VIP Completions recently installed an Alto Aviation cabin audio system in a Gulfstream IV-SP as part of a complete aircraft refurbishment that also included new wood, upholstery, carpeting, soft goods, plating, lighting, and video upgrades. The Alto system replaced an obsolete factory-installed audio system.
The Alto equipment features six ultralight, high-performance ASP-401 mid-high loudspeakers that were fit-compatible replacements for the original loudspeakers. It also includes the placement of four ASW-279 Alto subwoofers into the aircraft's two cabin zones, as well as installation of two Alto DA-230 amplifiers.
An Alto cabin systems engineer tuned the system on site at the VIP Completions facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to match the aircraft's acoustic profile upon completion of the installation. “The aircraft came with its original interior," said VIP Completions president Ben Shirazy. “At almost 20 years old, it was dated visually and [from a] cabin entertainment and connectivity standpoint. The owner wanted to modernize everything and insisted on the best of the best.”
Embraer is selling its Évora, Portugal-based metal and composite aerostructures subsidiaries to Aernnova for $172 million, with closing expected by April, the companies announced today. The Embraer Metálicas and Embraer Compósitos industrial units produce parts for wings and vertical and horizontal stabilizers for the Embraer Praetor 500 and 600 business jets, E-Jet airliners, and KC-390 military transport.
When the deal is completed later this quarter, Aernnova will simultaneously assume the operation of the industrial plants in Évora and sign a supply agreement to continue manufacturing production packages for these Embraer aircraft. The Évora facilities, which span a total of about 740,000 sq ft and employ around 500 people, will constitute Aernnova’s largest production center. The deal will also strengthen Aernnova’s position as a Tier 1 supplier for narrowbody airliners and improve its presence in the business aircraft and defense aerospace markets.
“This partnership with Aernnova…will allow for increasing the occupation level of the factories in Évora, to diversify its client base and to bring new business opportunities,” said Embraer president and CEO Francisco Gomes Neto. “This agreement is an important step towards the footprint optimization strategic initiative, which aims to make better use of our assets and improve the company’s profitability.”
West Star Aviation completed its first installation of a Prizm Lighting LED cabin light system in a Dassault Falcon 7X. Completed at West Star’s East Alton, Illinois facility, the installation replaced conventional indirect lighting throughout the cabin, forward and aft lavatories, galley, upwash/downwash, and floor lighting with a single system.
The Prizm system offers control of full-color spectrum cabin lighting through all phases of flight using a phone or tablet app. It can also be integrated into existing cabin or in-flight entertainment controls. Prizm will work with most older analog control systems or with newer digital control systems.
Removal of an aircraft’s interior is required for installation, and West Star said it is best completed at the same time as other interior refurbishment projects. An STC is not required because Prizm holds FAA-PMA certification for all components.
In addition to the 7X, West Star has installed several Prizm systems in several other business aircraft models.
California-based FBO operator ACI Jet is now stocking continual supplies of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its John Wayne-Orange County Airport location. The FBO had received its first demonstration load of the fuel at the facility in 2020, and its new supplies of SAF, which is fully miscible with conventional jet fuel, will be added directly to the FBO’s fuel farm
“We are excited to provide our Orange County customers with a sustainable fuel option, and support progress toward a future of renewable energy in aviation,” stated Andrew Robillard, ACI’s v-p of FBOs and facilities.
Each approximately 8,000-gallon truckload of the SAF supplied by Avfuel and produced this time by Neste provides a 19-tonne lifecycle carbon emissions reduction. When approved for use in its unblended state, SAF can provide up to 80 percent CO2 reductions over its lifecycle compared to conventional jet fuel.
“Avfuel is proud to yet again work with ACI Jet on sustainability initiatives,” noted Keith Sawyer, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company’s manager of alternative fuels. “The result is a real, measurable difference in carbon emissions for sustainably-minded organizations.”
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has promoted Ryan Waguespack to executive v-p. In this role, Waguespack will continue to steer the organization's regulatory, industry, and member outreach efforts and programs, further its preparation for the future of flight, and help build on its safety programs. To that end, NATA has also just named long-time FAA official and former association adviser Keith DeBerry senior v-p of safety and education.
A former charter and management executive at Summit Aviation, Waguespack joined NATA in November 2018 as senior v-p of aircraft management, air charter services, and MROs. Since then, he has spearheaded several initiatives, including its General Aviation Advancing America effort, which involved airport town halls throughout the U.S., as well as NATA's activities to combat illegal charter, including collaboration with the FAA. He also oversaw the expansion of NATA’s training platform across multiple industry segments.
