Sikorsky Firms Timeline for New S-92 Variants

Sikorsky's A+ upgrade kit for legacy S-92 helicopters will be available for customers in 2023, while the new S-92B is planned to enter service in 2025, the company announced on the eve of Heli-Expo 2020. 

The timing of the rollouts was designed to accommodate customers’ fleet planning decision cycles. In talking to customers in the ensuing months after Sikorsky first announced the programs last year at Heli-Expo, Sikorsky determined that the ability to retrofit the new main gearbox was its customers’ top priority.

The new gearbox fits into the existing space for the legacy component and provides for increased time between overhaul interval of up to 25 percent. Sikorsky has both ground tested and flight tested the new gearbox. During ground testing, the gearbox ran for more than seven hours and the test was halted only when the engineers got to the time when the helicopter would have run out of a full load of fuel. 

Notably, the design uses a supplemental fuel pump and additional oil lines to reuse main gearbox oil that is accumulated in a lower sump in the event of primary lubrication failure. While some other OEMs have developed “run dry” gearboxes that can function for between 30 and 50 minutes without primary lubrication, Sikorsky found this of dubious value given the offshore distances some of its customers must fly.

Stratos Eyes 716X First Flight in Second Half of 2020

Stratos Aircraft has completed load testing on the 716X light single and is assembling the first prototype for a planned first flight in the second half of this year, Stratos chief technology officer Carsten Sundin confirmed to AIN this week. “The first 716X is nearing final assembly at our main assembly plant and will go from there to the paint shop and then to the flight line,” Sundin said.

Announced at the 2018 EAA AirVenture, the six-seat, single-engine jet is all carbon fiber and powered by a Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5 turbofan with 3,000 pounds of thrust. It is a larger version of the 714, with a fuselage that is 31 inches longer and two inches wider. Stratos’ 714 has served as a proof-of-concept and has accumulated more than 330 flight hours. “We’ve been up to 32,500 ft and are gradually continuing to expand the flight envelope.”

Assembled at Stratos’ 41,000 sq ft of facilities in the city of Redmond, Oregon, the prototype 716X will undergo flight testing at nearby Roberts Field-Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM), Sundin added. It will initially be offered as a builder-assisted kit. Sundin commented that the company has not publicly said when it expects to begin deliveries of the 716X. 

Bryant Helo Crash Leaves Large Debris Field, Crater

The NTSB provided more details Monday on the fatal Southern California helicopter accident on Sunday that took the lives of retired basketball star Kobe Bryant and eight others. Board member Jennifer Homendy said the accident aircraft was placed in a 12-minute traffic hold by Burbank tower before being granted a special VFR transition. Near Calabasas, it began its final descending left-hand turn from an altitude of 2,300 feet and the main wreckage impacted terrain at 1,085 feet, producing a crater. 

The debris field was 500-600 feet long with the main rotor system coming to rest 100 yards from the main wreckage location. The vertical stabilizer and part of the tail boom were located on the opposite side of the hill from the main wreckage. 

The aircraft wasn't equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or a digital flight data recorder. 

The pilot, Ara Zobayan, reported 8,200 hours of total flight time at his last physical in July 2019. 

The FAA is currently using drones to map the accident scene, which has been secured with a five-mile radius TFR overhead and Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies on ATVs and horseback. The crash site is described and “rugged and remote.” The NTSB is expected to remain on scene for the remainder of the week. 

Charter Operator Finds Growth in Move to BED Airport

Waltzing Matilda Aviation (WMA) more than doubled its revenue in 2019 following a December 2018 move to Hanscom Field/Bedford Airport (BED) 20 miles northwest of Boston, the Part 135 operator announced today. Along with the move, the company also appointed a full-time sales director. “We are also very pleased to have attracted a wide range of new clients including Boston professional athletes, leading academics as well as broadening our network of corporate and private equity clients,” said WMA chief executive John Thomas.

Founded in 2008, WMA owns and operates two twinjets, a Cessna Citation Bravo and Excel. It also offers aircraft management services.

Operating from Signature Flight Support’s FBO at BED, WMA said the new location offers significant reductions on weather-related disruptions because of its multiple runways and instrument approaches; efficient and responsive snow removal; lower cost to its Boston-based customers because of no expensive repositioning expenses; and faster departures with efficient integration into Boston-area airspace. BED also is an international port of entry with a Customs and Border Protection facility that alleviates unnecessary stops returning to Bedford.

