EASA Approves Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen2

Five months after Textron Aviation unveiled the Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen2, the Wichita, Kansas airframer has received EASA certification for the $10.75 million light twin, allowing deliveries in Europe to begin this quarter.

Dalavation Switzerland is the first European customer for the type. The upgrades include new folding airstairs with a lower step to the ground, step lighting, and a handrail; new seating options; new ambient lighting provided by two CoolView skylights in the lavatory and aft cabin; and a galley with improved storage.

The improvements are capped off by an upgraded wireless cabin management system (CMS) that comes with a media server capable of streaming preloaded audio and video files, accessing SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and providing moving maps. With the new CMS, passengers can wirelessly control cabin lighting, window shades, and temperature from their mobile devices.

The CJ4 Gen2 received current interior certification under its Model 525C FAA type certificate.

GDC Technics Faces Liquidation

GDC Technics, which filed for bankruptcy in April, faces a showdown between management’s reorganization plan and a court-appointed creditors’ committee, which favors liquidating the completions and MRO company. GDC filed for bankruptcy after Boeing terminated contracts that month for modification and refurbishment work on two Air Force One 747-8s for the U.S. government’s executive fleet.

Last month, Fort Worth-based GDC vacated its facility at Port San Antonio and laid off some 250 employees, and this month it filed an emergency motion to obtain $7.4 million in financing for its operations over an 18-week period. These funds “will facilitate a successful reorganization or going-concern sale” of the business, GDC said in the motion. But the committee of unsecured creditors alleges in federal bankruptcy court that GDC insiders are taking the company’s remaining value for their own benefit at the expense of creditors.

The committee thus contends that liquidating GDC under Chapter 7 bankruptcy would be in the creditors’ best interest. GDC, the former Gore Design Completions, has listed $54.2 million in assets and $55.2 million in debts in its bankruptcy filings.

Meanwhile, Boeing has taken over GDC’s lease at the Port San Antonio facility and continues the work on the Air Force One jets. However, delivery of the two presidential jets will be delayed by a year.

Gogo Marks Milestone with Avance In-flight Connectivity

Gogo Business Aviation has reached a milestone with its Avance L5 and L3 in-flight connectivity systems, which are now on 2,000 business aircraft, the Broomfield, Colorado company announced today. The combination of both systems has flown nearly 600,000 flights, using 262.61 terabytes of data, according to Gogo.

Gogo’s Avance L5 was first installed in October 2017. Avance L5 offers users a 4G experience and serves as an upgradable platform to Gogo’s 5G network, which is scheduled to launch in 2022. Avance L3—which is a smaller, lighter-weight system for light jets and turboprops—was offered beginning in January 2018.

“The Avance L5 and L3's improved performance and functionality over our classic [air-to-ground] systems continue to thrill our customers and drive demand,” said Gogo Business Aviation president Sergio Aguirre. “The need for quality connectivity has never been more important than it is today, and we don't see that slowing down.”

Last month, the company launched an unlimited streaming and data plan for Avance L5 customers called Gogo Biz 4G Limitless and priced at $9,995 monthly. In addition, Gogo added two new fixed data plans also for Avance L5 customers: Gogo Biz 4G with 20 GB of data for $5,650 per month and Gogo Biz 4G with 25 GB of data for $6,495 per month.

Court Limits Access to NTSB Investigation Documents

In a ruling with major implications for related civil aviation litigation, the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that the NTSB need not share all intra-agency communications from its investigations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including those from OEMs and other outside consultants that have been made a party to such investigations. The ruling does not shield all intra-agency documents, only those that are “normally privileged in the civil discovery context.”

This ruling arose from a 2019 case filed by counsel for a surviving family of the 2011 Blue Hawaiian Helicopters crash on Molokai that killed the pilot and all four passengers. Attorney Tony Jobe had sought a large tranche of interagency documents from the investigation that the NTSB declined to disclose on the grounds that FOIA’s “Exemption 5” shields privileged “intra-agency” documents from disclosure. The Fifth Circuit reaffirmed the conclusion of other courts that this protection extends to “non-agency experts” who are invited to participate in the investigation by the NTSB under the doctrine known as the “consultant corollary.” 

A lower district court had ruled that those documents were not protected as the consultants—in this case, Airbus Helicopters, Safran Helicopter Engines, and Blue Hawaiian—were not disinterested parties due to their future potential civil liability and therefore did not have “consultant” status. But the Fifth Circuit rejected that argument.