“Ryan’s enthusiasm for aviation and his ability to rally membership engagement across a range of issues—including workforce recruitment and development, air charter safety, and infrastructure and innovation support—are both inspiring and invaluable to the association’s success,” said NATA president and CEO Timothy Obitts. “He is proactive in his approach to member outreach and always has a finger on the pulse of what is happening in the industry. His leadership skills, industry knowledge, and can-do spirit make him an ideal executive vice president.”
Duncan Aviation’s Battle Creek, Michigan facility recently completed a refurbishment of a Bombardier Challenger 604 that it said transformed the aircraft for a first-time jet owner from Australia with a “highly stylized” contemporary cabin. Working with the owner’s preferences, the interior lead designer, Emily Krawczak, created a look based on a palette of blacks, grays, and silvers in the cabin—a change from the previous browns, golds, and beiges. “It went from 100 percent mild to eye-catching wild,” said completions/modifications sales rep Adam Bruce.
The aircraft also received new paint, avionics upgrades, and a 12-month inspection, along with provisions for an air medical stretcher unit. Touching all aspects of the interior except the cabinet interior laminate, the project involved a full hydrographic package for all woodwork, customized seat upholstery, laminated upper galley accents, new soft goods, and new plating.
The stretcher unit incorporates an air-stair lift mechanism, removable left-hand forward bulkhead for the stretcher install, and custom floor covering for medical missions. Meanwhile, the aircraft received upgrades for new lighting, along with the addition of USB outlets, an audio interface unit, a charging hub for personal devices, and a Gogo Airshow Mobile 2 unit.
Texas-based FBO McCreery Aviation is the latest to join the small group of service providers that have achieved Stage 3 registration under IBAC’s International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH).
The voluntary audit-based program, which was established in 2014, seeks to codify and encourage industry best practices in ground handling and FBO operations. To reach Stage 3—the current the top tier in the standard—candidates must successfully achieve each of the prior steps with a minimum of two years between them. McCreery, the lone FBO at McAllen Miller International Airport, was founded in 1946 and it is now one of only three locations in the U.S. to have achieved Stage 3.
“By choosing to voluntarily adopt and implement the global industry best safety practices within the IS-BAH through to Stage 3, McCreery Aviation has shown continued positive commitment to the management of, and the accountability for, safety at the core of their service provision, enabling a consistent experience to their valued customers,” said IS-BAH program director Terry Yeomans.
All three crew and an infant patient passenger survived a crash of an Air Methods Airbus EC135 yesterday afternoon on church grounds in eastern Pennsylvania. Witnesses said the pilot appeared to be attempting an emergency landing shortly before 1 p.m. local time when the light-twin helicopter skidded across a nearby road and then came to rest on its side in two pieces up against a wall of the Drexel Hill United Methodist Church in Upper Darby in suburban Philadelphia.
The local police superintendent characterized the outcome as a “miracle,” while accident witnesses credited the pilot for missing nearby automobiles and powerlines. The helicopter was being operated for the LifeNet program in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Air Methods called the accident “unfortunate” and declined to provide further details, citing its ongoing cooperation with the FAA and NTSB on the subsequent investigation.
Requires inspecting the left- and right-hand main landing gear side stay actuator assembly pin nut for the presence of a lockwire and installing a lockwire if necessary. Prompted by a discovery that a lockwire may not have been installed on the side stay actuator pin nut of the main landing gear.
Requires revising theexisting maintenance orinspection program, as applicable, toincorporate new or more restrictive airworthinesslimitations, specifically aspecial detailed inspection for cracking of the skincircumferentialsplice at fuselage station 559.00 between stringers 10L and10R.
Requires repetitive inspections of the main gearbox oil cooling fan hub and the area around the fan hub attachment screws, close monitoring and replacement of affected parts if cracks are found around attachment screws, and replacement of any cracked affected parts. Prompted by reported occurrences of MGB oil cooling fan hub failure. Detachment of the fan could damage surrounding harnesses and cause a loss of certain monitoring and warning functions, EASA said.
Supersedes but retains requirements of AD 2021-15-51, which mandated removing certain main rotorhubstrap pins from service and prohibited installing them onany helicopter. Since the FAA issued that AD, it was determinedthat a defective pin could also be installed on Bell 210 helicopters, so this updated AD expands the applicability to include this model.
AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). We reserve the right to edit correspondence for length, clarity and grammar. Send feedback or news tips to AINalerts editor Chad Trautvetter.
AINalerts is a publication of AIN Media Group, 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
