Daher’s aviation division expects to broaden its product lineup by 2027 with a hybrid-electric TBM and set up a third aircraft production facility in Stuart, Florida, Daher aviation division senior v-p Nicolas Chabbert told AIN yesterday at the Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo. The company produces four models—the Kodiak 100 Series III and 900 and TBM 910 and 960—and delivered 73 airplanes last year and estimates 85 to 90 this year.
The additional production line will be located at Daher’s aerostructures facility in Stuart. Combined with Kodiak production in Sandpoint, Idaho, and TBM manufacturing in Tarbes, France, the Stuart facility will make both lines and boost total annual output to 120 to 130 airplanes.
That ancillary capacity will be needed as Daher plans to add a fifth model—a hybrid-electric TBM influenced by its EcoPulse technology demonstrator being developed in partnership with Safran and Airbus. According to Chabbert, the hybrid-electric EcoPulse has logged 10 hours to date with two of its six motors installed. Testing has so far focused on thermal issues.
Flight testing of the demonstrator is set to resume in its current four-motor configuration. By June, the EcoPulse will have all six motors installed before making its public debut at the Paris Airshow. Chabbert said Daher is evaluating the motor configurations in stages to guide the development of a production hybrid-electric aircraft, which he expects will enter service in 2027.
Business jet MRO General Atomics AeroTec Systems (GA-ATS) has received approval to provide inspections and services for Embraer Praetor 500 and 600 business jets at its facility in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. With this certification, both aircraft types are now included in GA-ATS’s Part 145 certificate. This expands the company’s Embraer business jet service portfolio, which previously covered the large-cabin Embaer Legacy 600/650 and Lineage bizliner.
The company said that shortly after receiving the new certification, its technicians completed its first comprehensive annual inspection on a customer’s Embraer Praetor 600. According to the company, the deciding factors for the customer selecting GA-ATS for the service were the MRO’s location and the experience of its employees with other Embraer models.
In addition to the array of Embraer jets, GA-ATS is a maintenance facility for Bombardier Challengers and Globals, the latter also including the Global 7500. The German company offers MRO and upgrade services for many other business jet models, as well as aircraft painting.
Warning that the FAA is going to begin enforcing pilot records database (PRD) compliance deadlines, NBAA is urging operators to catch up on any requirements they may have missed. The FAA this month released Notice 8900.653 Pilot Records Database Compliance Oversight, providing PRD direction and enforcement criteria for aviation safety inspectors. In a “potential findings” section of the notice, the FAA notes, “Many operators, particularly non-Part 121 operators, did not submit an application for database access by Sept. 8, 2021.”
“If you inadvertently missed the deadline to apply for the database access or any of the additional deadlines, apply now and develop internal processes to come into compliance and remain in compliance,” said Brian Koester, NBAA director of flight operations and regulations. “While there might still be consequences...the notice instructs inspectors to follow the compliance program policy, which tends to look favorably upon operators that correct instances of noncompliance before FAA interaction.”
The FAA has instructed its inspectors to evaluate Part 135 compliance by the end of this month, Part 125 and 91(K) compliance by the end of June, and corporate operator compliance by the end of August.
Vision Aircraft Records has entered into a strategic partnership with ARC Document Solutions to deliver a more convenient end-to-end service for aircraft operators looking to move to digital logbooks for maintenance record-keeping. The partnership will simplify the process and help more operators transition from paper logbooks to digital records by offering secure and compliant paper-to-digital records scanning at the operator’s facility.
“By partnering with ARC Document Solutions, we can offer our customers a complete solution for aviation record-keeping that is efficient, cost-effective, and compliant with industry regulations,” said Vision Aircraft Records CEO Mark Leeper. “Our digital logbook platform combined with ARC’s expertise and geographic resources will provide a streamlined solution for converting and managing aviation records.”
“ARC understands the necessity of security, flawless stewardship, and technical expertise when it comes to converting paper aviation records into digital assets,” said ARC president and COO Dilo Wijesuriya. “Our capabilities were built to support innovators like Vision Aircraft Records and our national service footprint will help them scale their solutions across the country.”
Gulfstream Aerospace has expanded its presence on the U.S. West Coast with the opening of a sales and design center in Beverly Hills, California. The 12,000-sq-ft facility is designed to provide customers with a firsthand look at the cabins and finishings of the Gulfstream fleet as they make completion and finishing decisions to tailor aircraft to their mission requirements.
