Business jet deliveries for the first half of the year rose by 8% compared with the same period in 2025, while high-end turboprops saw a more than 26% increase, and turbine helicopter shipments grew by 3.3%, according to the latest report from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Total airplane billings jumped by 15.5% to $14.3 billion for the first six months of the year.

For the first half of the year, Embraer led the major private jet OEMs with a 21% increase in deliveries compared with last year’s first six months. The Brazilian manufacturer handed over seven more of each of its Phenom 300Es and Praetor 500s, on its way to 74 aircraft delivered.

Gulfstream Aerospace surpassed its first-half 2025 tally by five aircraft, a 6.8% increase. With the entry into service of its ultra-long-range G800, the General Dynamics subsidiary added four more units to its large-cabin segment for a total of 66. France-based Dassault, which only reports its delivery totals mid-year and at year-end, remained static, exceeding last year’s first-half total by one unit.

Bombardier and Textron Aviation both saw downturns in their deliveries year over year. The former handed over five fewer Challengers than it did a year ago, for a 5% overall decrease, while Textron Aviation was down this year in all its jet products except for the super-midsize Cessna Citation Longitude and the CJ3+.

There is a song earworming its way through my brain, and the line that just won’t go away is: “You can always go around.” Ken Dravis’ song “Go Around” was released in 2003 on the album “Flying: Home To You” and accurately captures not only what goes on in a pilot’s mind on final approach but also that feeling we’ve all probably had, where our instructor is sitting on our shoulder telling us what to do.

The subject of go-arounds is on my mind not only because every year we seem to lose more pilots crashing after a go-around attempt but also due to the discussion about unstable approaches. The advice to go around if an approach continues to be unstable is good, but from the accident record, it’s clear that go-arounds aren’t always conducted properly.

So this made me wonder about how we’re teaching go-arounds.

Think back to your training. How much of an emphasis was placed on learning how to properly fly a go-around? Did you practice a lot of these, or was the go-around just an occasional maneuver from a comfortable altitude? What about go-arounds close to the ground, or from various places in the traffic pattern, or just before crossing the runway threshold?

Chinese charter and management group Sino Jet has expanded its fleet to almost 50 aircraft with the addition of a second Gulfstream G700. The Hong Kong-based operator announced the arrival yesterday, saying that more than 95% of its fleet now consists of large-cabin business jets.

The first G700 entered service with Sino Jet in May, with sufficient range for nonstop flights from Beijing to New York. Sino Jet, which is part of the Hualong Aviation group, also operates types including Bombardier Global 7500s, Dassault Falcon 7Xs and 8Xs, Airbus ACJs, and Boeing BBJs.

In August, Sino Jet launched what the company said is China’s first sustainable aviation fuel compliance service for foreign-registered business aircraft at Beijing Capital International Airport (ZBAA). Through a partnership with China National Aviation Fuel, it is now making SAF available to other operators in a market that has so far only supported passenger and cargo scheduled airlines.

The company also recently unveiled branding for a new subsidiary, EFly, which it said will focus on China’s emerging low-altitude economy, including eVTOLs. The venture was announced at the 2026 International Low-Altitude Economy Expo in Shanghai, where Sino Jet said it will extend IS-BAO Stage 3 safety standards to the new aviation sector. In December, the group confirmed plans to buy up to 150 of the AE200 eVTOLs being developed by Chinese start-up Aerofugia.

The FAA today issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would allow aviation medical examiners (AMEs) to evaluate and certify applicants with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) at the time of their medical exam, removing the automatic requirement for special-issuance review by the agency for many applicants. Public comments on the proposal are due October 5.

Under current regulations, an applicant with a medical history of diabetes requiring insulin “or any other hypoglycemic drug” is automatically disqualified and must go through the special-issuance process under FAR 67.401, and the Federal Air Surgeon then determines whether the applicant can perform their duties safely.

The proposed rule would replace the hypoglycemic-drug language with a standard that requires “no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus that requires insulin for control.” Insulin-treated diabetes would continue to require special-issuance review, and AMEs would retain discretion to refer higher-risk NIDDM cases to the FAA.

According to the FAA, the change reflects improvements in diabetes management since the current standard was adopted in 1959. In a review of 51 fatal accidents from 2008 to 2025 involving non-insulin diabetes medications, the FAA found diabetes-related factors an unlikely contributor in 50, with one still under investigation.

Roughly 3,000 applicants would receive certification annually without special-issuance deferral under the proposal, the FAA estimates.

