Illinois-based investment firm CL Enterprises has purchased family-owned aviation services provider Carver Aero, which operates the lone FBOs at Iowa’s Davenport Municipal and Muscatine Municipal Airports, both of which offer 5,500-foot main and 4,000-foot secondary runways. The acquisition represents CL's first foray into the aviation industry, and the locations will retain the Carver Aero name.
Davenport, which sees approximately 77 operations a day, has a modern 7,500-sq-ft terminal that includes a passenger lobby, pilot lounge, a pair of snooze rooms, a 30-seat conference room, flight-planning area, showers, and crew cars. The location has a 20,000-sq-ft heated hangar that can shelter up to midsize business jets.
In Muscatine, the FBO is open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. and occupies the 4,000-sq-ft city-owned terminal with a passenger lobby, pilot lounge, snooze room, showers, 16-seat conference room, and crew cars. A 6,400-sq-ft hangar with a 16-foot high door can accommodate aircraft up to a Citation V, and the location includes 80,000 sq ft of ramp space.
The purchase also included Carver’s Part 135 operation, which has a Cessna Citation Ultra and three Beechcraft King Airs—a Model 90, 200, and 350—in its fleet, and a Part 145 repair station at the Davenport location.
Constant Aviation Shutters Phoenix Site, CEO Departs
MRO provider Constant Aviation has closed its facility at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IWA), an airport official confirmed to AIN today. Airport spokesman Ryan Smith said the airport wasn’t given any official notice by Constant but learned of its closing by employees there turning in their security badges.
“[Last] Tuesday was the day I believe they notified employees,” Smith said. Constant was subleasing the 75,000-sq-ft building it occupied, which is likely the reason the airport was never officially notified, Smith added. “There were no conversations or anything like that.”
An official at the Cleveland, Ohio-based company didn’t immediately return voicemail and email messages to AIN this morning. The company, which operates MRO facilities in Cleveland and Orlando, Florida, opened the IWA location in November 2017. The facility included a 50,000-sq-ft hangar. At its opening, the facility was expected to eventually employ 150 workers. It isn’t clear how many were employed there at the time of its closing.
In other Constant news, Stephen Maiden confirmed to AIN that he left the company as CEO effective January 1 but didn’t cite reasons for doing so. “I’ve had a great 13-year opportunity there and helped build that company into what it became,” Maiden said. “And I’m looking forward to my next opportunity.”
OpsGroup Reports on International ADS-B Mandates
Flight-planning firm OpsGroup has published an updated list of current and upcoming ADS-B equipment and operational mandates. In addition to the well-publicized June 7 deadline in Europe (see AIN’s “Compliance Countdown”), OpsGroup reported on the ADS-B mandates in South Africa, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka.
South Africa has set April 1 as its deadline for aircraft operating under IFR to have ADS-B installed. The same starting date and equipment requirements will apply to IFR or VFR aircraft operating in Class A, B, C, and E airspace.
New Zealand is expected to adopt its proposal to make ADS-B mandatory for all aircraft in controlled airspace below FL245 starting on Dec. 31, 2021. It has also published a detailed description of the operational, performance, and equipment requirements.
Saudi Arabia has delayed the start of its ADS-B requirement in Class A and B airspace to Jan. 1, 2021, according to a recent Notam. OpsGroup said an earlier published document describing the equipage and operational requirements shows Jan. 1, 2020, as the original starting date.
Sri Lanka has not yet mandated requirements, though it started a trial ADS-B program more than five years ago. In September 2014, the country’s CAA said ADS-B trial operations had started in Sri Lanka airspace (Colombo FIR) and “will be fully operational covering the entire Sri Lanka sovereign airspace.”
New Development Ahead for Virginia Airport
Virginia’s Richmond Executive-Chesterfield County Airport will be seeing some new development over the next few years as longtime service provider Dominion Aviation Services prepares to break ground soon on a new 12,000-sq-ft hangar, ahead of a planned relocation from the dedicated GA airport’s terminal that it has occupied since 1991. It expects to complete a new $3 million multi-hangar and terminal complex within 36 to 48 months, with construction starting as soon as the airport completes the necessary infrastructure on the previously undeveloped south side of the field.
“We’re looking forward to having more security and privacy for our customers as well as for our FBO customers,” said Dominion CEO and current Virginia Business Aviation Association chairman Thomas Mickel Jr., adding that the county-owned airport will be undergoing a project to lengthen its 5,500-foot Runway 15/33 by 800 feet. “We’re committed to Chesterfield; they’ve stepped up to the plate and proven that they’re committed, and we’re together going to take this airport to the next level.”
Dominion plans to relocate its aircraft charter/management businesses and Part 145 repair station as part of the move, which is in response to a new service provider, Richmond Executive Aviation (REA), receiving approval to establish a second FBO and flight school. REA broke ground last month on its north ramp leasehold near the current Dominion facility.
