More than 100 customer pilots have now earned type ratings for the Gulfstream G700 at the FlightSafety International learning center in Savannah, Georgia, the business jet OEM said today. Additionally, 80 pilots at Gulfstream Aerospace and 20 FlightSafety instructors have G700 type ratings in the ultra-long-range jet. The G700 received FAA approval on March 29 and entered service soon after; the fly-by-wire airplane is also certified by 10 other agencies, including EASA and most recently the UK CAA.

“Pilots are coming to Savannah from around the world to earn their G700 type rating as aircraft deliveries increase,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “Thanks to the innovative and intuitive Gulfstream Symmetry flight deck and the maturity of the G700 program, the ease with which customers are taking delivery is impressive.”

Symmetry features active control sidesticks and touchscreen display avionics with “phase-of-flight intelligence” to reduce pilot workload and speed up aircraft startup. The flight deck also includes Gulfstream’s new combined vision system, which integrates the enhanced flight vision and synthetic vision systems into a single on-screen image on both the primary flight displays and dual head-up displays, as well as the predictive landing performance system that can help pilots avoid runway excursions.

Tampa International Airport (KTPA) is among the airfields closed this morning as the Southeast U.S. braces for the impact of Hurricane Helene, which is expected to make landfall tonight in Florida’s Tallahassee area as at least a Category 3 storm.

Airports on the state’s west coast and Big Bend, including St. Pete-Clearwater International (KPIE) and Tallahassee International (KTLH), expect to remain closed until tomorrow due to high winds, heavy rain, and a potential storm surge of up to 20 feet in the Florida panhandle. Additionally, there is the possibility that Helene could spawn tornadoes throughout the region.

NBAA’s Air Traffic Services noted that aircraft operators should frequently check notams for further closure information, adding that on the Gulf Coast side of Florida almost all air traffic routes are closed. Most traffic is being rerouted onto the state’s east coast due to sector unavailability on the west side.

After landfall, Helene is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday. While no Georgia airports have yet announced closures, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for the state on Tuesday.

Empire Aviation USA is continuing its rapid growth with the opening of a 9,000-sq-ft maintenance hangar at Signature West at Teterboro Airport (KTEB). The company, which is also maintaining its presence at Signature South at the airport, said the additional space will provide it with more capacity for scheduled inspections, repairs, and AOG. The expansion also will enable it to offer faster turnaround times and more services, the company stated.

In addition, Empire Aviation USA noted that the location strengthens its foothold in the Northeast. The group, which acquired its initial location in Palm Beach, Florida, from Infinity Aircraft Services in November 2022, now has bases at 11 locations throughout the country. In addition to Teterboro, Empire Aviation provides maintenance at Bedford, Massachusetts, in the Northeast. Its headquarters remains at Palm Beach.

“This new hangar, coupled with our investment in the latest maintenance equipment, enables us to better serve the region’s aviation community as we head into the colder months,” said Empire Aviation USA president Mark Reyes. “Our team is ready to provide great service, ensuring that our clients’ aircraft are well-prepared and operating safely.”

The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate yesterday passed a short-term funding bill that will keep the federal government operating—including key agencies such as the FAA—through December 20 while work continues on a longer-term budget. The continuing resolution, H.R.9747, first was approved by the House by a 341-to-82 vote Wednesday afternoon and then the Senate followed within an hour—at near-record pace—by a 78-to-18 vote.

Passage occurred before both chambers adjourned until November 12, after the elections, averting a government-wide shutdown that would have otherwise set in at the end of the fiscal year on October 1. Pushing the vote until December 20 sets up a debate on funding priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2025 during a lame-duck session when one or both chambers may face the prospect of flipping.

Aerospace Industries Association president and CEO Eric Fanning praised the approval of the stop-gap funding bill, noting that it is keeping critical functions open. However, he also called the bill “just a temporary solution to a recurring issue.”

At stake for the FAA in FY 2025 is up to a $22 billion budget with funding to hire 2,000 controllers and expedite aging air traffic control systems replacement. The House bill would increase the agency’s budget by $1.576 billion to $21.657 billion, while the Senate bill would provide a $1.931 billion boost, closer to $22 billion.

Engine Assurance Program (EAP) knows maintaining engines is critical to maintaining the value of an aircraft. But with aircraft utilization at close to record levels, there’s increased competition for the already limited resources needed to keep engines in peak condition. That's why EAP has amassed a large pool of rental engines, maintains a multi-million-dollar inventory of spare parts and has assembled a highly-skilled technical team including AOG support.

