Brazil’s ANAC Gives Sign-off on Embraer Praetor 600
Embraer late last week received Brazilian ANAC approval for its Praetor 600, a nod that comes six months after the manufacturer unveiled its latest super-midsize model during the NBAA convention. A variant of the Embraer Legacy 500, the 600 exceeded its design goals of a mtow takeoff field length of less than 4,800 feet, a 3,900-nm range at the 466-knot long-range cruise speed, and a range of 3,605 nm at Mach 0.80, Embraer said.
The aircraft proved to have a 4,018-nm range with four passengers and NBAA IFR reserves, capable of flying nonstop between London and New York or Dubai, and São Paulo and Miami. At Mach 0.80, the twinjet has a 3,719-nm range and mtow takeoff field length is 4,717 feet. Similar to its Legacy 500 predecessor, the Praetor 600 is fly-by-wire with active turbulence reduction.
“Our engineering and program teams have outperformed again by passionately designing, developing, and certifying the class-leading Praetor 600 business jet, exceeding specifications and expectations, and ahead of schedule,” said Embraer CEO Paulo César Souza e Silva. “This advanced aircraft reflects not only our journey of innovation—it is also a preview of the future of this great company.”
The Praetor 600 improves the capabilities of the Legacy 500 with new winglets, additional fuel capacity, and more powerful Honeywell HTF7500E engines.
The FAA on Thursday issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) on the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, grounding the more than 110 in-service single-engine jets for immediate replacement of the aircraft’s angle of attack (AoA) vane. According to the emergency AD, Cirrus reported “the aircraft's stall warning and protection system (SWPS) or Electronic Stability & Protection (ESP) System engag[ed] when not appropriate” in three incidents since November 2018, leading to a stall warning crew alert system (CAS) message and activation of the stick shaker and/or stick pusher despite the aircraft maintaining sufficient airspeed and AoA for normal flight.
Further, the FAA said unintended activation of the SF50’s stall protection systems could result in excessive nose-down attitude and difficulty in maintaining control of the aircraft. The emergency AD came two days after Cirrus Aircraft issued a mandatory Service Bulletin (MSB) requiring immediate AoA vane replacement with a modified part from vane manufacturer Aerosonic after originally installed components were found with improper torquing and retention of two set screws mounting the potentiometer shaft to the AoA vane shaft.
While the Cirrus MSB mandated that SF50 operators have the replacement AoA vanes installed within the next five flight hours, the emergency AD “requires such replacement before further flight,” although operators are able to obtain a special flight permit to a location where the replacement can be performed.
Used Business Aircraft Fleet Value Primed For Decline
A shrinking inventory of newer preowned business jets and turboprops is threatening overall values as the remaining for-sale fleet gives way to older, harder-to-sell aircraft, according to Asset Insight’s first quarter 2019 Market Report that was released late last week. The report analyzes values for every production year of modern make and model business aircraft listed for sale during the period.
During the first quarter, overall demand—measured by days on the market and percent of the make and model fleet for sale—improved slightly, helped by large-cabin and midsize business aircraft, while asking prices for midsize and light jets rose by 3.4 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively. But as a whole, the overall value of the report’s tracked pre-owned fleet decreased 5 percent in the three-month period.
As the for-sale fleet of business aircraft continues to trend older, asking prices are expected to slide because of a decline in fleet quality and an increase in maintenance exposure, according to the Las Vegas-based firm’s report.
“Newer aircraft continue to sell quickly and for solid prices, but there are fewer and fewer of those low-time, high-quality aircraft available on the market,” said Asset Insight president Tony Kioussis. “Buyers could see real opportunities in the second quarter for older, higher-time aircraft, as we expect prices to continue to decline across all market segments.”
Aviaa Names Preferred IFE, Connectivity Installer
Business aviation group purchasing organization Aviaa has named Maine-based FAA Part 145 repair station Brunswick Aviation its preferred in-flight entertainment (IFE) installation and MRO supplier. One of the few shops in the U.S. dedicated to cabin connectivity and IFE, Brunswick serves Gulfstreams, Bombardier Globals, BBJs, and Dassault Falcons.
It is a preferred Honeywell center of connectivity and authorized dealer specializing in Jet ConneX JetWave Ka-band connectivity. Brunswick owns a JetWave test set, enabling it to do all the system configurations, and can kit out most of the assembly at its Brunswick Executive Airport headquarters and, starting in June, at a satellite facility at Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley International Airport.
“We recognize the value Aviaa is delivering to its members and see this as a win-win partnership for both of us,” said Brunswick president Per Person. “Our ethos is that operators want equipment installed quickly. They shouldn’t have to wait until a major MRO event.”
Aviaa’s members are guaranteed rapid installation in under two weeks as Brunswick devotes an entire team to one aircraft in the hangar at one time, and they will also benefit from discounts on current and popular connectivity products. “Passengers are obsessive about keeping connected when they fly, and we are pleased to engage with Brunswick and its vast experience in the sector,” noted Aviaa CEO Gillian Hayes.
FlightSafety Reveals New Training, Technology
FlightSafety International has announced a significant expansion of the training programs for the Sikorsky S-70, a new Vital 1150 image-generation visual system, and new technology that integrates its mixed reality and Vital 1100 visual systems into cockpit procedures trainers (CPTs).
