French aircraft manufacturer Daher announced several upgrades for its high-performance TBM 960 and utility Kodiak 100 turboprop singles today at the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida. The company also designated Simcom as the factory-approved training organization for all Kodiaks and TBMs.
For the Kodiak 100, the company is now offering a composite five-blade propeller as an option for Series III models and as a retrofit for all Model 100s. Compared with the stock four-blade propeller, the option is 13 pounds lighter and reduces noise and takeoff roll distance by 6.6 percent and 6 percent, respectively. In addition, a Garmin 1000 NXi upgrade that includes the GTX 345R ADS-B In/Out transponder is available as a retrofit for all Kodiak 100s.
Though only revealed last year at Sun ‘n Fun, the TBM 960 is getting a checklist review button on the yoke and repositioned altimeter setting knobs, as well as Garmin 4G LTE/Wi-Fi datalink and GWX 8000 StormOptix weather radar.
Meanwhile, Daher tapped Simcom for Kodiak 100 and 900 training, building on their 24-year relationship for TBM instruction. As part of the agreement, Simcom is installing a fixed-based Kodiak flight simulator, built by Frasca International, at its Scottsdale, Arizona facility that is expected to be online by October.
The business aviation industry is mourning the death of European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) secretary-general Athar Husain Khan, who passed away unexpectedly on Sunday. He was 60.
“It is with shock, complete disbelief, deep sadness, and heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of our secretary-general…Athar always put the human element first, and steered the industry in the right direction during challenging times,” said EBAA chairman Juergen Wiese.
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen called Husain Khan “a trusted partner, respected leader, and true aviation professional.”
Husain Khan has been actively involved in European and international aviation for more than 30 years, leading the EBAA secretariat since July 2018. He worked closely with NBAA on many issues and events, most notably EBACE, which is co-hosted each year by NBAA and EBAA. His dedication to the business aviation industry has been key to the association's strength, said EBAA.
He graduated from the University of Leiden with a degree in European law, human rights law, and International law, and specialized in air and space law. He previously held roles with the Dutch Ministries of Education and Transport, where he served as a senior policy advisor and negotiator on aero-political affairs, for KLM as director of government and industry affairs, and CEO of the Association of European Airlines.
The March 3 Bombardier Challenger 300 in-flight upset occurred immediately following the pilots’ response to one of multiple engine indicating and crew alerting system (EICAS) messages, according to the recently published NTSB preliminary report. The report also said the aircraft took off after the EICAS advised of a RUDDER LIMIT FAULT, normally a no-go message on the Challenger 300 series if the aircraft hasn’t taken off. They also used the incorrect checklist in the air.
Soon after the upset, a passenger told the pilots that another passenger had been injured and the aircraft diverted to Windsor Locks, Connecticut. A waiting ambulance took the passenger to the hospital where she later died.
The twinjet was on an IFR Part 91 flight from Keene, New Hampshire to Leesburg, Virginia. At around 6,000 feet msl while climbing to FL240 and with the autopilot (AP) engaged, the pilots observed multiple EICAS caution messages, including: AP STAB TRIM FAIL, MACH TRIM FAIL, and AP HOLDING NOSE DOWN. Both pilots agreed to use the PRI STAB TRIM FAIL checklist (not the AP STAB TRIM FAIL checklist), which initially called for the stabilizer trim switch to be turned off. The AP STAB TRIM FAIL checklist calls for the pilots to turn on the smoking/seatbelt light.
The moment the SIC turned the stabilizer trim switch to off, the AP disconnected as expected, but then the airplane suffered the in-flight upset. The PIC was able to regain control.
Wipaire, working with Hartzell Propeller, is nearing receipt of a supplement type certificate (STC) and is beginning to take deposits for a Yukon four-blade composite propeller upgrade for the Cessna C208 and C208B Caravan, the company announced on the eve of Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo. “We are both happy to announce the completion of testing on the new four-blade carbon composite prop, the Yukon,” said president and CEO Chuck Wiplinger, adding the company hopes to have an STC in hand later this year, possibly in the third quarter.
“At last year’s EAA AirVenture, the prototype in our booth garnered a lot of attention, people wanting to know about its performance,” Wiplinger said. “This year, at Sun ’n Fun, people can see the Yukon on our C208B with a Blackhawk -140 engine conversion.”
The prop can be installed on float-equipped or wheeled Caravans that have either the Pratt & Whitney Canada 675-shp PT6A-114A or 867-shp PT6A-140 engine.
Hartzell Propeller president JJ Frigge said the prop will decrease takeoff distance by 26 percent on land and 31 percent on water. “This translates into safer takeoff and landings on smaller lakes and shorter runways,” Frigge said. Other improvements for the 110-inch-diameter prop include up to two knots increased cruise speed at lower power and a weight of 137 pounds, marking a 19-pound savings.
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After five years of negotiations, Corporate Air—one of two full-service FBOs at Florida’s Vero Beach Regional Airport (KVRB)—will break ground next week on a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility. The $3 million, 3,800-sq-ft structure will be built to CBP specifications and located adjacent to the Corporate Air facility on the west side of the airfield.
