Global 7500 Customer Opts for Leonardo Anti-missile Pod

Leonardo has been contracted to install its Miysis directed infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) system on a Bombardier Global 7500 that will be used by a Middle Eastern government for VVIP transport starting in 2022. According to Leonardo, Miysis will provide spherical protection from infrared-guided (heat-seeking) missile threats.

Since it is the smallest, lightest, and least power-intensive DIRCM system on the market, Leonardo said Miysis is well suited for all business jets and turboprops, and even can be used on a platform as small as a light helicopter. The DIRCM system works by shining a high-powered laser onto an incoming missile’s targeting system, “dazzling” it, and guiding the missile away from the aircraft.

Miysis can also defend against multiple, simultaneous incoming missiles, including the latest generation of shoulder-launched infrared man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). According to Leonardo, Miysis has been independently verified to have a 100 percent success rate with UK and international customers conducting extensive analysis and live-fire trials. Miysis can operate as a standalone DIRCM system, in concert with a missile warning system, or can integrate with a range of defensive aid suites, the company said.

EBAA Co-founder François Chavatte Dies

François Chavatte, who co-founded the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) in 1977 and later served as president and chairman of the organization’s board, died on June 24. “With the passing of François, we lost one of the two founding fathers of the united European business aviation industry,” said EBAA chairman Juergen Wiese. 

Chavatte began his aviation career in 1952 with the French air force as a reconnaissance and fighter pilot, according to information from EBAA and NBAA. Following his service, he joined IBM and ultimately led the company’s flight operation from 1969 until 1993.

In March 1960, shortly after he had joined IBM, Chavatte copiloted an Aero Commander 680 from the U.S. to France, marking the first transatlantic business aviation flight to land at Paris Le Bourget Airport, helping spark the growth of what has become one of Europe’s most prominent business aviation airports.

In 1977, he saw a need for advocacy on behalf of the emerging business aviation community in Europe and teamed up with Frits Philips to found EBAA. He also is credited for playing an integral role in the creation of EBACE.

“François’s decades-long service and dedication to business aviation truly helped establish the industry’s powerful, united voice across Europe,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. EBAA secretary-general Athar Husain Khan added: “The industry would not be where it is today without his drive, amicability, and dreams.”

JSSI Adds Mx Tracking with SierraTrax Acquisition

Jet Support Services (JSSI) is making a “strategic” move into maintenance tracking with the acquisition of SierraTrax, the Chicago-based provider of maintenance support and financial services to the business aviation industry announced today. As a result of the acquisition, Wichita-based SierraTrax will expand its service to include super-midsize and large-cabin aircraft.

Founded in 2017, SierraTrax supports independent operators of turboprop and light and midsize jets, as well as fleets of 15 or fewer aircraft. SierraTrax’s software platform is used extensively by Cessna, Beechcraft, and Hawker operators and it is a Textron Aviation-recommended provider for maintenance tracking.

“The SierraTrax team has done an incredible job establishing a leadership position in a crowded maintenance tracking space in just five short years,” said JSSI chairman and CEO Neil Book. “Their remarkable rate of growth has been fueled by great technology, an easy-to-use interface, and a commitment to customer service, innovation, and data transparency.”

SierraTrax’s maintenance tracking capabilities will be leveraged by JSSI’s more than 30 years of operating cost data and business jet support services that include JSSI’s hourly cost maintenance programs; parts, APU, and engine leasing business; and JSSI Advisory Services and Conklin & de Decker. JSSI’s hourly cost maintenance programs support more than 10 percent of the global business jet fleet and the company oversees more than 10,000 maintenance events annually.

In-person ACA Air Charter Expo Returns in September

The Air Charter Association (ACA) plans to return to holding its Air Charter Expo (ACE) in an in-person format on September 14 at London Biggin Hill Airport. ACE 2021 is anticipated to welcome more than 1,000 delegates and showcase more than 60 global business aviation companies’ exhibits.

More than 20 aircraft are also expected to be on display in a hangar and adjacent open-air static aircraft park during the one-day show. This display will include what organizers claim will be the “first electric aircraft to market.”

A morning session hosted by ACA will address issues affecting charter brokers and aircraft operating companies, including sustainability, illegal air charter, and finding the next generation of industry professionals. The afternoon session will focus on the exhibition’s “green charter” theme with insights into electric and hybrid aircraft and technology's role in reducing the industry's environmental footprint.

“As the first real-life industry expo event for our community since March 2020, we are extremely excited to reunite the air charter industry this September,” said ACA CEO Glenn Hogben. “In-person networking has been severely stunted over the past year and ACE offers renewed business opportunities for aviation professionals.”

