Daher took the wraps off its latest-generation TBM turboprop single—the TBM 960—today at the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, where it is also displaying the first production example. Replacing the TBM 940 in the company’s lineup, the approximately $4.57 million aircraft sports a more efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6E-66XT with a five-blade composite propeller and digital e-throttle.
With the new aircraft’s launch, Daher’s TBM family is now offered in two versions—the TBM 910 and 960. Daher said EASA certification of the 960 is already in hand, while FAA approval is pending. Deliveries of the new model are expected to begin by July.
An optional Prestige cabin package ups the price to about $4.8 million and adds a new environmental control system, LED ambience lighting, and electronically-dimmable windows. This premium cabin also includes a passenger comfort display and other enhancements such as new ergonomically enhanced seats, USB-A and USB-C power plugs, cupholders, and headset hangers at each of the airplane’s six seats.
“The TBM 960 is the quintessential TBM, representing the fifth evolution of our very fast turboprop aircraft family since the TBM 900-series’ introduction in 2014,” said Nicolas Chabbert, the senior v-p of Daher’s aircraft division. “It takes the maximum advantage of today’s turboprop technology to provide digital control of the engine and the propeller.”
The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) kicked off its annual Safety Symposium today at a new venue, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) campus in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the dean of the College of Aviation, Alan Stolzer, welcoming the 150 safety professionals and some 25 students to the two-day event.
The symposium this week follows the cancellation of the 2021 event as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The event also marks a shift from the previous location at the National Transportation Safety Board’s training center in Ashburn, Virginia, where it had been held for the first 13 years.
Opening the 14th ACSF Safety Symposium was ACSF chairman Robert Rufli, who is v-p of flight operations and director of operations for Pentastar Aviation. He noted the shift in venue aligns with the organization’s strategic goals for better outreach. According to Rufli, ACSF is working towards deepening its ties with academia as it accumulates key safety data to address issues. Emphasizing the importance of the academic perspective, Stolzer added that the university was “really excited” about the prospect of such partnerships.
Robert Sumwalt, the former NTSB chairman who has taken the role of executive director of ERAU's newly formed Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety, added he looked forward to a long-term relationship between the ACSF and the university.
The National Air Transportation Association has launched a new online directory that will help operators identify what safety programs airports and FBOs participate in. An evolution of the previous FBO Status Map, Safety 1st Verify tracks participation in NATA Safety 1st training, Safety 1st Clean, Fuel QC Management System, and registration under the International Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAH).
The organization also announced a new partnership with online fuel pricing platform provider FuelerLinx, whereby FuelerLinx customers can now seek and sort FBOs by their Safety 1st status, using the FBO Manager function. FBO listings in the system will display NATA logos indicating their adherence to the various safety programs, including advising customers of technical line staff training through the industry-standard Safety 1st program; stringent fuel testing as part of the Fuel QC Management System; health and cleaning in accordance of the latest government guidelines (Clean); and the implementation of industry best safety practices through IS-BAH.
As well, through FBO Manager, FuelerLinx clients can view and archive transactions made at FBOs active in NATA and its industry safety program partners.
“Empowering aviation business safety is NATA’s core mission and Safety 1st Verify serves as a valuable tool for operators, pilots, schedulers, and dispatchers to make more informed decisions at FBOs and airports,” explained NATA executive v-p Ryan Waguespack.
Textron Aviation has received FAA type certification and made the first delivery of its Cessna Citation M2 Gen2 business jet, the Wichita airframer announced yesterday. Plans for the seven-passenger M2 Gen2 were unveiled at the 2021 NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas.
California-based Elite Team Offices took delivery of the upgraded light twin and will use it for travel to its multiple locations and projects across the U.S. for landscape, landscape management, renewable energy civil grading, and vertical and development construction operations. “Knowing we can get to any project we have across the United States in hours seems unbelievable and amazing at the same time,” said Elite Team owner Guy Stockbridge. “We are looking forward to flying out of Wichita in our new M2 Gen2 jet straight to one of our solar projects in Arizona and be at home on the same day.”
Upgrades to the M2 Gen2, priced at $5.85 million, include a choice of four interiors; redesigned sidewall ledges; a mix of more durable flooring, including wood and carpet; ambient accent lighting; illuminated cupholders; and wireless charging and USB-A and USB-C ports at each cabin seat. An additional three inches of legroom has also been added to the co-pilot’s seat.
Powered by a pair of Williams International FJ44 engines, the M2 Gen2 has a maximum cruise of 404 knots and a range of 1,550 nm.
Virtual Engine Training Sets FlightSafety Apart
FlightSafety, the aviation training leader has pivoted into the cyberworld, offering a new way to interact with components—through virtual engine training. Working with Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), FlightSafety has developed cutting-edge training technology to view the engine, interactively, and explore it down to the component level.
NBAA presented former FAA Administrator Steve Dickson with its American Spirit Award for his “incomparable achievements in advancing America’s aviation interests.”
The association’s board of directors honored Dickson late last month shortly before he stepped down as administrator. In February, Dickson announced his planned departure just halfway through his five-year term, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. Billy Nolen, FAA associate administrator for aviation safety, was named acting administrator while a successor is found.
Dickson departed the agency after steering it through one of its most difficult periods, including managing the aviation system through the Covid-19 pandemic and the intense scrutiny that followed the Boeing Max crashes. “Steve embodies leadership, integrity, and love of country,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Aviation has been very fortunate to have someone like Steve Dickson in the left seat, moving our industry forward.”
