Honda Aircraft Begins HondaJet Deliveries in China

The HondaJet Elite fleet has expanded to China, with the first in-country delivery to Honsan General Aviation, Honda Aircraft’s dealer in China. This follows Chinese CAAC validation of the very-light jet in August.

Japanese leasing company Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance financed the aircraft, which was handed over to Honsan at Honda Aircraft’s Greensboro, North Carolina headquarters. Honsan will provide sales and service support for HondaJet customers at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

“Delivering the first HondaJet to China is a significant milestone for Honda Aircraft,” said Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino. “We will continue to showcase the many benefits of very-light jet travel with the HondaJet Elite.” Fujino added Honda Aircraft strives not only to highlight the benefits of the HondaJet but also to “add value to the general aviation industry in China and eventually revolutionize it.”

“We are eager to develop the very-light jet market in China with the HondaJet and its performance,” said Honsan General Aviation CEO Cheng Qian.

Honda Aircraft has methodically opened HondaJet sales to markets over several years as it felt ready to provide the necessary support. Its sales and support network now includes North America, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East, India, and Japan, and the HondaJet fleet numbers 140 aircraft.

NTSB Chief: Doors-off Helo Flight Was ‘Death Trap’

In language that was uncharacteristically blunt and direct, yesterday morning National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairman Robert Sumwalt accused the doors-off photo tour company NYONair, parent of FlyNYON, of turning “a perfectly good helicopter into a death trap” and characterizing it as “madness.” The flight was operated by Liberty Helicopters for NYONair.

Sumwalt’s remarks came as the NTSB held a public hearing to determine the probable cause of the March 11, 2018 crash of an Airbus AS350B2 into New York City’s East River that killed all five passengers aboard. They drowned after the helicopter rolled inverted in the water when the emergency floats failed to fully inflate and then were unable to extricate themselves from supplemental harnesses attached to the rear cabin bulkhead or floor attach points via a tether and locking carabiner. The front-seat passenger's entangled tether triggered the fuel shutoff lever, causing loss of engine power and the subsequent crash. The pilot, who was wearing only a standard seatbelt, extricated himself and survived.

NTSB recommendations included suspension of doors-off passenger flights until the FAA’s supplemental restraint approval process is improved; mandating safety management systems for all air tour operators; closing the photo-flight loophole; and modifying the fuel shutoff lever on the AS350 to prevent “inadvertent” activation. Sumwalt praised the airmanship of accident pilot Richard Vance.

Tamarack Continues To Expand Dealer, Service Network

Tamarack Aerospace Group is expanding its network of authorized dealers and service center partners with the addition of Banyan Air Services of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Rose Aircraft Services of Mena, Arkansas; and RBR Aviation of Dallas. These MROs will offer sales and installation of Tamarack’s Atlas active winglet system for Cessna Citation 525, 525A, and 525B twinjets.

Rose Aircraft CEO Keith Rose said the Citation market is an important segment of his company’s business, and it is seeing a growing number of customers interested in upgrading their aircraft. At Banyan Air, v-p of technical sales Paul Rose said his company’s customers have been asking about the winglets, leading it to do due diligence on Tamarack. “In addition to meeting with the Tamarack team multiple times, we also listened to the CJ customers who are operating this system,” Rose said. “The performance improvements that they gained from installing the Tamarack Active Winglet system was impressive.”

“Rose Aircraft, Banyan Air, and RBR Aviation have outstanding reputations in the business and private jet aviation community, with tremendous customer service records,” said Tamarack president Jacob Klinginsmith. “They share Tamarack’s commitment to providing a first-class customer experience in every aspect of their business. We are very pleased to have them on our growing partnership team.”

Tamarack’s dealer and service center network now includes 19 companies around the world.

Clay Lacy Keeps Busy with Phenom 10-year Inspections

Clay Lacy Aviation is seeing several 10-year inspections for Embraer Phenom 100s at its Embraer-authorized service centers at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in Los Angeles and McClellan-Palomar Airport (CRQ) near San Diego, the FBO/MRO announced this week. The company—which also provides aircraft sales, charter, and management services—said it completed its first Phenom 100 inspection in October and has additional inspections this month and into 2020.

