general aviation Archives - JulietBravoFox Media

May 16, 2026May 16, 2026

An AERO of Consequence in 2026

a white airplane with a digital gray and blue graphic on the cowl on a white platform

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.

May 9, 2026May 9, 2026

Wasn’t Expecting So Much Sun ‘n Fun

a van's RV-10 painted red and white with Magnix on the cowl and flags around it

Well, it wasn’t on my dance card, to begin with, but circumstances dictated that I head down to Florida for the first time in a couple of years to attend the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo this year.

My primary mission was to help out with my fellow volunteers with the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators at the triple-wide booth we had planned in Hangar A for the show.

five people in polo shirts stand in front of a banner that says SAFE, Educate, Elevate, Aviate. — SAFE volunteers proudly show off the new display booth at Sun n Fun 2026. [Credit: Donna Wilt]

But since I was already on site, I met up with fellow AvBrief contributor Larry Anglisano to put together a few bits for the home team at avbrief.com. We started off with this video showing off the Bristell B23 with the Rotax 916iS powerplant, interviewing my pal David Copeland of Bristell on the company’s plans for the model, now that MOSAIC is reality.

a silver and dark grey low wing Bristell B23 parked on the grass — https://avbrief.com/bristell-b23-goes-mosaic-electric-in-the-works/This version of the Bristell B23 hosts a Rotax 916iS powerplant. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Next, I covered the several press conferences on Tuesday, with news from Daher including their Me & My Kodiak app and the proud display of the new TBM 980 and Kodiak 900 out front. Larry and I enjoyed a coffee (I only spilled a little on my feet) on their spacious deck).

a man in a straw hat and a woman in a white polo on an RV porch with cups of coffee — Nicolas Chabbert introduces the Me & My Kodiak app at Sun n Fun 2026. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Then, I scooted over to MagniX to check out their big reveal of a rather little powerplant, one that will be going into no less than the pretty Van’s RV-10 parked outside the tent.

a small electric motor round and polished white — The magniX motor will go next into this Van’s RV-10 for testing. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

I also had a chance to support client Hartzell Propeller during the company’s seminar as part of the Sun ‘n Fun Innovation Preview on Monday afternoon under the breezy pavilion (which won’t be so breezy next year, once it is enclosed). Great stuff coming from the Top Prop line, and new prop applications in the works…

a man behind a pale wooden lecturn next to a large screen with New Products and airplanes on it — JJ Frigge of Hartzell Propeller introduces the company’s new products at the Sun n Fun 2026 Innovation Preview. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Overall props to the excellent media headquarters staff, who kept me watered and fed and charged up during my whirlwind visit… and to the entire Sun ‘n Fun team for a great show… things are looking up at least in this part of central Florida.

February 20, 2026February 20, 2026

GAMA: Big Wins for BizJets, A Strong Year in 2025

A panoramic view of the stage at the GWU auditorium lit in deep royal blue and orange flanked by two podiums with men speaking from behind them

The total take hit $31 billion for airplanes and $4.7 billion for rotorcraft, topping $35 billion overall for the first time, and an increase of 14.6%.

With the official kickoff of the general aviation year, I made my first contribution to AvBrief.com, with my report and a beginning analysis of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association 2025 Report press conference and gathering in Washington, D.C., on February 18.

To read the story, please visit the site, and if you like what you see, support the cause by leaving a comment and signing up for the free newsletter. (You can do that on this site as well!)

February 18, 2026February 18, 2026

An Unsung Heroine and Shepherd of General Aviation History Retires

Dorothy Cochrane, longtime curator for general aviation and women in aviation for the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, retired in 2025 after a career of championing the importance of light aircraft within the aerospace legacy.

Her retirement lunch took three times to occur. The first time, it fell victim to the government shutdown in October. The second time, to the great blizzard of January 25 in Washington, D.C., where the NASM sits on the National Mall after its extensive restoration.

