Per the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule expanding safety management systems (SMS) to Part 135 on-demand operators, certain Part 21 certificate holders and 91.147 air tour operations may pose challenges to business aircraft operators as they work to adapt the rule’s requirements to their specific operations. The 160-page…
The Hartzell Service Center in Piqua, Ohio, is introducing a purchasing program for used serviceable propeller cores and serialized parts directly from aircraft owners, fleets and MROs. The enhancement aims to help reduce overhaul lead times, while giving customers more buying options when acquiring parts. At Hartzell’s discretion, customers can reduce the purchase price of…
Western Aircraft of Boise, Idaho, has officially become an authorized dealer and installer for Starlink, the satellite-based internet service developed by SpaceX. Starlink’s technology enables inflight 4K video calls, streaming, online gaming and secure virtual private network (VPN) connections. With more than 6,000 satellites in low Earth orbit and more being launched regularly, Starlink boasts…
SmartSky recently announced that Aero Center Atlanta has joined the SmartSky dealer network as a sales and installation partner. With seven FBO locations across the U.S., Aero Center is a full-service management, charter and FBO provider, which also offers Part 145 maintenance services – including connectivity upgrades for business aircraft – at the Atlanta location.…
President Biden signed the bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2024, May 16, which renews authority for the agency for the next five years and invests in air travel infrastructure nationwide. Regarding the passage of the bill, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said, “Both sides of the aisle, on both sides of…
SmartSky, provider of inflight air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity for business aviation, announced D&J Aviation as a new sales and installation partner. D&J recently completed a first-article installation of the award-winning SmartSky LITE™ on a Beechcraft King Air C90 with a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) expected in the coming months. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, D&J is…
ForeFlight’s latest release – 16.4 – features a Reported Turbulence Map Layer, U.S. Lowest-Tilt Radar and more.
Utilizing data from Sentry and Sentry Plus devices, this new layer in the ForeFlight Mobile app displays the measured intensity of turbulence at multiple altitudes, making it easy to find the smoothest altitude along your route. Individual turbulence reports are displayed as colored dots on the Maps tab in ForeFlight: gray to indicate smooth air,…
The Radar (Lowest-Tilt) layer only depicts radar returns obtained at the lowest angle of the radar’s sweep, which better correspond to where precipitation is reaching the ground in the form of rain or snow. The new layer benefits from significantly reduced latency of six minutes or less and also provides enhanced spatial resolution, although the…
Mental Health FAA Committee Releases Recommendation Report The Mental Health & Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) recently released their Recommendation Report. The ARC was formed in December 2023 to mitigate potential aviation safety risks due to mental health. The ARC provided a forum for the U.S. aviation community to discuss the barriers preventing…