Aviation International News July 2024

CONGRESS: AVIATION BILL BRINGS 1,000 DIRECTIVES

MAINTENANCE: ROUNDTABLE TACKLES MX DEMAND ISSUES

HANDS ON: SIM FLYING FMS GUIDED VISUAL APPROACHES

Special Report: Making the Connection

Burnished Diamond

Mitsubishi's MU-300 carved out a special niche in the light-jet market

LONDON TO NEW

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Global Jet Capital: $193B bizjet market over next five years

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Hands On: Flying Honeywell’s FMS guided visual approaches

New realities of certification: OEMs' winding road to the finish line

4 Bizjets climb in 1Q GAMA deliveries report

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Preparing for contrail reporting requirements in the EU

10 Mature GE Passport turbofan ready for next phase

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Now law, FAA bill tackles range of aviation issues

17 Special Report—Airborne communications come down to earth

24 Legacy Tails: MU-300, Japan’s sparkling gem

28 AIN Roundtable—Laying the groundwork for maintenance demand

Bizjets climb in 1Q GAMA deliveries report

BY CURT EPSTEIN

Total general aviation aircraft billings increased by 3.2% to $4.7 billion year over year (YOY) in the first three months of 2024, while business jet deliveries rose by 8.5%, according to the first-quarter delivery report released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

Embraer’s plan to alleviate its normal end-of-year delivery rush looks to be paying early dividends, with the Brazilian airframer’s first-quarter deliveries up 125% from the first three months of 2023. It more than doubled the number of Phenom 300s it handed over in the quarter—from four to 10.

Gulfstream also saw a 14% YOY increase, delivering four more large-cabin jets in the first quarter than it did a year ago—despite deliveries of its long-anticipated new flagship G700 not commencing until April—while Textron Aviation remained virtually static, handing over one more business jet this year than it did in the first three months of 2023. The Wichita OEM nearly doubled the number of midsize Latitudes it produced, moving from seven in the first quarter of 2023 up to 13.

Cirrus Aircraft added two more SF50 Vision Jets than it did in the first quarter of 2023, as Honda Aircraft tacked on another HondaJet.

While Bombardier handed over more of its Challenger-class aircraft in the first

quarter than it did last year, it experienced a 9% decrease this year as its number of delivered Globals dipped from 14 to eight.

Pilatus had a slow start, handing over four fewer PC-24 light jets this year than it did in the same period a year ago.

Among the bizliners, Airbus delivered one ACJ this year after none in the first three months of 2023. Boeing had no deliveries in the first quarter of either year.

Dassault only reports its Falcon jet deliveries at mid-year and year-end.

TURBOPROPS DOWN

Overall turboprop deliveries declined by 7.7% compared with last year, while the high-end turboprop segment saw a nearly 24% erosion.

Daher increased the number of TBM singles it delivered this year by three, while Epic logged an additional E1000 GX from Q1 last year, but the rest of the pressurizedsegment manufacturers saw decreases.

Textron Aviation experienced a 41% decrease among its turboprops, which include the King Air 260 and 360 twins, the Caravan and Grand Caravan, and the SkyCourier. Across all its turboprops, the company delivered 20 aircraft, compared with 34 a year ago.

News Briefs

JETCRAFT SEES OPTIMISM FOR USED BIZJET MARKET

Preowned business jets are now selling 45% faster than in 2019, according to a market forecast published by global sales broker Jetcraft. The report also contends that “the industry is in a much-needed market correction period, with a dip in both the volume and value [of transactions] in 2023.” According to Jetcraft, aircraft spent an average of 129 days on the market in 2022 versus 233 days in 2019. Ongoing transaction volumes are now similar to 2019 levels, while values remain higher. Thus, the company predicts a 59% increase in total transaction values between 2019 and 2028.

AMAZON LEGACY 600 MIDAIR COLLISION CASE CLOSED

A Brazilian federal judge has extinguished the case against two American pilots of an Embraer Legacy 600 that collided in September 2006 with a Gol Boeing 737-800 over the Amazon. The judge ruled that too much time had passed for a sentence to be imposed. Joseph Lepore and Jan Paul Paladino were piloting the Legacy 600 on its delivery flight to the U.S. when Brazilian air trafc control cleared them on a collision course with Gol Flight 1907. All 154 aboard the Boeing perished, while all seven aboard the Legacy 600 survived. The American pilots were eventually sentenced to three years and three months in prison, but the charge has no equivalent in the U.S., making the crime non-extraditable.

FORMER ALDER FUELS CEO GETS PRISON SENTENCE

Bryan Sherbacow, the founder and former CEO of sustainable fuel company Alder Fuels (now Alder Renewables), was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty in February to wire fraud charges. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, between 2021 and 2022 Sherbacow illegally siphoned nearly $6 million from the company.

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Preparing for EU contrail reporting requirements

BY MARK HUBER

Sustainability company 4Air is gearing up for aircraft contrail reporting under a 2025 EU mandate that will require aircraft operators to “report once a year on the non-CO2 aviation effects.” This includes emissions of nitric oxides (NOx), soot particles, oxidized sulfur species, and effects resulting from water vapor.

The EU will use this data to determine if contrails will be integrated into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) by the end of 2027—in other words, potentially taxing a non-carbon emission under an existing carbon tax scheme. The cumulative net warming impact of contrails is somewhere between 100 percent and 500 percent of the warming impact of CO2 alone, depending on time of day.

In the last two years, 4Air helped offset more than 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 from more than 550,000 flight hours. The company helps private aircraft operators worldwide calculate and offset their impacts on the environment through its four-level rating system. For customers attempting to navigate the minefield of the rapidly growing volume of aviation environmental legislation and regulation, including the

potential for the integration of contrails into the EU-ETS, 4Air provides regulatory monitoring and compliance programs. This is particularly useful in Europe, where the related landscape is changing rapidly, according to Kennedy Ricci, 4Air president.

While the EU-ETS has been in place for nearly 12 years, additional policies are springing up on a national, local, and even individual airport basis, according to Ricci, creating an ever-changing and confusing regulatory landscape.

With regard to contrails, official reporting guidance should be out within the next few months, Ricci said. Overall, he doubts this quilt of regulation is going to be streamlined anytime soon.

“I think we are in an era of growing and emerging new regulation rather than an era of consolidating regulation, so unfortunately we’re going to keep seeing more and more localized regulation to support each country’s own [environmental] ambitions, even down to the level of individual airports with their own visions,” Ricci said. “It is adding a lot of complexity that just didn’t exist two years ago in Europe at all, much less five years ago before Covid.” z

News Briefs

BOMBARDIER BULLISH ON BIZAV IN LATIN AMERICA

Seeing “significant interest” for business aviation in Latin America—especially Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina—Bombardier showed a Global 7500 and Challenger 3500 last month at the Catarina Aviation Show at São Paulo Catarina Executive Airport (SBJH). With more than 2,082 business jets in Latin America, Bombardier holds a 29% market share in the region. “A large majority of the Bombardier fleet in the region is aging, presenting considerable opportunity for growth in key medium- and long-range segments, as well as preowned aircraft,” the company told AIN

VAI LAUDS END OF NYC HELIPORT CLOSURE EFFORT

Legislative eforts in New York State that would have led to the closure of the West 30th Street Heliport in Manhattan have ended. Language that would have prohibited “any facility for motorized aircraft, including a heliport” was removed from the legislation, thanks to a grassroots campaign led by Vertical Aviation International (VAI) that responded vigorously to a request to contact state legislators and express concern over the closure plans.

NETJETS LAWSUIT ACCUSES PILOTS ’ UNION OF DEFAMATION

NetJets filed a complaint for defamation and violations of the Ohio Deceptive Trade Practices Act against the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP). The lawsuit seeks relief because of the union’s “repeated and false publications” calling into question NetJets pilots’ experience and capabilities, its pilot training and safety programs, safety culture, a new flight planning system and processes, and the company’s “longstanding commitment to safety.” NJASAP told AIN it “stands by the concerns we have raised about pilot training and the safety and maintenance cultures.”

Global Jet Capital: $193B bizjet market over next five years

BY KERRY LYNCH

Global Jet Capital (GJC) forecasts that the business jet market will reach $193 billion in total new and preowned transactions between 2024 and 2028. Releasing its annual Business Jet Market Forecast at the EBACE show in May, GJC also anticipates that the market will grow again this year after two years of decline.

After reaching nearly 4,000 aircraft trading hands in 2021, the volume dipped to 3,545 in 2022 and 3,021 last year. But it is expected to increase to 3,181 this year. Dollar volume this year should approach the 2022 high of $36.6 billion and surpass that beginning next year before climbing to an estimated $40.3 billion by 2028.

“New deliveries should increase to serve the large backlogs OEMs have accumulated over the past two years, while the preowned market is back to more normal levels and should restart a long-term trend of steady growth,” said GJC chief marketing officer Andrew Farrant. New deliveries are projected to grow by 9.4% this year and settle at an average annual rate of 3.2% over the next five years, peaking in 2027. Preowned volume is anticipated to increase by 4% this year, while transaction values are predicted to rise 2.2%. Average annual growth rate of volume through

2028 is expected to continue at 3.8%, with dollar volume creeping up by 2.3%.

GJC anticipates the market overall will experience a 4.4% compound annual growth rate with transactions expected to increase at an average annual rate of 3.6% and dollar volume at 4.4% over the next five years. For 2024 alone, transactions are anticipated to grow by 5.3% and dollar volume by 10.7%.

GJC CEO Vivek Kaushal told AIN that this year’s update to its forecast is “reinforcing the key theme that we’re seeing across the market right now, which is one of stability.”

While stressing that the market is no longer in the “go-go times” right after the pandemic, “backlogs are strong, production is increasing—but gradually—and we’re seeing that client interest remains solid.”

Replacement plans have returned to their usual patterns, as has new growth that is driven by wealth creation, Kaushal added.

For young aircraft, “the demand is very much there. Our clients are looking to replace or to upgrade aircraft.” On the preowned side, the market “had a big, nice run through 2022” but Kaushal explained, “That was driven, in our opinion, by a market that repriced after a long period, and it’s going to be a bit smaller than the peak that was back in 2022.” z

News Briefs

DASSAULT FALCON OPENS CATARINA MX CENTER

Dassault Aviation has opened a nearly 40,000-sq-ft (3,600-sq-m) service center in Brazil at São Paulo Catarina International Executive Airport (SBJH). The complex replaces the company’s 15-year-old Sorocaba MRO. The Catarina service center can accommodate up to five Falcons simultaneously. According to the company, the facility has earned Part 145 approvals from Brazil’s ANAC, the FAA, and EASA, as well as from aviation authorities in Argentina, Bermuda, and Uruguay.

AVCON JET LAUNCHES PLANE SIMPLE ESA ARRAY

Avcon Jet is the launch customer for Satcom Direct’s Plane Simple fuselage-mounted Ku-band electronically-steered antenna. The duplex and multichannel flat-panel antenna will connect Avcon Jet’s aircraft with the Eutelsat OneWeb low-earth-orbit satellite constellation, which can deliver up to 195-Mbps download and 36-Mbps upload speeds. Multiple Avcon Jet aircraft will be outfitted with Plane Simple antennas as part of a wider fleet upgrade.

LEONARDO EXPANDS AW09 DISTRIBUTORS, ORDERS

Leonardo is building up its order book for the single-turbine AW09 light helicopter through a new distributorship agreement with Universal Vulkaan Aviation in India, as well as recent partnerships with Léman Aviation and Sloane that came with orders for 19. In all, orders for the AW09 have topped 100. In addition, Blueberry Aviation is in the final throes of an agreement to become an AW09 distributor for Central and Southern Europe. Representing India, Universal Vulkaan Aviation signed preliminary sales contracts for five AW09s. In addition, the company signed a contract for one AW109 GrandNew, one AW169, and one AW139 with deliveries expected before 2026.

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Mature GE Passport turbofan ready for next phase

BY KERRY LYNCH

Entering service in late 2018 on the Bombardier Global 7500, GE Aerospace’s 19,000-pound-thrust Passport engine is prepping for its next iteration on the ultralong-range aircraft’s speedier successor, the Global 8000. That update will help enable a boost in speed and range for the Global 8000 to Mach 0.94 and 8,000 nm, up from the 7500’s Mach 0.925 and 7,700-nm range.

Jennifer Ratica, president of Passport and CFE for GE Aerospace, noted that the update does not involve “turbo-machinery” changes but rather software alterations. However, she said those changes “are going to unlock some potential that we had already designed into our engine.”

According to Ratica, GE Aerospace is working with Bombardier on the final engine designation. As for the performance enhancements, she said, “We’re really excited to see the ability that it will allow in increased thrust. It will improve our [specific fuel consumption], which will enable the aircraft to go 8,000 nautical miles.”

perspective, the changes are minor,” she said, pointing out that the Global 8000 program will involve a few other upgrades unrelated to the engine.

However, the software changes will require certification, Ratica said, and GE has teamed with Bombardier on that work. “We’re in lockstep,” she noted. “We meet with them every week to talk about certification. We’ve got a few gates associated with the software that we’re working through.” The Global 8000 is on target to enter service in 2025.

While Ratica did not specify final numbers, she noted that “as with all GE engine programs, we build in additional thrust capability, and [the] engine’s specific fuel consumption has continued to exceed our expectations since entry into service.” The aircraft has already passed the supersonic mark in testing, which was necessary for a certified speed of Mach 0.94.

Ratica noted that the changes entail a “plug” for the software. “From an engine

While this is ongoing, GE Aerospace has been maturing the Passport engine. “After six years of service, it really feels like the Passport engine is catching its stride and demonstrating in the market,” Ratica said. “We’ve got more than 350 Passport engines that are in service today supporting about 160-plus aircraft flying, with 300,000 hours flown over about 100 operators. So we feel like we are moving out of that entry-into-service phase and into this more mature space or life cycle, so to speak, of this engine.”

The engine has marked a 99.9% dispatch availability, but she added that on the rare occasion something has gone wrong, the field support team has been right on top of it. Ratica noted that its team just attended the latest Global advisory committee meeting in April “and feedback from operators is amazing—very positive around the engine’s performance, reliability, and any product support associated with it.” z

UNIVERSAL AVIATION INKS SAUDI AGREEMENT

Universal Weather and Aviation inked an agreement at EBACE 2024 with Altanfeethi to explore opportunities for transforming general aviation infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. The move came a week after the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) unveiled a general aviation roadmap to increase the sector’s GDP to $2 billion and create up to 35,000 jobs in the country by 2030. Altanfeethi, which is organized under GACA, manages and operates several VIP terminals in the kingdom and is engaging with Universal’s FBO ground services division to ofer above- and below-the-wing services.

L.A. HANGAR KEEPER REPLACES LONG -TIME HEAD

Curt Castagna has been replaced as CEO/ managing member of Aeroplex/Aerolease Group in an interim capacity by Barry Rondinella. The company, which owns leaseholds of hangar space at Van Nuys and Long Beach airports, said its majority-in-interest owners voted to remove Castagna after filing a lawsuit alleging that he formed a competing entity, Aeroplex Group Partners, and used Aerolease resources to siphon business away from it. Castagna, who is also NATA president, told AIN that the two companies had become closely entwined over the years and are in the process of separating, calling the dispute a “messy divorce.”

GULFSTREAM G700 LANDS EUROPEAN NOD

Gulfstream’s flagship G700 obtained EASA approval on May 15, following FAA certification by about a month and a half. This allows the $81 million twinjet to be delivered to European customers in any of the 31 EASA member states. “The Gulfstream team is proud to add EASA to our growing G700 certification accomplishments,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns.

More than 350 GE Aerospace Passport engines are in service supporting about 160 aircraft.

Now law, FAA reauthorization bill tackles range of aviation issues

BY KERRY LYNCH

The reauthorization bill spans 1,000 pages and more than 1,200 measures and directives.

When President Biden signed the sweeping five-year FAA and NTSB reauthorization package into law on May 16, he put in motion a 1,000-page bill that incorporates more than 1,200 measures and directives, including many that affect the business and general aviation community.

While years in the making, the completion of the bill came less than a year after the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) passed it unanimously and just three months after the Senate Commerce Committee voted out its version.

And while it did take four short-term extensions of the FAA’s operating authority before the House and Senate concluded work on it, that was relatively short and painless compared with the process in recent decades, which was often contentious—pitting one aviation sector against another—and required dozens of extensions.

Unique about this bill was a determination to keep it bipartisan, which meant numerous compromises on the front end. The Senate was a bit bumpier on that front than the House, with the Commerce Committee holding off its vote for eight months

until it had come into agreement on issues such as raising the airline pilot mandatory retirement age (omitted from the bill) and adding slots to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (kept in the bill).

But on the House side, during the vote in the T&I committee, the ranking Democrat, Rick Larsen (Washington), made it clear that the House bill did not address all he wanted but that the leadership was in lockstep on the reauthorization package to move forward.

T&I chairman Sam Graves (R-Missouri) agreed. Pointing to the unanimous vote out of committee and the overwhelming

We were meant to fly.

Our engines power flight.

A love of flight powers us.

final vote on the House floor (387-26), he noted, “It was bipartisan from the beginning.” He called Larsen “a very good partner in this process” and told AIN they are both old-school. “We believe in compromise… which means that you don’t get everything that you want but you get most of what you want. And so, the whole thing worked out. That’s why we were able to see it to the end.”

The process began even before the current 118th Congress convened in January 2023, with hearings already beginning and meetings with stakeholders. “Then we kicked it off pretty hard once we got into this Congress,” Graves explained, sorting through the hundreds of asks and issues. “The best way to do it is just to get everyone in a room and start working through it. What can you accept? What can you not accept?”

Also, this includes setting aside what they couldn’t agree on. “You have to be willing to give some things up. Sometimes that’s hard to swallow, but I was willing to do it,” he said.

But once the bill made it through—and there were last-minute compromises made before the House initially voted on it, such as changing the 1,500-hour rule for airline pilots—it was then up to the Senate to iron out its end. Despite hard pushes in the Senate for the 1,500-hour rule and age-65 retirement changes, both were ultimately dropped to get the deal done.

Other contentious items were left out, such as changes to the Part 380 operational model (for per-seat on-demand,

large charter, and other such operations), which has become a high-profile issue that has put business and general aviation operators in the crosshairs with the pilots and some airlines. Also left out, an intra-general aviation controversy, was changes to airport requirements to mandate transient aircraft parking and access through FBO facilities, when necessary. The latter has the FBOs, airports, and pilots on opposite sides of the fence. Instead, it calls for a study on FBO fee transparency and sets aside $34 million for small airports to construct transient ramps.

