Bombardier delivered 28 aircraft in the second quarter, one fewer than a year ago, but revenues still edged up slightly on the strength of its services business, the company reported today. At the same time, Bombardier’s backlog continued to swell, reaching $14.7 billion—a 37 percent year-over-year bump and the “healthiest…that we’ve had for a long time,” according to president and CEO Eric Martel.
Keeping its guidance at more than 120 deliveries for the year, Bombardier reported a book-to-bill of 1:8 for the second quarter. Importantly, Martel said, the backlog represents a mix of customers and is “pretty well spread across the board.” However, Martel pointed to the supply chain as a “crosswind” that “is contributing to keeping delivery ramp up at a conservative and steady pace.” Even so, he said Bombardier is eyeing a 15 to 20 percent increase in production next year.
Second quarter deliveries reflected the discontinuation of Learjet production. Three light aircraft had been handed over in the second quarter of last year versus none in the most recent quarter. The company also delivered 16 Globals, down by one unit from the second quarter of 2021, but Challenger deliveries increased by three to 12.
Meanwhile, as Bombardier continues to expand its maintenance capacity, service revenues jumped by 22 percent to $359 million, boosting total revenues to $1.557 billion, up from $1.524 billion a year ago.
Signature Flight Support’s Vail Valley Jet Center at Colorado’s Eagle Regional Airport is the first to achieve Tier 3 in NATA’s Sustainability Standard for Aviation Businesses. The free, voluntary initiative, developed by a working group under NATA’s environment committee, was launched last November to provide FBOs and other industry operators with a self-certification process for pursuing flexible, cost-effective options to lower their carbon footprint.
Each level of the program builds on the previous tier's guidelines, starting with the initial Green Aviation Business designation that includes a checklist of mandatory features. Further improvements include the installation of low-flow plumbing fixtures, implementation of a sustainable sourcing/procurement policy, adoption of electrically-powered ground handling equipment and vehicles, and upgrade of lighting to energy-efficient LEDs.
“As Signature’s Vail Valley Jet Center ascends to NATA’s Tier 3 Green Aviation Business certification, we’re delighted to be driving real environmental impacts in the Colorado Rocky Mountains,” said Jovan Phillips, product manager for Signature Renew, the company's sustainability initiative. “Signature has set the industry template for green FBO facility design, which includes 13 solar-powered FBOs and 29 LEED construction projects completed to date, and we’re proud to be recognized by NATA for achieving this exceedingly high standard.”
Strong sales and deliveries of Embraer business jets helped boost the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer’s overall financial results in the second quarter of 2022 (2Q22) versus 2Q21.
During a conference call this morning, the airframer noted that 2Q22 revenues for its executive jet division were 0.2 percent higher than a year earlier, and reported 2Q22 gross margin was 22.1 percent higher than the 17.5 percent reported in 2Q21. The company delivered 21 business jets in 2Q22 consisting of 12 light Phenoms and 9 midsize Praetors “according to our schedule,” said CFO Antonio Garcia. “Sales continued strong in the quarter with orders exceeding prior-year levels. He added that its book-to-bill ratio remains above 2.5:1, “the highest in the industry."
Embraer’s overall revenues of $1.019 billion in 2Q22 represent a decrease of 9.9 percent and the adjusted net profit decreased more than 9.5 percent from a year earlier, driven mostly by lower deliveries in its commercial, defense, and security units.
Chief executive Francisco Neto acknowledged that “supply chain issues continue to be one of the main challenges” to maintaining delivery schedules but confirmed the company remains on track to meet its 2022 financial and deliveries guidance. The company is forecasting full-year revenues reaching between $4.5 billion and $5 billion and deliveries projected at 100 to 110 business jets and 60 to 70 commercial jets.
North American business aviation activity in July saw the first year-over-year decline since February 2021, according to newly-released Argus TraqPak data. Usage in the key market was down 4.4 percent compared to the previous July. All operational categories were negative for the month, led by Part 135 activity which was down 8.8 percent. Part 91 saw a 1.6 percent decrease while fractional usage was off by 0.4 percent.
The July Global Business Aircraft Activity report noted that all aircraft segments posted declines, with the large cabin segment experiencing the largest drop from July 2021 at 4.7 percent. Turboprops, midsize jets, and light jets were off by 4.4, 4.3, and 4.2 percent respectively.
In contrast, Europe saw a monthly record of more than 102,000 business aviation flights, a Y-o-Y increase of 12.7 percent, led by the large cabin category which was up by nearly 20 percent. Activity in Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America was also up by more than 16 percent compared to July 2021.
