Embraer Delivers First Bossa Nova Edition Phenom 300E

Embraer has delivered its first enhanced Phenom 300E with a Bossa Nova edition interior since announcing the refreshed aircraft in January. The first customer copy of the Bossa Nova edition—an interior that was first designed for the Praetor 600—was delivered last week to Joe Howley, cofounder of Patient Airlift Services (PALS), at a ceremony at Embraer’s Global Customer Center in Melbourne, Florida.

The twinjet will be used to promote the group’s mission to organize free air transportation for people requiring medical diagnosis, treatment, or follow-up who cannot afford or are unable to fly commercially. “We are humbled knowing the Phenom 300E will aid the vital role served by PALS, and we know its passengers will be well-served by the best cabin environment and lowest cabin altitude in the light-jet class,” said Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Michael Amalfitano.

The Bossa Nova edition features carbon fiber accents, piano black surfaces, and Embraer’s Ipanema sew style. It’s part of an enhanced package of improvements to Embraer’s light jet. Those other improvements include more powerful Fadec-equipped Pratt & Whitney PW535E1 turbofans, upgraded avionics capabilities such as runway overrun awareness and alerting system, and predictive wind shear as well as adjustable cabin lighting, touchscreen monitors, and the Nice HD by Lufthansa Technik advanced cabin control system.

Embraer delivered the first enhanced 300E in June.

Financing Clears Path for Piaggio Aerospace Operations

Piaggio Aerospace, which entered extraordinary receivership in late 2018, has lined up €30 million ($35.79 million) in new financing, clearing the way for the Italian manufacturer of the Avanti Evo pusher turboprop to fully resume operations and continue the effort to find a buyer. The financing agreement with Banca lfis follows approval from the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and the approval of the Supervisory Committee.

"The agreement, reached at the end of a process that has initially involved other public and private financial institutions, will now allow Piaggio Aero Industries and Piaggio Aviation—the two companies in extraordinary administration that operate under the Piaggio Aerospace brand—to be fully operational,” said Vincenzo Nicastro, the extraordinary commissioner for Piaggio, "thus gradually recalling the workers still in temporary layoffs. The sales process can also be completed now.”

The transaction is the second that Banca lfis has conducted with Piaggio, with the first involving a line of credit granted in 2019.

Nicastro is hoping to find a new owner for Piaggio by the end of the year. Piaggio in late February formally issued a call for expressions of interest and received 19 responses, 11 of which have been undergoing further review.

Bolstering Piaggio’s salability was the receipt of a recent multi-year integrated logistical support contract for the Italian Armed Forces, boosting the company’s overall backlog to €640 million with orders for another €260 million currently in negotiations.

Large-cabin Charter Operator Files for Chapter 11

Charter aircraft operator All In Jets, doing business as Jet Ready, filed for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy earlier this month in the Southern District of New York Bankruptcy Court. The mainly large-cabin provider is based in Florida but has had its principal place of business or principal assets in the southern New York district for the past six months.

According to an industry source, the company operates a fleet of leased aircraft including four Gulfstream GIVs, two GIV-SPs, and a Bombardier Challenger 601-3A. Also affiliated with Jet Ready are three additional GIV-SPs, another GIV, and a pair of Hawker 800As. Most of the aircraft have liens against them.

In its August 9 filing, it had assets of between $500,000 and $1 million and estimated liabilities of between $1 million and $10 million.

The company’s unsecured creditors span all aspects of business aviation, with the largest debt owed to Florida aviation law specialists Jarvis & Associates ($758,258). Other major claimants include maintenance providers such as Just Jets Services ($504,084); fuel providers and FBOs, including World Fuel Services ($513,777), Atlantic Aviation ($393,866), and Apex Jet Center ($151,848); training provider CAE ($166,952); trip support provider Jetex ($129,654); OEM Gulfstream ($105,775); and fellow charter providers Jetright ($252,876) and Pegasus Elite Aviation ($123,820). Court documents also show nine other companies and agencies owed varying amounts between $62,653 and $132,926.

Stephanie Chung Joins Wheels Up as Chief Growth Officer

Former JetSuite president Stephanie Chung is stepping into a new role as chief growth officer for private flight provider Wheels Up.

In the newly created position, Chung will be responsible for revenue generation through new client acquisition and growing a diverse membership base with corporations, associations, executives, entrepreneurs, and sports and entertainment personalities. Chung, who will be based in Dallas and report to Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter, takes on the role as Wheels Up is rapidly expanding with the new aircraft sales business along with the acquisitions of Gama Aviation and Delta Private Jets.

Among the first African Americans to lead a major private aviation company, Chung repositioned JetSuite as a high-end provider, upgrading the fleet and elevating the service. Under her purview, JetSuite was voted one of the Best Places to Work by the Human Rights Campaign. Over her 30 years in the aviation industry, Chung has also served with US Airways, Delta Air Lines, and Bombardier. She is a member of C200, a community of the most successful women in business, and serves on the NBAA Advisory Council. 

