Flexjet yesterday scrapped plans to go public through a combination with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Horizon Acquisition Corp. II. In October, the fractional ownership provider announced the agreement to go public with Horizon with the expectation that the transaction would conclude by mid-2023 and result in proceeds to help fund fleet, program, and geographic expansion. The board of directors for both companies had approved the proposed deal.
Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci, however, said the company believes the decision to terminate at this point is in the best interests of the aircraft shareowner customers, employees, and stakeholders, and stressed that the move would have “no impact on growth initiatives we have launched during the past several years.”
Todd Boehly—chairman, CEO, and CFO of Horizon—added that he anticipates continuing the long partnership the company has had with the Flexjet management team and respects the decision. “We are glad that Flexjet and Horizon were able to agree to the termination in a manner that is fair.”
Flexjet will remain “opportunistic” to the capital market and other opportunities, Ricci said. “In 2022, we outperformed the financial targets provided at the start of the SPAC transaction and continue to deliver significant cash flows and compelling year-over-year growth,” he added. “Our position of strength gives us the flexibility to access the public markets at the appropriate time.”
Expressing concern that the FAA’s proposed rule to mandate safety management systems (SMS) for small operators may be too rigid, NBAA and NATA are encouraging the agency to build in flexibility and provide additional implementation time.
“The business aviation community considers safety to be a core value and has long been supportive of voluntary implementation of SMS and other safety initiatives,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “But, for any SMS to be truly effective, it must be tailored to the size and complexity of each operation.” The FAA should work with stakeholders to ensure the requirements serve the diverse spectrum of operations, he added.
NATA agreed and told the agency in comments on the SMS notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that the experiences and structures contained within the proposal for implementation “are based upon those found at large, complex operators.” But, it added that the agency “has the responsibility to impose SMS regulations on small operators only if it can be done in such a way that safety is enhanced, and burdens are minimized.”
The FAA released the NPRM in January, extending SMS requirements under Part 5 to Part 135 outfits, certain Part 21 certificate holders, and air tours operating under FAR 91.147.
Aircraft lighting specialist PWI recently received FAA parts manufacturer approval (PMA) for a complete LED cabin light replacement system for the Dassault Falcon 900B. PWI says its LED lighting systems provide long life, compatibility with any cabin management system or aircraft dimming controls, and low power draw.
“The Falcon 900B is a proven, reliable, workhorse aircraft, and PWI is grateful for the original opportunity to bring our LED cabin lighting back to this business jet,” said PWI president and CEO Robi Lorik. "PWI is looking to expand approved LED lighting to additional business jets this year."
PWI's PMA covers two cabin lighting options for the Falcon 900B. The first features two long runs of lights—one upwash onto the headliner, and the other row is downwash lights. A second option features louvered lights in the headliner with a row of downwash lights.
According to the company, the installation of PWI LEDs in the Falcon 900B cabin is straightforward due to its use of the original aircraft wiring and lighting locations. Also, as part of the PMA, the PWI LEDs are supplied with the correct aircraft electrical connectors.
Honda Aircraft has reached a confidential settlement in its lawsuit against fractional HondaJet operator Jet It. According to a recent document filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, the matter was settled with prejudice, and with each party bearing its own expenses, including attorneys’ fees. The manufacturer noted, “Jet It continues to remain an important customer to [Honda Aircraft], and [Honda Aircraft] will continue to provide service and support.”
Late last year, Jet It, one of the largest fleet operators of the light twinjet, issued a letter to its customers describing perceived issues with the OEM’s support and the aircraft’s reliability. Simultaneously, it announced it would begin introducing Embraer Phenom 300s to its fleet.
In its lawsuit, Honda Aircraft stated, “In an apparent attempt to spin some kind of justification for its decision to diversify its fleet, Jet It issued several statements that contain defamatory and disparaging comments about Honda Aircraft and the HondaJet brand.” The manufacturer also alleged that Jet It committed a breach of contract in its fleet purchase agreement (FPA), which restricts Jet It from selling aircraft to an unrelated third party within one year of delivery. Honda Aircraft indicated that Jet It attempted to sell the first of three HondaJets it received from an FPA, signed in October 2022, and that it, therefore, intended to void the remaining two deliveries in the purchase order.
Gogo 5G and Global Broadband Progressing
Gogo Business Aviation is the world's largest provider of broadband connectivity services and solutions for the business aviation market. We’re connecting you to the sky’s most incredible inflight connectivity and entertainment experiences now, but also revolutionizing the breakthrough innovations coming next.
A study released this week projects the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market will reach a value of nearly $10 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 60.8 percent. The report by Exactitude Consultancy said the SAF market was worth $85 million last year.
