The Pearl 10X turbofan Rolls-Royce is developing for the Dassault Falcon 10X business jet has logged more than 2,500 flight hours and 7,700 cycles on the UK aircraft engine manufacturer’s Boeing 747 testbed. In a media briefing ahead of the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow this week, Rolls-Royce business aviation director Dirk Geisinger said the 18,000-pound-thrust engine is already “smashing” projected performance targets, having surpassed targeted thrust levels since the first test run.

Rolls Royce's Pearl 10X features the Advance2 engine core combined with a high-performance low-pressure system that the company said will deliver its highest-thrust turbofan to date for business aircraft applications. It also has a 5% improvement in specific fuel consumption compared with earlier-generation engines.

Pearl engines also feature combustor tiles that Geisinger said have delivered 20% more efficiency in cooling the walls and temperature reductions to improve the performance of the high-pressure turbine. The additive-layer manufacturing techniques used for these tiles have reduced the design and manufacturing time by 75%.

Geisinger also reported that the service entry of Rolls-Royce’s Pearl 700 engines on the Gulfstream G700 has been “flawless.” As of July 11, he said the 12 G700s delivered at that point had flown 750 hours, including a nonstop flight from New Zealand to Teterboro Airport, taking full advantage of the jet’s 7,750-nm range.

Bombardier has opened a new line maintenance station at Farnborough Airport, expanding the company’s customer service network in Europe and adding its ninth such station globally. The UK facility provides light scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for all Bombardier Learjets, Challengers, and Globals.

“The addition of the Farnborough line maintenance station is an integral part of our overall mission to provide easy and enhanced OEM support for our customers in this very important region,” said Paul Sislian, executive v-p of aftermarket service and strategy at Bombardier. 

Bombardier's Farnborough station follows that of its similar facility at Paris Le Bourget Airport. The two stations augment the major heavy maintenance service center at London Biggin Hill. At approximately 250,000 sq ft, the Biggin Hill facility features 22 service bays and offers a diverse range of services, including modifications, avionics updates, and interior enhancements. The shop can accommodate up to 14 Global 7500s simultaneously. Bombardier also runs a service center at Berlin-Brandenburg, a 160,000-sq-ft facility in operation since 1997.

Its Farnborough line station joins a global network coordinated by a 24/7 customer response center and includes 35 mobile response team members.

Blackhawk Aerospace is developing a supplemental type certificate (STC) to re-engine the Daher TBM 700 series with 150 more shaft horsepower, in partnership with sister company and TBM-authorized sales and service center Avex Aviation. The STC will replace the 700-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-64 on the TBM 700A, 700B, and 700C2 with the 850-shp PT6A-66D.

Performance of the re-engined TBM 700 will be boosted to that of the TBM 850, according to Blackhawk. Time to climb to FL310 for the PT6A-66D-powered TBM 700 drops to 14 minutes from 16 minutes 39 seconds, and maximum cruise speed ranges from 287 to 307 ktas, improving overall efficiency and adding to safety margins.

Visitors at EAA AirVenture this week can see N590JL, the TBM 700C2 that Blackhawk is modifying, at the company’s exhibit. Avex’s Camarillo, California team has already refurbished this TBM with a new interior and LED interior lighting, and a full panel of Garmin avionics, along with fresh paint by ArtCraft Paint.

“The XP66D engine upgrade exemplifies The Blackhawk Group's commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation in the aviation industry,” said Edwin Black, president of Blackhawk Aerospace. “By partnering with our sister company Avex, we are able to combine its vast expertise in all things TBM with Blackhawk’s extensive knowledge of STC development to offer an unparalleled upgrade for our mutual customers.”

The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the FAA is close to three years behind in the deployment of its Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) program, costs have increased by 20%, and airspace users may not realize benefits until at least next year.

TFDM is a key NextGen system designed to improve airport surface operations and air traffic control (ATC) efficiencies. These technologies have become a priority for the agency, particularly in light of the spate of high-profile close calls in recent years. The system is designed to integrate flight, surveillance, and traffic management information. TFDM also will automate manual flight data processes, including upgrading from paper flight strips used by controllers to track a flight’s progress to electronic flight strips, and improve surface traffic flow management.

The FAA is currently testing and implementing TFDM capabilities at certain airports, such as introducing electronic flight strips and surface management tools. Even so, it is still behind schedule, with initial deployment pushed back from January 2020 to October 2022 and completion now anticipated in February 2030 instead of September 2028.

Further, the $155 million increased cost—from $795 million to $950 million—caused the FAA to reduce the deployment sites from 89 to 49, “increasing the estimated cost per site while decreasing planned system consolidations and functionality,” the DOT OIG said.

