Protestors breached security at Switzerland’s Geneva Airport at about 11:30 a.m. today, knocking down fencing around the EBACE 2023 static park and handcuffing themselves to business jets on display. The protesters wore fluorescent-green safety vests marked with the “ban private jets” statement that they chanted as they rushed past airport police.
Some protesters were stopped and held on the ground by police, while others made it into the static park. Seven protestors handcuffed themselves to a Gulfstream on static display, with three attached to the nose gear and four on the jet’s cabin entry door handrails, while others secured themselves to some other aircraft.
“This is a completely unacceptable form of protest,” Ed Bolen and Juergen Wiese—the leaders of EBACE organizers NBAA and EBAA, respectively—said in a joint statement. “We condemn the action, and the threat it has posed to the safety and security of exhibiting companies and EBACE attendees, and others at Geneva Airport. Moreover, today’s disruption ignores the fact that business aviation is deeply committed to climate action.”
The airport was temporarily shut down at around 11:45 a.m. in response to the security breach, with takeoffs and landings briefly halted. Static display visitors were not allowed to leave and had to wait about an hour before being released to get on buses back to the exhibit hall.
The first fully-configured Global 8000 made its inaugural flight last week, Bombardier announced yesterday at EBACE 2023. The aircraft, which was formerly FTV-5 in the Global 7500 program and the same airframe that went supersonic during the early stages of Global 8000 flight-testing, has been configured as FTV-1 in the Global 8000 program. On its first day of flight testing in full configuration, the large-cabin twinjet flew more than seven hours without incident, reflecting the maturity of the program.
Launched at last year’s EBACE, the Global 8000 is the same size as its 7500 sibling with a four-zone cabin and the option for an executive cabin introduced last year at NBAA-BACE. The aircraft has an Mmo of Mach 0.94 and an 8,000-nm range, improvements that come largely from an optimization of the empty weight and the resultant ability to carry more fuel in the existing tanks.
The OEM is anticipating certification for the 8000 in the second half of 2025. At that point, Bombardier will issue an optional service bulletin for the 7500 that will allow it to be retrofitted with the 8000's performance enhancements. Downtime needed for the retrofit is expected to be less than a week.
Jet It has grounded its fleet of HondaJets and the HondaJet Owners & Pilots Association (HJOPA) is planning a safety standdown due to concern about runway excursion incidents involving the Honda Aircraft HA-420 HondaJet.
HJOPA executive director Julie Hughes, in a video released on YouTube by the association, said this addresses “an important matter that concerns us all, the recent rise in incidents and accidents involving our HondaJet aircraft. So today there have been eight in the last 12 months.”
The Jet It grounding, according to company spokesman Akir Khan, “was in response to an incident outside of the organization in Summerville, [South Carolina], and out of [an] abundance of caution. A Jet It aircraft was not involved in this incident.”
HondaJet N255HJ, registered to Upfrunt Services in Dover, Delaware, caught fire and was destroyed after exiting the 5,000-foot runway following landing at Summerville Airport (KDYB). All five occupants were able to deplane safely.
According to Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network (ASN), “A Honda HA-420 HondaJet landed and hydroplaned off the end of Runway 24 at Summerville Airport, striking a berm.”
“We are in communication with Honda Aircraft about our concerns,” Jet It’s Khan told AIN. “We are awaiting information from Honda.”
A Honda Aircraft spokeswoman said that the company is not “able to share much information at this time. We are actively supporting the ongoing investigation with NTSB and FAA."
Since entering service in 2019, Textron Aviation’s super-midsize Longitude, the Wichita-based company's largest in-production business jet, has now reached the mark of 100 units manufactured. The aircraft manufacturer recently rolled it out and, after completion, the jet will be delivered to its new owner later this year.
NetJets is a fleet operator of the Longitude, having placed an order and options for 175 of the model in 2018.
The super-midsize Longitude is powered by a pair of Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines and features the Garmin G5000 avionics suite with autothrottles and emergency-descent mode. Range is 3,500 nm and full fuel payload 1,600 pounds, while maximum cruise speed is 483 knots. Fully berthable seats in the Longitude’s flat-floor, six-foot tall cabin are available in a standard double-club configuration. The aircraft can be configured with up to 12 passenger seats.
“The Citation Longitude has redefined its category with class-leading performance, efficiency, and an unrivaled cabin experience,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper. “A milestone like this wouldn’t be possible without the owners and operators who love to fly our aircraft or the extraordinary workforce that designs, builds, and maintains this legendary aircraft.”
Wilson Air Center–Houston Delivers Highly Anticipated Terminal
Wilson Air Center – Houston delivers on their promise of a new terminal with reveal of 7,200 sq. ft. lobby renovation to match award-winning personal service they have been providing for years. Experience true Houston Hospitality combined with the world-class service at the Wilson Air Corral.
Elliott Aviation has hired Dave Makowski as COO. Makowski has more than 40 years of experience in avionics, operations, and maintenance, having worked for more than 25 years with Delta Air Lines and 10 years with NetJets in operational leadership roles. He most recently served as senior v-p of maintenance management at Wheels Up.
