Sales of avionics installed in newly manufactured aircraft topped more than $407 million in the third quarter, an all-time record, according to the Aircraft Electronics Association’s Avionics Market Report for the third quarter of 2022.
Combined with retrofit avionic installation sales of $333.3 million—flat from the third quarter of 2021—total avionics sales for the three-month period were $741.2 million. That’s a 23 percent increase in sales from last year’s third quarter. The majority of sales, 73.8 percent, were made in the U.S. and Canada, while other countries accounted for 26.2 percent of sales.
For the first nine months of 2022, total sales were more than $2 billion: $1.13 billion in forward-fit sales and $949 million in retrofit sales, up 18.3 percent from total sales of $1.76 billion in the same period a year ago.
The report is based on data from 22 manufacturers and their sales of all components and accessories in the flight deck and cabin; software upgrades; portables; certified and noncertified aircraft electronics; all hardware; batteries; and chargeable product upgrades.
Sheltair has acquired U.S. Jet Center, one of two service providers at Texas’ Denton Enterprise Airport (KDTO). For the Florida-based FBO chain, this marks its 15th base, its first presence in Texas, and just its second west of the Mississippi.
The facility is open from 6 am until 10 pm with after-hours callout available. It includes a 5,700-sq-ft terminal with a passenger lounge and refreshment bar, concierge, conference room, pilot lounge, and snooze rooms, flight planning area, crew cars, and onsite car rental. It has more than 200,000 sq ft of hangar space including a dozen corporate hangars which can accommodate aircraft up to a Gulfstream G650.
“The acquisition of our newest location is a testament to Sheltair’s commitment to expanding west and serving the general aviation community beyond the East Coast,” explained company president and CEO Lisa Holland. “We look forward to supporting the continued economic growth of the Denton community and providing the nation’s leading general aviation services and amenities.”
The entire staff and management team of the facility will be retained including general manager Jay Robinson, who added that he has been a customer at other Sheltair locations. “My experiences leave no doubt that Sheltair’s acquisition of U.S. Jet Center promises to elevate the personal service our customers have come to expect,” he said.
This week at the MEBAA Show in Dubai, Fahad Al Jarboa, CEO of Saudia Private Aviation (SPA), described a shortage of charter aircraft in the Saudi Arabian market. “Actually, the market is dry. It is very dry. We have 94 percent of charter orders going unsatisfied,” he told AIN.
To meet the burgeoning demand for domestic and international charter in Saudi Arabia, he outlined SPA's ambitions for growth, including plans to wet lease up to six business aircraft in the coming months. The company is awaiting the arrival of an Embraer Praetor 500 in the third quarter of next year and has an option on a second. Al Jarboa hinted that business jets of sizes varying up to Boeing BBJs would be on his target list to make air charter at the individual, rather than delegation level, more possible.
The charter operator already lists several widebodies from parent company Saudi Arabian Airlines's fleet as available for charter. “Why do we need to reinvent?” he asked. “Somebody has aircraft; why not work together and use our air operator certificate?”
Al Jarboa said it was difficult to assess which lessors had availability. “We're negotiating,” he said. “Actually, we're in discussion to have something within the next two months. We will start with one or two aircraft, just to meet immediate demand.”
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Pilatus Aircraft this week handed over the first of 20 PC-12 NGX turboprop singles to Tradewind Aviation, an Oxford, Connecticut, on-demand private charter and scheduled shuttle operator.
“We’re thrilled to take delivery of the first of 20 brand-new PC-12 NGX aircraft,” commented Tradewind co-founder and chief marketing officer David Zipkin. “These new aircraft will further expand our ability to grow and serve our clients with the very best flight experience.”
Over the next five years, the NGXs will join Tradewind’s fleet of 23 PC-12s that provide service throughout the U.S. and Caribbean. In March, Pilatus announced Tradewind’s order.
“The PC-12 continues to lead the industry as the global fleet approaches 2,000 aircraft and 10 million flight hours,” said Pilatus Business Aircraft president and CEO Thomas Bosshard. “The demand remains very strong among new and returning customers looking to upgrade. Our customers, especially fleet and charter operators, value the PC-12 NGX’s reliability, performance, and elevated passenger experience.”
ExecuJet MRO Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dassault Aviation, expects to open its new facility at Al Maktoum International Airport (OMDW) in the first quarter of next year. The 15,000-sq-m (163,000-sq-ft) MRO facility will include a hangar, as well as adjacent workshops and offices, and will be able to simultaneously house 18 to 24 business jets including the forthcoming Falcon 6X and 10X.
