AIN’s August issue leads off with an update on the late-June certification of Gulfstream’a new-generation G600. A long time coming, the FAA paperwork came through concurrently with approval from Europe’s EASA, the second double-play for Gulfstream in a row, following on from the G500 last year. We also learned late in the news cycle that Textron Aviation has—once again—shelved plans for its large-cabin Hemisphere, the unhappy result of continuing challenges in getting the Safran engines up to speed.

Aircraft manufacturers all turn an attentive eye to AIN’s annual Product Survey - Aircraft. While everyone wants an aircraft with sizzling performance in the flight levels, those numbers mean little if its dispatch reliability is subpar. The top OEMs usually come within a fraction of a point in scores, but bragging rights are still an important milestone.

In an unusual sidebar for AIN, we published a pilot report on an airliner — the Airbus A220 (nee Bombardier C Series). Our pilot evaluator was impressed with its handling qualities and automation.

AIN editor-in-chief Matt Thurber experienced FlightSafety International’s Go/No-go training at the Teterboro, New Jersey center. Not only did he learn a lot about the best way to coordinate as a crew in the unlikely event of an engine issue on takeoff, he had a great time cyber-flying a Falcon 2000 under trying—but safe—conditions.

Finally, new this month is AIN’s first Defense Perspective page. With a worldwide network of defense-centric contributors, the time has now come to add some of that insight to the monthly magazine. If you enjoy learning the latest on what’s going on with airplanes designed to fly in harm’s way, consider signing up for our weekly AIN Defense Perspective electronic newsletter.