It now offers FAA-approved IFR training in a Sikorsky S-70 Level-D qualified simulator that includes unrestricted S-70 type rating, ATP courses, FAR 61.58 pilot-in-command proficiency check, and a new FAA-approved S-70A VFR variant course. The S70 and S-70i simulators are capable of replicating scenarios including major systems failures, heavy icing and power loss under hot and high conditions. They are also configured for firefighting operations, including belly tank/snorkel and Bambi Bucket external loads with emergency jettison, and for night vision goggle training.
FlightSafety also introduced its new Vital 1150 image-generation system, which can render normal rates of 120Hz with up to 8K resolution, providing accurate representations of real-world visual environments. The system incorporates advanced rendering techniques for enhanced weather scenarios, including new cloud simulations.
Finally, new FlightSafety technology now integrates its mixed-reality and Vital 1100 visual systems into CPTs. Pilots will see and interact with the actual instrumentation and controls of the CPT while viewing FlightSafety’s Vital 1100 real-time imagery on a display, it said.
In a scathing public letter, one of helicopter services company Bristow Group’s larger shareholders called for the resignation of four senior members of Bristow’s board and warned the company against pursuing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Wisconsin-based Global Value Investment Corp. (GVIC) called for the removal of directors Thomas Knudson, Thomas Amonette, Lori Gobillot, and Biggs Porter and excoriated CEO L. Don Miller for running up company debt.
GVIC CEO Jeff Geygan said his company questioned “the competence and intent of Bristow’s board and management given Bristow’s inability to remedy its previously reported material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting, yet another delay in filing the [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission quarterly financial disclosure form] Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2018, and the decision to delay an interest payment due on Bristow’s 6.25 percent senior unsecured notes due 2022.”
The investment fund singled out the performance of Miller, who previously served as the company’s CFO, for criticism. GVIC noted that it was “during Mr. Miller’s tenure as CFO [that] Bristow’s debt grew from $945 million to $1.45 billion—an increase of 53.4 percent. Furthermore, it was on Mr. Miller’s watch that the financing for Bristow’s proposed acquisition of Columbia Helicopters was so horribly botched, resulting in a proposal to dilute existing equity holders by approximately 93 percent.”
FAA Flight Standards inspectors joined NBAA and NATA representatives during a recent summit in Nashville, Tennessee, as they continue their educational campaign on illegal charter. The April 11 summit was the second such event the government and industry leaders have held in the past six months to delve into concerns surrounding illegal charter. A similar meeting was held last fall in Greenville, South Carolina, as the groups attempt to inform “the clueless and the careless,” while identifying “the criminal.”
Participants at the most recent event explored challenges of education and enforcement surrounding illegal charter, NBAA said, adding attendees were encouraged to report concerns about illegal charter to an Illegal Charter Hotline maintained by the Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF). Hotline calls are now directed to Ryan Waguespack, NATA v-p of aircraft management, air charter services, and MROs, rather than a basic voicemail box. ACSF will forward information collected through the hotline to the FAA but maintain the anonymity of callers.
In addition, the summit provided an overview of common forms of illegal charter, such as instances where certified carriers cut regulatory corners or where non-certified operators use dry leases to perform charter operations.
The organizations are working to line up future regional meetings on illegal charter, and NATA encouraged businesses interested in hosting such an event to reach out to the association.
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
Provided by
Which of the following are correct regarding wildlife strikes by aircraft?
A. The record height for a reported bird strike was above FL300.
B. For civil aircraft, more than 70 percent of bird strikes occur at or below 500 feet agl.
C. Strikes occurring above 500 feet agl were more likely to cause damage than strikes at or below 500 feet agl.
D. All of the above.
S-61Ts Hit the Government Auction Block
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is auctioning off the first of 13 Sikorsky S-61Ts that were supposed to ferry State Department personnel and materials around Iraq and Afghanistan but instead ended up being placed in storage in Florida. Opening bids start at $500,000, although the reserve is said to be higher.
The S-61T program rebuilt legacy aircraft from the U.S. Navy and foreign militaries via complete airframe restoration and adding glass panel avionics, new wiring, an all-composite rotor blade system, an external cargo hook capable of lifting 6,000 pounds, unspecified defensive systems, and uprated GE T58-GE-402 engines. These helicopters were designed to take off from 12,000-foot elevations and have a maximum range of 480 nm.
This program was a joint effort by Sikorsky and Carson Helicopters and designed to extend the life of the S-61 by 20 to 30 years. When the program was announced in 2010, there was the possibility of modifying up to 110 S-61s. However, program delays and changing government priorities substantially truncated that number. The first S-61T made its maiden test flight in January 2014.
The S-61 is a variant of the shorter SH-3 Sea King that first flew in 1961. More than 1,400 of these models were delivered to commercial and military customers before production ended in the 1970s.
AIN Tales from the Flight Deck Podcast: Connecting Planes in Trouble with Ships at Sea
A World War II era bomber pressed into transoceanic service as a freighter is lost. It’s night. The water below is frigid. Whether the crew survives depends on how close to a ship they can ditch their aircraft. Now, a new initiative would put ships and planes together, greatly reducing the time in water for aircraft crewmembers.
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