SkyCourier Makes Public Debut at AirVenture

On the opening day of EAA AirVenture on Monday, the Cessna SkyCourier arrived for its first public appearance. 

Powered by two 1,100-shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65SC turboprop engines, this SkyCourier is serial number one, and it took a brief time off from flight testing to participate in the AirVenture Innovation Showcase before departing yesterday. After taking off, flight-test pilot Todd Dafforn flew two passes along Runway 18-36 before departing the area.

A clean-sheet design, the SkyCourier resulted from discussions with FedEx Express. “In 2017 we knew the feeder fleet [of Cessna Caravan single-engine turboprops] needed updating,” said Bill West, FedEx v-p of supplemental air operations. FedEx Express operates nearly 300 aircraft in 250 locations globally, and it has ordered 50 SkyCouriers. Certification and first delivery are expected later this year.

The design’s 87- by 69-inch rear cargo door and fuselage are designed to accommodate three standard LD3-size containers, giving the SkyCourier twice the capacity of a Caravan and allowing FedEx to deliver oversize cargo to smaller markets.

With a maximum ramp weight of 19,700 pounds and a maximum takeoff weight of 19,000 pounds, the SkyCourier can carry a 6,000-pound freighter payload or 5,000-pound passenger payload. The airplane is also available in a passenger configuration or in a convertible passenger/freighter version. 

In addition to the SkyCourier, Textron Aviation marked the debut of the King Air 260 and CJ4 Gen2 at Oshkosh.

Deliveries Lag but Orders Surge in 2Q for Gulfstream

Gulfstream Aerospace deliveries dropped by a third in the second quarter to 21 but the Savannah, Georgia manufacturer saw strong demand at the same time, resulting in a book-to-bill ratio of 2.1:1, parent company General Dynamics (GD) reported on Wednesday.

GD chairman and CEO Phebe Novakovic called the second quarter the strongest in terms of the number of units in “quite some time." Total funded backlog of GD’s Aerospace group—including Gulfstream and Jet Aviation—grew to $13.155 billion at the end of the second quarter, up from $11.545 billion at the end of the first quarter. Gulfstream is increasing production rates for the rest of the year with plans to deliver 71 aircraft.

However, in the most recent quarter, Gulfstream’s deliveries of 18 large jets and three mid-cabins were down from the 26 large jets and six mid-cabins handed over in the same period in 2020 and  GD’s Aerospace Division saw revenues drop year-over-year by 17.8 percent to $1.622 billion. For the six months, Gulfstream delivered 49 aircraft (43 large-cabin, six mid-cabin), down from 55 (46 large-cabin, nine mid-cabin) in the first half a year ago. 

Novakovic also said the new G700 has accumulated 1,600 test hours from the five flight-test aircraft and remains on target for entry into service later in 2022. But she cautioned that “much remains to be accomplished, particularly with respect to the certification of the new Rolls-Royce engine.” 

Straight Flight Adds Third Mx Facility at Centennial

Straight Flight, an FAA- and EASA-certified repair station based at Centennial Airport (KAPA) in Colorado for commercial, business, and military aircraft, has acquired a 25,000-sq-ft hangar there on three acres of land and is currently adding 4,000 sq ft of office and operations space scheduled for completion in March 2022. The new hangar features 28-ft-high by 10-ft-wide doors and will accommodate midsize to heavy aircraft.

With the new hangar, the subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation has expanded its “strategic hangar system footprint” at KAPA to three facilities, according to Straight Flight general manager Chris Haight.

“Land at Centennial Airport is at a premium and, with local area million-dollar business and development investments on the rise, tandem aviation operations are projected to follow the trend,” said Haight. “Our goal is to expand our on-site aircraft services for both local and nationwide operators. We are fortunate to conduct business at Centennial, which is both geographically advantageous for operators and recognized for exceptional aviation services, nationwide.”

Bombardier, DHC Union Workers Strike in Toronto

Bombardier and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada (DHC) continue to negotiate with union leaders after some 2,200 workers went on strike Tuesday at the Downsview facilities in Toronto, where the Global series of business jets and the Dash 8 regional turboprop are built. 

At issue for the members of Local 112 (production and skilled trades workers) and 673 (technical, office, and professional workers) against the former are pensions, use of contractors, and erosion of bargaining unit work, while concerns at De Havilland revolve around the future of the Dash-8 program. The Downsview site, which is the primary manufacturing site for Bombardier’s flagship Global series business jets, was sold in 2018 and both companies plan to depart the facility. Of the total on strike, approximately 1,500 equate to three-quarters of Bombardier's workforce in Toronto, while 700 are DHC employees. DHC and Bombardier have separate collective worker agreements, but they expired at the same time.

“We will remain at the bargaining table with both companies as the strike action is ongoing,” said Jerry Dias, president of Unifor, the national union that represents both groups. “[We] will continue to make every effort to reach a fair settlement but we have a number of key issues to resolve with both employers.”