DIFFERENT APPROACHES

The initial House bill topped 800 pages, while the Senate counterpart was closer to 500. Graves described the differences between the two. “The Senate bill was much more of a consumer-related bill when it came to the flying public and the airlines. The House bill was much more technical in terms of getting down in the weeds on a lot of issues, particularly when it came to the general aviation community and when it came to a lot of safety issues that we worked on,” he said.

As for the final bill, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R.3935) reauthorizes and establishes funding levels for both the FAA and NTSB through Fiscal Year 2028. The package boosts airport grants to $4 billion each year, the first sustained major funding jump in years, and offers step increases throughout the duration at both agencies, culminating in a budget that approaches $22 billion for the FAA and $154 million for the NTSB in 2028. In all, the bill is a nearly $106 billion measure spanning both agencies.

H.R.3935 incorporates 12 titles, including the first-ever dedicated solely to general aviation—a key priority for Graves. The titles reflect other priorities on Capitol Hill, covering FAA organization, safety, workforce, consumer protections, airport funding, passenger experience, airspace management, research and development,

and new entrants such as advanced air mobility (AAM).

THE GA TITLE

Graves explained why the general aviation title was such a priority: “It doesn’t matter where you’re in the process—whether you’re a commercial pilot or a corporate pilot or a mechanic or a technician—you probably started in general aviation. That’s how it begins. Basically, general aviation is the building block, the foundation for the entire aviation sector, and I thought that it deserved its own title rather than having stuff sprinkled throughout the bill.”

Not unexpectedly, the general aviation community embraced that title and the importance behind it. “We share Chairman Graves’ perspective in that most people in the aviation industry got their start in general aviation and for the U.S. to remain a leader in aviation, we believe that we need to have a healthy general aviation sector for the full industry to thrive,” said Kristie Greco Johnson, senior v-p of government affairs for NBAA.

Paul Feldman, v-p of government affairs for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, added that the provision ensures “that general aviation is recognized as a critical entity as part of the aviation infrastructure in the U.S. That sends a message to policymakers and others that GA has to be considered when you’re developing policy or looking for investment.”

The general aviation section covers a gamut of issues affecting the sector, from reviewing the Pilot’s Bill of Rights to ensuring the protection of privacy surrounding aircraft registration numbers, providing insurance to a program of critical importance to NBAA and its members.

Key to the National Air Transportation Association are measures surrounding the reduction of the aircraft certification backlog and for the FAA to establish a Part 135 aircraft conformity working group that recommends improvements in the aircraft conformity processes.

RICK LARSEN

REPRESENTATIVE (D-WASHINGTON)

Graves also pointed to a provision to guard pilots from the use of safety enhancement technologies for enforcement against them. “When we started implementing ADS-B in our aircraft, the FAA at the time said they would not use that in enforcement action and then they started doing it,” he said. “It was wrong, and we codified that they can no longer use that when it comes to enforcement action.”

As for the FAA organization, the bill creates a new position at the agency: assistant administrator for rulemaking and regulatory improvement, who would be charged with overseeing the agency’s rulemaking agenda, updating outdated rules, and evaluating existing regulations for their effectiveness and potential redundancy.

FOCUS ON SAFETY

One of the most extensive titles covers safety. Graves reiterated, “The United States is a gold standard when it comes to aviation safety, and we want to make sure that that continues.” He further said the bill embraces safety-enhancing technologies, including facilitating their certification and probes the recent near misses/ ground incursions.

Other measures seek annual inspections and minimum standards, a threat assessment, and drug and alcohol testing for technicians at foreign repair stations. Further, the bill calls for recurrent training and sharing of best practices at Organization Designation Authorization entities, as well as an examination of the implementation of safety management systems (SMS) and their ability to be scaled.

Also of note to the business aviation community is a directive to address two recommendations from the Part 135 Pilot Rest and Duty Aviation Rulemaking Committee, including a requirement that the FAA limits the use of ferry flights beyond reasonable duty times, and updated policy and guidance on Part 135 record-keeping.

Further, the FAA must ensure that Part 135 operators are considering the risk of ferry flights and inadequate flight crew record-keeping requirements in their mandated SMS programs. It calls for large air tour operators to meet Part 135 or Part 121 standards and for the FAA to work with the state of Hawaii on consensus operational requirements surrounding noise and air safety.

In addition, the bill directs the FAA to appoint a cybersecurity lead, establishes an Advanced Aviation Technology and Innovation Steering Committee, and ensures its telework policies are enabling the agency to meet its mission. This was another area pushed by GAMA because it feared that work-from-home policies make it difficult to access key personnel, as well as for new FAA workers to receive timely training.

The bill takes a multi-faceted approach to improving safety in Alaska, including measures to expand weather reporting and camera capabilities, and it also takes a multi-pronged approach under a section entitled: Zero Tolerance for Near Misses, Runway Incursions, and Surface Safety Risks. This would involve studies, tracking, and the implementation of surveillance systems.

Under cybersecurity, the FAA is tasked with establishing a threat management process, a rulemaking committee on standards, and a review and screening of avionics standards. Meanwhile, the workforce section addresses everything from airmen standards and rights to a national development program to foster the next

generation of workers. Feldman notes that the workforce section also extends the Aviation Workforce Development program and expands support to manufacturing.

THE NEXT-GENERATION WORKFORCE

In addition, Greco Johnson noted the improvements in the controller workforce plan, the extension of the Women in Aviation Advisory Board (WIAAB), and the implementation of provisions of various recommendations of both the WIAAB and Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force recommendations.

“The workforce title is something that’s very important,” Graves said. “We’re seeing a shortage in all areas of aviation. What we do is try to break down those barriers when it comes to entry, get more access to more people, and get them excited about the industry overall.”

On the AAM front, the bill calls on the FAA to complete key rulemakings surrounding beyond visual line of sight and powered lift. Further, it seeks for the agency to remain on the international forefront of standards in this area.

Now that the bill is done, the focus will shift to the implementation of the many measures. “With any piece of legislation, the devil’s in the details,” Graves said. “We tried to write the majority of our issues as tight as we can. But you still have bureaucratic interpretation, and you want to make sure that the intent of the law is followed by the bureaucrats.” This means the committees in both chambers will conduct “some pretty rigorous oversight” of the FAA and other affected parties. “That will take some time, and we’ll work through the process.”

As far as what didn’t make the bill, Graves said he plans to continue to work on increasing the retirement age for pilots and hours involving the use of full-motion simulators for training. “There’s a couple of things that I would like to continue to work on and find some common ground to see if we can make some advancements.” z

SAM GRAVES REPRESENTATIVE (R-MISSOURI)

FLIGHTSAFETY & GULFSTREAM: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF TRAINING EXCELLENCE

For more than 50 years, FlightSafety and Gulfstream have enjoyed a relationship built on trust, loyalty and respect. The familiarity with each other’s processes and procedures, ease of conversation between teams, and opportunities for knowledge sharing and problem solving between the companies results in better outcomes for both aircraft manufacturer and training partner. For operators like those of the venerable G650, this means the ultrahigh level of quality they have come to expect in the aircraft’s luxuriousness and performance is matched by the ultra-high caliber training provided to its pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians, and even ground personnel. Win-win for all involved.

FLIGHTSAFETY’S G650 TRAINING PROGRAMS CONTINUE TO EVOLVE

FSI Trains Pilots, Technicians and Ground Handlers on Nearly Every Gulfstream Model

Like many of its Gulfstream brethren, the G650 has beautiful lines, impressive speed and range, and can fly as high or higher than many commercial airliners. But while the G650 was also Gulfstream’s first fly-by-wire (FBW) aircraft, it still cannot operate without human help. Maintenance technicians must keep the two Rolls Royce engines purring—and all electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical systems working smoothly. Ground handling crew must ensure that the aircraft is fueled, that the oxygen is topped off, and that the baggage is loaded. The cabin atendants see to the care, comfort, and safety of the passengers on board. And, of course, the pilots fly the aircraft.

All these people work together to make a G650 fly. What do they have in common? They can all receive G650specific training from FlightSafety International (FSI).

AT THE TOP OF THE LEARNING CURVE

FlightSafety enjoys a unique 50-year partnership with Gulfstream, which began shortly after production of the first GII in

1967. Using an actual GII flight deck atop a hydraulic motion base connected to analog computers, FSI’s founder Albert Ueltschi and his crew developed simulator-based training courses for the new business jet nearly as soon as the first unit rolled off the production line. Just one year after the GII became the first bizjet to cross the Atlantic from the U.S. to Europe nonstop in 1968, Gulfstream named FSI its factory-authorized training provider. FlightSafety has produced simulators for every Gulfstream model since, including the newly certificated G700.

“Our 50-year partnership with Gulfstream provides unparalleled pre-certification access to engineering and data,” said Nathan Speiser, FSI executive vice president of sales and marketing. “We’re able to start working on the simulator and training modules for a new model up to two years before they expect the new model to be certificated.” Speiser noted that FSI’s two G700 simulators received Level C interim certification in mid-2023, almost a year before the aircraft was certificated in March 2024.

“That close knit relationship between [FSI] and Gulfstream ensures that when

we bring the courseware to the customer they’re geting the best, most accurate information right from day one,” said Speiser. “There’s no learning curve, because we’ve done the learning curve alongside the OEM. When you have this level of cooperation and trust over 50 years, you start to understand the OEM’s methodologies and best practices, and you can pass that knowledge on to your customers.”

Developing the simulators and pilot training courses to be ready for the G650’s launch in 2011 took much the same path as the G700 course did today. It’s a long process that starts well before the training is needed as FSI’s engineers start building the simulator even while Gulfstream’s engineers are still working out the kinks in the real cockpit.

“We’ll often help with developmental simulators,’ which allow engineers to determine how they’re going to lay out controls and test functionality,” said Richard Meikle, FSI executive vice president of operations. “Once they’ve built the cockpit layout, then we’ll build a copy using the same components, and program the simulator from their computer modeling and

flight test data. The result is a simulator so accurate in both tactile feel and flying characteristics that it’s common for Gulfstream pilots or engineers to ask if they can use our sim to try something out.”

Gulfstream customers who train with FlightSafety benefit greatly from this indepth high-fidelity transfer of systems knowledge direct from the OEM that can’t be gained anywhere else. Currently FSI offers more than 45 G650-specific pilot and maintenance training courses at five Learning Centers throughout the United States and Europe, including one location across the taxiway from Gulfstream’s manufacturing facility on the northeast corner of Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.

“We’re situated on the Gulfstream campus just across the airport from the engineering research and development group,” said Meikle. “You literally drive past a Gulfstream security guard to get to our facility. This proximity makes it easy to have one-on-one conversations between the teams of engineers. When one of the FlightSafety team calls a contact at Gulfstream and say, ‘it’s Danny from FlightSafety,’ they know exactly which Danny they’re talking to, and that allows them to have conversations that you typically wouldn’t have without that level of trust and familiarity.”

The trust between FSI and Gulfstream is further demonstrated by the fact that

FlightSafety trains the OEM’s pilots on their own aircraft.

“Gulfstream sends their test, production, and demo pilots to us for training,” said Meikle. “If our training wasn’t the quality Gulfstream expected, we would know about it—and so would the rest of the industry. We have earned their trust because they have seen the quality training expereince FlightSafety produces using the very highest quality in both simulation and courseware.”

FlightSafety has also partnered with Gulfstream to deliver specialty courses such as G650 controller pilot data link communication (CPDLC), advanced upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT), enhanced flight vision system (EFVS) touchdown and rollout training, and even a London City airport steep approach program specifically for G650 pilots. The partnership has also resulted in complete virtual aircraft tours of the G650 and other Gulfstream models to be used in the joint Total Technical Training program, which allows maintenance personnel to view the entire aircraft in the classroom and on the iPad.

PILOTS KNOW WHO THE EXPERT IS… IT’S FLIGHTSAFETY

The close relationship between Gulfstream and FSI also extends to the instructor corps. FlightSafety instructors

are often involved early in a new aircraft/ simulator program, which allows them to gain deep appreciation and insight into the design goals and philosophies of the engineers. Flying the simulators— sometimes before OEM pilots do—is an important part of developing the courseware and allows FSI instructors to send questions and feedback to Gulfstream engineers. Some FSI courses—particularly maintenance courses—feature both FlightSafety and Gulfstream instructors teaching together in a “tag-team” format.

FlightSafety instructors also maintain currency on the airframes they teach. Many of them fly as contract pilots, which keeps their skills sharp and allows them to share questions and experiences with their OEM counterparts. When changes are made to the aircraft, engines, avionics, or simulator, FSI instructors often know why the changes were made, and can pass this valuable information on to customers. This insider insight is valuable to both the instructors and the FSI customers.

“I get a lot of calls from customers who have questions and just want to talk to our instructors,” said Speiser. “They may have been in for recurrent training three months ago, but now they’ve got a technical question and they’re like, ‘man, I really know who the expert is – it’s FlightSafety. If they don’t know, they’ve got the name of somebody at Gulfstream who does know.’”

NATHAN SPEISER FlightSafety Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Our 50-year partnership with Gulfstream provides unparalleled pre-certification access to engineering and data. We’re able to start working on the simulator and training modules for a new model up to two years before they expect the new model to be certificated.

FlightSafety G650 flight training incorporates Rockwell Collins 6250 HGS headsup display, EVS Enhanced Vision System II, Synthetic Vision, and other features found on the G650 flight deck. Classrooms used for initial training feature highfidelity tactile flight training devices that allow pilots to obtain “muscle memory” of various procedures in the classroom before they enter the sim. These devices also incorporate FlightSafety’s MATRIX exclusive integrated instructional software, which leverages the powerful software used to operate the state-of-the-art Level D G650 simulators.

Customers trust FSI to keep its courseware and simulators updated to reflect changes made by the OEM. For example, In March 2024, FSI engineers implemented the Honeywell Primus Epic Block Three upgrade for Gulfstream G650 / G650ER aircraft into the simulators.

“The hardware for any given aircraft model typically doesn’t change, but there may be performance upgrades or changes between models we need to account for, such as the increase in gross weight between the G650 and G650ER,” said Meikle. “Customer-facing software upgrades like Block Three are critical because the avionics now provide the pilot with a different array of information. We need to train the way our clients fly because the vast majority of G650 operators are going to Block Three.”

Customers can also trust FlightSafety to provide training insights that no other training provider can thanks to its partnership with GE Aerospace which gives access to curated analyses of millions of flight operational quality assurance (FOQA) data points. Launched in October 2021, this partnership has helped FlightSafety develop curricula that addresses key issues in

the industry such as runway excursions, loss of control at high altitude, and be ter go-around decision making. Individual instructors can also use aggregated FOQA data from more than 300 flight departments and 1,200 aircraft to provide insights to their clients, such as comparing a pilot’s landing technique to the aggregated data points for that aircraft model on a short runway.

“We can build scenarios using specific conditions identified by GE Aerospace in C-FOQA data and use that to compare to client performance during simulator sessions, the instructor can access performance data in the simulator and compare the touchdown point, when the pilot deployed the ground spoilers and thrust reversers, when they applied the brakes, and how much runway was left when they turned off the active,” Meikle said. “Comparing those flight data points to book values is a voyage of discovery for the client. They may find their technique results in a need to add 1,000 feet to short field calculations because they typically deploy the spoilers later. The aggregated data alone is very powerful. For example, displaced thresholds generally influence everyone’s touchdown point.”

MEETING THE DEMAND FOR PILOTS AND MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL

With global airline capacity returning to pre-pandemic levels as of late 2023, the airlines are struggling to find enough pilots and maintainers to fill their schedules. This is partially due to the personnel shortages that existed before the pandemic that were exacerbated by thousands of furloughed airline employees switching to other industries. Huge sign-on bonuses and increased salaries at the airlines have pulled some pilots out of the business aviation sector, and filling those holes means the demand for initial training continues to rise as business aviation itself continues to grow.

Throughout the pandemic and into the post-pandemic operations, FlightSafety developed innovative options to keep training efficient, effective, and available.

“We’ve implemented some changes in our scheduling methodologies that have dramatically increased capacity,” said Meikle. “There really shouldn’t be any issue geting a G650 slot anywhere in our network right now.”

Some clients enjoy schedule flexibility by atending online, instructor-led

ground school through FlightSafety’s LiveLearning portal. Available for G650 pilot and maintenance technician training, the LiveLearning courses allow clients to atend scheduled live, interactive online sessions from their own home or workplace to complete the ground training before arriving at FlightSafety for hands-on simulator or maintenance training. This option reduces the amount of time spent away from home and provides more flexibility in scheduling the onsite training at an FSI Learning Center.

“The training devices we use in the G650 program include desktop units that provide the tactile feel of the cockpit in a lot of ways,” said Speiser. “You’re not just sitting in front of a slide presentation. You have tactile instruments in front of you, then you move to a flight training device for procedure training. By the time you get into the simulator, you’re already familiar with the procedures. Pilots aren’t seeing the cockpit for the first time in the big $15 million simulator—they’ve seen it and played with it in the classroom.”

Some corporate flight departments find that sending their team to FlightSafety can be a great employee retention tool, especially for those who

enroll in FSI’s Master Aviator or Master Technician program. These programs require pilots and technicians to complete additional on-site and/or online training, including core and elective courses. For pilots, these classes cover topics such as advanced rejected takeoff go/no-go, crew resource management/ human factors, energy management, and runway safety. Technicians focus on a specific aspect of maintenance, such as the airframe, avionics, cabin systems, composites, engines, or management. Both pilots and technicians can earn multiple Master certificates over time.

“When a flight department invests in their pilots enough to send them through the Master Aviator program, the pilots are not only the most prepared aviators, they are typically also the most loyal,” said Speiser. “We hear from our customers that the Master Aviator program is an amazing employee retention, career progression opportunity.”

TRAINING GROUND HANDLING AND SERVICE CREWS FOR OVER A DECADE

To minimize damage caused by improper ground handling, FlightSafety and

Gulfstream introduced a complimentary ground handling and servicing training program in October 2013. Since then, more than 160 FBOs in 30 countries have participated in the free online training, resulting in over 26,000 course enrollments. Tailored for line service technicians, the program features best practices for handling and servicing Gulfstream aircraft, including parking, walkarounds, fueling, towing, snow and ice removal, and more.

Cabin attendants can also obtain G650-specific training at FSI’s Savannah Learning Center, where a partial Gulfstream fuselage provides realistic cabin safety training for dealing with smoke, depressurization, and evacuation emergencies.

“In Savannah, we have a large swimming pool with a cabin dunker that has a Gulfstream-type window in it,” said Meikle. “The cabin partially floods and the atendants have to get out onto the wing and then into the life raft, and then we can simulate winching them up into a helicopter rescue basket. It’s quite realistic training.”

