Leonardo Sells More Firefighting AW139s

Leonardo has signed a $50.8 million deal to provide three new AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopters to the Italian National Fire Corps (part of the Italian Ministry of Interior) with options for 12 additional aircraft. The contract includes support and training for pilots and technicians. Deliveries will be completed in 2019.

The helicopters will be equipped with external rescue hoists, cargo hooks with bambi bucket provision, weather radar, multi-band and satellite communication systems, high-definition Forward-looking Infrared/Low Light TV (FLIR/LLTV) systems, Leonardo’s high-definition mission consoles with digital recorders, high-definition downlinks, Leonardo’s Optical Proximity LiDAR Systems (OPLS), night-vision goggle (NVG) capability, new-generation Trakka searchlights, emergency flotation systems and external life rafts, external loudspeakers, medical racks, and bubble windows.

The helicopters will also be capable of maritime and mountain search and rescue, EMS transport, and disaster relief/civil protection missions. To date, the Italian government has ordered 56 AW139s.

Leonardo also announced that in the U.S., the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is adding a fifth AW139 to its fleet. The multi-role LAFD AW139s were introduced in 2008 and to date, the department's fleet has accumulated 7,000 hours and flies 700 incidents annually. More than 1,100 AW139s have been ordered worldwide.  

Honeywell Rolls Out Amazon-like Parts Trading Business

Eying a still relatively untapped online marketplace for aviation parts, Honeywell Aerospace today unveiled a new e-commerce business, GoDirect Trade, likening the new platform to an Amazon format. Honeywell says it is among the first to use blockchain to help connect buyers and sellers online. GoDirect Trade will provide access to both new and used air transport and business aircraft parts with pricing transparency and the option to buy inventory directly from the website.

Parts on GoDirect Trade are available for immediate sale and shipping, the company said, adding its use of blockchain technology ensures images and quality documents are available for the exact part offered. The site is designed to enable buyers and sellers to directly contact each other through customized storefronts on the platform. A customer searching for a part will see results from multiple sellers, but the customer can go directly to a storefront. 

Less than 2.5 percent of all aviation parts transactions are completed online, the aerospace supplier noted, and the online trading that occurs now often requires a timely quote process. “Up until now, the ability to shop for spare parts online with prices, product images, and quality documentation all in one place was unheard of for the aviation industry,” said Lisa Butters, who is heading up the new venture.

The company’s own Honeywell Aerospace Trading has launched a storefront, but plans call for six more to launch by January.

Scottsdale Airport To Receive Third FBO

Arizona’s Scottsdale Airport, which is currently served by Signature Flight Support and Ross Aviation FBOs, will receive a third service provider.

The proprietors of what will be named the Scottsdale Jet Center (SJC) have secured a 40-year lease for more than 14 acres of land at the airport and expect to break ground next summer on a $24 million FBO complex.

The first phase of the project, which is expected to be completed in mid-2020, will consist of an approximately 10,000-sq-ft terminal and a 30,000-sq-ft hangar, which can accommodate the latest large business jets. The remaining phases will see the construction of additional hangars with a target date of mid-2025.

According to company partner John Marchman, the airport has seen strong fuel sales growth over the past few years, and the master plan calls for an increase in large-capacity private aviation hangars in both the near and long term. SJC’s lease with the city calls for it to construct a minimum of 80,000 sq ft of hangar space, less than half of the airport’s projected need over the next decade.

Helicopter Insurance Premiums Could Double

Helicopter owners are in for major sticker shock when they receive their next insurance premium bill, particularly private pilots and small commercial operators, according to Matt Drummelsmith, president of insurance brokerage Aviation Specialty Insurance. Drummelsmith said premiums are in some cases even doubling, while some carriers are dropping customers and others are refusing to underwrite entire policies. “It doesn’t matter what your size, scope, or experience is,” he said. “Some carriers are not even quoting at this point and those that are are taking a much harder look at pilots and operations,” especially for new helicopter buyers, cautioned Drummelsmith. 

