Daher Expands Product Range with Quest Buy

French airframer Daher, manufacturer of the popular TBM line of single-engine turboprops, will expand its aircraft portfolio with the purchase of U.S.-based Quest Aircraft, the company announced today. The Sandpoint, Idaho company builds the 10-seat, unpressurized Kodiak 100, with more than 270 in service. The rugged, single-engine, high-wing turboprop is certified in 67 countries and is capable of operating on uneven or very short runways.

“As a powerful and maneuverable aircraft, used particularly for humanitarian missions to provide aid to isolated communities, the Kodiak 100 perfectly complements our TBM product range and is fully in line with Daher’s long-term vision as a company committed to the future of aviation,” explained Patrick Daher, chairman of the family-owned company.

All 240 Quest employees are expected to join Daher, and according to company CEO Didier Kayat, the purchase, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, also represents a larger, strategic expansion. “The Quest Aircraft Company’s acquisition represents an additional step in our development in the United States and an overall strengthening of our aircraft manufacturing business,” said Kayat. “In addition to making Daher the world’s seventh largest aircraft manufacturer in business aviation, it provides us with our first industrial site in the United States, thereby reinforcing Daher’s position as a Tier-1 aerospace equipment and systems manufacturer, as well as a logistics and services provider.”

Gulfstream’s G600 To Make Paris Air Show Debut

As it awaits certification from the FAA, Gulfstream’s G600 will make its debut at the Paris Air Show next week, joining the Georgia-based airframer’s G280, G550, and flagship G650ER in the static display at Le Bourget Airport.

The long-range, large-cabin twinjet is equipped with the same Honeywell Primus Epic-based Gulfstream Symmetry flight deck as its smaller G500 sibling, featuring touchscreen displays and fly-by-wire with active control side sticks. The aircraft is capable of linking Paris with Los Angeles or Hong Kong at an average speed of Mach 0.90.

“The European response to the G600 and the innovations it brings to business aviation have been extraordinary,” noted Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “With Gulfstream’s advanced technology in the flight deck and award-winning design in the cabin, the G600 offers customers in every region a compelling combination of speed, comfort, and safety.”

The G600 could receive certification and approval of its production certificate by the end of June, with the first deliveries to follow soon after.

Tamarack Founder Named CEO in Reorganization

Tamarack Aerospace announced Wednesday a reorganization of its management structure as the company works through Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Company founder Nick Guida, inventor of the active load-alleviation system (Atlas) winglet, has been named CEO and chief engineer Jacob Klinginsmith will now serve as Tamarack’s president.

The company filed for Chapter 11 protection earlier this month in the wake of FAA and EASA airworthiness directives grounding Cessna CitationJet, CJ1, CJ2 and CJ3 light jets fitted with Atlas winglets. Tamarack is now awaiting approval from those agencies for two previously issued company service bulletins addressing Atlas control issues as a means to return the fleet to service.

"We're cautiously optimistic that we will have a breakthrough on the technical review underway at EASA soon,” Klinginsmith told AIN, adding that agency’s bilateral agreement with the FAA “should greatly reduce the time required for [agency] review, and ultimately reduce the time required for FAA to issue terminating actions for the U.S. fleet."

Guida – who previously served as Tamarack's chief technology officer – also expressed optimism for the company going forward, including plans to expand Atlas availability to other aircraft.

"The outstanding performance and benefits of the active winglet technology have been proven on the Cessna Citation 525 series and we made a healthy profit last year,” he continued. “I am confident that we will emerge from Chapter 11 stronger and more invigorated."

FAA Advises Operators on Flight Plans Without GPS

NBAA has sent a notice to members pointing to an FAA advisory about how the recent GPS outage caused by certain Collins Aerospace GPS receivers affects flight planning. 

The advisory from the FAA Air Traffic System Command Center highlights the importance of using the proper ICAO flight plan equipment codes if planning a flight without GPS. While some aircraft affected by the GPS outage cannot fly because two working GPS receivers are required, others are able to fly because GPS is on their minimum equipment lists. 

According to the advisory, “The loss of GPS may affect the ability of the aircraft to fly certain routes and procedures, and may affect its ability to operate within certain airspace.” 

While some avionics can be used to fly RNAV routes and procedures, the FAA explained, “DME/DME or DME/VOR RNAV navigation is not approved for use on U.S. RNAV 1 procedures or RNAV 2 routes.” 

The FAA recommends that pilots consult Advisory Circular 90-100A Compliance Guide, “which provides a quick reference as to whether the aircraft and/or RNAV system requires GPS to fly these routes and procedures or whether the aircraft can use DME/DME/IRU navigation in lieu of GPS.”  

