Gulfstream G500 Logs First Flight What Pilot

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June 2015

PUBLICATIONS Av i a t i o n Vol. 47 No. 6 $9.00 International News® www.ainonline.com What pilot shortage? This one, right here by Matt Thurber The 2015 Regional Air Cargo “We have a serious crisis going Carriers Association (Racca) on in our industry,” said Racca First flight of the Gulfstream G500 spring conference in Phoenix chairman Tim Komberec and took place on May 18. opened April 28 on a somber note Empire Airlines president and as members aired concerns about CEO, addressing the opening ses- a tangible shortage of pilots sion at the conference, which was Gulfstream G500 logs first flight affecting their operations. Rac- attended by more than 300 peo- ca’s membership comprises both ple. “There’s much debate about by Matt Thurber Part 135 and 121 operators, some the pilot shortage in the United of which fly passengers as well as States and in the world, but there Seven months after rolling production interior, and FAA G500 performance includes cargo. Traditionally, Racca mem- is absolutely no doubt that at our out at its Savannah, Ga. head- and EASA type certification range of 5,000 nm at Mach 0.85, ber companies act as a stepping- level where we perform, where we quarters, Gulfstream’s fly-by- is planned in 2017, followed by maximum operating speed of stone for pilots building flight recruit pilots from and where we wire G500 took off for its first entry into service in 2018. Mach 0.925 and a 4,850-foot time to apply to larger airlines, are on the food chain, we have an flight on May 18, departing A unique feature of the G500 cabin altitude at FL510. Power but regulatory and other circum- extremely serious problem and it at 10:39 a.m. from Savannah- and the G600 sibling is elec- is provided by 15,144-pound- stances have vastly thinned the has taken on crisis proportions. Hilton Head International tronically interconnected BAE thrust Pratt & Whitney Canada flow of pilots in the pipeline to And the thing that is so worri- Airport and piloted by exper- active sidestick flight controls. PW814GA turbofans. o Racca members. some is it’s going to affect all of imental test pilots Scott Mar- us. We need to see if we can col- tin and Kevin Claffy along lectively find ways to find solu- BUSINESS AVIATION GATHERS IN GENEVA with flight-test engineer tions to help fix what’s going on.” Bill Osborne. Last month’s European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition–now in its 15th year–served as the An interesting keynote fol- After climbing initially to venue for several aircraft debuts and provided a stage for product announcements as well as a forum for lowed, given by Dr. Mark Taylor, 10,500 feet, the pilots flew the discussions of the myriad issues that affect the industry in Europe and beyond. who explained the key differences G500 to a maximum speed of between baby-boomer audience 194 knots, climbed to 15,000 members and members of the feet and “exercised all primary young “generation next” who flight control systems; eval- populate the future pilot pipeline. uated handling qualities and “Boomers are retiring,” he said. takeoff and landing configu- Continues on page 63 u rations; performed a simulated approach and go-around; and checked all systems using the [Honeywell Primus Epic-based] Symmetry flight-deck touchscreen controllers.” The G500 landed at 12:55 p.m. Five G500s will be used for the flight-test program, one of them equipped with a DARRIN VANSELOW

Safety Avionics Government Special Report

Single- vs. two-pilot crashes Touchscreens come to King Airs Intense debate about ATC reform New business aircraft engines Does having a two-pilot crew at the With the Rockwell Collins Pro Line The idea to separate air traffic control Manufacturers are getting more power, controls of a business jet provide a Fusion, touchscreen displays are coming from FAA oversight is gathering improving reliability, quieting noise and significant safety benefit? AIN’s analysis to larger airplanes. The displays are momentum on Capitol Hill, but some reducing downtime for maintenance in of the safety record yielded some slated for flight decks in the entire stakeholders urge legislators to today’s engines, all while planning for the surprises. page 30 King Air line. page 52 proceed with caution. page 12 engines of tomorrow. page 20 OUR SIGHTS ARE SET HIGHER

BUSINESSAIRCRAFT.BOMBARDIER.COM/AIN

10762 AIN International Family FP Ad.indd 1 07/05/2015 09:19 Aviation Inside this issue

International News® 59 Bell’s big screen SPECIAL REPORT Cockpit-wide single screen concept debuts James Holahan, Founding Editor in V-280 tiltrotor mockup. Wilson S. Leach, Managing Director 59 Bell bucks behind EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – Charles Alcock NEW BIZAV First-quarter revenue down by $60 million. EDITOR - AIN MONTHLY EDITION – Nigel Moll EDITOR - U.S. SHOW EDITIONS – Matt Thurber 60 Erickson, too EDITOR - INTERNATIONAL SHOW EDITIONS – Ian Sheppard Company posts huge loss for first quarter. NEWS EDITOR - AIN MONTHLY, AINonline – Chad Trautvetter ENGINES 60 Smoother ride takes honors MANAGING EDITOR - AIN MONTHLY – Annmarie Yannaco Engine development is a three-front campaign to derive more thrust from every MANAGING EDITOR – Mark Phelps Lord be praised, for its vibration reduction SENIOR EDITORS – Bill Carey, Curt Epstein, Kerry Lynch drop of fuel while at the same time raising reliability, hushing noise and cutting system. Gregory Polek – Air Transport Editor CONTRIBUTORS maintenance downtime. In this special report, we examine the builders’ suc- 60 Tailboom early warning Bryan A. Comstock – Columnist cesses and strategies. Page 20 ‘Bart’ system detects motion before a Thierry Dubois – Rotorcraft failing boom separates. Gordon Gilbert John Goglia – Columnist 62 Chicago on a whirl Mark Huber – Rotorcraft AIRPLANES, ENGINES and UNMANNED AIR TRANSPORT Windy City officially opens its Vertiport. David A. Lombardo – Maintenance Paul Lowe Robert P. Mark – Safety 1 G500 airborne 64 Airport capacity INDUSTRY and MANAGEMENT Harry Weisberger Gulfstream logs first flight for new FBW Against backdrop of PFC scuffle, FAA James Wynbrandt large-cabin jet. sees less airport congestion by 2020. GROUP PRODUCTION MANAGER – Tom Hurley 1 Pilot shortage PRODUCTION EDITOR – Jane Campbell 4 Pilatus flies its jet 64 Profits over market share Small cargo carriers, historically the first rung CREATIVE DIRECTOR – John A. Manfredo New era takes off for Swiss turboprop P&W comfortable with its geared turbofan’s in many a pilot’s ladder, are canceling flights GRAPHIC DESIGNERS – Mona L. Brown, Grzegorz Rzekos specialist as PC-24 makes its maiden flight. position in the market. for lack of cockpit crew. DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGNER – Colleen Redmond 24 Global cuts 8 GAMA’s 1Q15 numbers LEAD WEB DEVELOPER – Michael Giaimo AVIONICS and ATC WEB DEVELOPER – Evan Williams Significant layoffs expected as Bombardier Business jets off to a slow start this year. trims Global Express production. VIDEO PRODUCER – Ian Whelan 12 ATC in FAA funding crosshairs 24 Cirrus’s vision GROUP PUBLISHER – David M. Leach 42 Textron’s t-props Debate over FAA reauthorization is examining Developer of SF50 jet single chooses PUBLISHER – Anthony T. Romano The venerable King Air line is enjoying yet Knoxville for ‘Vision Center.’ ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER – Nancy O’Brien ATC run by private industry or a government another rejuvenation under the new ownership ADVERTISING SALES - NORTH AMERICA corporation. 24 Phlorida Phenoms of Beechcraft. Melissa Murphy – Midwest +1 (830) 608-9888 52 Pro Line Fusion for King Airs Embraer is moving assembly of all Phenoms Nancy O’Brien – West +1 (530) 241-3534 57 BBJ Combi? to its Florida facility. Anthony T. Romano – East/International Beech turboprops fly into the future with Boeing considering new 737 variant for Joe Rosone – East/International/Middle East Rockwell Collins touchscreens. 26 Bizav in Africa… +1 (301) 834-5251 companies that sometimes need to move Segment faces an uphill climb in one Victoria Tod – Great Lakes/UK bigwigs and big stuff. 54 Satnav status ADVERTISING SALES - INTERNATIONAL – Daniel Solnica - Paris Four celestial nav systems will be running by enormous continent. MARKETING MANAGER – Zach O’Brien AIRPORTS and FBOs the end of this decade. 28 …and in Asia AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER – Jeff Hartford AsBAA reshapes itself to address pan-Asian MANAGER OF ONSITE LOGISTICS – Philip Scarano III 16 N.Y. airport slots CHARTER and FRACTIONAL challenges with one voice. GROUP BRAND MANAGER – Jennifer Leach English SALES/PRODUCTION ADMINISTRATOR – Susan Amisson Business aviation challenges FAA proposal 38 Aviation insurance to limit access at Big Apple’s Big Three. 14 Labor unrest ADVERTISING/SALES SECRETARIAL STAFF – Cindy Nesline Disputes at NetJets and Flexjet are heating up. Low premiums and large claims top the DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & HUMAN RESOURCES – Michele Hubert providers’ concerns in a crowded sector. AIRSHOWS and CONVENTIONS ACCOUNTING MANAGER – Marylou Moravec FLIGHT OPS, SAFETY, SECURITY, TRAINING 46 Ex-Im in exile? ACCOUNTING/ADMINISTRATION STAFF –Mary Avella Bobbie Bing 6, 10, 44, 56 EBACE news With the future of the export finance vehicle in The news from the 15th edition of Europe’s 30 The safety stats on SP vs. two-pilot jets limbo, aircraft OEMs are concerned. U.S. EDITORIAL OFFICE: Three-dozen years after Thurman Munson 214 Franklin Ave., Midland Park, NJ 07432 premier business aviation gathering. 57 Luxaviation absorbs ExecuJet died in the crash of his Citation 501, Tel: +1 (201) 444-5075 Fax: +1 (201) 444-4647 Deal makes Luxembourg-based bizav 18 Paris Air Show Preview AIN examines the subsequent SP/TP WASHINGTON, D.C. EDITORIAL TEAM: operator one of the largest in the world. Bill Carey (air transport and defense) What to expect at Le Bourget this month. safety record. [email protected] Tel: +1 (202) 560-5672; 50 Business Aviation Safety Summit 36 Neuroergonomics MAINTENANCE, MODS and COMPLETIONS Mobile: +1 (202) 531-7566 Hot topics: the hazards of Li-ion battery French researchers are gaining insights into Kerry Lynch (business aviation) overheating, and crewmember fitness for duty. [email protected] how to design smarter, safer flight decks. 46 Quieter cabins Tel: +1 (703) 969-9195 40 Insurers urge LOC-I training Rubber sandwich looks appetizing to EUROPEAN EDITORIAL OFFICE: researchers. Ian Sheppard; [email protected] Some providers are cutting premiums for Hangar 9, Redhill Aerodrome, Surrey RH1 5JY, UK flight depts. that undergo upset 66 Maintenance tracking software Tel: +44 1737 821409 Mobile: +44 7759 455770 prevention/loss-of-control training. Developments at Camp, Corridor and Traxxall. 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www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 3 As we go to press

EMBRAER EXPANDING engines and the Honeywell LE BOURGET MRO 36-150 auxiliary power unit. It plans soon to start a Tip-to- With a growing fleet in Europe Tail hourly-cost maintenance and Africa, Embraer Executive program for the Challenger Jets is doubling the size of its 650, slated to be certified by Paris Le Bourget maintenance, the end of this month. On the repair and overhaul (MRO) rotorcraft side, JSSI announced facility and moving it to a more a Platinum maintenance convenient location on the program for the approximately airport. The new facility, which 900 Honeywell LTS101 retrofit will serve all Embraer business engines in service on the Airbus jets and can accommodate up Helicopters AS350 and Bell 222. to 12 aircraft, will open in the second half of next year and replace the company’s existing LHT, MERCEDES-BENZ MRO hangar at Le Bourget. The TEAM ON INTERIORS current facility, located inside Aircraft completions specialist the secure area of Le Bourget Lufthansa Technik (LHT) and and across from the airport’s Mercedes-Benz Style will many FBOs, is somewhat jointly develop a “luxurious and inconvenient, as customers integrated cabin concept” for have to go through full security short- and medium-haul private screening to access the facility aircraft. Their interior concept The first Pilatus PC-24 prototype–P01–made its from outside the airport. The features a dynamic, spiral layout, maiden flight from Buochs Airport in Switzerland new location, next to the creating new independent on May 11. Certification is slated for 2017. new Airbus Helicopters blade spatial zones without the typical manufacturing plant, will have arrangement of seat and wall street access. elements. Mercedes-Benz brings the aesthetic appeal beginning a month after. Serial GE HONDA RAMPING UP of its luxury brand and LHT With PC-24 first flight, production will start at least FOR PRODUCTION contributes its experience in 10 months before that, initially GE Honda Aero Engines is customized executive and with a 10-aircraft preproduction gearing up for the HF120 to head-of-state aircraft interiors. Pilatus joins the jet set batch. Production will ramp up enter customer service on Target customers are “global clientele with a strong affinity for with increasing batch sizes, and the HondaJet this year; GE by Chad Trautvetter Honda has already delivered 34 unique design,” according to the Pilatus has the capacity to build production engines for the new companies. up to 50 aircraft per year. light jet. In the meantime, GE The first Pilatus PC-24 proto- envelope expansion tests, P02 is The company opened the Honda Aero’s manufacturing IRELAND LAUNCHES type, P01, made its maiden flight being prepared for a first flight order book for the PC-24 “super facility in Burlington, N.C., is BIZJET REGISTRY on May 11 from the company’s around the end of October. P02 versatile jet” at the 2013 EBACE ramping up to produce more Ireland launched an aircraft headquarters at Buochs Airport is expected to spend much of the show and in just 36 hours had than 100 engines this year. A register aimed at business jets. dedicated MRO facility adjacent The new six-letter markings in Switzerland. Flown by Pila- campaign with Honeywell in the notched up orders for 84 aircraft. to the factory is now ready, consist of the “EJ” prefix, tus test pilots Paul Mulcahy and U.S., proving the avionics and It is aiming to deliver all those executive v-p Masahiko Izumi followed by four letters, offering Reto Aeschlimann, the twinjet, autopilot systems. aircraft by the end of 2019. For said last month at EBACE. GE a wider choice of personalized registered as HB-VXA, com- P03, the third test airframe, now the order book is tempo- Honda is offering a by-the-hour registrations than the traditional engine service program called combinations of three letters pleted what the pilots described will be completed to production- rarily closed so that Pilatus can EMC2. The company has named that accompany a two-letter as a flawless 55-minute mission. representative standards with a concentrate on flight-testing and three European-authorized prefix. The registry, administered “Everything looks great so far. full cabin. It will be the compli- finalizing production details to service centers: Marshall by the Irish Aviation Authority Beautiful handling–the PC-24 ance aircraft for certification, fulfill the initial batch of orders. Aviation Services (Cambridge, (IAA), is available to public flies just as expected–a real Pilatus and will also be used for cus- Schwenk expects Pilatus to be in UK), TAG Aviation (Farnborough) transport and noncommercial and Rheinland Air Service complex aircraft with an mtow aircraft,” Aeschlimann radioed tomer demonstrations, which are a position to accept new orders (Mönchengladbach, Germany). greater than 5,700 kg/12,566 during the flight. As is common scheduled to start at the end of in around a year’s time. pounds. Among the benefits practice on first flights, the land- next year. Pilatus expects to fly Pilatus is also examining IKHANA TO RE-ENGINE promoted by the registry are ing gear remained extended and P03 in the middle of next year, options for the aircraft, includ- DHC TWIN OTTER the maximizing of residual the new jet was accompanied and although Schwenk noted that its ing special missions. “We see this Murrieta, Calif.-based Ikhana value; insurance premiums Aircraft Services selected the GE driven down by the quality of monitored by a chase airplane (a completion might be delayed to aircraft as being excellent for H-series turboprop to re-engine IAA regulatory oversight; its PC-21). Twelve flight-test engi- incorporate improvements iden- government use,” said Schwenk. de Havilland Canada DHC-6- expertise in aviation law, finance neers on the ground pored over tified as necessary during testing One mission configuration that 100/200/300 Twin Otters, which and taxation; and its compliance real-time telemetry flight data with P01 and P02. will be available from the outset were originally powered by Pratt with the Cape Town agreement. from the PC-24. is full medevac. The Royal Fly- & Whitney Canada PT6As. “The Early performance data indi- 2017 Certification Planned ing Doctor Service of Australia– significantly higher horsepower EUROPEAN FBO JOINS of the H-series compared with SIGNATURE NETWORK cates that the jet had a takeoff Part of the campaign involves a major operator of the PC-12–is other existing engine offerings Magnum Aviation signed an roll of less than 2,000 feet (600 hot- and cold-weather trials, the one of the launch customers for is intended to provide improved agreement to become the meters) and climbed to 10,000 former likely to be undertaken the PC-24, taking six aircraft. utility and mission capabilities second FBO in Europe to join feet in approximately three min- in southern Spain. Icing trials Pilatus will work closely with not currently available to Twin Signature Flight Support’s Otter operators,” said Ikhana utes, after which the two pilots are perhaps the most difficult the RFDS to introduce the air- “Signature Select” network. completed a series of planned to plan. Tests can be performed craft, especially as it will be used president and CEO John Zublin. The Austrian company is based at Vienna International Airport tests. The maiden flight followed using molded foam to simulate regularly for rough-field opera- JSSI ADDS but also provides supervisory a route across central Switzer- icing, but certification requires tions. “It’s good to have custom- COVERAGE PROGRAMS flight support services at land, from Altdorf to Brünig demonstration in heavy real ers who fly a lot under extreme Hourly-cost maintenance Graz International Airport, via Engelberg, before returning icing aloft. The test crew can- conditions,” said Schwenk. “We provider Jet Support Services Innsbruck Airport, Karntner (JSSI) launched several new Klagenfurt Worthersee Airport, to Buochs. not predict where and when can learn a lot about operating programs last month at Blue Danube Linz Airport and Pilatus began work on the those conditions will occur, so the aircraft from them.” EBACE. It extended its Tip-to- Salzburg W.A. Mozart Airport. PC-24 program in 2007. “After this segment inevitably involves As the EBACE opening Tail program for the Embraer Signature Select locations eight years wait it was exciting some waiting around and rapid ceremony got under way last Legacy 450 and 500, naming maintain independent branding to see it fly,” Pilatus chairman deployments when the right con- month, the first PC-24 was Turkish air-taxi operator Bon but carry the Signature Select AirHavacilik its launch customer. badge, receive marketing and Oscar Schwenk told AIN. ditions happen. Rough-field test- making its fifth flight. At press The new programs include sales support and participate in The company is building two ing will start in early 2017 as one time the aircraft had chalked up coverage for the airframe, Signature loyalty and rewards more prototypes to assist with of the last elements to be cleared. 7.7 hours in the air as part of the Honeywell HTF7500E programs. the testing and certification. Certification is planned what is planned as a 2,300-hour While P01 is undertaking initial for mid-2017, with deliveries trials campaign. o

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Qatar Executive confirmed firm orders for up to 30 Gulfstream G500s, G600s and UK charter firm signs for G650ERs worth some $1.5 billion. Airbus ACJ with new engines by David Donald Farnborough-based Acropolis Avia- scheduled to begin before the end of the tion placed the first order for the Airbus year to Qatar Airways, and the first CFM- ACJneo at the EBACE show last month. powered machine flew for the first time in Acropolis CEO Jonathan Bousfield signed Toulouse last month, with first deliveries the contract with Airbus COO for cus- expected in the next year’s first half. Fur- tomers John Leahy and Airbus Corporate ther airliner development is expected to QATAR EXPANDS GULFSTREAM ORDER Jets managing director Benoit Defforge. deliver the first A321neo with PW power The first order covers an ACJ320neo to late next year, followed by the CFM-pow- Qatar Executive confirmed firm orders of these new aircraft will enable us to widen be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2018 ered aircraft in the first half of 2017. for up to 30 Gulfstream G500s, G600s and the range of services available to our clients and outfitted for 19 passengers. There are Airbus Corporate Jets is initially offer- G650ERs worth some $1.5 billion. The pur- seeking bespoke and tailored travel ser- unannounced orders for two more ACJ- ing the ACJ319neo and ACJ320neo, with chase agreement, signed on the first day of vices,” said Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways neos on the books, Leahy revealed. production slots for both versions becom- EBACE, is part of a memorandum of under- group chief executive. Bousfield is “proud to be the launch ing available from November 2018. There standing (MOU) signed last October for In preparation for the Gulfstream customer for this new aircraft,” which are currently no plans for an ACJ318neo, the purchase of up to 20 aircraft, divided deliveries, Qatar Executive is recruit- was selected after an 18-month evaluation but an A321-based long-range aircraft is between the G500 and G650ER. Under the ing type-rated captains and first officers process. The aircraft will replace an ACJ- under discussion. updated MOU, Qatar Executive will buy for the G650ER, according to the char- 319ceo (for “current engine option”) that as many as 19 G500s, five G600s and six ter company. Qatar Executive currently Acropolis has flown for five years. Oper- Performance Improvements G650ERs, taking delivery of the first G650ER operates nine aircraft: four Bombardier ations with the ACJ320neo are expected For corporate operators, the ACJneo in this year’s fourth quarter. The G500 and Global 5000s–among them two Global to start in 2020. The cabin design and adds significant improvements over the G600 are scheduled to enter service in 2018 5000 Visions–three Bombardier Challenger choice of completion center have not existing ACJceo models. Range of the and 2019, respectively. 605s, a Global XRS and an Airbus A319. been finalized yet, but the configuration ACJ319neo with eight passengers is 6,750 The expanded order “confirms Qatar The company also operates a third-party is likely to be similar to that of the com- nm, compared with 6,000 nm for the Executive’s confidence in the G500, G600 maintenance operation, a Bombardier-au- pany’s current airplane. Acropolis is cur- ACJ319ceo. An ACJ320neo can fly more and G650ER and in the world-class expe- thorized service facility in Doha that has rently discussing powerplant options with than 6,000 nm with 25 passengers, com- rience their customers will have,” said grown significantly in the past year. Mean- the manufacturers and will make a deci- pared with 4,300 nm with eight passen- Gulfstream Aerospace president Larry Flynn. while an FBO is under construction at sion by the end of next year. Initial airline gers for the ACJ320ceo. This is a result of “Qatar Executive continues to expand Hamad International Airport in Doha, its operations, and the incoming addition scheduled to open later this year. –J.W.

Acropolis Aviation has ordered an ACJ320neo WHEELS UP FIRMS UP MORE KING AIR 350i ORDERS to replace its current ACJ319ceo.

At last month’s EBACE, Wheels Up exer- industry’s widest range of aircraft to support cised an option to purchase its next tranche their growth,” said Textron Aviation president of 35 Beechcraft King Air 350is from the ini- and CEO Scott Ernest. Wheels Up signed the tial order placed in 2013 for up to 105 of the King Air contract with Beechcraft in mid-2013 turboprop twins. The additional aircraft will and Cessna Aircraft parent Textron Aviation expand the company’s fleet in the U.S. acquired Beechcraft in March last year. To date, the membership charter firm “I feel like we are just getting started,” has taken delivery of 31 of its initial firm Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dich- order for 35 King Airs from Textron Aviation. ter said at EBACE. “Our current Wheels Up Deliveries of the next 35 aircraft, which will fleet plan calls for 175 King Air 350is and 50 be outfitted with the new Rockwell Collins Cessna Citation Excel/XLSs by 2021, and we Pro Line Fusion avionics system (see article are exploring ways to incorporate additional on page 52) and include contracted fac- Textron products.” tory maintenance, are expected to begin in Addressing growth plans outside the operational experience with both CFM the installation of four additional center next year’s first quarter. The private aviation U.S., Dichter told AIN that the company and Pratt & Whitney powerplants might tanks (ACTs) instead of two. Both new company also has taken delivery of 10 fac- intends to expand to Europe and Canada help steer the selection. types could reach Los Angeles or Tokyo tory-refurbished Cessna Citation Excel/XLSs in next year’s fourth quarter. At that time, Several criteria drove Acropolis’ selec- nonstop from Geneva. from Textron Aviation. he expects Wheels Up to have two or three tion of the ACJ320neo, not least of which Another improvement for passenger Textron Aviation is “proud that Wheels Up European-registered King Airs on the Conti- was the extra cabin size compared with comfort is a cabin altitude of less than not only chose the King Air 350i to launch its nent, as well as several C-registered 350is in the ACJ319ceo and the range capabil- 6,400 feet on average. The ACJneo also company, but that we can now offer them the Canada. –C.T. ity, which will allow nonstop flights from offers better fuel/baggage combinations. London to Johannesburg, Los Angeles Four-tank variants of both the ACJ- or Tokyo. Cat III autoland and 180-min- 319neo and ACJ320neo retain baggage ute Etops are also important capabilities. holds fore and aft, and in the case of the Another factor is the commonality with ACJ320neo offer a capacity of 650 cu ft. L to r: Textron Aviation the current ACJ319, allowing a simple Airbus has reconfigured the tank King Air business leader transition for crews. arrangement of the ACJ319neo com- Patrick Buckles, Wheels Airbus flew the first example of the pared with the ACJ319ceo. The aft-most Up founder and CEO A320neo on September 25 last year and ACT has been moved farther back in the Kenny Dichter and Textron currently has orders for 3,794 neo-series aircraft so that a baggage hold becomes Aviation president and CEO Scott Ernest celebrate aircraft. A319neo deliveries are sched- available between ACTs numbers two Wheels Up’s conversion uled to begin in the second half of 2017. and three, in line with the cargo door. of options on 35 King Air The new aircraft offers sharklet Combining this new space with the for- 350is to firm orders. wingtips and new engines in the form ward hold offers 222 cu ft of baggage of the CFM Leap-1A or P&W Pure- space in a four-tank fit. Alternatively, a Power PW1100G-JM. Deliveries of PW- fifth ACT can be installed in place of one powered new-generation airliners are of the holds. o

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CA107040_Cockpit_B50_275x352_Aviation Int News.indd 1 16.04.15 14:08 Turbine Business Airplanes Worldwide Deliveries-1/Q 2015 vs. 1/Q 2014 NEWS BRIEFS Compiled by Chad Trautvetter Pressurized airplanes only Bizjet deliveries Model 1/Q 2015 1/Q 2014 %Chg. z Gulfstream Deliveries, Sales Flat in Q1 Airbus First-quarter earnings at General Dynamics’s aerospace ACJ318* 0 0 division, which includes Gulfstream and Jet Aviation, start slow this year ACJ319* 0 1 climbed by 6.7 percent year-over-year, to $431 million, by Curt Epstein ACJ321 0 0 despite a 1-percent drop in revenue, to $2.108 billion. ACJ320* 0 0 Savannah-based Gulfstream delivered 34 green aircraft Business jet deliveries started the year slowly, ACJ330* 0 0 during the quarter, one fewer than in the same period according to statistics released last month by the Total 0 1 -100% a year ago. By category, Gulfstream shipped 27 large- General Aviation Manufacturers Association cabin and seven midsize jets compared with 29 and six, Boeing (GAMA). Totals in the first quarter this year were respectively, a year ago. Aerospace backlog was mostly BBJ* 1 0 lower than those in the beginning of 2014, with BBJ2* 0 0 unchanged at nearly $13.1 billion, with the G450/550 manufacturers handing over 133 bizjets in the first BBJ3* 0 0 attracting a stable 12-month backlog; G650, nearly three three months compared with 154 in 1Q 2014, equat- B777-300ER* 1 0 years; G280, nine months; and G150, 12 months. ing to a 13.6-percent slide. 787-8* 1 2 z MexJet Frax Adds Learjet 75s The results mark the first year-over-year quarterly decline in deliveries since the third quarter of 747-8 * 0 0 Aerolineas Ejecutivas (ALE) inaugurated its new fleet of 2013. At the same time, according to the organi- Total 3 2 +50% six Bombardier Learjet 75s in late April at the company’s zation, overall airplane billings logged a year-over- Bombardier Toluca International Airport base. The twinjets are year decline in the quarter for the first time since the Learjet 70/75 9 6 available for charter and will be operated through ALE’s fourth quarter of 2012, falling by more than 12 per- Challenger 300/350 14 14 MexJet fractional fleet. Under MexJet, fractional-share cent, to $4.5 billion, from the same period last year. Challenger 605 5 6 customers can buy a package of 200 flight hours that can “The first-quarter numbers show that while our Global 5000/6000 17 17 be used over five years. industry has been gaining traction over the past CL850/870/890 0 0 few years, we face some renewed headwinds in z FAA: Eram System Operational Total 45 43 +4.7% several regions of the world, including Asia, parts Thirteen years in development, the FAA’s $2.48 billion of Europe and Latin America,” said Pete Bunce, Daher-Socata en route automation modernization (Eram) system is now TBM 900 11 5 +120% Continues on page 62 u fully operational at the 20 air route traffic control centers in Dassault the U.S. The agency awarded Lockheed Martin a contract Falcon 900LX 1 1 in 2002 to build Eram, which replaces the 40-year-old Host Turbine Commercial Helicopters Falcon 2000LXS 5 2 computer system en route centers used to manage air Worldwide Deliveries Falcon 2000S 0 3 traffic above 10,000 feet. Eram was plagued by software 1Q 2015 vs.1Q 2014 Falcon 7X 0 3 problems and delays, and ended up being five years Mfr./Model 2015 2014 % Chg. Total 6 9 -33% late and nearly $400 million over the original $2.1 billion Embraer estimate. According to the FAA, Eram boosts to 1,900 from AgustaWestland Phenom 100 1 3 1,100 the number of aircraft tracked by controllers and can AW119Ke/Kx 4 6 Phenom 300 9 14 reduce aircraft separations to three miles from five miles. AW109Power 0 0 GrandNew 2 5 Legacy 500 2 0 Legacy 600/650 0 2 z 1Q Revenue Down, Profit Up at NetJets AW139 13 14 First-quarter revenue at NetJets fell 3.5 percent in Lineage 1000 0 1 AW189 3 0 the first quarter from a year ago, though profit rose by Total 12 20 -40% SW4 0 0 an undisclosed amount, according to parent company Gulfstream W3 0 0 Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire’s service and retailing G150/280 7 6 Total 22 25 -12% segment, which also includes FlightSafety International G450/550/650 25 33 and other non-aviation businesses, saw revenue climb Airbus Helicopters Total 32 39 -17.9% 35 percent year-over-year, to $4.5 billion. NetJets’ EC120/H120 1 2 One Aviation revenue was affected by “lower fuel cost recoveries and AS350B2 1 2 Eclipse 550 2 5 -60% unfavorable foreign currency effects,” Berkshire said. AS350B3e/H125 13 22 Piaggio** “The decline in NetJets’ fuel surcharge income was EC130/H130 11 10 Avanti/Avanti II 0 0 0% substantially offset by lower fuel expense, resulting in AS355NP 0 0 a minimal impact on [profit].” Pre-tax profit during the Pilatus EC135/H135 2 9 PC-12 7 7 0% quarter at the Berkshire segment climbed by $97 million, EC145/H145 10 2 to $384 million, from a year ago. Piper AS365N3+ 2 0 Meridian 11 6 +83.3% z FAA Updates AC on Use of PEDs EC155/H155 1 4 Textron Aviation: Beechcraft The FAA on May 7 released an updated version of EC175 0 0 King Air C90GTx 5 2 advisory circular (AC) 91-21.1C for the use of portable AS332 0 1 King Air 250 6 7 electronic devices (PED) aboard aircraft. The AC was EC225/H225 3 3 King Air 350i/ER 14 13 originally created to halt the use of a variety of portable Total Total 44 55 -20% 25 22 +13.6% electronic devices that could interfere with aircraft Textron Aviation: Cessna navigation or communication systems, especially Bell Mustang 3 1 concerning under IFR conditions. The updated 206L-4 2 6 M2 7 11 recommendations are one means of complying with FAR 407 26 20 CJ2+ 0 1 91.21. The AC highlights companion publications such as 429 7 6 CJ3 5 3 FAA InFO 13010–Expanding Use of Passenger Portable 412 0 2 CJ4 Electronic Devices–and InFO 13010SUP–FAA Aid to 9 6 Total 35 34 +2.9% Citation XLS+ Operators for the Expanded Use of Passenger PEDs–to 2 4 Robinson Citation Sovereign+ aid an operator in determining if it can safely expand PED 5 9 R66 29 26 +11.5% use to more phases of flight, as well as what actions it Citation X+ 2 0 should take when making that determination. InFO 13010 Sikorsky* Total 33 35 -5.7% and 13010SUP provide acceptable methods for aircraft S-76 0 n/a Grand Total Jets 133 154 +13.6% operators to expand PED use in compliance with 91.21, S-92 5 n/a Grand Total Turboprops 43 40 +7.5% 121.306, 125.204, and 135.144. Total 5 12 -58.3% Grand Total Jets/T-props 176 194 -9.3% *Sikorsky’s reported 2014 delivery totals did not specify helicopter models. *Denotes green aircraft deliveries **Piaggio will report deliveries at yearend.

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NEWS FROM THE SHOW The new Challenger made its first Geneva serves as venue for flight on February 26. Citation CJ4 Pressed into Airline Service Finally, the HondaJet made Hahn Air Lines is now operating a fleet of Cessna Citation CJ4s debuts of three business jets its first European appearance at for scheduled airline service, making the CJ4 the first Citation to EBACE, on the heels of a tour in be used for such operations, said aircraft manufacturer Textron AIN Staff Roundup Japan that drew more than 10,000 Aviation. The German scheduled and charter airline operator people. The aircraft received its pro- uses the CJ4 for its 155-mile Dusseldorf-Luxembourg route. As Three business jets–the Embraer certified last year and shares more visional type certification in late a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Legacy 450, Bombardier Chal- than 90-percent commonality with March, and Honda Aircraft presi- Hahn Air was required to submit the CJ4 for an operational lenger 650 and HondaJet–made the Legacy 450. dent and CEO Michimasa Fujino safety audit. The IATA Operational Safety Audit program assesses their EBACE debuts in Geneva last The Bombardier Challenger hopes to secure full type certification the operational management and control systems of an airline and month. Embraer’s flight-test Legacy 650, a refreshed version of the in the next few months. European it accommodates both FAA and EASA standards for commercial air 450 made the journey from the com- CL605 with new avionics and more Aviation Safety Agency approval is transport. Several aircraft and operating modifications were made pany’s base in São José dos Campos, powerful engines, also made its anticipated later this year. so the CJ4s would comply with the standards, including a locking Brazil, in 12 hours 36 minutes, stop- public debut in Geneva. Launched Honda Aircraft has not revealed cockpit door, other cockpit modifications, passenger safety briefing ping for fuel at Recife International at last year’s NBAA Convention in its backlog but continues to main- and conducting flight operations with multiple crews. Airport in Brazil; Amílcar Cabral October, the 3,200-nm/5,926-km tain that it holds orders for more International Airport on Sal Island, Challenger 650 features the Bom- than 100 of the $4.5 million Blink Acquires MyJet and Blackbushe Airport Cape Verde; and Málaga Costa del bardier Vision flight deck based aircraft. European air taxi group Blink has acquired Italian air-taxi operator Sol Airport in Spain. on the Rockwell Collins Pro Line The company currently has 20 MyJet. The move adds three Cessna Citation Mustangs to the The Legacy 450 program is Fusion avionics system, originally aircraft on the assembly line and fleet, raising it to nine, while extending its coverage into the on schedule, with entry into ser- designed for the Global 6000. plans to ramp up the rate follow- lucrative northern Italian region. Operations now cover the key vice expected in the fourth quarter. Vision comprises large 15-inch ing receipt of a production certif- hubs of London, Paris, Nice, Geneva and Milan. MyJet’s aircraft According to Embraer Executive displays and includes head-up icate, anticipated shortly after full will continue to operate under their existing livery but will be Jets president and CEO Marco guidance, synthetic vision and type certification. Fujino estimates brought under the Blink brand in the future. Blink has been based at Túlio Pellegrini, the twinjet is per- enhanced vision, as well as Multi- that it could produce 40 aircraft Blackbushe Airport, about 35 miles west of London, since 2011 and forming similarly to its larger sib- Scan weather radar and the Inte- in the first year and possibly 60 in has now acquired the airfield. The company plans to invest in the ling, the Legacy 500, which was grated Flight Information System. the next. o field so that it can offer high-quality private and executive facilities. HondaJet EC Struggles To Boost Egnos Acceptance Since a Falcon 900LX flew the first Egnos LPV approach in 2011, at Pau Pyrénées Airport in France, use of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System has failed to grow as quickly as intended despite its offering better GPS accuracy that allows “localizer performance with vertical guidance” precision approaches. While the U.S. Waas has translated into 3,500 LPV approaches, its European counterpart is enabling such approaches at only 142 airports. These are precision approaches that are equivalent to ILS Cat I but without the need for ground equipment at the airport, so in theory they can offer operating benefits. The number of aircraft using Egnos is even smaller–just a few dozen, according to Carlo des Dorides, executive director of the GSA. EBAA and the GSA signed an MOU last year to promote the use of Egnos at regional airports in Europe. MARK WAGNER Embraer Legacy 450 Honeywell, Inmarsat, Eclipse Team Double Satcom Wi-Fi Speeds Honeywell, teamed with Inmarsat Eclipse (an Inmarsat service provider), has developed new high data rate (HDR) capabilities that will double in-flight Wi-Fi speeds for aircraft and helicopters through an on-aircraft software upgrade. The team has completed flight and lab tests of HDR from Inmarsat’s L-band SwiftBroadband network over Honeywell’s HSD-40 and HD-710 on-board hardware. Eclipse is using its Aero+ Velocity IP aggregation program to combine four HDR channels to provide average speeds of 2.15 Mbps and peak speed of around 2.75 Mbps. The three partners will INTOSH jointly promote the higher speed. HDR builds on SwiftBroadband service that was launched in 2007 and upgraded with the X-Stream M c DAVID enhancement in 2010. “SwiftBroadband has a strong future as part Bombardier Challenger 650 of Inmarsat’s portfolio,” said Kurt Weidemeyer, Honeywell v-p of Inmarsat business and general aviation.