Bedford also is a gateway airport for flights into Reagan National Airport (DCA), to which WMA said it plans to soon begin offering direct charter flights from BED. 

Preowned Biz Aircraft Market Saw Bumpy End To 2019

Demand across the for-sale business aircraft fleet fell 28 percent in 2019 but the jet segment appears to be on the rebound in early 2020, according to Asset Insight’s Year End 2019 AI2 Market Report. The report also noted that year-over-year ask prices decreased for all market segments except for medium jets, which showed an 11 percent increase.

“However, the quality of the for-sale fleet remains very good, and the gap in buyers’ and sellers’ expectations for pricing appears to be closing (on average), all boding well for the preowned business aircraft market in 2020,” the report said. Analyzing values for every production year of every modern make and model of business-class aircraft, the report also provides maintenance analytics for 96 fixed-wing models and 1,748 aircraft listed for sale.

Despite a decrease in average selling prices in most market segments at the end of 2019, Asset Insight’s 90-Day Value eTrend forecast indicates it will slow in the first quarter of 2020. The exception, however, is the turboprop market, where the price decline is expected to slightly accelerate in the quarter.

“Each segment over the last 12 months varied drastically in their strengths and weaknesses,” said Asset Insight president Tony Kioussis. “Buyers and sellers must have a good understanding of the comparable aircraft in their market and an in-depth comprehension of an aircraft they are considering for purchase or for one they are selling.”

NATA Joins DOT Effort To End Human Trafficking

The National Air Transportation Association is jumping into the effort to fight human trafficking, the aviation business advocacy organization announced this week. It has signed a pledge, “Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking,” that is aimed at raising awareness among the traveling public by using common messaging in targeted outreach campaigns.

NATA said it was contacted by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) as part of its effort to work with leaders across all modes of transportation to support the initiative. Jonathon Freye, NATA v-p of government and public affairs, will represent the association at a DOT event today in Washington, D.C., formally announcing the effort. DOT Secretary Elaine Chao is challenging the transportation industry to commit to “100 Pledges in 100 Days.” DOT expects more than 1 million employees across all modes of transportation will be trained because of this initiative.

NATA noted that many of its members are already taking proactive steps to eliminate human trafficking. It also is working with NATA Compliance Services to raise awareness and access to training by making it available in its Safety 1st Training Center platform.

FAA’s Denver Metroplex Plan Is a Go

The FAA is moving ahead with its Denver Metroplex plan that will use satellite navigation to move air traffic more safely and efficiently through the area. “Satellite-based routes will allow for more direct and efficient routing of aircraft into and out of Denver and surrounding airports, enhancing aviation safety and efficiency, and potentially reducing flight delays,” the FAA said.

Its announcement comes after a finding of no significant impact/record of decision for the project, the procedures of which will be implemented on March 26. The decision also follows environmental reviews that included 24 public workshops and about 78 stakeholder briefings in the Denver area. FAA also held two public comment periods totaling 75 days and evaluated and responded to more than 975 comments.

Some flight track dispersion will continue to occur after the new procedures are implemented because the Metroplex project includes a number of existing procedures, FAA noted. Additionally, controllers will need to occasionally vector aircraft for safety or efficiency reasons or to reroute them around weather systems, it added.

JetSuite, JSX Get Top Score for Inclusion

Charter operator JetSuite and its affiliated hop-on jet service JSX scored a 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2020 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), placing them among those with the designation of “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.” The index is based on an established benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality.

“Receiving a perfect score for our LGBTQ inclusive workplace policies, practices, and benefits from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2020 Corporate Equality Index is one of the great honors of my 30-plus year career in aviation,” said Alex Wilcox, CEO of JetSuite and JSX. “We are always looking for passionate individuals from varied backgrounds to join our team, and we believe that our dedication to diversity and inclusion makes us well-rounded leaders in aviation."

CEI rates organizations on non-discrimination policies, employee benefits, LGBTQ inclusion and diversity competency and accountability, public commitment to equality, and responsible citizenship. This year’s CEI results highlight more than 1,000 U.S.-based companies that are not only promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies in the U.S. but helping advance the cause of LGBTQ inclusion in workplaces abroad.

Among these efforts, JetSuite president Stephanie Chung addressed The National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA) Industry Expo in 2019, commending the organization’s initiatives to LGBTQ representation in the workplace.