Airbus Hands Over First ACJ320neo

Airbus has formally brought its ACJ neo (new engine option) series to market with the delivery of the first ACJ320neo to UK-based Acropolis Aviation, the manufacturer announced today. The bizliner is headed to AMAC’s facility in Basel, Switzerland, to be fitted with a VVIP cabin designed by Alberto Pinto. The aircraft also will sport Acropolis Aviation colors.

“Delivery of the first ACJ320neo is the latest milestone in the rollout of a completely new ACJ family, enabling even more of the comfort, range, and value prized by business jet customers,” said ACJ president Benoit Defforge.

Airbus launched the neo family in 2010, offering re-engined versions of the original A320 family with Sharklet winglets and either Pratt & Whitney PW1000G or CFM Leap-1A engines. The result is a 15 percent improvement in fuel burn. Airbus received joint FAA/EASA certification for the 320neo in late 2015 and flew the first of the ACJ320neos in November.

The bizliner variant of the 320neo is designed to fly 25 passengers 6,000 nm, giving it the ability to connect London to Beijing or Moscow to Los Angeles. In addition, the aircraft are designed with features such as a 15 percent-improved cabin altitude, higher mtow and cruise altitude, and airstairs.

VNY Hosts First Bizav Sustainable Fuels Event

An event today at California’s Van Nuys Airport is supporting business aviation’s goal of carbon-neutral growth beginning in 2020 and ultimately a 50-percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Dubbed “Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Towards Sustainability” and sponsored by a coalition of industry organizations, including NATA, NBAA, EBAA, GAMA, and IBAC, the initiative aims to further educate and demonstrate to the business aviation community the use of sustainable alternative jet fuels (SAJF).

Under development for nearly a year, the event, which will make SAJF available to all four FBOs at the Los Angeles-area business aviation hub, features a panel discussion on the seamless drop-in nature of the fuel and its future availability from industry experts, including fuel producers, distributors, and OEMs.

Gulfstream, Bombardier, and Embraer have brought a G280, Challenger 350, and Legacy 500, respectively, to perform SAJF-powered demonstration flights for the nearly 200 attendees, and business aircraft fueling at the airport today will have the opportunity to use the blended fuel, provided by producers World Energy and Gevo and distributed by World Fuel Service and Avfuel.

“We don’t have the supply chain yet, so the point of the event is to demonstrate that the business aviation sector wants the fuel. Please give it to us, we’re ready to take it,” said NATA COO and general counsel Tim Obitts.

Industry Leaders Voice Growing Concerns about Shutdown

Business aviation leaders are expressing growing concern about the increasing ramifications of the prolonged partial U.S. government shutdown. “It is clear that the shutdown’s impact is being felt,” NBAA said today, pointing the cessation of activities such as the issuance of new pilot certificates and letters of authorization. In addition, training centers are concerned about the possibility for expiration of authorizations for evaluators and flight training devices, and certification of aircraft and equipment is affected.

The FAA has indicated plans for a number of safety inspectors to return to work, but details about which functions will resume remain unclear, the association said, adding the primary focus is anticipated to be on safety surveillance.

“Since the partial government shutdown began on December 21, our nation’s aviation system has functioned safely and efficiently thanks to the hard work of dedicated FAA professionals,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “That said, general aviation is a highly regulated industry, so it’s no surprise that some service disruptions are becoming visible.”

NATA agreed, saying the aviation industry was one of the hardest hit. “The shutdown has halted work on new aircraft certification, interactions between FAA and other nations, some aircraft registrations, commercial drone flight authorizations, aircraft mechanic licenses, introduction of new air traffic technology and airport construction approvals.”

Activist Investor Threatens Bristow-Columbia Deal

While Columbia Helicopters insists that it remains committed to its proposed $560 million acquisition by Bristow Group announced in November, an activist investor with a small Bristow stake has cast doubt on the financing details of the deal. 

In an open letter to fellow Bristow directors last week, Wisconsin-based Global Value Investment Corporation (GVIC) noted that the deal relied on Bristow to issue up to 33.5 million shares of new stock, a move that could potentially dilute existing shareholder value by 93 percent. “GVIC believes that any benefits that may result from the Columbia acquisition are greatly outweighed by this dilution,” it wrote. The deal also calls for Bristow to assume $360 million in new debt in the form a one-year “bridge loan” at approximately 10.8 percent interest. 

GVIC is suggesting that Bristow pursue other “strategic alternatives to unlock shareholder value” other than the acquisition of Columbia. Those, according to GVIC, include “strategic divestment of assets, privatization of the company, or a merger transaction with a like company. GVIC believes that Era Group, CHC Group, or others would entertain discussions on a potential business combination.” Barring that, the GVIC hinted it might stand in the way of the proposed Bristow-Columbia deal and “take all actions it deems necessary to ensure shareholders’ interests are fully considered and protected.”