GE Ramps Up Support for GA Turbine Engines GE Aviation’s Passport turbofan, slated to power Bombardier’s Global 7000 and 8000, is on track for certification this year, as GE ramps up support for its general aviation engines, v-p and general manager of GE Aviation’s Business and General Aviation division Brad Mottier said last month in Geneva. Those engines include the H80 turboprop, the CF34 and (developed with Honda) the HF120, in addition to the Passport (developed with Safran). The company’s OnPoint support program has long focused on airliner engines. But with the number and range of its GA engines growing, Mottier said the company has created a dedicated arm for “customer product

support for business aviation” with a “more personal approach.” INTOSH DAVID M c DAVID

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26610 G950 Modernization Ad-AIN.indd 4 5/13/15 7:53 AM NEWS BRIEFS Compiled by Chad Trautvetter Also unclear is whether Shus- Debate over ATC reform ter can ensure a sign-off from the z NBAA: FAA’s UAS Proposal a Good Start Administration, other lawmakers NBAA called the FAA’s proposed rulemaking governing in the House and his counterparts in the Senate. FAA Administrator small unmanned aircraft systems a “good start,” but continues on Capitol Hill made dozens of recommendations to strengthen the Michael Huerta told the Senate Commerce Committee that the rulemaking. The association endorsed requirements that by Kerry Lynch Obama Administration is open small UASs be operated in daytime visual conditions House lawmakers are expected learning from their combined to discussing alternative mod- and within line of sight at all times. It also agreed with to introduce a bill shortly that could experience,” Parker said. els, but warned of possible unin- requirements for operators to obtain a certificate and pass reshape the FAA, moving either Key to winning support for tended consequences. a knowledge exam. However, NBAA noted that UASs need some or all ATC functions to a such a transformation is secur- “We need to ask the question of to be integrated in a deliberate way. “This means UASs new organization. Lawmakers face ing backing from the nation’s air what exactly the problem is that we should not share the same airspace with manned aircraft a September 30 deadline to adopt traffic controllers. Paul Rinaldi, are trying to solve,” Huerta said, until they have equivalent certification and airworthiness new FAA reauthorization legisla- president of the National Air maintaining that the FAA is mak- standards,” the association said. NBAA, along with GAMA, tion. Debate on that bill in recent Traffic Controllers Association ing progress in modernization and also seeks a 400-foot altitude limitation for separation months has increasingly turned to (Natca), gave a speech in April is delivering benefits through a rather than the proposed 500 feet. Also, it wants approval the future of ATC and whether calling on Washington leaders combination of technologies and requirements for UAS operators flying within three miles of it should be privatized or turned to transform the country’s ATC operational procedures. airports in Class G airspace, as they already are proposed into a government corporation. system, but he stopped short of Any changes in governing for airports in other airspace classes. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), the endorsing a model similar to those structure must ensure stable fund- chairman of the House Transpor- adopted by other countries and ing, a high level of safety and a z Beechcraft Buoys Textron Aviation in Q1 tation and Infrastructure Commit- declined to back a specific fund- “tight linkage” between the oper- Jet deliveries at Cessna Aircraft fell nearly 6 percent tee (T&I), has been at the center of ing mechanism. ational and regulatory side, he year-over-year in the first quarter, but Textron Aviation the reform effort, making it clear In fact, he was cautious about said. “I would be fearful of any managed to log higher revenue and profit thanks to that he believes ATC reform is not adopting wholesale a system such structure that puts a wall in those Beechcraft, said Scott Donnelly, chairman and CEO at only possible but imperative. Shus- as Nav Canada’s without fully relationships,” he said. “Can alter- parent company Textron. Revenue at Textron Aviation ter has consistently reiterated his understanding whether it is scal- native government structures get soared by $266 million, to $1.051 billion, “primarily vision of “transformative” change able. Canada has one of the bus- us there? Possibly. But we need to reflecting the impact of the Beechcraft acquisition” in for the FAA, upholding private iest 10 airports in the world; the recognize that there may be unin- March last year. The segment also reported a profit of nonprofit and/or separate gov- U.S. has eight of the top 10 and 16 tended consequences.” $67 million in the first quarter, compared with $14 million ernment air traffic management of the top 30, Rinaldi said. Other members on Shuster’s a year ago. Textron Aviation delivered 33 Citations in the systems run by other countries “It’s easy for them to modern- own committee have expressed first quarter (two fewer than in the same period last year) as examples. Speaking before the ize when they have one major air- skepticism. Rep. Rick Larsen and 25 King Airs (up from 22 in the first three months U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 14th port they need to worry about,” he (D-Wash.), the ranking member of 2014). Donnelly said sales in the first quarter were annual Aviation Summit earlier said. Nav Canada manages 12 mil- of the House aviation subcommit- “healthy,” though backlog still deflated by $99 million this year, he said, “We don’t need lion operations a year, while the tee, has asked dozens of questions an FAA reauthorization that does U.S. manages 140 million. “I don’t about such a structure. Rep. Pete from the fourth quarter, to $1.3 billion. half measures.” know if it’s scalable,” he said. “I’m DeFazio (D-Ore.), the ranking z Nexus Expands Flight Support in Europe willing to roll up my sleeves and member of the T&I committee, Airlines Favor Change Nexus opened a flight operations support center in look at it and see if it’s scalable.” also raised constitutionality ques- Vienna, the Austrian capital. The facility is the group’s This view is shared by groups Despite this concern, Rinaldi tions about delegating functions second European support center, the first being run such as Airlines for America, which more recently has appeared to outside the FAA. But DeFazio through a joint venture with Flytrans, which is based in asked lawmakers to look at a new back the concept of a government also has appeared willing to con- Monaco. The Vienna center has five staff offering a variety ATC structure that would involve corporation, leading some lobby- template such a concept. an independent, multi-stake- ists to believe that House lawmak- Meanwhile, House appropria- of operational support services, including provision holder governing board and a ers are nearing agreement on a tors, who control FAA funding, for overseeing movements at particular airports within “fair” self-funding model based new ATC structure. have made it clear they expect Europe. With a particular focus on supporting clients on costs of services. American Air- Congress to retain control of any in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in Russia, lines chairman and CEO and A4A Resetting Expectations new ATC structure, an expecta- the Nexus team will also support aircraft management vice chairman Doug Parker testi- Backing some of this debate tion that many corporatize/priva- operations and provide concierge services. Beyond fied before a March 24 House avia- for reform is a report released by tization advocates are hoping to Europe, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia-based Nexus also has tion subcommittee on ATC reform the National Research Council change. The House Appropria- service centers in India (Mumbai), Rwanda (Kigali), Hong that a successful organization must (NRC) that traces the delays and tions Committee included lan- Kong, Shanghai and Bahrain. be able to manage assets and cap- cost overruns of NextGen, and guage in the Fiscal Year 2016 ital that facilitates modernization recommends that the FAA, Con- transportation appropriations z Bell Adjusting to Civil Market ‘Softness’ at a far greater speed. gress and airspace stakeholders bill saying, “The Committee Bell Helicopter is “adjusting production levels and An air traffic organization also “reset expectations.” The report believes that congressional over- taking additional cost actions to maintain margins” in must have effective management notes NextGen has moved away sight of agency resources is neces- response to continuing military and commercial market teams that can be nimble “with- from the initial sweeping transfor- sary to ensure accountability for softness, said Scott Donnelly, chairman and CEO of out the constraints imposed on mational goal to a “much more program performance and a sus- parent company Textron. Those adjustments include government agencies.” Funding concrete set of phased incremen- tained focus on aviation safety.” continuing layoffs–another 1,100 this time–and Bell should be free from budget con- tal changes” that closely replicate As for the Senate, Commerce expects one-time charges of $40- to $50 million. The straints and either short-term or existing capabilities, such as sat- Committee Chairman John company’s first-quarter revenue declined by $60 million declining appropriations, and gov- ellite navigation replacing radar Thune (R-S.D.) has expressed year-over-year; it delivered 35 commercial helicopters in ernance should involve multiple functionality “rather than the openness for dialog, saying, “I the first quarter versus 34 in the same period last year. stakeholders, he said. reinvention of flight.” applaud Chairman Shuster… Parker underscored the need While momentum has clearly on his consideration of new z At Flexjet, Embraers Will Replace Learjet 85 for change, given the significant grown for a separate ATC func- approaches that may yield better Flexjet has found a replacement for the shelved Learjet cost overruns and constraints of tion–so much so that House results and deliver the promised 85 and has been working to transition customers who existing structure. The organiza- appropriators acknowledged the benefits of NextGen.” ordered shares in this now-dormant model into the new tion has been studying models effort in the Fiscal Year 2016 FAA workers are divided on aircraft: an unspecified number of Embraer Legacy 450s of other countries to see if the transportation appropriations this issue. While Natca may offer and 500s. The first Legacy 500 will join the Flexjet fleet in U.S. could adopt structures or bill–the shape of such a proposal support, other unions have stated this year’s fourth quarter, followed by the first Legacy 450 practices of those organizations. remains elusive. Few details have clear opposition to a separate ATC in the second quarter next year. “Many other countries have taken surfaced on structure or funding organization. The leaders of seven it on, and we have the benefit of of such an entity. Continues on page 47 u

12 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com MORE ADVANCED FOR THE JOURNEY

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z Argus U.S. Bizav Flying Logs Solid Gain Business-aviation flying in North America climbed 2.8 percent year-over-year in April, according to data from aviation services group Argus International. The Part 135 charter segment came out strong, with activity up 5.7 percent year-over-year. Part 91 flying logged a 2-percent gain over April 2014, while fractional activity trended slightly negative, falling 1 percent. Activity by aircraft category was positive across the board, led by large-cabin jets with a 6-percent gain. Trailing closely behind were turboprops, up 4.7 percent from a year ago, while light jets saw a 2-percent uptick. Midsize jets eked out a tiny gain, logging just 34 flights more than in April last year. NetJets pilots picket outside z TAG Aviation UnifiesMaintenance Ops Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholder meeting in early May. TAG Aviation unified all eight of its maintenance centers under the name TAG Aviation Maintenance Services. The reorganization reflects the scope of maintenance union’s rhetoric, there is noth- services that it offers across Europe, as well as in Asia Labor disputes heat up ing on the bargaining table that and Africa. TAG Aviation has heavy maintenance centers would undermine that position. in Geneva and Farnborough and offers comprehensive We believe a reasonable contract maintenance services in Sion, Paris, Clermont-Ferrand, at fractional operations can be attained.” Madrid, Hong Kong and Lomé in Togo. The company has Separately, the International certification to work on more than 60 types. TAG Aviation by Chad Trautvetter & Kerry Lynch Brotherhood of Teamsters Air- Maintenance Services offers airframe and avionics line Division is backing a lawsuit support, troubleshooting and ramp services. Labor issues heated up at the departures were “purely coin- against Flexjet and its parent, two largest fractional operations– cidental” and unrelated to the OneSky, alleging that three of its z OMB Signs Off on FAA Noise Study NetJets and Flexjet–as unions union activities. pilots were illegally harassed and The FAA received Office of Management and Budget turned to legal actions to make Aside from the firing of the terminated for seeking unioniza- approval for a noise perception study that could change progress in their negotiations. employee involved in the anti- tion. However, calling the law- the agency’s approach to regulating noise. Work on the At NetJets, mediation talks have union activities, known on Twitter suit “an act of desperation,” study is expected to kick off in the next few months and kicked off and a lawsuit has led as “Twinkie the Kid,” NJASAP Flexjet’s Ricci told AIN that will involve surveys of public perceptions of aircraft noise to the firing of a senior execu- continues to press ahead on the legal move is a sign that the around selected U.S. airports. The FAA calls the study tive. At Flexjet, chairman Kenn the labor dispute that has been Teamsters is unable to get the the next step to update scientific evidence surrounding Ricci is charging that the legal under way for two years. In April support for unionization. The aircraft noise exposure. It expects to collect data through moves are an “act of desperation” NJASAP filed for mediation with Teamsters Airline Division, the end of next year. The current science behind noise by a union seeking to expand its the National Mediation Board, which represents pilots at Flexjet measurements dates back to studies conducted in the representation. and mediation talks began last sister company Flight Options, 1970s and reaffirmed in the 1980s and 1990s. Since then, The NetJets Association of month. “While some progress has been in the process of orga- manufacturers have made “dramatically quieter aircraft,” Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP), has been made, company nego- nizing Flexjet pilots. the FAA said, though residents still complain about which represents 2,700 NetJets tiators continue to reject reason- According to the union, Flex- aircraft noise. pilots, filed a lawsuit in February able proposals covering a range jet fired three pilots who publicly charging the fractional owner- of noncontroversial subjects and identified themselves as union z JetNet Launches Aircraft Value Tool ship provider was engaging in an to move at a snail’s pace when it supporters. “It is a blatant case of Aviation market information firm JetNet unveiled a unlawful intimidation campaign comes to making simple fixes to anti-union discrimination,” said tool to give business aircraft sales professionals clearer designed to destroy the union. known problems,” NJASAP pres- Teamsters Airline Division inter- insight into current aircraft market values. The new Market Among the claims were appar- ident Pedro Leroux said. national representative Frederick Value Analysis tool presents graphical representations ent attempts to threaten pilots by Dubinsky. The union charges that Hundreds of Pilots Picket of value-related markets, making it easy to evaluate and referring to job losses at Hostess the pilots were given false reasons Brands, which went bankrupt in To heighten attention on for their firings. “Every worker compare critical trends in the marketplace, JetNet said. 2012. “The company went so far the labor dispute, hundreds of should be able to trust that own- z European Bizav Flying Cools in April as to hang Hostess Twinkie snack pilots picketed in front of Oma- ership and management will Business-aircraft flying in Europe fell 0.8 percent cakes on the walls of its corpo- ha’s CenturyLink Center during adhere to basic standards of fair year-over-year in April, to 62,968 departures, according rate offices,” the union charged. the annual shareholders meet- play and consistency,” said Airline to WingX Advance. Year-to-date, traffic was down by This led to a NetJets investi- ing of parent company Berkshire Division director David Bourne. 2.7 percent, it said. France and Germany propped up gation of the claims and the fir- Hathaway in early May. Leroux “Flexjet and OneSky’s decision the market, with flying up 4 percent thanks to piston ing of a vice president involved said he believes that Berkshire to terminate these pilots for false in the actions. “We discovered Hathaway chief Warren Buffett and unlawful reasons introduces a and turboprop activity, but the recent growth trend in that–without the knowledge or “has not been fully apprised of level of uncertainty and arbitrari- the UK came to an end, falling 1 percent. Business- approval of NetJets–a team mem- the seriousness of the labor situ- ness into the workplace.” aviation activity in Eastern Europe and Russia remained ber undertook efforts on his own ation unfolding at NetJets.” The lawsuit, filed by the termi- depressed, with flights inbound from the CIS down 26 to blog and tweet about the pilots’ NetJets acknowledged that it nated pilots, seeks their reinstate- percent and flights from Europe to Russia down 20 union activities and positions,” a is concluding the second year of ment, including back pay, along percent. There were some pockets of growth, notably in NetJets spokeswoman told AIN. bargaining with the pilot union. with a permanent injunction Turkey, Czech Republic and Austria. “This situation, which involved “While it is not unusual for against attempts to interfere with z Flying Colours Opens Singapore Shop a single manager acting alone, is negotiations in our industry to a pilot’s right to unionize. Ricci, the only episode of inappropri- be lengthy and complicated, the however, said the company has Aircraft completion and refurbishment specialist Flying ate conduct we have discovered pace of progress to date has been been waiting for the Teamsters to Colours inaugurated its 12,000-sq-ft interiors facility in the in this ongoing investigation.” frustrating to us and our team file with the National Mediation Bombardier Service Center at Singapore Seletar Airport. About the same time, two members,” the spokeswoman Board for single representation In addition to a dedicated customer design center, the other senior executives–COO said. “NetJets holds its pilots in of Flexjet and Flight Options space has workstations for upholstery, soft furnishing and Bill Noe and NJI president Adam the highest regard and [is] com- pilots. The delay in the filing indi- material cutting. Johnson–left the company, but mitted to good-faith bargaining cates the Teamsters doesn’t have the spokeswoman said those with unions…contrary to the the support, he said. o

14 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com

notice of proposed rulemaking number of business aircraft oper- (NPRM) that addresses both ators and aviation businesses, Slot proposal for N.Y. under fire scheduled and unscheduled along with business aviation by Kerry Lynch operations at the airports. groups and other organizations. The comment deadline on “NBAA is gravely concerned The FAA’s proposal to limit economic, competitive, opera- per hour and John F. Kennedy the January 8 NPRM, originally that FAA’s substantial reduc- unscheduled operations at the tional and safety implications. (JFK) to two per hour while per- set as April 8, had been pushed tion in slots for unscheduled three major New York-area air- In January, the FAA pro- manently retaining the current back to May 8 at the request of operations at EWR and JFK ports is under fire for relying posed to limit nonscheduled three-per-hour limit at La Guar- numerous affected parties. The will greatly affect a broad range on “nonexistent analysis” that operations at Newark Inter- dia Airport (LGA). The pro- comments reflected opposition of operations that no FAA or industry groups say will have national (EWR) to one slot posed limits are part of a larger to the unscheduled limits from a industry data suggests have ever materially contributed to delays or congestion at these airports,” wrote Doug Carr, NBAA vice president for regulatory and international affairs in the association’s comment. Business aircraft operators flying to the area typically will choose Teterboro but must occasionally land at those airports, particularly during certain weather. “Large airports remain attractive safety options for business aviation operators facing deteriorat- ing weather conditions. Aside from flights that have declared an emergency…it appears that Global Relationships. Global Solutions. operators facing a safety decision would no longer be able to plan on using EWR and JFK as alternatives when safety considerations would warrant their use,” Carr said, calling the restrictions “a de facto ban…. during those scenarios.”

Solving a Problem That Does Not Exist A General Aviation Manu- facturers Association (GAMA) analysis of FAA Traffic Flow Management System Counts identified 5,848 business jet operations at EWR and 5,622 at JFK Flight Operation Solutions FBO Solutions last year. Jens Hennig, vice president of operations for GAMA, said this translates into average • CONTRACT FUEL • WORLD FUEL SERVICES NETWORK of FBOs operations of three per hour at EWR and 2.5 at JFK. “The pro- • TRIP SUPPORT • ASCENT FUEL SUPPLY & PROGRAMS posed hourly limits would force • AVCARD® CHARGE CARD • AIR ELITE DIAMOND SERVICE FBOs a reduction of general aviation operations by at least 20 to 70 • FLYBUYS REWARDS PROGRAM percent,” he said, adding that rather limit operations, the FAA • INSURANCE should maintain them. The Dallas Mavericks Bas- ketball Club expressed concern about its ability to secure slots in New York, and the Ohio Regional Business Aviation Learn More About Our Flight Operation & FBO Solutions Association warned of “unintended negative consequences.” WorldFuel.com Numerous other operators out- lined the importance of the airports to their operations and businesses with an emphasis on weather-related diversions. “Traffic levels in the NYC area are tough enough as it is without basically forcing all GA aircraft out of JFK, LGA and

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FLIGHTSAFETY INSTRUCTOR TRUST AD - AIN - JUNE 2015 - Bleed: 11.0625” x 14.125” Trim: 10.8125” x 13.875” PDF/X-1a VIA EMAIL The Paris Air Show, to be held this month at Le Bourget, is expected to be on par with the 2013 event in terms of review numbers of exhibitors and attendees. 2015 Paris Air Show Organizers gear up for busy event by Ian Sheppard This year’s Paris Air Show aircraft will be there, according sweet talking), and the Russians will take place from June 15 to the organizers, but what is won’t be staying away. Neither to 21 at Le Bourget Airport in certain is that the U.S. military– nation’s forces are likely to be fea- the northeast suburbs of the which did not take part in 2013’s tured in the flying display. Even INTOSH French capital. At press time event–will be back with “10 to the JSF, which almost made

DAVID M c DAVID it was too early to say what 12 aircraft” (after some French it to last year’s Farnborough airshow, is not likely to make an appearance, although the Airbus A350, the Dassault Fal- con 8X, Pakistan’s JF-17 fighter and the Bombardier CSeries are expected to attend. Gilles Fournier, the biennial show’s managing director, said this year organizers are expecting 2,200 exhibitors from some 45 countries (“around the same as last time”) and approximately 340 chalets. He added, “We are expecting 139,000 trade visitors from 181 countries and will have 26 national pavilions and 285 foreign delegations, including 151 defense delegations.” The number of static display aircraft and public visitors is also expected to be similar to the tallies in 2013, when there were 150 aircraft on the static display and more than 176,000 general-public visitors after the trade days.

Improved Visitor Experience The organizers have extended operating hours “to foster meet- ings,” said Fournier, and the show is now open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Security has been a major focus this year in France following the Charlie Hebdo attacks, and to this end the show orga- nizer has “invested €7 million in a new CCTV camera system,” said Fournier. There are luggage X-ray machines being installed and an “air specific protection plan” has been put together, said Fournier. In addition, “There are also new parking lots, better disabled access” and a redesigned traffic flow. In other improvements on the public days, entry to the Air & Space Museum will be free to all visitors with a show ticket; there is a 3,000-seat stand on a new 30,000-sq-m lawn area next to the runway so people can get closer to the flying displays; a three- to four-hour- long flying display has been specially designed for the public, including appearances by the Patrouille de France and several historic aircraft to celebrate 70 years since the end of World War II; and big screens will show the flying display around the show grounds on all of its seven days. o

18 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com rolls-royce.com

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ENGINESby Thierry Dubois Engine development is a three-front campaign to derive more thrust from every atomized droplet of fuel while simultaneously raising reliability, hushing noise and cutting downtime for maintenance. In this special report, we examine how the manufacturers of business aircraft engines are approaching this formidable and perennial quest, and how they are progressing with their product development programs.

With Passport and H-Series, GE working both ends of spectrum

GE Aviation is closing in on certifica- consumption, according to its designers. tion of its flagship turbofan for business Also boosting efficiency, said O’Day, is aviation–the Passport–and at the same the super-finish surface on high-pressure time striving to become a stronger player compressor blades. “On a super-finished Service entry is imminent for the HF120, above, the in the turboprop market with the H-Series. blade, because it’s so smooth, you have a engine that powers the HondaJet. Meanwhile, flight The 16,500-pound-thrust Passport, layer of air that remains over the surface, tests of the Passport, right, continue. That engine will power the new Bombardier Global 7000/8000. destined to power Bombardier’s Global keeping contaminants from sticking on 7000 and 8000, entered flight-test late the blade. The blade remains cleaner and after. GE Aviation itself has ordered two of last year and is approaching the first fan more efficient,” O’Day said. The surface the aircraft for its corporate fleet and plans blade-out trial. Water ingestion was on of those blades is four times smoother to take delivery of them in 2017. the test card last month at GE’s facility than on conventional blades. GE Honda last fall announced a joint in Peebles, Ohio. As of early May, eight The CF34-3 program endures with project with Sierra Industries of Uvalde, Passport test engines had accumulated Bombardier’s launch last year of the Texas, to develop an engine retrofit pro- 1,400 hours and 1,700 cycles. The total Challenger 650, a further evolution of gram for the Cessna CitationJet, CJ1 and number of engines involved in the devel- the Challenger 600 series. The 650 will be CJ1+. The program is known as Sapphire. opment phase is to be 10, built around powered by a pair of 9,220-pound-thrust Turboprop Segment eight cores. “We have used eight engines CF34-3BMTOs. The new engine will be to accumulate the cycles,” Shawn O’Day, able to use its APR rating, normally acti- On the H-Series turboprops, GE con- a remanufactured Beechcraft King Air GE Aviation’s senior v-p for business and vated only when one engine fails, for bet- tinues to develop an electronic engine con- C90A equipped with H75s. Cleveland, general aviation, told AIN. ter takeoff performance. “What we’ve trol unit that is slated to enter service next Ohio-based Nextant was expecting air- O’Day said the team is happy with done is make the extra thrust available year on the Nextant G90XT. “A single- craft certification this spring. the new technologies introduced on the for takeoff regardless of whether or not lever control will simplify the pilot’s work- O’Day noted that GE is using additive- engine. With the fan blisk, for exam- an engine is out,” O’Day said. The addi- load,” O’Day said, but he made it clear it layer manufacturing on the H-Series for ple, “the airflow sees a smoother fan, a tional power is pilot-selectable via a new will not be on every engine, “because there the fuel injector used in the starting phase. smooth front end of the engine as it flows performance thrust setting. The higher are aircraft considerations to be taken into “We have the 1950-rpm gearbox that’s through,” he said. Operators will no lon- thrust setting does not affect engine main- account. You need to go from a two-lever entering service on the G90XT this fall, ger need to lubricate the blades and pas- tenance, provided it is used on no more cockpit to a one-lever cockpit; it’s not just as well. We’re also offering a 300-amp sengers will feel less vibration. Specific than 10 percent of takeoffs, according to an engine change.” Once the new system is starter-generator that’s going to be avail- fuel consumption is 8 percent better than Bombardier. The CF34-3BMTO will also certified, it will be offered as an upgrade able in all H-series production engines,” that of the Rolls-Royce BR725, accord- offer a reduced takeoff thrust mode to cut and possibly for retrofit. he added. ing to O’Day. “This turbofan is designed maintenance, according to GE. With nine applications for the H-Series GE Aviation has submitted an appli- for business aviation–range, low noise and The GE Honda HF120, rated at 2,095 so far, GE plans to build more than 100 cation to the EASA for approval to low vibration,” he said. pounds of thrust, received FAA type cer- engines this year. The three models–the burn S10 diesel fuel in its turboprops. The Passport marks the commercial tification in December 2013 and an FAA H75, H80 and H85 (750, 800 and 850 shp, “We received EASA approval to con- debut of oxide-oxide (ox-ox) ceramic- production certificate (for the engines to be respectively)–might be joined in future duct field evaluations in Brazilian agri- matrix composite materials. “The built in Burlington, N.C.) this past March. by a more powerful version. “It is at the cultural aircraft,” O’Day said, and GE exhaust mixer, the inner cowl duct, the It is getting closer to entering service, as study stage,” O’Day said. is about to start trials with these opera- exhaust cone are all ox-ox,” O’Day said. HondaJet won provisional FAA certifica- The most recent first flight of an air- tors, who hope to cut their fuel costs by This lightweight material resists the tion for the HondaJet on March 27 and craft fitted with H-Series engines was up to 25 percent. The company is also high temperatures found in the exhaust expects full certification “in the next few logged in January, when the Nextant working with Brazil’s ANAC civil avia- area, thus improving durability and fuel months,” with deliveries to begin shortly G90XT took to the air. The G90XT is tion authority. o

20 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com

Snecma Silvercrest Advances Toward Certification by Charles Alcock To date, complete engines have logged nearly 2,500 hours of Snecma is proceeding with the development of the 11,450-pound- ground tests, in addition to a number of hours of partial tests. The thrust Silvercrest turbofan, which is to power the Dassault Falcon company reports that it has demonstrated nominal and maximum 5X and Cessna Citation Longitude twinjets. A number of operability takeoff thrust, along with what Snecma describes as “excellent en- and performance aspects have been validated in tests conducted so gine operability and very satisfactory dynamic performance.” far, according to the France-based engine manufacturer. The development team has just passed the hail-ingestion tests At last month’s EBACE show in Geneva, Dassault acknowledged and has started endurance tests. Snecma said that the test plan is that it is now facing the possibility that some delays in the development proceeding on schedule and the program is moving toward certifi- of the aircraft’s Snecma Silvercrest engine could mean changes to the cation according to its revised schedule. 5X timetable. “Our engineering team is currently analyzing Snecma’s re- From the beginning of the Silvercrest design process, Snecma vised development plan and assessing possible impact for the 5X pro- has used sister company Turbomeca’s experience in helicopter gram,” said Dassault chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. The Silvercrest is turboshaft design for the centrifugal compressor stage. Another sis- now expected to complete certification in next year’s first half. ter company, Belgium-based Techspace Aero, which specializes in At an EBACE show press conference on May 18, Snecma’s head low-pressure compressors (boosters), has also been involved in the of civil engines, Cédric Goubet, mentioned difficulties in modifying design and production of the Silvercrest. the company’s Gulfstream II flying testbed. Although the flight-test While testing advances, Snecma is finalizing arrangements for campaign is now well under way in San Antonio, Texas, the issues the Silvercrest production facilities. The engine assembly line at Vil- have added several months to the project. laroche, near Paris, is now operational. Its Safran sister company In addition, a technical problem emerged on the oil-fuel heat ex- Aircelle is ready for propulsion system integration, as well as engine changer. In the context of “a new, more stringent regulation,” the oil-fuel build-up and nacelle installation. The production test stand also has thermal balance fell slightly short of target, Goubet said. A solution is be- been qualified for use. ing implemented but it needs new cast parts, which are long-lead items. At the same time, active production has started for support com- Nonetheless, at Dassault’s Bordeaux factory the first Falcon 5X ponents, including prototypes of maintenance tools, writing of tech- is proceeding with ground testing, including engine run-ups. In Tou- nical publications and preparation of the initial customer training louse, ongoing airframe static and fatigue tests have cleared the air- courses. “We are continuing to set up the support network, with craft for flight-testing. a selection of regional support hubs in the Americas [Dallas], Eu- In total, seven engines are being used for the tests, mainly on rope [Paris] and Asia [Singapore], and recruiting local staff,” said a Snecma’s indoor test rigs and also on open-air test cells, such as the Snecma spokesman. “Our deployment plan provides for the entire one at the Istres flight-test center in the south of France. Also under system to be ready six months before entry into service.” way are partial tests, as well as altitude tests being conducted at the Snecma also is moving forward on the development of its real- aircraft engine test center of French defense research agency DGA. time ForeVision engine monitoring system. For the Silvercrest, this In May last year Snecma started a flight-test campaign on the will track more than 1,500 parameters in flight, calculated on the flying testbed at San Antonio in the U.S. The aircraft flies approxi- basis of about 250 physical measurements (mainly from sensors). mately six times each week with one Silvercrest engine and one of This allows the manufacturer to monitor about 30 different func- its original Rolls-Royce Speys, and has already logged more than tions, including engine performance, and the condition of oil, fuel, 200 hours of tests. Last month Snecma was expecting to begin a engine filters and other systems. ForeVision automatically trans- fifth series of tests, and these will continue throughout the summer mits data several times per flight and sends reports that summarize Snecma has completed nearly 2,500 hours of ground with a view to logging about another 100 hours. Certification by the about 50 performance parameters, calculated by algorithms in the testing and some 200 hours of flight testing on its European Aviation Safety Agency is now expected to be complete in aircraft systems that are common with those in Snecma’s ground Silvercrest. EASA certification is expected next year. the first half of next year. systems. Failure messages are transmitted immediately. n

PW800 in post-certification stage, Pratt looks to apply Fadec to PT6A

Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW814GA The PW814/815GA will introduce a and PW815GA–which will power the double-digit improvement in fuel burn over Gulfstream G500 and G600, respectively– the previous generation of engines in this received type certification from Transport thrust class, according to its designers. Pratt Canada in February. As of late April they & Whitney Canada is providing the entire PW814 had logged more than 3,600 hours/7,600 integrated powerplant–engine, nacelle and cycles, including more than 360 flight hours thrust reversers–for the G500 and G600. on the engine maker’s Boeing 747SP flying On the 5,760-pound-thrust PW306D1 The PW800 series incorporates new fan technology testbed, Michael Perodeau, v-p for corporate for the Cessna Citation Latitude, the focus to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. aviation and military programs, told AIN. will soon be on entry into service, Perodeau trainers but there are no civil applica- In addition, the PW800 engine’s com- said. The Latitude finished FAA certifications yet. “So far, the cost/benefit ratio mon-core technology, used in six Pure- tion flight-testing in April. “The PW306D1 was not good enough but, as technology Power engine applications, has amassed is similar to the Citation Sovereign+’s evolves, it becomes more doable,” Pero- 17,000 hours of testing. “We are now engine, so we expect no big issue.” deau said. The Fadec would be as generic doing post-certification maturation test- As of late April, certification of the and modular as possible but some differ- ing–endurance testing–to ensure robust- 6,725-pound-thrust PW307D for the Fal- PW800 ences between applications would likely ness over a long time,” Perodeau said. con 8X trijet was said to be imminent. be required–for example, on hydrome- Endurance testing is also part of the Meanwhile, development of the PW307B chanical components. Etops certification program. for the Learjet 85 is on hold, as Bombar- airframers develop derivatives, but we are not Finally, more power–toward 2,000 Another routine post-certification dier has “paused” the aircraft program. there yet,” he said. PW600 turbofans have shp–is on the agenda. “We have the tech- activity is developing Fadec updates. “We Perodeau said that while no develop- been used so far on the Eclipse, Cessna Mus- nology to do it,” Perodeau said. Today’s provide them as needed, as the aircraft ment is under way on the PW500 series tang and Embraer Phenom 100 at thrusts maximum power in the PT6A series is flies and the airframer needs modifica- (2,900 to 4,500 pounds), it is a high-vol- ranging from 950 to 1,780 pounds. close to 1,700 shp. Going much beyond tion to the Fadec,” Perodeau explained. ume program for the company, thanks to On the PT6A turboprop, Pratt & 2,000 shp makes less sense for the PT6’s The G500 is slated to fly this year, fol- the Embraer Phenom 300. Whitney Canada is looking at introduc- architecture; the PW100, with cooled lowed by the G600 in 2017. The engines On the PW600, he noted the very light ing electronic controls, such as Fadec. turbines, is already in that power class, will be rated at 15,144 and 15,680 pounds jet market has been relatively soft. “We Electronic engine control is already he explained. o of thrust, respectively. expect a need for an engine improvement as aboard PT6As powering some military Report continues on next page u

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 21 NEW BIZAV ENGINES uContinued from preceding page Honeywell plans to bring new tech to existing line-up

With no new turbofan or tur- the TPE331 turboprop (575 to boprop under development, 1,600 shp), which was designed Honeywell is considering infusing more than half a century ago. new technology into production “We are looking at opportuni- engines and refreshing its produc- ties in the business aviation and tion processes with new materials military markets,” Karras said. A new version of the BR725 is flying on and techniques. The TPE331 features a two-stage the extended-range The company hopes to centrifugal compressor, a com- Gulfstream G650. announce a new application for pact and erosion-proof design, he the 6,500- to 7,500-pound-thrust pointed out. New Rolls-Royce Engines Enter Service HTF7000 turbofan soon and Honeywell has taken part in the is looking at technologies that Continuous Lower Energy, Emis- Rolls-Royce appears to have no business aviation development program under way but says it is keeping busy could be applied to the engine sions and Noise (Cleen) program, with in-production engines. over the next five to 10 years. The led by the FAA, since 2010. As part “The AE3007-C2 has just gone into operations on the Cessna Citation X+,” a spokesman told AIN. The newest most recent application was the of the program, core and engine version of the AE3007 turbofan features a dual-channel Fadec and provides sea-level static takeoff thrust of 7,034 7,323-pound-thrust HTF7350 testing of a new centrifugal compounds, flat rated up to 86 degrees F (30 degrees C). Another variant, the 9,020-pound-thrust (ISA+15) AE3007- that powers the Bombardier pressor stage, able to withstand A2, powers the Embraer Legacy 650. Challenger 350, now in service. higher temperatures, is scheduled A recent evolution of the BR725, the 16,900-pound-thrust BR725-A1-12, powers the Gulfstream G650ER. “It The new engine provides 7 perfor this quarter. Low-leakage air- has upgrades on the Fadec, including the fuel management system,” the spokesman said. cent more thrust than the Chal- air seals have been tried over 1,500 Over the last few years, Rolls-Royce has not been chosen for any new major business-jet program. GE, Pratt lenger 300’s HTF7000. engine cycles. & Whitney Canada and Snecma were picked for Bombardier’s Global 7000/8000, Gulfstream G500/G600 and Das- The company is also ramping up The company has tested new sault’s Falcon 5X programs, respectively. n production, to 400 engines annually thermal barrier coatings for the from 300, in large part to accom- high-pressure turbine, on the tip modate the entry into service of shroud of the first stage and on Embraer’s Legacy 450 and Legacy airfoils. The coatings have been Two Williams turbofan programs 500, AIN understands. matured to technology readiness More than 1,000 HTF7000 level 6, meaning they are ready to on track for certification by year-end engines are in service, with a com- leave the laboratory and go to full bined 2.3 million hours and dispatch product development. Williams International is in a busy The 1,800-pound-thrust reliability of 99.9 percent, Nasos Honeywell is also hoping to period for development, with two FJ33-5A, top, and Karras, v-p for marketing and prod- expand the use of ceramics– engines–the FJ33-5 and the FJ44- the larger FJ44-4A- uct management, told AIN. The already employed in production 4A-QPM–scheduled to receive QPM, are on track for certification this year. most recent in-flight shutdown hap- for some stators and vanes–to certification this year. pened a year ago, he added. raise temperature tolerance and Since Cirrus restarted the sin- “There is no demand for a new engine efficiency. “The chal- gle-engine Vision SF50, the Wil- development” of the 5,500-pound- lenge with ceramics remains their liams FJ33-5 program has made thrust-class TFE731, long Hon- unproved reliability and durabil- progress and is on schedule for certi- eywell’s workhorse for business ity, but expect this to change with fication in August, Matt Huff, Williams aviation, Karras acknowledged. time as their use and field experi- International v-p for business development, The company is nevertheless ence expands,” Karras said. told AIN. “It has passed the most difficult tests studying technology for upgrades. Separately, the future looks for a small engine–ice slab, hail and bird inges- Approximately 10,000 TFE731s are bright for additive layer manufac- tion–as well as blade-out retention,” he said. in service. turing. “This technology has no Production deliveries of the 1,800-pound- Another feature of the engine destined Similarly, Honeywell might limit and we are investing heavily in thrust turbofan will begin in the fourth for the Pilatus is the so-called Exact passive incorporate new technology into 3-D printing,” Karras said. o quarter. The third prototype (the second con- thrust vectoring. It uses a “proprietary fluid forming aircraft) of the SF50 first flew last dynamic” system. The thrust vector from the December and Cirrus is aiming to deliver the exhaust nozzle varies as a function of engine first aircraft late this year. operating conditions: power setting, exhaust- Before Diamond terminated the D-Jet pro- gas temperature, Mach number and altitude. gram in 2013 that airplane was considered The improvements in performance offset the another possible application for the FJ33. The weight penalty, Huff noted. initial version of the FJ33 received FAA certi- On the PC-24, each engine will provide fication in 2004. a normal takeoff thrust of 3,435 pounds The “quiet power mode” version of the at ISA+8C, and a new automatic thrust FJ44-4–the -4A-QPM–is on schedule to reserve will provide 5 percent more thrust receive certification next year, Huff said. It is if needed. being developed to power the PC-24, which Williams has produced nearly 400 copies Pilatus rolled out last August and flew for the of the engine’s predecessor, the FJ44-4, which first time last month. The quiet power mode powers the Citation CJ4 (3,400 pounds of can be used on the ground, with the engine thrust) and Hawker 400XPR upgrade (3,230 acting as an auxiliary power unit (APU) to pounds). “The total population of FJ44s in supply electric power and bleed air. Williams service is approaching 5,000 and we are now says the noise signature is less offensive than at 10 million hours of service on the fleet,” Honeywell is looking for new technology to apply to its HTF7000 over the next decade. that of typical APUs. Huff said. o

22 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com Say hello to the future

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C33520.028_CFM_HELLO_AviationIntNews_Nov14_352x275_v1.indd 1 21/10/2014 18:11 Global-series production cuts prompt layoffs at Bombardier by Chad Trautvetter

Approximately 1,750 Bombardier the first quarter of next year, a spokes- Aerospace employees–up to 1,000 in man told AIN. Bombardier will attempt Montreal, 480 in Toronto and 280 in to find other open positions for dis- Belfast–will be “progressively impacted” placed workers within the company, by the company’s May 14 announcement he added. that it will reduce Global 5000 and 6000 While Bombardier would not dis- production rates. close what the adjusted annual Global The move is prompted by short-term production rate will be, aviation analyst Bombardier is adjusting production of its Global 5000/6000 downward and will build 55 of the airplanes “economic conditions and geopolitical Rollie Vincent told AIN that he predicts per year instead of 80. Of those, the company will produce more of the G5000, predicts one analyst. issues in some market regions, such as it will drop from the current 80 per year Latin America, China and Russia, [that] to approximately 55 next year. Vincent have affected order intake levels,” it said. expects production cuts to be weighted Global 7000 and 8000, which newly not commenting on Global 7000 and Long lead times for aircraft outfitting toward the Global 5000. appointed Bombardier president and 8000 EIS at this time.” mean that the “adjustment” won’t affect The move would roll back a more than CEO Alain Bellemare said have a While the rear, center and forward delivery rates this year. 50-percent increase in Global production “very strong” order book, appear to be fuselage sections and the wing of the Workforce reductions will begin this over the past three years, which Vincent delayed, supporting speculation that first flight-test Global 7000 were recently month at Bombardier’s aerostructures alleged was “an attempt to monetize the the CSeries and Learjet 85 develop- joined, Vincent is skeptical that the air- and engineering services unit, which Global backlog” as the struggling CSeries mental challenges have had a knock- plane will fly before year-end. He is fore- makes the Global subassemblies, and and now-shelved Learjet 85 programs on effect. Asked if the two models are casting a two-year delay for the new continue progressively to the final consumed cash. on track for entry into service (EIS) in Global models, which would push EIS assembly line from September through Meanwhile, the in-development 2016 and 2017, he answered, “We are into 2018 and 2019. o

EMBRAER MOVING ALL PHENOM ASSEMBLY TO U.S.

