GAMA: 1Q Genav Deliveries See Covid-19 Impact

The general aviation aircraft manufacturing industry saw serious impact by the global coronavirus crisis, according to first-quarter delivery numbers released today by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). All segments were affected, with total airplane billings down by 21.3 percent year-over-year.

Business jet deliveries declined by more than 19 percent, falling from 141 handed over in the first three months of 2019 to 114 this year. Meanwhile, turboprops saw a plunge of nearly 42 percent year-over-year in the first quarter. Turbine helicopter deliveries were off by 18.3 percent from the first three months of last year, while total rotorcraft billings slid by nearly 20 percent.

“While the year started off strong, the health and safety restrictions put in place to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic began to significantly impact global operations, supply chains, and deliveries towards the end of the first quarter,” explained GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “Companies rapidly implemented a wide range of health protocols in accordance with local, regional, and national level guidance to keep production, maintenance, and training activity churning.” He added that many companies supplemented those activities with the production and transport of personal protection equipment urgently needed by healthcare workers and communities.

C&L Aerospace To Distribute Artex Survival Products

Commercial and business aviation MRO provider C&L Aerospace has signed a distribution agreement for the entire aviation product line of ACR Artex, a manufacturer of survival products for general and commercial aviation. Consisting of such products as emergency locator transmitters (ELTs), ELT replacement batteries, and personal locator beacons, C&L Aerospace will be able to distribute more than 50 different Artex line items for various aircraft types.

“Artex is the premier manufacturer of survival products and [the agreement] gives us a significant growth opportunity for our distribution product portfolio,” said C&L Aerospace senior v-p of sales Martin Cooper. “Our partnership with Artex will allow us to give airlines, MROs, and corporate operators worldwide access to high-quality ELT products while delivering just-in-time service.”

A specialist in regional and corporate aircraft, Bangor, Maine-based C&L Aerospace maintains and supplies parts for ATRs, Embraer ERJs, Saab turboprops, and Beech 1900Ds, as well as Bombardier Challengers and Global Expresses and Textron Aviation Hawkers and Beechjets.

AEA: Avionics Sales Drop Nearly 9% in First Quarter

Worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales in the first quarter amounted to about $660.4 million, an 8.8 percent year-over-year decrease, according to figures released yesterday by the Aircraft Electronics Association. This ends a streak of 12 consecutive quarters with a reported increase in year-over-year sales, it added.

Of the first-quarter 2020 sales, 52.3 percent came from the retrofit market, while forward-fit sales accounted for the remaining 47.7 percent. According to the companies that separated their total sales figures by world region, 75.2 percent of the quarterly sales volume occurred in North America (U.S. and Canada) and 24.8 percent took place in the rest of the world.

“With the passing of the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline to equip aircraft with ADS-B Out avionics in the United States, the end to 12 consecutive quarters of sales growth may not come as a surprise,” said AEA president and CEO Mike Adamson. “We also don't yet know the full extent and global impact of the economic damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic near the end of the first quarter and how it will weigh on the industry and our market figures going forward. The continued operations of business and general aviation could provide a silver lining while commercial aviation remains at a near standstill worldwide.”

AIM, Fulcrum Labs Recognized for Mx Training Successes

The Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM), which partnered with Fulcrum Labs to incorporate the Adaptive 3.0 learning platform within its FAA-certification prep course, has seen FAA exam pass rates jump to more than 95 percent as both exam participation and the number of graduates increased. That success has captured the attention of the Association for Talent and Development, which is recognizing AIM and Fulcrum with the 2019 Excellence in Practice Award for “exemplary practices in workplace learning and talent development that deliver sustained, clear, and measurable results.”

AIM has collaborated with Fulcrum Labs on certification exam preparation since 2017. The Adaptive 3.0 platform uses AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics to help increase student confidence and subject matter mastery, as well as drive learning autonomy and the ability to self-remediate, the companies said.

According to AIM, that confidence boost is evident—the number of graduates sitting for the FAA exams has increased 25 percent. Meanwhile, 72 percent of graduates have been placed upon certification award.

“The demand for skilled technicians in aviation, manufacturing, welding, energy, and other industries is outpacing the number of people entering these career fields,” said Dr. Joel English, executive v-p of AIM. “With partners like Fulcrum Labs, we’re flipping that paradigm and giving more students the skills and—maybe more importantly—[their] confidence.”