EASA Proposal Aims To Enhance Runway Safety

A notice of proposed rulemaking (NPA) from EASA aims to mitigate risks associated with runway safety, focusing mainly on preventing runway incursions and excursions, and on assessing and reporting runway surface conditions. The NPA also addresses ground collisions, runway confusion, foreign object damage, and related occurrences, as well as runway pavement maintenance.

In particular, the proposed rule changes the framework for the operation and conformance of vehicles and their drivers in aircraft movement areas. Linked to this is a new requirement on communications and a proposal for controlling pedestrians at airports.

New requirements would also be introduced for assessing and reporting runway surface conditions, snow control plans, airport maintenance, aircraft towing, and performance standards for runway surface-friction measurement devices. This latter requirement also provides for alignment with ICAO recommendations as regards runway surface condition assessment and reporting which will be applicable worldwide by November 2020. Comments on the NPA are due March 18.

At the same time that NPA was published, EASA released a related NPA, also with a comment deadline of March 18. This proposal revises rules to improve firefighting and rescue operations at airports.

Pula Expands Bizav Portfolio with ASG Acquisition

Pula—parent company of Bristol, UK-based business aircraft charter, management, MRO, and FBO Centreline—today announced it has acquired ASG, a Guernsey-based business and general aviation maintenance, executive ground handling, and business aircraft sales brokerage outfit. Centreline and ASG will thus be combined to form a new group holding company, Pula Aviation Services, that offers business aircraft management and charter, maintenance, aircraft sales, and executive ground handling.

Under the move, Centreline’s current CEO, Tanya Raynes, will become chair of Pula Aviation Services, while Steve Page, who has led ASG since 2014, will assume the CEO title at the new company. Pula Aviation director Colin Pickard said Raynes and Page “are a strong team of experienced industry professionals that will enable us to benefit from consolidated synergies and skills within each business. By pooling the knowledge and operational fit of ASG and Centreline under Pula Aviation Services, we can now offer much more to our customers.”

According to Page, the long-term strategy of Pula Aviation Services is to offer a broad range of aviation-related services, with the ASG deal further reinforcing the company’s business aviation portfolio. “Centreline and ASG have distinct customer bases and focus largely on different markets, providing an operational fit that is ideal for our aim of increasing our market presence,” he added.

Air Ambulances Caught in Health Insurance Downwash

The nation’s air ambulance providers are getting squeezed by public and private payers while being asked to do more as the country’s rural health care system contracts. At Air Methods, 70 percent of the patients it flies are covered by Medicare or Medicaid, said Chris Myers, the company’s executive vice president for reimbursement. The average Medicare reimbursement per flight is around $5,800 Myers says, about 50 percent of the actual cost, while Medicaid reimbursements are far worse, sometimes amounting to as little as a “few hundred dollars.”

And while Medicare and Medicaid have underpaid for air medical services for years, Myers said the “majority” of private insurance claims are now denied on the first submission on the grounds of “medical necessity.” He added: “Insurers are looking for a preauthorization, which in our business you don’t have because the service is emergency in nature. These are not scheduled flights—we are responding to 911 or a call from a hospital. Time is of the essence…that is a real challenge for payers to understand.”

According to Myers, the reason Air Methods and other air ambulance companies must charge what they do is because 85 percent of their costs are fixed—aircraft, hangar, crew and support salaries. The average air medical base costs $3 million a year to maintain, he noted.

Aerocor Offers Free Pickup, Delivery for Eclipse 500 Mx

Los Angeles-based Aerocor, which specializes in brokerage and acquisition services for owners of light jets, is offering free aircraft pick up and delivery for Eclipse 500/550 maintenance customers through a partnership with Apex Aviation, a Henderson, Nevada-based FAA Part 145 repair station. Aerocor said pilot time is provided at no cost to maintenance customers using Apex, and it will also offer them a full flight test profile of their aircraft at no additional cost.

Customers are responsible only for costs such as pilot airfare and fuel, Aerocor said. “Taking the hassle out of scheduling maintenance wasn’t enough,” said Aerocor co-founder Gavin Woodman. “We also wanted to provide a service that would improve the maintenance process itself. Identifying and troubleshooting discrepancies en route streamlines the maintenance process and ensures that our clients are returned a squawk-free aircraft.”

Tales from the Flight Deck: When It All Goes Sideways

Having reached their 43,000-foot cruise altitude, the crew of a corporate Citation XLS had their world almost literally turned upside down. Like a rogue wave far out at sea, clear air turbulence can come from nowhere, and a routine flight can instantly become a heart-stopping roller coaster ride. Like many before them, this crew battled not only a gut-wrenching upset and aerodynamic stall, but even more significantly, they experienced the paralyzing effects of shock. In this episode, we’ll hear from one of the pilots, as well as experts in the field of upset recovery training. We’ll also learn how proper conditioning can enable pilots to react quickly and calmly when confronted with a “one in a million” event.