Duncan Aviation has received U.S. Department of Labor approval to offer a powerplant apprenticeship program and will begin offering it to eight full-time technicians at the Lincoln, Nebraska-based MRO provider. The effort follows a similar one to establish an airframe apprenticeship program last year to stem the effects of an expected shortage of aircraft mechanics.
Duncan’s program will last 24 months and offer powerplant training while students work there and earn a paycheck. Through classroom and hands-on labs, students will learn about reciprocating and turbine engines; powerplant ignition, electrical, and fire-protection systems; aircraft propeller systems; induction and fuel metering; lubrication, cooling, and exhaust; electric static discharge awareness and prevention; and aviation human factors. Upon completion, students will be prepared to sit for written, oral, and practical exams for airframe and powerplant certificates.
“Through a combination of on-the-job experience, classroom training, hands-on lab work, and supplemental course materials, the engine apprentices will get the work experience and knowledge necessary to become the kinds of skilled technicians Duncan Aviation engine teams want to employ,” said Duncan engine line assistant manager in Lincoln Bradley Wales. “Once the techs have completed their apprenticeship, they will have the confidence, technical abilities, and troubleshooting skills to find their lasting careers at Duncan Aviation.”
AEA: GA/bizav Avionics Sales Fall 23.6 Percent in First Half
Worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales plunged 37.3 percent, to $490.7 million, in the second quarter as the market hit its expected pandemic-induced low point, according to the Aircraft Electronics Association’s latest Avionics Market Report. In the first six months of 2020, avionics sales amounted to $1.15 billion, down 23.6 percent from the same period a year ago, it added.
During the first half, 53.3 percent of those sales came from the retrofit market, while forward-fit sales accounted for the remainder. According to the companies that separated their total sales figures by world region, 74.6 percent of the first-half sales occurred in the U.S. and Canada, while 25.4 percent took place in the rest of the world.
“Realizing a substantial decrease in worldwide avionics sales during the second quarter was the expectation in light of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said AEA president and CEO Mike Adamson. “The economic impact of the disease has been significant, and the business and general aviation electronics industry is not immune to the crisis. However, I remain optimistic that our industry will be poised for recovery.”
Avionics dollar amounts reported by AEA are based on net sales prices and include all business and general aviation aircraft electronic sales—component and accessories, tip-to-tail hardware, batteries, and chargeable product upgrades from the participating manufacturers. Excluded are repairs and overhauls, extended warranty, and subscription services.
Quiet Technology Aerospace (QTA) has delivered its 200th inlet cowl upgrade featuring a carbon-fiber replacement inner barrel. The milestone composite barrel was installed on Albertsons’s Gulfstream G280.
According to QTA, the work involves replacing the jet engine's original aluminum-based inner barrel with a lighter-weight carbon composite barrel that fixes the root cause of the corrosion issue and comes with a lifetime warranty. Besides the G200/G280, QTA holds STCs for composite barrel retrofits on the Bombardier Challenger 300/350 and Learjet 60; Dassault Falcon 2000LX/EX; Embraer Legacy 450/500 and Praetor 500/600; and Hawker 1000.
QTA is also making progress on a similar solution for its eighth airframe candidate: the Gulfstream G450. The company said it is now in the final stages of assembling the first G450 article for FAA conformity to finalize the STC. “This particular inlet offers substantial weight savings of 40 pounds…and will eliminate corrosion permanently on the G450,” it said. QTA expects to have the G450 STC in hand by the end of this month, with exchange inlets available next month.
Robinson Delivers 1,000th R66 Turbine Helicopter
Robinson delivered R66 Turbine serial number 1,000 to company dealer Gardner Aviation in Peachtree City, Georgia, on July 29. The retail purchaser is Donovan Valentine of Monarch Helicopters in Nashville, Tennessee, who previously owned a piston-powered R44 and decided to upgrade to the five-seat, light turbine single to better serve his tour company.
Robinson delivered the first R66 in November 2010, and the in-service fleet recently surpassed 1.2 million flight hours without a single reported in-flight failure of its Rolls-Royce RR300 turbine engine. R66s have flown to the North Pole and circumnavigated the globe multiple times.
“Delivering serial number 1,000 demonstrates the R66 is the top performer and leader in its class,” said Robinson president Kurt Robinson. The company has delivered a variety of options for the R66 over the years, including cargo hook, lithium-ion battery, fuel flow system, auxiliary fuel tanks, impact-resistance windshields, touchscreen avionics, an SAS/autopilot, air conditioning, and heated seats. The aircraft is also available in police, news, and float configurations.
The helicopter's base price is $920,000, while the R66 Marine with pop-out floats runs $965,000. The R66’s cabin measures eight inches wider than that of the R44. Empty weight is 1,290 pounds and the payload with full fuel totals 900 pounds.
Honeywell Touts Efficiencies of Blockchain
Honeywell, which initially implemented blockchain technology through its GoDirect Trade aircraft parts platform in 2018, has seen the use of that technology take root with more than 2,700 companies and 7,000 users on the site and more than $8 million transactions processed. GoDirect Trade is an online marketplace for buying and selling parts, now hosting more than 80 storefronts. Honeywell’s “digital blockchain ledger” has served as a key enabler of the platform, providing customers an easy way to access scattered data with speed and efficiency not previously available.