FLY, ABORT OR GO-AROUND: TRAINING TO REDUCE RUNWAY EXCURSIONS

FSI Using GE FOQA and Presage Pilot Psychology Data to Enhance RE Avoidance Training

You begin your approach to a 10,300-foot runway with ATIS reporting 10-knot winds and visibility of 3 miles with thunderstorms in the area. You anticipate that the runway will be wet and set autobrakes to 3. The pilot flying of a large airliner calls for the approach checklist with flaps at 25 degrees for a target speed of 154 kt, but does not fly the approach precisely on glide slope or speed. Per the landing checklist, he selects idle reverse thrust instead of full reverse, which would provide more drag after touchdown on a wet runway, but you fail to advise this setting.

On short final, with the aircraft above the glide path and crossing the threshold at a very quick 170 kts, a torrential downpour obscures sight of the runway and you order a go-around. The pilot flying pushes the thrust levers forward but does not press the takeoff/go-around buton. With a 600 fpm sink rate, the aircraft touches down about 3,000 feet past the threshold, so you change your

mind and yank the thrust levers to idle, reducing speed to 140 kts. However, the delay between the landing gear touchdown and idle selection has disengaged autobraking, and the aircraft continues to rapidly advance down the wet runway. Both pilots apply maximum braking to litle effect and the aircraft passes the end of the runway at speed, colliding with an ILS antenna, collapsing the landing gear, and sliding to a stop about 700 feet later. Thankfully no one is hurt, but the aircraft is substantially damaged.

The above scenario, condensed from a Eurocontrol SKYbrary.info article, illustrates how quickly a runway excursion can occur—and some of the human factors that contributed to the result.

A 2022 Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) report noted that runway excursions were cited as the most common cause of airliner accidents from 2017-2021, and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) recently published a 25-page document titled, “Reducing Runway Excursions in Business Aviation.”

Runway excursions are an ongoing hot topic for many aviation organizations, and FlightSafety International (FSI) has been using real-world insights from flight operational quality assurance (FOQA) data and simulator studies to weave runway excursion awareness into pilot training.

“If you can reduce the runway excursion risk through focused training and educate crew members on the importance of the techniques to prevent runway excursions, then you dramatically improve safety,” said Richard Meikle, FSI executive vice president of operations and safety.

RUNWAY EXCURSIONS: ENERGY MANAGEMENT FAILURES

When FlightSafety entered into a partnership with GE Aerospace in 2021 to glean insights from real-world FOQA data, near-event runway excursions popped up with unsetling frequency. The data showed thousands of near events with aircraft slowing to turnoff speed with

less than 100 feet of runway remaining, and a significant number with only 10 feet remaining.

Meikle, himself a corporate pilot and FlightSafety customer for 25 years before joining the company in 2020, says that the key to avoiding runway excursions on landing is precision delivery of the aircraft to the correct touchdown point and carefully managing the aircraft’s energy.

“Energy management keeps the airplane on the pavement,” said Meikle. “Runway excursions are often the result of the aircraft landing too fast or too long with the same amount of energy needed if they had touched down much earlier.”

The best practice is to go-around if the approach is not stabilized within 1,000 feet of the runway, but industry data shows that only about three percent of unstable approaches result in a go-around. Instead, pilots try to salvage unstable approaches. In good weather with long, dry runways, they are often successful, however if one of these factors turns unfavorable, the likelihood of an excursion increases.

“The GE Aerospace data has given us great insight to stable approach criteria, instability on final, and other factors that can contribute to runway excursions,” said Meikle. “There’s a direct correlation between threshold crossing height and touchdown point, and the data has

shown that pilots trying to get a smooth landing by floating doesn’t always yield that result, however, in every case doing so erode safety margins.”

According to Meikle, another factor that “popped up quickly in the data” was the effect that displaced thresholds can have in contributing to runway excursions. “Displaced thresholds present a visual challenge. They cause an optical illusion that’s harder to judge… The arrival path to the runway also makes a big di fference—flying a straight-in instrument approach is far more likely to have a stable approach than if you do some sort of maneuver to the runway. Even a traffic patern increases the rate of unstable approach over a straight-in instrument approach.”

In February 2022, FSI rolled out the first “spotlight” to focus on runway excursion prevention in every fixed-wing initial or recurrent course. These consisted of a 15 to 20-minute debrief at the end of the first simulator session and included information on the top 10 airports where excursions are most likely to occur.

The runway excursion spotlights continued through the first quarter of 2023 when the spotlights changed to pilots’ delayed reaction to TAWS warnings, but Meikle says runway incursion awareness is still discussed when appropriate and will return with updated material as a

revamped spotlight in the future given the continuing trend in the industry.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE GO-AROUND

Meikle says that while the go-around is a normal maneuver practiced during initial and recurrent training, pilots often hesitate to initiate or complete a goaround— even when they recognize an unstable approach. Internal and external pressures often play a part when pilots try to salvage unstable approaches, and often their decisions are seemingly reinforced as correct when the plane lands without reportable incident. Only when some unforeseen or forgoten element results in a runway excursion does the pilot conceded they should have gone around.

FlightSafety recently chartered a study conducted by the Presage Group that focused on pilots’ ability to assess go-around decision-making during environmental instability. Pilots used Gulfstream 500/600 simulators to fly a series of approaches in various conditions. Some were in normal conditions not requiring go-arounds, some included very minor variations, and some presented environmental challenges. After the study was completed, FSI and Presage jointly developed go-around course content and scenarios as an optional add-on course with ground school and simulator time.

RICHARD MEIKLE FlightSafety Executive Vice President of Operations and Safety

If you can reduce the runway excursion risk through focused training and educate crew members on the importance of the techniques to prevent runway excursions, then you dramatically improve safety...

“Go-around decision-making is all about how the pilots operate the aircraft,” said Meikle. “It’s not something where you could just say, watch this, read this, and you’ve got it. You really have to get thrown into those scenarios to practice decision-making skills. It’s easy to decide to go around if you see another airplane on the runway, but it’s a whole other matter to recognize the need to go around despite having thoughts you can save the approach prior to touchdown.”

RGNISIA THE BAR

Leveraging data for safer outcomes

Airborne communications are coming down to earth

BY MATT THURBER

Developments in the airborne connectivity space are accelerating, and for business aviation and even owner-flown aircraft the product choices are expanding.

While prices haven’t dropped, the advent of new low-earth-orbit (LEO) networks such as SpaceX’s Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb promise to open the world of high-speed airborne internet access to more users and eventually smaller aircraft. Iridium, while it doesn’t offer the speed of Starlink and OneWeb, is also a LEO constellation.

Meanwhile, the market for higher-orbit geostationary (GEO) satellite communications (satcom) remains strong. And for aircraft that don’t fly outside the U.S., the

two air-to-ground (ATG) providers—Gogo Business Aviation and SmartSky—provide solutions to operators who don’t want to go the full satcom route.

Finally, there are lower-cost options with Iridium LEO satcom, from Certusbased systems with mid-level speeds to basic messaging and voice systems that are the lowest-cost airborne communications systems available.

Following is a roundup of the various airborne connectivity products that are available, including some that are imminently coming to market.

Prices, where available, don’t include any promotional offers.

AIR-TO-GROUND (ATG)

Gogo Business Aviation

Gogo was first to market with an ATG network, and many of its original ATG 1000 through 5000 systems are still flying. It’s important to note that these systems will sunset on Dec. 31, 2025, when Gogo fully transitions to its 4G network. If owners of the older ATG systems don’t upgrade to Gogo’s Avance L3 or L5 equipment before that date, they lose opportunities for equipment rebates.

Gogo is also offering provisioning for its upcoming 5G network when equipping with Avance L5 and MB13 antennas; when 5G launches later this year, customers can

Manufacturers and network operators are ofering more options for connectivity, and this may eventually drive prices down.

swap out the L5 equipment for the LX5 and access the 5G network.

Gogo ATG

› Coverage: North America (Conus, parts of Canada and Alaska; at launch, 5G coverage will include Conus and parts of Canada but not Alaska)

› System cost without installation— L3: $55,196 to $72,168 (depending on the number of devices connecting); L5: $141,500 (with 5G provisioning)

› System total weight: L3: 15 pounds; L5: 22.2 pounds

› Antennas: L3, two antennas, 2.5 pounds each. L5, two DDA antennas, 4 pounds each, or two MB13 antennas (for 5G) 6 pounds each.

› System speed: L3 approximate 3G speed; L5 approximate 4G speed; 5G will deliver

25 Mbps average, peak 75 to 80 Mbps.

› Smallest aircraft: Cirrus Vision Jet (Avance L3)

› Service pricing:

Avance L3: $495 per month for 60 MB plus $6.25 per MB overage or $1,295 per month for 250 MB plus $5.25 per MB overage or $105 per hour unlimited

Avance L5: unlimited $4,595 per month or $10,395 with streaming

Gogo 5G: unlimited $5,195 per month or streaming-enabled $7,295 per month for 35 GB plus $0.50 per MB overage

Skyline voice calling is available for an additional fee: $145 for 60 minutes per month plus $1.60 per additional minute, or $255 for 120 minutes and $1.50 per additional minute.

SmartSky Networks

SmartSky completed its ATG network in 2022, and it covers the Conus with some overlap in coastal areas. Two systems are available, Lite for single-engine turboprops and small aircraft, and Flagship for twin turboprops and light and larger jets. The Lite system uses just one full-duplex quad antenna and delivers lower speed than Flagship, which uses the full-duplex quad and high-performance blade antenna.

Supplemental type certificates (STCs) are available for most turboprops and jets, and buyers can choose their router for their Wi-Fi system.

SmartSky ATG

› System cost without installation: Lite, $59,999; Flagship $119,999

› Approximate installation cost: Lite, less than $115,000; Flagship less than $130,000

› System total weight: Lite, less than 19 pounds; Flagship less than 32 pounds

› Antennas: Lite, one antenna, 6.5 pounds; Flagship, two antennas, total 20 pounds

› System speed: Lite, sustained 3 to 6 Mbps, peak over 15 Mbps; Flagship, sustained 5 to 10 Mbps, peak over 20 Mbps

› Smallest aircraft: single-engine turboprop (Lite)

› Service pricing: Lite: $995 (hourly) to $3,495 (unlimited), all plans include streaming and no artificial device limits

Flagship: $3,495 per month for 5 GB, $299 per GB overage, with other plans topping out at $9,995 per month unlimited with no overage

SATCOM – IRIDIUM

Simple Messaging

The Iridium LEO satellite network is already on its second generation of higherthroughput satellites, and many providers of Iridium connectivity are now offering Certus systems that take advantage of the new satellites. For the ultimate in low-cost connectivity, companies such as BizjetMobile, Garmin, and Send Solutions sell

A Cessna Citation Latitude equipped with SmartSky’s Flagship air-to-ground system.

BizjetMobile’s CHiiMP Iridium device ofers low-cost texting and light email.

THE SUPER VERSATILE JE T

Versatile is its middle name for a reason – it’s designed to enable fight departments to say “yes” to nearly any mission.

relatively low-cost products that can send and receive text messages, smaller emails, and make voice calls. Iridium connectivity is available worldwide.

BizjetMobile

The entry-level BizjetMobile Iridium system is the $9,999 CHiiMP. Unlimited data (text messaging, email, and WhatsApp) costs $399 per month. For $24,990 and $599 per month for unlimited data, buyers of the BizjetInternet system can add 200 MB of live internet connectivity. A recent app update adds news and ChatGPT as part of the monthly service.

Collins Aerospace

Collins offers the IRT NX Iridium Certus satcom, which enables voice calls, internet browsing, text messaging, and email. The first customer installation was on a Cessna CitationJet. System speed is up to 704 kbps.

Garmin

Garmin’s GSR 56 Iridium satcom is priced at $11,270 and requires a compatible display. It offers voice, text messaging, and worldwide weather information.

System weight is 3.35 pounds. Antenna weight can be as little as 6.2 ounces, but various options are available.

Service prices start at $79.99 per month.

Send Solutions Airtext

Four Airtext boxes are available, each weighing about one pound. Legacy Airtext and Airtext+ are FAA-approved Iridium satcoms that must be installed by an avionics shop, including a connection to an Iridium antenna mounted on the aircraft. The AirtextLT and LT+ are portable with their own antennas and don’t require installation.

AirtextLT price is $4,950. Data plan is $500 per year for the first 2,500 text messages, with additional messages priced at five cents each. AirtextLT+ costs $6,950

The Send Solutions Airtext devices ofer simple messaging/email for a relatively low cost.

and adds email capability but in text-only format at a cost of 25 cents to $1.

Airtext sells for $10,950 and offers the same $500-per-year data plan for the first 2,500 text messages and additional messages at five cents each. Airtext+ is priced at $18,500 and adds voice calling and email. Voice calls cost $1.53 to $2.51 per minute.

Skytrac

Skytrac’s SDL-350 is not only an Iridium Certus transceiver but includes Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity for low-cost data sharing when the aircraft is on the ground. The SDL-350 offers speed of 704 kbps receive and 352 kbps transmit.

System weight is 8.7 pounds and the high-gain antenna weighs 5.1 pounds (WiFi/cellular antenna is 6.7 ounces). Skytrac systems have been installed on small aircraft including helicopters up to airliners.

Skytrac also offers the SkyNode S200012 Iridium solution for provision of safety services and the DL-150 for FANS 1/A+ compliance.

SATCOM – LOW-EARTH-ORBIT (LEO)

Until Amazon’s Kuiper satellite network comes into service, there are two major players in the LEO aviation market: Eutelsat OneWeb and SpaceX Starlink. The key difference between the two is that Starlink is the sole source for hardware and service, while OneWeb is working with vendors to provide hardware and satcom service.

One advantage of LEO over GEO is that LEO satellites offer lower latency (the time it takes for signals to travel) as they fly in much lower orbits than GEO satellites. Phased-array electronically steered antennas (ESAs) with no moving parts are a key component of most LEO satcom installations, and various sizes are expected to be developed to enable installation on small and large aircraft. Another LEO advantage is true worldwide coverage, while GEO systems generally don’t offer service over polar regions (although that will change with future Viasat satellite launch plans).

Eutelsat OneWeb

The OneWeb network is preparing for the launch of business aviation services later this year. OneWeb service offers up to 195 Mbps downloads and 36 Mbps uploads.

Gogo Galileo

Two antenna sizes will be available for the Gogo Galileo OneWeb service—the smaller HDX for turboprops and lighter jets and the larger FDX for heavier airplanes. The antennas are made by Hughes Network Systems, with Gogo and Hughes collaborating on their design and engineering. Gogo plans to begin flight testing its HDX antenna system in the third quarter.

The FDX measures 24 by 24 by 2 inches and weighs 40 to 45 pounds, while the HDX is 24 by 11.8 by 2 inches and weighs 21.6 pounds.

Satcom Direct

Satcom Direct will begin flight testing a phased-array ESA operating on the OneWeb satellite network in August. The satellite system and service provider expects some customers to install tail-mounted GEO satcom antennas such as its Plane Simple system along with fuselagemounted LEO antennas to provide redundancy and full worldwide coverage.

US: Albany, Alexandria, Austin, Birmingham, Bozeman, Burbank, Dallas, El Paso, Florida Keys, Gulfport-Biloxi, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville-Cecil, Lake Charles, Lake Powell, Medford, Moses Lake, Orlando, Richmond, Riverside, Rome, San Antonio, St. George, St. Louis, Stennis, Syracuse, Tallahassee, Topeka, Tucson, Victorville, White Plains, Yuma Canada: Vancouver, Calgary Colombia: Cartagena

The Plane Simple ESA measures 16 by 35 inches, is just three inches tall, and can fit on smaller aircraft such as the HondaJet and single-engine turboprops.

Satcom Direct expects to switch on its OneWeb LEO service in the first quarter of 2025. Satcom Direct plans to offer various packages such as a three-year hardware service bundle for $15,000 per month that includes all of the equipment and unlimited service.

SpaceX Starlink

STCs for Starlink installations are growing rapidly, and many avionics installers have signed up for Starlink dealerships.

Two month-to-month plans are available: global 20 GB for $2,000 per month (plus $100/GB additional) and global unlimited for $10,000 per month.

The Starlink equipment weighs about 48 pounds and includes the ESA, a Starlink router, and a power supply. Retail price is $150,000.

SATCOM – GEOSTATIONARY

ORBIT (GEO)

With Viasat’s purchase of Inmarsat last year, much of the GEO aviation capacity is under the Viasat umbrella, including Ku- and Ka-band systems and the Inmarsat Jet ConneX high-speed broadband satcom service. Various value-added resellers can provide the equipment and service such as Collins Aerospace, Honeywell, and Satcom Direct, and installations are available for a wide variety o f aircraft.

Cobham

Thales now owns the Cobham Aerospace Communications Aviator L-band and SwiftBroadband satcom systems. Both the Aviator 200S single-channel system and Aviator 700S dual-channel systems are available, and the company is adding new systems later this year and next year, including the 300S, 400S, and 600S.

Collins Aerospace

Collins is also a reseller of Jet ConneX service as well as manufacturing the LuxStream Ku-band satcom that runs on the SES satellite network. LuxStream offers speeds of up to 25 Mbps in the U.S. and 15 Mbps globally.

Honeywell

Honeywell has long served the satcom marketplace and still offers a large variety of products for business aviation. These range from L-band LEO and GEO to Kuand Ka-band systems and also satcom services. Networks that Honeywell equipment works with vary from Iridium to Inmarsat/ Viasat, SES, and others, depending on the market being served.

Satcom system prices offered by Honeywell range from $75,000 to $550,000.

System weights range from 45 pounds for a Ku- or Ka-band tail-mount antenna to 120 pounds for a larger fuselage-mounted mechanically steered antenna. Ku-band systems run at up to 20 Mbps and Ka-band more than 200 Mbps. Honeywell also offers L-band SwiftBroadband equipment.

Honeywell’s JetWave tail-mount antenna for broadband JetConneX service.

Satcom Direct

Satcom Direct offers its Plane Simple Kuand Ka-band antenna systems, which can be installed as a dual-dissimilar system with two tail-mount antennas on larger aircraft. The company is now offering a

AeroMech engineered the STC for installation of the Starlink system on the King Air 200.

Two Satcom Direct Plane Simple antennas can provide dual Ku- and Ka-band service.

power-by-the-hour option for Viasat’s Jet ConneX service as well as value-added services such as cybersecurity and FlightDeck Freedom datalink and flight deck communications, plus services for most satcom bands. For smaller aircraft such as super-midsize jets, Satcom Direct offers the Ku-band Intelsat FlexExec system, with dedicated capacity for business aviation customers.