The center showcases cabin mockups of Gulfstream’s G400, G700, and G800 living areas, as well as the seat designs of the G500 and G600. An interior design team at the center will help customers select finishes, veneers, floor coverings, leathers, textiles, and other interior materials. In addition, the center is equipped with Gulfstream’s digital cabin creator and exterior paint configurator tools.
Joining the design team at the center are Gulfstream sales executives based in the Los Angeles area. Gulfstream opened a customer support service center at Van Nuys Airport in 2019.
“We are always looking for new opportunities to enhance the Gulfstream customer experience,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “Expanding our portfolio of sales and design centers to the U.S. West Coast is the next phase in our strategic expansion plan and provides further investment in our customers and the growing worldwide Gulfstream fleet.”
The Beverly Hills location joins Gulfstream sales and design centers in New York; London; Dallas; Savannah, Georgia; and Appleton, Wisconsin.
Business aircraft MRO Jet East recently expanded its avionics installation and repair capabilities by adding satellite locations in Trenton, New Jersey, and Dallas. The facilities will provide avionics services, including troubleshooting, component replacement, and RVSM inspections.
Both locations will be equipped with mobile AOG vehicles, which can assist customers at their home base or any airport in the surrounding areas. The company said Larry Foster will oversee the Trenton location while Jeff Turner will lead the Dallas effort. They bring over 55 years of combined experience to the Jet East avionics team.
“As aircraft avionics become increasingly more advanced, it is imperative that we provide the high-level expertise that our customers expect,” noted Dwayne Chandler Sr., director of avionics sales and business development. The company will use the Trenton and Dallas locations as models as it continues introducing satellite locations to provide customers with more convenient access to avionics and maintenance solutions from coast to coast.
The driver of a car being pursued by a Baton Rouge, Louisiana police helicopter has been charged with the death of its flight crew. The 2009 Robinson R44 Raven II crashed into a cane field after apparently hitting a tree early Sunday morning, killing police officers Sgt. David Poirrier, 47, and Cpl. Scotty Canezaro, 38.
The helicopter was aiding in the high-speed pursuit of DeAndre Bessye, 23, who allegedly was fleeing police in a 2014 Ford Mustang at speeds up to 150 mph. On Monday, he was being held on $950,000 bond, charged with two counts of manslaughter, aggravated flight and obstruction, and hit and run. Bessye abandoned his car and later reported it stolen but was arrested after cell phone data linked him to the chase, during which he allegedly was driving without lights, ran multiple stop signs, and plowed through a construction zone.
The helicopter took off at approximately 2:26 a.m. and crashed 12 minutes later. However, it was not reported missing until more than three hours later and the wreckage wasn't located until six hours after that, at 11 a.m. local time, when a family member of one of the dead crew pinged his cell phone.
Jet Aviation has received Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) approval to provide maintenance on an array of business jets at its line maintenance repair (LMR) station in Zurich.
“We are delighted to add Zurich to our European maintenance network on an ongoing basis,” said Cyril Martiniere, Jet Aviation’s v-p of MRO services Europe and Basel facility general manager. “Zurich is a key hub for our customers, and providing permanent line maintenance on site was a natural next step in our commitment to an effortless maintenance experience in Europe and beyond.”
Established in 1969, Jet Aviation’s Zurich facility underwent a significant expansion in June 2021, when the company acquired the former ExecuJet Zurich FBO facilities. The acquisition added a multifunctional terminal for passengers and crews, an adjacent 2,500-sq-m hangar, a second nearly 5,000-sq-m arched hangar, and two 5,000-sq-m private ramps to the facility’s footprint.
In addition to the Zurich MRO facility, Jet Aviation offers AOG services worldwide and base maintenance in Basel and Geneva, Switzerland; Dubai; and Singapore.
Requires repetitive inspections of the hoist boom assembly and corrective actions and/or replacement, if necessary. The AD stems from a review of design data that determined that affected parts must be inspected repetitively based on accumulated cycles. Failure to implement this inspection could lead to the failure of affected parts, possibly resulting in the loss of the load and injury to persons.
AD applies to DHC-2 Mk. 1 aircraft with supplemental type certificate No. SA01324CH installed and calls for inspecting the wing structure for damage (drill starts, corrosion, cracks, and improperly installed fasteners), repairing damage, and reporting the inspection results if necessary. This AD was prompted by a report of damage in the main wing spar.
Supersedes a previous AD requiring the replacement of certain compressor cases and drums approaching a recalculated service life limit. This AD removes the requirements for M601E-11, M601E-11A, and M601F engines but retains the requirements for M601E-11S, M601E-11AS, and M601FS engines. A separate AD addressed the concerns of the former group.
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