprus had a 92.9% increase, followed by Greece (35.3%), and France (14.3%).

As of 7:15 p.m. UTC on Tuesday, WingX’s live parking data showed 164 business jets grounded at airports across the Middle East with an average duration on the ground of 4.5 days. By 12:25 p.m. UTC on Wednesday, the number of aircraft fell to 140 with an average parking duration of 4.9 days.

The probable cause of the hard landing of a Flexjet-operated Embraer Praetor 500 on Sept. 21, 2023, that resulted in substantial damage was, according to the NTSB final report, “the [fly-by-wire] control laws of the angle of attack limiter protection system, which precluded the system from disengaging during an approach in gusting wind conditions, limiting the flight crew’s ability to control the airplane’s pitch and resulting in a hard landing.”

Both pilots and the six passengers were uninjured after the airplane touched down before the threshold of Runway 4 at St. Simons Island Airport (KSSI) in Georgia. After bouncing and touching down again, the jet skidded along the runway for 2,531 feet, then departed off the right side, crossed a taxiway, and stopped in the grass next to the runway, 3,083 feet from the initial impact point. After shutting down the engines, the pilot confirmed that everyone on board was all right, and the copilot opened the cabin door and helped the passengers exit.

According to the final report, “When the airplane was about 100 to 150 feet agl, it crossed over a tree line, and [the pilot said] he felt an ‘uplift,’ then the airplane began to porpoise. The pilot tried to make pitch corrections using the [fly-by-wire flight control system’s] sidestick control, but the airplane did not respond as commanded.”

The turmoil in the Middle East resulting from the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran is impacting the world fuel markets, as Iran vowed it would shut down commercial shipping traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Over the past week, the price of Brent crude oil jumped by 15%, from $70.77 a barrel to more than $81, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose by nearly $9 a barrel.

Spot prices for jet-A in the U.S. averaged $3.23 a gallon yesterday, up from the five-day average of $2.70 per gallon. Retail jet fuel prices at some Northeast U.S. business aviation hubs reached $10 per gallon, while at Los Angeles-area Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) they were hovering around $7.

“In the initial reaction to the events, no petroleum market has been spared,” said Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst with energy commodity analyst OPIS. “Gasoline prices are up, the national average for retail diesel has topped $4 per gallon, and jet fuel prices have skyrocketed over the course of the past several days.”

Cinquegrana told AIN that while fuel prices may spike, he does not expect operators to encounter any shortages. “Despite the higher prices, U.S. product supplies are expected to be fine, as U.S. refiners are particularly advantaged compared to others around the world.”

Trust, teamwork and talent are the reason Freeman Spogli has entrusted care of their Falcon 2000 to Thornton Aviation for more than two decades

The NTSB is set to return to its full complement of board members with the confirmation of John DeLeeuw to fill a term that expires at the end of this year. A former U.S. Air Force pilot who has served as managing director of safety and efficiency at American Airlines and teaches aviation safety at the University of Southern California, DeLeeuw was confirmed last week in a 50-45 vote that went along party lines.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), the ranking member on the Senate Commerce Committee, had objected to the vote because he was slated to complete the term of a board seat formerly held by Alvin Brown. Brown, who was first nominated to the board in August 2022, was removed from his seat by President Donald Trump in May. Brown had filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement.

Ahead of the vote, Cantwell explained her opposition: “It is not necessarily about Mr. DeLeeuw's qualifications; it is about the dangerous precedent we are making as we confirm someone to replace an independent NTSB board member who was removed by the president without cause, while they are actively challenging this removal in court. And it is about a needless jeopardizing of public confidence in NTSB’s critical work.”

DeLeeuw joins Jennifer Homendy, J. Todd Inman, Michael Graham, and Thomas Chapman on the board.

Four of the 15 college-age recruits who participated in an internship program run by the Air Charter Association (ACA) in 2025 now have jobs in the industry. Member companies FlyerTech (part of Gama Aviation), Chapman Freeborn, and Air Charter Service have hired the interns for full-time positions, the industry group reported.

Those recruited were part of the 2025 internship cohort that received training and work experience opportunities at locations including London Biggin Hill Airport. ACA started the program in 2024 for people aged 18 to 25 with a view to expanding horizons for companies wanting to attract the next generation of employees in an industry that has faced intense competition for skills with other sectors.

The program is run by the association’s NextGen Group, which connects with colleges and universities to promote career opportunities. It recently hosted a Young Professionals Networking Evening at the Royal Aeronautical Society, attended by more than 70 air charter professionals, including some of the recently hired interns.

Meanwhile, ACA is shortlisting candidates for the 2026 internship program, which provides training in commercial and operational tasks and includes a one- to two-week-long placement with a company.

Digital startup Jetaxia has launched an online booking platform that aims to simplify the process of scheduling interior and exterior aircraft detailing with vetted companies across the U.S. It seeks to solve what Jetaxia founder Braxton Getz sees as “a real pain point” for Part 91/135 operators and management companies through an integrated single platform that can coordinate the detailing process from booking to aircraft arrival.

Noting that scheduling professional detailing often requires “multiple phone calls, no visibility into vendor quality, and constant follow-ups,” Jetaxia offers a tail-number-based “matchmaking” service. “We see a gap between how critical [aircraft] appearance is and how manual [the booking process] remains,” Getz told AIN.

Jetaxia is also the first detailing software solution to pair with technology booking platform FlightBridge. Integration with flight-tracking app FlightAware automatically informs service providers of arrival delays or diversions.

Every prospective vendor looking to join Jetaxia is vetted. “We look at their experience in aviation, insurance and documentation, airport and FBO access at the fields they cover, and the products and equipment they use,” explained Getz. “Once approved, we onboard them with clear service definitions and pricing so operators know exactly what they’re getting and from whom.”

Getz said feedback from operators, FBOs, and software providers is positive. The company also plans to launch an FBO and flight crew third-party portal while continuing to expand its coverage.

Leonardo has emerged as the successful bidder for the UK’s long-running New Medium Helicopter (NMH) program, with the airframer selected to supply the UK Armed Forces with 23 AW149 helicopters. The selection, made just hours before Leonardo’s current tender was due to expire, follows a protracted process fraught with program delays and revisions to requirements.

According to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), the £1 billion ($1.3 billion) award will also safeguard more than 3,000 jobs at Leonardo’s Yeovil facility in Somerset. This southwest England site marks the UK’s last sovereign helicopter manufacturer, which was at risk of closure should no contract materialize.

“The deal cements the site’s role of serving the national and export market with advanced military rotorcraft, with significant potential for the international market in the future—combining AW149 and other types for export,” Leonardo said.

In 2021, the UK government set out the NMH requirement for up to 44 helicopters to replace an aging fleet of Puma HC2s and AS365 Dauphins. This was revised downwards to 35 units in 2023. Leonardo’s application was the only one remaining by the Aug. 30, 2024 deadline.

The MoD has also confirmed that it will invest further in Leonardo’s Proteus, described by its manufacturer as “the UK’s first autonomous full-size helicopter.” Leonardo was awarded a four-year, £60 million contract to develop the AW09-derived platform with the Royal Navy.

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.