Kansas Firm Freshens Up Managed Beechjet 400A Fleet

Former Beechcraft production test pilot Dwayne Clemens is breathing new life into the out-of-production Beechjet via Clemens Aviation, the Benton, Kansas-based FBO, charter, maintenance, and aircraft sales and management company he founded in 2003. “There’s really nothing out there with [the Beechjet's] speed, size of cabin, and range,” he told AIN.

The facility is currently wrapping up modification and refurbishment work on its 14th Beechjet 400A. What Clemens Aviation has done to refresh its stable of 400As is install new avionics, add winglets, refurbish the interior, and apply new paint. He estimates the turn-around time on refreshing the Beechjets is about 90 days.

Clemens said the Garmin G5000 avionics installed by Wichita-based Bevan Aviation gives the airplane 300 more pounds of available useful load. Combined with the winglets that are installed by Textron Aviation technicians, he estimates about a 15 percent improvement in the 400A’s maximum range of 1,500 nm. Clemens Aviation's 12-person shop—most of whom are A&Ps—does the interior refurbishing, while Ballard Aviation paints the aircraft. The combination of upgrades along with the Beechjet’s reliability and 45,000-foot ceiling makes it “a great, economical airplane,” Clemens added. “It’s a great bang for the buck.”

BendixKing Unveils AeroVue Touch Flight Deck

BendixKing unveiled its new AeroVue Touch integrated flight deck for Part 23 airplanes last week at 2019 Aero Friedrichshafen 2019. The system starts at $99,000 and is primarily aimed at aircraft weighing more than 6,000 pounds, the Honeywell subsidiary said. It is available for both forward-fit and retrofit applications, and the first installation is expected to be completed by year-end.

Because AeroVue Touch’s three high-resolution touchscreen displays incorporate all required hardware, the panel-mounted flight deck eliminates multiple, separate computing modules. This reduces the weight of the system by 30 percent to 50 percent, according to BendixKing. Each can be used independently to fly the aircraft, increasing reliability and safety by providing triple redundancy.

The flight deck also provides a connected cockpit that enables live flight-data streaming to the ground in real time for enhanced search and rescue and flight analysis. AeroVue Touch’s navigation charts can also be updated wirelessly, BendixKing said.

In addition, the system can be customized to create a unique interface that shows information applicable to different platforms, including electric aircraft and future vehicles for urban air mobility, the company added.

FAA ADS-B Policy Does Not Lift Mandate, Groups Warn

Aviation groups are warning that the FAA’s recent policy statement facilitating a path for non-equipped aircraft to fly in ADS-B Out airspace beginning next year should not be considered a substitute for equipage. The FAA released a policy statement earlier this month outlining the possibility for obtaining authorized deviations for certain non-equipped flights in ADS-B Out airspace after the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline for ADS-B Out installation.

“Per-operation authorizations are not intended to support routine operations of non-equipped aircraft in airspace covered by the rule,” the agency had said in releasing the policy. Under the policy operators of non-equipped aircraft must request authorization at least one hour before their proposed flight and warned such authorization may not be available, depending on the circumstances.

“These per-flight authorizations should absolutely not be viewed as a backup option to ADS-B or justification for not equipping,” said Heidi Williams, NBAA director of air traffic services and infrastructure. “Such authorizations are primarily intended for operators awaiting their scheduled ADS-B installation past the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline or for pilots who infrequently operate in the affected airspace.”

GAMA added that FAA has made it clear that that non-equipped aircraft operating in ADS-B Out airspace without obtaining a preflight authorization will be in violation of the regulations.

Jetex Adds Third FBO in Japan

International aviation service provider Jetex has announced a new FBO at Japan’s Kansai International Airport, the official airport of this year’s G20 Global Meeting to be held in June. The 300-sq-m (3,300-sq-ft) Premier Gate provides private parking, lounge, conference room, reception counter and 24-hour customs, immigration, and quarantine service.

For Jetex, this new facility represents its third location in the country. “We have been operating in Narita and Haneda Airport since 2015 and believe Kansai to be a strategic addition based on the impressive 31.5 percent growth over the last 18 months,” said company founder and CEO Adel Mardini.

The Kansai facility brings the Jetex network to 56 locations in 26 countries. In addition to its three Japanese FBOs, the company can coordinate business aviation handling at other airports in the country. “Our commitment to exceptional customer experience is demonstrated through our services available in all 88 airports throughout Japan,” noted Toru Oshima, who heads up Jetex Japan. “We look forward to personally welcoming our customers from around the globe to Kansai.”

JetAviva Reports Strong Quarter for Aircraft Sales

Without disclosing financial details, business jet broker JetAviva saw a 25 percent increase in revenue and a 22 percent jump in preowned business aircraft sold in the first quarter versus the same three-month period a year ago, the Kansas City firm announced on April 12. Company leaders attributed this growth to an expanded team structure and new, internal processes.