“Overall global activity was up year over year and Europe was the busiest that we have ever seen,” explained Travis Kuhn, Argus International’s senior v-p of market intelligence. “Within North America, we did see a yearly decline but it’s important to point out July 2022 was still up 13 percent from July 2019.”
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By the time Daher received certification for Garmin’s emergency autoland system in the TBM 940 single-engine turboprop in July 2020, 29 of the model had already been sold with the HomeSafe autoland system part of the original equipment list but not yet installed. Elliott Aviation partnered with Daher to complete HomeSafe installations on these 29 TBM 940s, and these have all now been finished, with work done at Elliott’s Moline, Illinois facility. Elliott will also perform the HomeSafe installation on TBM 940s where it was offered as a subsequent upgrade.
The retrofit to install HomeSafe includes modifying the braking system; wiring changes and integration of electrical relays, which enables automatic activation of flaps, landing gear, and landing lights; adding a fuel shut-off valve to stop the engine after the landing; and modification of the glareshield to accommodate the HomeSafe activation button.
Designed to safely land the TBM 940 if the pilot becomes incapacitated, HomeSafe selects a suitable airport based on weather and terrain as well as fuel range and runway length and then provides input to the flight controls, deploys flaps and landing gear, and manages power through touchdown, applies brakes, then shuts off the engine.
“We knew the timeline was going to be a push, but the joint effort with Daher allowed us to complete the program as scheduled,” said Elliott president and CEO Greg Sahr.
XTI’s in-development TriFan 600 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is now not expected to enter production until 2027, with the program schedule having slipped by up to three years. The Colorado-based company’s new CEO, Michael Hinderberger, confirmed the delay during a press conference held yesterday by Xeriant Aerospace, with which it still aims to merge on the basis of a joint venture announced back in June 2021.
According to Hinderberger, who recently replaced Robert LaBelle as head of XTI, the company has completed a preliminary design review of the six-passenger TriFan 600. He reported that it now holds “qualified preorders” worth $3 billion, a figure that he said has increased by more than 50 percent over the past 12 months.
XTI views the TriFan 600 as an alternative to existing business aircraft and helicopters. The VTOL vehicle will seat six passengers in standard configuration, rising to nine for “taxi” operations. The design features three ducted fans, with two on the wing that tilt during the transition between hover and cruise flight, and a third position within the rear fuselage for vertical propulsion.
The projected range for the TriFan is 750 miles in VTOL mode, with the figure rising to around 850 miles when it takes off and lands conventionally on runways, a cruise speed of around 345 mph, and operations at up to 25,000 feet.
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Avionics and connectivity solutions provider Astronautics has completed the relocation of its mechanical engineering prototype and environmental test facility—known as the “model shop”—from Milwaukee to its newly-renovated 190,000-sq-ft headquarters in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
The move marks the end of the third and final phase of the more than two-year renovation project and the first time in the company’s more than six-decade history that production, repair, quality control, engineering, support services, and the prototype unit are all under the same roof, a move which it says will enhance collaboration and innovation.
“There are numerous advantages and efficiencies that Astronautics and our customers will realize by having the model shop in the same state-of-the-art facility as our other operations,” explained Tom Servais, manager of the prototype division. “The design process is enhanced because engineering, manufacturing, and repairs have convenient access to fabrication and environmental tests.” He added that the new facility will also provide room for operational growth.
Avicopter’s AC352 super-medium, twin-engine helicopter—the Chinese-manufactured variant of Airbus Helicopters H175—has been awarded airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Jointly developed by Airbus Helicopters and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic), with Avic's Avicopter responsible for manufacturing the fuselage and certain subassemblies, the H175 is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67Es and was certified in 2014.
The 7.5-ton AC352 can carry up to 16 passengers and has a maximum range of 458 nm. It is powered by the Chinese-built WZ16 engine, a local variant of the Safran Ardiden 3C. Safran said the new-generation 1,500- to 2,000-shp turboshaft features a compact modular architecture, a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio, low cost of ownership, and 10 percent lower fuel consumption than competitive engines. The new engine was a joint development and production project by Safran Helicopter Engines and the Aero Engine Corporation of China.
The first flight of the AC352 took place in 2016 in Harbin, China. Under Avic's agreement with Airbus, the AC352 can be sold only in China and a small number of countries close to China where Airbus would be unlikely to sell any H175s.
Boom Says It Can Deliver Supersonic Flight For 21st Century
Having recently unveiled a new design for its planned Overture supersonic airliner, Boom claims it can overcome doubts based on concerns over noise, environmental impact, and costs. The company claims it has the technology to deliver a successor to the Concorde that can deliver globe-shrinking flights at business class fares for customers of carriers like United Airlines and Japan Air Lines.
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