Embraer is transferring all Phenom and then, as it started production of the assembly to its facility in Melbourne, Fla., KC-390 military airlifter there, at São José over the next year, the Brazilian aircraft man- dos Campos. The plant capacity and work- ufacturer announced on May 12. Its plant in ers at the São José dos Campos location are Botucatu, Brazil, will continue to manufac- now needed for assembly of the company’s ture and export the wing and fuselage for new E2 airliners. In fact, Embraer has already the Phenom 100 and 300. begun assembly of E2 prototypes there. Embraer has been assembling the The company’s Melbourne facility has Phenom 100 in Melbourne since it opened the capacity to assemble up to 96 Phen- the facility in February 2011; the first aircraft oms per year, just above the 92 delivered assembled at the U.S. site was delivered in by Embraer last year. However, it is not yet Cirrus’s new “Vision Center” in Knoxville, Tenn., will house a service center, sales and product December 2011. The company phased in at full-rate production–the 100th U.S.-as- support staff, an FBO and type-rating training in a level-D full-motion sim built by CAE. production of the Phenom 300 in August sembled Phenom was delivered only in late 2012 and delivered the first U.S.-assembled March. Embraer’s Melbourne plant is also model in December that year. Embraer has being expanded to accommodate Leg- been assembling the light jets in both the acy 450/500 assembly, which will begin Cirrus selects Knoxville as U.S. and Brazil–initially at Gaviao Peixoto there in the second half of next year. –C.T. home for new ‘Vision Center’ by Matt Thurber

At a ceremony in Knoxville, Tenn., The Knoxville facility, “a flagship loca- early last month Cirrus Aircraft co- tion for all Cirrus Aircraft pilot, owner and founder and CEO Dale Klapmeier, customer activities,” will offer a design cen- Tennessee governor Bill Haslam and ter where buyers can customize their SF50s, Economic and Community Development a service center, sales and product support commissioner Randy Boyd announced staff, an FBO and type-rating training in a plans to build a customer center for all level-D full-motion simulator built by CAE. Cirrus aircraft, including the Vision It will also host company social events. SF50 jet single, at McGhee Tyson Air- The new facility will be completed by port. Cirrus quietly evaluated 30 airport next year’s second quarter, and Cirrus locations in 15 states before choosing chief customer officer Todd Simmons Knoxville. will head the Vision Center. SF50 certifi- The facility “will create 170 jobs in the cation is planned by year-end. All aircraft Knoxville area and represents a $15 mil- production remains at Duluth and Grand lion investment,” according to the Ten- Forks, N.D., where structural components nessee Department of Economic and are produced. Community Development. SF50 Vision Vision N251CV flew to Knoxville from jets will be manufactured at Cirrus’s head- Duluth for the event, making the 757-nm quarters in Duluth, Minn., then flown to trip in 2 hours 41 minutes, flying at FL270 Embraer is transferring all Phenom assembly to its facility in Melbourne, Fla., next year. The wing and the new “Vision Center” for final detail and a cruise groundspeed of nearly 300 fuselage for the Phenom 100 and 300 light jets will continue to be made in Brazil. and delivery to customers. knots. o

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Client: Textron Aviation/Beechcraft Ad Title: Weight. Take more. Publication: Aviation International News Trim: 10-13/16” x 13-7/8” • Bleed: 11-1/16” x 14-1/8” • Live: threat of higher levies and Business aviation faces taxes. Representatives, he said, Business Aviation in Africa need to drive home the point At last month’s Aviation Africa 2015, Tarek Ragheb, founding chairman that “the growth of general of the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA), provided an update on aviation actually goes hand-in- uphill climb in Africa the continent’s bizav fleet. As of the end of last year, there were 1,336 aircraft hand with your GDP and your in the business aviation fleet (507 business jets and 829 turboprops). South by Peter Shaw-Smith economy.” Africa has the largest fleet (172), followed by Nigeria (80) and Egypt (42). “When you have a jet worth “Two thirds of the business-jet fleet based in Africa is operated within Afri- Advocacy has a long way to go states understand that [nongov- $50 million sitting on the ramp, before Africa-based business-jet ernmental organizations] are it means someone worth at least ca, with an additional 20 percent flying to the Middle East,” said Ragheb, who operators gain the required accep- there to help. We don’t have an $1 billion is doing business, also noted that African operators have recorded annual growth of 8.2 percent tance, an official told Aviation axe to grind.” [promoting] jobs and GDP in turbine-powered airplane operations. –P.S.-S. Africa 2015 in Dubai last month. One of the main obstacles growth,” said Nuno Pereira, “The view that most facing business aviation managing director of Best- Business Aircraft Fleet in Africa governments have is managing public per- fly Flight Support in Angola. (as of Dec. 31, 2014) throughout Africa is ception of the industry. “One person can affect a mil- that private aviation is “There is always an ‘us lion people.” Business Jets Turboprops Total for rich people,” said against them’ philoso- Ragheb said business avia- South Africa 172 279 451 Tarek Ragheb, founding phy in developing econ- tion is “the nuts and bolts of an Kenya 11 123 134 chairman of the Afri- omies,” said Achuzie engine that drives growth in any Nigeria 80 11 91 can Business Aviation Ezenagu, CEO of Tou- economy. That is especially true Association (AfBAA). can Aviation, which in Africa where alternatives do Tanzania 2 80 82 “Unfortunately, some provides charter ser- not exist for us.” Angola 31 39 70 parts of Africa…view it Tarek Ragheb, vices to Nigeria’s oil- Finance–in particular the abil- Morocco 25 25 50 founding chairman of as the devil’s tool, asso- and-gas industry. ity to obtain credit–represents Botswana 7 41 48 ciated with fat cats and the African Business Across the conti- another challenge for business Aviation Association Egypt 42 4 46 businessmen.” nent, he said, more aviation in the region. AfBAA is AfBAA is working with the needs to be done to explain working to bring banks and gov- Algeria 11 30 41 African Union and the Afri- bizav’s benefits. He said regu- ernments together to drive the Dem. Republic of Congo 19 10 29 can Civil Aviation Commis- lators are often ex-pilots who industry forward. Namibia 10 19 29 sion to broaden acceptance of understand business aviation in He also drew attention to the Zambia 1 24 25 the sector. “There is still a lot of general terms, but the industry “Northern Corridor Initiative,” work to be done so that member nonetheless faces the constant which links landlocked coun- Uganda 1 18 19 tries Uganda, Rwanda, South Libya 13 5 18 Business Fleet In Africa Turobprop Fleet In Africa Sudan and Burundi to Kenya’s Madagascar 4 14 18 Dec. 31, 2014 Dec. 31, 2014 Maritime Port of Mombasa. Senegal 5 9 14 CENTRAL The corridor also serves the CENTRAL NORTHERN Gabon 9 4 13 AFRICA Democratic Republic of Congo AFRICA NORTHERN 9.5% AFRICA 13.8% AFRICA 8.6% WESTERN and Northern Tanzania. Zimbabwe 2 9 11 EASTERN 19.1% AFRICA Côte D’Ivoire 4 7 11 AFRICA 6.3% “What is most exciting for 7.7% EASTERN us is that within that frame- Ethiopia 0 10 10 AFRICA WESTERN work, Rwanda is spearheading 34.7% Chad 3 6 9 AFRICA airspace management, which SOUTHERN 21.5% SOUTHERN Mozambique 2 7 9 AFRICA AFRICA could prove to be a useful tool 37.9% 40.9% for business aviation in particu- Sudan 4 4 8 lar and commercial aviation in Togo 4 4 8 general,” he said. o Cameroon 3 4 7 Congo 3 4 7 Equatorial Guinea 5 1 6 Ghana 4 3 7 Burkina Faso 1 5 6 Mauritania 1 5 6 Gambia 5 0 5 Mali Republic 2 3 5 Mauritius 4 1 5 Central African Republic 0 4 4 Niger 1 3 4 Seychelles Islands 3 1 4 Tunisia 4 0 4 Liberia 0 3 3 Swaziland 3 0 3 Comoros 0 2 2 How Large Djibouti 2 0 2 is Africa? Eritrea 1 1 2 ...and why is “China” depict- Guinea 0 2 2 ed upside down on this map? Guinea-Bissau 0 2 2 This artist’s concept shows the Malawi 0 2 2 vastness of the African conti- Burundi 1 0 1 nent, overlaying on its surface Sao Tome and Principe 1 0 1 purposely reoriented images of eight global regions. Sierra Leone 0 1 1 Totals 507 829 1,336

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AIN-Full-Page-Ad-April-2015-issuev2.indd 1 5/8/15 6:53 PM develops steam. discuss his views of the Among the hurdles AsBAA Charles Mularski, industry’s future in the faces is ensuring that it is truly AsBAA set to tackle Universal Weather & region. a pan-Asian organization that Aviation’s regional vice The organization can speak with one voice for Asia-Pacific challenges president for Asia-Pa- has grown steadily all its members. “That’s one of cific, recently took over since its launch in the challenges we took last year, by Curt Epstein the reins at the associ- March 2011 and cur- really making it more across the ation to begin his two- rently numbers approx- region rather than China-cen- Airport access and ensur- Asian Business Aviation Associa- year tenure as chairman imately 110 members, tric,” Mularski noted, adding Charles Mularski, ing a properly trained workforce tion (AsBAA) intends to address and talked with AIN AsBAA chairman heading toward a goal that AsBAA has developed sub- in Asia are among the issues the in the coming year as the industry at ABACE in April to this year of 125. chapters in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. “We do have more members outside China than inside the country,” he said. “Obviously a lot of the topics are still Chi- Come see us at Paris Air Show na-centric because of the com- Hall 4, B204 plexity that China represents for the operator, but from a membership perspective we’re well diversified.”

Clear Agenda Among the issues at the top of the association’s wish list is more access to some of the region’s busiest airports such as Singapore Changi, Hong Kong, Beijing Capital, and Hongqiao and Pudong in Shanghai. “We 40 do see that there is cooperation and recognition to support business aviation from some of the 40 is the number of stocking locations Aviall operates around the world. airports,” said Mularski, “but we understand they are maxed This allows us to have trained customer service representatives who out, so [what we really need is] know your business and a customized mix of aftermarket aviation parts infrastructure for more parking and arrival and departure slots close to you. at the right times.” Another priority is addressing the shortage of trained employees, a dearth that leads No other aviation parts provider has more parts in more places to bidding wars for industry than Aviall. Aviall Delivers. professionals. “The human capital in the region is constrained, from pilots to dispatchers to mechanics, the growth has been fast and I don’t think we are investing aggressively into developing the second generation of business aviation resources,” Mularski noted, adding that employee poaching introduces inefficiencies into training and retention. “Everyone is worried about the future revenues and infrastructure and growth, but no one is thinking about who is going to manage and build these things. That creates trouble in the business market because people jump from company to company.” Finally, Mularski characterized Asia as a long-term market. Proudly Keeping the World in Flight. Noting that aircraft orders in the region have slowed, he said airframers will weather the current situation based on the level of their investment. “There will be fluctuations, but it’s a whole different game if they focus on the five- or ten-year view rather aviall.com than reacting to changes that might affect just another year or two,” he said. o

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*VistaJet owned and U.S. registered aircraft are operated by to be appointed duly licensed air carriers Statistics similar for single- vs two-pilot jets by Gordon Gilbert AIN analysis comparing expected, media coverage was accidents involving one-pilot expansive, often sensational- versus two-pilot business jet istic and usually technically operations from 1977 through challenged. But one aspect of This is the result of a single pilot trying to land his Citation in a tailwind on a runway less than 3,000 feet long at an airport that was 2014 reveals, somewhat sur- the story the lay press missed clearly marked as “closed to jet aircraft.” Wounded pride was the only injury. prisingly, that from a statistics reporting, or didn’t under- standpoint there is only a slight stand the significance of, was and his nonstandard pattern was a flight instructor who had that this accident could have safety advantage to having a the fact that the crash was the procedures, which resulted in trained Munson for his instru- been avoided if there had been multiple cockpit crew in this first fatal accident involving an abnormal [high and fast] ment rating. a qualified pilot in the right class of airplane. The analysis the newly FAA-approved cer- approach profile.” According to the NTSB, seat. Nor did the Safety Board examined 107 accidents, 40 (or tifications of airmen and cer- Munson had not used a check- allude to that possibility. 37 percent) of which were in tain light jets for single-pilot Experience vs. Training list on the approach previous to What’s more, AIN’s study jets piloted by a one-pilot crew operations. Some news stories and indus- the accident but had extended of virtually all one-pilot acci- versus 67 accidents (63 percent) Munson’s newly purchased try chatter speculated that the the gear and flaps just before dents compared with two-pilot in jets crewed by two pilots. aircraft crashed and burned pilot was neither experienced turning base. On the accident accidents in jets approved for Although there were more when it stalled short of the enough nor properly quali- approach he pulled the power one-pilot operations from 1979 two-pilot accidents, half of the runway while attempting to fied. The NTSB reported that back to or about idle on an through 2014 lacks conclusive single-pilot accidents were fatal land after completing several FlightSafety International in extended downwind to reduce evidence–in our opinion–to crashes compared with 45 per- touch-and-goes. The two pas- Wichita conducted the ground, airspeed and altitude. When the make a case either way because cent of two-pilot accidents. sengers escaped from the wreck- simulator and flight training gear warning horn sounded, “he the statistics show similar num- Details of the findings in this age with serious injuries. The for Munson’s rating. The flight shut the horn off” manually. bers as a percentage of acci- article start with the first and NTSB determined the accident training consisted of 10 flights Neither passenger started dents, as well as in the types of heavily reported fatal accident was caused by the pilot’s “fail- (six cross-country and four local) to become apprehensive about accident involving both single- involving a business jet flown by ure to recognize the need for for a total of 21.7 hours and 24 the approach until begin- pilot and two-pilot flights. one pilot. and to take action to maintain landings. On July 17, Munson ning the turn onto final. At Of the 107 worldwide acci- On Aug. 2, 1979, the sufficient airspeed to prevent a obtained his type rating on a 1.5- this time, the passenger in the dents with business jets eligible fatal crash of Citation 501 stall into the ground during an hour flight that included eight right seat–by looking at the to be approved for single-pilot N15NY would likely have attempted landing.” landings. His total pilot time at red VASI display–was aware (SP) flights, 67 were flown by been reported as just another The pilot also didn’t “rec- the time of receiving the type that they were below the glide two qualified pilots (TP) at the tragic accident involving a pri- ognize the need for timely rating was 505.6 hours. His total path and descending while still time of their mishaps. Single- vate jet, except that the pilot and sufficient power applica- landings in all types of aircraft some 4,000 feet to 5,000 feet pilot flights accounted for the killed was New York Yankees tion to prevent the stall dur- (primarily with propellers) were from the runway threshold. In remainder. catcher Thurman Munson. He ing an approach conducted approximately 688. addition he knew the gear was Additionally, those accidents, had played for the team for 11 inadvertently without flaps In the 16 days following the not down and made a comment both SP and TP, represent a years before his death at the extended.” Contributing fac- type-rating check, Munson flew to that effect to Munson, who small portion of the approxi- age of 32 at the controls of tors were the pilot’s “failure 10.6 hours. He logged his total immediately lowered the gear, mately 4,000 jets that were built his newly acquired twinjet. As to use the appropriate checklist time of 4.1 hours as single-pilot further increasing the sink rate. by the end of last year that were PIC of the Citation 501 during No flaps were extended during eligible for FAA approval for Accident Totals by Type: 1 Pilot versus 2 Pilots this period. This time was accu- this approach. one or two pilots. They are the mulated on flights from Akron Cessna Citation 500/501, Cita- Type 1 Pilot 2 Pilots Total to Columbus, Ohio, and back on Distinction without tion 510 Mustang, Citation 525, a Difference? Total accidents 40 67 107 July 26; to Chicago on July 29; Beech Premier I, Eclipse 500, and the return flight to Akron This accident, and dozens and Embraer Phenom 100 and Accidents as percent of total 37% 63% 100% in the early morning hours that follow, raises the ques- Phenom 300. Fatal accidents 20 30 50 of August 2. Both passengers tion of whether single-pilot jet Perhaps more telling is a Fatal accidents as percent of total 50% 45% 47% (avg) were rated pilots but had not operations are inherently less comparison of fatal crashes flown in jets before this ride. safe than two-pilot missions. and fatalities. Twenty, or 50 Fatalities 58 102 160 The passenger in the right seat No one can say for certain percent of the single-pilot acci- Fatalities per accident 1.25 1.53 1.39 (avg) dents, killed 58 people. Thirty, Runway excursion on landing 12 26 38 Accident Totals by Aircraft Model: or about 45 percent of the two- 1 Pilot versus 2 Pilots Approach or landing 11 14 25 pilot accidents, resulted in 102 fatalities. While these figures Takeoff or departure 6 6 12 1 Pilot 2 Pilots Percent of Total Aircraft show that the percentages of Model Fatal Nonfatal Fatal Nonfatal Total Go-around 2 5 7 Manufactured fatal accidents for one- and two- 1 2 Midair 1 1 2 Citation 510 Mustang 0 0 0 1 1 0.22 pilot crew are close, more people 3 perished in two-pilot accidents Runway collision 0 1 1 Eclipse 500 0 2 0 0 2 0.74 in the 37 years since 1977 when CFIT 2 10 12 Embraer Phenom 300 0 0 0 3 3 1.20 the FAA began certifying spe- Loss of control flight into ground 3 1 4 Embraer Phenom 100 1 1 0 3 5 1.57 cific jets and airmen for single- Loss of control flight/recovery 1 0 1 Beech Premier I 2 4 3 4 13 4.45 pilot operations. On average, single-pilot flights had fewer Ditching 1 0 1 Citation 501 6 2 5 4 17 5.45 people on board than the air- Bird strike substantial damage 1 2 3 Citation 525 5 8 3 8 24 1.49 craft flown by two pilots. (1) Between Citation 525 and 172. Both failed to see and avoid; Citation 500 6 3 19 14 42 6.05 The most common type of 172 cited for transponder off. accident was a runway excur- (2) Between Citation 500 and 172. Both failed to see and avoid. Total 20 20 30 37 107 (3) Between Citation 525 and MD-87. Determined to be the fault of ATC Sources for both charts: FAA, NTSB, FlightSafety International, General Aviation sion on landing–38 incidents, or and airport officials. Manufacturers Association, AIN research nearly 36 percent of the total–a

30 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com percentage that holds true for the type of accident on average incurred by the entire business jet fleet. Most runway excursion accidents or incidents were sur- During the AIN study period, Embraer Phenom 100s were involved in five accidents, one Two nonfatal accidents befell the Eclipse 500 (both while being flown single-pilot) vivable and, depending on the of which was fatal to the sole pilot and two passengers, as well as to three people on between 2006, when the light twinjet entered service, and last year, representing just extent of aircraft damage, some the ground. 0.74 percent of the more than 270 manufactured by the end of last year. were not even officially report- cruising altitude of FL430, the collision. (See chart below right.) able to the NTSB. IAS decreased to about 128 Of the 107 total accidents Excursions with far more seri- knots. The pilot then reduced the AIN examined, 43 involved ous results typically happened rate of climb to 500 fpm. How- non-U.S.-registered airplanes, when a cockpit crew decided to ever, over the next 50 seconds, of which just four occurred abort the landing and attempted the speed decayed by a further 10 under single-pilot command. a go-around with insufficient run- knots. Close to FL430, “the pilot All but one were fatal. But of way remaining. Notably, our study checked his tablet to check the the 39 accidents involving non- revealed that TP ops experienced forecast.” At that moment the air- U.S.-registered jets flown by 26 excursions, more than double craft pitched severely nose-down two pilots, four were fatal. One the 12 for SP landings. Two-pilot and rolled to the right, departing of the nonfatal single-pilot ops suffered five go-around acci- from controlled flight in a series accidents involving a non-U.S.- dents versus two for SP ops. of five 360-degree rolls to the registered aircraft was an unin- right. The pilot briefly regained tentional gear-up landing in a Incidents Could Show control before the aircraft stalled Citation I/SP. With more than 690 built since 1972, Cessna’s Citation 500 series represents nearly Value of Second Pilot again, and the ensuing recovery Another SP accident in a 20 percent of the total fleet eligible for single-pilot operations, yet only about 6 percent In addition to the Munson overloaded and structurally dam- non-N-numbered Citation 525 had been in accidents through 2014. Of the 42 accidents recorded by year-end 2014, accident, there are several other aged the aircraft’s wings. occurred in the U.S. and was only nine were being flown single-pilot. mishaps in which it could be Descriptions by investigators more serious. The NTSB final diagram was “found attached to started gaining approval for sin- argued that a qualified airman of several fatal SP accidents also report says the pilot performed the pilot’s control column” after gle-pilot operation–that an FAA in the right seat might have made might raise the question “Could “a low pass” over the runway at the accident. The same notation rule took effect that requires sin- a difference in the outcome. For they have been prevented if Atlantic City Bader Field and was posted in the FAA Airport/ gle-pilot jet operators to meet example, a sole pilot flying his operated with two pilots?” (See then, with a tailwind of about Facility Directory. basically the same Part 61.58 U.S.-registered Citation 525 in chart below.) 10 knots, touched down approx- As a percentage of total sin- yearly checks as two-pilot oper- the UK got into trouble when he We can also cite TP accidents imately 1,000 feet beyond the gle-pilot eligible models in the ators had been required to meet apparently got distracted from like those above for SP crashes in approach end of the 2,948-foot- fleet, the number of accidents for many years previously. Before monitoring the aircraft while SP-eligible jets for which inves- long runway. After touchdown, closely reflected the number in that mandate, single-pilot jet using an iPad. tigators also placed the proba- the airplane continued off the the fleet. Therefore, it was not operators were required to meet According to the UK incident ble cause on the pilot, with the end of the runway and came to surprising to find that the Cita- essentially the same biennial report, as the jet approached its exception of a disastrous runway rest in the water. tion 500/501/525, with more flight review required of non-jet The aircraft not only landed than 2,600 manufactured, had operators. However, despite the Single-pilot accidents that might have been long and with a tailwind, but the the most accidents. The Cita- relatively new requirement, there prevented if aircraft operated by two pilots pilot apparently ignored a notation 500 was the non-N-num- are no marked changes in the tion on the published airport bered model involved in by far ratio of SP versus TP accidents Premier I diagram for Bader that read the most accidents. over the last two years, according A Premier crashed on an approach in VMC after attempting to return “airport closed to jet aircraft,” It wasn’t until November to AIN’s analysis. 2008 to the airport following the takeoff. The accident killed the pilot and according to the Board. The 2012–a full 35 years after jets While the emphasis of this passenger. article has been on accidents The pilot and passenger were killed when the aircraft crashed while at- Two-pilot crashes in SP-eligible jets befalling jets flown by one 2013 tempting a go-around after aborting the landing. Premier I qualified pilot, the data shows that these same models of busi- Citation 501 Both pilots were killed during a stall-spin into the ground during a go- 2010 ness jet flown by two qualified Aircraft rolled inverted and crashed into the ground. Investigators could around attempt. 1998 pilots experienced nearly an not determine a reason for the loss of control. The two pilots and two passengers perished when the aircraft crashed equal share of accidents, many Crashed into a building after takeoff in VMC and loss of control after en- after taking off without de-icing. 2001 of them under similar circum- tering IMC. 2013 Failed to retract lift/dump spoiler after touching down and then attempting stances and with the same Another uncontrolled descent into the ground. Pilot incapacitation 2003 a go-around. The five passengers died; the two pilots survived. fatal results. That’s clearly evi- suspected. Citation 501 dent when looking at the charts 2008 Crashed into the sea after takeoff. Aircraft not found. accompanying this article. 1982 The two-pilot crew was killed when the aircraft hit a mountain. Crashed on landing after failure to achieve stabilized approach and acti- Certainly, many corporate 2014 vation of only one reverser, resulting in asymmetric thrust. Both pilots were fatally injured when their jet hit an NDB antenna on flight departments perceive 1987 Phenom 100 approach. having two qualified pilots on 2006 CFIT was fatal to the two pilots. passenger flights as providing a higher level of safety than hav- Hit terrain and houses about three-quarters of a mile short of the runway 2010 Eight passengers and the two pilots died in an unexplained crash. while on approach. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured, as ing just one pilot up front. In any 2012 were three people on the ground. Marginal VMC prevailed at the time and 2014 Crashed on approach, killing the two pilots and two passengers. case, even if the accident statis- the flight was operating on an IFR flight plan. Cessna 525 tics did not support this percep- Four air traffic controllers, the director of Milan Linate Airport and several tion, many flight departments Cessna 525 others were sentenced to several years in prison for “negligence and man- limit their SP missions to main- A fatal midair with a Cessna 172 in VMC. The NTSB concluded that both 2001 slaughter” in the ground collision of a Citation and an MD-87 that claimed tenance or ferry flights. Take a pilots failed to see and avoid conflicting traffic, but the Board also cited the lives of all 106 souls aboard the two aircraft, including the Citation’s look at the data presented here, 1998 the 172 pilot for not having his transponder on, as was required for that two pilots and two passengers. and then you make the call. o airspace. Factors included the controller’s failure to observe the traffic 2005 Both pilots were killed when their aircraft hit a mountain on climb-out. conflict and the lack of radar conflict alert capability. The aircraft was climbing through 200 feet on a planned ferry flight when Aircraft crashed after descending below the MDA. The pilot had been 1999 it stalled and crashed into the ground. During the takeoff, witnesses on stressing over an FAA letter he received, according to the NTSB. 2007 the ground noticed the front left baggage door was open and “standing 2000 The aircraft hit a tree during an attempted visual approach in IMC. straight up.”

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 31 new Future Flight Service Pro- for flight services to conduct association asked the agency to gram (FFSP), which is expected a competitive source selection keep the current system in place AFSS contract extended, to integrate AFSS services with for services for the next FSS until that time. other services such as Direct User contract.” The FAA conceded that as FAA plans for future Access Terminal Service (Duats). The Aircraft Owners and “there have been several signifi- The FAA has been working Pilots Association last summer cant hurdles to establishing the by Kerry Lynch with the aviation community on called on the FAA to open a baseline scope and requirements the parameters of the FFSP, but competitive bidding process for of the Next FSS competitive con- The FAA is extending Station (AFSS) network by up said in a March 25 notice that both the AFSS and Duats pro- tract.” The agency agreed that it Lockheed Martin’s contract to to 42 months while the agency it requires more time “to final- grams when the agency is ready requires current services to con- run the Automated Flight Service finalizes its requirements for the ize the scope and requirements for the future system. But the tinue under a single-source extension until services are provided under a “competitive Next FSS contract” and added, “It is the intent of the [FAA’s] Flight Ser- vice organization and Program Management Office to renew these services through the competitive procurement process.” The Lockheed Martin contract for AFSS services was set to expire on March 31 next year but the latest extension would cover an additional 18-month base period, a 12-month option and two six-month options. If all options are exercised, Lockheed Martin’s contract would run until Sept. 30, 2019. The FAA awarded the original AFSS contract to Lockheed Martin in 2005. Lockheed Martin provides flight planning and weather briefing services, processes information such as pilot reports and notices to airmen and provides search-and-rescue support. The FAA last month also awarded a new one-year contract to Lockheed Martin and Computer Sciences Corpora- tion (CSC) for services previously provided by CSC and Data Transformation Corporation (DTC). The contract includes four one-year extensions. The FAA held a limited competition for the new contract, and has stated an intention to continue their renewals until ready to award a comprehensive FFSP contract.

Cost Savings Anticipated While it renews the current contracts, the agency is stepping up its funding request to work on development of the FFSP. It included $3 million in the Fis- cal Year 2016 budget request to develop a market survey, proposal/screening request and documentation necessary for a “Final Investment Decision.” The agency previously requested $1 million for the FFSP planning stages. The FAA hopes to award the FFSP contract in Fis- cal Year 2017. The FAA anticipates FFSP will streamline current services to save money, noting they are now supplied through multiple avenues. “The FFSP will expand the web portion of flight services and reduce or eliminate human Continues on page 34 u

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ATC PRIVATIZATION PLANS: as a country, we can achieve this NextGen, the aviation commu- injection of additional private-sec- the proposed path of removing the LET’S LOOK BEFORE WE LEAP massive transformation to a sat- nity is suffering from a bad case tor practices has [improved] and ATC system from its governmen- Editor: ellite-based ATC system. The of “group think” that pillories both will continue to greatly improve tal role to a network run by users, We appreciate AIN’s coverage stark reality is that NextGen was the institution of the FAA and its the FAA’s operating structure and let’s demand that our policymak- of the recently released National unveiled with highly unrealis- thousands of highly skilled and performance. However, it appears ers avoid basing any decisions Research Council (NRC) review of tic expectations and has labored dedicated employees. almost deliberately unnoticed upon outdated, unrealistic expec- NextGen (ainonline.com, May 7). ever since under the perception of No one in the aviation com- by some that the FAA is bring- tations. While modernizing and As the NRC report rightly points unmet expectations. munity suggests accepting the ing online highly advanced and adapting for future requirements out, it is time to “reset expecta- Unfortunately, when it comes status quo. I assure you there are improving technologies. is an absolute must, let’s ensure tions” about what, how and when, to the challenges faced by numerous examples of where the Before we leap too far down we’re not using more than decade- old assumptions and expectations as a pretense for potentially dis- ruptive changes to the world’s best and safest ATC system.

Tom Hendricks president and CEO National Air Transportation Assn.

AFSS contract, Quality services. FAA looks ahead uContinued from page 32

delivery of flight services as much as possible,” the agency said, adding, “The next system will modernize services and methods of delivery. This will be done by dis- continuing obsolete services and activities as well as redundant activities provided by other FAA service organizations.” The agency, however, is not quite certain on a timeline for the transition, saying it hinges on the availability of a number of new technologies such as automatic dependent sur- veillance-broadcast (ADS-B) and common support services- weather (CSS-Wx). The FAA is making plans to transition to the future system as use of flight services has increasingly relied on the Inter- net. According to Washington On-time delivery. think-tank the Reason Foun- dation, radio (voice) contacts for flight services have declined from a daily average of 6,319 in Airframe MRO Services 2002 to 1,323 in 2013. Lockheed Martin also told BizJet International, located at Tulsa International Airport, is known globally for the Reason Foundation that the its high quality, on-time, VIP Aircraft Completions. Today, BizJet is providing contract is running at approx- those same valued services into its comprehensive Airframe MRO Services imately $100 million per year, division. These services include heavy aircraft maintenance, modification substantially down from the and refurbishments for Boeing and Airbus narrow-bodies including the B737 “pre-contract status quo of Classic / NG / BBJ / Airbus A318 to A321 & ACJ series aircraft. $600 million,” Robert Poole, director of transportation pol- With BizJet being a part of the Lufthansa Technik Group,you can be assured icy for the Reason Foundation your aircraft will be handled efficiently during your visit. BizJet’s highly trained reported. and experienced technicians take pride in providing the quality, cost efficient The FAA notes that the AFSS and on-time services you expect. program is on track to save $2 bil- To find out more about how BizJet International can be of service toyour lion in capital and labor over the operation regarding Boeing / Airbus narrow-body airframe MRO services, 13-year period of the contract. o please contact R. Rick Townsend - V. P. Business Development, Aircraft Maintenance & Refurbishment at [email protected].

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Stay productive and entertained with the smarter choice for in-ﬂight internet. when it was significant. “Money creates a dismissal of a loud warning is probably the basic emotion, comparable to an attraction legacy of a primitive predator/prey survival for food or sex,” Dehais said. Researchers mechanism, and researchers have already used the fMRI to measure activity in the recognized that more strident alarms will pre-frontal cortex (the area of the brain not fix it. The team plans to install EEG where rational decision making takes equipment in a SupAéro-owned Robin place) and found higher activity for the DR400 piston four-seater for further stud- conservative courses of action and lower ies, once the researchers have solved the for the risky ones (because the brain was problem of electromagnetic interference. overwhelmed by emotions). In extreme Researchers are considering several instances of incapacitating stress, the pre- solutions to this situational deafness. One frontal area might shut down, Causse said. is to create an alarm that calls the pilot’s first name–the last thing the brain hears Situational Deafness before complete deafness. Another would A mystery in a number of accidents be to remove the information on which has been how a crew could ignore an the pilot is focusing too intently and Researchers gaining insight aural alarm. When on final approach replace it with more relevant guidance. to Megève airport in the French Alps This feature could be activated when the in 2009, a pilot and his instructor in a flight computers perceive the pilot is not into smarter, safer flight decks light piston single were fixated on the air- reacting to an alarm. plane landing ahead of them and the slow A short video loop (Vine-type) could by Thierry Dubois pace of its exit clear of the runway. Show- pop up, showing an avatar performing the ing zero reaction to the piercing alarm required action. For example, in a stall, A research laboratory in Toulouse, consequences, noted team leader pro- that signaled their landing gear was not a pilot’s intuition can command him part of the ISAE SupAéro engineering fessor Frédéric Dehais. Both stress and extended, they touched down and slid to to pull back the stick, something that school and funded by insurance firm Axa, lesions can impair cognitive abilities. a halt on the airplane’s belly (https://www. happened in accidents such as AF447 is making strides toward improving safety Today’s flight decks cannot help youtube.com/watch?v=5McECUtM8fw). (the A330 lost in the Atlantic). Seeing by designing flight decks adapted to the crews facing such predicaments, and the way the human brain works best. The research aims to change this. The team research in “neuroergonomics” uses the is combining neuroscience, human fac- latest developments in neuroscience to tor developments, signal processing and cross the threshold of the pilot’s brain. computer science to understand “neural “At stake is resolving the old debate mechanisms.” The researchers measure about whether the crew or the aircraft’s how well or how poorly pilots make deci- design caused an accident. We know enough sions under stress, in laboratories ranging now to create strategies for the aircraft to from an fMRI scanner, where exhaus- help the pilot,” Godefroy Beauvallet, head tive data can be collected, to a light air- of the Axa research fund, told AIN during craft cockpit in flight. The latter, while a visit to the laboratory in March. much more realistic, has limited room for In the crosshairs are two categories of accommodating equipment. Occupying Functional near-infrared spectroscopy gives researchers a better understanding of brain activity. Of particular accident–loss of control in flight (LOC-I) the middle ground is a full-motion simu- interest is activity in the pre-frontal cortex, where rational decision making takes place, during times of stress. and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT)– lator developed in-house. where human factors account for 80 per- Dehais is keen to research how emo- Dehais re-created such deafness in an the avatar correctly pushing the stick cent of the problem, said Mickaël Causse, tions, as opposed to rational thinking, experiment on the ground. Pilots in the forward would activate the pilot’s “mirror associate professor. In these instances, influence decision making. For instance, test had to make a decision about land- neurons,” which tend to direct the person the crew persists with an irrational deci- a pilot can feel pressure not to abort an ing, with various levels of difficulty, the to imitate what his eyes are seeing. Tests sion despite alarms from the aircraft, approach when so close to the destina- toughest being a strong crosswind. The have proved that pilots react more quickly he explained. An example is the fatal tion. He might be under pressure, such researcher had an alarm sounding during when shown the avatar. Aeroperú crash in 1996, when an incom- as wanting to avoid a delay or not want- the simulated approach. In 30 percent of Awareness of the pilot’s mental work- plete maintenance procedure left airspeed ing to face questioning if he goes around. the most difficult cases, the pilots did not load is another important area for prog- and static pressure probes blocked. After This is called hot reasoning. hear the alarms. ress. A wearable sensor allows Dehais and takeoff, the crew argued and focused on Dehais and Causse have found a way to Looking for answers, the researchers his team to measure oxygenation of the altitude and speed but never came up with reproduce the negative emotional conse- used an electroencephalogram (EEG) to pre-frontal cortex. The technology–func- the correct procedure. quences associated with the go-around. An measure activity in the area of the brain tional near-infrared spectroscopy–yields aviation task during the landing phase was that responds to aural stimuli. In pilots who a representation of the cortex’s activity. Assistance with Decision Making performed in an fMRI scanner. The deci- had not reacted to the alarm, it was inactive. A computer in a future cockpit could Lack of mental flexibility and atten- sion had to take into account various risks, “In 0.1 second, the visual channel can shut remove non-essential information when tion tunneling can be found in the so pilots were offered a monetary incentive down the aural one,” Dehais commented. it senses the pilot is experiencing a high behavior of otherwise proficient pilots. for every successful landing and punished What could be regarded as the baffling mental workload. Such behavior, caused by intense stress, with a financial penalty for a go-around. In the event cockpit designers want to can be characterized as “pathologic” Most pilots made conservative choices avoid requiring the pilot to wear sensors, because some brain lesions have the same when the incentive was nil and riskier ones SELECTING CANDIDATES they could rely on seat-integrated heartbeat WITH THE RIGHT STUFF sensing to understand his emotional status at least. At times of high stress, the system Professor Frédéric Dehais, who is lead- FRENCH ENGINEERING SCHOOLS MERGING would also use eye tracking to direct essen- ing a study of neuroergonomics at the tial information to where the pilot is looking. ISAE SupAéro and ISAE Ensica, two well known engineering schools in the French aero- ISAE SupAéro engineering school in Tou- Much effort is going into alleviating space industry, are completing a merger. “The industry has told us there is no longer a case louse, is also developing insights into new pilot workload–but not by too much. for two different syllabi or two campuses,” ISAE CEO Olivier Lesbre said. ways to select student pilots. Elementary Tests have shown the pilot can be easily dis- Starting this year, a single exam is offering 180 places for students. The Ensica name and computer tests can provide a fair predic- tracted, especially via the aural channel, if campus will disappear and the ISAE-SupAéro campus in Toulouse is being refurbished and tion of how the student will perform in a his workload is too light. Ideally, the level of expanded. The ISAE group includes three more schools: Estaca, Ensma and Ecole de l’Air. cockpit. For example, what appears as a concentration required should be medium. Nowadays, SupAéro students are encouraged to choose subjects such as onboard systems simplistic game with colored squares is Axa has invested €1 million in the proj- and production, which the industry is expected to need over the coming years for upgrad- in fact a measure of the spatial working ect so far. The team wants its headcount, ing existing models and increasing production output, rather than aerodynamics–more in memory that provides insight into how the now 15, to grow to 30 as the partnership demand during fertile times when many new designs are being launched. n person will perform in navigation. n extends over 20 years and more sources of funding are found. o

36 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com High Efficiency Trainer

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in part to the heavy reliance on simulator training. He described Low premiums and large claims the Buffalo Colgan Q400 crash in forecast icing conditions in top concerns in crowded sector which the captain responded to the stick shaker–and then by Kim Rosenlof the stick pusher–with increasing amount of back force, fully The aviation insurance indus- aviation insurers, who continue “Overall we’re seeing a pic- stalling the aircraft. try continues to suffer from to see losses and higher claims ture that’s financially not “The captain had been taught pressures that keep premiums costs. In the airline market, three healthy, and it’s debatable how in simulator training to recover low and profitability virtually of the past five years generated long we can continue to operate from a stall using power and to nonexistent while claims costs claims that cost more than the in this manner,” said Trotti. “It’s maintain altitude at all costs. continue to rise. That was a income from each year’s written something that the underwriters In other words, to fly out of a pervasive lament of speakers at premiums, and over a 10-year need to think about.” stall,” said Korner. “But the air- Dr. Tony Kern, CEO, last month’s Aviation Insurance period the written premium craft didn’t respond the way the Convergent Performance Association (AIA) conference in collected barely matched total Reducing Losses simulator responded, and they Colorado Springs. claims cost across the industry through Upset Training lost everybody on board.” 939 stall accidents, about two “When you’re talking about before discounts and expenses With premiums at all-time Speaking to a room full of per week...Only two percent of insurance these days, you can- were deducted. lows and no indication that aviation insurance underwriters, accidents occurred during stall not ignore the fact that there “Safety rates are improv- they’ll be rising soon, insur- brokers and other professionals, training. Ninety-eight percent of is a ton of capacity and a ton ing, but costs are still increas- ers are looking at loss preven- Korner recommended that the stall accidents do not occur in of capital,” said Joseph Trotti, ing,” said Trotti. “We’re seeing tion with even keener eyes than aviation insurance industry start training. Why? Were you taught president and CEO Global an uptick in awards, an escala- ever before. If your insurance requiring UPRT for corporate stalls in your primary training? Marine & Aerospace at AIG. tion in costs, and that’s adding broker hasn’t already recom- and commercial pilots, perhaps Of course, but that’s not how “All aspects of aviation insur- pressure. One of the sobering alternating upset and simula- stalls happen. In training, you’re ance have been impacted by this realities in the airline market tor training every other year. watching carefully for when the over-supply of capital.” is that we’re not seeing enough Korner emphasized that upset stall breaks. What’s missing? According to Trotti, low inter- capital to cover claims. Cur- training in a real aircraft is crit- Distraction. In looking at the est rates and poor bond yields rent premium levels are about ical because it exposes pilots to recent air carrier accidents–Air are steering investors toward the same as they were in 2001 the emotions triggered by a sud- France [Flight 447] and Colgan opportunities with higher (before 9/11), while the average den unusual attitude. [Air Flight 3407]–distraction returns, resulting in “a lot of fleet value and passenger num- “Simulators are great for was prevalent.” capital moving into the insur- bers have doubled, significantly switch memorization, normal Dr. Tony Kern, CEO of Con- ance industry…Combine this increasing the risk exposure and emergency procedure train- vergent Performance–a Colo- with a benign loss picture–there without a match in premiums. ing, and practicing approaches,” rado Springs-based company hasn’t been a major windstorm This is not sustainable, and capi- Korner said. “But no simulator that offers upset training among since Sandy 2012–[and] the envi- tal is migrating into other lines can replicate an aircraft upset in other services–and author of of business.” flight…Everyone thinks they are seven books on human perfor- Some of the new capital going to have a good day. Sud- mance, offered UPRT as a way moving out of airline insurance William Korner, chairman and CEO, denly, the aircraft unexpectedly to reduce LOC-I accidents by has found its way into the busi- Flight Research goes into an unusual attitude. training pilots “beyond mini- ness aviation insurance market. This causes panic and confusion mum standards to bring them According to Trotti, the general mended upset prevention and in the crew, and it should. They closer to their full potential.” aviation insurance market world- recovery training (UPRT) for don’t understand what’s going “Ninety-nine percent of our wide generates income estimated your corporate pilots, he or on. They’re not trained to deal pilots are compliant and com- to be $2.5 billion, with $1.5 bil- she may soon. (See page 40.) with it. You never get scared in placent,” said Dr. Kern, who lion of that from the U.S. and $1 There are murmurs among avi- a simulator.” served as a U.S. Air Force com- billion from the rest of the world. ation insurance underwriters Bruce Landsberg, former pres- mand pilot and flight exam- This makes general aviation a that requirements for pilots to ident of the Aircraft Owners and iner in the B-1B bomber. “We substantially larger insurance complete upset training, per- Pilots Association (AOPA) Air have an entire industry cen- segment than the airlines (with haps performed biennially and Safety Foundation, also acknowl- tered around making sure our $1.5 billion in premiums written alternating with traditional edged the LOC-I problem in his pilots stay recurrent to mini-