Proving the axiom that “Everything is bigger in Texas,” Atlantic Aviation now offers two immense private hangars with attached office facilities at Dallas Love Field (DAL). The sprawling hangars alone would cover nearly seven football fields. But an additional 32,000 square feet of Class A office space is attached to accommodate everyone from executive staff and support for a large flight department to the most discerning VIP visitors. All of this is immediately adjacent to Atlantic Aviation’s terminal, featuring legendary customer service.

Airline fleets are forecast to create jobs for 649,000 new pilots, 690,000 new maintenance technicians, and 938,000 new cabin crewmembers over the next 20 years, according to Boeing's 2024 Pilot and Technician Outlook, released today at EAA AirVenture. These numbers are up significantly from last year.

The fastest-growing regions through 2043 will be South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, although more than half the demand for personnel will stem from China, Eurasia, and North America. According to the outlook, most of the demand will be driven by single-aisle airliners, but widebody demand will be more prevalent in Africa and the Middle East.

Eurasia tops the list for the number of pilots, technicians, and cabin crew needed during the next 20 years at 155,000, 167,000, and 240,000, respectively.

“Driven by aviation traffic trending above pre-pandemic levels, personnel attrition, and commercial fleet growth, the demand for aviation personnel continues to rise,” said Chris Broom, v-p of commercial training solutions at Boeing Global Services.

Aircraft MRO provider StandardAero is celebrating six decades of its support of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine series. In 1964, Dallas Airmotive—which was acquired by StandardAero in 2021—was the first independent maintenance provider to sign an agreement with the Canadian engine maker to service the PT6A, which had just received Canadian and U.S. certification the previous year. Today, the powerplant family encompasses more than 70 models with output ranging from 500 shp to nearly 2,000 shp.

“P&WC has built more than 50,000 PT6A engines since 1963, of which 25,000 are still in service and we continue to build around 1,000 new PT6As each year,” said Irene Makris, the manufacturer’s v-p of customer service. “We welcome StandardAero’s continued contribution to our global service network serving PT6A customers.”

StandardAero operates four overhaul locations globally: a center of excellence for turboprop engine MRO in Prince Edward Island, Canada; Gonesse, France; Lanseria, South Africa; and Brisbane, Australia, in addition to 11 PT6A service centers in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

“StandardAero is proud of its 60-year association with supporting the global PT6A operator community,” said StandardAero president of airlines and fleets Lewis Prebble. “The PT6A engine family truly is part of our DNA, and this is reflected in the passion which our worldwide team of highly trained employees demonstrates in supporting the PT6A operator base.”

South Korea-based EnB Air has purchased a Bell 505, the helicopter operator announced today. This marks the first Bell 505 sale to a commercial entity in South Korea, following the Republic of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration's selection of the light turbine single as its new military helicopter trainer in 2022.

“We are honored that EnB Air has signed a purchase agreement for their first Bell 505 helicopter and look forward to ensuring a smooth delivery and supporting them as they begin operations,” said Cho Choon Ho, Bell's regional sales manager for Korea. “With more than 100,000 global flight hours, the Bell 505 continues to set the standard as the next generation light single helicopter for multiple missions. We are confident Korean operators will appreciate the value it provides.”

Established in 2020, EnB Air provides helicopter services focused on aerial patrol, pest control, material transport, and forest firefighting. Upon delivery, the Bell 505 will also become the first Bell helicopter in EnB Air’s fleet.

In the wake of the Boeing Max crashes, the FAA is continuing to evolve its organization designation authority (ODA) process, issuing a draft revision to its order surrounding oversight. Comments are due by October 21 on the draft Revision C of its ODA Order 8100.15. This order establishes the ground rules for a manufacturer to obtain ODA approval and provides the procedures for FAA personnel conducting oversight of ODA holders.

Under draft Revision C, 54 changes are proposed that aim to tighten up manufacturer ODA approval rules and to improve FAA oversight of ODA holders. This draft also introduces the Airmen Certification ODA type, reorganizes the existing content, and applies a “systems-based approach” to oversight.

The FAA’s ODA oversight has come under intense scrutiny since the Boeing Max crashes. Among other changes, the FAA has established and reorganized its ODA office to report directly to the associate administrator for aviation safety. The FAA said the change reflects its “priority to oversee, standardize, and ensure consistency” with its ODA activities.

Last month, FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker testified before the Senate Commerce Committee that the agency is “continuously improving our oversight practices to ensure each design and manufacturing organization meets all regulatory requirements and produces safe and compliant products.” This includes stepped-up audits and inspections to have better visibility into all of the manufacturers.

There are more inflight connectivity options on the market today than ever before. Join us on August 21st at noon ET to learn what you need to consider when reviewing your options and the implications of this decision today and for your aircraft's future.  We’ll be discussing air to ground versus satellite, low earth orbit satellite solutions, and the ROI of inflight connectivity. Sponsored by Gogo Business Aviation.