VIASAT

While Viasat’s acquisition of Inmarsat means their satellite networks are all under one umbrella, Viasat still offers its own airborne terminal and antenna systems as well as services, while the Inmarsat equipment and services are available from resellers, dealers, and service providers. Next year, Viasat plans to launch three high-capacity Viasat-3 satellites that will expand its coverage and services.

Another new service from Inmarsat is SwiftJet, the fastest-yet L-band connectivity service. SwiftJet will provide speeds of 2.6 Mbps, up to six times faster than the existing SwiftBroadband L-band business aviation service, through Honeywell’s terminals including HD-710, HSD-440, HSD400, and Aspire 400. The service, available in the fourth quarter, will be offered on monthly data plans, eliminating the need to pay per minute of use.

James Person, ViaSat director of global business development, with a ViaSat G12 Ka-band antenna, a key component of its GAT-5510 satcom system.

MU-300: Japan’s sparkling gem

BY DAVID DONALD

Mitsubishi was Japan’s best-known builder of aircraft before and during World War II. In the immediate aftermath of the conflict, the country’s vast industrial empires were broken up and their historical names were forbidden from use. The Mitsubishi enterprise was separated into three entities.

With the official ending of the Occupation in April 1952, the companies resumed using their historic names, and the element that had included the former aircraft production became Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). From 1964, the three elements merged back together under the MHI banner.

With its long history of aircraft production, MHI was naturally at the forefront of the rebirth of the Japanese aviation industry in the post-Occupation period.

It was at the heart of a consortium that began development of the YS-11 twin-turboprop airliner in the mid-1950s.

In 1956, work started on the MU-2 highwing, small-cabin twin that went on to become quite a success, with more than 700 having been built by the time production ended in 1987.

At the same time, as the Cold War heated up, MHI began building U.S.designed fighters to swell the ranks of the Air Force. F-86 Sabres were built in considerable numbers in the immediate post-Korean War period, to be followed by F-104 Starfighters, F-4 Phantoms, and F-15 Eagles.

Today, MHI remains one of the powerhouses of Japanese industry and one that remains committed to aviation.

MITSUBISHI’S BUSINESS JET

Success with the MU-2—especially in the U.S., where Mooney Aircraft sold and supported the type from 1963, and assembled it at San Angelo, Texas, from 1965—encouraged Mitsubishi to explore the general aviation/executive market further. In 1977, a business jet program was born, which crystallized as the MU-300 Diamond.

Initial development was accomplished rapidly. The Diamond was an entirely conventional jet with all-swept surfaces and a T-tail, constructed almost entirely from aluminum alloy. The wings had a quarter- chord sweepback of 20 degrees and incorporated overwing spoilers for roll control and lift-dumping. Powerful

The Mitsubishi Diamond program was born in 1977 and certification took place in 1981.

flaps—double- slotted inboard, and single-slotted outboard—bestowed good field performance on the type.

Power was provided by a pair of aftmounted Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 turbofans, each rated at 2,500 pounds thrust. The circular-section cabin accommodated two pilots and seven or eight passengers, with a toilet in the aft and storage for baggage.

Mitsubishi built two prototypes, the first of which flew on Aug. 29, 1978. After the manufacturer’s trials in Japan, the pair was shipped to the U.S. for FAA Part 25 certification. They were based at the former Mooney plant at San Angelo, which Mitsubishi had acquired in 1969.

Certification was not obtained until Nov. 6, 1981, the delay being caused primarily by the need to incorporate new requirements introduced following the crash of an American Airlines DC-10 in Chicago in May 1979. Answering the new requirements required significant changes that added 600 pounds to the Diamond’s weight.

Apart from the prototypes, all of the Diamond Is were assembled at San Angelo from Japanese-built kits. Customer deliveries got underway in July 1982, and 61 production aircraft were completed. Impressions were favorable, although the aircraft initially showed a propensity to “snake” at high speeds.

In the year after deliveries began, Mitsubishi announced a development, the Diamond 1A. This featured JT15D-4D engines, an mtow increase from 14,630 to 16,230 pounds, and an electronic flight instrumentation system. More apparent was the addition of an additional port-side cabin window. Deliveries from San Angelo of the Diamond 1A began in January 1984. Twenty-seven were built.

Following swiftly behind was the Diamond II, which was announced in October 1984. This had a reduced mtow of 15,780 pounds but had increased fuel capacity. The main change, however, was the installation of the uprated 2,900-pound thrust JT15D-5

THE PERFECT PLACE FOR BUSINESS AIRCRAFT

engine, which also sported a thrust-reverser. It is unclear how many Diamond IIs were delivered by Mitsubishi—quoted figures range between one and 11—because a big change was afoot.

CHANGING THE NAME AND JOINING THE MILITARY

In December 1985, the design rights for the Diamond II were sold to Beechcraft, which itself had been owned by Raytheon since 1980. The sale also included 64 Mitsubishi- built kits, which were assembled at Beech’s Wichita, Kansas plant. The Diamond II was renamed the Beechjet 400 and was certificated as such in May 1986. Once the initial 64 kits had been completed, Beech assumed full manufacture of the type.

In 1989, Beech introduced the Beechjet 400A, with Collins Pro Line 4 avionics installed, a redesigned cabin interior, and some changes to optimize cruise performance. Under its various names, this model became the most successful, with nearly 700 being built.

Nearly 200 of these aircraft were trainers for the military. In 1990, Raytheon/ Beech landed a major order from the U.S. Air Force for a “Tanker/Transport Training System.” In the event, 180 Beech 400Ts— designated T-1A Jayhawk in service—were delivered to the U.S. Air Force for service as multi-engine trainers.

To equip them for military service, there were numerous small changes. An additional fuselage fuel tank was incorporated and better air conditioning was installed. The wing leading edges and windshield were reinforced for increased birdstrike resistance, and the main avionics bay was moved from the nose to the rear fuselage to ease maintenance. The fuel system was adapted for single-point pressure refueling.

Deliveries began in 1991, and the Jayhawk has served uncomplainingly since the following year. In the late 1990s, the fleet was given GPS navigation, and from 2018 has undergone a major update with Collins Pro Line 21 avionics and ADS-B flight surveillance in order to maintain currency with air traffic mandates and newer frontline equipment.

Somewhat ironically, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force also turned to the Beechjet when it sought a new multiengine trainer. Thirteen 400Ts were acquired, designated T-400 in service. They differ from their USAF counterparts in being fitted with thrust-reversers.

ANOTHER NAME, ANOTHER LIFE

In 1993, Raytheon added the British Aerospace business jet line to its portfolio, bringing with it the historic name of Hawker. The Beechjet 400A became the Hawker 400 to bring it in line with the larger Hawker 800 (formerly BAe 125-800)

and continued to sell well. In 2003, the 400XP was introduced, with several small improvements. The most important of these was a 200-pound mtow increase that gave the aircraft extra payload, hence the “XP” designation.

Raytheon sold o ff the division in 2006, after which the aircraft were branded as Hawker Beechcraft products. One of the new company’s first acts was to announce the Hawker 450XP, a major overhaul of the 400 design. It was to feature Pratt & Whitney PW535D engines with Fadec engine control. Performance improvements were promised across the board, including the all-important hot-and-high take-off and climb-out figures. FAA certification was planned for the second quarter of 2010, but the 450XP was canceled in 2009 due to an economic slump.

That down-turn presaged the eventual failure of Hawker Beechcraft itself in 2013. While Beechcraft reemerged a year later under Textron ownership, it did so without its Hawker business jet line, which would have competed with Cessna, its more successful Textron stablemate. Therefore, production of the relatively simple aircraft that had begun life across the Pacific as the MU-300 came to an end. Production reached over 1,000, including the military trainers.

While no more 400s would be built, Textron continued to support the type,

Nearly 700 Beechjet 400As were built, as well as 180 T-1A Jayhawks (Beech 400Ts) for the U.S. Air Force.

which remained popular with corporate, air taxi, and private owners on account of its adequate performance and low operating costs. Large numbers continued in service, making the type attractive for update/remanufacturing.

Nextant Aerospace identified this potential market before Hawker Beechcraft’s demise and launched the Nextant 400XT remanufacturing program. This took a Beechjet 400 airframe and effectively “zero-lifed” it while adding Williams FJ44-3AP Fadec engines for greatly improved performance and efficiency, and Collins Pro Line 21 avionics systems for a state-of-the-art flight deck. The result was a jet with a purchase price of approximately half that of a comparable new-build aircraft with similar performance and features. Range compared to the original 400A was improved by 50%.

The first remanufactured aircraft took to the air in March 2010 and was certified by the FAA in October 2011, with deliveries beginning the following month. Further upgrades were introduced by the 400XTi in 2014. In 2018, the 4500XTe was announced, a baseline model with a threescreen cockpit and no VIP interior, aimed primarily at air taxi and charter operators.

Textron’s answer to the Nextant 400XT was the 400XPR upgrade, which was also

For a time, Nextant Aerospace ofered an engine and avionics upgrade package for the Beechjet 400.

centered on the Williams FJ44 engine. As with the 400XT, the performance is dramatically enhanced, including the ability to reach FL450 in 19 minutes with four passengers. The XPR featured fuel-saving winglets and was offered with a choice of either the Pro Line 21 or Garmin G5000 avionics. It first flew in 2012 and received certification in 2016. Both programs helped the “little Japanese jet” continue to be a common sight around the executive airfields for many more years. z

EPIC PERFORMANCE PACKAGE ADDS CAPABILITIES

Raisbeck’s Swept Blade design sweeps not only the leading edge but also the tailing edge, making it possible to incease prop diameter for greater thrust without incurring increased prop tip noise and vibration.

Laying the groundwork for maintenance demand

BY KERRY LYNCH

Industry leaders discuss how to prepare for capacity limitations and for the future of the maintenance sector

As flight hours, aircraft orders, and charter and fractional sales soared during the pandemic and the immediate aftermath, maintenance shops found their hangars filled and backlogs growing. Capacity became an issue for many reasons: too much work all at once, a supply chain that still has not recovered from the disruptions of the pandemic, and a workforce shortage. Adding to that has been the growth in the number of larger aircraft and more extensive aircraft projects. AIN brought together thought leaders to discuss the quandary maintenance shops are facing in light of this, what they are doing to mitigate these issues, and how the future is shaping up for the sector. Here are some of the highlights from those discussions. Duncan Aviation sponsored this roundtable.

AIN ROUNDTABLE

THE PARTICIPANTS :

RYAN HUSS V - P OF SALES AND MARKETING FOR DUNCAN AVIATION

Duncan Aviation is one of the largest independent business aviation MROs in the U.S. with full-service facilities at its headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska; Provo, Utah; and Battle Creek, Michigan, that ofer a range of maintenance services, interior refurb work, and paint. It has more than 30 satellite locations in the U.S. and rapid response teams in the field.

MARSHA WOELBER V - P OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND AFTERMARKET SALES FOR EMBRAER EXECUTIVE JETS

Embraer Executive Jets supports more than 1,600 aircraft through its owned service centers in North America, Brazil, and Europe, in addition to a network of authorized service centers globally, and through landing gear, maintenance health monitoring and tracking, and other customer service initiatives.

KEN THOMPSON SENIOR ADVISOR FOR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS, NATA

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) represents business and general aviation businesses, including MROs, at the federal level, and provides a range of services and educational programs for its members. Its Aircraft Maintenance and Systems Technology Committee works with association members on issues surrounding aviation maintenance, repair stations, and aviation technology

ANDREW KIEHL— V - P OF FLEET MAINTENANCE FOR EXECUTIVE JET MANAGEMENT

An arm of fractional ownership provider NetJets, Executive Jet Management (EJM) manages a fleet of more than 200 aircraft across the U.S., ranging from light jets to ultra-long-range models. Its services include providing crews, maintaining the aircraft, ensuring hangarage, and invoicing management, among other support. EJM also ofers charter services.

RYAN HUSS

MARSHA WOELBER

KEN THOMPSON

ANDREW KIEHL

THE DISCUSSION:

ON THE CURRENT MRO BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

MARSHA WOELBER From a big-picture standpoint, there are such strong aircraft sales, and not only from a new aircraft perspective. We have a record-level backlog at Embraer, as well as in the secondary market. So of course, any type of aircraft being in service drives the demand for maintenance, and more aircraft turning around in the secondary drives the need for aftermarket inspections and lots of modifications. We’ve seen a huge, huge demand and, given our backlog, we know that’s here to stay.

RYAN HUSS It’s as busy as it’s ever been. We thought maybe coming through 2021 [and] 2022, we would see things maybe start to get a little bit better as far as backlog is concerned. But backlog right now is in the 2025 [or] 2026 timeframe for major projects. You can always get in the smaller-type projects, but if you have a big inspection coming up, you need to be well out front of it, not just for the labor capacity and the hangar, but also if you’re doing interior with it or anything like that.

I agree with Marsha about the sentiment in the market and the direction companies are going. It’s across the board. I think everybody out there right now has pretty significant backlogs, especially for the larger projects.

ANDREW KIEHL It’s been a theme for the last year or so that we have to be extremely proactive and be way ahead of things. Right now, it’s interesting from a connectivity standpoint; there are a lot of new things entering that space. Starlink is out there making a splash. But all the other OEMs have new unique products out there that are super competitive. So that’s driving a lot of questions. From a lot of our aircraft owners—our clients—obsolescence is a big issue right now.

So, we’re faced with a lot of mods and different strategies to try to hit that head-on, keep the aircraft flying, and be in a place where we’ve got access to good parts.

KEN THOMPSON A lot of our members are saying that the beginning of this year was kind of slow but now it’s getting really busy. April and May have picked up for MROs. Some of our members are saying airports are raising their rates so high. The [airport commissions] don’t see the significance of what the [MROs] bring to the table as far as revenue and the benefits of being able to repair aircraft, the smaller aircraft in general. They’re being squeezed out, and they’re having to shut down 145 repair stations because of the airport’s lack of interest.

ON FINDING CAPACITY

ANDREW KIEHL F It’s not easy at all. It’s still getting a bit longer, particularly with large-cabin airplanes. [Large] projects are several months in duration. To have a [Bombardier] Global or a [Gulfstream] G550 or whatever large-cabin aircraft, we’re talking about sitting in a hangar for that long to go through those big heavy checks and to go through refurbishment. They’re not knocking out inspections and putting them right back in the service. So capacity is still an issue.

A partner of ours [indicated] nine to 12 months out is still where we are when it comes to those kinds of projects. I think it’s back and forth whether it’s real estate or workforce, which one is going to become the driving factor. You may have the hangar, but do you have the technicians to perform the work?

RYAN HUSS We’ve opened two new 47,000-sq-ft hangars here in the last four months. One in Battle Creek and then one here in Lincoln. That has helped, but the capacity is still greater than the hangars around North America, and we are seeing more international aircraft coming over now.

But even building just the hangar, that’s only part of the equation. It’s the people, and we have to get trained individuals working on these airplanes. You can build a 47,000-sq-ft hangar, but hiring, getting trained people in the facility, and getting them running smoothly takes time. It’s not a quick fix for any of us out there. I know most MROs in the industry are experiencing the same need for qualified technicians and are trying to grow their own technicians. I think we’re all doing that to some extent. We have got a ways to go still.

MARSHA WOELBER We also have expanded, looking at an international

perspective. We doubled the size of our Brazil facility. This year, we will double our footprint in North America, and we just announced an expansion in Paris at Le Bourget Airport. So, there’s a real focus on adding capacity. There’s a lot of consolidation in the industry, but some of that is not actually adding capacity.

And I agree on building [capacity]. How do we recruit great technicians? I think we’ve exchanged a lot of them throughout the MROs. There’s been people moving all around the business, and we’ve just been focusing on the people. We know that aside from the technical skills, culture matters a lot. So, we focused on making sure that we have a great workplace and that our technicians are feeling the work-life balance that we want.

KEN THOMPSON Having premium space and being able to schedule people for maintenance is really difficult. You have to think through: “How do I turn aircraft out with the hangar to bring new aircraft in?” It has to be planned well in advance because you don’t have enough footprint for it. Adding to it and building hangars is expensive. And we don’t have the workforce to support it.

ON SUPPLY CHAIN

MARSHA WOELBER Part of the issue with capacity is directly related to parts. Some of these maintenance events are taking much, much longer because of static in the supply chain. I think the more that stabilizes, the more visibility we’ll have on the true downtime of maintenance events.

KEN THOMPSON [Our members] are seeing a lot of the supply chain issues that we saw prior to the pandemic and during the pandemic. They see a little bit of an uptick, but there are still certain items they’re having issues with a backlog on it, and it’s holding up [projects].

ANDREW KIEHL Some of the things are getting better. During Covid, we were talking about tires, different greases, and consumables. A lot of that was due to some unfortunate events—there were a couple of warehouse fires and other things that created that issue.

But I don’t think supply chain issues are gone because now we’re hitting obsolescence. A lot of our avionics programs are dropping certain part numbers because they’ve gone obsolete. That’s going to continue to be an issue for a while.

It goes back to being proactive and understanding what you’ve got to stay ahead of with those types of things. When an avionics OEM issues some kind of upgrade opportunity, maybe you don’t need it today, but maybe that’s a little clue that they’re not going to support that part three or four years from now. So, put it in the budget and start thinking about the best times to get that done.

ON WORKFORCE INITIATIVES

KEN THOMPSON The pandemic was one issue as far as workforce development. But another issue was like me, I’m a baby boomer. We all retired. There was a ton in my age group. I actually got my 50-year award just about a month ago, the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, from the FAA. So that’s 50 years as a mechanic. Those people are retiring.

Thank goodness we have apprenticeship programs like they have at Duncan. NATA has an apprenticeship tool that we provide to our members that they could use as a tracking system for when an apprentice has accomplished a task that was recognized by the FAA. It will record their knowledge, their safety issues, and their technical aspects of being able to get their airframe and powerplant certificate through testing. If you use that tool, you can walk right into the Flight Standards District Office and they can sign you off and you start testing.

RYAN HUSS We run [apprenticeship programs] in all three facilities: Battle Creek, Provo, and Lincoln. We have dedicated trainers who work in those areas. The basic setup is that the technicians will work four days a week in the hangar, being supervised and trained. On the fifth day, they are over on the classroom side doing in-house training through the books. And then at 18 months, they are qualified to test for the A or P. If they wish to test for both, then they wait for the 30-month period. But we’ve had good success.

We found that our best success rate for growing people is to get people from the local areas. It makes sense. They’re anchored by family typically, and they’re used to the gorgeous scenery of Nebraska. We’ve been doing it now for about two and a half years. I think we’ve had over 100 folks go through the program.

We work with the local technical colleges. We’re working on some programs to help them get their associate’s degree at the same time they are training. That’s a big step when you look at the money savings they’re getting and they’re being paid while working.

