Air ambulance provider Air Methods has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, calling the decision a strategic move to position it for long-term success.

Air Methods operates 365 aircraft—mainly helicopters—from 275 bases in 47 states. Under terms of the prepackaged bankruptcy filing yesterday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Air Methods will wipe out $1.7 billion in debt. It will also increase its liquidity with $80 million of debtor-in-possession financing from the first lien lenders who are party to the restructuring support agreement (RSA) that is part of the bankruptcy filing.

In return, those debtors are expected to receive a substantial portion of the company’s equity. Air Methods was acquired by private equity firm American Securities for $2.5 billion in 2017, when it operated from more than 300 bases. In its bankruptcy filing, it listed liabilities estimated at between $1 billion and $10 billion.

The filing covers most Air Methods entities, including MRO United Rotorcraft. Air Methods stressed in a statement that vendors, suppliers, and employees would be paid in full and without interruption during the bankruptcy process—which it expected to complete by the end of the year—and that all of its subsidiary companies would continue normal operations. The filing and its terms, according to Air Methods, had the support of the “majorities of its first lien lenders and bondholders.”

OpsGroup is sounding the alarm once again on instances of GPS spoofing, this time in various locations over the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt, and on approach to Amman, Jordan. In these cases, the aircraft have shown a false position of being over Ben Gurion International Airport (LLBG) in Tel Aviv even though they were as far as 212 nm away from the area.

The reports of GPS spoofing—under which aircraft receive false GPS positioning information—follow just weeks after the operations and security specialist warned of fake GPS signals reported from nearly two dozen aircraft flying along the Airway UM688 in Iraq along the Iranian border. In many of those cases, aircraft lost navigational capabilities and ended up miles from their intended route.

Under the latest OpsGroup warning, GPS spoofing has more recently occurred along the Nicosia FIR (flight information region), Cairo FIR, and Amman FIR. “The industry appears to still be coming to terms with the problem. No useful operational guidance has been issued to date by the FAA, EASA, or any of the OEMs,” OpsGroup said in reporting the events on Monday evening.

“Please make your crews flying in the Middle East and Mediterranean region aware of these GPS events, which can have a sudden and severe impact on navigation capability,” the organization warned.

Hahn Air has become the European launch customer for Textron Aviation’s Citation CJ3 Gen2 light jet. On Tuesday, the U.S. manufacturer announced a purchase agreement with the German operator covering orders for the new CJ3 model and an example of the larger Citation Latitude.

Both aircraft are due to be delivered in 2026, replacing Hahn Air’s existing CJ3+ and Latitude. Textron Aviation said the deal had been concluded during last week’s NBAA-BACE show in Las Vegas, where the company unveiled the CJ3 Gen2 model.

Formed in 1990, Hahn Air has operated Citation aircraft for almost 20 years. It always has the jets serviced at Textron Aviation’s Düsseldorf Service Center in Germany, where the operator itself is headquartered.

“We are proud to continue our long-standing relationship with Textron Aviation,” commented Daniel Rudas, Hahn Air’s general manager and COO. “For nearly two decades we have operated Citation business jets and this new order of the most reliable jets within the Cessna family will ensure we provide our customers with safe and comfortable flights, and a memorable and enjoyable experience.”

The CJ3 Gen2 offers standard seating for nine passengers, with an option for eight passengers and additional storage. It has a range of 2,040 nm and a maximum payload of 2,135 pounds.

A private aviation real estate developer has obtained permission to construct an FBO at Atlanta-area Fulton County Executive Airport (KFTY). According to Jim Flock, an aviation real estate broker who is representing the owner, construction of the greenfield facility will begin as soon as the company inks an agreement with its first hangar tenant, likely in the first quarter of 2024. The company has a 40-year lease on the property plus two additional five-year options.

Once completed, the multimillion-dollar FBO will become the third service provider at KFTY, alongside established service providers Hill Aircraft and Signature Aviation. “We conducted a feasibility study and, based on jet traffic and fuel sales, determined that the airport could support a third FBO and additional corporate hangars,” Flock told AIN.

The facility will feature a pair of corporate hangars, each more than 30,000 sq ft, and a modern, glass-sheathed, two-story terminal with a large aircraft arrivals canopy. Flock noted that the plan is to operate the new facility under the name Atlanta Executive, but he added that the company would entertain the idea of a partnership with an established FBO operator.

