Textron’s King Air 90, Citation Sovereign End Rule

Textron Aviation has ended production of its Cessna Citation Sovereign+ midsize business jet and Beechcraft King Air C90GTx twin-turboprop, the OEM confirmed to AIN today. Demand for both airplanes had slipped in recent years while Textron Aviation noted its action was based on a continuous alignment of product offerings with current and future market demand. The models will continue to be supported by Textron Aviation’s service centers and parts operation.

The 2019 certification of the super-midsize Citation Longitude, as well as the earlier 2015 entry-into-service of the midsize Latitude, presented “the opportunity to minimize overlap within this customer segment” by ceasing Sovereign production, the company added.

The Model 680 Sovereign entered service in 2004 and was upgraded to the plus variant, with the first delivery occurring in 2013. In the past four years, annual deliveries of the Sovereign+ had slipped to single digits, with only the now out-of-production Mustang and X+ recording fewer deliveries, according to figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

A “pioneer of the King Air family,” the C90 was a derivative of the Queen Air and was first delivered in 1971. Last year, the Wichita airframer announced the King Air 260 and 360/360ER, while GAMA figures showed C90GTx deliveries in the past five years representing a fraction of its larger siblings.

Olivier Dassault Killed in Helicopter Accident

Olivier Dassault, 69, a prominent French politician and Dassault Aviation board member, was killed in a helicopter crash yesterday afternoon. He was the son of former Dassault chief Serge Dassault and grandson of the French aviation group’s founder, Marcel Dassault.

French accident investigation agency BEA confirmed that an Airbus AS350B crashed soon after takeoff from “private grounds” at Touques on the Normandy coast, close to where Dassault reportedly has a home. According to police reports in various French media outlets, the pilot was also killed in the accident that occurred at 5:50 p.m. local time.

The AS350B—registered in France as F-GIMB and owned by BPCE Lease—was part of a fleet operated by Dolijet from a base at La Ferte-Alais, south of Paris. In the latest Dassault Aviation financial statement, Olivier Dassault is listed as chairman of Dolijet.

Besides being a member of the French parliament since 2002, Dassault was on the supervisory board of the Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault holding company, which controls 62.7 percent of shares in Dassault Aviation. Having graduated from the French air force academy, he held a pilot’s license and set a number of speed records in various Falcons between 1977 and 1996. His other business interests included various media holdings.

Covid Aid Bill To Provide Billions in Aviation Relief

The House of Representatives is expected to vote tomorrow on final passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, clearing the way for up to $26 billion in aviation relief aid and billions more in other loans and grants that could assist the industry. Approved by the Senate on Saturday, the American Rescue Plan now returns to the House for final passage.

The relief package would extend the air carrier Payroll Support Program through September with another $14 billion for operators and $1 billion for contractors. Another $8 billion is provided for airport grants, including $100 million for general aviation fields. New in this relief package is $3 billion set aside for a cost-sharing program to support aviation manufacturing jobs.

Other measures that could provide some relief to the industry include $15 billion for economic injury disaster loans and $7.25 billion in more payroll protection program money that is targeted for small businesses. Further, there is another $14 billion for vaccine distribution.

“This legislation brings critical relief to the business aviation industry as the ongoing reductions in business travel and the potential for additional Covid-related impacts create significant uncertainty for our community,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. He urged the House “to act quickly and ensure our industry, and all Americans, receive this targeted assistance as we look to recover from the pandemic.”

NBAA, AOPA Raise Concerns about Intentional GPS Jamming

NBAA and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) are expressing concerns that operators are continuing to face issues with intentional GPS jamming exercises and have asked the U.S Department of Defense (DOD) and FAA to provide an update on efforts to mitigate those instances.

In a joint letter to the government agencies, the associations acknowledge the need for the DOD to simulate a loss of GPS for training, maintenance, and support efforts. But, they worry, “the National Airspace System (NAS) has become increasingly reliant on GPS as the primary source of navigation and aircraft system functionality while reducing the ground-based navigational backup infrastructure.”

In response to concerns about this dynamic, the RTCA Tactical Operations Committee evaluated the operational impacts of intentional GPS interference and submitted a report in March 2018 with two dozen recommendations to help minimize these events, the associations noted. But the agencies have yet to detail any such efforts to minimize the impacts, they said. “Both the frequency and impacts of these events have continued to grow significantly over the past decade and will continue to proliferate over time.”

This has been a problem even with the reduced operations over the past year. “In recent months, operators have continued to report operational impacts and reduced access to airspace and airports resulting from intentional GPS jamming events,” they said.

