Textron Aviation Seeks New Longitude Fuel Tank Exemption
Textron Aviation has submitted a new request for an exemption from the FAA’s fuel tank flammability requirements of its flagship Cessna Citation Longitude jet, saying denial of the petition could disrupt deliveries and cause cancellations of orders for the $26.9 million super-midsize jet, according to the petition that was posted in a Federal Register notice Thursday.
The exemption request comes after the FAA granted Textron Aviation a time-limited, partial exemption in August 2018. The time-limited exemption was necessary to clear the way for certification of the aircraft. The Wichita manufacturer told AIN on Thursday that the request serves as a final solution to the fuel tank flammability issue.
“This is the permanent means of full compliance with the regulation,” the company said. “The purpose of the new exemption is to align the Citation Longitude compliant fuel system design with the regulation which did not anticipate the type of solution used.”
The company added that it does not expect the new exemption request to “impact the Citation Longitude certification timeline,” although Textron Aviation didn’t have an update on when certification might occur.
On a third-quarter 2018 earnings call with analysts on October 18, Scott Donnelly, CEO of parent company Textron Inc., said the Longitude program was still on track for fourth quarter 2018 certification and deliveries.
One of the more confusing aspects of FAA medical certification is the role of medications. Whether a medication is prescription or over-the-counter, the FAA usually has justifiable reasons to be informed as to its use. That said, the “rules” involved can be mystifying to pilots and their AMEs.
Before you run to the medicine cabinet to discard all of your medications or assume that you must shred any documents that even mention prescriptions, please take comfort in that many medications and the conditions for which they are being taken are potentially approvable. For the most part, a pilot is not dead in the proverbial water if he/she needs to take medications.
Medication usage is evaluated not just on the basis of the medication itself, but also in the context of why it is being taken. Therefore, when asking the AME if you can fly when taking a certain medication, the question must include the reason it is prescribed.
Along with the AME, there are resources that can help a pilot make appropriate medication decisions. AOPA and ALPA publish lists of general guidance. These are “general guidance” and not doctrine. There is, in fact, no formal list published by the FAA. But a pilot can search the FAA website for the Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners. There are sections that specifically address medications and a section that clearly lists medications that a pilot should not fly while taking.
Tier 1 Engineering set the Guinness World Record for the farthest distance travelled by an all-electric helicopter, flying a modified Robinson R44 a distance of 30 nm at speed to 80 knots and an altitude of 800 feet on December 7. The helicopter was flown by Ric Webb of OC Helicopters under a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category issued by FAA’s Los Angeles manufacturing inspection district office. The flight originated from the Los Alamitos Army Airfield.
Tier 1 is under contract from Lung Biotechnology PBC to produce an electrically powered, semi-autonomous rotorcraft for human organ delivery. The highly modified, all-electric R44 is powered by 1,100 pounds of Brammo lithium polymer batteries, twin electric motors, and a control system from Rinehart Motion Systems. The helicopter first flew in 2016.
Tier 1’s is not the first electric helicopter project. In 2011 France’s Solution F achieved a two-minute flight in a manned ultralight untethered electric helicopter. The flight was piloted by Pascal Chretien, an aerospace engineer from the firm. In 2010, Sikorsky unveiled the Firefly project, a modified Sikorsky-Schweizer S-300C fitted with a U.S. Hybrid Technologies electric motor and two lithium-ion battery packs, capable of flying for 12 to 15 minutes.
Ontic Expands Portfolio with Twin Commander Acquisition
Aerospace legacy parts manufacturing and support special Ontic has completed its acquisition of Firstmark Corp., the parent of Twin Commander, Aircraft Belts, and Firstmark Aerospace, among other companies.
Firstmark provides a range of engineering, propriety components, and subsystems for the aerospace and defense industries. Its portfolio expanded in the general aviation realm with the 2008 acquisition of Twin Commander, which has supported and provided parts and services for the Aero Commander/Twin Commander families since production ceased more than two decades ago.
Under the new ownership, Brian Harbaugh, a long-time senior manager at Twin Commander, has taken the role of acting business unit director of Twin Commander and Aircraft Belts. “Ontic is a great fit for Twin Commander. As a company dedicated to legacy product support, the expertise and resources Ontic brings will help propel Twin Commander long into the future,” he said.
Twin Commander will continue to focus on strengthened Twin Commander customer support through its factory authorized service center network, engineering upgrades, and opportunities for Twin Commander owners and operators to network, Harbaugh said, adding he plans to reach out to the Twin Commander community over the next few months to discuss the plans for the Twin Commander family.
