Textron Aviation is highlighting the Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 at its NBAA-BACE static display next week at Las Vegas Henderson Executive Airport (KHND). The light twinjet, certified last October and capable of flying up to 2,040 nm, is making its debut at the annual business aviation show and will be joined on the ramp by a midsize Citation Ascend and Latitude, as well as a super-midsize Longitude.

“At Textron Aviation, innovation starts with listening to our customers and finding new ways to improve every aspect of aircraft ownership, from the pilot experience in the cockpit to the support customers rely on throughout the life of the aircraft,” said company senior v-p of sales and marketing Lannie O’Bannion. “The CJ3 Gen2 reflects that commitment, with customer-driven enhancements that create value for pilots, passengers, and operators.”

NBAA-BACE attendees can visit the Textron Aviation booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall to see interactive displays showcasing the Wichita-based aircraft manufacturer’s aftermarket capabilities, such as connectivity and interior upgrades.

Meanwhile, sister company TRU Simulation will have an adjacent booth to showcase its Veris virtual reality flight training device, which is also debuting at the show. The Cessna Skyhawk-configured device pairs that immersive technology with a realistic cockpit environment, and the booth will host live demonstrations.

AOPA continues to champion objections to the revised landing fee proposal from the city of Mesa, Arizona, for general aviation aircraft at Falcon Field (KFFZ).

In March, the city council approved landing fees under which based aircraft weighing 6,000 pounds or less would pay $20.35 per landing after their first 10 landings each month, and transient aircraft of the same size would pay $24.35 per landing.

The FAA received at least four Part 13 complaints about the fees, which some claim are a thinly veiled attempt to curb flight training activity and its associated noise. The agency notified the city that the fees may be inconsistent with federal obligations.

As a result, the city issued a new fee proposal late last week, charging $4.14 per 1,000 pounds of maximum landing weight—or $10.35 per landing for an aircraft the weight of a Cessna 172. According to AOPA, the new structure also treats based and transient aircraft the same.

“We appreciate the city of Mesa recognizing that the original fee structure would not work and going back to the drawing board,” said AOPA general counsel Fernando Campoamor. “However, its new proposal does not address the concerns we previously raised and makes things worse by eliminating the exemption for based aircraft.”

Mesa City Council is scheduled to consider the revised landing fees on December 8.

The French private charter flight sector could almost disappear in the next two or three years if the country’s elevated per-passenger charges under the “solidarity tax” are maintained, according to EBAA France. The industry group is lobbying for relief from rates of up to €2,100 ($2,400) per passenger as the French government seeks to set its 2027 budget amid extreme political and financial pressure.

At a recent meeting at Paris Le Bourget Airport (LFPB) with Philippe Juvin, who oversees government finances for the French National Assembly, EBAA France officials believe they convinced him that applying the solidarity tax to charter operators is unfair and counterproductive. Passenger duties for private charter flights can be 30 to 50 times higher than those on scheduled airline flights.

In his recent parliamentary report, Juvin acknowledged the damage the elevated rates have done to charter operators since they took effect in March 2025. He also confirmed that foreign-registered charter aircraft have increased their market share at the expense of French operators, which EBAA France says is because tax officials focus on charging home-based companies.

“The tax is definitely killing French companies,” EBAA France president Charles Aguettant told AIN. “We are happy to have non-French companies [competing] but it is French companies that have employees in France.” Historically, France has accounted for one of the largest contingents of business aviation employees across Europe.

A year after unveiling plans to build an airline that fills a niche between commercial first class and private aviation with a fleet of Airbus A220s and A321neos, Orlando, Florida-based Magnifica Air has kicked off a series of recruitment drives as it takes the next steps toward launching operations. The company unveiled plans during the 2025 NBAA-BACE to create a “private class” operation combining commercial and private aviation services.

To start operations in 2027, Magnifica Air is acquiring four new A220-300s and two new ACJ321neos configured with 45 to 54 seats and two to four private suites. Magnifica Air unveiled its first ACJ321neo in livery in February, and that aircraft is now undergoing completion. The company says its first A220-300 is now in production.

Meanwhile, Magnifica Air is hiring for roles in flight and ground operations, technical and maintenance support, guest experience, and corporate functions, all based in Orlando. Magnifica Air is also building a network of pilots, flight attendants, technicians, and customer service professionals for future opportunities.

Its recruitment drives kicked off last month at the Military Influencer Conference Hiring Fair in Tampa, Florida, and continue at RTAG (originally called Rotary to Airline Group) in Orlando on Saturday and Sunday. Magnifica Air is also pushing hiring at its booth during NBAA-BACE next week in Las Vegas.

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The Blackhawk Group has received approval for two supplemental type certificates, one from the FAA for a Piper Meridian heated anti-ice system and another from EASA for a King Air 350/360 Hartzell five-blade composite propeller upgrade. The company also launched a mobile support service at its Avex Performance Center in Broomfield, Colorado.

