Italian Govt Confirms Nearly $800M in Piaggio Contracts

Financially beleaguered Piaggio Aerospace is getting a boost from the Italian Defense Ministry, which confirmed commitments amounting to about €700 million ($798 million) that include the acquisition of nine new Avanti Evos, the upgrade of 19 current Avantis, engine maintenance, and logistics support. In addition, the government reaffirmed plans to pave the way for the certification and acquisition of at least one P.1HH Hammerhead UAS system (two aircraft and one ground station) as a testbed.

The Italian Defense Ministry confirmed the commitments during a meeting on June 20 in Rome. Last week’s confirmation followed the government’s agreement in April on an initial plan that outlined the contracts and enabled the Italian manufacturer to restart production. Since that time Piaggio, which entered receivership late last year, has sought bids for the sale of the company. 

“The definition of the operational needs of the Italian armed forces and the availability of the relevant budgets, communicated yesterday by the Italian government in Rome, allows the company to restart,” said Vincenzo Nicastro, extraordinary receiver of Piaggio Aerospace. “The timetable announced, which foresees the signing of the first new contracts as early as the end of this month, will support the company's commitment to regaining market share in all the sectors in which it operates.”

Zuccaro Retiring from HAI

Longstanding Helicopter Association International (HAI) president and CEO Matt Zuccaro will retire effective June 30, 2020, the association announced this morning. A search for a replacement has been launched. Zuccaro has led HAI since November 1, 2005. 

“The HAI Board of Directors, on behalf of the entire industry, offers our deepest appreciation to Matt for his service,” says outgoing HAI chair James Wisecup. “Through his leadership, HAI has been a leading advocate to improve the safety of helicopter operations worldwide. Matt has also been a forceful supporter for the industry in legislative and regulatory matters, saving our members and the industry at large from overburdensome legislation and regulations.” 

During his career, Zuccaro held several executive and operations management positions with commercial, corporate, air tour, scheduled airline, and public-service helicopter operations in the northeastern U.S. He holds airline transport pilot and certified flight instructor-instrument certificates for both airplanes and helicopters. 

He is a recipient of the HAI Pilot Safety Award for 10,000 hours of accident- and violation-free flight hours, the NBAA Pilot Safety award, and numerous other industry awards for his efforts and commitment to the helicopter industry. 

Safran Unveils Add+ Engine with 3D Printing

Safran unveiled its Add+ technology demonstrator engine last week at the Paris Air Show. Add+ is based on the company’s current Arrius helicopter engine, but 30 percent of its components are made using 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing. The engine will undergo ground-run testing later this year.

Safran’s goal for Add+ is to use it to increase the 3D-printed parts count in its production engines. On Add+, major engine components—including nozzle guide vanes, combustion chamber, and stator rear module—are made using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) techniques. This allows assemblies of hundreds of separate pieces to be molded into a single piece. By way of example, the accessory gearbox casing is now made of two pieces instead of 12.

Add+ also integrates components manufactured by metal injection molding, such as free power turbine blades.

“We started work on an existing engine model and redesigned almost 30 percent of its components using additive manufacturing techniques, with a view to integrating those components into serial production units. When we start ground runs, we will evaluate behavior of these new parts in operation,” said Etienne Hesse, Add+ program coordinator for Safran Helicopter Engines. 

NTSB Investigates Fatal Hawaii King Air Skydiving Crash

NTSB investigators have arrived at the scene of a fatal June 21 crash of a Beechcraft King Air A90 in Mokuleia, Hawaii. The 11 persons onboard, including several employees of operator Oahu Parachute Center, perished when the aircraft hit terrain immediately after takeoff from Dillingham Airfield (PHDH) at approximately 6:30 p.m. local time. “This is the deadliest accident involving a civil airplane in the U.S. since 2011,” NTSB member Jennifer Homendy said Sunday.

The twin-turboprop jump plane was reportedly operating a sunset skydiving flight. Homendy said the aircraft banked left following takeoff from Runway 8, “and then came to rest inverted” north of the runway and caught fire. Weather conditions at the time were “clear, with a light wind,” she added, and local officials noted a debris field of approximately 2,500 square feet.

The 52-year-old King Air, N256TA, was also involved in an incident three years ago during a skydiving flight near Byron, California. During that flight, it suffered overstress failure of the starboard horizontal stabilizer and elevator as the pilot attempted recovery after accidentally stalling the aircraft and rolling into a left spin. The stabilizer and elevator were later found “a few miles south of the airport.” Homendy said yesterday the subsequent repairs to the King Air will be closely examined during this investigation. 

