Single Bidder Enters Final Negotiations for Piaggio

Negotiations for the sale of Piaggio Aerospace are entering the final stage with the field of would-be buyers narrowed to a single bidder, the Italian airframer has confirmed. Those negotiations are expected to last about a month and result in an “irrevocable and binding offer.”

The company originally received 19 expressions of interest for the acquisition of the corporate assets of Piaggio Aero Industries and Piaggio Aviation, the two companies operating under the Piaggio Aerospace brand. That field narrowed to four earlier this year, and Vincenzo Nicastro, extraordinary commissioner for the company that entered into extraordinary receivership in late 2018, recently obtained approval from the Italian Ministry for Economic Development to negotiate with a single potential investor, it said.

Piaggio is not yet revealing the name of the bidder but called it the most suitable to take over the assets, according to criteria that include “quality of the industrial plan, long-term vision, jobs preservation, and value of the offer.”

Once an offer is produced, it must undergo a series of government reviews and approvals, including from the Ministry for Economic Development. Also, company unions would be involved at that stage, but Piaggio expressed the belief that it was “confident that no critical issue should come from their part.”

KinectAir Offering Frax Shares in VoltAero Cassio

Private aviation platform KinectAir is offering fractional shares in VoltAero’s Cassio hybrid-electric airplane. In a joint announcement late last week, the companies said customers can reserve share positions in the four-seat Cassio 330, for which deliveries are due to begin in fourth-quarter 2023.

U.S.-based KinectAir will launch its Pioneer fractional ownership program this week at EAA AirVenture. It has not yet provided full details about terms and conditions or pricing but did say customers can also place reservations for complete aircraft. The company also indicated that the Pioneer program would allow owners to earn revenue to offset costs by permitting other people to fly in the aircraft in an arrangement that it compared to Airbnb.

According to KinectAir, the Cassio 330s will be positioned at various U.S. airports based on user demand. It did not say who will operate the aircraft, but it has previously announced plans to secure an air operator certificate.

The Cassio aircraft are expected to have a range of up to 800 miles and fly at speeds of up to 230 mph. VoltAero intends to certify the aircraft under Part 23 rules and says they will require only 1,800 feet of runway to take off and land.

Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.

Appleton FBO: New Name, New Management

Ahead of this week’s EAA Airventure 2021 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Appleton International Airport (KATW) has assumed control of the operations of its lone FBO from Express Airport Services and, in the process, changed the name of the facility from Platinum Flight Center to Appleton Flight Center.

The airport, which is just 24 miles from Oshkosh and the primary reliever for Airventure, is expecting to welcome more than 500 aircraft this week as a result of the world's largest fly-in gathering.

Outagamie County-owned KATW, home to 75 aircraft and to a rapidly-expanding Gulfstream completions center, features an 8,000-foot main runway and a U.S. Customs facility with the ability to offer no-fee customs clearance for international aircraft of up to 20 passengers.

“We’ve learned that pilots from all over the world know Appleton,” said airport director Abe Weber. “We’re fortunate to have well-known aviation brands like Gulfstream and Air Wisconsin here at KATW, and it makes sense to leverage the Appleton name for our general aviation customers.”

King Air 260 Buyers To Receive New Interior Options

Beginning in early 2022, buyers of the Beechcraft King Air 260 will have a new selection of cabin fabrics and color schemes from which to choose as well as additional amenities. Four standard color palates—alpaca, buttercream, new pewter, and latte—will be available for the seven-seat turboprop twin as well as a premium interior that Textron Aviation calls Lava Saddle.

Improvements include a modernized refreshment center, multiple USB charging ports, and LED lighting including in cupholders and through pinholes along the lower sidewalls. “The Beechcraft King Air is an iconic aircraft, and we place a great emphasis on continually improving these products,” said Textron Aviation senior v-p of customer experience Christi Tannahill. “In addition to the latest technology we recently introduced in the cockpit, these new features we are bringing to the cabin of the King Air 260 will create an elevated flying experience for passengers.”

The new cabin options follow last December’s unveiling of the 260, which primarily introduced an upgraded flight deck with Innovative Solutions & Support’s (IS&S) ThrustSense Autothrottle, a digital pressurization controller, and Collins Aerospace’s Multi-Scan RTA-4112 weather radar.

