Aviation International News October 2023

CHARTER: PUBLIC CHARTERS FACE FEDERAL SCRUTINY

SAFETY: NBAA'S DOUG CARR ON BIZAV SAFETY ISSUES

AIRCRAFT: PREOWNED INVENTORY LEVELING OFF

Special Report: Eco Groups Impact Safety

Keeping Engines Flying

AIN readers rate turbine-engine manufacturersʼ product support

28 Fight against public charters heating up

4 FAA, EASA certification

6 FAA certifies Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engine for G700/800

8 Delta Air Lines expands investment to strengthen Wheels Up

10 Deliveries, billings up in all general aviation segments for 1H2023

12 Product Support Survey 2023 - Engines

22 Product Support: Above & Beyond

34 Many projects promise more SAF

36 Safety Talk: NBAA's Doug Carr on confronting today’s safety challenges

38 Special Report: Bizav’s quandary over eco-protests

46 Market Corner: Preowned inventories swell, but don’t panic

DEPARTMENTS

48 Rotorcraft | 50 On the Ground

52 MRO | 54 Accidents | 56 Compliance

58 People in Aviation

On the cover: BR710 engine. Rolls-Royce leads in the individual engine model Product Support Survey ratings with the BR700 series and the AE3007.

PUT ENGINE INFO ON DISPLAY.

TXi EIS. AVAILABLE NOW FOR SELECT PC-12s.

AUTO START SYSTEM INTERFACE AND FUNCTIONALITY

EXCEEDANCE RECORDING AND WIRELESS TREND DATA TRANSFER CAPABILITY

AHRS AND EIS REVERSIONARY CAPABILITIES

News Briefs

NBAA SURVEY FINDS LEAP IN PILOT SALARIES

Business aviation pilot salaries climbed by about 12 percent from 2022 to 2023, according to the results of NBAA’s latest Compensation Survey. Aviation compensation expert Christopher Broyhill called the jump “pretty huge” and added that it “shows that what we’re hearing is true.” Survey results showed that the average captain received long-term retention bonuses of $27,000 a year. Further, it found a 7.22 percent increase for business aviation positions overall over the past year. Aviation managers and senior flight attendants were the only positions seeing decreases.

WHITE HOUSE NOMINATES WHITAKER TO LEAD FAA

Dassault Falcon 6X receives FAA, EASA certification

BY: CHAD TRAUTVETTER

The large-cabin Dassault Falcon 6X received FAA and EASA certification on August 22, in line with the French aircraft manufacturer’s target earlier this year of mid-2023 service entry. These certifications conclude a more than two-year-long test campaign during which 1,500 flight hours were logged by three flight-test airplanes. The first Falcon 6Xs that will be handed over to customers were undergoing final completion, according to Dassault.

“Certification of the Falcon 6X is a remarkable milestone for Dassault Aviation,” said Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. “We would like to recognize the EASA and FAA certification teams for their commitment in this demanding process and our customers for

their confidence. The Falcon 6X is the first brand-new business jet to comply with the latest regulations, which will enhance the safety and security of all new aircraft.”

The 5,500-nm twinjet was launched in February 2018, followed by a rollout in December 2020 (done virtually during the pandemic) and first flight in March 2021. Its engine, the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW812D, received approval last year from the FAA, EASA, and Transport Canada.

Trappier said the fly-by-wire business jet “combines the best qualities of Dassault Aviation’s world-leading business and fighter aircraft expertise to create the longest- range jet in its class with unparalleled passenger comfort and maximum mission flexibility.” z

The White House is bringing back former senior FAA o cial Michael Whitaker to take the helm of the agency. Whitaker has been serving as COO of Supernal, a Hyundai Motor company that is designing an eVTOL. He served as deputy FAA administrator under the Obama Administration from 2013 to 2016. Whitaker also has a long background in airline operations, spending 15 years in leadership roles at United Airlines and three decades of legal-oriented positions with Trans World Airlines. He is being nominated to an FAA post that has remained open since Steve Dickson left in March 2022.

FLEXJET UNVEILS NEW HQ, OPS CONTROL CENTER

On September 12, Flexjet o cially opened its new, $50 million headquarters at Cleveland Cuyahoga County Airport that also houses the fractional provider’s global operations control center. Designed to accommodate future growth, the control center features the largest seamless LED screen in the U.S., which is being used to display real-time locations of the nearly 270 aircraft in Flexjet’s fleet.

The Falcon 6X has the widest and tallest cabin of a purpose-built business jet.

Shaping the future of business aviation by growing our presence worldwide.

More than just leading in simulation innovation, today’s CAE brings the digital and physical worlds closer together to drive business aviation evolution with cutting-edge training and critical operations solutions. We’re more where you need us to be, too. Adding capacity and increasing accessibility with facilities like the recently opened CAE Las Vegas, and our newest CAE Savannah center, ready for pilot training in early 2024 and already offering maintenance training. More than ever, we’re closer to where our customers operate their aircraft—elevating human performance, advancing operational excellence, and making the world a safer place.

www.cae.com

FAA certifies Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engine for G700/800

BY: CHAD TRAUTVETTER

Rolls-Royce received FAA approval for its BR700-730B2-14 engine, known commercially as the Pearl 700, that powers the soon-to-be-certified Gulfstream G700 and G800 ultra-long-range twinjets. EASA gave its nod for the engine last September.

Developed at the Rolls-Royce Center of Excellence for Business Aviation Engines in Dahlewitz, Germany, the Pearl 700 incorporates the engine-maker’s Advance2 engine core with a new low-pressure system. This results in an 8 percent increase in takeoff thrust, to 18,250 pounds, compared with the predecessor BR725 engine. Rolls-Royce said the engine also provides a 5 percent efficiency improvement while keeping down noise and emissions.

Gulfstream opted for the same engine for both its 7,750-nm G700 and 8,000-nm G800, which are slated for certification and service entry in the fourth quarter of 2023 and mid-2024, respectively. By mid-September, the G700 flight-test program was nearing completion, with more than 4,100 hours flown by five flight-test aircraft and two outfitted production-test aircraft.

While the Rolls powerplant obtained its nod, Gulfstream upped the aircraft’s

News Briefs

5000/6000 - SERIES GLOBALS GET VISION AVIONICS UPGRADE

performance specifications over those previously announced. The G700’s range was increased to 7,750 nm at Mach 0.85 and to 6,650 nm at Mach 0.90, representing a 250nm boost at both speeds. Mmo was also increased, from Mach 0.925 to Mach 0.935. Meanwhile, the cabin altitude has been further reduced to 2,840 feet at 41,000 feet.

“We are undertaking one of the most extensive flight-test programs as the G700 is the first business aircraft to undergo FAA certification following the passage of the 2020 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “As a result, we will be delivering an extremely mature, rigorously tested aircraft that will outperform expectations in speed, range, and cabin comfort.”

There are 40 G700s—including the seven used for certification flight testing—listed in the FAA registry, with industry analysts estimating that about two dozen are in completions or already completed. Phebe Novakovic, chairman and CEO of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics, said in late July that Gulfstream plans to deliver 19 G700s to customers in the fourth quarter following FAA certification. z

Bombardier is now o ering an advanced avionics upgrade (AAU) for the Vision flight deck installed on in-service Global 5000/5500s and 6000/6500s, bringing those jets to the same configuration as factory-new Global 5500s and 6500s. The software upgrade, available at Bombardier service centers, “allows for installation” of Bombardier’s combined vision system (CVS) in Collins Aerospace-based Vision flight decks of in-service Globals. Other features include improved message logic for the EICAS; integrated flight information system; SiriusXM Weather enhancements; and electronic flight instrument system improvements for the head-up display, primary flight display, and synthetic vision system.

GROUPS PROMOTING E - SAF

SAF+ Consortium and eFuels Alliance have joined to further growth of the electrosustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF) segment. The production of such e-fuels requires large amounts of electricity but has the benefit of near-limitless feedstock, using water and CO2 derived from the air. Canada-based SAF+ Consortium has previously partnered with companies to provide technology integration solutions for the decarbonization of the aviation industry. The eFuel Alliance is a trade group of SAF producers and potential fuel users that seeks to promote the political and social acceptance of e-fuels and spur production capacity.

PREMIER FLEET REPORT UPDATE

Business aircraft broker Aerocor released its latest Beechcraft Premier I/IA fleet update report, which covers avionics and engine program status, aircraft utilization patterns, factory options, relevant upgrades, and operator feedback. The report uses recent survey data collected from the Premier I/IA owner group.

DAVID MCINTOSH

A350. PIONEERING INNOVATION AND COMFORT

Offering the ultimate passenger experience even on the longest of ights, the A350’s innovative design delivers an enhanced passenger experience, a smooth ride and increased ef ciency for operators. With cutting-edge aerodynamics and 70% advanced materials, the A350 has been a cost-effective and durable addition to the widebody market since 2015.

Delta expands investment to strengthen Wheels Up

BY: MARK HUBER

Wheels Up has tapped Delta Air Lines for another $15 million in short-term capital infusion, bringing its total indebtedness to the U.S. carrier to $60 million from funds received since August 8. The cash-strapped private aviation group revealed the transaction in a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The need to seek additional cash from Delta suggests that Wheels Up continues to record large monthly operating losses.

On August 15, Wheels Up announced that Delta and investment firms Certares and Knighthood would receive 95 percent of the company’s stock in exchange for a loan of $400 million plus a $100 million “liquidity facility” from Delta.

Under that plan, Todd Smith remains as Wheels Up interim CEO, while Delta chief financial officer Dan Janki replaces Ravi Thakran as Wheels Up chairman.

“The partnership will create new opportunities for Wheels Up to drive strategic, operational, and financial improvements for its customers in the months and years ahead” and “speed Wheels Up on its path

News Briefs

RUSSIAN MERCENARY LEADER ’ S JET CRASHES

Russia has opened a criminal investigation into the August 23 crash of an Embraer Legacy 600 that killed Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin and six of his close associates, as well as three flight crewmembers. However, Russian independent aviation accident investigative body Interstate Aviation Committee said it is not investigating the accident. According to flight tracking service Flightradar24, the twinjet made a “dramatic” descent nine minutes after leveling o at 28,000 feet, having departed Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport just after 6 p.m. The crash occurred exactly two months after the mercenary leader led a short-lived mutiny against Russia’s military leadership over their conduct of the war in Ukraine.

to profitability,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian of the agreement.

Delta had been Wheels Up’s largest individual shareholder, holding 20 percent of the company, which it had received in exchange for selling Wheels Up Delta Private Jets in 2013. Last year, Wheels Up announced that it was moving its operations center to Atlanta—the same city where Delta is headquartered—and that it had hired retired Delta executive Dave Holtz to run it as chairman of operations.

In its latest quarterly financial statement, Wheels Up reported $161 million in losses and $335 million in revenue during the second quarter of this year while seeing its available cash erode from $363 million to $152 million—close to a $125 million minimum required by loan covenants.

After the cash infusion Wheels Up shares surged 50 percent, giving the company a market capitalization of $67 million. Over the last year, Wheels Up shares have shed 85 percent of their value, adjusted for a reverse stock split enacted by the company in June. z

PILOT ERRORS PROMPT ALERT ON CPDLC PROCEDURES

A new FAA safety alert is directed at pilots who use controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) to ensure that all parts of a clearance are appropriately loaded into the FMS before departing. The document reminds operators that certain clearances require the flight crew to manually input standard instrument departures into the FMS each time a revised UM79 partial reroute message is received (cleared to XXX waypoint via other waypoints en route). In some instances, pilots have misinterpreted UM79 to mean they were cleared to fly directly to the waypoint. A direct clearance is a UM74 message.

DUNCAN WINS STC FOR GOGO AVANCE IN HAWKERS

Duncan Aviation has obtained FAA supplemental type certificate approval to upgrade Gogo Business Aviation legacy air-to-ground connectivity systems in Hawker 800XP models to Gogo’s newer Avance L3 units. Duncan estimates a five-day downtime for the upgrade.

DAVID MCINTOSH

Delta Air Lines plowed $60 million into Wheels Up through August.

Deliveries, billings up in all GA segments for 1H2023

BY: CURT EPSTEIN

General aviation aircraft deliveries and billings were up across all segments in the first half of the year, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Airplane industry billings rose from $9.1 billion to $9.2 billion while rotorcraft sales climbed 29.9 percent to $1.9 billion.

Worldwide business jet deliveries rose by 2.4 percent year-over-year during the first six months, with 296 handed over. Bombardier delivered five more Challengers this year than a year ago, for a total of 51 aircraft. Embraer saw its six-month delivery total rise by nine aircraft, buoyed by the Phenom 300E. It handed over 10 additional copies of the light jet than it did in the first half of 2022.

Gulfstream’s deliveries for the first half of this year trailed its 2022 total by two aircraft, while Textron handed over eight fewer Citations. Dassault—which only publishes its delivery totals twice a year— was five units off last year’s pace.

Light-jet manufacturer Cirrus had a strong bounce back, boosting the number of SF50 Vision Jets it delivered through the first six months of the year by 14 aircraft, while Pilatus remained virtually static, handing over one fewer PC-24 than it did a year ago. Honda Aircraft’s 10 HondaJet deliveries this year equaled its total from the first half of 2022.

News Briefs

GLOBAL JET CAPITAL SEES BIZJET MARKET STABILIZATION

Eclipse Aerospace—which recently resumed production of the Eclipse 550 after a five-year hiatus—delivered two of the VLJs in the first half of this year.

In the turboprop segment, while deliveries overall rose by 17.4 percent, for highend pressurized turboprops deliveries for the first half of 2023 outstripped the same period in 2022 by nearly 15 percent, spurred by Daher, which increased its production of single-engine TBMs by 16 units year-over-year.

Pilatus improved on its first-half 2022 total by five additional PC-12s, while Piper improved deliveries of its M600 single from 14 last year to 18 in the first half of 2023. Epic Aircraft remained static, handing over six E1000 GXs in both years.

Meanwhile, multi-engine turboprop deliveries declined. Textron Aviation, which delivered 30 King Air 260s and 360s last year saw that number decrease to 22 in the first half of this year. Piaggio delivered one Avanti Evo in the first half of last year and had no deliveries in 1H2023.

Airbus delivered no ACJs in the first half, compared with four (three ACJ330-200s and an ACJ TwoTwenty) a year ago. Boeing didn’t hand over any BBJs in the first half of either year.

Following two years of strong growth, the business jet market is now in a period of stability, according to Global Jet Capital’s (GJC) latest market brief. In the second quarter, OEM backlogs rose by 8.6 percent year-over-year, to $50.8 billion. Though the pace of orders has slowed from the heights seen last year, they still remain in line with historic levels and deliveries. Meanwhile, preowned business aircraft listings rose through the first half, continuing a trend that started in mid-2022. GJC expects preowned business jet inventory to continue to rise, with available younger jets now standing at 4.4 percent of the fleet, up from 3.6 percent at the end of the first quarter.

AVIONICS SALES UP 19.2%

Business and general aviation avionics sales jumped 19.2 percent year-over-year, to $1.6 billion, in the first six months, according to data from the Aircraft Electronics Association. The retrofit market accounted for 40.2 percent of the first-half avionics sales, marking a 4.5 percent year-over-year increase. First-half retrofit sales were $643 million, compared with $616 million in the same period in 2022. North America accounted for 72.9 percent of first-half avionics sales.

BETTER, SAFER GO -AROUNDS

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) researchers will soon present a report to the FAA with recommendations to improve safety of aircraft go-arounds. Associate professor Barbara Holder’s research led to development of proposed procedures that incorporate joint responsibility for crew callouts, direct attention to the flight path, balance flight crew workload, and facilitate procedure recall. ERAU said the results “showed a decreased risk of error during go-arounds by more appropriately allocating pilots’ cognitive resources.”

Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet

AIN Product Support Survey - Engines

Part 3: Readers rate business aviation engine OEMs’ aftermarket support

GE Aerospace returned to take top honors in this year’s Product Support Survey for turbofan engine makers, matching its overall average rating from last year of 8.7. However, Rolls-Royce jumped in the ratings to the second slot just behind GE with an 8.6 rating, and support for its BR700 and AE3007 models moved into a tie at the top for engine-specific overall average.

In the comparison of engine makers, Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) and Williams International tied for the third position this year, each compiling a score of 8.4. The Williams FJ44 fell behind the

BY GREGORY POLEK

Rolls turbofan models with a rating of 8.4. Although Honeywell placed last among the turbofan manufacturers, the Phoenix-based aerospace giant scored 9.1 in turboprops, equaling P&WC for the top score among all engine makers. P&WC also posted a 9.1 rating in turboshaft engines while scoring 8.6 in turboprops.

Along with airframers highlighted in AIN ’s August issue and avionics OEMs in September, engine makers continue to contend with supply chain disruptions and a tight labor market. Several have added authorized service centers to

accommodate increasing support demand in the business aviation sector as well as headcount to help mitigate delivery delays.

Honeywell, for example, has over the past year dedicated 300 employees to its Supplier Rate Readiness team, which works on dual-sourcing strategies and returning repair capability to its own network. GE Aerospace, meanwhile, increased the size of its “in-region” support team by 10 percent and boosted the number of personnel now dedicated to managing logistics for customers of its OnPoint preferred engine maintenance program.

GE Aerospace

SURVEY RULES AND METHODOLOGY

AIN ’s annual Product Support Survey aims to quantify and rate through statistical analysis the product support functions of business aviation manufacturers over the past year. The survey, whose respondents include operators of business jets, pressurized turboprops, and turbine-powered helicopters, endeavors to encourage continuous improvement in airframe, engine, and avionics product support throughout the industry.

SURVEY TOOL

For the third year, AIN conducted the survey via a questionnaire developed in partnership with Rolland Vincent Associates, a Texas-based consultancy focused on aviation market research, strategy, and forecasting. Designed to provide improved ease of use and to encourage more participants to complete the entire questionnaire, the survey tool included Spanish and Portuguese versions along with clearer language and imagery around the categories and evaluation scale. Finally, it asked respondents to evaluate one full aircraft at

a time, including airframe, engines, and avionics.

METHODOLOGY

AIN emailed qualified readers a link to the password-protected survey website active from late April to mid-June. It asked respondents to rate individual aircraft and provide the tail number, aircraft age, and primary region of service. The survey also asked respondents to rate, on a scale from 1 to 10, the quality of service they received during the previous 12 months in the following engine categories: Factory-owned Service Centers; Authorized Service Centers; Cost Per Hour Program; Parts Availability; Cost of Parts; AOG Response; Warranty Fulfillment; Technical Manuals; Technical Reps; and Overall Engine Reliability.

THE RESULTS

In total, 593 unique respondents, representing 1,821 aircraft, from 57 countries completed the survey. While slightly above last year’s total, AIN did not receive enough responses to verifiably report on all manufacturers in all categories and

on several engine models. Rolland Vincent Associates reviewed the data to ensure accurate and valid responses. It also compiled the final survey results in close coordination with AIN

RESULTS ANALYSIS

AIN’s analysis of the survey showed that scores slightly improved this year despite several challenges faced by product support organizations:

» Flight hours remained elevated between the May 2022 to May 2023 survey period and flying exceeded pre-pandemic levels in all business aviation segments. More flying leads to more unscheduled maintenance and demand on support teams.

» Supply chain disruptions created longer lead times for parts acquisition but these are finally showing signs of easing.

COMING NEXT

AIN’s 2024 Product Support Survey will be conducted from late April to mid-June next year. Recognition of personnel who went Above & Beyond on behalf of their customers follow this article.

DO NOT DISTURB

The maintenance hangar is a busy place with many demands on the time and skills of highly trained technicians. As interruptions or additional projects come in, it can be easy for even the most dedicated technicians to lose their workflow. We’re highlighting this issue to remind everyone that airworthiness lives here. Have a process in place to handle the stops and starts of the work that keeps everyone safe.

Post it, Share It

Teamwork and repeated processes keep aircraft in optimal condition and safety. Mount the poster where it can serve as a visual reminder to keep our eyes on safety. Need more? Download free copies at usaig.com.

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Find out more about our coverage, our Performance Vector safety initiative or Performance Vector PLUS good-experience returns program. Contact us and we’ll connect you with an aviation insurance broker in your area.

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DO NOT DISTURB

AIRWORTHINESS DEPENDS ON WHAT’S DONE HERE

Maintenance technicians are the backbone of every safe and successful flight operation. Make sure their environment and protocols support the complex, exacting, and high-consequence work they do. Keep the hangar a place of serious purpose and limited distractions, where no aircraft is declared airworthy until it actually is.

Keep the maintenance area ordered, clean, and as distraction-free as possible.

Get help with maintenance questions or tasks that exceed your authority or knowledge limits.

Always use proper tools, parts, and consumables—this is no place to improvise.

Review and directly validate the last two steps completed before resuming after a workflow interruption.

GE Aerospace matched its high score among turbofan providers from last year, at 8.7, just edging out Rolls-Royce with a 9.6 rating in engine reliability. Its technical manuals score was another leader of the pack at a 9.0, along with the cost per hour rating at 8.5. However, GE’s indvidual engines did not receive enough responses to qualify for inclusion in the engine-specific ratings.

IMPROVEMENTS:

GE Aerospace’s product support efforts over the past year all start with OnPoint, a full-service risk-reduction program for owners and operators of engines for business aviation platforms that hinges on what the company calls four essential elements: comprehensive, transparent, transferable, and global.

“Providing the support our customers need means listening to what they want, and that is why, when we created OnPoint, we focused on four key pillars of service,” said Justin Kral, general manager of services and support for business aviation. “These principles allow us to remain focused on our customers’ true needs and their satisfaction.”

To ensure it meets those commitments, GE has focused on three areas for continued improvement, namely global support growth, spare parts, and prognostics.

To support the global nature of its customers’ needs, GE has expanded its complement of in-region personnel by 10 percent. It expanded its authorized service center network with two

new facilities, and its mobile repair capacity has seen an 80 percent increase in annual field services completed. Calling spare parts availability critical for keeping customers flying, GE has also increased the number of personnel dedicated to managing logistics for its OnPoint customers. Along with establishing strategic global spare parts warehouses, the expansion means faster processing and delivery of spare parts to customers when and where needed.

Working to predict customers’ needs has also helped GE Aerospace’s proactive approach to keeping customers flying. Prognostic analytics developed by GE Aerospace successfully predicted nearly 200 engine maintenance needs on just a single engine type over the past 12 months, allowing for proactive maintenance that avoided operational disruptions.

ROLLS-ROYCE

Rolls-Royce saw its overall rating of 8.6 push toward the top of the survey’s turbofan grouping, thanks largely to a particularly high score of 9.5 in engine reliability. The company also excelled in factory-owned and authorized service centers, each earning scores of 8.8 in those categories. Other highlights included a tie with Williams for the top score in turbofan technical reps with an 8.8 rating. In leading the the engine-specific ratings with 8.6 scores, its BR700 series overall support average jumped three-tenths of a point over last year and the AE3007 marked a signficant gain of six-tenths of a point. Rolls-Royce turboshafts did not capture enough responses for the company to be included in that category.

IMPROVEMENTS:

Operating a dedicated business aviation support organization, Rolls-Royce over the past year added at least five authorized service centers, bringing the total to more than 80. It also now employs 81 on-wing service technicians who perform some of the more complicated work such as in-situ blending, described by company vice president of business aviation services Andy Robinson as akin to laparoscopic surgery on an engine to address damaged blades with a high-speed grinding wheel.

Over the past year Rolls-Royce introduced round-theclock spares supply capability, compared with its previous 18-hour coverage. “This is all embedded in our aircraft availability center, which is in Berlin, and that’s a 24/7 facility that

coordinates all of the activities around the world,” Robinson told AIN. “And they have two goals. One is to try to achieve 100 percent averted missed trips…it’s virtually impossible to do 100 percent but we are continuously around the 99 percent mark, which is excellent. To achieve that, we have to be able to rescue an aircraft within 24 hours.”

Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce has committed to what Robinson called “a massive investment” in leased engines as part of its CorporateCare Enhanced cost-per-flight-hour service, increasing the pool by about 10 percent to 176 Pearl and BR725 powerplants. Over the past year, Rolls has signed its 1,100th contract for CorporateCare Enhanced, said Robinson, who called the milestone “amazing” given the company launched the program in 2019. In May, Rolls-Royce introduced CorporateCare Flex, a power-as-a-service program tailored for economical management of mature engines.

Other advances at Rolls-Royce include its establishment of a standalone business aviation digital team, largely tasked with enhancing the company’s engine health monitoring capability.

An engine vibration and health monitoring unit for the Pearl

engine allows the team to detect anomalies before they cause problems, explained Robinson. “On the Pearl engines, we can monitor more than 10,000 parameters,” he said. “Because we’re monitoring so many parameters, we can also monitor the speed with which the engine accessories on the outside of the engine respond; normal engine health monitoring looks at the inside of the engine. But this now concerns whether the fuel metering unit is responding quickly enough, and if it isn’t, then we know it’s starting to become an issue and we can replace it before it actually causes a problem.”

Finishing in a tie with Williams International in the turbofan grouping, Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) saw its overall rating improve by a tenth of a point over its showing last year. The company posted second place in turboprops (8.6) and first in turboshaft engines (9.1), a high score across all three engine categories. Standout ratings included a 9.0 for authorized service centers in the turbofan grouping and a 9.5 in overall reliability in turboprops. It also produced the survey’s biggest improvement in overall score from last year, posting a six-tenths of a point

advance in the turboshaft bracket. In fact, its PT-6 turboshaft garnered the highest overall rating among the qualifying engine models at 9.2, a 0.7 percent improvement overall and led by 9.8 ratings in service centers and a greater than 9.0 rating in all of the engine-specific categories save for cost of parts.

IMPROVEMENTS:

P&WC reports several recent advancements and developments in its product support apparatus, from a contract extension on Camp Systems engine health monitoring (EHM) to a new parts package for PT6T-3 engine reduction gearboxes through its P&WCSmart portfolio to expansion of its own global service and designated maintenance facility networks.

Calling Camp a key collaborator in P&WC’s effort to advance EHM, the companies’ contract extension carries their partnership to 2040 for all of P&WC’s turbofan, turboshaft, and turboprop engines. Camp, which has provided its service to P&WC since 2010, provides EHM data analysis on 25,000 P&WC engines in service.

PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA

 Rolls-Royce continued

Along with P&WC’s newly introduced parts package for the PT6T-3 gearboxes, the company’s three new P&WCSmart portfolios now includes services for PT6A34AG engines for aerial agricultural applications. The new services involve a flat-rate overhaul program that offers a guaranteed overhaul price and capped prices for optional compressor and turbine blades, propeller strike repair program, and a flat-rate engine exchange program.

“With an engine exchange, we provide the customer with a freshly overhauled engine in exchange for their existing core,” explained P&WC v-p of customer service Irene Makris. “The customer pays a fixed price well below the cost of an overhaul. Helping to address our customer’s operational needs and current supply chain issues, engine exchanges eliminate many of the logistics associated with an overhaul. There is no need to rent an engine, there is only one engine removal and installation, and there are no shipping logistics to manage.”

P&WC has also addressed speed of service, said Makris, by relying on third-party suppliers and can often now resolve AOGs in as little as two hours. Meanwhile, the

company recently introduced remote maintenance kits that contain certain parts and tools for select helicopter engines.

Recent MRO expansion includes a new line for the PW200 family in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, which complements the facility’s existing PT6A overhaul capability. Opened in 2020, the Belo Horizonte facility also received certification recently to become an official parts distribution center for the company, helping to speed delivery throughout the region.

“We also turned our attention to the burgeoning European market in recent months, announcing in May that in order to support P&WC customers’ MRO capacity for PW500 turbofan engines, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg will expand its capability to include PW545C (Cessna Citation XLS+) and PW535E/E1 (Embraer Phenom 300/300E) engine models at the MTU Maintenance facility in Ludwigsfelde, Germany,” noted Makris.

Finally, the company recently announced it would create a new MRO line for the PT6A in Rzeszow, Poland, making the facility there a center of excellence for customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

WILLIAMS INTERNATIONAL

Tying for third position in the survey’s turbofan grouping with an 8.4 rating, Williams International saw a two-tenths of a point decline in overall score from its showing last year. Nevertheless, it placed first or second in no fewer than five of the 10 turbofan categories, posting most notably a 9.2 score in warranty fulfillment, an 8.2 in cost per hour programs, an 8.8 in AOG response, 8.8 in technical reps, and a 7.2 in cost of parts. However, it tied Honeywell for the lowest scores in

factory-owned service centers and stood alone at the bottom of authorized service centers with an 8.2 rating.

Its FJ44-specific support drew an 8.4 overall average, bested only by the Rolls models in the turbofan category, on the strength of a 9.0 in overall engine reliability.

IMPROVEMENTS:

Calling its support of a rapidly expanding fleet of 7,600 engines one of its “top priorities,” Williams International recently has focused on upgrades of its authorized service network to help minimize downtime. The company reports that it has upgraded about one-third of these centers to the highest tier and that it is working with its remaining network to help them achieve that status “as quickly as possible.”

“We understand the need to have service centers fully capable to support operators’ maintenance needs,” Williams said. “Consistency of these capabilities within the network assures a seamless experience regardless of which authorized service facility an operator goes to.” Separately,

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Customers have enrolled nearly 90 percent of the worldwide fleet of Williams engines in the TAP Blue program, and new aircraft enrollment exceeds that percentage.

“We are pleased the light and very light aircraft powered by our FJ44 and FJ33 engines continue to prove themselves as extremely effective business tools that allow our customers to make the most of their valuable time—especially when it comes to avoiding unpredictable travel disruptions,” said Williams.“Demand for our engines continues to rise from airframe OEMs, and utilization of our current fleet continues to climb and is at all-time highs.”

HONEYWELL AEROSPACE

Honeywell’s mixed results in this year’s survey resulted from a last place showing among the turbofan makers with a 7.6 score and the best rating of the entire survey with a 9.1 in turboprop support. In the turbofan grouping, the company placed last in cost per hour programs and cost of parts while finishing with a 6.7 in parts availability and AOG response 7.3. However, its turboprop support organization finished with the highest score of the survey in overall reliability with a 9.8 and technical manuals with a 9.5. It also garnered the best scores of the survey with a 9.7 rating in factory owned service centers and a 9.0 in parts availability. In the indvidual engine categories, Honeywell improved its TPE331 overall average by seven-tenths of a point to 9.1.

IMPROVEMENTS:

Honeywell Aerospace has instituted what v-p of customer and product support Todd Owens called “pretty transformational changes,” creating two teams to address supply chain interruptions. The first, Focused Supplier Development, consists of about 150 executives to actively engage with suppliers, helping them secure raw materials and hire new employees with job fairs, for example, to get product flowing more freely. A second team of about 300 individuals make up Supplier Rate Readiness, working on dual-sourcing and returning repair capability to the Honeywell network.

“That team is really focused on helping us become healthy for longer term sustained growth,” explained Owens. “So that team is looking 14 weeks out through three years. As the business aviation space continues to ramp up and our key customers continue to grow, that team has really helped ensure that our supply base is healthy for the longer term.”

At the same time, the company has helped boost its supplier workforce. Honeywell itself added more than 1,000 employees over the past year. According to Owens, Honeywell has seen its labor force stabilize, as have those of its larger suppliers. “It’s that next layer down, [the smaller] machine shops that are still struggling,” he said. “And that’s where we focused with Honeywell resources, in many cases Honeywell boots on the ground at our supply base to try to make sure we get parts on time.”

