Piaggio Wins Order for Nine Avanti Evos, Retrofits
Piaggio Aerospace has won a nearly $221 million (€200 million) contract from the Italian Ministry of Defense for nine Avanti Evos and the retrofit of more than 19 aircraft, the Italian airframer announced this week. Under the aircraft order, Piaggio will deliver over the next four years five of the twin turboprops in a passenger and ambulance configuration and four for other missions.
It also will retrofit the first P.180 Avanti used by the Italian Armed Forces, bringing the contract’s value to $144 million (€130 million). Additionally, the same agreement calls for the defense ministry to finalize a commitment in the next two years to retrofit 18 aircraft used by the Carabinieri, army, navy and air force, pushing the total contract value to $221 million.
"The order finalized today—just one year after the extraordinary administration started—is the result of the joint and generous effort of all parties involved: the Italian Government, the Armed Forces, and local Institutions,” extraordinary commissioner of Piaggio Aerospace Vincenzo Nicastro said. “This represents, for Piaggio Aerospace, a turning point: with the restart of aircraft production, we will also be able to gradually reintegrate workers [who are] currently [on] temporary layoffs.”
Nicastro added that the restructured OEM continues to finalize new aircraft orders from the private market as well as prepare a plan to sell its assets.
FAA’s Privacy Program for Aircraft Goes Live
The FAA’s Privacy ICAO Address (PIA) program went live on Friday, providing operators the means to shield their movements from publicly available flight tracking. Separate from the Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) program that was formerly known as the Block Aircraft Registration Request, PIA is designed to address privacy concerns with the traceability that comes with mode-S, key equipment used for ADS-B. Mode-S transponders right now emit the aircraft’s ICAO code enabling people to track aircraft.
For now, the FAA is administering the PIA program, assigning an alternate ICAO address that is decoupled from the aircraft registration number at operator request. Plans are to shift that administration to a vendor, perhaps later next year. “The FAA felt very strongly that the program needed to be working, even if it was done manually, by 2020,” said FlightAware CEO Daniel Baker. “We’re really excited about the steps the FAA’s taken…in getting this program out. It is a very important one for business aviation.”
Baker stressed, though, that it is important business aviation operators understand what can and can’t be done under PIA currently. For now, the alternative ICAO codes are only for domestic operations. Operators who obtain codes must do a maintenance change for their transponders to accept the code change and obtain a new callsign. That can be obtained from vendors such as FlightAware, ForeFlight, and FltPlan.
With the college football bowl season just around the corner, Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems will increase its AOG capabilities to support business jet owners and operators planning to attend major bowl games in the next couple of weeks, beginning with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 28 in Atlanta, the Greenville, South Carolina-based MRO provider announced. Stevens will relocate some of its more than 45 technicians and 17 mobile units to cities that are hosting the games.
“These upcoming events give our customers the added confidence that we’ll be easily accessible for planned and unplanned maintenance events,” Stevens AOG services v-p Randy Smith said. Stevens operates permanent AOG locations in a dozen U.S. markets that form a crescent stretching from the Atlantic Coast to Colorado.
Other college bowl games the company will support include the Capital One Orange Bowl on December 30 in Miami; Outback Bowl on January 1 in Tampa, Florida; TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on January 2 in Jacksonville, Florida; and the National Championship game on January 13 in New Orleans.
It also plans to deploy mobile AOG teams for other, major sporting events in 2020, including the Super Bowl on February 2 in Miami; the Masters on April 9-12 in Augusta, Georgia; the Kentucky Derby on May 2 in Louisville, Kentucky; and the Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 on May 23-25 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
ExecuJet MRO Malaysia Gains Philippines Certification
ExecuJet MRO Services Malaysia has received Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) certification for line and heavy maintenance on Dassault, Bombardier, and Gulfstream business jets, the Kuala Lumpur maintenance provider announced. Aircraft covered by the certification include Dassault Falcon 2000EX and Falcon 900EX; Bombardier Challenger 300/350 series and Learjet 45; and Gulfstream G200 and GIV jets.
“The impetus for getting CAAP certification was the increased number of queries from operators in the Philippines,” said v-p of MRO Services Asia for Execujet Malaysia Ivan Lim. “We realized that many of them are looking for a wider range of maintenance options, especially those who usually send their jets to the U.S. for MRO work.”
Lim added the Philippines is the third-largest market in Southeast Asia for business aviation, after Malaysia and Singapore, with about 50 business jets—a number that is expected to grow. The Kuala Lumpur facility and its mobile response team also are close enough geographically to support Philippines customers in AOG situations, he added.
