Ampaire To Open Order Book for Hybrid-electric Airplane

Ampaire will begin taking letters of intent for its Electric EEL hybrid airplane next week at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the Hawthorne, California-based manufacturer announced yesterday. EEL is a retrofit of a Cessna 337 Skymaster.

“The Ampaire Electric EEL is the first step in bringing lower emissions, lower operating costs, and quieter operations to general aviation through electrification,” Ampaire CEO Kevin Noertker said. He added the push-pull airplane’s hybrid-electric conversion will reduce its fuel cost and maintenance by about 50 percent. 

Two variants will be offered: one with a 310-hp Continental IO-550 piston engine and a 215-hp (160-kW) electric propulsion system and the other with a 300-hp Continental CD-300 diesel engine and the same 215-hp electric system. Customers have a choice of selecting a pressurized or unpressurized cabin, as well as four or six seats. Winglets and a STOL kit are standard. “This is something new and exciting in general aviation—twin-engine redundancy and performance on as little as 10 gallons per hour in cruise flight,” Noertker added.

Last month, the EEL completed its first test flight and is undergoing systems evaluation and envelope expansion in a 30-month-long flight-test program. Certification is expected in 2021. Ampaire said the EEL will be priced competitively with comparable in-production piston twins.

After Q2 Declines, Bell Looks To Improve In Q3

Bell saw its revenue and profit slip on lower military volume and slightly fewer commercial helicopter deliveries in the second quarter of 2019, parent company Textron Inc. reported yesterday. The Fort Worth, Texas-based manufacturer delivered 53 commercial helicopters in the three-month period—four less than in the year-ago quarter—partly contributing to a 7 percent decline in revenue, to $771 million, and a $14 million drop in profit.

On a conference call with analysts yesterday, Textron CEO Scott Donnelly said he expects improvement in commercial helicopters in the third quarter as manufacturing increases to meet demand. “Despite the lower commercial deliveries in the quarter, we expect to see a ramp in deliveries in the second half of the year supported by continued strong order activity and increased production rates,” he explained. “The demand is there. The orders are there. It’s been a matter of getting production up and delivering at a higher rate, and that’s where we are now.”

Backlog at the end of the second quarter was $6 billion, down slightly from $6.3 billion at the end of March, but up $500 million from second-quarter 2018.

Jet Linx Introduces New Flight-sharing Feature

Jet management and card membership provider Jet Linx has introduced a new empty-seat marketing program as part of its revised mobile application. Called OpenSeat exchange, it offers the company’s jet owners and members the ability to buy or sell empty seats on its flights on a per-seat basis, exclusively through the app.

The company's 2,000 jet-card members and 115 aircraft owner clients can use the new app “to further improve, enrich, and elevate the Jet Linx private jet travel experience,” said Jamie Walker, president of the Nebraska-based company, adding that last year there were more than 40,000 empty seats on Jet Linx flights. “Open Seat Exchange is a solution that gives our clients the ability to buy and sell these empty seats on a per-flight, per-seat basis. It’s a secure, trusted, peer-to-peer exchange of open seats within the Jet Linx community.”

The flight-sharing program is the latest feature to be added to the app, which gives users the ability to book private jets in real-time at guaranteed hourly rates, quote future trips, arrange catering and ground transport, make changes to the flight manifest, and view and book empty legs at discounted pricing, as well as receive company news and updates.

Columbia Helicopters Being Sold To Private Equity Firm

Columbia Helicopters is being sold to private-equity firm AE Industrial Partners (AEI), the companies announced today. Columbia CEO Steve Bandy will remain in his role, while majority owner Nancy Lematta will retain a “significant ownership position” in the company. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close later this year, are not being disclosed. The sale announcement comes five months after now-bankrupt Bristow Group terminated a deal to acquire Columbia for $560 million. 

For the 12 months ended Sept. 30, 2018, Columbia posted revenues of $281 million and earnings before interest taxes and depreciation (EBITDA) of $117 million. Columbia is based in Aurora, Oregon, and was founded by the late Wes Lematta in 1957. The company specializes in helicopter MRO and heavy-lift operations with tandem-rotor helicopters with a diversified fleet of 21 Vertol 107-II, Boeing 234, and CH-47D helicopters for missions that include military support, firefighting, and on-shore oil and gas.

“This is an exciting new phase of evolution for Columbia,” said Bandy. “We have always taken pride in our dedicated people and how they deliver inspired solutions to our customers. This new partnership supports our vision of growth and diversification. With AEI’s support and experience, Columbia’s commitment to safety and operational excellence and, above all else, our people—we are positioned for even greater success well into the future.”

