New Textron Aviation Service Chief Aims For Consistency
Just two months after Brian Rohloff moved into his new role as Textron Aviation’s senior v-p of customer support, the manufacturer of Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft found itself wrestling with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Like its OEM peers, the airframer responded to the almost-overnight shift of travel restrictions and quarantines by emptying its corporate offices in southwest Wichita and furloughing thousands of its workers on a staggered basis.
Despite that, Rohloff’s organization has had to keep those service and support employees who weren’t on furlough healthy while maintaining the operational tempo to keep its global Citation and King Air fleets flying, more than 70 mobile service units available for AOG events, and 1Call support and 20 global service centers running.
“The whole Covid-19 situation has really consumed a lot of our time and we’ve had to make sure we do not interrupt our customers’ expectations,” he told AIN. Even while managing an organization through a pandemic, Rohloff is focused on a number of efforts to improve customer support and make his part of Textron Aviation’s business more efficient. That includes overseeing efforts to decrease aircraft downtimes, adjusting maintenance costs on some Citation models, and making service scheduling more palatable for customers.
Helsinki-based Coptersafety has received level-D qualification from the FAA for its CAE-built AW139 full-flight simulator. “With the addition of FAA-qualified full-flight simulators, customers can focus on pilot training in a simulator with the highest level of qualification and capabilities,” said Matthew Presnal, Coptersafety’s regulatory compliance and engineering services manager for FAA programs.
The simulator facilitates training for tasks including airborne radar approaches, offshore standard approach procedures, and night vision goggle use. Coptersafety’s AW139 simulator is equipped with phase 5 avionics that can be configured to customer needs, regardless of mission type or weather scenario. Immersive training features include cockpit vibration, smoke generation, 3D clouds, and night scenes. Scenarios can be taken from known geographical locations and landing sites. Different visual environments in known locations can be modeled by Coptersafety’s in-house team based on customer requests.
Coptersafety offers a full range of flight and mission training courses, as well as tailored training packages for helicopter emergency and medical services, search and rescue, offshore, and aerial work operators. The company offers simulator training for Airbus H125 and H145 helicopters, in addition to the Leonardo AW139. It plans to add a level-D simulator for the AW169 later this year.
Sheltair Adds Savannah Hangar
Sheltair has added a new $5.6 million hangar to its FBO at Georgia’s Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. The 31,575-sq-ft structure, which was constructed over a nine-month period, features 28-ft-high doors and a 227-ft-wide clear span opening, which will allow it to accommodate the latest ultra-long-range business jets such as the Bombardier Global 7500 and Gulfstream G650ER.
The FBO, adjacent to the Gulfstream maintenance facility, includes a 6,500-sq-ft terminal with passenger and pilot lounges, conference rooms, concierge, showers, crew cars, and on-site car rental. It has three existing hangars and with the addition of the new structure, brings the location to 125,612 sq ft of hangar storage space.
“Savannah continues to be a favored destination for business and hospitality as evidenced by the fact that its airport is one of the busiest in the state of Georgia,” said Sheltair president Lisa Holland. “Our latest investment reflects our commitment to meeting Savannah’s aviation needs not just for today, but for years to come.”
Fly Louie Program To Help Shave Crew Hotel Costs
Independent charter operator network Fly Louie Alliance has partnered with Hotel Connections to offer a free crew travel savings program exclusively for its members that will offer savings of up to 40 percent on hotel stays at more than 1.6 million locations. Access to Fly Louie Crew Travel program using the HotelConnect app developed by Hotel Connections is expected on June 15.
“We’ve talked to more than 100 Fly Louie Alliance operators in recent weeks, and the cost and complexity of managing crew travel has been an ongoing pain point,” Fly Louie CEO Julia Takeda said. “We are excited that our independent operator members can access the same savings and benefits that Hotel Connect offers to some of the biggest and best commercial and private aviation companies.”
In addition to favorable rates, Fly Louie said Hotel Connections can negotiate flexible cancellation policies, late checkouts, and other amenities. Fly Louie will monitor sign-up and usage activity by its members, and based on that data will make adjustments to the program as needed.
NATA Asks FAA for Rule To Expand Company Line Checks
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is asking the FAA to expand the number of pilot line checks that Part 135 operators can perform, a move that the association says would increase safety yet ease FAA resource demands. NATA’s formal petition for the rulemaking change builds on an earlier petition for such authorization during the Covid-19 crisis.
The petition is seeking “to allow an approved company check pilot to be authorized to conduct the pilot line checks required by [FAR] 135.299 throughout the certificate holder’s fleet of aircraft of the same category and class.” In addition, the association asked for guidance on suggested content for the pilot line checks.
