West Star Aviation announces that all four of its main, full-services locations at Chattanooga, TN (CHA); Grand Junction, CO (GJT); Perryville, MO (PCD); and East Alton, IL (ALN) have been awarded the FAA Diamond Award of Excellence for completing AMT specialized training pertaining to aviation maintenance, safety and FAA rules. This is the first year that three of the locations (ALN, GJT and CHA) have been awarded the prestigious honor, while PCD has been awarded several years in a row.

For the first time ever, the Civil Aviation Authority of the State of Israel (CAAI), which operates under the Israeli Ministry of Transport and Road Safety, certifies an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for civil aviation, approving it to fly in civilian airspace as any other civilian airplane, not restricting its flight to unsegregated airspace. For safety reasons, international aviation regulations prohibit uncertified aircraft from flying in civilian airspace, limiting the operation of UAS to unsegregated airspace — until now.

PTS Aviation, LLC, a StandardAero company, signs a comprehensive three-year general terms and aircraft engine lease agreement (GTA/ELA) with a major North American Part 121 carrier, effective immediately. The initial ELA establishes the lease of one serviceable CFM56-5A1F engine for a 36-month term during a crucial period of projected air-traffic recovery and growth.

The Leather Institute (TLI), an FAA 145 Certified Repair Station that offers interior leather and soft-goods services, continues its nationwide expansion with the opening of a satellite location in Broomfield, CO (BJC).

AeroGuard Flight Training Center is again honored by the FAA, receiving the AMT Diamond Award program for 2021, its fourth consecutive year, further securing its place as one of the top pilot-training schools in the U.S. The nationwide flight school, with headquarters in Phoenix, AZ, is the recipient of the FAA Award of Excellence for its commitment to aircraft maintenance, safety and regulatory compliance.

L2 Aviation, a supplier of global avionics services, including engineering, parts, certification, installation and manufacturing, announces a strategic agreement with Global Aerospace Design Corporation (Global), a provider in aircraft engineering services, in order to provide customers with L2 Aviation’s history of achieving results combined with Global’s ability to shorten design and certification cycles.

Rusada, the global aviation software provider, reveals a new mobile application for its airworthiness, MRO and flight operations solution, ENVISION. ENVISION Flights is designed specifically for pilots and other members of the flight crew and works closely alongside ENVISION’s Flight Operations module to provide users with live flight details, including departure/arrival location, ETD/ETA, flight type and aircraft registration as well as expected passengers, baggage and freight.

In a statement submitted at a hearing of the Aviation Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) reaffirms the critical need for greater collaboration between government agencies to properly address aviation safety concerns stemming from the rollout of new 5G wireless telecommunications networks.

Global supplier of regulatory and compliance software solutions, Ideagen Plc, announces that airline maintenance provider, Czech Airlines Technics (CSAT), has purchased its industry-leading quality-management software tool, Q-Pulse.

Regional Airline Association (RAA) president and CEO, Faye Malarkey Black, testifies at The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Aviation Subcommittee hearing, titled “Finding the Right Frequency: 5G Deployment & Aviation Safety.” She comments on the negative effects of a patchwork of broadly restrictive NOTAMs and case-by-case AMOC approvals, which has disrupted regional airline passengers disproportionately.