Avidyne Helios Brings Multifunction FMS to Rotorcraft

Following the introduction of the Atlas touchscreen flight management system (FMS) for legacy business jets in October, Avidyne yesterday announced the Helios version for rotorcraft. Helios is a Dzus-mounted unit that fits into a typical cockpit console on helicopters, and Avidyne’s initial target market is the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and S-76 and Bell 212 and 412. Helios will be available later this year, with prices starting at $23,999.

Like Atlas, the Helios hybrid touchscreen user interface allows for conventional multi-touch gestures or the use of buttons and knobs. Hybrid touch has long been a feature on Avidyne’s IFD series navcoms and it is “gaining traction with the rotorcraft crowd,” said Avidyne CEO Dan Schwinn.

Helios adds several modern capabilities to legacy helicopters, including GPS navigation, Qwerty keyboard, full-color moving-map with high-resolution, three-arc second terrain basemap, and georeferenced Jeppesen terminal charts and airport/heliport diagrams. Further functionality can be added with optional 16-watt VHF navcom with ILS; helicopter TAWS; Avidyne GPS Legacy Avionics Support for compatibility with Collins Pro Line 21 and Honeywell Primus avionics to add coupled approach guidance and LPV approach capability; radar display; NVG compatibility; and RS-170 video input.

Helios will meet the latest helicopter environmental and vibration test standards. Avidyne expects the first FAA STC for Helios in rotorcraft in the second half of this year.

C&L Buys Global Parts Inventory, Adds Texas Warehouse

C&L Aerospace has acquired an inventory of Bombardier Global Express parts and is warehousing them at a new facility in Austin, Texas, the Maine-based MRO provider announced this week. The inventory comprises 5,000 parts ranging from control surfaces to avionics, and the parts are for the Global Express, 5000, 5500, 6000, 6500, and XRS.

“This is an exciting step here at C&L,” said C&L director of business development Brad Vieux. “We’ve built our existing Challenger, Hawker, and Beechjet parts business on a fast and transparent quoting system, quick and seamless delivery, and fair pricing. We’re proud to offer that same dependability to Global Express operators.”

C&L photographs, barcodes, and scans the parts into an electronic location system, along with their corresponding documentation. They are available for sale or exchange. Adding a new warehouse in Austin is a strategic move by C&L to have a central location in the U.S., complementing its warehouses in Bangor, London, and Brisbane, Australia, according to the company.

StandardAero’s Canada MRO Hits Engine Mx Milestone

Following an expansion of its commercial turboprop engine MRO Center of Excellence in Canada, StandardAero announced the facility inducted more than 1,000 Pratt & Whitney PW100, PT6A, and JT15D turbine engines in 2019. Over the past two years, StandardAero has expanded the Summerside facility to more than 226,000 sq ft of leased space and added 500 employees to its workforce.

“This record total of 1,000 engine inductions during 2019 is a testament to the dedication and customer focus of our Summerside team, which has stepped up to meet every challenge asked of it this year,” said StandardAero Summerside v-p and general manager Jeff Poirier. “The team has justified the recent additional investment made by StandardAero into the site.”

Its longstanding regional airline customer, Air Creebec, had the milestone 1,000th engine, a P&W PW121, to be inducted at Summerside. That engine model powers the airline’s fleet of de Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprops.

New B&GA Terminal Leading To Traffic Surges in Milan

Milano Prime saw a 19.4 percent gain in business and general aviation traffic in December at the two Milan airports it manages: Linate Prime and Malpensa Prime. Linate experienced a 16.8 percent jump, while traffic at Malpensa surged 34.8 percent, well above the average increase of 2.9 percent at European business and general aviation airports.

Milano Prime credited the July opening of its new terminal at Malpensa for helping to generate an 85.5 percent increase in business and general aviation flights there in 2019. That jump also reflected the approximately 5,300 movements shifted to the new Malpensa terminal during the three-month closure of Linate airport. Milano Prime airports reported 24,500 B&GA movements for the year, averaging roughly 70 movements per day, putting them in fifth in Europe.

Since opening, the Malpensa terminal has not only benefitted business and general aviation passengers but has also hosted more than 500 commercial aviation VVIP passengers.