Luxaviation Belgium Sees Major Uptick in Activity

Covid-19 has led to a buoyant demand for intra-Europe charter flying, as well as a strong interest of people or companies wanting to purchase a business aircraft, according to Ward Bonduel, CEO of Luxaviation Belgium. “The coronavirus has impacted us profoundly but it also has created new opportunities,” he told AIN today on the sidelines of a Gulfstream G500 and G280 demo-tour at its base in Kortrijk-Wevelgem.

Medium-haul, intra-Europe charter flight activity at the Belgian subsidiary of Luxembourg-based aircraft management and charter operator group Luxaviation climbed 15 to 20 percent since the pandemic as passengers switched from airlines to private flying. However, Luxaviation’s long-range jets are still standing idle due to travel restrictions. “Certainly to the U.S., we expect a robust recovery once travel to the country opens up,” Bonduel noted.

Additionally, Luxaviation Belgium's aircraft sales activity has increased since the pandemic, he said. Over the past year, the company assisted the acquisition of a Falcon 7X, Bombardier Global 5500, and five Beechcraft King Air 250/260s. Two King Air 250s  have already joined the company’s fleet, though they are registered on its Luxembourg AOC. The first King Air 260 will be delivered in the third quarter, followed by two more in 2022.

Discussions are ongoing with customers eying purchase of another King Air 250 and a Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen2, Bonduel said.

MRO Insider Experiences Network Surge

Aircraft services price-quote-generating platform MRO Insider is experiencing record growth this month, adding 76 service locations to its network that includes maintenance providers, aircraft cleaning and detailing, parts procurement and overhaul, and ground service equipment rental. The system allows users to enter the service they need and have the request sent to multiple providers in the network who can then issue a price quote for the job.

Among the recent additions is Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems, which accounted for 29 of the 41 mobile service technicians that joined in the past month. “After using the MRO Insider App from the operator side, I knew when I returned to the Stevens AOG team what we would benefit from joining the network as a service provider,” said Brent Wiggins, Stevens’s AOG manager. “The MRO Insider app provides operators a quote and an ETA within minutes.”

“We are beyond excited that our network location count has grown 46 percent in the last 30 days,” said Andy Nixon, president and co-founder of MRO Insider. “By providing one space for operators to obtain quotes for such a variety of service needs from such a large number of operators, we increase the value our platform provides to both our operators and our service providers.”

Nixon also told AIN that MRO Insider will expand its platform over the next quarter to include FBOs.

Mid-Continent Introduces TSO’d Chronos Clocks

Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics has introduced a new Chronos series of aircraft clocks that fit in a two-inch instrument panel cutout and have eight modes of operation, as well as single or dual USB charging ports. Prices start at $499.

In addition to providing up to 75 watts of USB power, the clock’s eight modes include local time, UTC (Zulu) time, a flight and countdown timer, stopwatch, volts, and outside and secondary air temperature display. The clock’s lighting can be controlled externally and it also has a built-in photocell for automatic dimming. Time and flight timer memory are maintained by an internal, field-replaceable battery.

“Panel space is a premium,” said Matthew Harrah, senior vice president of technology and products. “Our customers wanted more built-in functionality and access to fast-charging USB power, all-in-one.”

ADS Apps Aid SMS Needs with Flex Pricing

Aeronautical Data Systems’ Ergo resource-management iPad apps have all been upgraded and are now available with flexible pricing, allowing pilots and aircraft operators to pay for subscriptions weekly, monthly, or annually. The Ergo apps allow pilots to manage time-based aircraft systems such as fuel and oxygen, especially during emergency situations such as over-ocean diversions due to engine failure or decompression.

The Ergo apps are available in three versions—Ergo 180, Ergo 360, and Ergo Blue—with features optimized for operators of small to large business aircraft. All of the Ergo apps include ADS’s display of ship location, which shows real-time updates of ship positions and their tracks, based on automatic identification system (AIS) data. Information about each ship includes the time, vessel name, its lat/long position, track, speed, and distance from the aircraft. The ship information is intended to help pilots facing a possible ocean ditching emergency to find a nearby ship that can help with rescue operations. The ship location feature “will complement some of the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS) [requirements] due to be implemented in 2023,” according to ADS.

As safety management systems (SMS) become more widespread and, as expected, mandatory for Part 135 operators, the Ergo apps can help with meeting SMS requirements, said ADS CEO Jim Stabile. “Unification—and standardization—through SMS will be facilitated by tools like the Ergo suite of resource mapping apps."

AIN Events: Building a Sustainable Flight Department

Don’t miss out—$199 early-bird pricing ends tomorrow for AIN's one-day conference on sustainability and the modern flight department in Tarrytown, New York, on September 22. Attendees will learn about aviation’s contribution to carbon emissions, regulator/government roles in minimizing aviation emissions (including CORSIA), making sense of carbon offsets, building to LEED standards, and much more. This conference will also be repeated in three other locations: Dallas (November 10); Fort Lauderdale, Florida (December 8); and Los Angeles (Jan. 19, 2022). Early-bird pricing will continue to be available beyond June 30 for these venues.