Looking to broaden the types of aircraft it maintains, repairs, and overhauls as well as meet the current demand for its services, Western Aircraft is expanding at Boise Airport (BOI) in Idaho with the construction of a 93,000-sq-ft facility that will double the size of its footprint. The new facility will comprise a 52,000-sq-ft hangar and 40,000 sq ft for avionics and interior and finish shops, as well as administrative offices.
The Greenwich AeroGroup subsidiary, which also operates a full-service FBO and offers new aircraft sales, charter, and parts, currently occupies eight buildings and hangars totaling 90,000 sq ft on 18 acres at the southwest corner of BOI. “The business has been growing pretty steadily here at Western to the point where we basically have just flat run out of space at this facility,” said Western v-p and general manager Austin Shontz.
Over the past couple of years, Western has been doing some work on large-cabin Gulfstreams and wants to expand that business. Shontz said the new hangar will accommodate up to five or six G650s. “We looked at the market…and that’s how we ended up going that route,” said Shontz, who before joining Western spent 16 years at Gulfstream. The company is also looking to expand its work on Citations to include the 680 series.
Aircraft Specialists (ASI) has opened an upgraded FBO at Clark Regional Airport in Indiana. The company relocated from its three-decade-old, 1,800-sq-ft terminal, which is now occupied by a flight school. ASI's new $2.2 million facility features a 4,400-sq-ft terminal with a glass-sheathed, double-height lobby to allow ample natural light. Other amenities include a full kitchen, complimentary snacks and beverages, concierge service, a 10-seat conference room, pilots' lounge with shower facilities, and crew cars.
The construction project also incorporated an adjoining 18,200-sq-ft hangar that can accommodate aircraft up to a Gulfstream G550. That brings the CAA-preferred FBO to 110,000 sq ft of hangar space at the airport. A full-service facility, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, the Avfuel-branded location specializes in quick turnarounds and offers a Part 145 repair station, ramp-side vehicle access, and on-site car rental. The location will be adding a self-serve 100LL pump next month.
With its 7,000-foot runway, the airport—just 10 minutes north of Louisville, Kentucky—expects to welcome traffic for the Kentucky Derby, which was rescheduled to September due to Covid-19 concerns.
Jetcraft Taps F/List for MicroShield 360 Applications
Business jet brokerage Jetcraft is the launch customer for interiors specialist F/List’s Microshield 360 treatment program, which protects against pathogens on cabin surfaces. Additionally, Jetcraft is the first aircraft dealer using MicroShield 360, which is available for all in-service aircraft purchased through the company and has already been applied to all eligible aircraft in Jetcraft’s owned inventory.
Jetcraft’s first two jets to get the MicroShield 360 coating—a Bombardier Challenger 604 and Global 5000—were treated by F/List last week. “I was impressed by the speed of the application, which took only two hours from start to finish for a whole year of protection,” said Jetcraft president Chad Anderson.
After sterilizing the cabin with a disinfectant, F/List electrostatically applies MicroShield 360. The coating—which is nontoxic, colorless, odorless, and safe for all aircraft interiors—forms a barrier of nanoscopic spikes that physically destroy germs by piercing the cell membranes. According to Jetcraft, MicroShield 360 is also “extremely abrasion-resistant” and, when combined with regular cleaning, makes surfaces effectively self-disinfecting for at least 12 months.
FAA Symposium Sheds Further Light on Illegal Charter
The FAA yesterday furthered its campaign to combat illegal charter with an online Safe Air Charter Symposium that brought together leaders of industry and government.
Highlighting that the issue remains a key safety focus for the agency, the webinar was designed to shed light on factors associated with illegal charter, such as operational control, “holding out” or advertising to the public, and conducting flights for compensation or hire, according to NBAA, which participated in the symposium. Participants in the event also discussed legitimate tools for reimbursements under time-sharing, dry leasing, and joint-ownership arrangements.
“There are ways to accept reimbursement or compensation under FAR Part 91," said NBAA director of flight operations and regulations Brian Koester, who was among the webinar participants. "Organizations, passengers, and pilots should seek legal counsel to ensure any arrangement under FAR 91.501 is compliant with current regulations and guidance. We believe the emphasis must be on the education of operators and passengers to avoid the clueless and careless operations, then [on] bringing enforcement to those with intent to skirt the regulations.”
In addition to NBAA, participants in the webinar included representatives from NATA and various FAA offices, along with legal experts.
CL605 Gets Upgrade, 48-month Check at DC Aviation
DC Aviation’s maintenance facility at Stuttgart Airport in Germany has completed a 48-month check and upgrade on a Bombardier Challenger 605. In addition to the comprehensive maintenance check, the project included a cabin refurbishment and updates to the Collins Aerospace Pro Line 21 avionics suite, including installation of ADS-B capabilities and implementation of a takeoff safety enhancement system.
The work comes as operators in Europe face deadlines for the installation of ADS-B or development of a plan towards that upgrade. ADS-B already is required in the U.S. and the UAE.
