Leonardo Expands Sesto Calende Flight Sim Production, CAN Opening Auction Gears Up for Fund an Angel, CASA Weighs Comments... ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ | October 13, 2026 Tuesday Leonardo Expands Sesto Calende Flight Sim Production Leonardo Helicopters has opened a building dedicated to flight simulator production at its training academy in Sesto Calende in northern Italy. According to the company, this facility augments the simulator design and manufacturing activity already at the site and “further establishes Sesto Calende as a development and production hub for simulation systems across the company’s rotary-wing business.” Leonardo said the new 6,000-sq-m (64,600-sq-ft) facility will bring together simulator design and production specialists currently working elsewhere around the site, including engineers, software developers, assembly technicians, pilots, and program managers. The first simulators to be manufactured in the building are destined to serve operators in Italy and Asia. Meanwhile, the company continues to expand capabilities for simulator development, including in collaboration with specialist companies such as training provider CAE. Leonardo’s academy at the site trains pilots, crews, operators, ground staff, and maintenance personnel. CAN Opening Auction Gears Up for Fund an Angel With cancer patient demand climbing this year for Corporate Angel Network’s coordination of free flights on business jets to and from treatment centers, the nonprofit is looking forward to its Fund an Angel fundraiser next week at NBAA-BACE 2026. The annual event is the group’s main source of funding. Fund an Angel is also a way for CAN to thank its supporters, flight lift partners, and corporate sponsors, and raise awareness for its mission, said Courtney Easton, v-p of strategy, programs, and outreach. The event is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, at the Waterbleau Terrace at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Bringing together nearly 500 business aviation professionals each year during NBAA-BACE, the gathering raises about half the organization’s operating costs, or around $500,000. CAN, founded in 1981, arranges free transportation for cancer patients in empty seats on business jets. A key part of the fundraiser is the annual auction, which had 64 items when it opened online for bidding this year, up from 50 the year before. Bidding will continue throughout the event. The auction features everything from watches and vacations to a piece of Amelia Earhart’s beloved Lockheed Vega 5B. During the evening, CAN will also honor 8-year-old Hank Anthenien with the Jenna Vial Fearless Fighter Award. Anthenien was diagnosed in 2023 with a rare form of neuroblastoma. After undergoing various treatments, including a multiyear trial vaccine, he is now attending school medication-free. Read more CASA Weighs Comments on Annual Registration Proposal Industry feedback does not oppose Australia’s proposal to introduce a digital annual registration requirement for all VH-registered aircraft starting in July 2027. The country’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) received 718 comments on its proposal to update and modernize aircraft registration, published in July, from a range of stakeholders: aircraft owners, operators, pilots, engineers, aviation organizations, and others in the aviation community. “No recurring theme emerged that would make the scheme unworkable or prevent implementation,” concluded CASA. “Respondents identified a range of considerations relating to affordability, administration, and implementation, while feedback largely focused on how the scheme should be designed and implemented rather than opposition to the concept itself,” said the authority. “We are considering the feedback as policy development progresses. Your feedback will help inform decisions about the final design of the annual VH aircraft registration scheme and how it should be implemented.” The agency now has a one-off registration that remains valid indefinitely, supported by periodic updates. “In practice, this approach has proven inefficient and unreliable,” said CASA. Under the proposal, an annual fee will start on July 1, 2028. Three options were proposed for structuring the annual registration cost: a A$72 (US$50) flat-rate levy applied to all VH-registered aircraft; between A$50 and A$250 per aircraft under a mtow-based levy; and between A$40 and A$500 per aircraft using weight and category. Airbus Expands Opportunities for Indigenous Canadians Airbus Helicopters in Canada is supporting the development of advanced aerospace training opportunities for indigenous Canadian students. Conducted through a partnership with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), a donation of equipment will further support communities in the western Canadian province, as well as an aircraft maintenance engineer program. Specifically, donated equipment will initially support technician training via Canada’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program. Components include H135 flight control, fuel system, main gearbox, and tail unit training equipment, as well as a portable Helionix advanced tool simulator. Around 90% of SIIT’s alumni are indigenous. Noting that SIIT is Canada’s largest credit-granting indigenous post-secondary institution—as well as Saskatchewan’s exclusive provider of aircraft maintenance engineer training—Airbus said it was