As it issues a call for participation, Textron Aviation is putting more pieces into place for its 2026 Special Olympics Airlift, receiving support and an endorsement from NBAA, as well as naming Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning as the event’s honorary chair.

To be held on June 19 and June 27 in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, the 2026 airlift will be the ninth for Textron Aviation. Hundreds of Cessna, Hawker, and Beechcraft owners and operators donate their time and aircraft to fly athletes into the Special Olympics and then return them home after the games.

During the airlift, the aircraft—dubbed “doves”—are anticipated to touch down or depart from St. Paul Downtown Airport/Holman Field (KSTP) every three minutes throughout a 10-hour period. The culmination is the world’s largest peacetime airlift, Textron Aviation said.

Since 1987, Cessna, Hawker, and Beechcraft owners have transported more than 10,000 athletes and coaches to Special Olympics World Games and U.S. Games. The company is asking Textron Aviation aircraft owners and operators to volunteer their aircraft, crew, fuel, and time for the June 2026 airlift and hopes to draw about 150 aircraft to participate.

“We couldn’t do this alone. The support of the National Business Aviation Association, our customers, and the entire aviation industry is a powerful testament to what we can achieve together,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper.

Private flight provider Vista is fitting Gogo’s Galileo broadband connectivity system to its fleet of Bombardier Challengers and Globals. According to the aircraft operator, the technology will start entering service from November on its Europe-based jets, with the fleets in the U.S. and Asia to follow starting in January.

The task will involve installing a Galileo HDX terminal on an aircraft every nine days to meet the target of completing 60 aircraft within the first 18 months of the project. Vista said that by mid-2026, all 270 jets in its all-Bombardier fleet will either offer Gogo Galileo or upgraded Ku/Ka-band connectivity.

According to Vista, Galileo’s low-latency connectivity will allow Vista’s clients to stream online content, host videoconferences, and connect with family members and colleagues during flights. Gogo developed the technology specifically for business aviation users to deliver enterprise-grade broadband using the Eutelsat OneWeb low-earth-orbit constellation of satellites and avoid disconnection below 10,000 feet or over water.

Each installation includes a single Gogo Avance unit and a Galileo HDX antenna, plus a self-service portal to monitor connectivity performance. Vista and Gogo are positioning connectivity system spare parts at all of the operator’s maintenance centers around the world to reduce maintenance downtime.

Duncan Aviation is seeking a customer to provide a Hawker 750/800XP/850XP/900XP for development of an installation package for a new cockpit voice flight data recorder (CVFDR) that will enable Hawkers to avoid grounding due to FDR obsolesence issues. The factory-installed FDRs in these Hawker models under the original supplemental type certificate (STC10001SC-D) contain main system components that are no longer available.

“The digital flight data recorder, flight data acquisition unit, linear potentiometers, and the accelerometers are no longer available for purchase or repair, and there is no longer a method of support for any of these critical FDR components,” according to Duncan Aviation. “The concern is that due to regulatory requirements in other countries, particularly Mexico, Hawker aircraft with the original FDR risk being grounded for extended periods of time when any of those components fail.”

Duncan Aviation’s upgrade with a BendixKing Aerocorder FDCVR will apply to Hawker models with the original Collins Pro Line 21 avionics, but the Collins flight deck modernization package will be a minimum requirement.

“If you own a Hawker aircraft that is registered in the United States, we would love to discuss opportunities with you that will be available for our launch customer for this new STC,” said Matt Nelson, Duncan Aviation’s manager of satellite operations.

Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) are establishing a final assembly line (FAL) for the H125 helicopter in Vemagal near Bengaluru. The move is part of a broader “Made in India” push that includes Airbus recently awarding Mahindra Aerostructures an H125 fuselage manufacturing contract.

The FAL will be ready by March 2026, with assembly starting within the following three months. Fuselages will be shipped from Mahindra’s Bengaluru facility to the Airbus Helicopters Donauwörth plant in Germany to be equipped, then sent back to TASL for final assembly. The first “Made in India” H125 is expected by early 2027, making TASL India’s first private-sector helicopter manufacturer.

Production plans call for 52 H125 helicopters to be assembled at the Vemagal FAL, with Airbus holding global orders for 40, and the remaining 12 to be sold directly by the Tata subsidiary. “This will bolster both civil and defense requirements,” said TASL CEO and managing director Sukaran Singh.

India’s untapped potential in law enforcement, rescue, and emergency services makes it “an ideal helicopter country. A ‘Made in India’ helicopter will help develop this market,” added Jürgen Westermeier, president and managing director for Airbus India.

Mahindra, a preferred supplier to Airbus for components and subassemblies, was also given a contract for the H130 fuselage in April. Together, “the H125 and H130 contracts mark a strategic leap in India’s aerospace ambitions,” Airbus said.

Bongiovi Aviation and Innovative Advantage are partnering to introduce Dolby Atmos surround sound technology to business jets. This integrates Bongiovi’s Digital Power Station technology and hidden transducers—which transform cabin panels into acoustic radiators—with Innovative Advantage’s audio/visual distribution system (AVDS).

The companies said the combined system offers a lightweight, scalable architecture delivering a 360-degree, three-dimensional sound field for films, music, and communications. They noted that the collaboration marks a milestone in cabin entertainment, offering business jet passengers a fully immersive audio environment designed for comfort, clarity, and future-ready integration.