Construction is expected to take approximately a year and once the user-fee-based facility opens early in 2024, KVRB, which has never previously had customs clearance service, will be able to change its name to Vero Beach International Airport.
“We did a feasibility study based on other towns that have offered the same facility such as Stuart and Boca [Raton],” said Rodger Pridgeon, Corporate Air’s founder, president, and manager. “The feasibility study is pretty much the same in all three places—it boosted the revenue about 30 percent, so this is a big deal for us.” He told AIN that his based customers are particularly eager to welcome the new clearance station, especially large aircraft owners that thus far have needed to stop at an international arrivals airport and put another takeoff and landing cycle on their aircraft.
The Flight Safety Foundation is opening an Asia-Pacific center headquartered in Singapore. The center will develop an annual program to meet the needs of aviation regulators and industry in the region; undertake projects and studies to provide a deeper understanding of safety challenges; and build capabilities in technology, data analytics, and safety management processes.
Former airline pilot and ICAO and United Nations executive Mitchell Fox will serve as the center director. During his 30 years with ICAO, Fox served as the chief of the Trainair Program, the operational safety section and strategic planning office, and regional affairs coordinator in the office of the secretary-general. He was also the U.N. director of air transport service, managing more than 200 aircraft that support peacekeeping missions worldwide.
“Aviation safety must be a top priority of the Asia-Pacific region as air travel recovers to pre-pandemic levels,” said Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore director Han Kok Juan. “It requires close collaboration among regulators and industry across countries. The setting up of the regional safety center is timely and provides a common platform for such collaboration.”
FSF president and CEO Hassan Shahidi added, “As commercial aviation in the Asia-Pacific region rebounds and recovers from the pandemic, it is important that all stakeholders have the resources and capabilities they need to ramp up operations safely.”
Jet Access, the single FBO provider at Indianapolis Regional Airport (KMQJ), has completed the construction of a 22,500-sq-ft heated hangar. The project took a year to complete and adds to the service provider’s existing 60,000 sq ft of hangar space that can shelter the latest ultra-long-range business jets.
With its 6,000-foot main runway, KMQJ is a dedicated general aviation airport just 20 minutes from downtown Indianapolis. Jet Access provides aircraft maintenance, charter, and management in addition to ground handling.
“There is a significant shortage of hangar space in central Indiana, so it is essential that we continue to invest in our operations at our central Indiana FBOs,” said Sean White, the company’s executive v-p of FBO operations. “With its close proximity to downtown Indianapolis, the new hangar will impact a significant sector of the business community—those who are currently doing business in Indianapolis, along with those who are looking to expand in or relocate business to Indianapolis.”
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The Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) is refuting a recent report from Canada’s finance department that projects the new federal luxury tax could lead to between 400 and 870 job losses by aviation, auto, and boat manufacturers. Instead, the AIAC has projected that the tax will lead to the loss of nearly 3,000 jobs in the aviation industry alone.
The 10 percent tax, effective since September 1 last year, is imposed on the sale of new vehicles and aircraft priced at $100,000 and above and on new sea vessels selling for $250,000 or more.
The AIAC also questioned the finance department's assertions of between 10 and 22 lost manufacturing jobs per aircraft sale loss, noting it takes 75 full-time employees to build a single business jet. “If we assume that the sale of 10 airplanes will be lost in 2022, this will translate in the loss of the equivalent of approximately 750 direct jobs in Canada,” according to a recent AAIC report. “The loss of those 750 direct jobs could translate into the loss of 2,850 full-time jobs in Canada, considering the direct, indirect, and induced impacts of these lost jobs in the Canadian economy.”
AAIC estimated that at least four individuals decided not to buy new helicopters as a direct consequence of the luxury tax.
Leviate Air Group promoted Zach Goldberg to regional v-p of aircraft sales. Goldberg has been with Leviate as an aircraft sales director since the company’s founding in 2014 and is an IADA-certified broker as well as a pilot for a major airline.
Aircraft interiors and maintenance services provider Latitude Aero appointed Garrett Wishon as v-p of operations and promoted Emma Reno to director of marketing. Wishon joins Latitude with more than 10 years of experience in the industry having held various leadership positions in engineering, production management, and program management. Reno joined the company in January 2022, previously serving as marketing coordinator.
Hawthorne Global Aviation Services appointed Tyson Goetz as CEO. Goetz most recently served as co-founder and president for Lynx FBO Network and previously held executive leadership positions at Landmark Aviation and Atlantic Aviation. Hawthorne also recently hired Lance Allen as CFO, Leslie McIntyre as chief human resources officer, and Joe Hansen as executive v-p of business development. Allen previously served as CFO for Ross Aviation, McIntyre joined Hawthorne having held HR positions with Lynx FBO Network and Landmark Aviation, and Hansen joined Hawthorne from Sacramento Jet Center.
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