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. 

Duncan Aviation announces the twenty 2024 recipients of the Karen K. Duncan Scholarship. The program is one way the company invests in its communities — through the children of its team members. For 26 years, Duncan Aviation has advanced the futures of students through the program.

Duncan Aviation announces the company has delivered another Gulfstream G650. This was the first complete Gulfstream G650ER paint project delivered from its full-service maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Lincoln, NE. The aircraft was delivered with new, custom exterior paint and minor maintenance work.

The National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA’s) Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Program welcomes Wes Maness, director of maintenance at Flight Group Corporation, as the 900th professional to earn the certification — a significant milestone for a program that has become the benchmark of leadership excellence in business aviation.

Flightstar Corporation, a full-service maintenance, repair and overhaul operation (MRO) based in Central Illinois, announces a significant expansion initiative with the construction of a new aircraft storage hangar. Designated as Hangar 11, this new facility will house managed aircraft and free up an existing storage hangar for maintenance operations.