MARSHA WOELBER I think we’re going to see a lot more interest in the industry. Something that we’ve tried to do—and that we feel very passionate about—is just making sure that young people know about careers in aviation because many of them don’t. It’s important for us to elevate the status of the industry so that people know that they can work with us. We have outreach programs in Brazil, Paris, and the U.S.—at Marshall University, we just graduated our first class, [and at] Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics and West Michigan Aviation Academy.

In our Melbourne (Florida) facility, our U.S. headquarters, we just hosted a class of students to come through and see all parts of the OEM, so the maintenance is one piece. It’s helpful for people to see that there are a lot of careers in aviation as well.

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ANDREW KIEHL I think everyone’s doing a great job of realizing that workforce development is something that is all of our responsibilities. A lot of the MROs are creating their own programs where they will have apprenticeship-type programs. They can come and work during the day. They can go to a classroom setting and learn. They may graduate with an airframe or a powerplant certificate, which I think is fantastic.

I think that if we all just take a little bit of time to think about what we do, it’s really cool. It’s a really neat industry, and if we just share that a little bit, maybe we’ll do it organically and start bringing new young folks into our industry.

KEN THOMPSON One of our members is in partnership with one of the schools near their location. They allow the students to come over and work with mechanics, hands on the aircraft, and get practical experience while they’re going to school. It opens the door for opportunities to hire them if they’re actually fitting the mold of the company. How valuable is that for someone who’s managing a hangar to have people who have actually worked on the airplanes?

ON MANAGING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS IN LIGHT OF CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS

MARSHA WOELBER Historically, people in this industry try to group major events together just to reduce downtime overall. This predates any type of supply chain issue. Some of them have learned the hard way that you can’t just drop in for scheduled maintenance anymore. The best thing to do again, aside from planning in advance, is just communicate, communicate, communicate.

And it’s important we know what parts are in short supply. We tell our customers to avoid these surprises. And we make sure that there’s just a lot of

communication about what’s going on in the whole ecosystem.

All the orders are being placed ahead of time because it’s such a fragile ecosystem; you need to make sure that everyone’s talking.

RYAN HUSS The whole key to it is honesty. You have to be upfront with them: “If you come in for this event, here’s what we’re looking at for lead times. The sooner we can schedule, the sooner we get a deposit, the sooner we can order things, the better.” The best shot of mitigating extended downtime is advanced scheduling and getting the deposit in so we can order the parts and get them coming. If we wait until two to three weeks out to try and order a part, it’s just not going to happen without extending the downtime.

We’re doing some other things as well, just from a functionality standpoint. We’re looking at exchange options for certain things. But it’s tough because it’s expensive to get the landing gear lined up or the engines. We try to get rentals to mitigate their downtime, but they’re not always available. The sooner you can get on that rental list, the better.

ANDREW KIEHL For us, it’s just being transparent with our vendor partners that we utilize frequently. We’ve got standing

open discussions with them talking about our fleet, what’s coming due, and not holding our part so close to the vest that we’ve got an aircraft that’s got a 96-month inspection due next year. Let’s start talking about that this year.

At EJM, we’re not just planning the next maintenance visit. We’re planning the next two because we have to consider what are we not doing this visit and what we’re going to push off to the next inspection. We’ve got to make sure that we’ve got the time and the hours remaining to do that. So, as we think about those next two visits, let’s go ahead and share that with our vendor partners who are going to be doing the work. That way they know what we’ve got coming down the pipeline.

KEN THOMPSON There are specific businesses like the Duncans and Embraers ready for a total retrofit, they’re looking at all the upgrades at that point in time. But you have these smaller MROs. [Customers] come into the shop, and they want to get something specifically done. And if you add any other elements to that, sometimes you have people working over the top of each other. You may have avionics, you may have structures, and you may have interiors working in there. These smaller MROs aren’t accustomed to that.

So, they would do double billing, and

that turns customers off. But they have to be able to make the profits they need to stay in business. You can see where it could be a little bit of a conflict for them to take on extra work at the same time. If they don’t have the personnel and the availability to get those parts and be able to manage the people well enough, it can be a little bit confusing and complicated. Whereas when a business does total retrofits and they understand that business plan, then it should go a little bit easier than it does for the smaller MROs.

RYAN HUSS For airframe, we could fill up today for the next three years. But how do you stay balanced with your other modification shops, your install shop, and those groups? Making the most efficient usage of that square footage is paramount to the major OEMs and MROs.

ON AOG SITUATIONS

ANDREW KIEHL It seems like the MRO options out there have expanded in the past number of years. There are more and more AOG-type maintenance trucks, little repair teams, Fast teams, whatever the flavor is.

A lot of companies are spreading out. They’ve got trucks all across the country or across the globe. So, it is nice having that regional maintenance. We’re not waiting on somebody to fly from across the country to come and help in an AOG situation.

I think we’ve got a lot more maintenance at our fingertips as it pertains to that unscheduled maintenance.

But really the scheduled piece, if we want to be in a hangar and have a slot, that hasn’t gotten much better.

MARSHA WOELBER Concurrent with our U.S. growth, we have significantly increased capacity with our mobile response as well. When you’re planning work at an MRO, there’s a Rubik’s Cube to a certain extent, just to make sure that you

have some of the capacity for drop-ins.

We know that these AOG teams are needed in the field for when there is no space or a customer is broken down somewhere. So, all of this growth is happening.

One thing I will say is technologies such as health-trend monitoring are helping us get ahead of these things and study the airplanes.

RYAN HUSS There’s been a shift from pre-Covid AOG and rapid response type calls that were truly driven towards AOG needs: “The aircraft is broken, and I need people here.” We’ve seen more and more utilization of these AOG folks for routine engine inspections or minor assistance inspections, and that’s put more stress on it.

We’ve all grown [our mobile response teams]. I would say though that for an operator that has an AOG, they may not get their first couple of calls and somebody dispatched right away. They’re going to reach out probably to two or three different providers, whoever has the first availability is more than likely who they are going to take.

I think if we can get off of trying to utilize these folks for the scheduled stuff that they know is coming, that would help with the true AOG response.

MARSHA WOELBER What’s interesting about this concept where the AOG trucks

are doing scheduled maintenance, there’s an economic impact there for the customers. It’s more expensive, and the customers will just pay. It’s been a really interesting time as it relates to pricing because we know that these aircraft give our customers time, and they’re willing to pay for it.

One thing that I will say is that the common thread that extends AOG is materials. It’s not badging or the availability of trucks. It’s waiting for parts. It’s a challenge that customers call several different organizations trying to find AOG support. As the OEM, sometimes we’re coordinating that event. We’ve taken some criticism on behalf of the industry because of the lack of AOG support. I’m glad that we’re responding to that because we sell these jets to provide the ultimate experience in business aviation, and if the aircraft’s down and you’re calling multiple places, it’s very frustrating.

ON NEW TECHNOLOGIES

RYAN HUSS With scheduling, as we discussed, people or customers add on stuff. We’re investing in and working pretty significantly in AI—looking at our past history on inspections, what kind of inspection, where’s the airplane from, have we seen it before, how have they squawked in the past, and trying to paint a better picture for the

actual down times. We’re having decent success so far.

That’s one area we’re moving. We are certainly looking at some things in the paint area. I know there are folks out there who use some robotic sanders for the metallic areas with what appears to be good success. So, we’re looking at that technology. Sanding an airplane, although it sounds really glamorous, is not—very labor intensive, tough on the shoulders, and ergonomically a little bit difficult. The more we can take the human element out of that, the better.

MARSHA WOELBER Something that we’ve developed is a troubleshooting app called Smart Troubleshooting, which essentially takes all the data that we’ve gleaned from our engineering database. We have a 24/7 customer care center that fields AOG calls, and we know what we’ve done to troubleshoot and fix these issues. It’s available to MROs. Some customers use it and that helps a lot.

Another thing is more sophisticated tools as it relates to materials and materials planning. One [advancement] is using AI for inventory planning. We’ve talked about how hard it is to do this, and certainly, there’s no crystal ball. But, we can use all of the data that we have as the OEM to make sure that we have the right parts in the right places at the right times.

Another thing that we’re doing that we just launched this year is a repair database that essentially links Embraer and our suppliers, which for repairable parts is a very large percentage of the inventory. It allows us all to communicate. It allows us to speak with all of our suppliers in a digital way. I think leveling up that technology is going to help everyone because parts are such a bottleneck. The more transparency we can give to Ryan and his peers as they’re working on this aircraft, the better it is and the faster it is for everyone.

RYAN HUSS We’ve done something similar on the parts side. We have a lot of

OEMs who post through a virtual inventory online. We just rolled out phase one of that, DuncanAviationparts.com. It allows the customer to type in the part number, look at the part, look at the cost, and look at the tag; everything is easily accessible to him or her, regardless of the time of day [or] where they are in the world. They can go ahead and process the orders.

KEN THOMPSON It’s kind of ironic. I asked mechanics, “How do you see AI fit in your world?” And they’re all puzzled. They’re not sure what it’s going to look like as far as future mechanics actually doing the work. But they do see advantages if they have an SMS [safety management system] or a quality assurance program where they can do trend monitoring, analysis, and root cause analysis.

So, they’re starting to see the benefits. And there are a lot of labor-intensive jobs with people that we may be able to use AI to take that workload and get the answers quickly. But they don’t know yet if it is going to actually do riveting on the aircraft in the facility. I think the human element is still going to be needed for quite a while.

ANDREW KIEHL We have a bit of a luxury here by having some specialists in some key areas. We have our engine program manager who’s going to review those engine health trends that are coming. We

can do that engine work at ideally a bit more opportune time if the health trend monitor allows us to do that. We’ve got avionics folks who can advise our planning team on what’s coming down the pipeline from a cabin management upgrade or a connectivity solution standpoint, so we can stay ahead of those types of things.

But really staying ahead of your maintenance tracking program, understanding how the clients are going to use the aircraft over the next couple of years, and forecasting what’s going to be coming due—staying in tune with what’s going on with your particular aircraft service, bulletins, and certain mods that are available—I think is still just the bread and butter of keeping up with the particular aircraft that you’re operating.

ON BEST PRACTICES

ANDREW KIEHL One of the models I have is just giving the folks the tools and whatever resources they need to do their job well, and then letting them do their job. Whether we’re talking about somebody on your team or a vendor partner, that’s going to help you facilitate a project and complete an inspection. Be there, be a resource, give them all the tools, and everything that they need to do their job, and then let them do their best work.

Whether you’re a pilot or you’re a maintainer, there’s a lot of pressure on the need

to execute the trip or to get the airplane back in service. It’s always something that’s felt. But I think we often find ourselves reminding folks that it’s ok. Let’s work at a professional pace. Let’s slow down, let’s be thorough.

RYAN HUSS For us, we’ve done additional training not just for the new technicians—it’s personnel who are signing o ff their work. We need them to hold the new technicians to the highest standards. And that can be anything from, “Do you have your paperwork in your hand when you call over a QI [quality inspector] or an inspector to look at it?”

One more thing is the culture. They have to bring it forward if they make a mistake. You can’t have a punitive response. Otherwise, folks will try and hide it. You need that open dialogue where they feel safe to come forward and say I made a mistake. It happens. It’s more of how can we move forward. What are the next steps, and what do we learn from that so it doesn’t happen again? It’s also managing owners’ expectations: “We’re going to do the job right, and it’ll be done when it’s done.” That’s what keeps our customers coming back. We have to do these things. There are no shortcuts.

MARSHA WOELBER Building on what Ryan said, it’s extremely important to focus on that quality culture and on the core business. We have to keep in mind that our core business is maintaining these airplanes. Perhaps there are fancier and more efficient ways to do it, but when someone’s in-house, we need to be repairing their aircraft in a safe way and with the highest quality standards.

Some of the things that we’ve done, which are probably quite standard across OEMs but we do very well, [are to] surround our visual management so that our technicians know what’s going on and they understand how we are holding them and how we’re accountable and how we’re

judging the quality of the jobs. That works very well because humans want to do a good job.

KEN THOMPSON Something that I learned years ago is you cannot inspect quality into the product. It has to be built into the product. It has everything to do with the mechanic and having the right training. And I also understand the expectations. Communication is a wonderful tool. Retention of your people is important as well; your crew leads and your managers are the critical people you need in the organization to keep it consistent and give the incentive of the importance of safety first. Sometimes you just have to pay them a little bit more. It’s an investment.

I think that’s where there are a lot of the issues. Especially with the smaller MROs, retention is a real problem because airlines are trying to talk them into coming on board with them. But the fact is keeping the right people in the core of your company is a part of quality.

THE BOTTOM LINE: WHAT’S AHEAD FOR MRO?

ANDREW KIEHL We’re definitely seeing more hangars being built. We’re seeing locations expand. They’re trying to get more airplanes in the barn and being able to take on more capability. I don’t think

that that’s going to get any easier anytime soon.

KEN THOMPSON We have got UAVs on the horizon. There’s going be a plethora of air taxi services in the future, and there have to be mechanics to work on them.

I also have a little bit of a warning about the supply of our chips and everything to operate our systems. Geopolitical issues could bring real problems. I’m hoping that our government is looking at ways that we need to mitigate that, start thinking about what is on the horizon, what could happen and rather than being reactive, be proactive.

MARSHA WOELBER A lot has gone on in the world here over the past four years. That requires that we rethink how we support this industry, and localizing our supply chain is certainly one of those [ways]. There are many different ways to do it. Especially speaking from the OEM, we don’t like to not have parts. We don’t like to have shortages. We want our customers to have the best experience, and we will do everything feasible to achieve that.

RYAN HUSS The biggest challenge on growth is again back to headcount. If we can gain enough young interested parties and keep growing our technician and pilot base, the industry will continue to be strong. z

Hands On

Flying Honeywell’s FMS guided visual approaches

BY MATT THURBER

As the Gulfstream G650 descended on the ILS Runway 6 glidepath towards Teterboro Airport, we could see MetLife stadium next to the TORBY waypoint. Because we had been cleared for the ILS 6, circle to Runway 1 approach, we knew the drill: cross DANDY at 1,500 feet, descend to 1,300 feet and turn right after TORBY, keep an eye on the radio towers, hang a left around the stadium, then continue descending while lining up with Runway 1. The goal is to roll out at the proper altitude and speed so the approach would be stabilized. And all this while the winds were blowing at 18 gusting to 30 knots from the northwest, conditions that make this approach the go-to, provided the weather isn’t below IFR minimums.

With a smoothness that seemed unusual in such a large airplane and at bank angles never higher than 20 degrees, the G650 adroitly pirouetted around the stadium in a constant yet gentle descent, then smoothly straightened out. The result: a perfectly executed visual approach that lined us up on the PAPI glidepath and brought us neatly to 200 feet at no more than Vref +10, where I punched the autopilot off and, at 50 feet, pulled the power back, and landed comfortably near the aiming point with plenty of runway left to come to a smooth stop.

We weren’t in an airplane but were flying a series of FMS-guided visual (FGV) approaches in FlightSafety International’s

G650 level-D simulator at the Long Beach, California learning center.

Honeywell has developed FGV approaches at about a dozen airports and is working on more, to provide a safer path—either hand-flown or on autopilot— to runway ends that offer some additional challenge and risk to business jet pilots. The resulting paths use radius-to-fix legs “which provide a precise track over the ground to align the aircraft while observing known airspace restrictions,” according to Honeywell.

Most airports have instrument approach procedures that align the aircraft with a runway end, but not all runways—especially those constrained by terrain or airspace restrictions—have an IFR approach.

Honeywell has developed an FMS guided visual approach for Teterboro’s challenging ILS 6, circle to Runway 1.

Visual approaches can be more expeditious, but they lack guidance, and pilots must rely on their skill and judgment to keep the aircraft on the right path. This doesn’t always work out, as demonstrated by the crash of Asiana Flight 214 on July 6, 2013, at San Francisco International Airport on a clear day, where the Boeing 777’s pilots seemed confused about exactly how to fly a visual approach without any formal guidance and stalled on short final.

The FGV approaches are designed to mitigate risks inherent in visual approaches by providing lateral and vertical guidance that results in a stable approach. Honeywell has made these visual approaches available as a subscription service that adds them to FMS databases in qualifying aircraft. These include the Bombardier Global Express; Citation Sovereign and X; Falcon 900EX EASy, 900C/EX, 2000 EASy, 7X, and 8X; Embraer 170/190; Gulfstream GV, G450/ G550, G500/G600, and G650; Hawker 4000; and Pilatus PC-24 and PC-12 NG/NGX. Honeywell is working with CAE and FlightSafety to add the FGV approach database to the simulators for these aircraft.

As of early May, Honeywell had developed FGV approaches for 10 runways at nine airports, and four more runways at three new airports were in development, for Singapore Seletar (WSSL, Runway 3/21), Westchester County (KHPN, Runway 34), and Napa County (KAPC, Runway 24).

FGV IN THE SIMULATOR

During the G650 simulator flight, Honeywell senior technical sales manager Carey Miller and I flew FGV approaches into Teterboro (KTEB, Runway

1), Van Nuys (KVNY, Runway 34L), and Scottsdale (KSDL, Runway 21).

Honeywell’s Teterboro RNAV H Rwy 1 FGV approach guides pilots to Runway 1 when clearance is given to fly the ILS 6, circle to Runway 1 at TORBY. Because this is a circling approach to the runway from TORBY, special instructions to set up the approach are included in a detailed briefing sheet to ensure the localizer is monitored during the initial phase of the approach.

I flew the approach twice, with the G650 simulator set with strong and gusty northwest winds to mimic conditions

when pilots will be given the ILS 6, circle to Runway 1 clearance. I flew the first attempt by hand while Miller co-piloted and FlightSafety G650 program manager Justin White ran the simulator.

With the G650’s smooth autothrottle engaged, managing the flight path was easy, and I was able to follow the flight director’s guidance as we flew the FGV approach. The turns after TORBY and around MetLife Stadium were gentle, and after leveling the wings on final, the G650 was perfectly positioned on the glidepath at the reference speed of 116 knots plus a little more for the wind. We did a go-around, then repositioned and returned for the same approach using the autopilot.

Visual approaches may look easy, but formal guidance is a significant safety enhancement.

This time, the G650 flew a perfect ILS 6, circle to Runway 1 approach, much smoother than my hand flying. The shallow bank angles and smooth, continuous descent would have been unnoticeable to passengers. After lining up on final to Runway 1, I clicked off the autopilot at 200 feet agl and landed with plenty of runway remaining.

