Textron Aviation rolled out the first production Cessna 408 SkyCourier for launch customer FedEx, the Wichita-based airframer announced today. This comes as the SkyCourier program's three test aircraft have logged more than 2,100 flight hours. FAA certification of the utility twin-turboprop is expected in the first half—approximately two years after the SkyCourier's first flight in May 2020.
FedEx has a firm order for 50 SkyCouriers, with options for 50 more, and expects to take three of the clean-sheet airplanes this year, followed by 12 each in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and 11 in 2026, according to a FedEx SEC filing.
“Today is a rewarding day for our employees, who have worked to design and build what I believe will become a legendary airplane for our company,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper. “The SkyCourier brings a combination of cabin flexibility, payload capability, performance, and low operating costs to the twin-engine utility segment. We look forward to this versatile aircraft entering the market very soon.”
Configurable for both cargo and passenger operations, the high-wing airplane is designed to carry a payload of up to 6,000 pounds with an 87-inch cargo door, a flat floor, and a nearly 70-inch tall and wide cabin to accept three standard LD3 air cargo containers or seating for 19 passengers.
In the title, exchange the word “winner” for “buyer” and the one who didn’t have their offer accepted for “loser” and it’s the perfect analogy for those currently looking to purchase a preowned business aircraft.
When one airplane comes on the market in the morning and by lunch there are 10 full-price offers, the idea of how one can be the winner becomes murky. Considering offers based on when they come in and dealing with them in that order has all but vanished. The idea of an airplane staying on the market 200 days or longer is gone. Today it is about five days.
What will end this current cycle in our market? Several things. One scenario could be like in 2007/8 when the global economy shuttered, the price of aircraft—which had been selling for a 10 to 20 percent premium—dropped 50 to 70 percent overnight.
A less radical and more hopeful reason for a shift, though not as dramatic, is that the corporate operator segment that has been dormant for the last two years comes back into play. When this important segment returns, they will not deplete the inventory but instead, keep it more balanced by bringing an airplane to the market for every new aircraft purchased. This will potentially increase supply rather than kill demand and would be a healthy nudge of the pendulum.
Taking a step toward commercializing its Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) cargo vehicle, Bell recently completed a successful demonstration of the eVTOL drone with the use of ground-based detect-and-avoid (DAA) sensors as part of a NASA Systems Integration and Operationalization project. Flight trials conducted in December showed the APT’s ability to integrate with ground radar systems, a key capability for operation in airspace traffic, Bell said, calling this a critical component for advanced air mobility vehicles.
The demonstration involved a beyond-visual-line-of-sight mission using DAA technology to scan complex airspace for “natural intruders.” Under the demonstration, Bell equipped one of its 429 helicopters with its QuantiFly aircraft communication unit to record telemetry information.
This demo flight was among several for the APT that Bell has been conducting in commercial and military applications. John Wittmaak, Bell program manager for unmanned aerial systems, said that over the past year “we really focused on maturing the APT platform.”
Wittmaak added that the APT is now at a point where Bell is ready this year to “explore a collaborative partnership, pilot programs, and proof of concepts with commercial entities” in preparation for certification and commercialization. Bell is eyeing potential partners that could represent a range of applications, from third-party logistics to retailers and healthcare systems.
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Less than two weeks after Wheels Up announced plans to acquire London-based aviation services provider Air Partner, the New York-based company said it is purchasing a small Arizona-based Part 135 operator, Alante Air Charter. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Based in Scottsdale and founded in 2014, Alante operates 12 Citation CJ3/3+s and CJ4s. Those aircraft will now be part of Wheels Up, as will its 39 pilots.
Alante has served as a provider of additional lift to Wheels Up over the past year. “We have partnered with Alante Air as a trusted third-party operator, which has served our members well during a period of unprecedented demand in private aviation,” said Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter. “This acquisition further improves our operational efficiency and ability to offer members and customers access to a larger fleet of light jets, arguably the most in-demand category of aircraft in the industry.”
Textron Aviation has registered owners of nearly 150 Beechcraft, Cessna Citation, and Hawker aircraft to transport athletes and coaches to the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida, and is looking to add more as the deadline nears. Under the Special Olympics Airlift, which Textron Aviation is organizing, the aircraft, pilots, and fuel are donated by owners of the Wichita-based company’s three brands of business jets and turboprops. The deadline to register is February 28.
“We’ve had a tremendous response to the Special Olympics Airlift from our customers and industry partners so far, and we’re hoping for a strong final push,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper. “The more aircraft we register, the more athletes we can help transport to the games. While this is the eighth Special Olympics organized by the company, it is the first year we’re coordinating the event as Textron Aviation.”
