Jet fuel prices continue to spike as a result of crude oil supply disruptions brought on by the Russia-Ukraine war. In fact, jet-A reached what is believed to be a record U.S. high of $12.16 per gallon today at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport, according to current retail pricing data from AirNav.
“The New York-New England jet [fuel] market has jumped up dramatically to the tune of over $2 a gallon here today,” noted Avfuel v-p of sales Joel Hirst. “You’re well over $7 just on the traded cost of fuel in the New York market…that’s just the raw cost.”
Jet-A in the Northeastern U.S. is supplied by three pathways: the Colonial Pipeline, which Hirst said is running at full capacity; refineries in the Philadelphia area; and distillate imports from Europe. According to Hirst, it is the latter that is causing the problems as Western nations shun the one million barrels a day of crude oil output from Russia. Those potential petroleum product exports to the U.S were diverted to shore up European reserves.
“[Pricing] will come back down as fast as it went up,” he told AIN. “Typically as soon as we start getting the imports to start creating the fuel rebalancing, those traded numbers will start pulling off in big chunks, but we’re probably looking at a 10- to 12-day period before we see any of that take effect.”
Pilatus Aircraft reached a new production record last year, delivering 152 airplanes (45 PC-24s, 88 PC-12 NGXs, 17 PC-21s, and two PC-6s), the Swiss company noted in its newly released 2021 annual report. That increase from the 129 aircraft it handed over in 2020 occurred despite supply chain disruptions and bottlenecks that negatively affected production, Pilatus said.
For the year, the company had revenues of CHF 1.3 billion ($1.39 billion), up 19 percent from 2020. General aviation accounted for about 68 percent of the 2021 revenues, with the remainder coming from “government aviation” sales. Pilatus also overcame production inefficiencies caused by supply chain challenges, with earnings rising 35 percent year-over-year, to CHF 210 million.
The Stans, Switzerland-based aircraft manufacturer also booked orders worth CHF 1.7 billion last year, resulting in a 1.3:1 book-to-bill ratio. Thus, Pilatus’s order book swelled to CHF 2.12 billion by the end of last year.
“Thanks to a great deal of hard work and flexibility, we achieved a very good result of which the entire crew may be justifiably proud,” said Pilatus CEO Markus Bucher. “Demand for our products and services has rarely been so high. Meeting customer expectations despite unreliable supply chains and continuing deglobalisation will, however, ensure our work remains challenging.”
The FAA is continuing to realign its senior ranks, naming long-time agency official Liro Liu to succeed Earl Lawrence as executive director of the Aircraft Certification Service, effective May 8. Lawrence, meanwhile, will shift to a new role as deputy assistant administrator of the NextGen Office.
Liu brings a lengthy background in certification and regulation to her new position, having spent more than 30 years with the agency in roles such as executive director for rulemaking, executive director for operational safety in the Commercial Space Transportation Office, and acting deputy associate administrator for the Office of Aviation Safety. In her current capacity as acting director for the Office of International Affairs, she oversees international policy across the FAA and the international offices in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Lawrence has served as the Aircraft Certification Service lead since 2018. Before taking the position, he was executive director of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office and also has been manager of the FAA’s Small Airplane Directorate. He joined the FAA in 2010 after serving as v-p of industry and regulatory affairs for the Experimental Aircraft Association.
“These moves are strategic in nature and are designed to take advantage of the strengths that each executive brings to the FAA,” the agency said.
Bestfly is expanding its fleet of Leonardo helicopters configured for offshore energy transport missions in Angola with the purchase of an intermediate-twin AW139 for delivery in the third quarter. This aircraft adds to two previously leased AW139s and four AW169 light intermediate twins purchased at the end of 2021, which made Bestfly the first local operator to introduce the AW169 in the African market.
The company's fleet of 30 helicopters is expected to include seven Leonardo helicopters by year-end. Its AW139 and AW169 helicopters fly missions such as offshore passenger and equipment transport in the energy mining and tourism industries in Angola. More than 200 helicopters currently service the African offshore energy market, and over the last eight years Leonardo has nearly doubled the number of its aircraft in the region.
Since being certified in 2004, Leonardo has accumulated orders for more than 1,250 AW139s from some 290 customers in 80 countries, and the fleet has logged in excess of three million flight hours. The helicopter features the widest cabin in its class, a more than 60-minute run-dry-capable main gearbox, and up to 1,000 certified kits.
Helicopter and airplane operator Bestfly has an 80 percent market share in Angola.
Virtual Engine Training Sets FlightSafety Apart
For more than 10 years, FlightSafety and Pratt & Whitney Canada have worked together to develop, improve, and implement technology in maintenance training. The work and innovation have led to immersive and interactive virtual engine training. This revolutionary technology was recognized by AIN as a 2021 Top Flight Award winner in Maintenance Innovation.
Given the amount of activity in the market, consolidation is likely to continue for some time, Waguespack told AIN. “We are a cottage industry with a lot of mom-and-pop operations.” There are nearly 2,000 Part 135 carriers in the sectors and only a few hundred of those would be considered large multi-turbine aircraft operators, he noted.
