Aviation International News November 2023

NOVEMBER 2023 | Vol. 52 No. 11 | AINonline.com

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AIRCRAFT: EAGLE PROGRAM KEEPS EXCELS FLYING PEOPLE: ARE DIVERSITY EFFORTS WORKING FOR AVIATION? SAFETY: CARGO SAFETY DOESN'T GET MUCH ATTENTION

AV I AT I O N I N T E R N AT I O N A L N E W S

Special Report: Skyrocketing Insurance

PC-24 Renewed With more range and payload, a refreshed Pilatus PC-24 adds to the light-jet buzz at NBAA-BACE

E n h an c i n g C o mfo r t .

E m p owe r i n g P i l ots .

E n r i c h i n g J o u r n e ys .

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Fly away with the confidence that only a Phenom can offer you. +1 321 751 5050 | embraer.com/phenom100ex

In this issue

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NBAA-BACE 2023 marks a resurgence in the light-jet market

Checkered final flag at Reno races

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Special Report: Surging inflation latest issue in difficult insurance market

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Textron Aviation inks 1,500jet fleet order with NetJets

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Dassault Aviation readies first Falcon 6X deliveries

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Flyvbird outlines plan for ondemand air taxi network

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Eagle program extends life of Citation Excel family

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Building a diverse workforce— the seeds of change

Fatal U.S. bizjet accidents climb in first nine months

A deeper look at Part 135 cargo accidents Interest rates, Ukraine contribute to lull in M&A activity

DEPARTMENTS 46 Rotorcraft | 50 On the Ground 52 MRO 54 Accidents | 56 Compliance | 58 People in Aviation

On the cover: Pilatus upgrades the PC-24 2

Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

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Textron Aviation inks 1,500-jet fleet order with NetJets B Y C H A D T R AU T V E T T E R

Textron Aviation and NetJets announced a “record-breaking,” all-options fleet order for up to 1,500 Cessna Citation Ascend, Latitude, and Longitude twinjets over the next 15 years. This agreement—estimated by industry analyst Brian Foley to be worth approximately $32 billion—builds on an existing NetJets fleet agreement for Citation Longitudes. It also makes the Columbus, Ohio-based fractional aircraft provider the launch customer for the midsize Ascend, an upgraded Citation XLS+ variant unveiled in May at EBACE that is set to enter service in 2025.

“NetJets customers around the world continually select Citations as their

aircraft of choice. We’re honored to be the largest provider of industry-leading aircraft to NetJets and look forward to continuing to work together to design and deliver the best aviation experience based on customer feedback,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper.

Over the past 40 years, NetJets has taken delivery of more than 800 Citations, including exercising more than 300 options for Citation Latitudes and Longitudes during the last eight years. Through the years, NetJets has owned and operated the Citation SII, V, Excel/XLS, Sovereign, X, Latitude, and Longitude. z

News Briefs DELTA AIR LINES CONSORTIUM COMPLETES WHEELS UP DEAL Wheels Up in late September closed a half-billion-dollar investment by Delta Air Lines, Certares Management, Knighthead Capital Management, and Cox Enterprises.

In exchange, the lenders own 95 percent of the company’s outstanding equity. “This investment represents both an important source of capital for Wheels Up to support our strategy for financial stability, future profitability, and long-term growth on behalf of our members and customers,” said George Mattson, who was appointed CEO of Wheels Up in mid-September.

OPERATORS FACE SECURITY UNCERTAINTY IN ISRAEL Aviation security experts and regulators have warned aircraft operators to maintain a high degree of vigilance over the intensifying military conflict in Israel, following attacks launched by Hamas on October 7. EASA issued a conflict zone information bulletin for the Tel Aviv flight information region, saying that the risks are currently being managed effectively by Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority through notams covering its airspace and airports. But OpsGroup, citing a high risk of civil aircraft being shot down, issued a “do not fly” advisory for the conflict area.

AMSTAT: USED BIZAV SALES SLOW AS INVENTORY RISES

Textron Aviation and NetJets signed an all-options fleet order for up to 1,500 Cessna Citation Ascend, Latitude, and Longitude twinjets. The 15-year deal is worth an estimated $32 billion, according to a business aviation industry analyst.

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Preowned business aircraft inventory continues to rise but still remains below the 10-year average, according to Amstat.

The percentage of the fleet for sale rose by 45 percent year-over-year (YOY) to equal 5 percent of the business aircraft fleet versus the 8 percent average. Meanwhile, preowned transactions fell by 26 percent YOY and are now trending back to historical levels. Though median aircraft values rose slightly during the first half of the year, they are now unchanged year-to-date.

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News Briefs AIRBUS TESTS SINGLE-STICK EVTOL FLIGHT CONTROLS

Following certification in August, the Falcon 6X will soon enter service, bringing the tallest and widest cabin of a purpose-built business jet to market.

Dassault Aviation readies first Falcon 6X deliveries B Y C AT H Y BU YC K

Dassault Aviation expects to start delivering Falcon 6X large-cabin business jets to customers imminently. The model gained EASA and FAA type certification in mid-August and training of the flight crew of the first Falcon 6X operator began in early September, the company confirmed to AIN. The simultaneous certifications concluded a more than two-year-long test campaign during which three flight-test airplanes logged 1,500 flight hours.

The certification process was very demanding, said Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier, explaining that the Falcon 6X was the first new aircraft to be certified after the two fatal accidents of the Boeing 737 Max. The crashes, in October 2018 and March 2019, triggered a consideration of the integrity of the certification process to assure safety “in the U.S, even in Europe and the rest of the world,” he said.

“Everyone was very vigilant,” Trappier told French news channel BFM Business, revealing that he expects first deliveries

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to take place in early November. “EASA, which was responsible for the Falcon 6X type certification, was very difficult with us, which is normal,” he said. “Even for a large aircraft manufacturer like us, with a lot of experience, it was a lot of work.” He said the fly-by-wire Falcon 6X “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.”

The 5,500-nm twinjet project was launched in February 2018, followed by rollout in December 2020 and first flight in March 2021.

The aircraft’s maximum operating speed is Mach .90. Its engine, the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW812D, received approval last year from the FAA, EASA, and Transport Canada.

The Falcon 6X is being introduced into service in a turbulent context, with growing criticism of aviation’s—in particular business aviation’s—perceived

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continues on page 60 

Airbus Helicopters’ H130-based FlightLab has tested an electric flight control system as part of a new human-machine interface for the CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL. The system uses a single flight control stick to replace three-axis, conventional helicopter controls (cyclic, pedals, collective) to perform all aircraft maneuvers, including takeoff and landing, climb, descent, acceleration, deceleration, turn, and approach.

Following this flight-test campaign, Airbus Helicopters will finalize system details and then conduct new tests to advance autonomy by managing navigation and simplifying mission preparation.

AIRSHARE CLOSES DEAL FOR WHEELS UP’S MANAGED FLEET Airshare acquired the aircraft management arm of Wheels Up on October 1. The buy triples the size of the fleet Airshare manages and makes many of those aircraft available for charter. Under the deal, former Wheels Up senior v-p for aircraft management K.C. Ihlefeld joined the Airshare Aircraft Management division with the same title.

TEXTRON AVIATION DELIVERS 100TH CITATION LONGITUDE Textron Aviation last month delivered the 100th Cessna Citation Longitude, the flagship of its business jet family. The milestone super-midsize jet, which the manufacturer rolled out in May, was delivered to a longtime Citation customer. The Longitude entered service in 2019 and is manufactured at Textron Aviation’s facilities in Wichita. NetJets is a fleet operator of the Longitude, having placed orders and options for up to 175 of the model in 2018. “We are very proud of the entry into service of this aircraft. It hit the field with incredible reliability numbers and acceptance in the marketplace,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper.

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News Briefs ROLLS-ROYCE RUNS PEARL 700 ON HYDROGEN FUEL

Flyvbird outlines plan for on-demand air taxi network B Y K AT E S A RS F IE L D

German app-based, on-demand air taxi the market by letting the customer choose start-up Flyvbird is preparing to launch when and where to fly,” said Lang. services at the end of 2024 with the first The nine-passenger Traveller is “an of four Tecnam P2012 Traveller aircraft on ideal fit” for Flyv, Lang maintained, due to order. The start-up expects the business to its very low operating costs, fuel efficiency, grow exponentially over the coming years and versatility. “We will start with the with a mixed fleet of up to 500 low-cost Lycoming-[TEO-540C1A]-powered Traveland reduced-emissions aircraft envisaged ler...as the Continental [GTSIO-520S]-powby the end of the next decade to service a ered short takeoff and landing variant does growing international network. not have an [electronic engine control],” Flyvbird has joined forces with Italian he explained. airframer Tecnam to develop the operation, Similarly, the company is eying possible dubbed Flyv, that will provide air services— new alternatives for its fleet, including the with the 1,700-nm range of the Traveller hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing piston-twin—to small rural and second- (STOL) aircraft being developed by U.S.ary airports around Europe. It will use an based start-up Electra, which is targeting app-based booking system and scheduling entry into service in 2028. “It is vital that we platform based on what Flyvbird founder get the aircraft selection right and if the ElecTomislav Lang calls an “innovative algorith- tra does not come to market on schedule, we mic approach designed to deliver an alter- will stick with the Traveller,” said Lang. native to traditional transportation models.”

Germany is likely to be the launch counUsing its proprietary FlyvAI algorithm, try for Flyv with a core network of airports— the company says its platform will optimize Brunswick, Monchengladbach, Munster, the daily flight schedule based on paid book- Friedrichshafen, and Stuttgart—already ings and operational constraints. It will also determined. From this starting point, Lang provide a guaranteed fixed travel timeframe hopes to expand flights to around 30 other at the booking stage. “We are not reinvent- airports. “It’s like planting a seed and then ing anything, just making things better for growing from the center,” he said. z

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Rolls-Royce and its partners have run a Pearl 700—the turbofan engine that powers the Gulfstream G700—on 100 percent hydrogen fuel as part of longer-term work to develop a hydrogen combustion engine for narrowbody airliners by the mid-2030s.

The aero engines group said tests on a full annular combustor proved that hydrogen can produce maximum takeoff thrust.

According to Rolls-Royce, the breakthrough is based on new fuel spray nozzles that control the combustion process. The next step for the partners is to develop a full gas hydrogen ground test on a Pearl engine.

INCREASING FAKE GPS SIGNALS PROMPT FAA ALERT The FAA issued a warning to operators of “safety of flight risk to civil aviation operations” in light of the growing number of GPS spoofing incidents along a flight path through Iraq alongside the Iranian border.

OpsGroup said it had tracked incidents of fake GPS signals transmitted to at least 20 business jets and airliners traveling along airway UM688, and many lost navigation capability. An Embraer Legacy 650 flying on this route from Europe to Dubai lost GPS, along with inertial reference system navigation. When they requested radar vectors, the aircraft was 80 nm off track.

DASSAULT AVIATION INTROS ROUTE OPTIMIZATION TOOL Dassault’s FalconWays flight planning tool allows Falcon pilots to select the most fuelefficient route. It also reduces excess fuel carried using real-time wind data, as well as optimization and performance modelspecific algorithms. The app will first be available for the Falcon 6X, followed by the 8X, 7X, and 2000LXS/S. During testing, flight crews were able to reduce fuel consumption by up to 7 percent with FalconWays.

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Fatal U.S. bizjet accidents climb in first nine months B Y G O R D O N G IL BE R T

Six fatal U.S.-registered business jet accidents, all except one under Part 91, took the lives of 23 crew and passengers ( plus two people on the ground) in the first nine months of this year, versus zero such fatalities in all of 2022. Separately, five people were killed in two accidents

of non-U.S.-registered business jets compared with three accidents and 14 fatalities in the first nine-month period of last year.

The Aug. 23, 2023 crash in Russia of a privately-operated Embraer Legacy 600 that was fatal to all 10 people on board

ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS WORLDWIDE (FIRST NINE MONTHS 2023 VS FIRST NINE MONTHS 2022) U.S.-registered Business Jets and Turboprops

Total accidents Nonfatal accidents Fatal accidents Fatalities Incidents

Total Part 91 Part 91K Part 135 Public/Gov’t Mfg 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 14 16 13 12 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 8 16 8 12 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 23 0 15 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 62 56 40 37 0 0 22 19 0 0 0 0

Business turboprops Total accidents Nonfatal accidents Fatal accidents Fatalities Incidents

Total Part 91 Part 91K Part 135 Public/Gov’t Mfg 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 18 19 16 14 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 0 12 14 11 9 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 6 5 5 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 19 5 14 5 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 39 39 30 26 0 0 8 12 1 1 0 0

Business jets

Non-U.S.-registered Business Jets and Turboprops Business jets Total accidents Nonfatal accidents Fatal accidents Fatalities Incidents Business turboprops Total accidents Nonfatal accidents Fatal accidents Fatalities Incidents

Total Private 2023 2022 2023 2022 6 5 2 1 4 2 0 0 2 3 2 1 5 14 5 4 11 15 1 6

Charter Other* Unknown 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 3 1 0 2 1 1 3 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 6 0 4 0 0 5 6 3 3 2 0

Total Private Charter Other* Unknown 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 21 25 7 3 10 14 3 4 1 4 13 19 5 2 5 12 2 3 1 2 8 6 2 1 5 2 1 1 0 2 28 18 4 1 23 12 1 1 0 4 14 17 4 6 5 5 3 3 2 3

All Data Preliminary. * For example: air ambulance, aerial survey, ferry, training, testing, manufacturer, government (non-military).

Sources: FAA, NTSB, Aviation Safety Network, AIN research AIN tables show “incidents” as well as “accidents” to distinguish mishaps based on their degree of severity. Investigators often draw fine distinctions between the two events, but, typically, incidents result in minor or no damage and their investigations are sometimes delegated to local officials. Accidents are events that range from minor damage to destruction and/or injuries. Also, some incidents ultimately get upgraded to accident status during the investigative process.

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News Briefs FLEXJET LAUNCH BIZAV CUSTOMER FOR STARLINK Flexjet has begun offering SpaceX Starlink inflight Wi-Fi, becoming the launch business aviation user of the satellite-based connectivity service. The rollout follows the issuance of an FAA supplemental type certificate obtained through Flexjet’s engineering arm, Nextant Aerospace, and Starlink for installation on Gulfstream G650s. Once installation work is completed on its Gulfstreams, plans call for building on that with approvals across the Flexjet fleet. The operator also noted that with Starlink, passengers can access the Internet as soon as they board rather than waiting until reaching altitude.

HANGAR RASH PREVENTION SYSTEM HEADING TO BETA TEST Fyve By is developing a sensor and software system aimed at reducing the threat of hangar rash, which accounts for more than 70 percent of damage to business and general aviation aircraft. Dubbed Sky View, the company is preparing to launch the beta test program for the system. Using computer-vision technology, the system provides aircraft tug operators with a live-streamed, top-down, in-scale rendering of the entire hangar on a mobile device, allowing operators to maneuver aircraft precisely. When safety margins are breached, the system issues a warning.

G500 OK’D FOR STEEP APPROACHES Gulfstream Aerospace has received FAA approval for steep-approach operations in its large-cabin G500. The approval comes as the G500 was able to prove low-speed handling and short-field capabilities at airports such as the UK’s London City Airport, which has a short runway and strict noise abatement requirements, and Switzerland’s Lugano Airport, which is at the mouth of a valley and requires an extremely steep approach.

is currently not included in our charts because the suspicion of malfeasance persists in what downed the twinjet from its cruising altitude.

On Jan. 2, 2023, an Embraer Phenom 300 crashed after the pilot lost control during take off from Provo, Utah, on a planned Part 91 flight. The pilot was killed and the three passengers were injured.

The pilot’s use of an incorrect checklist to respond to one of multiple EICAS messages preceded a sudden and fatal in-flight upset of a Bombardier Challenger 300 during a Part 91 flight on March 3, 2023. A passenger injured during the upset later died in the hospital.

An emergency call was made by the crew of a Bombardier Learjet 36A moments before it crashed into the sea off the coast of California on May 10, 2023. The two pilots and a third crewmember perished.

