Polish engineering firm Metal Master is preparing its second production-conforming Flaris LAR-1 flight-test aircraft (registration SP-YLF) for its first flight as the company set its sights on securing Polish certification for the five-seat, personal jet in the first half of 2023. “We are conducting ground tests now and hope to get the aircraft airborne in the coming weeks,” said Metal Master co-founder Rafal Ladzinski.
The first prototype, registered as SP-YLE, has logged more than 220 sorties since the flight-test campaign began in April 2019 from the company’s test center in Zielona Gora Airport in western Poland. Evaluations have focused mainly on systems, including its retractable landing gear, hydraulics, Garmin G600TXi flight deck, autopilot, and autothrottle, according to Ladzinski.
The carbon-fiber LAR-1, which is powered by a single Williams FJ33-5A turbofan, has also hit some notable performance milestones. This includes reaching a climb rate of 6,000 fpm, economy cruise speed of 325 knots (600 km/h), stall speed of 59 knots, takeoff distance of less than 500 feet, and landing distance of less than 400 feet. Aircraft SP-YLE will begin testing on grass airstrips in the fourth quarter, with similar STOL performance anticipated.
Certification of the LAR-1 is being sought initially under the Polish Civil Aviation Authority's S-1 experimental aircraft designation, with certification expected by mid-2023. Metal Master will then pursue concurrent EASA and FAA validation.
Innovative Solutions & Support has named Yingling Aviation as a dealer and authorized installation center for ThrustSense autothrottle systems for the Beechcraft King Air B200 and B300 turboprop twins.
The full-regime autothrottle system reduces pilot workload by computing power levels so the pilot can automatically control the engines. The system’s functionality is similar to that of Fadec and protects against over-airspeed or under-airspeed stall, as well as over-torque and over-temperature. It also protects against Vmc rollover.
“When a major product line chooses to partner with us, it speaks volumes about the reputation we’ve built for quality installations and upgrades,” said Yingling maintenance director Jim Edwards. Based at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport (KICT), Yingling is a full-service MRO and FBO that is also a Textron Aviation affiliate specializing in Cessna Caravan and Conquest models, as well as the full line of Cessna Citations and Beechcraft King Airs.
“The future of business aviation has never looked brighter,” NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said this morning in the opening session at the organization’s regional forum at Westchester County Airport (KHPN) in White Plains, New York. “Business aviation operations during the pandemic are up, and that is good for America.” He noted the nearly 90,000 business aviation operations at forum venue KHPN last year as an example of that momentum, adding that is emblematic of what is being seen at airports all over the country.
Bolen pointed to the influx of new users who have gravitated to business aviation for its ability to transport them safely, securely, and flexibly. While those were always hallmarks of the industry, people began to value them more during the pandemic, he said.
With the FAA’s latest authorization expiring next year, Bolen stated that the reauthorization process could both provide opportunities for the industry as well as challenges in a variety of areas, including taxes, access, safety, and security. “Our ability to shape our future will depend on your engagement,” he told the audience.
Hosted by Million Air in its 52,000-sq-ft hangar, the event attracted nearly 200 exhibitors and approximately 2,500 attendees. The static display on the ramp between the hangar and the FBO terminal featured 18 aircraft, including Gulfstream’s soon-to-be-certified G700.
StandardAero’s business aviation unit inducted its 1,000th Honeywell HTF7000-series engine into its Augusta, Georgia facility, making it the first company to achieve this milestone in support of the engine series. The company also is the industry’s first and only OEM-authorized independent, heavy MRO provider for the engine model and claims to have performed more major events with the HTF7000 than any other company in the industry.
The engine powers several active business jet types, including the Bombardier Challenger 300/350; Embraer Legacy 450/500 and Praetor 500/600; Gulfstream G280; and Cessna Citation Longitude.
StandardAero has continued to invest its efforts to broaden HTF7000 services in the past three years. Such efforts include expanding StandardAero’s test cell capability and tools, as well as improving turnaround times. The company also owns a large HTF7000-series engine rental bank, enabling StandardAero mobile services teams to remove and replace the engine at a customer's site.
“Our record 1,000th engine milestone is a direct reflection of the enormous efforts of the talented and dedicated men and women at StandardAero,” said Chris Bodine, v-p and general manager for StandardAero Business Aviation’s Augusta facility.
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Rolls-Royce today announced plans to develop new-generation turbogenerator technology that will be the basis for small engines to power hybrid-electric aircraft. The new turbogenerator technology Rolls-Royce is working on will be scalable to serve power requirements of between 500 and 1200 kW. Its turbogenerators can be used either to recharge batteries after takeoff or to power motors directly, the company said.
“We will be the leading provider of all-electric and hybrid-electric power and propulsion systems for advanced air mobility and will scale this technology over time to larger platforms,” said Rolls-Royce Electrical president Rob Watson. “As part of our strategy, we are looking at offering the complete sustainable solution for our customers. This means extending routes that electric flight can support through our turbogenerator technology. This will advance hybrid-electric flight and mean more passengers will be able to travel further on low to net-zero-emissions aircraft.”
