Textron Gets Provisional Type Certificate for Longitude

Textron Aviation's flagship Cessna Citation Longitude has received provisional type certification from the FAA and deliveries of the $26.9 million super-midsize jet should begin early next year, the company announced today. Textron Aviation senior v-p of engineering Brad Thress told AIN the provisional certificate allows operators to “ops check” their Longitudes, including training on the aircraft in advance of taking delivery of them. Longitude customers could also take delivery of their airplanes under the provisional certificate.

The provisional certificate includes a number of limitations for the airplane. For one, it doesn’t allow the Longitude to be operated under RVSM conditions or for high-elevation airport takeoffs and landings, according to the FAA. It also restricts maintenance on the Longitude’s electrical wiring interconnect systems to Textron Aviation. 

Moreover, the provisional certificate addresses the airplane’s fuel tank flammability requirements. Earlier this month Textron Aviation submitted a new exemption request from those requirements to the FAA, saying denial of the petition could disrupt deliveries and cause order cancellations. The request is focused on the more extensive requirements that apply to the use of the flammability reduction means (FRM) in fuel tanks. The FAA has determined that the aircraft’s dedicated electric recirculation pump is an FRM and therefore the aircraft must meet those requirements.

Thress said this solution won’t require Textron Aviation to go back and retrofit Longitudes that have already rolled off the production line. “It does not,” he said. “The airplanes have the final solution installed.”

GE Aviation’s Passport Gets European Approval

As Bombardier prepared to hand over the first Global 7500 to a customer on Thursday, GE Aviation notched another milestone for the engines powering the ultra-long-range aircraft: EASA approval. EASA released the type certification sheet for the Passport 20 on December 18.

The 16,500-pound-thrust engines received the FAA nod in April 2016 and were on track to amassing 4,000-plus hours of testing and 8,000 cycles as the engine approached entry into service.

Certification comes nearly a decade after GE Aviation made a strategic decision to fully jump into the business and general aviation market. The first of the purpose-built GE Aviation business aviation turbofans, the Passport family is to fill the long-range and ultra-long-range sector in the 10,000- to 20,000-pound-thrust class.

Building on technology developed for GE’s Leap engine with a similar core, the Passport features a 23:1 compressor pressure ratio and incorporates advanced materials and technologies that are designed to provide an 8 percent lower specific fuel consumption than other in-service engines in the same class. In addition, the engines meet Stage 4 noise standards.

Eastern Aviation Fuels To Rebrand as ‘Titan’

Reflecting its growth from a regional fuel provider to a national one and beyond, Eastern Aviation Fuels will change its name to Titan Aviation Fuels on January 1. Founded in 1975 by Robert Stallings III, the family-owned company, national marketer and distributor of Shell-branded aviation fuel products in the U.S., has become one of the largest aviation fuel providers in the country, with 550 FBOs in its network. It also serves airlines, corporate flight departments, and aerial applicators.

“While the name has served us well in those years, we are no longer a regionally focused company and needed our name to be reflective of that,” said company president Robert Stallings IV. “We wanted to move away from a name that was geographically limiting, as we have customers across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean.”

Aside from the rebranding, the New Bern, North Carolina-based company said its relationship with its FBO customers and Shell will remain unchanged.

FAA Warns of Red Flags Pointing To Rogue Operators

The FAA, highlighting its efforts to combat illegal charter, is warning the public of red flags involved in an illegal operation. The agency also released a list of certified operators to enable consumers to verify their charter companies. Those warnings came as the agency has worked with industry organizations such as NATA and NBAA to step up its efforts to curtail illegal activity.

In a new statement, the FAA notes it is working “aggressively to identify and shut down rogue operators,” saying they pose a serious threat to safety. Legal charter operations meet a higher level of training, maintenance, and operational requirements, and are more frequently inspected, the FAA statement reminds.

The agency outlined various forms of illegal charter activity such as a lack of certification, use of unauthorized aircraft, use of unqualified pilots, ride-sharing offers, and transference of operational control to the customer, among others.

Additionally, the agency listed potential red flags, such as an attempt to transfer operational control to a customer; a lack of federal excise tax charge; lack of safety briefing or briefing cards; evasive answers to questions or concerns; and an attempt to coach passengers on what to say if an FAA inspector is present.

“The FAA encourages people to thoroughly research operators they are considering hiring, and to report any suspected illegal activities to the agency,” the agency said.

HondaJet Elite Takes Off in Japan

Honda Aircraft handed over a HondaJet Elite to the first customer in Japan, marking the entry into service of the light jet in Honda’s home country, the company announced today. Delivery comes two weeks after the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) validated the model.

