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While the joy of flying brings many into the world of aviation, its constantly evolving technology, tight government regulations and the constant quest for a perfect safety record bring unique challenges to the industry every year.
With that said, 2023 certainly had its share of major moments. From the next generation of aircraft, the safety measures that govern them and how we train the pilots that fly them, this is a look at the largest stories and trends from the year in aviation news and a look at what might come in 2024.
The Reno Air Races end
Even though the event's final two years ended with heartbreaking midair collisions, that is not what pulled the plug on National Championship Air Races, known colloquially as the Reno Air Races.
In March, the RARA announced that after nearly 60 years, the National Championship Air Races would be searching for a new home. The Reno Tahoe Airport Authority opted to end the decades-long partnership, citing economic conditions, rapid development in the region and public safety.
However, we learned later in the year that a new event will take its place.
The Reno Air Show will take place from Oct. 4-6 in 2024. Without any racing, it will feature a lineup of thrilling performers. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the Canadian Snowbirds and the USAF F-16 Viper Demonstration Team are all slated to be part of the show.
FULL STORY: Racing not allowed at new Reno Air Show Van's Aircraft files for bankruptcy
Early in December, iconic kitplane maker Van's Aircraft announced that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A week later, the company told customers of its new kit pricing as well as changes to kit contents and ordering policies. Aircraft kit prices are rising by about 32 percent and the company is standardizing kit offerings as well as implementing new policies.
In October, founder Dick VanGrunsven released a video speaking directly to Van's Aircraft builders and owners, sharing challenges the company has faced and a plan to move forward. Due to factors like increased costs, doubled inventory levels, slowed deliveries and strained cash flow, he said the company had reached a breaking point. Van's assembled a team of advisors to help with financial analysis, planning and operational improvements.
After announcing the Chapter 11 filing, Van's shared the new plans for existing customers moving forward. Customers with existing orders or in need of replacement parts will be contacted about their kits and information about the parts replacement program. The affected customers will be given the new prices and receive access to a website to review and act on the details of the existing orders and proposed order modifications. Customers can choose to apply the full amount of their existing deposits toward the purchase of the same kit under the new terms and conditions and with the price increase.
Looking ahead, perhaps the excitement amongst the Van's fanbase about news of the RV-15 aircraft under development that was among the biggest things gathering buzz at the past two EAA AirVentures can continue into the coming year.
FULL STORY: Van's Aircraft raises prices, orders new policies after filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy Volato bails out Jet It pilots andamp; customers in wake of closure, Honda Jet runway mishaps
Fractional aircraft provider Jet It announced in May that it was grounding its fleet of Honda Jets after a series of runway mishaps around the country. Jet It's leadership already had a well-publicized rocky relationship with the manufacturer.
Many of the incidents involve the overshooting of runways, in some cases, blame has been cast on the pilots; in others, the weather might have played a role. Even the Honda Jet pilot's association announced a safety standdown. However, it soon came to light that the issue with the light jets was not the only the hampering Jet It.
Soon after, stories emerged that the company had issues flying customers and had furloughed workers. Just days after grounding its fleet and the reports of furloughs, Jet It sent a letter to employees saying that their jobs were terminated and the company was closing.
On the heels of those developments, by the end of May, rival fractional jet provider Volato said it was preparing to offer the Jet It HondaJet owners short-term leases and to onboard pilots who had been displaced.
Later in the year, Volato went public on the New York Stock Exchange in a SPAC deal. It is sure to be one of the companies that the business aviation world will be keeping an eye on as we roll into 2024.
FULL STORY: Volato offers hope to Jet It fractional owners and pilots amidst closure Crashes at EAA AirVenture and Thunder Over Michigan
The summer airshow season brings together lovers of aviation of all sorts to check out the best of the best when it comes to airplanes and the people who fly them. However, the nation's largest show for general aviation, EAA AirVenture, was the site of two deadly crashes in 2023. On July 29, a helicopter and a gyroplane collided on the grounds, destroying the helicopter and killing the pilot and passenger, while the pilot and passenger in the gyroplane were seriously hurt.
Multiple videos and witness accounts noted that the gyroplane was approaching the south of the Ultralight/Homebuilt Rotorcraft runway when it executed a left 360-degree turn, according to the NTSB. The helicopter was behind the gyroplane, also approaching the runway on the base leg from the south. Roughly 250 feet above ground level, the gyroplane collided with the left side of the helicopter.