Depressurization or other systems failure that deprived the pilot and his three passengers of oxygen are being investigated as a possible cause for the June 4, 2023, fatal accident of a Cessna Citation V. The jet flew past its intended destination, made an inexplicable 180-degree turn and continued until it apparently ran out of fuel.

The two pilots and four passengers died on July 8, 2023, when their Citation II crashed on its second attempt to land in night IMC. Weather at the time of the accident was a half-mile visibility in fog and 300-feet overcast.

On Aug. 17, 2023, a chartered U.S.-registered Beechcraft Premier 1 crashed on a highway in Malaysia after being cleared to land. The accident claimed the lives of two crew members and six passengers plus a car driver and a motorcyclist on the highway.

Meanwhile, on May 15 a civilian Germanregistered Learjet 35A on a target towing mission for the German Air Force crashed on takeoff killing both pilots.

The two pilots and the passenger perished on July 28 when a Mexico-registered Citation crashed into a bay shortly after takeoff from Veracruz. z

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NBAA-BACE marks a resurgence in the light-jet market NBAA-BACE 2023

B Y A I N S TA F F

Four business jet OEMs are raising the stakes in the light jet market. One new jet—the HondaJet Echelon—is in development, and significant upgrades are happening to three well-established models: the Embraer Phenom 100EX (categorized as a very light jet), Pilatus’s refreshed PC-24, and Textron Aviation’s Citation CJ3 Gen2. All of these models have sold well, but this is a market that likes new and shiny, and a lack of regular upgrades is a sure way to turn off potential buyers. These airframers all responded to the market, and NBAA-BACE brought the opportunity for these business jet makers to tout their shiny and new jets.

PILATUS BOOSTS PC-24’S PAYLOAD, RANGE, AND CABIN

Pilatus Aircraft is increasing payload and range for its PC-24 twinjet, along with a new cabin interior that will be available for deliveries in 2024. With six passengers onboard, the light business jet’s maximum range climbed by 200 nm, to 2,000 nm, based on a 600-pound increase in full fuel payload.

According to the Swiss manufacturer, the performance boost has been made possible after tweaks to the airframe. “The payload increase was achieved by refining both wing and fuselage structural elements to reduce the airframe empty weight while

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simultaneously increasing the maximum gross takeoff weight limit,” explained v-p of engineering Bruno Cervia.

After the changes were made, Pilatus engineers conducted an extensive flighttest campaign to expand the performance envelope for the higher design weights. At maximum takeoff weight, the PC-24’s balanced field length at sea level is 3,090 feet, giving what Pilatus calls its “Super Versatile Jet” access to short and unpaved runways.

The aircraft now offers a full fuel payload of a single pilot plus 1,315 pounds and a

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maximum payload capacity of 3,100 pounds.

Improvements to the PC-24 cabin include changes to the standard cabinetry, storage area, and entrance to maximize available space. Ambient noise has been reduced through improvements to passenger service unit ducting and tuned engine accessory air intake ducts, as well as the addition of noise-absorbing panels.

Working with Lufthansa Technik, Pilatus is incorporating a new integrated cabin management system. It features a 10-inch touchscreen controller with a 3D moving

map, four high-fidelity speakers with a subwoofer option, mood lighting, USB ports, and a media storage server.

The most visible change to the interior will be an optional side-facing divan. At 6 feet 6 inches in length, customers will be able to convert this into a bed.

Depending on options selected, Pilatus said it expects new-production PC-24s to be priced between $13 million and $13.5 million.

The divan option is part of a wider interior package, adding about $130,000 to the cost.

From serial number 501 onwards, PC-24s will feature a predictive maintenance system.

This will automatically transmit aircraft data after each landing to Pilatus, which will analyze it and recommend proactive maintenance measures to operators as required.

At EBACE 2013, Pilatus announced the PC-24 as its first jet product alongside its PC-12 turboprop single and PC-6 utility turboprop. The first prototype was rolled out in August 2014, with first flight achieved in May 2015.

In July 2021, the manufacturer announced new features in the PC-24 cabin and flight deck. These included lieflat seats and a galley option, as well as improved controls for the Honeywell avionics suite and SmartRunway and SmartLanding safety features.

“More range, greater payload, enhanced comfort, and increased operability were the primary focus of this major PC-24 improvement program,” said Pilatus CEO Markus Bucher. “The PC-24 upgrade

includes over 1,000 modifications throughout the aircraft. Yet again, we went all the way to the limits of what is possible, making maximum use of our engineering capabilities to deliver the best PC-24 ever.” The first example of the new PC-24, featuring the convertible divan, was available for viewing on the static display during NBAABACE 2023 in Las Vegas. The aircraft, which is powered by a pair of Williams International FJ44-4A turbofans, can run on sustainable aviation fuel.

Pilatus said few PC-24 delivery slots remain available for 2024, although some of its authorized service and sales centers around the world may have more availability. Overall, PC-24 order backlog extends to the end of next year.

EMBRAER PHENOM 100EX SPORTS LIGHTER CABIN, MORE SAFETY

Embraer has completely revamped the cabin of its entry-level Phenom and added more cockpit safety systems while still maintaining its $4.995 million list price and shaving 190 pounds of interior weight. Now known as the Phenom 100EX, the light twinjet is the

latest to incorporate Embraer’s design DNA, including upper tech panels, wider seats, increased use of more sustainable materials, and flush-to-the-wall tables.

It also makes standard the previously optional side-facing fifth seat and a belted lavatory.

The cockpit was also enhanced by adding more pilot legroom and an openconcept design for easier communication within the cabin. In addition, a Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting System (ROAAS) has been added to the Phenom 100EX’s Garmin G3000 avionics system,

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making it the first light jet with this feature. Other avionics upgrades include the Garmin FlightStream 510 wireless gateway, automatic 3D volumetric scanning radar with lightning and hail prediction, stabilized approach, and predictive windshear.

“We are proud to announce the Phenom 100EX—an aircraft designed to experience excellence with superior comfort and disruptive technology that enhances safety,” said Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Michael Amalfitano. “This product reimagines the entry-level flight

experience, offering enhanced comfort, empowering pilots, and enriching journeys to deliver more value to our customers.”

The Phenom 100EX, which was on display at NBAA-BACE, is already ANAC, FAA, and EASA certified and the first delivery will occur by year-end.

TEXTRON AVIATION UNVEILS CITATION CJ3 GEN2

Textron Aviation has given its popular Cessna Citation CJ3 a makeover with an upgraded interior, fresh paint job, and new features that enhance both the passenger and pilot experience. The Wichita-based manufacturer revealed the redesigned CJ3 Gen2 during NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas.

The single pilot-approved aircraft has standard and optional seating configurations for up to nine passengers, an anticipated range of 2,040 nm, and a maximum payload of 2,135 pounds, “which rivals the larger jets in this class,” said Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation’s senior v-p of sales and flight operations.

“The CJ3 series is built on 20 years of success in the marketplace. Whether you’re flying for personal use, charter, in

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a corporate flight department, or even a special mission, there’s nothing else in the market that competes with the CJ3 G2’s cabin and performance,” O’Bannion said.

Walking up to the airplane, the first thing passengers will notice is its fresh exterior, with “an amazing paint job that will really catch your eye,” said Christi Tannahill, Textron Aviation senior v-p for customer experience. The airplane also features newly redesigned steps with added handles and lighting to make boarding safer and easier, she explained.

Pilots will notice the abundance of legroom, with extra space around the left seat that makes stepping in and out of the cockpit a breeze. The CJ3 Gen2’s Garmin G3000 avionics now feature autothrottles.

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In the front of the cabin, customers have the option to add a side-facing seat that folds down to create room for about 50 pounds of baggage. That space can also be filled with storage cabinets adjacent to the refreshment center, and optional highpower outlets can be added for small appliances like Keurig or Nespresso machines, said Jimmy Beeson, senior manager of technical marketing at Textron Aviation.

Dimmable and color-changing accent lights are spread throughout the cabin, including under tables, within storage pockets, and inside the cupholders, which are deeper and wider. CoolView skylights also add ambient lighting to the cabin.

In the aft cabin, the seats have an enhanced swivel option, which “allows you

to customize that cabin on the fly and really make the cabin fit that day’s mission,” Beeson said. “There really is no detail too small.”

“What I think will be one of the more popular features of the aircraft is that the lavatory is now externally serviceable,” Beeson added.

Ron Draper, president and CEO of Textron Aviation, said the upgrades to the CJ3—his favorite airplane in the company’s product lineup—were shaped by feedback from a customer advisory board.

Textron Aviation aims to have the CJ3 Gen2 in service by 2025 with a base price of $10.99 million.

HONDA’S ‘CONCEPT’ EVOLVES INTO ‘ECHELON’

Honda Aircraft is proceeding with “commercialization” of its next model, which was unveiled as the Concept 2600 at NBAABACE 2021. The company announced plans to move forward with the next member of the HondaJet family in June, and at last month’s NBAA-BACE, Honda Aircraft president and CEO Hideto Yamasaki revealed the name for the model—the HondaJet Echelon—which will be the first under his watch.

Powered by a pair of Williams International FJ44-4C turbofans, the 2600 will offer midsize jet comfort, speed, and range but in a light jet airframe. The spacious cabin, a feature of Honda’s original HondaJet thanks to the over-the-wingengine-mount design, will seat up to nine passengers, with one additional passenger in the front right seat next to the sole pilot.

Range of the Echelon will be 2,625 nm (NBAA IFR with four passengers and one pilot), maximum takeoff weight around 17,500 pounds, and maximum cruise speed 450 knots. Plans call for certification in 2028. More details about the Echelon were released at the show, after this issue went to the printer. z Charles Alcock, Chad Trautvetter, Hanneke Weitering and Matt Thurber contributed to these articles. a i n o n l i n e .c o m \ November 2023 \ Aviation International News

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Special Report

Surging inflation latest issue in difficult insurance market B Y K IM RO S E N L OF

Aviation brokers and underwriters have a new villain to blame for the continued increases in insurance premiums since 2019: inflation. Aircraft owners, pilots, operators, and supporting aviation businesses have reportedly seen insurance premiums increase up to 30 percent year-over-year since 2019.

In addition, certain pilot and operator segments are finding it increasingly difficult to even obtain insurance. Brokers

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are resorting to complex quota share and INFLATION JUST ANOTHER REASON PREMIUMS CONTINUE TO INCREASE vertical placement agreements previously used mainly in the airline segment to cover According to Garrett Hanrahan, global risks that no single carrier wants to cover head of aviation and aerospace for Marsh on its own.

Specialty, as reported in the company’s However, there are signs that premium second-quarter 2023 Aviation Insurance prices are stabilizing in certain segments Market Overview published in August, of the aviation market, including general “Inflation—in terms of insured values, risaviation, with additional capacity and new ing repair costs, increasing liability claims carriers providing competition in cer- settlements (in some regions), and histain subclasses. torical loss development—continues to

Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

influence insurer underwriting and pricing, and is likely to contribute to an increasing cost of risk for clients.”

The report provided statistics for premium increases over the past four quarters for airlines, aviation entities, and general aviation. Air navigation service providers and airports (grouped together) showed the highest increase with second-quarter 2023 premiums rising an average of nearly 40 percent and a mean average increase over the past four quarters of 17.8 percent.

One reason for this is that social inflation— where claims costs rise higher than general economic inflation due to societal attitudes that lead to juries awarding higher settlements than expected—has greatly inflated airport “slip and trip” claims.

MRO facilities fared nearly as badly but had their largest increase earlier with a 40 percent average jump in the fourth quarter of 2022 and a 15.97 percent rolling

four-quarter increase. Component part manufacturers showed a 25 percent mean average increase in Q2 2023 and a 7.88 percent rolling average increase. OEM premiums showed an 18 percent increase in the second quarter of last year, but they have been decreasing ever since to end with less than a one percent increase in the four-quarter rolling average.

JAD DONALDSON Surprisingly, while general aviation S E N IOR AV I AT IO N D IR E C T OR showed a 9.65 percent average increase over the past four quarters, the Marsh report “We’ve been seeing an 8 to 12 percent showed a 2.16 percent decrease for general increase year-over-year since 2019 for the aviation hull and liability premiums in the same level of coverage,” said Jad Donaldsecond quarter of 2023. The report suggests son, a senior director of aviation for a Forthat this decrease could be a result of new tune 100 company in White Plains, New entrants into the general aviation insurance York, managing two Gulfstreams and a market that are infusing new capital and Bombardier Challenger. “We’re not having increasing capacity and competition. If this a hard time insuring the aircraft, but we are decrease is truly the start of a trend and not dealing with an inflated market.” a statistical anomaly, it would signal wel“We’ve been in a rising market since come relief for general aviation operators.

2019,” confirmed Eric Barfield, president

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Special Report

of AssuredPartners Aerospace insurance different for every risk. Limit is one factor, agency based in Plano, Texas. “Currently, but the risk profile is much more important. we’re seeing rate increases of anywhere The analysis of all ingredients (limit, critifrom zero to 30 percent with the typical cal versus non-critical parts, mission, loss increase at 5 to 15 percent.” history, training) determines the premium.

Barfield said operators receiving the best Operators with higher insurance limits genrates today tended to be large corporate erally also face higher rate increases.” flight departments with “clean” operations Brogan also included recent large closeand unblemished loss records. The outliers call events as having an impact on premiwith bigger increases typically have poor ums, such as an Allegiant Airbus A320 and loss records or are in certain segments of a Gulfstream IV taking evasive action near the aviation market, such as airports, FBOs, Fort Lauderdale after both aircraft received and commercial helicopter operations with TCAS warnings in July 2023. high loss histories.

The aviation insurance industry is also still USAIG president and CEO John Brogan trying to recover from the historic $3 billion gave three major contributing factors to in total claims from the 737 Max crashes the continuing hard market: the increasing (exceeding the $2.5 billion Twin Towers cost of liability claims due to high verdicts claims from 9/11). A current $3.5 billion lawand settlements, increases in cost to fix or suit over Russia’s confiscation of nearly $10 replace airplanes, and the overall loss his- billion in aircraft could drain the industry’s tory of the industry. coffers even more, putting additional pres“There are certain operations that are sure on rates to increase. In addition, claims inherently more risky (such as rotorcraft), are being processed from more than 40 milwhile other operations have seen a cost of itary and civilian aircraft destroyed in April claims increase at a higher rate due to the 2023 as part of the Sudan War. price of parts, labor, shipping, et cetera,” These and other recent losses have said Brogan. “Determining premium is driven up the cost of hull war insurance

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Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

and its supplemental cousin, AVN52, which provides passenger and third-party coverage for liability risks from hijacking or acts of war.

“Many operators ask why they need war coverage,” said Lisa Ouellette, president and co-founder of JCL Aviation Services in Bluffton, South Carolina. “Besides the malicious mischief (i.e., vandalism) coverage, war risk covers sabotage, hijackings, strikes, riots, civil commotion, and confiscation.

We’re seeing U.S. and European-registered aircraft confiscated in North Africa and the Caribbean on drug smuggling charges. In the Caribbean, it usually stems from a guest with recreational drugs on board.”

INSURANCE IS ALMOST ALWAYS AVAILABLE…IF YOU’RE WILLING TO PAY

While Congress seeks to mitigate the current pilot shortage by raising the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67, the FAA is going the opposite direction by allowing Part 135 and Part 91K operators to voluntarily institute a pilot retirement age of 70 years.

“I believe the impending age 70 rule is being driven at least in part by insurance,” said Donaldson. “Seventy’s been a kind of cutoff. If you’re an owner-operator and you’re 70 years old, you’re paying a huge premium.”