The Collins GPS outage, NBAA said, “highlights some important considerations when a primary navigation system is longer available since today's aviation system is highly dependent on the availability of GPS.”

NATA: Few Regulations Apply To UAM Ground Ops

There are few regulations currently in place governing vertiport ground operations as they apply to any future urban air mobility (UAM) Part 135 on-demand air charter activity, according to a new NATA whitepaper titled “Urban Air Mobility: Considerations for Vertiport Operation.”

“This whitepaper illuminates the lack of specific regulations in areas that will give UAM companies a lot of opportunities to define how their operations can look in the future, including ground handling and passenger facilitation. Those unregulated areas also happen to be many of NATA members’ key lines of business and expertise. NATA stands ready to work with the UAM industry to share our experiences and methods, as well as develop synergistic connections between UAM companies and our members,” noted NATA president Gary Dempsey.

According to the whitepaper, there are no federal regulations governing aircraft ground handling or passenger facilitation. However, NATA noted that the industry does subscribe to various “best practices” in these areas including those set by the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH).

NATA also noted, “FBOs have developed proven methods to safely and efficiently move passengers to and from aircraft in very active ramp environments.” The association is also chairing a new working group under the IS-BAH Standards Review Board to explore UAM issues in ground handling.

Satcom Direct Expands Data Center

Satcom Direct has doubled the footprint at its Melbourne, Florida headquarters to 10,000 sq ft as part of an ongoing multi-phase expansion. The increased footprint came with the completion of the second phase, or “Bravo” stage, involving an expanded SD Data Center that was designed to Category 5 hurricane-proof standards.

With the addition, the company has increased capacity for at least 120 more server cabinets that provide secure data storage for clients of all sizes, the company said. Satcom Direct began the Bravo phase when the existing data center was nearing targeted capacity goals. Installation of the infrastructure is under way, with customer server cages and cabinets in process.

Its data center provides space for the creation of private networks for clients when connected to SD hardware, software, and satellite connectivity. These private networks enable compliance with security protocols in the aircraft environment similar to at any other corporate location, Satcom Direct said.

“The SD Data Center provides efficient and secure transport of data across a self-owned, fully redundant and highly scalable network,” said Chris Moore, SD's president for business aviation. “The latest figures collated from our existing threat-monitoring subscribers show that this is becoming more necessary.”

Phase three, or “Charlie,” is in the planning stage to support customized offerings for aviation clients, the company said.

Nav Canada Proposes User Fee Increase

Nav Canada has released a proposal to revise customer service charges to recover the costs of ADS-B surveillance data services. Proposed base rate service charge revisions, effective September 1, will average a 0.8 percent increase. Charges related to ADS-B surveillance are proposed to begin Jan. 1, 2020. Three options are suggested: a flat service charge per flight of $155.03, by aircraft weight, and by distance flown.

Under the weight option, the increased fee would be based on the average of the mtow using all of the operator’s aircraft of the same type. Under the distance option, flights that enter or exit Canadian-controlled oceanic airspace will be calculated as the great circle distance between the point of entry and point of exit of the flight in that airspace.

In addition to the proposed revisions to customer service charge rates, Nav Canada is proposing that its rate stabilization account (RSA) be managed on an annual basis in conjunction with the rate setting and budgeting process. This process would replace the formula-based RSA target balance of 7.5 percent of annual operating expenses.

Nav Canada said its customer service charges “remain among the lowest” among air navigation service providers. Input received during the consultation period will be considered by Nav Canada’s board of directors before deciding on the proposals. Comments are due August 6.

Avion Pacific’s Wu Zhendong Appointed AsBAA Chairman

The Asia Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) appointed Avion Pacific Limited chairman and CEO Wu Zhendong its new chairman on June 11. He will take over from Sinojet president Jenny Lau, who has held that role since June 2017.

At the AsBAA annual general meeting held at Singapore, the AsBAA members also voted in a new board of directors, from four members to five this year. They are Phil Balmer, chairman of the AsBAA Hong Kong regional committee and maintenance director at TAG Aviation Asia; Paul Desgrosseilliers, ExecuJet Haite Aviation Services China’s general manager and accountable manager; Max Motschmann, CEO of International Jet Management Asia; Rocky Zhang, v-p government affairs at Textron China; and Lou-Ann Seet Collins Aerospace's avionics, information management services, and customer support manager.

Also nominated were Andy Hudson, founder and CCO of Down-Route Singapore and owner of PJC Aviation Group, as well as Benjamin Lopez, the chairman of the AsBAA Philippines chapter.

Taking a different approach this year, the chairperson is appointed among the six elected board of directors, allowing greater synergy between the directors. The new board also has one of the biggest representations of Asian members, underscoring the desire to lead the association and the rise of the industry in the region.