The worldwide fleet of more than 1,000 Pilatus PC-12 turboprop singles has now logged more than 10 million flight hours, Pilatus Aircraft said yesterday. The Swiss manufacturer also announced this week that it is increasing production rates as it closes in on its 2,000th PC-12 delivery; the milestone aircraft will be a PC-12 NGX, representing the third major variant of the type that first entered service in 1994.
The fleet-leader PC-12 is based in Canada and has logged more than 35,000 hours, while 71 other of the turboprop singles have each flown more than 20,000 hours. The global fleet has made more than 9.3 million landings, with four aircraft alone reporting more than 50,000 landings each.
“When the PC-12 was launched, this milestone seemed light-years away in the future,” said Pilatus business aviation division v-p Ignaz Gretener. “You must give credit to the engineers who designed this robust airframe, the production team that builds outstanding quality into each unit, the sales team that found so many markets eager to adopt this versatile aircraft, and the support team keeping them in the air.”
Over the past three decades, Pilatus has increased the power of the PC-12’s PT6 engine, as well as its speed, gross weight, and payload capacity. In 2019, it became the first business turboprop to incorporate Pratt & Whitney Canada’s electronic propeller and engine control system.
Bombardier has expanded its suite of environmental product declarations (EPDs) to encompass the ultra-long-range Global 5500 and 6500. They join Bombardier’s Global 7500 and Challenger 3500 in securing an EPD—the only other business jets to do so.
EPDs detail information about an aircraft’s environmental footprint throughout its life cycle and are the culmination of more than a decade of development of key metrics that can be standardized through data gathering, validation, and analysis, Bombardier said.
The Canadian aircraft manufacturer initially obtained an EPD for the Global 7500 in June 2020 after working with industry organizations and 45 Tier 1 suppliers to assess 200,000 parts over the development of the aircraft. That evaluation provided “valuable insights” into the environmental impact of the business jet and enabled a third-party public report.
Bombardier followed the same methodology with the Challenger 3500, which received an EPD in 2022, and again with the Global 5500 and 6500, which involved the assessment of a combined 280,000 parts.
“The publication of the Global 5500 and Global 6500 aircraft EPDs are the results of years of scientific effort,” said Michel Ouellette, Bombardier executive v-p of engineering and product development. “These declarations are more than brochures—they are tools for the aviation industry to drive sustainable innovations across its activities spectrum.”
NBAA president Ed Bolen opened the association’s Maintenance Conference this morning in Hartford, Connecticut, with a reminder of the importance of energizing the business aviation industry to “give back.” For the maintenance community, that extends to attracting a diverse cross-section of the population with scholarships and mentorships and encouraging individuals to fill and nurture their personal “toolboxes.”
“The workforce of the future has got to be prepared for the changes that are happening in our environment,” said Bolen. “And it has to be inclusive.” That also means engaging in outreach to ensure legislators and regulators appreciate the need to “look forward,” he added.
“We need to be able to make sure that safety tomorrow is even better than it is today,” Bolen said. “Now, business aviation is the safest mode of transportation, but we're never going to be complacent about that. We're going to keep working with Washington. We've been very focused on the notice of rulemaking on safety management systems, and how we take an important safety tool, and make sure that it is truly a tool that is scaled for the job.”
Bolen also addressed the need to ensure business aviation’s interests in the arena of sustainability, particularly in Europe but increasingly in the U.S.
Noting the sanctions that have been imposed on Russia and Belarus since the invasion of Ukraine early last year, the Flight Safety Foundation has issued a white paper directed at countries still allowing operators from those two countries to fly into their territory despite these sanctions. Those countries “must be aware of the potential limitations associated with sanctions and export controls that could impact the level of service and parts availability,” the paper advises.
According to the paper, “Since the sanctions were imposed, Russia has enacted national laws to facilitate the re-registration of hundreds of leased Western-built aircraft, primarily Boeing and Airbus models. The operation of these aircraft poses potential safety risks and raises questions about compliance with international regulations. Most concerning is that these re-registered aircraft have been operating in international airspace and into airports located outside of Russia and Belarus.” Further, while sanctions have meant that foreign approvals of some Russian MRO facilities have been canceled, FSF said these facilities are continuing their work based on Russian approvals.
The paper concluded with a “call to action” that said state regulators must conduct safety oversight of aircraft registered in Russia and Belarus flying in their territory. A country unable to ensure safety should not allow these flights into its airspace, it concluded.
The FAA is inviting the public and stakeholders to review and recommend updates to the agency’s civil aviation noise policy. The policy sets forth how the agency analyzes, explains, and publicly presents information on noise exposure consequences from aviation activity, including unmanned aircraft systems, spacecraft, and emerging-technology aircraft.
Comments are requested on these key items and more, including the FAA’s current use of the day-night average sound level (DNL) as the primary metric for assessing a person's cumulative aircraft noise exposure over a 24-hour period; if and how alternative metrics may be used in lieu of or in addition to DNL to improve agency decisions and its disclosure of noise effects; how to better manage and respond to aviation noise concerns; ways to improve communications on proposed noise-related agencyrules, policies, and other actions; and using research findings to better measure health issues, speech interference, sleep disturbance, and economic impacts.
