Dassault Falcon Tops in AIN Bizjet Support Survey

Dassault Falcon jumped ahead by a slim margin to secure first place in the business jet category of the AIN 2019 AIN Product Support Survey: Aircraft. Mitsubishi was once again the far-and-away winner in the annual survey in the turboprop segment, while Bell continued its long-running, industry-leading position in the helicopter segment. AIN asked readers to rate companies' product supprt in each the following categories: factory-owned service centers, authorized service centers, parts availability, cost of parts, AOG response, technical manuals, technical reps, and overall product reliability.

Dassault Falcon earned an overall average score of 8.4 for both newer and older business jets, a 0.1 increase from last year. Gulfstream (midsize jets) took second place with an 8.3 overall average, while Embraer Executive Jets and Gulfstream (large-cabin jets) shared third place, averaging 8.2 each. This was followed by Bombardier (Global), 7.9; Bombardier (Challenger), 7.8; Textron Aviation (Citation), 7.8; Bombardier (Learjet), 7.5; Textron Aviation (Beechjet, Premier), 7.0; and Textron Aviation (Hawker), 6.5.

At 9.2, Mitsubishi garnered the highest overall average score in the entire survey for support of its MU-2 turboprop twin, while Pilatus took second place in turboprops with an average of 8.3. Textron Aviation (King Air) placed a distant third at 7.3.

On the helicopter side, Bell led with a score of 7.3, followed by Leonardo (6.8), Airbus Helicopters (6.7), and Sikorsky (6.6).

Bombardier Bizjet Deliveries, Revenues, Sales Climb

Second-quarter revenues at Bombardier Business Aircraft increased 6 percent year-over-year to $1.38 billion as the company delivered 35 business jets, up one unit from a year ago, parent company Bombardier Inc. announced today. Earnings, however, fell 22 percent, to $84 million, mainly due to production ramp-up of its flagship Global 7500.

Aircraft shipments in the three months that ended June 30 consisted of two Learjets, 17 Challengers, and 16 Globals, compared with two Learjets, 20 Challengers, and 12 Globals in second-quarter 2018. According to Bombardier Inc. president and CEO Alain Bellemare, two Global 7500s were delivered in the second quarter, bringing the year-to-date tally to three. He said the company will hand over a total of 15 to 20 Global 7500s by the end of the year and will further ramp up production of the 7,700-nm twinjet next year.

The company recorded a 1.2:1 book-to-bill ratio for business jets in the second quarter and its total backlog has swelled by $1 billion year-to-date, to $15.3 billion. Aftermarket sales also grew by 3.6 percent during the quarter, reflecting a focus started last year to increase service revenues.

Meanwhile, Bellemare said the Global 5500 and 6500 are “on track” for certification and service entry by year-end.

Jet Linx  XOJet Partner with CAE, SWA on Pilot Pipeline

Part 135 operators Jet Linx and XOJet have formed a partnership with flight training provider CAE and Southwest Airlines on a unique new pilot pipeline program. Unveiled today and called Destination 225° (for the southwest heading on a compass rose), it will take trainee pilots through FAA certification with a Southwest mentor, and then funnel them into the Part 135 operators, where they will gain a minimum three years of experience. They will then receive preferential positioning in Southwest’s hiring queue if they desire.

Like most in business aviation, Jet Linx has experienced churn among its pilot ranks, with a 30 percent attrition rate. “The large majority of that attrition is going towards the airlines,” said Jet Linx president Jamie Walker. “So rather than leave it to the pilots to figure that career path out, we want to help them with that. If they do have a desire past [Part] 135 and they want to go towards [Part] 121, we actually want to partner with an organization like Southwest, which can make a clear identified path for them.”

While his company has not yet encountered any difficulty filling pilot positions, the move is a proactive step, Walker said.

CAE will offer ab-initio training for the cadets who can also meet the Southwest requirements by accumulating 1,500 hours as a flight instructor at its Phoenix, Arizona facility.

Norwood Airport Finally Agrees To Allow New FBO

After years of litigation, Norwood (Massachusetts) Airport and Boston Executive Helicopters (BEH) reached a settlement agreement in federal court on Tuesday that allows BEH to open an FBO at the airport within 30 days. The new BEH facility will be the second FBO at Norwood.

Under the agreement, the town of Norwood acknowledges BEH’s contention that it had satisfied all minimum standards for the issuance of an FBO permit back in 2014, as well as stipulating that BEH meets all the requirements for the prompt issuance of an FBO permit by the airport for an initial lease period of five years.

The airport will also pay BEH $750,000 as compensation for legal fees incurred in the litigation. In addition, the airport must provide and pay for pedestrian and vehicular security gates with keypad access to BEH facilities within 90 days of the execution of the agreement. Furthermore, the airport authority shall “cooperate and support” BEH if it elects to pursue the construction of a new hangar and the company’s efforts to obtain FAA approval for a long-term lease (up to 30 years duration).

