Piaggio Aerospace extraordinary commissioner Vincenzo Nicastro today officially reopened the bidding process for the sale of the Avanti Evo manufacturer after negotiations with a single prospective buyer—reportedly a consortium headed by the Swedish fund Summa Equity—faltered late last year. Parties have until February 28 to send expressions of interest.
The company, which entered receivership in 2018, had originally attracted 19 expressions of interest for the acquisition of Piaggio Aero Industries and Piaggio Aviation, the companies operating under the Piaggio Aerospace brand. That was narrowed to four parties a year ago and in July Nicastro began negotiations with a single potential investor.
“Discussions with a number of counterparties are still ongoing, but we want to ensure we can guarantee the company’s long-term future,” Nicastro said. “That’s why we are formally starting the sale process again, but not from scratch. The preparatory work on the data room is already done, while we have set very tight deadlines for the due diligence and bid submission phases to speed up the process.”
He said the objective is to sell Piaggio Aerospace in its entirety to a buyer “able to propose a solid plan for the relaunch and development of the company and…recognize its fair value.” Piaggio recorded €152 million in revenues last year and has a €500 million backlog.
A new distribution agreement with Concorde Battery will allow C&L Aerospace to offer a sealed-lead-acid (SLA) battery for the Embraer ERJ-135/145, including the Legacy 600/650 business jet variant. C&L Aerospace, a C&L Aviation Group company based in Bangor, Maine, is an MRO provider to the corporate and regional aviation industry.
“Concorde is a premier manufacturer of SLA batteries, which is a product we at C&L have been successful in converting fleets to in other airframes,” said C&L Aerospace senior v-p of sales Martin Cooper. “We are excited to provide this solution to our ERJ-135/145 operators and that Concorde has selected us as a valued partner, ensuring that airlines and MROs and military operators worldwide have access to their product.”
According to C&L, Concorde’s SLA batteries are a cost-effective alternative to nicad batteries, offering drop-in battery replacement; lower acquisition cost; reduced cost per flight hour; no memory effect, cycling requirements, or thermal runaway; and hazmat-exempt shipping. The batteries also have cold-weather performance that is equal to or better than that of nicad, all of which contributes to a lower aircraft operating cost, C&L added.
While the FAA, OEMs, and suppliers continue the complex work of determining exactly which aircraft and radar altimeter systems will be allowed to fly certain procedures in airspace that could have potential 5G C-band interference, reaction continued to yesterday’s announcement by Verizon and AT&T that they would once again delay switching on related transmitters near the nation’s busiest airports.
Verizon and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched muted salvos aimed squarely at the FAA and aviation interests. Verizon said the “FAA and our nation’s airlines have not been able to fully resolve navigating 5G around airports, despite it being safe and fully operational in more than 40 other countries.” FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel added the FAA now has a “process in place to assess altimeter performance in the 5G environment and resolve any remaining concerns.”
However, it remains unclear how long it will take aviation stakeholders to evaluate the performance of radio altimeters in a plethora of impacted aircraft and submit alternate means of compliance (AMOC) to the more than 1,500 related notams issued earlier this month by the FAA.
During a recent HAI webinar on 5G interference, Lockheed Martin technical fellow Nichola Kefalas warned that the FAA is engaged in a “first step” to “clear some of these restrictions for big swaths of aircraft fleets. He added that “there is likely going to be a need for many [radar] altimeters to be retrofitted or replaced to improve performance and compatibility with 5G interference.”
According to an NTSB preliminary report, the Learjet 35A involved in a December 27 accident that killed all four aboard struck powerlines and subsequently crashed about 1.43 nm east of the approach end of Runway 27R at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, California. At the time of the accident (7:14 p.m. local), the twinjet was flying a Part 91 repositioning flight from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California.
At about 7:08 p.m., the pilot contacted Gillespie Tower to report they were on a GPS approach to Runway 17. The pilot reported the airport in sight and then asked to go VFR and land on the longer Runway 27R. After canceling IFR, the controller then instructed the pilot to overfly the field, enter left traffic for Runway 27R, and cleared the aircraft to land. The pilot then requested that the lights for Runway 27R be increased, to which the controller responded, “The lights were already at 100 percent.”
Preliminary ADS-B data shows the Learjet overflew the airport at 775 feet msl (407 feet agl) and entered a left downwind for Runway 27R. While on the downwind leg, the airplane descended to about 365 feet agl and then climbed to approximately 500 feet agl while on the base leg. The last recorded ADS-B target was 7:14 p.m. at an altitude of about 460 feet ft agl.
The FAA has awarded $5 million in grants to 15 organizations and institutions in 14 states through the Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grants program. These grants go to organizations and institutions that teach technical skills and prepare a diverse group of people to pursue aviation maintenance careers.
