New Brazilian Frax Firm Amaro Takes First Pilatus PC-24

With the arrival of its first Pilatus PC-24 late last week at São Paulo Catarina International Airport, Amaro Aviation plans to be a major force in the Brazilian fractional aircraft share market—a segment that is expanding with arrival of the country’s own Part K regulations. The company includes several heavy hitters in the Brazilian aviation scene: partner Marcos Amaro is a son of TAM founder Rolim Amaro; CEO David Barione was a founder of GOL and president of TAM; and partner Francisco Lyra is an ex-chairman of ABAG and the aviation know-how behind the Catarina airport.

Amaro Aviation is basing its PC-24 at Catarina, which has an 8,100-foot runway and was recently certified as an international airport by Brazil’s ANAC. The aircraft, which was greeted by a water salute upon landing last Thursday at Catarina, will be joined by a PC-12 turboprop single in November.

Barione told AIN that Amaro Aviation plans to offer “a complete solution for business aviation,” including not only fractional shares but air taxi, charter, and aircraft management services. Although founded only this year, Amaro Aviation already “manages the largest Gulfstream fleet in Brazil,” among other aircraft, having absorbed the management department of Lyra’s CFly Aviation. Barione extolled the PC-24’s ability to land on unimproved runways as important for getting Brazil’s booming agribusiness where it needs to go faster than turboprops.

WingX: Fourth of July Brings Big Boost to Bizav Ops

The Fourth of July holiday in the U.S. saw surging business aviation activity, “smashing records” and exceeding the 2019 level by some 44 percent, according to the latest WingX weekly Global Market Tracker. Comparing the same Thursday through Sunday periods, business aviation activity in the U.S. logged 11,000 more departures in 2021 than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.

The ultra-long-range segment saw the biggest surge during the period, up 77 percent, while super-midsize-jet flights increased 66 percent and light jets climbed 60 percent.

In particular, departures from the U.S. to Mexico across the holiday period rose by 44 percent and to the Bahamas by 63 percent. With restrictions still in place, flights to Canada had not yet recovered, WingX reported.

Meanwhile, during the first six months, global business aviation activity fell less than 4 percent from the first half of 2019 and was 42 percent above a year ago. In addition to the strong activity during the U.S. holiday, business aviation activity reached record levels globally in June, up 10 percent over the same month in 2019, WingX reported.

Speedboat Maker StanCraft Opens Upgraded Idaho FBO

StanCraft Jet Center, one of two FBOs at Idaho’s Coeur d'Alene Airport-Pappy Boyington Field, has opened its permanent facility. Idaho-based StanCraft, the same company that has produced a line of high-end wooden speedboats for nearly a century, purchased the former Southfield FBO in 2018 and began plans to transform the business, which was based out of a 2,000-sq-ft hangar.

The new $15 million Avfuel-branded complex on the north side of the field consists of a 15,000-sq-ft, two-story terminal, with an atrium lobby displaying one of the company’s mahogany boats; a 14-seat conference room; a golf simulator; a “crew club” with private communication pods, bathroom with showers, and a pair of snooze rooms; business center; concierge; coffee shop; tenant offices; and even a dog park for those traveling with their pets. It adjoins a new 30,000-sq-ft heated hangar that can accommodate the latest large-cabin business jets.

StanCraft president Cory Mendenhall told AIN the company will break ground in the fourth quarter of this year on another 30,000-sq-ft hangar that will incorporate a user fee-funded U.S. Customs facility, built to Customs and Border Protection department specifications. A third 30,000-sq-ft hangar, which will house the company’s aircraft maintenance business, is planned for next year.

MRO Insider Event To Highlight Bizav '#PitchAv’ at BACE

MRO Insider is planning a #PitchAv competition during the upcoming NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas to encourage individuals to offer innovative ideas that would bolster business aviation and to help those individuals gain insight on how to implement their ideas. The event will be held on October 13 at the International Innovation Center @ Vegas in Downtown Las Vegas and will feature industry leaders who can provide advice on pitches.

“By hosting #PitchAv, we provide a place for individuals with innovative ideas to be heard and help move the industry forward as a whole,” said Lindsay Nixon, co-founder of the maintenance quote specialist. “We will have judges and participants from all areas of business aviation providing real-world advice and perspective on how to grow their ideas into fruition.”

Nixon is seeking a range of participation, from individuals who wish to pitch ideas to those providing feedback as judges.

The event initially began as an alcohol-free social gathering but then extended into a focus on innovation, said Nixon, who noted both she and her husband are in recovery. “Las Vegas is a lion’s den for someone who is trying to practice sobriety, so we had talked about hosting an alcohol-free event in the past. When beginning to organize #PitchAv, it just made sense to combine the two.”

