Bombardier Bizjet Deliveries Up, but Short of Target

With four deliveries of its Global 7500 slipping into the first quarter, Bombardier handed over 11 of the new flagship models last year, shy of the anticipated 15 to 20, it reported today. It also acknowledged that 2019 financial results are coming in below guidance. The Canadian company will report full-year results on February 13, but in today's preliminary report said it delivered 142 business jets and 33 commercial aircraft last year.

While the 175 deliveries were in line with the 175 to 180 estimated in revised guidance at the end of the second quarter, the 142 business jet deliveries were short of the 150 to 155 estimated at that time. As for financial results, Bombardier had estimated its aviation division would generate about $8 billion in 2019, but is now expected to report $7.5 billion. EBIT margin came in on target at 7 percent.

Bombardier noted that delivery slippage of the four Global 7500s played into the overall results, but said its aviation segment has “made good progress ramping up the Global 7500,” which entered service in late 2018. Also, while not quite reaching its target, the deliveries in 2019 overall made a jump over the 137 Bombardier business jets handed over in 2018. That tally included the first customer Global 7500.

Universal Aviation Lands in Turkey

Universal Aviation is now providing ground support for business aircraft at Ataturk Airport (LTBA) in Istanbul, Turkey, under a partnership with local companies Ferda Yildiz and Kaan Air. The addition of Universal Aviation Turkey extends the company’s network to 18 locations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and more than 50 locations in some 25 countries worldwide.

According to the Universal Weather and Aviation subsidiary, the decision to expand into Turkey was based on rising customer demand. “Turkey, and Istanbul in particular, is a rapidly growing business aviation market with good infrastructure and potential for growth, but it also continues to be a challenging destination for our customers due to service levels, parking availability, and operating restrictions,” said Universal chairman Greg Evans.

The company said it chose LTBA as its base in Turkey because airline traffic ceased flying there when the new Istanbul Airport (LTFM) opened last year. “With no commercial traffic, arrivals, departure, and taxi times are significantly faster,” Evans noted. “LTBA is also much more conveniently located to Istanbul’s city center, and provides greater operational flexibility in terms of both parking, slots, scheduled maintenance options, and customer preference to the airport’s general aviation terminal.”

Universal Aviation has also coordinated with Ferda Yildiz and Kaan Air to offer helicopter service between the airport and city to avoid the “challenging” auto traffic.

Toyota Invests Big In eVTOL Developer Joby

Billing itself as a “global mobility company,” Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. Wednesday announced a partnership with and a $394 million investment in eVTOL developer Joby Aviation. The investment makes Toyota the lead investor in Joby’s just-completed $590 million Series C financing that brings the California-based company's total funding to $720 million to date.

“Air transportation has been a long-term goal for Toyota, and while we continue our work in the automobile business, this agreement sets our sights to the sky,” said Toyota president and CEO Akio Toyoda. “As we take up the challenge of air transportation together with Joby, an innovator in the emerging eVTOL space, we tap the potential to revolutionize future transportation and life. Through this new and exciting endeavor, we hope to deliver freedom of movement and enjoyment to customers everywhere, on land, and now, in the sky.”

Under the partnership, Toyota executive v-p Shigeki Tomoyama will join Joby’s board, while the carmaker will leverage its expertise in manufacturing, quality, and cost controls for the development and production of Joby’s piloted, four-passenger eVTOL. 

Toyota’s investment and expertise are expected to accelerate the development and certification of Joby’s eVTOL. “This collaboration with Toyota represents an unprecedented commitment of money and resources for us and this new industry from one of the world’s leading automakers,” said Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt.

Jet Aviation, Gulfstream Mark Opening of VNY Facilities

Gulfstream Aerospace and Jet Aviation held a joint grand opening on Tuesday of their new MRO and FBO facilities at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in California. Together, the two companies owned by General Dynamics occupy 118,000 sq ft of facilities on 17 acres at the northwest corner of VNY, where they eventually plan to employ 130 workers.

Jet Aviation officially opened its 52,000-sq-ft FBO and parking hangar in November, while Gulfstream’s 66,000-sq-ft MRO—including a 43,000-sq-ft service hangar—opened in early December. “We could have not picked a more strategic location,” Gulfstream customer support president Derek Zimmerman said in a speech to the 125 guests attending the Tuesday evening event. More than 130 Gulfstream operators use VNY as their business aviation base, and more than 200 Gulfstream operators are based in Southern California.

For Gulfstream, VNY is the third of five MRO facilities it has expanded or will open in less than a year. In Appleton, Wisconsin, it completed a $40 million hangar expansion in August, while a month later it opened a $55 million expansion at its headquarters in Savannah, Georgia. It also plans to have new maintenance facilities in Palm Beach, Florida, and in Farnborough, England, come online this year.

