Honda Aircraft Starts Wing Making in New Facility

With the opening of its new wing production and service parts facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, Honda Aircraft will be able to manufacture HondaJet wings concurrently and thus improve manufacturing efficiency. The new facility encloses 83,100 sq ft and houses a main wing assembly hangar, service parts warehouse, paint booth, and offices. Groundbreaking for the new facility was held on July 30, 2019, and it was finished in September 2020.

Located at the Honda Aircraft campus at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, the new facility represents an additional $24.3 million investment, part of a total of more than $245 million the company has invested at Greensboro. “Honda is a mobility technology company and our newest facility further increases efficiency of assembly,” said Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino. “It also will house more service parts to support the rapidly-growing HondaJet fleet.” That fleet now numbers more than 170 airplanes that have collectively logged more than 63,000 hours.

The HondaJet wing is designed for reduced aerodynamic drag and high structural rigidity, with exterior skins machined from solid aluminum alloy.

“Since entering the market five years ago,” Fujino said, “the HondaJet has received a tremendous response from customers. This facility will enable us to continue to provide our growing global customer base with the highest level of customer support.”

Industry Raises Intl Testing Questions To CDC, FAA

Aviation industry stakeholders have been working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to iron out questions surrounding the agency’s order calling for all air passengers entering the U.S. to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test or recovery of the virus beginning on January 26.

Released last week, that order applied to passengers across the board, including charter and business aviation operations. CDC and FAA officials, which last week held an interagency call with stakeholders to clarify the requirements, plan to update the FAQs and indicated plans to provide additional guidance, NATA said.

Officials clarified that CDC is the lead agency for the enforcement and self-testing is permissible with proof of a negative test, as long as it is a viral test. Further, testing is not required for flights to or from U.S. territories. And if flights depart and then return within 72 hours, the same test remains valid as long as within the testing window. 

Questions remain on how to handle locations where Covid testing is not easily obtainable. NATA anticipates more detailed guidance will be issued about this. Other questions surround the ability to read the results in various languages, particularly where operators might not have on-scene representatives. Further, contract questions come into play when a passenger might show up with a positive test or refuses to take one.

Argus: U.S. Bizav Flying Falls 14% in December

While the U.S. business aviation industry was boosted by a strong holiday season, it still finished 14.3 percent below the previous December’s tally, according to data released last week by Argus International in its latest TraqPak Aircraft Activity Report. The data provider noted that for the period of December 21 through the end of the year, flight activity actually exceeded December 2019 by 5.8 percent.

For the month, all operational categories declined, with Part 91 showing the largest erosion, down by more than 23 percent over the previous year, while fractional activity was off by 12.2 percent. Part 135 flights were below their 2019 levels by just 3.8 percent. By aircraft segment, large jet usage decreased by more than 25 percent, followed by midsize (-15 percent), turboprops (-11.5 percent), and light jets (-9.8 percent).

Compared to November, however, the month showed a 3.8 percent increase, with all aircraft segments showing improvement, led by the large-cabin class, which saw an 8.6 percent climb month-over-month, including a nearly 20 increase in the Part 135 segment. Part 91 operations lagged the previous month, with the exception of the midsize category, which saw minor improvement.

In its latest forecast, the company calls for this month to finish at more than 11 percent off of normal activity, in line with its previous longer-term predictions for November, December, and January.  

FAA Rolls Out Single Repository for Guidance

In a move lauded by industry groups, the FAA has launched a Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS) that will serve as a central repository for all regulatory guidance from its Office of Aviation. The DRS amasses more than 65 document types from a dozen databases—amounting to more than two million regulatory guidance documents—into a single, searchable location, the FAA said.

This includes all information contained with the Flight Standards Information Management System and the agency's Regulatory Guidance System and involves pending, current, and historical versions of all documents. Information will update every 24 hours, and the DRS is anticipated to evolve to include more features and functions.

Aviation organizations have long sought such a tool to help facilitate a more consistent approach toward oversight and regulation. The DRS stemmed from the recommendation of the government/industry Consistency of Regulatory Interpretation Aviation Rulemaking Committee. 

The National Air Transportation Association praised the DRS, saying it will significantly improve the speed of access to and the consistency of aviation regulations and guidance.

"The much-anticipated DRS provides a centralized public database of regulatory safety guidance materials, which will benefit the general aviation manufacturing, maintenance and repair industries as well as the FAA,” added General Aviation Manufacturers Association president and CEO Pete Bunce.

Several OEMs Passing on Heli-Expo

One day after the Helicopter Association International (HAI) reaffirmed its commitment to hold its annual in-person Heli-Expo trade show, four leading industry OEMs—Airbus, Bell, Robinson Helicopter, and Sikorsky—decided to cancel their exhibits. AIN has learned that other large helicopter companies, including Metro Aviation, will also pass on the show.