Aussie Wallabies Feed On Copter Carrot Bombing
The Australian government is throwing some serious money at carrot drops. Over the last week, the New South Wales (NSW) National Parks and Wildlife Service began airdropping carrots and sweet potatoes from helicopters to starving wildlife affected by the nation’s record brush fires, now estimated to have killed more than 800 million wild animals. Missions were flown over 11 separate sites in the Capertee and Wolgan valleys, Yengo National Park, Kangaroo Valley, Jenolan, Oxley Wild Rivers, and Curracubundi national parks.
Officially dubbed “Operation Rock Wallaby,” the mission was designed to feed at-risk colonies of endangered brush-tail rock wallabies who have seen large amounts of their habitat destroyed in the ongoing conflagrations. This morning, the government announced $50 million in new funding for “emergency wildlife and habitat recovery,” with half that amount earmarked for activities, including “emergency intervention actions” such as these airdrops. Environment Minister Matt Kean said the food drops are part of a coordinated wildlife recovery effort across NSW.
Kean said, “This is the most widespread food drop we have ever done for Brush-tailed rock wallabies and will help maintain these colonies and allow them to recover. At this stage, we expect to continue providing supplementary food to rock wallaby populations until sufficient natural food resources and water become available again in the landscape, during post-fire recovery."
TECT Aero Completes Acquisition of Triumph Nashville
Wichita-based TECT Aerospace has completed the acquisition of structural assembly operations and all associated real estate and equipment in Nashville, Tennessee, from Triumph Group. It also took over the contracts to build structural subassemblies for the Airbus A330 and machined stringers and spars for the Gulfstream G500 and G600.
The facility is now operating as TECT Aerospace Nashville and being led by TECT Aerospace president Rick Rosenjack and his management team. It will provide TECT the ability to offer build-to-print; higher-level assembly capability, including structural subassembly of wing, empennage, and other aircraft structures; long and large part machining, processing, and forming; and paint.
According to TECT, the 100-acre site has approximately two million square feet under roof and “significant underutilized capacity.” The facility previously built wings for the C-141 and C-5A airlifters, B1 bomber, L-1011, Gulfstream II and III; control surfaces for the C-17 airlifter and Airbus A330/340; and wing/stringer assembly for the Cessna Citation X and A320/321. More recently, the site produced wings for the Gulfstream G450 and G650 and empennage for the C-130 and V-22 tiltrotor.
“The joining of these two companies takes us closer to our vision of being a full-service partner to Tier One and OEM customers,” said Rosenjack. “It broadens…our capability into large-scale processing and higher-level assembly, and it diversifies our portfolio by expanding our Airbus and Gulfstream product lines.”
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
Provided by
What is “continuation bias” regarding the field of human performance in aviation?
A. The human tendency to confirm our expectations based on our own mental model.
B. The name given to risky bias when making decisions in a group.
C. The bias that makes more prominent events being perceived as more prevalent and as such more likely to occur than their underlying probability of occurrence.
D. The unconscious cognitive bias to continue with the original plan in spite of changing conditions.
FSF Urges Nations To Follow Intl Guidance for Conflicts
In the wake of last week’s downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in Iranian airspace, the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) on Saturday issued a call for all countries to adhere to guidance surrounding civil aircraft flight through conflict zones.
“The shooting down of a civilian aircraft operating in civilian airspace, whether mistaken or not, represents a flagrant violation of international law and an irresponsible attack on the safety of international civil aviation. Under established ICAO guidance, it is the responsibility of the state civilian aviation agency to close its airspace and provide timely risk information to airlines during military conflict,” said FSF president and CEO Hassan Shahidi. “Iran’s civilian authority appears not to have followed the guidance, which would have prevented this tragic outcome.”
FSF noted the Iranian government’s claim of the unintentional shooting down of the Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 that resulted in the loss of 176 lives on January 8. Iran officials on Saturday said the aircraft was mistaken for a cruise missile during the heightened tensions.
ICAO in 2015 clarified the roles and responsibilities for states, airlines, air navigation service providers, and other stakeholders during times of conflict to enable information sharing that could maintain safe operations. “The Flight 752 tragedy underscores the importance of adherence to this guidance by every stakeholder,” FSF said.
Helicopter training industry veteran Nick Mayhew is the new industry co-chairman of the United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST). Mayhew succeeds Raj Helweg, chief pilot of air ambulance provider Air Methods, who continues to serve on the USHST Steering Committee. Mayhew is currently general manager of the L3Harris Arlington Training Center in Texas, where he oversees a variety of rotary, fixed-wing and unmanned high-fidelity training devices delivering flight training to both commercial and military customers.
Before his position at L3Harris Technologies, Mayhew managed the Bristow Group Flight Academy in Titusville, Florida. He is a 28-year veteran of the British Royal Navy, flying the Westland Sea King helicopter, earning the rank of lieutenant commander, and serving in both Persian Gulf wars. In 2017, the Helicopter Association International honored Mayhew as the flight instructor of the year.
“Nick Mayhew has been a prominent member of the International Helicopter Safety Foundation and the USHST for the past nine years,” said Wayne Fry, USHST government co-chairman and FAA Flight Standards division manager for general aviation safety assurance. “He brings a wealth of experience to the co-chairman position and a track record of successful team leadership and motivation. He will hit the ground running as we continue our efforts to reduce fatal helicopter accidents here in the United States.”
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