V-p of technical support Malcolm Fleming reported improvements to Honeywell’s online customer portal including a redesign to speed downloading and improve search functionality. “It’s also going to have a much better user experience,” he said. “It’ll have the capability for people to have favorites or create a my-library or sign-up for subscription notifications that are not very easy to do today. One of the elements I’m excited about, we’ll have an online view for integrated electronic technical manuals [IETM].”

So far the company has created 65 sets of IETM for its business and general aviation engines and APUs.

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Above & Beyond

During AIN’s annual product support survey for aircraft, avionics, and engines, customers highlighted individuals who go above and beyond their call of duty. Below are many of those named and the praise they received.

RANDY ADAMS (TEXTRON AVIATION)

“Randy consistently finds solutions to the problems that pop up and understands our specific business needs.”

PEDRO AGUIAR (EMBRAER)

“Has been of great assistance working through various issues.”

GREG ALLEN (EPPS AVIATION)

“Easy to contact and has the most knowledge of anyone I have ever heard of with Pilatus PC-12.”

JOE AMINE (SATCOM DIRECT)

“He goes above and beyond to always keep in touch with his clients and ensures they are fully satisfied.”

JOHN ARNETT/BILL SCHMIDT (FLIGHTSTAR)

“They go above and beyond what is expected every day.”

DIANA BARSANTI (DASSAULT)

“She always goes above and beyond to finding a solution to a customer’s issue regardless what the issue may be (she has a strong avionics background).”

RUSTY BAUMAN (EAST TEXAS TURBINE)

“Extra efforts to save customer money.”

JIM BEEBE (GULFSTREAM)

“Great attitude, ever-present, gets it done.”

RICK BEST (TEXTRON AVIATION)

“Best field service rep I’ve ever worked with. We absolutely love him Rick will call back quickly and if he does not have an answer will find someone who can help.”

MURRAY BOLTON (SWIFT AIR SPARES)

“He goes out of his way to supply 24-hour support.”

DANIELLE BOOTH (AVEX)

“Danielle has been very responsive and trying to correct all the deficiencies.”

WES BREITENBACH (GE AEROSPACE)

“Always helps his operators. Returns calls promptly and is very knowledgeable. Outstanding person.”

GARY BROWN (STEVENS AEROSPACE)

“Always helping with maintenance needs quickly and efficiently.”

DON BURRIS (MUNCIE AVIATION)

“Always available 24/7.”

VICTOR CAMACHO (PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA)

“For the attention and support provided to operators.”

MARK COBB (FAYETTEVILLE AVIATION)

“Extremely knowledgeable and honest Very knowledgeable of the airframe and mx.”

RONNIE COOK (BOMBARDIER)

“Best FSR in the business.”

CARLOS DA SILVA (DASSAULT)

“Carlos always goes beyond the common line to meet customer needs and solve all their problems.”

RANDY DAVIS (TEXTRON AVIATION)

“Randy provides excellent technical support.”

FRANCES DE GRUCHY (PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA)

“Doesn’t matter when you call him, he picks up the phone. Furthermore he always follows up with you. Great resource. Great support.”

JEFF DOWLING (OK3 AIR)

“Jeff has incredible knowledge and provides great support for our PC-12s.”

ERIN DUEBENDORFER (DAHER)

“Superb customer support.”

MIKE EDDY (STEIN’S AIRCRAFT SERVICES)

“Above and beyond service and support.”

LUCAS EDUARDO (EMBRAER)

“Lucas’s knowledge about the Embraer platform is astounding. When I call, he knows the answer. Embraer needs more people like Lucas.”

PRESTON ESTES (SKYTECH)

“He has extensive knowledge and provides alternative solutions.”

DENIS RICARDO ESTEVES (EMBRAER)

“Denis Esteves and his whole team deserve a round of applauses for their

continuous support and for dealing so well with all issues on the South America fleet. Kudos to them, they rock!”

DINO FANTINATO (DAHER)

“Always available with help. Very knowledgeable.”

STEVE FERNESAK (HONEYWELL)

“Helpful and knowledgeable.”

JUSTIN FINEFIELD (FINEFIELD AVIATION)

“Above board, knowledgeable.”

STEVE FOX (PORT CITY AIR/NH HELICOPTERS)

“Top-notch service and support for our EC120B helicopter. He does a great job in challenging times.”

SAMSON FRANKLIN (HONEYWELL)

“Samson is an invaluable asset to both his company and the customer. He is always available, always interested, always dedicated. He is knowledgeable and pragmatic. He works tirelessly to make things happen.”

ARNO FOREHAND (GULFSTREAM)

“He is in charge of the part distribution at Gulfstream and makes things happen to get parts moving!”

TIM GILES (LEONARDO)

“Tim is always reachable and has great knowledge of Leonardo Helicopters systems.”

DAVID GONZALEZ (HONEYWELL)

“Excellent response and availability.”

QAIS HAMDAN (ROLLS-ROYCE)

“Very supportive, responsive, and excellent customer service.”

LLOYD HARDWICK (DASSAULT)

“Always extremely helpful to a customer needing help, excellent technical knowledge.”

STEVE HANSEN (TEXTRON AVIATION)

“He pulled out the stops to actually build a wheel assembly for me when the parts

timing was greater than 30 days, by rounding up parts of the wheel at various service centers. That is going above and beyond.”

JOE HIGGINS (HONEYWELL)

“Joe provides us with an unrivaled level of attention and dedication to solving any Pilatus avionics issues. We would be much worse off without his efforts.”

ERIC HOLLIDAY (GULFSTREAM)

“Extremely knowledgeable on all models.”

STEPHEN HUBBLE (ENGINE ASSURANCE PROGRAM)

“Always responsive and willing to share knowledge to help the owner/ operator be a better customer.”

ANTHONY HULSEBUS (DASSAULT)

“Tony is one of the best OEM tech reps I have had in 30-plus years in aviation. He goes above and beyond to solve problems with the aircraft and follows up after an issue.”

RAY HUGHES (DASSAULT)

“Has gone above and beyond on multiple occasions to offer product support and guidance in difficult matters.”

SEAN IMPEY (INTERCONTINENTAL JET SERVICE)

“Sean is the key to making the new and older avionics systems work together. In an older airplane with older autopilots this is vital to keep the birds in the air. Sean knows the systems, knows how to diagnose them, and goes out of his way to make them work reliably.”

MARK AND NEIL JAMES (INTERCONTINENTAL JET SERVICE CENTER)

“Great knowledge, great communication, great facilities. They have the knowledge, the staff, and the parts. Super recommend!”

NICOLE JEFFORDS (CAVU AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE AND AVIONICS)

“Has gone above and beyond to be an additional MU-2 maintenance facility to help maintenance of fleet.”

IVAN JUCHIMIUKI (DASSAULT)

“Exemplary tech rep.”

ASHOK KAPADIA (EMBRAER)

“He has the interest of owners and operators as his priority.”

VIGNESH KASIVISWANATHAN (EMBRAER)

“Positive attitude, prompt, result-oriented responses.”

KERRY KINEK (LEONARDO)

“Kerry goes above and beyond 100 percent of the time and has been key to our improvement in aircraft availability by providing tools, resources, and knowledge and is a fantastic costumer service rep.”

JEFF LEISEY (DASSAULT)

“Terrific, knowledgeable individual.”

FABIO LIBRO (AUGSBURG AIR SERVICE)

“High knowledge, high motivation, and motivates his team. Best EMB100 service for us.”

JEFF LORD (TEXTRON AVIATION)

“Always helpful. Knows the 750s inside and out, and just a good guy to work with!”

CHRIS MARTINEZ (TEXTRON AVIATION)

“Goes above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction.”

JAVIER MATOS (LEONARDO)

“Good and special attention to their customers, Quick response immaculate service. He always has the best disposition to serve at any time and during any situation. What I value the most is that I always have a rapid solution to any problem presented.”

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LUIS MENESES (TEXTRON AVIATION)

“As field service in Colombia, he does an excellent job with good communications and response time.”

RICH MILIJKOVIC (GULFSTREAM)

“He has been a very proactive when I have a problem and always keeps me informed.”

ERIC MILLER (KCAC AVIATION)

“Eric is always engaged and knows the answer or knows where to get the answers we need. We really appreciate how he makes our operation of these aircraft easier.”

DON MILLIKEN (BOMBARDIER)

“Extremely knowledgeable, a great resource, and always available to assist.”

PAUL MOURING (EXCEL AVIATION)

“He is always available. Always takes your call. Always supports and finds a solution.”

DAVE MUNDAY (BOURNEMOUTH AVIATION SERVICES)

“Competence, availability, involvement.”

MAURICE NESBITT (CORPORATE AIRCRAFT RESTORATIONS)

“His shop gets the service done always on time and correct.”

ANDREW NEWLANDDEANUS (TRADE-AIR)

“He is reachable 24/7 for parts and understands the nature of our operation needs.”

TIM NOBLE (DASSAULT)

“One of the most knowledgeable tech reps I have ever had the privilege to deal with.”

KENJI OKABE (SIKORSKY)

“We always appreciate his support as FSR/Japan.”

JASON POLING (SPARTAN ENGINE SERVICES)

“Jason and his team have gone above and

beyond to ensure we are supported to meet all our schedule needs anytime we have had issues with our engines. He and his team are willing to go the extra mile to help us out!”

GORDON PRICE (TEXTRON AVIATION)

“Gordon has been tremendously helpful to our mx shop in navigating the Citation service programs.”

RICK RADO (INDY JET SERVICES)

“He and his partners have put together an excellent maintenance team.”

FRANK RALPH (LEONARDO)

“Frank has been key to providing customer support to my customers…Very attentive and responsive to customer’s needs.”

BRIAN RUECHEL (JET AIR GROUP)

“He is always there when needed for maintenance…Extensive knowledge and superior availability/responsiveness Helped tremendously in an AOG situation.”

JOE RIVERA (GULFSTREAM)

“Always goes above and beyond to assist in making sure my Gulfstream is properly taken care of and operational.”

JOE ROBBINS (RICE LAKE AIR CENTER)

“Superior knowledge of Daher TBM.”

TOM SAPP (CAROLINA TURBINE SUPPORT)

“Tom has dedicated his career to the MU-2 and is always available to help.”

JOSHUA SATLOW (GULFSTREAM)

“We just purchased a new G650ER, and he did a great job as a delivery coordinator.”

JAY SIGMANN (DASSAULT)

“Forty-plus years of incredible knowledge, dedication, and customer service. And a great guy.”

CHRIS SHORT (YINGLING AVIATION)

“Provides great customer experience.”

MORGAN SMILEY STARKEY (GULFSTREAM)

“Exceptional attitude and helpfulness.”

MARK SOLOMON (GULFSTREAM)

“Mark goes above and beyond for his customers.”

JACK SPERO (GOGO BUSINESS AVIATION)

“Jack Spero is a true aviation professional. His patience, attention to detail, and tremendous communication skills need to be recognized. If all field support engineers were like Jack, doing business and fixing the big problems would be a breeze!”

ERIC SMITH AND SPARES TEAM (DASSAULT)

“They have worked tirelessly. I truly appreciate their devotion and dedication.”

CHRIS TAFT (ROLLS-ROYCE)

“He’s the most dedicated, proactive, and supportive customer representative. Always ready to deliver the best solution to keep the aircraft flying.”

GREG THOMPSON (DASSAULT)

“Always ready to assist the customer with a positive response and solid technical knowledge.”

TERRY WARD (LEONARDO)

“I think of Terry as part of our mx team. When we have a question or concern, he’s quick to assist. He’s easy to contact and is extremely helpful ”

MARK WEBSTER (ROLLS-ROYCE)

“Very knowledgeable and comes with a solution to issues and understands corporate customer Consistent, dedicated customer service and technical support Always gives 110 percent ”

BOB YOUNG (DASSAULT)

“Very knowledgeable, always follows up with requested information.” z

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Fight against public charters heating up

BY STUART “KIPP” LAU

Utah-based SkyWest recently launched its new subsidiary, SkyWest Charter, to operate both on-demand charters for individuals and companies and public charters to provide scheduled air services to underserved markets. The new charter subsidiary plans to operate 30-seat regional jets under the FAA’s Part 135 and DOT’s Part 380 certifications.

The public charter business model has been in existence for more than four decades. Traditional Part 380 operators included companies offering vacation or tour packages to places such as Cancun or Las Vegas. As a public charter operator, these companies would contract or charter a certificated air carrier to fly customers to their destination. Regulations allow a public charter operator authorized under DOT Part 380 to utilize any air carrier, including Part 135 on-demand carriers.

Here is the distinction in the regulations: DOT Part 380 addresses the

economic authority to offer a public charter, while the FAA rules govern the operations of the air carrier.

SkyWest’s plan is stuck in a holding pattern due to objections by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and American Airlines. ALPA is the loudest detractor and has repeatedly objected to the certification of SkyWest Charter. In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, ALPA president Jason Ambrosi said SkyWest’s strategy would “roll back the clock and skirt aviation safety rules.”

The Part 380 public charter controversy stems from concerns over flight safety, pilot qualifications, and security, ALPA said, claiming that such operations are exploiting a “loophole” that allows Part 135 on-demand operators to fly larger aircraft up to 30 seats. These aircraft would normally be flown under Part 121. ALPA contends that this lowers the bar on safety and allows operators to

hire less experienced pilots. American Airlines has expressed concerns about security and operators avoiding certain TSA fees.

These protests have had three effects: the DOT approval of the SkyWest Charter Part 380 economic authority has been delayed, public charter operators are under increased scrutiny, and most importantly, the FAA has formally issued a notice of intent (NOI) to revise the regulatory definitions which govern Part 135 carriers conducting Part 380 flights.

Announced on August 24, the FAA’s published NOI outlines how the agency will re-examine the requirements for ondemand air carriers operating DOT Part 380 public charter operations and potentially provide revisions to the regulatory definitions of “on-demand operations,” “supplemental operations,” and “scheduled operations.” Accordingly, the agency’s primary motive for a regulatory review was

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based on the growth in flights conducted under Part 380.

Ambrosi applauded the announcement by stating, “We are grateful to Secretary Buttigieg, acting Administrator [Polly] Trottenberg, and the DOT and FAA teams for upholding the highest standards of aviation safety and security in the world.”

with much at stake and needs to be based upon safety data and serious regulatory analysis.”

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said, “For more than 45 years, Part 380 public charter regulations have allowed for a broad diversity of safe and secure air service options for U.S. consumers.” He continued, “We remain concerned about any action that may disrupt, or even deprive, air service to smaller communities.”

requirements and will transition to any additional requirements that may be adopted by the FAA as part of the rulemaking process.”

PUBLIC CHARTERS THE NEED

Within days of the FAA announcement, several general aviation groups, including the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Helicopter Association International (HAI), National Air Transportation Association (NATA), and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), began to question the FAA’s rationale for revisiting the rules that govern public charter operations.

The agency cited the growth of Part 380 flights over the past decade but failed to provide clarity on its motivation. Under the current regulatory framework, there have been no major incidents or accidents involving Part 380 flights.

“This review must be a data-driven look at the safety record of the current system and a precise delineation of any perceived problems,” said GAMA president Pete Bunce. “If compelling issues are identified that need to be addressed, any policy changes must be designed in a practical and targeted fashion to minimize any negative implications for small and rural communities, transportation efficiency and innovation, and progress on aviation sustainability. This is an issue

The effects of these changes could be wide-reaching, impacting Part 135 operators beyond the public charter market, according to NATA president and CEO Curt Castagna. “Regulatory revisions could have ripple effects throughout the entire Part 135 and general aviation ecosystem,” he said. “It is imperative that any changes are driven not by the economic interest of competitors, but rather by an identified safety need.”