SAF is widely considered one of the crucial legs in aviation’s decarbonization plans. While it is currently approved for use only up to a 50 percent blend with conventional jet-A, neat SAF can provide lifecycle carbon emission savings of approximately 80 percent, as well as offer even higher reductions of harmful particulates and sulfur.
While the report noted the higher price of SAF in comparison with conventional fuel is currently a limiting factor regarding its widespread adoption, governmental initiatives have been or are being emplaced to provide incentives and mandates for its use as SAF production slowly spools up. The Sustainable Aircraft Fuel Act in the U.S. and the EU’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy promote the creation, use, and distribution of SAF.
According to the study, biomass-derived SAF (biofuel) represented more than 95 percent of the fuel produced in 2021 and will continue to dominate the market throughout the forecast window. The creation of such fuels uses plant and animal residues and non-food crops as feedstock.
C&L Aerospace has signed a long-term agreement with Parker-Meggitt subsidiary Securaplane Technologies to distribute the company’s full line of STC-approved main ship batteries, emergency batteries, and business jet camera product lines.
“Securaplane is a premier manufacturer of sealed lead-acid batteries for many aircraft types. It’s a product line we have successfully converted operators to worldwide,” said C&L senior v-p of sales Martin Cooper. “This contract renews our commitment to Parker-Meggitt/Securaplane by further marketing its sealed lead-acid batteries' value and providing increased product availability.”
According to C&L Aerospace, Parker Meggitt/Securaplane’s main ship batteries offer high performance, low maintenance, and long life. In fact, Securaplane claims its batteries use technology that beats Ni-Cad, lead-calcium, and lead-antimony in every performance category, “saving operators thousands of dollars annually.” Due to this performance, the main ship batteries routinely displace other OEM-installed batteries, even before they have reached the end of life, Securaplane said.
Aviation information services and software provider ATP has integrated its Flightdocs Operations platform with online fuel marketplace Fuelerlinx. According to ATP, this will result in time savings as operators will no longer have to create duplicate trip itineraries in Fuelerlinx or manually communicate fuel order details to crewmembers.
“Fuelerlinx does an outstanding job solving the problem of connecting fuel buyers to suppliers and we are very excited about our partnership, which helps our mutual customers get even more value from our solutions,” said ATP v-p of product Kent Pickard.
Other benefits will allow operators to automatically sync their aircraft schedules to their Fuelerlinx account for fuel planning and ordering. As fuel orders are created, details are displayed on the trip sheets in Flightdocs Operations, allowing flight department members convenient access to all fuel orders by leg.
“This integration will provide customers with a seamless experience, enabling them to easily manage fuel and scheduling operations from a single platform,” added Fuelerlinx CEO Kevin Moller. “Our joint solution will improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ultimately deliver great value to our customers.”
Pro Star Aviation, an authorized Embraer and Pilatus service center, has completed its first in-the-field installation of Whelen Aerospace Technologies’ Boom Beam HID taxi and landing light system on a Phenom 300 twinjet.
“Partnering with Whelen Aerospace Technologies for the first in-field installation was effortless,” said Jeff Shaw, Pro Star's director of sales and marketing. “The increased brightness and the ability to aim the lights over the factory system enhances safety and situational awareness for our customers.”
According to the company, the patented NextGen Boom Beam HID lighting system increases system reliability and operational safety while reducing the aircraft’s electrical load. The package features dual HID light technology, all-new precision polished CNC housing, and a Whelen Aerospace Technologies 85-watt power supply. The installation can be performed in as little as one day and comes standard with a five-year/5,000-hour warranty.
Model(s): AS355E, AS355F/F1/F2, AS355N/NP, and AS350B3
Published: April 7, 2023
Effective: April 14, 2023
Supersedes but retains the requirements of EASA AD 2021-0099, which mandates repetitive visual inspections of the upper fin attachments screws and the fin spar, as well as repetitive cleaning and detailed inspections of the vertical fin attachments and any necessary repairs. Since that AD was issued, another occurrence of a crack has been reported on an AS355NP and results of the subsequent investigation concluded a need existed to introduce a speed limitation to reduce Vne. Thus, the updated AD requires amending the rotorcraft flight manual to limit the Vne and installing a placard indicating the reduced Vne speed.
Model(s): Global Express, XRS, 5000, 5500, 6000, 6500
Published: April 7, 2023
Effective: May 12, 2023
Requires revising the non-normal procedures section of the aircraft flight manual to provide the flight crew with procedures for addressing failure warnings in the slat and flap control systems. Prompted by a report that in case of a flap, slat, or slat-flap failure in flight, resetting the slat flap control unit to clear the error using procedures in the existing airplane flight manual could result in the stall protection computer setting the low-speed cue to the most conservative stall advance mode.
Supersedes but retains requirements of EASA AD 2023-0049, which mandates a one-time inspection and measurement of main gearbox attachment plates and forward suspension bars, and expands its applicability to SA330J helicopters.
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