Daher has recently surpassed 500 deliveries of the TBM 900 series single turboprop. The milestone aircraft was handed over to a U.S. customer just ahead of NBAA-BACE 2023.

The TBM 900 was introduced in 2014, following the production of 324 TBM 700s and 338 TBM 850s. The first of these aircraft—the TBM 700 initially developed jointly by Socata (formerly Morane-Saulnier) and Mooney—made its initial flight on July 14, 1988. The more powerful TBM 850 first flew in 2005, shortly before Daher took a 70 percent stake in what had become Eads-Socata. It subsequently acquired the remaining 30 percent from Eads.

Notably, the TBM 900 ushered in winglets and a Hartzell five-blade scimitar propeller, among other improvements to the turboprop. The family evolved through the 930 (2016, a higher-end version with Garmin G3000 touchscreen cockpit), the 910 (2018, similar to the 900 with G1000 NXi avionics), and the 940 (2019, a derivative of the 930 with autothrottle and, from 2020, the Homesafe emergency autoland system).

Today the flagship is the TBM 960, which is powered by a PT6E-66XT turboprop with dual-channel digital electronic propeller and engine control. Following its unveiling in 2022, the TBM 960 has been a strong seller. Deliveries had reached 92 at the end of September, and more than 100 aircraft are on order. That equates to more than two years of production.

Business aviation’s biggest event of the year—NBAA-BACE—is a showcase for the latest aviation technology and innovation. But what made this week’s gathering in Las Vegas special was its unwavering focus on the people who make this industry move and thrive.

Attendees were exposed to a wealth of insights and wisdom on workforce-related matters ranging from fostering connections and building confidence to nurturing a positive culture and enhancing communications. Also in the spotlight were the critical issues of compensation and career-path development, mentoring, and networking. All of this reflects the industry's commitment to recognizing and rewarding talent.

As a recruiter and HR consultant, I was pleased to see just how much sessions touched on people and their professional growth. One key area of focus that was particularly relevant this year involved exploring workforce compensation and culture as key retention strategies. I was grateful to host a session on how to successfully hire low-time pilots and integrate them into the department to broaden and strengthen it.

Reports have surfaced in the last few days, including from Bloomberg, that air ambulance provider Air Methods is contemplating a structured Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The move would cede control of the company to creditors that are owed $1.25 billion. The loans, with floating interest rates, come due next April. Another $500 million on 8 percent interest bonds is due in 2025. Rating agency Moody’s is grading that debt as Caa3 in the highly speculative or “junk” category.

Investment data company Macroaxis recently gave Air Methods a “100 percent” chance of bankruptcy. AIN’s attempts to solicit comment from Air Methods prior to today’s deadline were not successful.

As early as 2017, financial analysts were warning that the company’s business model was not sustainable as it was becoming dependent on increasing transport price hikes charged to private payers/insurance companies in a saturated market. Those price hikes stemmed from Medicare/Medicaid transport reimbursements for patients covered by those programs that were substantially below costs.

That problem was exacerbated when Congress incorporated the “No Surprises Act” into the second Covid relief package. Critics charged that provisions of the legislation gave insurance companies outsized power in settling billing disputes, providing them wide latitude to delay, discount, and deny claims.

The consequences hit air ambulance providers such as Air Methods particularly hard, and the company, which operates more than 400 air ambulances nationwide, began closing bases last year.

Aviation groups have reiterated their call for an “orderly, nationally coordinated transition to unleaded avgas” in response to a new finding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirming that emissions from leaded avgas may endanger public health and welfare. In a joint statement on the EPA’s latest guidance issued on October 18, industry groups including NBAA and GAMA said they will continue to work with the agency toward eliminating lead from avgas.

“While the EPA finding is a key step in the process, the EPA is not given the authority to ban, regulate, or limit aviation fuel,” said the groups’ statement. “Instead, the EPA’s finding triggers further deliberate rulemaking by FAA as the nation’s aviation safety regulator to ensure the successful development and deployment of viable unleaded avgas alternatives, given the critical safety and other issues at stake.”

The coalition of industry groups also includes the American Association of Airport Executives, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, American Petroleum Institute, Experimental Aircraft Association, Helicopter Association International, International Council of Air Shows, National Air Transportation Association, and National Association of State Aviation Officials.

The joint response said that the groups are committed to removing lead from avgas no later than the end of 2030.