According to Bongiovi Aviation v-p of product development Rob Hamelink, “Integrating IA’s Dolby Atmos with Bongiovi’s immersive, speakerless system and routing it over the reliable AVDS network creates a cinematic experience for business aircraft that rivals with the most advanced home theater surround systems.”

Katie Morris, customer solutions lead for Innovative Advantage, added that “IA’s new Immersive audio decoder card provides Dolby Atmos decoding, seamlessly integrated into the AVDS backbone for a true Dolby Atmos experience.”

ExecuJet MRO Services is marking the 25th anniversary of its business aircraft support activities in Australia and New Zealand. The group opened its Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (YSSY) facility in 2000 and has since added bases at airports in Melbourne (YMML and YMEN), Perth (YPPH), Brisbane (YBBN), Auckland (NZAA), and Wellington (NZWN).

Since Dassault Aviation acquired ExecuJet MRO Services in early 2019, it has continued to expand its maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities and now employs almost 100 people. For example, it is now certified to provide line and heavy maintenance for all Falcon business jets, as well as supporting multiple other aircraft types.

The company’s mobile repair teams respond rapidly to AOG situations across Australasia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific region. In addition to approvals from aviation regulators in Australia and New Zealand, it holds certificates from authorities in the U.S., Indonesia, Bermuda, San Marino, and the Cayman Islands.

“Our greatest asset is our people,” commented Grant Ingall, regional v-p of Australia at ExecuJet MRO Services. “We have engineers who’ve grown with us for decades, and we’re equally committed to mentoring the next generation. That combination of deep experience and new energy is what keeps us competitive and responsive to our customers’ evolving needs.”

The group also has facilities in Dubai; Kuala Lumpur; Brussels and Kortrijk, Belgium; and Johannesburg.

The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved the ROTOR Act (S.2503) yesterday, clearing the way for the aviation safety bill to head to the upper chamber’s floor for a vote.

A bipartisan bill that pulls elements offered by the committee’s Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), the ROTOR Act is intended to address many of the safety concerns raised in the aftermath of the January 29 midair collision outside of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA). Notably, it includes a requirement for all aircraft in controlled airspace to be equipped with ADS-B In by 2031. The bill would allow for a potential one-year extension for retrofits.

Other measures are aimed at deconflicting mixed traffic at airports, ensuring military aircraft have ADS-B Out units turned on, seeking closer cooperation between the FAA and the armed forces, and stepping up oversight and training when involving mixed traffic and/or the military.

Sen. Cantwell noted that the bill responds to issues the NTSB identified as it investigates the collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk and PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700. Research revealed 15,000 near-collision reports between commercial aircraft and helicopters in the National Capital Region in the three years before the crash. Both Cantwell and Cruz stressed that the bill will save lives.

Garmin’s new D2 Air X15 and D2 Mach 2 watches are now available, adding more aviation, fitness, and smartwatch features to its aviator lineup. Both offer Garmin PlaneSync compatibility for viewing aircraft information, as well as connectivity with avionics, aviation-centric morning reports, and voice commands.

The 45-mm D2 Air X15 retails for $649.99 and features a Gorilla Glass 3 AMOLED touchscreen display. It is also equipped with the multiple white light intensity and red light LED flashlight that previously was available only with the D2 Mach 1. Meanwhile, the D2 Mach 2 retails for $1,349.99 in the 47-mm size and $1,499.99 for the 51-mm watch. Its AMOLED display is protected by a sapphire lens, and the watch has new sensor guard and leakproof buttons. 

Features common to the D2 Air X15 and Mach 2 include the aviation morning report with the day’s weather outlook, weather at a selected airport, and a “customized health summary based on sleep and activity patterns,” according to Garmin. Users can use voice commands to ask the watch to set a timer or start an activity such as aviation-specific commands including, “start fly activity,” “direct to,” and “show me the metar.”

A key difference between the watches is the D2 Mach 2’s aviation maps, which include “detailed topography, terrain shading, color-coded airspace boundaries, user waypoints, intersections and VORs, and more.”

In-flight medical support and emergency telemedicine provider Aircare International is partnering with Air Nurses to improve the availability and quality of medical support for business aviation clients.

Unlike medical escorts that typically provide only non-emergency monitoring or companionship for patients, Air Nurses’ board-certified flight nurses (CFRN) are trained and credentialed to deliver advanced medical care in the air. Well-versed in flight operations, as well as cabin safety and the physiological effects of altitude, they can manage complex medical situations during transport.

“Air Nurses fills a critical gap for business aviation clients when medical escort is needed,” said company founder and CEO Ericka Essington. “Our speed of response, clinical caliber, and discretion align with Aircare International’s standards of safety and preparedness, which is why we have chosen them as our primary partner for emergency in-flight telemedicine support.”

Under the agreement, clients will have access to streamlined medical services coordination that combines Aircare International’s expertise in emergency telemedicine with Air Nurses’ clinical team. Services are designed to meet clinical and safety standards while providing clear communication and logistical support.

“This partnership enables us to provide clients with timely access to experienced medical professionals during flights,” said Karl Kamps, Aircare’s v-p of crew staffing and emergency telemedicine. “Working with Air Nurses allows us to maintain consistent safety and preparedness standards, while offering a seamless experience for passengers and flight crews.”