I can’t help contrasting this with an experience a few years ago when I was a passenger in a jet flying into Teterboro using the visual ILS 6 and circle to Runway 1 clearance. The pilot must have felt that the visual approach required some radical maneuvering because he whipped the airplane around in much steeper banks, which I now realize were unnecessary. There is also the poorly flown Learjet that crashed on May 15, 2017. The pilots turned well past TORBY and banked too steeply trying to line up with Runway 1 and stalled.

Hands On

Teterboro Airport has published guidance on its website to help pilots flying this visual approach, highlighting FAA-created waypoints that can be plugged into an FMS or navigator.

At Van Nuys, I flew two approaches to Runway 34L, which is rarely used, only when the Santa Ana winds are blowing. White set the wind to 300 at 15, gusting to 20 knots. I flew the first approach by hand, and this approach, when entry is made from the northwest, mimics a traditional lefthand downwind-base-final traffic pattern. Many pilots might think such a pattern is simple, but the northwest wind is going to push aircraft toward the runway unless pilots compensate. The guidance using Honeywell’s RNAV H Rwy 34L makes the process so much simpler and safer.

The second, autopilot-connected approach was again much smoother, but in both cases, the guidance kept our bank angles below 20 degrees and also ensured that we didn’t unconsciously allow the wind to blow the G650 closer to the runway

on the downwind leg. If this had happened, we might have resorted to a steeper bank to try to line up with the runway, a highly risky maneuver that was one of the factors in the deadly crash of a Challenger 605 on July 26, 2021, at Truckee Tahoe Airport in California.

At Scottsdale, I got a firsthand look at how hand-flying a visual approach without guidance could get a flight crew into trouble. One way of approaching Runway 21 from the west requires flying along the edge of mountainous terrain, and at night it’s almost impossible to see the ridge lines. Of course, it’s visible on the G650’s synthetic vision, which helps, but I still felt compelled to hug the terrain on the left side of the airplane while maneuvering before turning right to line up with Runway 21. At one point, I got to within 900 feet of the ground before turning on final.

For the second approach, we used the guidance from the RNAV H Rwy 21 visual approach with the autopilot on, and the difference was stark. This approach kept us well away from the terrain but still

generated a shallow bank as it turned the G650 on final for a perfectly stabilized approach.

Subscriptions to the Honeywell database with the FGV approaches cost $2,000 per year, and pilots can view videos about flying the procedures at the company’s Pilot Gateway website.

Of course, pilots could go through the trouble of trying to build their own approaches by creating user waypoints for their FMS, but getting it all to work out with the proper descent is challenging.

A PILOT’S EXPERIENCE

Corporate pilot Mark McIntyre did just that for a flight to Split in Croatia, which worked out well, he said. He was trying to build something similar for Runway 35 at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport near Palm Springs, California, but then he found out about the Honeywell FGV approaches.

“There is high terrain to the south, and it’s a black hole. There is a PAPI but it’s

The author (left seat) practicing FMS guided visual approaches in FlightSafety’s G650 simulator.

challenging, especially at night,” he said. “We started playing with it, building the waypoints and flying with the autoflight system on. It did well and put us on downwind and started our descent before turning base with a nice arc and a 3-degree descending path, but it didn’t always line up with final. It worked well but it wasn’t perfect.”

At a Gulfstream operators’ conference, McIntyre learned about the Honeywell FGV approaches and signed up for the database subscription. “It’s taken the concern about unstabilized approaches away,” he said. “Both pilots remain heads up, it rolls out wings level at 700 feet agl on the PAPI and on centerline, you click off the automation and land. It takes out all the anxiety and sweat and all of the risk.”

McIntyre and his fellow pilots have trained in-house to fly the FGV approaches as well as in the FlightSafety G650 simulator. “We had all the pilots fly in the simulator to gain confidence,” he said. “The [approaches are] so intuitive, I don’t feel like there’s a lot of training required, as long as you recognize that the controller knows nothing about it and they’re not going to clear you for it. It’s visual; use the procedure to give you a visual route. The automation works just like a charted IFR approach procedure. Arm the approach and capture [the glidepath]. In terms of standard operating procedures and automation management, it’s familiar and makes it easy to implement. We’re not having to train something different.”

Although some pilots wondered how it is possible to fly a formal procedure when cleared for a visual approach, they soon appreciated the benefits of the FGV approaches. “[Being a visual approach], it doesn’t mean we can’t use automation to help,” McIntyre said. “Once they experienced it, they said, ‘Why would I do it any other way?’

“We’re so good at discipline and precision in so many of the things we do,” he explained. “And yet an unaided visual

approach remains a very imprecise maneuver. Now we have a tool where precision and risk mitigation employed in every aspect of our operation are finally brought to the visual approach. It takes all the guesswork out of it. It’s going to be a huge safety enhancement. Once people see them, why wouldn’t you use it? It would almost be remiss not to use it.”

McIntyre is looking forward to the release of the Seletar visual approach. “It’s really constrained by airspace, you’re always pushing to fly a close-in downwind and tight base, and that makes it challenging. That airport has always been problematic.”

It’s important to note that pilots should not ask air traffic controllers for clearance to fly the FGV approaches. Honeywell makes it clear that these are not IFR approaches. When given a visual approach clearance, it’s up to the pilot to figure out

how to approach the runway, and if pilots want to fly the FGV procedure, they can do so without further clearance. The controller might just be impressed at the preciseness of the resulting visual approach, not realizing that it is based on a formal procedure.

The beauty of the FGV approaches is that, once loaded in the FMS, guidance is available either for hand flying or the autopilot, freeing up pilot attention for more important tasks. Flying the FGV approach on autopilot is just like flying an IFR approach, and the outcome is exactly the same, positioning the airplane perfectly lined up with the runway end in a stabilized state. The approaches employ gentle banks and maintain clearance from terrain, obstacles, and airspace constraints.

But more importantly, the approaches give pilots the option of flying a precise, welldesigned procedure instead of trying to figure out how to get to the runway end and remain stabilized without any guidance. z

New realities of certification: manufacturers’ winding road to the finish line

BY KERRY LYNCH AND CATHY BUYCK

Special conditions applied late in the certification program caused unavoidable delays in approval

At long last on March 30, Gulfstream Aerospace was able to celebrate the certification of its new flagship, the ultra-long-range, ultra-high-tech G700, after an approval process that took at least two years longer than the Savannah, Georgia airframer anticipated.

Announced in 2019, the company initially targeted 2022 for certification but by April 2022, General Dynamics chairman and CEO Phebe Novakovic warned of delays looming related to time-consuming, extra requirements that she said were “the result of events independent of us.”

Gulfstream later had hoped to have the ticket in hand by the end of 2023, with the anticipation of delivering 15 in that year. It was said to have built 50 by the end of the year as it prepped for deliveries.

When announcing the long-awaited approval, Gulfstream president Mark Burns

proclaimed: “We have successfully completed the most rigorous certification program in company history with the G700.”

Speaking to AIN during Qatar Executive’s unveiling event of its first two G700s in Doha on May 22, Burns said the longerthan-initially-expected certification process of the new model was in large part due to the directives in the U.S. calling for more oversight during product approvals.

The FAA requested more elements to be documented and tested and sought more test flying as well. All this testing has created “an extremely mature aircraft,” Burns said, adding, “The good news is that we did not have to change the aircraft. The aircraft remained as it was a year ago.”

Gulfstream’s flagship G700 received EASA validation in mid-May, and the Qatar General Civil Aviation Authority’s approval

followed soon after, allowing the twinjet to be delivered to and operated by Qatar Executive. Gulfstream is in the process of seeking G700 validation by more than a dozen national aviation authorities, including China, Canada, and the UK, Burns noted.

Meanwhile, in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, helicopter manufacturer Bell has been developing perhaps its most advanced, and certainly its largest commercial helicopter yet with the Bell 525. Like the G700, this aircraft is equipped with a full fly-by-wire system, a first in the civil rotorcraft sector.

Bell announced the 525 in 2012, intending to carve a new niche in the supermedium market. The program received a setback in 2016 when a prototype crashed. But overcoming that, the helicopter manufacturer moved forward and ten -

of the Gulfstream G700.

tatively targeted a 2017 date for approval.

But then Bell changed. It informed reporters that it was no longer going to set a timeline for certification, with then-CEO Mitch Snyder saying that it is a joint process with the FAA. Again last year, Snyder tepidly pointed to the end of 2023 as a possibility but stressed this was in the hands of the FAA.

“Bell continues type inspection authorization (TIA) flight testing,” said Tim Evans, business development director of the 525 for Bell. “We are closely collaborating with the FAA on few remaining certification efforts and making great progress. Bell is also working with EASA and additional regulatory authorities to ensure smooth validation efforts following the FAA certification.”

Then there’s the Dassault Falcon 6X, which was announced in 2018 as the follow-on to the canceled 5X. Certification slipped—but just a little in comparison— on this program as well; the wide-cabin jet received both its EASA certification and FAA validation in August 2023.

A MOVING TARGET

From the outside, certification programs are always a bit of a moving target. But long gone are the days of Cessna Aircraft, now Textron Aviation, unveiling a follow- on aircraft and having it certified and in the market a few years later.

There are many reasons for this. Covid brought complexities into the workplace with remote working and early retirements. Dassault pushed back its Falcon 10X timeline to 2027, and Dassault Aviation CEO and president Eric Trappier pointed to complications surrounding work during the pandemic as a prime reason. Speaking to reporters during EBACE in late May, he added, “We are now confident that [2027] should work.”

Both remote work and the wave of retirements impacted the FAA as well. Pete Bunce, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), in 2023 testified on Capitol Hill about the delays involving certification and expressed concern about the turnover at

FAA—40 percent of certification engineers had less than two years of experience. He said training them was hindered because of the dispersed workforce in the wake of the pandemic. Congress in the most recent reauthorization bill included a directive to ensure workers worked remotely in cases where it made sense in their jobs.

A second, and at least equally influential reason, is the Boeing factor. The FAA has come under substantial scrutiny globally in the aftermath of the Max crashes and subsequent investigations as well as with the production issues that surfaced.

Congress put in a variety of controls, including stepped-up oversight of delegation activities, through the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act of 2020. No change is implemented quickly but all agree having a permanent FAA administrator in place, Michael Whitaker, is helping this.

“After the Boeing accidents, the certification agencies are more meticulous, and quite rightly, to make sure that passengers will be safe. Therefore, things are a bit more difficult,” Trappier told media and analysts during the company’s 2023 results presentation in March. EASA, which is in charge of the certification of the Falcon business jets, demanded several modifications to the 6X, he said. Because of these required modifications, the 6X entered service only on November 30.

In the meantime, the Pratt & Whitney PW812D-powered 6X obtained approval from the aviation authorities of Turkey, the Isle of Man, and San Marino, while the certification process is ongoing in Canada, India, and the UK.

The French OEM is also still working on obtaining additional product approvals such as for steep approach as well as for its FalconEye Combined Vision System (CVS). According to Dassault’s executive v-p of civil aircraft, Carlos Brana, these are just a matter of time, and “up to 99 percent of the missions can already now be performed with the aircraft as it is.”

A LONGER ROAD

While many point to the FAA as taking much longer for approvals, Walter Desrosier, v-p of engineering and maintenance with GAMA, said he is seeing heightened scrutiny

The Pratt & Whitney PW812D powers the Falcon 6X and was a relatively straighforward part of the certification process, causing no delays.

ERIC TRAPPIER

DASSAULT AVIATION PRESIDENT AND CEO

in certification programs from all of the agencies, not just the U.S. aviation authority.

“Certification authorities are now much more demanding than they used to be,” Brana told AIN, agreeing. “We will need to take into consideration that the 10X may also require a very stringent certification process. Safety comes first at Dassault, since always. It would be wrong to tell certification authorities they are requesting too much information if safety is our primary concern.”

Why one program may appear to move through faster than another may be more a matter of how mature the program is at the point of certification application or how novel the technology a new program may be bringing to the market, Desrosier said.

Or, there could be internal changes made to a new program that are not visible to the outside markets. However, he did say that programs in general are taking longer.

As for the FAA, “there’s been significant review” of the agency’s certifications processes and procedures, he said. “There’s been a stream of different recommendations…that have come in various forms—whether it’s a rulemaking advisory committee, whether it’s some of the [Department of Transportation Inspector General] or [Government Accountability Office] IG studies. And then, as a result of the Max accidents, there was an unprecedented amount of scrutiny.”

The key question with all of these recommendations and directives for increased oversight is how the FAA manages the

rapidly evolving technologies at a predictable pace while maintaining the necessary level of involvement and upholding the highest standards, Desrosier said. This is a balancing act especially as the industry is in unprecedented times with the leap in new and transformative technologies.

However, as a result of the stepped-up oversight, Desrosier added, “Some of the things that we’re seeing are basically a recertification of some areas that have already been certified when [there is a] change of product.”

Also, the process now involves more extensive documentation surrounding certification tests. In the end, he explained, the result may not necessarily require a change to a manufacturer’s design, “but a much more robust involvement and review” from the regulators.

He added that this is a shift “we are seeing from the FAA and all authorities in terms of strengthening the documentation and what we call the substantiation of compliance.”

The reason this has “come to the forefront,” Desrosier further explained, is aviation authorities are taking a deeper dive into a certification program’s compliance reports, including previous engineering documentation. “And they have started asking questions such as: ‘How did you make this leap or how did you make this

connection, or more importantly, this is an area we don’t see a lot of substantiation.’”

THE RE-EVALUATION

Many aircraft programs involve follow-ons or evolutions of previous models, and some of these questions the manufacturers have encountered from regulators surrounded an earlier modification, Desrosier said. That documentation that the agency is requesting may have involved a change made three or four derivatives earlier, or 10 or 15 years before, and doesn’t necessarily involve what’s new on the latest project.

“We’re seeing a little bit of a change from all authorities expecting more substantiation in the documentation robustness and compliance showings on each program and not just recognizing it’s previously approved and therefore it can continue to go forward. You have to bring that data forward, show the substantiation documentation, include it into that program, and then add the additional substantiations of compliance for the areas in your design change.”

For new programs, manufacturers can enter with full knowledge of these changes. But those that had already been underway— such as Gulfstream’s G700, Bell’s 525, and even the Falcon 6X—may have been caught by this shift in test and other documentation. “There are new expectations being set [from the regulators]. There are new things being

WALTER DESROSIER GAMA V-P ENGINEERING AND MAINTENANCE

The Dassault Falcon 6X, while delayed, achieved simultaneous FAA and EASA certification.

put into place that are required to be shown and that require the manufacturers to go back and redo stuff that they’ve already gone past,” Desrosier said. “That is what we have seen from some of the companies when they say there’s been a surprise, that there’s been some delays. That’s because there has been some change. Those changes aren’t necessarily in big new requirements. The changes are in the policy and the guidance and the expectation of the level of substantiation.”

This is the result of investigations of recent crashes, he said. Investigators determined that the substantiation should be easy to identify. But for manufacturers, “All of that is just additional work when it was not planned and not expected,” he said, adding the aviation authorities are in “lockstep” in recognizing this, even if their processes may have their own nuances.

As far as those nuances, he cited as an example, Transport Canada may have an additional focus on cold weather operations. “It’s the same requirements that apply for everybody but they dig in and have a lot more substantiation requirements, a lot more documentation requirements, and a lot more test requirements.”

However, once the manufacturers know what the expectations are and the regulators can better communicate them, that will ease the path for the companies. “They’ll just plan to do it, and they can plan for it and be prepared for it,” he said. “The greatest impact when it comes to expectations for [certification] schedules is when there’s a change that occurs that was unexpected, that wasn’t planned for.”

Desrosier added that GAMA has heard from companies that have had delays when these additional requirements popped up. “If you’re in year five [of a certification program] and suddenly there’s an expectation that these reports are all going to have to be documented differently. That has a bigger impact moving forward.

“What’s really important is that the manufacturers and the applicants have an understanding of what is expected by the

regulators. The regulator’s primary job in the certification process is establishing the requirements up front.”

Desrosier pointed to the complexities, however, of setting those expectations. Part 25 requirements for transport-category aircraft are well known as are the means of compliance used in the past. This should have a high level of predictability.

“You can put together a project plan and a schedule that’s pretty accurate because you have high predictability on what those requirements are,” he said. However, most new programs incorporate new technologies, whether they be new materials to make an aircraft lighter and burn less fuel or safety enhancements involving automation.

THE RULEMAKING FACTOR

Companies also are updating their manufacturing methods. “Every time we incorporate something new that the existing regulations don’t address or the existing means of compliance that are accepted don’t address, that means that’s an additional level of work for both the applicant and for the regulator. We now have to come up with new applicable requirements.”

This leads to special conditions. “Well, that’s a whole rulemaking process,” Desrosier said. And this may be a key difference between the FAA and other regulators. “The FAA’s rulemaking process—and the effectiveness and efficiency of that process—really

comes into play on impacting type certification, project timelines, and programs.”

He pointed to special conditions that came out for the G700 this year. “If the FAA didn’t finish the rulemaking for a special condition until 2024, it’s impossible to certify. They have to know the requirements. Obviously, Gulfstream did know what those requirements were upfront because they already did the design, they already did the compliance. They were just waiting for the FAA to finish promulgating it through that administrative process. So obviously, there’s some things that are out of sync here.”

He added this wait for special conditions is a “huge frustration” and concern for manufacturers. He noted rulemaking is not fully under the FAA’s control. It must still go to the Department of Transportation and the Office of Management and Budget for regulatory clearance. Other authorities may not have such an extensive process.

Another area that makes the process longer is outdated aging systems. One area that the most recently passed FAA reauthorization bill addresses is digitization, which will further streamline processes. “We still have to provide paper—two-dimensional design—when every young person does it in 3D,” GAMA’s Bunce said.

Designs are now done on sophisticated computer systems. “We have to translate it to paper. We have to push the regulators to move into the 21st century,” he added. z

Bell’s 525 features fly-by-wire flight controls, which require more certification resources.

Rotorcraft

Hawaii AC set to further constrain air tours

BY MATT THURBER

Last year, the FAA released a draft advisory circular (AC 136-B048) that could worsen helicopter tour operator safety in Hawaii instead of doing what the AC is intended to do: improve safety by limiting altitudes below which tour aircraft can fly.

Operators, such as Maverick Helicopters Hawaii in Kahului, expressed concern that the AC’s advice, which is intended to be advisory only, will be incorporated into commercial operators’ operations specifications (OpSpecs).

FAA regulations that govern tour operations in Hawaii—Part 136, Appendix A—already specify minimum altitudes, including no flights below 1,500 feet (except for takeoff and landing) or closer than 1,500 feet to any person or

property. But operators have been flying under OpSpecs that permitted following a deviation manual first published in 2008, according to Jake Harmon, chief pilot at Maverick Hawaii. “[The FAA is] trying to get rid of that and make it so we can only fly above 1,500 feet unless we encounter unforecast weather,” he explained.