A Bombardier spokesperson told AIN “the talks continue and we are focused on seeing the process through to an agreement.” But the airframer did not discuss its production impact at this time.

Tamarack Adds ACI as Service Center, Offers New Course

Tamarack Aerospace has appointed ACI Jet to its network of authorized service centers (ASC), enabling the San Luis Obispo, California MRO provider to offer sales and service of the Tamarack Active Winglet System for the Cessna Citation 525-, 525A-, and 525B-series jets in all eight variants.

ACI Jet joins 11 other Tamarack ASCs in the U.S. and seven in countries that include Brazil, the Channel Islands, Sweden, Serbia, and the UK. Tamarack also has two transformation centers in Aiken, South Carolina, and Oxford, England.

According to Tamarack, more than 140 CitationJets have been modified with its Active Winglet system in the past five years.

In another announcement from the Sandpoint, Idaho manufacturer, Tamarack said it has established the Active Winglet Pilot Proficiency Course as part of the FAA’s Wings Pilot Proficiency Program and FAA Safety Team program. Included in the course is a brief review of the aerodynamics of wings; the Active Winglet system and its benefits, safety, and emergency procedures; and flying tips for maximizing performance with the system. Enrollment in the course is free.

GAMI Gains FAA STC for High-octane Unleaded Avgas

The FAA’s Wichita, Kansas, Aircraft Certification Office issued a supplemental type certificate (STC) to General Aviation Modifications Inc. (GAMI) last week for use of its high-octane unleaded avgas, initially in all models of the Cessna 172. The STC will be expanded using the approved model list process to cover additional aircraft and engine combinations for GAMI’s G100UL avgas.

According to GAMI, “As the approved model list for these STCs expands over the next several quarters, the scope of the aircraft and engines on the AML will provide the functional equivalent of a fleet-wide certification for spark-ignition piston-powered aircraft and engines to operate on G100UL avgas.”

G100UL avgas is a drop-in replacement for the current 100LL avgas, which uses tetraethyl lead to boost octane. General aviation remains the only industry that still uses leaded fuel in high quantities, and there is strong pressure from communities near airports, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and others to eliminate lead in avgas. This move is strongly supported by the aviation industry, including major groups such as AOPA, EAA, and GAMA.

The goal for the 100UL fuel was a drop-in replacement that works on all piston-powered aircraft, meets the same octane requirements with the necessary detonation margin, and is fungible (easily mixed with 100LL), reasonably priced, and manufacturable using normal refining techniques. These goals are all met by 100UL, according to GAMI.

Blackhawk Marks STC Milestone

Blackhawk Aerospace has certified its 30th major powerplant and ancillary product STC. The milestone STC covers Blackhawk’s XP67A Engine+ upgrade for the Beechcraft King Air 300, which is on display at this week’s EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. “This STC represents the pinnacle of achievement for Blackhawk, raising the bar of performance and value standards to the highest levels yet,” said Blackhawk president and CEO Jim Allmon.

Blackhawk also recently received EASA and British Civil Aviation Authority certifications for the True Blue Power TB44 lithium-ion battery for the King Air 350 series twin turboprop. “The TB44 is a great example of the cutting-edge technology that Blackhawk supports in addition to our engine performance upgrades,” Allmon added.

According to Blackhawk, its XP67A Engine+ upgrade—which includes five-blade composite propellers—improves the King Air 300’s available horsepower by 25 percent, increasing speed by up to 50 ktas, and reaching FL350 within 19 minutes versus 42 minutes in a “stock” King Air 300.

Oklahoma College Plans To Add A&P Program

Southern Oklahoma Technology Center in Ardmore is developing an airframe and powerplant technician program, partly with the assistance of Dallas-based King Aerospace, whose MRO operations in Ardmore comprise 200,000 sq ft of hangars as well as an FBO. King Aerospace Commercial Corp. v-p of operations Roy Lischinsky will serve on Southern Tech’s advisory board for the program.

Using a $4 million grant from the Economic Development Administration CARES Act, the school plans to build an 18,775-sq-ft training facility with a shop area, classrooms, and lab spaces for hands-on training. Program details and curriculum are being finalized, but the program is expected to take a year to complete and graduate 16 students a year, who will then be able to sit for the FAA exam.

“Graduates will be in high demand for aviation careers and other fields that require a high degree of mechanical knowledge,” said Lischinsky.

Avidyne Atlas FMS Updates Older Business Aircraft

The FAA has issued technical standard order and supplemental type certificate (STC) approvals for installation of Avidyne’s Atlas flight management system (FMS) in the Citation 560XL, Excel, and XLS. The Dzus-mounted Atlas FMS adds modern capabilities such as LPV approaches to older business aircraft without the need to update all the onboard avionics.