Construction on the new Flammability Lab at the Duncan Aviation full-service facility in Battle Creek, MI, is to be completed next week. Duncan Aviation’s Engineering & Certification Services is not only expanding the size of its burn lab, it is also expanding its testing capabilities to include the NexGen or Sonic Burner test, also known as the FAR 25.853 (b) Fire-Blocking test.

Bell Helicopters announces another milestone reached in the flight-test program for its Autonomous Pod Transport. On Dec. 9, the ATP flew with 110 lbs. of payload over an 8-mile route at Bell’s testing site near Fort Worth, TX.

Safran Helicopter Engines signs a Support-By-Hour (SBH®) contract with State Grid General Aviation Company (SGGAC), covering its H215 and H225 fleets. This contract formalizes a long-term MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) and service agreement supporting a total of 4 Makila engines. The contract also includes the renewal of SBH® support for 14 Arriel 2D engines powering the operator’s fleet of 13 H125 helicopters.

Hospeco Brands Group, a manufacturer of products that protect, clean and provide care and comfort to millions around the globe, introduces a powerful new solution — in stock and available through the company’s distribution channel. New and widely available WetWorks® Pre-Saturated Cleaning Wipes make clean-up easy with a single-dispense, 8.4 in. x 6 in. wipe that contains a hospital-grade quaternary formula.

EHang Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: EH) (“EHang” or the “company”), an autonomous aerial vehicle (“AAV”) technology platform company, achieves a significant milestone on the path to offering urban air mobility (“UAM”) services worldwide. On Dec. 9, the Civil Aviation Authority of Austria issued a trial flight permit for the EH216 passenger-grade AAV. The permit allows trial operation of full unmanned flights in Austrian national airspace. This is the first flight permit for EHang’s passenger-grade AAVs within the European Union.

Metro Aviation delivers a new H125, the most advanced law-enforcement helicopter completed by the Shreveport, LA-based company, to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Metro collaborated with aviation technology and wireless communications provider, CNC Technologies, to customize the aircraft to meet the Texas DPS’s specific mission needs.

Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announces that Popular Science recognized Bell’s Electrically Distributed Anti-Torque (EDAT) innovation as the winner of its “Best of What’s New" award in the Aerospace category for 2020.

Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announces the opening of the Bell Commercial Business Center (CBC). The new facility is located at 4151 Amon Carter Boulevard, a former American Airlines building, approximately seven miles away from both Bell’s Headquarters and the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Thales and StandardAero announce the first successful flight test of a revolutionary compact autopilot system that will bring Airbus AS350 and H125 helicopters into a new era of performance and safety. The achievement of this key milestone lays the groundwork for an important phase of the supplemental type certification (STC) process and the launch of an unparalleled autopilot solution to the light-helicopter market by mid-2021.

The new five-bladed H145 helicopter receives its certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This type certification covers the full range of capabilities, including single-pilot instrument flight rules (IFR) and single-engine operations (Cat.A/VTOL), along with night-vision goggle capability.