Elixir Archives - JulietBravoFox Media

Spring time in southern Germany comes just a week or two later than it does at our current base at 40 degrees N latitude in the U.S. So normally, the week of AERO Friedrichshafen trends cool, and often rainy.

Not so for 2026, and frankly we were relieved. We’d conned our friends Mike and Marsha into coming with us to the show, with promises of flowers and budding vines and flowing wines along the Bodensee…as well as a hefty dose of general aviation innovation and fun served up alongside a juicy wurst or two.

Bavaria delivered in spades, and the growth all around us in the town and countryside was echoed resonantly in the growth of the show itself. What was the biggest (and of the 6 I’ve attended, the best) AERO ever displayed the full gamut of aerial conveyances from gliders to business jets, and I really think every flying thing in between.

We had a dual mission, to assist clients with their media outreach, and to report on the latest and greatest for AvBrief.com. The twin goals kept us busily running around and capturing the whole thing in photos and prose.

A woman at a lecturn speaks into a mike with a man with a goatee and glasses behind her. — Cate Brancart (GAMA) and Tobias Bretzel (AERO) kick off AERO’s Media day with a state of the GA industry in Europe. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Two men stand in front of a high wing utility Kodiak 900 in gray camo paint, with a TBM 980 podium in front. — Cate Brancart (GAMA) and Tobias Bretzel (AERO) kick off AERO’s Media day with a state of the GA industry in Europe. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

The festivities began on Tuesday with a solid lineup for Media Day, during which we enjoyed presentations from GAMA’s EU office as well as a tour of just a handful of highlights in new aircraft at the show.

a white airplane low wing with blue and black striping and wingtips — Elixir Aircraft introduced its Elixir + model at AERO 2026 with new wingtips. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

a gray tandem two seat airplane with a woman in front and a man in back shines out of fake fog — Elixir Aircraft introduced its Elixir + model at AERO 2026 with new wingtips. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

For AvBrief, I featured the Elixir + aircraft that had just debuted, fresh from its FAA Part 23 certification last summer. We also saw a dynamic display of the new Kaelin Aero B100C two-seat trainer during the media tour.

a woman stands next to a podium with a red laptop on it — Claire Beringer introduced the latest products from Beringer Aero’s wheels and brakes line at AERO 2026. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

two men in dark blue suits in front of a gray jet with red and black stripes — Claire Beringer introduced the latest products from Beringer Aero’s wheels and brakes line at AERO 2026. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Press conferences and seminars gave us a chance to catch up on innovations from Beringer Aero, with its high performance wheels and brakes, and Hartzell Propeller’s carbon fiber composite prop technology. We also celebrated a lot of jet orders, emphasizing the evolving nature of the show into the business aviation realm. Topping these were several from Textron Aviation, including Luminair and Luxaviation.

A group of five women sit in comfy chairs on a stage in front of a blue banner — A panel of leaders discuss the power of mentorship in aviation and how it opens doors to all, and expands our resources. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Four middle aged white men stand in front of a banner with a Cirrus Vision Jet on it. — A panel of leaders discuss the power of mentorship in aviation and how it opens doors to all, and expands our resources. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

AERO also made global connections possible, bringing aviation leaders and enthusiasts from around the world into one place. The focus was on the state of GA in the EU, for clear reasons: the seeds of innovation grow here, but they are not nurtured as they should be, which is why aviation manufacturers from Europe tend to build facilities in North America. I had a candid conversation with Kyle Martin, who leads GAMA’s EU office, and we went over those continuing challenges at length, along with what the association is striving to do about changing that playing field.

While not much has moved since our last visit to AERO, with the right momentum behind those initiatives, we could see progress. If it were up to the thousands plying the halls of the Messe, it would be a no brainer. We want the new, the exciting, the sustainable to give us wings.

a white airplane with a digital gray and blue graphic on the cowl on a white platform — The Bristell electric B23 powered by the H55 powertrain and packs launched at AERO 2026. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

One month since we left the shores of the Bodensee and our friends at AERO 2025 in Friedrichshafen, and it feels like a good time for a status update. Certainly enough has transpired to keep us all entertained in the aviation world, to say the least.

