Milestone To Lease 11 Airbus H225s to Air Center Helos

Air Center Helicopters (ACHI) is adding 11 Airbus H225s to its fleet from the portfolio of helicopter lessor Milestone Aviation Group. The deal calls for delivery of the heavy-class rotorcraft throughout 2021 and 2022.

Milestone, a unit of GE Capital Aviation Services, said ACHI will primarily use the H225s for utility, training, and transport missions for U.S. government contract operations. The company worked closely with ACHI and Airbus Helicopters to repurpose and transition the type for new missions that include vertical replenishment—supplying seaborne vessels by helicopter—as well as casualty and medical evacuations.

“The strength of our long-term partnerships with Milestone Aviation and Airbus Helicopters has been a key factor in the success of giving the H225 a new life among heavy helicopters operated in non-O&G [oil and gas] environments,” said ACHI CEO Rod Tinney. “With this new deal, we are positioning ourselves for further growth and continued support of our customers for years to come.”

ACHI’s leased H225 fleet from Milestone will total 18 with the new deal. “The team has demonstrated great leadership to successfully transition the H225 into the utility role, including some exciting new missions such as supporting the SpaceX program, and has fostered a unique partnership in the process,” Milestone CEO Pat Sheedy said. ACHI recently deployed an H225 in support of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon splashdown.

EBAA, NBAA To Host Virtual EBACE Connect in May

Shortly after NBAA and EBAA canceled their in-person European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE), details of the virtual “EBACE Connect” are beginning to emerge in its place. To be held May 18 to 19—when the original in-person event was scheduled—EBACE Connect will encompass a virtual programming series designed to gather business aviation leaders and other authorities to discuss industry issues and trends, the organizations said.

“EBACE has been bringing our industry together for more than a decade, and this year will not be an exception,” said EBAA secretary-general Athar Husain Khan. “With EBACE Connect, we will showcase the innovative and flexible spirit of our industry to learn and discover all that is coming our way in business aviation.”

Plans call for an opening keynote along with sessions focusing on industry trends, innovations, OEM CEO perspectives, sustainability, and the Covid environment. The event will also host press conference opportunities. The associations will launch a dedicated website with agenda, registration, and other information.

“Now more than ever, it’s critical that the business aviation community has an opportunity to come together in a conversation about innovations and opportunities that will propel the industry forward,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “EBACE Connect will serve as that definitive dialogue, with insights and information to help participants think through their plans for the second half of the year.”

Nat Geo Special Examines New Air Force One

With the current pair of Boeing 747s known as Air Force One now passing three decades in service, their replacements are already undergoing the extensive modification needed for them to assume the role of the airborne transport for the President of the United States. To document the process, National Geographic has produced a film that will debut on the Nat Geo Channel today, and AIN was able to review an advance copy of the program.

Titled The New Air Force One: Flying Fortress, the hour-long program details the evolution and some of the history of the aircraft that have carried the call sign Air Force One, and weaves this narrative around an actual mission flown by the former administration. As the narrator repeatedly informs the audience, National Geographic’s camera crews were given unprecedented access aboard the aircraft and were able to interview the crew and staff assigned to it as they describe their jobs and the limitations they face operating and maintaining the 30-year-old jets.

The replacement aircraft, based on the 747-8, the latest and final passenger version of the four-engine jumbo jet, are due to enter service in 2024; but before then, the two aircraft are in the process of a massive remanufacturing at a Boeing facility in San Antonio, Texas, that will convert them from standard passenger aircraft into the flying White House.

Jetex Sees Bizav Movements Up 150 Percent in 2H2020

Dubai-based international FBO operator Jetex saw business grow 150 percent at its business aircraft terminal at Dubai South in the second half of last year and hopes to launch three new facilities in the Asia-Pacific region in the next 18 months. “Business is growing; due to Covid-19, people [are looking] to private aviation,” Jetex founder and CEO Adel Mardini told AIN. “It’s a solution. Private aviation used to be an accessory. Now, it’s a necessity.”

Mardini said his Dubai FBO has had as many as 80 to 90 daily movements, but normally sees 25 to 30, with an average of five passengers per aircraft. Besides Jetex, Dubai South FBOs include Jet Aviation, DC Aviation Al Futtaim, and ExecuJet. Falcon Aviation handed over management of its Dubai South FBO to Jetex in November. “Falcon’s FBO is now managed by us as a crew lounge,” Mardini said.

This year, Mardini is looking to expand Jetex’s Asia-Pacific footprint, a region where he said he was negotiating for three new facilities. Jetex opened a new FBO in Singapore in October, after signing a deal with Bombardier Aerospace Services Singapore. The Singapore FBO—Jetex’s 33rd—is another marquee site to add to its FBOs in Paris, Dubai, and Marrakech. “It’s the first flagship in Seletar Airport. Business jets there…did almost 10,000 flights in 2019,” he said.

