Vista Global Notes Record Growth in First-half 2021

Vista Global Holdings began 2021 with a record start as VistaJet sold more than 8,000 new annual subscription hours, an increase of 67 percent from a year ago and 41 percent jump from 2019, the air charter company reported today. Meanwhile, deposit members at Vista Global subsidiary XO jumped 82 percent, with three times as many sales in the period versus last year.

The company's on-demand services grew by 67 percent year-over-year across all markets and by 55 percent versus 2019. On-demand hours flown increased 67 percent between 2020 and 2021. By region, Middle East flight hours grew 153 percent during the period, while they increased 76 percent in North America and 41 percent in Europe. North America accounts for most of the total Vista Global departures, at 71 percent.

Dubai-based Vista Global noted that its North American footprint has grown in the past year with the acquisitions and integration of Red Wing Aviation, Apollo Jet, and Talon Air, which has allowed it to serve clients with aircraft in the light jet category, as well as aircraft management services. In terms of owned aircraft, the company has added four Bombardier Global 7500s under the VistaJet brand and 15 new aircraft during the first half at XO.

Activity around the upgrading of interiors of VistaJet and XO aircraft—including in-flight connectivity—also continues, the company added.

July Bizav Activity Sets New High Water Mark, Says WingX

Further research into July’s private aviation activity by industry data tracker WingX Advance shows that the month was the busiest worldwide since the Hamburg, Germany-based company began keeping records in 2006. The previous recorded high of 278,673 departures was set in October 2019, and last month surpassed that level by more than 23,000, exceeding 300,000 flights in a month for the first time. That shows a rising trend as both this May and June’s levels exceeded the previous record at 279,006 and 293,048 departures, respectively.

The company explained that in the U.S., Florida and Texas saw a rebound beyond normal levels of activity by the start of this year, while California, the Northeast, and the Midwest took much longer to catch up. From May, the momentum has accelerated, however.

“Business jet operators were quick to find their feet and adjust to the new normal after March 2020, with a rapid recovery as the virus ebbed, and an adaptive stance when the virus resurged,” said WingX managing director Richard Koe, adding that the recovery so far has been largely supported by leisure activity. “As the overall virus risk recedes in 2021, and travel restrictions loosen, the utilization evidence is pointing to a much more robust market than pre-pandemic.” Koe noted that when corporations start to fly again they will also look to business aviation for a safe, secure, and convenient alternative to the airlines.

Erickson Puts Itself in Play

MRO, OEM, and helicopter services company Erickson—best known for its fleet of orange Air Cranes—has hired financial consulting firm Houlihan Lokey to explore “strategic alternatives.” Houlihan most recently guided Bristow Group through bankruptcy reorganization and its subsequent merger with Era. 

In a statement issued late last week, Erickson CEO Doug Kitani said the company is “seeking a strategic partner who shares our vision” and, via implication, could provide needed capital. “Our aim is to upgrade Erickson's great assets, including technology advances in the S-64 Super Air Crane, and expand our capabilities in MRO." 

In February, Erickson said it planned to make the first flight of its optionally-piloted S-64F+ Air Crane next year, with customer deliveries of the new helicopter variant to begin as early as 2024. The aircraft will be equipped with all-composite main rotor blades, Sikorsky’s Matrix optional pilot technology, and new turboshaft engines with Fadec.

According to Erickson, the new composite main rotor blades alone will increase the payload at 25 degrees C and 8,000 feet by 88 percent—offering an additional 755 pounds—while climb rate at max gross weight and 2,000 feet will rise 69.2 percent, from 1,300 fpm to 2,200 fpm. Those numbers will improve further with the new engine.

In September, Erickson also acquired the type certificate for the Bell 214ST and B/B1 helicopters.

FAA Proposes $1.23M in Penalties for Illegal Charter

The FAA is continuing to crack down on companies it believes may be conducting illegal charter flights, this time proposing a total of $1.23 million in civil penalties against five companies.

The sanctions included a proposed civil penalty of $344,672 against PottCo Airlease of Council Bluffs, Iowa, for allegedly conducting 16 paid passenger-carrying flights in a Cessna Conquest without the requisite air carrier certificate. In addition, the company had no FAA-issued operations specifications and did not have the required personnel, the agency said. Similarly, the FAA proposed $301,676 against PottCo Tactical Air for 43 paid passenger-carrying flights without the appropriate certificates, OpSpecs, or personnel. 

Wikert Air, of Omaha, Nebraska, meanwhile, faces a $233,133 civil penalty for allegedly conducting 21 paid passenger-carrying flights in a Pilatus PC-12 without the required air carrier or operating certificate, OpSpecs, or personnel. Also in Omaha, Nebraska, Oracle Aviation is facing a proposed $191,536 civil penalty for allegedly conducting nine passenger-carrying flights in a Cessna 172M and Pilatus PC-12 without the requisite certificate, OpSpecs, or personnel.

