Dulles Aviation, one of two FBOs at Washington D.C-area Manassas Regional Airport, will be closing its doors permanently on Friday. A fixture at the airport for nearly half a century, the family-owned, full-service provider allowed its current short-term lease to expire after being unable to reach acceptable terms on a long-term renewal with the airport, according to company executive Tom Gardner. He noted the company’s flight school at Manassas has relocated to nearby Leesburg Executive Airport, where it will partner with existing training provider Av-Ed.
“We are thankful for the partnership and quality of service that Dulles Aviation has contributed to the Manassas Regional Airport,” said airport director Juan Rivera. “Dulles Aviation has been a catalyst in the growth and development of the airport."
While the move temporarily brings the airport to just one service provider, APP Jet Center, aircraft maintenance and management provider Chantilly Air broke ground last week on a nine-acre FBO complex, which will include 90,000 sq ft of hangar and office space, that is expected to open early next year.
An airport spokesperson said it is exploring other aviation uses for the Dulles Aviation facility, aside from FBO operations.
DEF Contamination Downs Two Citations
On May 9, two Cessna Citation 550s operated by air-ambulance operator Air Trek lost power—in both jets’ engines—due to fuel contamination by diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). Fortunately, the pilots were able to land both aircraft safely.
The two jets were fueled by the FBO at Punta Gorda Airport in Florida, which is operated by Charlotte Country Airport Authority. According to information from AOPA, which was confirmed by an airport authority spokeswoman, one of the Air Trek Citations was flying to Niagara Falls, New York, and landed safely in Savannah, Georgia, after the failure of both engines. On its way to Chicago, the other Citation “experienced an engine failure, and landed safely in Louisville, Kentucky,” AOPA said.
DEF is required in certain diesel-engine-powered vehicles, typically those built after 2010, including airport fuel trucks. The fluid is indistinguishable from the typical icing-inhibitor fluid—usually Prist—that turbine engines without fuel preheaters require to prevent fuel icing at high altitudes. DEF is a urea-based solution that lowers nitrogen oxide pollutants in diesel exhaust and is not approved for use in jet fuel. When the two are accidentally mixed, crystals form, causing potentially catastrophic clogs throughout aircraft fuel systems.
Jet Edge Delves into Dealer Business with New Division
A few months after Jet Edge raised $60 million in debt and equity, the Van Nuys, California-based charter and management firm lined up additional capital and is dedicating more than $100 million to form a new division, Jet Edge Partners, to significantly build up a wholesale aircraft sales business. Jet Edge brought veteran aircraft salesman Kevin White on board to serve as president of Jet Edge Partners and established a new office in Annapolis, Maryland.
White, formerly an executive sales director for AvPro and before that a sales executive with Gulfstream Aerospace, will develop relationships with aircraft brokers as Jet Edge seeks to expand its reach in the aircraft dealership business. Joining White in heading the new business is Clayton Smith, who was formerly v-p of sales for XOJet and now holds the same title for Jet Edge Partners.
“The launch of this division allows us to bring a very unique value proposition to the aircraft sales marketplace,” said Jet Edge International chief revenue officer Jonah Adler. “Jet Edge Partners is the only well-capitalized, sophisticated aircraft broker/dealer that is supported by a world-class operator of both managed and floating fleets of aircraft.”
Jet Edge already bought its first two inventory aircraft: an Embraer Legacy 600 and a BBJ. And almost immediately, Jet Edge already has lined up a potential buyer for the Legacy.
Bombardier and F/List Team on London Interiors Shop
Bombardier has announced a major enhancement of its London Biggin Hill service center with the addition of a new interior repair and refurbishment shop to be developed in partnership with Austrian interiors specialist F/List. Close to 3,000 sq ft of the Biggin Hill facility will be modified to accommodate the new interiors shop, which will provide a full spectrum of offerings from touch-ups to full cabin refurbishment. The Biggin Hill interiors shop is expected to be operational “in coming months,” Bombardier said.
The Canadian airframer and F/List enjoy a longstanding relationship, with the Austrian company having installed significant interior components, including flooring, veneers, cabinetry, and showers on various Bombardier platforms for more than a decade. “Customer satisfaction is always a top priority at Bombardier and the new interior shop will enhance reliability and expectations, further strengthening our support to our customers,” said Bombardier v-p and general manager of customer experience Jean-Christophe Gallagher. F/List CEO Katharina List-Nagl called the collaboration “an enormous, important milestone, not only in the aftermarket segment but also for our partnership with Bombardier.”
In addition to Biggin Hill, Bombardier has seven line maintenance stations and 11 ground support vehicles across Europe, as well as a dedicated mobile response team Challenger 300 aircraft, which supplements parts shipments from Bombardier’s European distribution hub in Frankfurt, Germany.
European Bizjet Market Set To Grow, Says Shearwater
Shearwater Aero Capital, a global corporate aviation finance specialist, has analyzed the market trends and come up with a stunning prediction for the future of European private aviation: the fleet might grow by as much as one-third over the next five years. The company expects that as many as 1,071 new private jets worth $38.5 billion could be delivered in the region by 2025. Current estimates peg the European private business jet fleet at 2,282 aircraft, with more than 1,000 heavy jets, just under 300 medium-size jets, and 869 light jets.