“About 80 percent of aircraft hull and liability underwriting focuses on pilot credentials, with pilot age being one of many elements underwriters use to evaluate risk,” said Barfield. “Age becomes a more prominent factor at 65 with many underwriters thinking about the excellent airline continued. “This is where you find undersafety record and their mandatory age 65 writers doing more ‘risk engineering’ to retirement for pilots. This is true of both make that risk tolerable to them by curcorporate/professional pilots and recre- tailing the complexity of aircraft operated ational pilots, though corporate pilots see (e.g., will quote flying a Cessna 182 but less of an impact because of their typical more hesitant or flat-out “no” in a Cessna ongoing formal training and second-class 421); underwriting the nature of the operamedical requirements.” tions (e.g., single-pilot jet pilot now must “Age 70 and above does become an fly with co-pilot); or augmenting pilot creeven bigger underwriting factor,” Barfield dentials (e.g., most underwriters are fine

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Pilot experience is also a factor, especially with the shortage pulling experienced corporate pilots into airline cockpits and leaving less experienced SICs. If the SIC (or perhaps an owner-operator moving into a new aircraft) needs to build experience in the aircraft to meet underwriting

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Special Report

criteria, the underwriter may write a “split limit” coverage. In a split limit situation, when the experienced pilot is flying, the liability limits are greater; if the SIC is flying, the liability limits are set much lower.

“Nobody likes [split limits] because obviously the operator wants a certain liability limit—say $20 million—for a reason, and during the transition training the carrier might cut it from $20 million down to $2 million when the pilot building experience is flying,” said Barfield. “It might be the only way we can get the coverage done, but underwriters don’t like it because it can be hard to defend in court.”

Another tool in the insurance broker’s toolbox is to write a reinsurance quota share (aka vertical placement) agreement.

Quota share allows multiple insurers/reinsurers to share both premiums and claims according to a fixed percentage, ensuring that no one carrier is responsible for the entire risk. For example, if a carrier is underwriting 100 percent of a Citation CJ4 and suddenly it becomes a bad risk (perhaps due to a recent loss by the pilot or operator on another aircraft), that carrier might only be willing to underwrite 25 percent of the risk. Other carriers must now be found to underwrite the rest to get to 100 percent coverage. Often this leads to higher premiums for the client as each carrier wants its “pound of flesh.”

“Historically, vertical placements have been used on airlines and OEMs, but now we’re seeing these agreements trickle down to areas that are hard to insure such as commercial helicopter operations, especially if they need a larger limit of liability,” said Ouellette.

“The rise of the quota share started in 2019 as these agreements go deeper into the U.S. marketplace,” said Barfield.

“Underwriters have been saying that they need to take the volatility out of our portfolio. One good way to do that is to bring in multiple insurers to spread risk, thus

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 Clients are pushing back to the point where they’ll just threaten to self-insure...  reducing a given market’s maximum exposure. We’re seeing more quota shares in the last four years go to risks that historically had always been written 100 percent with a single carrier.”

Sometimes coverage can be found but might be too expensive for the operator to stomach. “We have a startup client that offers flight training [in a third party’s aircraft] looking for $1 million in errors and omissions coverage,” said Ouellette. “Normally a small operator would pay $3,000 to $5,000 for this coverage. Their quote was declined by over 10 insurers, and when we

Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

finally got them a quote, the premium was $26,000. So that’s what’s happening: you can get a quote, but can the insured afford the price?”

With quota share becoming more of the “new normal,” new capacity has come into the market to help fill gaps in hardto-insure markets. In June, Aspera Insurance Services announced “new excess and quota share air operations solutions” targeted toward older pilots, rotorcraft, single-pilot turbine aircraft, older aircraft, aircraft with retractable gear, and experimental aircraft.

INSUREDS MAY HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER INSURANCE PREMIUMS

Over the past few years, convenient online quotes and binding insurance apps have popped up in many aviation markets including Australia’s SkyWatch service for aircraft owners and renters, Starr Gate providing on-demand aviation rental insurance, and Avemco’s online quoting tool. While there is some upfront cost to build these contactless insurance apps, the streamlined system generally reduces costs for the insurer and the insured.

These apps are ge ne rally geared toward general aviation pilots with clean records in low-risk operations. Since there is no human asking for details, pilots with claims within the past three years—regardless of fault—are generally shut out entirely when trying to use these apps. Pilots and operators with loss records or in hard-to-ensure segments need to befriend their broker and get to know their underwriter(s) to get the best rates possible.

“Make sure you have a good story to tell and that your story is properly conveyed to the marketplace,” said Barfield. “One of the biggest things an operator can do to try to improve their insurance program is to tell their story to their broker or underwriter. The value of an operator participating cannot be overstated. The insurers appreciate the opportunity to visit with the operators directly and engage their commitment to the risk and the exposure being advocated. If you had a loss the previous year, discuss what you’re doing to mitigate it ever happening again…Underwriters see hundreds of applications and it’s hard for them to know exactly what’s going on from an application.”

Large flight departments that work with an internal corporate insurance team may need to educate their nonaviation colleagues about safety strategies employed to get maximum benefit from their insurers.

people so that they can talk to the insurance carriers about the safety systems that help mitigate insurance expense.”

Insureds can also tweak their premiums by adjusting deductibles or even dropping hull coverage if it makes sense to do so.

Some insureds—mainly component manufacturers and aviation ground handlers— carry significant self-insurance retention E R IC B A R F IE L D (SIR) accounts. Ground handlers in particP R E S ID E N T, A S SUR E D PA R T N E RS A E RO S PAC E ular typically generate many small claims “The relationship between your flight (think hangar rash); SIR mitigates the department leadership and your insurance paperwork and premiums associated with carriers needs to be such that there’s a high these small claims and allows the insurer level of understanding of what the aviation to focus on major claims. department’s really doing with safety man“Clients are pushing back to the point agement systems, risk mitigation, risk pro- where they’ll just threaten to self-insure,” files, and other safety strategies on a daily said Ouellette. “They’re fed up and don’t basis,” said Donaldson. “That doesn’t always want to be paying a significant increase in translate when you have an insurance team premium for the fourth year in a row. It’s a running things that may not know much really difficult market: one in which clients about aviation at all. We need to educate our and carriers are at such odds.” z

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Special Report

Protest damage and illegal charters fuel insurance concerns B Y: C H A R L E S A L C O C K

In June, damage to a Cessna Citation Mustang jet by environmental protestors at Sylt Airport in Germany resulted in the aircraft being written off by insurers.

When protestors against private aviation broke into Germany’s Sylt Airport in June and covered a Cessna Citation Mustang in orange paint, the damage, priced at over $1 million, was so extensive that the aircraft was deemed to be a write-off for insurance purposes. Insurance company executives speaking to AIN on condition of anonymity say that the industry is still struggling to assess how the spate of attacks by self-proclaimed eco-warriors will impact the way coverage is provided and what it will cost.

These attacks raise questions about who is liable, and that may need to be resolved through civil lawsuits against both the perpetrators and, possibly, service providers such as aircraft operators

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and FBOs. “I don’t expect to see private jet owners suing environmentalists,” one executive with a leading London- based insurance broker commented. “Billionaires going after jobless green protestors isn’t a good look.”

ME L A N IE DAG L IS H S E N IOR AV I AT IO N U N D E R W R I T E R , I T IC

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Beyond the political dimensions of this situation, these cases pose important questions—and not just about aircraft hull insurance. There are also considerations around the professional liability of companies and individuals in the business aviation sector.

“Some people don’t fully understand their exposure, and think that everything is covered by policies on the aircraft themselves,” said Melanie Daglish, a senior aviation underwriter at the International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC).

She advises clients to carefully consider risks that might be excluded from the hull insurance, such as whether pilots were suitably qualified for a flight, which could have an impact on flight crew managers or

those responsible for all aspects of operations. ITIC is a not-for-profit organization that specializes in providing professional indemnity insurance, protecting against losses suffered due to negligence, error, or omission.

According to Daglish, illegal or so-called “gray” charter flights are a particular area of concern, as exemplified by the fallout from the crash that killed soccer player Emiliano Sala in January 2019. It is now almost two years since David Henderson was found guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft for his role in arranging a trip from France to Wales in an illegally chartered Piper Malibu.

ITIC has raised concerns that charter brokers could find themselves accused of deliberately or negligently arranging illegal or “gray” charters. It has warned that other parties—including aircraft management companies, aircraft registries, surveyors, and even regulators—could find themselves facing liability litigation.

“The Emiliano Sala case brought this into the spotlight, and the problem from a charter broker’s point of view is that it isn’t always black and white,” Daglish said.

“There are finer points in terms of liability that could make a big difference and result in insurance cover being denied for something found to be an illegal operation. You need to consider what your role is and be able to demonstrate that you checked everything, such as AOCs [air operator certificates], certificates of airworthiness, et cetera.”

The ways that business models for private aircraft charter services keep evolving add to the complexity in terms of how liability might be assessed from an insurance point of view. Acknowledging the increased use of per-seat charters, booking apps, and flight sharing, Daglish told AIN that such arrangements, “make some insurers shudder a bit because they can seem quite opaque.”

Professional indemnity insurance can provide an important defense and backstop

The crash of this Piper Malibu in 2019, killing soccer player Emiliano Sala, brought new attention to the problem of illegal charters as well as jail time for the person who arranged the flight. for companies and individuals, with payouts for things like legal costs. But, according to Daglish and her colleagues, it is no substitute for due diligence over all aspects of an operation. “What’s in the contract is very important, spelling out exactly what

the liabilities are,” she advised, while also pointing to the value of training like that provided for brokers by the Air Charter Association and in-depth audits of aircraft, personnel, and operators conducted by safety specialists like Wyvern and Argus. z

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Eagle program keeps Citation Excels flying B Y M AT T T HUR BE R

The CitationPartners Excel Eagle program adds value to older airframes.

The best-selling midsize Citation Excel is corporate, non-fleet service. Even some accommodating, further lending to the still available for purchase in factory-new high-time airframes that came from fleet appeal of programs like the CitationPartform, having morphed from the original operators have logged relatively few hours ners Excel Eagle. There is another key dif560XL in various iterations and now called compared with airplanes flown by airlines. ference between the Ascend and earlier the Ascend. But not surprisingly, a team of In other words, there is a lot of life left in models and that is the Ascend’s autothrottle system. Presumably, Garmin could at former Cessna Citation executives have Excels of all types. some point certify autothrottles taken on a small corner of the used for G5000-upgraded Excels, but market for the Excel and created a refurbished version—the Citation that hasn’t happened yet.

Excel Eagle—filling a market niche The Eagle program was for buyers who like the airplane launched by Russ Meyer, his son but don’t want to spend $17 milRuss Meyer III, Gary Hay, and lion on the newest version.

Joe Hepburn. The senior Meyer While the Excel Eagle is new in was Cessna chairman for 32 years terms of avionics, interior, paint, and some A notable difference between the (now chairman emeritus) and is chairman other features, it does start with a pre- Ascend and the rest of the Excel fleet is of CitationPartners. Russ Meyer III, presowned airframe and the existing engines, that the new model has a flat floor, which ident of CitationPartners, managed the but the mod package extends the life of actually lowers the cabin interior height. Citation CJ3 and Mustang programs. Hay’s the Excel well into the coming decades. So a taller occupant might find a refur- roles at Cessna included worldwide marBusiness jets, after all, fly very little in bished Excel with its trenched floor more keting, sales, and customer support, and

If you need factory support, you can get it. There’s goodness for both [of us].

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Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

he succeeded Meyer as CEO in 2000. Hep- repaint. “Yingling has been a fabulous part- less than the Honeywell avionics that it burn also held a significant role during the ner,” Hay said. replaces, and there is a “modest” useCJ3 program and led product support and Once inducted, CitationPartners hires ful load increase of about 50 pounds due the piston business unit. local test pilots to fly the Excel and note to the need to install some ballast in the “We were all involved in the Excel devel- any discrepancies. The company team nose to maintain the original weight and opment,” Hay said, explaining that the members monitor all the work, and once balance configuration. Eagle owners can founding team’s experience and the sup- an airplane is done, the test pilots conduct use FlightSafety’s G5000-equipped level-D pliers they organized for the project led to final flight tests in preparation for delivery. Excel simulator at its Wichita, Kansas the name CitationPartners.

More than 1,100 Excels and XLSs are learning center for differences and recurTextron Aviation is well aware of the still flying and may qualify for the Eagle rent training.

Eagle program, Hepburn explained. In upgrade. CitationPartners and Yingling can Buyers of the Eagle upgrade get a bonus, fact, CitationPartners even uses the old handle up to two upgrades per month as compared to having the G5000 avionics Cessna three-pennant logo from the com- Yingling’s technicians have become more done by a Garmin dealer. CitationPartners pany’s piston past. “There’s been very little efficient and have lowered the time for the includes the optional Garmin Awareness & pushback,” he said. And, Textron Aviation Eagle conversion to four months from five. Protection package, which adds synthetic benefits from Excel Eagle owners who par- “We think [the uptake rate] will acceler- vision, Surface Watch, underspeed protecticipate in the ProParts hourly parts cost ate,” said Russ Meyer. “We know who owns tion, and Flightstream 510 wireless gateway. program, not to mention making service every Excel.”

The avionics package comes with three centers available to work on Eagles. “If multi-pane 14-inch displays, dual Garmin you need factory support, you can get it.

UPGRADE OPTIONS attitude and heading reference systems, There’s goodness for both [of us].”

The full Citation Eagle upgrade costs $1.55 two touchscreen controllers, integrated million, and this includes avionics, interior, engine indicating and crew alerting sysDOING THE WORK and paint as well as up to $25,000 worth tem, GFC 700 autopilot with emergency The CitationPartners team doesn’t do the of repairs, if needed. The Garmin G5000 descent mode, digital GWX 75 radar with work on the aircraft, although Hepburn avionics suite weighs about 200 pounds advanced weather detection and avoidance puts his maintenance background to work when researching a customer’s airplane to make sure it qualifies for the Eagle treatment. At the same time, he can evaluate the inspection status to make sure any near-term work is done at the same time so the customer doesn’t have to bring the airplane in for an inspection or maintenance event soon after delivery.

“We can deliver it free of any major inspections for a year,” said Hepburn.

Some inspections can be deferred, for an additional fee, but in general, it’s much less expensive to do the work while the airplane is down for the Eagle upgrade.

CitationPartners has contracted with Yingling Aviation at Wichita’s Eisenhower National Airport to do the Eagle upgrade.

This includes the Garmin G5000 avionics package, a custom interior, maintenance, and inspections to enroll in ProParts (which comes with no enrollment fee or for existing ProParts customers, lower The Citation Excel Eagle upgrade includes a custom interior, available in three outfitting levels, hourly rates), and complete strip and crafted by a team of interiors specialists at Yingling Aviation. a i n o n l i n e .c o m \ November 2023 \ Aviation International News

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technology, ADS-B Out and In, WAAS/LPV approaches, Mid-Continent Standby Attitude Module, and electronic charts. Available options are controller-pilot datalink communications (compatible with FAA Data Comm and EASA Link 2000+) and Garmin Iridium satcom for voice calling, messaging, and weather information.

Most original knobs and switches are retained, but the upgrade also adds an autopilot control panel under the forward edge of the glareshield—replacing the crew alerting system (CAS) annunciator panel—and two primary flight display controllers. The original pressurization system is unchanged and isn’t controlled by the new avionics. With the removal of the annunciator panel, CAS messages are now displayed on the center multifunction display.

Vref bumps up the value by $1.9 million, so financially it’s a strong sell. It almost makes the Eagle pay for itself...

CHOOSING THE INTERIOR

Customers have a few options for their Eagle interiors, including three outfitting levels: sport, classic, or custom. Every occupant gets a USB-A and -C outlet. The customer can select from a variety of optional add-ons such as an Airtext bulkhead display/moving map or Gogo Business Aviation’s Avance L3 or L5 air-to-ground connectivity system.

Interior features include new veneer, carpeting, sidewalls, window shades, upgraded seats, and custom plating.

Before the work starts, Citation Partners invites customers to visit Yingling Aviation to consult on the interior and paint design.

When it first launched, CitationPartners planned to buy Excels and then do the upgrade and resell them. It did so with the first six Eagle Excels, which were purchased from Textron Aviation. But all Excel models are getting hard to find, with few coming on the market. The last three Eagles were individual owner airplanes.