Drummelsmith said the premium increases are being fueled by ballooning accident settlement costs that now can run into nine figures, especially with EMS operators. “Carriers don’t want any new liability in this segment,” he said. “And they quote accordingly.” The premium increases come at a time when the overall accident rate, particularly the fatal accident rate, for helicopters is trending down dramatically. But, Drummelsmith insists, that doesn’t matter. “Even if accidents are down, it doesn’t mean they aren’t severe; insurance companies base premiums not on the count, but on the amount of the claims paid,” Drummelsmith said, noting that individual helicopter accidents now can trigger settlements up to $500 million. Those potential liabilities are driving some insurers from the marketplace.

FCC Bans Certification, Sale of 121.5 MHz ELTs

In a move designed to accelerate the transition from 121.5 MHz to 406 MHz emergency locator transmitters (ELTs), the Federal Communications Commission last week issued a new rule prohibiting certification of the 121.5 MHz units. But the rule continues to permit the use of 121.5 MHz ELTs.

The rule follows a previous rulemaking in which the FCC had prohibited the sale, certification, and use of the 121.5 MHz ELTs. The agency, however, stayed that action after the FAA and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association appealed to the FCC to revisit the decision, citing equipage cost concerns and the belief that 121.5 MHz still provides some benefit.

Over the past couple of decades, organizations administering the Cospas-Sarsat international rescue program have pushed for adoption of the more advanced 406 MHz ELTs and by 2010 the Cospas-Sarsat system limited tracking of ELTs to 406 MHz. The FCC said this eroded the utility of 121.5 MHz. The agency followed with the rule published in the December 12 Federal Register that immediately prohibits certification of new 121.5 MHz units and prohibits the manufacture and sale after a six-month transition period.

“The record demonstrates that 121.5 MHz ELTs were clearly inferior to 406 MHz ELTs,” the agency said. Supply of the 406 MHz units is now sufficient to meet demand, the agency further said, and costs have dipped below $600 per unit.

Robinson Safety Course Logs 21,000 Graduates

Robinson Helicopter has had more than 21,000 pilots attend the three-and-a-half-day safety course at its California factory since the mid-1980s and thousands more at foreign-based courses sponsored by its dealers in 30 different countries to date. Robinson exports roughly 70 percent of the helicopters it builds. In any given year the factory teaches 14 to 16 courses with attendance averaging 55 to 60 for each one. Attendance for the foreign-taught courses can run from 15 to 110 students each, depending on location, with larger markets such as Australia, Brazil, and South Africa. This year the company also held four separate safety courses in China with the assistance of Chin Tu, owner of Civic Helicopters in Carlsbad, California. Tu speaks fluent Mandarin.  

Flight portions in foreign-taught courses vary based on helicopter and instructor availability. The course typically includes 1.5 hours of dual instruction flying time in Robinson R22, R44, or R66 models and extensive classroom instruction in safety, operations, and maintenance. The course is an FAA-approved flight instructor refresher course (FIRC) and can be used toward CFI renewal. Fees vary from $500 for the R22 course to $1,100 for the R66; even so, the company offers the course at a loss. And that is just fine with CEO Kurt Robinson.

“We’ve had the distinction of making helicopter flying less expensive and whenever that happens it gets into more hands,” he told AIN.

Gama Aviation Pushes Ahead with Saudi Venture

Gama Aviation has established a company in Saudi Arabia through a wholly owned venture with an undisclosed local partner, which will give it the opportunity to enter the market through the management of private aircraft. 

Richard Lineveldt, Gama Aviation managing director, Middle East, said the company is based in Jeddah, where the majority of its clients are located and where most of the aircraft in Saudi Arabia tend to operate. “We are [moving in] the traditional way in which Gama sets itself up in new territories. The shortest route to growing the local business is to establish a private management business there. The next step is to install other avenues,” he said.

Charter is one such avenue. “We haven’t started to work on the charter certificate. We will continue to look at the demand for aircraft charter [in Saudi Arabia] but our core business around the world is [managing] private aircraft for individuals and corporations. We will look to branch out into the rest of the services Gama offers, including maintenance and FBO.”

Gama’s entry into the Saudi market was a move toward development of a complete portfolio of services, he said and added the time is ripe for new entries. “This is a very good time for Gama to come in as a well-established brand into the kingdom...The market is calling out for a large, established operator of a reputable brand with no legacies."