Newton Warns Charter Operators Not To Duck Safety Issues

Pointing to the recent spate of near collisions between aircraft and other mishaps that have captured headlines this year, Gen. (ret.) Lloyd “Fig” Newton told attendees at the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Safety Symposium yesterday that operators need to focus on safety issues.

“There are probably some folks in our community that would say, 'That’s not us. That’s those other guys. They’re the one that’s having a problem out there,’” Newton told the audience of primarily charter providers, corporate operators, and safety specialists. But the former commander of the U.S. Air Force's Air Education and Training Command cautioned, “That’s not the way it works in our world and the world of aviation. Because I can assure you, if there’s a problem anywhere in aviation, there’s a problem everywhere in aviation. We can’t duck this. You’re just kidding yourself if you try that.”

Newton, who gave a presentation on “Developing a Sustainable Aviation Culture,” added that the Safety Symposium is “very timely” in light of recent events. Industry professionals must make sure that aviation is safe not only in their opinion but the public’s as well, he said. “It doesn’t make any difference really what we think. If the public and your customers think you are not safe, then we have got a major problem.”

ExecuJet Gets EASA, Belgium Nods To Expand Mobile Mx

ExecuJet MRO Services Belgium has received approvals from the Belgium Civil Aviation Authority and EASA for its mobile repair unit to provide line maintenance services in other European countries.

“Following strong demand from customers, there was a need for us to offer line maintenance at locations away from our home base,” said ExecuJet MRO Services regional v-p of Europe Christophe de Coppel. “The requests from customers were ad hoc, so we decided to seek regulatory approval to have our mobile repair unit provide line maintenance. The mobile repair unit uses a land vehicle, making it feasible for our engineers to travel throughout Belgium and to nearby countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, France, Luxembourg, etc.”

ExecuJet’s mobile repair unit (MRU) is equipped with the necessary consumables, tooling, and cabinets, along with access to all the required maintenance data to meet the needs for scheduled line maintenance and unscheduled AOG services.

“Our regulatory approval is significant because MRUs usually only respond to aircraft-on-the-ground situations, but we are now approved to also use our MRU to provide line maintenance in other European countries,” he added. “Having this new capability helps us to reach a larger pool of customers and reinforces Belgium’s position as a center for MRO in Europe.”

Atlantic Aviation Starts Boston-area FBO Expansion

Atlantic Aviation has begun construction on a major expansion of its FBO at Boston-area dedicated general aviation gateway Laurence G. Hanscom Field (KBED) in Bedford, Massachusetts. The project, which broke ground in June, will include a trio of 20,000-sq-ft heated hangars with 28-foot-high doors to accommodate ultra-long-range business jets. When completed by the end of the year, the hangars—which will be built to LEED-silver standards—will bring the FBO, one of three service providers on the field, to 120,000 sq ft of aircraft shelter.

In addition, the work will add 12,000 sq ft of office and shop space, three acres of ramp space, and an additional 20,000-gallon jet-A tank that will give the facility a capacity of 60,000 gallons of jet fuel. Located 20 miles northwest of Boston, KBED is the largest general aviation airport in the region and home to hundreds of aircraft, including more than 70 jets.

“Bedford's easy accessibility and routing have created significant growth in flights at our facility,” said Larry Jorash, senior v-p of operations for Atlantic's northeast region. “Our expansion now underway here at KBED will allow us to provide even better service for customers arriving and departing, as well as to our based customers.”

Collins Aero Taps Eagle Creek as Authorized Dealer

Indianapolis-based Eagle Creek Aviation is now an authorized Collins Aerospace business and regional systems dealer. Under this designation, FAA Part 145 MRO Eagle Creek is a preferred provider of maintenance, installation, and repair of Collins Aerospace avionics and cabin systems for business aircraft.

“We have a long history of servicing and installing Collins products, and we appreciate the opportunity to join the authorized dealership network,” said Scott Dillon, president of maintenance at Eagle Creek Aviation. “Our MRO location at Eagle Creek Airpark in the Midwest will provide aircraft operators a central location for Collins equipment service, repairs, and upgrades.”

Eagle Creek Aviation is one of 12 operations under business aircraft management and services company Jet Access. In addition to the Eagle Creek shop, Jet Access operates several Part 145 aircraft repair facilities across the U.S. that service aircraft ranging from piston singles to large-cabin business jets.