PHOTOS: KIM ROSENLOF worldwide last year), and certain simulator training, might be AIA conference remarks. mum standards. There’s a lot of Joseph Trotti, CEO, Global Marine and GA territories/product lines con- the wave of the future to help “The leading cause of air- room for performance that lives Aerospace, AIG tinue to offer returns better than reduce loss of control in flight craft accidents is loss of control above the [minimum standards] those expected from the airlines. (LOC-I) accidents. Just a week in flight,” Landsberg said. “Over bar, and someday you may need ronment is pretty ripe for people However, as capacity has before the EASA and the Inter- the last 10 years there have been that performance above the bar coming in and investing.” Sta- moved into GA, competition has national Air Transport Asso- just to survive. Mother Nature tistics gathered by Aon Benfield been fierce. In 2005 there were ciation (IATA) published new and the challenges that we face Analytics indicate global insurer nine aviation insurance under- UPRT requirements for airline as pilots are not bound by FAA capital rose to $4.2 trillion last writers serving the U.S. general pilots in Europe, multiple AIA standards.” year from $4 trillion in 2013, aviation market; this year there conference speakers mentioned While it’s not surprising that with reinsurer capital at $575 bil- are 16. New capital means new UPRT as a means to reduce executives of companies offer- lion. “Many commentators now companies begin writing insur- LOC-I accidents and losses. ing upset training recommend suggest that even a U.S. [event] ance in an already crowded avi- “When the aircraft gets into UPRT for corporate and com- with the magnitude of Hurricane ation insurance market, driving an unusual attitude, a pilot’s nat- mercial pilots, some in the insur- Katrina [$50 billion] would not down premiums and keeping ural instinct will cause him to do ance industry are on the same be market-changing,” said Trotti. them low. While this is good news the wrong thing,” said William page. In 2013, Swiss Re Corpo- But while the new capital and for aircraft owners and operators, Korner, chairman and CEO rate Solutions began offering pre- low loss rates lead to high prof- the combination of low premi- of Flight Research. During mium discounts of up to $25,000 its for many non-aviation prop- ums and rising claims costs puts his AIA presentation, Korner to corporate flight departments erty and casualty insurers, the the industry in an unprofitable attributed an increase in LOC-I whose pilots completed upset picture is markedly different for and unsustainable position. accidents over the past 10 years Bruce Landsberg, former ASF president prevention and recovery training

38 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com Aviation Insurance 2015

at one of two qualifying train- training,” said Eric Barfield, While the insurance indus- aircraft fell by 6.5 percent. ing centers. An informal survey director of operations at Hope try’s profitability dilemma will “The turboprop market has of brokers at the AIA confer- Aviation Insurance. A commer- not be solved any time soon, been interesting to watch, espe- ence revealed that while some cial, multi-engine instrument- one piece of news delivered by cially in the last months of had never heard of upset train- rated pilot who regularly flies a General Aviation Manufacturers 2014,” said Bunce. “While the ing as an insurance requirement, Cessna 182, Barfield has him- Association (GAMA) president data shows a declining number others acknowledged that their self been through UPRT at and CEO Pete Bunce brought a of turboprops out there, most underwriters were offering dis- Aviation Performance Solu- positive note to the conference. of that decrease was attributable counts or incentives for pilots tions in Mesa, Ariz. “There’s Data gathered by GAMA for its to agricultural aircraft, a lot of to complete this training at least nothing like being upside down 2014 General Aviation Statisti- production in 2013, and Piag- once in their training regimen. in the cockpit and hearing the cal Databook shows deliveries gio’s blip in production while “I don’t think it will ever wind whistling past the air- of new piston aircraft and busi- shutting down one factory in be a requirement, but cer- plane to really cement what an ness jets rose by 9.6 percent and Italy to open up a new one. So tainly there are incentives for upset feels like and what you 6.5 percent respectively last year, we actually see turboprops as operators to complete upset Pete Bunce, GAMA president and CEO have to do.” while deliveries of turboprop fairly stable.” o

recently raised when a self-identi- prevent passengers from getting Cyber security a growing concern fied cyber security expert Tweeted into the avionics, flight control while on board a United Airlines and the rest of it in the cock- by Kim Rosenlof flight in April, “Find myself on pit. But a lot of experts say fire- a 737-800, let’s see Box-ife-ice- walls can be breached. So it’s a A relatively new area of con- in 2013. Last year, there was a personally identifiable informa- satcom, ? Shall we start playing real risk,” said Hunt. “That’s why cern for aviation insurers is cov- 27.5-percent rise in the number tion to provide one year of credit with Eicas messages? ‘pass oxy- the GAO felt it was important for ering cyber liability for their of data breaches, with 86.5 mil- monitoring to each person whose gen on’ anyone ? :)” the Office of Aviation Safety to clients. According to Hal Hunt, lion records compromised; half data has been breached. Hunt says that while older air- get involved. Right now the FAA assistant program manager of of the businesses breached had While the threat of expos- liners kept any passenger enter- does not have any standards for the National Hangar Insurance fewer than 250 employees. ing personal data is a concern, tainment and Internet systems cyber security. It has issued lim- Program (NHIP), while the “Threats to cyber security other types of cyber attack, such separate and unconnected from ited rules called special condi- recent data privacy breaches at include spyware/malware, bot as those from computer hackers the avionics and aircraft control tions, so they’ve certified [the net operators, foreign nations, who infiltrate a business net- networks, new airliners such as systems] but they don’t have stan- phishers, international corpo- work, can also cost real dollars. Boeing’s Dreamliner, the Airbus dards. It’s mostly the designer rate spies, terrorists, hackers, A380 and A350 have one unified coming up with something and insiders and criminal groups,” NextGen Vulnerabilities system separated by firewalls. getting approval by the FAA, but said Hunt. “The biggest culprit Attorney James Hunt (no “The firewalls supposedly there are no FARs on it.” o is cloud computing: data avail- relation to speaker Hal Hunt) able on the cloud for access by addressed cyber security con- smartphones, tablets and self- cerns related directly to aircraft AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS service portals,” he noted. and the National Airspace Sys- Hunt said that most third- tem (NAS). While he felt that the During its conference this year, the AIA presented its annual Pinna- party cloud storage vendor current ATC system with its non- cle Award to Mary D’Alauro of Aviation Insurance Agency in Bedford, agreements don’t eliminate the Internet connected technology is Mass. During her 25-year membership in the AIA, D’Alauro has served data owner’s obligation to pro- relatively safe from hackers, he a variety of organizational roles, including several years as the organiza- tect personally identifiable data expressed concern that the Inter- tion’s treasurer; she was inducted into the AIA’s Eagle Society in 2014. Hal Hunt, assistant program manager stored in the cloud. “With cloud net protocol-connected NextGen The AIA also inducted 39 members, each of whom have been an AIA National Hangar Insurance Program storage, you lose control. If it’s ATC system might raise the vul- member for at least 10 continuous years, into the Eagle Society in 2015. with a third-party vendor, the nerability of the entire system Eleven insurance representatives who earned the Certified Aviation major retailers like Target, The third-party vendor could be slow to cyber attack, citing informa- Insurance Professional (CAIP) or CAIP Gold designation since the 2014 Home Depot and PF Chang’s to notify you of any breaches… tion from a January 2015 Gov- conference were recognized in 2015. The CAIP designation is open to are making the biggest news, The average breach takes nine ernment Accountability Office AIA members who have worked in the aviation insurance industry for at most cyber attacks are against months to identify; that’s a long (GAO) report titled “Information least five years and complete a set of five continuing education courses. small and midsize companies time for someone to be rooting Security: FAA Needs to Address Michael Connors, John Cunningham, Paul Davis, Kelly Fleischer, Megan such as flight schools, parts bro- around in your records. Usually Weaknesses in Air Traffic Con- Henshaw, Holly Hopkinson, Robert McManus, Jennifer Melvin, Rose kers and charter firms. it’s not even someone inside the trol Systems, GAO-15-221.” Marie Norman and Michael Prahl earned CAIP designation. The CAIP “If you have a computer company who finds the breach.” “During the changeover, the Gold designation signifies participation in the AIA and other industry hooked to the Internet, and you Personally identifiable infor- FAA will be using both the cur- organizations, enhanced continuing-education efforts and leadership in are keeping employee or cus- mation can apply to pilot, rent system and the NextGen IP- the aviation insurance industry. Awarded to previous CAIP designees, tomer data on that computer, employee and customer data connected system,” said Hunt. the CAIP Gold must be re-certified every two years. Jason Hendrix then you have exposure to person- kept by flight schools, corporate “The GAO says this expands the earned CAIP Gold this year. –K.R. ally identifiable information,” he flight departments, charter opera- potential for the legacy system said. “It doesn’t have to be credit- tions, law firms, aircraft and parts to be compromised. The IP-con- card data. Name, driver’s license, sales brokers, aviation insurance nected system will be more vul- phone number, address; you can firms and other small businesses. nerable, and the GAO is making be held liable for this exposure.” When such information has been recommendations to the FAA to Hunt defined cyber liability as breached, the business responsible fix this.” a company’s liability if person- for protecting the data can incur According to Hunt, cyber ally identifiable information in costs up to $250 per record. These threats to the NAS include theft/ its computers is breached, not- costs can include legal and defense misuse of personal data, dis- ing that 47 U.S. states now have fees, IT expenses to close the ruption of ATC equipment and regulations (supported by fines) breach, the expense of notifying communication systems, inter- in place to protect the informa- people whose data has been com- ference with and destruction of tion. Hunt presented data show- promised, and regulatory fines. equipment, and aircraft Internet Among the 10 designees earning AIA’s Certified Aviation Insurance Professional ing that 3,000 small to midsize In addition, many states require connectivity issues. The issue of status this year were (l to r) Jennifer Melvin, Bob McManus, Michael Prahl and Holly Hopkinson. U.S. businesses were hacked businesses that have exposed aircraft Internet connectivity was

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 39 Calspan offers upset-recovery Aviation Insurance 2015 training in a Learjet 25. Train for LOC-I event, see lower premiums by Harry Weisberger

FlightSafety International Swiss Re, partnered with sim- recently observed that in-flight ulator training firm CAE and loss of control (LOC-I) has over- upset training specialist APS, taken controlled flight into ter- offers premium rebates of up to rain (CFIT) as the leading cause $25,000 in actual URRT costs of aviation fatalities. Whether incurred in training an insured’s attributable to over-reliance on pilots. The three-day APS cockpit automation, degraded course provides ground school,

hand-flying skills, de-emphasis type-specific simulator ses- VISHAL JOLAPARA on academic aeronautical sci- sions and in-flight training. The ence or a combination thereof, APS training begins with com- Flight Research provides policyholders receive dividends Maneuvering & Upset Recovery it presents a serious problem. puter self-study on upset avoid- upset recognition and recov- of up to 10.5 percent of premi- Training (AM-URT) program. Aviation insurers recognize ance, recognition and recovery; ery training in turbine-powered ums, while Vista group policy- Designed for Global Aerospace the advantage of encouraging moves through flight instructor- aircraft with recovery charac- holders earn dividends of up to customers, it includes ground safety training that can avert led ground school and sessions in teristics that parallel those of 4.9 percent. Global announced school as well as “in-flight sim- large claims, and some under- CAE level-D simulators; to flight business jets and airliners. It in March that it will subsidize ulator” training in Learjets writers and providers of in-flight in piston-powered Extra 300L begins with specialized class- 25 percent of the cost per pilot specially configured with pro- upset recognition and recovery high-performance aerobatic air- room training, later applied in to customers who complete the grammable variable-stability training (URRT) are collabo- craft, with optional unusual- flight by instructors who place Calspan LOC-I training pro- flight control software. Calspan’s rating to mitigate instruction attitude training in former U.S. the aircraft in pre-planned “out gram this year through Global’s AM-URT is derived from real- costs. Compensation ranges Navy TA-4 Skyhawk jet trainers. of control” conditions. Pilots SM4 safety initiative. world accidents presented in a from direct rebates or premium USAIG is exploring the pos- learn hands-on to apply class- Global Aerospace and Cal- safe airborne simulation envi- rate discounts to consideration sibility of partnering with APS in room knowledge to recover con- span launched their training ronment. The training includes in the underwriting process. a loss-of-control risk-mitigation trol of the aircraft safely. partnership in October 2013 to a classroom instruction and in- Those partnerships include program, said Randy Brooks, Flight training takes place select group of qualified Global flight training in an aerobatic international underwriter and APS vice president for training in the Aermacchi MB-326M customers. Access to the LOC-I Beech Bonanza and the modi- reinsurer Swiss Re teamed with and business development. Impala and North American training has been expanded to fied Learjet 25. Aviation Performance Solutions QBE Holdings includes finan- Sabreliner 60. The Impala’s per- all operators insured by Global Calspan training methods (APS), based at Phoenix Gate- cial incentive packages in the formance closely parallels that Aerospace. stem from 14 years of govern- way Airport, Ariz.; QBE Hold- insurance policy form during the of Gulfstreams and Citations, The goal of the LOC-I train- ment- and industry-sponsored ings and Flight Research at underwriting process, explained and its ejection seats enhance the ing is to improve pilots’ hand-fly- research into upset recovery Mojave Airport (MHV), Calif.; AirSure sales executive Joel safety of the flight training. The ing skills in Calspan’s Advanced techniques. o and Global Aerospace Insur- Heining, representing QBE. “We Sabreliner shares aerodynamic ance and Buffalo, N.Y.-based reward insureds who demon- characteristics with Airbus, Calspan. Jeffrey Bauer, presi- strate a commitment to safety.” Boeing and Embraer airliners. dent of NationAir, a broker of QBE also offers a 5-percent “no- aviation insurance working with claim” bonus payable at the end Comprehensive numerous U.S. underwriters, of the policy year, while evaluat- Systems Preferred said he believes no other under- ing the insured’s level of safety Heining added, “Underwrit- writers are currently offering training at the front end of the ing is subjective. The under- similar financial incentives. underwriting process. writers believe that they have a stronger comfort level if the insured has a comprehensive safety management system in place that includes upset rec- BANKS SCRAP HAWKER OWNED BY ognition and recovery training. INDIA’S VIJAY MALLYA This leads the underwriter to perceive a lower level of risk, which A bank consortium seized and scrapped a jet owned by Indian bev- directly affects the coverage. They erage and airline tycoon Vijay Mallya to recover money owed to it. The like to see formalized flight train- 31-year-old Hawker 700 was repossessed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shiv- ing, combined with simulator, aji International Airport in April, having been parked there for more than emergency and CRM procedures. three years. The aircraft, which carried the livery of Mallya’s now-defunct “All of the insurers support Kingfisher Airlines, has been sold to Silent Enterprises, a scrap dealer in Upset prevention and recovery courses give pilots a chance to take the controls of and approve of it, but not all India, for just $34,540. some gee-whiz aircraft they might not otherwise fly, such as the Extra 300L at APS, Indian aviation safety expert Mohan Ranganathan told AIN that the above, and the Aermacchi MB-326 Impala, below, at Flight Research. offer financial incentives,” Hein- ing noted, observing that aviation way the scrapping of the Hawker has been handled raises safety and envi- insurance is more personal than ronmental concerns. “Parts such as electronics, paint, battery and seat in other business areas, so the parts that are not biodegradable need particular care, and there are no amount of risk that is underwrit- guidelines for recycling here [in India],” he explained. “It is time the regula- ten varies with the nature, size, tor looked at this issue as aircraft have been scrapped in the past in India.” types of mission and operational According to a former Kingfisher Airlines engineer, speaking to AIN on record of a specific insured. condition of anonymity, neither of the aircraft’s engines was operable, and Global Aerospace, through they were due for major overhauls. Silent Enterprises confirmed that the its Vista program, rewards pol- 1984-vintage nine-seat Hawker 125-700B had been scrapped and said that icy holders who undergo spe- it is expected to yield 14,329 pounds of scrap metal. –Neelam Mathews cific safety training. Individual

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RC_HGS HVS_Aviation Intl_June2015.indd 1 5/14/15 7:53 AM Hot temper- and built the proto- atures degrade type of a 4.6-foot-long More-electric systems component reli- actuator (retracted) in ability, so valida- just four months. Test slowly coming to bizav tion of a thermal results show “good cor- modeling software pro- respondence with the by Thierry Dubois gram–even for transient design targets,” according to temperatures–is crucial. Reducing the company. Both Airbus Heli- Microturbo’s e-APU60, the first APU Boeing and its suppliers have and less engine bleed air, with the need for cooling would help, designed from the outset for copters and AgustaWestland been gathering a wealth of expe- the goal of improving overall too, as cooling circuits contribute more-electric architectures. are said to have shown interest. rience from the 787’s operations efficiency. The installed electric to drag. Dassault also uses a test- Apart from the APU, a more- with a more-electric architecture, power would thus be greater than bed operated near Paris by Labi- strong torque at start-up, which electric architecture is unlikely to but the prospects of seeing a busi- today’s 50 kW on the Falcon 7X. nal Power Systems, which recently only an electric motor can meet.” appear on a helicopter any time ness jet or a helicopter adopt- However, the predicted reli- gave the rig full DC architecture. Meanwhile, the first auxil- soon. The electric backup sys- ing a similar approach appear ability of electric systems, espe- iary power unit (APU) designed tem Airbus Helicopters (then relatively dim. Compared with cially for power electronics, is Gradual Implementation from the outset for more-electric Eurocopter) successfully tested hydraulic or pneumatic systems, a road block. “The right level Replacing hydraulics with architectures has entered service in 2011 to make autorotations their electric equivalents still face would be one failure every 10,000 electric power is already rec- on a helicopter. The Microturbo safer did not enter production. challenges such as reliability, as flight hours, and this is 10 or ognized for its environmental e-APU60 has been aboard the The system’s weight (equivalent well as power and energy density. 100 times greater than what we benefit, since hydraulic fluids AgustaWestland AW189 twin to one passenger) thwarted that Dassault is conducting have today,” said Jean-Marc Le are hazardous–more so at the since last year. The e-APU60 ambition. The motor’s power research and development work Peuvédic, Dassault’s on-board production stage, Le Peuvédic delivers 60 kilowatts and is cer- density (measured in kW/lb) just toward a more-electric architec- energy architect for future sys- noted, than during the aircraft’s tified in category 1, which means met the required level but the bat- ture for a Falcon that could enter tems, at the More-Electric Air- operational life. “During manu- it can be used in flight for engine tery’s power density (kWh/lb) was service in the 2020-2025 time craft 2015 conference. facturing, we open and close the restart or for supplying electric- inadequate, according to Airbus frame. Engineers from the com- The automotive industry has hydraulic system several times ity to some systems after failure Helicopters. Continued progress pany and partners in Europe’s solved the problem by improving for testing,” he said. of a generator. The 121-pound in battery technology will yield a Clean Sky initiative are endeav- the technology and changing its The need for more wiring e-APU also can supply 50 psi of suitable power density by 2020, oring to use fewer hydraulics predictive analysis method. could raise weight, but choos- bleed air at a flow of 17 pounds Airbus experts predict. ing aluminum instead of copper per minute. It can operate at up Another way to introduce a might balance that out. Le Peu- to 20,000 feet, from -50 degrees “mild hybrid” architecture–in the védic cited the operating noise C to +60 degrees C. 100- to 300-kW range–would be at of electric systems as a specific the tail rotor. An electric tail rotor issue that must be addressed to Electromechanical Actuator would eliminate the complex and ensure the quiet cabin owners of for Landing Gear heavy mechanical linkage with business jets expect. Liebherr Aerospace has the main rotor, and decoupling Despite these obstacles, the completed testing an electro- the two rotors’ rotational speeds move toward more-electric sys- mechanical actuator for a heli- could unlock some efficiency tems has begun. On the in-devel- copter wheeled landing gear. gains. However, the motor, con- opment Falcon 5X, an electric Such a system would elimi- verter and generator for such a tail starter replaces a conventional nate hydraulic lines around the rotor would incur a weight penalty pneumatic one. A Thales exec- cabin and reduce environmen- of more than 150 pounds. Airbus utive explained that the new tal impact and operating costs. Helicopters engineers say the con- Snecma Silvercrest turbofan has Challenges lie in safety (nota- figuration would have to shed 80 a high pressure ratio and a large bly for emergency extension), percent of that weight gain before Dassault’s Falcon 5X twinjet, currently under development, will make use of some of fan to meet the goal of reduc- reliability and weight, as well they could adopt it for a produc- the more-electric systems that are already deployed on airliners. ing fuel burn, “and this requires as volume. Liebherr designed tion helicopter. o

Air modernization. “We talked with 250 on the King Air 350i. Across all the King Latest King Airs feature of our King Air customers,” he said, “and Airs, “we felt that providing Wi-Fi as really understood what they want to see in standard equipment was more what our the cockpit, what kind of missions the King passengers were looking for,” Buckles cockpit, cabin enhancements Air is used for. In this case Fusion is the explained. “The majority of them are system that best meets their requirements.” bringing their own audio and video on by Matt Thurber their device. We’ve gone to just Gogo Cabin Improvements Wi-Fi and passengers’ iOS devices.” Now that Textron has owned update, RF legs, built-in caution advisory Textron Aviation also announced Textron Aviation has built expertise Beechcraft for more than a year, Textron system messages on the displays and wire- electronic window shades that dim more in additive manufacturing, and cockpit Aviation is moving ahead rapidly with less database updates. “With all this,” he quickly and will be standard on all three glareshields for new King Airs with Pro product improvements, the most recent added, the list price of the three King Air King Air models (not just the 350i, as was Line Fusion avionics are made using 3-D a significant upgrade from the existing models “will stay the same.” previously the case). The new shades have printing technology. Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 flight deck The first to be delivered with the new five settings, thanks to a built-in control- Textron Aviation will continue investing to the Pro Line Fusion touchscreen avion- touchscreen avionics will be the King Air ler. When the aircraft is parked on the in the King Air line, according to Christi ics in the King Air 350i, 250 and C90GTx 250 in the third quarter, followed by the ramp, the shades will automatically go to Tannahill, senior vice president for turbo- turboprops. The Fusion cockpit was on 350i in the fourth quarter and the C90GTx the darkest setting to keep the cabin cool prop aircraft. “We spend a lot of time in display in a King Air 250 at EBACE. in next year’s first quarter. Landmark and protect the interior from UV damage. the field understanding customer require- The revamped flight decks feature Aviation’s Winston-Salem, N.C. facility On the 350i and 250, Gogo Business ments and how we continue to support three 14-inch displays in landscape orien- is working with Rockwell Collins to STC Aviation’s air-to-ground Internet Wi-Fi them,” she said. “This has been one of our tation and represent “the first implemen- the King Air 350 Pro Line II to Fusion system is now standard; it is optional biggest investment years over the past five tation of touchscreen displays in general upgrade and will offer similar packages for on the C90GTx. Gogo Text & Talk, years and now, as Textron Aviation, we aviation,” said Patrick Buckles, Textron other King Airs with Pro Line II avionics. which allows passengers to use their own have the engineering support to do that.” Aviation King Air business leader. “The The retrofits for more modern Pro Line smartphones, will be an option on all As for plans to bring a high-perfor- entire screen is touch and it’s fully man- 21-equipped King Airs will be offered by three models, for U.S.-based customers mance turboprop single to market, she date-ready with ADS-B out, Waas/LPV Textron Aviation service centers. initially and then elsewhere. said, “We’re talking with our customers, and Tcas 7.1.” Also included is stan- According to Buckles, Textron Aviation The Rockwell Collins Venue cabin and we see that there’s a requirement for dard synthetic vision, the Taws+ Mode 5 did consider Garmin avionics for the King management system is no longer available that. Stay tuned.” o

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EUROPE OFFICIALS APPROVE CITATION CJ3+ Business aviation industry Cessna’s Citation CJ3+ received certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency, the company announced last month at EBACE. Deliveries to European customers will begin adjusts to ‘new era’ in Europe later this year. The aircraft was launched in March last year and, following FAA certification in September, 10 had been delivered by the end of last year. by Kerry Lynch Cessna has introduced a host of improvements on the original CJ3. The new aircraft can fly 2,040 nm, allowing it to reach Moscow or Cairo from London. With accommodation for up to Regulatory, economic and other and regulators make decisions that could nine, the aircraft has a ceiling of 45,000 feet, allowing it to clear most weather and also provid- adjustments continue to reshape the affect the industry in the long term, ing access to less crowded airways. For the crew, the Garmin G3000 avionics suite in the CJ3+ European business aviation indus- according to Gamba. As examples, he offers turbulence-detecting weather radar, ADS-B, Tcas II and advanced Taws. –D.D. try, and participants must ensure pointed to European Commission efforts they have a seat at the table, Fabio to improve the competitiveness of the avi- Gamba, CEO of EBAA, noted at last ation sector in the European Union, as well as white paper under development that will outline a strategic vision for the transportation sector. “We want to make sure business aviation is accounted for [in EBAA CEO these efforts],” he said. He also cited the Fabio Gamba European Aviation Safety Agency’s work to revise the Basic Regulation as another area where business aviation needs to have a voice. Eyeing future mandates anticipated around “just culture,” the association signed an agreement with UK-based MARK WAGNER firm Vistair for a web-based reporting MARK WAGNER month’s EBACE. On the changes that platform for safety incidents involving Tom Perry, left, vice president of European sales for Textron Aviation, shares the good news on the CJ3+ with Chris Hearne, Cessna vice president for jets and interior engineering, at last month’s EBACE. have occurred over the past five years, business aircraft. General Aviation Man- Gamba observed, “It is fascinating to ufacturers Association president and see how the sector is adapting to this CEO Pete Bunce, meanwhile, empha- new era…this new reality.” sized the need for the industry to work Industry leaders want to make sure collectively with regulators in Europe, the Bombardier looks to capitalize that the changes are understood so busi- U.S. and other countries to improve the ness aviation can anticipate and mitigate aircraft certification process and make their effects. As part of that effort, EBAA the most of resources. on long-term market growth inked a contract with consultancy Booz Nicholas Chabbert, senior vice presi- by David Donald Allen Hamilton to study the scope of the dent of Daher’s airplane business, echoed Jean-Christophe industry and its impact on the economy, the sentiment of speaking with “one Bombardier released its business jet Gallagher, said Gamba. He is hoping the study will voice.” He also praised the new direction market forecast at EBACE last month, Bombardier v-p be complete by year-end. that the EASA is taking with aviation and the results are quietly encouraging. of strategy and This data is key as European politicians regulation. o “You have to differentiate between short- marketing term fluctuations and long-term growth,” reported Jean-Christophe Gallagher, the company’s v-p of strategy and marketing. “When you look at it from a long-term NATA PURSUING EUROPEAN SAFETY OPPORTUNITY perspective, we see a lot of positives.” The National Air Transportation Asso- programs such as PLST. “We see this as a The Canadian OEM delivered 204 ciation (NATA) is eyeing expansion of its great opportunity to help aviation compa- aircraft last year (up by 13 percent over DAVID M cI NTOSH DAVID Safety 1st Professional Line Services Train- nies,” he said. 2013) for a market share of 34 percent by ing (PLST) program to Europe as more The move to expand PLST to Europe number of deliveries. From now through expected annual growth rate of 9.6 percent. companies address improving or stan- may be the first stage of NATA’s stepping 2024, Bombardier forecasts underlying Regional analysis suggests that the dardizing their ground-handling services. up its presence in the region. Hendricks positive trends to continue, particularly in North American market will continue to “We’ve always had a few companies in notes the association already has a number the large-aircraft sector, where the com- lead the way in terms of numbers, with Europe that used PLST,” said NATA pres- of members that either operate in or have pany has now delivered 647 Globals. sales of 3,900 new jets, but at a growth ident and CEO Tom Hendricks. But with facilities in Europe. Broadening its repre- Driving growth across the indus- rate of only 2 percent. Europe is expected last year’s rollout of the International Stan- sentation of companies overseas could be try are globalization and the economic to generate 1,525 sales, with a growth rate dard of Business Aviation Handling, which a natural progression for the association. emergence of many nations; better air- of 7 percent. One of the criteria exam- includes NATA’s Safety 1st Ground Audit Hendricks indicated that the associa- craft to stimulate demand; growing ined by Bombardier in its analysis is Program, more operators have become tion could consider a number of options, demand for replacement aircraft; and regional penetration, a metric measured interested in the line services training from expanding its reach or partnering more ways for new customers to get into by how many business jets represent each program. with other organizations to help represent business aviation. $1 trillion of GDP. In the U.S. the figure The association is reviewing its PLST pro- those companies. Overall, Bombardier estimates that is 600, while in Europe it is 80. This sug- gram, which has been widely adopted in the He noted if they did take such a step, 9,000 new business jets worth $267 bil- gests to Bombardier that there is consid- U.S., to “see if we can make it more suitable the NATA name would have to come under lion will be delivered over the next decade. erable potential in the European market for Europe,” Hendricks said. NATA is work- review, to see if it needed to be changed Although light jets are expected to be the for greater penetration. ing with a number of ground handlers in to reflect an international reach. Hendricks best sellers in terms of numbers, with Bombardier’s analysis sees the slow- Europe to explore ways to tailor a PLST pro- added that this expansion wouldn’t neces- 3,400 sales forecast, they generate the down in business aviation in China and gram better suited to the region. sarily have to be limited to Europe, pointing lowest share of the revenue, totaling $39 Russia as a short-term setback and pre- NATA looks at this expansion as Euro- to rapid growth in Asia, as well as a need for billion, and an annual growth rate of only dicts that both markets, along with other pean ground handlers face new ICAO safety standardization in Latin America. 2.4 percent. developing regions such as Latin Amer- management system requirements. Hen- The NATA board has discussed such pos- The midsize category fares a bit bet- ica, will contribute to market growth in dricks said the European Aviation Safety sibilities, he said, but the association wants ter, with a projected growth rate of 3.8 the longer term. For example, Bombar- Agency’s move to a more risk-based regu- to take any potential expansion one step at a percent. Sales of large-cabin business jets dier estimates an annual fleet growth rate latory approach underscores the need for time, testing the waters first with PLST. –K.L. are expected to account for 2,500 aircraft of 13 percent for China and 6 percent for worth $137 billion in revenue, with an Russia/CIS. o

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24899 ADS-B Low End GA Ad-AIN.indd 1 4/8/15 11:36 AM Coming soon: quieter cabins? by Curt Epstein For designers of both airliners and pri- noise such as the hum of an aircraft tur- vate jets, hushing cabin noise is a key ele- bine engine. Adding insulation to block it ment in the quest to make the ride more raises weight. The investigators discovered comfortable for passengers. While engi- that by sandwiching a paper-thin rubber neers have made strides in this area over membrane between two layers of the hon- the past several decades, a paper pub- eycomb material, they could drastically lished in the journal Applied Physics Let- reduce the amount of sound that pene- ters notes that a team of researchers at NC trates the material. State University and the Massachusetts The process will add roughly 6 percent Institute of Technology has developed a to the weight of a standard honeycomb solution they say will greatly assist in the panel, Jing said, but he estimates the over- further soundproofing of aircraft cabins. all weight penalty on the airframe should Researchers are using the honeycomb composites currently employed on interior cabin structures to reduce The work began to test a hypothesis on be less. “It’s hard to estimate,” he said, cabin noise by pairing the material with a thin rubber membrane to keep noise out. how to make a lightweight soundproof “but I would think that the total weight structure. “We realized that maybe this is gain is going to be below one percent.” about 20 to 30 decibels,” Jing told AIN. qualities of materials, and Jing and his something that can be used for airplanes, “[The process is] particularly effective “Just imagine you are going from the cabin team are awaiting further research fund- and it turns out its perfect,” said Yun Jing, against low-frequency noise,” said Jing. to your living room.” While the team used ing to move up to larger-scale testing. Once an assistant professor of mechanical and “At low frequencies–sounds below 500 latex rubber for its low cost and availabil- funded, the process could yield commercial aerospace engineering at NC State and Hertz–the honeycomb panel with the ity, Jing noted that many other materials applications within five years, said Jing. principal investigator on the project. membrane blocks 100 to 1,000 times more could be used, depending on manufactur- Despite the early stage of the research, The process concentrates on the light- sound energy than a panel without a mem- ing and safety requirements. The team will Jing says the team has already fielded sev- weight honeycomb composite materials brane.” The results of the study suggest explore those alternatives in future testing. eral preliminary inquiries from compos- that are used for interior cabin struc- this could translate to a large improvement The initial tests were carried out on small ite panel manufacturers, private aircraft tures. On their own, the materials are in cabin comfort. “In our experiment, we samples in an impedance tube, a device acoustic insulation providers and at least not effective at blocking low-frequency found that we can reduce the noise by that measures the sound transmission one major airframer. o

committee channels since some Republi- The airlines have been involved in liti- cans on both the Banking Committee and gation against the bank for several years. Ex-Im future hangs in limbo the House Financial Services Committee They challenged Ex-Im loan guarantees by Kerry Lynch oppose the bank’s renewal. Instead they to Air India to purchase certain Boeing believe a reauthorization measure likely aircraft. The U.S. Export Import Bank (Ex- U.S. competitiveness. “It should be a no- will have to be added as an amendment Delta, Hawaiian and ALPA argued that Im) faces an uncertain future, with its brainer,” he said of the Ex-Im Bank reau- to a must-pass bill. the financing would hurt the domestic air- current authorization set to expire at the thorization. “All we are asking for is the line industry. The Ex-Im Bank is expected end of this month and strong opposition ability to compete on a level playing field.” Legal Battles Cleared to screen the transitions to determine to renewing the agency on Capitol Hill. While the debate continues on Capi- whether they would result in a product that A number of Republican lawmak- Legislative Action tol Hill, the bank received a key victory could be exported from a foreign country, ers argue that the bank is taking busi- Senate Democrats introduced legisla- in the courts. On March 30 the U.S. Dis- they said. They also argued that the bank ness away from private institutions in an tion in March to reauthorize the agency trict Court for the District of Columbia has a history of providing foreign airlines effort to help big business. Some U.S. air- through 2022 and lift its spending cap ruled against three lawsuits filed by air- financing at cheap rates to the detriment lines, meanwhile, have been pushing for by $20 billion over that period. Also in lines seeking curbs on financial backing of the U.S. airline industry. The lawsuit reforms in the next reauthorization bill. March, a bipartisan group of senators of aircraft sales to foreign airlines. cited an outstanding balance to foreign Ex-Im faced expiration of its authoriza- introduced a more modest reauthoriza- The cases involved complaints filed by airline loans that totaled $106.6 billion, tion last year, but in September Congress tion bill that would run through 2019, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines and the saying the U.S. taxpayer must pick up the passed a short-term renewal of the agen- scale back funding authority by $5 billion Air Line Pilots Association. The airlines bill if a borrower does not repay the debt. cy’s authority through June 30, pushing each year to $135 billion, call for more argued that the Ex-Im Bank violates the But in recent years the courts have off long-term decisions until this year. stringent oversight of bank practices and Export-Import Bank Act and other laws sided with the bank, finding the approv- Boeing Commercial Airplanes presi- require bigger loan loss reserves. by using certain processes to evaluate the als of the transactions were “neither arbi- dent and CEO Raymond Conner recently In the House, various measures have economic effects of potential transactions trary and capricious nor contrary to law” told U.S. Chamber of Commerce presi- been introduced, including a bipartisan during its review of loan applications. or dismissing cases on the grounds that dent and CEO Thomas Donohue in a one- bill to extend the bank’s authority through “Together, [the] plaintiffs have they were not reviewable. on-one session that a lapse in the Ex-Im Fiscal Year 2019, also bolster loan-loss embarked on a multipronged litigation The court points to statutes that Bank’s authorization “would affect our reserves, and thin funding authority to attack against the Ex-Im Bank and its require the bank to improve the competi- competitive position really significantly, $130 billion annually. That bill puts more board of directors,” the court said, but tive position of U.S. exporters by expand- and frankly it would impact about 1.4 mil- controls on the bank’s activities, making found that the bank’s processes reasoning U.S. exports. The court also points to lion jobs across the U.S. that are associated it a lender “of last resort” and spreading ably meet its statutory obligations and laws requiring the bank to approve financ- with the commercial aerospace industry more risk to private-sector lenders. That that the court has no basis for “disturbing at rates and on terms that are compet- through our 15,000-plus [company] sup- bill has a total of 59 co-sponsors. ing” the bank’s judgment. itive with exports of other countries and ply chain. It would really impact us all.” Even with such support, reauthoriza- “The U.S. aircraft manufacturing consistent with international agreements. The debate has heightened as Ex-Im tion has its detractors, with some Tea Party industry is one of many domestic indus- “In requiring the Ex-Im Bank to be com- also has stepped up its financial backing of members calling the bank “corporate wel- tries that rely on Ex-Im Bank support petitive, Congress has emphasized that the business aviation industry. Once a small fare.” Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) re- to compete with foreign manufacturers the bank must process financing appli- part of the bank’s activities–accounting for introduced a bill at the end of March to that receive similar support from foreign cations efficiently and with flexibility, so less than $100 million per year–business abolish the bank within three years. ECAs,” the court noted. “But while U.S. as not to cause a U.S. exporter to lose an aviation financial backing is approaching The Senate Banking Committee has aircraft manufacturers enjoy the benefits export opportunity,” the court said. $2 billion. U.S. general and business avia- scheduled hearings on Ex-Im early this of the Ex-Im Bank’s assistance in selling The court noted the looming reau- tion exports at the same time have grown, month, and chairman Richard Shelby their airplanes to foreign airline purchas- thorization debate over Ex-Im and said, to a value of $5.4 billion last year. (R-Ala.) in the past has supported boosters, U.S. airlines, which are not eligible “Congress will have another opportunity General Aviation Manufacturers ing Ex-Im’s lending authority. Even so, for financing from the bank, object to the to clearly communicate to all interested Association president and CEO Pete backers of reauthorization believe it will boost that the bank’s support provides to parties what role it wants the bank to play Bunce has called the financing vital for be difficult to get a bill through normal overseas competitors.” in financing aircraft transactions.” o

46 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com ATC reform fundraising activities in the Vir- legislative days before the Septem- gin Islands. Washington observ- ber 30 deadline to pass a reautho- News Note debate continues ers do not believe this media rization bill. Neither industry nor attention will interfere with lawmakers have much appetite UAS International Trip Support opened an office in New Delhi uContinued from page 12 Shuster’s duties as chairman, as for another round of short-term to expand its services in the Indian subcontinent. Last year, UAS opened offices in Hong Kong and Beijing. They joined the network different FAA unions appealed long as the glare does not grow extensions, similar to those that of UAS facilities, which include continental headquarters in Houston, to House lawmakers to reject more intense. occurred in the last FAA reautho- Johannesburg and Dubai. efforts to privatize the agency’s Time may serve as the single rization cycle. Larsen has warned: The company also operates regional offices in Lagos and Nairobi ATC functions, saying, “We do largest obstacle to resolving the “I find it difficult to foresee an and ground-handling operations in 37 countries. The new Indian of- not agree that a massive change issue. With the upcoming sum- on-time FAA reauthorization bill fice is located at Indira Gandhi International Airport. n to the FAA’s structure is the solu- mer breaks, Congress has limited if we are to tackle this topic.” o tion to the funding problem.” 14-ELLAVI-5820 AIN - DAY 3 - Trim: 10.8125”w x 13.875”h Bleed: 11.0625”w x 14.125”h Business aviation advocates have been closely monitoring these activities, concerned that an effort to corporatize or privatize could result in a governing structure that could harm access or lead to an entirely new user fee structure. WE HAVE THE KEYS TO YOUR NEXT JET NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen has cautioned that PEOPLE. PROCESS. EXPERTISE. the U.S. has the most complex and diverse system in the world, and other systems have led to access concerns. Business aviation either gets lower priority or is squeezed out of certain locations. These systems are typically paid through user fees, which require a costly bureau- cracy to collect, Bolen noted. Any new system must be equi- table, transparent and preserve general aviation access, he said. NATA president and CEO Tom Hendricks also cautioned against getting swept into the “separate ATC” push, saying the aviation community is “unfortunately suffering from a bad case of ‘group think’ that pillories both the institution of the FAA and its thousands of highly skilled and dedicated employees.” Hendricks noted that “no one in the aviation community suggests accepting the status quo,” adding, “Good changes… are under way and we need to keep the pressure on for more and faster changes.” But he also warned, “Before we leap too far down the proposed path of some pundits, to remove the ATC system from its govern- mental role to a network run by users, let’s avoid basing any deci- We have the people, the well-honed process and the resources to help you buy, sell or trade your jet. sions upon outdated, unrealistic expectations.” At Elliott Jets – forged from the aircraft sales division of Elliott Aviation – we leverage our eight decades of experience to your advantage. We get to know you and your aircraft needs. Then we use our knowledge, Challenges Ahead experience and extensive resources to ensure a successful transaction. Elliott Jets – the evolution of expertise. Getting a comprehensive agreement on a new structure may prove difficult. Not only does he have to get enough of the various interests in line, Shus- ter himself has had to deal with several news articles questioning 844.937.5387 | elliottjets.com whether his reported relation- AN ELLIOTT AVIATION COMPANY ship with A4A vice president of global government affairs Shel- ley Rubino has posed a conflict of interest. This attention was followed by another article from BROKERAGE • ACQUISITIONS • TRADES the Washington insider publication Politico about unrelated

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 47 the use of old data, which “fails fractional and charter operators. without considering the impact is and EWR are not slot restricted N.Y. slot proposal to make a case for imposition of The proposal provides airlines inappropriate.” but demand for operations has uContinued from page 16 such an onerous and harmful rule with fixed guaranteed access per- Rather than restrict opera- remained relatively low demon- The Port Authority of New when neither safety or efficiency, mitting them to sell guaranteed tions without supporting data, strates that the current system York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) nor an adverse effect on competi- transportation. “The on-demand Hendricks suggested that the is working as intended and slots weighed in against the unsched- tion was demonstrated.” carrier competing for that same FAA “baseline monitor” opera- are unnecessary.” uled limits, saying they are “solv- The National Air Transporta- client can’t offer a guarantee of tions. Should operations exceed Hendricks also pushed for the ing a theoretical problem of tion Association (NATA) ques- access at all,” said NATA presi- a baseline amount, the FAA FAA to exempt air ambulance congestion caused by unsched- tioned whether the FAA factored dent and CEO Tom Hendricks could work with industry to operations. “It appears that these uled operations that has yet to in competitive ramifications in NATA’s comments. “Favoring development mitigation strate- critical flights were not identi- occur.” The PANYNJ questioned between the airlines and large one type of carrier over another gies, he said. “The fact that JFK fied or analyzed and the NPRM offers no accommodation for them,” he said. The association also urged the agency to improve the computer reservation system.

