Brazil’s ANAC handed over the type certificate for the Praetor 500 to Embraer on Tuesday, August 13 in a short ceremony held during the LABACE show. Michael Amalfitano, president and CEO of Embraer Executive Jets, called it “a welcome achievement for the celebration of our golden jubilee.” During its flight trials, the Praetor 500 exceeded many of its certification goals.
LABACE Opening Sees Welcome Optimism
LABACE 2019 opened with assurances of the importance of general aviation to the aviation industry and to Brazil, by government authorities on the ground and in the air. “The economy” is the wind that propels the business aviation market, and the keynote speaker—economist and former Central Bank director Alexandre Schwartsman—gave a compelling explanation of how this recession has been deeper and longer than any other since the turn of the millennium and the recovery slower than any in the last 40 years.
Ricardo Bezerra of Brazil's regulatory authority National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) commented, “In this time of crisis, when the sector has not grown as much as expected, we at ANAC have done our homework, bringing our regulations in line with the best international practices…simplifying regulations and bringing ANAC into closer alignment with those we regulate.”
Bezerra noted the launching at LABACE of digital licenses for pilots, flight crew, mechanics, and ground handlers. In the fight against clandestine, unlicensed charter he noted that as well as increased inspection, ANAC had increased fines, now 10 times as heavy. ANAC had also responded to the industry’s concerns about regulations to bring the fractional share concept to Brazil, and in the regulation of the category of light sport aircraft.
Ronei Saggioro Glanzman, federal secretary of civil aviation, announced the launch at LABACE of a program of investment in general aviation airports, in such items as PAPI approach path guidance indicators and night illumination.
Voa São Paulo Joins Air BP’s Carbon-offset Program
At the LABACE show, global aviation fuel services provider Air BP announced that its carbon offset program for business aviation, which started in 2018, is to be expanded through the addition of two of Voa São Paulo’s airports. The private airport administration consortium is introducing carbon offset at Jundiaí and Amarais, with the potential to extend the offering to other airfields in the Voa São Paulo group.
The company's Brazilian business aviation offset program was launched in June 2018 by Avantto. By May 2019 the business aircraft management company had achieved offsets of more than 1,000 tons of carbon emissions in its first year, equivalent to the amount captured by 73,000 full-grown trees. The agreement with Air BP has been extended by at least another year.
The initiative in Brazil is part of a wider BP Target Neutral effort that supports United Nations sustainable development goals that also improve educational, economic, and social benefits to local communities. An example recently launched in the north of Brazil is the conversion of the Kamiranga ceramic factory at São Miguel do Guamá from using Amazonian wood as fuel to sawdust and açaí seeds. Income generated by the sale of the resultant carbon credits has been reinvested in the plant to the benefit of the local community.
Legal Framework for Fractional Shares Coming in Brazil
Fractional shares of business aircraft are a growing market in Brazil, despite or perhaps because of the difficult economy, because they allow buyers to fly a larger aircraft with a smaller capital investment. One factor hindering the market is the lack of specific regulation, similar to the FAA’s FAR Part 91K. To address this issue, ANAC is asking for public comments on proposed regulation of shared-ownership aircraft operations in Brazil. The agency is seeking comments by September 6, “for the elaboration of a specific general aviation standard, aiming to establish clear requirements and limits for the administrators of aircraft sharing programs and to stimulate the development of the country’s private air services market.”
The proposal provides for a Subpart K in the current Brazilian Aeronautical Approval Regulation (RBHA) 91, with its successor RBAC 91 now in development. According to ANAC, the “subpart will provide a set of organizational and operational requirements to be met in order to obtain Administrative Specifications (authorization) by those interested in providing aircraft sharing services. Transactions must be covered by a multi-annual agreement that details the acquisition of quotas, management services, and the exchange of aircraft between the quota holders.” The new Subpart K will be less restrictive than operations under RBACs No. 119 and No. 135, which would also be amended by the proposed regulation.
The Brazil Regional Turbine Center (RTC) set up by Dallas Airmotive in Belo Horizonte in 2009 is celebrating its tenth anniversary at LABACE 2019.
“The Brazil RTC was established in 2009 to support the region’s business and general aviation operators with quick-turn engine maintenance and repair services,” said the company. “[It] has seen significant growth and development since first opening, and they are well-known in the region for the exceptional support of multiple engine product lines in-shop and in the field,” said Jeff Turner, Dallas Airmotive vice president of sales and service for the Americas.
Wellington Amorim has joined Dallas Airmotive to manage the Brazil RTC’s efforts to further develop business in South America.
The Brazil RTC is approved by Brazil's ANAC to provide maintenance for Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT6A and JT15D engines and Honeywell’s TFE731 engines (both those on its Maintenance Service Plan and non-MSP engines). The RTC also provides line maintenance for Honeywell’s HTF7000 engines and 36-series APUs.
Dallas Airmotive is part of BBA Aviation’s Global Engine Services (GES) division. The GES network, which has 10 RTCs around the world, offers services “for engines powering 80 percent of the world’s business and general aviation aircraft and 55 percent of rotorcraft fleets,” said the company.
It also offers customers its First Support field service for rapid response when they require on-site inspections and repairs.
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