CAE and Aircraft Performance Group, a flight operations software provider, have announced a strategic partnership to enhance training. APG’s expertise in aircraft performance and runway analysis instruction is being brought in to CAE’s overall business aviation training offering.

“The partnership with APG enhances CAE’s business aviation training by giving our instructor pilots unique insight into runway analysis to help address industry-wide knowledge gaps,” said Alexandre Prevost, CAE’s president of the business aviation and helicopter training division. “CAE is committed to pioneering training innovations, and through collaborations with partners like APG, we can harness our collective strengths to provide essential training that enhances safety skills.”

CAE instructor pilots will be trained on runway analysis and the intricacies of mastering the coordination between a standard instrument departure and an engine-out procedure to enhance flight safety. Other elements addressed by the course include takeoff and landing performance assessment, the global reporting format, compliance with dispatch landing factors, and landing distance at time of arrival calculations.

The comprehensive training in runway analysis and obstacle clearance aligns with FAA Notice 8900.664, which underscores the importance of ensuring all crewmembers are properly trained in using contractor data or other airport obstacle analysis programs.

Iridium has given Skytrac’s SDL-350 satcom terminal the green light to start providing airborne connectivity via the Iridium Certus network, which runs on the satellite operator’s Next constellation.

The SDL-350 will provide global L-band connectivity at speeds of up to 704 kbps, which is enough to support video conferencing, data streaming, and other bandwidth-intensive downlinks. It can also support data-driven proactive maintenance solutions and deliver graphical weather data streaming in the flight deck.

“When we commenced development of the SDL-350, we recognized the growing demand for low latency, truly global broadband satellite communications in a small, lightweight form factor,” said Gilles Bessens, v-p of engineering at Skytrac. “With the official nod of approval from Iridium, we can now provide platforms such as fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft, UAVs, and UAMs with up to 704 kbps for a variety of industry applications.”

According to Skytrac, the satcom system is ideal for just about any type of aircraft, with its small size, light weight, and low power consumption. The company says it has already secured launch customers in various aviation segments, including air medical, law enforcement, search and rescue, urban air mobility, and business aviation.

Ontic has signed an exclusive license agreement with Honeywell to take over production and repair of its thrust reverser actuation system product line. Used primarily upon landing to slow aircraft by reversing the direction of the engine thrust, the system supports the GE CF6 and CF34 engines and flies on more than 3,000 aircraft.

Ontic calls the system “a strong fit” for its portfolio and technical engineering expertise at its UK facility in Staverton, near Cheltenham. Crucially, the license addition builds on Ontic’s complex hydraulic systems knowledge, adding a new pneumatic product competency in its UK operations.

Ontic is recruiting personnel to support the expansion of its Staverton site.

“This represents a significant license investment for Ontic—our biggest to date—and we are excited to expand the experienced team capabilities and specialized equipment at our Staverton site,” said Ontic vice president and chief commercial officer Gareth Blackbird. “The addition of this pneumatic and actuation product is well suited to the highly skilled technicians and engineers that form our Ontic team in the UK and will continue to create career opportunities in the local area.”

Florida's Monroe County has ordered three Leonardo AW139 intermediate twin helicopters for its Trauma Star air ambulance program, jointly operated by the county’s fire rescue and sheriff’s departments. The aircraft will serve the Florida Keys from Lower Keys Medical Center and the Marathon International Airport and will be delivered between the end of 2024 and early 2025.

“The AW139 is the only aircraft available that will meet Trauma Star’s mission profile [and be] able to fly the distance, carry our payloads, and utilize our landing zones,” said Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay. The new helicopters will replace the Trauma Star’s current fleet of Sikorsky S-76s. That aircraft is no longer in production.

Monroe County is the southernmost county in Florida and includes Key West, Marathon, Key Colony Beach, Layton, and Islamorada. It is spread across 3,737 square miles (73 percent water) and includes large portions of the Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve.

Nearly 400 AW139s worldwide fly various emergency and disaster relief operations and have logged over 900,000 flight hours. Overall, more than 1,100 AW139s are in service and have flown more than 3.7 million flight hours. The AW139 is already used by customers in Florida, New Jersey, Maryland, and California.