Textron Aviation Puts Large-cabin Hemisphere ‘On Hold’

Textron Aviation is shelving development of the Hemisphere large-cabin business jet, Textron Inc. CEO Scott Donnelly announced this morning during its second-quarter conference call. Hemisphere could be revived at a later date, Donnelly acknowledged, but for now it’s “on hold” because the Wichita-based manufacturer isn’t satisfied with progress on the development of the Safran Silvercrest engine that would power it.

Further, Safran said its initial contract with Textron Aviation for the Silvercrest has been terminated with no financial impact to either company. The troubled engine program, which caused French airframer Dassault to cancel the Falcon 5X in late 2017, has made progress on fixing the engine’s high-pressure compressor but so far is falling short of what Textron needs.

“The engine hasn’t yet demonstrated the performance required for the aircraft,” Donnelly explained. “We would certainly revisit [the Hemisphere], but too much time has gone by here.” Textron Aviation suspended the Hemisphere program in April 2017 because of the high-pressure compressor issue and later said it would make a decision to proceed after Safran came up with a solution.

According to Safran, Silvercrest development “has made the intended progress over the past 12 months…The new high-pressure compressor shows performance for which ground tests results have exceeded expectations.” It plans to conduct flight tests to further confirm these improvements and complete overall engine performance and durability validation.

Sikorsky Patents Parts Anti-Counterfeiting Technology

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently awarded Sikorsky a patent (No. US10286719B2) for new anti-counterfeiting technology that prevents counterfeiting and enables identification of counterfeit parts. Sikorsky's invention adds a “radiation impacting feature on or within the part” during the manufacturing process. The feature is not specific to any one material and can be made of a fluorescent, phosphorescent, emissive, or other material that can serve as a unique signature. Because of the singularity of radiation signatures, the impacting feature can identify if a part is legitimate. Counterfeiters will be unable to exactly mimic the radiation signature.

Existing anti-counterfeiting technologies use other forms of radiation, 3D security holograms, and RFID to verify products in a similar manner. Sikorsky’s parent corporation Lockheed Martin already holds patents in several of these areas. The new patent, however, is one of the first that is intended to prevent duplication of the parts in the first place.

Many counterfeiters use scanning technology involving some form of radiation to gather an accurate image of a part they want to counterfeit. The feature described in the new patent can be configured to distort or disrupt this scanning radiation. The resulting image is therefore too fuzzy to accurately duplicate the part.  

The FAA estimates that 2 percent of all aircraft parts are counterfeit and that counterfeit parts regularly cause accidents.    

Textron Aviation Q2 Deliveries, Revenue Drop

Textron Aviation saw a surprising drop in turboprop and jet deliveries in the second quarter, leading to a 15 percent decline in revenue, parent company Textron announced today. In all, the Wichita-based manufacturer of Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft delivered two fewer business jets and 14 fewer turboprops from second-quarter 2018, leading to a $153 million decline in revenue, to $1.1 billion. Despite the lower deliveries—46 jets and 34 turboprops—its quarterly profit increased by $1 million from a year ago.

The company saw lower order activity beginning in late May across its product line “largely attributable to the uncertainties around tariffs and concerns about economic growth,” Textron Inc. CEO Scott Donnelly told analysts on a conference call, specifically citing President Donald Trump’s threat of higher tariffs on products from Mexico. “There was a couple of specific transactions where customers that do a lot of business in Mexico...and they got pretty rattled,” Donnelly explained. “Of course now it’s also gone away. But...there were very specific transactions that stopped because of that.”

Those concerns have since eased and a combination of positive economic indicators suggest a better quarter ahead. “Our view going into the third quarter remains positive,” he said. Donnelly added that the Citation Longitude remains on track for certification in the third quarter.

Signature TechnicAir Completes First UK Atlas Install

Signature TechnicAir’s facility in Bournemouth completed its first installation of the Tamarack Aerospace Atlas winglet system on a Cessna Citation.  The install, on a Citation CJ1, was also the first on a British-registered aircraft (G-LUBB), Tamarack said.

“It’s a high-quality kit that is far easier to install than traditional passive winglets because there is no structural reinforcement required in the wing,” said Signature TechnicAir MRO sales director Mark Larsen.  

Along with the installation of the winglets, Signature TechnicAir completed major airframe maintenance on the aircraft. “It’s a win-win for our European customers to be able to have both services completed at the same time,” added Tamarack president Jacob Klinginsmith.

Approved for the CJ family up through the CJ3+, the winglets reduce time to climb and fuel burn while increasing range and aircraft stability. “Our customers appreciate the fuel efficiency, increased range, ride smoothing, stability, and improved performance as well as ramp appeal,” Klinginsmith said.