Travel is the largest expense for Special Olympics programs, and the airlift helps offset these costs. Athletes and coaches will travel to Orlando on Saturday, June 4, and return to their homes on Sunday, June 12.
The first airlift was held by Cessna Aircraft in 1987. Since then, the airlift program has transported nearly 10,000 Special Olympics coaches and athletes to the Special Olympics World Games and USA Games.
With the hometown Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals set to compete in Super Bowl LVI on February 13 in Los Angeles, local aviation service providers are gearing up to welcome the flock of private aircraft that are expected to descend on the area throughout the week.
California-based ACI Jet is ramping up its maintenance organization to prepare for the possible hundreds of aircraft. A Bombardier-authorized service facility, the company is increasing staffing at its warehouse operations, including parts runners and transportation. It will offer same-day parts delivery for Bombardier jets, as well as Cessna Citations, to most Southern California locations in the days bracketing the event.
In case of AOG situations, the company is positioning four mobile maintenance units in the area with a dozen technicians to supplement its Orange County-John Wayne Airport-based team. ACI is also amending the staffing for its Part 145 repair station at San Luis Obispo to make sure that there is adequate coverage for any larger, unscheduled maintenance needs during the period.
L.A.-area FBOs are bracing for the customary surge in traffic generated by the game. To refuel departing aircraft from its Van Nuys Airport location, Castle & Cooke is having a tanker load of sustainable aviation fuel delivered by Avfuel, with additional deliveries based on demand.
Private aviation services provider Keystone Aviation will expand its MRO capabilities following its acquisition by Elevate Holdings in early January. Elevate Holdings, the parent of Private Jet Services and Elevate Jet, has earmarked additional capital for expanding MRO capabilities, which it calls “a cornerstone of its growth strategy.”
“Together, Elevate Holdings and Keystone Aviation are focused on growing our executive fleet nationwide and developing a robust customer-centric aircraft maintenance organization,” said Elevate Holdings CEO Greg Raiff. “The next six to 12 months will set the stage for long-term, sustainable growth while increasing our current ability to deliver maximum value to our customers.”
The expansion plans include organizational changes at Keystone. Among them: appointing Jim Slack, Elevate Holdings senior v-p of maintenance strategy, as president of a new MRO entity for Elevate that will oversee Keystone’s Part 145 repair stations in Salt Lake City and Scottsdale, Arizona. Keystone v-p of aircraft maintenance Bill Hoddenbach will continue as director of maintenance for Part 135 operations while Jimmy Ray remains its chief inspector. Keystone’s president, Aaron Fish, will manage its Part 135 certificate.
Elevate said it has identified an additional MRO site for the Keystone expansion but isn’t disclosing this location. “This transition positions us to compete more effectively in the U.S. private aviation market,” Slack added.
GE Aviation inked a contract with Boeing to support flight tests of its hybrid-electric propulsion system using a modified Saab 340B and GE's CT7-9B turboprop engine. Under the agreement, Boeing and its Aurora Flight Sciences subsidiary will provide GE Aviation with airplane modification, system integration, and flight-testing services. That work includes nacelle manufacturing, flight deck interface design and software, aircraft-level performance analysis, and systems integration.
In October, NASA and GE Aviation announced the launch of a new research partnership to develop a megawatt-class hybrid-electric propulsion system to demonstrate flight readiness for single-aisle aircraft. Plans call for ground and flight tests to start in the mid-2020s. Part of NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project, that program involves a $260 million collaboration among NASA, GE Aviation, Boeing, and other partners over five years.
The modified regional airliner will have a powertrain consisting of a combination of an electric motor and a generator that will operate in a parallel hybrid configuration with the CT7. “We are looking to be able to charge batteries, as well as moving power to the engine and side-to-side,” GE Aviation hybrid-electric systems program leader Christine Andrews told AIN.
Aircraft systems engineering and testing work will take place at Aurora’s headquarters in Manassas, Virginia, along with nacelle manufacturing at Aurora’s facilities in Mississippi and West Virginia. GE Aviation has been developing elements of high-power hybrid electric systems for more than a decade.
The forum flock. NBAA’s regional forum held at Miami-Opa locka Airport (KOPF) on Wednesday drew nearly 2,500 attendees to a show featuring a sold-out exhibit floor, 16 aircraft on display, and a trio of educational sessions. This bird’s eye view of the static display area on the ramp of host FBO Atlantic Aviation ran the gamut from a Diamond piston single to a Bombardier Global 7500. The forum also marked a great start to NBAA’s in-person events for 2022! Thanks to NBAA for sharing this image.
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