Jet Linx Opens New Private Terminal in San Antonio

Aircraft management and private flight provider Jet Linx has opened its latest standalone terminal facility in San Antonio, Texas. The company, one of the largest jet card membership operators in the U.S., has had a presence at San Antonio International Airport since 2011 and has seen growing demand there over the past several years.

The new 4,000-sq-ft terminal, which has been planned since 2018, was built on the site of a former Hawker Beechcraft facility. It is lined with large windows that allow ample natural light and includes an open central lobby with workstations, a conference room, a fully-stocked kitchenette and refreshment bar, and four large offices. It adjoins a two-bay, 30,000-sq-ft hangar that can accommodate aircraft up to a Global Express, as well as client vehicles.

“San Antonio has proven to be an extremely impactful market for Jet Linx, having doubled in membership within its first three years of operating and witnessing consistent growth,” explained company president and CEO Jamie Walker. “For the past decade, our San Antonio Base team has excelled in providing both luxury and convenience to our local clients and we are excited to deliver an enhanced five-star experience from arrival to takeoff.”

West Star Now Offers Fusion Installs in Challenger 604s

West Star Aviation has begun offering Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics installations on Bombardier Challenger 604s. As an authorized Collins Aerospace dealer, the installations can be performed at any of West Star's full-service MRO facilities in Grand Junction, Colorado; East Alton, Illinois; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Perryville, Missouri.

“This upgrade and its options truly put the 604 fully back into international conformity, where it was designed to be,” said Walt Marcy, West Star’s avionics technical sales manager in Grand Junction. Marcy added that the touchscreen-based Pro Line Fusion package is the most comprehensive avionics upgrade available for the 604 and serves to increase the value of the large-cabin twinjet.

With Pro Line Fusion, the 604 will have synthetic vision and graphical flight planning, as well as an integrated engine indicating and crew alerting system and autothrottle. It also provides operators with controller-pilot datalink communications and future air navigation system capabilities that serve to meet FAA and international airspace mandates, according to the Grand Junction-headquartered MRO.

Aero Asset: Heavy Twins Lead Used Helo Market Rebound

The used helicopter market recovered enough in the second half of last year to outperform dismal 2019 unit sales volumes, concluded Toronto-based consultancy Aero Asset in its year-end 2020 market analysis. Overall, preowned retail sales volume rose by 10 percent year-over-year in 2020, which also saw the most retail transactions in the last four years, the company noted.

Aero Asset said supply rose 8 percent year-over-year and the overall absorption rate was fairly constant, contracting to 20.5 months from 21 months. Altogether, 143 used helicopters worth $516 million were sold last year. 

The rebound was led by a sharp increase in both the prices and sales volumes for Sikorsky S-92 and Airbus H225 heavy twins. For all of 2020, 18 heavies changed hands—compared with just 10 in 2019—representing 12 percent of all units sold in 2020 and 20 percent of the aggregate transaction value for the entire used helicopter market. Their sale prices averaged $5.1 million.

Meanwhile, the medium twin sale price averaged $4.6 million and accounted for 40 percent of the used market’s value and 30 percent of units sold, with the Leonardo AW139 leading the way. Light twins held steady, representing 58 percent of all units sold. Aero Asset forecasts that the used helicopter market will continue to improve this year.

ForeFlight Adds Turbine Aircraft Runway Analysis

The latest version of ForeFlight includes a new runway analysis feature, which is available to Performance-level subscribers as a paid add-on. Runway analysis launched with six Cessna Citation models, but ForeFlight is adding more jets and eventually turboprops.

Runway analysis allows pilots to fly with the maximum payload possible while meeting terrain- and obstacle-clearance requirements in case of loss of one engine during the takeoff phase of flight. Airlines have long used runway analysis engine-out procedures (EOPs) to allow dispatchers to calculate the highest possible maximum takeoff weight for specific runways while meeting minimum climb, available runway length, and obstacle clearance and other requirements. Runway analysis has increasingly become part of normal operations in business aviation, with analysis companies providing EOPs for many airports globally.

While EOPs generally include straight-out takeoff and climb procedures, some EOPs can be designed to match airport departure procedures or standard instrument departures (SIDs). Other EOPs may dictate a different departure path that must be used in case of an engine-out emergency.

ForeFlight’s runway analysis incorporates flight manual constraints such as brake energy and tire speed limits as well as minimum climb gradient, runway length, and obstacle clearance. A team of ForeFlight geographic information system and performance experts has developed EOPs for a variety of airports starting in the U.S., and these will be expanded worldwide. The EOPs are in compliance with recommendations in FAA Advisory Circular 120-91A and its ICAO counterpart.