“Europe is an attractive region for business aviation finance companies such as ours,” said Shearwater Aero Capital managing partner Chris Miller. “The market here is increasingly focused on using financing to purchase business aircraft as opposed to just paying cash.”
According to Shearwater, 2018 was its strongest year yet, accounting for 60 percent of the company’s business since it launched in 2014. Last year, the average loan it made was $7 million. Following on the banner year, the company is now looking to raise $200 million in capital to support further growth, given the optimistic analysis for potential sales in the region.
Skyports and Volocopter Building ‘Volo-Port’ in Singapore
UK-based Skyports and Germany’s eVTOL builder Volocopter will build the first mobile Volo-Port, designed by Brandlab, for urban air taxis in Singapore later this year, the companies announced today. The project partners said the Volo-Port prototype will be a test site to measure the customer experience; showcase customer services and amenities, including the boarding process and passenger lounges; facilitate practical testing of operational procedures such as ground operations and services, including battery swaps and charging, maintenance, safety, and security; and provide regulator input opportunity into the facility design before it is rolled out at multiple locations.
“Once regulation comes through on the aviation and city level—and this will be sooner than most think—we will be ready to take off,” said Volocopter co-founder Alex Zosel. “Receiving the commercial license for air taxi aircraft is a question of time, not possibility. We are thus focusing on shaping the necessary ecosystem around urban air mobility (UAM), including air traffic management, city regulation, and the takeoff and landing infrastructure.”
“Each individual Volo-Port is designed so that it can stand alone or connect to other ports in numerous formations, enabling rapid deployment and scalability. We have analyzed the available spaces and movement dynamics in city centers across the world and recognize that infrastructure is a key enabler for the emerging UAM market,” said Skyport managing director Duncan Walker.
EASA Calls for AS350/EC130 Fuel System Mods
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued Safety Information Bulletin (SIB) 2017-18R1, recommending that operators of Airbus AS350/EC130 helicopters install crash-resistant fuel systems. EASA said any such approved modifications to in-service aircraft “will reduce the risk of post-crash fires and contribute to increas[ing] the occupant escape time after a survivable crash.” Several FAA- and EASA-approved fuel system mods are readily available.
Since November 1994, airworthiness standards for rotorcraft establish fuel-system design features intended to minimize fuel leaks and potential fuel ignition sources. These standards, applicable to rotorcraft certified after that date, do not apply to the majority of the AS350/EC130 fleet. An exception is the EC130T2, which complies with these airworthiness standards.
According to EASA, the safety concern described in this SIB—which revises EASA SIB 2017-18 dated Oct. 27, 2017—is not considered to be an unsafe condition that would warrant Airworthiness Directive action. The agency is, however, reviewing the accident data and further recommendations and/or AD actions might follow.
Long-time Broker and NARA Co-founder Johnny Gantt Dies
Johnny Gantt, the long-time aircraft broker and co-founder of the National Aircraft Resale Association, the precursor to the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA), died on May 14. He was 83.
Gantt founded Gantt Aviation in Georgetown, Texas, in 1971, building the business into a well-known international business jet and turboprop brokerage firm that houses inventory in 40,000 sq ft of hangar space and has its own service center. He helped found the National Aircraft Resale Association in 1991 to pursue a code of ethics in the business of acquiring, selling, and trading aircraft.
Born May 2, 1936, in Sweetwater, Texas, Gantt became interested in aviation after a pilot visited his high school to discuss flight careers. Soon after, he took flight lessons and bought a Piper J3 Cub with money he earned working nights at a cotton gin. After graduation, he became a flight instructor in San Marcos, Texas, and eventually teamed with a local FBO owner, James Miller, to co-own Miller Flying Service in Plainview, Texas.
About 15 years later, Gantt sold his share back to Miller and established his brokerage firm. He amassed more than 25,000 flight hours with type ratings in Lear, Citation, Hawker, Diamond, Beechjet, and King Air aircraft, among others.
Flying Colours expanded its international team, naming Paul Dunford to the newly created role of managing director of international operations and Andrew Pearce as European sales manager. Dunford, who joined Flying Colours in 2014, launched the company’s Singapore operation and served as general manager of Flying Colours Corp. Asia PTE Ltd. Pearce has 35-years of international experience in the MRO, completions and aircraft sales, previously serving with Canadian, Middle Eastern, and European business aviation entities and having experience with the Bombardier aircraft family.
Safran Helicopter Engines appointed Bernard Barussaud executive v-p of operations. Barussaud is a 27-year company veteran, joining the Snecma engineering department in 1992 and later becoming head of services for the cost estimates department, director of Snecma manufacturing excellence center for compressor blades, and, most recently, executive v-p of manufacturing at Safran Transmissions Systems.
Ray Kuliavas joined Levaero Aviation as v-p with a focus on business development as the Pilatus-authorized sales and service center begins deliveries of PC-24s in Canada. Kuliavas has more than 40 years of aviation experience, including a background with aircraft sales, marketing, and brand growth, and business and services development.
West Star Aviation named John Lowe satellite manager at the company’s location in Chicago. Lowe brings 36 years of aviation experience to his new role, including as crew chief, director of maintenance, chief inspector, and accounts manager.
Duncan Aviation appointed Luke Swager manager of customer service for its Battle Creek, Michigan location. Swager joined the Battle Creek facility as an airframe mechanic on the Falcon/Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) team and later became project manager and assistant manager of customer service.
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