MRO Insider App Lets Owners Compare Mx Rates for AOG

Owners using MRO Insider’s new aircraft maintenance services mobile app will soon be able to summon AOG, parts, detailing, and equipment rental services from a variety of providers, based on the owner’s location. Available beginning in February, the app also will allow them to compare hourly rates, provide an estimated time of arrival to their aircraft, and offer reviews of those service providers.

“With the development and launch of our mobile app, business aviation will finally modernize past the phone call and email SOP to connect with service providers,” said MRO Insider co-founder Andy Nixon. “Too many people are taken advantage of in our industry; an owner-operator shouldn’t have to pay thousands of dollars to make sure they are covered for one AOG event.”

The app will run on all Google Android and Apple iOS mobile devices and tablets, as well as desktop computers. As part of the app’s launch, the company will launch its carbon offset initiative by planting a tree in northern Michigan for each app download.

Elbit Hydrop Is Aerial Firefighting Game-changer

Elbit Systems completed a successful field demonstration of its new Hydrop aerial firefighting system that enables retardant drops from much higher altitudes in day or night conditions. Hydrop uses precision-directed liquid pellets, enabling drops from as high as 500 feet to 2,000 feet agl, considerably higher than the typical 100- to 120-foot agl altitude required for the conventional liquid cascade method in use since the 1950s.

During Hydrop demonstration flights, drop aircraft launched 1.6 tons of 140-gram liquid pellets in a computed ballistic trajectory, achieving a precise hit with saturation of one to two liters per square meter. Hydrop integrates fighter aircraft avionics—including a ballistic computer, command and control (C2), and advanced display systems—together with biodegradable liquid pellets stored in a specially designed airborne dispenser.

Hydrop can be fitted to either helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. The system includes a pellet manufacturing machine that can produce up to 10 tons of pellets per hour that can be filled with water, foam or fire retardant. The pellets have been tested and found to be both environmentally safe and without hazard to ground-based firefighters. The machine is mobile and is housed in a standard 20-foot container.

Precision Aviation Acquires World Aviation

Precision Aviation Group (PAG), an MRO provider and aircraft and helicopter supplier to the civil and defense markets, announced today its acquisition of Toronto-based World Aviation Corporation (WAC). The move expands Atlanta-based PAG’s MRO capabilities in electric motor subcomponent repairs.

“Our investment in WAC…will vastly increase the number of capabilities we have to reduce the costs associated with providing MRO services to our customer base,” said PAG president and CEO David Mast. “Additionally, WAC expands our footprint in Canada with the addition of this second location in Toronto and will be able to enhance support of our customer base in this region of Canada.”

WAC, which repairs and modifies electrical generator and motor subcomponents used in civil and military aircraft, has been a supplier to PAG for nearly 20 years. “Now as a part of PAG, we will significantly expand our product and service offerings by making significant investments in new products, processes, and repair capabilities,” said WAC president Moty Zeharia. “We have worked closely with the management team of PAG throughout the acquisition process and believe that this partnership will provide significant benefit to our customers, vendors, and employees.”

Jet Access To Establish Miami Hub

Private aircraft charter and management provider Jet Access Aviation is establishing a new hub at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport FBO Fontainebleau Aviation just ahead of Super Bowl LIV next month in Miami.

"We’re excited to have the opportunity to team with Jet Access,” said Bobby Courtney, the FBO's vice president. “Being able to combine the aviation experience with our portfolio of South Beach hotels, golf courses, and water parks will give the client full access to the lifestyle.”

Fontainebleau, one of three service providers on the airfield, has more than 220,000 sq ft of hangar space, along with business aircraft maintenance and detailing capabilities. It will provide Palm Beach-based Jet Access’s fleet of 24 jets and two turboprops, ranging from a Beechcraft King Air 90 to Bombardier Challenger 605, with an operating base in the Miami-area, which has seen increasing demand for charter, according to the aircraft charter and management firm.

Jet Access, which noted the move will help mitigate repositioning legs and allow it to keep its charter rates competitive, will have an office in the 15,000-sq-ft terminal while its customers can access a private lounge.

“Fontainebleau properties are a proven brand in South Florida,” said Jet Access president and CEO Jack Lambert. “To be able to call their five-star location home is a game-changer for our operation and our clients.”