Garmin has added graphical notams overlay capability to its SmartCharts dynamic charting in the Garmin Pilot app. Graphical notams gives users a quick view on the airport diagram of active runway, taxiway, and ramp closures and conditional closures, as well as current field condition (FICON) codes on runway labels.

The SmartCharts dynamic charting is available for the Apple iOS version of Garmin Pilot with the premium subscription. SmartCharts coverage is available in the U.S. and Bahamas. Garmin Pilot previously introduced graphical depiction of notams on its dynamic chart in 2020.

Users can switch the SmartCharts graphical notams layer on or off. Color-coding shows the status of closures, for example, red for a closed runway, taxiway, or ramp, along with a yellow X at each end of a closed runway. A yellow runway or taxiway is conditionally closed, indicating that the pilot needs to review the applicable notam to see when the closure applies. A clock icon indicates that a runway closure is time-based.

If there is a FICON code in the runway label, it will be colorized based on the lowest number in the notam, Garmin explained, or the word “FICON” will be shown to indicate that there is a FICON notam with no code.

Garmin Pilot has also been updated with storm tops information, which depicts storm intensity.

A jury returned a verdict in the patent lawsuit filed by SmartSky Networks against Gogo on Friday, awarding SmartSky $22.7 million in damages for willful infringement of its patents. Gogo operates an air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity network in the continental U.S. and parts of Canada, and SmartSky launched a competing ATG network that failed to gain traction and shut down in August 2024. Last month, Apcela, which built the ATG ground network for SmartSky and acquired SmartSky assets, relaunched the service as Apcela ATG.

The 2022 lawsuit accused Gogo of infringing on patents surrounding beamforming handoff, unlicensed band beamforming handoff, horizon-oriented architecture, and harmonious spectrum reuse. At the time, SmartSky also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to halt Gogo from making, using, or selling its 5G service while the patent lawsuit made its way through the courts.

Gogo is about to launch its 5G service. In a statement about the jury verdict, Gogo said, “While we disagree with today’s verdict, it has no impact on our operations or the pending launch of our 5G service. As we work to resolve this matter fully, Gogo remains committed to delivering multi-orbit, multi-band in-flight connectivity technology and creating long-term value for our stakeholders.” Gogo plans to appeal.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told industry leaders at the Honeywell aviation leadership conclave last week in Washington, D.C., that the agency needs an ATC system based on iPad-like applications. New tools, including commercial off-the-shelf systems, will be used, Bedford said.

“We have to move from an analog National Airspace System to a digital NAS,” he said. "How data is delivered is less relevant than rearchitecting the ATC system."

Bedford added ATC systems such as Stars and advanced technologies and oceanic procedures are some of the most sophisticated and safe on the planet. But these systems are not connected, and only New York Tracon controllers can see the local traffic data. The aim is to create a common automation system with all the data in the cloud.

The agency will build a four-layer system with computers on the bottom, then an operating system layer, a data layer, and an application layer on top. “The application layer is where the magic will happen,” he said. This will take the FAA from a tactical to strategic approach to air traffic and may boost capacity 20 percent while unlocking a pace of innovation that has been beyond the FAA’s grasp. 

In a response to a question, Bedford said the new system is expected to serve business and general aviation better than the current one.

The pilot’s decision to take off with ice and snow contamination on the wings resulting in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain was the probable cause of the Nov, 26, 2023 fatal accident of a Daher TBM 700, according to the NTSB final report. The instrument-rated private pilot and his passenger, a commercial-rated pilot and flight instructor, were killed when the turboprop single crashed moments after taking off from Mason County Airport in Ludington, Michigan, on a planned Part 91 day IFR flight to Angola, Indiana.

Some 15 minutes after being rolled out from an unheated hangar, the pilot taxied to the runway for departure, “with visible snow accumulation on the ground and on the airplane wings, and horizontal stabilizer,” the report noted. Visibility was zero with moderate snow showers, and a temperature and dewpoint of -1 degrees C.

The airport manager, who watched the airplane take off, said the departure appeared to be normal until the left wing dropped shortly after rotation. Another witness said the airplane was loud and low, with its left wing low before it cleared a line of trees and hit the ground. In the bulk of the report, the NTSB discussed the risks of taking off with ice and/or snow on control surfaces.

For nearly 90 years, Elliott Aviation has combined exceptional customer service with a personal commitment to high-quality work, fair pricing, and honest communication, helping its customers maximize the flexibility, capabilities, and safety their private aircraft can deliver. 