Bell Progressing on Nod for 525

Bell’s 525 Relentless super-medium twin continues to chip away at certification, with more than 1,000 hours logged in the air and four flight-test aircraft, but Bell CEO Mitch Snyder was hesitant to specify a certification timeline. Snyder said the company instead is concentrating more on the certification process than the timeline at this point. The company previously estimated certification of the fly-by-wire helicopter would come later this year.

Speaking to reporters at the Paris Air Show, Snyder did not say that the helicopter was running behind the target, but that the company is working with the FAA on the process. “The date is hard to nail down because it is an interactive process,” Snyder said. He added the helicopter will become the first civil fly-by-wire helicopter to win certification, which is new for the FAA. 

While the FAA has come under scrutiny for its processes involving certification of the Boeing 737 Max, Snyder said he hasn’t seen a change in its working relationship with the agency. He was upbeat about the progress of the certification program, saying, “This is going really well. We’re progressing down a path.”

The company has three helicopters flying in Fort Worth, Texas, and a fourth anticipated to transfer there soon from Amarillo, Texas. Bell still needs to finish up flight tests, including certification flights, and lab testing.

Bizav Consultancy Mente Expands To New HQ

Business aircraft brokerage and consultancy Mente Group has relocated its headquarters to accommodate current and future growth, the Dallas-based firm announced. Now located in North Dallas’s Hall Park, the company occupies 6,000 sq ft of office space compared with its previous 3,000-sq-ft suite.

“We have become much more than a transaction-oriented company, moving into full-service worldwide aircraft consulting,” Mente president and CEO Brian Proctor said. “Consequently, Mente Group has expanded operations to other major cities across the U.S. and added representation in Europe. Now with this increased headquarters space, we are well positioned to continue our broad-based growth into the future with the addition of major innovative aircraft solutions to address industry needs.”

Other U.S. cities where Mente has expanded operations include Boston; Chicago; Denver; New York; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; and Scottsdale, Arizona. A business aviation and flight department advisory firm, Mente specializes in aircraft transactions; talent management; asset management; and strategic, operational, and technical consulting. It also offers completion management services to include interior outfitting oversight and new business aircraft delivery. Mente advisers have handled $10.5 billion in aircraft transactions and performed more than 500 business jet consultations.

GKN India JV Wins PC-24 Wiring Contract

GKN Aerospace’s joint venture in Bangalore, India, Fokker Elmo Sasmos Interconnection Systems Ltd (FE-SIL), was selected to provide electrical wiring interconnection systems (EWIS) for the Pilatus PC-24. The contract expands on existing business between FE-SIL and Pilatus that has included wiring systems for the Swiss OEM's PC-21 and PC-7 MkII models.

More than 30 PC-24s are currently operating around the world, including three used for medevac missions for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. Pilatus expects to deliver about 40 PC-24s this year, increasing production to 50 in 2020.

GKN anticipates dedicating 30 workers to the PC-24 EWIS, gradually increasing the number as it ramps up the program.

“We’ve been producing EWIS at FE-SIL in India for Pilatus aircraft since 2015, and thanks to the team’s continued commitment to quality, on-time delivery and customer focus, we have strengthened our business relationship for many more years to come,” said John Pritchard, CEO of GKN Aerospace ASEA.

Sundance Names Hillsboro Heli SkyPath Partner

Las Vegas-based Air Methods unit Sundance Helicopters is adding the Hillsboro Heli Academy in Troutdale, Oregon, as a partner in its SkyPath program. SkyPath provides career guidance and mentoring for helicopter student pilots and provides air-tour operator Sundance and its industry partners with a qualified pilot pipeline. Other SkyPath partners include Leading Edge Aviation (Bend, Oregon), UND Aerospace (Grand Forks, North Dakota), and Southern Utah University (Cedar City, Utah). SkyPath allows pilot candidates to apply for the program via partner flight schools such as Hillsboro.

Once accepted, the pilot candidate continues through the remaining ratings including certified flight instructor. Once Part 135 minimums are met, candidates are guaranteed an interview with Sundance for available training slots. SkyPath includes an Initial Operating Experience phase, which is designed to provide advanced training and mentoring that results in career path acceleration while adding layers of safety, training, and mentoring. This approach reduces the flight hours traditionally required for a new Sundance pilot hire and replaces it with direct experience and evaluation. Sundance says SkyPath allows the company to indoctrinate new pilots in the company’s safety and decision-making values from early in their careers.

“With 39 years of experience training top pilots from around the world, Sundance was eager to work with Hillsboro Heli Academy,” said Mark Schlaefli, Sundance director of operations and the creator of SkyPath. 

AIN’s Tales from the Flight Deck: Otto’s Pilots Part 2

Unable to discern the fate of the small American delegation trying to win the freedom of an injured American college student from North Korea, a Phoenix Air flight crew decides to launch on its own. Says the pilot, “I’m an old Marine and Marines don’t leave our people behind."

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