Textron’s SkyCourier Begins To Come Together

Textron Aviation is progressing on the development of its Cessna SkyCourier 408 utility turboprop with assembly underway for the prototype, as well as for five additional flight test and ground test articles, the company announced Monday on the eve of EBACE. Further, component testing is ongoing for the aircraft’s propeller.

The Wichita, Kansas manufacturer unveiled the SkyCourier in November 2017, outlining a high-wing twin turboprop that will become the largest in its growing in-production turboprop lineup. Announced with orders from FedEx for up 100, the SkyCourier is designed to carry a payload of up to 6,000 pounds and accommodate three standard air cargo containers (LD3). At the same time though, Textron Aviation also has shown off a mock-up of the SkyCourier in passenger configuration. The turboprop offers seating for up to 19 passengers. 

Textron Aviation has been conducting endurance and functional testing of the aircraft's 110-inch McCauley propeller that has been mated with the 1,100-shp PWC PT6A-65SC powerplant mounted on a test stand. The testing comprises nearly 150 hours of operation, covering a variety of simulated flight profiles, Textron Aviation said. In addition, assembly of the fuel system test article and nose and main landing gear drop test article has begun and testing is slated to start later this month.

Textron Aviation has outlined plans for first flight in late 2019, with entry into service in 2020. 

Bizav Traffic in Europe Plummets in April

In its latest business aviation traffic report, Argus International highlighted a sharp decrease in European business aircraft flight activity. “Large jets drag April flight activity down across Europe,” said Argus, releasing its latest TRAQPak European Aviation Aircraft Activity Report. Business aviation traffic in Europe was down 12.3 percent overall from April 2018.

All aircraft categories declined year-over-year, but large jets led the way, with a 16.8 percent fall. Turboprops followed with a 14 percent decline and then light jets with an 8.7 percent slide. Midsize-jet activity, meanwhile, was down 4.3 percent from April last year.

However, in all categories except light jets, activity in April increased when compared with the previous month. Flying picked up 1.6 percent month-over-month overall, but light-jet activity slowed 4.2 percent from March. The overall seasonal uptick is normal, however. It’s the year-to-year data that is typically viewed as an indicator of long-term business aviation activity trends.

StandardAero Reaches 1,500 PT6 Milestone in Gonesse

StandardAero’s Gonesse, France facility recently handed over the 1,500th Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop engine that it has serviced. The Gonesse facility achieved the milestone nearly 45 years after processing its first engine in 1975. Located between Le Bourget and Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, the MRO is a Pratt & Whitney Canada designated overhaul facility for both the PT6A and the larger PW100 turboprop engine.

The facility is approved for nine models of the PT6A family, including the widely used PT6A-41/-42 models, along with the PT6A-64 that powers the Daher TBM 700. Daher recently renewed its recognition of the Gonesse facility as a PT6A engine MRO services provider for TBMs based in Europe. This follows on to the original designation in 2016, and the agreement includes engine support for the fleet of TBM 700 aircraft operated by the French Ministry of Defense and managed by Daher under a full operational support agreement.

In addition to in-house maintenance, the Gonesse facility supports PT6As with mobile repair team services.

“The team of MRO specialists at StandardAero Gonesse is proud to reach this milestone 1,500th engine, reflecting our long-standing support of PT6A operators across Europe and beyond,” said Laurent Cluzel, general manager of StandardAero's Gonesse facility. 

Bellawings First To Obtain Cayman AOC

Having signed an LOI for five additional Bombardier Global 7500s at EBACE 2019 on Tuesday, Hong Kong-based operator Bellawings then met with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI) to accept its freshly minted air operator certificate.

Richard Smith, CAACI director general, handed over the certificate to HK Bellawings president Y.J. Zhang, also on Tuesday at the show. “We are honored to be the first AOC holder endorsed by the CAACI,” said Zhang. Smith added, “We are excited to have Bellawings operate commercially under Cayman Islands jurisdiction and look forward to their continued growth.”

Meanwhile, HK Bellawings signed a seven-year agreement with Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen for its JetPlanner Pro product on Monday at EBACE 2019. “With our fleet expanding gradually at Bellawings, optimizing our flight planning services using Boeing tools will enhance operational efficiency and ensure we are using the most efficient route possible,” said Zhang.

Jet Aviation also signed up for a five-year subscription to Jeppesen Operator on Tuesday. “We are investing in the Jeppesen Operator platform to ensure our customers and flight crew have every possible advantage in terms of safety, convenience, and efficiency,” said Dave Paddock, who will replace Rob Smith as president of Jet Aviation on July 1.