ForeFlight is adding new ocean plotting and fleet tracking capabilities to its suite of software solutions for business aviation, the Boeing-backed company announced this week at NBAA-BACE.

The tool—which is integrated with ForeFlight’s Dispatch flight planning software and Active Navlog products released in May—eliminates the need for paper charts and record-keeping. According to ForeFlight, it allows pilots to easily manage their position reports and gross navigational error checks, and navlogs are all automatically recorded in Dispatch.

On Wednesday, the company announced that Swiss full-service provider Jet Aviation has agreed to use ForeFlight’s Dispatch as the primary flight planning software platform for its global fleet of business jets.

David Best, senior v-p and general manager of Jet Aviation of the Americas, said ForeFlight Dispatch “allows us to provide increased visibility on flight data for both the planner and the pilot, automating many parts of the process and integrating into a crew app and the aircraft software to provide a seamless plan. Using one tool across our global network ensures that our teams are more easily able to collaborate to provide an effortless experience for our crews, wherever they fly with Jet Aviation.”

A recently published EASA Opinion of recommended actions to take on several proposed amendments has been submitted to the European Commission, which will decide whether to adopt the amendments as regulations. Among the proposals submitted to the EC is an amendment to increase the age limit for pilots flying single-pilot helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operations.

“Research results showed that extending the age limit for commercial air transportation pilots flying single-pilot operations from 60 years to the pilot’s 65th birthday would be possible subject to mitigating measures,” the European air safety agency said in the Opinion document.

Furthermore, the proposed age-limit alleviation would not be restricted to HEMS flights but would be extended to other activities performed by the respective pilot with the HEMS aircraft, such as ferry flights, and other operations that no longer qualify as HEMS but qualify as an air ambulance “to limit the operational disruptions caused by the need to change the pilot.”

Another set of amendments aim to clarify the regulations for operating single-pilot airplanes in otherwise multi-pilot operations, “particularly, to no longer require license endorsements related to the form of operation, and to leave the administration of single-pilot and multi-pilot privileges to the operator for which a pilot is flying.”

Avcenter Pocatello, the lone FBO at Idaho’s Pocatello Regional Airport (KPIH), has opened a 30,000-sq-ft heated hangar capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range business jets.

Built over a year and a half at a cost of more than $3 million, the hangar brings the location's aircraft storage space to more than 70,000 sq ft. In operation since 1979, the FBO offers a recently remodeled 4,000-sq-ft terminal, aircraft maintenance, charter, and rentals. As an Avfuel dealer, it provides its hangar customers with exclusive contract fuel discounts.

KPIH is between tourist destinations Jackson Hole Airport (KJAC) and Friedman Memorial Airport (KSUN), with aircraft repositioning to either within 20 minutes. It has a 9,000-foot runway with full ILS capabilities.

”This new hangar underscores our dedication to delivering top-tier services to our valued customers while serving as an economic engine for southeast Idaho,” said Melvin Wagoner, the FBO’s owner and director of operations. “We understand the distinct needs of business aviators; our expanded facility is a testament to our commitment to not only meet, but also exceed those needs.”

Magellan Jets has acquired Stellar Labs' AI-powered software platform in a move to streamline the private jet card and charter flight quoting process, as well as improve trip planning.

“This collaboration positions us to exceed and elevate the expectations of our private aviation guests, ushering in an era of unprecedented efficiency and profitability,” Magellan Jets co-founder and CEO Joshua Hebert explained. “Acquiring Stellar’s platform strategically positions us to leverage advanced technologies and ensure our competitiveness and continued growth for years to come.”

Founded in 2014, Stellar Labs has built a demand aggregation technology platform that benefits operators and brokers alike. Stellar’s pricing engine allows for the application of algorithms to improve profitability while saving time.

“Joining the Magellan Jets family will greatly expand Stellar’s existing user base of leading operators and deliver unprecedented benefits to hundreds of private aviation operators across the industry by allowing them to more efficiently distribute access to their fleet of aircraft," said Brian Flynn, a board member of Stellar.

Magellan plans to operate the company as an independent provider of services to its preferred network of aviation partners while using its AI technology to power the upcoming relaunch of its mobile app and website. The robust backend capabilities will also deliver consistent monitoring of alternate flight options, ensuring a seamless journey even amidst unforeseen interruptions, concluded Magellan.