Arizona

Universal Helicopters will award its Vision Award, a full scholarship valued at up to $12,000 for night-vision goggle (NVG) certification in a Robinson R44, to one lucky Heli-Expo attendee on Wednesday. The company’s NVG certification program–which is conducted at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott, Ariz. campus–includes a maximum of seven hours flight and 10 hours of ground training. Those who wish to be in the drawing must hold an FAA commercial rotorcraft helicopter certificate, enter at Universal Helicopters’ booth and be present to win.

When many communities view airports and aviation as nuisances at best and dangerous at worst, and pressures grow to close airfields and chase aviation away, the story of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IGA) in Arizona shines like an airway beacon.

Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) has expanded its aircraft maintenance facility at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Ariz. The recently completed $14 million project added a second 26,000-sq-ft hangar which includes 22,000 sq ft of back shops, administrative offices and a customer lobby. The enhanced customer space offers guest offices for customers to use while their aircraft are being serviced.

West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Greenjets said its shared-ride charter jet membership service has been growing quickly since it was launched in April last year. “Our business has been doubling or tripling every month,” company president Dean Rotchin told AIN. Greenjets allows customers to book seats and share charter jets, thereby reducing the cost and per-passenger carbon footprint for each flight.