AEA: Avionics Sales Soften, but Recovery Underway

Worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales in the first quarter fell 13.9 percent year-over-year, to about $568.8 million, according to the Aircraft Electronics Association’s (AEA) latest avionics market report. While that was down by almost $100 million from a year ago, AEA said this represented a marginal increase from the fourth quarter and marked the third consecutive quarter of increasing sales.

“With avionics sales trending in the right direction over the last nine months, it appears that a slow and steady industry recovery is under way,” said AEA president and CEO Mike Adamson. “The last six months of 2020 saw a rebound in retrofit sales, and it's encouraging to see forward-fit sales up sharply from the previous quarter in the aircraft manufacturing sector.”

Of the first-quarter sales, 53.7 percent came from the retrofit market, while forward-fit sales—avionics equipment installed by airframe manufacturers during production—accounted for the remainder. Reported business and general aviation aircraft electronic sales include all component and accessories in cockpit/cabin/software upgrades/portables/certified and noncertified aircraft electronics; tip-to-tail hardware; batteries; and chargeable product upgrades. They do not include repairs and overhauls, extended warranty, or subscription services.

According to AEA, the North American market accounted for 76 percent of the first-quarter sales volume, while 24 percent took place in other international markets.

Colonial Pipeline Attack Spurs Bizav Concerns

The continuing cyberattack on the Colonial Fuel Pipeline, which runs from Texas up the East Coast and supplies nearly half of the region’s petroleum fuels, including jet-A, is raising some concerns among the business aviation industry. Some pilots are reporting that they are now being advised by their home-base FBOs to top off aircraft in the face of possible shortages if the situation extends longer.

Titan Fuels issued an alert to its network customers on Monday regarding the disruption, noting that while it has not yet experienced any supply outages, the jet fuel terminals that could be likely affected would be in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Virginia. While it will use all available resources to supply customers, the distributor said it would be passing along all associated freight and product cost increases to them, no doubt putting pressure on prices at the pump. Titan also urged clients not to stockpile fuel, stating it would exacerbate supply issues and overwhelm the already taxed fuel transport companies.

Unsurprisingly, FBOs that AIN spoke with said they are monitoring the situation very closely and making contingency plans. Sheltair, which operates FBOs throughout the affected region, said it expects minor delays in supply at some locations as it switches to other unaffected terminals and will rely more on marine transport for its New York facilities.

NBAA, GAMA Caution Treasury Dept on Bizav Privacy

NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) are encouraging the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to coordinate with the FAA and protect business aircraft owner privacy when implementing new reporting rules surrounding limited liability corporations (LLCs) and other entities such as trusts.

At the directive of Congress, the FinCEN released an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) in early April outlining procedures and standards surrounding reporting of beneficial owner information. The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act included a measure, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), that increased the powers of FinCEN to collect and analyze financial transaction information to combat money laundering and other financial crimes, NBAA noted.

In comments to the ANPRM, the associations stressed the need to protect the privacy of the involved parties. “For corporate and industrial security reasons, it is critical that beneficial ownership information is maintained in a confidential, secure, and non-public database,” they said. “We trust that FinCEN will keep data security at the forefront as this system is developed.”

The groups further explained the prevalence of LLCs and how they are in some cases used to meet regulatory compliance. But they stressed the need for collaboration with the FAA and FinCEN to avoid duplicative or conflicting requirements.

Jet Linx Plans Private Terminal at Miami-Opa Locka

Jet Linx will establish a private terminal for its jet card members, joint owners, and aircraft management clients at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. This will be the Omaha, Nebraska-based company’s 20th such terminal in the U.S. and its first serving Florida.

In partnership with FBO Fontainebleau Aviation, the terminal is under construction and is expected to be completed in September. Staffed by a team of Forbes Travel Guide five-star-trained and certified flight concierges, the terminal will feature several seating and lounge areas, conference room, executive lounge, and a fully stocked café and bar.

“This is a significant milestone for the company as we continue to expand our network of private terminal locations to better serve our clients,” said Jet Linx president and CEO Jamie Walker. “We look forward to providing our clients with the finest and most personalized private jet experience in South Florida with the opening of our Miami private terminal.”

Jet Linx expects to add more private terminals, including on the West Coast, by next year.

Gogo Offers Business Aviation’s First Unlimited Streaming and Data Wi-Fi Plan

Data consumption in the air and on the ground has increased by 38 percent year over year during the past 10 years. To better accommodate the rising demand for data onboard business aircraft, Gogo Business Aviation launched the first unlimited streaming and data plan in business aviation—Gogo Biz 4G Limitless.

Philippines Hospital Launches Medical Flight Service

Singapore-based air mobility provider Ascent announced the launch of a new service providing both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to carry patients for The Medical City hospital group in the Philippines. The flights are operated by local partner Inaec Aviation using a mix of King Airs, Bell 429s, and Airbus Helicopters EC135s and AS350B2s.

