200th Citation Latitude Rolls Off Cessna Line

Textron Aviation has produced its 200th Cessna Citation Latitude midsize jet and recently marked the milestone with its employees at a special ceremony at the company’s Wichita plant, the OEM announced Monday. Fractional aircraft provider NetJets will take delivery of this milestone midsize jet later this year.

The model has led Textron Aviation’s Citation jet deliveries for the past three years, and the Latitude fleet has accumulated more than 150,000 flight hours since its entry into service in third quarter 2015. It has since been certified in 43 countries.

Textron Aviation has a Citation Latitude on static display at this week at ABACE 2019. With a flat floor and cabin height of six feet, the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306D1-powered twinjet has seating for up to nine passengers. With four passengers, the $17.3 million Latitude has a range of 2,700 nm at its 446-knot high-speed cruise.

NetJets is among the Latitude’s largest customers, with firm orders and options for up to 200 of the type. As of 2018, Textron Aviation has delivered 80 Latitudes to NetJets, according to the airframer.

Aviation Groups Lobby for Biodiesel Incentive Extension

Business and other general and commercial aviation industry groups are urging Congress to extend a now-expired biodiesel tax incentive that they say would ensure future production and growth of sustainable alternative jet fuels (SAJF). On April 12, the consortium delivered letters to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley and Ranking Member Ron Wyden requesting extension of the incentive under Section 40A of the Tax Extender and Disaster Relief Act (S.617).

“An extension of this credit will provide the industry with the stability necessary to continue investing in technology that will generate economic and environmental benefits with globally significant impacts,” states the letter signed by Airlines for America, Air Line Pilots Association, Cargo Airline Association, GAMA, NATA, NBAA, and the Regional Airline Association.

SAJF is a drop-in fuel and as such can be delivered to airport common storage and fuel distribution systems and blended seamlessly with petroleum-based jet fuel, according to the letter. It also notes the use of SAFJ by airlines and business aviation is growing, citing a previously closed refinery in California that was re-opened for alternative fuel production and has been delivering SAJF.

Several additional commercial and business aviation companies have or are seeking offtake agreements for future SAJF supply, the letter adds. A companion letter was sent to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal and Ranking Member Kevin Brady.

EBAA Calls for Bizav Inclusivity in European Framework

EBAA secretary-general Athar Husain Khan has emphasized the need to include business aviation in a European aviation framework to enable “improved connectivity, efficiency, competitiveness, and regional cohesion across the continent.” Speaking at an aviation conference last week in Bucharest, Romania, Khan said that due to an expected doubling of global air passenger traffic by 2037, “new standards, technologies, harmonized regulations, and adequate infrastructure” will be required to accommodate this growth.

“Business aviation can make an even more significant contribution to local communities and economies because we fly where others don’t,” he said. “As such, we need to ensure that a European aviation framework is inclusive, taking into account the specific needs and challenges of our sector.”

These much-needed improvements and technological advances “will only be made possible if the EU is able to provide adequate infrastructure for business aviation operators in Europe,” said Kahn. “In particular, access to airports and airspace which remain major hurdles for our sector.”

“Just last week, despite record delays as well as industry calls for urgent EU airspace reform, EU member states approved the weakest performance targets ever for Europe’s ATC providers by agreeing to extend the threshold for delays,” he added. “These new targets will not incentivize the performance improvements the European airspace network desperately needs, nor will they support the delivery of the Single European Sky benefits.”

Checkride Goes Bad for Bell 212 Crew

A training exercise gone bad resulted in a hard landing of a 1973 Bell 212, registered as C-GTHK and operated by Sequoia Helicopters Ltd., near Abbotsford, British Columbia, on April 4. The two-person crew planned to simulate a one engine inoperative (OEI) condition on takeoff.

According to an account of the accident published by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) yesterday, the crew discussed simulating OEI during a towering takeoff. At a pre-takeoff decision point of 50 to 60 feet agl, the number-one engine was rolled back. Rotor rpm decayed rapidly and an immediate descent occurred. Attempts by the check pilot to arrest descent via raising the collective proved unsuccessful due to low rotor rpm and the helicopter made a hard landing, activating the emergency locator transmitter (ELT). Neither pilot was injured.

According to the TSB, “It is believed that the number-two engine throttle may not have been set completely to flight prior to the training exercise. When the number-one throttle was rolled back to idle to simulate the engine failure, the number-two engine could not maintain sufficient main rotor rpm, which resulted in a hard landing.”

Partnerships Bring Global Wx, Analytics to Flight Deck

Partnerships between global giants GE Aviation and Inmarsat and relative newcomers Spire Global and MapLarge are working toward providing increasingly accurate weather, flight data, and aircraft tracking information to pilots and flight departments. Inmarsat provides the IP pipe to the cockpit, while other companies create the applications that require the pipe, it said.