The third time, on Tuesday, February 17, a crowd of colleagues gathered to share cake and stories with Cochrane and her family and friends. We celebrated a person uniquely responsible for identifying and preserving the stories and importance of general aviation for the present and future generations to understand.

Not only did Cochrane help colleagues such as Chris Browne, current director of NASM, comprehend better the role of GA in the grand aviation scheme of things, but more than that, help the literally millions of people that come to the museum and come to the Smithsonian’s websites seeking experts—to learn more, to become educated, and to go out into the world with that knowledge.

Cochrane earned her private pilot certificate in 1994, and that’s really how I became privileged to know her: We both belong to an informal group of pilots in the D.C. area who regularly fly out for lunch and other shenanigans.

She threatened to retire for several years, but one project in particular kept her engaged: the development and bringing to life of the first NASM gallery dedicated to GA, the Thomas W. Haas We All Fly section on the first floor of the museum on the Mall. You owe it to yourself to return to the NASM to see it—there’s something within its walls that will resonate with you no matter what your relationship is to aviation, even if that has been limited to watching the feats of Dusty Crophopper from Planes (one of her proud acquisitions).

She joked at her party that she stayed on to revamp the Pioneers of Flight only as an aside in importance to her, compared to We All Fly. However, among her other key acquisitions was the Lindbergh “Bird” that Anne Morrow Lindbergh once flew. The Lindberghs feature prominently in the Pioneers exhibit, as you might expect.

But more so than the one-of-a-kind artifacts she’s obtained for the collection over the years are the priceless relationships with pioneering humans that have advanced flight. Like Eileen Collins, Patty Wagstaff, and Sean D. Tucker.

You may know their names, but please now know Dorothy’s, as she leaves a legacy in general aviation from which we can all benefit.

NASM Director Chris Browne thanked Cochrane on behalf of the decades of colleagues and constituents with whom she collaborated over decades of service. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

February 15, 2026February 15, 2026

Julie Boatman Joins AvBrief as a Contributor

We started our support of AvBrief.com the very day that it launched in August 2025.

Now, we’re pleased to have the freedom to join officially as the primary coordinator of the digital publication’s general and business aviation OEM coverage. I get to do one of the things I love most—fly new aircraft and report on the teams that bring them to life—and do so collaborating with a couple of the best journalists in aviation, Russ Niles and Larry Anglisano. The group of contributors they have attracted to the fold is only surpassed by the number of subscribers that they have been adding every day.

It’s real aviation intelligence. Nothing artificial.

Check out the video link below for my interview with Russ about the new role and the first assignments I’ll have for AvBrief.

Julie Boatman Joins AvBrief

JulietBravoFox Media will continue to serve our incredible media relations and marketing consulting clients as we enter our third year since relaunching the agency in February 2024.

It’s an exciting time to bring new ideas and technology to pilots, and I’m thrilled to get to work with the very best in the business. Please join me by signing up for AvBrief’s free newsletter here.

August 25, 2025August 25, 2025

Clearing Brush: RAF Camping at Clarion

As it turns out, I’d been training all summer for the Recreational Aviation Foundation work party at KAXQ.

Our front yard hosts an absolute tyranny of thistle that springs back into life each year, starting in April and not letting up until the frost hits the pumpkin. Just when I think I have it all pulled, down to the tap roots, a few miscreant spikes push through the mulch and taunt me.

The spines prickle and irritate, so my RAF-issued work gloves have had no less than four sessions already of bending and turning soil and pulling carefully to get the most noxious stuff out.

The path to the RAF work party took us 120 nm to the northeast on a pretty late August Saturday. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

And that’s almost exactly the task assigned to me first when we taxied onto the ramp at Clarion County Airport, in western Pennsylvania. We secured the Cessna 182, walked through the FBO, and saw the wooded entrance to the camping site across the parking lot, not a football field length away.

RAF liaison for PA/WV Chip Vignolini hailed us from behind his truck, and promptly introduced us to co-liaison for PA Andrew Turner and sons Caleb and Josh, who would be working on building a lean-to for firewood, and splitting the logs piled up on the ground nearby. Right on our heels, RAF volunteer Doug Turnbull flew in and parked his Piper Cruiser next to us, and along with us was given the task of clearing the brush along the banks of the pond.

