West Star Aviation announces the approval of its next 25 apprentices selected for the new West Star Aviation Academy (WSAA) at its East Alton, IL (ALN), facility. WSAA was opened earlier this year in collaboration with Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) as an initiative that aims to address the ongoing shortage of aircraft maintenance technicians in the industry.

TrustFlight Ltd. (TrustFlight), a technology provider focused on digitization of the aviation industry, announces the launch of its leading Centrik Safety Management System (SMS), Centrik 5. Centrik, used by over 70,000 aerospace professionals around the globe, is adopted by every segment of aviation, including advanced air mobility (AAM), airlines, airports, business aviation, MROs, OEMs, training organizations and regulators.

Global aviation training provider, CAE, confirms at EBACE 2024 that its new Vienna training center will be home to up to nine full-flight simulators (FFS), including the newly announced Embraer Phenom and Bombardier Challenger 3500 aircraft. This is in addition to the Bombardier Global 6000 Vision and 7500 announced last year. CAE will also be offering maintenance training in Vienna, Austria. The new center is scheduled to open in Q2 2025.

STS Aviation Services (STS), a division of STS Aviation Group and a global provider of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul solutions, announces the acquisition of UK-based engine MRO, GT Engine Services (GTES).

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) pays tribute to Paul Smith, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, who served in key leadership roles for the association. Smith passed away peacefully on May 10.

Neptune Aviation Services, a provider of aerial firefighting and aviation services, is awarded a multiple award task order contract (MATOC) by the United States Forest Service (USFS) with task orders for three BAe 146 aircraft for the 2024 wildfire season. All three task orders are for exclusive use and include a base year with four one-year options along with 160-day guaranteed mandatory availability periods (MAP). With this award and their existing contracts, Neptune’s entire fleet of nine airtankers are committed to exclusive-use contracts.

Satcom Direct, a business-aviation solutions provider, confirms approval by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the first supplemental type certificate (STC) for the SD Plane Simple® Ka-band tail-mount terminal for a Gulfstream G650. Equipping the Gulfstream GVI-type with the advanced technology represents a significant milestone in the SD Plane Simple antenna series rollout.

Elevate MRO, a division of Elevate Aviation Group (EAG), becomes an authorized Starlink dealer and installer of its global, in-flight, high-speed internet solution. Elevate Jet intends to offer Starlink as its sole connectivity product.

Duncan Aviation announces the company has delivered its first complete CL-3500 paint job from its full-service maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Lincoln, NE. The paint department had painted a CL-300 for the same customer in 2017, and although there were a few differences between the CL-300 and CL-3500, the team was able to take the same layout and stencils and apply them to the CL-3500 aircraft.

C&L Aerospace, a C&L Aviation Group company, opens a new warehouse in Johannesburg, South Africa, which will be fully operational in July. The location is strategically located between the two major airports in Johannesburg and is a convenient shipping hub for customers in the African region. The new warehouse will support C&L’s established sales team in Africa and will initially house inventories for ERJ 135/145, and ATR 42/72, which will expand into other aircraft types as demand dictates.