NBAA noted that Dickson acted “swiftly and decisively” to address the challenges that came with the pandemic, including ATC and other system disruptions. In addition, NBAA credited Dickson for redoubling the agency’s focus on environmental sustainability, the introduction of emerging technologies, and initiatives to foster the aviation workforce. He further remained engaged with the business aviation community throughout his tenure as administrator, NBAA said, adding that he was a keynote during the 2019 and 2021 BACE events.
Charnell Walls was selected as the recipient of the Women in Aviation International Martha King Scholarship for Women Flight Instructors. Donated by King Schools co-founder Martha King, the scholarship includes a $5,000 stipend and lifetime access to all King Schools courses.
Walls initially began flying after a discovery flight in 2002 and was working on her commercial certificate when she stopped training, temporarily, as it turned out. After working as a flight attendant and then in business, Walls decided in 2016 that she could take advantage of the pilot shortage and after selling her house to pay for tuition, enrolled in the University of Oklahoma’s aviation department, eventually graduating with honors and a bachelor’s degree in aviation management.
But having become a commercial pilot after age 50, Walls realized that it wouldn’t be long before she would have to retire from a Part 121 airline flying job after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65. The scholarship will help her keep flying and sharing her knowledge with new pilots.
“That’s the end goal,” she told AIN. “I want to be a CFI and teach other young girls to fly. I started so late in life, I want to get to kids when they’re young, and I want them to have an easier route, to avoid the pitfalls that elongated my process.”
At this year’s NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference, which kicked off today in California at the San Diego Convention Center, Avfuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer Neste will be exhibiting together for the first time. The fuel distributor and fuel manufacturer first announced a strategic partnership in January 2021.
“Our goal of any convention is to connect attendees with the solutions they need for safe, efficient operations,” explained Marci Ammerman, Avfuel’s v-p of marketing. “Sustainable solutions have increasingly become important to our clientele and we are thrilled to be able to directly connect them to Neste to learn more about the efficacy of SAF.”
SAF, a drop-in fuel that is fully miscible with standard jet-A, currently represents the most immediate and effective way to reduce aviation’s carbon footprint. Each 8,000-gallon truckload of the fuel, which is derived from renewable sources such as used cooking oil and other residues and then blended with conventional jet fuel, provides a 19-tonne reduction in carbon emissions over its lifecycle. It is approved at blends of up to 50 percent, but in the future, when SAF is used in its neat, unblended form it can deliver up to 80 percent fewer emissions than traditional jet fuel.
SEA Prime, the company that operates the general aviation infrastructure at Milan, Italy’s Linate and Malpensa International airports under the brand Milano Prime, reports its traffic for the first three months of the year is up 60 percent compared with 2021, and 17 percent versus pre-Covid 2019.
The company, which is making its first U.S. appearance since October 2019, is exhibiting this week at NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in San Diego. Italy and Milan in particular was heavily impacted early on by the Covid pandemic in 2020, and SEA Prime noted that its 2021 growth over those stunted 2020 numbers was 74 percent, and it was 11 percent above 2019 totals. Both numbers exceeded the Italian and European averages.
With an eye toward the 2026 Winter Olympic Games that will take place in nearby Cortina, the company has broken ground on a new 50,600-sq-ft hangar at Linate, which will boost the total available business aviation hangar space at both airports to 366,000 sq ft.
Furthering sustainability is also among the company’s goals with the use of electric ramp vehicles. In December, Linate became the first airport to fuel a business aircraft with sustainable aviation fuel in Italy. SEA Prime is also part of a working group looking to foster the development of urban air mobility and the needed infrastructure.
People in Aviation
Blackhawk Aerospace president and CEO Jim Allmon was named to the Texas Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee, which advises on the attraction and retention of aviation business in the state. Allmon, who was appointed to a five-year term, founded Blackhawk in 1999 and before that was president and CEO of Aurora Aviation.
Gulfstream Aerospace named Beth O’Neill regional v-p of sales for metropolitan New York. She succeeds Michael Swift, who was recently promoted to regional senior v-p of sales for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. O’Neill joins Gulfstream with more than 20 years of experience in aircraft financing, including as Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s director of corporate aircraft finance-northeast.
Guardian Jet appointed Rafael Mugnaini as v-p for South America. Mugnaini has more than 20 years of experience in developing new markets, including with Brazilian trading company Comexport, TAM Aviação Executiva, and Embraer Executive Jets.
The Aerospace Maintenance Council elected its board of directors, including: Aaron Anderson, global segment manager of transparencies repair services for PPG Industries; Victor Bontorno, director of distribution and ground support test equipment for Barfield; Kevin Brickner, senior v-p of technical operations for American Airlines; Bill Cade, v-p of technical operations for JetBlue; Stewart D’Leon, director of environmental and technical operations for NBAA; Tom Doxey, senior v-p for United Airlines; Les Frank, managing director of aircraft maintenance for FedEx Express; John Gowey, v-p of North America-critical industries for Snap-on; Andy Hakes, founder and CEO for AireXpert; Kurt Kinder, v-p of maintenance operations for Southwest Airlines; Alan Stolzer, dean of the College of Aviation for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Joseph Sylvestro, senior v-p of aftermarket and sustainment operations for Pratt & Whitney; and Don Wright, v-p of maintenance and engineering for Alaska Airlines.
Aerogility appointed Kenneth Merchant as special advisor in the Americas. Merchant, who is president of Life Cycle Solutions, has more than 40 years of aerospace and defense experience, including 34 years with the U.S. Air Force.
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