What pond?

Before the brush clearing around the pond, you would have no idea the pond was there! [Credit: Julie Boatman]

You couldn’t see it through the thicket of black locust trees, ragweed, and other scrub that had sprouted up since the last time Andrew and crew had tackled the area. They all had to go. So we rolled up our sleeves, and Stephen grabbed a strimmer (a weed-whacker to non-Brits), and we went to it.

The bench with a newly cleared view at KAXQ, just in time to say hello to the birds stopping by on migration southbound. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Two hours later, we not only could see the pond, but the area around the bench was clean as a whistle. We took a break from hauling brush to the other side of the camping area and throwing it into the forest, and then S took on his next assignment: grilling lunch. I worked on finding and clearing the trail supposedly circling the area. I found an old tree stand…and a lot of marshy weeds. But with more of S’s strimming work, a semblance of a path came out of the woods.

Round about noon, the burgers and hot dogs were ready on Chip’s portable grill, and everyone took a load off to enjoy the lunch al fresco. The young men had the shelter framed up, placed nearly equidistant from the twin RAF fire rings already in place. All it needed now was the aluminum roof secured and the RAF sign placed at the entrance to the camping area.

A shiny new sign was posted near the entrance to the camping area, alerting pilots to its location, as well as its benefactor. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

And that’s the story of most RAF work parties. You don’t need special skills (though if you have them, you’ll be assigned accordingly), and the most important thing to bring is a great attitude, some perseverance, and a tough pair of work gloves. With just eight folks pitching in, we conquered the task list in just a few hours.

We departed right after lunch to beat the potentially building thunderstorms along the Appalachian spine between KAXQ and our home airport at Hagerstown. Once more, we were spent physically but emotionally filled back up from the shared effort.

As it turns out, the airplane had visited KAXQ before, bringing its owners to explore the biking and hiking trails that thread throughout the forest south of the airport, all the way to the Clarion River.

One of two RAF fire rings installed at the camping site for pilots at Clarion County Airport. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Upon talking with Andrew and Chip, they filled us in on how unsung the place was, and mostly empty for much of the year. Though the camping area gets good use during the fall, there are still plenty of times when it doesn’t. And they’d love to see more folks take advantage of the easy access from the airport (which has lots of tie-downs, and self-serve fuel) and the quiet natural beauty that surrounds the place.

We’ve joined work parties before, twice at Moose Creek USFS in Idaho, and those strips get a lot of attention. But it’s the ones close by—Clarion is just 120 nm from home for us—that will entice us throughout the year.

They all deserve our loving care.

For more information on these incredible places, check out the RAF’s Airfield Guide. And to find a way you can help the RAF preserve and maintain airstrips and aircraft camping areas around the country, join them here.

The Clarion County Airport (the “new” one) was founded in 1974. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

July 25, 2025July 25, 2025

Oshkosh 2025 Day Two: MOSAIC Rule

After 17 years of personal frustration with the hits and misses of the light sport aircraft category and sport pilot certificate, relief lies in plain sight. In fact, in about 3 months, I’ll have the ability to fly both airplanes I frequent—a Lockwood AirCam and a Cessna 182 under the FAA’s revised sport pilot privileges—announced with the confirmation of the MOSAIC final rule on Tuesday at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

That means (since I currently hold a higher level of pilot certificate) I can fly those aircraft with a valid driver’s license, rather than a medical certificate. This is a game changer for a lot of folks—and not just the senior cadre of flying friends I’ve accumulated over the years.

Table 9 Summary of Changes to Sport Pilot Privileges released by the FAA this week with the confirmation of the MOSAIC final rule. [Courtesy of the FAA/EAA]

Aircraft certification rules also open up with the launch of MOSAIC, including removing the weight limit imposed by the original LSA classification (1,320 pounds for land-based airplanes), no limit on number or horsepower of engines, and the expansion to four seats (though the pilot flying under sport privileges must stick to just one passenger). The upper limit for the stall speed for airplanes also expands, to a V_S1 of 59 knots CAS, opening up not only the Skylane but a host of other single- and light twin-engine airplanes I have in my logbook.

