Despite growing backlogs and strong demand, GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce expressed concern about the “tough times” manufacturers and maintenance organizations are facing given lengthy certification backlogs, supply chain issues, and workforce limits.
Bunce joined the heads of several aviation organizations who appeared before the House aviation subcommittee today to discuss issues confronting the general aviation industry. AOPA president and CEO Mark Baker warned of hangar space shortages, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen highlighted business aviation privacy concerns in face of evolving technology, and NATA president and CEO Tim Obitts pointed to “warning indicators” from softening fuel sales to rising insurance rates.
Panel participants agreed that workforce is a pressing concern. Bunce noted, “We're down 20 percent in virtually every one of our factories,” including at maintenance and manufacturing facilities.
While a global problem, supply chain issues in aviation are a little different because the FAA is so immersed in the process, he said. “It's very difficult to switch out things.”
But adding to the “perfect storm” is something he has not seen before with the FAA: “The bureaucracy is grinding the industry to almost a halt.” He said the issue starts with a vast turnover in the ranks of engineers and technical specialists at the FAA. “A lot...are brand new to their jobs; 40 percent have less than three years of regulating."
MRO Insider users will be able to request detailing services through the company’s platform after completing a technology integration with Global Appearance Partners, which has a network of vetted detailers at more than 350 airports.
Andy Nixon, MRO Insider president, said the integration is “a perfect fit” for flight departments using his company’s app. “Considering the number of our registered tail numbers who use Global Appearance Partners to manage the appearance of their aircraft, it seemed logical to build a portal allowing the user to seamlessly transition to managing their detailing through the MRO Insider app.”
Global Appearance CEO Jared Wolf said the integration of his company’s Atlas app with MRO Insider “helps to broaden the appeal of their platform. Their use of technology to solve problems for operators is one of the key reasons we wanted to partner with them.”
Coradine Aviation Systems has released version 2022.1 of its pilot logbook app with multitasking and a simpler navigation interface to make logging flights more streamlined. LogTen Pilot takes advantage of the Apple iPad's split-screen capability to allow users to run another app side-by-side while updating their logbooks. Coradine has also added a “new entry” button accessible from anywhere in LogTen to quickly add a new flight. In addition, the plan and analyze functions now have dedicated tabs, and other logbook-related items are easier to find, having been placed into the logbook tab. Previously these were located in the settings section.
Portland, Oregon-based Coradine was acquired in May by Flight Schedule Pro, an Overland Park, Kansas, developer of flight school, flying club, and university flight program business management software. Flight Schedule Pro is maintaining LogTen Pilot as a standalone program but also planning to integrate it into Flight Schedule Pro.
LogTen Pilot includes many tools used by professional pilots, including detailed flight-time analysis, advanced currency, and rest and limits tracking. The software is used by more than 80,000 pilots who record more than 1 million flights every month. The logbook software is available on Apple Macintosh computers, iPads, and iPhones.
Duncan Aviation’s four FBOs have joined the select group of aviation service providers that have achieved Stage 3 registration under the International Business Aviation Council's International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH). Its locations in Lincoln, Nebraska; Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Michigan; and Provo, Utah are now among the seven U.S. FBOs and 20 worldwide to achieve the highest level of the voluntary, audit-based program.
Established in 2014, IS-BAH seeks to codify and encourage industry best practices in ground handling and FBO operations and verify that safety management activities are fully integrated into the business. To reach Stage 3 candidates must successfully achieve each of the prior steps with a minimum of two years between each step.
In addition to standard FBO activities, Duncan’s locations also perform large-scale maintenance, repair, and overhaul work.
“The safety of customers and team members is a core value at Duncan Aviation, and the IS-BAH certification demonstrates that safety is not just a goal, but a daily practice,” said Troy Hyberger, the FBO services manager at the company’s flagship Lincoln facility. “We are proud of our FBO service teams at all of our locations for their dedication to safety and desire to actively mitigate risk on a daily basis, enabling our leadership team to make immediate changes, if needed, to improve ramp safety.”
MRO provider Summit Aviation has received its EASA Part 145 maintenance organization certificate, the Greenwich AeroGroup company announced today. The approval allows the Middletown, Delaware-based provider to perform maintenance services on aircraft registered in the European Union (EU). For Summit, that would include rotorcraft and corporate and foreign military aircraft.
“We are excited to add EASA certification to our current list of accreditations,” said Summit v-p and general manager Ralph Kunz. “It permits us the opportunity to provide services for EU member customer aircraft that we have been unable to in the past.”
An FAA-certified repair station since 1966, Summit offers aircraft maintenance, modifications, avionics, engines, mission equipment integration, paint, FBO services, sales and leasing, field training, flight testing support, and parts sales. It is a factory-authorized service center for Bell, Blackhawk, Cessna, Raisbeck, and Sikorsky, and is a Department of Defense-approved contractor.
Baldwin Safety & Compliance has launched a new internship program and welcomed Anthony Gilbert, a recent graduate of the first RedTail Flight Academy class, as its first participant in the program. During his six-week internship, he is focusing on projects involving global standards, regulatory research, and developing data for the testing portals in the Baldwin system.
The RedTail Flight Academy was established in September 2021 as an all-volunteer, 14 CFR Part 141 flight training program, inspired by and honoring the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. The program uses aviation as an aspirational platform to recruit, develop, expose and place underrepresented talent in life-changing jobs and careers.