Zuccaro Retires from HAI

Following a 50-plus year career in the helicopter industry and 15 years at the helm of the Helicopter Association International (HAI), Matt Zuccaro bid farewell, calling the helicopter market an industry of survivors and touting a bright future with opportunities ahead in vertical flight. HAI announced last summer his plans to retire this year, and the new HAI president and CEO, former FAA safety official James Viola, steps into his new role today.

“My tenure as president and CEO of HAI has been the highlight of my working life,” Zuccaro said. “Leading this association offered me the opportunity to pay back the industry that has provided me with a rewarding and fulfilling career.”

Also serving as chairman of the International Helicopter Safety Foundation, Zuccaro cited the ability to shepherd safety programs such as Land & Live, spurred from his “Land the Damn Helicopter!” push. “Once, I received an email from a young air ambulance pilot informing me that he had landed the helicopter, saving the lives of his passengers and himself. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

He praised the staff at HAI and expressed optimism for the future of the industry. “The diversity of the aircraft and the people bodes well for our ability to sustain a high level of safety, operational efficiency, and economic viability,” he concluded.

Concorde Awarded New STCs for Select Bizjets

Concorde Battery Corp. has been awarded several new STCs for its lead-acid batteries among select Cessna Citation, Embraer, and Gulfstream business jets, the West Covina, California-based manufacturer announced this week.

The FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency awarded Concorde STCs for higher capacity batteries in the Phenom 300. They provide for an option between an RG-390E (28Ah) or RG-390E/30 (30Ah) auxiliary battery and an RG-380E/44 (42Ah), RG-380E/60L (48Ah), or RG-380E/53L (53Ah) main starting battery, which Concorde said give operators a choice to cater battery capacities to unique operational requirements.

For Citation CJ4 operators, an approved STC developed by Concorde allows for the installation of higher capacity sealed lead-acid batteries, the RG-380E/60L (24V, 48Ah) or RG-380E/53L (24V, 53Ah), replacing original equipment lead-acid or nickel-cadmium batteries on the 525C. It gives CJ4 operators increased reserve capacity and improved outrush current at start, according to Concorde.

Lastly, a second battery option is now available for Gulfstream G350 and G450 operators via an FAA STC for the installation of Concorde’s Platinum Series RG-380E/46L sealed lead-acid batteries. This same battery has been used as the main power supply on U.S. Air Force C-130s for the past five years. However, the STC doesn’t apply to Gulfstream G350s and G450s equipped with nickel-cadmium batteries, Concorde said.

Under Attack, Hawaii Air-tour Industry Forms Task Force

Air-tour stakeholders in Hawaii have formed a task force to deal with industry issues there following several high-profile accidents and legislative backlash from certain elected officials. The Hawaii Air Tour Task Force’s mission is to address safety and noise issues related to rotary- and fixed-wing aerial tours in the state.

“Community involvement, public outreach, and transparency will be prioritized in all recommendations from the task force to industry and regulators,” the task force said. Initial members include the Hawaii Helicopter Association (HHA), Hawaii Department of Transportation Airports Division (HDOTA), FAA, Helicopter Association International (HAI), elected officials and their representatives, and other industry stakeholders.

The task force is seeking community involvement as it moves forward, said Justin Brooke, task force co-chair and president of the HHA. The task force’s formation is the next step forward on the part of the industry, regulators, and other interested parties to address the public’s concerns regarding helicopter and fixed-wing aerial tours in Hawaii. 

Members of the task force’s executive committee include representatives from HHA, HDOTA, General Aviation Council of Hawaii, HAI, and AOPA. Elected officials on the task force are state senator Lorraine Inouye and state representative Chris Lee. The FAA and U.S. Army and Navy are serving as technical advisors. 

Duncan Looks To Future with Formalized Apprenticeships

Duncan Aviation is launching a formalized apprenticeship program that will offer paying jobs to apprentices while preparing them over a year and a half for an FAA license as airframe technicians. The new program is an outgrowth of an effort the Lincoln, Nebraska-based MRO provider began several years ago to offer on-the-job training and instruction to new hires and existing workers interested in becoming A&Ps.

Three apprentices—or “tech helpers” as Duncan calls them—tested for their airframe certifications in December while five more are expected to test this month, Duncan manager of aircraft services Jeremy Rangel told AIN. That’s in addition to another three who have successfully passed the FAA examination. “This next year will be our first full run with the [U.S.] Department of Labor [DOL] standards,” added Rangel, who also oversees Duncan’s apprenticeship program.

In November, Duncan’s re-tooled apprenticeship program was formally registered by the U.S. Department of Labor and Department of Education. Duncan will have two hiring rotations annually for the program and expects each of those classes to have between 20 and 25 students. Under it, they work 30 to 36 hours a week and attend classroom training for four to 10 hours a week. It expects to eventually expand the apprentice program to its other full-service MRO locations in Battle Creek, Michigan, and Provo, Utah.