With nearly 30 years of business aviation experience, Bryan Dunn joins West Star Aviation as Director, Gulfstream Business Development. His extensive technical background and customer-focused approach will support Gulfstream operators across the Northeast and Eastern Canada

Corporate Angel Network (CAN) will once again host its annual Fund an Angel event at NBAA-BACE to raise money for the organization’s mission to provide flights on business jets for cancer patients traveling to treatment. The event is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ Waterbleau Terrace, with Christopher Hanke returning as host.

“Every time a company shares an available seat with a cancer patient, it represents more than a seat—it represents access to care, hope, and a path to treatment,” said Courtney Easton, CAN’s v-p of programs, strategy, and outreach. “Fund an Angel is a wonderful reflection of the generosity and spirit of this community, and every sponsorship, silent auction donation, and contribution helps make it possible for more cancer patients to travel to the care they need.”

CAN is seeking silent auction donations and volunteers; those who volunteer one hour of time will receive a complimentary event ticket. Last year’s fundraiser brought in $500,000 through sponsorships, individual donations, and the silent auction, which included items such as a flight simulator demo session and Giants football tickets.

CAN expects to complete 2,300 patient flights this year and has arranged more than 70,000 since its founding in 1981. NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said the association is “pleased to…champion this critical, lifesaving work and support CAN’s vital mission.”

The FAA has extended the deadline for comments from the aviation industry—as well as federal, state, tribal, and local agencies—regarding the importance of Midway Atoll Airport/Henderson Field (PMDY) for transpacific aviation operations.

Midway Island is best known for being the site of what historians describe as the turning point in the Pacific Theater in World War II, when the U.S. Navy won a major tactical aircraft carrier duel against the Japanese Imperial fleet in 1942. The island remained under U.S. Navy control until the mid-1990s, when it was designated as a National Wildlife Refuge.

The remote island's infrastructure includes an ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards) runway, which can serve as an emergency landing strip for aircraft transiting the Pacific. PMDY is unique as a Part 139 certificated airport that is owned and operated by a department of the U.S. government, is not a joint-use airport, and serves a specific need in the global aviation system.

According to the FAA, PMDY’s infrastructure is deteriorating and will require significant financial investments and rehabilitation within the next three to five years to maintain its operational capability and compliance with airport certification requirements and ETOPS requirements. The FAA is attempting to understand the potential impacts if PMDY were no longer available as an ETOPS alternate airport.

The new deadline for responses is September 22.

European operators flying aircraft equipped with Nighthawk Flight Systems legacy flight displays can now have their avionics serviced by Scandinavian Avionics, based at Denmark’s Billund Airport (EKBI).

The new support partnership enables Scandinavian Avionics, part of the SA Group, to provide in-house installations and repairs, and it is also establishing a spares pool to supply AOG exchange and loaner capabilities. Scandinavian Avionics will offer dealer coordination for operators of the legacy avionics in Europe, according to Nighthawk.

Under the partnership, Scandinavian Avionics is supporting Nighthawk’s primary attitude display, navigation display, terrain awareness and warning systems, and other products that were manufactured by Sandel Avionics. Nighthawk acquired the Sandel product line in 2022 and has developed the new, large-format Guardian integrated avionics suite, which is available for Class I and II Part 23 aircraft, with additional certifications expected shortly.

“Local support for our customers is a priority, and it becomes even more important as our footprint grows internationally,” said Nighthawk CEO Paul Martin. “Operators who have trusted Nighthawk systems for years deserve a service partner who is close by, knows the equipment, and can respond quickly. Scandinavian Avionics has built exactly that kind of reputation across Europe, and we are proud to bring that level of reliability to our customers there.”

The Pentagon has greenlit a foreign military sale to the government of Iraq, paving the way for the potential acquisition of the twin-engine Bell 412EPX and single-engine Bell 407M. Authorization for the package, worth an estimated $800 million including armament and associated equipment, comes as U.S.-led coalition forces are preparing to withdraw from the country by the end of this month.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of State said the proposed sale “will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner.” Fort Worth, Texas-based Bell Textron will be the principal contractor. Although no specific numbers have been announced, the package will include “U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support service.”

Cirium data estimates that Iraq’s armed forces operate around 40 older Bell 407s and fifteen 505s, in addition to some 42 Soviet Mi-8/17s in its army. According to Bell, the updated Subaru Bell 412EPX variant—which has capacity for one pilot and 14 passengers—“further improves reliability and durability of the Bell 412 series currently active in various fields.” Typical roles include aerial firefighting, law enforcement, and troop and cargo transport. The multirole Bell 407M can be used for several missions, including light attack, close air support, special operations, and armed reconnaissance.

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