In addition to submitting comments to the Federal Register notice, comments may also be submitted to webinars scheduled May 16, 18, 23, and 25 on Zoom. The meetings will also livestream on the FAA’s YouTube account. The comment period on the review runs to July 31.
Airborne connectivity provider Gogo plans to reduce its long-term debt by making a $100 million principal payment tomorrow. The Term Loan B prepayment will lower Gogo’s debt to $612.3 million and strengthen its financial foundation.
The transaction will reduce the company’s cash interest by approximately $4.5 million this year and $8.5 million on an annualized basis. There are no prepayment penalties associated with this transaction. As of April 28, Gogo had approximately $188 million in cash on hand and an undrawn revolver of $100 million.
“As we execute on our strategy and deliver significant free cash flow growth in line with our long-term guidance,” said company chairman and CEO Oakleigh Thorne, “Gogo will continue to pursue a balanced capital allocation strategy focused on maintaining adequate liquidity, investing in strategic initiatives such as Gogo 5G and our low-earth-orbit-satellite-based global broadband product, maintaining an amount of leverage appropriate for the economic environment.”
Tecnam formed a partnership with Flyvbird to help it develop an operation that will provide air service to smaller rural airports. German startup airline Flyvbird, launching under the brand name Flyvirtual, plans to use an “innovative algorithmic” approach to offer an alternative to traditional transportation modes, said Tecnam, which will deliver the first aircraft—a nine-passenger P2012 piston twin.
Rather than a traditional hub-and-spoke network, the airline is developing an app-based scheduling platform using a proprietary algorithm to optimize the daily flight schedule based on paid bookings and operational constraints. Flyvbird added that it will provide a guaranteed fixed travel timeframe at booking.
“We are thrilled to announce our close partnership with Tecnam, which will help us accelerate our growth and establish ourselves as a leader in personalized on-demand air travel,” said Tomislav Lang, founder and CEO of Flyvbird, which recently received an investment for development.
Tecnam added that the P2012 and P2012 STOL, with their flexibility and lower operating costs, are “the perfect aircraft to launch this novel approach to on-demand services.” The cabin-class high-wing aircraft can be operated in a range of configurations that offer in-seat power, under-seat stowage, and ample legroom. Further, the aircraft are equipped with TKS deicing capabilities and are designed to be able to operate in areas with challenging weather environments.
Las Vegas-based aircraft charter and management provider Thrive Aviation has expanded to the East Coast with the opening of a facility at Florida’s Miami Opa-locka Executive Airport (KOPF). It will occupy a 24,000-sq-ft hangar and service facility at the airport.
“We are proud to continue our story with planting roots in another operational base, in the beautiful Miami metro area,” said company co-founder Vitali Lapko. “Florida is an increasingly popular market for our clients and partners, and this new base will allow us to drastically increase our availability to deliver that elevated service Thrive is known for.”
The company, which operates a fleet of 16 aircraft ranging from the Gulfstream G600 to the Cessna Citation M2, has just acquired another Citation Longitude. The super-midsize twinjet has a nonstop range throughout North America and down through Central and most of South America.
“With the addition of our fourth Citation Longitude, we are able to offer our clients even more flexibility and convenience when it comes to their travel needs,” explained co-founder and CEO Curtis Edenfield. “We are committed to providing the highest level of quality, service, and safety to our clients, and our continued growth is a testament to our success in that mission.”
People in Aviation
Aircraft Specialties hired ChristinSherwood to head aftermarket sales. Sherwood has prior industry experience in part sales and purchasing. In her new role, she will be responsible for domestic and international aircraft part sales.
Flight training provider CAE appointed Bob Lockett chief people officer. Lockett has more than 20 years of experience in human resources (HR), previously working at ADP as a diversity and talent officer and v-p of HR, as well as with USAA in HR and marketing.
Montreal-based business aviation support services provider ACASS hired Ado Sanusi as director of business development for Africa. Sanusi served most recently as CEO of NG Eagle and previously was CEO for Aero Contractors in Nigeria, as well as a Boeing 737 captain, trainer, chief pilot, senior v-p of operations, and deputy managing director at Arik Air.
Helicopter OEM Erickson appointed Barry Kohler CEO. Kohler has more than 40 years of experience in the aerospace industry, more than half of that time in the helicopter industry. He has a background in technology development and business leadership, having held senior leadership positions with Honeywell, BAE Systems, and Bell.
The NBAA maintenance committee awarded Gabrielle Janicki and Jacob Pendleton with the association’s Hank Hilsmann Memorial Scholarship. Janicki is a student at The National Aviation Academy working toward her A&P. Pendleton is an A&P student at Solano Community College and a Marine Corps. veteran with a goal of becoming a business aircraft maintenance technician.
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