The announcement of the installation marks another positive step forward for the program, coming on the heels of moves by both the FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency to lift restrictions on the use of the Atlas winglet system.

Pakistan Fully Reopens Airspace to Overflights

Pakistan yesterday reopened its entire airspace to commercial traffic following almost six months of closures due to tensions arising from February attacks in India-controlled Kashmir by a Pakistan-based militant group. A Notam issued by Pakistani authorities officially ended the restrictions. The airspace closure added as much as 350 nautical miles—or an hour’s flying time—on certain routes, costing operators fuel and stretching crew work hours, according to OpsGroup.

“Pakistan being open again makes the traditional and preferred Europe-Asia route through Afghanistan, Pakistan, and onwards to India available again, and means that [airline] city pairs abandoned after the February shutdown will likely be restarted,” OpsGroup said.

Although Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority lifted a total flight ban “with restrictions” in early March, certain flight corridors—largely affecting flights between Europe and Delhi—remained closed.  

The initial airspace closure came almost immediately after Pakistani warplanes shot down an Indian MiG-21, as hostilities with India reached a crisis level in late February. Efforts to ease tensions saw Pakistan days later hand over an Indian pilot who parachuted into Pakistani territory.

Florida Firm Upgrades Avionics For Ike’s Bird, Fifi

Gulf Coast Avionics is outfitting two Commemorative Air Force (CAF) aircraft with Garmin avionics upgrades and providing engineering on its own dime, the Lakeland, Florida-based company announced this week. The aircraft include an L-26B Aero Commander that once flew former President Dwight Eisenhower and his senior staff. Known as Ike’s Bird, it is the last piston twin to serve as Air Force One.

Upgrades to the aircraft include the design, installation, and support of a Garmin GTX345 ADS-B transponder, along with GTN750 GPS navcom and GNC225 navcom. Gulf Coast president and CEO Rick Garcia called the aircraft “truly unique and historic” and said “It may be the smallest airplane to ever wear the designation of Air Force One, but any aircraft [that] carries the president of the United States plays a large part in the history of aviation and our country.”

Another CAF airplane to receive Garmin avionics upgrades is its B-29, Fifi. Upgrades include dual G5 ADI and HSI displays for pilot and co-pilot, GTN650 GPS navcom, and GTX345 ADS-B transponder. “We are proud to…assist in the modernization of Fifi’s cockpit so that this iconic aircraft not only meets the 2020 ADS-B compliance deadline, but has the reliability and capabilities of digital displays to continue safe operations for years to come,” added Garcia. 

FAA AC Guides on Continuous Airworthiness Mx Programs

The FAA has issued a draft advisory circular (AC 120-MPTP) containing guidelines, recommendations and suggested means of compliance with a continuous airworthiness maintenance program (Camp). Under Camp, maintenance training, supervision, and activities must be tailored to the user’s specific operation. Information in this draft AC includes “regulatory expectations” regarding the implementation of the program.

Camp authorization is a requirement for all Part 121 aircraft, as well as Part 135 aircraft that are type certificated for 10 or more passenger seats. It is an option for other Part 135 certificate holders and Part 91K fractional ownership operations. However, the FAA expects those who join the program voluntarily to follow all Camp requirements.

For example, the program’s training element should ensure that “each person (including inspection personnel) who determines the adequacy of work done, which includes required inspections, is fully informed about procedures, techniques, and new equipment in use, and is competent to perform that person’s duty.”

In addition, Camp authorization encourages participation in a safety management system.

Planet Nine Takes Fifth Jet, Marks First Anniversary

Planet Nine Private Air recently took delivery of its fifth Falcon jet and celebrated its first year in business. “Our goal was to steadily grow to support a fleet of five company-owned ultra-long-range aircraft to complement our managed aircraft fleet, and we are delighted to have accomplished that inside of a year of revenue operations,” Planet Nine co-founder and head of business development Matt Walter said.

The Van Nuys, California-based charter and management company took delivery of its fifth Dassault Falcon 7X, keeping its focus on the “premium, long-range charter” market, involving complex, multi-leg international and domestic flights. “Of the 2,000 or so [Part] 135 operators in North America, perhaps only 10 could operate the complicated multi-leg flights we specialize in. And less than five have modern available aircraft that do not require owners' approval and have multiple crews,” Walter explained.  

Planet Nine's roots are with Advanced Air Management, which ceased operations in late 2017 shortly after it was acquired by Singapore-based Zetta Jet. Some of Planet Nine’s 63 staff have worked together for more than a decade. “Rebuilding the business we created at Advanced Air Management, and earning the trust of our customers and suppliers was never going to be easy, and it could not have happened without the goodwill built up over multiple years of operating Advanced Air Management with total integrity and honesty,” he explained.