The acquisition expands the presence of Chatsworth, California-based Ontic with facilities in Creedmoor, North Carolina, and Plainview, New York, complementing Ontic’s locations in Cheltenham, UK, and Singapore.
New-production Cessna Caravan and Grand Caravan EX turboprops will have enhanced standard and optional capabilities added into their Garmin G1000 NXi next-generation integrated flight decks, Textron Aviation announced Thursday. Standard enhancements will include dual audio panels with 3D audio capability that Textron Aviation said improves situational awareness for flight crews.
Among the optional enhancements are Garmin’s Enhanced Automatic Flight Control System, with automated features such as electronic stability and protection, underspeed protection, emergency descent mode, and coupled go-around. Another option with the enhanced Caravan flight deck is Garmin’s GSR 56 Iridium Satellite Data Transceiver Link that has near worldwide access to downlink weather services as well as provides satellite voice communication and text messaging.
Textron Aviation senior vice president of sales and marketing Rob Scholl said the flight deck enhancements build on the Caravan’s performance, payload, and dispatch reliability. “Elevating the capabilities of the aircraft with advanced avionics ensures our customers have access to the latest technology needed to succeed as pilots and operators,” Scholl said.
The enhancements will be offered beginning with model year 2019 Caravans and Grand Caravan EXs.
Flying Colours Starts New Hangar at Peterborough
Canadian MRO and aircraft completions provider Flying Colours has broken ground on a hangar that will become its largest at the company's Peterborough Airport headquarters. The 100,000-sq-ft structure, which will cost more than $18 million, will be able to accommodate aircraft as large as an Airbus A220 and will include a climate-controlled paint shop, interiors workshops, customer meeting rooms, a boardroom, and offices. It is slated to open by mid-2019.
“Our business has grown significantly over the past twelve months, and we were running out of space to accommodate all our clients’ requests,” said company president John Gillespie. “Once the building is complete, we will be using it to provide additional capacity for completions, refurbishment, and heavy maintenance work scopes on large jet airplanes.”
At the company’s St. Louis location, a leased fifth hangar is undergoing preparations to come online next month, adding 40,000 sq ft of space to the Spirit of St. Louis Airport facility.
To keep up with the increases in capacity at both sites, Flying Colours, which specializes in midsize to large business aircraft and is an authorized service facility and preferred completions center for Bombardier, expects to add another 100 workers with experience in maintenance, interiors, and painting.
Company Plans To Rent Self-piloted eVTOLs
A new company called Lift plans to rent lightweight single-seat electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) to the general public at select locations beginning next year. The aircraft are compliant with FAR Part 103 (Powered Ultralight) and no pilot’s license is required. Renters will need to complete a one- to two-hour safety and training course that includes virtual reality simulation before flying.
The Lift Hexa aircraft are duration limited to flights of 15 minutes, have a maximum forward speed of 55 knots, and a maximum passenger payload of 250 pounds. Lift plans to charge $249 per flight.
The aircraft are powered by 18 independent electric motors, propellers, and batteries, and are equipped with a low-level ballistic recovery parachutes and floats, and will be operated only in Class G airspace with radar coverage and in daylight VFR. Aircraft directional control is achieved via varying the speeds of the various electric motors via onboard flight computers. A single cockpit joystick controls pitch, roll, yaw, and acceleration and flight control inputs can also be made via touchscreen or voice commands. The aircraft can also be controlled remotely by Lift pilots and is programmed to land autonomously in the event of low power or emergency conditions. Lift does not plan to sell its Hexa aircraft to the general public at this time.
Simi To Take Helm of NASAO
The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) named aviation veteran Shelly Simi president and CEO. Simi, who currently directs corporate communications and public affairs for Aurora Flight Sciences, will step into her new role in 2019, working with the NASAO Board of Directors to steer the mission, vision, and goals of the association.
Simi, well known in Washington, D.C. aviation circles, has worked with numerous aviation officials and government leaders during her more-than-25-year aviation career. She has a strong association background, including serving as vice president of communications for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and as a founding board member of Women in Aviation International. In addition, she is a former president of the Aero Club of Washington. Simi also brings substantial industry experience, working with companies Adam Aircraft, Jeppesen, and FedEx, in addition to Aurora.
“Shelly’s extensive industry experience, as well as her deep and abiding passion for aviation, will ensure NASAO’s continued success in serving the public interest to sustain, advance and promote aviation in our respective states,” said Cassandra Isackson, chair of the NASAO Board of Directors.
“I look forward to working with the states where important initiatives like airport and infrastructure development, technology implementation, and enhancing STEM education and workforce development are top priorities,” Simi added.
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