proud to help create “more pathways into Canada’s aerospace industry.” SIIT was founded in 1976 and states that its purpose is to provide adult learners with “academic, vocational, and technical training, as well as services and support for employment and career growth.” Coinciding with the institution’s 50th anniversary, SIIT’s Saskatchewan Aviation Learning Centre also opened expanded facilities earlier this year. Under a contract announced in 2024 as part of the FAcT program, Airbus will provide 19 H135 helicopters for Royal Canadian Air Force training; the first unit was delivered in June. Read more Sponsor Content: Duncan Aviation A Passion for Aviation. The Heart of a Family. Thousands of individual squares. Hundreds of contributors. One remarkable 70-year story. Duncan Aviation’s collaborative art project brings customers, team members, partners, families, and communities together to honor the people and values that shaped the company. Discover the stories behind the portraits—and the legacy they represent. Read more CrewSafety Repurposes Challenger 605 as Training Aid Australian aviation emergency procedures training provider CrewSafety is transforming a scrapped Bombardier Challenger 605 fuselage into a specialist evacuation trainer. The company said this will let crews practice scenarios “inside a genuine business jet cabin,” which will retain many of its original elements. According to CrewSafety, its upcoming business jet Cabin Emergency Evacuation Trainer is the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, offering crews unmatched realism. “In an emergency, crews need to make decisions and act quickly in the environment they know. That is why we wanted to start with a real aircraft,” said CrewSafety Australia CEO Joseph Marks. While the airframe’s original structure and much of its interior remain untouched, UAE-based Spatial Composite Solutions will integrate a new door, replacement electrical systems, and visual systems. When the transformation is complete, CrewSafety said these will “enable a range of realistic, scenario-based exercises” for trainees. Spatial Composite Solutions, a specialist manufacturer of cabin crew training simulators, said the project was “particularly interesting” because of the “bespoke engineering” involved. The company noted that it is “exceedingly rare” to be offered an airframe in such a complete condition, adding that “the challenge has been integrating the functionality CrewSafety needs while retaining the authenticity.” Amstat Preowned Data Shows Aircraft Size Fluctuations Amstat has identified significant variations in market conditions based on its latest assessment of preowned aircraft values at the end of the third quarter. In its latest market update, released on Monday, it noted tighter supply and rising prices for heavy- and super-midsize business jets, but “softer transaction activity” for other categories, including midsize and light jets, as well as turboprops. According to Amstat, available heavy-jet inventory appears to have plateaued after availability contracted in the first half. As of September 30, it calculated that 5.1% of this fleet is on the market, compared with a 10-year average rate of 7%. Options for buyers in this market segment were even more limited for newer models. Amstat said overall transaction activity has remained robust. “Through the end of the third quarter, year-to-date transactions were 7.3% higher than the same period in 2025,” the New Jersey-based group reported. “Tight supply and strong demand continue to put upward pressure on values: the median value of preowned heavy jets is up 14% year to date.” By contrast, Amstat said super-midsize inventory is 11.4% higher year to date than in 2025. With transaction activity in this segment remaining strong at 11.7% above the same period last year, median values recently leveled off and are now only 2% higher. Read more GPMS Signs Wisk Air for Bell 412 and 407 GXi HUMS Wisk Air Helicopters is equipping its Bell 412 and 407GXi helicopters with GPMS International’s Foresight MX health and usage monitoring system (HUMS). Wisk Air, based in Thunder Bay, Canada, provides helicopter utility services for firefighting, power line, forestry, mining, and remote-access missions. By combining micro-electromechanical systems sensors with Foresight MX’s predictive analytics, the system delivers more useful information than conventional accelerometer-based legacy HUMS, according to GPMS. “The system monitors sensor health and provides access to the underlying vibration signals so indications can be investigated and validated,” the company said. This improves fault detection and reduces false-positive indications “and the unnecessary troubleshooting they can trigger.” Wisk Air’s maintenance team receives automatic data uploads and can review aircraft health information via the web. Bell’s product support organization supports Foresight MX, and operators can share data with Bell to help review trends and exceedances and to support maintenance decisions, according to GPMS. “We’ve relied on Bell’s product support for decades, and its support of GPMS was a major factor in our decision,” said Wisk Air president Mark Wiskemann. “Foresight MX gives us advanced monitoring and a way to connect our team, GPMS, and Bell around the same information. That combination matters when an aircraft is supporting customers far from base, and we need a clear path from an alert to an informed maintenance