The EAA released a statement, identifying the victims in the midair collision as 69-year-old Mark Peterson ad 72-year-old Thomas Volz.
On the same day, a T-6 Texan crashed into nearby Lake Winnebago. The pilot was 30-year-old co-founder of the Texas Warbird Museum Devyn Reiley, flying with 20-year-old passenger Zach Colliemoreno. Both Reiley and Colliemoreno died in the crash.
Two weeks later, at the Thunder Over Michigan airshow, two pilots ejected from a MiG-23 midflight and the audience watched as the Soviet-era aircraft crashed into a nearby parking lot and erupted in a ball of fire.
The NTSB preliminary report notes that the pilot was still actively troubleshooting an engine problem when his ejection seat fired and he was suddenly sprung into the air with the other pilot.
As the investigations continue into these crashes, let's hope that what we learn from them can improve safety in the airspace at and around airshows in the coming year and beyond.
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New details in midair collision on AirVenture grounds in NTSB prelim Pilot was still troubleshooting when ejected from MiG-23 in airshow crash Delta bails out Wheels Up after Dichter is replaced
Wheels Up was the first on-demand private jet provider to go public on Wall Street. However, shocking turn of events began to unfold when founder Kenny Dichter resigned as CEO in May. The company's stock, already on a downward slide began rocketing even lower as the company dealt with so much debt that its future was in question.
Several months later, in August, the company's stock - after undergoing a reverse split - swung wildly after Delta Airlines stepped in with a $500+ million lifeline. In exchange, Delta took control of the vast majority of the shares.
New Wheels Up CEO George Mattson spoke in November at CJI Miami, outlining how he sees the business as it is currently, where it is headed and what they are going to need to do to fulfill their clients' needs.
The company's new leader said Wheels Up is now taking lessons learned from Delta and integrating it into its private aviation model and that Delta would not be investing hundreds of millions of dollars into Wheels Up if it did not believe in its potential for success.
"Going forward, operational excellence is what will make the company succeed," Mattson said.
Wheels Up stock more than tripled in value over the second half of the year, sitting at $4.02 at market close on Dec. 29, up from a 52-week low of 98 cents. The continuing saga of the private jet flight provider will certainly be something to watch in 2024.
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Wheels Up stock takes wild ride after $500m lifeline from Delta The future of business aviation loomed large at CJI Miami event - Here are the highlightsReaddressing pilot issues of retirement age, mental health, training andamp; certification
While 2022 was dominated by talk of a looming pilot shortage and how the industry and remedy it, the main story for pilots in the past year focused on their licenses and at what cost it takes to keep them certified.
The year started with the FAA taking public comments on certification changes as the agency tried to clear its backlog. Among other issues looked at included extending the mandatory retirement age and revisiting the issue of mental health. In October, an off-duty commercial pilot allegedly tried to shut down an airliner during a flight, resulting in criminal charges. The pilot later said he had been undergoing a mental health crisis, had experimented with psychoactive substances and thought he was in a nightmare.
Later in the year, both the NTSB and FAA held events to explore how the U.S. can modernize its approach to mental health in aviation.
Many of these issues do not have easy fixes and they are at the core of the mission of aviation safety. Among the issues that emerge in aviation in the coming year, do not expect a quick fix in this arena.
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FAA forms rulemaking committee to examine pilot mental health NTSB chair to host mental health summit, shares safety concerns over current systemAdvancements in eVTOL
Earlier this year, we ran a poll on GlobalAir.com asking which of the most-known eVTOL aircraft makers would be first to deliver a certified aircraft. The top response by a wide margin was "I'll believe it when I see it."
In an industry where many great ideas lose out due to financing, technological changes or regulatory issues, it is not surprising to encounter such skepticism. In fact, plans are in the works to develop a vertiport for use at AirVenture.
Further, one has to look no further than the electrification of the auto industry, where top manufacturers are burning cash on EV development despite underwhelming sales, to point out that we just might not be there yet.
However, supporters persist. Major airlines and big companies like Toyota are jumping on board and funneling in cash. Meanwhile, compnaies such as Joby, Archer and Boeing-backed Wisk Aero, have reported milestone after milestone in 2023.
Archer has hired the former acting FAA administrator to help its efforts to clear federal red tape and recently flew its Midnight prototype, while Joby has stepped further down the path of its certification process and recently conducted eVTOL traffic simulations with NASA, and Wisk flew its unmanned aircraft.