“Although NATA previously filed a petition for exemption permitting the same authority for a limited duration due to Covid-19, we subsequently determined that the safety and efficiency gains afforded by this relief were beneficial enough to warrant a permanent change through a petition for rulemaking,” NATA president and CEO Timothy Obitts said.
NATA contended in its petition that a carrier’s check pilots are best equipped to ensure pilots are following company policy and procedures. Under the NATA proposal, check pilots must be currently qualified as a pilot in command in the same category and class of aircraft used in the check.
Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were lasered in at least three U.S. cities during the recent protests against the death of George Floyd while being arrested by police in Minneapolis. The incidents, which involved law enforcement and media aircraft, including one operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officers, resulted in at least two arrests in Milwaukee and in Windsor, Ontario (close to Detroit). In Denver, Copter 4, which flies for the local CBS television affiliate, not only took repeated laser strikes, it actually broadcast them. A police helicopter in Denver was also hit.
Federal prosecutors in Milwaukee have charged 38-year-old Jeremiah Belen with lasering FBI fixed-wing aircraft and a Wisconsin National Guard Black Hawk helicopter. Belen faces a single count of aiming a laser at an aircraft. If convicted, Belen could be sentenced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In the Detroit incident, Canadian authorities arrested 22-year-old Ali Zuhair, charging him with mischief and breaking probation. The CPB said their aircraft took repeated strikes that originated in Windsor, including in the cockpit.
In one Milwaukee instance, a laser was pointed at aircraft while it flew above the city’s fifth district police station, which had become a magnet for hundreds of protestors. Protestors in Portland, Oregon, also reportedly pointed lasers at police officers on the ground.
Garmin Pilot App Adds Night Mode, Other New Features
Among the new features in the latest version of the Garmin Pilot app are night mode for approach charts, enhancements to the document viewer, a visited airports report, Apple AirPrint capability, and support for the Apple Pencil 2.
Night mode for approach procedures inverts colors on both Garmin FliteCharts and Jeppesen charts to make them more readable at night. Garmin also added a useful new elevation feature to the radial menu, which is activated by touching the screen in map mode.
New fields in the logbook section allow users to record oil level and oil added for the aircraft and to note discrepancies (squawks). Another feature added to the logbook is a visited airports report. Along with support for the Pencil 2 for the iPad are improved annotations, with dedicated icons for the marker, highlighter, and eraser. The AirPrint capability makes it easy to print weight-and-balance reports and navlogs directly from an iPad or iPhone.
The revised document viewer now synchronizes documents across devices, so documents stored on an iPad can also be viewed on an iPhone, as long as both are running Garmin Pilot on the same account. It also allows the user to add new folders, change folder colors, and reorder the folders.
Thommen Aircraft Equipment brought in Daniel Grosch to serve as the Swiss company’s CEO. Grosch joins the aircraft instrument provider with 15 years of aerospace and defense experience, including serving as a company director and director of business development for MSI Defence Systems, as well as v-p of global sales for Arktis Radiation Detectors. His background also includes management positions with L-3 Communications and Bruhn NewTech.
Thommen credited Grosch’s record of sales achievements, new business development, and growing revenue streams for positioning him to help the company as it adjusts to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting operational challenges. “With strong analytical, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, he has led teams to achieve record levels of business,” said the company, which produces mission equipment, displays, air data computers, altimeters, digital clocks, and chronographs for helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and drones.
People in Aviation
Peter Grabham joined Jet Diligence as managing director. Grabham previously served as director of maintenance for large-cabin business jet operators in Australia and the Pacific Rim and has experience with designee programs, certificates of airworthiness, MELs, and maintenance programs.
Flight Data Systems (FDS) named Pete Ring v-p of sales and marketing. Ring joined FDS after serving with sister company FreeFlight Systems for nine years, most recently as v-p of business development and strategy officer.
Doug Shane joined Ampaire as general manager. Shane, an engineer and test pilot, was the first employee at Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites, later served as chairman of The Spaceship Company, and was part of the team that won the Collier Trophy in 2004 for the SpaceShipOne program.
Gulfstream Aerospace promoted Naveed Aziz to v-p and general manager of the Gulfstream Dallas facility, overseeing service center operations and Gulfstream G280 completions. Aziz, who joined Gulfstream in 1996 as part of an engineering coop designing avionics and electrical systems for the Gulfstream IV and V, most recently was director of completions research and development and responsible for development and certification for the G500 and G600 interiors, as well as G700 interior development.
The International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) named Erika Ingle director of operations. Ingle brings a background in small business, startups, branding, marketing, sales, event management, philanthropy, and video production to the new role, including working at Gorman360, as a small business owner, contributor to Mindfield, and as a production coordinator for Avalon Films.
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