West Star Aviation is planning expansion projects at three of its four primary MRO facilities that will add more than a quarter-million square feet of space at its sites in East Alton, Illinois; Grand Junction, Colorado; and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
In East Alton, West Star looks to add a 40,000-sq-ft general-use hangar and a 48,000-sq-ft paint shop and hangar, the latter of which is expected to “significantly increase” the company’s paint capacity there. With the additional facilities, West Star’s footprint in East Alton is expected to comprise more than 400,000 sq ft of offices, hangars, and shops, with another 200,000 sq ft of ramp space.
The company’s Grand Junction operation also will see the addition of a 40,000-sq-ft hangar as well as 35,000 sq ft of shop and office space. An enlarged shop will include more room for interiors, a complete composite shop, and a tool room to accommodate work on larger aircraft. Slated for completion in 2023, the project will increase West Star's Grand Junction presence to 379,000 sq ft.
And in Chattanooga, West Star will add a 40,000-sq-ft hangar, 17,000 more square feet of shop and support space, and another 20,000-sq-ft hangar it will lease from the airport. The Chattanooga expansion will bring the company’s total square footage there to 266,000 sq ft.
Signature Flight Support has expanded its U.S. FBO network with the acquisition of Vail Valley Jet Center, the lone service provider at Colorado’s Eagle Creek Regional Airport (KEGE). KEGE serves many of the state’s world-class ski resorts, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Aspen, and the move increases Signature’s regional footprint, giving it its fourth FBO in Colorado and its first outside the Denver area.
The facility includes a 15,000-sq-ft, three-story terminal featuring a café, a coffee bar, concierge service, a conference room, a business center, and a pilot lounge with a snooze room. Also offered are crew cars, ramp-side vehicle access with complimentary valet, a heated vehicle garage, and car wash/detailing. U.S. Customs is normally available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays, with after-hours call-out available. The location also provides 25 acres of ramp with 238,000 sq ft of hangar space, which can accommodate the largest ultra-long-range business jets. An additional 57,000 sq ft of hangar space is due to open by the end of 2022.
“The addition of the Vail Valley Jet Center to the Signature family of FBOs aligns with our global growth strategy, providing customers with exceptional service at both business and leisure destinations,” said Signature Aviation CEO Tony Lefebvre. “VVJC and its employees have earned a prominent reputation in the industry as passionate professionals, and we look forward to extending the same trusted, consistent FBO experience at [KEGE] under Signature ownership.”
Business aviation leaders are concerned that the federal holiday at the end of the month could upend what is anticipated to be an unprecedented surge of year-end aircraft registrations, pushing the finalization of deals into the new year. NBAA, working with other associations, has been warning the business aviation community to prepare for the possible closure of the FAA aircraft registry in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on December 31 for the federal holiday and even the potential for early closure on December 30.
While the industry has had to grapple with the usual year-end surge in the past and the federal holiday falling on the last day of the year, this year it becomes particularly acute with the frenzied aircraft market and the rush for aircraft buyers seeking to claim bonus depreciation, said Scott O’Brien, senior director for public policy and advocacy. At risk of losing the year-end benefits are approximately 70 to 80 deals that could be worth $750 million to $800 million, estimates from the various groups have suggested.
Industry associations have been working with the FAA on potential mitigations, including asking the agency to keep the registry open on the final days or even prioritizing late-filed deals. O’Brien added that if those involved in aircraft transactions must close on December 31 there are steps that can be taken. “[Those steps are] not perfect,” he said, and involve certain risks.
Metrojet Engineering Clark in the Philippines has inaugurated its new 7,100-sq-m (76,424-sq-ft) hangar with its first Bombardier Global 7500 for hangar parking service, the subsidiary of Metrojet Limited announced. The hangar at Diosdado Macapagal International Airport within the Clark Freeport Zone can house up to 10 long-range business jets including Boeing Business Jets and Airbus Corporate Jets.
“The travel and quarantine restrictions continue to impact the flying activities in the APAC region to a certain degree,” said Metrojet Clark general manager Sarith Vaikuntan. “Many aircraft have been idle, waiting for the quarantine curbs to be relaxed. With the business jet maintenance bubble in place, MEC is here to serve and provide these grounded aircraft with an alternative to Hong Kong and North Asia’s limitations with hangar parking space.”
