ExecuJet Middle East, part of the Luxaviation Group, is to open an FBO at Al Maktoum International Airport (OMDW) in Dubai, UAE, in the second half of this year.
“We are going with the beginning of the fourth quarter at the very latest,” Dumani Ndebele, regional FBO director, told AIN.
The facility will have a presidential suite and a spa facility, as well as 65,000 sq ft of hangarage for aircraft parking. ExecuJet MRO, which Dassault Aviation acquired in 2019, will run two-thirds of the site, or around 171,000 sq ft of hangar space, primarily for Dassault, Bombardier, and Embraer business jets.
“We will have a soft FBO opening because the hangar will be ready in June,” Ndebele added. “We will actually begin operations whilst we are finishing off the interior of the FBO, and then get it started as soon as possible. The official opening will be during the [Dubai] Airshow [in November].”
Today, ExecuJet operates two FBOs in the UAE, one at Dubai International Airport (OMDB) and the other at the temporary site at OMDW that it took over in 2016, pending the opening of the new facility.
Ndebele said he expected that when the new FBO is fully operational, the 60/40 percent movements split between the ExecuJet FBOs at OMDB and OMDW would switch to 40/60 percent.
In July 2010, a Lufthansa Cargo MD-11F crashed during landing at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The airplane bounced and the fuselage broke apart. Two pilots—the only occupants—were injured, one severely.
Flight data indicated that two large forward and aft flight control inputs were made between the first and third touchdown. The third and final touchdown on the main landing gear exceeded 4 g, nearly twice the aircraft operating manual limitation.
The captain told accident investigators that he considered the aircraft’s behavior after touchdown “shocking” and “much beyond his experience.” He later told investigators that he had not expected the “strong movement of the nose” and that the aircraft’s pitch attitude was “higher than the maximum allowable and outside of his comfort zone.” The maximum recorded pitch attitude during the landing was 13 degrees nose up.
NASA, marking the anniversary of the 50-year ban on commercial supersonic travel over land this week, confirmed that its Mach 1.4 X-59 demonstrator aircraft is on track to fly this year, paving the way for noise trials to begin by 2025. Those noise trials involving the X-plane will be used to gather data that could ultimately make supersonic operations over land possible again.
Lockheed Martin, in concert with NASA, has been developing the supersonic single-seat, nearly 100-foot-long aircraft at its Skunk Works factory in Palmdale, California. The aircraft is being designed with new technologies that would emit a lower boom, described as a soft thud, to buffer the impacts of the shockwaves associated with supersonic flight.
The aircraft continues to come together with the installation of the tail section in late March. Following the first flight, the X-59 will be tested over about a nine-month period for performance and safety and then formally handed over to NASA next year.
Plans call for the aircraft to then begin a series of flights over U.S. cities in 2025 and 2026 to learn how affected residents perceive the noise. That data is to be shared with U.S. and international regulators.
The world helicopter market is expected to grow from $30.6 billion in 2022 to $41.2 billion by 2027, a compound annual growth rate of 6.1 percent during the forecast period, according to a new study from the Illinois-based consultancy MarketsandMarkets. The increase will largely be driven by higher demand for light helicopters and to a lesser extent by the aftermarket and commercialization of urban air mobility and eVTOL aircraft.
The military helicopter market is predicted to grow at the fastest rate, the study said, driven by demand for increased procurement of transport, attack, and reconnaissance helicopters worldwide. Geographically, North America will continue to drive the highest share of that demand, according to the study.
The MarketsandMarkets findings correlate with the sentiment recently shared by other analysts, financiers, major helicopter OEMs, and suppliers, even as manufacturers continue to struggle with supply-chain issues that hinder deliveries and product support. Senior industry executives have told AIN over the last several months that they expect these difficulties to continue, albeit improve, through the remainder of 2023.
Pryor Field Regional Airport (KDCU) in Tanner, Alabama, has allocated nearly 85 acres of existing airport property for an MRO operation and announced plans for further development.
During a recent meeting, the airport authority board approved a 25-year lease with a 10-year option for Huntsville, Alabama distribution, logistics, and services company Acquisition Integration (AI) to build an MRO at KDCU. AI intends to invest $30 million and create 250 jobs through a four-phase plan at the airport. The project includes the building of 170,000 sq ft of hangar and office space.
Airport manager Adam Fox told AIN that this is the first part of “several other developments on the horizon” for the airport. “With the growth in north Alabama, many companies are turning their eyes to Pryor Field. [It] is a hidden gem that is full of potential,” he said.