Release of the AC is expected soon, and until then, operators won’t know the final content. However, earlier this year, tour operators met with the FAA to outline their concerns with the draft AC, especially how the inability to use the 2008 deviation manual will impact safety. “Our expectation was that these were safety concerns, and that the FAA would implement changes,” Harmon told AIN. “They didn’t

do anything. They told us, ‘We hear you, but we’re not going to change anything.’”

According to Vertical Aviation International (VAI, formerly HAI), the draft AC outlines operational procedures and processes including pilot training needed when applying for OpSpec letter of authorization (LOA) B048, which covers commercial air tour operations below 1,500 feet above the surface in Hawaii.

The only allowance for flying below 1,500 feet using OpSpec/LOA B048 is “in order to remain in VMC [visual meteorological conditions] and avoid entering unforecasted IMC [instrument meteorological conditions]. This authorization is not intended for flights where forecasted weather conditions would not allow VMC

Operators remain doubtful that new requirements for tour operators will lead to actual safety improvements.

above 1,500 feet.” No allowance is made for deviation from Part 136, Appendix A “and is not intended to authorize operations closer than 1,500 feet to any person or property.”

In other words, operators are invited to create a deviation manual, but it only covers unforecast weather and comes with a bunch of stipulations, according to Harmon. “We can’t even launch on a tour if any part is forecasted where we would be going below 1,500 feet. It’s impossible to gauge that. The only official weather reporting is at the airport. This is a poorly put-together advisory circular. We can’t tell if it’s being rushed through, but there is a lot of pressure from high levels of government [to implement it].”

The specifics of the AC’s recommended operating procedures are fairly stringent. They include:

–Designation of known site-specific areas (KSSAs) where commercial air tour operations can take place.

–Commercial air tour flight profiles, including altitudes, areas, landmarks, and more.

–Transition segments for maneuvering between KSSAs, communication procedures, radio frequencies, and aircraftlighting recommendations.

–Weather minimums for safe operations below 1,500 feet.

–Safety risk analysis and prohibited operations.

–Reporting points and procedures for unforecasted weather encounters.

Further, the FAA wants each tour aircraft operator to present a list of instruments and equipment installed in the aircraft, including: All equipment required under Section 91.205(d); IFR navigation equipment enabling at least one type of instrument approach procedure; ADS-B In and Out system that provides visual and audible traffic warnings; supplemental type certificates; and minimum equipment lists. The FAA doesn’t seem to acknowledge that few of these tour aircraft are approved for,

nor equipped for, IFR flight, nor are the pilots usually IFR-rated. And, while ADS-B Out is mandatory in a lot of airspace, there is no regulatory requirement for ADS-B In equipment and so far most ADS-B In features are advisory only.

Tour pilots would have to undergo ground and flight training including KSSA familiarization flights under supervision. The FAA, as normal, would be able to conduct initial or annual flight observations or designate an approved person to do so. Instructors would have to be qualified to provide this training and keep records of the training and their observations.

YET MORE PROCESSES

All of this will be subject to an FAA authorization process that could see the FAA adding further requirements for equipage, inspection, safety risk analysis, approval of flight training, and acceptance of operating procedures.

Harmon worries that the new AC recommendations, as embodied in OpSpec/ LOA B048, would compress the airspace available to tour operators, which could also force them into airspace used by interisland flights. “The majority of cloud bases are 1,500 to 2,000 feet,” he said. “We’re taking all these aircraft and compressing them into one altitude. That not only makes it not safer; it makes it exponentially less safe.

“What this does is it’s going to force helicopters to fly along the coastline for tours. They won’t be able to fly into the interior [areas that are] uninhabited. It will force us over communities and will increase noise complaints. We will have our hands tied and won’t be able to do anything else. This will have a huge impact on the well-being of people in Hawaii, where 95 percent of people live along the coastline.”

The 2008 deviation manual was created to address these safety issues by allowing tour pilots some latitude when they needed to navigate around weather. Harmon believes that the pressure to create the new restrictions stems from the

Dec. 6, 2019, Safari Aviation tour accident, in which the pilot and six passengers died when the helicopter was flown into IMC.

While the processes in place for tour operations haven’t seemed to eliminate inadvertent flight into IMC accidents, this particular accident had more to do with the pilot not complying with regulations.

The NTSB “determined that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s decision to continue flight under visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which resulted in the collision into terrain. Contributing to the accident was Safari Aviation Inc.’s lack of safety management processes to identify hazards and mitigate the risks associated with factors that influence pilots to continue VFR flight into IMC. Also contributing to the accident was the [FAA’s] delayed implementation of a Hawaii aviation weather camera program, its lack of leadership in the development of a cue-based weather training program for Hawaii air tour pilots, and its ine ff ective monitoring and oversight of Hawaii air tour operators’ weather-related operating practices.”

Along with the Safari accident final report, the NTSB made a series of safety recommendations, few of which seem to be addressed by the AC. These include enchancing radio communications for tour operators; more ADS-B ground stations and ADS-B Out equipage; training tour personnel in operational control, risk analysis, weather briefings, and radio communication with pilots; develop SMS guidance for small operators; encourage operators to review onboard videos and ADS-B tracking data and compare that to weather camera imagery; review onboard video recordings to detect and correct operating practices that may lead to unacceptable weatherrelated risky behavior; and more.

“There is pressure to pass some type of regulation because of the Safari accident in Kauai,” Harmon said. “But [this AC] will make it more dangerous to fly here.” z

On the Ground

Menzies Aviation Launches Pearl FBO Brand

Menzies Aviation, which provides ground handling for airlines at more than 250 airports around the world, has unveiled Pearl Executive Aviation, its new private aviation handling and FBO division.

Forming the core of the FBO chain is Menzies’ purchase of Flystar Flight Support, a provider of business aviation services in the Balkans. Menzies also operates several FBOs in Africa and has a network of private aviation lounges at airports it services, all of which will be rebranded under the Pearl banner.

“We are starting with 40 locations, and we are planning to increase that number by 50% over the course of the next 18 months,” said Philipp Joeinig, group CEO of Menzies Aviation and chairman of Pearl.

He told AIN at EBACE that the company has a list of 22 of its airports in Europe and Africa where it plans to open FBOs during that span. Next on the company’s radar will be expansion in Asia.

Luxaviation Grows FBO Network with Two Purchases

Global aviation services provider Luxaviation Group has strengthened its ExecuJet FBO division with the purchase of the Sky Valet FBO chain—with 17 owned locations in Spain and Portugal—from parent company Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur in a move that brings it to 40 locations worldwide. Counting Sky Valet’s Connect affiliate program adds 25 more FBOs to the ExecuJet network.

Following that expansion, Luxaviation further strategically strengthened its global position by completing the full acquisition of Paragon Aviation Group, which manages the Paragon Network of independent FBOs.

Founded in 2011, the network is a group of vetted FBOs and international handling agents that provide an upscale experience for general aviation travelers across the world. Its members enjoy increased business through group networking efforts while providing extended benefits to based customers.

Elk City Breaks Ground on New FBO Complex

Oklahoma’s Elk City Regional Business Airport (KELK) has broken ground on a new terminal and hangar for the airportowned and -operated FBO. KELK—which has a 5,400-foot main runway and sees approximately 9,000 operations a year—is located in the midst of Oklahoma’s oil fields.

The $5 million-plus project—funded by the state Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics (ODAA), the local government, and the FAA—will feature a new 3,600-sq-ft terminal that will replace the existing structure, built in 1966. That structure will eventually be demolished to expand the parking apron.

The project will also include a new 15,000-sq-ft hangar, similar to the existing hangar, that will initially be used for community aircraft storage. Plans call for it to eventually be occupied by an aircraft maintenance provider. The new complex is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

A ' Stellar ' FBO Opens in Reno

Stellar Aviation Group unveiled its newest FBO with a grand opening at Nevada’s Reno-Tahoe International Airport (KRNO). The $14 million, 8-acre facility features a 5,000sq-ft terminal with pilot lounge and snooze room, large and small conference rooms, catering kitchen, bistro area with full-service food and beverages, and onsite car rental.

The first phase of development also includes 4 acres of ramp and 37,000 sq ft of hangar space, tenant offices, and a 50-person meeting space.

Stellar has operated at KRNO since 2020 when it won an RFP to operate the second FBO on the field from a temporary location. Ground was broken on the new site early last year.

In addition to KRNO, Stellar operates facilities at Carson City Airport (KCXP), also in Nevada; Florida’s Palm Beach County Park Airport (KLNA); and Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (KSPI) in Springfield, Illinois. At the latter two it is the sole aviation services provider.

FBO AND AIRPORT NEWS BY CURT EPSTEIN

Prestwick Aviation Services Specializes in Transatlantic Quick Turns

Prestwick, Scotland, is widely recognized as the birthplace of golf. The town on the southwest coast of the country is home to several world-class courses, one of which— Royal Troon—will once again play host to one of the sport’s marquee events, the British Open Championship this month.

For Prestwick Aviation Services, the airport-operated FBO at Glasgow Prestwick Airport (EGPK), this will mean a surge in private aviation trafc as the tournament’s host airport. “Golf is a very important driver for business at Prestwick,” said Kris Baillie, the airport’s business development manager for general aviation and military. “We see a lot of business aviation year-round.”

He estimates that private aviation accounts for approximately 30% of the FBO’s traffic, with military aviation filling out the remainder. It was military aviation that put Prestwick on the map, so to speak. During WWII, a U.S. B-25 bomber that was scheduled to land in Ireland was diverted to Prestwick due to weather. This kept happening, and eventually, the U.S. Army Air Corps recognized the pattern and set up its Trans-Atlantic Ferry Command on the field.

“Prestwick has a reputation of being the only fog-free airport in the UK,” Baillie told AIN. “That’s why customers like coming [here] because they know there’s a good chance they won’t be stricken by weather.” That trend holds to this day as European airframers Pilatus and Daher favor the airport as a tech stop for North American delivery flights for their respective PC-12 and TBM series turboprop singles.

The FBO has a staff of 27 and is open 24/7. “If a customer calls in the middle of the night, they will get an answer straight away, which is something we feel is critical to helping [them] when they want to fly into Prestwick, and also makes us a good option for diversion,” explained Baillie.

The airport has operated the FBO since 2014, when the leases of the two existing service providers expired. While the airport was already servicing its commercial carriers and their half-million passengers each year, it decided at that time to bring management of its private aviation infrastructure in-house as well.

The FBO operates from a 4,300-sq-ft twostory terminal, a pre-fabricated structure built in 2007 that also houses the airport’s fuel handling ofces. It features passenger and crew lounges, shower facilities, and a refreshment bar. Located close to the ramp, customers have less than a minute’s walk to their aircraft. There is a dedicated UK Border Force customs facility on the FBO ramp with 24/7 operations as well.

The airport is developing a new terminal, which will be located near the current terminal on the aptly-named apron Golf—one of eight ramps on the 880-acre field—which can handle the world’s largest aircraft, up to and including the late Antonov 225 Mriya. Plans call for completion by the end of 2025.

Prestwick Aviation Services is one of two fuel providers on the field, with its own pair of 11,600-gallon jet-A tankers and a 3,200-gallon avgas truck. They draw from the airport’s fuel farm, which

holds 740,000 gallons of jet-A and 10,600 gallons of avgas. The FBO pumps more than 10 million gallons of jet fuel a year on average, and while Baillie noted recent declines in avgas demand, the facility saw a recent spike when it received a quintet of thirsty WWII-vintage Douglas C-47s from the U.S., bound for the 80th anniversary of D-Day ceremonies.

With its position on the Great Circle route, the airport makes a perfect tech stop for aircraft transiting between North America and the Middle East. “When you look at the figures, customers can save on fuel burn; they can save on time in the air as well,” noted Baillie, adding that quick turns are a specialty with a target of 25 minutes or less.

In terms of available transient hangar space, the airport has none, but that is expected to change, according to Baillie.

“We get inquiries from aircraft as far south as London that are parking for three or four days and are looking for hangarage,” he said, adding that the airport is looking to install a pre-fabricated hangar capable of sheltering airliner-size aircraft by the end of the year to accommodate immediate needs.

“At some point in the future, we’ll get a master plan to build several more hangars on the airfield.” C.E.

Prestwick Aviation Services provides private aviation handling in golf's home town.

BY GREGORY POLEK

West Star Aviation Evolves Management Structure

West Star Aviation has revealed a revamped executive leadership structure with Jim Rankin stepping down from his CEO post and serving as executive chairman. The company appointed Stephen Maiden as Rankin’s replacement as CEO, while current COO Allen McReynolds assumes an expanded role as president and COO, responsible for all West Star operations.

Maiden joined West Star in November when it acquired Gama Aviation subsidiary Jet East, where he had served as president and CEO. He has spent the last 18 years serving as CEO at various MRO companies.

McReynolds accepted a position as West Star’s COO in September. Shortly following that announcement, the company acquired Jet East and significantly expanded its maintenance operations.

Citadel Completions Expands Workspace

Large business aircraft completions and MRO provider Citadel Completions has expanded its facility at Chennault International Airport (KCWF) in Lake Charles, Louisiana. There, the company has signed a three-year lease with the airport authority on an additional 10,000-sq-ft facility, one of the few remaining available structures on the field. This will allow it to relocate its supply chain management and warehouse center, freeing up enough space in 115,200-sq-ft Hangar D to accommodate an additional maintenance bay suitable for narrowbody aircraft.

Citadel, which began operations six years ago, also operates the even larger Hangar H at KCWF with 118,000 sq ft of space, enough for a Boeing 777 and an Airbus A340, with room for several smaller aircraft. In anticipation of its increase in business resulting from the expansion, it plans to hire 20 more employees.

Satcom Direct Secures STC for Ka-band Terminal for Gulfstream G650

Satcom Direct has received an FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) for its SD Plane Simple Ka-band tail mount antenna on the Gulfstream G650. Gulfstream Aerospace collaborated with SD to obtain the STC.

The system’s antenna complements existing SD hardware, namely a Satcom Direct gateway router and Wi-Fi hub to distribute high-speed broadband to all passenger and crew devices.

Connecting with existing Viasat GX satellites, the antenna is the first terminal in business aviation to optimize compatibility with Viasat’s next-generation GX satellites. The upcoming satellites transmit dual polarity signals, more than doubling the amount of data transmitted and received and delivering more capacity than all the existing GX satellites combined.

Rolls-Royce Expands Business Aviation Services Network

Rolls-Royce is further strengthening its business aviation services infrastructure in Europe by adding Airline Support Baltic to its global network of authorized service centers (ASC).

The addition of Airline Support Baltic in Riga, Latvia, to the ASC network will support the Rolls-Royce AE3007A engine fleet, which powers Embraer Legacy 600s and 650s.

Rolls-Royce has more than 85 ASCs in place with maintenance providers, claiming it offers business aviation customers the largest global service network in the industry. The company also operates several spare parts and lease engine storage locations worldwide.

According to Rolls-Royce, CorporateCare customers benefit from faster response times and reduced maintenance time with simplified, streamlined administration wherever they fly.

August 21, 2024 | 12pm ET

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Accidents

BY DAVID JACK KENNY

Preliminary Reports

Series of Autopilot Engagements, Disengagements

Preceded Crash

Daher TBM 700, March 30, 2024, Truckee, California

The single-engine turboprop was maneuvering in instrument meteorological conditions to land at Truckee Tahoe Airport (KTRK) in California and crashed following a series of autopilot activations and deactivations, according to the NTSB preliminary report. The accident claimed the lives of the pilot and passenger.

Flying under Part 91 IFR, the aircraft was returning to KTRK from Denver’s Centennial Airport. The flight was uneventful until the airplane reached the final approach fix. The TBM 700 passed over the final approach fix, and FAA ADS-B data showed that, immediately thereafter, the autopilot’s approach mode was turned on and the altitude hold (ALT Hold) was turned off. Some 20 seconds after passing over the visual descent point at about 121 knots and 6,475 feet msl, ADS-B data shows the aircraft passed over the missed approach point at 6,200 feet msl and 100 knots and continued until abeam the runway identifier numbers (about 1,300 feet east).

At this point, the autopilot was turned off. As the airplane began a gradual 180-degree turn to the right and climbed to about 6,750 feet during the turn, the following autopilot selections were made: ALT Hold on, ALT Hold o ff , lateral navigation (LNAV) on, autopilot on, LNAV off, several altitude selections (ending with 9,300 feet), and lastly, the autopilot was turned off as the airplane passed over Runway 11.

The airplane then climbed to about 6,850 feet (1,075 feet agl) while making a left turn. The turn tightened, and the final ADS-B

returns showed a rapid decrease in altitude and speed. The last return indicated the airplane was at about 280 feet agl and 170 knots. That return was about 200 feet northeast of the first impact point.

An aviation weather report for KTRK issued about two minutes before the accident stated: wind calm, visibility threequarters of a mile in light snow, ceiling overcast at 900 feet agl, and temperature/ dewpoint 30/30 (deg F).

Evidence of Fire in Virginia Crash

Rockwell International 690A, May 5, 2024, Palmyra, Virginia

The condition of the wreckage suggested both a fire in the left wing and an inflight break-up that scattered debris over a 3.5mile track in a rural Virginia forest. The pilot and only passenger were killed.

A witness who was across the road from the accident scene described a sound “like thunder.” He went outside and saw the airplane flying “on its left side and on fire in the middle” as it descended into the trees.

Investigators found the left wing and left engine still attached to the fuselage but “heavily burnt;” the right wing, also fire-damaged, was separated and found about one-quarter of a mile north. The right engine and propeller were not located; the horizontal and vertical stabilizers were found three-quarters of a mile north of the main wreckage.

The personal flight was en route from Manassas (Virginia) Regional Airport to Rock Hill, South Carolina at FL200 when the pilot reversed course, telling the controller, “We have lost…we need to climb… we have lost autopilot.” No further communications were received.

Weather data indicated cloud layers rising above 30,000 feet with “potential for rime and mixed icing from 12,000 to 25,000 feet.”

Two Killed in Arkansas Break-up

Piper PA-46-500TP, May 12, 2024, Marianna, Arkansas

The pilot and only passenger perished when the single-engine turboprop entered an abrupt spiraling descent that reached an estimated rate of 17,000 fpm. The fuselage came to rest 0.1 nm from the last point recorded in its flight data track; “the left horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer, rudder, elevator, right aileron, right flap, and the outboard portion of the right wing were not located at the accident site” and were not subsequently found by search efforts that included use of a state police drone.