Will 2024 be the breakthrough year? Those saying they will believe it when they see it might start becoming believers as well in the not-too-distant future.
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Joby, NASA complete series of eVTOL air traffic simulationsWisk Aero, Reliable Robotics achieve uncrewed aircraft milestonesArcher's Midnight eVTOL takes flightExpansion of SAF flights andamp; the industry's push to go green
A major tenant for private aviation advocacy groups as they work to strengthen the industry's image in the public arena is to focus on the advancements in technology, safety and sustainability. Things like the Climbing. Fast. initiative launched in the fall of 2023 aim to get that message out.
A key component for that in business aviation is the expansion of SAF. In the past year, according to one study, use of the greener jet fuel doubled in the past year, and more production capacity is needed to meet the growing demand.
Adding to that momentum are the ongoing milestones and testing being conducted. The past year saw a Gulfstream G600 aircraft complete the world's first transatlantic flight to be fueled completely by SAF, only to have Virgin Airlines do the same on a commercial flight just days later.
As we switch to a new calendar, the switch to sustainable fuels is likely to only gather even more momentum as we move ahead.
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Gulfstream flies world's first trans-Atlantic flight on 100 percent SAF in G600 Virgin Atlantic flies world's first transatlantic commercial flight on 100 percent SAFSAF production doubled this year, projections for 2024 fall short of rising demandsThe new FAA Administrator faces a whirlwind of issues
After 572 days without a permanent leader, the US Senate voted unanimously in October to confirm Michael Whitaker to serve as the Administrator of the FAA. While that is a sigh of relief for those wanting continuity within the agency in charge of keeping America's sky and airports running safely and smoothly.
Whitaker will face a host of challenges to help the FAA better do its job. From replacing aging infrastructure and computer system, a system whose failure of the NOTAM framwork led to the first nationwide ground stoppage since 9/11, to addressing the regulartory process that led to the tragic debacle involving the Boeing 737 MAX and (as we will discuss further in a moment) the ongoing rise of the number of runway incursions as the industry deals with issues such as pilot health and air traffic controller fatigue, Whitaker is not stepping into an easy job.
Whitaker's decades of experience in aviation have brought him many supporters, notably those who were strongly opposed to the previous nominee, Phil Washington, who removed himself from the confirmation process in March.
Here's hoping that 2024 will be the beginning of a much-better managed FAA.
FULL STORY: Senate unanimously confirms FAA administrator after 19 month vacancyBrushes with disaster on American runways
Perhaps the most alarming aviation story in 2023 has been the astounding number of runway incursions, involving everything from commercial airliners to cargo haulers, as well as private jets and piston planes.
Loss of situational awareness was blamed in an incident in Hawaii in January, where a United Boeing 777 was crossing a runway as a Cessna 208B landed. In February, an inbound FedEx flight and an outbound Southwest flight barely missed one another in Austin, Texas, with overflight being blamed for a loss of separation. Less than three weeks later, two regional airliners were cleared to land back-to-back on the same runway.
A March midair collision involving a Piper J-3 Cub and a Piper Warrier II was likely due to blindspots, according to the AOPA, and the weather was blamed when jets slid off runways in Aspen and New Jersey. Perhaps the most shocking, pictured above, was from October when a Hawker 850XP clipped the rear of a Citation Mustang, a matter of probably seconds and mere feet from being an utter tragedy.Despite the varying causes, an underlying trend holds true. These sorts of incidents are time bombs ticking down toward catastrophe.
These events have already led to changes at the FAA, with it being addressed in the recently passed FAA reauthorization bill, the agency creating a direct line of communication and new efforts to address air traffic controller fatigue.
There have been so many stories published on these incidents, the accident reports that follow them and the discussion amongst government officials, that we will sign off on this breakdown of an incident earlier this year at JFK. In it, one of our student-pilot scholarship recipients anaylizes some of the steps that a pilot can take to stay safe when approaching or departing an airport.
RELATED STORY: After close call between planes at JFK, we examine simultaneous approaches on parallel runways Here's to hoping that we see far fewer of these type of incidents in 2024. In our most recent poll, we asked how you would rate the past year for the private aviation industry. The largest plurality, with nearly a third of the votes, said it was mostly tailwinds with a little turbulence. We here at GlobalAir.com hope the new year brings nothing but blue skies for each of you.
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