Located to the rear of the new hangar is a 2,500-sq-m, two-story annex with offices and shops as well as available space for a dedicated FBO. An 11,000-sq-m apron and private taxiway complete the new Metrojet facility that is designed to meet current Philippine codes with typhoon and seismic-resistant features.
MetroJet Clark is a fully authorized repair station with approvals from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the FAA to provide heavy and line maintenance capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Simcom International is holding a groundbreaking ceremony today for a $109 million headquarters and training facility in Orlando.
Announced in concert with the Orlando Economic Partnership in August 2020, the facility marks a new location for Simcom in the Lake Nona area of Orlando and will provide space for five additional full-flight simulators.
In discussing plans in 2020 to relocate its headquarters from Lee Vista Road, Simcom president Eric Hinson had called “the new downtown Lake Nona district…the perfect location for our continued growth.” Simcom and the Orlando Economic Partnership anticipated at the time that the facility would result in the addition of 50 jobs at the center over two years.
Scheduled to attend the groundbreaking is Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, along with CAE president Marc Parent and Directional Aviation Capital principal Kenneth Ricci. Directional Aviation Capital acquired Simcom in 2018 and then sold a 50 percent stake to CAE a year later. Along with that sale, Directional entered into a 15-year exclusive training agreement with CAE and Simcom for its various companies.
Aircraft completions firm RAS has received EASA Part 145 repair station approval for its operation based at London Biggin Hill Airport. The approval follows RAS’s acquisition by Avia Solutions Group’s MRO provider, Jet MS, earlier this year.
With the EASA approval, RAS said, it can continue to serve its European client base after the UK’s departure from the European Union last December. Since January, RAS held UK Civil Aviation Authority Part 145 approval. RAS’s aircraft interiors and exteriors work includes paintwork protection, aircraft interior design, aircraft seating, helicopter painting, military aircraft painting and coatings, aircraft galleys, and cabin stowage.
“Resulting from months of close coordination between RAS and our appointed EASA surveyor, RAS is very pleased to receive the official confirmation of our EASA Part 145 approval,” said RAS quality manager Beverley Winter. “This is a testament to the RAS culture of continual improvement and our dedication to ensuring we continue to support our European customers, both current and future.”
Western Aircraft recently achieved a milestone by completing its first 192-month inspection on a Gulfstream jet. While the Boise, Idaho-based FBO and MRO has maintenance capability and expertise on large-cabin Gulfstreams, the company said the inspection was made possible only by the recent addition of a 53,000-sq-ft hangar as part of Western’s $17 million MRO expansion. The new hangar can accommodate up to six G650s.
Inspection of the G500 involved a comprehensive structural review for cracks and corrosion through the removal of the interior, cockpit, engines, APUs, wing leading edges, and horizontal and vertical stabilizers.
“Our team did an outstanding job,” said Western’s Gulfstream service manager Russell Crouch. “We have some extremely experienced Gulfstream technicians on our team. This project gave them a chance to share their vast knowledge with some technicians who are still learning about this airframe.”
AviationManuals’ sister company ARC Safety Management has collaborated with NASA to automatically integrate the agency’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) into the Maryland company’s custom web and mobile safety management system software, eliminating the need to duplicate reporting. ASRS allows aviation personnel to voluntarily submit incident reports and gives them limited immunity if filed before the FAA takes any enforcement action.
The data collected on ASRS is anonymous and is used to find deficiencies and improve safety. ARC Safety Management said the development of the new feature took several months.
“Safety is paramount at ARC, and since ASRS aims to improve overall industry safety, we wanted to support the program by making it easier for operators to submit their data,” said ARC and AviationManuals CEO Mark Baier. “Through this integration, we will not only be helping to keep our clients’ organizations safer but also the industry as a whole.”
APS Wins Top Flight Award for Training Innovation
AIN is awarding the 2021 Top Flight Awards Training Innovation category to Aviation Performance Solutions for its virtual reality upset training.
Aviation Performance Solutions is now using virtual reality technology for the maximum transference of upset prevention and recovery training skills to a customer’s specific aircraft type.
Requires repetitive inspections of the intersection of the lateral pylon and floor spar at station (STA) 1815 for cracking and, depending on the findings, repair, as specified in an EASA AD. This AD was prompted by reports of cracking in the center fuselage frame assembly in the intersection of the lateral pylon and floor spar at STA 1815 on the left- and right-hand sides.
Requires one-time visual and recurring borescope inspections of the torque tube and depending on the results, removing the torque tube from service. This AD is prompted by a report of a spiral crack in the pilot-to-copilot tail rotor torque tube.