In his new position, Makowski will focus on driving execution, efficiency, and profitability across Elliott's MROs in Moline, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis; Atlanta; and Dallas. He said he is ready to begin the role by learning more about the organization and then executing the planned expansion of maintenance capabilities while enhancing customer experience.
“We’re happy to have Dave join us as COO,” said David Fenton, CFO of Elliott Aviation. “The role is important to the company and will provide critical leadership driving our day-to-day operations and executing the strategies across our five locations. His experience in aviation and leadership roles will be a strong addition to the team.”
Elliott has been in business for more than 80 years, offering products and services including aircraft sales, avionics service and installations, aircraft maintenance, accessory repair and overhaul, and paint and interior work.
The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has recognized Joby Aviation as the first advanced air mobility company to achieve the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operators (IS-BAO) registration, highlighting its commitment to safety. The company is aiming to certify and start operating its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft by 2025 and holds an FAA Part 135 air operators certificate.
As the globally recognized voluntary safety standard, IS-BAO helps operators apply industry best practices by challenging them to review and compare their safety-related policies, processes, and procedures and then make improvements. Developed by the business aviation community, IS-BAO promotes high-quality operating practices by establishing a framework for effective safety and operational processes, providing tools for the implementation and delivery of a safety management system (SMS) appropriate to all operational profiles.
Representing the interests of business aviation worldwide, IBAC is a non-profit, international trade association with official observer status at the International Civil Aviation Organization. IBAC promotes and manages standards for best safety practices through its IS-BAO; International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH); safety management tool kit; SMS e-learning training; and crew card. Recently introduced in partnership with CTX, the IBAC Carbon Credit Exchange provides the business aviation community with a reliable resource for real-time carbon offsetting, said the group.
Piaggio Aerospace is debuting a corporate shuttle variant of the Avanti Evo this week at EBACE 2023. The showing of the quick-change shuttle-configured version of the turboprop twin comes less than two weeks after the Italian government gave the go-ahead to make a third attempt to sell the aircraft manufacturer.
With seating for seven passengers in a high-density layout, the shuttle-configured Evo is targeted at corporations and charter operators looking to provide group transportation. To broaden its appeal, the variant can “easily be reconfigured for cargo or medevac operations,” said Piaggio.
A quick-change shuttle variant has been available to Piaggio’s military and governmental customers with 20 examples—all earlier Avanti models—now in service. “This configuration has found success with the Italian Air Force and other institutional customers, so we decided to open up the market to private customers and operators,” the company noted.
The offering will also allow Piaggio’s prospective new owner to gauge the market for a dedicated commercial passenger shuttle, a concept the firm has been eyeing for some time to broaden the market for the Evo.
Piaggio Aerospace has been in extraordinary receivership since December 2018. Two previous attempts to sell the airframer in 2019 and 2022 failed when no agreement with buyers could be reached.
I Hart Flying Foundation (IHFF) in partnership with Girls Love to Fly (GLTF) awarded more than $18,000 in scholarship funding and pilot training packages to five women pursuing careers in aviation. Through an “All Hands on Deck” themed opportunity, the non-profit organizations selected Allison Scholtthaur, Megan McArthur, Kate Olaf, and Pepper Rhodes as IHFF Hart Scholars and Monica Jageman as a GLTF Dedicated Aviator.
“At I Hart Flying we work hard, put in the effort, and recognize the workforce issue across our industry. We have a hand in changing this story,” said Rachelle Spector, founder of IHFF. “We’re thrilled to aid these deserving women who showed up, put in the work, and illustrated to our organizations that they strive to become professional pilots. Each winning scholar currently mentors, is involved in giving back to their communities, and has plans to become airline, corporate, or cargo pilots.”
The scholarships were made possible through donations from donors, members, and sponsors including King Schools, Sheltair, Go Rentals, Starbucks, On Final Aviation Apparel, and Flight Apprentice. Since 2017, IHFF and GLTF combined have awarded more than $300,000 in scholarship funding, flight simulation, pilot supplies, equipment, and ground school training to over 55 female pilots.
IHFF has plans to launch a second themed scholarship opportunity this year.
The Air Charter Association (ACA) appointed Atlas Helicopters operations director Alana Burns to serve on its board with an emphasis on developing membership in the rotary sector. ACA said Burns is “ideally qualified” to support the rotary-wing element of the charter industry, given her position at the UK helicopter charter company and 20 years of industry experience.
Investment company BlackRock hired Andy Wegman as director of aviation. Wegman has more than 30 years of aviation experience. Following a military aviation career, he worked in the private sector in roles with Phoenix Air, Aerodynamics, Fiserv, and Priester Aviation. His most recently was the director of aviation and chief pilot at T-Mobile.
West Star Aviation promoted Adam Bendele to Bombardier team lead and hired Lee Smieja as Gulfstream project manager at its Chattanooga, Tennessee facility. Bendele has been with West Star for 16 years, previously serving as a Challenger crew lead at the Grand Junction, Colorado facility before relocating to Chattanooga in 2020. Smieja has more than 20 years of aviation experience, including a stint at Gulfstream Aerospace.
The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) presented Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) with its annual "Wright Stuff Award" to “honor his ongoing leadership and contributions to America’s aerospace industry and national security.” The award was presented to Moran during AIA’s spring board of governors meeting in Washington, D.C., on May 17.
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