Innovation and partnership are two critical ingredients in the aviation industry. When these two are combined, the result can be significant. Let us explore the challenges associated with the LearStars development and how it led to the creation of the hugely popular Canadair Challenger.

In the 1930s, a new era of corporate travel dawned with the development of several trailblazer business aircraft. Against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding commercial aviation industry and the emergence of the corporate executive as a distinct profession, these early planes offered a new level of speed, comfort, and efficiency for business travelers.

As we move into 2023, business aviation has always been a fast-paced industry, changing to meet additional needs and demands. Here are the trends that will affect the business aviation industry in the coming year, shaping its future direction and driving innovation and growth.

When a client decides to make a private jet trip, they will be in contact with three different groups of people; the broker or salesperson selling him the flight, the flight crew flying the airplane and the FBO personnel greeting and handling the passengers before and after the flight itself. Therefore, it is undeniable that an FBO (fixed-base operator) is one of the most important aspects of private jet travel. The experience at the FBO will make for a significant part of the experience the passenger has. It can make or break the trip.

For this reason, FBOs are under enormous pressure from the other two groups to deliver and keep the passenger happy. In the busiest airports, FBOs are also competing against each other, obliged to keep up to the highest of standards, as clients change their FBO preference easily. So, what makes an FBO great? What qualities distinguish one FBO from the other? Five key areas can be identified:

Walter Beech demonstrated both a love for, and an innate skill and understanding of aviation from a very early age. For example, in 1905, at the age of 14, he built and flew his first aircraft, a glider of his own design. This was followed by a stint in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War I. After the war, he spent several years barnstorming throughout the Midwest. In 1921, he accepted a job with the Swallow Airplane Corporation as a test pilot and later became the general manager. The Swallow TP was the company’s primary aircraft model. It was a two-place, a metal-framed, fabric-covered biplane used primarily for flight training.

In 1924, Beech, along with Lloyd Stearman and Clyde Cessna, created the Travel Air Company. In 1929, while at Travel Air, Beech designed the Travel Air cabin plane that would meet National Air Transport specifications for a passenger plane. It soon became the standard for airmail transportation. Shortly thereafter, Travel Air merged with Curtis Wright. Beech became the vice president, and later, the president of the new company. His executive duties kept busy traveling and away from the production plant which is where he really wanted to be.