The aircraft are equipped to provide a “medical travel bubble” for patients needing transfer to hospitals throughout the large country, which includes multiple islands. The Medical City has contracted with Ascent and Inaec for a range of flights, including providing hospital transfers, moving medical cargo, and transporting personnel in time-sensitive situations.

Each year, The Medical City cares for more than 50,000 inpatients and 500,000 outpatients. With the aircraft assets, the hospital group will now be able to move patients between its Clark and Ortigas facilities in just 25 minutes, compared with a drive-time of almost two hours.

Ascent also has an app that allows travelers to book on-demand helicopter flights in around 15 locations across the Philippines and Thailand using Inaec Aviation, as well as Advance Aviation and SFS Aviation. The company recently launched a new platform called AirborneX that lets helicopter owners offer their aircraft to other operators under dry leases (without flight crew).

Airbus Helicopters H145 Simulator Lands in U.S.

A Thales Reality H full-motion Airbus Helicopters H145 simulator has been installed at Helisim’s $22 million simulation center on the Airbus Grand Prairie, Texas campus. The new sim incorporates the H145 avionics and software suite, a larger field of view, 4K projection technology, a full electric Hexaline high-fidelity, six-axis motion system, and a touchscreen instructor station.

It is Airbus Helicopters’ second H145 full-flight simulator—the other is located in Germany. The 18,500-sq-ft Texas training center houses two simulator bays and can add a third if needed. It also contains an H125/AS350 full-flight simulator and an EC135/EC145 flight-training device. “With this brand-new, state-of-the-art H145 level-D simulator, our North American customers can experience the highest levels of H145 training in their own backyard,” said Airbus Helicopters Inc. president Romain Trapp.

Grand Prairie is one of 18 training and simulation centers run by Airbus Helicopters worldwide and trains more than 1,500 pilots and maintenance personnel annually. Helisim was created in 2000 and trains more than 2,000 pilots each year. It is a joint venture between Airbus Helicopters, Thales, and France’s DCI Group, a company that provides military training and assistance. Helisim’s U.S. subsidiary was created in 2018.

Collins Upgrades Venue Cabin Management System

Collins Aerospace has simplified the graphical user interface (GUI) of its Venue cabin management system (CMS), the company announced today. Improvements include simplified controls and the same look on both cabin touchscreen panels and Venue’s mobile device app, Collins said, offering “a more intuitive experience” through more icons, less text, and fewer user motions.

“Venue has always been known for its unmatched user capabilities. With this user interface update, the system is now able to match the look and feel of rapidly evolving consumer technology, which is what we know our customers want,” said Steve Adolphs, Collins senior director of aftermarket and cabin programs for business and regional avionics. “This new enhancement, along with our Venue offering, will provide the most well-rounded CMS upgrade in the market.”

Available through a three-tiered pricing model, Collins claims its Venue CMS has more than 1,500 aircraft installations. The upgraded interface is immediately available on new, standard installations through authorized Collins dealers, the company said. Those who already have Venue installed will be able to receive the upgrade later this year, as will those with VIP installations.

Margrit Waltz To Mark 900th Ferry Flight in a TBM 940

Margrit Waltz, considered one of the world's most experienced ferry pilots, is embarking on her 900th ferry flight of general aviation airplanes today to deliver a Daher TBM 940 from France to Muncie Aviation in Indiana. The trip is expected to span about three days, beginning at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees in France and including stops in Wick, Scotland; Keflavik, Iceland; Narsarsuaq, Greenland; Goose Bay, Canada; and Bangor, Maine.

Waltz was one of the first pilots to ferry a TBM turboprop single across the Atlantic Ocean for Socata—which was subsequently acquired by Daher in 2008—and since 1991 has delivered more than 200 TBMS to the North American market, Daher said. She has flown every model of the TBM family.

Her ferry activity, however, spans more than four decades and involves several distributors and manufacturers. Born in Germany in 1957, she obtained her pilot’s license when she was 18 and became an instructor. Waltz began ferrying aircraft in 1976, initially with the Commander 112. In 1979, she began to ferry aircraft for a German Mooney dealer.

NBAA-BACE 2021: To Go Or Not To Go?

Please take two minutes to complete AIN's short survey about whether you are planning on attending NBAA-BACE in person this October, along with what you consider to be pros and cons of attending a trade show during a pandemic. Thanks in advance.

First Look at Dassault’s Ultra-long-range Falcon 10X

Dassault Aviation has gone public with plans for its latest Falcon business jet. In a live presentation from its hangar at Paris Le Bourget Airport, the French company used virtual reality to unveil what will be the ultra-long-range Falcon 10X. The largest Falcon built to date will challenge intercontinental rivals like the Bombardier Global 7500 and the Gulfstream G700 with a range of 7,500 nm when it enters service in 2025. All three are priced at around $75 million. Dassault CEO Éric Trappier had the honor of officially naming the new Falcon, which has been secretly in development under the code name NX. He was the first to confirm some of the main features of the new design, including Dassault’s first-ever use of Rolls-Royce engines. And he hinted that there could be more to come.