“We have the momentum right now to make this year a record year for JetAviva,” said JetAviva CEO Tim White. “I strongly believe this trend of growth comes from our team’s synergy, having found ways to become more efficient and focus heavily on set goals.”

At least part of the growth can be attributed to the hiring of Emily Deaton as vice president of sales, which “allowed the entire team to accelerate the service to our customer base to an even higher level,” White added. Returning to the fundamentals of regular communication, accountability, and goal-setting also aided in JetAviva’s strong quarter, he explained.

Earlier this month, JetAviva announced the hiring of four analysts to track market trends and activities to support its sales staff based in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Judge Agrees To Hear BEH Argument over FBO Agreement

A federal judge denied Boston Executive Helicopters' motion to reschedule a trial against the city of Norwood, Massachusetts, but he did agree to hear arguments over a disputed out-of-court settlement agreement. Just days before the trial was to begin late last year, the two parties reached an agreement in principle that would permit BEH to establish an FBO at Norwood Memorial Airport and allow the airport to again qualify for federal grant assurances.

Terms of the agreement were intended to generally follow recommendations by the FAA in a Part 16 study, in which the agency concluded the city “unfairly and illegally prevented BEH from establishing an FBO in violation of federal grant assurances.” However, according to court documents obtained by AIN, airport officials reneged on several key issues, prompting the BEH motion requesting the court order the city to adhere to all the provisions in the original settlement document or dismiss it and reschedule the trial.

The agreement to settle the case out of court essentially closed the door to rescheduling a trial. However, to address BEH’s dispute over the settlement agreement, the judge ruled “the court will hold an evidentiary hearing on May 28 to determine if the parties entered into a valid settlement agreement and, if so, whether the term sheet or the general release and settlement agreement controls.”

Hilitech Opens New Plant for Lightweight Cabin Parts

Austria’s Hilitech—the joint venture linking cabin interiors and composite materials specialists F/List and the Hintsteiner Group, respectively—has opened a new production plant in Kindberg. With more than 20,000 sq ft in its initial phase, the facility is expected to have 100 professionals on staff by year-end manufacturing its lightweight VIP and business aircraft cabin components and systems.

Hilitech’s offerings range from sliding doors, tables, toilet seats, and shower trays, to full lining accoutrements, high-end cabinets, and decorative carbon surfaces and applications. Proprietary production methods and a unique blend of materials produce parts 25 percent lighter than those made with conventional production techniques, according to the company.

The new facility will support variable manufacturing processes, allowing quick production of components for multiple areas of application. Production infrastructure at the new plant includes autoclave-/prepreg-technology, vacuum processes, compression molding, wet laminate technology, rapid prototyping technologies, CNC milling, prepreg cutter, and 3D scanning.

Hilitech produces all its tooling in-house for maximum precision and flexibility. The components, benefitting from high-quality veneer processing and high-gloss finishes by and through F/List, are delivered as a complete and tested interior solution.

In addition, Hilitech launched an apprentice training program “to build up and retain know-how and experts for the long term.”

TAG Aviation Adds Sensus MRO Enterprise Planning

Locatory’s Sensus MRO enterprise resource planning system has been selected by TAG Aviation Maintenance Services (AMS) for its future operating system that will complement its Quantum legacy system, Geneva, Switzerland-based TAG Aviation announced today. Sensus MRO will offer new functionality such as improved capacity planning, a customer portal, remote access, and optimized quoting and invoicing processes, as well as time tracking for TAG AMS’s 10 locations in Asia and Europe. 

“By improving TAG Aviation’s customer experience through enhancing features to make our organization more agile, Sensus MRO appeared to be the most appropriate system to support our future growth and enable our maintenance operations to become even more customer-centric,” said TAG Aviation Europe maintenance and FBO president Franck Madignier. It is easily integrated with other software and databases and is highly customizable, the company added.

“Having one of the most advanced business jet MRO companies in the world select our IT solution demonstrates that we have created an exclusive product that is useful on a global level,” said Locatory CEO Dainius Meilunas. The aviation information technology company is a Lithuania-based subsidiary of Avia Solutions Group.

AIN Webinar: Safe and Efficient Single-pilot Operations

Technology and a shortage of pilots to fill the flight decks of tomorrow’s business jets and airliners are creating pressure to facilitate more single-pilot operations. Avionics manufacturers are developing technology for safe single-pilot operations, but pilots have been flying alone safely in light aircraft through Part 23 jets for many years. Learn about factors that are causing the flying landscape to shift toward more single-pilot operations, what kind of automation avionics manufacturers are developing for single-pilot operations and what we can learn from experienced pilots flying in single-pilot operations.

Join AIN editor-in-chief Matt Thurber on April 24 at 1:30 p.m. EDT as he moderates the discussion with Tal Golan, manager, rotorcraft business development for Universal Avionics, and Charlie Precourt, former NASA astronaut, safety expert, and Citation owner. Sponsored by Universal Avionics.

Register for the free webinar.