Transport Canada Recommends EEC Upgrades on Learjet 60s

Concerned about an increased rate of in-flight shutdowns (IFSDs) of PW305A engines powering Bombardier Learjet 60s, Transport Canada has issued a civil aviation safety alert (CASA) advising operators to follow Pratt & Whitney Canada service instructions for upgrades to remedy the situation. Released last week, the CASA cites “a notable increase in engine IFSD events” that were attributed to failures of electronic engine control (EEC) units manufactured by Smiths (P/N 31B4741/vendor P/N 1240KDC).

The affected parts are on Learjet 60 S/Ns 001 to 128. Bombardier produced 400 Learjet 60s in all from 1991 to 2012.

A P&WC investigation found that the in-flight shutdowns stemmed from aging-related issues associated with internal components of the EECs. Compounding the issue is the fact that P&WC support for the repair of the older EEC units will not be available in the near future, Transport Canada said. As a result, P&WC issued a Service Information Letter (SIL) PW300-201 recommending an upgrade of the EEC to the latest configuration in line with its service bulletin PW300-72-24434.

“Transport Canada recommends that owners, operators, and maintainers of the affected PW305A engines familiarize themselves with P&WC’s SIL PW300-201 and follow the recommendations therein,” the agency said.

Emergency Vision System STC’d for Embraer Praetor Jets

VisionSafe’s Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS) is now STC’d for the Embraer Praetor 500 and 600. EVAS provides a clear space of air through which a pilot can see flight instruments and out the front windshield for landing the airplane in the event of cockpit smoke.

“This feature will enhance safety on Embraer’s Praetor business jets,” said Marsha Woelber, head of worldwide executive jets customer support and aftermarket sales at Embraer Service & Support. “This reflects the continuous improvement Embraer brings to its successful business jet portfolio.”

In addition to the Praetor, EVAS can also be installed under an STC for the Embraer Legacy 450, 500, 600, and 650, as well as the Lineage 1000. EVAS also is available as loose equipment for the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300. EVAS can be retrofit installed on these Embraer business jets at any factory-owned service center.

“Embraer’s constant commitment to safety is reaffirmed in announcing this partnership with VisionSafe. Having EVAS available as an STC on Embraer’s flagship Praetor aircraft is a milestone for business aviation,” said Chris Skurat, director of sales for business aviation at VisionSafe. “EVAS is now available on all Embraer business aircraft, giving clients the option of adding EVAS to their aircraft as an aftermarket upgrade.”

Jet East, TES Partner on APU, Engine AOG Services

MRO provider Jet East is partnering with Turbine Engine Specialists (TES) to offer expanded AOG support on engines and APUs, including maintenance for the Honeywell TFE731, HTF7000, CFE738, and GE CF34 engines and access to TES’s Honeywell 36-100 and 36-150 APU rental pool. Those APUs are found on most midsize and super-midsize business jet models.

With Jet East’s network of 25 mobile maintenance teams and six MRO facilities across the country, TES will expand its AOG reach beyond its Fort Worth, Texas base and AOG technicians located in Arizona, Connecticut, and Florida. “This partnership with Jet East…allows TES to bring its engine and APU expertise to more customers at a faster rate with immediate technical knowledge,” said TES v-p and general manager Dave Rassett.

Jet East COO and executive v-p of AOG operations Gary Lee said the company’s mobile team consists of more than 100 technicians who average more than 400 maintenance events each month. “With the rental bank of Honeywell APUs strategically located at our full-service maintenance facilities in West Palm Beach, Florida; Millville, New Jersey; and Las Vegas, we look forward to resolving APU and engine issues efficiently with the expertise of factory-trained and certified Jet East and TES technicians,” he noted.

Skyports, Eve Step Up eVTOL UAM Vertiport Ops Plans

Embraer’s Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions subsidiary and vertiport group Skyports today announced the expansion of their partnership to prepare the way for launching eVTOL air taxi operations in Asia and the Americas. The two companies will use Eve’s planned eVTOL and urban air traffic management software being developed by Embraer subsidiary Atech to integrate flight operations with vertiport networks.

The collaboration builds on a working relationship Embraer and Skyports have had in place since early 2020, when the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer was at the early stages of developing plans for the urban air mobility (UAM) sector through its EmbraerX technology incubator. Embraer established Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions as a separate subsidiary in October and now it is in process of discussing a possible merger with special purpose acquisition company Zanite.

UK-based Skyports will take part in a joint “market readiness exercise” with Eve’s team, as well as a “vehicle concept of operations” study in Brazil. The two companies are already doing similar work together with air traffic management service provider Airservices Australia.

Skyports and Eve did not specify which cities they expect to be early adopters of UAM services in the Asia and Americas regions. However, an image released along with the news showed a mockup of a vertiport with Eve’s proposed aircraft in Dallas.

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.