Gulfstream Aerospace could be edging closer to launching the G300, a long-rumored derivative of its super-midsize G280. That's according to Hagerty Jet, a business aircraft broker that specializes in preowned Gulfstreams. The G280 is manufactured for Gulfstream in Tel Aviv by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI).

“IAI has reported they will manufacture an upgraded version of the G280, which we speculate will be called the G300. A prototype has been designed and built but details are very secretive,” the firm said. Another industry source confirmed the level of secrecy of the codenamed P42 project, terming it “off the charts.”

Hagerty Jet said it hopes “the new model will incorporate the Gulfstream panoramic oval windows found on the larger models along with the Symmetry cockpit and a flat floor.”

It added that deliveries could begin in 2026. Industry analyst and consultant Rolland Vincent of Rolland Vincent Associates agrees with that timeline, telling AIN, “The timing would be good. Business jet models need a refresh every seven to eight years on average—and even more often if they are in a competitive segment.”

Hagerty posits that the new twinjet could be announced at NBAA-BACE later this month in Las Vegas. However, Vincent panned that idea: “It’d be hard to imagine Gulfstream announcing anything at BACE when they have said they won’t be [exhibiting] there.”

Despite the robustness of order books, strong pricing, and flying that still outpaces pre-pandemic levels, the business aviation industry and perhaps the larger aviation industry have navigated into choppy waters. During the JetNet iQ Summit last week, iQ survey founder and head of Rolland Vincent Associates Rolland Vincent noted that “we’re in a bit of a strange” place with geopolitical tensions, inflation, interest rate changes, and presidential election uncertainties. The result? Industry net optimism has reached its lowest point since the initial Covid surge in 2020.

Adding to all of this is a supply-chain system that has remained stubbornly fragile and rising labor disputes that hit NetJets earlier this year through various pickets and other campaigns, Bombardier through a brief strike in July, and most recently Textron Aviation, which now has 5,000 workers on strike. Of course, the Boeing strike, affecting 33,000 workers, may eclipse all of that.

Each one of those labor issues is unique. In NetJets' case there was a mid-contract dispute as pilots eyed significant increases of their contemporaries at the likes of American, United, and Delta Air Lines. With the OEMs, contracts were coming due at a time when workers have grappled with temporary work stoppages in some cases during Covid, and perhaps more importantly higher costs of living due to rampant inflation that set in amid the pandemic.

Gulfstream G700 deliveries in the third quarter appear to have missed parent company General Dynamics' forecast of 16 by at least a dozen aircraft, according to two business aviation market watchers. Savannah, Georgia-based aircraft broker Hagerty Jet is reporting three G700 deliveries in the quarter, while Jefferies counted four.

Third-quarter Gulfstream deliveries will be revealed during General Dynamics’ October 23 investor conference call. Gulfstream told AIN that it is in a quiet period until then.

“As of today, we count only 14 G700s delivered and in service. We saw only one delivery in each month of the third quarter,” the broker said yesterday. “Despite criticism of the lack of transparency and reporting of the G700 deliveries, General Dynamics reiterated its confidence in deliveries…in late July. GD reconfirmed they plan to deliver more than 50 G700s by year-end, with 16 more by October and another 25 in the fourth quarter.

“Our delivery numbers may be slightly off, but there’s no way Gulfstream [was] going to find 13 deliveries by October 1, especially since they experienced Hurricane Helene in Savannah,” Hagerty Jet said.

Jefferies and Hagerty were puzzled by the delivery delays, with both noting no pilot training issue since FlightSafety International recently reported typing 100 G700 customer pilots. Jefferies added that the tail wiring modifications on early-production aircraft are completed and thus not slowing shipments.

Global business aviation flight activity inched down by 0.3% in September as the North American market was off by 3.4% and Europe by 3.2%, according to the latest report from industry analyst and safety specialist Argus International. It is forecasting that traffic will remain down year over year (YOY) in October, by 2.7% in North America and 3.6% in Europe.

