Garmin’s next Autoland program and its first retrofit of the system, which will be for 200-series Beechcraft King Airs, is nearing FAA certification. The avionics manufacturer’s Autoland system will subsequently be certified on select 300-series King Airs.
As Autoland requires an autothrottle system, Garmin has also for the first time developed its own autothrottle, which is integrated with the G1000 NXi avionics suite to allow for retrofit of Autoland. The supplemental type certificate (STC) approval of the King Air Autoland system will require Garmin’s G1000 NXi avionics, and the King Air 200 series STC includes the G1000 NXi upgrade. Retrofits of Autoland and the autothrottle will be available for the 200-series King Airs in the third quarter, followed by 300-series King Airs in 2024.
With the autothrottle system, King Air installation benefits include prevention of throttle rollback during takeoff by holding power levers at the correct power setting. All of the King Air power limitations are adhered to, including ITT, overtemp, and torque limits, as well as manufacturer or user-configured climb, cruise, and descent schedules.
The autothrottle works from takeoff to landing and automatically activates in case the aircraft encounters an overspeed or underspeed condition, including taking into account flaps and landing gear position. If an engine fails, the autothrottle maintains the selected airspeed reference using the throttle on the operating engine.
Gulfstream Aerospace added three authorized warranty facilities in China to replace its support operations at Beijing Capital Airport, the company said Tuesday. Deer Jet in Beijing, Business Aviation Asia in Shenzhen, and ExecuJet Haite Aviation Services China in Tianjin now serve as authorized warranty repairs and maintenance service providers for Gulfstream.
These facilities join Gulfstream’s previously authorized warranty facilities in the region, including Metrojet in Hong Kong and Shanghai Hawker Pacific in Shanghai. Regional factory-authorized service centers include Jet Aviation locations in Hong Kong and Singapore.
“The addition of these authorized warranty facilities increases access to warranty service, maintenance, and parts for Gulfstream customers based in and traveling throughout the region,” said Gulfstream Customer Support chairman Derek Zimmerman. “Shenzhen, Beijing, and Tianjin are strategic business aviation hubs and we are pleased to offer our customers these new options for service.”
The new options in China align with an infrastructure expansion plan that saw Gulfstream announce in April the addition of 200,000 square feet of workspace at its Savannah, Georgia-based MRO facility. Following the Savannah announcement, the company opened a repair and overhaul shop at Farnborough in the UK that will bring significantly more capacity for work on wheels, brakes, and batteries. Other projects either finished or in progress over the last year include the expansion of facilities in Mesa, Arizona; Fort Worth; and Farnborough.
Airports should not wait for the advanced air mobility (AAM) wave to arrive but should begin preparing for the different electrification and operational needs, NBAA director of airports and ground infrastructure Alex Gertsen warned during an Airport Cooperative Research Program event last week.
“NBAA is working to help integrate AAM successfully into the National Airspace System, ensuring interoperability with all existing aircraft types and ultimately to let airports know that they should be preparing for electrification and new aircraft arriving, not to sit back and just say, ‘Oh, I can wait,’” Gertsen said. He added that airports need to remain engaged and involved as the transition occurs.
Gertsen further highlighted the benefits of AAM, chiefly that it is electric. “There’s no emissions,” he said. “While they are not a direct replacement for helicopters, they alleviate a lot of the community concerns that exist now for airports like East Hampton [New York, KJPX] and Santa Monica [California, KSMO].”
NBAA has provided feedback on initial FAA guidance surrounding AAM vertiport and heliport use. “We see them as the two integrated vertical lift operations and infrastructure should be dual use,” Gertsen said. “As we transition, a lot of the existing infrastructure will be used. And as the new infrastructure gets built, it will be important that the legacy aircraft are able to use it as well.”
Honeywell’s Multi-Channel Satcom (MCS) systems will be supported by Ontic under a licensing agreement signed by the two companies. Ontic specializes in manufacturing parts and components under license to the original equipment manufacturer, including complex engineered parts and electronics.
The agreement covers the MCS-4000/4200 and 7000/7200 MCS systems, which have been installed in airliners and business jets such as the Falcon 900, 2000, 7X, and 8X. Ontic plans to move the MCS repair and upgrade operations to its Chatsworth, California facilities.
The MCS systems are Inmarsat L-band satcoms that are used for two-way Classic Aero voice communications and data transmission. MCS service speed is up to 432 Kbps using either Swift64 or SwiftBroadband. The systems can be integrated with Honeywell Epic avionics and used for safety services such as controller-pilot datalink communications for FANS 1/A.
“We’re pleased to extend our partnership with Honeywell with this new license, which will be an exciting expansion to our existing operations,” said Ontic v-p and chief commercial officer Gareth Blackbird. “This adds to our experience with highly complex electronic systems at Chatsworth, further securing Ontic as the go-to partner to ensure established aircraft continue to have a strong, reliable, and progressive supply chain for repairs and upgrades.”
Unleash Your Imagination: Designing the Dream Interior and Paint Scheme for Your Aircraft
Discover the thrilling world of aircraft customization as we embark on a journey to create your dream interior and paint scheme. From personalized colors to cutting-edge technologies, this article reveals the key considerations and expert guidance to transform your aircraft into a unique masterpiece. Get ready to soar in style!