The grants range in value from $100,000 to $500,000. Recipients can use them to establish educational programs; provide scholarships or apprenticeships to prospective aviation maintenance technicians; offer outreach for careers in aviation maintenance to primary, secondary, and post-secondary school students; or support educational opportunities in aviation maintenance in economically disadvantaged areas.
“A career as an aviation maintenance technician opens a wide world of opportunity,” said FAA deputy administrator A. Bradley Mims. “These grants will allow us to reach and support individuals who may not have had the chance before to pursue this exciting career.”
Jennifer Homendy, who was sworn in as chair of the NTSB in August, named her leadership team, selecting Dana Schulze to serve as managing director. In that role, Schulze will assist with the day-to-day operations of the agency. She previously was director of the Office of Aviation Safety and has served as an aircraft system safety engineer, chief of the aviation engineering division, and chief of the major investigations division for the organization.
Succeeding Schulze as head of aviation safety is Tim LeBaron. LeBaron joined the NTSB as an intern in 2003 and since has led more than 300 airplane crash investigations. A pilot and aircraft owner, he previously was a mechanic who worked on business and general aviation aircraft.
Additionally, Homendy named Dolline Hatchett as principal deputy managing director for management and operations. Hatchett was formerly director of the Office of Safety Recommendations and Communications and before that steered the agency’s Transportation Disaster Assistance Division.
Joe Sedor, meanwhile, has become chief technical advisor for space and advanced aerospace transportation investigations. Sedor, a former flight test engineer/pilot for Cessna Aircraft, previously supervised all major air carrier and space investigations for the NTSB.
Erik Strickland, who has 20 years of transportation safety experience, further was named executive officer.
Avionics solutions company Spirit Aeronautics announced that it can now perform the v6.1 software upgrade for Honeywell FMZ-2000 flight management systems (FMS) in Cessna Citation Xs. Spirit Aeronautics is the first shop to offer this upgrade for the Citation X outside of the aircraft's OEM service center network.
Last January, Honeywell began an end-of-life program for software versions prior to v6.1. “The end-of-life actions will not interrupt navigation database subscription service,” Honeywell said. "However, operators may experience price increases. Operators should plan to upgrade to FMS 6.1, or later, software as soon as feasible.”
Columbus, Ohio-based Spirit Aeronautics said it can provide all needed engineering, technical services, and FAA certifications to support flight departments, MROs, and operators for the v6.1 upgrade, which allows operators to maintain FMS navigation database updates. The newer software version also permits operators to add optional features such as LPV, FANS 1/A, and required navigation performance (RNP) “as needed based on the aircraft's mission.”
The company is offering the v6.1 upgrade at a “significantly discounted” price as a kit or as a completed project by its technical team.
Web Manuals, a provider of digital manual systems and regulatory documentation for the aviation industry, has promoted two senior executives and plans to add 20 more employees following strong growth in 2021. Its customer base has expanded to include 400 business aviation charter operators, airlines, helicopter fleets, cargo companies, and training centers.
Paul Sandstrom has been elevated to chief operating officer and Krister Genmark has been promoted to v-p of sales worldwide. A 10-year veteran of Web Manuals, Sandstrom was previously chief revenue officer and director of operations for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Genmark joined the company in 2016 as a regional manager for Americas and was responsible for setting up Web Manuals’ North American office.
The Sweden-based company is also recruiting 20 additional employees at its offices in Malmö in its home country, as well as in New York and San Diego.
“The uncertainty of the past two years has led to greater adoption of technology throughout the industry,” said Web Manuals founder and CEO Martin Lidgard. “The rapidly changing regulations and restrictions have resulted in many aviation companies recognizing the need for better document management efficiency and we expect the role of digitization to remain important.”
AIN Seeking Feedback on 5G Interference
As telecommunication companies roll out 5G C-band around U.S. airports, AIN is seeking feedback from pilots and aircraft operators about any anomalies with radar altimeters and associated systems they’ve seen. Let us know what you’ve experienced after today’s 5G activation; be sure to also submit any reports of faults to the NASA ASRS database.
Requires removing the left- and right-hand wing flap fairings and inspecting and resealing the fillet seal between left and right wings structure and fairing. AD is intended to prevent the possibility of flap fairing debonding, moisture intrusion, and wing lower skin corrosion at rib 3 and rib 11.
Requires installation of a fairing covering the divan shroud and the sideledge panel. Prompted by the discovery of a step between the divan shroud chamfer and the sideledge panel that could interfere with the correct kinematics of the shoulder belt during its retraction, resulting in the possibility of this belt getting stuck during flight. This condition could affect the shoulder belt release movement, which might not be available during turbulence or an emergency landing situation and thus result in potential injury to occupants.
Requires removing the left- and right-hand wing flap fairings and inspecting and resealing the fillet seal between left and right wings structure and fairing. AD is intended to prevent the possibility of flap fairing debonding, moisture intrusion, and wing lower skin corrosion at rib 3 and rib 11.
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.
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