SkyWest responded with a statement in response to the issues raised: “SkyWest Charter (SWC) believes that the operation of Part 380 flights under the current FAA classification is essential for small community air service, today and well into the future. The FAA’s ‘notice of intent’ to review its classification of such Part 380 flights clears the path for DOT to approve SWC’s application for a commuter air carrier authorization, consistent with existing law and SWC’s undisputed fitness, since the non-fitness issues will be addressed by the FAA allowing DOT to focus on fitness. Additionally, SWC already exceeds current safety

A primary driver for SkyWest’s move to create a charter subsidiary has been the reduction in air service in smaller communities throughout the U.S. The timing of these reductions began as the airline industry reeled from the turbulent effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to statistics from the FAA, 576 airports in the U.S.—including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other territories— had scheduled airline service in February 2020. Over the next three years, 301 of those airports experienced service reductions; one-third had significant service reductions of more than 50 percent, while 24 airports lost all airline service.

Smaller communities were disproportionately affected, and even those routes with guaranteed subsidies from Essential Air Service (EAS) legislation lost service.

“Subsidies have increased despite the introduction of smaller and more fuelefficient aircraft, which should help drive down operating costs,” said Alton Aviation Consultancy managing director Adam Cowburn. “But that hasn’t stopped airlines from pulling out of EAS markets.”

For example, Cowburn noted, SkyWest (the Part 121 airline) cut nearly 30 destinations covered by EAS in 2022. “In many instances, however, [reduced] service to airports, including those supported by EAS,

JASON AMBROSI PRESIDENT, ALPA

has been driven by regional airline pilot shortages,” he stressed.

By May 2023, EAS contracts awarded in the U.S. amounted to $394.2 million per year. The bulk of these contracts are held by Cape Air, Southern Express, and Contour Airways.

Cape Air and Southern Express are Part 135 commuter airlines regulated by the FAA and limited to the operation of nonturbojet aircraft with nine seats or less and a payload of less than 7,500 pounds. Aircraft operated by these airlines include the Cessna 208 Caravan, Cessna 402C, Pilatus PC-12, and Tecnam P2012 Traveller. Passengers purchase tickets directly from these commuter airlines.

PUBLIC CHARTERS EXPLAINED

Contour Air is a public charter operator (Part 380) or an “indirect air carrier.” As such, the DOT grants economic authority to a public charter operator. This ensures compliance with consumer protection rules.

As an example, when a passenger purchases a ticket for a flight from a public charter operator, those funds are held in an escrow account until the completion of that flight. Additionally, a public charter operator must comply with a DOTapproved charter prospectus and other regulatory requirements.

As a public charter operator, Contour Air does not operate aircraft but engages with an appropriately FAA-certified “direct air carrier” (either a Part 121 airline or Part 135 on-demand or commuter carrier) to provide the actual air transportation.

In the case of Contour Air, it charters a 30-seat Embraer regional jet operated by subsidiary “Contour Airways”—a direct air carrier operating under Part 135 (ondemand)—and then resells seats on that aircraft to the public as a public charter operator. This arrangement is common. There are no restrictions on the same company holding air carrier certification from the FAA and indirect air carrier authority from the DOT.

Contour Air has been a Part 380 operator operating EAS routes since 2016. It operates a fleet of 16 Embraer ERJ 135/140/145 aircraft each with 30 seats. On-demand Part 135 carriers are limited to aircraft with 30 seats. Four additional aircraft are on order.

The business model, as proposed by SkyWest Charters, is nearly identical to that of Contour Air. SkyWest Charter plans to fly

up to 25 EAS routes with a fleet of 18 Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft reconfigured with 30 seats. Tickets on these flights will be sold as a public charter under DOT Part 380, and the aircraft will be operated by the subsidiary, the FAA Part 135 on-demand operator.

SkyWest has identified an opportunity, and believes these EAS routes can be profitable. SkyWest Leasing owns the Bombardier CRJ200s and will lease the jets to

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SkyWest Charter. These aircraft are being withdrawn from use with the company’s code-share partners and replaced by larger regional airliners.

PILOT QUALIFICATIONS

In an earlier DOT filing, ALPA summarized its complaint against SkyWest Charter and its ambitions to operate EAS routes by stating, “The line between scheduled service and on-demand charter has been blurred beyond recognition.” ALPA argued that SkyWest is exploiting “a complicated regulatory loophole allowing charter flights to run so frequently that enterprising carriers can market them as scheduled services but be free from the Part 121 safety regime that governs most scheduled flights.”

ALPA contended that “SkyWest Inc. should not be permitted to degrade the margin of safety of our air transportation system by using its new alter-ego company, SkyWest Charter, to shift its current EAS small-community flying from itself to its surrogate to operate high-performance jet aircraft under public charter rules with lesser experienced, lesser qualified first officers on the flight deck.”

ALPA contends that SkyWest Charter, as a Part 135 operator, is an attempt to circumvent the first officer qualification (FOQ) rules as enacted in 2010 by the FAA. Those rules require Part 121 first officers to have an airline transport pilot (ATP) or restricted-ATP (R-ATP) license. ALPA believes that by operating under Part 135, SkyWest Charter can employ first officers with as little as 250 hours, a commercial pilot certificate, and a multi-engine instrument rating.

The assumption by ALPA is that SkyWest Charter would employ first o fficers without an ATP or R-ATP license. SkyWest Inc. responded by saying, “Indeed, SkyWest Charter plans to launch operations with dual captains on its flight decks.”

TARGETING “A DUCK”

ALPA later used the SkyWest application to target another Part 380 operator—JSX.

Dallas-based JSX (formerly known as JetSuiteX) operates 37 Embraer 135/145 aircraft throughout the U.S. and Mexico, describing itself as a “hop-on jet service.” JSX sells tickets on its flights as a public charter, and flights are operated under Part 135 by subsidiary Delux Public Charter (dba JSX Air).

According to ALPA, JSX uses the same loopholes as SkyWest Charter hopes to but serves the “affluent” market. ALPA wrote, “JSX is simply wrong. If it looks, swims, and quacks like a duck, it is a duck.” The pilot association firmly believes that JSX provides scheduled services and “unequivocally holds out to the public scheduled service” with advertisements that detail schedules well out into the future.

According to ALPA, the size of an operation matters. “The scale of JSX’s operation confirms that its use of FAA’s charter carveout is untenable, blurring what it means to be scheduled service,” ALPA said, adding that “JSX operated 110,305 scheduled departures in 2022”—a figure that eclipses the operations of Commutair and Piedmont, two Part 121 regional airlines.

Furthermore, ALPA contends “JSX’s security protocols constitute a glaring loophole requiring immediate and comprehensive closure.” The association further adds that without proper security screening and advertising its flight schedules, JSX provides a security risk.

American Airlines, in a letter to the DOT, also had concerns about JSX’s security protocols. “The JSX model depends on

exploiting a ‘public charter’ loophole to fly a published schedule with 30-seat turbojet aircraft under Part 135,” said Molly Wilkerson, American Airlines v-p of regulatory and international affairs.

American pointed to what it believes are shortcomings of the Part 135 charter model, such as TSA screening, less stringent regulatory requirements, and reduced fees. “American Airlines believes that the ‘scheduled charter’ model as leveraged by JSX degrades our nation’s aviation system and distorts competition, [and the] DOT should end this misuse,” Wilkerson added.

In JSX’s defense, company CEO Alex Wilcox wrote, “For cynical reasons, however, American and ALPA are abusing the SkyWest Charter docket as a forum in which to advocate for unprecedented and wholly unjustifiable governmental action to do nothing less than put JSX and other innovative and reliable Part 380 operators out of business and leave many small communities nationwide without air service.”

JSX also pushed back on ALPA’s claim that Part 380 operators lower safety standards. The company pointed out that it operates above and beyond Part 135 mandates by proactively establishing a safety management system and other voluntary safety programs such as the FAA’s FOQA and Aviation Safety Action Program. JSX also routinely passes the IATA safety audit, which is considered a gold standard in aviation. In the same vein, JSX trains its pilots on Level D simulators, uses realistic line-oriented flight training scenarios, and

requires 25 hours of initial operating experience for captains and first officers.

DEFINE SCHEDULED SERVICES

NATA supports the existing regulatory oversight system for the licensing and conduct of public charter operations. The association believes “long-standing FAA regulations related to the operation of public charter flights by on-demand carriers are also expressly authorized and further supported by several legal interpretations issued by the FAA Office of the Chief Counsel.”

According to a NATA white paper on public charter flights, from an FAA perspective, a public charter flight is no different than other operations conducted under a charter contract. A charter flight involves the entire capacity of the aircraft being hired out—details such as departure and arrival airports and times are negotiated between the air carrier and charterer. In the case of a public charter, the Part 380 operator sets the operational parameters of the flight in its contract with the direct air carrier.

NATA noted, “Scheduled flights are defined by the FAA as ones where the air carrier (Part 135 commuter or on-demand) determines in advance the departure airport, departure time, and destination airport.” As such, “by definition (14 CFR 110.2) public charter flights under part 380 are not scheduled flights.”

Another point of contention with ALPA is that EAS routes must be operated by “scheduled air transportation.” ALPA wrote, “Public charter operations are not, by definition, scheduled service.” It cites a case where the DOT rejected charter service as a substitute for EAS scheduled service in Ironwood, Michigan (EAS at Ironwood, MI, et al, DO-OST-1996-1266 & 1711, Order 2010-9-26).

According to ALPA, SkyWest Charter would not be permitted to offer charter services to EAS communities without a waiver. “We are not able to allow communities to rewrite the framework of the EAS program by exempting them from the

basic requirement that all essential air service be provided by scheduled operations.”

ALPA also contends that shifting Part 121 flying to a Part 135 carrier “rolls back time” and introduces unnecessary risk to the passengers and the national aviation system. It cites the FAA’s commitment to “one level of safety” codified into law in 1995 after a series of Part 135 commuter accidents. As a result of this rulemaking, scheduled operations in airplanes with 10 seats or more and any passenger operations in turbojet aircraft, regardless of seating capacity, were and are required to be operated under Part 121. According to ALPA, the ability to operate a 30-seat jet under Part 135 carrying passengers bypasses the current regulations.

HAI president and CEO James Viola sums up the issue: “Part 380 public charter regulations have been in operation for more than four decades. Merely witnessing an uptick in Part 380 operations over

the past decade is insufficient grounds for a sweeping overhaul of regulations …The absence of safety concerns raised by industry experts during this period suggests that the existing Part 380 regulations are robust and effective. In contemplating any regulatory modifications, it is paramount to prioritize safety, efficiency, innovation, and sustainability as guiding principles throughout the decision-making process.” z

JAMES VIOLA

HAI PRESIDENT AND CEO

Many projects promising much more SAF

BY CURT EPSTEIN

The amount of unblended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced worldwide last year tripled the output of 2021, totaling some 80 million gallons of fuel, according to statistics from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Yet that amount equated to just 0.1 percent of all jet fuel consumed.

Despite the fact that the petroleum-based jet fuel industry has a 70-year head start on the SAF refiners, the renewable fuel producers continue to make steady progress, and the industry expects another exponential jump in SAF volumes this year as more facilities come online and existing producers modify and expand their existing facilities.

In December last year, the Montana Renewables facility in Great Falls, Montana,

began production with an initial annual output of approximately 30 million gallons of neat, unblended SAF.

SAF is approved for use in blends of up to 50 percent SAF and 50 percent conventional jet fuel, although the industry standard is a 30/70 blend. At that ratio the Montana Renewables volume equates to another 100 million gallons of blended SAF added to the system. As the plant scales up to full production this year, that volume will double to 60 million gallons of neat SAF, according to IATA estimates. An expansion starting next year would boost SAF output to 230 million gallons annually once completed.

Neste, the world’s largest SAF fuels producer, now has an annual capacity of 345 million gallons of neat SAF as its

Singapore refinery accelerates production. The company expects that output to rise to half a billion gallons by mid-2024, and once it finishes modifications to its Rotterdam facility, the company will reach a capacity of 750 million gallons by the end of 2026.

World Energy in Paramount, California, is also investing $2 billion to upgrade its plant there to produce 240 million gallons of SAF a year by 2024, and announced plans for the conversion of a facility in Houston, which is expected to double that by 2025. Near San Francisco, Phillips 66 is in the process of converting a petroleum refinery to produce renewable fuels with an expected output of 800 million gallons a year of biodiesel and/or SAF.

Montana Renewables began SAF production in December 2022 at its Great Falls facility in Montana.

In Georgia, LanzaJet expects its Freedom Pines refinery in Soperton to become operational by the end of the year, thus establishing the world’s first facility to use the alcohol-to-jet production pathway, as well as the first SAF plant on the East Coast.

While much of the aforementioned SAF volumes are wrapped up in o ff take agreements with commercial airlines, the companies that supply business aviation have certainly had a proverbial seat at the table. Since the end of 2020, Signature Aviation— which operates the world’s largest FBO chain—has pumped 25 million gallons of SAF from 14 locations in the U.S., all west of the Mississippi and in the UK. For airports east of the Mississippi, SAF remains absent save for the occasional highly touted demonstration delivery.

“It was important to prove we could use the [existing] infrastructure to push the green product into airports,” said Michael Sargent, Neste’s v-p of renewable fuels, North America. “We can do that with a product that is a drop-in alternative to fossil [jet-A] that we could fuel airports pretty much anywhere we can get access to product.”

California is the epicenter of SAF distribution due to the state’s tax incentives. “That’s where it’s the most profitable and the lowest cost to an end operator to have that fuel delivered,” said Kennedy Ricci, president of industry sustainability solutions provider 4Air. “You’ve got the U.S. renewable fuel standard program…but you get to stack that credit with the California low-carbon fuel standard which really helps to drive the cost down further.”

For renewable fuel producers such as Neste, such incentivization is vital to the continuing development of the market. “We and others like us have invested billions and will invest billions if we are going to generate the capacity that we need, but it’s critical that we continue to get certainty of demand,” said Sargent. Such tax incentives certainly help to promote the

use of SAF. “Once it’s blended within California we usually see [a premium] of $1 to $2 per gallon,” said Ricci. “It’s once you get outside of California we’ve seen anything from $4 a gallon to I think $11.”

He added that a handful of other states such as Washington, Oregon, and Illinois have also instituted their own low-carbon fuel incentives, and New York and New Jersey are trying to institute tax credit programs of their own. “I think that would really be the switch that would see a lot more physical supply available because the demand is certainly there, especially within business aviation flight departments at the New Jersey airports,” Ricci told AIN

availability at some 30 locations and counting, and industry fuel suppliers say the current demand is outstripping the supply. “Certainly there is a supply deficit versus demand, but we hope in time through 2024 that deficit will be reduced closer to where the business aviation demand is,” explained Keith Sawyer, Avfuel’s manager of alternative fuels. He noted that in addition to the 15 or so FBOs that his company supplies with SAF on a continual basis, many corporate flight departments that operate their own fuel farms are also taking deliveries.

“I suggest over time there will be more and more volume arriving at fixed base operators in the mid-continent and east, but again supply has to be arrived at,” said Sawyer. “It has to find a way to a location where there is jet fuel that can be blended and then pushed to either a loading rack or rail siding or to marine tanker or it will be distributed on a neat basis and then blended in Bayonne, New Jersey, for example.”

Another concern is that given the similar production processes between the two, renewable fuel producers need to decide whether to produce bio-diesel or SAF, and Ricci noted that one major concern from a demand perspective is “trying to get that capacity not go to renewable diesel but to really come to SAF. That could go to renewable diesel if we don’t have the interest from aviation,” he warned.