“We would love to acquire them when they’re available at a realistic price,” said Meyer Senior. “We do see some softening in the market.”

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An advantage of the Eagle upgrade is that an owner of an older Excel can get most avionics features of the new Citation Ascend while retaining the taller cabin with the trenched aisle.

“People hang onto them,” Hay said, and thus they are ideal potential customers to make their aircraft like new again.

“If we find a used aircraft that comes on the market, we might look at it,” said Meyer III. “There are not many coming on now, the market for the Excel is very strong.”

Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

Another attraction of the Eagle program is the bump in value, which Vref Aircraft Value Reference has acknowledged. “It’s very much worth the transformation,” he said. “Vref bumps up the value by $1.9 million, so financially it’s a strong sell. It almost makes the Eagle pay for itself.” z

Building a diverse workforce —the seeds of change B Y P E T E R S H AW- S MI T H A N D K E R R Y LY N C H

Aviation has long ranked among the bottom of industries in terms of diversity.

Over the past several decades, several groups have formed to help reverse this course, but the numbers have remained stubbornly lopsided.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women represented just 9.2 percent of the total employed pilots in 2022.

Meanwhile, 2.6 percent of total employed pilots were Black, 1.6 percent were Asian, and 9.7 percent were Hispanic or Latino.

A 2021 Aerospace and Defense Workforce study of end-use manufacturers reported that the number of women holding roles at those companies has steadied at 24 percent, while 6 percent identified as Black and less than 8 percent as Hispanic/Latino.

These numbers have taken a toll on an industry that now is confronted with a labor shortage. When the rebound of Covid was in full force in May 2022, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen gave a warning to Congress: “We must come together

and take bold actions” to address the notable changes, seeds of encouraging looming workforce shortage. signs (even if anecdotal) are starting to To tackle the issue head-on, aviation surface. Industry leaders are hopeful that must become a more diverse industry, the needle is starting to inch its way from Bolen further told the congressional hear- its long-stuck position, despite the long ing on workforce development. Bolen has road still ahead. said that not only does this increase the Recognizing the disparate numbers pool of available workers, but it brings in involving women in aviation positions, a diversity of thought and experiences that Congress in the FAA Reauthorization Act can only strengthen the industry. of 2018 created the Women in Aviation This sentiment has been widely echoed. Advisory Board (WIAAB) to offer recomRep. Rick Larsen (D-Illinois), the ranking mendations on concrete steps that could Democrat on the House Transportation be taken to address the disparity. That and Infrastructure Committee, stressed board included two dozen women leadduring a hearing: “Government and indus- ers and was chaired by Heather Wilson, try must work together to break down the former secretary of the U.S. Air Force barriers and ensure careers in the aviation and president of the University of Texas and aerospace industries are available and at El Paso. In March 2022, the board delivaccessible to all Americans.” ered nearly five dozen recommendations This has been an imperative not only to on actions that can be addressed by the build the workforce but to build an indus- FAA, Congress, and industry starting with try that reflects its communities. the youngest ages and carrying through Building that diversity will not happen women established in their careers. overnight, industry leaders acknowledge.

“While participation of women in the But, while the statistics aren’t showing workforce has increased dramatically over a i n o n l i n e .c o m \ November 2023 \ Aviation International News

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the past four decades, despite all efforts, the percentage of women in the aviation industry hasn’t appreciably changed,” said Wilson in the prelude to the report. “Fewer than 10 percent of licensed pilots are women, and the percentage of women in maintenance fields is in the single digits.

Especially in a tight post-pandemic labor market, the aviation industry desperately needs women to choose aviation careers.

Attracting and retaining women is critical to the future of the industry.”

Now, said Stephanie Kenyon, who took over as acting CEO of Women in Aviation International (WAI) in July, the key is seeing these recommendations through.

More than 30,000 signed up for 160 Girls in Aviation Day events held around the world.

“Much of what our strategy is based on is the [WIAAB] report,” Kenyon said. the development of an app to appropriately California. Also increasing are collaboraNoting that the report looked at barri- match mentors/mentees. And just this year, tions with other organizations seeking to ers holding women back throughout their the organization launched a leadership pro- help build a more diverse workforce. lifespans, Kenyon said, “That’s where fessional development course in collaboraThe Organization of Black Aerospace Women in Aviation International comes tion with Harvard University. “Every phase Professionals (OBAP) is one such orgain—we can act on these recommendations needs a boost, and that’s how we’re going nization. OBAP has been working toward and make a difference.” to make a difference,” she said. the goal of the advancement of minorities For instance, she noted that little girls WAI also has expanded its international in all aviation and aerospace careers since have long seen little boys or men depicted program in a way that “allows us to really 1976. The organization was founded to in books involving airplanes and pilots. become Women in Aviation International,” combat discrimination in the airlines at a “So, it starts there. How are we introducing Kenyon said, noting that the organization time when Black pilots were still mostly girls to the fact that they can do all of the has members in 100 countries. discouraged from sharing the cockpits—if same things that boys can in aviation? They Kenyon acknowledged the official they were allowed in at all. In fact, accordcan fly planes and they can do everything.” reports that “show that the industry’s ing to Smithsonian Magazine, the total numWAI is hoping to show by example growth in women is stagnant.” Women ber of Black airline pilots in the mid-1970s through its Girls in Aviation Day, which holding ATPs in the U.S. was roughly 4.8 was only about 80. most recently had nearly 30,000 sign up percent of the total in 2022, up from 4.6 Justin Biassou, governance co-chair on to participate in the more than 160 events percent in 2018, for instance.

OBAP’s board with a lengthy government scheduled around the globe. Girls had But, Kenyon added, “We see changes and industry aviation background, also the opportunity to meet with women in a on a smaller scale.” For one, the WAI noted that despite the prevailing statistics, range of aviation careers while engaging membership is increasing, reaching about OBAP has seen growth like WAI—and, in in hands-on activities such as simulator 16,000, up five-fold from the end of the fact, rapid growth of late. flights. “This is the largest coordinated 1990s, and its conference is drawing about “It’s a bit harder to extrapolate [Bureau effort in the world to introduce girls to avi- 4,500, compared with 3,200 in 2018. Girls of Labor Statistics] numbers to actually ation,” Kenyon noted. in Aviation Day’s participation nearly dou- pinpoint who is a Black aerospace profesBut it is just the beginning. Other efforts bled this year from last year. “We see signs sional,” Biassou said. But looking at OBAP, surround scholarships to assist with train- that we are making a difference,” she said. its membership has grown by a third in the ing and education, and more than $15 And importantly, the partnerships are past year alone to top 4,000. And it’s more million has been awarded through the increasing with more people offering than double where it was in 2010. organization since 1995. Continuing on the scholarships, nearly $900,000 of which But even more encouraging to Biassou is spectrum, WAI has developed a mentorship were presented during the 2023 confer- the growth in partnerships, programs, the program to assist with careers—including ence this past February in Long Beach, millions that are now beginning to pour in

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to support them, and the net result: the thousands of students and professionals that OBAP is now able to reach.

OBAP has been striving to build a pipeline by having a significant impact early on, he said. The organization is studying this impact from the early stages to where professionals end up.

As with young girls seeing women in key roles, Biassou stressed the imporJUS T I N B I A S S OU tance of children of color seeing people G OV E R N A N C E C O - C H A IR O N OB A P ’S BOA R D who look like them in aerospace roles. As such, members of OBAP go directly to elementary and middle schools every fall academies. These are one-week pro- to impact in just one year. And that hapand spring. They are in a variety of roles— grams held in the summertime that pro- pens every single summer,” he said. from space professionals to ramp agents. vide students the opportunity to get their For those who can’t attend these events “They have the chance to talk about what “hands-on” industry activities, including in person, OBAP has established six-week their story is and how they got to where flying. An academy in Houston exposes virtual Explore Aerospace immersive prothey are [with students who] are not see- students to space opportunities. OBAP grams with speakers discussing what it ing individuals that look like them in those held 48 academies this year alone, he means to hold various roles. professions. That has a major impact said, reaching 700 students—“700 stuOBAP has also partnered on an introdents that [we] would have the chance duction to flight training in Olive Branch, early on.”

Under that program, OBAP professionals were able to interact with 17,000 students through more than 370 volunteers at 83 participating schools around the world in the fall of 2022.

Beyond sparking that interest, OBAP is looking at fostering the career along the way, he said, saying it is considered one of the largest workforce development organizations in aviation. “The organization is really focused on trying to figure out some of those key skill sets that are going be needed by the workforce overall,” he said.

With that in mind, OBAP has explored training, skill development, and sometimes just exposure, to prepare a diverse workforce.

This is throughout aviation, from the aviation and aerospace management ranks to the airline pilot or military personnel looking to transition, Biassou said. “How we do that is very deliberate because as you move through middle school and high school, there are continuing programs that we offer to finally put you into the job of your dreams.”

The programs are numerous. For high school and middle school students, OBAP hosts Aerospace Career Education (ACE) Groups like the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals are knocking down diversity walls.

 How we do that is very

deliberate because as you move through middle school and high school, there are continuing programs that we offer to finally put you into the job of your dreams... 

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Mississippi, and hosts a National Flight Academy filled with activities in Pensacola. This is in addition to the myriad of scholarships, professional development, and other programs.

To accomplish these tasks, OBAP needs a significant amount of resources. This is particularly important, because for OBAP, it is not a matter of interest among the children, but rather a matter of economic opportunities. “A lot of times, it comes to economic access,” Biassou said, adding, “The perception isn’t necessarily ‘if I can’t get there, they don’t want me,’ but it’s ‘how do I get there?’”

OBAP is trying to tackle that up front.

And companies are anxious to broaden and diversify their labor pools. He noted that American Airlines has donated $1.5 The National Gay Pilots Association is making slow but steady progress in fighting prejudice. million—and United Airlines $1 million—during recent conventions. OBAP’s rhetoric and legislation targeting our com- machine, things take time. We’ve seen changes to HIV medication and how that partnerships with entities such as United munity,” he told AIN. Airlines are helping to facilitate a career Asked if attitudes to aviation’s gay com- impacts medicals.” path. Companies overall are “increasing munity were softening or hardening, he The NGPA is working with regulators to their investment in this space.” said that it was a case of mixed results. adopt better processes for its trans pilots who While interest has certainly picked up as “What I can say on that is, two steps for- are on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) the industry looks to expand its pipelines, ward and one step back is still two steps and to reduce impacts on their medicals— Biassou said the inflection point for OBAP forward,” he said. “The inverse of that, and therefore their livelihoods. “There’s a was also with the George Floyd death. one step forward and five steps back, is lot of work that goes on behind the scenes “The country recognized there was a still one step forward. As long as anything at both the lead legislative level as well as the greater need for diversity,” he said. “I think remains segregated or different, there’s corporate level,” he said. “I’m very optimistic. that really took the lead by pulling together always going to be prejudice. My personal Things are headed in the right direction.” all of the various affinity groups for our goal is to work myself out of a job but, realThe NGPA is also doing its own bit to conversation about these very things.” istically, that’s not going to happen.” tackle the pilot shortage by organizing The results of all these efforts are tangiThe NGPA continues to partner with what Ellixson-Andrews called an “industryble, he added. “Every time we engage with corporate sponsors and industry peers to leading expo” held every year in February the students, they’re excited about it. They bring awareness to its part of the indus- in Palm Springs that attracts well over just need to know exactly how to turn the try and to circumstances that impact its 1,500 attendees from across the industry— door and how to get in.” members, whether through lifesaving primarily pilots and job seekers. This year, While progress is being made, struggles medication, educating on the proper use the organization has already raised over for fair treatment of minority communities of pronouns, or advocating for inclusive half a million dollars, allocated mainly to continue. The National Gay Pilots Associ- uniforms. It also advocates for things like flight training scholarships. ation (NGPA) held its annual convention healthcare and the same spousal privi“We have what we feel to be the gold in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in June. The leges and benefits for same-sex couples as standard of scholarship programs, where association chose the location deliberately for heterosexual couples. “Those are the we are able to take a holistic look at an to send a message, NGPA executive direc- things that are in our wheelhouse,” he said. applicant and their entire picture, begintor Justin Ellixson-Andrews explained.

“We have seen the needle move in the ning from their high school education “We went down to South Florida with spe- right direction in regard to that. The FAA to the present day, and take into account cific intentions to really defy and, in a sense, is a huge machine, and we’re grateful factors such as being in a privileged famstand up against what we feel is hateful to have their ear, but, as with any large ily versus [an applicant] that had to work

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to contribute to household bills,” he said.

“We really feel that receiving a scholarship from the NGPA is a badge of honor. An NGPA scholarship recipient is the most vetted—with the most demonstrated need— but also the most demonstrated ability for future success. Pairing those two together, we certainly feel like we’re doing our part.”

Ellixson-Andrews said he had developed significant contacts in aviation throughout the U.S. “When the opportunity came to become executive director for NGPA, it was very clearly a dream job and something that I thought would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I still, to this day, even sharing those words, get emotional thinking about it—just the incredible opportunity—because I really owe the NGPA where I am in my own career.”

The process through which he joined Part 135 charter operator JSX in 2018 is also instructive. “When we were going through the recruitment process, I was very clear on who I was, and very comfortable in my current role,” he said. “I had no problem saying I’m an openly gay man. Am I going to be okay to have water-cooler talk and share what I did with my husband [over the weekend], just like I would expect my colleagues to share what they were doing with their significant others?”

He said this elicited what he called the typical HR response. “‘Here we are.

We’re great, we’re fantastic,’ touting their

marketing page,” he said. “What ultimately swayed me to take that job in an industry that I was very apprehensive to join—and one that I had previously completely written off, based on someone else’s experience—was that they said: ‘We can’t change the whole industry, but we can at least change it for our company. Why don’t you come on board and help us create our own narrative?’”

 We really feel that receiving a scholarship from the NGPA is a badge of honor.  As a minority, Ellixson-Andrews is hypersensitive to the challenges faced by all minorities. “While I’ll never know the struggles of someone who wears their minority externally, whether it be through the color of their skin or their gender identity, I know what it feels like to be a minority,” he said. “As a former talent acquisition professional, I can say that through the interview process, what that means is everyone receives a fair chance, especially those who may have had circumstances that were more prohibitive than maybe the average person’s.

“That doesn’t mean that they get extra points. If I know that someone very clearly has more behind the curtain than they’ve maybe alluded to, and I know it’s going

The National Gay Pilots Association’s expo in Palm springs attracted more than 1,500 attendees.

to help them, being aware as a minority myself, I’m going to make sure that I’m giving that person a fair and equitable shot to show everything—all the pieces of the puzzle. I would hope that other minority organizations can respect that each peer group shares a common struggle and would be welcome to breaking bread with any peer in the minority space.”

Broader organizations have teamed up with these and other associations in hopes of supporting and building on their efforts. NBAA is one such organization. “Our goal at NBAA is for [business aviation] to be an intentional career path, and there is room for everyone. That is really how we are trying to focus: attraction to our industry is just as important as retention,” said Jo Damato, senior v-p of education. Damato said the NBAA’s role today involved developing all those who had the passion to become a pilot.

“As they find themselves getting more senior and being elevated to a leadership position—chief pilot, director of aviation, director of safety—then we can help fill in some of that development as a leader that goes beyond the technical skills required to fly the airplane,” she said. “We are focused on it being an inclusive place for people to want to be—and stay. That’s why it’s important to have this conversation with our current leaders.”

Damato said NBAA has great partnerships with OBAP and NGPA. “We exhibited in September at the inaugural Latino Pilots Association event in Orlando,” she said.

“We’re always at the NGPA; I’m always at Women in Aviation. I’m a card-carrying member since the year 2000 when I learned that they existed. A number of our members are too.

