Gulfstream Deliveries, Orders Soar in First Quarter

Gulfstream Aerospace marked one of its strongest sales quarters in the past two years, reaching a book-to-bill of 1.34:1 in the first three months, parent company General Dynamics (GD) reported today. At the same time, the aircraft manufacturer had a five-unit jump in deliveries, to 28, with large aircraft driving that improvement. Savannah, Georgia-baed Gulfstream handed over 25 large aircraft in the first quarter, up from the 20 a year earlier, as well as three midsize G280s, unchanged from a year ago.

As a result, revenues at GD's aerospace group—which includes Gulfstream and Jet Aviation—increased 11.6 percent from $1.691 billion in first-quarter 2020 to $1.887 billion in the most recent quarter. However, aerospace earnings fell by $20 million in the quarter, to $220 million, reflecting a write-down involving G500 test aircraft. Further, GD chairman and CEO Phebe Novakovic cautioned that the second quarter would be the most “challenging” in terms of deliveries, but that she expected a “rapid improvement” in the third and fourth quarters as production increases.

Taking in $2.457 billion in orders in the first quarter, the funded backlog for the aerospace group grew from $11.308 billion at the end of 2020 to $11.545 billion. Including Jet Aviation, the aerospace group’s book-to-bill for the quarter was 1.3:1.

ExecuJet MRO Services Expands into New Zealand

ExecuJet MRO Services has received Part 145 approval from New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority that covers its facilities in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch for line and limited base maintenance on several business jet models. This list initially includes the Dassault Falcon 2000EX series, Embraer Phenom 100, and Bombardier Challenger 604, but ExecuJet said other aircraft models will be added based on customer needs.

The New Zealand facilities complement ExecuJet MRO Services’s Australian maintenance facilities, including at Sydney Airport and Melbourne Essendon Airport, which will provide heavier inspections for New Zealand customers. The MRO provider’s facilities in both countries are authorized by Dassault Aviation, allowing Falcon operators to receive warranty service. A mix of light, midsize, and long-range business jets are based in New Zealand, which is promising for the company. While owned by Dassault, ExecuJet also supports Gulfstream, Embraer, and Bombardier twinjets.

“With the backing of the established Australian bases, ExecuJet’s entry into the New Zealand market will provide a solid platform for maintenance support across many aircraft types to help promote further growth,” said ExecuJet MRO Services regional v-p for Australasia Grant Ingall. “Once international air restrictions are eased, we anticipate there will be more business jets from overseas passing through New Zealand again because the country is world-renowned as a travel destination.”

Garmin Adds StormOptix to Weather Radar Palette

Garmin’s GWX 8000 StormOptix weather radar brings new weather threat analysis and depiction capabilities to high-performance Part 23/25 jets and will be available in the second quarter, the company announced yesterday. Initial platforms will be business jets equipped with G5000 avionics, which includes the Bombardier Learjet 70/75 and Cessna Citation Latitude and Longitude.

Available in 10-, 12-, 14-, and 18-inch sizes, the GWX 8000 features a lightweight design. The 14-inch version, for example, weighs 12.9 pounds.

Garmin spent five years developing and optimizing the new radar’s autoscan technology, which included “complex research and flight test programs.” Flight testing was done to verify performance in strati-form and mild rain, severe thunderstorms, hail, lightning, wind-shear conditions, and other weather.

Weather is depicted with a high-definition 16-color palette offering “greater color contouring,” which helps pilots interpret storm cell severity without having to manually adjust the gain, according to Garmin. Other features of the GWX 8000 include 3D volumetric scanning with automatic tilt adjustment to scan and depict hazardous weather, hail and lightning prediction, turbulence detection, advanced ground clutter suppression, and predictive wind-shear detection, which is optional. The wind-shear detection feature provides aural notifications and visual indications on a dedicated Garmin display.

Garmin’s Weather Attenuated Color Highlight (Watch) technology can help mitigate attenuation effects, so pilots can “identify shadowing effects of cell activity,” Garmin said.

Yingling Approved for Goodrich Deice Installations

Yingling Aviation, an FBO and MRO-services provider at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport, has been named by Collins Aerospace as an authorized Goodrich deicer service center, enabling the Kansas company to install Goodrich’s line of FASTboot, SILVERboot, and standard pneumatic deicing boots and systems.

“This means we are able to access the products and in-depth factory installation training and expertise provided by Goodrich,” said Yingling v-p of business development Jerry Pickett, adding the agreement provides Goodrich and Collins exposure to Yingling’s “extensive list of customers and aircraft operators developed over 75 years.”