For business aviation customers looking to find SAF, the U.S. West Coast remains a hotbed of production and distribution with

For those operators interested in using SAF even though it might not be available in their region, the book-and-claim process offered by several providers presents another option. At certain locations, they can request and pay for SAF and receive the associated environmental attribution benefits for the fuel even though the actual molecules are dispensed someplace where there is an actual SAF supply. “Say you bookand-claimed out of Teterboro, you pay your [local] jet-A price and then you pay the delta, what we call the ‘green premium’ for the SAF in the California market,” explained Ricci. “So if in California if the jet-A price was $4 a gallon and the SAF price was $5.50, you’re only paying that $1.50 on top of your Teterboro jet-A price.”

“SAF is more expensive than jet-A, but the question I think we have to ask is what’s the real cost of not using SAF?” concluded Sargent. “If you just try to compare the cost at the pump, you’re not considering the social costs of continuing to use fossil fuel.” z

KENNEDY RICCI PRESIDENT, 4AIR



[California is] where it’s the most profitable and the lowest cost to an end operator to have that fuel delivered.

Doug Carr on confronting today’s safety challenges

BY KERRY LYNCH

Doug Carr, NBAA’s senior v-p of safety, security, sustainability, and international operations, is responsible for steering the association’s regulatory and policy agenda. He has held numerous roles since joining the association in April 1998 and has been deeply involved in a range of issues involving Congress, the FAA, the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and other government agencies. A graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale with a degree in aviation management, Carr spent six years in the U.S. Navy where he worked onboard a nuclear-powered submarine and was responsible for many aspects of its propulsion system.

Carr spoke with AIN about the heightened focus on safety resulting from the several close calls that have captured public attention this year.

The FAA, Congress, and the general public are shining a spotlight on aviation safety this year following well-publicized runway incursions and other incidents. What are your thoughts and concerns about them?

There’s a significant acknowledgment that things aren’t going as we expected based on these near-collisions. And fortunately, we’ve got this multi-layered safety system in place that has prevented some of these collisions from happening—whether it’s FAA technology in support of airport operations, whether it’s aircraft technology directing pilot action as a last course of action, or whether it’s something else. But there’s a decent amount of “almost happens” and that has got everybody’s attention right now.

Regardless of where you are—airlines, general or business aviation, airports, or the FAA—everybody’s pretty focused on how we address this and what we’re able to measure in a way that keeps the system operating but makes us better. That’s going to come from a lot of different areas with a lot of folks trying to all pull in the same direction.

What’s been happening, and what’s causing this?

There are several things that are potentially playing a role in why we’re seeing this.

One, we have a workforce that is in the middle of a transition. During Covid, we saw the opportunity for senior members of the industry to retire. And what went with them is all those decades of experience, whether it be in the flight deck, on the maintenance floor, in the air traffic control tower, or elsewhere. All that experience walked out the door, and we didn’t necessarily have a good transition of that knowledge to those who would come in after them.

Another data point is we’re seeing operations that are at or above where we were before Covid. The system itself is being fully utilized, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was designed to handle all of this. But combine a workforce with perhaps less total experience with a system that is now operating at near capacity and in some cases, the lack of sufficient resources to manage it effectively. Now, we’re opening those Swiss cheese holes, and we’re allowing some of those errors that would have normally been captured by experience…to escape, leading to some of these last lines of defense such as automated systems.

We’ve got to find a way to close [those holes] and get our system risk back to historic levels based on experience, workforce, and training levels that we’re used to.

What has the response from the aviation community been?

This year was the first time the FAA has brought together the industry for a safety roundtable in over a decade. That, I think, was an emblematic movement by the FAA reflecting the state of the system. We are seeing near-collisions. So, before we get to something greater, let’s sit down and see if we can figure out what the data is.

I think many of us felt that we still had a good sense of what the problems could be. But how do we address them and how do we fix them? I think [the roundtable] has given the industry the opportunity to double down on the areas that it feels it has an opportunity to impact.

With that, our safety committee took the output from the summit and really looked at its areas. And what you will see on the NBAA website are our top safety focus areas. Those are being updated as we speak. I expect that the new list will be ready by the time we get to NBAA-BACE.

What are some of the things that the business aviation community can do?

There are a number of things. We’ve got three broad buckets that our safety committee is focused on.

These include preventable accidents [such as] loss of control and runway excursions. A lot of those are things that we’ve seen in the last 12 months for sure, and also include controlled flight into terrain, ground operations, maintenance, and ramp rash. We’re going to make a few changes [to our safety focus areas]to reflect some areas in the “here and now” that we believe are important.

A second area is operations, including fitness for duty. Fitness for duty encompasses a whole host of unique topics that can range from fatigue to mental health, medical, and others.

Are we making progress in the area of mental health?

As we look at dispelling some myths associated with mental health and the pilot community, we believe there is a great opportunity to provide solid direction for pilots and others who need a medical certificate to do their jobs, provide them with much more clarity on what it means to get help that keeps you safe, that keeps you healthy, that keeps you alive while reducing the risk.

I think that’s one topic that permeates most of aviation, which is putting your hand up to say that you need help. [People fear that] getting help could put your entire livelihood at risk.

The Federal Air Surgeon has done a tremendous job getting in front of pilot groups, getting in front of AME communities, to begin addressing this head-on. That’s where change is starting to be felt with the FAA expanding the number of approved medications that pilots can be on for depression and giving AMEs more latitude in certifying pilots with some of these conditions that previously required a deferment pending an additional FAA review.

It’s going to take the industry to get behind this. People avoid getting the help that they need, and we need to correct that.

Beyond mental health, where else is NBAA focusing in the operational arena?

Another that we’re dealing with is the workforce. Bringing our next generation of pilots, maintainers, flight attendants, schedulers and dispatchers, and leaders into the industry has to be a priority or we’re going to find ourselves without enough people to do the job. And we’re going to need to compete with a whole host of others for that same talent. So, providing clear pathways and expanded pathways for today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders in business aviation is a priority.

Are there other issues that fall into the operational bucket?

Human factors. That will continue to be a priority, including things like procedural noncompliance. It remains a factor in many of the accident reports that we read.

In fact, it was an issue in the [July 26, 2021, Challenger 605] accident in Truckee, California, where this circling approach got really unstable and there was no indication that a go-around or let’s-try-it-again was ever on the minds of either of the two pilots.

And the other area is for all the singlepilot operations, which is where we’re seeing not an insignificant number of accidents and incidents happening. The Cessna Citation V that overflew Washington, D.C., a few months ago was a single-pilot operation. So, bringing more insight into resources available for owner-operators.

That creates interesting, unique challenges to try to address where business needs to complete a flight, but safety needs may suggest something else. How do we balance those two competing pressures?

What is the third major bucket?

The mitigation: What are the products that we’re putting in place to assist with this? Those things include topics like SMS [safety management systems]. I think SMS will continue to be a tool that if effectively structured for the operation, will play a significant role in improving safety. But if it’s a binder on a shelf that collects dust, then [it would not be] a tool to help them

succeed and we haven’t moved the ball at all.

Also, in mitigation strategies is how do we improve owner and leader support of safety expenditures? How do we ensure that where needed, safety resources are provided to address the risks that our processes identified?

The final area is focused on data. There can’t be enough said today on the value of data. We’re hoping to move the needle on safety in any of the areas [such as] loss of control, runway excursions, controlled flight into terrain [CFIT], ground operations, and ramp rash. We’ve got to know where they’re happening and what’s causing them.

We have renewed energy to become smart about data to identify what we can do to reduce accidents and incidents. It’s not just going to be NBAA’s role in pushing this. We’ve got to bring the FAA along with us and we’ve got to bring our members along with us. At its core, data really is driving much of the safety equation these days.

What’s planned for NBAA-BACE this year?

Our event on Monday will begin with our Single-Pilot Safety Standdown dedicated to owners and operators, talking about issues with them, by them, and for them. We’re going to have single-pilot experts talking about safety and data, loss of control, and CFIT, and [where] we see the data telling us are risks for the single-pilot community. We will close our show with our National Safety Forum—again, a broader safety- focused event on issues that affect everyone.

We will get into some of the pilot mental health topics, SMS, and other issues that have a more general appeal during the week. We will have several safety sessions that will go into more depth on some areas.

So, there’s going to be safety content every day. We’ll be talking about where our industry is doing well, where we have an opportunity to improve, and what can help with that improvement either through industry best practices, NBAA tools, product services, or other resources that may be out there. z

Bizav’s quandary over eco-protests

BY CHARLES ALCOCK AND CATHY BUYCK

Two pictures taken on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza tell you everything you need to know about business aviation’s vulnerability to direct-action protests by environmental groups.

The first, taken on July 14 at Ibiza Airport, shows a pair of activists from the Spain-based Futuro Vegetal (Vegetable Future) group proudly showing off the extensive damage they had just done to a Germany-registered Embraer Phenom 300E jet by covering it in yellow and black paint before gluing themselves to the fuselage (see facing page).

The second, taken at Ibiza’s harbor just two days later, shows at least one member from the same group grinning in front of a super-yacht owned by Walmart heir Nancy Walton Laurie that Futuro Vegetal activists have just given an unwelcome paint job.

If Spanish police did arrest the protesters at the airport, they evidently

determined that the activists should be swiftly released. This apparently ineffectual response to criminal activity helps explain the increasing sense in the business aviation industry that no one is looking to provide meaningful protection for it.

The Ibiza attack repeated an all-too-familiar story about protest groups running rings around airport security. In June, the German group Letze Generation (Last Generation) broke into the ramp of Sylt Airport and covered an Austria-registered Cessna Citation Mustang in orange paint (see page 40). According to a security source close to the incident, speaking to AIN on condition of anonymity, the aircraft was deemed to be a complete write-off by insurers facing an untenable repair bill reported to be well in excess of $1 million.

In May, during the Cannes Film Festival, the French chapter of Extinction Rebellion used a remote-controlled car (electric,

naturally) to block a private jet from taking off at Cannes-Mandelieu Airport, releasing green smoke as a decoy. “Thank goodness it was just a smoke bomb,” said Alexandra James, an analysis output manager at security specialist Osprey Flight Solutions. “This was a major failure in airport perimeter security, and we’re just not learning from incidents like this. These groups can cause a high level of disruption, and it also damages the reputation of the industry for aircraft operators and the facilities they use.”

During the same week in May, more trouble flared up at Geneva Airport on the static display for the annual European Business Aviation Exhibition and Convention (EBACE). Around 100 protesters from multiple groups easily broke through security controls and chained or glued themselves in place, causing significant damage to at least one aircraft on display (see page 42). The airport was closed for an hour or more, with

Relatively calm protesters outside Geneva Airport during EBACE contrasted with about 100 protesters who broke through security on the ramp.

DAVID MCINTOSH

multiple flights diverted, needlessly burning more fossil fuels in the process.

This spate of protests targeting private aviation kicked off in September 2022 when the Signature Flight Support FBO at Paris Le Bourget Airport was spray-painted with graffiti. Then, in November, multiple groups targeted London-area airports Farnborough and Luton during the COP27 climate-change conference, as well as at business aviation facilities across Europe. More protests followed in February 2023.

DAMAGING ATTACKS WITH FEW CONSEQUENCES

What do most of these attacks have in common? Well, based on research by AIN, it appears the protesters faced few or no consequences, either in terms of criminal prosecution or civil lawsuits in pursuit of compensation for the damage done.

GlobeAir’s insurance company has initiated legal action for damage to one of the Austrian charter company’s Cessna Citation Mustang 510 jets during a protest at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport last November. “We can claim compensation through our aircraft hull liability insurance policy, and the insurance company would claim the amount back from the one that caused the damage,” GlobeAir founder and CEO Bernhard Fragner told AIN. “The legal process is ongoing.

“It is a painful process,” he added. “It was a Greenpeace protester who intentionally or unintentionally caused the damage, but what is the responsibility of the airport operator, the FBO, and the authorities?”

The Dutch police arrested some 400 members of Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion who took part in that climate protest at Schiphol on November 5. They cut through the airport’s fence and blocked 11 private jets. Another five jets en route to the airport were diverted, including a medical flight, and an aviation police helicopter could no longer be called upon.

Yet, the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service decided to prosecute just five people for unlawfully entering the airport’s secure area, which is a crime under Section 62a of the Aviation Act. The five had chained themselves to the landing gear of aircraft, including GlobeAir’s 510 and a Canadian C-130 Hercules, causing “considerable damage,” the Public Prosecution Service said. “That’s where the Public Prosecution Service weighs in,” it explained.

The Public Prosecution Service decided to conditionally dismiss the cases of two suspects who had helped fellow protesters climb over the fence, reasoning that “it has not become clear that they [also] deliberately gave help to the persons who have chained themselves to aircraft.” Some 210 protesters could not be identified and walked away unpunished. The other 176 people who had been identified received a warning letter from the Public Prosecution Service, stating that they would not be criminally prosecuted even though their behavior is punishable because they walked and cycled on the site. “The Public Prosecution Service can imagine that these people may not have fully realized the risks,” it concluded.

Security experts agree that the apparently feeble response of authorities across Europe is a big part of the reason why private aviation continues to be a soft target for eco protesters. While laws make it illegal to invade secure areas at airports, there appears to be a blasé response to enforcing them. To many, the situation represents a stark contrast to the security for airline passengers in the main airport terminals, an experience that can seem like checking in for a trip to Guantanamo Bay.

“The punishment is just not happening, and there are no consequences in the courts,” Eric Schouten, CEO and founder of Dyami Security Services, told AIN. “Judges need to see that this [breaching airport security] is different from a sit-down protest on a highway in terms of the right to protest.”

IS EUROPEAN AIRPORT SECURITY A LEGAL LABYRINTH?

Perimeter protection is regulated at European Union airports through EU aviation security regulations, which impose the presence of physical obstacles, patrol, and surveillance capacity that are defined based on local aviation security-oriented risk assessment approved by the authorities of the member states. “So, we do have a common EU baseline,” Olivier Jankovec, director general of the airports trade association ACI Europe, told AIN. “In this regard, it is important to note that green activism is not considered as an aviation security threat and does not as such fall within the scope of EU aviation security regulation.”

Consequences

for damage caused by protesters seem to be fairly mild, even though physically harming an aircraft is a serious safety issue.

EASA noted it is “of course” aware of the airport perimeter breaches but “the core of this is security (rather than safety) and so is not within EASA’s remit [even though] there could potentially be a safety impact.”

EU rules and requirements for airport security (EUR-Lex - tr0028) —which also apply to Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland—are overseen by the EU Commission (EC).

The EU’s airport security rules, specifically ADR Safety Regulation 139/2014— which is commonly known as the EASA ADR on the management, certification, and operations of aerodromes—clearly state that a person must be trained and qualified to have unescorted access to the ADR. “Obviously, the protesters are neither authorized to be at the ADR nor are they adequately trained and qualified,” an EASA spokesperson observed.

However, criminal or civil offenses committed when protesters enter an airport’s secure area and when an aircraft is damaged are penalized by national authorities, and these rules “vary from one country to another,” said Jankovec.

In a statement to AIN , the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) pointed out that the EU, consisting of 27

member states, has a “complicated” legal and regulatory landscape. “The existence of different legal frameworks and their diverse interpretations within these countries adds further complexity to this scenario as each member state holds national competence over these matters,” it said.

Because green activists entering the airport perimeter are not deemed an aviation security threat and the risks involved with it are thus not supposed to be mitigated by EU aviation security regulations, ACI Europe decided in 2021 to develop specific guidance on perimeter protection as regards green activism. That guidance has been shared with its membership and also with the EC, ECAC, and national aviation authorities.

EBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) are working on their own guidelines.

