Textron Aviation Flies High on Stronger Q2 Deliveries
Benefitting from a resurging business aviation market, Textron Aviation reported higher revenue and profit in the second quarter and the first half of 2021 driven by increased deliveries and growing aftermarket business, according to its parent company Textron Inc. The manufacturer of Cessna Citation jets and Beechcraft turboprops also expanded its backlog by $689 million to $2.7 billion, pushing backlog into the six- to nine-month range and resulting in a book-to-bill ratio “at close to two,” Textron president and CEO Scott Donnelly said on an earnings call with analysts today.
For the second quarter, the Wichita airframer delivered 44 jets (including five Longitudes and seven Latitudes), up from 23 last year, and 33 turboprops, up from 15 last year.
Revenue for the quarter was up from a year ago by $414 million to $1.161 billion while profit during the period was $96 million compared with a year-ago loss of $66 million. For the first half of the year, profit was $143 million on revenue of $2.026 billion versus a loss of $63 million on revenue of $1.619 billion in the same period last year. Backlog grew $1.1 billion in the first half of the year, Donnelly added.
Donnelly also noted on the call that the SkyCourier has achieved more than 1,200 hours of in-flight testing and remains on track for entry into service later this year.
Argus: North America June Ops Most Since October 2007
Large-cabin aircraft led the continued rebound in business aviation activity last month in North America, where operations were stronger than even 2019 levels, as well as in Europe, according to TraqPak information from business aviation data provider and safety specialist Argus.
In North America, June marked the strongest month for business aircraft operations since October 2007 with operations up 51 percent from June 2020 but also up 12.1 percent from June 2019. All operational categories showed gains in the month, with fractional activity posting the biggest yearly improvement of 64.2 percent, followed by Part 91 at 50.5 percent and Part 135 at 47.3 percent. Argus called the 114,721 Part 135 flights last month a new record. Similarly, all aircraft categories showed improvements with large-jet activity up 75.7 percent, followed by midsize jets at 60.9 percent, light jets at 44.9 percent, and turboprops at 38.3 percent over June 2020.
Argus sees the growth trends continuing in North America in July, with business aviation operations expected to outpace July 2020 by 41.5 percent and July 2019 by 13.8 percent.
In Europe, meanwhile, operations were up 86.7 percent overall from June 2020 with large jets posting a 147.6 percent jump, followed by midsize jets at 91.8 percent and 78.1 percent improvement in light jets. Turboprops rounded out the gains, up 52.1 percent.
Western FBO operator GateOne has increased its FBO count to three with the addition of Chandler Air Service, the sole service provider at Arizona’s Chandler Municipal Airport.
The facility, which will be renamed GateOne Chandler, includes an 8,000-sq-ft terminal with passenger and pilot lounges, showers, pilot shop, 12-seat A/V-equipped conference room, break room, crew car, flight instructor offices, flight training classroom, and study areas.
It has two hangars, one at 14,000 sq ft to shelter aircraft up to midsize business jets and an 8,000-sq-ft hangar housing the company’s aircraft maintenance operation that was included in the deal along with the Part 141 flight school and 21 rental aircraft.
GateOne plans to update the interior of the terminal to the level of its other FBOs at Stinson Municipal Airport in San Antonio, Texas, and at Utah’s Cedar City Regional Airport, and will retain the existing staff of the Avfuel-branded facility. It has also entered discussions with the airport authority to construct larger hangars capable of handling the latest ultra-long-range business jets.
“GateOne looks forward to helping support the airport’s growth as business and leisure travel in southern Phoenix booms,” said company president and CEO Thomas Mathew. “Our goal is to build upon the FBO’s solid foundation to enhance the local aviation community’s experience with GateOne Chandler as a premium gateway to metro Phoenix.”
Daher Predicts Record Year
Daher expects to deliver 50 of its TBM series 900 and 20 of its Kodiak single-engine turboprops this year, Nicolas Chabbert, senior v-p of Daher's Aircraft division and CEO of Daher Aircraft and Kodiak Aircraft, said during EAA AirVenture this week. Chabbert said the company’s TBM 940 and 910 models were already sold out for 2021, calling the milestone “remarkable” and predicting that 2021 would be a “record year” for the company.
“The market is extremely good,” he said, despite the fact that Daher, like most aerospace companies, is facing a supply chain struggling to keep up. “We don’t have a unified supply chain,” Chabbert acknowledged. Nevertheless, Daher has delivered 22 TBM 900 series to date in 2021. Daher celebrated the delivery of the 1,000th TBM last September. Chabbert said the HomeSafe technology—which lands the aircraft automatically in the event of pilot incapacitation—continues to be a popular feature. More than 60 new TBM 940s have been delivered with the system, which is based on Garmin's Autoland, and it has been retrofitted to another 13 aircraft.
Daher sees a wider role and market appeal for its Kodiak utility turboprop single, including government special missions and air ambulance, Chabbert said. It recently sold two of the aircraft to an Arkansas air ambulance company. Daher, which added the aircraft to its product line when it acquired Quest in 2019, recently introduced the Kodiak Series III, on display at AirVenture this year.