DC Aviation provides line and base maintenance services for a range of aircraft types in its 5,000-sq-m hangar at Stuttgart Airport and a 12,500-sq-m facility at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai. The maintenance specialist also houses parts inventories and special tooling for certain aircraft, as well as a battery and wheel shop, testing equipment, and a maintenance logistics center.
VIP Completions Gains FAA Part 145 Mx Nod
VIP Completions has been awarded FAA Part 145 certification, clearing the Fort Lauderdale, Florida facility to provide maintenance, inspections, and alterations on aircraft and aircraft accessories.
“This is a major milestone in the strategic plan that we have been working on for several years,” said VIP Completions president Ben Shirazi. “The FAA certification process is very rigorous, and successful completion is a testament to our project management, quality control, and compliance standards.”
The approval will help VIP Completions expand its market base, particularly with Part 135 operators, Shirazi said, adding that the company plans to pursue EASA Part 145 accreditation next to build on its international reach.
“Thus far, 2020 has been a good year for VIP Completions—our hangar slots have been consistently full,” he said. “[The FAA] certification was secured during a particularly busy period.” VIP Completions has been working on projects that have involved the coordination of major inspections, custom paint oversight, and interior refurbishments on a Bombardier Global Express, Dassault Falcon 7X, and Gulfstream G550.
Safran, ZF Aviation Team on Ardiden 3-based Turboprop
Safran Helicopter Engines and ZF Aviation Technology have signed an MoA to strengthen their collaboration to offer a turboprop engine based on the Safran Ardiden 3 turboshaft. While the agreement announced on Tuesday is for European military applications—specifically the unmanned, training, and transport segments—the 1,700- to 2,000-shp Ardiden 3TP is also seen as a potential commercial competitor to the Pratt & Whitney PT6 and GE Aviation Catalyst turboprop engines.
ZF Aviation Technology will provide the propeller reduction and accessory gearbox of the Ardiden 3TP, while MT-Propeller will supply the propeller. The Fadec-equipped engine will be optimized for operation at medium and high altitudes, up to 45,000 feet.
In addition to using the core from the Ardiden 3 turboshaft engine, the turboprop variant will feature technologies developed by Safran through a Clean Sky 2 Tech TP demonstrator undergoing ground testing since last June. Tech TP offers 15 percent lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions over current engines, Safran said.
Bombardier Pitches Special-mission Bizjets
Bombardier yesterday made a fresh pitch for special mission versions of its business jets at an online briefing held in conjunction with the Farnborough Airshow’s FIA Connect effort. Steve Patrick, v-p of specialized aircraft, said that all of the company’s portfolio, from the Learjet 75 to the Global 7500, are candidates for conversion.
In particular, Patrick claimed that the Bombardier Globals offer “unrivalled size, weight, power, and cooling capacity.” For instance, the Global 5000/5500 series provides up to eight operator workstations, up to 200KvA of baseline electrical power, and a payload of 7,139 pounds. The largest of the breed, the Global 7500, can accommodate at least 10 operators, plus four seats at the rear for crew rest, VIP transport, or briefings. According to Patrick, the spacious cabins offer “a low-fatigue environment,” which is significant because the Globals offer an endurance of 18 hours.
To date, the Global 6000/6500 has proved the most popular for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, with “hundreds of thousands of hours flown,” according to Patrick. The lead customer appears to be the UK Royal Air Force, which has flown its five Sentinel R.1 aircraft on multiple operations since 2008. Saab recently delivered the first of three 6000s converted for Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) missions to the UAE Air Force.
How Satellites Revealed Covid Shifts in Airline Traffic
ADS-B data gathered by Spire Aviation’s constellation of 88 satellites is generating charts that shed light on the impact of the global pandemic on air transport. AIN asked the company to track what’s been happening at seven major international airports around the world.
AD requires modification of the electrical harness installations in the nose bay, cockpit, fuselage, wing fairing, and rear fuselage areas. Prompted by the discovery during production that electrical harness installations on some PC-24 did not comply with the approved design.
AD requires replacement of certain cockpit and cabin evaporator filters with serviceable parts and prohibits installation/reinstallation of affected parts. Prompted by reports that during production cockpit and cabin evaporator filters were installed on some PC-24s that were not the proper parts for the affected configuration. If not corrected, this condition could degrade the fire retardant properties of the filters, possibly resulting in an increase in smoke in the cockpit/cabin in case of electrical heater over-temperature.
Requires a one-time tapping inspection of the tail rotor pylon right-hand center skin and any necessary corrective actions. Prompted by an incident where following a retrofit installation that involved the removal of the tail rotor pylon structure, it was discovered that the integrity of the honeycomb panel of the pylon right-hand side center skin had been compromised during that process. According to EASA, such damage might remain undetected since there is no dedicated inspection of the honeycomb panel after its removal and reinstallation. If not detected and corrected, this condition could subsequently lead to pylon vibrations and a large reduction of safety margins, possibly resulting in the loss of structural integrity of the tail rotor pylon.
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