Schouten, a former Dutch intelligence services officer, provided advice to EBAA about security for EBACE and offered support to the industry. In his view, some European politicians are fanning the flames by cartoonishly characterizing the air transport industry as a scapegoat for climate change, as witnessed by recent measures in the Netherlands to drastically reduce traffic at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Jason Hayward, general manager of Universal Aviation’s FBO at London Stansted Airport, similarly bemoans the legal and political odds stacked against the industry. “Look at how groups like Extinction Rebellion are lawyered up and able to conduct workshops [in how to circumvent legal consequences],” he commented. “Many of these protesters don’t have regular jobs, and there appear to be few consequences for their lives. Airside passes are really hard to get, so why are the laws [meant to protect airports] not being applied? I hope someone is pursuing civil cases.”

GlobeAir’s Fragner, however, calls for caution. “Rigorous legal measures should be in place to deter these unlawful actions,” he said. “Damaging someone’s property is crossing the legal lines but we have to try to calm down the situation and prevent it from escalating. The response should not be merely reactive, but proactive. We, as an industry, need to engage in a dialogue with climate activists. Threatening each other and filing legal claims might not be supportive to create such an environment.”

Fragner asserted that the industry should fight the root cause of these often violent protests rather than fighting the symptoms. “We have to educate these

Damaging a business jet may get attention, but experts recommend that industry engage with protesters rather than taking legal action.

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young people about the strides being taken towards sustainable aviation, about the consequences of having a criminal record, and teach them that there are other ways to raise awareness,” he said.

The pattern of protests has made it increasingly clear that climate change concerns are not the sole issue on the agenda for protesters. “It’s not just jet owners who are the target,” Schouten emphasized. “Anyone who appears to be spending a lot of money is a target, and that’s why protests have been staged at expensive nightclubs, super-yachts, museums, Formula 1 [car racing], and golf courses. The environmental protests draw in more people to the anti-rich movement and the pictures all over Instagram [of allegedly excessive consumption] don’t help the narrative [for private aviation].”

Fagner also believes that the protests against business aviation are not just about climate change. “It’s a complex issue, the wealth is shifting, and the younger generations are experiencing that the wealth of the middle and lower class is going down, particularly in Europe.”

Hayward, who chairs the FBO committee of the British Business and General Aviation Association, sees it the same way. “There is definitely a class-war element to what has happened. They refuse to see the value of business people investing [in the places they fly to] or the use of aircraft for medical emergencies,” he commented. “The BBGA is addressing this because it’s high on our list of concerns, and we need help from the government in getting correct messaging [to counter the misconceptions about private aviation].”

IS THE INDUSTRY’S RESPONSE TO THE THREAT ADEQUATE?

Some might say that the business aviation industry has been strangely restrained in addressing the attacks it has endured.

AIN spent weeks unsuccessfully trying to persuade aircraft operators and service providers to speak about the challenges they face.

That doesn’t surprise Dyami’s Schouten, who has observed a tendency for companies and individuals to keep their heads down and hope the problem goes away. “Many have chosen to keep their mouths shut, but we’ve also seen some internal pressure such as when the children of wealthy aircraft owners tell them they should not fly, and that could result in less private jet use for some,” he commented.

At the same time, he has observed a reluctance to take firm action to improve security. “Some say they don’t have the money, and security has always been at the low end of investment priorities,” said Schouten. “The industry is looking at the authorities and airports and expecting them to do something, but they [aircraft operators and owners] are reluctant to invest in their own security by getting intelligence briefs and training; they are all looking to the government, and not much is happening.”

His team provides risk assessments for operators but since the protests have spread all over Europe, just about every airport poses a potential risk. Dyami is now offering more training to help business aircraft crews deal with incidents. The abiding advice is not to get involved in confronting protesters, since confrontation is exactly what they want to happen.

At Osprey Flight Solutions, Alexandra James and her colleagues are scouring intelligence sources to alert clients of potential trouble spots. “These spates in attacks have tended to happen in peak times [like summer vacation season],” she said. “I could see it going quiet for a while and then flaring up again around the Christmas and New Year period. We’ve been tracking a prominent German activist who has been expelled from the country and is now in Austria and very likely to keep targeting aviation.”

James acknowledged that aircraft owners and operators taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint won’t necessarily be immune from protests and that this in part explains why few want much public visibility on the environmental issue. “Are they going to target companies that are trying to change things? Probably,” she said. “So [the dilemma] is if you are doing things like carbon offsetting, do you keep trying to play the game the right way and at the same time avoid any visibility for trying to do the right thing?”

In some instances, posting more visible security around aircraft can help, but it seems that in most cases protesters have targeted aircraft in a random way, looking to damage whichever jet they can most readily

Security forces were overwhelmed during EBACE protests but eventually regained control.

DAVID MCINTOSH

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access after cutting through airport perimeter fences or walking through entrance gates.

At MedAire, another group providing support to the business aviation industry, global security manager Jeremy Knochel also views recent events as a major wake-up call for his clients. “It’s relatively easy to identify known security threats, but these protests have been very aggressive and disruptive and happening in places where we thought we were more secure, the free nations of the world where it appears protesters don’t suffer from legal ramifications,” he reflected.

Knochel raised concerns that terrorist groups could be paying attention to how easily airport perimeters are breached in private aviation enclaves and warned that the wider aviation industry should not be naïve about where this could lead.

MedAire’s security team tailors support to operators’ travel profiles. Knochel said the general approach is, “Don’t wait until you get on the tarmac before taking action because that can create a lot of problems.”

In view of the recent attacks, MedAire advises clients to park aircraft as far from perimeter fences as possible and as close as possible to a building with ground support or security staff on hand. The company emphasizes the need to make the safety of passengers and crew paramount and that no attempts should be made to confront protesters. “Generally speaking, we recommend a two-tier approach to security, which includes both doing things that are very visual [such as positioning security guards close to assets] and things that are more covert,” Knochel explained.

According to Fagner, the industry was caught by surprise by the intensity of the climate activism against private aviation. “The industry was not prepared,” he said. “Maybe there were signals, maybe we ignored those

signals. We are now in a reactive phase, we are learning how to deal with it.”

PROTEST WAVE GOES BEYOND EUROPE

While much of the recent, unwelcome action has been in Europe, where climate change is probably one of the top two political issues, the business aviation industry seems to be under no illusions that the risks are confined to that continent. There have been protests in the U.S., for instance at East Hampton on New York’s Long Island, at the Atlantic Aviation FBO in Concord, Massachusetts, and most recently in September at the Burning Man event. Generally, these were not as disruptive as some of the direct actions seen in Europe.

little interest in a balanced conversation.

“We are advocates on the goal of decreasing the carbon footprint and support thoughtful and peaceful protest activity, but there is a way to do that legally and appropriately,” he told AIN. “Unfortunately, extremism has started to infect well-intentioned efforts to raise these issues. There is a place for thoughtful debate, and even peaceful, lawful demonstrations. That should not be confused for, or conflated with, actions that amount to eco-terrorism, which threaten the safety and security of aircraft, people, and infrastructure at airports.”

Regardless, even if business aviation doesn’t feel it is getting a fair hearing for its visible efforts to reduce carbon, NBAA feels compelled to make its case in part because policymakers will very likely get an audience with the other side of the argument. Over and above its efforts to push for increased availability and use of sustainable aviation fuel, the association maintains the industry is taking a lead in the greening of air transportation as a strong proponent of new propulsion systems and operating procedures.

Some airports in Australia and New Zealand have also had visits from environmental groups. But in other parts of the Asia-Pacific rim, public protests are barely tolerated, which likely explains why business aviation has been undisturbed there.

At NBAA in Washington, D.C., COO Chris Rocheleau, who previously held leadership roles at the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration, said the association wants to have an open dialogue with those who share an interest in reducing carbon emissions. However, he expressed concern that some parties now misunderstand or even misrepresent the industry’s position and appear to have

“Our industry was the birthplace of lightweight composites, winglets, satellite-based avionics, and other carbon- cutting technologies,” Rocheleau said. “To reduce ground emissions, we routinely use single-engine taxi procedures and electrically powered tugs. While in flight, we’re using ever-more-fuel-efficient engines, as well as low-emission altitudes, power settings, and approaches.”

Beyond the rancor and fear raised by the protests targeting the industry is the very real prospect that they will further add to the cost pressure it faces. All the security experts interviewed by AIN said they expect insurance premiums on aircraft and other facilities to be inflated as insurers grapple with the implications of what has to be viewed as new and hard-to-mitigate risks. z

 It’s relatively easy to identify known security threats, but these protests have been very aggressive and disruptive and happening in places where we thought we were more secure... 

— Jeremy Knochel, MedAire global security manager.

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Preowned inventories swell, but don’t panic

BY KEVIN O’LEARY

Inventories of used jets and turboprops have risen dramatically. As depicted in the graph Jets/Turboprops for Sale 2019 v. 2023, the number of these aircraft for sale has increased by 25 percent since the beginning of 2023. The subsequent graph ( Percentage of Jets/Turboprops for Sale) shows an increase from 4.2 percent of the in-service fleet to more than 5.1 percent now for sale.

Significant increases in inventories in such a short period could potentially be cause for alarm and signify a downturn or a buyer’s market. But before we conclude that the market has collapsed, let’s check back to pre-Covid 2019 as a point of comparison. The graphs also show that in 2019, the market had more than 3,000 jets and turboprops for sale, representing over 8 percent of the in-service fleet. Today, we have only a little more than 2,000 jets and turboprops for sale.

The 2019 inventory was on average 78 percent higher than the inventory in 2023.

And despite having so much more inventory, 2019 managed only 14 percent more transactions than the aircraft market has completed in 2023. (See Retail Transactions of Jets/Turboprops graph )

Another important factor is aircraft values. Research conducted on one select aircraft type in each category showed that pricing has increased and remained high in each category. ( See Select Jet/Turboprop Values by Category graph.) Aircraft are typically depreciating assets, but this research found that on average, the value of these select aircraft types in each category increased 22 percent over four years. The graph, however, also shows that pricing has leveled off and started to decline again.

MIXED MESSAGES

Is it a buyer’s or a seller’s market? The answer is somewhere in between. Inventory has been increasing significantly.

Some aircraft types have seen an increase of more than 50 percent in the number of aircraft for sale since January. The time required to sell has also increased significantly. However, the number of transactions in 2023 is down by only 14 percent when compared with 2019. Additionally, the transactions in 2023 were completed with significantly less inventory to choose from.

The aircraft market is sending mixed messages, with inventories rising but remaining well below the average levels of years past. Prices remain higher than in 2019 but that situation is being challenged with every new deal. The time on the market for aircraft is increasing, and sellers are becoming concerned that the global economy will go into recession.

DOMESTIC AND GLOBAL ECONOMY

The global economy is indeed showing signs of a potential pullback or even a

recession. The slowdown in the Chinese economy, the war in Ukraine, skyrocketing inflation, and rising interest rates are all causes for concern. Bank failures in the U.S. and the downgrading of the ratings on many companies and banks have made investors uneasy about what may lurk around the next corner.

Despite the low overall inventory and higher prices than in the past, many more economic indicators point to this quickly becoming or already having become a buyer’s market. If an aircraft owner is considering selling, now may be the right time. Buyers may find some bargains in the marketplace as prices soften.

Kevin O’Leary, Ph.D., is the CEO and founder of Jet Advisors, an aircraft acquisition, brokerage, consulting, fleet planning, and insurance firm.. z

The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by AIN Media Group.

Hawaii Helitour operators fly in fire relief

BY MARK HUBER

In the days immediately after wildfires ravaged portions of the Hawaiian island of Maui on August 8 and 9, in-state helitour operators swung into action, flying in tons of much-needed water, baby formula and diapers, feminine hygiene products, and pet food donated by volunteers and delivered via the island’s airports in Kahului (POGG) and Kapalua (PHJH), which remained open.

Rainbow Helicopters president Nicole Battjes, who has been working on the islands for 12 years, said the 70-mph sustained winds that fueled the Maui conflagration were the highest she had seen during her time in Hawaii and that they had shut down her operations on Oahu for two days. “That’s a pretty big deal for us,” she said. “It was just insane.”

Rainbow’s involvement with the relief process started with a phone call for help from her Maui director of operations, Matthew Frisbie. It quickly became clear that thousands on Maui “had lost everything,” Battjes said. “We haven’t even really scratched the surface. It’s tragic.”

Battjes, who also serves as the current chair of Helicopter Association International and is the mother of two small children, including an eight-week-old, dispatched her father-in-law and an employee to the Honolulu Costco with a shopping list and her credit card. They returned $4,000 later.

“I was planning on sort of paying for this stuff myself and just running it over there [to Maui]. But baby formula is $50 to $60 bucks a container and a box of diapers is like $45. I

thought maybe we should start raising some funds.” Days later, the company’s GoFundMe page had raised more than $51,000 and Rainbow had delivered more than 3,000 pounds of supplies to Maui from its base at Honolulu International Airport (KHNL), flying its Robinson R44s and Airbus AStars.

Battjes credits all 50 of her employees for getting the job done. “Everyone has had their hands in this,” she said. “People came in on their days off to launch helicopters. It’s just inspiring, really amazing.”

Rainbow is working with local assistance groups including Keiki O Ka Āina, Na Aikane O Maui, and the Maui Aloha Diaper Bank. After a few intense days of supply runs, she dispatched employees to shelters on Maui to more precisely survey their

Rainbow Helicopters was among the operators that jumped into action to provide relief while fires ravaged Maui.

needs and gear up for fresh sorties from Honolulu. All the supplies Rainbow flew in were taken to a makeshift distribution center in the Walgreens parking lot at the Lahaina Gateway.

Battjes said other tour operators flew into action to help as well. But there was nothing organized about it. It was “individual operators sort of taking their own initiative.”

One of those operators was Maverick Helicopters. Maverick’s chief pilot on Maui, Jake Harmon, knew the relief mission was on in earnest when supply-laden members of the public began showing up at the company’s hangar in Kahului after Maverick posted on its Instagram account that it would probably be flying some supply drops to the west side of the island.

Using four of its Airbus EC130s, Maverick delivered 18,000 pounds of supplies to the airport closest to fire-ravaged Lahaina,

Kapalua. Harmon said the initial loads were around 1,000 pounds each and were a mix of bottled water and hygiene products as well as baby supplies. “All the stores burned down on that side of the island,” Harmon said.

But the airlift was short-lived. After a few days, Hawaii’s Department of Transportation shut down the airport there to civilian helicopter traffic. “They made an exception those first couple of days [after the main fires] but then they shut it down,” Harmon said. “We kind of thought it was a bummer that they did that, but now the roads are open and you can move a lot more supplies on the ground. But in the first few days, it was very helpful.”

Harmon said the ban was not a blanket one and that flights were still approved on a “case-by-case basis,” but that the “giant drops that we were doing the first couple of days [after the fires] were largely over” after

four or five days. On the empty return flights, Maverick transported to Kahului at no charge approximately 30 individuals who needed to be evacuated from the island. “These were people who were either separated from their families or just wanted to get off the island. The roads were still closed.”

Coming on the heels of the recent Covid-induced travel slowdown, the fire could have a long-lasting impact on Maui tourism and, more importantly, the residents who rely on it, Harmon fears. “People aren’t working. It’s a big deal. Some of the hotels already are talking about layoffs.” While the destruction around Lahaina is tragic, Harmon emphasizes that “the rest of the island is the same. Everybody’s still just kind of at a loss for words for what happened, but once the dust settles and people can start to heal, the government needs to encourage people to come back to Maui. It’s still beautiful.” z

AW169 CRASH INVESTIGATION POINTS TO FLAWS IN PART 29 REGS

In early September, the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded that the Oct. 27, 2018 crash of a Leonardo AW169 at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium was likely caused by the failure of the helicopter’s tail rotor duplex bearing, leading to loss of tail rotor control that “was sudden and irrecoverable.” The AAIB found that the bearing seized due to fatigue, cracking, pitting, shearing, friction, grease degradation, and heat generation.

