Airbus Helicopters concluded Heli-Expo 2020 with orders for dozens of new helicopters, including for 15 H145 medium twins from Germany’s DRF Luftrettung air ambulance service, 12 EC145e twins from Metro Aviation, and 16 H125s from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service. In addition, Airbus Helicopters detailed orders from NASA for three H135s in a first from the space agency. NASA will use its helicopters for security, emergency medical services, and other support missions. Meanwhile, Ascent Helicopters signed on for another H125.
On the support and services side, Airbus secured numerous global support contracts, including from Papillon, Heliportugal, and DRF Luftrettung, which extended its HCare Smart contract for another eight years. Helitour operator Maverick Helicopters announced it will retrofit its entire fleet of 34 EC130 B4 helicopters with the Airbus Crash Resistant Fuel System. Airbus also unveiled its new collaborative AirbusWorld customer portal and online marketplace. That comes as Airbus nearly doubled the number of helicopters now sharing flight and maintenance data with the company in just one year.
“We are honored by the trust that our first-time and returning customers place in our aircraft and support solutions, which has been confirmed once again at this year’s Heli-Expo,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even. At the show, he announced that Airbus Helicopters’ installed fleet had amassed 100 million flight hours.
Banyan Joins the SAF Set
Banyan Air Service at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport became the latest location to offer sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) when it received a shipment of 7,000 gallons of the blended fuel on January 30, ahead of Super Bowl LIV, which was played in nearby Miami. The fuel was allotted to operators of departing aircraft who had committed to using it before its delivery.
Produced by Gevo from cornstarch, the fuel was blended and delivered by Avfuel and will account for a two-metric-ton reduction in lifecycle CO2 emissions. For every million gallons of concentrated SAF produced, 10 million pounds of animal feed and protein is produced as a by-product.
“Avfuel’s dedication to business aviation and its commitment to protecting our environment is outstanding,” said Banyan president Don Campion. “It is an honor to be among the first FBOs to supply operators with Avfuel’s sustainable aviation fuel and a privilege to be associated with an innovative company to raise awareness and encourage further production of this alternative fuel.”
While the availability of SAF on a continuous basis remains a hurdle, Avfuel continues to source and ship the fuel for special offtake demonstrations and events.
The International Business Aviation Council’s (IBAC) new FlightPlan Stage 1 IS-BAO program for small operators is now available. Unveiled at NBAA 2019, the program is designed to provide a pathway for operators with one aircraft and one base to gain IS-BAO recognition within 180 days.
Since then, IBAC has been prepping the materials and an initial operator has been in beta test with an audit slated to occur in February, said Katherine Hilst, IBAC’s operations manager of IS-BAO program. IBAC has highlighted and detailed FlightPlan Stage 1 (FS1) at recent events, including Heli-Expo last week, and Hilst said the program is drawing a number of inquiries.
The association called the program an all-inclusive option that provides a streamlined approach to demonstrating safe operations. “Many small flight operations have limited resources that make it challenging to task crewmembers with initiating a risk-management standard,” the organization said. “Now small operators can benefit from a simplified IS-BAO registration process that includes leadership from expert implementors and skilled auditors to achieve Stage 1 for one all-inclusive fee.”
IBAC's Stage 1 program involves three basic phases: obtaining IS-BAO documentation and conducting a web meeting with AviationManuals, a partner in the program; meeting with an FS1-approved implementor to prepare for the program and audit; and then undergoing the audit. The program also outlines a path to Stage 2 registration.
Elevate Jets Inaugurates VIP Service on New ERJ
Part 135 operator Elevate Jet recently completed its first VIP charter on a 30-seat Embraer regional jet (ERJ), the Bedford, Massachusetts-based company said. The EMB-135LR, N830MR, traveled on January 17 from Tri-State Airport (HTS) in Wayne County, West Virginia, to Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport (BWG) in Kentucky carrying the University of North Carolina—Charlotte men’s basketball team.
Elevate Jet added the EMB-135 as part of a strategy to grow its fleet and expand its suite of services to aircraft owners and charter customers. It plans to add more ERJs to its fleet that also comprises the Dassault Falcon 7X.
“We have flight solutions for all types of air travel, for large and small groups, short hops and long hauls,” said Elevate Jet president Scott LaForge. “It is the ideal air transportation solution for groups too large for a typical large cabin executive jet, and too savvy to incur the expense of an airliner. Delivering the first passenger flight was a milestone we are extremely proud of and we are looking forward to delivering many more of its kind.”
Elevate Jets reconfigured its EMB-135, designed for 37 seats, for 30 executive-style leather seats to increase passenger comfort and space for luggage. In addition to charter, Elevate Jet offers aircraft management services as well as business aircraft advisory and consultancy services.
