Textron Aviation has begun FAA certification flight testing with its Beechcraft Denali single-engine turboprop, the manufacturer announced today.

The clean-sheet design is expected to enter service in 2025 following delays in the certification of GE Aviation’s Catalyst engine, which will power the turboprop, as well as the recent addition of Garmin Autoland as standard equipment. It is poised to take some of the market share from existing turboprop singles such as the Pilatus PC-12 and Daher TBM.

“We have three prototypes flying with more than 830 flights, and we've accumulated almost 2,000 hours on these three aircraft,” Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation’s senior v-p of global sales and flight operations, told reporters during a briefing at the company’s Wichita headquarters last week. “We continue to talk to the test pilots and they are just amazed with this aircraft and its performance.”

While Textron Aviation is not ready to release the final performance numbers for the Denali, the aircraft was designed to have a range of 1,600 nm, a maximum cruise speed of 285 knots, and a full fuel payload of 1,100 pounds. It is configurable for both passenger and cargo missions with a flat floor and room for up to nine passengers.

“Until we get to the type certification, we won’t share any of the performance. But we’re excited to see what we’re seeing,” O’Bannion said.

Berkshire Hathaway’s first-quarterly report of 2024 showed that revenues from its service group, which includes fractional-share operator NetJets and training provider FlightSafety International, declined $168 million or 3.2% year-over-year (YOY). However, that decline was mostly due to TTI, an electronic components distributor. The service group’s aviation segment saw revenues grow by 8.6% YOY.

During the first quarter, the revenue increase for aviation "was primarily due to increases in the number of aircraft in shared aircraft ownership programs and an increase in flight hours across NetJets’ various programs, as well as higher average rates,” according to the Berkshire Hathaway Form 10-Q report.

Pre-tax earnings for the service group declined $246 million (29.4%) YOY in the first quarter. Part of that decline was due to a 10.3% drop in aviation services earnings. “The decline in aviation service earnings was primarily attributable to increased maintenance and personnel costs, which reduced the overall margin rates,” the company said.

Although NetJets and the pilot union NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots ratified a tentative agreement on higher salary and benefit levels, this wouldn’t have affected the first-quarter earnings because the higher salaries didn’t take effect until May 1.

The NTSB has released the final report on the crash of a Robinson R44 on Nov. 22, 2022, and the probable cause for the accident was “the inadequate inspections of the forward left control rod end attachment hardware to the stationary swashplate by the pilot and by maintenance personnel, resulting in an eventual loosening and backing out of the hardware and subsequent loss of helicopter control.”

About five minutes before the accident, a local staff meteorologist and the R44’s pilot took off for simulated news scene training in Charlotte, North Carolina. After conducting left 360-degree orbits over a highway, the helicopter went out of control, descended steeply, and then crashed onto a grassy area. According to the NTSB, “The pilot made a radio call on the local helicopter common frequency before impact stating that ‘Three’s going down, Sky Three’s going down.’ There was no post-accident fire.”

Following the accident, investigators found that connecting hardware was missing from a control rod end that attaches to the helicopter’s stationary swashplate. “A metallurgical examination of the remaining components suggested that the connecting hardware, including a threaded bolt, nut, Palnut, two washers, and two hat-shaped spacers were loose and backed out during the flight. It is unlikely that the hardware was secure before the flight and may have been loose for multiple flights before the accident."

Aviation pioneer and environmentalist Bertrand Piccard will headline the keynote speakers for this year’s European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Geneva. On Monday, the show’s organizers NBAA and EBAA announced that the roster for the keynote session on May 28 will also feature John Santurbano, director of Eurocontrol’s Maastricht Upper Area Control Center, and Delphine Bachmann, the Swiss canton’s state councillor for the Department of Economy and Labor.

Piccard is expected to provide details of his plans to fly a hydrogen-powered aircraft around the globe in 2028. The Climate Impulse project is his latest initiative to demonstrate the potential for zero-carbon-emissions flights, following his 1999 nonstop balloon flight around the world and a 2016 solar-powered circumnavigation of the earth.

Santurbano will provide an update on Eurocontrol’s efforts to support more fuel-efficient direct routings through European airspace. The air traffic management agency is also focused on tasks such as integrating drones and new eVTOL aircraft into controlled airspace.

Bachmann is an elected official from the conservative-leaning Christian Democratic Party. She is committed to ensuring that Geneva’s economy is developed in an environmentally sustainable way.

AEG offers a complete sustainability solution package designed to offset carbon emissions and provide operators with easy access to SAF. In turn, operators will receive both SAF credits and Carbon credits. The company sees this program as the gold standard in sustainability, making it easier for customers to manage their carbon footprint.

