Textron Aviation is progressing with the development and certification of the Cessna Citation Ascend midsize business jet and remains on track to bring the aircraft into service in 2025, the company announced today. 

“The program is making great progress. We have 125 flights and nearly 350 hours on the prototype,” Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation’s senior v-p of global sales and flight operations, told reporters during a recent briefing at the company’s Wichita headquarters. “We're already starting to certify different aspects of the program.”

As part of the certification process, the FAA recently completed human factors testing in an “iron bird” ground-based test rig for the Ascend aircraft, said director of engineering at Textron Aviation Aasiri Fernando. The ground-based test rig, which is located at Textron Aviation’s innovation center on the company’s Wichita campus, includes a flight simulator with a full flight deck. Engineers have been using the iron bird for early development and procedural testing, Fernando explained. 

The $16.7 million airplane features Garmin G5000 avionics with autothrottles and powerful Pratt & Whitney PW545D engines. With a flat floor, the cabin includes new swiveling passenger seats along with larger windows.

London Oxford Airport (EGTK) has started selling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), offering blends of either 30% or 10% to aircraft operators. Announcing the move, the privately-owned airport's head of business development, James Dillon-Godfray, said there is now more willingness from larger operators, charter brokers, and companies to carry the additional cost of the reduced-carbon fuel, even though the 30% SAF blend costs around twice as much as jet-A.

The Oxford site now has a new fuel farm with five tanks that have capacity for 425,000 liters. By the third quarter, the airport plans to open a facility to produce a synthetic jet-A that it said involves 50% lower capital costs than other e-fuels. The $27.7 million investment has been partially backed by a nearly $3.5 million UK government grant.

In another indication of Oxford’s intent to support efforts to decarbonize aviation, the airport is now home to Qdot Technologies, which is developing a hybrid-electric powerplant for eVTOL aircraft and drones. The startup is a spin-off from nearby Oxford University and has expertise in heat transfer technology for hydrogen fuel cells. 

Also new at the airport are RNAV approaches for both of its runways. Dillon-Godfray pointed out that, with the planned phaseout of ILS navaids by 2030, the UK still has no post-Brexit plan in place for replacing the EGNOS/Galileo global navigation satellite system platform.

Van Nuys, California-based Part 145 repair station Thornton Aviation is the first West Coast MRO provider to install a SpaceX Starlink satcom system in a Gulfstream G650. The airplane is operated by a local charter management company.

According to Vince Russo, Thornton Aviation's director of avionics, a second G650 is undergoing a Starlink installation, with a third scheduled in June. Recent Starlink installations include two G550s and a Bombardier Global Express, and all of the upgrades were done using Nextant Aerospace supplemental type certificates. The Starlink system weighs 48 pounds, and installation took three weeks.

“In the past six months, we’ve performed more than 20 installation projects ranging from small cockpit USB upgrades to full-blown cabin management systems,” Russo said. “We work on all models from the Citation CJs to the large-cabin Gulfstreams, Bombardiers, and everything in between. Being able to offer a full range of services while delivering a high-quality product makes us an appealing choice for operators.”

Thornton Aviation employs more than a dozen technicians in its avionics shop, and it is a dealer for Alto, Collins, Garmin, Gogo, Honeywell, SmartSky, Starlink, Universal Avionics, and Viasat equipment. It recently upgraded three King Airs with Gogo Avance L5 air-to-ground connectivity systems, which are also provisioned for the Gogo 5G service that is rolling out later this year.

Dallas-headquartered Jets MRO recently entered a partnership with Aircraft Custom Interiors (ACI) to offer customized refurbishment and fabrication of business aircraft interiors. Offering scheduled and unscheduled maintenance in the Dallas region and component repair out of Miami, Jets MRO has moved a step closer to becoming what it calls a one-stop shop for aircraft owners and operators.

Founded in 1980, Aircraft Custom Interiors specializes in custom upholstery, cabinet fabrication, finish, and paint.

“Jets MRO was created from the operator's point of view, elevating how mechanics are treated to reduce turnover, retain technical experience, and provide accurate timelines, resulting in fewer costs, reduced downtime, and a consistent professional experience for operators,” said the company. “Understanding the importance of technical disciplines, Jets MRO has built elevated partnerships to ensure all technical disciplines are supported in-house with the highest level of technical partners, differentiating them with technical support and competitive pricing.”

AEG offers a complete sustainability solution package designed to offset carbon emissions and provide operators with easy access to SAF. In turn, operators will receive both SAF credits and Carbon credits. The company sees this program as the gold standard in sustainability, making it easier for customers to manage their carbon footprint.