In addition to being the largest, independent Cessna parts supplier, Yingling’s maintenance and modification services include airframe, avionics, interiors, and paint with an emphasis on new and legacy Textron Aviation aircraft. “The quality of service and the reputation that Yingling has established in all aspects of maintenance and service during its decades in Wichita add another attractive choice for Goodrich deicing installations to customers in the middle of the country,” added Collins aftermarket business development manager Tony DiGiacomo.

LABACE 2021 Set for November 9 to 11

LABACE, Latin America’s largest annual business aviation event that was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, is poised to return this year, organizer ABAG said yesterday. While the show is normally held in mid-August, ABAG  has pushed it back to November 9 to 11, allowing three more months for Brazil to recover from the pandemic.

The São Paulo Congonhas Airport has traditionally housed stands in a historic hangar with the door wide open to the static display ramp, which is expected to provide a good setup for social distancing, the show organizer said. With these new dates, however, LABACE will close just three days before the Dubai Airshow opens, which could potentially cause a conflict for some. 

Like other world regions, business aviation in Latin America has been much less severely affected by the pandemic than the airlines, according to a recent analysis by ABAG technical manager Raul Marinho. He views the crisis as having driven new users to private aviation and given new relevancy to air ambulance services. Marinho also sees new Brazilian ANAC rules allowing per-seat charter and, soon, regulating shared ownership as all boosting business aviation.

Brazil’s agribusiness sector, which is export-oriented and dollar-based, has also weathered the crisis well and is historically a strong aircraft purchaser.

Jet Maintenance Solutions Expands European Foothold

Jet Maintenance Solutions (Jet MS) is establishing a line maintenance station at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport in France and will add one in the London area in the fourth quarter. According to the Lithuanian MRO provider, Côte d'Azur has been a leading airport for private aircraft in Europe in the past two years based on takeoffs. “With the successful beginning of operations at this location, we are already looking at more potential business aviation centers and FBO organizations where we could offer our services,” said Jet MS CEO Vytis Zalimas.

In addition to operating with a team of engineers, technicians, and business development and sales personnel in Nice, the unit of Avia Solutions Group is offering mobile repair team services for routine checks and AOG at nearby airports, including in Cannes, Marseille, and Toulon.

“By opening our doors to new clients in this picturesque city of the French Riviera, we are entering a new and demand-heavy market,” said Zalimas. “Having had over 2,050 movements even during the pandemic in 2020, the airport shows a strong demand for sophisticated private aircraft infrastructure."

Second FBO Landing at Florida’s Lakeland Airport

Florida’s Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL) will receive a second FBO late next month with the opening of Aero Center Lakeland’s temporary facility. The company, headed by industry veterans including former Signature Flight Support president Michael Scheeringa, broke ground in February at KLAL on its $7 million permanent home. With a planned debut in the fourth quarter, the FBO—located midfield on Runway 9/27—will include an 11,000-sq-ft terminal, along with 15,000-sq-ft and 10,000-sq-ft hangars.

Meanwhile, the 2,000-sq-ft hurricane-rated temporary terminal and 50,000-gallon fuel tank farm will be delivered next week and installed, and the site already has received three acres of air transport grade ramp to handle aircraft up to a Boeing 757.

According to Scheeringa, the company plans to have a licensed A&P mechanic on shift during the 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. open hours. “We want to make sure that the community has a one-stop-shop for private aviation needs, and that goes from pistons to jets,” he told AIN.

Aero Center also plans to open another FBO by year-end at North Carolina’s Wilmington International Airport. This facility is part of the company’s “focused strategy on bringing competition to secondary cities that can support two FBOs,” said Scheeringa, adding that parent company Marathon FBO Partners has an appetite to add two to four new FBOs a year.

StandardAero Awarded Cert for LRUs, Accessories Repair

Honeywell and Triumph Group have certified two StandardAero Accessories Center of Excellence (COE) facilities in Florida for the repair of several helicopter and turboprop engine line replaceable units (LRUs) and accessories. Under the Honeywell certification, StandardAero’s Hialeah facility will be able to perform OEM-approved repairs on a variety of helicopter and turboprop engine LRUs and accessories. The license agreement covers repairs on Rolls-Royce M250 and Pratt & Whitney PT6T helicopter fuel controls and governors.

Meanwhile, Triumph has approved StandardAero’s Fort Meyers facility for maintenance, repair, and overhaul of Rolls-Royce M250 hydromechanical units and fuel pumps.

“Adding these strategic engine LRU and accessory repairs to our overall MRO capabilities is the next step in StandardAero’s long-term strategy to expand and centralize repairs into our COE sites that specialize in the technologies required by the repair work scopes,” said StandardAero v-p of sales and marketing for helicopters Brian Hughes.