ForeFlight App Adds Multitasking

ForeFlight yesterday released an updated version of its ForeFlight Mobile electronic flight bag app, adding a long-asked-for feature: iOS multitasking. This allows users to run two multitasking-capable apps side by side on an iPad, with full functionality for each app. Other new features include internet traffic, customizable menus, and iPhone flight planning updated to match ForeFlight planning on the iPad. These features are included for all subscription levels.

For apps that don’t allow multitasking, ForeFlight can continue running in the background while the non-multitasking app can be running in slide-over mode, on top of ForeFlight.

The iPhone version of ForeFlight also got a big upgrade and now it matches the iPad version with the bubble editor flight-planning function. Now the only difference between the iPhone and iPad versions is that the iPhone version doesn’t include the profile view.

Internet traffic is a new feature available on the iPad and iPhone. Powered by FlightAware, internet traffic is selectable from the overlay menu. When internet connectivity is available, this layer shows traffic on the ground and in the air, with the same information available as ADS-B traffic by tapping the aircraft symbol. Once in the air and disconnected from the internet, the traffic layer reverts to ADS-B traffic if the device is connected to an ADS-B In receiver.

RIP SAFA: Euro Ramp Safety Inspections Have New Acronym

The European Union’s Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) has been redesignated as the EU’s Ramp Inspection Program (RIP). In light of this change, the FAA has issued a document detailing operator responsibilities under RIP.

SAFA was instituted by the EU in 1996, and has since become a ramp safety inspection tool utilized by nearly 50 countries. Managed by EASA, it focuses on aircraft landing at the airports of EU members and other participating states, with inspections being conducted without advance notification.

Such inspections follow a common procedure using a checklist of areas based on ICAO standards. A completed RIP inspection does not guarantee the airworthiness of the aircraft, but whether it complies with the 54 inspection areas.

When inspectors find a deviation from a checklist item, they will assign it a category of 1, 2, or 3 depending on its potential safety danger, with results ranging from reporting to the pilot-in-command or operator, to reporting to the aircraft’s governing authority (FAA in the case of U.S.-registered aircraft), to barring departure until corrected.

According to the document, “U.S. operators must be responsive to EU RIP findings and address all findings within 30 days of the initial notification of inspection findings.” In addition, they should be prepared for their FAA principal inspectors to conduct follow up surveillance to ensure compliance.

Aery Wins Upgrade Contract for VIP B777, B787

Aery Aviation received a contract from an existing global client to modernize its VIP Boeing 777 and 787. The project will involve introduction of a new system that converts the existing galley potable water source into a fresh, bottled water system. Under the contract, Aery is designing, installing, and certifying the system to customer specifications.

The design, engineering, and kit buildup work will take place at Aery’s Newport News, Virginia facilities. Then, an Aery “Go Team” will install and modify the aircraft galleys at the customer’s facility to reduce the costs of relocating the aircraft. Aery estimates that the upgrade will take less than 30 days per aircraft.

“This project provides our customer with the modern upgrades it desires with Aery’s turnkey solution and minimal interruption to its flight department operations,” said Aery v-p Scott Beale.

Founded in 2016, Aery has already developed more than 100 supplemental type certificates and worked on more than 200 projects.

Charter Provider Waltzing Matilda Sees Business Pick Up

Part 135 operator Waltzing Matilda Aviation (WMA) is beginning to see a rebound in charter demand following what it calls a “substantial” pick up in business last week. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based aircraft management company said it is fielding up to 50 charter inquiries a day, compared with five to 10 a day just a few weeks ago.

“We have picked up a number of new corporate customers who have already made the decision not to allow their staff to fly commercially for the foreseeable future and therefore see private aviation as the only viable option,” said CEO John Thomas.

WMA expects to be better positioned to respond to an uptick in charter because it maintained full staffing during the past two months instead of furloughing crews like some of its competitors have done during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the lull in charter flying, WMA enhanced its website with a new online booking portal.

Thomas added that he expects the “unbelievably” low pricing currently offered by some charter competitors on flights from the northeast to Florida to be short-lived. “We don't expect this imbalance will last for more than a couple of weeks, after which southbound pricing will rise to more normal levels,” he said.

How Charter Operator AirX Dealt with Covid Shock

Nothing could have prepared the private charter sector for the Covid pandemic, but operators such as AirX have had to reinvent their business models overnight. Chairman John Matthews gave AIN his assessment of what it will take to keep the business alive and what the industry might look like when the dust has settled.