Teal Report Sees Civil UAS Market Tripling in Size by 2028

The annual market for civil unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is set to almost triple in size from around $5 billion in 2019 to $14.5 billion in 2028, according to a new Teal Group report. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 12.5 percent and a total market value of approximately $96.7 billion over the 10-year period.

Teal Group’s World Civil Unmanned Aerial Systems Market Profile & Forecast, published yesterday, shows that although consumer systems are the largest sector overall at 55 percent of the total, the fastest growth is anticipated in the commercial sector. Major sectors expected to increase drone use significantly include agriculture, construction, insurance, energy, communications, and delivery. Overall, the commercial segment of the world market for civil UAS is projected to grow by 21.9 percent from $1.6 billion in 2019 to $9.5 billion in 2028. 

The Teal study did not include electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that are expected to carry passengers and operate autonomously. It does include civil government UAS applications and low-cost, high-altitude UAS to support internet operations.

General Aviation Issues Take Center Stage in Tarkio

A “who's who” of government and business and aviation leaders gathered over the weekend at Rep. Sam Grave’s (R-Missouri) annual town hall and airshow in Tarkio, Missouri, to discuss key issues confronting the industry such as workforce shortages.

The town hall was led by Graves, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and included participation of his fellow colleagues, including Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), and FAA acting Administrator Dan Elwell. They joined the leaders of at least nine aviation associations to discuss workforce development and encouraging young people to pursue careers in general aviation, the ADS-B equipage mandate, small and rural airport infrastructure, and the need to increase airport improvement funding.

“Great interest and participation in the Town Hall always make it a successful event, and I believe we were able to send leaders back to Washington with our input, concerns, and ideas about how to ensure the growth of general aviation in America,” Graves said.

EAA chairman and CEO Jack Pelton declared the event “the first unofficial day of Oshkosh, but only a few miles to the south” and said it is “unique having such prominent congressional members, FAA leadership, and all of the aviation association leadership in attendance to share and listen to the aviation community.”

Pilot Arrested for DUI after Crashing Citation

Escaping without serious injury after crash landing his Cessna Citation 550 yesterday at Nevada’s Mesquite Airport, the sole-occupant pilot was subsequently arrested on one count of driving under the influence. An FAA spokesperson told local reporters that the agency currently does not know the circumstances of the crash, but said the twinjet was flying from Pasco, Washington, and was destined for Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas, about 80 miles from Mesquite.

The pilot—41-year-old Ryan Dashiell of Spokane, Washington—was arrested for suspicion of operating an aircraft while under the influence of alcohol and is facing a gross misdemeanor charge. After the accident, Dashiell was taken to a hospital for a checkup, then transported to the Clark County Detention Center. The 1981 aircraft (N320JT) is registered to Avia Jet LLC of Happy Valley, Oregon, and was consumed by a post-crash fire.

According to FAA pilot registration records, Dashiell held an ATP certificate with airplane and helicopter privileges, flight instructor and multi-engine airplane ratings, and was typed in several jets, including the Citation 500 series. His medical certificate also required wearing corrective lenses. The NTSB will investigate the accident. At press time, online court records did not list an attorney for Dashiell who could comment on the allegation against him.

First PC-24 Joins Canada’s Registry

Two weeks after the Pilatus PC-24 received certification from Transport Canada, the first of the versatile light jets has been delivered in the Great White North. According to Ontario-based Levaero, which has served as the airframer’s exclusive Canadian distributor since 1997, this first C-registered PC-24 was handed over to an as-yet-unidentified, but experienced, operator and will further diversify its aircraft fleet.

The Swiss-made twinjet, which offers good short-field performance coupled with the ability to operate from unpaved surfaces, received FAA and EASA approval in December 2017 and entered service early last year.

“Pilatus has [since] delivered more than 35 aircraft, which have amassed more than 7,000 flight hours,” said Levaero v-p of sales Stan Kuliavas. “This aircraft is extremely well-suited for operations in Canada, and we look forward to many more PC-24s gracing the Canadian skies.”

Tales from the Flight Deck: DEF Contamination

Mistaking diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) additive for fuel system icing inhibitor PRIST on the flight line is a growing problem on ramps all over the world. This can be disastrous since DEF causes jet-A to crystalize and clog aircraft fuel filters and lines. In fact, DEF contamination of jet-A has already forced several business aircraft crews to perform engine-out landings in the U.S. and elsewhere.