Finally, the FAA is proposing a $157,654 civil penalty against East Shore Aviation of North Charleston, South Carolina, for allegedly conducting nine passenger-carrying flights with two Pilatus PC-12s that were not on the company’s FAA-issued operations specification. It used a third PC-12 in IFR operations, even though it was authorized only for VFR in the company’s OpSpecs.

California Aviation Supplier Looks To Expand to Wichita

Aviation supplier Brek Manufacturing announced plans to expand to Wichita, where it will purchase and invest more than $4 million in equipment and two buildings encompassing 107,000 sq ft, as well as hire 75 workers over the next five years. The 53-year-old company—which operates from a 140,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility in Gardena, California—is led by president and CEO Marwan Hammouri, who spent more than a decade in Wichita as president of Triumph Aerostructures-Wichita and its predecessor company, Excel Manufacturing, where he was v-p and general manager.

“As we began exploring options for expansion, I recommended including Wichita because I have personally experienced the benefit of operating in one of the top aerospace clusters,” Hammouri said. “As we move through all the pieces of a complicated process, we are excited about the possibilities that opening a Wichita expansion brings to our customers and to the community and state.”

Brek specializes in the manufacture of complex structural aircraft parts, including contoured surface parts. Brek is one of four companies owned by Aernnova Aerospace, which operates in 14 locations in Spain, the UK, Mexico, Brazil, the U.S., and China, and produces precision-machined and monolithic-designed parts for a variety of commercial, military, business, and general aviation programs, including wings for Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft King Air, Baron, and Bonanza, in addition to the Pilatus PC-24.

Ingenio Snags Red Dot Awards for Cabin Tablet Holder

Ingenio Aerospace has won two Red Dot Design Awards for its business aircraft cabin tablet arm. The articulated, lightweight arm is made of aluminum and secures to the recess of retractable cabin tables to hold smartphones and iPads/tablets of different sizes. It also includes a charging function.

Ingenio's table tablet holder was designed specifically for the Embraer Phenom 300, allowing passengers to quickly and easily create an entertainment or work area at their seat. When not in use, it can be stowed away with a protective cover in the side ledge compartments.

“The tablet holder’s construction is amazingly simple, and its minimalist design approach fits perfectly into Phenom 300 interiors,” the Red Dot jury concluded.

“We are proud to have been recognized by Red Dot, one of the world’s most prestigious design awards,” said Ingenio Aerospace president and CEO James Bell. “We enrich the in-flight experience by delivering products that facilitate access to electronic devices.”

L3Harris Resource Guides Pilots on CPDLC

While the planned rollout of controller/pilot datalink communication (CPDLC) in the U.S. has been pushed back slightly during the Covid-19 pandemic, NBAA is urging aircraft operators to review available approved procedures as Data Comm continues to expand across the National Airspace System and is anticipated for completion by year-end 2022.

L3Harris, a primary contractor on Data Comm, has published a free online resource detailing these procedures and has been working with the FAA and OEMs to work through issues involving transmission success rates that have excluded a number of general aviation aircraft from Data Comm trials.

NBAA said these efforts have enabled several general aircraft types to participate in CPDLC and more aircraft will be added over time. In addition to providing detailed information regarding the CPDLC procedures being added, the L3Harris resource details where operators can find approved FANS-capable CPDLC avionics and equipage needs.

“The L3Harris Pilot Handbook is an important and detailed resource that provides clear guidance on key aspects of CPDLC,” said Richard Boll, chair of NBAA’s ATC, Airspace, and Flight Technologies Working Group and one of the association’s representatives on the government/industry FAA Data Comm Integration Working Group that has been developing resources in support of the system.

Bristow Edging Toward Profitability

Helicopter operator Bristow Group is hovering closer to profitability, posted a narrowing loss on slightly improved revenues in the second quarter against a backdrop of higher fuel and maintenance costs. For the quarter, Bristow lost $14.2 million on operating revenues of $288.4 million, compared with a loss of $42.6 million on operating revenues of $281.5 million in the preceding quarter.

Second-quarter revenues increased from the same period a year ago by $26.8 million. Liquidity remained a healthy $298.8 million, with $244.7 of that in unrestricted cash. The company gained $10.6 million from the disposal of property that included two Sikorsky S-76Ds and a Bell 212. 

Revenues increased across Bristow’s various business units in diverse locales: energy service revenues increased by $4 million primarily due to higher European activity, those for government services jumped by $3.4 million, and revenues from the company’s fixed-wing division climbed by $2.6 million, largely due to activities in Australia. However, energy revenues from Africa dropped by $15.3 million due to contract non-renewals and lower aircraft utilization, but this was partially offset by a revenue increase of $18.1 million in the Americas, resulting from Bristow’s merger with Era last year.

Electric Aircraft Must Be Quieter for Use in Cities

The ability to operate within dense urban environments is critical to the business models of many new eVTOL developers. Companies know that these aircraft will only be accepted by communities if they can operate far more quietly than existing aircraft. To show how this translates to real-life operations, Joby conducted tests to measure noise levels from its four-passenger aircraft flying across the same measuring point at the same altitude and speed as five other aircraft.

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