The public’s impression of business aviation—fat cats flying around in luxurious jets—often deters companies from pursuing the benefits that aircraft can offer. In an effort to help business leaders understand the utility and importance of general aviation, the Florida Aviation Trades Association (FATA) invited the public to a special panel discussion June 16 during its annual conference in St. Augustine.

Embraer is preparing for the possible introduction of airliners designed for single-pilot operation by as early as 2020, following the roll-out of next-generation air traffic management systems in Europe and the USA. Vice-president for airline market intelligence Luiz Sergio Chiessi says the Brazilian manufacturer is looking to provide "single-pilot capability, at least" in the 2020-25 timeframe.

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has celebrated the first run of the Trent XWB, the latest member of its Trent® aero engine family. The Trent XWB, the fastest-selling Trent engine programme ever, with more than 1,000 ordered, ran for first time on June 17 on a testbed in Derby, UK. The engine’s first run meets programme commitments set out in 2006.

Pratt & Whitney Canada, the world’s biggest maker of small and medium business-jet engines, projects its market will return to peak production levels by 2015 and plans to pursue orders from makers of larger planes.