Bizav OEM Outlook Anything but 20/20 in New Year
Business aviation OEMs ended 2019 on a high note, with projected deliveries up 10 percent year-over-year, to 700 units thanks in large part to the influx of newly certified models such as the Bombardier Global 7500, Cessna Citation Longitude, Embraer Praetor 600, Gulfstream G500/600, and Pilatus PC-24. While that wasn’t a record, it marked only the fourth time over the past decade that deliveries have surpassed the 700-aircraft mark.
The relatively good times are expected to continue into 2020 as business aircraft manufacturers ramp up production of these models.
But weaker demand for many of the OEMs’ legacy products, recession fears, and further trade tariffs are likely to offset these gains into the new decade, meaning a lower single-digit percentage increase in deliveries is likely in 2020. In fact, JetNet iQ predicts a 3 percent rise in shipments this year, while Honeywell is only marginally more bullish in its near-term outlook.
Yet trouble looms, according to the business aviation data provider. “Business confidence has plummeted in the U.S. and overseas, with key indicators such as falling international trade in reaction to the ongoing tariff wars,” it said. JetNet iQ’s market sentiment indicator is hovering at its lowest level since the company began such measurements about eight years ago.
Rolls-Royce has revealed the design of its first electric race plane under its ACCEL (Accelerating the Electrification of Flight) program.
The UK aeroengine manufacturer said, “Work will now begin on integrating the ground-breaking electrical propulsion system to enable the zero-emissions plane to make a run for the record books with a target speed of 300-plus miles per hour in late spring 2020.”
Partners in ACCEL, which is half-funded by the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) with the support of the UK government, include Oxford-based electric motor manufacturer YASA and Gloucester Airport, UK-based Electroflight.
Also unveiled during an event held at Gloucester Airport on December 20 was the ionBird test airframe, which will be used to test the propulsion system before it is integrated into the aircraft. Tests are planned “over the next couple of months,” including running the propulsion system up to full power along with airworthiness checks.
Rolls-Royce said ACCEL will have the most power-dense battery pack ever assembled for an aircraft, enabling it to fly 200 miles (London to Paris) on a single charge of its 6,000 cells.
The propeller is driven by three electric motors delivering more than 500 hp. Rolls said that “even during the record run, the all-electric powertrain will deliver power with 90 percent energy efficiency and, of course, zero emissions.”
Looking to provide a congestion-free alternative for business aviation customers heading to New York City, FBO Republic Jet Center has partnered with aircraft charter/management provider Prime Jet to offer a New York Express package. It features exclusively priced helicopter connections to and from Manhattan and Republic Airport in Farmingdale for customers booking a Prime Jet Gulfstream charter flight into Republic. The deal adds a one-way trip for up to six passengers on a Sikorsky S-76 operated by AAG, at a cost of $1,900.
“At Republic Jet Center, we pride ourselves on a luxury brand service experience and know that helicopters are a fabulous business tool, just like business jets,” explained Jeremy Epperson, president of the Long Island, New York-based FBO which negotiated the favorable costs with the helicopter operator. “The accessibility of helicopters in New York City is a real game-changer for passengers looking for a stress-free solution to navigating the typical New York airport congestion and higher costs.”
The service provides 14-minute flights to a choice of three downtown Manhattan heliports, or for those who choose not to take the helicopter option, a complimentary luxury SUV transfer into the city.
“The whole idea of this was to eliminate hold times from the major airports and give a great alternative that is less expensive,” Epperson told AIN, adding the package option has already been used several times.
Terra Drone Expands Into Mining
Japan’s Terra Drone is forming a new subsidiary in Canada, Terra Drone Mining, to provide unmanned mapping and inspection services to underground mines worldwide. The announcement follows an investment agreement between Terra Drone and Canada’s Unmanned Aerial Services Inc. (UAS Inc.), an inspection service provider for indoor industrial confined spaces and underground mines. UAS Inc.’s client roster includes mining companies Vale, Newmont Goldcorp, Barrick Gold, and Glencore.
Terra Drone’s investment will enable Terra Drone Mining to expand UAS Inc.’s business beyond North America to South/Central America, South Africa, Central Asia, Russia, and Australia.
Mine operators can use drones to obtain 3D models of the mines and prevent workers from entering hazardous locations. Terra Drone utilizes SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) to create highly detailed maps of underground areas. The company notes that mining remains one of the world’s most hazardous industrial occupations, with dangers that include falling material, flooding, and underground fires and explosions. More than 20 fatalities have been recorded year- to-date in U.S. mines alone.
Universal Avionics Holds Competition for New Control Display Unit Interface
When Universal Avionics wanted to add new features for its software-based FMS control display unit, company leaders realized they would have to tap new ideas, so they challenged team members to develop a process that made sure no stone was left unturned, and they called it The Grand Challenge.
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