“Whether we identify with those groups or not, a number of us are allies for those groups. We do a lot of work with them. We participate in the inclusion summit that NGPA hosts every year to make sure we can represent business aviation. That’s the big picture of how we’re focused.” z

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A deeper look at Part 135 cargo accidents B Y C OL L E E N MO N D OR

In its reporting of near collisions this 2022. More than 30 percent of them, or 161 The company with the most accidents is year, the media often referred to the low accidents, occurred in Alaska, where the Ameriflight, with eight, one of which was number of “commercial plane crashes” lack of a statewide road system results in fatal. Martinaire Aviation has crashed six while addressing issues at the nation’s an outsized dependence on small commut- times, with four resulting in pilots killed. major airports. ers and air taxis, most of which combine A popular aircraft choice for Part 135 In this use, the term “commercial” cargo and passenger operations. cargo operators is the Cessna Caravan. Sixreferred not to the totality of different ways teen of the turboprop singles have been in which aircraft fly for hire, but rather CARGO’S CONTRIBUTION TO involved in accidents. There were also large passenger and cargo airlines operating eight Beech 99s, five Fairchild MetrolinPART 135 ACCIDENTS under Part 121.

For the period, the NTSB’s Part 135 fig- ers, and four Beech 1900s. Almost all of While this is a definition the general ures without Alaska leave a total of 278 the accidents involve single-pilot operpublic recognizes, it is not how the indus- accidents to analyze. The board does not ations. Copilots were aboard in only six try actually works and removes a large classify passenger and cargo operators sep- of the accidents, including two of the swath of commercial aviation from the arately, but a careful review of those acci- fatal accidents. flight safety discussion. In particular, it dents shows 62, or 22 percent, involved In a 2017 Air Cargo Carriers Shorts 330 ignores the more than 2,000 commercial cargo operators. accident, both pilots were killed when an Part 135 operators, especially those that They occurred in places like Moab, improper circling approach was attempted fly cargo.

Waterville, Rhinelander, Victoria, and at Charleston, West Virginia followed by Despite its enormous impact, the Part Durango and cover 30 states, with Texas the captain’s excessive descent rate on 135 cargo industry is easy to miss. Outside having the most at nine and Wisconsin, approach. In 2019, the captain was killed of Alaska, the flights generally occur at Utah, and Colorado following with four and the copilot seriously injured when a night, in single-engine aircraft, traveling to each. Overall in the lower 48, 18 cargo Conquest Air Convair C131 crashed in the and from small airports. pilots died (plus one passenger on a Atlantic Ocean after the captain elected to The National Transportation Safety non-revenue flight) and four suffered seri- continue the flight from the Bahamas to Board (NTSB) Aviation Accident Database ous injuries on the job. In two Part 91 acci- South Florida despite a malfunctioning left counts 439 total Part 135 accidents in the dents that involved training or positioning, propeller control; a dual engine failure folU.S. between January 2013 and December an additional three pilots were killed. lowed for unknown reasons. In both of these

Cargo operations account for 22 percent of lower 48 Part 135 crashes between January 2013 and December 2022.

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cases, the copilots had about 650 total hours.

Analyzing Part 135 probable causes shows the accidents happened for a variety of reasons: because pilots improperly calculated fuel load, forgot to lower the landing gear, suffered from spatial disorientation, or lost control on takeoff or landing. Six of them suffered a mechanical failure and three involved collisions with ground vehicles (blame assigned to the vehicle drivers in those cases). Overwhelmingly, pilot error is the common theme, but there are reasonable questions to be raised concerning scheduling, training, and maintenance.

For example, in January 2013, a Cessna Caravan pilot for Martinaire stopped in Pellston, Michigan for fuel and cargo.

Employees at the FBO noted he mentioned a “quick turn” before departing in night visual meteorological conditions right before 8 p.m. The aircraft crashed into the trees roughly one minute later; the pilot died. He had 2,000 hours of flight time and was hired by the company in late November; he was cleared for solo flights there three days prior to the accident. The probable cause was “inadvertent controlled descent into terrain due to spatial disorientation.”

In October 2015, a Cessna 210 ran out of fuel about two miles from its destination of Boise, Idaho and landed gear-up on Interstate 84. The SP Aircraft pilot, who told investigators he was on a “timesensitive” flight, was distracted by paperwork and failed to switch tanks while en route from Spokane, Washington.

He further described a “high workload” while on descent and did not use his descent checklist. The probable cause found improper fuel management but while interviewing the company chief pilot, he professed surprise, noting his employees were all experienced pilots who should “know how to manage fuel.” The pilot had 1,490 hours.

On June 7, 2020, a Mitsubishi MU-2 pilot for McNeeley Air Service was killed

The SP Aircraft Cessna 210 landed gear-up on Interstate 84 near Boise, Idaho, after the pilot failed to switch fuel tanks due to being “distracted by paperwork.” on takeoff from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The pilot had an estimated 22,000 hours and also served as the company director of operations.

A charter with cargo won on a bid from freight forwarder Active Aero, the

McNeeley pilot departed Everett, Washington at 9:16 p.m. on June 6 and later diverted to Sioux Falls due to weather, arriving at 1:40 a.m. He waited on the ground for three hours before departing at 4:30 a.m. and crashed immediately after.

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a i n o n l i n e .c o m \ November 2023 \ Aviation International News

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Reviewing his actions over the previous two days, investigators found he was at his desk in Arkansas at 8:30 a.m. on June 5, departing hours later at 4 p.m. and arriving in Everett, after a stop in Nebraska, at 11:21 p.m. He was in communication with the company starting at 9 a.m. the morning of the 6th, with a break that afternoon, then more communication starting around 8 p.m. until his departure at 9:16 p.m. It was impossible to know if he slept that afternoon. The NTSB calculated he was on duty for about 19 hours before the accident; his final destination was more than 1.5 hours from Sioux Falls. Investigators determined the probable cause was due to loss of control on takeoff for unknown reasons.

WORKING WITH THE BIG CARRIERS

It is difficult to tell from the various accident reports if negative relationships existed between the aircraft operators and the freight companies contracting them for transportation. Investigators do not make a habit of noting if the companies worked for FedEx, UPS, or others at the time of the accidents and if so, how formalized those business relationships might be (feeder airlines, contract carriers, or occasional charter operations). They also rarely ask company principals about the contracts.

There was a hint of pressure in a December 2016 fatal crash of a Key Lime Metroliner that encountered severe weather while flying IFR from Panama City, Florida to Albany, Georgia. The flight was scheduled to depart at 9:30 p.m., but an hour prior the pilot informed company flight followers that he was “holding on the ground” due to weather.

At 9:40 p.m., UPS contacted Key Lime dispatch to check on the flight, noting that if departure did not occur shortly, the cargo “would not make service.”

The pilot was immediately made aware of the call and responded that he would depart immediately. He was in the air at 9:54 p.m. but by 10:15 p.m. was discussing with

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The pilot of a Martinaire Cessna Caravan crashed shortly after takeoff from Pellston, Michigan, in night visual conditions, three days after being cleared for solo cargo flight operations.

ATC a deviation from his planned route due to weather. Minutes later he declared he would be turning back to Tallahassee, and ATC recommended a 180-degree heading, which he accepted. The radar showed he entered a right turn at 10:20 p.m., which continued through 540 degrees before radar contact was lost. The probable cause of the accident was the pilot’s decision to “initiate and continue flight into known adverse weather conditions which resulted in spatial disorientation…”

The pilot had 8,541 hours of total time with 4,670 in the Metroliner. He was the sole pilot based in Panama City and had been flying the route, scheduled five nights a week, for eight years. According to the Key Lime technical programs director, while flight cancelations for weather did not count “against carrier reliability metrics” per its cargo feeder contract with UPS, the company was only paid when the aircraft was flying. Following the accident, Key Lime ceased to operate the route; they were not asked why.

There are several accidents in 2021 and 2022 that are still under investigation, including a fatal crash in Thomson, Georgia that killed both pilots of a Fan Jet Falcon (Falcon 20) for Sierra West; a Metroliner crash in Bedford, New Hampshire that killed the Castle Aviation pilot;

Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

a Gem Air crash in Boise, Idaho that killed the Cessna Caravan pilot; a Freight Runners Express accident in Milwaukee, a Corporate Air accident in Salt Lake City, and an Ameriflight crash in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Additionally, in 2023, Ameriflight crashed in Lansing, Wisconsin, and Kamaka Air crashed in Kualapuu, Hawaii, resulting in a serious injury.

There were two cargo Part 91 accidents: on January 23, a Central Air Southwest pilot was seriously injured in Alabama on a positioning flight, and on August 22, there was a Wiggins Airways Beech 99 training accident near Litchfield, Maine that killed both pilots.

After analyzing these statistics and reading dozens of accident reports, it is fair to conclude that Part 135 cargo pilots occupy a profession that for all its technological advancements remains fundamentally similar to what Antoine de Saint-Exupery described nearly one hundred years ago.

“Sometimes,” he wrote of the mail pilot in his slim novel Night Flight, “he encountered a lonely farmhouse that seemed to be sailing backward from him in a great prairie sea, with its freight of human lives; and he saluted with his wings this passing ship.”

It’s a poetic description of a still largely invisible job that is chronically taken for granted and yet irrefutably important. z

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Checkered final flag at Reno

DAN WHITNEY

B Y C HR IS T OP HE R MOL L

Fifty-nine years of separation: the Unlimited winner this year was P-51 Mustang Bardahl Special, flown by Steven Hinton.

Monochrome inset shows the same airplane taking first place at the 1964 Gold final race, flown by Bob Love.

Championship air racing in Reno is finished after 59 years, interrupted just twice by the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and Covid in 2020. The curtain fell on this storied spectacle on a doubly forlorn and somber note, struck not only by its own conclusion but also, on the final day, by the collision of two T-6s positioning to land after the class Gold final race. Chris Rushing and Nick Macy perished, and further racing was canceled, so the final checkered flag never fell on the Jet and Unlimited classes—the event’s biggest draw.

Ever since the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority (RTAA) announced in March that the races this September would be the last at Reno, the question has been why

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now, 12 years after the horrific P-51D crash that killed 10 spectators in 2011.

Last year, the RTAA’s insurance carrier declined to issue the rider that had thus far covered the races. RTAA in turn required the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) to obtain a rider for the races; RARA complied, and its annual insurance premium grew by $500,000 to almost $1.3 million.

The RTAA press release made no mention of the authority’s inability to obtain the insurance rider, and cited “challenging economic conditions, rapid area development, public safety and the impact on the RenoStead Airport.” There has been speculation that Stead is ripe for expansion as an air cargo hub.

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Beyond these local risk/benefit issues, another cause for concern among fans has been the dwindling number of wealthy individuals with the passion to spend the huge amounts of money and time it takes to field a competitive Unlimited race plane and team. Tied to this concern is the purse size, inadequate as an incentive.

But there are bright spots offering hope to those wanting to see the world’s fastest motorsport adapt, develop, and grow elsewhere. The final Reno, held this past September 13-17, drew an enthusiastic response. Attendance was up this year by 30 to 40 percent on the figures for the decade, according to RARA COO Tony Logoteta, who added, “Our rough estimate

NOSTALGIA AND EXPECTATIONS

Returning this year for sunset on the Reno spectacle, I perhaps harbored unreasonable expectations amidst unwitting nostalgia. Joining me was a first-time air races attendee with a strong aviation/powerplant background. Together we’d blend expertise (his) and amateurism (mine), new and old eyes and ears, and a shared love of everything flying. Joining us in absentia and personified by gaping shoes to fill was my father, erring cautiously back home in the face of a resurgent Covid (which I arrived and was sidelined with until Friday, race day).

The weather was perfect, sunny with some mixed light clouds keeping things from getting too hot. Nevertheless, wing shade was premium real estate across the tarmac of the pits, as usual. The sweet scents of fuels and oils and other engine fluids sank deep into our clothes. Beyond the aromas was the crescendo of noises at Reno. The intensity of the sounds built with the sunlight, beginning at ASMR levels with the twist of socket wrenches, muted conversation, and coffee sips in the predawn walkaround hours.

With sunrise, like clockwork, came the of competition.” Everywhere you turned call of the daily F/A-18 and F-35 roosters to there were reminders of a more exciting banish any surviving slumber across the era, when heavily modified monsters like North Valleys. Sleek taildraggers began Rare Bear, Strega, Voodoo, Miss Ashley II, wheeling out of hangars and pit stalls; Precious Metal, and Super Corsair (with a Formulas headed for heats and Sports for 71-liter Pratt & Whitney R4360 with 28 cylwarm-ups and testing. Droning O-200s inders in four rows) pushed the envelope. pierced the cool blue mornings and, as But they have all steadily vanished from sun-soaked warmth tiptoed across the tar- the pylons. mac, the rumble of radials and the deep hum of big V12s began shaking the earth.

FULL CIRCLE FOR BARDAHL SPECIAL When the machinery took to the sky, the This year, the Bardahl Special P-51 (N2869D, grumbling growl of R2800s reverberated which competed at the Sky Ranch races inside your ribs and the roaring scream of in 1964) paid homage to the monsters of a Merlin or the mechanical symphony of a yore, in the skilled hands of Steven Hinton Centaurus drew every neuron to rapt atten- (son of long-time Reno fixture Steve), who tion. By 11 each morning, the aural schedule reached 469 mph on his fastest race this became six uninterrupted hours of hammer- year—the highest speed seen on the course down engine roaring, punctuated by jet and since 2017. Steven took the Unlimited Gold military demos. If you consider yourself an this year for his performance in Bardahl aero nut and you have not heard, with your Special through Saturday, making him the own ears, sinuses, and lungs a Bristol Cen- winningest Unlimited pilot of the Reno taurus at full chatter or a Rolls-Royce Merlin races with eight victories. developing twice its World War II horseDarryl Greenamyer had seven victories power, you must make it a priority.

(Bearcat Conquest I), Bill “Tiger” Destefani The Unlimited class best epitomizes the had seven (P-51 Strega), and Lyle Shelton decline of this cherished competition. It’s had six (Bearcat Rare Bear). The Bardahl the pinnacle of the sport, and yet this year Special sounded magnificent hurtling it was difficult to watch the current races around the eight-mile course. How fitting and not think, “Man, this must have been that the airplane that took first place in the awesome when there was a deeper field Unlimited Gold race in the first event 59

RARA

as of late September is 140,000 attendees.”

The competition landscape this year continued shifting, and across the paddock, teams innovated and maneuvered to fly faster, shorter, and sharper than ever.

In September, AIN received the opportunity to join and document what was billed as “The National Championship Air Races and Air Show: Final Flag at Reno.”

For context, I’d done the same in 2016 with my father, Nigel, an expert aviation editor, including for AIN, journalist, and author-photographer of the celebrated 1982 book Reno: Air Racing Unlimited. Dad used to like waking my sister and me on Saturday mornings in the early/mid-1990s with hi-fi recordings of Rolls-Royce Merlin start-ups and low fly-bys of P-51s and Spitfires blaring out from massive Klipsch speakers in the living room.

P-38 White Lightning rounding a pylon in 1981 at (for owner-pilot Lefty Gardner) a comfortable altitude. a i n o n l i n e .c o m \ November 2023 \ Aviation International News

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NIGEL MOLL NIGEL MOLL

The search is on for a venue to replace Reno, but the challenges are many. Reno’s mountainous desert setting created an amphitheater with a backdrop that not only allowed fans to visually gauge the racers’ speed but also trapped and magnified the noise of the spectacle. The absence of powerlines is another Reno asset that will be hard to duplicate elsewhere.

A Team Sanders Hawker Sea Fury retracts the gear as it climbs into a clear sky made for racing. The magnificent music of its rare original Bristol Centaurus sleeve-valve radial provides the soundtrack.

CHRISTOPHER MOLL

years ago at Sky Ranch, piloted that year by Bob Love and achieving 366 mph, should win the final event in 2023 with 469 mph.

Full circle. (The complexities of scoring high-speed air racing in 1964 were modeled on the system then in place for hydroplane racing, and although Bob Love was fastest in the Gold final, Mira Slovak in Bearcat Miss Smirnoff was crowned Unlimited champion that year because he had the most points.)

