Asset management company The Carlyle Group has agreed to purchase global aircraft maintenance and repair provider StandardAero from Veritas Capital, The Carlyle Group announced today. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, industry financial reporters have pegged it at approximately $5 billion. Subject to customary regulatory review, the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019.
Founded in 1911, Arizona-based StandardAero has grown to 6,000 employees and 38 major facilities around the world. In addition to FAA-approved avionics installations and repairs, it provides factory-authorized airframe service and maintenance for Dassault Falcon and Bombardier aircraft, as well as engine support for all the major business aircraft and rotorcraft powerplant manufacturers. The company reported a year-over-year revenue increase from $2.1 billion to more than $3 billion in 2018.
“We are excited to partner with The Carlyle Group, and we thank Veritas Capital for its support and partnership,” said StandardAero CEO Russell Ford. “We look forward to working with Carlyle to further our aggressive growth trajectory as we continue providing world-class services to our customers as one of the world’s best and largest independent MRO service providers.”
California Considers Closing GA Airport in San Jose
Officials in Santa Clara County, California, approved a motion on December 4 to move ahead with a business plan that could close Reid-Hillview Airport (RHV) in east San Jose and consolidate its operations with the smaller San Martin Airport (E16), 23 miles southeast. It’s a plan opposed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), which in advance of the board’s meeting wrote to officials urging them to “remove any process to study closing the airport.”
AOPA said the county-owned airport is a reliever airport to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC). “The loss of RHV would move a significant number of the 160,000 operations to SJC, likely causing additional congestion and delays in airline operations at SJC,” Bill Dunn of AOPA government affairs wrote in the November 30 letter to the county’s five supervisors.
AOPA also said closing RHV would affect San Jose State University’s aviation program that “depends on its location at RHV to provide training opportunities for students.”
With elections complete and retirements looming, the key committees steering aviation policy will see significant turnover in the 116th Congress that begins next month. In the House, two major factors are causing a shift: the retirement of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania) and the flip of the House from Republican majority to Democratic majority.
Shuster announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election after serving since 2001. House leadership tapped Sam Graves (R-Missouri), who has co-chaired the General Aviation Caucus, to fill Shuster’s slot. Graves, however, will be ranking minority member rather than chairman. Rep. Pete DeFazio (R-Oregon), a long-standing member on the committee and former ranking Democrat, now steps in as chairman.
In the Senate, the Republicans retain the majority. But Senate Commerce Committee chairman John Thune (R-South Dakota) was selected as the Senate majority whip and is thus vacating the chairmanship. Succeeding Thune is Mississippi Republican Roger Wicker. Wicker has been chairman of the committee’s subcommittee on communications, technology, and the Internet.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Committee is losing its ranking Democrat, Sen. Bill Nelson (Florida), who narrowly lost his election to state Gov. Rick Scott (R). Nelson had served in the Senate since 2000. Succeeding Nelson in the ranking position is Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), who has been the top Democrat on the committee’s aviation subcommittee.
First Serial-production Airbus Helicopters H160 Flies
The first serial-production Airbus Helicopters H160 medium twin made its first flight on December 14. It will join the three prototypes, which have already accumulated more than 1,000 flight-test hours. It is one of 10 pre-serial-production aircraft that the company plans to assemble in the coming months as it refines its production process. The helicopter will be delivered to launch customer Babcock in 2020.
When the helicopter achieves full-rate production, Airbus expects to assemble an H160 in as little as 40 days on the helicopter’s new, dedicated production line in Marignane, France. Babcock plans to take delivery of a fleet of the aircraft “for worldwide operations” over a five-year period. Earlier this year, Airbus said it expected EASA and FAA certification for the H160 by the end of this year with customer deliveries slated to begin next year.
The H160 features the Helionix avionics suite, an all-composite airframe, flat-floor cabin, oversize cabin windows, and a baggage compartment that can hold 661 pounds. Its cabin can be configured to seat four or eight passengers in executive/VIP layouts, or 12 in a utility configuration. The H160 also incorporates a variety of new technologies, among them Blue Edge active-tracking main rotor blades in a five-blade system with a double-sweep design that reduces noise and contributes to a smoother ride, and 10 to 15 percent better fuel consumption than the H155 family it replaces.
Florida Airport Rebrands Its FBO
Florida’s Naples Airport Authority, which operates the sole full-service FBO at the dedicated GA airport, has rebranded it as Naples Aviation. The Avfuel-branded facility will also add contract fueling to its services, pumped by the location’s NATA Safety-1st trained staff.
The facility, which specializes in quick turns, includes a passenger lounge with refreshment bar, business center, conference room, fitness center with showers, crew lounge, flight-planning room, crew cars, and onsite access to U.S. Customs.
“We’re excited about the new name, along with all of the changes that come with it,“ said FBO manager Mike Hushek. “We have launched a new website for easier customer use and are offering competitive rates on jet fuel with Avfuel contract fuel.”
With that service addition, aircraft operators at Naples Municipal Airport will also benefit from no-fee purchases, the ability to put all purchases (both fuel and non-fuel) on their accounts, tax savings, and streamlined online account management.