The JetNet iQ Summit kicked off Tuesday in New York City with a focus on the future, including an opening panel focused on the “likely evolution” of business aviation moderated by JetNet v-p of sales Paul Cardarelli.

Panelist Richard Koe of WingX was asked how the two “hot wars” currently being engaged in both the Middle East and Ukraine have affected the industry. “The cyclical nature of our industry has been punctuated with the implications of events over the last 20 to 25 years,” he said. “Recently, we clearly had the geopolitical consequences of the pandemic, which initially put us on the ground. We essentially lost 60% to 70% of our activity in a month or two.”

He said that while the war in Ukraine came at a time when the industry was doing better, the “indirect effects” of global instability have been felt.

Panelist and JetNet iQ managing director Rollie Vincent was posed with the question of how he’d personally double $1 billion in the industry. “I really like the idea of fixing training and optimizing,” he said, shrugging off the idea of investing directly in aerospace or in a new engine given the regulatory environment. “I think with AI the tools are there, but we can get to a point where we can get much smarter there” in optimization.

Denmark will begin collecting a per-passenger air travel tax next year that applies to all fixed-wing aircraft—commercial and private—with more than 10 seats and an mtow of 12,566 pounds or more. They will be levied on a sliding-rate scale based on flight length: intra-Europe, medium-haul, and long-haul. Rates initially will range from $4.48 to $44.82 per passenger but will rise from $7.35 to $60.30 by 2030.

Proceeds from the tax will be used to fund the transition to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Denmark and for cash assistance to the elderly. The government expects the tax to generate up to $180 million annually. Denmark has set a goal of powering all domestic airline travel with sustainable power—SAF, hydrogen, and/or electric—by the end of the decade, and companies developing these technologies will be eligible for government support under the new tax scheme.

Flight categories exempted from the tax include military, government, air ambulance, search-and-rescue, humanitarian, police, infant transport, aircraft operator staff traveling for business, and transfer and transit passengers under certain conditions. Operators must register with the Danish tax agency, Skatteforvaltningen, at least eight days before the first taxable flight. Foreign, non-EU-based entities must appoint a Danish fiscal representative.

The “green tax” is similar to those adopted in France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

Finding that most of the FAA’s air traffic control (ATC) systems are unsustainable or potentially unsustainable, a government watchdog stressed the need for urgency in modernizing aging systems. In a new report to the U.S. Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that of the FAA’s 138 ATC systems, 51 were unsustainable and another 54 were potentially unsustainable.

That was the finding of an assessment the FAA conducted after it was forced to shut down the airspace last year due to an aging ATC system outage. FAA officials informed the GAO that its aging systems "have been difficult to maintain due to the unavailability of parts and retirement of technicians with expertise in maintaining the aging systems."

Of the 105 unsustainable or potentially unsustainable systems, 58 play critical operational roles in the safety and efficiency of the ATC system, “but the agency has been slow to modernize the most critical and at-risk systems,” the watchdog reported. The FAA has 64 ongoing investments in modernization efforts, but some projects won’t be complete for another 10 to 13 years and others needing replacement aren’t on any upgrade schedule—three of which are more than 30 years old, the GAO found.

The Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics (ODAA), in partnership with the city of Woodward, broke ground last week on a nearly 5,000-sq-ft terminal for the city-owned FBO at West Woodward Airport (KWWR), a dedicated general aviation airfield. The building will replace the existing 2,800-sq-ft facility that dates back to 1943, and plans call for the former terminal to be remodeled and leased to tenants.

The $3.7 million project is part of an overall $20 million in funding allocated to the airport by the state legislature through the Progressing Rural Economic Prosperity (PREP) Fund. Other key improvements will include a new 15,000-sq-ft hangar with office space, a taxiway and roadway for a new 40-acre development area, and utility improvements to support the hangar, terminal, and development area. KWWR currently has 18,000 sq ft of hangar space that can shelter aircraft up to Bombardier Challenger 600-series business jets.

According to the ODAA, these comprehensive upgrades will position KWWR as a regional hub to foster growth, attract new businesses, and create employment opportunities for the community. “Thanks to our partnership with the [ODAA] and this investment by the legislature, we are now able to construct these new facilities and continue to expand the airport’s economic development capabilities,” said Woodward mayor Tom Fisher. “These improvements will profoundly shape the future of our community and northwest Oklahoma.”

Join AIN, along with industry experts, on October 2nd to learn how advanced weather services can provide critical insights to help pilots navigate complex weather situations. Discover the benefits of multi-scan weather and predictive wind shear for real-time weather updates and forecasts in flight and understand how vertical weather can optimize flight paths, reduce delays, and enhance fuel efficiency. Sponsored by Collins Aerospace.