The inspection and gear overhaul typically takes four weeks and “is the largest and most thorough in the Phenom maintenance manuals,” according to the company. It includes complete interior removal and opening of all inspection panels. The landing gear is removed and sent to a certified specialist. The process provides for upgrading avionics and connectivity, as well as seat reupholstery, it added.

Clay Lacy Aviation also is marking its 10th year as an Embraer service center. During that time, it has completed 20,000 hours of Phenom maintenance. It currently supports more than 100 Phenom 100s and 300s. That includes the Phenom fleets of JetSuite, NetJets, and Flexjet, as well as the West Coast Embraer Phenom demo fleet. Between its MRO facilities at Van Nuys and McClellan-Palomar, it employs more than 20 Phenom technicians.

Argus: U.S. Business Aircraft Activity Down in November

Business aircraft flying dipped 2.5 percent year-over-year last month in North America and the Caribbean as Part 91 and 135 activity declined, according to the latest TraqPak Aircraft Activity Report from Argus. Part 91 activity last month was down 3.4 percent from a year earlier, while Part 135 activity fell 2.9 percent during the same period.

Buffering this decline was a 2.1 percent year-over-year increase in fractional flight activity. That was solely spurred by midsize jet fractional flying, which was up 8.3 percent in November. Large jet fractional activity, conversely, plunged 18.3 percent last month, while large jet activity across all operating segments was collectively down 4.8 percent.

The only other increase in November was a 1.3 percent improvement in Part 91 light jet activity. But that was not enough to offset declines in other Part 91 aircraft categories: turboprop activity dropped 3.5 percent; midsize jet, -6.8 percent; and large-cabin jet, -5.6 percent.

Similar to Part 91, midsize jet activity led the decline in Part 135, down 5.1 percent. This was followed by light jet activity at -4.8 percent and turboprop activity at -1.3 percent. And while large-cabin jet activity dropped precipitously with fractionals, it was down just 0.1 percent at Part 135 operations.

Despite weak demand, Argus is still forecasting an overall 1.4 percent year-over-year increase for this month.

Duncan Plunges into Hydrographics for Cabin Components

Duncan Aviation recently delivered a Gulfstream G150 and Bombardier Challenger 300 with countertops created using hydrographic technology, a new finish option recently implemented by the company.

The process involves an image/pattern printed on a water-soluble film that is then placed on the surface of water in a tank. As the base starts to dissolve, an activator is sprayed over the film, causing the ink to float. Then an item, such as an aircraft countertop, is immersed into the water and the upward pressure causes the ink to wrap around and adhere to it.

This solution can be used on aircraft interior components, panels, accents, and full cabinets, depending on their size, according to Duncan. “The capabilities open up a variety of aesthetic options for interior finishes without changing cabinet veneer, and designs can include wood grain, stone, metals, as well as custom designs,” the company said. “Some options allow shorter downtime than traditional methods and are excellent alternatives to traditional re-veneer or strip and refinish.”

According to Duncan Aviation completions and modifications sales representative Jeff Beaudette, hydrographic printing “provides new finish options for countertops and sinks without weight changes or certification concerns. Going forward, we will be using hydrographics on other applications such as dividers, monuments, card table inserts, and so on.”

Harbour Air Achieves First Flight by Commercial Aircraft

Harbour Air made what it said was the world’s first flight by an all-electric commercial aircraft on Tuesday when one of its re-engined DHC-2 de Havilland Beavers took off from Richmond, near Vancouver in British Columbia. The six-passenger aircraft, piloted by company CEO Greg McDougall, made a short test flight powered by a single 750-hp Magnix magni500 electric motor.

The Canadian operator’s goal is to be ready to operate scheduled passenger flights in all-electric aircraft within two years. In addition to the DHC-2 Beaver, it operates a 40-strong fleet of larger DHC-3 Turbine Single Otters and DHC-6 Twin Otters. Magnix expects that it will take until the end of 2021 to get the required supplemental type certificates for the three aircraft.

Harbour Air's network connects Vancouver and Seattle with Pacific Northwest destinations—including Victoria, Nanaimo, Tofino, Whistler, Sechelt, Salt Spring Island, Pitt Meadows, Maple Bay and Comox. It carries around 500,000 passengers each year, with around 300 daily flights between scheduled and charter services.

U.S.-based Magnix is developing electric propulsion systems for a variety of aircraft applications. These include the all-electric Alice fixed-wing design being developed by its sister company, Eviation Aircraft, as well as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.