Textron Aviation has completed the first flight of a second Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen3 test aircraft, marking a key milestone in the program’s path toward certification. Designated P1, the second test jet provides a platform focused on evaluating avionics, human factors, and cabin systems. The flight, conducted from the company’s Wichita facilities, lasted 3 hours 29 minutes and reached FL450 and 305 knots.

Pilots James Bearman and Corey Eckhart flew P1, concentrating on general systems evaluations and performance of the next-generation Garmin G3000 Prime avionics suite. Bearman said the aircraft performed smoothly and met program expectations.

The CJ4 Gen3 was announced at NBAA-BACE 2024 and is expected to enter service in 2026. The first prototype completed its inaugural flight in 2024. With the addition of the P1 aircraft, Textron Aviation is expanding flight testing activities as it targets certification. “This achievement continues the forward momentum of the CJ4 Gen3 program,” said Chris Hearne, senior v-p of engineering and programs.

As the largest Citation in the light jet category, the CJ4 Gen3 offers a 2,165-nm range, cruise speeds up to 451 ktas, and seating for up to 11 passengers. It includes several enhancements over its predecessor, including Garmin autothrottles, emergency autoland, and a redesigned interior.

Garmin’s new G3000 Prime avionics suite offers faster processing, touchscreens, and streamlined workflow tools intended to reduce pilot workload and improve connectivity.

The world is full of speculators, and for a moment, I will be one. The U.S. economy, along with the rest of the world, was thrust into uncertainty two months ago when President Trump imposed tariffs that first were discussed and subsequently went into effect. This had a chilling impact on the corporate aircraft market (oh, and the stock market too). Things were thrown into a state of uncertainty on so many levels that it was impossible to navigate for about six weeks.

How was it going to affect new deliveries from various manufacturers who source parts and materials from all over the globe? Nobody knew, and the facts began to creep out. The rules changed, and more creeped out.

Alright, enough about what has already happened. That’s not speculating.

Just this week, we have heard what may be the perfect storm...in a good way. One week after the April job numbers came in higher than expected (177,000 versus 138,000), Trump was declaring that victory is near with trade agreements with some countries. Then, a 90-day respite was agreed to with the trading partner that has been the primary target—China. Just yesterday, as I wrote this, inflation was announced to be slightly less in April than predicted. The cherry on top of the sundae is the talk about getting bonus depreciation back into the mix.

A year after Congress passed its massive 1,300-page FAA reauthorization bill, the agency has checked off numerous key requirements. However, implementation of the bill has become even more urgent as the FAA faces continuing and growing issues stemming from workforce constraints, ATC and communications outages, and safety concerns surrounding the series of recent high-profile fatal accidents.

“While the FAA is making some progress in implementing the law, recent tragic aviation accidents and close calls make clear that the administration must prioritize the critical safety reforms included in the reauthorization,” Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Washington), the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said during a hearing on FAA reauthorization implementation.

Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Missouri) agreed: “With heightened attention being placed on the need to modernize our air traffic control system [...], the reauthorization bill gave the FAA a flight plan. Now they must start the plane and follow it.”

Jodi Baker, deputy associate administrator of aviation safety at the FAA, reported areas of progress: “So far, we have reduced the aircraft registration backlog [...], shortened the time frame for determining acceptance or rejection of air carrier, air operator, and air agency certificate applications, [and] improved the guidance that our inspector workforce uses.”

On the ATC modernization front, Baker stressed that this is an administration priority, and the agency is “laser-focused” on controller and aviation inspector hiring.

Kenny Dichter, who founded Wheels Up and innovated jet cards through Marquis Jet, is stepping back into private aviation, this time with a charter brokerage platform that will provide access to business aircraft operations without membership fees or long-term commitments.

Dichter, who departed from Wheels Up in mid-2023, unveiled his latest venture, Real Jet, rolling out a broad Real SLX platform that creates an “ecosystem,” with hospitality, unique experiences, and other curated benefits, in addition to private aircraft options.

The company said the platform is designed to remove “the last remaining barriers between aspirational private fliers and the skies” and builds on Dichter’s experience in broadening the market.

“We built Real SLX in order to put our members at the right events, in the right seats, next to the right people,” said Dichter, who is serving as chairman of the new entity. “Real Jet serves its customers in the same way—by connecting flyers with the right companies, the right aircraft, and the right people.”

Referring to his past with Marquis Jet, which developed 25-hour jet cards for NetJets lift, and Wheels Up, which aimed to democratize private aviation with a much lower entry-level cost, Dichter added: “What made Marquis Jet and Wheels Up successful wasn’t just aircraft. It was the people.”

A sleek and up-to-date aircraft interior starts with a vision. But where do you go from there? This quick guide from C&L Aviation Group breaks down the process of redesigning a private jet, explores the possibilities, and helps you focus on what matters most—style, function, budget, and timeline.