"I've known Stephanie for many years and watched her tremendous successes within our industry, so it's with great pride and excitement that we welcome her to Wheels Up as our first chief growth officer,” said Dichter. 

Gulfstream Expands Dual-band Internet to G650

Gulfstream Aerospace is offering Viasat's high-speed, dual-band satcom system for the G650 and G650ER, following FAA approval for installation of the system. The Viasat solution delivers network speeds as high as 30 to 40 Mbps, allowing passengers to stream high-definition video and access other bandwidth-intensive content.

“We are pleased to offer this as a retrofit to our current G650 and G650ER customers,” said Gulfstream customer support president Derek Zimmerman. “With the use of Viasat’s Ku/Ka dual-band terminal that seamlessly switches between satellites, we can provide customers with fast and consistent coverage across the world.”

Installation of the system, which includes a space-saving radome to accommodate the Viasat antenna, can be performed at Gulfstream-owned service centers in Savannah, Georgia; St. Louis; Appleton, Wisconsin; Dallas; Long Beach, California; Westfield, Massachusetts; and Farnborough, England. Last year Gulfstream began installations of the dual-band Viasat satcom on the G550 and GV.

NATA Adds GA Airports Committee

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is expanding its advocacy outreach with the launch of a General Aviation Airports Committee.

The committee will focus on safety, quality, and security issues impacting airports and aviation businesses, including concerns associated with Covid-19, landlord/tenant relations, airport revenues, fuel quality, fire codes, customs, lease agreements, minimum standards, and hangar development. Lara Kaufmann, associate director at the Greenville Downtown Airport (KGMU), and Ben Harrison, general manager at the Cullman Regional Airport (KCMD), will cochair the committee.

NATA counts more than 300 general aviation airports among its membership.

“Our association committed to the formation of the General Aviation Airports Committee to highlight the valuable services and jobs that the business aviation industry provides to their communities,” said NATA chairman Curt Castagna. “This effort is consistent with NATA’s mission to encourage fostering collaborative approaches between airport sponsors, aeronautical tenants, and the surrounding community in addressing challenges and opportunities that support maximizing the economic potential for such public/private partnerships.”

Besides forming the Airports Committee, the association recently stepped up its focus on the air ambulance sector by creating an Air Ambulance Subcommittee within its Air Charter Committee. The subcommittee is looking at issues such as the movement of Covid-19 patients, medical crew rest and duty rules, broker transparency, international regulations, and the shuttering of rural hospitals.

European Companies Partner on Composite Recycling

Carbon-fiber composites are becoming widely accepted in structural manufacturing, used in everything from airframes to wind turbine blades and cars. But disposing of them has been a problem and, with some aircraft now including more than 50 percent of their weight as composites, one that will grow rapidly over the coming years.

Such components are usually shredded and burned or landfilled when they reach end-of-life, according to Belgium-based Aerocircular, which specializes in the dismantling and recycling of aircraft. But the company is now preparing to address the challenge that will be faced when carbon-fiber intensive structures reach the end of their lives, partnering with the UK’s ELG Carbon Fibre to develop more viable methods to reclaim the materials for recycling. ELG, which established the world’s first carbon-fiber recycling plant in the UK, has gained experience helping manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers recycle waste material from their production processes.

“The cooperation with ELG will allow a robust economically viable recycling flow with impact on industrial scale,” said Stein Janssens, Aerocircular’s director of research and development. “Doing so, every ton of carbon-fiber from the aircraft we process to new material saves 20 tons of global warming potential CO2 at only one-tenth of the energy required compared to producing virgin carbon-fiber.”

U.S. Nears Law Banning Chinese Drones

An amendment to ban U.S. government use of Chinese drones appears almost certain to become law within weeks. Contained within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the measure bans the purchase of commercial drones made by a “covered foreign entity,” including China, by any U.S. government agency. The ban covers both purchases of new drones and flights of drones already in agency fleets, which would need to end within six months. The ban extends to drone components including drivetrains, cameras, and circuit boards. The amendment has survived both the House- and Senate-passed versions of the NDAA and seems assured to be in the final draft that is presented for signature by President Trump. 

The ban extends to the use of federal grants and contracts for the purchase of these items by state and local governments. The measure is aimed primarily at Chinese drone-maker DJI, which controls 70 percent of the U.S. drone market and has repeatedly denied that data from its drones is harvested by the Chinese government. In a statement released earlier this summer, the company said, “We design our systems so DJI customers have full control over how or whether to share their photos, videos, and flight logs, and we support the creation of industry standards for drone data security that will provide protection and confidence for all drone users.”