First, congrats go out to the AERO gang for a phenomenal success and a show that marked tremendous growth for the organization. With more than 760 exhibitors and 32,000+ attendees, the event clearly resonated with the moment.

SETOps in the Business Aviation Dome at AERO 2025

You have to be prepared to meet opportunity, and Tobias Bretzel and team took advantage of the opening left by EBACE’s recasting. AERO had made significant forays into serving the business aviation world more directly in recent years, with exhibitors such as Gulfstream attending last year with an aircraft, and more significant displays from Textron Aviation, Pilatus, and charter operators.

Those continued this year with Bombardier, Dassault Aviation, and Gulfstream providing an outdoor exhibit, along with Platoon Aviation’s sponsorship of what I’m calling the Big BizAv Tent (it went by the official name “Business Aviation Dome”). The venue provided space for various small exhibits, along with a café of sorts and a coffee/wine bar, along with a stage for forums, several of which I attended. This was perhaps the only off note; those hosted in the afternoon in particular suffered from too much sunlight in the wrong place, and strange cube-like seats that weren’t well suited for attendees needing to balance a notebook or device. Minor details, though.

The topics covered throughout the show were on target, however, including the next in the series on Single-engine Turboprop Operations (SETOps), and industry and technology updates. I admit I have been so distracted following the ongoing tariffs saga that I have yet to complete my analysis of the current state of SETOps, which honestly feels like it’s in a bit of a holding pattern while everyone figures out where the industry will land, tax- and delivery-wise!

Which brings me to the current state of affairs. Time to look back at the questions I posed in February, on the following topics:

Tariffs by the U.S. and retaliatory answers from Canada, Mexico, China
The charge to slash U.S. government regulations and only replace them at a 10:1 ratio
Egregious use tax implementation in Europe, targeting business aviation
Deeply cutting personnel reductions at key agencies, including FAA, DoT, and Department of Commerce
Privatization of the National Airspace System in the U.S.

On tariffs. Well, the good news, I suppose, is that the U.S. has apparently walked back from the outrageously steep 145% tariffs applied to many goods from China, down to 30%. And there’s a 90-day pause on many of the remainder, including goods from the EU, Mexico, and Canada. However, the chaotic nature of their application and the resulting retaliation means companies are still having a tough time planning for the future. A 90-day crystal ball just isn’t enough. I think of one good friend who has a publishing company, and he’s in limbo trying to figure out where to have books printed these days. The last container with a pallet of their merchandise on board left China back in mid April. Knowing what tariffs will apply remains a guessing game.

On regulations. We’ve seen more cuts in terms of personnel across government departments than the regs themselves, including at the FAA, and that pain lingers. At the same time, specific regulatory initiatives such as MOSAIC appear to be moving forward, with a final rule to be released late this summer, according to an update from the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association at AERO.

On EU taxes. France went ahead with its tax on commercial flights, which includes business aviation, to the tune of “420 euros for a passenger on a business jet flying to a destination within the EU or European Economic Area to 2,100 euros per passenger flying to a destination more than 5,500 km away,” according to NBAA. Passenger fees for turboprop aircraft are roughly half the jet rates, which makes the SETOps mission all the more critical for operators to leverage if the capacity fits.

On personnel. I know folks personally who have seen their federal jobs cut, in what appears to be an arbitrary fashion. At the same time, the news this week has featured the lack of necessary staffing in operations including air traffic control, with Newark headlining the worst of the news.

On privatization. So, would a private entity do a better job addressing both the problems of National Airspace System modernization and personnel reductions and shortfalls? A broad coalition of aviation associations en dorsed the recent plan announced by Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. Nowhere in the points outlined by Duffy over the course of the 3 to 4 year effort does the plan *appear* to include the broad stroke of privatization. We know we need an overhaul of the system…and if there’s political will to get it accomplished, I’m all for that. But this administration’s overarching theme has been to privatize across the U.S. government, so I cannot believe that won’t be the case here.

And it’s frankly too soon to tell, especially given the past 100+ days of 2025.

Tag: Elixir

An AERO of Consequence in 2026

Taking Our Pulse, the May 13 Version