Jet It Adds Its First Canada-based HondaJet to Fleet

North Carolina-headquartered Jet It has taken delivery of its first Canadian-based HondaJet as the fractional ownership provider continues its international expansion. The company announced earlier this year plans to broaden its North American footprint by moving into Canada and aligning with Skyservice Business Aviation for aircraft management and operations there. Jet It also hired Canadian aviation industry veteran Jeremi Austin to lead sales and operations in the U.S.'s northern neighbor.

Jet It Canada owners can buy one-tenth to one-half shares of a HondaJet, which equates to allotted days of use, not flight hours. The company provides concierge service, flight crew, and access to the aircraft for an entire day but customers pay for an occupied flight time rate of $2,200 Canadian dollars per hour with no additional reposition, fuel surcharge, or landing fees.

Delivery of the Canadian-based HondaJet adds a third territory for Jet It, which also has operations in the U.S. and—under the JetClub brand—in Europe. It also comes as travel reopens into Canada from the U.S. and is set to reopen to further international destinations in upcoming months.

"Jet It and JetClub have focused on these three territories to provide even more value to our aircraft shareowners,” said Jet It co-founder Vishal Hiremath.

Complete Aircraft Group Acquires Aerocare Aviation Services

UK-based aircraft tooling, parts, and components provider Complete Aircraft Group has acquired business aviation MRO Aerocare Aviation Services. As a Part 145 outfit, Aerocare has been providing maintenance, repair, modifications, interior refurbishment, and exterior paint for nearly three decades. Aerocare will retain its name under the new ownership.

This acquisition thrusts nine-month-old Complete Aircraft into the business aviation arena. Aerocare—which is based at Hawarden Airport in Chester, UK—performs maintenance on several business aircraft types, including Hawkers, Beechcraft King Airs, and Embraer Phenom 300s. The combined businesses bring together 100 employees under Complete Aircraft Group CEO and founder Warren Crook.

“The complementary addition of Aerocare is a great fit to our diverse aviation group, enabling us to better serve our respective markets and customer base,” said Crook. “Moving into business aviation, which has shown incredible resilience throughout the pandemic, opens an exciting and new chapter for Complete Aircraft Group. Valuable portfolio additions include a mobile repair team, aircraft acquisition and tear down, and complete management and oversight.”

The purchase also marks a strategic investment for Complete Aircraft, which recently bolstered its senior management with the addition of Alan Barnes, who has 30 years of experience in supporting MROs, including those owned and authorized by leading business aviation OEMs.

Infrastructure Bill Clears Senate with Aviation Funding

After months of negotiations, the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act comfortably passed the Senate yesterday in a 69-30 vote, moving forward a package that would include $25 billion in airport and air traffic control infrastructure spending. The bill must next be taken up by the House, which is on its August break but may return this month to consider it.

The bipartisan infrastructure package has largely garnered broad industry support for additional funding marked for airports and aviation infrastructure.

“NATA applauds the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s $2.5 billion investment in general aviation airports and $100 million investment in the contract tower program,” said NATA president and CEO Timothy Obitts. “General aviation airports and the countless businesses associated with them create valuable economic development and well-paying jobs in communities across the nation while connecting those communities to vital transportation services and crucial disaster relief, medical care, and other emergency services. These much-needed funds will help maintain and modernize the infrastructure necessary to continue those essential services.”

NBAA also has praised the bill for provisions that focus on the promotion of transportation jobs and investments in future mobility demonstration projects.

Bluetail Achieves Growth Milestone, Secures VC Funding

With its latest customer additions, digital business aircraft records provider Bluetail now manages “back-to-birth” aircraft records for more than $1 billion in aircraft values, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company said today. Bluetail also recently closed a Series A financing round from a software-as-a-service (SaaS) venture capital firm that enables it to expand its business through product enhancements, new hires, and accelerated growth initiatives.

“Our growing customer base coupled with our new funding will now drive future product innovation in the areas of business process automation, data management, and security to a degree that separates us from all other solutions,” said Bluetail co-founder Roberto Guerrieri.

Launched 14 months ago, the company created a SaaS platform that allows aircraft owners, flight departments, lenders, brokers, MROs, and operators to maintain all aircraft records and logbooks in a single and secure place.

Joby Powers Up eVTOL Program with $2B IPO

Joby Aviation today became the first U.S.-based eVTOL developer to go public with a flotation on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), trading under the symbol JOBY. This follows an extraordinary general meeting days ago that approved the California-based startup’s merger with special purpose acquisition company Reinvent Technology Partners. According to Joby, the transaction values the business at $4.5 billion.

The estimated $2 billion in fresh capital from the merger and initial public offering will support Joby’s plans to complete the type certification of a four-passenger all-electric eVTOL that can be flown single pilot on routes of up to 150 miles. Joby said this should more than cover the projected $1.4 billion cash flow requirement to take the aircraft to FAA certification and service entry, which is pegged for 2024.