The FAA has issued an Information for Operators (InFo 24004) announcing the removal of Transonic Aviation Consultants from the agency’s voluntary industry program for accrediting civil aircraft parts distributors. The agency recently determined the Florida company is no longer in compliance with requirements. Following this determination, the company informed the agency that it would no longer be able to comply with the program’s requirements as outlined in Advisory Circular AC 00-56B and was withdrawing from further participation.

According to the InFo, between Jan. 17 and 19, 2024, the FAA observed Transonic performing two audits and also evaluated the company’s standards, records, and procedures. Processes described in AC 00-56B were “not followed in their entirety and Transonic was not in compliance with this program.” On Jan. 23, 2024, Transonic notified the FAA it would no longer be able to comply with requirements and are terminating its participation.

At this time, the FAA said no action is recommended for owners of parts obtained from distributors who were accredited by Transonic. However, distributors and parts owners should be aware that existing accreditations issued by Transonic will end on their expiration date or on Jan. 24, 2025, whichever is sooner. Furthermore, accreditations will end on Jan. 24, 2025, even if the expiration date is after Jan. 24, 2025. Distributors seeking initial or renewal accreditation should consult the AC for guidance.

International Aerospace Coatings (IAC) is the first company to deploy AkzoNobel’s virtual reality (VR) paint training technology into its training programs. The VR technology is part of AkzoNobel’s Aerofleet Training+ portfolio and enables trainee operators to be situated inside a virtual paint booth along with the aircraft part to be painted.

During the training, the operator uses equipment programmed with parameters such as coating thickness, overcoat times, and tailored spray gun setup, according to AkzoNobel. The VR training reduces waste, cleanup time, and cost, and it allows the operator to see the application of virtual paint, including the amount of paint used, inconsistencies in application, runs and sags, insufficient wet film thickness, or inadequate coverage. The system also enables measurement of the operator’s skills such as distance, angle, and speed of the paint gun.

IAC expects that the VR technology will enable 70% of apprentice training to be conducted in class. The system is mobile, and IAC plans to deploy it at its Shannon, Ireland headquarters but also at other sites.

“One of the major advantages is the efficiency of the VR system, providing engaging training without material waste,” said John Mulqueen, IAC v-p of operations EMEA. “Having the flexibility of access to this technology on a daily basis enhances our training programs and motivates and empowers our staff.”

The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services (CAMTS) announced that Atrium Health’s Mobile Integrated Health, Mobile Medicine from Charlotte, North Carolina, is the first entity that has earned full accreditation under CAMTS Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Accreditation Standards.

“For Atrium Health’s Mobile Integrated Health team, this accreditation signifies our organization's commitment to providing safe, high-quality medical care by meeting specific criteria related to safety, equipment, quality, training, and operational procedures to patients in our communities. This accreditation serves as a symbol of excellence within the industry, and we are proud to have it.” said Atrium MIH director Amanda Williams.

For accreditation, the program completes a self-assessment using a standards compliance tool. Once submitted, the standards compliance tool is reviewed for compliance and completeness before site surveyors visit the program to interview the staff.

“We knew it would be a while after we published the standards for programs to apply and complete the process," said CAMTS executive director Eileen Frazer. "Most programs need as much as a year to prepare documents, policies and procedures, education records, meeting minutes, safety documents, etcetera to meet the standards. We ask for a lot of documentation and interview a lot of people in the program as part of the process.”

Collins Aerospace has launched an airport ground monitoring system that provides real-time tracking and recording for aircraft and ground equipment movement. According to the RTX subsidiary, the Airport Surface Awareness System (ASAS) will provide a holistic view of on-field operations that can enhance efficiency and help reduce the risk of ground incursions.

Fully integrated with FlightAware’s Firehose and Foresight services, the ASAS system augments flight and route information including arrival time and runway taxi predictions.

It uses three components to generate an accurate picture of the airport operations: aircraft tracking with ADS-B and radar feeds both for arriving aircraft, as well as those on the ground; real-time tracking of motorized and non-motorized ground equipment; and an interactive map application with geofencing to allow operators to set location and speed restrictions for different assets with alerts for any violations.

“Lack of situational awareness consistently contributes to critical issues at airports, including incidents on the airfield, inefficient aircraft turn management, and improper use of ground support equipment,” said Collins general manager of airport solutions Rakan Khaled. “This system provides real-time data to airports to solve for those issues.”

When your aircraft needs a spare part or unscheduled maintenance, aircraft availability is key. Find out how investing in a global support network to achieve unmatched support, from anywhere across the globe, can help you get back in the air as soon as possible. Panelists include James Prater, VP of Customer Service from Rolls-Royce, and one of their customers (to be announced). Join us on June 26th at noon for this engaging discussion. Sponsored by Rolls-Royce