Private lift provider Flexjet officially opened its new headquarters this morning at Cleveland Cuyahoga County Airport (KCGF). The modern, glass-sheathed $50 million facility also houses the fractional provider’s global operations control center.

Designed to accommodate future growth, the control center features the largest seamless LED screen in the U.S. and the third-largest in the world at 176 feet wide by 19 feet high. It tracks the locations of the nearly 270 aircraft in Flexjet’s fleet in real time. The stadium seating facing the screen is arranged by job type to facilitate the flow of information during situations such as major weather events. In the center of the room is a bridge with a pop-up command station that can be used during peak travel periods.

Home to 670 of the company's employees, the facility offers several conference rooms, the largest of which features a custom conference table fashioned from the fuselage of the first Gulfstream IV to come off the assembly line, an aircraft that Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci personally piloted.

It also houses Flexjet’s primary data network, which feeds more than 30 satellite locations worldwide and is powered by a complex electrical system with multiple redundancies to ensure operational control is uninterrupted in case of power failure. The construction also included an enclosed connector to the company’s previous headquarters building, which is being retained and renovated.

Demand for private aircraft charter flights has cooled somewhat since the post-Covid travel frenzy of 2022, according to industry leaders addressing today’s Air Charter Expo (ACE) at London Biggin Hill Airport. Brokers and operators indicated the slight easing of demand has been welcome in improving the supply of aircraft and making it somewhat easier to provide a profitable, quality service.

“This year, the market has been less frantic and easier to secure aircraft,” said Claudia Watt, senior business development manager with charter broker Air Partner. “We’re now able to focus more on improving the post-booking service to make it very seamless and since the market is somewhat softer and so our sales teams are having to push for new business to hit targets.”

“Last year was a seller’s market and this impacted the supply of aircraft,” commented Yannick Monreal, Jet Aviation’s sales director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “Demand is down a bit this year and more owners are now looking to increase capacity by putting aircraft on [air operator certificates].”

ACE conference attendees also heard that charter operators and brokers are now making investments to expand the capacity of their businesses, including efforts to recruit more skilled staff.

Offshore helicopter operator PHI has signed a deal with Airbus Helicopters for “commitments” for 20 super-medium twin H175 and eight intermediate twin H160 helicopters to serve the worldwide energy field, including in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The agreement announced today includes firm orders and purchase options.

PHI today operates more than 200 helicopters serving markets including offshore energy and air medical. Its Airbus fleet consists of H125, H135, H145, H160, and H175 models. “This agreement is a component of our broader strategy to bring new technology into an industry that has experienced a strong rebound after years of underinvestment," said PHI CEO Scott McCarty.

The 54 H175s in service globally have accumulated 195,000 flight hours, 170,000 of which have involved flights for the energy sector. The multirole H160 features a pair of Safran Arrano engines that offer a 15 percent fuel-burn reduction compared with legacy helicopters in the same class.

Gogo Business Aviation's Avance L5 system with Gogo 5G provisioning is now available at Dassault Falcon Jet service centers for several Falcon business jet models, Gogo said today. Of the more than 2,000 Falcons in service, 500 are equipped with Avance L5, giving them an upgrade path to Gogo's 5G high-speed airborne connectivity. Dassault is developing Gogo 5G Avance LX5 supplemental type certificates (STCs) for Falcon installations.

“Gogo 5G was designed with our customers in mind to deliver high throughput with low latency, addressing the increased demand for data-heavy services and applications,” said Gogo v-p of aftermarket sales Dave Salvador. “Dassault’s investment in Gogo 5G provisions and STC development is a critical component in bringing this game-changing network technology to the market.”

Customers who choose to upgrade to Avance L5 will experience an immediate performance boost, said Gogo. For the 5G provisioning, technicians will install a Gogo Avance L5 system and two belly-mounted multiband antennas. The system will operate on the Gogo Biz 4G network until the Avance LX5 single-box LRU—equipped for Gogo 5G connectivity—becomes available for installation during the middle of next year.

Gogo is offering savings of up to $50,000 for customers wanting to upgrade or install Avance L5 now in preparation for Avance LX5 and Gogo 5G availability in mid-2024.