Learjet 75 Liberty To Take On Air Ambulance Role
Two Learjet 75 Liberty light jets will serve as air ambulances for a Polish operator following an order from Warsaw-based Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (LPR), Bombardier announced last week. As part of the order, Fargo Jet Center in North Dakota will convert the twinjets into a medevac configuration and Fargo-based Spectrum Aeromed will provide the air medical equipment.
Fargo Jet Center expects to take delivery of the aircraft in late 2020 and deliver them to LPR in 2021. They will be the first jets for 20-year-old LPR, which operates a fleet of 27 air ambulance helicopters and two turboprops.
“The acquisition of the new Learjet 75 Liberty aircraft fits perfectly into our strategic plans for growth in Poland and will provide the necessary combination of speed and range to drive the expansion of our operational capabilities and EMS transport availability into international operations,” said LPR director of key project management Wojciech Wozniczka.
With the Learjet Liberty 75’s 2,080-nm-range, LPR will be able to reach all European destinations from Warsaw, including Iceland, Northern Africa, Russia, and the Middle East, according to Bombardier. Its cabin size can accommodate up to three stretchers, medical equipment, and staff.
Cobham Goes To the X-Stream for Helo Connectivity
SB-Helo X-Stream, a new service from Cobham with Inmarsat to improve helicopter satcom connectivity, is now live. Rotorcraft, especially the larger types, can often experience problems in airborne satellite connectivity due to a phenomenon called “rotor shadowing.” In most cases, the installation of the satellite antenna is below the rotor disc and its in-motion blades can cause interference with data transmission, leading to data packet loss.
“The mistake that was made in the past is the Inmarsat network catered only to fixed-wing aircraft, and we tried to install satcom on rotary-wing and we always had a much-reduced service,” said Shaun Schaper, a sales and support engineer with Cobham Satcom. “The main changes we made on the network side and on our radio module."
Based on software upgrades to the Cobham connectivity hardware, the Inmarsat system can now differentiate the aircraft as a rotorcraft and will treat it differently than a fixed-wing aircraft in terms of data transmission. Using SB-Helo X-Stream, rotorcraft operators experience a 94 percent reduction in packet loss, a 67 percent reduction in jitter (from 18 ms to 6 ms), and a 58 percent increase in throughput. It is now standard on all new Cobham Aviator SP satcom installations and available for rotorcraft already equipped through a free upgrade.
Eying a shrinking number of non-scheduled operators in India, start-up Prince Air is hoping to build an alternative private jet service based on a subscription model that the company’s founder believes will dramatically reduce cost and prices. India’s economic slowdown left the business aviation industry with 99 non-scheduled operators (NSOPs) last September, down from 130 in 2018. However, founder Sanket Singh said Prince Air’s subscription model gives predictive revenue, which he believes will enable the operation to fly members at a fraction of the cost and make the private jet experience accessible to a wider audience than private charters. “We are a good fit between private and commercial jets.”
Subscriptions give predictive revenue, enabling the operator to plan efficiently. Prince Air plans are to offer six to eight frequencies a day between Mumbai-Delhi and Bengaluru using Bombardier Challenger 850s. Response already has been strong, he said.
Plans are in place but investors are cautious, says Singh. “India is not a favored (investor) destination for this business worldwide. Interference from government, privatization of airports that could jack prices, high landing fees, are major challenges.” Singh did not provide details about his “U.S.-based partner who will handle operations in India,” or his potential investors. Singh is looking at tapping around $20 million. He said he hopes to start the service by December.
A deficit of energy (low and/or slow) can result in an approach-and-landing incident or accident involving which of the following?
A. Landing before reaching the runway (undershoot).
B. Runway overrun.
C. Runway incursion.
D. None of the above.
Safran Expands Health Monitoring Offers
Safran Helicopter Engines is expanding its health monitoring service to include daily health indicators and a new user-friendly online interface. Engine health monitoring is available for Safran’s new premium support-by-the-hour (SBH) program customers. Subscribers will see reduced costs, particularly in terms of labor, logistics, and administration, Safran said.
SBH, which covers 40 percent of total flying hours for Safran's engine customers, features health monitoring and expert and real-time visual assistance. It is fully digital and links cost control, engine protection, and optimized technical support.
Safran’s engine health monitoring uses predictive analyses and preventive maintenance to preserve customer engines and optimize their operations based on more than 60 engine parameters that are converted into indicators via algorithms. Company experts use the data to make recommendations tailored to customer operational requirements. The service already covers 3,200 Safran engines operated by 500 customers.
New SBH contracts inked at Heli-Expo 2020 are with Mexico’s Transportes Aéreos Pegaso—covering that operator’s H145, EC145, and BK117 helicopters, with a total of more than 30 Arriel 1 and 2 engines—and Fort Worth, Texas-based Air Center Helicopters, which is the first North American operator to subscribe to Safran’s premium health monitoring service.
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