This past weekend’s Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix provided a big win for private aviation, with thousands of spectators watching from stands along the city’s famed Strip as European driver Max Verstappen took home the trophy on Sunday.

A prior-permission-required (PPR) system was placed in effect for aircraft arrivals in the days leading up to the event, and Heidi Hayes, a spokeswoman from the Clark County Department of Aviation, told AIN it received more than 1,200 PPR requests across its general aviation operations. That aligns with the 1,211 business aircraft arrivals tracked into the city’s three main airports in the four days ahead of the race by FlightAware.

FBOs at the city’s three airports—including Signature Aviation and Atlantic Aviation at Harry Reid International (KLAS), Henderson Executive (KHND), and North Las Vegas (KVGT), the latter two operated by Clark County—imposed special-event surcharges, mainly on larger aircraft. All three airports claimed to have filled their available aircraft parking space by last Wednesday, forcing latecomers to perform drop-and-goes.

According to industry data provider Argus International, the three airports saw a “visible increase” in arriving private aircraft starting on Wednesday, with a peak of more than 400 arrivals between them on Thursday.

“This event gave us a good indication of what demand might be when Las Vegas hosts its first Super Bowl in February,” said Hayes.

Ukraine-related sanctions have triggered the UAE’s equity exit from Russia’s VRT500 single-engine, coaxial helicopter program. The UAE had taken a 50 percent stake in the program—an estimated $400 million investment—via the Abu Dhabi-based Strategic Development Fund (SDF) and Singapore-based Aeroter. SDF is the investment arm of the UAE government’s Tawazun Economic Council.

SDF is in negotiations to develop the helicopter independently in the UAE along with a companion product, the coaxial rotor VRT300 unscrewed aerial vehicle. Establishing a final assembly line for the VRT500 in the UAE was contemplated when SDF made its original investment, part of a deal for Tawazun to eventually purchase 100 of the aircraft—a deal valued at $248 million in 2021. Tawazun is the UAE defense and security acquisitions authority for the UAE Armed Forces and Abu Dhabi Police.

Rostec’s Russian Helicopters had hoped to market the VRT500 worldwide. As part of a strategy to ease Western certification, its VR division acquired Italy-based Vertex Aero from the Mecaer Aviation Group in 2020. Vertex holds EASA design organization approval, and plans had called for the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207V-powered aircraft to be initially manufactured in Italy.

Flexjet and Purdue University’s Center for Research and Education in Advanced Technology Ecosystems (Create) are developing AeroSphere for Business Aviation, an ecosystem where learning, working, and innovation converge. The goal of AeroSphere is to create an environment for students and aviation professionals to learn from the real-world experiences and challenges faced by global aviation companies such as Flexjet.

“There are three distinguishing features of AeroSphere,” said Manoj Patankar, director of Create. “It is built on the new Part 147 requirements, it matches the best of on-the-job training and online learning, and it is competency-based.”

AeroSphere Purdue is assisting Flexjet in redesigning the company’s professional development and educational programs for its apprenticeship program, as well as advanced continuing education for its licensed maintenance technicians. Flexjet’s apprentice program takes candidates who have been vetted for aptitude and company culture from zero experience to licensed A&P aviation technicians in just over two years.

Apprentices earn full-time wages while training and graduate with a job offer from Flexjet. The company employs more than 1,300 workers in its global maintenance and product support division.

Kevin Dillon, a Purdue alumni and a senior Flexjet executive overseeing global maintenance facilities, said, “We wanted to align the best academic university in the world for aviation and aerospace technology with the best global business jet operator and create a new approach to professional development.”

Aircrew staffing company CrewBlast has announced its software as a service (SaaS) business model, which it describes as a "transformative development" in aviation crew management. With this move, the company aims to improve how operators manage and communicate with their internal contractor databases by streamlining the crew-placement process.

CrewBlast's SaaS model allows aircraft operators to integrate their internal contractor databases directly into the platform. According to the company, this facilitates instant communication, enabling operators to send immediate job notifications to available flight crewmembers. As a result, the response time for contract crew placement is greatly reduced, it noted.

Features of the company's SaaS platform include an intuitive interface that simplifies the management of internal contractor databases, instantaneous notifications, and enhanced productivity for logistics teams. The flexible subscription model of the service, with monthly fees based on the operator's size, ensures accessibility for businesses of all sizes.

While operators can use their internal databases for crew management, they also maintain access to CrewBlast’s extensive global database of pilots and flight attendants, offering a comprehensive solution for all crew placement needs.

Timothy Griffin, founder and CEO of CrewBlast, commented, “Our new SAAS business model empowers operators to take control of their crew placement process, significantly reducing placement times and enhancing overall productivity.”

Lithuania-based charter flight provider KlasJet has obtained a Canadian foreign air operator certificate, allowing it to offer aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) services in Canada. The company is part of the Avia Solutions Group, which operates 192 aircraft under ACMI contracts in 68 countries, as well as providing services including MRO work, flight crew training, and ground handling.

The KlasJet fleet consists of 14 Boeing narrowbody aircraft. These include five “Classic” 737 airliners, a Boeing Business Jet with seating capacities ranging from 23 to 68 seats, and eight 737-800s that can carry up to 189 passengers.

According to Justinas Bulka, CEO of KlasJet, ACMI services help airlines and other operators respond to fluctuating demand for flights in a more cost-effective way while managing risk. “One of our main long-term strategic goals at KlasJet is to cater to a variety of regions worldwide,” he said. “Being able to provide services in Canada will make us even more attractive to possible future partners.”

A refurbished S300CBi is the first helicopter that Schweizer has completed in its OEM Certified Helicopters Program. The program offers two options: OEM Certified Refreshed or Refurbished. 

Schweizer installed a new engine, blades, interior, and low-time components in the S300CBi and then repainted it. Maintenance requirements are brought up to date via 400-hour and 800-hour, annual, and 24-month inspections. Schweizer provides a one-year/1,000-hour warranty on parts replaced or repaired by the company. Buyers can select various avionics options.

According to Schweizer, this program is the “only one of its kind in the [helicopter] industry.” The Fort Worth-based company will accept any Schweizer helicopter “regardless of their airworthiness, for intensive inspections, repairs, and component replacement.”

Owners that want a new helicopter can trade in their older Schweizer and receive a discount equal to its value towards a new one, or Schweizer will sell the helicopter after running it through the program and give the owners a percentage of the sale price.

Helicopters traded in to Schweizer will be either refreshed or refurbished, depending on their condition. A helicopter that qualifies for refreshment will have low time and need fewer repairs and parts replacements. In addition to conducting the aforementioned inspections, Schweizer replaces parts and components that are near life limits.

Central Flying Service is launching a flight training partnership with the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). Starting in the spring of 2024, the Little Rock-based business aviation services group will run the new UCA Aviation Academy at Conway Regional Airport in Arkansas, providing training for commercial and private pilots covering multiple ratings and certificates.

Most of the pilots training at the academy will be UCA students pursuing careers in aviation or wanting flight training in conjunction with other degrees. The UCA Aviation Academy will operate as an FAA-certified Part 141 flight school, with a focus on boosting the supply of commercial pilots in response to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ projection of around 16,800 openings annually over the next decade.

Ground school will start at the Conway facility in March, with flight training to follow using new Tecnam aircraft with glass cockpits. UCA offers 80 undergraduate programs, 57 graduate programs, and six doctoral degrees.

Central Flying School has provided flight training for around 80 years and is already a Part 141 and Part 61 flight training facility, with more than 475,000 training hours flown. The company also offers private aircraft management and charter services, maintenance and refurbishment, and brokerage.