Waguespack believes consolidation could produce a stronger market overall. He said the charter industry is facing unprecedented demand, causing shortages in available aircraft to charter or expand fleets. These types of mergers and acquisitions are helping operators build out their fleets to manage demand.
However, he said, perhaps among the biggest concerns with the market growth is workplace recruitment and retention. On the recruitment side, larger operators may be able to offer better packages and have more capacity for training; on the retention side, they may provide more opportunities for growth. For smaller operators that are facing an overburdened workforce, consolidation makes sense, giving them more resources, Waguespack concluded.
North Carolina-based fractional ownership provider Jet It has selected SmartSky to provide in-flight connectivity for its fleet of HondaJets and Gulfstream G150s. Notably, Jet It will be the first to install SmartSky’s Lite hardware configuration designed for light jets and turboprops.
The Lite system enables smaller turbine aircraft to tap into SmartSky’s air-to-ground (ATG) network that provides high-bandwidth and real-time data transfer capabilities. An STC for the HondaJet is expected in the third quarter, joining a growing number of aircraft—including business jets—that are approved for the SmartSky hardware. SmartSky estimates that its existing STC approvals cover more than 4,000 in-service aircraft.
Jet It founder and CEO Glenn Gonzales said SmartSky’s “advanced technology and hardware, combined with a choice of configurations, is a great fit for both our HondaJet and Gulfstream aircraft where we will be able to support both passenger and operational connectivity needs.”
SmartSky CEO Dave Helfgott added that the selection by Jet It demonstrates its commitment to the business aviation market and to “continuing to deliver exceptional comfort, convenience, and value.”
During the NBAA’s Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference (SDC) last week, Francea Bolden, scheduling manager with Enterprise Holdings’ flight department, was presented with this year’s Schedulers and Dispatchers Outstanding Achievement and Leadership Award by NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.
Bolden began her aviation career in 2005 as a scheduler at Enterprise Holdings. She has served since 2014 in her current position, where she is responsible for overseeing the scheduling of the company’s three aircraft.
She obtained her FAA licensed dispatcher certification in 2011, followed by NBAA Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) certification in 2020. A founder of the St. Louis Area Dispatchers and Schedulers group, Bolden is also a former SDC committee member and a frequent presenter at the annual conference.
“Francea joined our organization over 16 years ago with no aviation background and has since become a manager, licensed dispatcher, a CAM, and a leader in the [schedulers and dispatchers] local and national community,” said Rick Schwartz, CAM and aviation operations director for Enterprise Holdings. “She is an example of a subject matter expert who continuously focuses on our core mission of safety, service, and value. It is fitting that her peers have selected her for this honor she so well deserves.”
Bolden is the 13th recipient of the award that recognizes individuals who have exhibited leadership and made significant contributions to scheduling and dispatching.
Helicopter services company Bristow Group has selected Helicentre Aviation as its preferred provider of ab-initio commercial pilot training and recruitment in the UK. Under the agreement, Bristow will support Helicentre with the promotion of pilot career events, reinforce the development and mentoring of aviators, and engage with trainees to help them become helicopter pilots at the early stage of their careers.
Meanwhile, Helicentre will support the sponsored programs run by Bristow, and cadets will have access to Bristow’s flight operations team and the ability to visit live operations. Helicentre currently supports Bristow as its partner for its UK cadet program, which fully funds pilot training through commercial helicopter pilot (CPL-H) ratings, including multi-engine and instrument training.
The UK-sponsored program selects candidates annually from a pool of more than 1,000 applications. Upon completion of initial training, pilots train with Bristow’s operational fleet at the company’s facility in Aberdeen, Scotland. That purpose-built center has three full-motion helicopter simulators for the Leonardo AW189 and Sikorsky S-92 and S-76.
Helicentre hosts regular open days and virtual seminars with Bristow to provide prospective applicants with more information and give them an opportunity to visit the training center and learn about career paths. Both companies will announce the open dates for sponsorship later this year. The full-time, 12-month program is the only integrated rotary CPL course approved in the UK.
People in Aviation
West Star Aviation promoted Jessie Melvin to become the first female lead aviation maintenance technician at its East Alton, Illinois facility. Melvin, who joined West Star in 2017 as an apprentice, will remain in the Bombardier department with responsibility for Global projects.
David Gotschall joined Woolpert as a project manager. Gotschall has 34 years of experience in the design and construction of airfields, roadways, and underground utilities, including 30 years with the Columbus Regional Airport Authority.
Aircraft Component Repair named Dennis Suedkamp CEO. Suedkamp has more than 10 years of executive management and leadership experience, including as president of Velocity Aerospace and most recently as president and CEO of Fastener Technology.
Precise Flight promoted Tyler Tuttle to director of engineering. Tuttle joined Precise Flight in 2019 and has more than 14 years of experience overseeing new product development, product quality assurance, and manufacturing innovation, including with Nosler and Precision Castparts.
CAE appointed Patrick Shanahan to its board of directors. Shanahan brings more than 30 years of defense experience to his new role, serving as acting U.S. secretary of defense in 2019 and as deputy secretary of defense from 2017 to 2019, as well as senior v-p for supply chain and operations at Boeing.
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