Wheels Up Adds New Partnerships ahead of Going Public

Private aviation membership company Wheels Up announced some new partnerships this week as it approaches becoming a public company next week through its business combination with special purpose acquisition company Aspirational Consumer Lifestyle Corp.

In collaboration with Porsche Cars North America (PCNA), Wheels Up members will have access to Porsche Drive, PCNA’s on-demand vehicle subscription and rental program, in select cities. For Wheels Up members, the program’s $595 activation fee will be waived for the subscription offering and a 10 percent discount will be applied to short-term rentals. Invitations to events, races, and other experiences also will be offered to Wheels Up members. 

Through a new partnership with American Express, platinum card members will receive discounts and flight credits on new Wheels Up Core and Connect memberships, as well as access to its partner offerings and member-only tentpole and regional art, sports, and entertainment events. The American Express Premium Private Jet Program also allows platinum members to use Wheels Up Marketplace without purchasing a membership, waives a transaction fee, and provides an option to use capped pricing on select aircraft for a round-trip flight within the continental U.S.

All of these new programs come as July 12 has been set as the extraordinary general meeting date for Aspirational shareholders to approve its combination with Wheels Up Partners Holdings. If approved, Wheels Up would become a public company on July 13.

CAE, Volocopter Collaborate on eVTOL Pilot Training

Volocopter and aviation training group CAE are partnering to develop, certify, and deploy a pilot training program to support the launch of commercial eVTOL operations in 2024, the companies announced today. The agreement commits CAE to invest up to $40 million to meet Volocopter’s projected demand for eVTOL pilots in the early years of operations. The Canada-based group will deploy training equipment and instructors through a global partnership, with the initial training services expected to be provided outside Europe.

Meanwhile, Germany-based Volocopter has agreed to purchase a simulator from CAE to be used in its pilot training program certification. According to the company, this simulator will be developed specifically for eVTOL aircraft operations and will be equipped to train pilots to fly any of Volocopter’s in-development vehicles, including the two-seat VoloCity and the larger VoloConnect model.

To develop simulators and the overall training program, CAE said it will employ new technologies including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, mixed reality, and data analytics. The company will be responsible for developing all courseware for training Volocopter pilots and will provide trainees with customized resources.

Through its collaboration with CAE, Volocopter will continue to work with aviation regulators to establish experience requirements for pilots. The company indicated that it intends to recruit and train both experienced and new pilots.

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.

California Airport To Begin Overnight Runway Closures

California’s San Luis Obispo Regional Airport (KSBP) has launched a rehabilitation program on its primary Runway 11/29. Starting off the construction, the 6,100-foot runway will close tonight from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m., and it will be shut again for a 48-hour period July 12 to 14. Beginning July 18, the runway will close overnight from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday through Friday, except for September 12 to 17, when it will again close from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Another 48-hour closure is scheduled for August 16 to 18. The project is expected to be completed in early October.

According to airport owner San Luis Obispo County, the $13.5 million project, funded entirely by FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants, represents a “comprehensive upgrade” to the main runway and its taxiway connectors. The work will consist of milling and replacing the top four inches of pavement along the entire runway surface, and raising the 29 end by two inches to rectify a structural issue, an airport spokesperson told AIN. As well, the entire lighting system, including runway surface lights, and illuminated signage will be improved.

While the airport noted the construction schedule was mapped out months ago with all tenants on the field informed, it added that the schedule is still subject to change.

Bell 212 Crash Prompts Emergency AD

Following a similar directive from Transport Canada, the FAA yesterday issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring the removal and replacement of certain main rotor hub strap pins on select Bell 204, 205, and 212 models before further flight. The emergency AD follows the fatal crash of a Bell 212 last week in Canada.

Canada TSB investigators determined that the pin on that helicopter failed, leading to the detachment of the rotor hub and main rotors in flight. The pin had only 20 hours of service. An inspection of another Canadian-registered 212 found its pin was deformed with only 29 hours time in service. Affected pins are identifiable with the serial number prefix “FNFS” and can be installed in Bell 204B, 205A-1, 205B, and 212 helicopters.

In an alert service bulletin published July 5, Bell said the pin “may have not been manufactured in accordance with the engineering design requirements and may shear as a result of the non-conformance.” The AD impacts approximately 400 helicopters worldwide. Bell said replacing all four pins would require 20 manhours of labor. 

The accident helicopter was a 1979 Bell 212 owned and operated by Yellowhead Helicopters. It was being flown on a fire-suppression support mission transporting fire crews near Evansburg, Alberta, and crashed in a remote area not accessible by road. Pilot Heath Coleman, the sole occupant, was killed.