I’ll write more on these memories at a later date, but the removal of the weight limit would have allowed Cessna much more flexibility in the design of the Skycatcher, and I argue would have made it an even better airplane, performing far better in the marketplace.

A host of already CS 23 certified airplanes (under EASA) are poised for deployment into the U.S. market too as a result, including the Elixir two-seat training airplane that also announced Part 23 certification this week (understanding that with that milestone passed, it can be flown by private pilots ahead of MOSAIC implementation).

The playing field just opened up significantly, with the cost to entry lowered substantially at the same time.

I cannot overstate how critical these changes will be in assuring the health and accessibility of general aviation as we integrate new technologies and ways of flying into the mix. I’ll see you in these new, blue skies!

May 14, 2025May 15, 2025

Taking Our Pulse, the May 13 Version

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.

May 8, 2025May 8, 2025

Safety in Reach: Cirrus G7+ Adds Autoland

Well, now we know which manufacturer will bring Garmin’s Autoland to piston airplanes.

The spark that propels innovation brought Cirrus Aircraft to life—and the company has become a catalyst to change the way people engage with the world around them and explore it on their own terms through the 25 years of its SR Series aircraft.

With a relentless desire to elevate quality and comfort within a total safety envelope, Cirrus leveraged its deep bench of precision engineering and legacy of craftmanship to create the highest expression yet of the game-changing Cirrus SR Series, the G7+, which it debuted on May 6.

For Cirrus, the generational progress encapsulated in the G7+ takes safety, style, ergonomics, connectivity, and convenience to the next level, into an airplane that is truly transporting—with updates to answer some of our biggest desires as pilots:

To make the most of our time and opportunities.

To offer a way to bring our families and loved ones together, in magical places.

To get where we’re going wrapped in an environment that rivals the finest luxury autos.

The G7+ adds to the full palette of pilot tools that Cirrus pilots have enjoyed, including the Cirrus IQ PRO app and Collier award winning Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), with the introduction of Safe Return, an emergency automatic landing system that solves one of the most pressing concerns in personal aviation: What happens if something happens to the pilot?

Now there is an answer to that. Garmin has seen more than 1,000 aircraft delivered hosting versions of its Autoland system—but they’ve all been turbine- or turboprop-engined aircraft with an autothrottle already introduced.

So how would a piston OEM incorporate the system without that AT in place? The SR Series has had a combined prop/throttle lever and separate mixture, so how to solve that piece of the puzzle?

Turns out, it’s a digital mixture and throttle control system that kicks in when the Safe Return button is depressed and the protocols go into effect. I’d asked Ivy McIver, executive director for the SR Series, about the features added to the G7 that were, shall we say, opportune? when we flew the first version of the series in stealth mode back in December 2023. She couldn’t say it then, bien sûr, but the automated tank selection, flap overspeed functions, and enhanced envelope protection were all keys to the puzzle that would enable the Safe Return system.

I guess they figured out the automatic braking too.

In any event, it has been a pleasure all of these years to watch Cirrus wrap us bit by bit into that total safety envelope—and as a pilot, you get to choose which features you use during any given flight.

But now your passengers get a choice too, in case you’re “unable.”

April 10, 2025April 10, 2025

Expecting the Unexpected: AERO 2025 Day One

If you would have asked me 100 days ago, I could not have anticipated the landscape we currently survey as we entered the week at AERO 2025 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Or could I? We certainly knew from past experience that tariffs might rear their head in the second round of this administration in the U.S. What I didn’t expect was the apparent tilting of the map of allies in the geopolitical sphere. For which I only have the answer: this too shall pass, along with other mercurial shifts we’re now learning to brace ourselves for.