Impact for FBOs Carr added that the NPRM also affects FBOs. Sheltair and Signature Flight Support have invested in infrastructure at the airports, anticipating a return based on traffic projections. “The FAA’s unscheduled slot proposal introduces a new market condition not previously analyzed that will substantially threaten these small businesses and their ability to survive while also reducing the overall attractiveness of these airports to new business that may seek to provide services,” he said. Sheltair COO Warren Kro- eppe said his company has invested $20 million in the New York area, including facilities at JFK and LGA. “Given the large investment and high operating costs of our New York City operations, our exposure to the impact of this unsubstanti- ated proposed rulemaking is of critical significance to the success of the organization,” Kro- eppe said, noting a quarter of the company’s employment base is in New York. Signature president and COO Maria Sastre noted that the company has invested $11 million at EWR, and she estimated that the proposal could reduce Sig- nature EWR revenue by up to two-thirds. “It is unacceptable to decrease revenue of a business by that magnitude without considering the loss in the economic analysis,” she said. “The FAA’s initial economic analysis was cursory at best, most specifically due to the complete disre- gard of the negative impact on airport businesses.” While the business aviation community opposed the proposed restrictions, a minority of the comments came from anti- noise groups and residents that either supported the restrictions or pushed for more overall limitations at the airports. “The amount of noise pollution and fumes from the existing flights is more than enough,” said one commenter, asking why the FAA would consider fixing the slots at the current levels. o

48 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com Some things are beyond our control. But we can help control your costs. For 25 years, JSSI has been the only program to offer fixed costs and enhance residual value on virtually any jet, helicopter or turboprop. Today, we’re still the only ones to give you advantages like our exclusive Tip-To-Tail ® coverage, access to the world’s largest independent Technical and Client Services Teams and the freedom to transfer your program when you sell or apply your accrued maintenance reserve to a future enrollment of any make and model. Want to fix your costs? Call us. +1.312.644.8810 • +44.1252.52.6588 • jetsupport.com/gettoknowus Business Aviation Safety Summit | by Robert P. Mark

its research shows that smoke documented since. “The indus- and begins spewing smoke and In-flight battery failures: volume and density can easily try is beginning to come to grips toxic fumes?” Cox asked. reach a 50-percent concentration with the lithium-ion battery The risk of a lithium-ion- in less than five minutes, but Cox problem, but slowly,” he said. powered device overheating rises beware dangers of li-ion showed a video that proved the To illustrate the magnitude of significantly when the device is 50-percent level can be reached the threat, Cox explained that the crushed or broken, left sitting in Onboard lithium-ion batter- with an overheating device on the in as little as 35 seconds. airline industry worldwide car- the sunlight or is charged improp- ies present a growing danger to flight deck?” Cox asked. “How ried 3.3 billion passengers in erly. Cox pointed to the threat operators of business aircraft, do you fight the fire and fly the Problem Can Keep Growing 2013 and that, in general, every- of cheap chargers that are often John Cox, CEO of Safety Oper- airplane? How do we protect “Between 2007 and 2015, one on board carries between missing important overcharge ating Systems, told attendees at crewmembers from the molten there were 18 accidents attrib- three and four battery-powered protections. “When people see a last month’s FSF-NBAA Busi- materials that can be spewed from uted to smoke and fire and about devices. The battery manufactur- $50 Apple charger or one at the ness Aviation Safety Summit a lithium-ion fire?” Containment 900 events related to smoke and ing industry claims a reliability local store for $10, which do you (Bass). of the device in a temperature- fire recorded in the U.S. alone,” rate of one defect per 10 million think they will choose? Airlines In fact, the lithium-ion resistant pouch or dousing it with said Cox, citing RAeS research units. That alone translates into are now offering generic chargers battery-overheat threat cuts water have been identified as the initiated in 2007 and updated 330 potential overheats annually. on board and creating their own across all industry boundaries, best avenues for tackling such an twice since. That’s about three a Cox thinks the battery industry’s problems,” he pointed out. including military and general overheat, but “What’s the collat- day. “The Association of Flight numbers are too conservative and “The likelihood of an event is aviation, said Cox, also a fel- eral damage from dumping all Attendants in 2009 reported sit closer to one in 200,000. That greater today than [it was] yes- low of the Royal Aeronauti- that water on or near sensitive just over 1,000 smoke events,” translates into the potential for terday and will become greater cal Society (RAeS). “We must cockpit electronics?” he noted, and that number some 16,000 battery overheats tomorrow,” he concluded. The [learn to] deal with battery Fire from an overheated lith- climbed 20 percent the follow- annually, a deeply disturbing FSF, NBAA and other indus- fires aggressively or the issue ium-ion-powered device can ing year. “These numbers are number, especially in light of the try groups are trying to create could grow dramatically to quickly create enough smoke and headed in the wrong direction.” lack of on-board equipment to a consensus statement to use present a serious threat to all hazardous fumes to overcome Between 1991 and October 2012, douse such a blaze. “And how when they approach the FAA airplanes,” he warned. a pilot or cabin crewmember, Cox said, 132 battery fires were do we cope with the panic in the about a formal response plan “What are we going to do Cox explained. The FAA says reported; 20 more have been cabin when a device overheats to lithium-ion fires. o

BOEING CHIEF OF SAFETY RECEIVES AWARD Crewmember fitness for duty FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE Each year the Flight Safety Foundation but also distal contributing factors. Equally remains a key safety concern presents a meritorious service award rec- exemplary is our department’s consistent ognizing an individual or a company for willingness to avoid operating at the edges Determining a pilot’s fitness for duty anyone,” lamented Snyder. He suggested exceptional improvements to the safety of our SOP limitations. This means schedul- can pose a challenge for business avia- better tracking of training events might be of business aviation. At the mid-May busi- ing crews one hour short of the maximum tion operators, and a lack of any FAA useful, so long as everyone in the depart- ness aviation safety summit (Bass) in Fort duty day to absorb unexpected delays guidance on the issue compounds the ment is evaluated the same way. Some Lauderdale, Fla., Alan Dean, chief of safety instead of succumbing to the temptation problem, said Dr. Quay Snyder at the nontraditional techniques, such as talk- for Boeing’s executive flight operation, to stretch a duty day. It means saying ‘yes’ Flight Safety Foundation business avi- ing to the pilot involved, might be a bet- received the prestigious award. to our passengers. ‘Yes, we can take you to ation safety summit (Bass). “The FAA ter way to identify fitness problems. He Dean offered insights into the aircraft that challenging airport and because our medical certificate is practically worth- recalled a case where one pilot asked the manufacturer’s perspective on safety, as well weather minimums are restrictive we’ve less,” asserted Snyder, president of Avia- other for assistance applying the brakes as his own efforts to ratchet up the effective- identified a nearby alternate,’ just in case.” tion Medical Advisory Service. “Take the during a rejected takeoff. A subsequent ness of his employer’s safety game. Dean, a former Comair pilot, arrived at exam, pay your fee and pick up your cer- medical diagnosis determined the pilot “Equating safety management to acci- Boeing with a keen interest in uncovering tificate with a side of fries,” he told the was displaying the early onset of Lou dent prevention is akin to ignoring all but insights from what, on the surface, appeared audience. “The medical only calls atten- Gehrig’s disease. the foundation of Maslow’s pyramid,” he to be ordinary operating practices. “Internally tion to items pretty much self-reported.” Snyder cited many compelling reasons told the audience. “Yes, we need to breathe, we collectively label these [flight manage- What about disqualifying issues unknown to create a fitness-for-duty plan. First, an and yes, we must prevent accidents, but ment] activities as ‘contingency planning,’ to or more closely guarded by pilots? unfit pilot represents a huge safety lia- like those basic physiological needs, acci- but actually these issues are far more com- Last year the NTSB listed fitness for bility, putting the other pilot, cabin crew dent prevention is merely the foundation of plex.” He said the company’s planning stems duty related to the use of prescription drugs and passengers at risk, and that is to say a complex domain replete with nuances and from organizational weaknesses that most and over-the-counter remedies as one of its nothing of the aircraft itself. Of course, tremendous opportunities.” likely existed weeks or even months before. top 10 concerns following a 22-year study. denial by the pilots is always a concern Dean spoke to the value of data in provid- “Our SMS demonstrated that when our back Snyder said, “The use of impairing drugs by as they worry about keeping their jobs, ing operational insights. He also spoke to the was against the wall on that proverbial dark pilots involved in fatal accidents rose to 23 and other pilots generally are reluctant need for a just culture embracing mechan- and rainy night, our propensity to deviate percent from 11 percent” during the period to snitch on a colleague. Snyder told the ics, pilots, flight attendants, passengers and from SOP guidance greatly increased.” the study covered. Snyder also pointed to a audience, “These aircraft are certified for even management. “Not only must those at He said blending a just culture with a “national epidemic in which eight percent two pilots for a reason. Operating with the pointy end conduct themselves profes- holistic safety department communicates of the U.S. population is dependent upon just one is dangerous.” sionally,” he said, “but department leaders that safety and reliability are inseparable. opiates of some sort. Pilots are not exempt He concluded, “A pilot who has must ensure every team member is prepared “By effectively responding to safety data from these numbers.” been performing just fine in a flight to succeed with intelligent, risk-mitigated without punishing those who have had department doesn’t suddenly change activities, appropriate training, adequate inadvertent lapses and accepting owner- Developing a Plan [his behavior] without some underly- rest, decisional latitude and the assurance ship for organizationally generated root “There’s nothing in our SMS to guide ing reason. The goal is [always] to get that inadvertent, unintended outcomes will causes, we’ve developed operationally us through the process even though the the pilot back to flying, or at least iden- not be punished…senior leadership must resilient processes and procedures.” pilot is the [system component] most tify and remove the hazard from the realize that safety and operational impera- Dean said, “I rely on data, teams and influ- likely to fail,” he pointed out. A survey department” while the pilot seeks treat- tives are not mutually exclusive.” ence to lead a department away from risk. conducted at last year’s Bass revealed ment. “We need to be ethical and fair to This year’s winner praised his flight I’m grateful to those who’ve engaged me more than half of the audience members everyone,” Snyder concluded. “We need department’s leadership team for adher- on this safety journey, listening to my analy- were employed by companies with no for- to optimize health, which reduces the ing to such a strategy. “Our department sis and bringing to life and improving critical mal procedure to handle fitness-for-duty costs everywhere, and leadership teams heads have embraced audit results and safety initiatives by becoming that ‘holistic issues. A smaller percentage of those sur- need to support that concept. Evalua- [viewed] corrective actions as opportuni- organizational safety department’ focused veyed said their company handles these tions must be confidential and compre- ties to resolve not only proximate issues on our passengers and their safety.” –R.P.M matters ad hoc. “I don’t want to see more hensive and handled with dignity and FAA regulations either. They won’t help respect for the employee.” o

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NE WS UPDATE

z EASA OKs SwiftBroadband Mod with ICG eRouter Ruag has received EASA approval for an Inmarsat SwiftBroadband modification of a Global Express that includes an ICG ERT-120 eRouter. The U.S. FAA and Transport Canada automatically validate EASA approval under bilateral agreements. The eRouter adds Wi-Fi connectivity to the Global Express as well as 3G/4G LTE GSM cellular data for use on the ground to transmit data to and from the airplane at more than 50 Mbps. The Ruag modification also includes an upgrade to the dual-channel Swift64 Rockwell Collins SAT-2100/-6100, upgrading it to a dual-channel SwiftBroadband transceiver. “ICG’s eRouter is a critical element of Ruag’s Global Express installation,” said Adam Tsakonas, manager of International sales for ICG, “allowing passengers the use of their personal smartphones for in-flight and ground-originated voice calls while Three large (14-inch) also ensuring exceptional quality of service.” Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion displays z Lexavia EVS STC’d in PC-12 dominate a King Air Levaero’s STC for installation of the Lexavia 250 panel, replacing smaller displays and LFS6000 enhanced-vision sensor in the Pilatus myriad knobs. PC-12 has received an FAA supplemental type certificate (STC). The STC is for installation of the LFS6000 in the PC-12 NG. Levaero developed the STC in partnership with Northeast Engineering & With Pro Line Fusion touchscreens, Development and said a pending second issue of the STC will allow installation of the LFS6000 in legacy PC-12s equipped with compatible MFDs. Lexavia’s King Air cockpits get futuristic look LFS6000 is available in two resolutions (320 by 240 or 640 by 480 pixels). Installed cost of the STC ranges by Matt Thurber from $53,000 to $72,000, depending on the choice of During a visit to Textron Avia- The touchscreens are the resis- sequence to make the process more sensor and controller, according to Levaero. tion’s Wichita headquarters, AIN tive type, which requires a more pos- intuitive. z ADS-B Packages Under Way had an opportunity to fly the Pro itive push to activate but also allows To enter data–for example, the Line Fusion-equipped King Air 250 pilots to wear ordinary gloves, as origin airport–you first type the ID for Honeywell Primus Flight Decks and try out the first business air- opposed to the capacitive-style using the keyboard. The selected Duncan Aviation and Honeywell are developing craft equipped with touchscreen pri- touchscreens found on consumer airport (in this case KICT) doesn’t ADS-B out upgrades for 800-series Hawkers and mary and multifunction displays. phones and tablets. automatically populate the “Orig” Citation 560s equipped with the Primus 1000/2000 This King Air 250 belongs to Rock- “When we first started flying, we field, even though that field is high- and SPZ-8000 or Primus II avionics, respectively. well Collins and was used to certify thought the cursors were going to be lighted. The typed characters show The upgrade will meet the latest DO-260B standards the upgrade, which will be offered primary,” said George Palmer, Rock- up in the bottom left side of the required for U.S. and European ADS-B out as a retrofit for Pro Line II- and well Collins flight-test pilot and the working window on the MFD, in a compliance, and it meets standards in other parts 21-equipped King Airs and for- demo pilot for our flight in the King scratchpad area. Once information of the world as well. As part of the upgrade, owners ward-fit in new King Air C90GTxs, Air 250. “We found out that the touch is in that scratchpad, you can put it and operators will be able to replace CRT-based 250s and 350i/ERs. [displays] added a level of simplicity in any allowed field. To insert the RM 850 radio tuning units with the new and more The new avionics replace exist- to the system that we’ve never had scratchpad “KICT” into the “Orig” reliable RM855, which has an LCD. ing Pro Line 21 systems in new King before. And you don’t have to know a field, touch that field on the display, Airs, and the most obvious differ- lot about the system to make it oper- and a small window pops up, asking z Astronics Adds Lower-priced EVS ence between the previous and new ate. If you want to change some- whether you would like to copy or Astronics is targeting the new Max-Viz 1200X flight decks is the orientation of thing, you simply touch it. That’s all paste. Paste is the default highlight enhanced-vision system at the light general aviation, the displays: portrait with Pro Line there is to it,” he said. and when you touch the “paste” kit-building and experimental aircraft markets. 21 and wider-view landscape with button the desired data is pasted With a price of less than $6,000, the 1200X offers Fusion. Three 14-inch displays span Flight Planning into the “Orig” field. resolution of 320 by 240 pixels and it meets RTCA the width of the instrument panel, Starting with flight planning, the This is an interesting way to make DO160G standards. The single LRU 1200X fits inside filling what used to be blank or first step is to press the FMS but- sure the pilot is certain about the weighs 1.2 pounds. The infrared imagery produced knob-filled space interspersed with ton on the multifunction keyboard data being entered, and I found it by the 1200X can be displayed on video-capable the three Pro Line 21 displays. panel, which replaces the FMS didn’t take long to get used to this cockpit displays; the system outputs a composite Gone are the Rockwell Col- CDU in the console. Rockwell Col- philosophy. “It’s what you’re used RS-170 video signal, according to Astronics. The lins FMS-3000 control display unit lins designers chose to use a qwerty to with a normal computer system,” 1200X also features “automatic pixel recalibration (CDU), two multi-segment caution layout for the keyboard, which I said Palmer. to keep the picture sharp,” and integral window advisory system (CAS) panels and find easier to use because I spend After entering the origin air- heaters to prevent obscuration at temperatures the RTU-420 radio tuning unit. The so much time typing on that type of port, estimated timed of depar- ranging from -55 degrees C to +70 degrees C. flight control and audio control pan- keyboard. The FMS button is one ture, cruise altitude and destination, “Max-Viz infrared detection systems pick els are retained. The result is a far of nine quick-access buttons next to you can flesh out the flight plan by more modern-looking cockpit but the keyboard that provide a shortcut adding departure and arrival pro- up differences in heat as little as one-tenth also a system with multiple inter- to various functions. cedures, waypoints, airways, transi- degree Celsius from objects and terrain faces, including touch on the panel The FMS function is where plan- tions and approaches. The system in the environment,” said Elliott Troutman, displays, cursor control devices for ning starts and, for simplicity, offers walks the pilot through the process, Max-Viz executive v-p. –Matt Thurber each pilot, a qwerty keyboard and two pages: “plan” and “fly.” Plan- and I found it simple to understand. some knobs and buttons. ning matches the ATC clearance Once the flight plan is done, touch

52 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com the “Exec” (execute) button; the the outer knob. The inner knob altimeter on either the pilot’s or A lot of customization is avail- are parallel runways, as is the route is then displayed on the is for character-by-character copilot’s PFD sets, you still have able, including display of high case at Wichita, it doesn’t mat- moving map. data entry and for scrolling to dial in the baro setting for the or low airways and VORs, way- ter where you touch the feath- Touching the weight-and- menus up and down. Pushing L-3 GH3900 standby instru- points, altitude limits at way- ers on the screen. Just touch balance button brings that page the inner knob is the “enter” or ment mounted at the top of the points and so on. “I don’t have both feathers, even if they are up, and we entered our 3,000- “click” button. glareshield, which is where one to go head-down,” he said. “It’s close together, and the dis- pound fuel load and the weight An unusual button on the of the old CAS panels used to all head-up; situational aware- play shows both approaches. for one passenger. Takeoff cursor panel is an “esc” key, be located. ness is perfect for the pilot to see In this case, we selected the weight was just 21 pounds shy something I haven’t seen on any CAS messages are inhib- the information.” ILS 1R with vectors, then of the 12,500-pound mtow for airplane but that is familiar to ited until the aircraft reaches 60 touched the “execute” button, the King Air 250. Some of the any computer user. The “esc” knots, so only red warning mes- Changes Are Easy and that’s it. All we had to do Fusion weight and space savings key simply “allows you to cancel sages will illuminate until reach- While you’re flying a flight was select the approach button come from eliminating the tra- an in-process edit, close a pop- ing 400 feet. A new feature is an plan, changes are easy to make, on the autopilot, then after we ditional FMS and incorporat- up dialogue box or move the audio callout for engine prob- although the touchscreens don’t intercepted the final approach ing those hardware and software cursor back one level,” accord- lems, Palmer added, “which it allow rubber-banding a new course, Fusion automatically elements inside the touchscreen ing to Rockwell Collins. didn’t have before because it had waypoint as can be done on an switched from FMS guidance displays. The basic operating Tuning radios can be done the old annunciator panels. If iPad flight planner. On the mov- to the ILS. weight of the Pro Line 21 King in different ways. One is to use something goes wrong with the ing map, touching any existing To make it even simpler, once Air 250, including one pilot, the tuning knob on the cursor left engine, it’ll say ‘left engine,’ waypoint brings up a menu of we reached 31 nm from the des- for example.” options for that waypoint. Or tination, Fusion painted a cyan After taking off, we climbed you can simply move the cur- final course line on the display at 160 kias, eventually leveling sor to anyplace and go directly and automatically tuned the ILS off at 8,500 feet west of Wich- to that new user-created way- frequency. ita. Palmer pointed out some point. When airways are visible, Before we turned back toward features of the avionics as we you can place the cursor at any Wichita, we ran into some mod- flew, such as the ease of touch- point on the airway and Fusion erate chop, and I tested the func- ing a waypoint then selecting the will draw a route to join the air- tionality of the touchscreens in “direct to” button followed by way at that point. “Look at all turbulence. The displays’ four the “nav” button on the autopi- the stuff you just did,” Palmer edges are beveled to provide a lot. “You see how there are no said, “and you didn’t have to go steady, grippable surface. I was more buried CDU pages,” he to the legs list [on an FMS]. It’s able to plant my finger where said. “We didn’t even have to go all easy to understand.” needed to actuate the touch- to these quick-access buttons or Holds are similarly simple. screens in the moderate chop. bring up any menus.” Pressing on a waypoint offers “When it’s really rough,” Palmer

PHOTOS: MATT THURBER PHOTOS: MATT said, “it’s probably better just to reach down here and [use the Using the Pro Line Fusion is intuitive is 8,760 pounds, and with the and gives pilots the option of choosing cursor and knobs], but it’s not full fuel load of 3,645 pounds what information to display. Among bad. With these beveled edges that airplane has a payload of other things, pilots can overlay XM you can grab hold. I tend to use just 185 pounds. The Pro Line weather on the moving map, above, my thumb a little bit more, but Fusion system weighs about 75 or see a published hold or enter a you can do it either way.” custom hold, right. pounds less than the Pro Line 21 system, which will add some Optional Setups much needed full-fuel payload control panel, which has the We set up the windows the to the King Air 250. standard outer-knob MHz and way Palmer prefers, with a full- inner-knob kHz convention and window synthetic-vision view Intuitive Operation push/swap to toggle between pri- on the PFD and the moving After entering a few items mary and standby frequencies. map and approach chart on on the displays, I soon came to Or there is a handy “Qiktune” the MFD. I experimented with appreciate the different ways button: to enter a frequency, placing the chart on a half- of navigating around the big type it into the scratchpad, screen on the PFD, and this screens. Touch anywhere and if then push the Qiktune button would probably be my preferred there is something there that can to enter it into the standby fre- This King Air 250 is equipped holds as an option. If ATC asks view. Other options include be changed a menu of options quency field for whichever radio with Sirius XM weather, and for a present-position hold, just checklists, traffic on the Tcas, will pop up. If you’re not sure is selected on the audio panel. while XM weather images can press the airplane symbol on flight plan and so on. “Some what items are touchable, just Changing a transponder code is be overlaid on the moving map, the map; holding at that posi- guys like four windows,” he touch anywhere in the middle of simple: typing in the four-digit they can’t share the space with tion is an option too. For a hold said, “but to me that’s just too the display and everything that code and hitting Qiktune enters the onboard Rockwell Col- in a specific direction and non- much. This system’s got a lot of can be modified by touch will the code (after first switching lins turbulence-detection radar. standard turns, just type in different ways of doing things. be highlighted in gray. Setting V the transponder on if it isn’t However, it’s easy to run XM the inbound course, slash and At first it seems to make it a lit- speeds simply requires touching already running). If ATC asks Nexrad images on the MFD “L” for left turns (for example: tle complicated, but once you the bottom of the airspeed tape. for a code and ident, you sim- and the radar on the PFD–use- 234/L), touch the correct field on learn the system, you have that Tapping any waypoint will offer, ply type in the code then the “I” ful for comparing the strategic the display and then “execute.” freedom to do different things.” among other options, the avail- and hit Qiktune. “It’s that easy,” (XM) and tactical (radar) views. As we descended and turned ability of setting up a custom said Palmer. For a long-range look at the XM Approach Setup toward the final approach hold (if a published hold isn’t picture at a greater distance, you With the destination air- course, the Rockwell Collins already there). Flying Fusion Touch can either range the map out or port set in the flight plan, white dome on the synthetic- If for some reason you don’t We set up the flight plan slide the map around with a fin- Pro Line Fusion offers a sim- vision display showed us exactly want to reach out and touch for departure from and return ger on the display. When fin- ple visual way to select an where to look for the airport. a screen, moving around the to Wichita’s newly renamed ished evaluating the Nexrad approach. By dialing the range Emanating from the dome, screens or data fields is easy Dwight D. Eisenhower National picture, just push the “center below 50 nm, feathers for the the cyan final course line was to do with one of two cursor Airport, with an initial climb map” button to return to the air- available approaches grow on now right ahead, just where it control panels near the key- to 5,000 feet. Rotation speed plane-centered view. the destination airport. It’s should be and giving us a satis- board. The cursor knobs tilt and V1 were 102 knots and V2 Palmer selected some nearby not necessary to dial the range fying sense of situational aware- to move a cross-shaped cur- 107, easily set up by touch- special-use airspace overlays down further, because touch- ness confirmation. “We see the sor on the displays, or you can ing the speed tape and entering then showed how touching them ing any of the feathers selects airport out there,” Palmer said, even tab the cursor by twisting the numbers. While setting the pulls up applicable information. that approach. Where there Continued on next page u

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 53 Avionics

wide area augmentation system Four satnav systems (Waas), which measures GPS Farewell ILS? errors at the earth’s surface and The end of ILS is still years away, since Sbas, Gbas and ADS-B are vulner- then uplinks that data to geosta- able to GPS jamming and spoofing. We will probably slowly lose less-used to be running by 2020 tionary satellites (geos). In turn, ILS installations as time goes by, but the FAA has suggested that ILS will the geo retransmits those errors remain as backup to all Category 2 and 3 approach systems in the NAS, and by John Sheridan back down to Earth–but now possibly for Cat 1 systems at busier locations. No jamming- or spoofing- as position corrections–where resistant ILS replacements have been developed yet. n By 2020, four separate GPS- At present, only GPS and they are automatically and dif- like constellations of navigation Glonass constellations are com- ferentially applied to all GPS satellites forming the Global plete and operationally avail- receivers over a wide area below systems (Sbas and Gbas). As of Category 2 or 3 operations, Navigation Satellite System able, while Galileo and BeiDou to bring position accuracies January the FAA had published which normally require a fail- (GNSS) will be circling the earth, are progressively building their down to plus or minus one to 3,522 Sbas localizer precision ure warning in one second, operated separately by the U.S. constellations. two meters. Europe, Russia and with vertical guidance (LPV) but never greater than 2.5 (GPS), Europe (Galileo), Russia All four constellations pro- China have Waas-like augmenta- procedures. Of those approaches, seconds. Gbas handles these (Glonass) and China (BeiDou/ vide–or will provide when fully tion systems. 1,840 were to Category 1 limits. shorter warning times by dis- Compass). Each constellation’s operational–worldwide basic There are also several hundred pensing with the round-trip satellites will transmit their nav- position accuracies on the order ILS-like Precision Sbas procedures operational to the geo, relying instead on igation and other data on its of plus or minus 10 meters. While Two further augmentations or in development in Western a dedicated GPS antenna field own dedicated, and occasionally that level of accuracy is adequate can enhance Waas performance Europe, and smaller numbers in at each airport offering Cate- encrypted, UHF frequencies, for en route operations, augmen- to provide, via supplementary Canada and Mexico. gory 2 or 3 approach service. although all four constellations tation techniques are required to avionics, precision approach While Sbas can cope with Those local GPS correc- and their satellites have a com- refine those errors for landing guidance comparable to ILS. Category 1’s maximum time- tions are then data uplinked mon “open” frequency for future approaches. These are the space-based and to-alert warning of six sec- to the approaching aircraft’s inter-constellation applications. For GPS, these come with its ground-based augmentation onds, that’s too slow for safe onboard GPS receiver. o

of the glideslope indicator on the PFD. Fusion automatically pulled up the taxi been touchscreen controls, such as Pro Line Fusion for Slowing to the 99-knot ref speed diagram after we slowed. Garmin’s GTCs on the G2000 through King Air cockpits as the runway slid under the nose, I The King Air 250 is the first tur- G5000 systems. These work well and eased off the power. Palmer made sure bine-powered airplane I’ve flown with are intuitive and well suited to larger uContinued from preceding page I kept the nose down toward the run- a full panel-mounted touchscreen cockpits. I’ve tried Gulfstream’s touch- “we see the extended course line; you way–I tend to want to flare too much display system; there are plenty of screen controllers (by Honeywell) in couldn’t get better situational awareness.” when I fly larger airplanes–then he airplanes equipped with touchscreen- the new G500/G600 cockpit–in a sim- At 11 miles from the final approach helped me touch down smoothly on controlled Garmin GTN navigators, ulator, of course–and these, too, bring fix, ATC cleared us for the ILS 1R the mains as I pulled the power levers and Avidyne’s IFD series is just start- new levels of operational simplicity to approach, and we set the heading bug briefly into reverse. ing to be installed. Experimental air- complex avionics systems. then pushed the approach button on the While I was looking out the window craft have had touchscreens for years. The oft-heard caveat about touch- autopilot. I watched as the FMS auto- during the landing, I could see after we In the business aviation arena, until the screen panel-mounted displays is that they matically switched to the ILS for guid- touched down that the synthetic vision release of the Pro Line Fusion touch- aren’t optimum for larger aircraft because ance. As we got closer to the runway, the view perfectly matched the outside view. screen displays, the only option has cockpits are bigger and pilots tend to sit white dome gradually turned opaque, farther from the panels. Having flown the then the synthetic vision filled in the Pro Line Fusion touchscreen system, I’m details of the runway. not sure I agree with that claim. The wind was blowing across the runway from the northwest, and it was still One Man’s Opinion a little bumpy down low as the King Air My initial impressions are that using crabbed along the final approach course. I the Pro Line Fusion touchscreens is nat- switched off the autopilot to get more used ural and uncomplicated. I never felt like to the King Air’s handling before the land- I was sitting too far to reach the displays, ing and followed the flight director along both the PFD and MFD, and even dur- the ILS. As we crossed the outer marker, ing some moderate chop I could acti- the marker beacon flashed next to the top vate everything on the displays or use the hardware cursor, knobs and but- The Pro Line Fusion AIN flew is installed in a tons with no trouble. Will pilots sit too Rockwell Collins-owned King Air 250. The avionics far back in a business jet to reach touch- maker used the airplane for its certification effort screen panel displays? Not everyone of the Fusion. The system will be available as a agrees that this is the case; after all, when retrofit for Pro Line II- and 21-equipped King Airs a pilot adjusts everything in the cock- and forward-fit in three new King Air models. pit for correct reach of all controls, he or she is usually sitting close enough to reach most of the panel displays. Copi- lots, however, might sit farther aft. This issue is not, in my opinion, much of an impediment to implementation of panel touchscreens in business jets. With Pro Line Fusion, Rockwell Col- lins has clearly cracked the code for big touchscreen displays in business aircraft, and once more pilots get used to Pro Line Fusion touchscreens, I’m betting that more aircraft manufacturers are going to seek this kind of technology to keep their customers happy. “There is a lot interest in Pro Line Fusion touchscreens,” confirmed Adam Evanschwartz, Rockwell Collins director of business aviation marketing. o PHOTOS: MATT THURBER PHOTOS: MATT

54 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com AIN June 2015.ai 1 5/18/2015 9:40:20 AM

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Split scimitar winglets boost BBJ performance by Kerry Lynch

Boeing Business Jets will give a BBJ with seven [auxiliary] offer the newly certified Avia- tanks the range of an eight-aux- tion Partners (API) split scimitar tank airplane,” said Gary Dunn, winglets as standard equipment API v-p of sales and marketing. aboard the BBJ. API secured U.S. Beyond the performance FAA certification of the split- improvements, Boeing Business scimitar design on the BBJ on Jets president David Longridge April 21 and anticipates EASA said two factors drove the deci- approval shortly. sion to make them standard on Certification followed a the BBJ. “One, API’s track record flight-test program that lasted is unparalleled. Also, a number almost four months using a BBJ of airlines have bought these Split scimitar winglets for the BBJ reduce drag and increase payload or range, says winglet maker API. that had the winglets installed at winglets. That’s the acid test.” Pats Aircraft Systems in George- API has received approval in the split scimitar winglets from Pats, already the installation tip caps with Scimitar tip caps. town, Del. The new design adds on the 737-700/800/900 over the the BBJ community,” said Dunn. center for BBJ auxiliary tanks. Building upon the existing a scimitar-tipped ventral strake past three years and already has The original BBJ is the last The winglets can be retrofitted winglet structure reduces costs, to the existing blended winglet, accrued an order book for instal- of the current BBJ series to on the fleet at approved instal- Clarke said, noting the retro- for less drag and more pay- lations on 1,700 aircraft, approxi- receive certification with the new lation facilities. The retrofit fit will cost between $550,000 load or range. On long flights, mately 500 of which have already winglets, approval for the BBJ2 builds on the existing blended and $575,000. Without exist- range improves by about 2 per- been upgraded. API chairman and BBJ3 coming earlier with the winglet, which involves beef- ing winglets the cost would be cent compared with the current and CEO Joe Clarke estimates a certification of the 737-800/900. ing up the internal structure, almost double that. The ret- blended winglet configuration. market for 5,000 of the winglets. For new airplanes, the adding the ventral strake and rofit takes about four days, “The upgrade will essentially “We are seeing huge interest winglets will be installed at replacing the aluminum winglet he said. o

DAHER HOPES FOR EASA OK FOR Bombardier hands over SINGLE-ENGINE OPS NEXT YEAR Daher is hoping for a fast, positive con- with bigger guys,” Chabbert said. first Challenger 350 to NJE clusion to the industry’s protracted quest The first working group on single-engine for European approval of commercial sin- commercial operations dates back to 1993. by Chad Trautvetter gle-engine IFR flights. EASA executive director Patrick Ky is sup- Since 2013, France-based Voldirect has portive, but the devil is in the details since NetJets Europe received its first Bom- Hansell said it is “continuing to show been allowed by the French DGAC to oper- all member states have to agree, Chabbert bardier Challenger 350 last month at the signs of improvement.” NetJets’ Embraer ate one TBM 850 for passenger transport, said. After the EASA publishes an opinion EBACE static display. NetJets chairman Phenom 300s and Bombardier Global 6000s and Daher hopes to tap that experience. on the NPA018 EU-OPS, it will advance to and CEO Jordan Hansell took the keys to are also selling well in the region, he noted. Voldirect has logged 600 hours with the the European Commission within six to nine CS-CHA, the 500th 300-series aircraft without any operational issues and months. Chabbert thus expects a revised Challenger to be delivered, is considering buying another TBM, said EU-OPS regulation next year. from recently installed Bom- Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of The current fleet of 68 TBM 900s has bardier president and CEO Daher’s airplane business. logged 10,000 flight hours. Since the Alain Bellemare. “We are expanding the realm of gen- program was revealed last year, Daher “NetJets announced at eral aviation to levels that are affordable has received orders for 98 of the single- EBACE 2013 that it would to smaller companies; we do not compete engine turboprops. –T.D. be the launch customer for the Challenger 350,” Hansell said. “We have firm orders for 75 and an additional 125 options available, worth $5.4 billion. The orders were placed in the height of the recession, so it was a big gamble for us. Fortunately, it is paying off for us.” MARK WAGNER The fractional ownership NetJets chairman and CEO Jordan Hansell, right, took delivery of group currently has 11 Chal- NetJets’ first Challenger 350 from Bombardier president and CEO lenger 350s operating in the Alain Bellemare. U.S. since it took the first one in June last year, and NetJets Europe will NetJets’ “Signature Series” Chal- receive four this year. NetJets will have 27 lenger 350 has seating for up to 10 pas- of the super-midsize jets in service in the sengers in a club configuration with a U.S. by year-end, Hansell told AIN. “Our berthable three-place divan. The 3,200- Challenger 350s are proving to be a popular nm aircraft is capable of connecting all choice of super-midsize aircraft for our cus- corners of Europe and beyond, reach- tomers, and we are selling shares at a fast ing North Africa and the Middle East rate,” he said. “We’re pre-selling them faster from London. MARK WAGNER/AIN than we can take delivery of the airplanes.” NetJets will take delivery of its first Daher hopes single-engine aircraft, such as its TBM 900, will be approved for commercial IMC ops. Optimistic about the European market, Challenger 650 in the fourth quarter. o

56 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com ExecuJet acquisition fuels Luxaviation’s global growth by Charles Alcock