“By taking Joby public we have the opportunity to drive a renaissance in aviation, making emissions-free flight a part of everyday life,” said Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt. “This is our generation's moonshot moment, and at Joby we're proud to be leaning in.”

Before its agreement to merge with Reinvent Technology Partners, Japanese automotive group Toyota was one of Joby’s biggest financial backers. The carmaker still will be providing practical support in preparation for scaled-up manufacturing of the still-unnamed eVTOL.

Want more? A longer version of this article can be found at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective, independent coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.

Precision Aviation Buys King Air Landing Gear Specialist

Atlanta-based Precision Aviation Group has acquired Trace Aviation in a bid to expand its aircraft landing gear work. Based in Jackson, Mississippi, Trace specializes in Beechcraft King Air and 1900 landing gear exchanges and overhauls. Specifically, Trace provides repair of worn bores and bushings, brace assemblies, hydraulics, actuator housings, cylinder bearings, and axles for Beech 1900s, as well as King Air 90, 100, 200, and 300 variants.

“Additionally, [Trace], like Precision Aviation Group, is well known for delivering exceptional customer service and industry-leading products to their customers worldwide,” said Precision Aviation Group president and CEO David Mast. “It is the perfect platform to expand our MRO services to better serve our customers.”

Likewise, Trace will be able to expand its product and service offerings to its existing customers through access to Precision Aviation Group’s $50 million in rotable inventory, added Trace president Mike Pigott. “We believe this partnership will provide significant benefit to our customers, vendors, and employees,” he said. Trace operates from a 20,000-sq-ft facility at Medgar Evers International Airport and employs more than 20 people.

Duncan Expands Honeywell Component Repair Services

Duncan Aviation has entered the final phase of a Honeywell Aerospace sales and repair service agreement announced earlier this year in which the MRO provider assumes responsibility for the component repair and exchange services for specific avionics content, flight controls, electronic flight control instruments, air data, and attitude heading reference units on legacy platforms.

As part of that new work, Duncan has added 1,000 sq ft of shop service space at its Lincoln, Nebraska location to accommodate 50 additional test sets and 12 new workbenches. Additionally, eight Duncan technicians have received factory training to perform the work, and the repair facility plans to hire up to 12 new avionics technicians and six sales and support personnel in the coming months.

As a Honeywell-authorized service center and channel partner, Duncan now manages the repair services for more than 2,000 Honeywell part numbers on nearly 100 airplane and helicopter models. “Our investment in the expansion of our component capabilities and product offerings is just the latest in a 50-plus year relationship we have enjoyed with Honeywell,” said Duncan v-p of component services and satellites Mark Cote.

Spirit Aeronautics Expands Services to Texas

Avionics provider Spirit Aeronautics has expanded to Fort Worth Meacham International Airport in Texas by co-locating in MRO provider Baker Aviation’s new 70,000-sq-ft hangar. From that location, Columbus, Ohio-based Spirit Aeronautics will provide avionics installation and complex modifications in partnership with Baker’s repair station services. Spirit Aeronautics serves the business aviation, special missions, and military markets.

“We saw an increasing need to provide high-level avionics services in the Dallas/Fort Worth area,” said Spirit Aeronautics CEO Rick Ochs. “Baker Aviation has designed modern facilities with the capability for our team to continue providing the same level of avionics services and support as we've done for more than 20 years at our [Ohio] location.”

Baker Aviation president Stan Baker said his team has high regard for Spirit Aeronautics and its capabilities that “perfectly align with” his company’s growing aircraft maintenance, management, and charter operations.

AIN Events: Building a Sustainable Flight Department

AIN is hosting four one-day regional conferences on sustainability and the modern flight department. Attendees will learn about aviation’s contribution to carbon emissions and the reductions due to the Covid pandemic; regulator/government roles in minimizing aviation emissions (CORSIA, carbon credits); making sense of carbon offsets; building to LEED standards, and much more. Locations in NY, TX, FL and CA. Register today

Leonardo AW609 Progresses Toward Certification

Rotorcraft manufacturer Leonardo is making steady progress toward certification of the AW609, the first civil tiltrotor. Like the V-22 Osprey it descended from, the twin-rotor aircraft has had an extended gestation period. In 1998 Leonardo, then known as Agusta, joined with Bell on the BA609 project. In 2011, it bought out Bell to bring the 609 entirely in-house. Since then, Leonardo has flown and tested four of the tiltrotors. The fifth unit, P-5, recently rolled off the production line at its U.S. production facility in Philadelphia. During a recent visit to the site by AIN, AC6, the first delivery aircraft destined for launch customer Bristow, was seen on the production line awaiting the mating of its wing to the fuselage.