The FAA has released a request for information (RFI) on a common automation platform (CAP) that will replace legacy equipment as it looks to modernize the U.S. air traffic control system. Issued on Thursday, the RFI follows a request for solutions (RFS) in August for a prime integrator to manage the agency’s ambitions for a “brand new” ATC system. Responses to the RFI are due December 19.

As for the CAP, the FAA is eyeing replacements for systems including En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) and Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (Stars) with a unified, modern platform, the agency said.

“The FAA is open to new ideas, new technologies, new procurement strategies, new implementation structures, and any other considerations that will enhance the common automation platform solution,” according to the agency. It is also open to an “enterprise re-architecture approach” that would extend and re-architect existing systems such as ERAM and Stars, as well as other platforms in use by other air navigation service providers.

“Responses that describe both approaches separately or hybrid solutions that combine elements of both approaches are acceptable,” the FAA said, explaining it “is seeking responses from vendors that can deliver the majority of the operational capability already provided today across its en route, and terminal domains.”

Aloft AeroArchitects has been awarded a second contract this year to complete a VVIP interior on a Boeing Business Jet Max 8. The project will be performed at Aloft’s Georgetown, Delaware facility, where the company will integrate and certify all onboard systems through its in-house FAA organization designation authorization (ODA).

The newly awarded aircraft, for an Asia-based customer who has previously owned and operated three BBJs, is scheduled to arrive in mid-2026. Aloft will first install its proprietary auxiliary fuel system in both forward and aft cargo compartments, extending the BBJ Max 8’s range by up to 50%.

“The award of this project…speaks to the value Aloft creates for customers,” said Matt Hill, the company’s v-p of sales. “The VVIP quality expectation is a minimum standard in the narrowbody airliner category, and we deliver at the highest level.”

This announcement comes on the heels of a contract Aloft announced in October for another BBJ Max 8 interior, also performed under the company's ODA. That project features custom connectivity, advanced systems integration, and a design certified directly through the company.

The Aero Asia 2025 show opens on Thursday at China’s Zhuhai International Airshow Center. The second staging of the biennial event has attracted 381 companies from 22 countries and regions, with exhibitors spanning business and general aviation, as well as advanced air mobility.

Exhibitors cover seven major categories: single- and twin-engine airplanes, eVTOL vehicles, light sport aircraft, civil drones and uncrewed aircraft systems, helicopters, kitplanes, and aircraft refueling equipment. The event is co-organized by Zhuhai Airshow Group and Messe Frankfurt (HK), which, through its Fairnamic joint venture with Messe Friedrichshafen, also runs the annual Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany, as well as sister shows in South Africa.

Themed “A New Era, Explore More,” this year’s show emphasizes collaboration between Chinese and German companies and is the only international general aviation fair approved by China’s Ministry of Commerce. Exhibitors include Chinese eVTOL makers such as Aerofugia, AutoFlight, and Germany-based Volocopter, the latter of which is now backed by the Chinese owners of Diamond Aircraft.

Major Western manufacturers displaying their wares include Bombardier, Bell Textron, and Pratt & Whitney Canada. State-backed aerospace and defense group Aviation Industries of China will have a strong presence, and the show is also backed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China.

Business aircraft maintenance program provider JSSI, in partnership with the International Aircraft Dealers Association’s (IADA) Foundation, has awarded its first JSSI Innovation Grant to Tyler Kleinsasser, a student at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

The $5,000 prize—presented last month at the IADA Fall Meeting in Las Vegas—is intended to recognize “outstanding innovation and entrepreneurship” among college students who are pursuing concepts that could improve the future of business aviation.

Kleinsasser was recognized for his concept of a performance analytics platform aimed at smaller aviation businesses such as charter operators, FBOs, and MROs. His work aims to address the need for accessible, aviation-specific business intelligence tools to enhance operational efficiency and data-based decision-making processes for businesses of all sizes.

“This opportunity allows me to take a concept that has been on paper and start turning it into something that can help real aviation businesses,” explained Kleinsasser. “My goal is to give smaller operators the same kind of performance and financial insights that larger companies already have access to.”

“We love Tyler’s fresh approach and focus on practical innovation that supports the business aviation community,” said JSSI chairman and CEO Neil Book. He noted that the grant was established to help facilitate innovation in the industry that will make a real difference for operators and, ultimately, the consumer.

AIN’s senior-level Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit (CALS) West, our 10th CALS event, is set for January 12 to 14 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the hot topics, strategies, and solutions in business aviation. The summit is attendee-centric, serving as an educational and professional networking platform that connects corporate aviation leaders with peers, industry experts, and solution providers in a relaxed and informal environment. We invite U.S.-based Directors of Aviation and flight department leaders to apply to attend this all-expenses-paid event as our guests. There are only 50 spots available, so apply today.