But was the accident avoidable? Stewarts, a UK law firm representing the families of the deceased, is making a case that it was. In a statement, the firm charged that the AAIB report revealed that Leonardo did not share flight test results with the bearing manufacturer to confirm the bearing was suitable for the application. Furthermore, Leonardo did not require routine inspection of critical parts removed from service, including the duplex bearing, to confirm condition and design

assumptions as to suitability, and it did not thoroughly consider risk reduction and mitigation for the duplex bearing while fully understanding the implications of bearing failure.

What the statement does not mention, and as the AAIB points out in its report, Leonardo had fully satisfied existing Part 29 certification requirements for the AW169. In a statement issued after the AAIB published its report, Leonardo noted that, following the accident, it voluntarily implemented “precautionary inspection and part replacement measures” with regard to the bearing and the AW169, and that the fleet of approximately 150 AW169s “has not been subject to any grounding or airworthiness restrictions since the accident.”

The AAIB noted, “During the course of this investigation and as a result of findings made, the helicopter manufacturer has issued 16 Service Bulletins and EASA has published nine Airworthiness Directives for the continued airworthiness of the AW169

and AW189 helicopter types.”

The AAIB report illuminates what could be interpreted as contributory shortcomings in the Part 29 certification process, including: No regulatory requirement for Leonardo to share load survey flight test results with the bearing manufacturer. No design or test requirements that address rolling contact fatigue in bearings identified as critical parts, even though “the certification testing of the duplex bearing met the airworthiness authority’s acceptable means of compliance, it was not su ciently representative of operational demands to identify the failure mode.” No routine inspection requirement for critical part bearings removed from service to review for condition and compare against design and certification assumptions. And, no requirement to fully evaluate various failure sequences and possible risk reduction and mitigation measures within the wider tail rotor control system within the certification process. M.H.

New Mexico FBO Completes New Terminal

Jet Center at Santa Fe, one of two aircraft service providers at New Mexico’s Santa Fe Regional Airport (KSAF), has completed construction of a $2.8 million terminal. The company began operations at KSAF in 2015 from a 1,800sq-ft, city-owned facility, which was retained and gutted and now houses the service provider’s line staff, a catering kitchen, and offices for company administration and tenants.

The new 6,200-sq-ft terminal—which took 10 months to build and is decorated in a modern Southwest theme—features a lobby furnished in wood with exposed beams and a stone fireplace that extends from the floor to the 18-foot-high ceiling. The building’s large windows overlooking the ramp provide ample natural light and offer vistas of the Jemez Mountains.

Amenities include a six-seat conference room, refreshment bar, pilot lounge with snooze room, concierge, and rampside vehicle access.

The Avfuel-branded FBO has more than 50,000 sq ft of heated hangar space capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range business jets and 10 acres of ramp parking. An FAA Part 145 repair station is also on site.

The FBO earned the highest score worldwide in the line-service category of this year’s AIN FBO Survey, tallying a 4.91 rating out of a possible 5.

International Bizav Arrivals Suspended at Shanghai Hongqiao

International business aircraft operators face another four to six months of exclusion from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (ZSSS) while customs, immigration, and quarantine facilities are upgraded. Until the work is complete, flights from outside China will have to use the city’s main gateway, Pudong International Airport (ZSPD).

Under the recently upgraded Hongqiao International “open hub” initiative, authorities are preparing to improve the quality of business aviation services at Hongqiao while also working with authorities at Pudong to cater to the demands related to long-distance international routes in and out of the Yangtze River Delta region.

Since August 1, FBO services for international business traffic at Hongqiao have been suspended temporarily. During the remodeling, all international business and private flights have been rerouted to use the VIP room at ZSPD. Meanwhile, Hongqiao has continued to accept domestic business and private flights, using its Number 17 VIP lounge.

Texas Airport Seeks New FBO

The Port Authority of San Antonio has solicited proposals to establish a second FBO at Kelly Field (KSKF), a joint-use military and industrial airport. Located four miles southwest of San Antonio, KSKF has an 11,500-foot-long runway—the longest in the region.

Port San Antonio’s request for proposal called for an operator to develop a modern facility “co-located with airport operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and facilities to enable advanced air mobility and general aviation aircraft operations.”

The new terminal will occupy up to 10,000 sq ft in the consolidated facility and it is expected to be completed in 2025. Mandatory FBO services will include aircraft fueling and, MRO; passenger, crew, and aircraft ground services and support; and aircraft ramp and hangar parking.

Requirements include the construction of at least 20,000 sq ft of hangar space with a 28-foot-high door to shelter transient aircraft. In addition, the operator will need to build its own fuel farm. The Port proposed an initial lease term of 20 years for a minimum $10 million investment.

Republic Jet Center Looks to the Future at KFRG

Republic Jet Center (RJC), one of three service providers at New York City-area general aviation hub Republic Airport (KFRG), has made quite a name for itself since it opened in 2014. According to company president Garry Madolid, the independent FBO is on track to pump more than three million gallons of fuel this year, more than half of the airport’s total and a 10 percent increase from a year ago, continuing the rising trend in fuel volume since the Covid period.

The company occupies two leaseholds at KFRG consisting of 12 acres (including ramp). RJC West is home to the FBO’s based tenants and is used by major operators such as Jet Edge, XO, and NetJets. It has a 30,000sq-ft heated hangar that can accommodate aircraft up to the size of a Gulfstream G650. That structure is home to seven based jets, while a 33,000-sq-ft hangar is leased to aircraft charter, management, and maintenance provider Talon Air, which operates a floating fleet of 35 aircraft.

The 2,000-sq-ft multilevel terminal includes a passenger lounge with a refreshment bar and flavored-water dispenser, a pilot lounge, a well-furnished catering galley kitchen, a 10-seat A/V-equipped conference room, tenant offices, and a dedicated NetJets lounge adjacent to the hangar, complete with its own conference room and restroom.

RJC North on the other side of the field opened in 2018 and consists of a cozy 1,500-sq-ft terminal. It is constructed from several former shipping containers, although that is virtually impossible to detect unless you know what you are looking for.

It features a passenger lounge/lobby, crew lounge/flight planning area, bathrooms, and several o ces. It handles the bulk of the FBO’s transient business tra c

as well as all of its light GA activity. The company can accommodate anything up to the size of a Boeing 757 on its ramp and has a storage shed with the equipment to do so including airstairs, a belt loader, and even an air start cart, which it occasionally rents to FBOs at other area GA airports. Both locations o er onsite car rentals.

The company’s World Fuel Servicessupplied fuel farm is adjacent to the west facility and o ers 90,000 gallons of jet-A storage in vertical tanks, along with a 10,000-gallon 100LL tank. It is served by four 5,000-gallon jet-A tankers and a pair of 1,500-galloncapacity avgas refuelers. The FBO is open 24/7 year round and provides Type I and Type IV deicing with its own equipment.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection service is provided at the airport’s main terminal/administration building next to RJC’s north ramp, and arriving flights require at least four hours' prior notice. Customs service is available from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Rather unique among service providers at airports in metropolitan areas, RJC still has 60 acres of space to develop, and as a result the company just broke ground

on a $28 million flagship facility, which will replace the current north location. Slated for completion by the end of 2024, it will give the north location its first hangar space, with 55,000 sq ft, a modern terminal with a café, and eight acres of ramp.

Situated between New York City and the upscale enclaves of eastern Long Island, the FBO has partnered with a helicopter operator to provide quick shuttle flights to the two destinations. RJC will also provide ground transport to customers for a nominal charge.

Madolid noted that the FBO’s peak season formerly extended from Thanksgiving through Easter, but it now covers nearly half the calendar, from the beginning of November through Mother’s Day in May.

The company owner’s passion for aviation began with piston-powered aircraft, and that background permeates its customer service philosophy, Madolid said. “Some places kind of dismiss the pistons, saying 'We’re not going to make a lot of money off them,’ but we’ve always told our team, 'A customer is a customer is a customer. It doesn’t matter what type of equipment they are flying in on, you have to treat them all the same.'" C.E.

Republic Jet Center at New York City-area Republic Airport is set to nearly double its hangar space with the construction of a new multi-million dollar FBO on the field.

CURT EPSTEIN

Textron ’ s Wichita Expansion Set for Year-end Completion

Expansion of Textron Aviation’s parts and distribution facility in Wichita continues on schedule following the completion of the roof and all flooring, exterior walls, and windows. The company expects to complete the project by the end of the year; it broke ground in October 2022. The construction team has now turned its attention to interior finishes, including wiring, painting, and preparing the 180,000-sq-ft space for the Cessna, Beechcraft, and Hawker parts the company stocks and ships to support customers worldwide. The footprint includes additional room for parts storage, warehouse space, offices, and dedicated customer support analysts.

StandardAero Preps for Gogo Avance Upgrade Demand Surge

StandardAero is designating maintenance capacity across its MRO facilities as operators with Gogo classic airto-ground (ATG) connectivity systems seek upgrades to Avance systems. This is being spawned by Gogo Business Aviation’s plans to phase out service support in 2026 for the more than 3,000 business aircraft currently flying with these classic ATG systems. Thus, the company has established a slot program in which Gogo classic ATG customers can reserve a scheduled reservation for installation of an Avance system at one of StandardAero’s four U.S. facilities where it performs Gogo work: Augusta, Georgia; Houston; Springfield, Illinois; and Van Nuys, California (the Western Jet facility it acquired in February). StandardAero has installed more than 455 Gogo systems over the 19 years of its partnership with the airborne connectivity provider.

BY AIN STAFF

Wheels Up Picks Bluetail To Centralize Maintenance Records

Air charter operator Wheels Up signed an agreement for Bluetail’s “all-in-one” aircraft records management hub and Mach Conformity workflow module for its owned aircraft fleet. Bluetail’s cloud-based SOC 2- and FAA-compliant software and scanning services will give Wheels Up maintenance teams instant records access, advanced search capabilities, and the ability to securely share records regardless of aircraft location. Its AI search engine, Mach Search, allows for faster and more accurate record searches, saving research time with no need for document tagging. The operator will also use Bluetail’s Part 135 Conformity Module for future aircraft conformity inspections.

Aerocare Boosts Investment in UK MRO Facilities

Aerocare Aviation Services has made a “significant” investment in its Chester, UK-based MRO facilities, expanding its capabilities and workshop space. This will support the company’s continued growth in the business jet market and its planned diversification into commercial aviation. The investment will boost the Part 145 provider’s core MRO and paint shop facilities with new C-rating workshop space and tooling. The added capabilities will allow the business to deliver complete cabin refurbishments, component structural repairs, and manufacturing from its hangars at Chester Hawarden Airport.

According to Aerocare, the investment will allow it to attract and maintain a wider client base, as the new C ratings cover interiors, structures, doors and hatches, flying controls, and Part 21 subpart G approval for the production of components and systems.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD IN AIN’S ANNUAL 2024 FBO SURVEY

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The window for rating FBOs for the 2024 survey will close on Feb. 2, 2024. The results will appear in the April 2024 issue of Aviaton Internatonal News.

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To access the survey and record your votes, visit ainonline.com/fosurvey

Preliminary Reports

Learjet Destroyed in Simulated Engine Failure

Learjet 35A, May 15, 2023, Hohn Military Airport, Germany

The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were killed after losing control during a planned simulated engine failure during initial climb. Within six seconds after reducing thrust from the left engine at an airspeed of about 160 knots, the airplane yawed, rolled right, and crashed 200 meters (650 feet) north of Runway 26, exploding on impact. Witnesses described its trajectory as “a sort of snap roll.”

The Learjet was intended to be the third of six, all flown by the same operator, to take off in quick succession. The purpose was to conduct practice instrument approaches to help train local air traffic controllers. The accident flight was also intended as a combined instrument proficiency and type-rating check for the 62-year-old pilot flying, an 11,955-hour ATP with 8,083 hours of Learjet experience and a Learjet 20/30 instructor rating. The 58-year-old instructor also held an ATP and Learjet type instructor rating; 6,265 of his 10,349 hours of career experience were flown in Learjets.

Review of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) showed that the airplane took off at 12:47:34. Five seconds later the instructor advised that “you will lose the right engine,” which the pilot flying acknowledged with “Copy, gear up.” Thrust was reduced on the right engine while the left maintained takeoff power. At 12:47:44 the pilot flying called for “Damper on.” A string of profanities and one low-altitude warning filled the remaining 11 seconds of the recording.

Accidents

BY DAVID JACK KENNY

The 1993-model jet had been flown earlier that day by a different crew who reported no anomalies except “sluggishness” in the primary yaw damper, leading them to revert to the secondary.

Passenger Makes Successful Emergency Landing

Piper PA-46-500TP, July 15, 2023, Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

The 68-year-old passenger successfully brought the airplane back for a gear-up emergency landing after its 79-year-old pilot became incapacitated and lost consciousness following a go-around from Runway 6 at Martha’s Vineyard Airport. The pilot was airlifted to Boston, where he died on July 20. The passenger, who held no piloting credentials, su ff ered minor injuries, and the airplane’s left wing was fractured during the landing. The NTSB reported that the pilot was operating under authority of “a special issuance medical certificate which required that the pilot supply extensive documentation of his health conditions.”

Maintenance Error Implicated in Helicopter Wreck

Bell 407, Aug. 1, 2023, Charleston, South Carolina

Missing hardware from the tail rotor control lever assemblies is suspected in the loss of yaw control. The Charleston County Sheri ff ’s O ffi ce helicopter struck the ground adjacent to Runway 15 at Charleston International Airport “at a high rate of descent” during an attempted emergency landing, severing the tail boom.

The pilot suffered minor injuries.

Thirty-five minutes into a positioning flight from Sumter, S.C., the helicopter developed a slow right yaw, which the left pedal did not arrest. The pilot recalled that “It felt like the pedals were not connected.” He declared an emergency with the control tower and set up for a straight-in approach to Runway 15, but while crossing the threshold at about 20 feet, the right yaw resumed. The pilot lowered collective, reduced throttle, and tried to maintain a level attitude until touchdown.

FAA inspectors who examined the wreckage found that one of two bolts securing the tail rotor control lever assemblies was gone; the other was loose and missing the cotter pin that should have secured its nut. The bolts were last removed and reinstalled during maintenance work on June 28, five weeks and 15 flight hours before the accident.

Ten Killed in Malayasian Approach Crash

Beechcraft 390, Aug. 1,7 2023, Elmina, Sungai Buloh, Malaysia

An automobile driver, a motorcyclist, and all eight on board died when the chartered jet crashed onto a highway within two minutes of receiving clearance to land at Kuala Lumpur’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport. Two pilots and six passengers, including a Pahang state assemblyman, were on board. Photographic evidence suggests that the jet crashed in a steep nose-low attitude, scattering highly fragmented wreckage across the highway and into adjoining woods.

The accident occurred in mid-afternoon, at about 14:49 local time. Prevalent weather conditions were not immediately reported,

The

material on this page is based on reports by the o cial agencies of the countries having the reponsibility for aircraft accident and incident investigations. It is not intended to judge or evaluate the ability of any person, living or dead, and is presented here for informational purposes.

but photographs from the scene show good visibility under broken ceilings.

Final Reports

Fire Crew Lost to Spar Failure

Beech C90, July 10, 2021, Wikieup, Arizona

A fatigue fracture of the lower spar cap led to separation of the outboard section of the left wing during a firefighting support flight, causing the deaths of the pilot and an air tactical group supervisor. ADS-B data showed that the King Air orbited the fire for about 45 minutes 2,300 feet above ground level before abruptly descending. One witness saw it hit the side of a ridgeline in a steep dive; another saw the outboard left wing fall to the ground. The wing section was found 0.79 miles northeast of the main wreckage.

Several months earlier, an eddy current (EC) inspection conducted during scheduled maintenance identified a crack in a fastener hole in the left wing’s lower forward spar cap. The operator tried to correct this by reaming the hole oversized, but a follow-up EC still indicated a crack. The operator then contacted the manufacturer and was advised that this necessitated replacement of “the center section forward spar cap, center section forward lower fittings and both outboard main spar assemblies.”