The pilot of a medevac helicopter that crashed into a Florida apartment building last month noticed two loud “bangs” from the rear of the helicopter and a fire indication on the number-one engine, according to a preliminary report issued by the NTSB.

Manufactured in 1999, the Airbus EC135T1 went down shortly after departing Pompano Beach Airpark (KPMP) en route to a traffic accident on the morning of August 28. An onboard paramedic was killed in the accident, as was a resident of the apartment building. Another paramedic sustained serious injuries, while the pilot suffered minor injuries. The helicopter was operated by the Broward County Sheriff’s Fire Rescue Office.

According to the NTSB report, the pilot heard the first bang from the rear of the helicopter after taking off and then “noticed that the turbine outlet temperature (TOT) was rising on the No. 1 engine. He set the No.1 engine throttle to idle, declared an emergency…and reversed direction to return to the airport.

“He scanned the cockpit instrument panel and noticed that the No.1 engine fire button had illuminated. He pressed the button to activate the fire suppression system; however, the TOT continued to rise on the No. 1 engine. The pilot subsequently heard a second ‘bang,’ and was unable to control the helicopter. It spun and descended into an apartment building.”

King Aerospace’s new facility at Northwest Arkansas National Airport (KXNA) will receive its first head-of-state Boeing Business Jet for service later this year.

The Texas-based company, which specializes in the modification and integration of government owned and operated VVIP aircraft, established its KXNA location last year after leasing two hangars idle there since the 2004 closing of Ozark Aircraft Systems. They are capable of sheltering aircraft as large as the Boeing 777.

The BBJ will fly more than 7,000 miles for service at the Bentonville location in the fourth quarter of this year, making it the first aircraft of its type to use the facility.

“We’re pleased to announce this latest agreement to service our foreign government customer’s aircraft,” said company chairman and founder Jerry King. “The distance they are willing to travel shows their confidence and trust in our capabilities.”

Demonstrating its familiarity and commitment to the type, the company last month held its second annual BBJ Operator Forum, a two-day event.

With business increasing at the KXNA location, the company is looking to expand its staff with people “who are not only technically competent but who also share in our values and principles,” said King, adding that working there means more than simply turning wrenches.

A second Air Serv Cessna Caravan has landed in Juba, South Sudan, marking the expansion of a program led by the aviation nonprofit to provide a regional air bridge for humanitarian agencies dealing with the worsening refugee crisis.

In 2021, Air Serv launched an independent air service program in response to the limited options available to agencies conducting humanitarian operations in the area. South Sudan’s extreme rainy seasons, deficient ground infrastructure, and civil unrest have diminished aid organizations’ ability to move cargo and personnel by road.

Earlier this year, Air Serv deployed additional crew to Juba to support transporting aid workers and moving humanitarian cargo by air. Flight frequency requests increased exponentially following the violent events and civil war that broke out in the capital city of Khartoum in April.

The Juba program marks the organization’s first independently funded operation in nearly 15 years and offers both scheduled services and ad hoc charters to serve humanitarian partners. Air Serv also acts as an implementing partner for the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service in eastern Africa. Supported by the acquisition of a Redbird Cessna Caravan G1000 flight simulator in 2022, the organization established a formal on-the-job training program for aviation professionals at its facilities in Entebbe, Uganda.

Aviation data and market intelligence firm JetNet today announced the expansion of its executive and leadership teams, appointing Josh Baird as COO, Katherine Minty as CFO, Eric Foss as senior v-p of engineering, and Greg Kimball as senior v-p of product. It also tapped Craig Smith and Julie Mandello for the newly created positions of v-p of program management and controller, respectively.

“When I joined JetNet a year ago, I believed the company had a huge opportunity to accelerate its growth by bringing more data and intelligence to the aviation market,” said company CEO Derek Swaim. “As we embark on a new phase of growth, I am excited to have the expertise and experience of the new additions to our leadership team.”

With the exception of Minty, who was promoted from v-p of finance at JetNet, these additions are new hires mostly from outside of the aviation industry. Baird previously served as COO and CFO at vacation rental firm RedAwning; Foss most recently was v-p of software development at learning management system provider Absorb Software but previously was IT director at WestJet airlines; Kimball comes from customer data firm Validity; Smith was v-p of operations at Absorb Software; and Mandello was controller at billing compliance outfit MDaudit.