Regardless of if and where air racing might end up in the future, it’s hard to imagine a true, vibrant Unlimited class of racing returning without serious overhauls to the incentive structure. In something of a microcosm for difficulties facing aviation overall, spiraling costs and litigation are slowly choking passion for participating in the sport. The appetite just isn’t there for folks with the means to modify and field racing monsters. There’s enthusiasm for more affordable and available T-6 Texans, which suggests a morph into class racing of stock warbirds may be possible with less reform and fewer dependencies.

AIN asked RARA’s Logoteta for his thoughts on what can be done to boost the purse, which was a little over $800,000 this year, shared by all classes. The prize money for winning the Unlimited Gold final this year was $65,000. To put that in perspective, overhauling a Merlin these days costs $200,000.

Hand-crafted graphic flight plan for the Dassault Falcon 8X demonstration flown by Franco Nese and Buddy Pritchard during the air show.

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the glory days of competition. With practical technical advances like race tracking and POV, new viewers can be attracted both on- and off-site. If a new venue can increase accommodation capacity and provide cross-pollination with other events and industries, the sky is the limit. But it will be difficult indeed to duplicate Reno Stead’s mountainous desert scenery as a backdrop for magnifying noise and adding perspective to speed, and, as Steve Hinton emphasized in our conversation, its absence of powerlines.

We asked Hinton, who first attended Reno in 1970 and inherited from Bob Hoover the role of pace pilot in 1992, if he has one especially fond memory from his 53 years of involvement in the Reno races, and he responded, “Flying with some of the best pilots in the world.” Championship air racing has ended in Reno. Long live championship air racing. z

CHRISTOPHER MOLL

“We definitely realize, and we’ve said it to the classes, that this is a passion sport,” said Logoteta. “We understand that the people who come here to race do it because they love it. And they don’t get more in prize money than they spend.

On rare occasions, somebody might break even or, even rarer, get a little bit ahead.

We appreciate everything that they do and their love of the sport. They’re just fully invested in coming here and having a blast and competing. Figuring out ways to increase the purse has been on our radar for a while. We would like to increase it a lot, and we’re researching ways we can do that at a future location.

I don’t really have answers beyond that right now.” Biplanes were struck from competition after an impasse this year between RARA and the class, and Jets were down to two heats.

On the positive side, many spectators we observed were drawn towards Formula 1, Sport, and STOL Drag classes, where innovation and advancement are vastly more affordable. Speeds and times are still improving, and new ideas are still appearing on the scene. Whether public interest in any one class can support future venues remains to be seen, but it is certainly reasonable to try and harness their countervailing popularity to salvage racing across classes.

One theory circulating has it that air racing cannot attract a big enough audience, with Red Bull’s now-canceled traveling tour touted as conclusive proof.

Defying convention, the National Championship Air Races and Air Show: Final Flag at Reno shattered attendance expectations in 2023. It appears evident if the powers that be can find a path to agreement on a new venue, championship air racing can survive to continue delivering $100-plus million in area GDP contribution annually.

With right-sized prizes to rouse the slumbering giants, perhaps Unlimitedclass air racing can be revived to resurrect

Steve Hinton, pace pilot since taking over from the late, legendary Bob Hoover in 1992, first attended the Reno races in 1970. His abiding memory of those 53 years: “Flying with some of the best pilots in the world.”

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Interest rates, Ukraine contribute to lull in M&A activity B Y G R E G OR Y P OL E K

Although still facing reliability problems with the geared turbofan, Raytheon Technologies generated revenues of $67 billion in 2022.

In the aerospace industry and throughout the global economy, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity can serve as a barometer for economic health.

During times marked by strong market fundamentals, M&A activity tends to accelerate as healthy balance sheets make companies ripe for dealmaking.

Today, the aerospace business finds itself in a tepid M&A environment, thanks largely to the increased cost of capital wrought by inflation and soaring interest rates.

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According to a recent KPMG report, M&A activity plunged by nearly 20 percent from 2019 to 2020 with the onset of the Covid pandemic, which forced aerospace and defense companies to cut production and capacity. Now, persistent supply chain constraints, the war in Ukraine, and labor shortages have largely offset the resumption of air travel and resurgent demand for aircraft.

Meanwhile, high borrowing costs resulting from elevated interest rates have depressed profits and reduced cash flow

Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

throughout the industry. Consequently, OEMs have pressed suppliers to improve efficiency and increase output. Smaller companies, in particular, have shown an inability to respond to the pressure as their weak balance sheets and low cash reserves make the high cost of capital even more burdensome.

According to KPMG, last year saw M&A activity in aerospace and defense fall by more than 23 percent after reaching 566 transactions in 2021, while estimated deal value plunged by more than 60 percent.

Since the pandemic, the consultancy added, private equity dominated buy-side deal activity, driving consolidation in government IT services, cybersecurity and intelligence, electronics, space systems, machined and cast parts, and MRO and logistics. In fact, during that time PE firms took companies such as Signature Aviation.

NO CHEAP MONEY

Alex Krutz, founder of Orange County, California-based consultancy Patriot Industrial Partners, explained how the M&A environment has evolved over the past decade or so, starting with the period before Covid, when “cheap money” encouraged dealmaking.

“If you take a step back when interest rates were at zero, half a percent, one percent, the cost of money was very cheap.

So that’s when we saw leveraged buyouts and heavily debted transactions where you have minimal equity,” he told AIN. “So when you have cheap money in the marketplace, it facilitates lots of transactions and leads to overvaluations of some companies, where double-digit multiples were paid for companies that didn’t warrant it.

“Because of that, more people have access to debt and liquidity for deals, so that drives up competition and incentivizes owners and businesses to do transactions where they could sell their assets at premium dollars.”

But as Covid took its toll on the global economy and backlogs shrunk, airlines, most notably, canceled orders for new aircraft and cut orders for spare parts, leading to a 20 percent decline in M&A activity between 2019 and 2020. Then, as governments injected liquidity into economies to counter the effects of Covid, a rebound ensued in 2021, leading to a short period of frenzied activity.

“Now we have a byproduct of Covid, that liquidity dump in the form of inflation, leading to increased interest rates,” explained Krutz. “And so financial pressures are building on some of these

companies. The cost of capital’s more Technologies, RTX resulted from Raytheon expensive, balance sheets might not be as Company’s 2020 merger with United Techhealthy, and then also regional banks that nologies, which itself acquired Goodrich in deal with a lot of these small and mid-cap 2012, B/E Aerospace in 2017, and Rockwell companies are getting more risk averse and Collins in 2018. RTX, which now consists tighter on their lending.” of Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Projecting into the near-term future, and Raytheon, generated revenues of Bloomberg Intelligence senior aerospace $67 billion in 2022, compared with Boeanalyst George Ferguson told AIN that he ing’s $66.6 billion during the same period, sees companies whose inability to acceler- noted Krutz. ate production to levels required by OEMs Even while the Justice Department and upper-tier suppliers become targets required divestitures of defense-related of acquisition. assets by both Raytheon and UTC as a An example of this was Bombardier’s condition of its merger approval, mixed decision to reinforce its supply chain reaction came from the Trump administrathrough the acquisition of Latécoère’s tion at the time, which expressed concern electrical wiring interconnection system over its potential effect on the competitive business in Querétaro, Mexico. landscape. Ferguson, though, explained Such strategic buys will likely predomi- that strategic investors benefit from mergnate, he added, as aerospace manufacturers ers’ ability to drive cash flow at stressed look to fix disruptions in their supply chains. suppliers even as some express concern “And I think when you look at...the pri- with price increases they might effect. vate equity folks, they’re going to be roll“The way I want to say it is definitely ing around looking for where..do we have [favorable to the industry] for here and multiple suppliers that are supplying things now, for post-pandemic,” said Ferguson. that are similar, that we can cobble together, “Raytheon provides some nice stability and we can turn into a company with more to the business because they are in good operating leverage, with more economies of financial shape…It doesn’t come without a scale,” said Ferguson. cost, and so [the OEMs] may not get the absolute best price on everything they proNICHE DEALS cure out of Raytheon. But in my view, staAccording to the KPMG report, while pri- bility is more important right now.” vate equity will continue to concentrate RTX, however, continues to see a drag on middle-market growth-oriented acqui- on its performance in the form of Pratt & sitions using “creative financing” due to Whitney, whose well-documented reliabilthe tight lending environment, OEMs and ity problems with the GTF engine haven’t tier 1 suppliers will focus on niche “tuck-in” abated, he added. “[RTX subsidiary] Coldeals that involve complementary technol- lins appears to be performing fine,” said ogies and vertical integration of strategi- Ferguson. “But the drag has been Pratt and cally important vendors. it continues to be Pratt.”

In fact, according to Krutz in a recent The latest problem involves what Pratt article in Forbes, while OEMs over the & Whitney calls a rare condition with the past decade shrunk as they divested what powder metal it uses in various PW1100G they considered non-core assets, tier 1 engine parts for the Airbus A320neo. As a suppliers grew, a trend that he said “dra- result, operators will need to remove some matically transformed” the aerospace and 600 to 700 engines beyond initial forecasts defense industries. for shop visits between 2023 and 2026, The creation of RTX serves as a prime costing it between $3 billion and $3.5 bilexample, he added. Known as Raytheon lion over the next several years. z a i n o n l i n e .c o m \ November 2023 \ Aviation International News

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Rotorcraft

GAO: U.S. Army, Air National Guard helo pilots burdened by limited flight hours B Y M A R K HUBE R

Lack of pilot proficiency factors into Guard helicopter accidents examined by the Government Accountability Office.

A two-year Government Accountability “What we looked at, I think, definitely Office (GAO) performance audit released has applicability to the commercial world,” earlier this year found that helicopter oper- said Cary Russell, GAO director of defense ations at both the Army and Air National capabilities and management, during a Guard suffered from a lack of pilot profi- recent webinar hosted by the Helicopter ciency and experience due to limited flight Association International. hours and simulator time.

The GAO investigated causal factors in 298 Contributing factors included a lack of non-combat helicopter accidents between aircraft availability triggered by inadequate 2012 and 2021 that killed 28 across aircraft maintenance staffing and quality issues types including the Army Guard’s AH-64 with refurbished aircraft, simulator scar- Apache, UH/HH-60 Black Hawk, CH-47 city, and pilots who are overburdened with Chinook, UH-72 Lakota, and Air National administrative tasks.

Guard’s HH-60G Pave Hawk. Of this fleet,

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the CH-47 had the highest accident rate while the AH-64 had the most fatal accidents.

According to the report, “Unit commanders and pilots consistently identified pilot inexperience—such as a lack of proficiency and experience with specific missions—among the factors that contributed to helicopter accidents. For example, one company commander stated that new pilots get almost no experience with multiship operations during training events.”

“The bottom line is that National Guard pilots are not flying enough to meet their

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training goals to become proficient pilots in general,” said Randy Neice, GAO senior defense analyst who was on the audit team.

“National Guard officials noted that the minimum flying hours per month required for pilots to maintain skills is 6.77 hours. Most of the pilots are not meeting these goals.

Ideally, the Army National Guard would like their pilots to exceed nine hours per month, which is the proficiency hour goal. None of the key airframes had pilots averaging over nine hours per month in 2019 and 2020.”

Neice said Army Guard officials indicated that the nine-hour average would not be achieved until at least fiscal 2026. “It’s going to continue to be a problem.”

Things are more or less the same at the Air National Guard, where the GAO found that the flying requirements for “basic mission” capability in the Pave Hawks were six hours per month, but that one-third of Air Guard “Air National Guard officials told us that the units fell below that level between 2017 helicopters they had required over 3,600 and 2021. None of the Air Guard units were hours of unplanned maintenance” between meeting the goal of 12.5 pilot flying hours per 2019 and 2021, “resulting in the unit losing month deemed required to be “combat ready.” over 8,000 hours of aircraft availability” Neice stressed that these numbers were during that time, he said. averages and that some units had pilots The GAO also found that, as a whole, who flew frequently—as well as those who part-time pilots had training challenges weren’t getting much flight time at all. The related to aircraft and simulator availability.

GAO did not compare the accident rate “These pilots are taking time off from between full-time and part-time Guard work or reporting on weekends. If you pilots. The Army National Guard averages are a part-time pilot and you’re only able 200,000 flight hours per year across 1,300 to get there [to the base] once a week or aircraft, while the Air National Guard aver- a couple of times a month, and there’s ages 3,500 hours annually across 18 aircraft. an [aircraft] availability issue that affects Other factors the GAO identified included what [training] you are trying to do, it heavy reliance on part-time pilots; instructor, really has a major effect on keeping those pilot, and aircrew shortages; and mainte- [flying] skills sharp,” Neice said, addnance issues. ing that access to simulators was also “There were major maintenance issues and problematic. availability challenges at most of the units.

While pilots who have a simulator on In general, [Army] National Guard units site averaged 32 hours of simulator training have 70 percent of the maintenance person- per year, Guard pilots who did not have an nel they need,” said Neice. onsite sim averaged only 12 to 18 hours per Those units had the “additional challenge” year of simulator time. of “dealing with refurbished aircraft that Furthermore, pilots who need to squeeze were of questionable quality.” Specifically, all their simulator time into a weekend do

...minimum flying hours per month required for pilots to maintain skills is 6.77 hours. Most of the pilots are not meeting these goals.

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not have the opportunity to spread that time out throughout the year, he said.

While the Guards are taking steps to address this problem, Neice said that the action to date “really hasn’t been comprehensive in nature.”

In addition to lack of experience and proficiency, the audit revealed cultural issues that drove accidents. In its report, the GAO found that “Army National Guard safety and aviation operations officials we interviewed told us that accidents are human factor-driven, largely caused by people not being disciplined in application of processes or regulations. Additionally, a unit safety official stated safety processes require enforcement from the unit. However, in analyzing the narratives, we found that ‘indiscipline’ was commonly mentioned when an accident investigation board suspected a culture within a unit existed where a crew regularly operated against regulations without consequences.”

The GAO also took issue with the Guard’s risk-management practices and recommended that helicopter units “continuously evaluate and update” risk-management strategies. z

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31,000 sq ft of office space, the facility includes a new, airy 6,500-sq-ft passenger terminal.

Since many private aviation passengers prefer rampside vehicle access, Signature established a one-way airside loop at the facility to simplify transit to the aircraft, adding signage and faster-responding gates to optimize the passenger drop-off and pickup processes.

McKinney Air Center's New FBO Terminal Opens Vancouver Area Airport To Get Second FBO Canadian aviation services provider Fast Air Executive Aviation is expanding at Vancouver-area Abbotsford International Airport (CYXX). The full-service company— which offers aircraft charter, management, and maintenance— also operates FBOs at Winnipeg International Airport (CYWG) and Red Lake Airport (CYRL) in Ontario.

The facility at CYXX will include a 3,000-sq-ft, two-story terminal and adjoining 16,000-sq-ft hangar. The terminal will offer a passenger lounge with views of nearby Mount Baker, crew lounge and flight planning area, café bar and complimentary snacks, upstairs conference room overlooking the runway, business center, tenant office space, and concierge service.

Jet Aviation Adds Large Hangar at Bozeman Jet Aviation has completed construction of another hangar at its FBO at Montana’s Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport (KBZN). This latest addition expands the facility to more than 300,000 sq ft of hangar space, following a remodel of the FBO terminal and the purchase of new fuel trucks and ground equipment.

The 40,000-sq-ft structure with a 30-foot-high door height replaces a 10,000-sq-ft hangar that was originally attached to the FBO terminal and features a heated ramp outside its doors along with heated walkways to ensure arrivals and departures in inclement winter weather.

Signature Opens Revamped KBED Terminal Following a recent spate of construction projects, Signature Aviation has completed the renovation of its FBO at Hanscom Field Airport (KBED) in Bedford, Massachusetts.