In North America, traffic was in line with Argus’ forecast of a 3.6% dip with fractional activity as the only segment up, by 6.9%, in September YOY. Part 135 continued a downward trend of 5.4% while Part 91 activity similarly dropped by 5.6%. Traffic decreased in all four aircraft categories with large cabins posting the biggest YOY decline of 8.1%. This was followed by turboprops, down by 4.7%, small cabins at -2.3%, and midsize jets at -0.8%.

Despite the overall decline in Europe, activity edged up by 0.8% in the large-cabin segment and by 0.2% with midsize jets. However, light jet activity was still off by 4.4% and turboprops by 10%.

The rest of the world posted a 28.9% jump in business aviation flight activity, with turboprops showing a 36.9% improvement. Midsize jets followed closely behind, up 36.9%. Small jets showed strength with a 29.1% increase in activity, and large-cabin jets also saw an increase, up 10.1%.

The Skyryse One, a Robinson R66 helicopter modified with fly-by-wire flight controls and a single-control user interface, has received a special airworthiness certificate from the FAA. The certificate is another step toward supplemental type certification of the Skyryse One and facilitates further flight testing on the way to planned FAA approval next year.

According to Skyryse, “The special airworthiness certificate we received is issued to allow companies to show compliance with regulations (like for the issuance of type and supplemental type certificates), R&D, and crew training.” With the certificate in hand, Skyryse plans to begin flight testing with a production version of the Skyryse One.

Modification of the R66 involves removal of all the existing flight controls and actuators and replacement with Skyryse’s fly-by-wire flight control system and SkyOS operating system software. The pilot interface is a single control stick and two touchscreen displays. Essentially, the SkyOS enables full functionality of the R66 while providing envelope protection that prevents the pilot from flying outside the helicopter’s limitations. The modified helicopter has also demonstrated automated full-down autorotations without any pilot intervention.

“Today's milestone represents another important step in our mission of making flight simpler and safer for everyone,” said Mark Groden, CEO of Skyryse. “We appreciate the continued cooperation and partnership with the FAA as we work toward our shared goal of eliminating fatalities in aviation.”

Aircraft operators face an array of potentially hazardous decisions when planning flights around the Middle East region as military conflict continues to escalate between Israel and Iran-backed forces in Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen. In a presentation to customers this week, security consultants Osprey Flight Solutions advised extreme caution with risks to aircraft now also extending across Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

According to Matthew Borie, Osprey’s chief intelligence officer, operators need to be especially careful in their risk management in the face of conflicting advisories from various regulators. On September 28, EASA issued conflict zone information bulletins advising against using the Tel Aviv and Beirut flight information zones at all altitudes.

Osprey’s briefing warned that dangers increased when Iran started a wave of ballistic missile attacks on Israel, which in some cases overwhelmed the country’s air defense system. These missiles passed through the airspace in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria, but Borie pointed out that authorities there, and in other neighboring countries, did not issue notams covering the associated risks.

“Operators need to be clear on their ability to safely land and takeoff from Beirut,” Borie cautioned, advising his clients to engage with all possible information resources including ICAO and their own regulators to ensure their flight plans do not conflict with the rapidly changing action being taken by the Israel Defense Force.

The annual UP.Summit event held earlier this week by venture capital firm UP.Partners, in partnership with Steuart Walton and Ross Perot Jr., welcomed innovation leaders to Louise Thaden Field in Bentonville, Arkansas, for three days of learning about mobility technology and to try out airplanes, electric cars and bicycles, and simulators for advanced new aircraft. Many attendees represented companies that UP.Partners has invested in, but others were invited to share their technology ideas, and the result was a mixture of technology presentations and serendipitous meetings of 300 smart and creative people that accelerated new ideas for mobility solutions.

An invitation-only event, this was the seventh year for UP.Summit. According to UP.Partners, “Investors in attendance represent over $1 trillion worth of investable capital. These are the leaders of the most impactful companies moving people and goods with a common goal of transforming the moving world by building and investing in companies that move people and goods cleaner, faster, safer, and at lower cost.”

A community day took place on the summit's first day and more than 12,000 people, including many children, came to the airport to see all the technology and help break a Guinness World Record for the number of model rockets launched. With the help of the Bentonville Unified School District and model rocket company Estes, kids launched more than 6,000 rockets during the event.