Commerce Committee Delays Vote on FAA Admin Nominee

The Senate Commerce Committee has pushed off consideration of the nomination of Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington to be the next FAA Administrator to a “future date pending information that members have been seeking,” according to chair Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington).

The committee had been scheduled to consider the nomination today amid a partisan divide, with Democrats strongly backing Washington. Further, the committee has released numerous letters of support and other endorsements from unions, airport groups, airlines, and past administrators, among others.

Meanwhile, Republicans have remained opposed, citing a lack of experience and Washington’s possible role in an ongoing corruption probe. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the ranking minority member on the committee, praised the move to delay the vote and reiterated his opposition.

He added that the White House has an “easy and clear path” before it with FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen, who Cruz said has “all of the experience that Mr. Washington lacks.” Cruz also maintained that should Nolen be nominated, he would receive bipartisan support and confirmation could come swiftly.

Cantwell, however, maintained that Washington “is qualified” and supported by former FAA administrators such as Jane Garvey, who took her role with a limited aviation background. “We will have this debate in the future,” Cantwell added.

New Lease Fund Targets Single-engine Helicopters

Paris-based Nova Capital is launching the $54 million Nova Capital Light Aviation Debt Fund, a private debt vehicle backed by single-engine helicopters and light fixed-wing utility aircraft. Concurrently, the company announced that it has acquired 12 new single-engine helicopters over the last two quarters, bringing its portfolio of that type to 54 with a combined asset value of more than $200 million.

Olivier Piot, founder and CEO of Nova Capital, said, “We are thrilled to lead the way with our first in-house managed debt fund, which will be the perfect addition to our usual banking debt. It will definitively be a game changer in our current funding mix while increasing our underwriting capacity.”

Launched in 2002, Nova became the fourth-largest helicopter lessor in the world by 2019 with an asset portfolio of aircraft worth $350 million. It sold its twin-engine helicopter portfolio to aircraft lessor LCI in 2021 to concentrate on the single-engine, on-shore mission-critical services business. Piot has long maintained that this market segment offers higher returns and lower risk than the cyclical offshore energy business. 

VIP Completions Unveils Personalized Global Express

Fort Lauderdale, Florida aircraft completions and refurbishment specialist VIP Completions recently delivered a Bombardier Global Express after completing its highly personalized interior and exterior that characterizes the owner’s “unique style.”

“This aircraft is truly a work of art. The style is clean, bright, and characterized by a minimalist color palette. It features many unique design elements,” said VIP Completions president Ben Shirazi. “We delivered this aircraft to a long-standing valued client and collaborated with her personal designer to deliver an exceptional level of customization. For example, the divan features a weave and texture inspired by the classic Chanel bouclé jacket—one of our client’s fashion trademarks.”

Along with the cabin’s custom finishings, the refurbishment included CMS control via Crestron touch panels embedded at each seat location, a fully custom Alto MySound audio optimization system, upgraded high-definition monitors, dynamic RGB lighting, and a Plex media server.

“The CMS and IFE upgrades meet and exceed the caliber of comparable new aircraft entering service today. The exterior also makes a bold statement, standing out on any ramp and embodying its owner’s sophisticated sense of style,” Shirazi added. “Our team has really set a new standard for grace and elegance in business aircraft completions.”

Air Medical Lobby Names New President

Jana Williams has been selected as the new president and CEO of the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) and MedEvac Foundation International (MFI), effective April 3. Williams began her career as a volunteer EMT in 1984 and went on to a 30-year EMS and nursing career, becoming v-p of strategic operations and partner development at a large EMS operator before establishing her own consultancy.

She is president of the National EMS Memorial Service, an organization congressionally selected to honor EMS providers—in the air and on the ground—who die in the line of duty; a board member of the Association for Professional Flight Chaplains (APFC), which provides emotional and spiritual support to transport crews and flight chaplains; and a regent at the AAMS Medical Transport Leadership Institute (MTLI), focusing on topics including program excellence, project management, business communications essentials, and responder support.

“I am excited to become part of such a capable peer group and look forward most to spotlighting the noble and important work of our colleagues and community,” Williams said.