Meanwhile, BEH is still pursuing litigation in Norfolk Superior Court against the other FBO at Norwood, FlightLevel Aviation, alleging it conspired to prevent BEH from being allowed to operate as a fuel vendor at the airport.

StandardAero Completes Learjet 45 Cockpit Upgrade

StandardAero has completed its first installation of a Honeywell Primus Elite cockpit in a U.S.-registered Bombardier Learjet 45, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based MRO provider announced. Work was performed at StandardAero’s MRO facility in Augusta, Georgia, and the installation was one of the first to use JetCity’s FAA-approved STC.

Primus Elite improves functionality and overall situational awareness in the cockpit with the addition of charts, maps, and safety enhancements. Installation included removing CRT screens from the Learjet 45 that tend to get hot and replacing them with Primus Elite’s LCDs, which have improved visibility and are more reliable.

“StandardAero continues to be a leader in cockpit display upgrades and now offers Honeywell’s Primus Elite upgrade on the Learjet 45, Embraer Legacy 600, Falcon 900EX, and Global Express,” said StandardAero Business Aviation director of avionics program management and business development Jerry Sanders. “With less focus on meeting the ADS-B mandate, we are seeing more attention on cockpit display and cabin connectivity upgrades.”

Moran Pushes To Protect FAA from Future Shutdowns

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) is continuing to push for his bill to shield the U.S. FAA from any future shutdowns. Moran in March introduced his Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2019 (S.762) as a companion to a similar bill in the House.

Speaking to the Aero Club of Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Moran acknowledged that the bill runs counterintuitive to his role as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He noted arguments that providing such relief would give lawmakers less leverage to reach a compromise. But Moran pointed to the damage incurred in shutdowns that stalled the delivery of hundreds of millions worth of aircraft and left air traffic controllers without pay. 

Moran further noted the work ahead for the Senate, including the need to pass 12 appropriations bills before the current fiscal year ends on September 30. That leaves just a month since the Senate is on August break. He believes the Senate will need to pass some continuing resolutions given the short time. 

He also underscored the importance of general aviation, saying, “I have a lot of interest in trying to keep rural America alive and well.” General aviation airports and aircraft connect those small towns to the rest of the world. Without them, he said, “We’d see a greater demise of rural communities across Kansas.”

Robinson Helicopter Adds New MRO Facility

Robinson Helicopter has opened a new stand-alone 37,000-sq-ft MRO facility in Torrance, California. To maximize efficiency, Robinson organized the new space around the flow of parts at the facility. “The goal is to ensure parts are easily accounted for throughout each process and each process is done quickly and efficiently,” said John Hernandez, Robinson’s repair station manager.

Dedicated areas for disassembly and storage of blades, engines, and components—as well as a large media blasting room, a clean room for hydraulic disassembly, and ultrasonic cleaning—are all situated in close proximity. In addition to the steady flow of repair and overhauled parts, Robinson performs helicopter repairs and overhauls in-house.

The new facility is set up to efficiently tear-down, clean, and inspect components, engines, and complete aircraft. Once helicopters are disassembled, cleaned, and inspected, they are brought to the main facility for reassembly, paint, flight test, and delivery. Robinson said the demand for quick repair of parts and component overhauls increases each year as the in-service fleet of more than 12,000 helicopters grows. The company delivered its first helicopter 40 years ago.

L2 Aviation To Provide Install for Avionica QARs

Texas-based avionics integrations, modifications, and remote installation provider L2 Aviation will partner with GE Aviation to provide remote installation services for its subsidiary Avionica’s miniQAR Mk III quick access recorder (QAR). Under the terms of the agreement, L2’s technicians will travel to an aircraft’s location and install all hardware and wiring and perform functional testing, returning the aircraft to service under its FAA Part 145 certificate.

L2 originally participated in the certification of the miniQAR last year, with an AML STC for Part 23 under a commercial agreement with Avionica. That STC includes the HondaJet; Eclipse 500; Cirrus Vision Jet; Daher TBM; Pilatus PC-12; Cessna Citation Mustang and CJ family; Embraer Phenom 100 and 300; and Beechcraft King Airs.

L2 has already performed several installations of the miniQAR as well as of Avionica’s avCM-4G cellular module, which provides greater data acquisition and instant ground-based cellular transmission to maintenance and FOQA providers.

“We’ve appreciated L2’s strong support in the installation of the miniQAR MkIII/avCM combination for operators needing to transmit flight data while on the ground and connected to a local cellular network from anywhere in the world,” said Avionica v-p of business development Sean Reilly. “I see this relationship continuing to grow and get stronger now as part of GE Aviation.”

Flexjet recently announced that it will equip its entire fleet with the QARs.

Count on AIN for Full Coverage of LABACE

You can count on AIN for full coverage of LABACE 2019. Our team will publish three of our award-winning daily LABACE Convention News editions at the show on August 13, 14, and 15. We will also have comprehensive real-time reporting of all the top news at AINonline.com and in our daily e-newsletters. If you are an exhibiting company that wants to share news or propose pre-show interviews and briefings please contact show editor Ian Sheppard.