decision.” AeronautX Launches Bizjet Pilot Sim Training Center AeronautX is preparing to open a new business aviation pilot academy in the first quarter of 2027, the Wels, Austria-based flight-training provider announced on Tuesday. The facility near Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (EHAM) in the Netherlands will start by providing training for Bombardier’s Challenger 300- and 600-series jets, with the first pilots expected to come from launch customer VistaJet. Part of the AX Aero group, AeronautX has promised a more personalized approach to training than established providers. The purpose-built Amsterdam center will provide training for initial type ratings, recurrent training, and instructor qualification for type ratings. Describing the business aircraft simulator training industry as “a complacent duopoly,” AX Aero Group v-p for North America Brad Nolen alleged that these training providers do not employ instructors with relevant current operational experience. AeronautX intends to give its instructors leave to maintain operational experience, in some cases flying with customers to learn their standard operating procedures. Nolen said in a media briefing that there is room in the market for a new entrant, given that around 700 business aircraft join the global fleet each year. He said the training capacity shortfall is worsening as pilots are retiring at a rapid rate, and the wider air transport sector faces a future need for 30,000 more flight crew. Read more Tecnam P2012 Traveller Gets a VIP Interior AIN explores how the Tecnam P2012 Traveller balances boosted passenger comfort with versatility and value. Watch video PEOPLE IN AVIATION Lija Wierieszczinskaja was named commercial head at DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCAF), which provides aircraft management, charter, maintenance, and VIP handling services in the Middle East. She has held senior leadership roles in private aviation, working with aircraft owners and high-net-worth clients, and her background also includes luxury services and business development. West Star Aviation promoted Connor Mottice to regional sales manager for the Ohio Valley, covering Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and eastern Canada. Mottice, a licensed A&P technician, joined the company in 2015 as a structures technician in Columbia, South Carolina, and later worked as a Bombardier team lead, quality control inspector, and technical sales manager. Most recently, he was manager of technical sales in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He succeeds Dave Godo, who has served customers in the region for more than 15 years and will stay with West Star as a brand ambassador. Joe Tulowitzki, a turbine engine service sales rep at Duncan Aviation, received the FAA’s Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award in recognition of his 51-year aviation career. Tulowitzki enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1975 and served as a jet engine mechanic in California and England. He later worked for Garrett Aviation, MCI Flight Operations, MidCoast Aviation’s Premier Turbines division, and Dallas Airmotive before joining Duncan in 2012. Carol Giles will receive NATA’s 2026 Distinguished Public Service Award on November 10 at the association’s Aviation Business Conference in Denver, in recognition of more than 40 years of work in aviation safety, maintenance, and regulatory policy. She started out as a U.S. Army helicopter mechanic and later flew as a flight engineer on the CH-54 Skycrane with the Alaska Army National Guard. During 21 years at the FAA, Giles rose to senior leadership at Flight Standards, including heading the Aircraft Maintenance Division and serving as assistant deputy director of Flight Standards. She founded consultancy The Giles Group in 2011 after retiring from the agency and is also NATA’s senior advisor of regulatory affairs for maintenance. Michael Graham, who concluded his term as NTSB vice chairman on October 2, has joined transportation-safety firms Safety Operating Systems (SOS) and Aviation Safety Compliance (ASC). He joins SOS founder and CEO Capt. John Cox and ASC president and co-founder Capt. Jim Hosey. A Safety Board member since January 2020, Graham was the board member on scene for major aviation, rail, and marine investigations and advanced safety management systems, connected-vehicle technology, and measures to reduce distracted driving. Before joining the NTSB, he spent more than two decades at Textron Aviation, most recently as director of flight operations safety, security, and standardization. Luxaviation ONE, the charter brokerage division of Luxaviation Group, named Markus Schmidt v-p of cargo, leading its air cargo team and expanding its cargo charter and air freight business. Schmidt brings more than 20 years of international air cargo experience, most recently as v-p of cargo commercial operations for Europe at Chapman Freeborn Airchartering, and has held senior positions at Etihad Airways, Celebi Aviation Holding, and Asiana Airlines. AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). We reserve the right to edit correspondence for length, clarity, and grammar. Send feedback or news tips to AINalerts editor Chad Trautvetter. View email in browser. Advertise Manage subscription preferences Add as a preferred source AINalerts is a publication of AIN Media Group, 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. | | --- |