Smart Glide Guides Stricken Airplane to Suitable Airport

Garmin introduced the newest member of its Autonomi family of safety products, Smart Glide, which helps pilots deal with engine failures by recommending a suitable nearby airport and engaging the autopilot to fly to that airport at the appropriate airspeed.

The avionics maker expects Smart Glide to be available next month and will provide it as a free software upgrade for compatible avionics, including GTN Xi navigators paired with Garmin’s G500/G600 TXi and G3X displays and GI 275 and G5 electronic flight instruments, as well as experimental G3X Touch and G3X autopilot systems. If equipped with a compatible autopilot, including the GFC 500/600, Smart Glide activation will automatically engage the autopilot.

Pilots can activate Smart Glide either using the optional $129 Smart Glide button or by holding the “direct to” button for two seconds. After activating Smart Glide, which creates a “direct to” route to the recommended airport, the map page on the GTN Xi shows a glide range ring with airports within gliding distance. The ring adjusts dynamically to account for wind and terrain, and also displayed in a decluttered view are current altitude (agl), estimated altitude (agl) at arrival, bearing, and distance to the airport.

The key benefit of Smart Glide is to free up the pilot to focus on dealing with the emergency situation—for example, running the engine-failure checklist. 

Diamond Debuts DA50 RG Single at AirVenture

Diamond Aircraft will debut and take orders for its DA50 RG high-performance, five-seat retractable-gear, single-engine aircraft at this year’s EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. It will be on display at the company exhibit at Booth #9 on James Ray Boulevard and will begin a nationwide U.S. demonstration tour in September.  

The DA50 RG is powered by a turbocharged, fadec-controlled, 300-hp Continental CD-300 that runs on jet-A. Diamond's DA50 RG, which can use runways shorter than 2,500 feet, and has a 44-foot wingspan, top speed of 181 knots, range of 750 nm (with reserves), and ceiling of 20,000 feet. Fuel consumption at long-range cruise power is 9 gph and fuel capacity is 51.5 U.S. gallons. It has a useful load of 1,232 pounds and an mtow of 4,407 pounds.

Deliveries are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2022 following FAA certification validation. Base price is expected to start at $1.15 million with well-optioned models in the $1.3 to $1.4 million range, according to a company spokesman.

AviationManuals Gets Streamlined LOA Nod

AviationManuals has become the first procedures provider approved for a streamlined letter of authorization (LOA) process for Part 91 operators acquiring new aircraft, the manuals and safety services specialist said.

The approach is designed to simplify an LOA approval process that in the past has been cumbersome and labor-intensive, with reviews taking weeks or months, said AviationManuals, which worked with the FAA, manufacturers, and training organizations on its development.

“We have been collaborating with industry leaders to develop a more optimized process for obtaining LOAs,” said Clément Meersseman, senior advisor of international procedures for AviationManuals.

The streamlined LOA, which AviationManuals said will save both operators and the FAA time and money, is in beta testing with a handful of operators purchasing new aircraft with anticipation that guidance and the program would more fully roll out later this year.

“We are extremely proud to have played such an important role in developing this new streamlined process,” said Mark Baier, CEO of AviationManuals. “The fact that we were the very first procedures provider approved to participate by the FAA is a strong testament to our team.”

JetAviva Partners with Gold Aviation on Services

Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based charter management company Gold Aviation Services has partnered with aircraft broker and fellow Florida firm jetAviva to collaborate on services and help build their respective client bases. Gold Aviation Services has provided charter, management, sales, and maintenance services in South Florida since 1995, focusing on light and midsize jets. Melbourne-based jetAviva, meanwhile, has built a portfolio in that space that provides “a direct opportunity for the two firms to join forces,” jetAviva said.

Under the partnership, jetAviva will provide acquisition and brokerage services for Gold Aviation and its clients. “The synergies and vertical potentials between our two companies made this a natural partnership,” said jetAviva president Ryan Scott.

“The preowned business aircraft industry continues to see unprecedented low levels of inventory coupled with growing demand,” he added. “Through this partnership, we are able to present comprehensive business aircraft solutions to our clients when they are perhaps needed now more than ever.”

Gold Aviation founder and CEO Leonard Goldberg added that the partnership “allows us to expand our service offering to our clients while upholding these high standards.”