Noting that operators and owners have long struggled with parts documentation processes, Honeywell’s blockchain technology pulls together information through a secured, decentralized database that is crowd-sourced by authorized users. The database provides real-time information and can reconstruct records, enabling customers to better track parts history. The ledger is not intended to replace documentation requirements but supplement them.
"Honeywell's offering is like a search engine, but it works for anything and everything related to aircraft parts and service,” said Lisa Butters, general manager for Honeywell's GoDirect Trade and applications owner for blockchain technologies. “Honeywell manufactures and repairs thousands of aerospace parts each day, and now all of those events, including the generated airworthiness certificates, go on-chain. In aerospace, this is a game-changing technology that will simplify and transform recordkeeping for aircraft owners and airlines around the world."
Two Cessna Grand Caravan EXs will be the first fixed-wing aircraft to be put in service by the Rwanda Defense Force under a contract through ATI Engineering Services and as part of the African Partnership Flight initiative, Textron Aviation announced Tuesday. Grant aid funding from U.S. government foreign military sales cases have made the deliveries possible.
Following the delivery of the Caravans, ATI will modify and equip them with secure high-frequency and ultra-high frequency radios, a night vision imaging system interior and exterior lighting, and a multi-mission interior that can be configured for air ambulance, cargo, and passenger operations with two medical stretcher kits, 11 passenger seats, eight collapsible utility seats, and a removable rollerball cargo floor. The special-mission Caravans are expected to enter service in the first half of 2021.
“The Grand Caravan EX serves an enduring mission by providing transport, reconnaissance, and medical evacuation operations throughout Africa,” said Textron Aviation v-p of special mission sales Bob Gibbs. “The aircraft is engineered for challenging missions, high payloads, and short, rough runways while delivering single-engine economy and simplicity. It is a perfect match for this mission throughout the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) area of responsibility.”
Seven other African nations already possess special mission Grand Caravan EXs and are coparticipants in United Nations peacekeeping operations, including in missions in the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
Metrojet Keeps Busy with Engine Swaps, Disinfections
Hong Kong-based Metrojet’s MRO station has been keeping busy with engine changes and aircraft disinfections in the first half of the year, the company said. Specifically, from January to July its certified Rolls-Royce MRO has performed multiple engine changes on various types of Gulfstream twinjets equipped with BR725/710 and Tay 611-8C engines, in addition to scheduled maintenance inspections.
Also, the Covid-19 pandemic has made aircraft disinfections a priority concern for its customers, prompting an increase in demand for that type of work. Metrojet’s disinfection work is performed in accordance with Gulfstream MOL-20-0005 or Bombardier AW000-25-001 REV2 guidelines.
“Our professional and priority response to clients’ maintenance and operational requests earns our MRO an exceptional reputation,” said Metrojet CEO Gary Dolski. “We have been taking great care of our clients’ valuable assets and we remain very appreciative of the support provided by our business partners and customers throughout China and the Asia-Pacific region during these most challenging times.”
House Bill Introduced To Help Preserve Aviation Jobs
House aviation subcommittee chairman Rick Larsen (D-Washington) and Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) jointly introduced a bill in the U.S. House yesterday to establish a cost-share program that would help preserve aviation manufacturing jobs at risk of furloughs during the pandemic. Similar to the bill (S.3705) introduced in the Senate, the Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection Act of 2020 (H.R. 8002) would enable federal government assistance for up to 50 percent of compensation for “at risk” aviation manufacturer employees, as long as the company covers the remaining portion.
Under the program, the Department of Treasury would enter into six-month, renewable agreements. Manufacturers must demonstrate that the workers were at risk and use the federal assistance solely for their compensation. Compensation assistance is limited to 25 percent of the workforce and would be available until April 30, 2022.
“This bipartisan bill provides critical relief to help sustain the aerospace supply chain until the nation gets to the other side of the pandemic,” said Larsen.
"Recent groundings and the negative effects of Covid-19 have slowed production rates to record lows, putting thousands of Kansans out of work and jeopardizing our local companies' stability,” added Estes, who is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Introduced with a half-dozen other cosponsors, the bill immediately drew strong industry support, including from five associations representing manufacturers, repair stations, and workers.
AIN Webinar: Separating Fact from Fiction in Bizav Market
Industry leaders on the front line of business aviation will share their candid insights and opinions on the real state of the market, what we can expect through 2021, and strategies for managing during a crisis while targeting new business opportunities. Please join us on October 6 as AIN editor-in-chief Matt Thurber moderates this discussion with Jay Mesinger, president and CEO of Mesinger Jet Sales; Keith G. Swirsky, Esq., president of GKG Law, P.C., and Dan Drohan, chairman and CEO Solairus Aviation. Register now for this no-cost webinar.
Textron Aviation Revamps Cabin in New King Air 360
AIN explores the improvements in both the cockpit and the cabin of the new Textron Aviation Beechcraft King Air 360. These include a new IS&S autothrottle that improves safety by reducing pilot workload, more comfortable cabin pressurization, and new seats and other cabin design improvements inspired by the company’s Citation family.
Retains the requirements of AD 2009-25-09, which mandated readjusting the torque of the main gearbox (MGB) flexible coupling bolts, and revises the applicability by excluding Model SA330F/G helicopters and those MGBs that have been subject to modified overhaul and repair procedures from Airbus Helicopters that corrects the unsafe condition.
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