Requires repetitively inspecting the center wing area for corrosion and deterioration of protective treatments, removing any corrosion, and treating any deteriorated areas.This AD was prompted by reports of corrosion found on the upper surface of the lower center wing mid-spar splice plate.
Requires inspecting each hydraulic pump for damage and, depending on the inspections results, removing parts from service and accomplishing other corrective actions. This AD also requires removing certain parts from service before they exceed their life limits. The corrective actions are required to be accomplished as specified in an EASA AD. This AD was prompted by reports of an ineligible hydraulic pump being installed on Model AW109SP helicopters.
Requires revising the existing airplane flight manual to incorporate procedures to be applied during erroneous electrical status indication conditions. This AD was prompted by reports of erratic electrical system status on the push button annunciators and the engine instrument and crew alerting system.
Requires replacing the existing fuel flow meter bracket assembly with a redesigned bracket assembly and reporting information to the FAA. This AD was prompted by a report of a fuel leak due to a cracked fuel line between the engine fuel control and the engine fuel flow meter.
Supersedes AD 2015-16-07 R1, which required inspecting the left-hand and right-hand rudder control pedal torque tubes and replacing with a serviceable part as necessary. Since the FAA issued that AD, the EASA superseded its mandatory continuing airworthiness information to correct an unsafe condition on these products. This AD retains the requirements of AD 2015-16-07 R1, expands the applicability, and requires repeating the inspections using updated procedures.
Supersedes EASA AD 2021-0202R1. This AD retains the requirements of that AD and requires physical deactivation of oxygen (O2) saver function of affected parts. This AD also introduces installation restrictions for the affected parts. The original AD stemmed from a finding of plastic molding burrs and defects located on the piston hole associated with the O2 saver feature, on the production line of certain Safran flight crew oxygen masks. This condition, if not detected or corrected, could lead to blocked or erratic oxygen supply to a flight crew member in case of decompression or smoke/fire in the cockpit. To address this condition, Dassault developed a specific check, to be performed by the flight crew, ensuring that the O2 saver function is not activated and an operating limitation preventing the use of the O2 saver function. Since that AD was issued, Safran and Dassault identified the batch of crew oxygen masks affected by the manufacturing deficiency. Additional safety analysis determined that the AFM update may not be sufficient to mitigate the risk of failed deactivation of the O2 saver function on a long term.
Requires replacement and re-routing of affected coaxial cables. This AD stems from a report of a display of erroneous radio altimeter data on an in-service aircraft. An investigation revealed that certain coaxial cables in the aft fuselage equipment bay had been damaged. It was concluded that these cables used by the radio altimeter systems may be susceptible to damage by personnel entering/exiting the area due to their lightweight construction and their close proximity routing to the equipment bay hatch door. Damage to or kinks in the coaxial cables could lead to signal loss or degradation, and possibly unannunciated loss of terrain awareness warning system aural cues during approach.
Supersedes AD 2018-0104 to include an additional modification involving the tail boom and to limit applicability surrounding helicopters that have already undergone a certain modification. The original AD stemmed from reports of crack propagation through the junction frame of the tail boom/fenestron. The investigation revealed that the cracks initiated in the lower right-hand part of the frame between the web and the flange, where the lower spar of the tail boom is joined. Although the cracks were of significant length, no deterioration was visible from the outside of the helicopter. The original AD called for inspections and corrective actions, if necessary. Since then, the AD was revised multiple times to incorporate further corrective actions and inspections and Airbus Helicopters has developed further modifications.
Mftr: Airbus Helicopters, Bell, Leonardo, MD Helicopters, and Sikorsky
Model(s): Various models equipped with certain Goodrich hoists
Published: December 8, 2021
Effective: December 15, 2021
Revises earlier ADs that included inspections and operational limitations involving affected hoists, as well as replacement of certain overload clutches. This AD revises change intervals for certain of the affected helicopters. The ADs stemmed from a report that during a maintenance check flight with an MBB-BK117 C-2 helicopter, a dummy load of 552 lb (250 kg) was picked up in order to conduct a “maximum load cycle” on the rescue hoist. The cable reeled out without further command of the operator, causing the test dummy load to impact the ground. The results of further examinations on the subject hoist determined that the overload clutch had failed. The overload clutch design is common to a number of Goodrich externally mounted rescue hoists.
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