Based upon current order trends, French airframer Daher believes 2022 could be a record year for the company. Daher delivered 68 airplanes between its Kodiak and TBM single-engine turboprop lines last year, and to date it has cash deposits for another 50 to be delivered this year. A spokesman told AIN this backlog is significantly higher than a year ago and that the manufacturer is planning a “significant increase” in production in 2022.
In 2021, the OEM handed over a combined 51 TBM 910s and 940s, including four of the latter to the French government’s flight test organization DGA-EV. While the bulk of these deliveries—39—went to North American customers, the manufacturer noted increased demand from European owner/operators.
Daher last year introduced the Kodiak Series III, the first upgrade to the utility aircraft since it was acquired by the Daher Group three years ago, and it saw 17 deliveries to a mix of corporate/business, private, and special mission customers.
“We’re proud of these impressive results for Daher’s aircraft division in producing and delivering Kodiak and TBM aircraft, which are even more noteworthy considering the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on the supply chain, its effects on the economy, and the downturn in international travel,” stated company CEO Didier Kayat. “The perspectives for 2022 are extremely positive, and it could be the best year ever for our aircraft manufacturing activity.”
Under a memorandum of understanding, fractional aircraft provider NetJets plans to add 150 Lilium eVTOLs to its fleet, Lilium revealed to investors this week. NetJets has secured purchase rights for Lilium’s six-passenger model, which could be operated in both the U.S. and Europe.
In a February 28 statement to investors, Germany-based Lilium said NetJets would operate the aircraft and might also become a flight operations partner for Lilium’s planned service network in Florida and other locations. According to Lilium, NetJets could potentially run Lilium’s services in Florida under its existing Part 135 air operator certificate. In November 2020, Lilium announced plans to provide eVTOL connections between larger cities in central and south Florida, built around a network of vertiports at locations such as the Lake Nona community near Orlando.
Lilium is aiming to certify its eVTOL and start commercial services in 2024. It has not said when it will start flight testing a preproduction prototype but has told investors it will release design data to its supply chain during the second quarter. The company is still flight testing a five-seat technology demonstrator of its ducted-fan, fixed-wing model.
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Continuing its certification reform efforts, the FAA is expanding its use of independent Technical Advisory Board (TAB) reviews for both aircraft and drone projects. The agency said the reviews are designed to provide a more consistent and thorough approach to certification projects and will involve independent groups of internal and external safety experts.
The FAA had formed a TAB during the Boeing 737 Max recertification and has established another for the Boeing 777X certification review. This is expanding to other certification projects involving a range of aircraft—small and large alike—as well as other systems such as drones, according to the agency.
Use of TABs is part of a multifaceted approach the FAA is taking to reform its certification policies as it works to comply with congressional mandates and address key concerns highlighted during the reviews following the Boeing Max crashes. However, the FAA maintained that its use of the TABs will go beyond congressional mandates, noting the boards will be involved early in the certification process with different levels of reviews depending on project scope and risk. In addition, independent technical specialists will be brought in to review the proposed design/design change and assess how it would meet certification requirements.
Jet card provider Jet Linx is quickly growing its South Florida footprint with the grand opening today of its private terminal at Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport (KOPF) and the announcement of its acquisition of Boca Raton-based charter operator and aircraft management firm Southern Jet. The KOPF terminal is Jet Linx’s 20th and Southern Jet’s operations at Boca Raton Airport will serve as the Omaha, Nebraska-based company’s 21st facility.
“We continue to see increasingly strong demand in Florida and have been focused on pursuing acquisition opportunities to expand our facilities and operations in the marketplace,” said Jet Linx CEO Jamie Walker.
Jet Linx’s 3,200-sq-ft terminal at KOPF features multiple seating and lounge areas, a conference room, an executive lounge, as well as a bar and café. Since 2021, Jet Linx has opened a private terminal in San Antonio, broke ground on a new facility in Omaha, and completed renovations of its private terminal in Dallas.
The acquisition of Southern Jet further taps into the South Florida private aviation market and demand for flights there from Teterboro and other Northeast U.S. airports, Walker added. It is also part of Jet Linx’s strategy to acquire select, local operators in the cities it serves to complement the company’s organic growth in those markets. Southern's charter fleet includes a Challenger 300, two Hawker 800XPs, and three Learjet 60s.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will work closely with the FAA on eVTOL type certifications, the agencies said today at the Global Urban & Advanced Air Summit (GUAAS) in Farnborough, UK. They plan to build on existing bilateral air safety agreements between the two countries to create a clearer path for eVTOL manufacturers to get approvals validated on both sides of the Atlantic.