The House today is slated to begin consideration of the comprehensive five-year FAA reauthorization bill, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (H.R.3935), with wide industry support. More than 1,000 industry leaders and stakeholders have pledged support for the legislation, according to the leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which authored the bipartisan package.
Deliberations are expected to extend into tomorrow following Rules Committee approval of some 100 amendments that could be offered to the bill, a little more than one-quarter of what had been requested. Some of the more controversial amendments were blocked, including an effort to transfer the nation’s air traffic control services into a not-for-profit organization.
Also blocked was a measure to ensure transient aircraft parking space at public airports with full transparency of fees. This was a measure strongly supported by AOPA, which has been campaigning to bring more transparency to airport and FBO charges and ensure reasonableness to costs. While 600 pilot groups had signed on to the effort, airports groups and other business and general aviation groups—including NBAA, GAMA, HAI, and NATA—collectively expressed concerns that the proposed amendment raises “significant operational, economic, regulatory, and security concerns."
The Airbus H175 super-medium-twin helicopter has received certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), clearing the way for delivery of four of the aircraft in the country later this year. The H175 received its nod from EASA in 2014 and the current in-service fleet of 53 in 13 countries has amassed 185,000 flight hours on missions including offshore energy, search and rescue, public services, and private and business aviation.
A pair of 1,776-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-67Es power the H175, which features the Helionix avionics system with four-axis autopilot. The helicopter has seating for up to 18 (utility configuration), a cruise speed of 150 knots, and a range up to 590 nm, depending on load.
Airbus developed the helicopter in cooperation with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic), with Avic's Avicopter responsible for manufacturing the fuselage and certain subassemblies. Under that agreement, Chinese-produced helicopters are badged AC352s; are powered by the Chinese-built WZ16 engine, a locally produced variant of the Safran Ardiden 3C; and are available for sale only within China and proximate countries. The CAAC certified the AC352 last year. Deliveries of new H175s into China suggest that the AC352 production line has not yet fully matured.
Textron Aviation has earmarked European certification of the Cessna SkyCourier for mid-2025 as the turboprop twin completes its debut demonstration tour of the continent. The 19-day tour began on July 1 and covered France, Germany, Greece, the UK, and the Channel Islands.
Speaking to AIN at the SkyCourier’s final stop in Jersey today, Textron Aviation senior v-p of global sales and flight operations Lannie O’Bannion described customer feedback regarding the aircraft as very positive. “There was already a strong interest in the SkyCourier in Europe based on the aircraft’s specification,” he said. “But this demo tour has allowed us to grow our pipeline of potential customers and close in on sales. The prospects for the SkyCourier here are enormous.”
Customers include regional passenger airlines, along with charter, cargo, and special-mission operators. “We are talking to everyone,” said O’Bannion.
The demonstration aircraft—S/N 3 and registered as N408PX—is outfitted in a 19-seat passenger configuration that O’Bannion expects to be a “huge success” on the continent. “There is simply nothing like the SkyCourier on the market today,” he noted.
To extend the 19,000-pound (8,600-kilogram) mtow SkyCourier’s utilitarian design, Textron began offering earlier this year a gravel kit modification that allows the aircraft to operate from remote, unfinished runways. The company is also advancing the development of modifications for special-mission applications that will be installed on a demonstrator aircraft next year.
Consultancy Aero Asset is reporting that retail sales of used turbine single-engine helicopters in the first half of this year were down 60 percent and supply was 70 percent higher versus the first six months of 2022. During the first half, 58 helicopters valued at $132 million were sold out of 108 units for sale, the latter representing an 8.5-month supply at the current absorption rate.
However, upward pricing pressure is continuing, driven by the arrival of low-time helicopters onto the market combined with increasing OEM lead time for new deliveries. Prices jumped 11 percent year-over-year while OEM lead time surged by 23 percent.
According to Aero Asset, the most liquid models included the Bell 407/GX/P/I followed by the Airbus AS350B3/B3e/H125 and EC130B4/H130. The least-liquid preowned market during the first half was the Leonardo AW119K/Ke/Kx, with an absorption rate of 14 months. North American transactions accounted for two-thirds of all sales while those in Europe dropped 75 percent year-over-year. Europe and North America accounted for two-thirds of the worldwide supply for sale.
Requires the inspection of the wire bundle near the fuel scupper attachment bolt and any necessary repair. During airplane refueling, a spark was seen when the fuel cap chain contacted one of the fuel scupper bolts. An inspection was performed and one of the 14 bolts that surround the fuel inlet was found touching an electrical wire behind the scupper. Due to vibrations during flight, the bolt damaged the wire insulation and when the bolt was grounded to the airframe a spark was generated. This condition, if not corrected, could lead to electrical sparks during refueling, resulting in a fire hazard.
Requires replacement of the Number 2 electrical power transformer rectifier unit (TRU) with a new one that incorporates a correction to the fan and the monitoring circuit. Prompted by a finding that a TRU can become inoperative in a manner undetectable by the fan monitoring circuit.
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