House Republicans Worry EASA Is Changing Cert Approach

Republican leaders on the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee are expressing concern that EASA may be considering approaches to certification that are contrary to bilateral agreements. In a letter last week to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Reps. Sam Graves (R-Missouri) and Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) cited EASA Director-General Patrick Ky’s statements made before the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism in January that EASA “will increase our level of involvement [and] our level of independent review of U.S. projects in order to build our own safety assessments.”

The lawmakers worry that this statement is being interpreted to mean that EASA “intends to move away from the established practice of relying on the FAA for the certification of U.S. aircraft and products, and…will assert a more independent role in clearing their airworthiness.” They further fear these changes are intended to apply to all U.S. aircraft and products, regardless of existing practices under the U.S.-EU Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA). “His statement appears to unilaterally undermine the core premise of the BASA, which is based upon reciprocity between comparable certification systems,” the lawmakers said.

The BASA is built on a partnership between the regulatory authorities and the recognition of their respective work is a key tenet, they said. The lawmakers asked Buttigieg to confirm that EASA’s plans do not violate the BASA.

Elit’Avia Records Second-busiest Year in Charter Biz

European charter provider Elit’Avia recorded its second busiest year in 2020 since its founding in 2006, the Luqa, Malta-based company announced late last week. Its flight hours last year totaled 6,615, driven by new clients who previously flew business class on commercial carriers as well as specialized cargo transportation, especially of medical supplies such as facemasks.

“The more obvious benefits of private aviation during the pandemic include the ability to hand-pick your travel companions and the dramatically lower number of touchpoints on a typical private flight, versus commercial,” said Elit’Avia CEO Michel Coulomb. “Less obvious has been the increase in specialized cargo missions, including the delivery of medical supplies, which is rewarding work because it enables us to contribute directly to fighting the virus. 2020 was a difficult year and we are grateful to have found a measure of success in the face of overwhelming challenge.”

Also driving the company’s business higher was the offering of aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance for aircraft operators seeking additional rapid fleet capacity, and demand for aircraft management services. “By proposing creative solutions to rapidly evolving needs, we continued to serve existing clients, and worked with many new clients as well,” Coulomb added.

Elit’Avia’s mixed fleet of 25 business aircraft comprises models from Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer, and Hawker.

Satcom Direct Plane Simple Antennas Set To Debut

Satcom Direct is readying release this year of its first two Plane Simple satellite communication antennas, bringing lower-cost high-speed connectivity options to a wider array of airframes. The SD Plane Simple Ku antenna, slated for June introduction, will provide connectivity via Intelsat’s broadband Ku-band satellite service, while the SD Plane Simple Certus LEO antenna, coming in the fourth quarter, will access Iridium’s new Next low earth orbit (LEO) L-band constellation and its high-speed Certus service. Satcom Direct president Chris Moore called the pair “milestone products.”

The Melbourne, Florida-based company unveiled its Plane Simple line of modular, agnostic, open-architecture antennas in February 2020. These and forthcoming Plane Simple antennas will be comprised of two line replaceable units, including the SDR Gateway 2.0 router that integrates the modem, and the antenna. As the portfolio’s name implies, the products are designed to be simple to onboard, reducing associated costs.

Supplemental type certificate approvals for a variety of aircraft are in development for both systems and will be available at product release. Satcom Direct is “targeting a sub-$400,000 install,” hardware included, for Plane Simple Ku antenna systems, Moore said. Satcom Direct is the new antenna's exclusive provider and is set to begin flight testing the Ku installation on its Gulfstream at the end of this month.

Air Methods Expands Airbus HCare To EC135 Fleet

Air Methods, the largest civil fleet operator of Airbus helicopters worldwide, has signed another HCare maintenance support contract with the OEM, this time to cover its fleet of 80 EC135 light twins. It is the largest Airbus HCare contract signed with any civil customer to date and brings the number of Air Methods helicopters covered by HCare to 111.  

U.S.-based air ambulance provider Air Methods flies more than 70,000 patients annually and operates a fleet of more than 400 aircraft. “To support our high demand operation, we value strong working partnerships with industry OEMs and this contract formalizes and optimizes the process between Air Methods and Airbus to focus on delivery, results, and a path to continuous improvement,” said Leo Morrissette, Air Methods executive v-p of operations.

Airbus supports a regional fleet of more than 3,100 helicopters with a local presence dating back more than 50 years. HCare support and service allows customers to choose customizable plans from maintenance and technical support to the supply of spare parts, tools, consumables, flight operations, and training.