Fast-growing business aviation ser- completions management, as well as vices group Luxaviation acquired operating a worldwide chain of FBOs. ExecuJet Aviation Group early last In addition to the Luxaviation par- month for an undisclosed sum. As has ent company, launched in 2008 by Edi- been the case with other acquisitions son Capital Partners founder Patrick the Luxembourg-based company has Hansen (who is CEO), the group already made in recent years, Switzerland-based includes Luxaviation Germany, Abe- ExecuJet will continue to trade under its lag (Belgium), Unijet (France), London own name and under the leadership of Executive Aviation (UK) and Master- its existing management team. jet (Portugal). It also has a commercial The deal makes Luxaviation one of office in Singapore. the largest business aviation operators ExecuJet will be led by its former pres- in the world, with a combined fleet of ident and COO, Gerrit Basson, who now Luxaviation founder Patrick Hansen (left) is the new chairman of ExecuJet Aviation and Gerrit Basson is CEO. more than 250 aircraft. It almost triples holds the title CEO. Hansen will serve as Olver has long been an advocate of bigger platform [that ExecuJet is now the size of the company, which before the company’s new chairman, replacing consolidation in what he sees as an overly part of] gives them a bigger network of the takeover had 520 employees in six founding CEO and chairman Niall Olver, crowded business aviation market. With services and will allow them to benefit European countries and a fleet of 85 who will continue to support ExecuJet as ExecuJet’s previous major shareholder, from greater economies of scale.” aircraft. ExecuJet has a global work- an advisor. Irish financier Dermot Desmond, unwill- ExecuJet operates 19 FBOs around force of almost 1,000 across Europe, “The acquisition of ExecuJet is the ing to make further significant invest- the world at the following locations: Bali Asia, Africa, Australasia, Latin Amer- next step in our growth strategy and sig- ment in the group, Luxaviation made an (Indonesia), Barcelona, Ibiza, Gerona ica and the Middle East. Founded in nificantly extends Luxaviation’s global offer to take over the group. and Valencia in Spain, Berlin, Cam- 1991, it operates a diverse fleet of 165 reach,” Hansen commented. “Execu- “I became convinced that Patrick bridge (UK), Dubai (two FBOs), Cape aircraft, including a significant Global Jet’s operations give us a strong pres- Hansen has the vision to consolidate the Town and Johannesburg in South Africa, Express contingent and other Bombar- ence in some of the world’s fastest industry and ExecuJet has become the Lagos (Nigeria), Zurich and Geneva in dier jets, along with Boeing Business growing business aviation markets, cornerstone of this process at Luxavi- Switzerland, Wellington (New Zealand), Jets, Gulfstreams, Falcons and Pilatus including Asia, Latin America and the ation,” Olver told AIN. “For our cus- Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Melbourne (Aus- aircraft. It is active in aircraft manage- Middle East, as well as a significantly tomers, nothing changes; they are still tralia) and Istanbul (two FBOs). At 11 ment, charter, maintenance, FBOs and larger managed fleet.” dealing with the same people, and the locations, the group also provides maintenance support to operators of air- is there. But the company is going to hold craft produced by Bombardier, Dassault, Boeing Business Jets considers off on a push toward development until it Embraer, Gulfstream and Textron gets a launch customer. The Combi would (Cessna Citations and Hawkers). cater to a government or business opera- Olver indicated that he might now possible ‘Combi’ configuration tion that might operate heavy machinery focus his efforts on restarting the SPn that needs to be transported along with a light jet program, which was stalled by the by Kerry Lynch support team. He cited mining and oil and August 2008 insolvency of Grob. He told gas industries as possibilities. Longridge AIN that, as owner of the SPn patents, New Boeing Business Jets chief David the BBJ2. Now it has 11 products span- added that many customers who have he has been approached by new prospec- Longridge expects his division to mark ning the spectrum of Boeing’s commer- looked at the cargo variant of the BBJ tive partners. In his view advances in car- another strong year, following a year cial line. For Longridge the expansion is have asked about the potential of a combi bon-fiber technology make the aircraft an in which the organization delivered a welcome change. Recalling his time as configuration. Longridge does not expect even more compelling product now than 10 aircraft and sold 13, four of them sales director in the late 1990s, he looks a large customer base for such a configu- in the past and he is “more confident we widebodies. The company is on pace back on the “frustration I had when ration but he does think it would serve the can meet market expectations.” o with deliveries this year, handing over a people wanted to buy widebodies and I needs of some customers. BBJ and two widebodies (a 777-300 and couldn’t help them.” In business aviation, While the company offers various con- a 787-8) in the first quarter. Several more people have specific needs, and the prod- figurations, Longridge believes that the News Note are in completion. uct line must support that, Longridge customer must dictate the interior. While Rockwell Collins has received a While deliveries continue, new sales said. competitor Airbus is offering certain con- two-year NASA contract to develop also have remained strong this year. “I’ve figuration designs, Longridge doubts a concept for a cockpit display that been pleasantly surprised,” said Lon- Varied Mission Profile that Boeing would duplicate that effort. will provide a visual representation gridge, a 21-year Boeing veteran who late He credits the varied product line with “I firmly believe when you are ready to of an aircraft’s sonic boom over the last year succeeded Steve Taylor at the contributing to the uptick in sales last spend that much money on an airplane, Earth’s surface in an attempt to miti- helm of BBJ. Longridge returned to the year. The launch of the Max helped, he you should be able to [specify an individ- gate its effect on populated areas. “For supersonic travel over land to hap- organization that he first joined during its said, as did interest in the 787 and 777. ually designed interior] rather than be fed pen, pilots will need an intuitive display infancy in 1996 and where he served as a Longridge is pleased by the balance of one.” He adds that while he can under- that tells them where the aircraft’s sonic sales director for nearly two years. After sales. While interest has been strong in stand the approach of offering config- boom is occurring,” said John Borghese, concentrating on the airline market for a widebodies, the [737-based] BBJ is “what uration designs, Boeing plans to take a v-p of the manufacturer’s advanced number of years, Longridge is happy to butters our bread,” he said. Of the 228 different approach. technology center. “Our team of experts jump back into the business jet arena. “It private jetliners Boeing has sold, the 737- Boeing has been steadily building com- will investigate how best to show this to is one of the most fascinating corners of based BBJ accounts for 164. pletion capacity to accommodate both the pilots in the cockpit and develop guidance to most effectively modify the air- the aviation world,” he said. The airline The push to fill the varied needs is also widebodies and single-aisle bizliners. The craft’s flight path to avoid populated market is financially driven, Longridge helping drive Boeing’s market survey for company has a network of 18 authorized areas or prevent sonic booms.” n said. While that’s true for business avia- interest in a BBJ Combi. The company completion centers capable of accommo- tion, he noted another aspect of the mar- announced during ABACE in April that it dating the BBJ and 10 that can handle ket: “It’s one of the few areas where there would study the potential for such a prod- widebodies. A number of them have work is a sheer unbridled joy.” uct, which would be based on the BBJ C or under way. Boeing expects that four 747s He notes that BBJ has changed sub- cargo variant with a cargo door. Longridge and one or two 787s will come out of the stantially since he left. When Longridge said such a product could reach the mar- pipeline this year. “This is going to be a left BBJ it had two products: the BBJ and ket within a couple of years if the interest great year for big aircraft,” he said. o

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 57 Rotorcraft Airbus H175 flying now; enhancements to follow by Mark Huber

After several years of delays, lateral and vertical guidance pro- Airbus Helicopters delivered vided by Egnos, the European its first H175 super-medium satellite-based augmentation twin late last year and is slowly system (Sbas), and in the pres- ramping up production while ence of airplane traffic simul- it campaigns the finished heli- taneously approaching and copter on a worldwide mar- departing to/from airport run- keting tour. AIN sat in on one ways, which proved the suitabil- such demonstration earlier this ity of these helicopter-specific year in Houston with oil-and- procedures to achieve simulta- gas producer (OGP) company neous noninterfering aircraft pilots who fly to rigs in the Gulf and rotorcraft IFR operations of Mexico. OGP and search- at a medium-size commercial and-rescue operators provided airport. key design input on the H175. While the H175 produces less AIRBUS HELICOPTERS In general, they praised the exterior noise than older heli- The Airbus Helicopters H175 has been in operation since December 2014, and the helicopter–designed with significant input from the helicopter’s handling, utility of copters, noise inside is more in oil-and-gas operators who use it–is proving its worth on missions in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. its intuitive Helionix avionics line with that inside traditional suite (developed in cooperation helicopters, a trade-off for the a little awkward. The pipework is investigating single-pilot IFR nm with seven passengers plus 10 with Rockwell Collins), auto expansive windscreen and large for the single-point refueling, approval, said De Bray, but it percent and a 30-minute reserve hover, roomy and comfortable pop-out passenger windows while shrouded, intrudes into “is not a priority” as most OGP or 136 nm with 16 passengers cockpit, cabin layout (including that facilitate rapid egress in the the baggage hold. and SAR operators fly with two plus 10 plus 30. And that’s with ease of passenger egress), and event of a water ditching. And while the oversized pas- pilots. The Helionix system fea- the passengers weighted at 242 low cabin vibration and low The H175 has a few notable senger windows provide the tures redundant flight computers, pounds each, so there’s not a lot exterior noise levels. other misses. The positioning opportunity for rapid egress a four-axis autopilot and an easy- of creative math pumped into the Airbus emphasized the lat- of the emergency float system, and spectacular views, they do to-use auto hover that automati- equation. A high-density layout ter during the successful dem- robust enough to handle Sea make it difficult for the air con- cally corrects for wind. is available with 18 passengers. onstration of a low-noise IFR State 6, required that the cargo ditioning to keep up with what Other noticeable features The main cabin volume is 434.37 approach to Toulouse-Blagnac door be positioned fairly high typically is found on an airliner; automatically keep the helicopter cu ft and the baggage compart- Airport in southwestern France up the fuselage, necessitating the however, the cooling is notice- stable in challenging situations ment adds another 95.35 cu ft. in May. The approach proce- use of a ladder for loading and able. It is a two-zone system such as brown-out or inadvertent The H175 has held up well dures were flown using accurate unloading, a process that can be that precludes the typical Hob- IMC encounters. Toggling two under stress so far. Launch cus- son’s choice of freeze or fry in beeps on the cyclic activates the tomer NHV, an OGP company the cockpit and each passenger “recovery mode” that restores that operates in the North Sea, UTILITY EC145 GETS EASA NOD has his own individual overhead the latest heading, speed and alti- placed its first two aircraft into gasper. The H175 does not have tude; and automatic hover can operation a week after delivery Airbus Helicopters an auxiliary power unit, but one kick in at 150 feet. last December and is reporting received EASA Part 29 cer- engine can be run on the ground All the switchology and con- a dispatch rate of better than tification in late April for the while declutched, providing trols in the comfortable cock- 90 percent. EC145 light twin, the new power to cool the cabin before pit are located along the panel The H175 was designed to name of a utility, lower-cost aircraft loading. and pedestal and can be equally meet the MSG3 maintenance version formerly referred accessed from either pilot posi- standard. Its tall cowling facili- to as the EC145e. More More Functionality Coming tion. The instrument panel has tates access to a variety of sys- basic than the H145 (which As is customary through- lots of extra space for add-ons tems, and the flared exhaust features a Fenestron tail out the industry when a new such as a landscape format mul- stacks help whisk heat away rotor and upgraded Turbo- helicopter is first delivered, tifunction display that could be more quickly from the work meca engines), the EC145 not all systems and capabili- used to display infrared imagery area. A variety of ladder attach can carry an additional 322 ties are complete. Notably on on SAR-equipped aircraft. points are built into the fuse- pounds of payload com- the H175, the rotor anti-icing Thanks to the Pratts (1,776 lage, enabling quick climbing. pared with the previous remains in flight-test, and full shp each), the H175 has good The engines, main gearbox and utility variant of the same system approval is not expected one-engine-inoperative perfor- rotors all have an initial TBO of helicopter. EC145 until 2018 or 2019, according to mance and easily meets the Cat- 5,000 hours. The EC145 incorpo- François De Bray, Airbus H175 egory A, PC1 requirements for De Bray said the H175 is 5 to rates a Garmin G500H avionics IFR operations are prohibited. marketing product manager. takeoff at maximum weight of 7 percent less expensive to oper- suite. One primary flight display The EC145 is designed with a A test aircraft was recently 17,180 pounds. The H175 has ate than competitive aircraft. and one multifunction display basic standard interior for utility snow testing at Courchevel in already established several time- “Yes, this helicopter was late, are situated in front of the pilot, missions, from passenger trans- the French Alps, where one to-climb records, most nota- but what we have now is a really while two more LCDs for aircraft port (the standard layout seats of its Pratt & Whitney Can- bly 19,685 feet (6,000 meters) in mature helicopter that is enter- parameter display and a touch- eight) and fire-fighting to airlift ada PT6-67E turboshafts was just 6 minutes, 54 seconds. Test ing service,” he said. “It fits well screen interface for the FMS are missions, with both internal and removed and replaced after pilots said that they had experi- with the Gulf of Mexico.” o located to his left. Use of the external loads. exceeding operational limits in enced maximum climb rates in G500H–usually found on smaller The EC145 first flew in August the approved flight envelope. the region of 4,500 fpm. helicopters–frees up a large part 2013. FAA certification is expected The SAR kit and inlet barrier The maximum usable fuel of the left windshield, improving this summer. “It will be available filters will be available in 2017, load from the five-tank system is cockpit visibility. No automatic with reduced delivery times,” said De Bray said. In SAR configu- 695 U.S. gallons, more than 4,500 flight control system is available. Manfred Merk, head of the H145 ration, the baggage hold can be pounds. That gives the H175 a The EC145 is approved for program at Airbus Helicopters. accessed from the cabin. maximum range of 600 nm and single-pilot, day and night oper- Certification was originally sched- The H175 is certified for sin- a good radius of action under a ation in visual flight rules (VFR). uled for last year. –T.D. gle-pilot VFR operations. Airbus variety of load conditions: 265

58 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com automatically move it off to the Another critical challenge is side… Beyond that we are still keeping such a massive display developing failure modes and from overwhelming the pilots how we want to mitigate those with information or tempting risks.” them to fly with eyes only in the The V-280 team is also looking cockpit. “It is a massive display at ballistic-resistant materials for and it is very eye-catching, but the display. “A ballistic-tolerant the last thing we want is for pilots screen is something we are look- to be mesmerized by it. They ing at,” said Chavez, “like bullet- need to be eyes out as well. That proof glass on an armored car. will be a balancing act that we But we don’t want to put some- develop over time,” Chavez said. thing out there that is ballistically Sensors will detect aircraft con- tolerant but constantly fails.” dition, and system logic will display only the most critical information With the V-280 not scheduled to enter service until 2025 or 2030, Bell System Redundancy needed under any given conditions. designed the cockpit with tomorrow’s pilot in mind, and that means a Chavez sees the instrument Chavez gives some examples. “If touchscreen system with plenty of interactive capabilities. panel, smart helmet and data you are entering a brownout at 100 projected onto the windshield feet agl, all displays go to a primary as providing a triple-redundant flight display; if your radar altim- system, able to display enough eter goes to 50 agl, certain informa- Bell unveils single-screen V-280 cockpit data either in concert or inde- tion would vanish and the display pendently to ensure safety of would give you just the most criti- by Mark Huber flight. “A lot of the flight-critical cal information, such as an attitude Bell Helicopter is unveiling a We looked at the technology all the toggle switches you have information is going to be dis- indicator. There will be a predeter- single-screen instrument panel currently on the commercial in today’s cockpit, but there will tributed across the [helmet] visor mined logic to the system.” concept for its V-280 Valor next- market and who the pilots will be backups that we will develop screen and the windshield. As Perhaps the giant display’s generation military tiltrotor. be operating the aircraft in that with the survivability group,” on the F-35, the visor integrates most impressive ability is to The panel currently is installed time frame. They have grown up Chavez said. “With the mosaic with PDAS sensors on different integrate data from the PDAS in the V-280 mockup, which with iPads, pinching and swip- design, you don’t lose the entire parts of the aircraft to provide a to provide a giant outside win- will be on display in the Penta- ing screens. That kind of thing screen. You can move informa- 360-degree spherical view of the dow with synthetic vision during gon’s courtyard from June 2 to will be highly intuitive to them.” tion off the damaged area or the world around you. That would limited or zero-visibility situa- 4. The panel display is a collab- display control system would just be streamed into the helmet tions. “It’s basically the same orative effort among Bell, part- System Survivability Is Key be smart enough to know not and distributed across the visor as looking outside. That is defi- ner Lockheed Martin and Los While the panel is still in the to display critical information as the operator wants to custom- nitely where we are headed with Angeles-based Inhance Digital; concept stage, the team is focus- in the damaged area and would ize it,” he said. this display,” Chavez said. o the companies have been working on developing a product that ing together on the concept for can incorporate and present an the last 18 months. enormous amount of data and While the team is likely a imagery to the pilots from both decade away from developing their own and other aircraft in a system for a flying aircraft, logical sequence and is ballisti- it already has some definite cally survivable. One idea on the ideas about its architecture. latter is to construct the screen Bell was able to draw on tech- from a series of small mosaic nology developed for Lockheed displays that stitch together a Martin’s F-35 fighter, including larger image. “If a round pierced “smart helmets” with PDAS the screen it might take out one (pilot displayed aperture sys- or two tiles, but the rest of the tems), as well as ideas from com- screen would function around Kuka Systems Aerospace has received recognition for a new palletized assembly process for the Bell 525 Relentless super- mercial off-the-shelf technology. it, sort of like poking your fin- medium twin that adds more precision and less variability. It uses a major fixture that moves along the different assembly “The pilots who will be fly- ger through a screen door. The stations, with tooling added or removed from the fixture at each station as required. ing this aircraft are today’s eight- screen is still intact; you just have BELL SEES REVENUE DECLINE IN FIRST QUARTER year-olds,” said Jeremy Chavez, a localized area where the screen project engineer on the V-280 is not functioning,” Chavez said. Textron chairman Scott Donnelly said subsidiary Helicopter Society International. Kuka Systems Aero- program. “The aircraft would This survivability is particu- Bell Helicopter will fly its new 525 super-medium twin space has received the organization’s Supplier become operational during the larly critical since most of the “very soon” even as the company grapples with con- Excellence award for a new “palletized” assembly 2025 to 2030 time frame, so we switchology aboard the aircraft tinuing military and commercial market softness and process it developed in conjunction with Bell. It uses looked at trends where cock- will be eliminated and replaced is “adjusting production levels and taking additional a major fixture that moves along the different assem- pits are heading: more touch- with inputs made directly on the cost actions” to maintain margins. Those adjustments, bly stations, with tooling added or removed from the screen interactive capabilities. touchscreen. “You won’t have including continuing layoffs, are expected to gener- fixture at each station as required. Traditional assem- ate one-time charges of $40- to $50 million at Bell. bly uses multiple dedicated fixtures for individual During a late-April analysts’ call discussing first- components as they are added to the progressive quarter results, Donnelly revealed that Bell’s revenue aircraft buildup. fell by $60 million over the same period a year ago, a Kuka noted that employing multiple fixtures can drop attributable mainly to declining deliveries of the produce tolerance and variation issues requiring ad company’s bread-and-butter V-22 tiltrotor to the U.S. hoc adjustments to force out-of-contour or misaligned military and “continuing softness” in the medium sec- components into place. He maintains that the pallet- tor of the commercial market. Bell delivered six V-22s ized assembly method improves overall quality by and four H-1s in the quarter, compared with eight promoting specialization and repeatability, thereby V-22s and five H-1s in last year’s first quarter; and 35 yielding more precision and less variability. commercial helicopters, compared with 34 last year. “The mating of components and ultimately entire Bell’s order backlog dropped by $237 million from the sections is simplified. Everything tends to fit the first end of the fourth quarter to $5.3 billion. time, requiring fewer ad hoc adjustments. The result Meanwhile, a new assembly process developed is a smoother, faster flow, with more efficient use of for the 525 has been recognized by the American manpower,” the company said. – M.H. Bell engineer Jeremy Chavez demonstrates the single-screen instrument panel Bell has developed for its military tiltrotor in a mockup of the V-280 Valor.

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 59 Rotorcraft

the system has been fitted to three NEWS UPDATE ACSR system warns of UH-1Bs and has already proved its worth, according to Wood. z UK Tackles Helideck Fire Threat On February 14 this year, the The UK CAA has announced proposals aimed at in-flight tailboom motion Bart tailboom warning light illu- improving the safety of helicopter operations on the minated on a UH-1B perform- 116 unattended offshore installations in the North by Mark Huber ing Part 133 external loading as Sea. A joint industry working group will focus on part of a logging operation. Con- addressing the risk posed by fire after an incident A fatal tailboom separation on descended through the trees. The current with the tailboom light involving a helicopter, as there may be no one on the a Bell UH-1B in 2013 inspired Air- fuselage hit the ground inverted and the master caution warning, rig to assist in fighting a fire on the helideck. One of craft Structural Repair (ACSR) of and the tailboom came to rest the pilot reported hearing a loud the proposals would install automatic fire-fighting Stevensville, Mont., to design the about 140 feet away. Tailboom fit- boom. He immediately removed systems on the rig. Bart tailboom motion-detection sys- tings on UH-1s can fracture after all left pedal input, released the tem. Bart is currently being offered many years of service. load and landed without incident z H175 Validates Approach Procedure under FAA Part 337 field approval ACSR president Dustin Wood using minimal left pedal. An Airbus Helicopters H175 flew simultaneous pending supplemental type certifi- worked with UH-1 operators in An inspection of the helicop- noninterfering approaches last month at Toulouse cate (STC) approval. developing the Bart system. ter revealed cracks in the left-hand Blagnac, thus validating such procedures at a The system is named after pilot Bart installs via a fuselage plug tailboom fitting as well as the sheet medium-size airport. The operations to the heliport Bart Colantuono, who perished in and consists of a rod encased in tub- metal former on the upper left- took place while commercial traffic was arriving the crash while logging in heavily ing attached to the interior of the hand tailboom bulkhead. Visual and taking off on the main runways. The helicopter wooded terrain near Detroit, Ore. tailboom and extending forward into inspections immediately before followed low-noise flight paths, validated in 2013 Witnesses reported that when the the fuselage where a micro switch is this flight did not reveal any har- helicopter was just above the trees, attached to the airframe. Upon fail- bingers of a problem such as visi- with an H155. they either saw or heard the load ure of an upper left-hand tailboom ble cracking or rivet smoking. z North Sea Safety Changes in Force of logs release early and hit the fitting, longeron, or attach bolt, “It is nice to see operators and Passenger size recommendations for UK North ground hard. After looking up, the switch will illuminate the mas- mechanics working together to Sea helicopter operations took effect on April 1. The they saw the helicopter’s fuselage ter caution panel indicating “tail- come up with solutions that can save average shoulder size is 49.7 cm (19.6 in), separate from the tailboom; both boom.” Requiring two days to install, lives,” said ACSR’s Wood. o and fewer than 3 percent of those measured are larger than that, according to the Step Change hub-mounted passive treatments, in Safety organization. Meanwhile, discussions HMVS provides enhanced vibra- are under way about the introduction of the System for smoother ride tion control at a greatly reduced Cat-A emergency breathing system in helicopter weight. The HMVS team at Lord underwater escape training. wins helo society honors includes Mark Jolly, Ph.D., man- z Russia, China To Develop ager of mechanical and sens- The team behind Lord’s hub- brother, Grover, who was killed in ing research; Russ Altieri, senior Heavy Helicopter mounted vibration suppressor an aircraft crash in 1913. The team, staff engineer; Gregory Fricke, Russian Helicopters and Avic have signed a (HMVS) technology has received composed of Lord, the U.S. Army Ph.D., staff engineer; John Nagle, framework agreement for the joint development the American Helicopter Society and Sikorsky Aircraft, received the staff program manager; and Dan of an “advanced heavy helicopter.” Demand for (AHS) Grover E. Bell award. award May 6 during AHS Inter- Kakaley, engineer. the new helicopter in China is estimated to be 200 The award is given for an out- national’s 71st Annual Forum and HMVS was demonstrated aboard aircraft by 2040. The aircraft is planned to have an standing research and experimen- Technology Display in Virginia a Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk at mtow of 38 metric tons (83,700 pounds) and to be tation contribution to the field Beach, Va. the U.S. Army’s Aviation Applied able to carry 10 tons (22,000 pounds) of cargo inside of vertical flight development Designed to reduce weight, Technology Directorate at Fort Eus- the cabin or 15 tons (33,000 pounds) on an external brought to fruition during the pre- eliminate vibration and deliver tis, Va., in March last year as part sling. It will be designed to perform transportation, ceding calendar year. It was cre- a smoother helicopter ride, the of the Active Rotor Component medevac and firefighting missions, among others, ated by Larry Bell, founder of Bell HMVS system seeks to actively Demonstration program. Flight in mountainous terrain and all-weather conditions. A Aircraft (now Bell Helicopter Tex- cancel rotor-induced vibration at its regimes included progression from contract is to be signed later this year. tron), in 1957 in honor of his older source. Compared with traditional a hover to 150 knots, autorotations and 60-degree-bank turns. z K-Max Flies Medevac Demo The HMVS cancels the larg- A team consisting of Lockheed Martin, Kaman ERICKSON POSTS HUGE LOSS est vibratory loads near the source Aerospace and Neva Systems has demonstrated of the vibration, which is the main the first collaborative unmanned air and ground Helicopter services company Erickson posted a net loss of $75 million for the rotor hub, thus keeping the loads casualty evacuation using an unmanned Kaman first quarter of the year. The company attributed the unusually hefty loss in large from propagating into the airframe. K-Max and an unmanned ground vehicle. The part to a one-time impairment-of-goodwill charge of $49.8 million and an addi- In preliminary flight-testing, the ground vehicle responded to the distress call tional $7.1 million charge on fleet aircraft available for sale. In the same period HMVS was found to reduce vibra- and assessed the area and the injured party. a year ago the company posted a loss of $7.6 million. While the first-quarter tion significantly, reducing weight Then ground operators using a tablet computer results exceeded company guidance, new president Jeff Roberts said Erickson by 30 percent compared with the determined the precise location, identified a safe “cannot be satisfied” with it. standard bifilar anti-vibration sys- landing area and dispatched the K-Max. The “We continue to focus on the need to increase our revenue, improve our tem on the Black Hawk. cost structure and drive significant, sustainable free cash flow. We are taking casualty was then strapped to a seat mounted on The HMVS is composed of a strategic actions and making investments in our business to improve results,” the side of the K-Max and evacuated. housing mounted on top of the Roberts said. main rotor hub that contains four z War of the Rotors, China Edition Quarterly revenue was $66.2 million, a decline of $8 million, or 10.8 percent, brushless electric ring motors, each Helicopter noise has recently become a hot- from the prior year. While the company’s manufacturing and MRO businesses fitted with a tungsten mass. Electri- button local political issue in Shanghai. The continued to grow, with revenue climbing to $7 million from $2.7 million dur- cal power comes from the slip ring burgeoning helitour business there is eliciting ing the prior-year period, revenue from government and commercial helicopter powering the rotor anti-icing sys- contracts continued to fall, to $62.8 million from $67.8 million a year ago. Erick- criticism from school officials who claim the clamor tem. As the main rotor blades begin son ascribed the reduction in government revenue in large part to a scaleback in is distracting students. Two helitour companies are to produce vibration loads in for- the company’s operations in Afghanistan. providing flights–at 200 feet agl–over attractions ward flight, the masses move closer Erickson reduced capital spending to $5.7 million compared with $17.5 mil- together in phase to counter it. One such as the 2010 World Expo site. They have agreed lion in the prior-year period. As of March 31 this year, it had $103.9 million drawn pair of masses spins in the direction to boost their height to 300 feet agl, convert to on its revolving credit facility (excluding the letters of credit) and $2.9 million in of the main rotor and the other spins quieter helicopters and adjust routes. –T.D., M.H. cash on its balance sheet. –M.H. opposite at four times the speed of the main rotor. –M.H.

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Chicago’s first dedicated rotorcraft corporate users, as well as a 30,000-sq- landing area–Vertiport Chicago–offi- ft hangar with 25-foot-high doors. Fuel cially opened April 30 on the city’s is also available. Vertiport Chicago offers Near West Side. Nearly a decade in the a single landing pad with eight parking making, Vertiport Chicago represents spots. The facility cost approximately the first viable alternative for helicop- $11 million, all gathered through pri- ters to Midway or O’Hare airports since vate financing. Meigs Field was bulldozed in 2003. The The Vertiport is the brainchild of private facility offers a landing area for Mike Conklin, a former Marine One Mike Conklin, president corporate helicopters, executive char- helicopter pilot who is now the presi- of Vertiport Chicago, cuts ters, sightseeing, emergency medical dent of the company. He had the idea for the ribbon on the facility, response traffic and police and fire the project in 2006 when there were far which has been in the department aircraft. more helicopters in the area than there planning stages for nearly Vertiport Chicago sits at the south- are today. His initial research showed a decade. The vertiport’s proximity to Chicago’s ern edge of the Illinois Medical District, 88 helicopters registered within approx- train system is strategic: home to four major area hospitals within imately 50 miles of Chicago. Today that Conklin hopes noise from a five-minute drive. EMS helicopters will number hovers closer to 25. The hope, of the train drowns out the always receive operational priority at course, is that the near-downtown land- helicopter noise. the new facility. In fact, the property is ing area will stimulate rotorcraft opera- leased from the Illinois Medical District, tions in the area. Conklin also hopes the The Vertiport opened with one anchor transportation time from O’Hare Inter- a group that will share in a percentage of facility will also one day be home to til- customer–DHL–already in place, mak- national Airport to downtown to 12 min- the revenue the facility collects. The new trotors as well. ing Chicago the fourth major city where utes from the current two hours. Conklin landing area is also a 10-minute drive to Vertiport Chicago is neatly sandwiched the document carrier operates helicop- expects the number of daily operations Chicago’s downtown and a 10- to 15-min- between O’Hare’s airspace to the north and ters. New York, Los Angles and London from DHL to grow significantly over the ute flight from Chicagoland’s reliever air- Midway’s on the south, which means access are the others. DHL regional manager next five years. ports: DuPage, Chicago Executive, Gary, in visual conditions doesn’t require any Karsten Aufgebauer told the open- Details about landing procedures and Aurora and Waukegan. ATC contact if pilots remain below 1,900 ing-day audience that using the Vertiport rates are available via e-mail or at verti- The Vertiport’s 10-acre layout pro- feet. To maintain a high level of safety, the means avoiding increasingly dense road portchicago.com. At press time, the FAA vides an 11,700-sq-ft terminal with Vertiport requires users to prove they have traffic at most hours of the business day, had not yet assigned a location identifier VIP entrance and private amenities for at least 1,000 hours of flight time. a move he believes will reduce document for the facility. o

Textron subsidiary Cessna, while deliv- while Pilatus held steady with seven PC- of which 13 were delivered in the first Bizjet deliveries make ering two fewer aircraft year-over-year for 12s. Piaggio will defer reporting its deliv- quarter, nine fewer than in the same slow start in Q1 a 5.7-percent decrease, reported a mixed ery totals until year-end. period last year. AgustaWestland bag: half of the eight models in its cur- handed over two fewer rotorcraft in uContinued from page 8 rent line-up experienced more deliveries, Rotorcraft Continue To Slide the first quarter than it did last year, GAMA’s president and CEO. while the other half saw fewer. The commercial helicopter indus- despite adding three AW189s to its tally With the builders of several new jets One Aviation, the merged Eclipse try saw a downturn in first-quarter from last year. Sikorsky delivered 12 either ramping up production or antici- Aerospace and Kestrel Aviation, deliv- deliveries of 18.3 percent year-over- commercial helicopters (types unspec- pating certification by year-end–a list that ered a pair of Eclipse 550s in the first year, while billings declined 17.9 per- ified) in the first three months of 2014. includes the HondaJet, Embraer Legacy three months of the year, down from five cent from the first quarter of 2014, to The United Technologies subsidiary 450 and 500, Cessna Citation Latitude in the same period last year. $0.8 billion. In the turbine-powered delivered five S-92s in the first quar- and Bombardier Challenger 650–several Dassault noted three fewer Falcon segment, the erosion was less severe, ter of this year. OEMs have said they expect deliveries to deliveries in the first quarter of the year with 138 civil helicopters delivered in Amid this chilly market, Bunce be backloaded toward the second half of compared with the same period last year, the first quarter versus 152 during the noted the crucial assistance of the U.S. the year. while Embraer saw a 40-percent decline same period in the previous year, a Export-Import Bank and urged lawmak- in first-quarter deliveries of all models decline of 11.2 percent. ers to stop using it as a political football, Most OEMs See Decline except for the recently introduced Leg- On the plus side, Robinson Helicop- stating that industry jobs are at stake. “Our Among the major business jet man- acy 500. The Brazilian airframer has said ter boosted production of the R66 by industry is focused on regaining momen- ufacturers, Bombardier was alone in it expects deliveries of its large executive three, year-over-year, while Textron tum, but we need the U.S. Congress to recording a slight gain year-over-year; jets to climb this year by at least 50 per- subsidiary Bell exceeded its first-quar- be a strong partner and reauthorize the the three additional Learjet 70/75s it cent over 2014. ter 2014 delivery total by one. Airbus Export-Import Bank before the June 30 handed over in the first quarter of the In the bizliner segment, Airbus reported Helicopters noted a 20-percent decline deadline,” he said. (See related article page year contributed to a 4.7-percent climb no deliveries in the first quarter of the year, in deliveries between the first quarter 46.) “Congress needs to move ahead and from 2014’s numbers. while Boeing posted three, including its of 2014 and the same period this year, pass reauthorization quickly to ensure In Savannah, Gulfstream delivered first private 777-300ER. Embraer did not attributable largely to slower deliver- a level global playing field and provide eight fewer of its large-cabin offerings deliver any Lineage 1000s in the period. ies of the H125 (formerly AS350B3e), needed stability in a difficult market.” o in the first quarter of 2015, but in terms of green aircraft it was only one off the Turboprop Sector pace set last year. While acknowledg- While turboprop deliveries overall NTSB TO HOST HELICOPTER ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION COURSE ing some softness in the Russian, Latin declined by 8 percent, the pressurized The NTSB will offer a Helicopter Accident Investigation Course from June 15 to 19 at its American and Chinese markets, Phebe turboprop segment logged a first-quar- training center in Ashburn, Va. The course is a comprehensive overview of the procedures, Novakovic, CEO of parent company ter gain of 7.5 percent year over year, methods used and the skills required in all aspects of helicopter accident investigation. General Dynamics, noted the airframer led by Daher and Piper, which added six NTSB investigators will present examples from recent investigations to demonstrate has no intention of reducing production TBM 900s and five Meridians, respec- particular aspects of the process. U.S. Army National Guard instructors will provide training levels this year. The company expects tively, to their totals for the first three on helicopter aerodynamics, operations and investigations. The course provides an oppor- large-cabin deliveries to approximate last months of last year. Textron subsidiary tunity to practice investigative skills through hands-on examination of both helicopter year’s totals and midsize model deliveries Beechcraft improved on its first-quar- wreckage and an intact UH-1 Iroquois. –R.P.M. to climb by 10 from last year. ter 2014 output by three aircraft as well,

62 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com (Cessna Caravans for FedEx) captains accelerated rapidly Pilot shortage? and Part 121 (ATR 42s and 72s starting in 2012, when it was 31 Happening now for cargo and passengers), is percent (a loss of 41 captains). experiencing the same new-hire That number has now reached uContinued from page 1 problem, according to Richard 50 percent (68 captains). “We “Next is all that is left. We’re Mills, director of quality assur- are in a crisis with the pilot sup- leaving great jobs and we’re beg- ance. “[Additional training] ply issue,” said Cape Air pres- Av i a t i o n ging generation next to take our becomes normal now,” he said. ident Linda Markham, who is jobs. If you will learn to work “And it ups the costs.” Empire also chairman of the Regional with the nexters, you will own has found that many applicants Airline Association. “The appli- the world.” have the required pilot certifi- cant pool has really dwindled.” Too few nexters are learning to cates and logged time, but they In 2013 Cape Air received fly and too few want pilot careers, worked for many years in non- applications from 1,051 pilots. however, and Racca member flying careers and now see an That number dropped to 642 companies will have to change opportunity to fly for a living. last year, and this year’s month- hiring practices to adapt to new “Our biggest challenge is by-month numbers are even THURBER PHOTOS: MATT realities. Taylor’s hiring advice: the pilot shortage,” said Ameri- lower. Fifty captain jobs were Matt Barton, Flightpath Economics Cape Air president Linda Markham • Super-fast hiring, because flight’s Lotter. The company offered in 2013 and 35 pilots long-term benefit, instead creat- in the right seat of a twin-engine well qualified candidates are in operates 220 airplanes, among showed up for class. Last year 30 ing an arms race between bonus- airplane that normally needs a high demand. This can mean hir- them 50 Caravans that came jobs were offered and 22 pilots paying operators. “None of this single pilot. “The process takes ing for credentials and then devel- with the purchase of Wiggins showed up. Through early April, stuff is producing pilots,” he some time,” he said. “We are oping employees’ skills, rather Airways last year, Piper Navajo three pilots had shown up for said. “We’re all drawing from pushing that to the top.” than trying to find someone who Chieftain piston twins and five captain jobs. the same diminishing pool.” As for the Ameriflight exemp- fits the job description precisely. Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias Every day, Cape Air has to tion to lower the number of • Nexters won’t hesitate to quit and Beech 99s. “The shortage ground airplanes for lack of Onerous Training Regs hours required to fly as pilot-in- a job they don’t like, he explained, hit us in August 2013,” he said. pilots. Sometimes management Racca members are uni- command under IFR, he added, suggesting a strategy of defer- Back then, the company used pilots are tapped to fly revenue versally dismayed at the new “we’re working that as well. We ring rewards to keep them around to lose five pilots a month, but trips, pulling them away from ATP-Certification Training Pro- understand the urgency.” The longer. A bonus six months after the number suddenly jumped to important initial and recurrency gram (CTP), a result of Pub- exemption delay can be traced in the hire date is one such strategy. 13 to 15 and stayed there. “We training tasks. lic Law 111-216 enacted under part, Duncan said, to the flood It’s also important to “get them couldn’t catch up,” he said. pressure from families of victims of unmanned-aircraft exemption involved quickly,” he said. To stem the flow, Ameriflight Priming the Pump of the Colgan Air 3407 accident. requests filed with the agency. • Racca members that are raised its pay rates by approxi- To counter the high attrition Under the new FAA regulations “Our resources are strained,” he able to fly two-pilot operations mately 20 percent last Novem- rate and scarcity of new hires, that resulted from that law, ATP said. Unfortunately, the FAA’s within their regulatory struc- ber and added another increase Cape Air has instituted a num- applicants now require substan- hands are tied when it comes to ture have an advantage here as recently. A senior Brasilia cap- ber of programs: a gateway to tially more training, including the new ATP-CTP requirements. they can hire lower-time pilots tain now makes $89,000 per year, JetBlue; hiring retired Part 121 10 hours of simulator training, “The law would have to change,” and help them gain valuable and a Chieftain pilot $43,000 pilots who can still fly under six of which must be in a level-C he added. (It is possible this flood experience. (up from $28,000). Ameriflight Part 135 (“Grey Gulls”) as well full-flight simulator. might subside more quickly now • A positive atmosphere is also has a flow-through pro- as part-time pilots; offering non- Not only did that raise the that the FAA has issued an essential, with plenty of praise gram with Allegiant Air. pilot employees incentives to cost of obtaining the ATP, interim policy to accelerate UAS and minimal criticism. Com- Ameriflight has petitioned become pilots and to help pay but new requirements for ATP authorizations.) pany leaders also need to be the FAA for an exemption to for flight time; sponsoring for- instructors mandate that they Duncan did offer advice to extraordinarily careful to avoid FAR 135.243c, which requires eign pilots; reaching out to local have at least two years of air Racca members who are deal- any hint of sexism, racism or pilots flying IFR to have at least schools to educate youth about carrier experience. These new ing with local FAA inspector homophobia. “It will run these 1,200 hours of flight time. The aviation opportunities; and for- standards are making it harder issues and often lengthy delays folks off in a heartbeat,” he said. exemption sought a reduction givable loans for pilots who for operators to find pilots with at the FSDO level. He recog- • Nexters need lots of super- to 1,000 hours with an equiv- commit to fly for Cape Air. So ATPs and also present a signif- nizes that some FAA personnel vision, but it can be effective to alent level of safety, but the far, JetBlue has hired 22 captains icant obstacle for pilots trying “have strong opinions and oper- train one then have that person request has been sitting at the through the Cape Air gateway to build time to reach the min- ate independently” and, when train his or her peers. “You only FAA for more than two years, program, which works with stu- imum 1,500 hours to quality questioned by an operator, have to socialize one,” he joked. with no sign of movement other dents at seven aviation universi- for the ATP. (There are lower won’t consult with FAA peers or • Finally, he concluded, “Rec- than a recent request for more ties. There are 246 pilots in the thresholds for certain military leadership. When this happens, ognize that you need them.” information. gateway system now, Markham and university-trained pilots.) Duncan recommends that the Like most Part 135 cargo car- said, and “that pathway has John Duncan, director of operator politely say, “I disagree Education, Outreach riers, Ameriflight operates its air- proved to be successful.” the FAA’s Flight Standards Ser- for these reasons. Is there some- and Opportunities craft single-pilot, so there are few A presentation by Matt Bar- vice, attended the entire Racca one else I can talk to?” He also Taylor’s presentation under- opportunities for right-seat pilots ton of Flightpath Economics conference and tried to assuage suggested tapping the expertise scored an issue that some Racca to log any time. Cape Air, pre- underscored the problems fac- some of the members’ concerns. of Racca as well as pushing the members mentioned to AIN: dominantly a passenger-carrying ing Racca members. Flightpath He assured members that the issue up the FAA ladder, all the current new-hire pilots require Part 135 operator, offers copilots surveyed 30 air carriers and agency is working on rulemaking way to his office if necessary. “I far more training before they loggable right-seat time when an found that half of them “expect that would allow time-building can’t fix problems unless I know can begin flying. autopilot is inoperative and two trouble finding pilots this year.” pilots to log legitimate flight time about them,” he concluded. o Cargo carrier Ameriflight pilots are required. Cape Air has Many of those carriers are clos- has found that many new-hire tackled the pilot shortage with an ing routes and grounding air- pilots require additional train- aggressive set of programs that planes, he said, and for carriers ing, often another week’s worth. have shown some success. Cape seeking pilots “it has gone from News Note “The quality of pilot candidates Air operates 84 Cessna 402s and a buyer’s to a seller’s market. Etihad Airways’ flight college has selected the Embraer has degraded to where we have to (for company purposes) one 414, As an industry, we’re not used Phenom 100E to fulfill a requirement for a jet-powered training completely change our training four Britten-Norman Island- to that.” Further, most Racca aircraft. The two companies signed a purchase agreement for four program,” said Ameriflight presi- ers, two ATR 42s and two Car- members say they expect dimin- of the light jets, with three more on option for a combined value of dent Andrew Lotter. “We have to avans on floats. The ATRs serve ishing quality of pilot applicants around $30 million. The new aircraft will be delivered beginning in do remedial training. Situational the Micronesia market and oper- and constrained operations next year’s first quarter and will join a fleet of 16 single-engine propeller aircraft at the college at Al Ain, Abu Dhabi. Richard Hill, Etihad’s awareness and IFR proficiency is ate under Part 121, and the other attributable to the shortage. COO, commented, “The Phenom 100E’s airline-grade technology, where they’re deficient.” aircraft are flown under Part 135. While many regional air car- performance and reliability make it an ideal training platform to pre- Empire Airlines, which The company employs 173 pilots. riers are paying hiring bonuses, pare cadets for line operations.” n operates under both Part 135 Cape Air’s attrition rate for this strategy achieves no

