The Scissortail Brief | Week of March 9–15, 2026
This week's headline belonged to Dassault, which formally unveiled the Falcon 10X in Bordeaux before 400 customers and industry leaders. The FAA advanced the eVTOL sector with a 26-state pilot program involving eight operators. The Senate Commerce Committee approved Michael Graham for another NTSB term. An industry coalition formally opposed a proposed altimeter mandate tied to C-band spectrum expansion. Jet-A retail prices continued climbing on the back of Middle East conflict. And AvSales Talent and Texarkana College launched what the industry has needed for a long time.
Dassault Unveils the Falcon 10X
Dassault Aviation rolled out the Falcon 10X Tuesday evening at Bordeaux-Mérignac, unveiling the clean-sheet design before more than 400 customers and partners in a newly constructed production hall.
The aircraft features a cabin measuring 9 feet 1 inch wide and 6 feet 8 inches tall, 38 oversized windows nearly 50 percent larger than those on the Falcon 8X, a maximum advertised range of 7,500 nautical miles, and a top speed of Mach 0.925. It also introduces business aviation's first all-composite wing. Power comes from Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X engines producing more than 18,000 pounds of thrust each.
The flight deck features the NeXus cockpit, integrating large touchscreen displays with Dassault's third-generation digital fly-by-wire system and a Smart Throttle derived from the company's Rafale fighter program. The 10X is also the first large business jet to incorporate an automatic recovery mode.
Three flight-test aircraft are structurally complete. Certification and first deliveries are targeted for late 2027.
The competitive backdrop is relevant. Dassault delivered 37 Falcons in 2025, against Gulfstream's 158 and Bombardier's 157. The 10X is the company's direct answer to that gap. How much ground it recovers will depend on what the flight test campaign produces.
FAA Launches eVTOL Pilot Programs Across 26 States
The DOT and FAA selected eight pilot projects across 26 states on March 9 as part of the Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, known as eIPP. Operations are expected to begin by summer 2026. William Blair The three-year program covers urban air taxi service, regional passenger transportation, cargo and logistics, emergency medical response, and autonomous flight operations.
The projects involve partnerships between state or local governments and aircraft developers including Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Joby Aviation, Electra.aero, Reliable Robotics, and Wisk Aero. Beta Technologies was selected for seven of the eight projects. NBAA
For readers based in Texas, this one is worth paying attention to. The Texas Department of Transportation's project will support regional flights connecting Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, with planned expansion to Houston, and air taxi networks extending regional reach from each city. Airguide Wisk CEO Sebastien Vigneron put it plainly: the insights gathered in Texas are not just limited to one aircraft or one state. The goal is validating the entire digital and physical ecosystem required to support autonomous flight. NBAA Archer, Beta, Joby, and Wisk are all participating in the Texas project.
The other seven projects span New England and the Northeast (led by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, covering 12 operational concepts including eVTOL passenger flights from the Manhattan heliport), Florida (three phases covering cargo delivery, passenger transportation, automation, and medical response), Louisiana (cargo and personnel transportation to offshore energy locations in the Gulf, with operations extending into Texas and Mississippi), TechCrunch North Carolina (piloted medical and regional operations within the state, plus an autonomous flight corridor extending into Virginia), and Albuquerque, New Mexico (autonomous operations in partnership with Reliable Robotics). Aviation Week The Utah DOT leads a multi-state effort spanning the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountain states, and Oklahoma. Pennsylvania DOT leads a 13-state collaborative focused on revitalizing regional air connectivity.
The practical implications for most business aviation operators remain a few years out. The regulatory momentum, however, is moving faster than most anticipated, and Texas is not on the sidelines.
Senate Commerce Committee Approves Graham for NTSB
The Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance Michael Graham for a five-year term on the National Transportation Safety Board, running through December 31, 2030, pending full Senate confirmation. Graham holds an ATP certificate with 10,000 flight hours, is type rated in six Citation models, and spent more than two decades as Textron Aviation's director of flight operations safety, security, and standardization.
Industry Coalition Opposes Proposed Altimeter Mandate
NBAA joined a broad industry coalition formally opposing a proposed FAA rule that would require new radio altimeters across the US fleet, following an FCC proposal to expand wireless telecommunications into the Upper C-Band frequency range currently used by altimeters for safety-critical data transmission.
The coalition cited the proposed 2034 compliance deadline and the cost burden of retrofitting nearly 40,900 aircraft. The core objection: operators are being asked to solve a problem created by spectrum reallocation. The rulemaking process is ongoing.
Jet-A Pricing: Where Things Stand
The national average retail Jet-A price across 3,242 reporting FBOs stood at $6.87 per gallon as of March 15. The Alaska region posted the highest regional average at $8.19 per gallon. The Central region held the lowest at $5.95. The national SAF average reached $9.31 per gallon, a roughly 35 percent premium over conventional Jet-A.
The underlying driver is the Middle East conflict, which disrupted Strait of Hormuz transit in late February and repriced global crude and refined fuel markets almost immediately. For domestic US operators, the impact has been elevated pump prices rather than supply disruption. Internationally, more than 46,000 flights have been canceled to and from the region since the attacks began, with airspace closures adding fuel burn and complexity to routings between Europe, Asia, and beyond.
Trip cost estimates built before late February should be revisited. For domestic operations, contract fuel programs and pre-departure price checks remain the most effective tools for managing actual cost versus posted price. They are not always the same number.
AvSales Talent and Texarkana College Launch Credentialed Sales Pathway
AvSales Talent and Texarkana College announced the Aviation Professional Sales Certificate Program, a six-week credentialed training program for business aviation sales professionals launching March 23. The curriculum covers high-net-worth client psychology, consultative sales methodology, deal structuring, and aviation business fundamentals, delivered through self-paced modules with weekly live instruction and individual coaching.
The certificate is the first phase of a three-stage career development pathway. Phase two places qualified graduates in supervised practicum positions with aviation companies, providing structured, mentored field experience.
The program addresses a gap that has existed in plain sight. Business aviation has established credentialing systems for pilots, maintenance technicians, and aviation managers. It has never had one for sales, despite sales driving revenue across brokerage, charter, MRO, FBO services, and aviation technology. Co-founder Dustin Cordier, whose background spans Textron Aviation, Embraer, and top-rated brokerages, built the program around the position that aviation sales demands the same technical fluency and execution discipline as any other credentialed role in the business. It does.
That's The Brief
The Week in One Sentence
Dassault rolled out the Falcon 10X in Bordeaux and formally entered the ultra-long-range fight, Joby flew its first FAA-conforming air taxi, the FAA gave the eVTOL sector a 26-state on-ramp with Texas squarely in the mix, Airbus debuted the ACH140 at VERTICON, the Senate moved Michael Graham toward another NTSB term, an industry coalition drew a line on altimeter retrofit mandates, Jet-A kept climbing at the FBO while Middle East conflict complicated international routing, and AvSales Talent and Texarkana College launched the credentialed sales pathway this industry has been stepping around building for decades.