Instead they chose to repair the spar under the guidance of an FAA designated engineering representative. The repair involved further oversizing the hole and installing an external doubler. Follow-up testing by a commercial EC inspector suggested that the repair was successful, with no crack indications there or elsewhere.

However, examination of the fracture surface found that it emanated from a nearly 2.5-inch fatigue crack beginning at the lower spar cap’s aft inboard fastener hole. The crack was probably visible at the last inspection, making it likely that EC testing of that hole was not performed. The NTSB

noted that while this was not the same area where the repair was made, the spar would have been replaced had the operator followed the manufacturer’s guidance.

Stall During Circling Approach Killed Six

Bombardier CL-600-2B16, July 26, 2021, Truckee, California

The crew’s decision not to request the straight-in GPS approach to Runway 11 after determining that Runway 20 of the Truckee-Tahoe Airport was too short for their landing weight precipitated the sequence of events that ended with the jet stalling in from 175 feet, killing all six on board. Though under no time or fuel constraints to expedite landing, the pilots instead chose to accept a GPS approach to Runway 20 and circle despite degraded visibility in heavy wildfire smoke. They did not brief the circling approach.

After the first officer located the airport, the jet began a turn to downwind at 162 knots, 44 above their landing reference speed, but rolled out early on a diagonal track toward the extended centerline.

Though the airplane was high, fast, and untenably close to the runway, the pilots attempted to salvage the approach rather than going around, overshooting the extended centerline and turning back toward the runway while simultaneously trying to slow the airplane and increase its descent rate. The stick shaker and stick pusher engaged twice in the last eight seconds of the flight. The jet rolled to a 111-degree left bank as the left wing stalled, then hit the ground north of the runway in a 146-degree right bank.

Though the operator held a Part 135 certificate, the flight was operated under Part 91. The 43-year-old captain, a 5,680-hour ATP with 235 hours in type, had signed an employment contract with the operator but was not yet on their payroll, flying under contract prior to onboarding. The

56-year-old first officer, a 14,308-hour ATP with 4,410 in make and model, had been hired as a contract pilot for the accident flight. The NTSB report did not specify whether they had previously flown together.

Maintenance Error Confirmed in Fatal Sikorsky Crash

Sikorsky S-61N, Feb. 22, 2022, Kekaha, Hawaii

The NTSB attributed a catastrophic loss of pitch control to the failure of maintenance personnel to install the required nut and cotter pin on the bolt attaching the fore/ aft servo input link to the bellcrank, and of the company quality assurance inspector to notice that discrepancy. All four on board were killed and the helicopter destroyed when it gradually began to pitch nose-down at an altitude of 200 feet, striking the ground nose-first in a near-vertical attitude. A postcrash fire consumed most of the fuselage.

The helicopter was operated under contract to the U.S. Navy to retrieve inert training torpedoes from the Pacific and return them via sling load to the Pacific Missile Range Facility. Archived ADS-B data showed that after collecting the torpedo, the ship flew back towards the designated drop-off point, then began a gradual turn toward the northeast. Multiple witnesses reported that its turn toward the drop-off point ended unexpectedly just before it pitched down into the ground.

Examination of the wreckage found that the bolt securing the fore/aft servo’s clevis to the bellcrank rod end bearing was partially backed out and cocked at an angle that would have caused an uncommanded nosedown input the pilot could not correct.

The nut and associated bushing, washers, and cotter pin were not present, and the bolt showed no evidence of fractures or deformation. The servo had been installed on Dec. 28, 2021 and the installation signed off by the operator’s quality assurance inspector. The helicopter had flown 7.5 hours since. z

Compliance Countdown

Oct. 13, 2023

U.S.: On-Demand vs. Scheduled Operation

This notice alerts the public and the industry that the FAA intends to initiate rulemaking to address the exception from FAA’s domestic, flag, and supplemental operations regulations for public charter operators. To initiate this e ort, the FAA seeks comments, data, and other information regarding current and planned public charter flights operated under on-demand rules that appear indistinguishable from flights conducted by air carriers as supplemental or domestic operations. Comments are due by Oct. 13, 2023

Nov. 8, 2023

Canada: ADS-B Transition Period

Implementation of the Canadian ADS-B mandate in Class A airspace went into effect August 10, but continued supply chain issues have prompted Nav Canada to provide a 90-day transition period until November 8. Aviation occurrence reports will not be filed during this transition period in the event that an aircraft is not equipped or has not received an accommodation agreement to enter airspace where ADS-B is mandatory. Post November 8, Nav Canada will continue to assess accommodation requests and strive to clear aircraft unable to transmit ADS-B similar to circumstances where aircraft without functioning transponders request entry into transponder-mandatory airspace.

Dec. 31, 2023

Europe: Emissions Trading System

Some two years after the European Commission’s proposal to revise aviation’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) directives, revisions have been adopted and must be incorporated into the legislation of EU members states by Dec. 31, 2023. Key changes noted by the European Business Aviation Association include the gradual phasing out of free ETS allowances starting in September 2024 to reach a full auctioning regime beginning in 2026. Beginning in 2025, covered operators will be required to report non-CO2 emissions, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx), soot particles, oxidized sulfur species, and effects from water vapor (contrails).

BY GORDON GILBERT NEW

March 1, 2024

ICAO: North Atlantic Operations

A draft of the revised North Atlantic Operations and Airspace Manual has been published resulting from the meeting in June 2023 of the North Atlantic Systems Planning Group. The new manual is scheduled to be effective starting March 1, 2024. According to international business aviation trip support organization Ops Group, key changes include deleting the oceanic clearances requirement, and a “completely re-written” comms failure procedure.

April 24, 2024; Oct. 24, 2024; April 25, 2025

U.S.: Airport SMS

Certain air carrier airports certified under FAR Part 139 will be 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. In each case, the SMS must be implemented no later than 12 months after receiving FAA approval of the certificate holder’s implementation plan.

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 actions records that date before Jan. 1, 2015, to the 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 Parts 121, 125, or 135 or that holds 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 operators under Parts 91, 91K, and 135 were required to complete submissions to the PRD of all historical records dating on or after Jan. 1, 2015.

Dec. 2, 2024

Europe: Part 145 SMS

Starting on Dec. 2, 2022, EASA Part 145 maintenance organizations were required to meet revised regulations. However, there is a two-year transition period, to Dec. 2, 2024, to allow them to correct any findings of noncompliance with the new Part 145 requirements. The main change is the required implementation of a SMS.

Dec. 31, 2025

Europe/UK: Portable Halon Fire Extinguishers

In 2010, both EASA and the UK Environmental Agency set Dec. 31, 2025 as the replacement deadline for the use of halon

handheld portable fire extinguishers in aircraft cockpits and cabins, as well as in certain aircraft fire-protection systems. The deadline, applicable to the current fleet as well as newly manufactured aircraft, was set years ago as part of a long-time effort to reduce ozone levels. EASA’s deadline document describes standards for the use of other agents to replace halons. Although there is no FAA-required deadline, the agency since 2011 (AC 20-42D) explains how to gain certification for clean halocarbon agent portable extinguishers intended to replace halon 1211 units.

March 31, 2026

Australia: Radio Altimeters and 5G

Starting March 31, 2026, Australianregistered aircraft operators will need to be equipped with radar altimeters that meet minimum performance levels to deter interference by mobile phone 5G service. Before this date, the country’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is working with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to ensure that efforts run smoothly to prevent interference with radio altimeters. CASA is coordinating with ACMA so that the rollout of wireless broadband services, including 5G in the 3.7- 4.0 GHz band, can be done in a way that ensures the safety of aircraft in Australia.

May 29, 2026

Canada: CVR and Data Link

Multi-engine turbine-powered aircraft configured for six or more passenger seats and employing two pilots have been granted a temporary exemption from new cockpit voice and data link recorder requirements that are effective on May 29, 2023. The exemption is due to Covid-related delays. This exemption is in effect until the earliest of May 29, 2026, or a date when the exemption is canceled by Canada’s DOT. z

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

SATELLITES FILL INDUSTRY NEED

Whether you have a large avionics job or a more routine check or repair, don’t overlook Duncan Aviation’s network of Satellites and workaways that are literally located coast-to-coast.

People in Aviation

BY AIN STAFF

Textron named company executive Kriya Shortt to head its eAviation division as president and CEO, effective August 31. Shortt is succeeding company veteran Rob Scholl, who is moving over to lead Textron Specialized Vehicles—which includes brands such as E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, Jacobsen, and Cushman—as president and CEO. Currently senior v-p of global parts and distribution at Textron Aviation, Shortt has spent 27 years with the Wichita airframer, also holding the roles of president at Able Aerospace and McCauley Propeller and as senior v-p of customer service, as well as international sales. Scholl has led Textron’s eAviation group since it was established as an individual business segment in 2022 and has held several senior leadership positions at Textron Aviation, including as senior v-p of global sales and flight operations and v-p of parts and programs, as well as marketing.

Bart Reijnen was appointed president of Airbus Helicopters's U.S. subsidiary, Airbus Helicopters Inc., and head of its North American region. He succeeds Romain Trapp, who has held the position since 2019 and will now be Airbus Helicopters’s executive v-p for customer support and services and a member of the company’s executive committee. Reijnen previously has served as CEO of Satair, an Airbus Services company, and head of material services in Airbus Customer Services.

Jon Clarke is Precision Aviation Group (PAG)’s new president of MRO services. Before joining PAG, Clarke was v-p and general manager of Professional Aircraft Accessories in Titusville, Florida.

Megha Bhatia is now chief marketing officer and chief strategy officer at Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), where she is leading JSSI's customer support and marketing organizations. Bhatia previously served as v-p of sales and marketing at Rolls-Royce's business aviation organization and oversaw its CorporateCare Enhanced aftermarket program. JSSI also appointed Ben Hockenberg as COO, to lead its technical services team,

maintenance software operations, and JSSI Parts & Leasing. Hockenberg joined JSSI in 2020 as president of JSSI Parts & Leasing.

Boom Supersonic named Scott Powell senior v-p of Symphony, the propulsion system for Boom’s Overture supersonic passenger aircraft. Before joining Boom, Powell spent 38 years at Boeing, including four years as the engineering propulsion leader for the 787 Dreamliner.

Embraer has appointed Carlos Naufel as the company’s v-p of services and support, effective Sept. 1. Naufel, formerly technical director of Azul Linhas Aéreas, succeeds Johann Bordais, who was appointed Eve Air Mobility CEO.

Robbie Bourke has joined the Clermont Group in Singapore as head of aerospace. Prior to joining the Clermont Group, Bourke spent more than six years as v-p and partner at Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.

Jackson Jet Center in Phoenix has promoted Carrie Campbell to v-p of FBO operations, David Smith to v-p of charter and aircraft management, and Erica Shull to v-p of aircraft maintenance and parts. Campbell moved from her position as general manager of the company’s Phoenix facility. Smith was the company’s charter director before his promotion. Shull had served as v-p of operations.

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) has hired Di Reimold as v-p of civil aviation. Reimold comes to AIA from her previous position as deputy v-p of the FAA’s flight program operations where she was a senior leader in the Air Traffic Organization, responsible for all aspects of the agency’s flight inspection program.

Jet Linx appointed Mark Fischer and Chris Curtin as v-ps of regional aircraft management sales. Fischer has more than 25 years of experience in aviation and previously served in various avionics sales management positions with Collins Aerospace, Gulfstream, and Greenwich AeroGroup. Curtin’s prior experience includes

SCOTT POWELL

DI REIMOLD

KRIYA SHORTT

BART REIJNEN

executive v-p roles at Talon Air and ExcelAire/ Hawthorne Global Aviation Services.

Karina Tarnowska has been named airport manager for North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT) by the Clark County Department of Aviation. She will be responsible for the safe and efficient operations of KVGT and Perkins Field in Overton. Previously, Tarnowska had been program manager for Air Elite, where she managed a global network of 84 FBO locations.

JetAviva, an aircraft sales and acquisition firm, hired two new sales directors. Mark Saxton, who has over 30 years of aviation expertise, will focus on super-midsize aircraft.

Mark Stear , who was previously executive director of the Embraer Jet Operators Association, will handle Citation CJ1/+ and CJ2/+ jets.

Steven Trowell was appointed v-p of technical for asset management and trading firm EirTrade Aviation. He previously held the roles of hangar manager and accountable manager with EirTrade Aviation Maintenance.

Leah Alexander, who handles aircraft sales and acquisitions for Duncan Aviation, has relocated from Chicago to England’s south coast to expand the company’s client base in Europe and the Middle East. She joined Tim Barber as part of Duncan Aviation’s aircraft sales and acquisitions team in the UK.

ACASS, a Montreal-based business aviation support services firm, has promoted Abdel Sukkar to charter sales executive. His previous position at ACASS was aircraft management coordinator.

Mayman Aerospace has appointed Manu Sharma as chief engineer, to lead development of its range of VTOL aircraft. Sharma comes to Mayman from Virgin Orbit, where he served as chief engineer of flight sciences.

Colin Smith has joined Heli-One as its new head of growth and strategy, with responsibility for developing and executing the company’s business strategy in helicopter maintenance and support services. Prior to this, Smith was a strategy and business consultant with Combine Strategy Group Services.

Janette Licastrino has accepted the position of director of sales, for Embassair in Opa-Locka, Florida. She was previously client relations sales manager at Million Air.

AOne Parts & Logistics hired Marcus Cortez to serve in the newly created position of continuous improvement commander and Zackery Heslep as a buyer/trader. Cortez has more than 27 years of experience in the industry having held various roles with airlines, MROs, and parts distribution organizations including in inventory control, logistics, operations, purchasing, and quality. Heslep has a prior background in customer service and sales across several industries.

Skyllence promoted Kestutis Abarius to head of sports charter sales. Abarius joined Skyllence in 2021 as an aircraft charter broker and has prior experience as a sales development manager with KlasJet. z

John Balsiger, who was NBAA’s first regional representative in the U.S. Midwest, passed away on August 11 in Oklahoma City. He was 85 years old. Balsiger joined the association in 1999 as part of the original lineup of regional representatives, serving the industry in a ninestate territory that spanned from Oklahoma to Ohio. He held that role for a decade, retiring in 2009. But his aviation career had spanned more than five decades, beginning in 1964 at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Missouri. There, he served as v-p of customer service. Balsiger later joined Mark Aero but ultimately moved to Midcoast Aviation, where he held multiple roles and spent the bulk of his career before he came on board with NBAA, the association noted.

“John took the meaning of the word ‘representative’ to heart, as both an e ective listener and a tireless industry champion,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “He will be greatly missed by all those who were fortunate enough to work with him, and at this sad moment, our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Nola Beth, his family, and many friends.”

Upon retirement, Balsiger, who was a certified cowboy and Western memorabilia collector and trader, focused on his art gallery, Old West Collectables.

MARK SAXTON

MANU SHARMA

JANETTE LICASTRINO

2023 Statement of Ownership, Management & Circulation as required by the U.S. Postal Service

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Cancer Patients Fly Free

Can You Spare a Seat?

Corporate Angel Network (CAN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide cancer patients with free transportation to treatment centers throughout the United States.

CAN works with corporate flight departments to match scheduled business trips with patient requests. Thanks to the generous support of over 500 partners, CAN has coordinated more than 67,000 flights.

Contact CAN to learn more about becoming a partner or to make a personal or corporate donation to support the mission.

corpangelnetwork.org

PRAISED BY PILOTS. APPROVED BY AUTHORITIES.

After a smooth 28-month, 1,500-hour test campaign and a 50-stop world proving tour, the Falcon 6X has received EASA & FAA approval, clearing the way for entry into service this year. Get ready to fly the new leader in the 5,500 nm / 10,200 km business jet category and expand your world.