In addition to 110,000 sq ft of heated hangars and

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The city of McKinney, Texas, opened a new 17,000sq-ft terminal at its municipal-run FBO on McKinney National Airport (KTKI). Featuring a modern, open design, the terminal includes amenities such as a conference room, pilot lounge, refreshment center, and a passenger waiting area. It accompanies investments the city has also made in hangars and runway expansions as part of a long-term master plan approved in 2018

Sheltair Completes Hangar Expansion at Tampa FBO Sheltair has cut the ribbon on a major expansion to its FBO at Tampa International Airport (KTPA) in Florida. The $26 million project added 77,000 sq ft of hangar space and 32,000 sq ft of office space. The four fire suppression foamequipped hangars range from 14,562 sq ft to 33,269 sq ft, with attached office space between 5,700 sq ft and 14,247 sq ft.

In addition, the project—which took a year and a half to complete—added another nearly eight acres of ramp to the 35-acre complex on the south side of the field. It also included reconstruction of an acre of heavy-duty asphalt.

The Avfuel-branded and CAA-preferred facility is a perennial top-tier finisher in AIN’s annual FBO Survey. It is open 24/7, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection service.

Hope for the future: Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre With its strategic location in the heart of Asia, Hong Kong serves as a gateway to the rapidly growing markets of Mainland China and the Asia-Pacific region. The city’s world-class infrastructure, state-of-the-art facilities, and business-friendly environment have made it an ideal destination for business travelers.

As such, Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre (HKBAC)—based at Hong Kong International Airport—has seen steady growth with its round-the-clock services that range from personalized flight handling to technical support and passenger and crew amenities. HKBAC was also the first FBO in Asia to have a co-located Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) facility, further supporting international business travel.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018, the FBO stated: “From a few hundred flights handled per annum at HKBAC’s establishment in 1998, HKBAC has grown to serve an annual total of nearly 7,000 in recent years.”

This growth was across the board, it said. “All types of aircraft operations in fact increased into 2018, Business and general flight movements in 2018 were some 20 percent more than that of 2017.”

However, when Covid hit in late 2019, even Hong Kong’s business aviation sector was not immune to the worldwide lockdown.

HKBAC reported that “volume in Hong Kong decreased drastically like the rest of the world.”

Despite feeling the pressure of Covid-19, Hong Kong surprisingly still saw elements of growth in “emerging new customer groups.”

HKBAC saw an increase in demand for charter flights that could provide flexibility for operations involving medical wellness, repatriation, and pet travel. This was particularly true as airline operations largely halted, leaving many people with varying needs desperately seeking alternative methods of aviation transport.

HKBAC is expanding under a $51 million terminal redevelopment project.

Further, Madonna W.Y. Fung, general manager of HKBAC, noted that while Covid-19 was a testing time for Hong Kong’s business aviation industry, it gave rise to a few unexpected positives such as the emergence of new customers. “Particularly, demand for charter flight has continued to rise significantly with a growing number of first-time private jet customers,” she said.

Business aviation activities in Hong Kong have rebounded. Fung noted that the FBO has experienced a “strong recovery in business activities so far this year with the number of flights bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels.” As many new customers used business aviation during Covid-19, they “are now more aware of the efficiency of business jet travel, including the time saved in arrival and departure processes, flexibility of flight schedules, and a smoother CIQ experience.”

Now that Hong Kong has opened up completely, it is vying to reaffirm its foothold in the burgeoning Mainland Chinese market by drawing on its unique position as a “double gateway” between China and the rest of the world. To facilitate this, Hong Kong and China’s governments are working closely together, with the former already having drawn up policies centered around

connecting cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the rest of the world.

To prepare for this and strengthen its position as an international aviation hub, Hong Kong is also looking inward to expand and revamp its infrastructure. Chief among the current development projects in Hong Kong is the three-runway system, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2024.

In addition to the third runway, HKBAC is undergoing a HK$400 million (U.S.$51 million) terminal redevelopment project, which involves the refurbishment and expansion of the existing executive terminal building with upgraded co-located CIQ facilities and a new all-weather canopy.

Also in the works is a new support terminal to accommodate growing demands from charter and group travel flights, along with additional offices.

The terminal redevelopment project is expected to be completed in 2025, with Fung optimistic that “HKBAC’s handling capacity for business jet movement will double upon completion of the redevelopment.”

Fung is confident that HKBAC’s new facilities will play a pivotal role in attracting even more business aviation activity into Hong Kong and China overall. —Bimal Mirwani

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MRO

BY GREGORY POLEK

Executive Jet Maintenance Adds Hangar at San Bernardino Airport

Yingling To Complete Second Expansion in 2023 by Year-end Yingling Aviation expects to complete its second major expansion project this year—the 14th building at its facility at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport—by January. Following a “significant” renovation, the 17,000-sq-ft warehouse will increase Yingling’s total facility space to more than 320,000 sq ft.

As a result of the expansion, Yingling has begun hiring more than 80 new employees. The company will use this facility for sheet metal repair for flight control surfaces, major structural components, precision cutting on avionics panels, modification, and other services.

Yingling added its 13th hangar at the airport in January.

Bombardier Expands Smart Services Cost-per-hour Program Bombardier has expanded its cost-per-flight-hour offerings with the introduction of a new level of its Smart Services program that includes scheduled and unscheduled maintenance cost coverage on major parts such as aircraft system components and landing gear overhaul. Called Smart Services Elite, the offering includes parts shipping, technical publications, technical support, a guaranteed flight-hour rate throughout the term, and mobile response team coverage.

Bombardier calls the new program “essentially inflation proof” due to its flat, fixed yearly rate. Meanwhile, new aircraft owners can add the coverage at the time of purchase to simplify the ownership process.

Owners and operators have enrolled more than 1,600 Bombardier aircraft in Smart Services programs, representing more than 10 million flight hours, according to the manufacturer.

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Executive Jet Maintenance recently added a 32,000-sq-ft hangar at San Bernardino Airport in Southern California. The expansion marks a major milestone for the company as it looks to accommodate a wider range of aircraft sizes and types.

“The ability to access secure and efficient storage and maintenance on a monthly basis is of great value to many clients, and it just underscores our recognition of the diverse needs of Southern California’s aviation community,” said CEO Kurt Belcher.

Executive Jet Maintenance referred to the hangar as “an ideal solution” for owners and operators seeking a reliable location to house their assets while benefiting from the company’s maintenance services. Access to Executive Jet Maintenance’s personnel for ongoing maintenance and repair is a valueadd to the ongoing benefit of jet storage at the hangar.

Jet East Wins Mexican CAA Approval for Maintenance Work Jet East has obtained Mexican Federal Civil Aviation Agency authorization. The approval allows Jet East to perform maintenance services on Mexico-registered aircraft at its facilities in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Dallas.

The locations of Jet East’s MRO operations align perfectly with the demand for aircraft maintenance near Mexico, said the company, adding “these geographical advantages enable Jet East to provide prompt and reliable maintenance services to customers from Mexico, ensuring minimal downtime for their aircraft.”

Monterrey, Mexico's second-largest aviation hub, lies 575 miles from Jet East's Dallas facility, while Toluca is relatively close to the company’s facilities in Texas and Florida.

Clay Lacy Aviation Growing To Serve Maintenance Clients What started seven years ago as a modest line maintenance operation has grown to become a consistent source of revenue and cost savings for Clay Lacy Aviation and a wellspring of value for its clients.

Now concentrated on the U.S. East and West Coast, the company’s MRO operation employs more than 120 technicians and support staff at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles and another 60 at Waterbury-Oxford Airport in Connecticut. Meanwhile, several mobile response teams support AOG needs.

Today, Clay Lacy maintains not only its own fleet but transient aircraft that account for 40 percent of its business at Van Nuys. “About six years ago we started realizing the potential,” recalled Clay Lacy senior v-p of business operations Ed Mirzakanian. “So, we started investing heavily in training our employees and aircraft, specialty tools, heavier equipment, and so forth and got to the point where we realized that we needed dedicated hangar space for maintenance. That’s when we started getting into heavier scheduled events.”

Mirzakanian explained that the move helped bring not only capability but flexibility to reschedule maintenance events based on customer need or to apply extra manpower for quicker turnarounds. “The second part was the volume of traffic going through and based at [Van Nuys],” he added. “The cost of relocating an airplane to a larger facility was climbing and continues to go up. The cost of fuel, the cost of pilots, transporting the crew, the cost of oversight when the aircraft is away—all of that adds up.”

Soon, more opportunity arose in the form of Embraer, which named Clay Lacy an authorized service facility for the Phenom, Praetor, and Legacy airframes as a growing number of those aircraft moved into Southern California. Next came Honeywell, for which Clay Lacy serves as an authorized provider

Clay Lacy Aviation technician Jose Vasquez is part of a core team that takes care of customer aircraft on the West Coast. of avionics support and a selling agent for talent pool there is pretty deep,” he said. that equipment as well as engines and APUs. Meanwhile, the industry’s supply-chain Other OEMs took notice and soon came conundrum has hit Clay Lacy hard, particauthorized dealerships with Gogo, Collins, ularly as it applies to brake assemblies and Garmin, and, most recently, Viasat. tires. Turnaround times have lengthened conThe company now has positioned itself for siderably, and the resulting planning burden further growth with the start of construction has added a lot of expense. of three 40,000-sq-ft hangars in Waterbury; “[Tire supply] had started to get better and the first phase should open in 2025 and the everybody in the industry was becoming rest in 2026. more confident with our vendors, and now Mirzakanian said that a shortage of we’re back in that again,” said Montgomery. mechanics has hindered further expansion in “I think some of the MROs have gotten their California. “Certain regions of the country are hopes up, but at the end of the day, it’s still getting hit harder than others,” he said. a challenge because we want to be able to “Overall, there has been a decline in count on our vendors so we can deliver the the number of young people interested in right message to owners.” becoming aviation technicians in Southern Mirzakanian noted that turn times have at California,” he noted. “And the talent is down. least doubled in many cases as aircraft sit on We don’t see the craftsmen who used to jacks waiting for brake assemblies, one of want to get into this through an A&P program the items that is hard to source. “A job that show any interest. So, recruitment has been you would be able to turn in two weeks now our biggest hurdle in Southern California.” may take a month or two,” he said. “So, for Conversely, added v-p of aircraft mainte- example, we’re having to purchase parts nance operations Mike Montgomery, Clay upfront just in case we need them. And then Lacy has enjoyed a more ready supply of when you ship them back you pay a hefty technicians in the Northeast. “I was up in restocking fee. But that has become part of Oxford just a couple of weeks ago and the the cost of doing business for us.”

G.P.

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Accidents

BY DAVID JACK KENNY

The material on this page is based on reports by the official 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.

Preliminary Reports Training Accident Claims Two Beech C99, Aug. 22, 2023, Litchfield, Maine A newly hired pilot and the company instructor conducting his third initiation flight perished when the 1982-model aircraft abruptly crashed into a stand of 50-foot oak trees. ADS-B data showed that the twin-engine turboprop took off from Maine’s Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport (KLEW) at about 17:08 local time, flew the ILS approach to KLEW’s Runway 04, and initiated a missed approach. After reaching the missed approach fix, the flight began the charted left holding pattern, then entered a sudden descent.

A pilot-rated witness saw an airplane he recognized as a Beech 99 flying north and described its engines as sounding “very smooth.” When he looked up again, the airplane was in a “steep dive” with its wings level. Its engines still sounded smooth and its flight path did not change. Shortly after it disappeared behind the trees, he heard a “loud boom.”

The tree strikes at the accident site suggested that it was pitched 20 degrees nosedown and banked 10 degrees right on impact.

The debris path measured 424 feet long and 100 feet wide; there was no post-crash fire.

At 17:56, KLEW reported clear skies, 10 miles visibility, and 10-knot north winds.

EMS Flight Crashes into Apartments Eurocopter EC135T1, Aug. 28, 2023, Pompano Beach, Florida En route to pick up a patient at the scene of an automobile accident, a Broward County Sheriff ’s Office helicopter crashed onto

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the roof of an apartment complex, killing a paramedic onboard and one resident of the building. A second paramedic suffered serious injuries, while the pilot’s injuries were classified as minor.

The pilot reported that during initial climb westward from the Pompano Beach Airpark, he heard a loud “bang” from the rear of the aircraft and saw that the number one engine’s turbine outlet temperature was spiking. The helicopter was then 300-400 feet agl. He set the number one engine to idle power, declared an emergency, and turned back towards the airport. Seeing that the number one engine’s fire warning had illuminated, he activated its fire-suppression system, but the temperature continued to rise.

After a second bang, the pilot lost control of the helicopter, which spun down into the building. A post-crash fire consumed most of the airframe. Video footage supplied by a witness showed “an in-flight fire near the area of the engine exhaust and the tailboom attach point. The tailboom partially separated in-flight and the helicopter descended in a right spin.” The tailboom came to rest about 30 feet from the main wreckage with the Fenestron tail rotor intact. The 1999model helicopter had flown about 24 hours since its most recent inspection.

Fourteen Killed on Brazilian Charter Flight Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante, Sept. 16, 2023, Barcelos Airport, Amazonas, Brazil Both pilots and all 12 passengers died when their charter flight crashed attempting to land at the Barcelos Airport in heavy rain.

Initial reports suggested the twin-engine turboprop ran off the end of the runway and through the airport’s perimeter fence,

Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

and then struck an embankment. The passengers, all male, are believed to have been on a sport-fishing trip to the Rio Negro.

Final Reports Design and Certification Inadequacies Cited in Leicester Disaster Leonardo AW169, Oct. 27, 2018, Leicester, UK The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded that multiple deficiencies in the design, testing, and certification requirements for critical components contributed to the failure of the tail rotor duplex bearing, causing a catastrophic loss of yaw control.

The pilot and all four passengers were killed when the helicopter crashed seconds after taking off from the center of the pitch in King Power Stadium, igniting a fire that quickly engulfed the fuselage. The helicopter was beginning its transition to forward flight at an altitude of 250 feet when an uncontrollable right yaw sent it spinning down onto “a stepped concrete surface.”

Investigators found that the tail rotor duplex bearing had seized, allowing the pitch angle of the tail rotor blades to move to “their physical limit of travel,” amplifying the unopposed torque applied by the main rotor system.

The seizure was attributed to lubrication failure resulting from “a combination of dynamic axial and bending moment loads which generated internal contact pressures.” The AAIB’s extensive two-volume report goes on to note that the original analysis of the bearing’s theoretical load spectrum was not validated by flight test results to assess the bearing’s suitability

for this application, which was not required by regulation; and that “no design or test requirements in Certification Standard 29… explicitly addressed rolling contact fatigue in bearings identified as critical parts.” It described certification testing of the bearing as “not sufficiently representative of operational demands to identify the failure mode” and asserted that “the various failure sequences and possible risk reduction and mitigation measures within the wider tail rotor system were not fully considered in the certification process.” Finally, the helicopter manufacturer did not require routine inspection of critical part bearings.

now, we’re trying to win a race…This is Nascar.” to Runway 08. Both were evacuated by a The overspeed warning sounded multi- Canadian Forces rescue helicopter based at ple times during descent, once for eight sec- Goose Bay, but the pilot subsequently died onds. The PIC said, “Goal achieved” and the of his injuries.

SIC replied, “Final lap.” Two minutes after The airplane crossed the initial approach the crew requested a straight-in approach fix at 2,800 feet and 104 knots groundspeed, to Runway 36, the controller advised the then began tracking a three-degree descent other jet that they were number two for path while slowing to 70 knots seven miles the airport. The autopilot was disconnected from the airport. It accelerated to 80 knots with the Gulfstream 1.5 miles from the run- after the tower advised a following aircraft way and descending through 900 feet at 170 that they were number two for the runway, knots, nearly 50 knots above their reference then slowed again after the pilot received his landing speed of 121. landing clearance.

Multiple sink-rate warnings sounded The final ADS-B data point showed a as it slowed to 150 and then 130 knots. It groundspeed of 51 knots just before the touched down about 1,000 feet down the airplane departed controlled flight on the “Nascar Race” Approach 4,200-foot runway at an estimated 120-128 runway’s extended centerline. The rescue Ends in Overrun knots and immediately deployed thrust helicopter reached the site three minutes reversers, but the ground air brakes failed after the 406 MHz ELT signal was detected.

