While it seems a lot of billionaires are apparently pining for just one Gulfstream G650, an Egyptian family took delivery of two of the now-$65 million bizjets last week. Nasef Awiris and his father Onsi got their aircraft three days apart at the early order price of $59 million.

Textron is aiming for first flight of the Scorpion jet on Tuesday at Cessna's facility in Wichita, with a followup flight Thursday if all goes well, and weather permitting, DefenseNews.com reported Friday. The jet sports a two seat tandem cockpit and turns twin turbofan engines. It supports six hard points capable of holding anything from drop tanks to Hellfire missiles. For surveillance and reconnaissance missions, the design offers more than 80 cubic feed of internal space for electronic warfare and intelligence components. Textron hopes to eventually demonstrate that the aircraft can be operated for roughy $3,000 per hour and that it will prove to be a viable alternative for a wide range of missions and operators. The first flight is expected to last 90 minutes.

Bangladesh Biman Airlines announced it would on December 7 pull from service what it believes is the last McDonnell Douglas DC-10 to still carry passengers as part of routine commercial service, but enthusiasts may still get one more chance to fly in it. The big jet is still in operation with cargo carriers (FedEx, included) but fans interested in flying on a passenger version of the airplane will get a chance to fly with Biman in February 2014. The airline says it plans to make seats available on the jet for a final flight from Bangladesh to England. And as Biman CEO Kevin Steele told CNN, "We want these tickets to go to genuine aviation enthusiasts." According to Steele, if interest encourages it, some scenic flights may then be flown from Birmingham, England, to answer additional demand.

The Navy said Thursday that it successfully launched the XFC folding-wing unmanned aerial system (UAS, or drone) from a torpedo tube on the USS Providence, while the submarine was submerged. The all-electric fuel cell-powered aircraft has an X-wing configuration in flight that folds for storage and launch. The UAS was delivered from the submarine to the water's surface using a canister system first developed for Tomahawk missiles. Once at the surface, the canister appeared "as a spar buoy," which floats upright in the water. It then launched vertically from the canister and flew a mission that lasted several hours while delivering a live video feed back to the sub. 

December marks the first month that a first batch of students will make their way through National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee and aerobatic pilot Sean Tucker's latest project, Every Kid Can Fly, for local at-risk children. The Salinas, Calif., program is associated with Hartnell College and the NASA laboratories based there. It aims to inspire children who have found their way to Rancho Cielo -- an organization established by a local judge to provide troubled young people a place to regain their footing and learn a trade that could become a job. As for Tucker's involvement, he and his son Eric will lead seven of the children through an aviation program. And "if they stay drug- and violence-free and if they keep up their grades, we will not fail them -- period," Tucker told TheCalifornian.com. Tucker says that means he will stay with them until they solo.

For decades, AirVenture Oshkosh officials have said that airspace considerations have prevented the appearance of military jet teams at the annual show but something has apparently changed. EAA says the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will "potentially" make their debut at the 2014 edition of AirVenture and EAA says the team is planning to do its full show.

Aviation heritage organizations are organizing to create a "nationwide flyover of WWII aircraft" Aug. 15-16, 2015, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, but the event may not be what you think. The Chennault Foundation describes the nationwide flyover as taking place in communities throughout America. Groups involved in the event include the History Channel, the Air Force Association, EAA Warbirds of America, the Commemorative Air Force and a host of other groups. It's not precisely clear if "nationwide" will translate to many local events or one grand one but an official announcement on December 20 will provide more details. The press conference will be hosted by the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum, which holds its own direct ties to aviation's rich history.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has approved a bill that would force the FAA to follow the formal rulemaking process in adopting a controversial new sleep apnea detection initiative, It's the first legislative step to slow down implementation of a policy introduced by Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Fred Tilton in his November newsletter to AMEs that will direct them to send any pilot or air traffic controller with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher to be automatically referred to a sleep clinic to determine if he or she has obstructive sleep apnea, a disqualifying condition that can cause daytime sleepiness and increase the risk of sudden death.

Shell Oil announced on Tuesday that is had developed an unleaded 100-octane piston engine fuel to replace 100LL and, presumably, the fuel will enter the FAA's recently established fuel testing and certification process. In a press release, Shell said the fuel is a culmination of 10 years in R&D and initial testing has been done with two OEMs, Lycoming and Piper.

While it's generally assumed that aircraft certification rules increase safety and reduce accidents, a recently completed research project by an Embry Riddle Aeronautical University professor reveals that for some types of accidents, that's not the case. In fact, the research data suggests that for some segments of general aviation, burdensome certification rules actually decrease safety by making it more difficult for owners and operators to install relatively inexpensive equipment that might reduce the frequency of accidents.

After a dismal airshow season this year, with many events canceled due to the grounding of military show teams, planning is already under way for a better year in 2014, and this week John Klatt Airshows unveiled a new aerobatic biplane that will debut in the spring with jet power. The 1929 Taperwing Waco, featured at the opening of the International Council of Air Shows convention in Las Vegas on Monday, will fly with a jet booster that will enable the biplane to fly straight up at maximum speed, according to Klatt.

Bombardier says the first flight of its Learjet 85 mostly composite business jet is imminent. Bombardier Aerospace President Guy Hachey told reporters he's traveling to Wichita this week to oversee final preparations for the flight.

Helicopter Association International has extended the deadlines on several scholarships for those seeking aviation careers. Applicants now have until midnight, December 31, to compete for 10 scholarships that provide up to $5,000 toward commercial helicopter ratings and maintenance technician certificates.

Doorstep delivery via drone for Amazon customers is just two to five years away, CEO Jeff Bezos told 60 Minutes correspondent Charlie Rose on Sunday. Bezos showed Rose two experimental octocopters, autonomous drones that will be able to carry up to five pounds and deliver goods from fulfillment centers to buyers up to 10 miles away within 30 minutes. About 86 percent of items purchased from Amazon weigh less than five pounds, Bezos said. The CBS video shows the drone automatically picking up a delivery box from a conveyor belt and flying to a doorstep, where it lands, releases the package, and flies away. "I know this looks like science fiction," Bezos said. "It's not."

On the heels of recent announcements about easier access to airspace, China on Sunday made it easier for civilians to earn private pilot privileges. Any citizen age 17 with at least a junior-high education will be eligible to apply for the training, and they can take the required tests after 40 hours of flying and 40 hours of ground school. They also must pass a physical exam. Under the old regulations, issued in 1996, the standards for private pilots were essentially the same as for commercial pilots. The change is expected to drive an upsurge in demand for general aviation aircraft in China, a market that U.S. manufacturers have long been anxious to tap.