Rolls-Royce Electrical was formed after the group’s acquisition of Siemens’s electric and hybrid-electric aerospace propulsion activities in 2019. The company is already working with Italy’s Tecnam on an all-electric version of its P2012 commuter called the P-Volt. It has also partnered with Embraer and Norwegian airline Wideroe to develop plans for an electric regional airliner. Its new turbogenerators could also be used for King Air-sized business aircraft.
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.
Digital document provider Web Manuals is partnering with Canadian compliance expert Aerofoil to shorten the lead time to get minimum equipment lists (MELs) approved for its customers. Under the partnership, Aerofoil will provide prepared MELs to existing Web Manuals users through the latter company's store.
Those MELs will be developed using OEM data, Transport Canada documentation, and regulatory guidance. “The task of writing compliant MELs can be timely and mundane, and thorough approval processes often mean that implementation is delayed,” said Web Manuals v-p of U.S. sales Krister Genmark. “Our partnership with Aerofoil will provide significant time-saving benefits for our growing Canadian corporate operator client base, promising a more streamlined approach to MEL management.”
Genmark added that the collaboration also increases Web Manuals’s offering to Canadian private operators, “placing us in a strengthened position to continue working throughout the Canadian aviation sector.”
Elbit Systems unit Universal Avionics is working with leading European law enforcement agencies to supply enhanced vision technology for helicopter operations. Universal is supplying its EVS4000 multispectral enhanced vision cameras for installation on eight new Airbus H145 helicopters for the Bavarian Police.
According to Universal, the EVS4000 can increase situational awareness in low visibility. The cameras offer real-time processing capabilities to merge high-definition video in the visible, near-infrared, and long-wave IR spectrum for display on head down and, where available, on the company’s ClearVision head-wearable or helmet-mounted displays. The high-resolution, high-contrast video will be displayed on the H145’s Helionix multi-function displays.
Additionally, Universal has partnered with Heli-One (Norway) AS and the Bundespolizei—German Federal Police—and has successfully completed certification flight testing of its SkyVis helmet-mounted display (HMD). The partnership is working toward EASA supplemental type certificate approval later this year for SkyVis on H215 (AS332L1e) helicopters. On approval, SkyVis will be the first civilian certification of an HMD.
Honeywell Aerospace has approved C&L Aviation Group as a channel partner, which allows the Bangor, Maine-based MRO to offer the full line of Honeywell’s avionics products. That line includes all NZ 6.1 FMZ-2000 FMS upgrades, DU875 LCD unit system upgrades, Primus Elite, RD-7000 weather radar systems, Laseref IV inertial reference systems, and CD-830 touchscreen display control units.
“Honeywell is one of the most recognizable names in the industry and it’s an honor to partner with them and offer their full line of products to our customers,” said C&L Aviation Services avionics sales manager Charlie Carroll. “We are excited to provide Honeywell’s latest technology to our customers to enhance their flying experience.”
C&L Aviation Group offers Honeywell avionics installations, upgrades, and engineering services for customers at its 200,000-sq-ft Part 145 repair station. The MRO also provides Honeywell avionics repairs, exchanges, and outright sales around the globe through its parts sales division.
EHang: Autonomous eVTOLs Will Relieve Gridlocked Cities
At recent events in Europe, such as EBACE in Geneva and the World Air Traffic Management show in Madrid, China’s EHang has given many Europeans their first close-up look at its EH216 eVTOL. AIN caught up with the company’s chief marketing officer, Andreas Perotti, at EBACE to find out more about the company's claims that no-pilot-on-board air-taxis will transform public transportation in crowded cities.
Model(s): Global Express, XRS, 5000, 5500, 6000, 6500
Published: June 17, 2022
Effective: July 22, 2022
Requires revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate a maintenance manual task to include inspections of the inboard flap internal ribs for corrosion. Prompted by reports of internal corrosion on the inboard flaps found before regularly scheduled maintenance checks.
Requires removing and replacing O2C20T1 and O2C20T14 series oxygen hoses with a new specified hose series. Prompted by reports of oxygen leaks found during scheduled maintenance tests of the airplane oxygen system. Further investigation of the leaks found oxygen hoses that were cracked, brittle, or broken due to hose material deterioration over time. If not corrected, leaks may result in failure to provide oxygen to passengers and crew, as well as result in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere that creates a fire risk.
Requires a one-time borescope inspection of certain part-numbered tail gearbox (TGB) fittings and, depending on the inspection results, removing the affected part from service and replacing it with an airworthy part. Prompted by a large crack detected on the TGB fitting during a scheduled inspection and the determination that certain TGB fittings are required to be inspected by the use of a borescope.
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