Three business turbofan engine manufacturers saw their overall average rating rise in the annual AIN Product Support Survey for engines, according to the results published today. Notably, GE Aerospace topped the chart with a 9.1 overall rating, up the most—by 0.4—from last year.

Rolls-Royce’s 8.6 rating remained unchanged from a year ago, putting the engine OEM in second place. Meanwhile, Williams International, with an overall rating of 8.5, climbed by 0.1 and came in third. Pratt & Whitney Canada's overall score slipped by 0.1, to 8.3, while Honeywell saw the second-largest gain of 0.3 to achieve a 7.9 overall rating.

In the turboprop category, Honeywell topped the chart with a 9.1 overall average, followed by Pratt & Whitney Canada, which climbed 0.3 points to land at an overall 8.9 rating.

But Pratt & Whitney Canada’s overall average dropped to 8.6 from 9.1 for turboshaft engines. Rolls-Royce and Safran weren’t included in this segment because they received insufficient ratings.

Flexjet is launching a tour with eight stops in six states in the U.S. to showcase its Embraer Praetor 600. The tour comes as the fractional ownership provider expands its midsize/super-midsize fleet.

In the midsize and super-midsize space, Flexjet offers shares in both the Praetor 500 and 600, in addition to the Bombardier Challenger 350/3500. By year-end, the fractional provider expects to have 177 aircraft in the mid/super-mid category as part of a total fleet size that tops 300.

Kicking off in St. Louis, the tour headed to Chicago and Washington, D.C. From October 8 through 17, the 4,018-nm, 466-knot aircraft will travel to both coasts, swinging through San Francisco, San Jose, Van Nuys, and Los Angeles in California before heading to White Plains, New York, and Teterboro, New Jersey.

While on tour, Flexjet is highlighting the nine-passenger aircraft’s features such as anti-turbulence technology, fly-by-wire controls, and baggage capacity of up to 16 pieces of luggage that is accessible in flight. Other features Flexjet is promoting are the LXi Cabin Collection of interiors, noise suppression, and entertainment systems.

"When we added this super-midsize jet to our ultra-modern fleet, we knew we were providing our aircraft owners with a unique opportunity to level up their travel experience in this category," said Flexjet executive v-p of sales D.J. Hanlon.

Early next year, Life Flight Network will relocate its fixed-wing fleet to Renton, Washington, from Port Angeles. “The move is intended to increase availability for the communities they serve, enhance patient care, and optimize operational efficiencies,” according to the aeromedical operator, which is owned by “a consortium of Legacy Health, Oregon Health and Science University, Providence Health and Services, and Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.”

Life Flight will continue providing helicopter services at Port Angeles. At Renton Municipal Airport, Life Flight is building new offices where it will relocate pilots, mechanics, and clinicians, although it plans to hire additional personnel in Renton.

“Life Flight Network's top priority is providing the highest quality care to the patients we exist to serve,” said COO Michael Weimer. “Relocating our fixed-wing plane from Port Angeles to Renton allows us to streamline our operations, reducing response times and enhancing our ability to reach more people in need of critical care. This move strengthens our commitment to delivering timely, lifesaving services across the region, ensuring that our communities continue to receive critical emergency medical care when they need it most.”

Less than 10% of fixed-wing transports originated from Port Angeles, according to Life Flight, and most of these patients go to Seattle-area hospitals. “Stationing the aircraft in Renton will decrease response times and time to definitive care for those in need.”

German eVTOL aircraft developer Lilium is laying the foundation for an air taxi network in Texas through a new partnership with Galaxy FBO, which will ensure that its three Houston-area facilities have the infrastructure necessary to support operations of the all-electric Lilium Jet. Galaxy has locations at William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU), Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport (KCXO), and The Woodlands Heliport.

To celebrate the infrastructure deal and introduce the Lilium Jet to the local community, Lilium showcased the aircraft at KHOU last week in partnership with Galaxy and EMC Jet, a Houston-based charter group that has agreed to be Lilium’s exclusive private sales dealer in Texas.

“As the future of electric aviation takes flight, this marks a significant step in making Houston a leader in sustainable and efficient transportation solutions,” said Jeremy Gee, CEO of Galaxy FBO. “Our team is proud to support Lilium's revolutionary mode of travel that will connect Greater Houston in ways never thought possible.”

EMC Jet last year committed to purchasing five of the four-passenger Pioneer Edition Lilium Jets, which it plans to operate on behalf of private owners under its Part 91 certificate. The charter company will be among the first customers to receive their Lilium Jets when deliveries begin in 2026, pending type certification from the FAA and EASA.