Fractional aircraft provider PlaneSense has partnered with VRpilot on a virtual reality (VR) cockpit procedure trainer for its nearly 300 pilots. The Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based company operates a fleet of 43 Pilatus PC-12 turboprop singles and 14 PC-24 twinjets.

With the VRpilot solution, PlaneSense can efficiently provide in-house cockpit familiarization instruction to new hires and upgrading captains. Dubbed VRflow, the platform will enable the Pilatus operator to add more dimension and functionality to flight crew instruction while also reducing the costs and complexity of training at different locations.

“PlaneSense is known for its rigorous pilot training. We have always been on the leading edge of technology in our aircraft and our training,” said v-p of flight operations Kevin Gordon. “Partnering with VRpilot and its innovative product makes perfect sense to improve fidelity and efficiency in our training program.”

According to the companies, studies show that VR-assisted learning has the potential to improve knowledge retention by up to 400 percent. PlaneSense will use off-the-shelf Pico 4 Enterprise VR headsets to run the VRflow platform.

PlaneSense does all PC-12 pilot training in-house but leases simulator time from FlightSafety International. The company does subcontract out the simulator-based portion for PC-24 pilot training to FlightSafety, a spokeswoman told AIN.

The present state of the turbine business aircraft resale market in Canada shows a “price normalization trend, with an uptick in inventory levels, increased days on the market, and price stabilization,” according to the newly-released 2023 State of the Market report from Ontario-based aircraft sales, service provider, and broker Levaero Aviation.

Preowned inventory levels in Canada for turboprops and jets increased by 45% and 140 percent, respectively, in 2023 from the previous year. “Though this signals a shift towards market equilibrium, we remind you that global inventory levels continue to remain below the five- and ten-year averages,” the report said. “The gradual increase in the number of days on the market for aircraft for sale is logical, as current owners reconcile their asking prices from 2021 and 2022 levels, and buyers wait for adjustments to reflect in aircraft valuations.”

While the overall Canadian fleet of turbine business aircraft saw a marginal decrease (13 aircraft), “the importance of business aviation in the country’s economic framework cannot be overstated.” According to the report, the number of aircraft registered globally has risen over the past three years, “signifying a continued increase in demand for business aircraft.”

The report notes that Canada’s turbine business aircraft industry is characterized by a significant turboprop population, which accounts for 59.6% of the total business aircraft registered, while jets make up 40.4%.

GE Aerospace late last week announced the launch of the GE Aerospace Foundation, an initiative the company said will focus on workforce development, disaster relief, and amplifying the efforts of GE Aerospace employees. 

“The responsibility to support and strengthen the communities where we live and work is one that GE Aerospace takes seriously,” said GE Aerospace chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. “The launch of the GE Aerospace Foundation will help transform local communities and develop a stronger workforce for the future by leveraging our unique expertise as a global leading aerospace company. We are proud to carry on a 100-year legacy of positive impact, and I look forward to seeing the GE Aerospace Foundation continue to make a difference for many years to come.”

The program will have $22 million in new programming, set to run through 2030, and will focus on several core areas: STEM education, workforce development, and humanitarian and disaster relief efforts. The foundation said it will also continue its “Matching Gifts” program to bolster personal philanthropic efforts by employees.

GE Aerospace was launched as an independent public company on April 2, 2024.

Monaco-based brokerage Opus Aero has appointed Zipporah Marmor as managing partner of its North American operations as part of its strategy to enhance its footprint across the U.S. and Canada. With a career spanning nearly a quarter-century in the business aviation sector, Marmor brings expertise to her new position, particularly in leadership, sales, and marketing.

Zipporah Marmor embarked on her aviation career in 2000 with Bombardier, where she transitioned from marketing to sales management. Her career trajectory includes significant roles such as v-p of sales at NewJet International in Monaco, where she was integral to representing Bombardier in Monaco, Italy, and Switzerland. Marmor's notable achievements continued at ACASS, where she initially served as the first sales director for aircraft sales and acquisitions. She ultimately became v-p of aircraft transactions, leading the global sales organization's development.

In her new position at Opus Aero, Marmor is charged with driving the expansion of Opus' business presence in North America. Her appointment is a strategic move by Opus Aero to capitalize on growing market opportunities in the continent.

Beyond her role at Opus, Marmor is also recognized as chair emeritus and an IADA-certified broker with the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA).

Tell us about the product support you receive from business aviation OEMs. The 2024 AIN Product Support Survey is now open, ready for selected readers to rate aircraft, engine, and avionics support. AIN readers who have been picked to participate in this year’s Product Support Survey should have received their password and link to the online survey by e-mail. The survey needs to be completed by midnight on June 3.