The accident occurred about 10 minutes after the private flight from Pensacola, Florida to Batesville, Arkansas initiated a descent from FL280. Airmets for occasional moderate turbulence between FL210 and FL410 were in effect, and sounding data suggested strong vertical wind shear between 12,000 and 24,000 feet “with a high probability of moderate or greater turbulence around the time of the accident.”

Helicopter Destroyed in Taxi Accident

Sikorsky S-58T, May 15, 2024, Burlington, Ontario, Canada

While taxiing the wheel-equipped helicopter onto an inactive runway during a training exercise, the pilots allowed its tailwheel to drift off the pavement into the grass. The resulting shock triggered nearly instantaneous ground resonance that caused the main rotor to sever the tail boom, then strike the ground.

The craft rolled onto its side after the right gear strut collapsed. Both crew members escaped, though one su ff ered minor injuries.

Final Reports

Stick Pusher Contributed to Prop Strike

Pilatus PC-12-47E, July 19, 2021, La Môle Aerodrome, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France

During a training flight to obtain certification to operate at the La Môle airport, the pilot under instruction—also the airplane’s owner—made an abrupt nose-up input on short final to Runway 06.

Data retrieved from the Pilatus’ lightweight data recorder showed that the sudden increase in angle of attack triggered the stall protection system to activate the stick pusher; the resulting nose-down moment forced the propeller into contact with the runway. The pilot initiated a go-around; once he established a positive rate of climb, the instructor took the controls and made an uneventful landing on Runway 24.

La Môle’s relatively short runway (3,514 feet) is surrounded by higher terrain that requires both angled final approach paths and unusually steep descent profiles to land in either direction. The regional government requires pilots to obtain on-site training and a signo ff from a specifically authorized instructor to operate there as pilotin-command. The accident pilot, whose 381 hours of flight experience included 38 hours and 14 takeoffs and landings in the PC-12, was one of three the instructor was attempting to certify that day.

Fatal Sightseeing Accident Attributed to LTE

Bell 206B, Dec. 30, 2021, Livingston, Texas

The NTSB concluded that a loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE) in a 150-foot hover led to a failure of yaw control, resulting in the helicopter’s main rotor striking trees. The sightseeing flight was the prize from a charity auction; the winning bidder, in the front passenger seat, and the pilot were killed when the aircraft sank into a pile of brush.

The two rear-seat passengers escaped with minor injuries.

The winner’s initial request was to overfly his childhood home, but low cloud cover en route prevented this. Instead, he asked the pilot to fly over his current residence, which they approached on a west-southwesterly course.

Footage captured by one of the surviving passengers showed an airspeed of about 40 knots at an altitude of 150 feet. The aircraft began a slow right circuit of the property and came to a hover facing south. It then started rotating to the right, completing two turns before the main rotor blades contacted a tree. After the strike the helicopter fell into a “slash pile” of timber left over from clearing operations.

The 73-year-old airline transport pilot had reported 1,679 hours of “civil flight experience” on his most recent medical certificate, obtained in July 2016. After it expired, he flew under BasicMed. His personal records indicated that he’d logged just over 200 hours in helicopters, including 71.7 in the accident make and model.

LTE is a purely aerodynamic phenomenon in which some combination of prevailing winds and vortices produced by the main rotor prevent a mechanically functional tail rotor from producing enough thrust to counter the torque of the powerplant and main rotor. Though winds near the accident scene were generally light, the NTSB concluded that “[LTE] can be affected by numerous factors that could not be conclusively eliminated,” leading to “the pilot exceeding the yaw capability of the helicopter for the flight conditions, resulting in a non-mechanical loss of tail rotor effectiveness.”

Maintenance Errors

Cited in Fatal Crash

Robinson R44, Nov. 22, 2022, Charlotte, North Carolina

Missing hardware led the NTSB to conclude that maintenance personnel did not

properly inspect the accident helicopter before it crashed during a training mission in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing the pilot and a local staff meteorologist.

According to the Safety Board, the probable cause was “the inadequate inspections of the forward left control rod end attachment hardware to the stationary swashplate by the pilot and by maintenance personnel, resulting in an eventual loosening and backing out of the hardware and subsequent loss of helicopter control.”

About five minutes before the accident, the meteorologist and the R44’s pilot took off for simulated news scene training. After conducting left 360-degree orbits over a highway, the helicopter went out of control, descended steeply, then crashed onto a grassy area. According to the NTSB, “The pilot made a radio call on the local helicopter common frequency before impact stating that ‘Three’s going down, Sky Three’s going down.’ There was no post-accident fire.”

Following the accident, investigators found that connecting hardware was missing from a control rod end that attaches to the helicopter’s stationary swashplate. A metallurgical examination of the remaining components suggested that the missing connecting hardware was loose and backed out during the flight.

“It is unlikely that the hardware was secure before the flight and may have been loose for multiple flights before the accident,” according to the NTSB. “Additional examination of the remaining hardware revealed that one of the two spacers was installed backwards, most likely during the field overhaul of the helicopter about three years before the accident.”

The helicopter had flown 26 flights after the most recent 100-hour inspection, which was completed on October 16. The field overhaul in August 2019 included the replacement of three rod ends, including the forward left control rod end that was implicated in the accident, as well as the lower rod ends. z

Compliance Countdown

BY GORDON GILBERT

JUST AROUND THE CORNER

July 26, 2024

France: Summer Olympic Games

Air trafc limitations and restrictions will be in efect during the Summer Olympic Games from July 26 through Aug. 11, 2024, in and around Paris. The measures include the establishment of a temporary prohibited area over Paris with a radius of around 80 nm with no altitude limit on July 26 during the opening ceremony, from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time. This will impact some overflights as well as operations at Charles-de-Gaulle, Paris Orly, Paris Le Bourget, and Beauvais airports. More information is available from Universal Weather and Aviation.

Aug. 1, 2024

Israel: Electronic Travel Authorization

Israel is introducing an electronic travel authorization (eTA) system in which visitors from visa-exempt countries can apply for travel authorization. Those who are eligible will be able to travel to Israel and stay for up to 90 days. In June, the eTA-IL system opened for application submissions as a pilot program only for holders of American and German passports. During the pilot phase, applying will be voluntary and exempt from fees. The program is scheduled to expand to visitors from all visa-exempt countries on July 1, 2024 and become mandatory starting on Aug. 1, 2024.

Aug. 1, 2024

Australia: Global Reporting Format

Australia will adopt the Global Reporting Format (GRF) for flight crews and airport air traffic controllers to report runway conditions. In November 2021, ICAO developed the GRF as an international system for assessing and reporting runway surface conditions and recommended that countries implement the format when able. It is intended to provide better information for pilots to help assess takeoff and landing performance and to help reduce the risk of runway excursions. The GRF will start being required in Australia on Aug. 1, 2024,

for all airports serving Part 121 air carriers and on Feb. 1, 2025, for all remaining certified airports.

Sept. 9, 2024

U.S.: Pilot Records Database

Final compliance date is Sept. 9, 2024, for reporting historical records concerning training, alcohol testing, qualification, proficiency, and disciplinary action records that date before Jan. 1, 2015, to the FAA’s new pilot records database (PRD). Also beginning on Sept. 9, 2024, the Pilot Records Improvement Act (PRIA) ceases to be effective and will not be an available alternative to PRD. Also after this date, each entity that holds an operating certificate under Part 121, 125, or 135—or management specifications for Part 91K—must report to the PRD all historical records kept in accordance with PRIA dating from Aug. 1, 2010, until June 10, 2022. Since June 2023, certain operators under Part 91, 91K, and 135 were required to complete submissions to the PRD of all historical records dating on or after Jan. 1, 2015.

Oct. 24, 2024, and April 25, 2025

U.S.: Airport SMS

Certain air carrier airports certified under FAR Part 139 are required to submit an implementation plan for a safety management system (SMS) on the following deadlines: April 24, 2024, for airports designated as hubs; Oct. 24, 2024, for airports with

100,000 or more annual operations over the previous three years; and April 25, 2025, for airports classified as port of entry, landing rights, user fee, and international facilities. The SMS must be implemented within 12 months of receiving FAA approval of the implementation plan.

Dec.

1, 2024

U.S.: Notam Transition

On or about Dec. 1, 2024, the FAA is scheduled to transition its notam format so it aligns with international standards. The agency said shifting to the new format will ensure U.S. notams are compliant with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization. According to the FAA, the new format will result in improved accuracy and accessibility of notam data for pilots, dispatchers, and other notam consumers; provide notam consumers with one consistent format for domestic and international operations; and allow for enhanced search, sorting, filtering, and archiving capabilities of notam data. An advisory circular will be published when the new format becomes effective.

Dec. 2, 2024

Europe: Part 145 SMS

Starting on Dec. 2, 2022, EASA Part 145 maintenance organizations were required to meet revised regulations that were published in November 2021. However, there

is a two-year transition period, to Dec. 2, 2024, to allow maintenance organizations to correct any findings of noncompliance with the new Part 145 requirements. The main change introduced in the regulation is the required implementation of a SMS. To support the SMS processes, several organization requirements have been changed including the safety policy and internal occurrence reporting.

Feb. 16, 2025

U.S.: Medical Transport of Veterans

Scheduled to start on Feb. 16, 2025—a year delay—the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) will have the authority to begin reimbursing non-contract ground and air ambulance transportation at rates “significantly below costs,” according to providers. Critics charge that the move will force providers to “downsize operations and reduce hours of availability while compromising the ability of veterans, particularly in rural areas, to receive prompt medical transport.” Under the new rules, the VA will be allowed to pay the “lesser of the actual charge or the amount determined by the Medicare Part B Ambulance Fee Schedule.”

The VA currently pays for the actual costs of such medical transports.

May

28, 2027

U.S.: Safety Management Systems

Certain FAR Part 21 aircraft manufacturers, FAR Part 135 on-demand charter and commuter operators, and FAR Part 91 air tour operators will need to implement an FAR Part 5 SMS by May 28, 2027. Less restrictive provisions apply to most singlepilot or single-aircraft organizations and other smaller entities. Guidance materials, including ACs, to support the FAA’s new SMS rules, were scheduled to be available approximately 30 days after the rules went into effect on May 28, 2024.

For the most current compliance status, see: ainonline.com/compliance

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People in Aviation

BY JESSICA REED

Bas Gouverneur will take over as CEO of Daedalean, replacing Luuk van Dijk—the company’s founder— who will remain executive chairman of the board. Gouverneur most recently held the title of chief technology officer at Swiss aviation company Ruag.

The U.S. Senate confirmed a three-year extension of Jennifer Homendy’s term as chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Homendy joined the NTSB in August 2018 and took over as chair in 2021, succeeding Robert Sumwalt, who stepped down after serving on the Board for 15 years.

Wheels Up has appointed a new chief commercial officer, Dave Harvey. Harvey, who brings with him 25 years of experience, most recently managed Southwest Airlines’ B2B segment as chief sales officer.

Solairus Aviation appointed Brent Monroe as chief growth officer and promoted Bob Marinace to chief experience officer. Monroe brings more than 30 years of experience in private aviation, and Marinace most recently was senior executive v-p at Solairus. Airshare tapped Henry Kim as v-p of sales for the U.S. Northeast. Kim’s experience includes leadership roles at Bombardier, Wheels Up, and NetJets, and he most recently was the chief commercial officer at Jet It. Airshare also appointed Kristi Veitch as v-p of human resources. Veitch brings more than 25 years of experience in HR, including serving as executive v-p of HR for Intouch Solutions and executive v-p of people for Eversana.

Gulfstream Aerospace promoted Kirsten Menza to division v-p of sales for the Western U.S., Western Canada, and Latin America. Menza’s 20-plus years of experience in the industry includes working as regional sales manager at Gulfstream since 2017. Gulfstream also appointed Anthony Newlin as senior v-p and chief information officer. Newlin, who has more than 25 years of experience in the field, took over from Sheryl Bunton, who retired. Newlin,

who joined Gulfstream in 2016, previously was a senior consultant at IBM.

Law firm Clyde & Co has hired Elizabeth Evans as a partner for its New York office. Evans previously worked for the firm K&L Gates and has significant experience in aviation finance transactions.

Stephen Stasiak is taking on the position of general manager at Daher’s U.S. facility in Stuart, Florida. Stasiak previously worked for Safran, Viking Air, and L3 Harris and also flew OH-58 Kiowa helicopters in the U.S. Army.

Monaco-based brokerage Opus Aero has appointed Zipporah Marmor as managing partner of its North American operations. Marmor embarked on her aviation career in 2000 with Bombardier and since has held roles such as v-p of sales at NewJet International in Monaco, and director for aircraft sales and acquisitions and v-p of aircraft transactions at ACASS.

Conrad Thiesen was hired as director of sales at Wetzel Aviation. Thiesen previously worked at Blackhawk Aerospace and as director of avionics sales at Elliott Aviation.

Susie Corn, Duncan Aviation’s regional manager of the South Central U.S., was promoted to manager of the company’s regional manager team. Corn has been employed at Duncan Aviation for seven years, having started as a senior sales rep for engine sales and services. Duncan Aviation also recently added Codie Sharpe to the avionics sales team at its facility in Provo, Utah. Sharpe is an ATP-rated pilot and flew aircraft at commercial operators for several years.

West Star Aviation appointed Josh Perkins as director of quality control for its enterprise segment. Perkins’ previous experience includes working for StandardAero, AeroTurbine, and Frontier Airlines, and most recently he oversaw PHI Aviation’s MRO business.

Bismarck Aero Center appointed Benjamin Weldon as a CFI and commercial pilot. Wel-

STEPHEN STASIAK

SUSIE CORN

BAS GOUVERNEUR

HENRY KIM

don received his private pilot, instrument, commercial, and CFI at flight schools in the Sacramento, California area. The company also announced that maintenance team member Donnie Goven, earned his FAA inspection authorization.

Oscar Martinez was hired to oversee aircraft sales in Mexico as part of the Southern Cross Aircraft team. Martinez brings more than 10 years of experience in aviation, including overseeing managed aircraft maintenance for Aerolíneas Ejecutivas and leading JSSI’s operations in Mexico and Central America.

George J. Priester Aviation has hired Rustin King, with more than 25 years experience in charter sales and management, as its new national charter sales director. z

AWARDS AND HONORS

Joseph-Armand Bombardier, founder of the Canadian company that has grown into a global business aviation manufacturer and services provider, was posthumously inducted into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame in May. This honor recognizes his foundational contributions to transportation technology, most notably the invention of the Ski-Doo snowmobile.

Born in Quebec in 1907, Joseph-Armand Bombardier was a prolific innovator, obtaining 16 U.S. patents over his career. His early work focused on overcoming the challenges of snowbound transportation in rural Canada, leading to the development of a patented sprocket wheel/track system in 1937. In 1942, he incorporated his business as L’Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée. His most famous invention, the Ski-Doo, introduced in 1959, marked a breakthrough in lightweight, motorized snow vehicles.

The company entered the aviation industry with its purchase of aircraft manufacturer Canadair in 1986. Bombardier continued to develop and improve the Challenger widebody business jet. In the 1960s, Canadair had designed the CL-215 amphibian, which Bombardier followed with the turboprop CL-415 in 1994.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame, in partnership with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Ofce since 1973, acknowledges individuals whose ingenuity significantly advances technology. Bombardier’s induction highlights not only his impact on recreational and utility snow vehicles but also his legacy in aviation.

Dick Rutan, an iconic figure in aviation history known for his record-breaking nonstop flight around the world in the Rutan Model 76 Voyager, died at the age of 85. Rutan passed away on May 3 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, surrounded by family and close friends, including longtime companion Bill Whittle.

Born in Loma Linda, California, Rutan’s storied career began in the U.S. Air Force where he flew 325 combat missions during the Vietnam War. As a fighter pilot, he faced intense situations, including two instances where he had to eject from his aircraft.

In December 1986, Rutan and copilot Jeana Yeager made aerospace history with the Voyager aircraft, designed by his brother Burt Rutan. The aircraft, made largely of carbon fiber, took of from Edwards Air Force Base and completed its global journey without refueling in just over nine days. This achievement earned them not only a place in the history books but also a Presidential Citizens Medal awarded by then-President Ronald Reagan.

Following his military and test piloting careers, Rutan continued to work on various projects, including the innovative Pond Racer, and he participated in test flights.

Rutan’s contributions to aviation are immortalized in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where the Voyager is displayed.

Vietnam veteran and business aviation advocate Paul Smith passed away on May 10. He served more than 27 years in both the U.S. Air Force and Army, receiving the Bronze Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and the Army Commendation Medal, among others.

After his military service, Smith joined AOPA in 1985 and then Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University—his alma mater—the following year. He then joined NBAA in 1987 as the director of airspace, air trafc, and infrastructure.

“Paul was our original advocate with Air Trafc Services,” said NBAA senior v-p of education, training, and workforce development Jo Damato. “His legacy is, in part, the successful efort to win a policy decision from FAA leaders to involve NBAA in the agency’s daily collaborative decision-making process for coordinating all stakeholders in the aviation system.”

“Paul’s lifelong mission was one of service, first and foremost to his country and then to the aviation industry that he loved,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.

OSCAR MARTINEZ

Pilatus slipped from 11 PC-12 singles in Q12023 to eight in the same period this year. Piaggio Aerospace delivered no P.180 Avantis in either period.

ROTORCRAFT STALLED

Helicopter deliveries were off by 12%, while those in the turbine segment were down by 14.5% for the first quarter of the year.

Airbus Helicopters had a nearly 30% YOY decline in deliveries for the first three months of this year, led by decreases in its light-single H125 and twin H135. Between the two, the European OEM delivered 17 fewer than it did a year ago. Bell handed over four fewer units this year than it did in the first quarter of 2023, with the deficit mainly in its 429 light-twin platform.

Leonardo remained virtually static, tacking on one more delivery this year, while Enstrom, which had no deliveries at all in 2023, handed over a pair of 480Bs in the first three months of this year.

California-based Robinson Helicopter improved on its Q1 2023 R66 deliveries by three, handing over 34 in the first quarter of this year, while Sikorsky—which had one S-92 delivery in the first three months of last year—had none this year. Likewise, MD Helicopters had three MD 530F deliveries a year ago, but none in 1Q2024.

Piston-powered aircraft deliveries saw a percentage point gain in 2024.

“While the first three months of the year produced a mixed report, the health of the industry remains solid with robust order backlogs across all segments,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “Our industry continues to be challenged by significant supply chain issues, through forgings and castings, to basic parts availability.

“It is also encouraging for the industry to have a long-term authorization passed into law and the new leadership atop both the FAA and EASA working to strengthen the effectiveness of their lateral relations and work,” he added. “These factors will help the industry move forward with new and enhanced technologies, products, and innovations.” z

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