Flexjet is taking its flight operations quality assurance (FOQA) program to the next level by marrying GE’s flight safety analysis services with quick access recorders (QARs) with built-in cellular data services from GE joint-venture partner Avionica. The equipment will be used to monitor Flexjet’s U.S. fleet of 150 aircraft, which includes the Embraer Phenom 300 and Legacy 450; Bombardier Challenger 300/350 and Global Express; and Gulfstream G450 and G650. Flexjet expects to have its entire fleet equipped with Avionica miniQARs by the fourth quarter of next year, it told AIN.
“Flexjet has been a customer of our C-FOQA product for many years,” said John Mansfield, chief digital officer for GE Aviation. “Since Flexjet has experienced considerable growth in its fleet, this agreement upgrades its safety solution to our eFOQA, the standard in large-operator FOQA programs worldwide.”
According to Flexjet chief safety officer Todd Anguish, the QAR firmware will be customized to include Flexjet-specific flight events by using the roughly 4.5 million data points collected during flight that are then automatically sent wirelessly via cell data immediately after landing. “The comprehensive data we can gather immediately allows us to ensure safer operation of our fleet with real-time flight data monitoring to address any potential flight safety concerns immediately,” he said.
The number of fatal accidents and fatalities involving U.S.-registered turbine business airplanes in the first six months of this year might set an all-time high. According to preliminary first-half statistics gathered by AIN, 19 died in four business jet crashes and 28 lost their lives in five turboprop crashes. In the same period last year, one died in a single business jet accident and seven perished in three turboprop mishaps.
Thirteen were reportedly killed in the crash of an N-numbered Bombardier Challenger 601-3A that went missing May 5 over Mexico. Two died in the May 22 crash of a Cessna Citation SII and, two days later, another two were killed when a Citation 560 overshot its planned destination and crashed into the sea. On April 12, three were killed in the crash of a Rockwell Sabreliner.
On the turboprop side, two Beech King Air takeoff accidents resulted in 21 fatalities—11 in a June 21 crash of an A90 and 10 on June 30 in a Model 350. A Cessna Conquest crash on June 10 killed the pilot and sole occupant and four perished on June 7 when a turboprop-converted Piper Malibu broke up in flight. And a May 13 midair collision between two tour aircraft took the life of one person in a de Havilland Turbine Otter.
Australian MRO provider TAE Aerospace has rebranded its latest acquisition, Arizona-based Copperstate Turbine Engine Co. (CTEC), to TAE Aerospace. The acquisition—which included CTEC’s Scottsdale, Arizona, and Anchorage locations—occurred in February shortly after TAE purchased Kansas City-based Propulsion Controls Co. (PCC). In addition to other capabilities, all three companies provide MRO support for the Honeywell TPE331 turboprop and/or its associated Woodward fuel control.
“CTEC was a good match for us in culture, market knowledge, and the way they do business,” said TAE Aerospace CEO Andrew Sanderson. “We could see where the synergies from our business in Australia would fit well with these businesses in the U.S. [The acquisitions were] a good stepping stone for our entry into the U.S. market.”
Founded in 2000, TAE Aerospace offers a range of MRO services including overhauls, repairs, or maintenance on various aircraft wheels and brakes; select GE, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney Canada, and Rolls-Royce engines; Honeywell and Woodward fuel controls and governors; electromechanical components; and Kidde fire protection equipment. With the acquisition of PCC and CTEC, TAE claims to be the largest provider of TPE331 services in the world.
While Sanderson said TAE plans to infuse some capital into improvements at the CTEC facilities, personnel will essentially remain the same.
FAA Establishes New Part 135 Rest and Duty Committee
A joint government/industry committee is set to tackle Part 135 pilot rest and duty requirements once again. At the behest of Congress, the FAA formally established the charter for a Part 135 Pilot Rest and Duty Rules Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) that will review current regulations and make recommendations on any necessary changes.
In the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Congress directed the FAA to establish a Part 135 rest and duty ARC that includes representatives of industry, labor (both from Part 135 and 91K), and safety experts. Congress further stipulated that the ARC is to review prior efforts to develop new rest and duty rules, accommodations that might be necessary for small business, scientific and safety data, and the need to accommodate the diversity of operation.
The charter for the new ARC calls for a committee comprising 20 members and stipulates that members should review current rules; review other commercial rest and duty rules, including for Part 121 and ICAO standards; identify deficiencies within the current regulations; consider aspects directed by Congress; and develop consensus recommendations. While the ARC’s charter will last 24 months, the recommendations will be due within 16 months of the first meeting.
The ARC resurrects the decades-long efforts to update Part 135 pilot rest and duty rules.
Leonardo’s Louisiana Support Facility Gets Part 145 OK
Leonardo’s new Gulf of Mexico Helicopter Support Center has gained Part 145 repair station approval from the U.S. FAA. The 21,000-sq-ft facility in Broussard, Louisiana, opened in January and initially was limited to providing customers with spares and support. Part 145 authorization allows it to provide full helicopter blade repair, spare parts, and technical support to customers across the Americas for all AW109, AW119, and AW139 models.
