The world has not felt this scary since the 1980s, when the Cold War suddenly became frigid. A new war against Iran, fermented over decades of distrust and now encouraged to spill over into armed conflict, has inevitably brought disruption to the Middle East and as far away as Cyprus. Global transport hubs, including airports, have taken missile and drone hits, threatening civilians and the region’s key business and VIP aviation infrastructure.

We have also seen a bizarre presidential proclamation aimed at Canada’s civilian aircraft regulator thrust business aviation unexpectedly into the international spotlight. It seemed to take most industry insiders by surprise, sending them scurrying to discover if it had any legal foundation at all. Meanwhile, as we lurch from one geopolitical crisis to another, let us not forget Venezuela, Mexico and the still-raging, bloody war between Russia and Ukraine.

The market has largely adapted to the repercussions of the latter conflict, while the very end of February and first days of March have seen business jets positioning away from airports under threat in the Gulf, as airspace closures allow. The impact in the longer term remains uncertain, but elsewhere the business of business aviation continues with its usual resilience.

On that basis, in this issue we look at a cross-section of FBOs from across the US, discovering the expected dedication to customer service and safety, but also an underlying enthusiasm simply for being around aviation. In some cases the bug seems to have bitten especially hard, evidenced through the thoughts of Tony Buckley, President & CEO of jetCenters of Colorado and Customer Service Manager Kawai Lopez at Monterey Jet Center, among others.

Thanks to Bombardier and the Global 8000, we also celebrate the brilliance of business aviation that can sometimes be dulled through familiarity, while our conversation with Jeremy Phillips, General Manager at Sheltair Melbourne, might alter your perception of the industry and what it is capable of.

Connectivity is now an essential element in passenger experience, and Claudio D’Amico, Vice President of Strategic Market Engagement, Business Aviation at Viasat explains how the communications giant is working to integrate Telesat Lightspeed LEO into its business aviation connectivity portfolio. While D’Amico is satisfying our demands to remain connected, busy and entertained, Matteo Atti, Global Chief Marketing Officer at VistaJet, explains how the company is helping passengers arrive at their best, through its new Sleep Program.

Sometimes the best stories are found behind details so obvious we overlook them. We discover from Paul Kinch, Managing Director MRO at Gama Aviation, the quite different approaches required for painting a VIP helicopter compared to a business jet, and from Richard Marston, MAAS Aviation’s Chief Commercial Officer, the physicality of painting larger aircraft.

Finally, to leather, a staple of almost every business jet and VIP helicopter cabin. We appreciate leather for how it looks and feels but perhaps never really think any more of it. But people have been making and using leather since the Stone Age, so it has quite a story to tell and we are delighted to bring just a taster of that tale to you through conversations with executives from Bombardier, Garrett Leather, Gen Phoenix & Townsend Leather.