Baldwin Safety & Compliance has been involved with the RedTail Flight Academy since its inception as an ambassador to the non-profit program by donating the Baldwin safety management program and mentoring the RedTail safety manager on a pro bono basis.
Donald Baldwin, president of Baldwin Safety & Compliance, said, “I have always believed that internships are an excellent opportunity to introduce students to our industry and provide a foundation for their upcoming career. Baldwin is proud to be a part of the RedTail Academy program, and when it came to getting involved with these aviation students as interns with our company, we were excited to participate.”
Chicago Jet Group (CJG) has delivered its second Universal InSight flight deck upgrade on a Dassault Falcon 900B squawk free and a day early, the Sugar Grove, Illinois-based charter and MRO provider announced. CJG used its supplemental type certificate (STC) for the InSight upgrade, which the FAA awarded to the company last year.
Downtime for installation is about 12 weeks. Its STC enables operators to select from two upgrade packages. Phase One replaces the Honeywell NZ-2000 FMS by adding dual Universal UNS-1Fw flight management systems with LP/LPV approach capabilities, a CVR-120A cockpit voice recorder, and UniLink UL-801 communications management unit. The future air navigation system (FANS) over Iridium solution offers capabilities for FANS 1/A+ CPDLC, European ATN B1, and push-to-load.
In Phase Two, legacy Honeywell EDZ-800 EFISs are replaced with four Universal InSight EFI-1040 displays, dual touchscreen EFIS control display units, dual alphanumeric keyboards, and Mid-Continent MD-302 standby attitude module. Operators can also select a comprehensive installation involving both packages during a single, downtime event.
On the most recent upgrade, CJG also completed a cabin refurbishment and maintenance, along with the installation of a 43-inch 4K LED TV, two 22-inch TVs, a Dolby cinema processor CP950, 21 power outlets with USB, LED cabin lights, all new CMS system by DPI, lead acid battery upgrade, Gogo L5 Avance WiFi, weather radar update to WU-880, and Mid-Continent CH-93 digital clocks.
The FAA has issued policy notice 8900.1 and Advisory Circular (AC) 43.218 that together provide guidance for fractional and commercial operators to obtain authorization to use digitally integrated aircraft health management (IAHM) programs to meet maintenance requirements. Comprehensive IAHM is an end-to-end concept that encompasses aircraft systems, data transmission, and data analysis/implementation, often on ground-based equipment, to provide information regarding aircraft system performance and structural conditions.
To enable IAHM approval, the FAA's aircraft maintenance division has developed operations specifications for letters of authorization and letters of deviation authority (LODA) that apply to Part 91K, 121, 125, 135, and combined 121/135 operators and LODA holders requesting authorization to use an IAHM program.
The policy notice contains examples of templates providing each operator segment with the information that must be provided to the FAA to obtain approvals. A key provision to use an IAHM is that the “certificate holder has incorporated policies and procedures into its maintenance programs to use IAHM for airworthiness decisions and for adjusting its maintenance or inspection program’s interval or scope.”
The AC describes an acceptable means to comply with IAHM requirements. However, the FAA cautions that if these means are used “to show compliance, you should follow it in all important respects.” This guidance also applies to MRO organizations, the agency said.
Supersedes but retains requirements of EASA AD 2020-0117, which added new maintenance tasks. Updated AD adds new maintenance tasks for eddy current inspections of flap tracks 2 and 5, as well as inspections of Decomatic screws within the fuselage and wing areas.
Requires a one-time inspection of each main gearbox (MGB) flange assembly coupling and, depending on findings, replacement. Prompted by a reported occurrence of an incorrectly assembled affected part that was installed in reverse position, deviating from the assembly instructions. If not detected and corrected, this condition could lead to loss of the drive transmission from the left- and/or right-hand engine to the MGB.
Model(s): Global Express, XRS, 5000, 5500, 6000, 6500
Published: July 7, 2022
Effective: August 11, 2022
Requires revising the airplane flight manual to update the "Unreliable Airspeed and Landing Distance Factor" emergency procedures, which provide instructions for the flight crew to stabilize the airspeed and altitude. Prompted by reports of the loss of all air data system information provided to the flight crew during flight; the air data system information was recovered as the airplane descended to lower altitudes.
Requires repetitive checks of the functional status of the integrated modular avionics Ethernet network and any necessary corrective action(s), which may include an operational limitation. Prompted by reported occurrences of multiple multifunction display (MFD) failures stemming from design deficiencies in the Ethernet network management of the integrated modular avionics suite that caused MFD failures after damage to an Ethernet wiring connector and/or avionics equipment.
Supersedes but retains the requirements of EASA AD 2020-0116, which mandated repetitive inspections of the flap tracks. Updated AD contains a new maintenance task for eddy current inspections of flap tracks 2 and 5.
Requires repetitive inspections of the tail rotor gearbox (TGB) chip detector for particles, analyzing any particles collected, performing a double bearing washing, repetitive replacements of certain part-numbered double bearings, and any necessary corrective actions. Prompted by a large amount of critical scale particles found on the TGB chip detector magnetic plug during an unscheduled check of the TGB. The particles belonged to the double bearing (pitch control rod bearing) installed inside the TGB.
Requires upgrading the avionics to the "EASy III—4th CERT” standard. Prompted by a weak point identified in the Falcon 7X/8X EASy avionics architecture that, coupled with theoretical generic input/output card failure, may lead to misleading data on display units.
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.
AINalerts is a publication of AIN Media Group, 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