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 63 Air Transport

billion through 2019. Airports NE WS UPDATE Council International-North Amer- Capacity estimate changes ica counts all projects, including z MAS To Ground Pair of A380s parking facilities, airport hangars and commercial space in terminal Malaysia Airlines will ground two Airbus as PFC fight rages buildings. It projects those will cost A380s deployed on the daily Kuala Lumpur-Paris by Bill Carey $72.5 billion in the next four years. route early this month as part of the struggling According to the GAO, airports use flag carrier’s plan to consolidate its network. The number of “capacity con- year. AIP grants fund “airside” proj- 68 percent of PFC revenue to pay for MAS plans to offer the aircraft for lease on the strained” airports the FAA expects ects such as runway, taxiway and landside development and interest open market and downsize the equipment used the U.S. will have by 2020 has apron construction. charges on debt. Many have already on the Paris flight to Boeing 777-200ERs. fallen dramatically from the agen- The GAO notes that the FAA’s committed future PFC collections Of its fleet of six A380s, the airline cy’s earlier estimates, the Govern- estimate of the number of airports to pay off debt for past projects. uses four on its twice-daily Kuala ment Accountability Office (GAO) that will be capacity constrained– Lumpur-London Heathrow service. reports. But the prospect of fewer defined as having an average delay Airports Call for ‘Modern’ System MAS operated an A380 on one of its three- airports with long flight delays per flight of 15 minutes or more–by “We believe it’s absolutely times-daily Hong Kong flights for several has done nothing to blunt the dis- 2020, has fallen from 41 airports to imperative to modernize the pas- months last year, but insufficient passenger pute between airlines and airports just six in the agency’s most recent senger facility charge program, loads on the superjumbo prompted the carrier over paying for mainly “landside” report in January. The FAA attri- last addressed in Congress 15 years to discontinue the service. The Australian improvements to terminals and butes this to changes in overall avi- ago,” Todd Hauptli, American authorities rejected MAS’s application in 2013 other infrastructure. ation activity, ATC modernization Association of Airport Executives to operate the aircraft on the Kuala Lumpur- The GAO released its study “Air- and the addition of new runways. president and CEO, told the Senate Sydney route as Malaysian low-cost carrier Air port Funding: Changes in Aviation The number of airline passengers subcommittee. “Over the years the Asia X won the rights to operate 10 Airbus A330- Activity Are Reflected in Reduced approximates the peak level reached PFC has lost half of its purchas- 300 flights a week, for a total of 3,500 seats. Capacity Concerns” on April 23. before the 2007-2008 recession, but ing power to inflation and rising The same day, U.S. airline and air- the number of aircraft departures, construction costs. We’re talking z SWAPA Joins ‘Fair Skies’ Coalition port industry executives clashed particularly at medium hub airports, about giving airports the self-help The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association over the hot-button topic of the Pas- remained down by 18.5 percent that they need to build these proj- (SWAPA) in late April added its name to senger Facility Charge (PFC) while last year as a result of factors such ects because the federal govern- the “Partnership for Open & Fair Skies” testifying before the Senate subcom- as airline mergers, tighter capacity ment can’t do it alone.” coalition of U.S. airlines and unions waging mittee on aviation operations. management and “larger and fuller The airlines disagree. Airlines for For the fiscal year that begins aircraft.” The FAA’s NextGen ATC America (A4A), the trade group rep- a bitter campaign against rival Persian Gulf in October, the FAA has proposed modernization promises to improve resenting major U.S. airlines, coun- carriers. The coalition contends that Gulf raising the federal cap on the PFC, runway and airspace efficiency, but ters that airports are “flush with nations subsidize their state-owned carriers which airports collect to finance may require more capacity in other cash” from other revenue sources to the detriment of American industry and in capital improvements, to $8 per areas, including airport terminals, and have $11.4 billion of unre- contravention of open-skies trade agreements. enplaned passenger from $4.50. the GAO says. stricted cash and investments on SWAPA, which represents nearly 8,000 This would be the first such cap hand. Among the witnesses at the Southwest pilots, joins a mounting standoff increase since 2000. At the same Cost Estimates Vary Senate hearing, Michael Minerva, that pits American, Delta and United airlines time, the FAA proposes reduc- The FAA and the airport indus- American Airlines vice president of against Qatar Airways and UAE-based carriers ing the overall amount of grants try offer different estimates of com- government and airport affairs, said Emirates of Dubai and Etihad of Abu Dhabi. it makes to airports under the Air- ing airport development costs. The the two sides should work together The U.S. departments of State, Commerce port Improvement Program (AIP) FAA counts just AIP-eligible proj- more closely on airport projects. and Transportation said they would conduct a to $2.9 billion from $3.35 billion this ects and places the cost at $33.5 “Airport by airport, airlines and air- formal proceeding to assess the U.S. airlines’ ports are reaching agreements on allegations of improper subsidies. capital spending and will continue American, Delta and United sparked the PRATT STRESSES PROFITS OVER MARKET SHARE to do so without any change in the controversy earlier this year when they released Scheduled to become the first engine Issuing a sort of state-of-the-company statutory PFC scheme,” he said. a white paper making the case that Gulf carriers to enter service with the A320neo in this briefing in Hartford, Adams described “There is no lack of funding for air- in the last decade have received $42.3 billion year’s fourth quarter, the PW1100G holds 2015 as an extremely busy year in terms port improvement projects. Any gaps in subsidies from their governments. at least one advantage over its compe- of flight-test activity after a 2014 cam- that exist between an airport’s cur- tition from CFM purely by virtue of its paign that he called “good but not great” rent conditions and the desired con- z Indonesia Scraps Merpati Re-launch earlier certification and EIS. Still, the CFM in terms of company finances. He did ditions result from the lead times After two postponements the Indonesian Leap-1A carries a modest market-share also call 2014 a “transformational year” and complexity involved in complet- government has scrapped the planned advantage among the some 60 percent from a product perspective, as Pratt cer- ing airport projects and not from relaunch of Merpati Nusantara Airlines for of the neo customers who have already tified nine engines–seven derivatives any lack of funding…The airlines later this year, citing pressure from creditors chosen an engine. Speaking at his compa- and two “major” products–including not only support projects to repair for full settlement of outstanding debts. ny’s annual Media Day event in Hartford, the PW1100G for the A320neo. “As a and improve airport infrastructure, we demand it and we are willing to Merpati’s poor credit rating has rendered it Conn., this spring, Pratt & Whitney pres- result of this the largest part of our devel- pay for it.” unable to lease aircraft. State-owned oil giant ident Paul Adams wouldn’t betray any opment spent on our geared turbofan Congress will have to strike a bal- Pertamina, airport operators Angkasa Pura I and concern about the early sales imbalance, program has been completed and we’re ance between the competing inter- Angkasa Pura II account for its main creditors. The however. In fact, market share doesn’t transitioning now into flight-test and into concern him at this point, he said. entry into service,” he noted. ests in the next FAA reauthorization combined value of their claims totals $429 million. “I’m actually not wound up on share Over the next three years Pratt legislation. “While needs go beyond Merpati’s debt was $444 million (U.S.) when it percentage,” said Adams. “We’ve got a expects to deploy the geared turbo- the airside component, such as gates grounded its fleet of five DHC-6 Twin Otters and great backlog and we want to be sure fan at 39 different airlines, 45 percent and runways, the FAA’s most recent 13 Chinese-made MA-60 turboprops on February that we deliver that backlog and, frankly, of which don’t currently appear on capacity report forecasts an over- 4 last year, an action it attributed to cash-flow we want to win profitable deals.” the company’s list of operators. The all decline in capacity investment problems and an inability to obtain fuel on credit. The fact that the PurePower series company plans what Adams called a needs through 2030 as compared A senior official at the Ministry of Transport has already flown for 3,500 hours seven-step process to ensure smooth to prior projections,” said subcom- in Jakarta, Debbie Heryanto, said the gives Pratt a solid advantage, Adams entry into service, starting 18 months mittee chairman Sen. Kelly Ayo- government does not have the funding needed asserted. “We have data, we’re flying,” before EIS. “We think that’s going to be tte (R-N.H.). “This does not mean to re-launch Merpati. The government held he stressed. “It’s going to be easier for an important element of making sure we should stop investing in aviation a 93.8-percent stake in the carrier through us to go into customers and say, ‘Here’s that as the airlines transition to the GTF, infrastructure, but it should inform the Ministry of Finance (MoF), and Garuda what the product is capable of doing. it’s smooth and works effectively for our approaches to ensuring that Indonesia held the remaining 6.2 percent. What’s the other guy doing?’” them,” concluded Adams. –G.P. funding mechanisms are tailored to projected needs.” o

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atrbroadcast atraircraft atraircraft.com A customizable dashboard lets users drag and Traxxall enters maintenance tracking arena drop widgets such as a calendar with due items and other informational mini screens anywhere on the page. by Matt Thurber

Last year, new maintenance track- around to a lot of operators and flight “That was an important part of our phi- develop a system that can be adaptable.” ing provider Traxxall Technologies departments and heard pretty clearly that losophy,” he said, “to write code so peo- One way that Traxxall helps is by opened for business. There is no short- they would welcome a new entrant into ple can use [the product].” providing the user with the means to age of maintenance tracking companies the market. Some were frustrated with Traxxall is building interfaces for build filters that generate a required such as Camp Systems, Flightdocs, Sky- the technology that was out there, and popular operations software such as report. For example, Steinbeck Books and others. Camp claims a sig- some didn’t want to be overly dependent ArincDirect’s Flight Operations Sys- explained, an operator used to generate nificant share of the market, with more on one or two providers.” tem, Professional Flight Management, a report every quarter with all the seri- than 16,000 aircraft, and is the “fac- The Traxxall team started by mapping Seagil’s Bart and others. “It’s relatively alized component changes listed. This tory maintenance tracking provider” out a detailed product specification. “To easy to get systems talking to each involved going through each logbook for Bombardier, Boeing Business Jets, their credit, it was really well done, log- other,” said Mark Steinbeck, Traxxall’s entry to find each change, making cop- Daher, Dassault Falcon, Embraer, ical, sensible, with a lot of advantages,” president of U.S. business. And there ies, highlighting the component, then Honda Aircraft, Piaggio, Pilatus and Henderson said. “They understood the is no need to build modules in Traxx- typing it into a spreadsheet and send- Textron Aviation. Avtrak exists as a brief. It took four to five months to code. all that are already available from other ing it to the CFO and the leasing com- division of Camp Systems, for opera- We didn’t want to launch a me-too busi- software providers. pany. “We built a filter, he hits ‘generate tors that prefer to do more data entry. ness, but wanted something that was new Traxxall was designed for any size report’ and it goes right to the CFO. It Buyers of new aircraft can choose any and fresh.” flight operation or aircraft, he said. “The saved him two days per quarter.” maintenance-tracking provider, and people who built it understand flight Traxxall is designed to run on any Web- Traxxall will match the first-year-free Customer-selected Reports departments and workflows. Not every enabled device. The company uses aircraft deal that typically comes with new air- Aircraft operators consistently told operation works the same. An operator manufacturer Chapter 5 maintenance pro- craft, said CEO Scott Henderson. Traxxall they want to create a variety of with three heavy jets in Florida might grams to populate customers’ databases, “People were looking for an alter- custom reports and that the product must operate differently from an operator with but Traxxall can also update these with native provider,” he added. “We called integrate with their existing software. the same jets based in Chicago. We had to the instructions for continued airworthiness that come with modifications and upgrades. Other Traxxall features include CAMP SYSTEMS ACQUIRES CORRIDOR MAINTENANCE SOFTWARE a customizable dashboard that lets the Maintenance-tracking provider Camp Systems purchased Con- Group and the former P&WC Engine Condition Trend Monitoring user drag and drop widgets such as a cal- tinuum Applied Technology in March, adding Continuum’s Corridor (ECTM) operations. It is now the exclusive trend-monitoring provider endar with due items and other informa- Aviation Service Software to Camp’s list of capabilities. “It’s our inten- for all Honeywell Maintenance Service Plan engines. The company tional mini screens anywhere on the page. tion to create a seamless flow of information between Corridor and monitors more than 30,000 Honeywell and P&WC engines installed in The status report page shows the status of Camp and other maintenance-tracking systems,” said Camp CEO Ken 16,000 customer aircraft. maintenance requirements such as inspec- Gray. This would eliminate the common practice of having to enter “The real breakthrough is information coming off aircraft via sen- tions, life-limited components, on-condi- information twice, into software–such as Corridor–that service centers sors,” Gray said. “That’s where we have put our focus. We acquired tion parts, ADs, service bulletins and so use, then again into a maintenance-tracking system. ECTM because we felt the best use of information coming from sen- on. The “holding area” is used to man- Gulfstream Aerospace, for example, uses Corridor in its fac- sors was from engine manufacturers.” age the aircraft’s maintenance operations. tory-owned service centers. “They’ve done a good job of capturing He added, “This is not only historical maintenance tracking, but Traxxall offers digital signature capabil- information and using it in customer support,” he explained. “If we forward-looking tracking; we can see a graph of trends and make ity compliant with FAA Advisory Circu- can reduce the paper flow and make [the process] more accurate, it maintenance decisions.” Ultimately, he said, “we see monitoring lar 120-78. Documents signed in the field will make it easier for service centers.” technology expanding to the whole aircraft. There are many sen- are automatically loaded onto Traxxall’s Continuum founder and president Jack Demeis is remaining sors beyond engines. The [leading] edge of technology is integrating servers for safekeeping, and Traxxall can with the company, which is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Camp is maintenance and engine health and things we capture like oil anal- store historical documents if an operator located in Merrimack, N.H., with the maintenance-tracking activities ysis data. Now all trending and monitoring is an integrated part of so desires. centered in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. maintenance tracking. New technology is giving trend information in “We built something that people can “It’s a cornerstone acquisition for us in the ERP [enterprise resource real-time or close to real-time; this is where the market is going.” open up and say, ‘This is intuitive,’” said planning] market,” Gray said. “We’re investing heavily.” This includes Gray expects airframes to yield sensor data too. “A lot of aircraft Henderson. “We’re on track to sign more opening a new data center in Austin. “Corridor had a significant market collect data,” he said, “but [the industry] hasn’t taken the step of than 150 airplanes this year. There’s real share and was a quality player. Our ability to add research-and-develop- making that data useful. Different manufacturers are solving that in demand out there.” o ment money and resources could really take it to the next level.” different ways. We’re making sure that information can be presented For Camp, that next level involves capturing data from aircraft sen- in a useful way. All of that relates to the maintenance-tracking func- sors for trend monitoring of the entire aircraft. Currently, Camp offers tion, and more information to give a total picture of the health of trend-monitoring services for Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) and the aircraft. We really need to embrace the bigger data picture that’s Honeywell TFE and HTF engines through its purchase of The Trend there to manage the health of the aircraft.” –M.T.

66 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com ABSOLUTELY ICONIC

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10721-TAG-FAB-AIN-EBACE-THANKS-AD-254x328-v3.indd 1 01/05/2015 14:47 Hot Section by David A. Lombardo Maintenance News ASSET INSIGHT OFFERS FREE TOOL avionics manufacturers. It holds TO EVALUATE MX CONDITION an STC for installation of the Jet Aviation Singapore has received Garmin GSR56, which provides FAA approval for its interior shop, Asset Insight is making its Baseline pilots with access to on-demand so it can now certify refurbished components or entire Maintenance Rating available free on weather information and text/voice cabin interiors. its website. The Baseline Maintenance communications through the Iridium Rating is specific to an aircraft make satellite network. Sun will continue and model, and takes into account the as the authorized East Coast provider asset’s total flight hours and cycles, for Cutter Aviation’s G950 Meridian along with its date of manufacture. retrofit program. It allows a quick evaluation and “With the integration of the avionics comparison based on its significant team we are able to provide a new financial wild card–its maintenance depth and strength of services to condition–for those looking to buy or Piper, Pilatus, King Air and all [other] sell an aircraft. aircraft owners. Our relationships and “The beauty of this tool is location allow us to provide rare and that it simplifies tremendously timely services that will be convenient complex data using sophisticated for aircraft owners from across the maintenance analysis algorithms U.S., as well as Central and South to produce an objective, easily America,” said Bump Holman, CEO of understood aircraft maintenance Sun Aviation. rating instantly,” said Tony Kioussis, Gulfstreams, Jet Aviation Singapore for all of NDI’s proprietary Bell 206 president of Asset Insight. can provide warranty, line and base- and 407 rotor brake parts. Previously, Once the user enters an aircraft’s MXI TECHNOLOGIES RELOCATING maintenance support to owners and NDI had not offered parts at the make, model, version, flight hours and TO OTTAWA FACILITY IN THE FALL operators of U.S.-registered G650s. aftermarket level. cycles, and date of manufacture, the Mxi Technologies, a developer of Since opening its doors last Located on Phoenix-Mesa Gateway site returns the Baseline Maintenance maintenance management software, year, Jet Aviation Singapore has Airport, Able operates a helicopter Rating for the entered aircraft signed a 10-year lease to move its performed a 96-month inspection on repair facility with an inventory of along with material explaining the corporate headquarters to a new space a Challenger, 4C inspections on two more than 8,000 certified PMA parts methodology and meaning of the in the technology center in Ottawa, Global Expresses and a 96-month and component repairs. Its PMA parts returned score. Canada. The new space will combine inspection on a GIV, including painting for Bell, Sikorsky and Agusta operators Buyers who are considering several into one facility operations that are and refurbishing the interior. The now include transmission duplex aircraft can use the tool to winnow the currently spread among three separate company is currently gearing up for bearings, pillow block bearings and pool of candidate aircraft by better buildings. Mxi has experienced 8C inspections of multiple Global rotor brake discs. Able has many other understanding their maintenance steady growth in recent years, adding Expresses later this year. parts for the Bell 206 and 407 in the status. Prospective sellers can use customers across the Americas, Europe “We built our new hangar in direct final stages of testing and certification. the system to identify the Baseline and Asia. In addition to moving into response to growing demand for large, The company holds certifications from Maintenance Rating to evaluate (in larger quarters, the company will be long-range business jets in the region,” the FAA, EASA, ANAC and CAAC, broad strokes) their aircraft against boosting its staffing by 15 percent to said Stefan Benz, vice president of among others. others it is likely to be competing meet demand. MRO and FBO Services in EMEA against and then obtain more detailed Bill Cavitt, president and CEO, and Asia. NDI’s disc information about those specific said the company is in the process of Jet Aviation Singapore provides calipers are other aircraft to develop an effective adopting agile principles throughout scheduled and unscheduled among the justification for their own aircraft’s the organization to better serve its maintenance, aircraft repair, defect parts Able is asking price and valuation. customer base and support employees troubleshooting and rectifications and approved to sell for several through the transformation. “The aircraft modifications. In addition, the Bell models. new office provides a more flexible company offers interior refurbishment, SUN AVIATION BUYS ASSETS working environment, featuring first- avionics modification and exterior OF VERO BEACH AVIONICS class collaborative workspaces that are painting services. The 80,700-sq-ft Sun Aviation has bought the assets used by many of the leading software hangar can accommodate up to eight of Vero Beach Aviation and integrated innovators in the nation’s capital and G650s, eight Global 7000s or three the avionics shop’s equipment, facilities, around the globe,” Cavitt said. The Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) or Airbus technicians and leadership into its company expects to occupy the new Corporate Jets (ACJ). own operation. A family-owned and facility this fall. -operated aviation services provider, Sun Aviation features a maintenance ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE PMA’d PARTS facility and FBO. JET AVIATION SINGAPORE GETS FOR BELL 407 AND 429 Located adjacent to Piper Aircraft FAA OK FOR GULFSTREAM G650 Mesa, Ariz.-based Able Aerospace on Vero Beach Municipal Airport, The FAA has approved Jet Aviation has signed an exclusive distribution Sun Aviation’s Part 145 repair station Singapore to provide line and base agreement with Northwest Dynamics is an authorized Piper service center maintenance for the Gulfstream G650. (NDI) to offer NDI’s Bell 407/429 WEST STAR AVIATION INTEGRATES with expertise in a range of general The company also added a Thailand PMA parts. The inventory includes the CARBON FIBER INTO AIRCRAFT aviation aircraft. The service center DCA repair station approval. As a Bell 407 caliper assembly, 429 caliper also retains authorized service and factory-authorized service center assembly, 429 brake disc, 407 caliper/ While carbon fiber has been used in dealership relationships with all and warranty repair facility for overhaul kits and 429 caliper/overhaul the structure of aircraft for some time, kits. As NDI’s exclusive distributor, it’s now making its way into the interior Sun Aviation has acquired Able stocks and distributes all of the and exterior of the aircraft. When Vero Beach Avionics and integrated company’s proprietary Bell 206 and 407 integrated into the cabin, carbon fiber the two companies’ activities. rotor brake parts. All associated parts covers surfaces where wood veneer is for the newly approved 407/429 PMAs traditionally used, such as countertops, are available exclusively from Able side ledges, tables or bulkheads. West Aerospace. Star Aviation has integrated carbon Able and NDI announced their fiber into five aircraft refurbishment distribution partnership last year, and/or exterior paint projects–among and under the terms of the agreement them a G200, Challenger 604 and Able stocks and handles distribution Falcon 900–since last year. In addition,

68 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com Maintenance News West Star has painted the exterior of an will help employers build a pipeline aircraft to resemble carbon fiber. of quality, well trained aviation talent SUPERIOR AVIATION GROUP “The use of carbon fiber in cabin right into their workspaces. For ADDS CONSULTING SERVICES design has continued to grow in veterans, it will be an invaluable first popularity as it gives a unique, high- step toward building a new career on Coppell, Texas-based Superior tech and more modern look than the foundation of their military training Aviation Group formed Superior the traditional veneer options,” said and years of hands-on experience. AvConsulting Services, a subsidiary Debi Cunningham, vice president of “The great challenge for the aviation that provides planning, development, marketing and interior design at West industry at large, and maintenance administrative, marketing and support Star Aviation. “Carbon fiber can be providers specifically, is in expanding consultation services for internationally finished in high gloss, the same as a and maintaining the technical based aviation companies wanting to do veneer. This gives the cabin a more workforce of the future. In our veterans, business in China. The company, with an modern look but retains the high-gloss, the United States has a deep reserve office in Qingdao, China, also provides high-quality look that customers prefer.” of aviation talent–motivated, highly consulting for Chinese and other trained and disciplined–that can play municipalities around the world looking a prominent role in overcoming that to develop business and general aviation. GlobalParts.aero COO Malissa Nesmith and Chuck challenge. On its own, Aviation Heroes “In the four years since it was Perkins, executive director of business development embodies a great and noble cause. For formed, the Superior Aviation Group for Aero-Mach Lab, formalize their recent our members and the flying public, the has rapidly grown and now includes distribution agreement. organization provides an invaluable eight international companies resource for supporting the future of representing everything from piston to have the Augusta, Kan.-based American flight,” an ARSA spokesman aircraft engine production, to aviation aviation parts supplier serve told AIN. fuel supply, to the development of as an authorized distributor In addition to learning about career China’s Superior Aviation Town,” for its products. “This opportunities, job seekers can build said group CEO Tim Archer. “That arrangement represents the next their professional network and meet broadening scope of experience logical step in the evolution of our West Star has been making use of carbon fiber in front-line recruiters who are making has attracted a number of aviation relationship,” said Chuck Perkins, aircraft interiors to take advantage of its light weight. hiring decisions in the weeks and product and service companies and executive director of business months to come, all within the comforts entrepreneurs based in China, the U.S., development for Aero-Mach Labs. BAKER AVIATION NAMED DEALER of their home or office. Europe and South America that have “As we’ve continued to expand FOR ALI LED REPLACEMENTS come to us asking for our help and our own business model we have guidance in bringing their products or also watched GlobalParts diversify North Texas-based Baker Aviation MIDDLE EAST OPERATOR CHOOSES services into these markets.” and dramatically expand [its] is now a dealer for the line of Aircraft EURAVIA FOR PT6 SUPPORT Archer said the growing importance markets in recent years, especially Lighting International (ALI) LED Euravia Engineering signed its the Chinese government has placed on internationally. It will allow us to replacement bulb systems. ALI’s new third consecutive contract for PT6 aviation has improved opportunities move forward, not just in a customer/ LED lighting system replaces fluorescent MRO services in support of a major in the country for general and business vendor relationship but also as lamps directly without requiring any new Middle East operator. Tony Gardner, aviation. “We have been receiving partners. We’re extremely confident wiring or connectors. The advanced and Euravia’s deputy managing director, numerous requests to help Chinese that this will help us both reach new fully dimmable LED replacement lamps said, “Exports now account for more cities and provinces connect with levels of customer exposure,” he said. make the conversion from fluorescent to than 90 percent of Euravia’s [revenue], companies across the globe.” Wichita-based Aero-Mach Labs LED easy, fast and economical. a fact that underpins the company’s Superior Aviation Group consists specializes in the repair, overhaul and Under the agreement, Baker sustainable growth strategy. Our goal is of eight companies located in China exchange of aircraft instruments and Aviation will receive special dealer to ensure that high-quality and reliable and the U.S.: Superior Aviation fuel system components. pricing on the ALI line, including customer service is being delivered to Beijing, Superior Air Parts, Qingdao “Our collaboration with Aero- the 28V-DC LED lamp kit, which all of Euravia’s customers.” Brantly Investments, Freesky Aviation, Mach has progressed over the past incorporates the LED lamp and ballast Approved by the FAA, EASA, Superior Aviation Fuel, Brantly half-dozen years,” said Brad Vieux, as one unit. It also comes with easy TCCA, various OEMs and numerous International, Superior Aviation Town GlobalParts.aero’s director of installation, fully dimmable capability, national airworthiness authorities, and Superior AvConsulting Services. business development. Aero-Mach customizable lengths and customizable Euravia is focusing entirely on Pratt performed repair and overhaul work colors. ALI is a TSO, FAA PMA- & Whitney Canada PT6A, PT6C and on some of the Beech legacy parts approved manufacturer of replacement PT6T engines and supports more than GLOBALPARTS.AERO TO SELL in GlobalParts.aero’s inventory, lamps that are direct replacements for 200 civil and defense customers in 50 AERO-MACH LABS PRODUCTS and since then the companies have B/E Aerospace and Aerospace Lighting countries. The MRO also offers mobile collaborated on other projects, fluorescent lamps. repair teams to provide immediate 24/7 Aero-Mach Labs signed an including support for a Beech 1900. Baker Aviation is an aircraft on-site support anywhere in the world. agreement with GlobalParts.aero maintenance, management and charter company, licensed to provide ORIENS AVIATION AUTHORIZED professional aviation services in the AS PILATUS PC-12 DEALER U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America Pilatus Aircraft appointed Oriens and the Caribbean. Aviation an authorized PC-12 sales and service center for the British Isles. The new company will be responsible ‘HIRE OUR AVIATION HEROES’ for all sales and maintenance of the SEEKS VETS TO FILL JOBS PC-12 turboprop single in the territory. Oriens Aviation is evaluating a number The Aeronautical Repair Station of options for its new main base, to be Association (ARSA) and the Aviation located in the southern half of the UK. Technician Education Council (ATEC) “Oriens Aviation is delighted have joined to support Hire Our Aviation to be affiliated with a credible and Heroes, a nonprofit organization recognized global brand, matching dedicated to helping veterans transition Swiss engineering with British into civilian aviation careers. entrepreneurship,” said Edwin On June 24, that relationship will Brenninkmeyer, director of Oriens bear its first fruit when Aviation Heroes Euravia Engineering is focusing its support services exclusively on Pratt & Whitney Canada engines–PT6As, Aviation. Approximately 40 Pilatus hosts an online job fair. The event PT6Cs and PT6Ts–and already supports the engines of 200 civil and defense customers around the world. Continues on next page u

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 69 Hot Section uContinued from preceding page Maintenance News PC-12s have been imported into the UK JET AVIATION BASEL COMPLETES and Ireland since 1994, and he expects FALCON 7X C-CHECK “it to remain an attractive aircraft for many years to come.” He added, “The Jet Aviation Basel recently performed British Isles have the highest number of its first C-check on a Dassault Falcon airfields per square mile anywhere in 7X. The inspection was completed Europe, many of which are grass strips in conjunction with an EASy II and small runways. The PC-12 makes upgrade, a satcom installation, a soft- it possible to turn this opportunity into material refurbishment, woodwork tangible and practical versatility.” rectification and exterior painting. To

A Falcon 7X recently underwent a C-check at Jet Aviation’s Basel facility. keep downtime to a minimum, technicians worked in shifts throughout the entire project. “Our ability to coordinate on-site refurbishments and upgrades during extensive maintenance checks adds further value by enabling our customers to maximize utilization of their aircraft,” said Johannes Turzer, vice president and general manager of the Jet Aviation Basel maintenance center. Jet Aviation Basel’s completions and maintenance center holds repair station certifications from the FAA, EASA and 21 other national authorities. It employs 1,600 professionals and features its own in-house design and engineering departments along with on-site cabinetry, upholstery, fiberglass and paint shops. The organization can outfit jets as large as an A380 or 747-8 and provides aircraft maintenance and repair services to a variety of business jets.

STANDARDAERO ADDS COMPONENT REPAIRS StandardAero recently added 2,000 new part repair capabilities to its portfolio of component repair services. Last year the company repaired 35,000 parts while maintaining a 95-percent on-time delivery rate. The majority of repairs were performed at StandardAero’s 250,000-sq-ft MRO facility in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company recently expanded its component repair capabilities UTP will have you back in the air in no time. to a second 100,000-sq-ft facility in Winnipeg, Canada, At UTP, we have PW100 and PT6 engines and components ready to go. to accommodate additional So we can get you back up there faster. No waiting. No delays. engine lines and unique repair development capabilities. Our 50,000 square foot warehouse is packed to the rafters with inventory. The new repair capabilities And in addition to saving you time, we can also save you money through extend across 35 different our engine management and exchanges. So cancel all those flight delays engines, including the GE and give us a call today. No one gets you flying faster than UTP. CF34. “We are constantly developing customer-requested, OEM-aligned component repairs,” said Rick Stine, president of the StandardAero military and components sector. “And we will continue Call UTP and watch us fly. 334.361.7853 | [email protected] | utpparts.com to reduce our customers’ MRO costs this year.” o

70 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com Hot Section Opinion TORQUED by John Goglia

According to the NTSB’s current A LOU MARTIN COMPANY EST. 1999 Communication safety alert to GA mechanics, the NEW FLAT PANEL SOURCE common threads in the recent acci- Short Lead Times remains dents were “maintenance personnel Production and Custom Panels who serviced or checked the systems did FAA Approved Allowables Nomex, Aluminum, and Divinycell Core not recognize that the control or trim Fiberglass, Aluminum, and Phenolic key link surfaces were moving in the wrong direc- Skins Custom Radius Panels tion” and “pilots who flew the airplanes Headliner, Valance and PSU Panels in safety chain did not notice the control anomalies Core thickness from .125” to 1.00” during their preflight checks.” Send us your Engineering Prints If you missed the NTSB’s safety alerts The alerts make specific recommen- PHONE:(210) 832-0200 this past month, three were targeted at dations for mechanics about preparing FAX: (210) 930-8192 general aviation pilots and one at GA to perform maintenance and actually e-mail: [email protected] www.techcomposites.com mechanics. The three aimed at pilots performing it. They include becoming involve flying in mountainous terrain; familiar with the systems before disas- transition training when flying different sembly. “It is easier to recognize aircraft or aircraft with different flying ‘abnormal’ if you are familiar with characteristics or avionics; and the what ‘normal looks like’; follow up-to- importance of performing detailed date procedures from the manufacturer preflight checks after maintenance, and any airworthiness directives; and especially maintenance involving flight remember that human factors such as control and trim systems. fatigue and stress can affect the perfor- The alert targeted to the GA main- mance of your work. Be alert for these tenance community stems from recent factors and guard against the risk that MOVIES CABIN MOVING accidents involving improperly rigged they pose.” & MUSIC CONTROL MAP flight controls and trim system. The But I was particularly struck by this alerts targeted to the GA pilots and recommendation: “Ensure that the mechanics involving mainte- aircraft owner or pilot is thor- nance raise an issue near and oughly briefed about the work dear to my heart: the importance that has been performed. This of communication between may prompt them to thor- maintenance and flight opera- oughly check the system during tions. Communications between preflight or help them success- maintenance and flight ops is fully troubleshoot if an in-flight critical whether the operation is problem occurs.” an airline operated under Part Too often maintenance is 121 or Part 135 or a private John Goglia is a done and logbooks are handed former member of operation under Part 91. Of the NTSB and back to customers without this course, in general aviation, the currently a kind of thorough and detailed pilot is often the only person safety consultant. debriefing. But just as it’s impor- in the “flight department,” so He welcomes tant for mechanics to commu- communication directly between your e-mails at nicate directly with customers the maintenance provider and [email protected]. after maintenance, it’s impor- the pilot is crucial to ensuring tant for pilots to seek out that safety after maintenance is performed. information. If mechanics aren’t forth- coming with details of what work was Communication Is a Two-way Street done on their aircraft, owners, especially In my experience as a mechanic and owner-pilots, should be asking. as an NTSB member reviewing acci- In conjunction with the release of dents, communication between those the general aviation safety alerts, the who maintain aircraft and those who NTSB released a video to supplement fly aircraft is not as good as it could and the flight control and rigging safety should be. In these alerts, the NTSB alerts, Lessons Learned from a Close highlights one particular area where the Call. If a picture is worth a thousand failure to communicate clearly can have words, this video is worth a thousand tragic results for the GA pilot. safety alerts. Although the two pilots The alert to mechanics reminds them speak calmly and professionally of a to verify correct directional travel of flight-test they were asked to perform controls and trim. This alert is predicated after maintenance on an aircraft, which on four general aviation incidents over included rigging of the flight controls, The future the last two years that involved similar it’s obvious that having an unresponsive problems and caused in-flight emergen- aircraft made for a harrowing flight. cies. [Problems with improperly rigged The video includes interviews of the starts today flight controls are not limited to GA two pilots and the mechanic who did mechanics. An Air Midwest Beech 1900 the work. Kudos to the pilots for calmly Wireless entertainment, cabin control, moving map, flying as a regional carrier for USAirways handling a difficult in-flight emergency. and more are available for your private aircraft. Now. crashed on takeoff at Charlotte, N.C., in And kudos, as well, to the mechanic January 2003 because a mechanic had for coming forward and describing rigged the elevator control incorrectly. the mistake so that others could learn This error, combined with the aircraft from it. It takes a lot of guts to admit a Ready to partner with an being outside its c.g. envelope, prevented mistake publicly. n industry innovator? the pilots from being able to control the Call 800.513.1672 to get started. pitch of the aircraft. The resulting stall The opinions expressed in this column are www.JetJukebox.com and crash killed all 19 passengers and those of the author and not necessarily two crewmembers.] endorsed by AIN.