According to CAA policy director Tim Johnson, several eVTOL aircraft developers have expressed interest in seeking certification through the UK. Jay Merkle, executive director of the FAA’s UAS integration office, added that the U.S. agency is committed to adapting to new market entrants from the advanced air mobility sector.
Asked about the main obstacles to the launch of eVTOL commercial operations, Merkle pointed to what he said are major changes in the powerplants and flight controls for the new aircraft. He advised eVTOL developers to be realistic about the time they will need to certify aircraft and get them into service.
Johnson said that the CAA intends to take a pragmatic approach to certifying new aircraft. “We are not going to adopt technical differences just for the sake of it,” he noted.
Mission equipment provider Dart Aerospace has acquired aircraft equipment manufacturer Paravion Technology and its MRO operation, Century Helicopters, in a deal that will expand Dart’s product offerings and STCs to more than 1,500. Montreal-based Dart didn’t disclose the financial terms of the transaction with Fort Collins, Colorado-based Paravion, which holds nearly 70 FAA certifications and more than 200 foreign validations that include EASA, Transport Canada, and FAA parts manufacturer approval for replacement parts.
Founded in 1985, Paravion’s fixed-wing and rotorcraft products include heating and air conditioning systems, camera-mount systems, and its proprietary Heliporter tug for helicopters. The acquisition “opens incredible opportunities to boost Paravion’s products and expand Dart’s leadership as a one-stop mission equipment supplier,” said Dart president and CEO Alain Madore.
With Century Helicopters, Dart also gains expertise in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) completions, a business segment Dart intends to grow. Century, which operates from 54,000 sq ft at three locations, also serves as a Bell and Robinson Helicopter customer service facility.
“This is an exciting time for Paravion and our customers,” said Paravion president and CEO Larry Hansen. “This blending of capabilities and products will provide increased support and opportunity to our current customers and, through Dart’s extensive network, bring Paravion products to a larger share of the market.”
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is opposing the bans on aircraft parts shipments to Russian airlines, saying it could compromise air safety. In a response to questions from AIN, IATA addressed the sanctions imposed this week by the EU and the U.S. that effectively prohibit Airbus and Boeing, among others, from supporting their Russian customers’ fleets.
“IATA does not support bans on the export of commercial aircraft equipment and spare parts because this potentially impacts safety, which is always the top priority,” IATA said. Boeing and Airbus this week have each suspended their maintenance support for their Russian customers in compliance with European and U.S. sanctions imposed in reaction to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday, Boeing closed its operations center in the besieged Ukrainian capital Kyiv and paused operations at its Moscow training center, and by Tuesday said it had suspended all “major” operations in Russia. Yesterday, Airbus followed suit, noting it too had stopped shipping parts and providing support services to its customers in Russia. Several Russian airlines operate Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including flag carrier Aeroflot.
After many years of suffering from a reputation for substandard safety standards, Russia’s accident record has improved dramatically in recent years, as the CIS region registered no fatal jet accidents in 2020 and 2021, according to IATA statistics.
The California Highway Patrol’s Valley Division Air Operations has become the sixth U.S. search and rescue (SAR) unit to equip its helicopters with the Recco SAR detector. This detector is carried aloft via external sling and can find lost/injured persons who are wearing clothing or other items fitted with Recco reflectors—lightweight passive transponders that consist of a diode and antenna requiring no power or activation to function.
Reflectors are integrated into products from more than 150 sports and outdoor brands, including jackets, pants, helmets, backpacks, back protectors, boots, transceivers, watches, and harnesses. Also available as single products, the transponder can be added to other branded helmets and backpacks and are included in Recco branded belts. The reflectors are designed to last indefinitely barring mechanical damage and can be detected with a hand-held unit that has a range up to 263 feet through the air and 66 feet through packed snow, which results in a practical range of 98 meters on avalanche debris, according to the company.
SAR helicopters equipped with the detector can search 0.4 sq mi every six minutes. Recco SAR detectors are in use by 27 SAR units worldwide; nine in North America and 18 in Europe. Recent customers include Teton County, Wyoming Search and Rescue; Canada’s Vernon Search and Rescue; and Italy’s mountain rescue service, the Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico or CNSAS.
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