ExecuJet’s Dubai MRO service is based at Dubai International Airport (OMDB) but will relocate early next year to the OMDW facility. It has also been operating a temporary FBO at OMDW for a number of years, which will also be transferred to the new site.
“We have been preparing for entry into service of the Falcon 6X, with tools and spare parts already identified and on their way,” said Nick Weber, the company's regional v-p for the Middle East. “Arrangements have been made to initially send four engineers to Dassault Aviation for Falcon 6X maintenance training in advance of the aircraft’s expected entry into service in mid-2023. Our MRO facility will be an important center outside of Europe and North America for support of the Falcon 6X and 10X.”
He added that it would have the capability to do “line through heavier base maintenance checks” on the long-range, large-cabin Dassault Falcon business jets.
Nav Canada, in collaboration with the Vancouver Airport Authority, has launched a public consultation period on a proposed airspace modernization project surrounding Vancouver International Airport (CYVR). The consultations will be an opportunity for the public to obtain information about the proposed changes and to provide feedback on the proposal.
Proposed changes include revised approach procedures that will mandate the use of satellite-based required navigation performance (RNP) and changes to existing arrival routes. RNP is designed to provide aircraft with shorter, more direct routes on approach to CYVR and is supported by a new ICAO separation standard. This allows an aircraft’s flight management system and satellite positioning to fly a precise three-dimensional path, which is safe, efficient, and predictable.
“The public consultations on the proposed airspace modernization for CYVR is essential to the implementation of RNP, which will not only support environmental sustainability and reduce overflight of some residential areas but will also help meet future demand for air travel by improving operations at CYVR,” said Terry Cruse, general manager of Vancouver flight information region for Nav Canada.
In-person and online information sessions will be conducted until the Feb. 3, 2023 deadline for comments.
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Hyperion Aviation—an aviation services provider with experience in widebody commercial fleet financing—has launched Hyperion Aero Capital, an aircraft funding platform to focus on the underserved leased business jet and long-term cargo leasing markets.
"The lease financing market is well established for commercial aviation and represents some of the brightest minds in aviation financing who have over the years left the banking sector,” said Hyperion Aviation managing director Eric Weisskopf. “The gap in financing for cargo and business jets is often unfulfilled because of the smaller number of aircraft which tend to be second hand.”
Despite that, he believes that such aircraft represent insurable, secured assets with predictable depreciation and servicing costs, which, when combined with quality lessors, can attract dedicated pools of lending capital.
The company also noted that a volatile stock market, high inflation, rising interest rates, and geopolitical tensions have impacted the global finance market, leading to an interest in alternative investments such as aircraft.
“Investors will be able to access a secure, insurable, real economy asset which will provide above market returns without the volatility associated with the current market,” stated Hyperion Aero Capital founder Scott Levy, adding “lessors will find a dedicated team and a single point of contact for financing assets which mainstream banks find difficult to finance.”
Erickson has delivered its eighth S-64 Air Crane helicopter to the Korea Forest Service (KFS) since 2001. KFS was the first foreign government entity to purchase an S-64. The latest aircraft was delivered on December 3rd after beginning production at Erickson’s Oregon facilities in 2020.
The helicopter will be equipped with firefighting equipment including a 2,650-gallon water/fire-retardant tank with a quick-fill snorkel and is kitted for night-time operations. With a nearby water source, a single Air Crane can drop up to 25,000 gallons an hour on a fire.
The Portland, Oregon company manufactures and performs MRO services for the S-64 as the OEM after acquiring the type certificate from Sikorsky in 1992. In addition to manufacturing the aircraft for third-party customers, Erickson also maintains its own fleet for missions including firefighting, powerline construction, timber harvesting, HVAC installation and removal, and specialized heavy-lift for oil and gas.
The helicopter is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney JFTD12-5A engines, has a main rotor diameter of 72 feet, and a 16-foot-diameter tail rotor. Deployed Air Cranes typically travel with a six-man crew—two pilots, two mechanics, and two drivers—a maintenance trailer, and a fuel tanker truck.
The digital flip-through issues of AIN’s award-winning MEBAA Convention News are now available online. It’s a great way to quickly scan the news from MEBAA 2022, whether you’re in Dubai attending the show or watching from afar.
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The digital flip-through issues of AIN’s award-winning 