Alaska Airlines will be buying full-motion Boeing 737 virtual reality (VR) flight simulators as a result of an investment by Alaska Star Ventures in Loft Dynamics. Alaska Star Ventures is the airline’s venture capital arm, and the airline will be the first customer for the Swiss company’s line of fixed-wing VR flight simulators, following successful certification of Loft’s VR helicopter trainers.

While Alaska Airlines uses VR devices now, these are for early ground school familiarity of basic flows and procedures, using VR headsets, according to Jeff Severns, managing director of flight operations training at Alaska Airlines. “We see these Loft Dynamics simulators as an enhancement and add-on to that solution, not necessarily a replacement.”

Plans call for deploying the Loft simulators at Alaska’s 737 bases and at the main training campus in Seattle. However, he added, “We are optimistic about the future of VR simulators in our training program; how they fit exactly is still in development and to be determined. We do not see a limit on anything we could train in these simulators, from basic procedures to maneuver-based training to line-oriented events. We will take a building block approach as we implement them into the different phases of our program.” The airline owns most of the full-flight simulators used for training its pilots and conducts training events with Alaska Airlines instructors.

A Cessna Citation 560 that flew unresponsive for nearly two hours before crashing into mountainous terrain in Virginia on June 4, 2023, had known unresolved deficiencies in its oxygen system, according to the NTSB’s final report. Although it could not be verified from medical evidence, investigators concluded that the pilot and passengers were likely incapacitated by hypoxia following a loss of cabin pressurization; the report also noted a lack of supplemental oxygen onboard.

Two days before the flight, maintenance reports documented that “the pilot-side oxygen mask was not installed, and the supplementary oxygen was at its minimum serviceable level. No evidence was found to indicate that the oxygen system was serviced or that the pilot-side oxygen mask was reinstalled before the accident flight.”

According to the NTSB, the lack of oxygen during a loss of cabin pressurization likely rendered all occupants incapacitated. “Altitude-related hypoxia, although not verifiable from forensic medical evidence, likely explains the incapacitation of the airplane occupants,” the NTSB noted. The probable cause was “pilot incapacitation due to loss of cabin pressure for undetermined reasons,” with a contributing factor being “the pilot’s and owner/operator’s decision to operate the airplane without supplemental oxygen.”

New air traffic procedures for lost communications and emergency descent took effect across EU airspace on May 1 under updates to the Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA). These revisions, which apply in all EU member states regardless of national AIP publication status, include a second transponder code for IFR operations, new altitude retention timing, and clarified controller and pilot actions during emergency descent.

According to Belgian air navigation service provider Skeyes, “The most notable difference is the introduction of a new SSR code 7601.” The revised rules require IFR aircraft that lose communications but elect to continue flying in visual meteorological conditions to squawk 7601, a new SSR code introduced in SERA 14083. Aircraft that continue on an IFR clearance without diverting in VMC must still use 7600, the long-established lost communications code.

As highlighted by OpsGroup, the operational impact is significant. “If you squawk 7601, ATC will assume you are no longer flying IFR, and you’ll be treated accordingly. If you squawk 7600, you’ll be expected to follow the standard lost comms routing guidance and rejoin your route.”

In another change from ICAO Annex 2, the updated SERA rule replaces the traditional “seven-minute rule” with a longer timeframe. Pilots must now wait 20 minutes after the estimated arrival time over a compulsory reporting point—unless otherwise instructed—before initiating descent or deviation.

Acron Aviation's SafeRoute+ software is enabling airlines to enhance flight safety, reduce fuel burn, and streamline operations, without the need for costly hardware overhauls, according to the company, which is a partner in the FAA’s NextGen initiative. Acron’s ACSS joint venture with Thales is a key part of this effort. 

Aircraft equipped with T3CAS or TCAS 3000SP surveillance systems can be retrofitted with SafeRoute+, which runs on existing displays or Acron’s ADS-B Guidance Display. During an FAA evaluation of SafeRoute+-equipped American Airlines Airbus A321s, results included: “0.6 nm and 20-second average reduction in flight distance and time during arrival: 12-second reduction between arrivals, adding four to five extra landings per runway, per hour; significant fuel and emissions savings; and pilots reported a significant boost in situational awareness [...]”

The SafeRoute+ upgrade integrates four ADS-B In applications, according to Acron, enabling a view of traffic up to 180 nm away.

Enhanced Airborne Traffic Awareness displays position, speed, and direction of nearby aircraft for better visual tracking and improved situational awareness.

Interval Management Spacing increases precision of en-route spacing, reducing vectoring, fuel burn, and emissions, while increasing airspace capacity.

CDTI-Assisted Visual Separation enables optimum arrival spacing for higher runway throughput, even in reduced-visibility conditions.

In-Trail Procedures allows oceanic aircraft to make beneficial altitude changes, saving fuel and reducing emissions.

Acron recently demonstrated SafeRoute+ at the 2025 Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee General Session and Aviation Maintenance Conference in Seattle. 

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