Still, in the face of all these headwinds, the aviation industry presses forward, even as deliveries pause while the uncertainty over what tariffs will be applied, by whom, on what finished products and raw materials, and when. At this moment (3:40 am CET on Thursday, April 10), we have one answer, but that is guaranteed to change.

The Elixir two-seat trainer with a Rotax 912 is one of 12 aircraft on order for Egnatia in Greece. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Elixir, Daher, Cirrus

Taking a moment to reflect on the success of 2024—a balm to soothe our collective nerves—the trio of OEMs holding press conferences on Wednesday morning reported gains last year in deliveries across models, and healthy backlogs on which to balance into the coming months.

Elixir Aircraft reported 33 of its two-seat training aircraft delivered overall, with up to 60 firm orders (two years’ production at current rates), while Daher delivered 82 total (56 TBMs and 26 Kodiak 100s/900s) with a 1- to 2-year backlog on those models. Cirrus pushed out 630 of its SR Series, and 101 Vision Jets, and also sits on a strong order book.

Daher Aircraft CEO Nicolas Chabbert (left) presents findings from the EcoPulse project with Head of Design Christophe Robin. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Whether those hold is anyone’s guess. With little room on price to absorb tariffs, the landscape ahead is unclear. Nicolas Chabbert, CEO of Daher’s Aircraft division, put it plainly: “Are people ready to pay more? They are ready to pay nothing more… So who’s going to pay?” The OEMs can’t. Why? “Because we can’t. If aviation was hiding 20 or 30 percent margin, you’ve got to tell me.”

Todd Simmons, head of customer experience at Cirrus, highlighted deliveries of the SR Series and Vision Jet. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

While Cirrus keeps its primary manufacturing lines in the U.S., in Duluth, Minnesota, and other facilities, Daher has production spread between plants in France and Idaho, and a third line in development in Stuart, Florida. But even though there is a head start on transforming portions of the buildings at the former Triumph plant, Daher doesn’t expect to begin cranking out TBMs on that line until early 2027. Elixir is growing at La Rochelle, on France’s west coast, along with plans for reassembly in Sarasota, Florida, already underway, with FAA certification on track for later this year, according to Elixir co-founder and CMO Cyril Champenois.

But the idea that companies can flip a switch on a new production line fast enough to mitigate the pause in deliveries prompted by the tariffs on the table is ludicrous to anyone with intimate knowledge of aircraft manufacturing.

Business Aviation Leadership Panel

At noon, the new Business Aviation Show Hub (“the Dome”) outside of Hall A2 at AERO, buzzed with a collection of leaders convened to further explore these concerns. While workforce recruitment and implementation of technology such as AI have been at the forefront of conversation for the past couple of years, the global economic scene now overshadows positive gains in these areas.

New GAMA president and CEO Jim Viola joined Florian Guillermet, executive director at EASA; Carlos Brana, Dassault Aviation; Phil Straub, Garmin Aviation; Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation, Deniz Weissenborn, Platoon Aviation; and Chabbert, hosted by Volker Thomalla, editor in chief at Aerobuzz.de, to give an assessment.

Focusing on what they can control—building on the sector’s safety record, attracting new talent, striving towards net zero emissions—those on the panel sent the clear message that they intend to continue cooperation across the pond. There’s an ocean there, between Europe and North America, but it’s not perceived as a barrier. Guillermet in particular called out this desire to continue the shared roadmap between FAA and EASA. “We need to have an approach that is building confidence; there is no reason not to have it.” While the treatment of business aviation in Europe faces intense bias against it, he expressed hope that by promoting the benefits to society generated by utilizing aircraft in a variety of roles those attitudes can be countered.

Flying is all about preparing for unforeseen events and building resiliency into our procedures and processes to withstand areas of turbulence. We must build this resiliency into our relationships as well, as it is clearly those we rely upon to ensure we stay the course. Ours is a global industry, interconnected in ways that resist the “dis-integration” pressure upon us. Like an SOP honed over time, this foundation forms our strength. Together, facing the unexpected with that in mind.