Israel Aircraft Industries/Gulfstream G150, to deploy for undetermined reasons.

The U.S.-registered aircraft was based in May 5, 2021, Ridgeland, South Carolina Tire marks on the runway only showed Switzerland, but had returned to the U.S. The pilots’ decision to “race” another evidence of heavy braking in the last 1,000 for extensive avionics upgrades. It departed inbound jet led them to fly an unstable feet of the runway. The airport has no Sept-Îles with a full load of 151 gallons approach, both high and fast, and make weather reporting, but a pilot-rated wit- (1,057 pounds) of jet-A, and TSB investigaa straight-in approach with a quartering ness estimated the winds as coming from tors determined that it was 475 pounds over tailwind that exceeded the manufacturer’s 220 to 230 degrees at 11 to 13 knots; footage its certified maximum takeoff weight, with operational limit. captured by another witness showed the its center of gravity 1.9 inches ahead of its The nose and right main landing gear 15-knot windsock fully extended. The Gulf- forward limit. At the time of the accident, were partially sheared and the wings and stream’s flight manual cites a maximum it was calculated to still be 48 pounds overfuselage substantially damaged after the allowable tailwind component of 10 knots. weight with its center of gravity 2.1 inches jet rolled off the end of the runway, comforward of limits. ing to rest in marshy terrain about 400 feet Improper Loading Implicated The TSB’s report notes that both the past the departure threshold. There were in Approach Stall excess weight and the forward c.g. would no injuries to either pilot or any of the have served to increase the airplane’s stall Piper PA-46-360P JetProp DLX Conversion, three passengers. speed, which is normally 69 knots clean and Dec. 14, 2022, Goose Bay, The NTSB report quotes extensively from 58 in the landing configuration. The JetProp Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). While en flight manual calls for a final approach route from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the Canada’s Transportation Safety Board speed of 90 knots with flaps extended or pilots concluded that reports from nearby (TSB) determined that the single-engine 100 knots without, while two independent airports of winds from 240 to 250 degrees turboprop was above its rated maximum training providers contacted by investigaAINonline logo maintaining at least 120 favored landing straight in on Runway 36. gross weight with its center of gravity well tors recommended After a passenger inquired about their arrival forward of limits not only on departure knots on final approach. z time, the PIC promised, “I’ll speed up. I’ll go from Quebec’s Sept-Îles Airport, but also real fast here.” He estimated their arrival time throughout its approach to Goose Bay. The at 10:35 and that of another jet inbound to pilot and only passenger suffered serious Ridgeland as 10:33, then told the SIC, “They’ll injuries when the airplane stalled onto the Get the latest bizav slow to 250 [knots] below 10 [thousand feet] final approach course about 2.5 nm short news ! and we won’t. We know what we’re doing right of the airport during an RNAV approach AIN logo: C 0 M 100 Y 63 B 12 Hex: D31245 RGB: R 211 G 18 B 69 Alerts: 65% black font: Myriad Pro semi extended 90% height

alerts

a i n o n l i n e .c o m \ November 2023 \ Aviation International News

55

Compliance Countdown

BY GORDON GILBERT

JUST AROUND THE CORNER

Nov. 26, 2023

Canada: ATC Service Charges Nav Canada has released for consultation a proposal to adjust ATC service charges, effective Jan. 1, 2024. The proposal would result in a decrease in fees averaging nearly 6 percent across all service categories. The proposal follows more than three years in which fees increased an average of 29.5 percent due to significantly lower air traffic revenue caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The lower traffic volume created a major deficit in Nav Canada’s rate stabilization account (RSA) as costs exceeded revenue. The proposal includes a base rate decrease of 9.33 percent and temporary rate increase of 3.76 percent for the RSA shortfall, resulting in an average net decrease in service charges of 5.57 percent. Comments on the proposal are due by Nov. 26, 2023.

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 member 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-CO 2 emissions, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx), soot particles, oxidized sulfur species, and effects from water vapor (contrails).

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 rewritten” comms failure procedure.

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NEW

March 16, 2024

U.S.: Remote ID of Unmanned Aircraft

Drone pilots who are unable to comply with the remote ID broadcast requirements have until March 16, 2024 to equip their aircraft, a six-month delay from the original Sept. 16, 2023 date. After March 16, 2024, operators flying unmanned aircraft without remote ID could face fines and suspension or revocation of pilot certificates. In making this decision, the FAA said it “recognizes the unanticipated issues that some operators are experiencing finding remote identification broadcast modules.”

March 31, 2024 NEW

Netherlands: Amsterdam Air Traffic

Business jets will bear the brunt of actions next year to reduce air traffic at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The airport declared that starting March 31, 2024, just 12,000 business aviation movements will be permitted over a 12-month period. That represents a 30 percent cut from the current 17,000 limit, with 7,200 of the new limit allocated for the summer 2024 operating period.

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

Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

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.

Jan. 1, 2025

Europe: ELTs

EASA has implemented a two-year postponement requiring certain large airplanes certified in Europe to be equipped with an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) with distress tracking capability: ELT(DT).

An ELT(DT) is designed to activate automatically in flight when it detects conditions indicative of a distress situation, or the flight crew can manually activate the ELT(DT). Under the new rules, airplanes with a mtow of more than 27,000 kilograms (above 59,500 pounds) and first issued their CofA on or after Jan. 1, 2024 will be required by Jan. 1, 2025 to be equipped with an ELT(DT) that autonomously transmits information from which the aircraft’s position can be determined by the operator at least once every minute when in distress.

NEW

Complete Business Aircraft Services Aircraft Acquisition & Consignment Airframe Maintenance Avionics Installation Emergency Assistance (AOG) Engine & APU Engineering & Certification Services FBO Services Government & Special Programs Paint & Interior Parts, Avionics, Instruments & Accessories

May 1, 2025

Europe: ETIAS

ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) is an online pretravel and pre-boarding requirement applying to visa-exempt third-country nationals planning to travel to European states. The implementation date has been extended several times, with the latest now May 1, 2025. The information is submitted via an online application ahead of arrival at borders enabling pre-travel assessment of irregular migration risks, security, or public health risk checks.

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.

Experience. Unlike any other. www.DuncanAviation.aero

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For the most current compliance status, see: ainonline.com/compliance a i n o n l i n e .c o m \ November 2023 \ Aviation International News

57

People in Aviation

BY JAMES CARELESS

Comlux has promoted Adam White to CEO of Comlux Completion in Indianapolis. He was formerly v-p of program management. Comlux has also appointed Daron Dryer to its board of directors team. Dryer was CEO of ADAM WHITE Comlux Completion from 2019 to 2023.

Stanton & Partners Aviation has hired Benoit Defforge as CEO. He is the former president of Airbus Group’s corporate aviation division. The company has also appointed Michael Nelson as COO and general counsel. He was previously a partner in the law firm Clyde & Co. Chris Lee was promoted to president of 1st Source Bank’s aviation finance division, replacing David Hudak who retired on September 30. Lee joined 1st Source Bank in July 2020 as relationCHRIS LEE ship sales officer/v-p in Austin, Texas.

SkyGrid appointed Jia Xu as CEO, succeeding Amir Husain who will remain with the company as a board member. Previously, Jia Xu served as the chief technology officer for unmanned aerial systems and urban air mobility at Honeywell Aerospace.

Go Rentals has hired Noël Mika Bahamón as chief marketing officer. She previously served as CMO with Jet Edge International.

Maria Cilia is now head of base maintenance and CEO of Lufthansa Technik Malta, while Pat Foley has become CEO and managing director of Lufthansa Technik Turbine Shannon. Cilia’s last position was head of planning and engineering at Lufthansa Technik Sofia. Foley was previously the company’s senior director of business development, aircraft maintenance services, Americas.

Revv Aviation has appointed Jayson Scott Wilson as president. He was previously chief commercial officer/chief operating officer at Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines.

Suran Wijayawardana has joined FlyHouse as chief aviation officer. He was previously COO at Alerion Aviation.

Allen McReynolds was appointed COO for West Star Aviation. Prior to this appointment,

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Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

Mc R e y n o l d s w a s m a n a g i n g p a r t n e r a t SeaTec Consulting.

The Air Traffic Control Association has hired Carey Fagan as its incoming CEO and president. Fagan recently retired from the FAA after 33 years with the agency.

Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI) has appointed Greg Heine as senior v-p of JSSI Maintenance Software strategy and operations. He was previously an advisor (and prior to that CEO) at Vessel Vanguard.

Solairus Aviation has added Jim Simpson and Scott Galdi to the company’s executive management team. Simpson was formerly senior managing partner of First RepubJIM SIMPSON lic Bank’s aviation and marine lending team. Galdi joined Solairus after being regional marketing manager at FlightSafety International.

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) has appointed Tim White as v-p of engineering and technology. White joins the AIA from his former position at Interos as aerospace and defense industry principal.

Boston JetSearch has promoted Lara Jaugust to v-p of transactions. She most recently held the position of client services manager at the company, having joined Boston JetSearch in 2018.

MagniX has appointed Tim Allen as v-p of sales and marketing. Allen comes to MagniX from Garmin International, where he served as commercial aviation OEM sales manager.

The Jet Agent has hired Jessica Dezart as sales director for the Citation Mustang, CJ, CJ1/CJ1+, and CJ2/CJ2+ markets. Prior to this post, Dezart was a full-time sales director and contract Learjet 60 pilot at ParJESSICA DEZ ART adise Jets.

Alejandro Noriega was appointed as a Mexico-based sales director for Jetcraft. After more than a decade spent trading aircraft at Aerolineas Ejecutivas, Noriega will serve Jetcraft customers in Mexico as well as Central and South America.

Ontic has appointed Joshua Florio as general manager of its Creedmoor site in North Carolina. Florio was previously v-p/general manager of AAR’s Landing Gear Services in Miami.

Jet East has hired Charlton Resurreccion as director of appearance operations. Resurreccion began his career as a ramp service agent, learned about aircraft cleaning and detailing, and eventually led teams CHARLTON in this area.

RESURRECCION Bargate Murray has appointed Robert Calleja as senior associate. Calleja comes to the firm from Watson Farley & Williams, where he was a lawyer.

Eric Tabor was hired by Privaira Private Aviation as director of fleet development.

Tabor was previously co-owner of Life Lift Organ Recovery.

Aviation accident law firm Kreindler & Kreindler has promoted attorney Evan Katin-Borland to partner. Katin-Borland has practiced aviation law with the firm since 2012, after moving from Itkowitz & Harwood where he was an associate.

Aviation leaders mourned the loss of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) executive Richard McSpadden, who died last month in an aircraft accident outside Lake Placid, New York.

McSpadden, who had served as senior v-p of the AOPA Air Safety Institute and was revered by many for his safety advocacy, was 63.

AOPA released a statement saying it was deeply saddened to report that McSpadden and one other person (former NFL football star Russ Francis) had passed away on October 1 after the Cardinal 177 they were flying in crashed as it was returning to Lake Placid Airport.

“The Cardinal 177 in which Richard was in the right seat experienced an emergency after takeoff. The airplane attempted to return to the airport but failed to make the runway,” AOPA said.

The association called McSpadden “a very accomplished pilot, including serving as commander of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds during his military career, a trusted colleague, friend, son, husband, and father.”

McSpadden joined AOPA in February 2017 to lead the Air Safety Institute as executive director and was promoted to

Precision Aviation Group (PAG) has hired Meghan Brock as v-p and general manager of Trace Aviation, part of PAG Components Services.

Aerocare Aviation appointed former Aeroco Group CEO Jonathan MEGHAN BROCK Bird head of business development and sales.

Patrick Etie has joined Duncan Aviation’s turbine engine service sales team as a sales specialist. He was formerly regional engine manager at Turbine Engine Specialists. z

AWARDS AND HONORS Ross Perot, Jr. has won the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) 2023 Bruce Whitman Memorial Trophy. Perot is being recognized for his commitment in preserving, recognizing, and sharing the impact of America’s military heroes to inspire future generations of fliers. In 2019, the NBAA presented Perot with the Meritorious Service to Aviation Award.

senior v-p in July 2020. He additionally served as the industry chair for the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee.

Originally from Panama City, Florida, McSpadden began flying as a teenager and had amassed well over 5,000 hours in civilian and military aircraft. He was a graduate of the U.S. Air Force War College and spent 20 years in the service.

During his time in the Air Force, he held the roles of commander and flight leader of the Thunderbirds flight demonstration team, leading more than 100 flight demonstrations.

“Spad was a close friend, we flew F-15s together over the skies of Iraq...” said General Aviation Manufacturers Association president and CEO Pete Bunce, calling him “a true giant...I have never known an aviator with finer pilot skills who then in turn selflessly helped others benefit from his vast expertise with such humility that pilots at any experience level felt comfortable learning in Spad’s presence.”

McSpadden taught his son to fly and instructed his daughter to solo in their Piper Super Cub. He is survived by his wife Judy, his son Grant, and his daughter Annabel.

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 continued from page 8

environmental footprint in Europe, supply-chain constraints, and a faltering order intake rate.

Dassault does not disclose sales by aircraft model, but the French OEM registered orders for just 12 business jets in the first six months of 2023, less than a third of the 41 Falcons it sold in the year-ago period. “We had a very good 2022 in terms of sales, with 64 orders taken,” Trappier remarked. “Now, it is slightly slower. The post-Covid upturn in growth witnessed in 2022 began to ease off in the last quarter of 2022, a slowdown that continued in the first half of this year.”

The fear of a recession that emerged at the end of last year “may be a source of concern for our business,” the Dassault Aviation leader said. “When our [Falcon] business is doing well, the economy is doing well. When we’re not doing so well, some people have some concerns about the global economy.”

Still, Trappier hopes Falcon sales will pick up once the 6X enters service.

“There’ll be a demonstrator, and future clients will be able to assess the 6X in flight, and this will definitely boost the sales of 6X,” Trappier told analysts and reporters during the company’s first-half results presentation. Certainly in the U.S., customers typically wait to buy until after they are able to test the aircraft, he noted. Europe and the U.S. are the biggest Falcon markets, with Asia developing rapidly.

Dassault Aviation is maintaining its fullyear delivery guidance and expects to turn over 35 Falcon jets in 2023—up from 32 in 2022 and 30 in 2021—despite a weak first half, which Trappier said was marked by a “continuing [difficult] supply-chain environment” and the difficulties involved in recruiting people. “This situation has an impact on the development and production of our aircraft, which we need to ramp up to meet our commitments,” he conceded.

The company delivered nine Falcons in the first six months of this year, compared with 14 in the first half of 2022. z

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JAMES HOLAHAN (1921-2015), FOUNDING EDITOR, WILSON S. LEACH, FOUNDER & CHAIR EMERITUS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – Matt Thurber MANAGING EDITOR – Chalres Alcock NEWS EDITOR–AIN PUBLICATIONS – Chad Trautvetter EDITOR AIN MONTHLY MAGAZINE – Kerry Lynch SENIOR EDITORS – Curt Epstein, Gregory Polek – Show Editions, Hanneke Weitering – Technology Editor COPY EDITOR – Jessica Reed CONTRIBUTORS Cathy Buyck – Europe, David Donald – U.K., Mark Huber – Rotorcraft , Jennifer Leach English, David Jack Kenny – Safety Gordon Gilbert, Jennifer Meszaros – Southeast Asia, Dale Smith, Richard Pedicini, James Wynbrandt PRODUCTION MANAGER – Martha Jercinovich GRAPHIC DESIGNER – Grzegorz Rzekos DIRECTOR OF VIDEO – Ian Whelan SENIOR DEVELOPER – Cameron MacPherson FRONT END DEVELOPER – David Lohmeyer

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Aviation International News \ November 2023 \ a i n o n l i n e .c o m

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

It’s wonderful that organizations like the Corporate Angel Network are able to help connect those most in need of flights to those who are flying.

-Henry Maier, President and CEO, FedEx Ground

Westchester County Airport | White Plains, NY | (914) 328-1313

PRAISED BY PILOTS. APPROVED

BY AUTHORITIES.

EASA/FAA Certified August 2023 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.

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