PRESS RELEASE Tokyo. Japan Coast Guard (JCG) has placed an additional order for three H225 helicopters, taking its total H225 fleet up to 18. The largest Super Puma operator in Japan received three H225s in December 2023 and one in February 2024 for its growing fleet. The new helicopters will support territorial coastal activities, maritime law enforcement, as well as disaster relief missions in the country. “The Japan Coast Guard has been an active operator of the Super Puma family helicopters for three decades. This follow-on order demonstrates the customer’s confidence in our products and t ..read more

PRESS RELEASE SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Bluetail, the leading modern aircraft records platform, announced today that it has officially onboarded flyExclusive , a premier owner/operator of private jet experiences with one of the largest fleets in the United States. flyExclusive’s fleet of approximately 100 aircraft are part of the major operator’s continued commitment to growth. And, the new options from Bluetail nicely complement flyExclusive’s operations that provide a safe, curated, and customized luxury aircraft experience that they believe customers can’t get anywhere else. “We’ve always put a pre ..read more

PRESS RELEASE CHICAGO.  Pratt & Whitney announced a $20 million investment to increase the GTF maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capacity of its West Palm Beach Engine Center. The expansion will accommodate a 40% increase in capacity and is expected to be complete by the second half of 2025. To accommodate the planned growth, the facility will increase its workforce by 25% over the next year and will add critical equipment in areas such as machining, test, clean and warehousing. It will also incorporate transformative technologies developed at the recently announced North America ..read more

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Independent MRO providers performing work covered by OEMs. By Owen Davies Contributing writer Our first look at the role of MROs in bizjet warranty programs (Pro Pilot, July 2023, p 8) showed us that there was much left to learn. Revisiting the subject has revealed that involvement with OEMs varies widely among independent maintenance organizations. We found some MROs that hardly deal with hourly-cost maintenance programs (HCMPs). Mostly, they see aircraft that are too old for coverage to make sense to operators. Others do almost nothing but maintenance and repairs charged to OEM programs. Ove ..read more

The text-based, obscure system created in the time of telegrams & teletype that hinders the full implementation of the Future Air Navigation System. By Dejan Damjanović & David Bjellos Notices to air missions (NOTAMs) remain a paradox for airmen. Cryptic, cumbersome and confusing, they retain the basic format originally conceived during World War II. The topic has had a very public run in recent years, and with continued efforts by FAA, ICAO, and industry, the solutions are taking shape. An FAA program called System Wide Information Management (SWIM) will make data-sharing possible to ..read more

Search and rescue duties require high-tech, mission ready aircraft, and passionate crews. By Jay Chandler Contributing Writer Airbus H175 One of the most valiant missions a pilot can fly is the Search and Rescue (SAR) task. Searching for downed pilots or lost hikers can be wrought with fatigue and emotion, but the reward of a successful mission is beyond words. World War II provided the first opportunity for the helicopter to demonstrate its unique capabilities, when a Sikorsky R-4 helicopter was used to locate and extract 3 downed airmen from the steamy jungles of Burma in April 1944. The fir ..read more

Versatile fleet and dedicated team serve charter, management, and humanitarian missions. By Rafael Henríquez Managing Editor Part of the International Jet turbine-powered fleet at APA (Centennial, Denver CO). In the bustling world of aviation, where precision and safety are paramount, Denver CO-based International Jet stands tall as a beacon of excellence. Since its inception, the company has carved a distinguished niche in the skies, evolving from humble beginnings to become a trusted name in aircraft charter and management services. CEO Lynn Krogh founded International Jet 45 years ago ..read more

PRESS RELEASE EAST HARTFORD, CT.  Pratt & Whitney and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will work together with Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), Aerodyne Research, Inc., and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study non- CO2 aviation emissions, to help understand and reduce the environmental impact of those emissions. As part of the FAA’s ASCENT program, the project will measure emissions “As the aviation industry targets a goal of net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, we continue to pay close attention to addressing the environmental i ..read more

PRESS RELEASE Saint-Cloud, France. Dassault Aviation has opened a major new maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that will greatly enhance service for Falcon operators in Southeast Asia. Operating under the ExecuJet brand, the state-of-the-art factory service center will be able to support 10-15 aircraft at one time, including Dassault’s largest aircraft, the Falcon 6X, which recently entered service, and the larger 10X, which will reach the market in 2027. The ExecuJet MRO network is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dassault Aviation. The 149,500-ft2 Kuala Lumpur ..read more