Resource Hub

The global helicopter sales and market intelligence firm has released its 2026 Half Year Heli Market Trends Single-Engine report, which examines retail sales activity, supply, pricing, regional market dynamics, and liquidity trends across the industry’s most actively traded single-engine helicopter models. The first half of 2026 was marked by declining retail sales and shrinking inventory for sale.

Southeast Aerospace (SEA) has delivered a mission-ready Bell 505 to the Flagler County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office (FCSO). The aircraft was modified to include an expanded instrument panel, among other features.

The collaboration evaluated whether a single ground-based supervisor, such as Wisk’s Multi-Vehicle Supervisor, can effectively manage three autonomous aircraft simultaneously, operating alongside traditional air traffic while air traffic control uses existing tools and procedures. The simulation is one of the latest milestones under Wisk and NASA’s five-year Non-Reimbursable Space Act Agreement, focused on advancing autonomous aircraft under IFR in the National Airspace System.

Located in Toulouse, France, the new subsidiary will expand Astronautics’ sales, engineering, and customer support capabilities for aerospace OEMs. The subsidiary, to be named Astronautics Europe, will start operations in or around September 2026.

The FAA filed the rule, “Normalizing Unmanned Aircraft Systems Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations,” with the US Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) on Jul. 10 for its review. Along with participating in the meeting process, VAI will be watching closely as the rule moves through review and will report to our members on its progress. OIRA review is one of the final stages in the federal rulemaking process before a rule may be cleared for publication.

The US General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract enables eligible federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies to procure CNC.Live through a streamlined, prenegotiated purchasing vehicle. CNC.Live, CNC Technologies’ cloud-based platform, provides operators custom aerial surveillance, data transmission, and counterterrorism solutions.

The decision comes following a successful demonstration of the detection device at the annual Search and Rescue Exercise in San Antonio, Texas, in May. BlueFly can be quickly attached to a drone to help locate people in areas of thick foliage, low visibility, and tough terrain.

VAI President and CEO François Lassale spoke to the group about the importance of working together across the aviation community to address safety challenges and emerging risks. The US Aviation Safety Team uses safety management system techniques to address potential systemic safety issues identified through ASIAS (Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing), industry forums, or FAA data. 

VAI Director of Regulatory Affairs Amber Harrison will moderate a panel of experts on the new US Department of Transportation program, including representatives from the FAA, the Florida Department of Transportation, and BETA Technologies.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) determined that the collisions with terrain the two aircraft suffered were likely due to rotor drive-belt failure.