Kotaro Chiba, founder of Japan's Drone Fund, accepted the first Japan-bound HondaJet Elite during a ceremony at Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport) attended by JCAB director general Kuniharu Ebina, Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino, and HondaJet Japan chief executive Gentaro Toya.          

Honda Aircraft opened the order book for the model in June for the first time through its dealer HondaJet Japan. Since then the company has taken orders for more than 10 from the region, it said.

"It has been our dream to see the HondaJet flying in the skies above Honda's home country of Japan, and we are proud to mark this major milestone for Honda's aviation business,” Fujino said. “We aspire to popularize business aviation in the region, ultimately creating a society where business jets are widely accepted and used for personal and professional use." 

“I have strong confidence that today, December 20, will be Day 1 of the 'revolution in aerial mobility' in Japan,” Chiba added.

Nebraska Airport Gets FBO

Nebraska’s Hastings Municipal Airport (HSI) has its first FBO in more than a decade with the selection of local aviation business operator Meyers Aviation to provide fueling service. The airport, which has a 6,450-foot main runway, sees approximately 50 operations a day. Its clients, mainly based aircraft owners, had previously relied on its self-service jet-A and 100LL pumps.

The City of Hastings, hoping to build on that utilization and possibly draw traffic from nearby Central Nebraska Regional Airport, issued an RFP for an aviation services provider. The FBO, which will be known as Hastings Air, is expected to be operational by March 1. It will include a terminal with pilots' lounge, conference room, and crew car, and will be staffed from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, and by appointment on Sunday. Hangar space is available. According to city attorney David Ptak, terms of the two-year agreement call for $500 per month rent, and a 10-cent-per-gallon fuel flowage fee. Long-term plans call for the addition of maintenance services.

AfBAA Gears Up for Regional Conference

Preparations are well under way for the African Business Aviation Association’s regional conference, which will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, on January 28-30, 2019. The event will be officially opened by Gilbert Kibe, director general of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and will be attended by African jet and turboprop aircraft operators and international aviation service providers and suppliers, according to AfBAA chairman Nick Fadugba.

He added that a key component of the conference will be the AfBAA Aviation Safety Seminar sponsored by Bombardier, aimed at enhancing aviation safety in Africa. In addition, “for the first time ever, AfBAA will explore the challenges and opportunities in both Africa's business and general aviation industries and the synergies that exist.”

Fadugba said the key challenges facing AfBAA today are to grow its membership in Africa, provide added-value services to its members, and become financially sustainable. The association has gone through a significant leadership transition this year with the appointment in May of Fadugba as chairman and National Airways executive J.P Fourie as vice chairman, and the end of the six-year tenure of former executive director Rady Fahmy in November. “A new executive director will be appointed as soon as possible,” said Fadugba.

AOPA To Celebrate 80th Anniversary During 2019 Fly-ins

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is planning to host three “grand” two-day fly-ins as it celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2019. The fly-ins will be held on May 10-11 at Frederick Municipal Airport in Maryland; June 21-22 at Livermore Municipal Airport in California; and September 13-14 at Tullahoma Regional Airport in Tennessee.

The events, running all day on the scheduled Fridays and Saturdays, will have expanded exhibit hours, seminars, workshops, aircraft displays, and aerial demonstrations. Special events on the schedule include a Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) Invitational Competition that is designed to highlight aircraft used in backcountry flying, as well as a Friday night aviators’ party.

The event in Frederick, home of AOPA’s headquarters, takes place less than a week before AOPA officially reaches its 80th anniversary on May 15. During that event, the D-Day Squadron’s C-47s are slated to make an appearance as they prepare to travel to Normandy, France, for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

“In honor of AOPA’s 80th anniversary, the 2019 fly-ins are sure to be an unforgettable experience for all aviators, family, and friends,” said Chris Eads, AOPA senior director of outreach and events.

AOPA has hosted 24 fly-ins in 20 states since moving to the regional format in 2014. The events have drawn 92,541 attendees in their first five years. 

Make Your Voice Heard in the 2019 FBO Survey

AIN’s FBO survey is open for year-round feedback, but the deadline to vote in the 2019 survey is February 8. The results will be published in the April issue. The survey takes only a minute, and you can do it while waiting for passengers, on the shuttle bus to/from the hotel or any other time that is convenient for you. Participants will be entered to win a $500 Amazon gift card. Log on to www.ainonline.com/fbosurvey to rate your experiences at the FBOs you visit.