An HAI spokesman said the flurry of cancellations on Friday was not unanticipated as it was the last day to do so and receive a full refund. He told AIN that an updated exhibitor list would be available by January 26, but that approximately 300 exhibitors remained. Companies that canceled said their decisions were driven by continuing concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic.

Typical sentiment from canceling exhibitors was voiced by Bell: “This decision was made out of an abundance of caution, and while we respect the significant safety measures HAI and the city of New Orleans are taking, Bell’s top priority remains the well-being of our employees and customers. While Bell will miss the opportunity to showcase our latest commercial technology and meet in person, we look forward to participating in some virtual capacity, as well as engage in thought leadership opportunities the event has always provided.”

Over the weekend, HAI once again reiterated that it still plans to hold Heli-Expo in person this March, despite the cancellations by several anchor exhibitors.

Busy Charter Operator To Introduce New Covid Test Protocol

Phoenix-based Worldwide Jet, which operates a fleet of 12 business jets ranging from a Global Express to a Learjet 60, is rolling out a new Covid-19 testing effort for its crews. “This month, we will begin implementing testing every 72 hours, beginning 72 hours prior to reporting for their duty rotation,” said company president and CEO Andrew Kaufman. “As the logistical hurdles of this large-scale program are addressed, we hope our increased testing protocol will be in full effect by the end of the month.”

This builds on the company's CovidClean program, a comprehensive list of safety protocols it introduced in April in light of the rapid escalation of the Covid-19 infection in the U.S. Kaufman described the pandemic as a “game-changer,” adding that the safety measures, which are here to stay, are a key differentiator.

Meanwhile, Worldwide Jet, like many private aviation companies, is reporting usage levels near or even above its historic rates. In fact, the air charter operator noted its busiest December in more than a decade, with charter flight hours up 20 percent over the previous year. “People are tired of the pandemic and bored at home,” said Kaufman. “Even if the destination we fly to requires them to quarantine for two weeks, they’d rather escape and hunker down there.”

Twin-engine Helo Sales Mixed in Fourth Quarter

Sales of preowned twin-engine turbine helicopters improved quarter-over-quarter in the last three months of 2020, though they remained below year-ago levels, according to Aero Asset’s just-released quarterly Helicopter Market Trends report. Thirty-three preowned helicopters totaling $116 million were sold in the quarter, which was a 22 percent increase from the third quarter but 25 percent lower than in the fourth quarter of 2019.

There were 246 units for sale totaling $943 million, which was an 8 percent increase in units and a 17 percent decrease in value versus the year-ago period. The absorption rate increased 44 percent to 1.9 years.

The deal pipeline showed an improvement, increasing 11 percent to 29 units from fourth-quarter 2019. It was the first time in four consecutive quarters that the deal pipeline saw growth, the report noted.

According to Aero Asset, the highest-selling twin-engine helicopters in the quarter were the Airbus EC135/H135, Leonardo A109E Power, and Sikorsky S-76C+/C++, each at five units apiece. The slowest-selling models during this period were the Bell 412 and S-76D, each accounting for one unit sold in the quarter.

California Charter Firm Expands Fleet with Citation Xs

Premier Air Charter has acquired the leases of four Cessna Citation Xs as the Southern California Part 135 operator looks to introduce larger aircraft to the market. The San Diego area-based company, which also provides aircraft management and sales, has taken delivery of the first Citation X and expects to receive the remaining three by the end of March, a spokesman told AIN.

“The Citation X is a wonderful aircraft that’s fast and comfortable and we’re happy to add more to our fleet,” said Premier Air CEO Ross Gourdie. “We are now able to provide a faster and more efficient service to our clients and fly them anywhere they need to go—for business or pleasure.”

Premier Air’s fleet of managed aircraft and aircraft owned by affiliate companies include a King Air C90 and B200, Citation CJ1, and Challenger 601. It is also negotiating for four more Challengers, the spokesman noted.

The Citation Xs, he said, are the result of “extensive research on which dedicated aircraft give us the best financial result, and the indications are the Citation X fits with parameters to trigger the investment.” Premier Air was acquired in 2019 by Tipp Aviation, which is owned by Tipp Investments.

Make Your Voice Heard in the 2021 FBO Survey

AIN’s FBO survey is open for year-round feedback, but the deadline to vote in the 2021 survey is February 5. The results will be published in the April issue. The survey takes only a minute, and you can do it while waiting for passengers, on the shuttle bus to/from the hotel or any other time that is convenient for you. Participants will be entered to win a $500 Amazon gift card. Log on to www.ainonline.com/fbosurvey to rate your experiences at the FBOs you visit.