Airport engineer and planning consultant Goodwyn Mills Cawood worked with the airport authority to develop a master plan, which provided a design to separate corporate/transient and cargo operations from general aviation operations, allowing the allocation of airport property for MRO and future developments designated for long-term ground lease opportunities.
The airport is also working to secure a grant for a taxiway project, as well as funding for other projects identified through the development of the airport’s master plan.
Private lift provider Jet Linx has achieved Wyvern Wingman Pro certification, an achievement that the Omaha, Nebraska-based company says makes it the first operator to earn the highest safety ratings from three of the top safety auditing programs. Jet Linx is one of only 12 companies in the industry to earn the Wingman Pro designation, a recognition that comes after it has maintained IS-BAO Stage 3 status since 2015, and was the first to attain an Argus Platinum Elite rating in 2021.
“Safety has always been our top priority, and this certification is a testament to our commitment to providing the highest level of safety and service to our clients,” said president and CEO Jamie Walker. “Now holding the three most elite safety ratings in aviation, we look forward to continuing to advance our safety programs and encourage the highest safety practices throughout the industry.”
Jet Linx pauses revenue operations each year—grounding its entire fleet of more than 100 aircraft—to conduct a company-wide safety summit. This year’s summit will take place on June 13.
"We believe our safety management system, pound for pound and dollar for dollar, lives up to the same exacting standards of most major airlines,” added RD Johnson, the company's v-p of safety.
While Duncan Aviation is well known for its MRO capabilities, the Nebraska-based company recently proved it can do more than just airplanes. It was approached by a local charity Foster Care Closet, which provides clothing for children and teens from broken homes throughout the state, and asked if it could refurbish an old school bus that would move through the community, allowing children to select and try on seasonal clothing in privacy.
“There are people in the Lincoln community who know we do incredible things with aircraft, and they wondered if we could do the same thing to a vehicle with wheels,” said Duncan price item technical specialist Jason Duhs.
Duncan’s vehicle maintenance department assessed the bus and found it to be roadworthy. Space was then allocated in one of its hangars for the work, which was done by company employees in their free time on evenings and weekends. Virtually all of the departments—from interiors to paint and upholstery—chipped in to remove the seats, remove windows and seal them off with sheet metal for dressing rooms, install a new floor and stairs, renew the driver's seat, install interior lighting and audio speakers, and paint the exterior in a custom scheme.
Funds for the project were donated by the Duncan Aviation Family Trust and employees throughout the company.
An Australian tech entrepreneur recently completed a 10,000-nm journey in 41 days, making 39 stops across 21 countries in an Airbus Helicopters ACH130 Aston Martin Edition. John-Paul Thorbjornsen took delivery of the aircraft at Airbus’s Oxford, UK facility on February 7 and decided to fly it home, as opposed to having it shipped. “It is such a delight to see how our customer has brought to life the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition through this amazing journey, which fully embraced the power of flight in style,” said Frederic Lemos, head of Airbus Corporate Helicopters.
“What sets the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition apart from the rest is the intricate details and finest upholstery that created not just a well-appointed interior but an extremely smooth ride in the spacious cabin,” said Thorbjornsen.
The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition offers a range of interior and exterior designs created by the British sports car builder and installed at Airbus Helicopters in Oxford. Features include custom paint, seating for seven including the pilot, and an interior scheme with fabrics including ultra-suede and leather shades that match those offered on the automobile. Two years after its launch, ACH has sold all 15 ACH130 Aston Martin Edition helicopters in the initial production lot and is continuing production. Orders have come from customers in Australia, Europe, Latin America, New Zealand, North America, and Southeast Asia.
Photo of the Week
Who says Newark can't be beautiful? That was the question senior pilot Aryae Brown asked when submitting this serene photo highlighting the wingtip of his company’s Gulfstream G550 while parked on the Signature Flight Support ramp at Newark International Airport (KEWR) at nightfall. On reflection, we agree! Thanks for sharing, Aryae.
Keep them coming. If you’d like to submit an entry for Photo of the Week, email a high-resolution horizontal image (at least 2000 x 1200 pixels), along with your name, contact information, social media names, and info about it (including brief description, location, etc.) to photos@ainonline.com. Tail numbers can be removed upon request. Those submitting photos give AIN implied consent to publish them in its publications and social media channels.
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