One of those applications comes from Spire Global, a data and analytics company based in San Francisco that uses a network of small satellites to track weather systems and other global resources. Each of its satellites perform GPS radio occultation (GPS-RO) for weather data collection, in addition to ADS-B aircraft tracking. When its full constellation of 175 satellites is complete, Spire will collect 120,000 radio occultation pickups per day, increasing horizontal resolution to one kilometer everywhere on Earth.

Spire’s partnership with Atlanta-based MapLarge combines weather data and/or ADS-B aircraft tracking with detailed geographic information systems. “We’re working…to take the weather information from the satellites, pass it to MapLarge to develop a visual weather forecast for us, and then pass it to Inmarsat for delivery to the cockpit,” said Fernandez. “Instead of a four-hour-old weather report, pilots can have updated weather every hour.”

MapLarge is also working with various aviation entities, including GE Aviation, to find operational efficiencies and flight optimization using onboard aircraft sensor data.

Million Air White Plains’ Weaver Dies At 66

William “Bill” R. Weaver, a more than 40-year aviation industry veteran and former co-owner of Million Air White Plains in New York, died on April 12. He was 66.

A commercial pilot and former Air National Guard mechanic, Weaver and Mike Mason grew up around the FBO and flight school at Westchester County Airport (HPN) that was owned by their fathers, and in 1983 purchased the business from them. In 2007 they announced a rebranding of their Westair FBO to Million Air, along with an expansion. Weaver also served the industry as a volunteer on the board of the Westchester Aviation Association and as a member of the Patient Air Lift Services (PALS) charity.

In addition to his aviation career, Weaver was an 18-year member of North Castle town board, including two years as town supervisor. For 13 years he was a member of the fire department in his hometown of Armonk.

Weaver is survived by his wife, Susan Trumm Weaver, and sons, Darrell (Jaclyn), Devin, and Brandon Weaver. A celebration of his life is planned for 4 to 8 p.m. today at Million Air White Plains.

Bristow Flies Closer To Bankruptcy

In the strongest hint yet that bankruptcy is on the table, helicopter services company Bristow Group said yesterday that it has yet to complete its financial report for the quarter ended December 31, intentionally missed a $12.5 million interest note payment due yesterday, and “is working diligently with its financial and legal advisors to best position the company for the future, both financially and operationally,” according to new CEO L. Don Miller.

Bristow has also hired the firms of Houlihan Lokey and Alvarez & Marsal as its financial advisors and Baker Botts L.L.P. and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as legal advisors. These firms all have strong bankruptcy experience. Investment banking firm Houlihan Lokey is also advising PHI Inc. on its recent bankruptcy filing.  

The company stressed it still has $202 million on hand in cash and available credit under its asset-backed revolving credit facility, down from $237 million at the end of last year. Concurrent with its statement yesterday, Bristow filed an 8-K form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Publicly traded companies are required to file an 8-K whenever they have “unscheduled material events or corporate events.” In its 8-K, Bristow disclosed its survival strategy of selling off assets and renegotiating with lenders might not succeed and that a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing might be inevitable.

LunaJets Takes ‘Best Employer’ Nod for Second Time

LunaJets has been named a “Best Employer 2019 in Switzerland” among companies under 70 employees by Swiss financial and economics magazine in Bilan for the second consecutive year, the Geneva-based business aircraft charter operator announced April 11. Selection for the award is based on human resources practices in 11 categories.

“This award calls on us to continue challenging ourselves to be even more innovative, and we will continue to implement new employee benefits to maintain enthusiasm and loyalty,” said LunaJets CEO Eymeric Segard. “A fulfilled employee delivers better service.”

Employee benefits are at the core of receiving the award, according to LunaJets. It provides training and development to employees, offers flexible hours for work-life balance, and maintains a pet-friendly office. Monthly massages by a professional masseuse; a fully equipped gym; a company car; and a kitchen stocked with snacks, fresh fruit, and smoothies are also among its employee amenities. This year it added perks such as an on-site hairdresser every six weeks, go-cart outings, free Pilates and CrossFit classes, and a three-day company ski retreat to Chamonix for team-building and relaxation.

LunaJets business development and sales director Alain Leboursier said the award also serves as an effective recruiting tool for job candidates. “Although our outstanding company practices are a given to us, it’s nice to receive this recognition from external professionals,” he added.

Land, Taxi, Park, Then Rate FBO While You Wait

Don’t wait—AIN’s FBO survey is now open for year-round feedback. It takes only a minute, and you can do it while waiting for passengers, on the shuttle bus to/from the hotel or any other time that is convenient for you. Log on to www.ainonline.com/fbosurvey to rate your experiences at the FBOs you visit.