A little after 9 a.m. CT, July 21, 2018, the Commemorative Air Force’s World War II aircraft, C-47 Bluebonnet Belle N47HL, had an accident at takeoff and caught fire. The accident occurred at Burnet Municipal Airport in Burnet, TX, where it is assigned to the Highland Lakes Squadron.

International aircraft designer and manufacturer, Pipistrel, is set to “Electri-Fly” the annual EAA AirVenture Fly-In and Tradeshow in Oshkosh, WI, July 23-29. Pipistrel is displaying an extensive selection of aircraft, with a special emphasis on revolutionary, new, electrically-powered training aircraft.

West Star Aviation announces that the Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC), the Brazilian civil aviation authority, has approved West Star's East Alton (ALN) facility to work on Brazilian registered aircraft through 2020. 

Hospital Wing, a Memphis-based air ambulance company, becomes the first helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) operator in the U.S. to take its operation fully paperless. Utilizing the Flightdocs HMX platform, Hospital Wing has been able to eliminate all paper-based forms and reports from its operation, significantly increasing efficiency across maintenance and operational processes.

Rick Garcia, president and CEO of Gulf Coast Avionics and Pacific Coast Avionics, announces that the companies have been appointed authorized dealers for Whelen Engineering’s full line of exterior and interior aircraft lighting products.

Yoel Arnoni and the principals of the Av8 group of companies (Av8 MRO & Av8 PMA) announce the launch of Av8 AOG and have named Chris Lesniak as director of sales. Av8 AOG will focus exclusively on certified parts and PMA parts sales to end users as well as other distributors and repair stations. 

West Star Aviation announces Scott Sweeney as the general manager of its East Alton, (ALN) facility. 

Propellers will be everywhere at EAA AirVenture 2018, to be held July 23-29. With more than 500,000 Hartzell props manufactured and flown over the past one hundred years, it is a sure bet that attendees of Oshkosh's famous fly-in will see and experience the company's leading aerodynamic and technological advances.

Shell Aviation announces the introduction of a first-of-its-kind, electric pump jet refueling vehicle in its operations at Stuttgart Airport, Germany. The vehicle significantly reduces diesel consumption during aircraft refuelling, supporting airports in their efforts to reduce emissions across their operations. This refueller is a part of Shell Aviation’s commitment to develop innovative technologies that deliver benefits across airport operations globally.

West Star Aviation announces that it has launched a maintenance event portal for its customers as the latest tool to stay connected while their aircraft is in work.