“Our operators are looking forward to taking advantage of the Avfuel contract fuel program in another high-profile destination location,” said Joel Hurst, the fuel provider’s vice president of sales. “We’ve had a long, successful partnership with Naples Aviation and are happy to be a part of the operation’s progression with rebranding and adding the program.”
ASG: Flights Schools Decline, But Trainers Up in AsPac
The number of flight training schools has decreased in the Asia-Pacific region over the past two years as the industry consolidates. But growing demand for pilots is leading to an overall increase in the training fleet, according to Asian Sky Group’s (ASG) second edition of the Asia Pacific Training School Report.
The ASG report, released last week, provides an overview of training schools and fleets across the region and a perspective on how countries are equipped to handle the growing aviation workforce shortage, ASG said.
Throughout the region, the number of schools declined from 351 in 2016 to 338 this year. “The decrease in schools can be attributed to the expansion of larger flight schools, which have acquired several smaller players in the industry,” according to the ASG report.
The number of fixed-wing aircraft used in training has grown from 2,908 in 2016 to 3,057 this year, while, the helicopter training fleet jumped from 599 to 680 over the past two years.
Australia experienced a drop of 16 schools, or 13 percent, over the past two years, but also the biggest increase in fixed-wing trainers, from 866 in 2016 to 948 this year. China experienced the largest increase in helicopter trainers from 169 to 215. Malaysia, down one flight school during the two-year period, experienced the largest fixed-wing fleet decline of 17, while India is down one training helicopter.
Bell celebrated the recent delivery of a pair of Model 429s to EDIC Horizon International Flight Academy. Based at Al Ain International Airport Zone, the flight school trains rotorcraft pilots with an all-Bell fleet, including Bell 206s and 407s. The 429 twins will be used for instrument, multi-engine, and special-mission training.
Hareb Thani Al Dhaheri, EDIC Horizon CEO, said, “Bell helicopters have been an essential part of our training operations since our inception, and the new aircraft will enable us to further expand our training offering.” He told AIN he expects to train about 25 pilots for multi-engine ratings in the first year, ramping up to 40 to 50 the second year and going up from there. He also said EDIC Horizon is considering adding more single-engine helicopters to its training fleet within the coming year.
“There are now 332 Bell 429s in operation around the world, exceeding 330,000 hours of operation on the global fleet. This celebration is a key milestone for Bell as it demonstrates the traction the Bell 429 has gained in the Middle East," said Sameer Rehman, Bell managing director for Africa and the Middle East.
UK-based Air Charter Service (ACS) tallied the best month in its nearly three-decade history last month with revenues of more than £60 million ($78 million), eclipsing the previous monthly record of £52 million.
The company—which offers charters in the private jet, commercial airliner, and cargo aircraft segments—has 24 offices worldwide on six continents.
“This is an outstanding achievement by the whole team, which is now more than 500 aviation experts,” said company CEO Justin Bowman. “We saw substantial increases across all three of our main divisions, with a total of 31 percent increase in revenue on last November.” He added that with annual revenues of approximately $700 million, ACS, which will open three additional offices in the coming months, is well on its way to its next goal of becoming a billion-dollar company.
People in Aviation
Conklin & de Decker named Najla Dorsey of Columbus, Ohio as the recipient of the annual Al Conklin and Bill de Decker Business Aviation Management Scholarship. The $5,000 scholarship is awarded to an undergraduate student who is enrolled in an aviation management program at a University Aviation Association member school. Dorsey, a senior at The Ohio State University, is majoring in air transportation with a professional pilot specialization. A former ramp agent for an airline in Philadelphia, she has served as an aerospace education officer for the Civil Air Patrol since 2011, is the current president of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, OSU Chapter, and is a member of the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Student Advisory Board. She further has volunteered for the Tuskegee Airmen Ohio Memorial Chapter, Women in Aviation, and the Buckeye Tigers A.C.E. Academy.
Asian Sky Group (ASG) named Matthieu Guisolphe rotary program sales manager for the Southeast Asia market. Over the past five years, Guisolphe, who most recently has served in the Malaysian office of Airbus Helicopters, also has served with Thales.
Aireon appointed Peter Cabooter vice president of customer affairs. Cabooter joins Aireon with 17 years of sales and air traffic management experience, holding executive positions at Navblue (previously Airbus ProSky) and Barco Orthogon (now a part of Harris Corporation).
Metrojet Limited appointed Janet Chen as regional sales manager, MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul). Chen, who has more than 14 years of aviation experience in the aviation industry in a range of disciplines from sales and market to supply chain and business development, most recently was commercial manager for Haeco Private Jet Solutions.
Aspen Avionics promoted Sam Wallace to vice president of operations. Wallace, who has 13 years of experience beginning as a manufacturing engineer, joined Aspen in 2015 and was most recently director of quality.
Clay Lacy Aviation Celebrates 50th Anniversary and Looks to the Future
Clay Lacy, founder of Clay Lacy Aviation, was on hand this past October to help his company celebrate its 50th anniversary. Lacy is considered one of the top aerial cinematographers in the world by his peers in both aviation and film. In 1965 he developed the camera system known today as Astrovision. Astrovision-equipped aircraft have filmed Top Gun, Armageddon, Cliffhanger, and more.
Lacy’s iconic 50-year old fixed base operation at Van Nuys airport in Los Angeles was known for catering to screen stars, and he remembers those days fondly.
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