Two New Service Centers Announced by Piaggio Aerospace

Italian aircraft OEM Piaggio Aerospace is truly spreading its wings this week at EBACE 2019, announcing that it has signed two agreements for new authorized service centers: Paris Le Bourget-based DV Tecknik and Asia Aero Engineering (AAE) in Kuala Lumpur. With these additions, Piaggio now has five strategically located authorized service centers for its customers in Europe, which also includes Genoa, Italy; Mönchengladbach, Germany; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; and Lugano, Switzerland.

DV Tecknik is wholly owned by Oyonnair Group, which specializes in medical transport, operating a fleet of three Cessna Citation Mustangs and nine Piaggio Avanti IIs. “We've operated Piaggios for five years and nearly 10,000 fleet hours,” said Daniel Vovk, founder and CEO of DV Technik and Oyonnair. “We have developed in-house capabilities to mainly serve the Piaggio Aerospace captive fleet and to offer AOG recovery assistance and off-site services."

Asia Aero Engineering currently provides maintenance for the helicopters operated by its sister company, Aircraft Power Lines, which provides services for government and private needs. “We operate a P.180 Avanti EVO for VIP and medevac purposes around southeast Asia, and now we can consolidate our knowledge of the aircraft and offer maintenance assistance to the whole Asian fleet,” said Mohd Shazwan Shaharuddin, CEO of Asia Aero Engineering. 

MassDOT Study: Economic Impact of Airports Growing

Massachusetts’s 39 public-use airports in 2017 generated economic activity of $24.7 billion and supported more than 199,000 jobs with an approximately $7.2 billion payroll, according to a new study from the Massachusetts DOT (MassDOT). The study says these figures represent an increase of 49 percent, 23 percent, and 19 percent, respectively, over the results reported for 2014.

The report shows Boston Logan International Airport as having the most economic impact, employing more than 162,000 people with a payroll of nearly $6 billion, and providing in excess of $16.3 billion in economic output. Hanscom, the busiest general aviation airport in New England, is also the second busiest overall with more than 100,000 operations annually. Including its military presence, Hanscom employs some 19,500 people with a payroll exceeding $527 million and an economic output of nearly $7 billion.

As a group, the 30 other GA airports in the state produced a total economic output of nearly $631 million and reported a total payroll of more than $270 million for 5,166 employees.

“This study underscores the importance of investments in airport infrastructure because our airports are vital to the state’s economy, creating jobs, moving people and goods, and in many cases, serving as important community gathering areas in less populated areas of the Commonwealth,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. 

Textron Aviation Adding Support Services in European Region

Textron Aviation came to Europe with new CEO Ron Draper, who’s looking to ramp up the manufacturer of Cessna and Beechcraft airplanes’ service capabilities in the region and place greater emphasis on its legacy Cessna Citation line. Draper, who assumed the chief executive role from Scott Ernest in October, is a 20-year veteran of Textron Inc., including 15 years at Cessna and Textron Aviation. 

His first order of business in Europe is an expansion of the parts warehouse in Dusseldorf, Germany, that will increase available parts numbers to nearly 35,000 items. “We have a pretty covered [service] footprint on the European continent, but we’re expanding our parts in Europe,” Draper told AIN. “We’ve heard our customers say they want even more availability and faster response times, so we’re doubling the size of our warehouse in Europe to put more parts on the continent, to maintain our class-leading service we feel we enjoy with our customers today.”

The expansion is set to open in the third quarter, including all six service center parts rooms, the company said. “The additional space keeps us ahead of growing demand and ready to support our customers at any time,” said Brad Thress, Textron Aviation senior v-p of parts, programs, and flight operations.

Jersey’s Tower Backed by Remote Tower System

The Channel Islands’ Jersey Airport has been approved for operational use of a remote control tower system developed by Frequentis. The remote tower is a “contingency” facility for times when the airport’s control tower is unavailable, such as an emergency situation or security issue. 

The approval follows trials conducted last November, during which traffic levels of 32 movements per hour were achieved. This marks the first EASA approval for a remote tower to be used for active control of commercial aircraft movements at a British airport, according to Frequentis.

At Jersey Airport, 13 cameras provide a 240-degree field of view for remotely located controllers in a nearby contingency facility. Systems Interface Ltd. was the project specialist and managed the installation and integration using Frequentis’s remote tower technology.

Traffic at Jersey Airport averages 23,000 air transport movements per year and another 22,000 business and general aviation flights. The airport is the fifth-busiest business and general aviation airport in Britain.

Frequentis has developed three other remote tower systems that are in operational use, according to a company spokeswoman. These include “Austria’s Vienna airport for vision enhancement, a system in Iceland testing remote tower abilities in extreme weather, and the most significant at Germany’s Saarbrucken airport, which is providing tower services from an actual remote location 450 km away (this is also currently the largest operational remote tower).”