According to Leonardo, the Gulf of Mexico Support Center is part of its commitment to expand material and technical assistance across the Americas and aligns with its industrial plan aimed at strengthening the level of service worldwide. Leonardo’s North American fleet has doubled in the last 10 years and demand for Leonardo helicopters in Latin America has grown to include both established and popular models, as well as all news types for VIP/corporate, offshore and public services, the company noted. More than 700 Leonardo helicopters are in service across the Americas.
Additional Leonardo Helicopter Support Centers in the Americas are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Las Vegas; and São Paulo, Brazil.
Safety Concerns Challenge U.S. eVTOL Market
The U.S. urban eVTOL market could exceed $17 billion by 2040, but the vast majority of potential passengers still consider the vehicles unsafe, according to consulting firm Deloitte Global. This will cause the cargo segment of the market to lead any advancement in the passenger market, it added.
“Considerable strides [have been] made in the advancement of elevated mobility, particularly in the last two years,” said Robin Lineberger, Deloitte Global’s aerospace and defense leader. “While the public may focus on the viability of eVTOLs in human transportation, the movement of cargo is just as important and will likely drive early adoption of these aircraft. However, eVTOLs pose a significant risk to traditional helicopter manufacturers; if they are to successfully traverse this disruption, they should consider reexamining product mixes, business models, or even shifting their focus to evolving markets for unmanned aerial transport,” said Lineberger.
However, Deloitte pointed out that considerable regulatory, technology, and public acceptance obstacles remain before eVTOLs can be deployed in a meaningful way. The firm recently surveyed 10,000 potential autonomous eVTOL users and found that 80 percent believe these vehicles “will not be safe” or are uncertain about their safety. The firm noted that enabling technologies still need to mature. Specifically, it said that advancements in onboard collision avoidance systems, battery management, and ground infrastructure are still needed.
Safran Helicopter Engines and Thai Aviation Industries (TAI) signed an agreement to extend their support to helicopter engines used by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and Thai parapublic operators. TAI’s partnership with Safran is managed by Safran Helicopter Engines Asia, in Singapore, which supports more than 1,000 Safran helicopter engines in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
The new agreement is built around the Global Support Package (GSP) service model, which guarantees engine availability to military and parapublic operators and expands on an accord signed in 2017, when Safran committed to supporting Makila engines aboard Airbus Helicopters H225s operated by the Royal Thai Air Force.
TAI is the main aircraft repair and maintenance service provider in Thailand. The new agreement covers approximately 50 engines, including the Arrius and Arriel, and more operators such as the Royal Thai Navy. It also covers technical support to include inventory management and confirms TAI as the national distributor of Safran spare parts. The Royal Thai Armed Forces operate Makila-powered H225M and Arriel-powered fleets of H125M, H145M, AS365N3+, and H155. Individual operators include the Royal Thai Air Force, Army, Navy, Police, and Survey Department.
July 4th Activities To Halt DCA Ops
The FAA is temporarily suspending operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on July 4 to accommodate planned flyovers and fireworks, the agency announced. The White House is incorporating changes to this year’s July 4 celebration to include a speech by President Trump at the Lincoln Memorial that will be accompanied by a military flyover. As a result of the flyover, operations will be halted at DCA from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., the FAA said.
Operations also will be affected from 9 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. for the fireworks demonstration, the agency added. Fireworks traditionally have been set off near the Lincoln Memorial but are moving to West Potomac Park—and closer to the DCA flight patterns—in light of the planned speech.
Aeromedical and emergency flights will be authorized as necessary, the agency said, adding operations at other nearby commercial airports, including Baltimore Washington International (BWI) and Washington Dulles International (IAD), will not be affected.
As it plans for the changes in this year’s celebrations in Washington, the agency also renewed its warnings against flying drones near fireworks or near airports, as well as against pointing lasers at aircraft. The FAA further reminded the general traveling public that fireworks are not permitted either in carry-on or checked baggage.
Requires inserting a ground operations limitation into the airplane flight manual and installing a placard limiting ground operations. It also includes optional actions to terminate these ground operating limitations. Prompted by a report of understrength rivets installed during manufacture of the bulkhead assembly.
Requires repetitive replacement of the affected main gearbox (for in-shop check of the affected part) and an operational limitation for one engine inoperative (OEI) training flights by installing placards. AD also introduces conditions for installing a replacement MGB on a helicopter.
Requires replacing screws installed on the left and right main landing gear shock absorber assembly. Prompted by a report that some of these screws might have been manufactured without meeting specifications.
Requires repetitive inspections of the main rotor hub chip detectors and/or oil for contamination by metallic particles and, depending on findings, accomplishment of applicable corrective action(s).
Supersedes but retains the requirements of EASA AD 2018-0009, which introduced more restrictive tasks into the aircraft maintenance manual, and adds more new and/or more restrictive tasks.
Supersedes but retains the requirements of EASA AD 2018-0021, which introduced more restrictive tasks into the aircraft maintenance manual, and adds more new and/or more restrictive tasks.
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