This newly refurbished Gulfstream is a showpiece that emulates the creativity and craftsmanship of Duncan Aviation. Inspired by a yacht, some of the details include green two-tone leather seats, porthole window surrounds, vinyl-wrapped sidewalls, luxury vinyl tile flooring, and hydrodipped countertops and drinkrails.

In its 2024 Half Year Heli Market Trends Twin-Engine report, Aero Asset noted a 30% year-over-year decrease in retail sales volume of preowned twin-engine helicopters in the first six months and a 26% increase in supply for sale. Aero Asset v-p of market research Valerie Pereira added that the absorption rate at current trade levels is up to 18 months of supply.

Nevertheless, prices are at a five-year peak, with average transaction prices up 21% for light helicopters and 14% for medium twins year over year (YOY). Europe saw preowned retail transactions climb 5% YOY, the only region with a positive trend. Sales volume in Asia-Pacific dropped 73%.

Medium-twin-engine helicopters saw the largest decline in retail sales, down 46% YOY, with heavies down 25% and light twins off 14%. But medium and heavy twins also saw supply for sale reach their lowest point in five years, according to Aero Asset.

Best performances saleswise in 2024’s first half were the Airbus EC/H145 and EC/H135 and Leonardo AW139. “The slowest performing preowned twin markets were the Airbus EC/H155 and Sikorsky S-76D markets, with absorption rates over three years.”

Jet Aviation’s completions center in Basel, Switzerland, has delivered a pair of identical, newly completed Boeing Business Jet Max 8s to an undisclosed customer. The company announced today that the interior work on both aircraft was finished in less than 10 months, which is the shortest downtime Jet Aviation's team has ever achieved with two VIP aircraft.

“Less than 10 months from arrival to certification and redelivery is an incredible achievement, especially for two cabins of this complexity,” said Christoph Fondalinski, Jet Aviation’s v-p of completions. “Our in-house team worked hand-in-hand with the customer to understand their specialized requirements and craft interiors that met these through a combination of state-of-the-art engineering and innovative production techniques. The result was our shortest downtime for two simultaneous aircraft to date and is further testament to our ongoing pursuit of industry-leading efficiency, service, and quality.”

The company handles completion projects for a mix of narrowbody and widebody aircraft at the Basel facility. As part of the General Dynamics group and sister company to business jet manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace, Jet Aviation is also active in aircraft management and charter, sales, maintenance, repair and overhaul, FBO operations, and the provision of skilled aviation staff.

Bombardier’s Safety Standdown is returning on November 12 to 14 with a theme of "Elevate Your Influence," which the airframer said represents “a call to action to help inspire and influence better practices around you in aviation.”

The annual event is held in person at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Wichita, but as in past years many of the general sessions will be live-streamed for those who cannot attend in person. Typically filling to capacity, the Safety Standdown attracts more than 400 in-person attendees and 1,000 online. Now in its 28th edition, the free event has brought critical safety information to more than 10,000 over the years.

As for this year, the event will kick off with favored speaker Convergent Performance founding partner and CEO Tony Kern, who has chosen to title his presentation, “Somebody Call SportsCenter!” to relay lessons from exceptional acts of readiness from the sports world. NTSB board member Michael Graham will follow to discuss the “Impacts of Influence” and how that shapes behavior and plays in outcomes.

In addition to the numerous workshops, other general session speakers include Leonard Beauchemin of AeroTechna Solutions, Amanda Ferraro of Aviation Safety Solutions, Timothy Wade of Flexjet, James Norman of the University of North Dakota, Jennifer Pickerel of Aviation Personnel International, Timothy Schoenauer of CAE, and Ivan Pupulidy of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Lou Pepper, the former decades-long CEO of Atlantic Aviation, will be awarded with NATA's highest honor, the William “Bill” Ong Memorial Award, at the association's Aviation Business Conference next month in Nashville. Under his leadership, Atlantic grew from just five locations in 1999 to more than 100 today, making it one of the world’s largest aviation service provider chains and helping redefine the concept of a service-first FBO.

Pepper’s career spanned nearly a half-century, starting as a line manager at Teterboro Aircraft Services, where his duties included hiring and training line service technicians. He rose to the position of general manager before moving on to Texas as v-p for Jet East at Dallas Love Field.

He later bought the Million Air franchise location at Addison Airport before leading the acquisition of Atlantic Aviation in 2000. Pepper—who still serves as a member of Atlantic's board of directors—remained as CEO of the company until 2023, introducing a first-class customer service culture along with advanced safety standards, investments in mission-critical infrastructure, and support for pilots and airports through technology advancements.

Named in honor of NATA’s co-founder and first president, the Ong Award is presented for extraordinary achievement and meritorious service to the general aviation industry.