Artificial intelligence (AI) specialist Daedalean is teaming with Avidyne to develop a new vision system for general aviation, advanced air mobility, and special missions markets. Detailing the partnership at EAA AirVenture this week, the companies said the AI-based PilotEye system will provide pilot “advisories” for the flight crew of existing fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, while being ready to support fully autonomous operations in new designs, including eVTOL vehicles.
According to Avidyne, the system will use cameras to scan for traffic and other airborne hazards. Employing Daedalean’s AI software, it will use multiple, redundant guidance sources that could support autonomous operations. It can incorporate other data sources and merge everything into a single intuitive display.
“Through this symbiotic partnership, we are combining the industry-leading artificial intelligence neural network software and certification methodology pioneered by Daedalean, with the proven design, manufacturing, and certification expertise here at Avidyne,” commented Avidyne president Dan Schwinn. “Leveraging advanced AI technologies, these solutions will initially include visual spectrum camera-based systems for visual positioning and traffic detection, hazard avoidance, and landing guidance, as well as providing data that pilots need for quicker and more accurate land-anywhere decision-making assistance in the event of an emergency.”
Want more? A longer version of this article can be found at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective, independent coverage, and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
FAA Warns Pilots: Stay Alert During Autoland Approach
The FAA is stressing the importance that operators notify air traffic control (ATC) when they conduct ILS autoland procedures, citing several instances when localizer signal interference caused deviations on landing.
In a new Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO 21004), the FAA said it “emphasizes the importance of pilot awareness throughout the coupled approach and autoland maneuver.” ATC issues measures designed to protect ILS-critical areas from vehicle traffic and taxiing aircraft when the weather has a ceiling of less than 800 feet and/or visibility of less than 2 miles. However, the ATC measures do not cover preceding arriving or departing aircraft, the FAA said, adding, “Critical area protection is not required when the official weather observation reports weather conditions at or above 800 feet and/or visibility at or above 2 miles.”
However, the use of ILS autoland procedures is common even in good weather, the agency noted. The FAA encouraged operators to include in their procedures a practice of informing ATC of their intent to conduct an autoland approach and ensure their flight-crew manuals have effective information surrounding briefings, stabilized approaches, and go-around procedures during autoland procedures.
Italian manufacturer Curti has brought its Zefhir two-place turbine kit helicopter to EAA AirVenture and is taking orders. During the show kits will be available for $500,000 with a $50,000 deposit required. Post-show the price will increase to $600,000.
The Zefhir features an emergency whole helicopter parachute system, developed with Junkers Profly, mounted atop the main rotor mast, and crashworthy seats. It is powered by a Czech PBSVB 241-shp turbine derated to 141 shp with dual-channel Fadec, has a cruising speed of 87 knots, and a maximum range of 172 nm on its standard 40-gallon fuel tanks. The engine has been bench tested for more than five years and has accumulated 5,000 running hours, according to the company. Range increases to 344 nm with the addition of a 36-gallon auxiliary fuel tank. Mtow is 1,540 pounds and service ceiling is 15,500 feet. The 52-inch wide cockpit is designed to accommodate two, 200-pound occupants, said Jeff Magnus, Curti’s business development director. There is also an 11-cu-ft baggage hold aft of the cockpit.
Magnus said Curti has agreements with three dealers in the U.S. that will provide builder support as well as a flight training contract. He added that, upon completion of assembly, all helicopters first will be test flown by a Curti factory representative. Magnus said the kits are largely assembly projects with little, if any, primary fabrication required.
ACSF Updates Audit Standard To Prepare for SMS Rules
The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) has updated its Industry Audit Standard (IAS) to incorporate safety management system requirements contained within the FAA’s Part 5, as well as the International Civil Aviation Organization Annex 19. The updated IAS, which was developed for Part 135 operations but also can apply to Part 91, comes as the FAA has been developing new SMS requirements for charter operators, maintenance organizations, and manufacturers based on its Part 5 regulations that were originally implemented for commercial scheduled carriers.
ACSF expects the updated requirements will be in place by the end of 2022, and that they will call for an SMS program that is appropriate to the size, scope, and complexity of a company’s operations.
ACSF presented the changes to its standard during a recent auditors’ workshop. “Now that many of our external auditors are aligned with the IAS revisions—and how to interpret the standards—our next step is to help educate our ACSF member companies on what will be required in the coming year,” said ACSF president Bryan Burns. “If a company doesn’t have an SMS in place, the time to start is now, so we urge them to get in touch with us.”
Pennsylvania-based L.J Aviation was the first member company to complete the updated IAS.
No Pilot On Board, But Autonomous Aircraft Can Fly Safely
Automation is growing in many aspects of aviation, but beyond that, fully autonomous operations are being considered for new types of aircraft, including eVTOL air taxis. Technology including advanced software, sensors, automated communications, and artificial intelligence are all part of a complex matrix being developed to make this approach safe. The major benefit is significant cost savings for operators, and that should make new types of air service commercially viable. FutureFlight learned how this is all coming together from independent expert Sergio Cecutta.
AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). We reserve the right to edit correspondence for length, clarity and grammar. Send feedback or news tips to AINalerts editor Chad Trautvetter.
AIN Alerts is a publication of The Convention News Company, Inc., 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