Blackhawk’s heated anti-ice system gives the Meridian the same elevator-horn protection that Piper designed for the M600 and M700 single-engine turboprops. According to Blackhawk, this “prevents ice from bridging the gap between the elevator horn and the horizontal stabilizer, providing smooth and unrestricted flight control movement in all conditions.”

King Air 350 and 360 owners in Europe can now upgrade to the five-blade Hartzell carbon-fiber composite propeller on their aircraft equipped with Blackhawk’s XP67A Engine+ upgrade. Weighing about 10 pounds less per side than the standard four-blade aluminum propeller, Hartzell’s composite propeller has a smaller diameter and reduces cabin and exterior noise. It has accumulated more than 50,000 flight-test hours and has undergone lightning- and bird-strike tests. 

By adding mobile support at Broomfield, Blackhawk gives customers access to dedicated maintenance vehicles and teams to help with unscheduled maintenance and troubleshooting. The teams are equipped to conduct borescope inspections, light engine maintenance, fault isolation, avionics support, landing gear services, system servicing, and select propeller changes.

Florida-based autonomous systems specialist Ondas has received EASA certification for its Airborne Missile Protection System (AMPS) installed on a Bombardier Global 7500. Announcing the milestone on October 13, the company said it completed the installation on a Global 7500 for an undisclosed customer.

AMPS, which includes directional infrared countermeasures, can be adapted to a wide range of aircraft, and is employed on both civilian and military aircraft. Ondas said this latest approval adds another VVIP aircraft type to the growing list that its anti-missile technology protects.

Israel-based Bird Aerosystems, which Ondas acquired in March 2026, developed the AMPS suite. The acquisition marked Ondas’ entry into missile protection for crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The company said the system is designed to protect against man-portable air defense systems and other infrared-guided missile threats, integrating “advanced missile warning, threat detection and confirmation, tracking, and directional infrared countermeasure capabilities.”

At the time, Ondas noted that more than 700 aircraft of 40-plus types carried Bird systems, with operators such as the U.S. Army and NATO forces. According to Ondas CEO Eric Brock, the capability represents “a critical and growing defense requirement,” with the company seeing “significant opportunities to expand [its] presence in airborne protection.”

Fractional-share provider PlaneSense has selected Gogo’s Galileo low-Earth-orbit satcom system for its fleet of 71 Pilatus PC-12 turboprops and PC-24 jets.

“For more than 30 years, we have built the PlaneSense program around our clients’ needs, pairing a modern fleet with a thoughtful approach to technology and service,” said PlaneSense president and CEO George Antoniadis. “With Gogo Galileo, we are bringing reliable, high-performance bandwidth to our entire fleet. Our clients will be able to stay connected consistently from takeoff to landing, making their time on board more productive and enjoyable.”

Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based PlaneSense will equip its airplanes with Gogo’s compact, half-duplex (HDX) electronically steered antenna, which delivers download speeds up to 60 Mbps and upload speeds up to 11 Mbps on Eutelsat’s OneWeb satellite network. The first HDX-equipped PC-24 is set for delivery in late October, when retrofits of PlaneSense’s existing PC-24s will also begin. Pilatus will factory-install the system on all subsequent new PC-24s. PC-12 installations commence in November, and PlaneSense plans to complete installations across its entire fleet by the end of 2027.

“Our selection of Gogo Galileo builds on a relationship between PlaneSense and Gogo that dates back to the early 2000s,” Antoniadis said. “We have long appreciated Gogo’s product quality and customer service, and I’m certain that together, we will meet the high expectations of our customers.”

Beta Technologies wrapped up a five-day flight demonstration campaign in Utah last week, using its Alia CX300 electric airplane to show how advanced air mobility vehicles could deliver radiopharmaceuticals and other time-sensitive medical cargo across the state. The Vermont-based aircraft manufacturer conducted the flights with cargo airline Alpine Air Express of Provo, Utah, as part of the uFLY project under the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP).

Many radiopharmaceuticals contain radioactive isotopes that decay within hours. As an example, Beta pointed to fluorodeoxyglucose, a tracer substance widely used in cancer imaging, which loses half its radioactivity in about 110 minutes. Alpine Air carries such shipments over longer distances in conventional aircraft, and the two companies are evaluating whether electric airplanes could supplement those operations and reach additional communities.

“When you are dealing with radiopharmaceuticals, you are on the clock the second they are produced,” said Alpine Air CEO Michael Dancy. “This limits how many patients you can treat and how far away from the production location you can go.”

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the demonstration “provides data to help turn these concepts from trial to deployment.” According to Beta, the operations will generate data on flight times, dispatch reliability, turnaround and charging times, weather, aircraft performance, and cost to help identify routes where electric aircraft can deliver operational and economic value.

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