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 71 Touching Bases by Curt Epstein FBO and Airport News island nation in the Indian Ocean the destination for travelers to the right facility.” When completed by FRENCH AIRPORT OPERATOR BUYS that is part of Africa, and at Robert record-breaking Pacquiao-Mayweather year-end, the terminal will include SPANISH FBO NETWORK L. Bradshaw International Airport welterweight boxing match, the Plano, comfortable lounges, conference on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. Texas-based chain handled 270 private and meeting rooms, along with a Sky Valet, the growing FBO brand SSR International has direct flights aircraft on its ramp and pumped 250,000 pilot lounge equipped with Boeing owned and operated by France’s to several destinations in Africa, Asia gallons of fuel. The company’s facility 747 first-class cabin seats. A theater Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur Group, and Europe and is also home to the at Louisville International Airport room, snooze rooms, showers and has acquired Spain’s largest private country’s national airline, Air Mauritius. Standiford Field, where it is the lone flight-planning center round out the aircraft ground-handling provider with FBO, saw its usual Kentucky Derby Day pilot amenities; charter customers its purchase of Gestair FBO from the FBO SURVIVES LESS THAN A YEAR bonanza. It hosted 600 aircraft for the will have access to dedicated catering Gestair Group. The acquisition, part of horse race and pumped 225,000 gallons kitchens with dishwashers and Sky Valet’s strategy to establish a pan- Aviat Mall, the second FBO at North of fuel, making for what a company laundry facilities. The San Francisco- European FBO network, brings the Carolina’s Wilmington International spokeswoman described as “by far the area airport, which has a 5,253-foot company’s ground-handling services Airport (ILM), which opened last busiest day in Atlantic’s history.” runway, had been looking to privatize to eight Spanish airports: Madrid summer, closed last month after With the two premier sporting its FBO services for several years, (which also has a 24/7 operations failing to meet the airport’s minimum events taking place on opposite sides and Five Rivers in partnership with center), Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, standards and defaulting on its rent of the country, but with enough Epic Aviation will assume the fuel Ibiza, Girona, Valencia, La Coruña payments. Known primarily for its time for a dedicated sports fan to concession from the City of Livermore. and Santiago de Compostela. pilot-centric product sales business, attend both events through the use “The acquisition of Gestair FBO the location at ILM was the company’s of aviation, there was surprisingly TOKYO’S AIRPORTS GET fully meets the development objectives first foray into the aviation service little cross-pollination, according to FIRST BIZAV HANGARS of the Sky Valet network, given its business. “The FBO business is capital industry data tracker FlightAware. leadership and prestige on the Spanish intensive, and I don’t think they It noted only two private jets, a GV With the Tokyo area beginning market,” said Dominique Thillaud, realized how much it would take,” and a Challenger 300, departing preparations to host the 2020 Olympic chairman of the management board of said airport manager Julie Wilsey. the Louisville area around 6 Games, its airports are already seeing Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur Group. Aviat Mall was the only respondent p.m., before the post time for the improvements to handle the expected Sky Valet, launched a year ago to numerous RFPs issued last year Derby, heading to Las Vegas. influx of private aircraft. Tokyo at EBACE, provides FBO services by the airport for the five-year, non- Haneda International Airport received at Cannes Mandelieu and Golfe de renewable lease on the 13-acre former CONSTRUCTION UNDER WAY its first private aviation hangar in Saint Tropez airports. Last month it Aero Services facility, which included ON NEW CALIFORNIA FBO March when Wings of Life began added the former Unijet FBO facility a 3,000-sq-ft terminal and 21,000 sq operations in a 129,850-sq-ft former at Paris Le Bourget to its portfolio. ft of hangar space. The short term of The owners of Five Rivers Aviation Japan Airlines facility purchased by the lease was necessitated because of broke ground last month on a new the company. The hangar offers nearly MAURITIUS AIRPORT RECEIVES the airport’s master plan, which calls FBO at California’s Livermore 54,000 sq ft of aircraft storage and NEW PRIVATE AVIATION HANGAR for the removal of the facility from Municipal Airport (LVK). The $5 is large enough to shelter a 747. FBO use at the end of the lease period. million facility will include a 6,000- In addition to storage, the hangar Yu Lounge, a private aviation The closing leaves Air Wilmington– sq-ft terminal and 25,000 sq ft of will provide space for private aircraft terminal brand owned and operated by currently undergoing redevelopment– hangar space in its initial phase of maintenance activities at the airport, the Veling Hospitality Group, opened as the lone services provider. According construction. Future phases could and the company plans to add FAA a nearly 20,000-sq-ft (1,800 sq m) to Wilsey, the airport board will make a add another 50,000 sq ft of hangars. maintenance authorization in the future. hangar at Mauritius Sir Seewoosagur decision on issuing an RFP for another “It’s nice when you can design and At present, its JCAB Class 1-certified Ramgoolam (SSR) International new FBO on the north side when the build an FBO from the ground up,” aircraft mechanic staff can provide Airport on May 6, completing a two- redevelopment project is completed. said Pete Sandhu, company owner troubleshooting, parts procurement year construction project. The new and president. “We’re not limited and mechanical support, along with $3 million hangar can accommodate DUELING SPORTING EVENTS by a 50-year-old building that needs a full suite of tools and equipment four Falcon 900s or a pair of BOOST TRAFFIC AT ATLANTIC renovation; we’re building exactly the available for rental. The location can Global 5000s at the same time. “Private jet arrivals in Mauritius have May 2 was a busy day for aviation CHARTER NEWS NOTES witnessed constant growth, with around services provider Atlantic Aviation. At 200 to 300 jets arriving annually,” Las Vegas McCarran International, > Grünwald, Germany-based MHS Aviation swapping out the 95-seat cabin with a 54/56- said Nirvan Veersamy, Veling Group now has three Challenger 604s in its charter/ seat executive layout within 12 hours. co-founder and managing director. management fleet. The third 604–a 2005 > Key Air is the first charter/management “The hangar is designed to support model–is available for charter and is the operator with a G650ER; it joined the this fast-growing aviation industry and fourth airplane to join the now 17-strong fleet company’s fleet in April. to efficiently meet the maintenance in the past six months. and safety requirements of business > Jet Aviation added two G650ERs to its > Aerolineas Ejecutivas, with bases in Toluca jet owners. We have raised the bar on Hong Kong-based fleet in May; these are the and Monterrey, Mexico, has added six new innovation and customer service, which company’s sixth and seventh G650s flying in Learjet 75s, bringing its fleet to 23 aircraft. The places Mauritius ahead of the other the EMEA region. airports available in the region.” new jets can fly up to 2,000 nm at Mach 0.75. > Silver Air, based in Santa Barbara, Calif., Yu Lounge provides luxury lounge The company’s fleet logs 15,000 hours a year. added a second Citation CJ2 to its fleet. services for both private and commercial Atlantic’s facility at McCarran International hosted > Catreus , based near London at Biggin Hill, This CJ2 is based in Camarillo, Calif., and is passengers at Mauritius, a volcanic 270 aircraft for the “Fight of the Century.” says it is the first operator to offer a Citation available for charter. M2 for charter in Europe. “We expect the Citation M2 to be popular for short trips > VistaJet expanded its fleet by 10 new aircraft within Europe, such as to the Mediterranean, in the first quarter and plans to add up to 10 for both business and pleasure,” said Catreus new Challenger 350s in the U.S. during the managing director Cy Williams. next two years. > London Southend-based Jota Aviation reports > Vertis Aviation is serving Africa-based strong demand for its first BAE 146-200, which customers with a Boeing 727 in Super 27 entered service last October. The jet flies a private configuration. The trijet will be based support contract from London City Airport at Lanseria International Airport in South for a scheduled carrier and ad hoc charters Africa and operated by Fortune Air. The in Europe, including North Sea oil support. aircraft can accommodate 43 passengers and Yu Lounge recently opened a new 20,000-sq-ft hangar in Mauritius. Jota plans soon to offer multi-role capability, fly up to 3,200 nm. n

72 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com FBO and Airport News FBO PROFILE: Bohlke International Airways provide office space as well as mechanic and crew lounges for handling and ATLANTIC STARTS CONSTRUCTION A 10,000-FT RUNWAY PAVES The company, which is known for provid- maintenance companies to support ON KANSAS CITY HANGAR... THE WAY TO PARADISE ing complimentary offerings from the local their work within the hangar. Cruzan rum distillery, has also negotiated At Narita International, the airport Atlantic Aviation has broken ground While St. Thomas might have a more preferred crew rates for local accommo- corporation has leased a former on a hangar facility at the former glamorous reputation among the U.S. dations, including the island’s Renaissance 82,400-sq-ft JAL maintenance hangar Hangar 10 FBO at Kansas City Charles Virgin Islands than nearby St. Croix, the lat- Carambola Beach Resort. In addition, the to AGP, which will provide private B. Wheeler Airport, which it has owned ter is slowly establishing itself as an idyllic FBO offers a recently renovated lobby and aircraft storage and accommodate for more than a year. Designed to meet getaway destination in its own right. The passenger lounge decorated with locally third-party maintenance activities. growing demand for tenant and transient island, a favored vacation destination of Vice produced artwork, a 12-seat ramp-view Limited operations began there in aircraft storage, the new energy-efficient President Joe Biden, is the easternmost part conference room, concierge service, onsite February as the facility undergoes structure, expected to be completed by of the United States and its territories, and car rental and complimentary Wi-Fi. The renovation. Like the Haneda hangar, year-end, will have a 19,676-sq-ft hangar, is actually situated closer to Africa than Los facility is animal friendly for those passen- it will be able to accommodate large enough to shelter a G650, along Angeles. That proximity made it an important gers who wish to travel with their pets, even business aircraft of all sizes. with 6,460 sq ft of office and shop space cog in the U.S. response to last year’s African arranging their transport when the airlines with a common kitchen, galley and Ebola crisis, with several large military air- are unable to. The FBO has a staff of 36 and HOUSTON-AREA AIRPORT lobby area. This will add to the 36,000 sq ft of hangar space the FBO already has. With more than 30,000 sq ft of ramp space, LENGTHENS RUNWAY Bohlke offers plenty of aircraft parking. An 18-month construction project to …AND ROLLS OUT extend the main Runway 14/32 at Lone NEW TRAINING PROGRAM Star Executive Airport in Conroe, Texas, has been completed. The addition of Atlantic Aviation has launched a 1,500 feet of pavement, extending the line-service training program. Known runway at the dedicated business aviation as Atlantic Certified Employee (ACE), airport to 7,500 feet, makes it possible the program will address aircraft for most business aircraft to take off towing and fueling practices, along without weight restrictions during the with fuel quality control. All Atlantic craft landing every day for weeks, to refuel. is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with after- scorching Texas summer heat. The line service technicians are required St. Croix’s pristine beaches and tur- hours callout available. Customs, immigra- Houston-area airport is also anticipating to stay current in the program, and quoise waters are served by Henry E. tion and pre-clearance are provided at the the addition of U.S. Customs and they will be audited by the company’s Rohlsen International Airport, which–with commercial terminal between 6 a.m. and Immigration service next April. regional safety and risk team. its 10,000-foot runway–can handle any- 6 p.m. with 24-hour call-out available for thing with wings. The runway was length- international Part 135 flights. NEW MILLION AIR FBO FBO-BASED CASINO RESORT ened from 7,500 feet more than a decade For incoming passengers and crew alike, OPENS ON GULF COAST PLANNED FOR SOUTH KOREA ago to allow max-weight takeoffs for hospitality is number one, according to Ruth Europe-bound aircraft. “Tuddy” Bohlke, company vice president Freeman Holdings Group has Incheon International Airport Corp. and Bill Jr.’s wife. “We try to portray the opened the latest addition to the (IIAC) and the Connecticut-based Business Begins with Charter island as a friendly place you want to visit Million Air FBO chain at Stennis Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority Since 1959, the family-owned company not only coming through for business but to International Airport in Mississippi. (MTGA), which operates the Mohegan now known as Bohlke International Airways come back,” she told AIN. “It’s the attitude The new $7 million facility includes Sun Casino among other businesses, (BIA) has had a presence at the airport and of ‘Welcome to St. Croix; we’re so happy a 7,500-sq-ft terminal, 25,000 sq ft have signed a memorandum of is now the oldest aviation company in the you’re here.’” of hangar accommodation and more understanding (MOU) to develop the region. It was started as a charter service Unusual among Caribbean FBOs, the than 500,000 sq ft of ramp space. world’s first casino-resort attached to an by the late Bill Bohlke Sr., who was granted facility offers 50,000 sq ft of hangar space, The FBO building offers two visitor FBO. Destined to be built on an 800-acre an acre of land at the airport by the local which can shelter G450-size aircraft from lounges, a flight-planning room, a plot of land at South Korea’s Incheon government to build a hangar to foster the the searing sun. With more than 30,000 sq ft pair of pilot snooze rooms, a multi- International, the project will have a growth of private aviation on the island. The of ramp space, abundant parking is avail- media conference suite and a theater. 1,000-room ultra-luxury two-tower initial charter service, Virgin Island Airways, able, and it frequently hosts visiting U.S. On the second floor, the Jet-a-way Café hotel, a 20,000-seat sports/entertainment grew until it was eventually acquired by a military aircraft such as the massive C-5 overlooks the airport and ramp area. arena and nearly 200,000 sq ft each of commuter airline. The company immedi- Galaxy. That volume of parking space, the Located just north of the I-10 casino, indoor/outdoor amusement ately established a new charter company, company notes, along with its lower fuel freeway, Million Air Stennis provides park and retail and food venues. Eastern Caribbean Airways, and began offer- prices and less costly accommodations, access to cities along the Mississippi “This project is an important ing FBO services in 1969 when CEO Bill makes St. Croix a good alternative for air- Gulf Coast, and is less than an hour’s step in Incheon Airport’s continued Bohlke Jr. (nowadays an FAA Wright Brothers craft positioning compared with other more drive from New Orleans. The runway efforts to become a global mega- Master Pilot award recipient with 37 years of congested airports in the region. Its location at Stennis is 8,497 feet long. “It’s a hub, delivering passengers the highest airline service) took over management of the just 400 miles north of Venezuela also puts wonderful airport in a great location quality service and serving as the best company. Today his son serves as company Bohlke in the discussion as a quick-turn tech with excellent runways, taxiways airport in the world in all aspects of president and chief pilot. BIA began selling stop for aircraft transiting between the U.S. and ramp space,” said Freeman our operations,” said Park Wan-su, jet fuel in 1975 and was the first FBO in the and South America. Holdings CEO Scott Freeman. IIAC president and CEO. o U.S. or its possessions to buy directly from A World Fuel dealer, BIA can also pur- the refinery and sell it as its own product, chase fuel directly from Hovensa, the joint through a deal with Hess Oil. venture between Hess and Venezuela. It The casino-resort planned for Incheon Airport will have a luxury hotel and entertainment The FBO, the lone service provider on accepts all major fuel cards and its tank farm complex, among other amenities. the field, was sold in 1985 to Dynair, and holds 50,000 gallons of jet-A; its fleet of Bohlke’s charter operation and flight school six tankers holds another 50,000 gallons. relocated to a smaller nearby hangar, but A pair of avgas trucks serves the airport’s four years later, after Category 5 Hurricane piston traffic. The company’s NATA Safety Hugo ravaged the island, the company reac- 1st-trained staff also provides all into-plane quired the FBO (destroyed save for one service for airliners at St. Croix as well. open-air hangar) for pennies on the dollar In addition to maintaining the compa- and rebuilt it from the ground up. ny’s charter fleet, which includes a G100, The now 25-year-old 5,000-sq-ft two- Citation II, MU-2B-40 and King Air 200, story terminal offers a pilots’ lounge, a Bohlke’s mechanics also perform mainte- snooze room with en suite spa-quality nance on transient aircraft. Aircraft detail- shower, flight-planning facility and crew car. ing service is available too. –C.E.

www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 73 Accidents by Robert P. Mark PRELIMINARY REPORTS FINAL REPORT

METRO ENGINE FAILURE AT RIFLE called the pilot, who first confirmed the power was off KING AIR DESTROYED DURING EMS POSITIONING FLIGHT to all ovens, warmers and microwaves. He then walked Beechcraft King Air 200, seven miles southwest of Atqasuk, Fairchild SA227AC, Rifle, Colo., April 16, 2015–The to the back of the cabin and used two fire extinguish- Alaska, May 16, 2011–The aircraft hit terrain because the pilot failed NTSB cited a second-stage turbine rotor in an engine ers to douse the fire. The crew declared an emergency to maintain sufficient airspeed during an instrument approach in icing failure and subsequent fire as the Metro climbed away and continued to Orlando’s long runways and fire and conditions, according to the NTSB. The result was an aerodynamic from Rifle (RIL), Colo. Despite substantial dam- rescue services. The crew evacuated the passengers after stall and subsequent loss of control. Contributing to the accident were age, the aircraft eventually landed safely at Grand landing and firefighters checked the airplane for any the pilot’s fatigue; the operator’s decision to initiate the flight without Junction with no injuries to the sole-occupant pilot. signs of continued fire or hot spots. conducting a formal risk assessment that included time of day, weather Registered to CBG of Wilsonville, Ore., and oper- Examination behind the galley’s glass storage area and crew rest; and the lack of formal guidelines for the medical ated under Part 135 by Key Lime Air of Englewood, revealed sooting and the remains of a burned wir- community to determine the appropriate mode of transportation for Colo., the turboprop twin departed RIL at 10:45 p.m. ing bundle. The circuit breaker for the 28-volt cabin patients. The pilot and two medical personnel aboard the aircraft received local time on an IFR flight plan for Denver. The air- overhead lighting bundle had been tripped. The inves- minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. craft was still well below the peaks of nearby moun- tigation revealed the wires had been routed over an The pilot had worked a 10-hour shift the day of the accident and had tains when the pilot heard a “bang” followed by a insulation bundle and not next to the aircraft fuse- been off duty for about two hours when the chief pilot called him around complete loss of power and engine fire indications lage. The wires were also found to have burned midnight to transport a patient. The pilot accepted the flight, and about two from the right engine. The pilot declared an emer- through a soft line believed to be part of the passen- hours later he was conducting an instrument approach to Atqasuk Airport gency and diverted to Grand Junction Regional ger oxygen system. to pick up the patient. The pilot reported receiving his clearance for a GPS Airport for an instrument approach and an otherwise Runway 6 approach about 35 miles from the airport. He remained above uneventful landing at 11:11 p.m. HELICOPTER CREWMEMBER DIES 2,200 feet–just above the cloud tops–in the descent, most likely to remain Post-incident examination revealed the right DURING RESCUE OPERATION clear of the ice. Before the initial approach fix he did descend to 2,000 feet, engine’s second-stage turbine rotor had separated. One putting the aircraft in the clouds. portion exited the left side of the engine, penetrating the Airbus EC145, Austin, Texas, April 27, 2015–A 46-year- He turned on all of the anti-ice and de-ice systems, and they appeared right side of the fuselage. Rifle weather at the time of old crewmember on a Star Flight EC145 died when she to be shedding ice almost completely, the pilot reported. He extended the incident was a moonless sky with light wind and an fell from the helicopter still buckled into her harness. the flaps and lowered the landing gear to descend and added power. The overcast layer at 2,000 feet. The visibility was 10 miles The accident occurred during a wilderness rescue mis- airspeed continued to decrease, however, as the airplane descended. The in light rain, with a surface temperature hovering just sion at the Barton Creek Green Belt area southwest of pilot raised the flaps and landing gear and applied full climb power. The above freezing. Austin. A stranded hiker was eventually rescued and no airplane shuddered as it climbed and the airspeed continued dropping. one else on board the helicopter received injuries during When the stall warning activated, the pilot lowered the nose to increase CHEYENNE ACCIDENT CLAIMS FOUR the remainder of the mission. the airspeed, but the aircraft continued descending until it struck the level, snow-covered terrain. The pilot did not indicate any mechanical issues Piper PA-31T1 Cheyenne, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., HELICOPTER STRIKES POWERLINES IN CHINA with the airplane. April 12–The aircraft, operating under Part 91 in day The aircraft satellite tracking and engine and flight control monitoring VMC, crashed into a wooded area, barely missing a Bell 206, Sichuan Ziyang Lezhi, China, April 13, 2015– were used in the investigation. The minimum safe operating speed for the busy highway while on approach to Fort Lauderdale The helicopter, belonging to a forest pest control airplane in continuous icing conditions is listed as 140 kias. The King Air’s Executive Airport. All four people aboard perished company, flew into power lines and crashed under as- IAS fell below 140 knots four minutes before impact. During the last minute in the accident. The twin turboprop was registered to yet-unknown circumstances. The pilot, the only per- of flight, the IAS varied from a high of 124.5 knots to a low of 64.6 knots Aircraft Guaranty of Onalaska, Texas. Reports indi- son aboard, died in the accident and the helicopter was and the vertical speed varied from +1,965 fpm to -2,464 fpm. The last data cate the Cheyenne had departed Orlando Executive destroyed. recorded showed the airplane at 68 kias, descending at 1,651 fpm with the Airport and declared an emergency on the way in nose pitched up 20 degrees. to Fort Lauderdale, with the pilot reporting smoke FIVE ESCAPE KING AIR LANDING ACCIDENT The chief pilot reported pilots were on call 14 consecutive 24-hour in the cockpit. An eyewitness said the wings of the periods before receiving two weeks off. He said the accident pilot had Cheyenne were rocking just before it dived into the Beechcraft King Air 200, Maracaibo-La Chinita Airport, worked the previous day, but stated he was rested enough to accept the ground a quarter mile short of Runway 13. A post- Venezuela, April 25, 2015–The Venezuelan-registered mission. The chief pilot indicated he was aware that sleep cycles and crash fire on airport property destroyed the aircraft. aircraft, operated by Sata, sustained substantial dam- circadian rhythms are disturbed by varied and prolonged activity. age during a landing accident at 5:10 p.m. During the The operator’s management said it does not prioritize patient SOUTH AFRICAN ASTAR ACCIDENT CLAIMS ONE accident, the tail separated from the fuselage, and the transportation with regard to medical condition but bases transport decisions left wing and engine were destroyed by a post-crash on medical staff requests and the availability of a pilot, aircraft and suitable Airbus AS350B3, Mazabuka Ekushiya, Zambia, April fire. All five people on board escaped; the extent of any weather. The NTSB said that given the long duty day and the early-morning 9, 2015–Initial reports from the region offered con- injuries was not reported. departure time of the flight, it is likely the pilot experienced significant fatigue fusing details about how many people were aboard that substantially degraded his ability to monitor the airplane during a dark the helicopter when it crashed during what was FIREFIGHTING HUEY CRASHES IN SOUTH AFRICA night instrument flight in icing conditions. at first believed to be an aerial mapping mission. One of the NTSB’s safety recommendations (A-06-13) stemming Information gathered later by local sources claimed Bell UH-1H, Bainskloof, South Africa, April 10, 2015– from the crash addresses the importance of conducting a thorough risk the helicopter, operated by GASA-Geotech Aviation The Huey was making an emergency landing to extin- assessment before accepting a flight. The safety recommendation asks with only the pilot on board, crashed at 1:10 p.m. guish a rapidly spreading bush fire in reportedly high the FAA to “require all emergency medical services (EMS) operators while on a ferry flight. A post-crash fire destroyed wind at the time of the accident. The helicopter crashed develop and implement flight risk evaluation programs that include the aircraft. into the side of a mountain and was destroyed by a training all employees involved in the operation and procedures that post-crash fire. The crash claimed the lives of the two support the systematic evaluation of flight risks, and consultation with FALCON CREW LANDS AIRCRAFT crewmembers aboard. others trained in EMS flight operations if the risks reach a predefined AFTER IN-FLIGHT FIRE level.” Had such a thorough risk assessment been performed, the CARAVAN RETURNS TO AIRPORT decision to launch a fatigued pilot into icing conditions late at night might Dassault Falcon 900B, Orlando, Fla., April 16, 2015– AFTER POWER FAILURE have been different or additional precautions might have been taken to Investigators found areas of soot and burned wiring alleviate the risk. after the crew of a Part 91-operated Falcon 900 doused Cessna 208B, Kahului Airport, Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, The NTSB is also concerned that the pressure to conduct EMS operations an in-flight galley fire and conducted a normal landing April 22, 2015–None of the four people aboard the safely and quickly in various environmental conditions elevates the risk at Orlando International Airport (MCO) at about 7:10 Caravan was injured when the pilot conducted an of accidents when compared with other methods of patient transport. p.m. None of the 15 people aboard was injured during emergency return to Kahului Airport after a loss of However, guidelines vary greatly for determining the mode of and need for the incident. engine power at approximately 9:35 a.m. local time. transportation. Thus, the NTSB recommends in A-09-103 that the Federal The flight attendant first noticed an odd smell in the The aircraft, operated by Mokulele Airlines, was Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services (Ficems) “develop galley area just before the aircraft began descending departing on a scheduled passenger trip at the time of national guidelines for the selection of appropriate emergency transportation on a Star into MCO. After a quick search of the area, the incident. The aircraft did not suffer any damage modes for urgent care.” The most recent correspondence from Ficems she noticed a glow behind some galley appliances and in the landing. o indicated that the guidelines are close to being finalized and distributed to members. Such guidance will help hospitals and physicians assess the The material on this page is based on the NTSB’s report (preliminary, factual or final) of each accident or, in the case of recent accidents, on information obtained appropriate mode of transport for patients. n from the FAA or local authorities. It is not intended to judge or evaluate the ability of any person, living or dead, and is presented here for informational purposes.

74 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com Compliance Countdown by Gordon Gilbert

2016. Under the new rules, Part 135 on- Within 6 Months demand operations flying aircraft with 10 or u June 30, 2015 more seats (excluding pilot seats) are required to EASA To Clarify develop FAA-acceptable policies, procedures, Private Flight Rules for AOC holders methods and instructions when using contract In a Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA), maintenance. These operators must also the EASA addresses what it calls “safety provide the FAA a list of all people with whom issues” related to the lack of regulations for they contract their maintenance. noncommercial operations performed by air operator certificate (AOC) holders, such as u June 8, 2016 and June 7, 2020 when air-taxi and charter business aircraft are Europe ADS-B out Mandate Who coordinates aircraft flown on private missions. The NPA contains The earliest ADS-B out requirement in Europe a minimum list of elements to be considered is June 8, 2016, for new aircraft and June 7, service work so it stays on time in the risk-assessment process when the 2020, for retrofit. The date for retrofits is about AOC holders follow operational procedures six months later than the U.S. ADS-B out and delivers as promised? different from those normally used for their mandate, which requires the equipment to commercial air transportation. Comments are be operational starting Jan. 1, 2020 in aircraft due by June 30, 2015. A final decision on the that fly under IFR and where transponders are requirements is scheduled to be made by the currently required. third quarter of 2017. u Apr. 22, 2016 u September 2015 (tentative) Helicopter Ambulance Control Centers Position Reporting Proposal from ICAO New FAR Part 135.619 requires operators Member countries of the International Civil with 10 or more helicopter air ambulances Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommended to have operations control centers beginning the adoption of a tracking standard for aircraft April 22, 2016. Operational control specialists crews that requires them to report their must undergo an FAA-approved initial training positions at 15-minute intervals. Adoption program and pass a knowledge and practical by the 36-state ICAO Council is expected test. The operations control center must at a this fall. Operators would be able to comply minimum maintain two-way communications with the mandate using existing and planned with pilots, provide pilots with weather technologies and procedures, ICAO said. briefings, monitor the progress of the flight and The standard is considered a first step toward participate in the preflight risk analysis required implementation of a more comprehensive under recently revised Part 135.617. three-tiered approach to tracking normal, abnormal and distress conditions. Beyond 12 Months u Dec. 1, 2015 and Jan. 1, 2017 u April 24, 2017 European Union Tcas Version 7.1 Directive Part 135 Rotorcraft Radio Altimeters Turbine aircraft that are approved to carry at Under new Part 135.160 after April 24, 2017 least 19 passengers, certified before April 1 rotorcraft must be equipped with an operable last year and equipped with Tcas II version FAA-approved radio altimeter, or an FAA- 7.0 must be upgraded to the latest version of approved device that incorporates a radio 7.1 traffic alert and collision avoidance system altimeter. Deviations from this requirement may software by Dec. 1, 2015. ICAO does not be authorized for helicopters in which radio As the project manager for a Bombardier Global require that version 7.1 software be installed altimeters cannot physically be installed in the Express due for an 8C inspection, Gary worked for international flights as a retrofit until Jan. cockpit. The request for deviation authority through small changes and temporary delays, 1, 2017. All other applicable airplanes were is applicable to rotorcraft with a maximum constantly tweaking the flow of the project. The required to have 7.1 Tcas II software installed by takeoff weight of no more than 2,950 pounds. April 1 last year. The radio altimeter mandate is contained in workscope included a brand new CMS, additional the final rule upgrading private, air-taxi and air avionics work, full paint and a partial interior, and u Dec. 31, 2015 ambulance helicopter operations, published on encompassed approximately 14,000 labor hours. But Deadline to Meet Stage 3 Noise Levels Feb. 21, 2014. every time the original plan shifted, Gary kept his eye Eight months remain to the December 31 on the out-date and the aircraft delivered on time. deadline after which jets with an mtow of up u Jan. 1, 2020 to 75,000 pounds may no longer operate in U.S. Deadline for ADS-B out Avionics “Planning among team members prior to the the contiguous U.S. unless they meet Stage 3 A final FAA rule requires installation of ADS-B noise levels. When the rule was published on out equipment by Jan. 1, 2020, for aircraft flying aircraft’s arrival is key, but our ability to handle July 2, 2013, the FAA said the mandate affected in Class A, B and C airspace. The equipment is projects quickly, efficiently and manage everything 457 U.S.-registered owners of 599 principally designed to allow air traffic controllers to know in one location from start to finish keeps Stage 2 business jets, though several models can where aircraft are with greater precision and customers coming back,” says Gary. now be–or will be able to be–hushkitted or reliability than current ATC radar provides. re-engined to meet Stage 3 before the deadline. For the rest of the story visit The rule also applies to non-U.S.-registered aircraft. u February 2020 www.DuncanAviation.aero/experience/gary.php. European Controller-Pilot Datalink Delayed Within 12 Months Europe will postpone requiring aircraft operators to equip for controller-pilot datalink u March 4, 2016 FAA CORRECTION communications (CPDLC) for five years, Contract Maintenance Requirements until February 2020, to address technical Effective Date Corrected problems. The European Commission expects Certain Part 135 on-demand operators have the entity managing the Single European Sky several more months to comply with new ATM Research (Sesar) effort will recommend contract maintenance requirements as a result remedial actions for ground infrastructure issues Experience. Unlike any other. of a recently released FAA correction. When next year. Additionally, European Commission +1 402.475.2611 | 800.228.4277 the requirements were published last March, figures showed that only 40 percent of they showed an effective date of May 4, 2015. operators would have been ready to use CPDLC The actual compliance deadline is March 4, by the original deadline of Feb. 5, 2015. o

AIN_DuncanAviation_May2015.indd 1 4/29/2015 12:44:45 PM www.ainonline.com • June 2015 • Aviation International News 75 People in Aviation Compiled by Kerry Lynch

Airbus Group appointed Chris Emerson American Eagle Airlines and director of Davis executive director of marketing for president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters. quality control at Pinnacle Airlines. business and commercial aviation training Emerson, who also will lead Airbus Heli- King Schools promoted Rich Martindell activities. The company promoted Brian copters North America, has served as senior to v-p of course content and experience. Moore to manager of the Wichita East train- v-p, head of marketing with Airbus in Tou- Martindell, an F-15 instructor pilot for the ing center. Scott Politte has been appointed louse, France. He succeeds Marc Paganini, U.S. Air Force, was previously director of assistant manager of the company’s Wichita who has been named head of special proj- product development for King Schools. East Learning Center. ects for Airbus Group. Former Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) has Sun Air Jets promoted long-time employ- Ernest (Ernie) Edwards has joined Aerion joined the New England government affairs ees Leigh Ann Spooner and Geoff Savage. as senior v-p and chief commercial officer. and public relations firm O’Neill and Asso- Spooner was named senior director of char- Edwards brings more than four decades of ciates as a senior vice president in the fed- ter sales and Savage is taking on the role of aviation experience to his new position, in- eral relations practice in Washington, D.C. senior director of flight control. cluding serving as president of Embraer Ex- Circor Aerospace appointed Andy West Star Aviation hired Chris Woolver- ecutive Jets and holding roles with Cessna, Schwarz sales director for California and ton as avionics technical sales manager. Gulfstream and Swift Aviation Group. Frédéric Gréhal general manager for Wayne Trzeciak has joined Reliable Ernest (Ernie) Edwards Mike Fourticq was named CEO of Ad- France. Maintenance as director of parts operations. vent Aerospace and Steve Jourdenais was FlightSafety International appointed Kyle Intelsat promoted Michael DeMarco named president. Ron Roberts, meanwhile, and Kurt Riegelman to its executive leader- becomes president of Advent Aircraft Sys- ship team. Riegelman, a 17-year company tems. The appointments follow the spinoff Awards & Honors veteran who previously was senior v-p of of Aircraft Systems into a standalone cor- global sales, was named senior v-p of sales poration. Fourticq has been a principal Skyqueen Enterprises president and CEO and marketing. DeMarco, who joined Intel- and board member of majority shareholder Millie Hernandez-Becker will be honored by sat in 2000 and was vice president of media Hancock Park Associates and previously the Women’s Enterprise Development Center services, takes on the newly created posi- was president of the company. Jourdenais (WEDC) on June 11 for “the outstanding exam- tion of senior v-p of operations. was senior v-p, interiors for Advent Aero- ple she has set promoting women’s economic Bell Helicopter appointed Tom Moyer space, while Roberts was vice president of empowerment.” Hernandez-Becker has 25 regional sales manager, responsible for the Aircraft Systems division. In addition, years of aviation industry experience, working marketing and sales in the Midwest region Advent Aircraft Systems appointed Thomas with equity groups Goldman Sachs and The Car- of North America. Dan Colbert Grunbeck vice president, marketing and lyle Group, along with fleet owners and airports. Agamemnon Kikerakis, chairman and sales. Grunbeck has more than 25 years of She managed Westchester Air and now, at the CEO of Sky Express, and Gustaf Thureborn, aviation sales, marketing, business develop- helm of Skyqueen Enterprises, counts Flexjet CEO and president of West Atlantic, were ment, engineering and manufacturing ex- and Million Air among her clients. She also elected to the European Regions Airline As- perience with companies including Stevens mentors young women and girls about oppor- sociation (ERA) board. Kikerakis, who has Aviation, Safe Flight Instrument, Barnes tunities available to them, emphasizing the im- more than 20 years’ international business Aerospace, Goodrich, Gulfstream Aero- portance of education, and serves as a trustee experience, became Sky Express CEO in space Technologies and Grumman. of Mercy College in Westchester, N.Y. 2012. Thureborn has been an ERA member The Safran board of directors confirmed The National Air Transportation Association for 18 years. the appointments of Philippe Petitcolin as (NATA) named the recipients of its Industry Excel- International Communications Group CEO and Ross McInnes as chairman. Both lence Awards to be presented June 17. Tony Gay, (ICG) appointed Eric Stuck regional sales are serving as directors. a 41-year industry veteran and engine services manager within its business aviation seg- Aircraft Propeller Service named Dan manager for StandardAero, will receive the ATP/ ment. Stuck, who joined ICG from Bizjet Colbert president and CEO. Colbert most NATA General Aviation Service Technician Award Mobile in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has held recently was operating partner for private in recognition of “exceptional performance of a senior sales and business development po- Dmitriy Korshunov equity firm Riverside and acted as board licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic or sitions with Gulfstream, Hawker Beechcraft chairman for six portfolio companies. He radio repairman who has practiced his or her Services and AMR Combs. succeeds Mark Grant, who is transitioning craft for 20 or more years.” Jess Romo, airport Cutter Aviation named Ned Batchelor to chairman. manager at Van Nuys Airport, was selected for avionics manager of its Phoenix Sky Harbor Eric Born was appointed president and the NATA Airport Executive Partnership Award, facility. Batchelor has more than 32 years of CEO of Swissport International, effective presented annually for a manager’s “outstanding avionics and management experience with August 1. efforts to foster relationships between aviation companies that include Pemco World Air Dmitriy Korshunov was appointed CEO businesses and airport operators.” Eric Walter, Services, Ozark Aircraft Systems, Raytheon of Delta World Charter. Korshunov has chief pilot at Bemidji Aviation Services, will re- Aircraft Services, Aero Charter and Haggan held senior executive positions with charter ceive the Excellence in Pilot Training Award for Aviation in Englewood, Colo. and brokerage companies over the past 14 his “outstanding contributions in safety, profes- James Clifford was named director of years. sionalism, leadership and excellence in the field engineering for Sabreliner Aviation. Clif- Hawthorne Global Aviation Services of pilot training.” NATA is awarding its inaugural ford has more than 40 years of operations promoted Bryon Burbage to president. Bur- Safety 1st Certified Line Service Professional and engineering experience with Kal-Aero, bage, who retains the role of CFO, joined Award to Jeremy Van Dyke, line service man- Duncan Aviation, National Flight Services the company in 2011 and since has inte- ager at Tac Air, for his achievements in safety and and Clifford Air Solutions. Kyle Davis grated five FBO acquisitions for the chain. service and business success. Lou Németh, chief safety officer at Bombardier promoted Peter Likoray to NBAA awarded its 2015 Maintenance CAE, was elected to the Air Charter Safety senior v-p of sales for business aircraft. A Technical Reward and Career Scholarships to Foundation board of governors. Németh 25-year company veteran, Likoray had most 44 recipients at the association’s Maintenance oversees flight-safety matters at CAE and is recently served as vice president for busi- Management Conference last month in Portland, active on several international rulemaking ness aircraft sales for North America. Ore. The scholarships will enable the recipients committees, including for the Internation- Safe Flight Instrument appointed Paul to attend model-specific courses at training al Civil Aviation Organization, the Royal Quaintance vice president of sales and centers providing instruction on aircraft, engines Aeronautical Society and the FAA. marketing. Quaintance has previously held and avionics. Stephen Farrell joined Aviation & Mar- executive positions with Elbit Systems of Two Greenpoint Technologies employees keting International (AMI) as vice president America, Kollsman, GE Aviation Systems are recipients of Patriot Awards from the Office of technical services. Farrell has 28 years of and Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space. of the Secretary of Defense Employer Support of aviation industry experience, most recently Executive AirShare appointed Mike Bi- The Guard and Reserve. The awards were pre- with StandardAero. anchi vice president of maintenance. Bian- sented to production supervisor Bryan Wolff Greenpoint Aerospace named Steve chi has 20 years of aviation maintenance and machine-shop operations manager Eric Bruce sales director. Bruce most recently Brian Moore management experience, including stints Slavinsky. n was business development director for U.S. as director of maintenance operations at business aircraft with Zodiac Aerospace. o

76 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com P UBLIC ATION S Content Marketing

SOLUTIONS

Now available in print and video formats. Your message, your way. For more information please contact your sales representative or email [email protected] Calendar Compiled by Jane Campbell

CONFERENCE…June 30-July 2, Loews Ventana EXECUTIVES ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND u l PARIS AIR SHOW…June 15-21, Le Bourget 684-4646; www.vtol.org. JUNE Canyon Resort, Tucson, Ariz. Info: (202) 783- EXPOSITION…June 7-10, Philadelphia, Pa. Airport, Paris. Info: www.siae.fr. PAN AMERICAN SAFETY SUMMIT… SAFETY AND AUTOMATION IN AVIATION 9000; www.nbaa.org. Info: (703) 824-0500; www.aaae.org. CANADIAN BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION June 22-26, Medellin, Colombia. Info: (786) 388- FORUM…June 2-3, Eurocontrol headquarters, MEDITERRANEAN BUSINESS AVIATION WBAT COMMUNITY CONFERENCE…June CONVENTION & EXHIBITION…June 15-18, St. 0222; www.alta.aero. Brussels, Belgium. Info: +32 2 729 90 11; CONFERENCE…June 30, The Palace Hotel, 9-10, Marriott Indianapolis Downtown Hotel, Hubert Airport, Montreal, Quebec. Info: (613) 236- EMBRY-RIDDLE NEXTGEN 101 SEMINAR…June www.eurocontrol.int. Sliema, Malta. Info: www.aeropodium.com. Indianapolis, Ind. Info: http://bit.ly/1zy35fz. 5611; www.cbaa-acana.ca. 23-24, Washington, D.C. Info: (386) 226-7232; FRANCE AIR EXPO…June 4-6, Lyon Bron www.erau.edu. INTERNATIONAL AVIATION SAFETY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT EMERGENCY International Airport, Lyon, France. Info: +33 4 92 CONFERENCE…June 10-12, Brussels, Belgium. PREPAREDNESS CONFERENCE…June 22-24, JETNET IQ GLOBAL BUSINESS AVIATION JULY 97 52 47; www.franceairexpo.com. Info: +49 221 8999 000; www.easa.europa.edu. Western Oaks Houston Galleria Hotel, Houston, SUMMIT…June 23-24, New York City. Info: (800) EAA AIRVENTURE…July 19-26. Oshkosh, Wis. BALTIC BUSINESS AVIATION…June 5, Tallink Texas. Info: (703) 797-2526; www.aaae.org. 553-8638; www.jetnet.com. PILATUS OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION Info: (920) 426-4800; www.eaa.org. Spa and Conference Hotel, Tallinn, Estonia. Info: OPERATIONS AND SAFETY CONVENTION…June INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ICING OF REGIONAL FORUM…June 25, Teterboro Airport, www.aeropodium.com. 11-13, Hyatt Regency Tamaya, Santa Ana Pueblo, AIRCRAFT, ENGINES AND STRUCTURES… N.J. Info: (202) 783-9000; www.nbaa.org. AUGUST AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF AIRPORT N.M. Info: (520) 299-7485; www.pilatusowners.org. June 22-25, Prague, Czech Republic. Info: (703) FLIGHT ATTENDANTS/FLIGHT TECHNICIAN u LATIN AMERICAN BUSINESS AVIATION CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION…Aug. 11-13, São Paulo, Brazil. Info: +55 (11) 50 32 2727; www.labace.aero. AIRCRAFT ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION REGIONAL MEETING…Aug. 18-19, Bogota, Columbia. Info: (816) 347-8400; www.aea.net. AOPA FLY-IN…Aug. 22, Anoka County-Blaine Airport, Blaine, Minn. Info: (301) 695-2159; www.aopa.org. AIR CAPITAL AVIATION EXPO…Aug. 27-29, Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center, Wichita, Kan. (316) 631-5462; www.aircapexpo.com. LATIN AMERICAN CARIBBEAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION… Aug. 31-Sept. 2, Panama City, Panama. Info: +44 (0) 20 8831 7510; www.aci-waga2015.com.

SEPTEMBER VIKING ALL OPERATORS FORUM…Sept. 8-10, Victoria Conference Centre and Viking Headquarters, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada. Info: (250) 656-7227; www.vikingair.com. EASA RULES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL OPERATORS SYMPOSIUM…Sept.15, Geneva. Info: (305) 767-4707; www.aeropodium.com. AVIATION ASSET MANAGEMENT SEMINAR… Sept. 22, Broadgate Tower, London. Info: (305) 767-4707; www.aeropodium.com. AFRICAN BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION… Sept. 24-25, Sheraton Addis hotel, Addis Ababa. Info: www.afbaa.org.

OCTOBER HELITECH…Oct. 6-8, ExCel, London. Info: +44 (0) 20 8748 9797; www.helitechevents.com. CENTRAL EUROPEAN PRIVATE AVIATION EXPO… Oct. 14-15, Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic. Info: +420 235 090 050; www.cepaexpo.com. INTERNATIONAL AVIATION TRADE SHOW AND CONGRESS…Oct. 14-16, JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, Cancun, Mexico. Info: +52 1 777 317 64 45; www.expo-ciam.com. OFFSHORE REGISTRATION CONFERENCE… Oct. 15-16, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort, Grand Cayman Islands. Info: +44 20 8123 7072; www.aeropodium.com/oar.

NOVEMBER AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION…Nov. 1-4, Gaylord National Resort, Washington, D.C. Info: (703) 299-2430; www.atca.org. SAFE SYMPOSIUM…Nov. 2-4, Orlando, Fla. Info: (541) 895-3012; www.safeassociation.com. u l DUBAI AIRSHOW...Nov. 8-12, Dubai World Central, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Info: dubaiairshow.com. u l NBAA BUSINESS AVIATION CONVENTION & EXHIBITION…Nov. 17-19, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas. Info: (202) 783-9000; www.nbaa.org.

JANUARY 2016 BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW…Jan. 21-23, Sakhir Airbase, Bahrain. Info: www. bahraininternationalairshow.com.

u Indicates events at which AIN will publish on-site issues or distribute special reports. s Indicates events for which AIN will provide special online coverage and e-newsletter. l Indicates events at which AIN will broadcast AINtv.com. See www.ainonline.com for a comprehensive long-range aviation events calendar.

78 Aviation International News • June 2015 • www.ainonline.com

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