Daher Ships 1st 2020 TBM 940, HomeSafe Nearing Cert

Daher is delivering the first 2020 TBM 940 (S/N 1321) this week to a customer in California while it expects the HomeSafe autoland system for that model to be certified by early July, aircraft division executive v-p Nicolas Chabbert said this morning during a press webinar. He added that Daher’s service center network for TBMs and Kodiaks has been fully functional during the Covid-19 crisis, but production of TBMs has slowed due to social distancing measures at its Tarbes, France manufacturing line.

The first TBM 940 left the company’s factory on Monday and is now in California, where it soon will be handed over to its customer. While the 2020 TBM 940s come factory-standard with HomeSafe, the autoland system won’t be activated until it receives near-simultaneous EASA and FAA certification, which Chabbert anticipates later next month or early July. TBM 940s built last year are eligible to be retrofitted with HomeSafe, which costs $85,000. HomeSafe is based on Garmin's Autoland technologies.

According to Chabbert, Daher has not seen any diminished demand for TBMs during the Covid-19 crisis, but said the company will likely not meet its 2020 forecast delivery for 50 TBMs due to the slower production output and the potential for supply chain issues later this year. However, he is optimistic that the company will meet the projected 15 Kodiak 100 shipments by year-end.

ExecuJet Malaysia Builds On Falcon Mx Approvals

ExecuJet MRO Services Malaysia has earned a handful of additional certifications from EASA and the FAA, including one that completes its ability to repair and maintain all of Dassault Aviation’s current business jet lineup. Specifically, the MRO received FAA approval for line maintenance on the Falcon 900 series, which includes the 900EX, 900EX EASy, 900DX, and 900LX variants.

It already holds certifications for line and heavy maintenance on the Falcon 7X, 8X, and 2000 series. Additionally, ExecuJet Malaysia has received FAA approval for performing non-destructive testing and aircraft wheel assembly overhaul and repair. New certifications from EASA permit it to carry out line maintenance on the Falcon 2000EX, 7X, and 8X.

“These additional FAA and EASA certifications reinforce our status as a leading MRO facility in the region for the Falcon range of aircraft and also highlights Malaysia’s status as a leading center for MRO,” said regional v-p for Asia at ExecuJet MRO Services Ivan Lim. More than 100 Falcon aircraft operate in the Asia-Pacific region.

ExecuJet Malaysia was included in Dassault Aviation’s acquisition of the Luxaviation group’s 15 ExecuJet MRO centers last year.

Covid-19 Leads To ‘Significant Reduction’ at NBAA

The wave of layoffs that have begun to spread throughout the industry has reached NBAA, which yesterday announced “a significant reduction” in its workforce. While not detailing the extent of the layoffs, NBAA cited the challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic in the move and said it will enable it to keep “a sharp focus on advocacy, strategic communications, operational support, the production of NBAA-BACE and other events, and other priorities for the association and industry.”

With travel restrictions and ongoing health and safety concerns surrounding Covid-19, NBAA has been forced to cancel numerous events that are an important part of the association's funding, including such hallmark gatherings such as the EBACE and ABACE co-hosted shows that gather thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors from around the world. 

“As we know, the Covid-19 pandemic is challenging organizations of every kind, and NBAA is certainly not immune to those challenges,” NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said. “We are working to address the challenge by looking at all aspects of our business, including significant reductions to our workforce, consistent with what we are seeing in the aviation community and beyond.” He added that the decisions “have been among our most difficult ever."

Gary Dunn Takes Helm of Aviation Partners

Aviation Partners Inc. (API) promoted Gary Dunn to president, permanently naming him to the position he had held in an interim capacity since the unexpected passing of company co-founder Joe Clark. Dunn brings nearly 30 years of experience to the role, more than 20 of which have been spent at the Seattle-based blended winglet developer.

He joined API as director of engineering in 1996, supporting the company’s winglet for the Gulfstream II. In 2001 he moved into sales and then added marketing to his responsibilities, recently holding the role of v-p of sales and marketing. During his time there, he oversaw products for business aircraft along with Boeing 737s, 757s, and 767s. Before joining API, he had an apprenticeship at Monarch Aircraft Engineering at London Luton Airport, providing MRO support for a fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

“Gary continues the tradition of innovation and excellence established by Joe,” said Kyle Washington, a member of the board of directors for API parent organization, The Washington Companies. “Gary’s strategic thinking and quiet leadership have earned the trust of our clients, our board, and the aviation industry.”

Duncan Expands Disinfectant Service to Satellite Shops

After introducing aircraft disinfection service at its three main MRO facilities in March in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Duncan Aviation has expanded it to five of its satellite avionics shops, with plans to add more locations in the coming weeks. The company’s satellite locations now offering the service are in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Houston; Seattle; Teterboro, New Jersey; and Van Nuys, California.

“We’ve had a lot of interest in the disinfectant service,” said Duncan Aviation Fort Lauderdale satellite shop manager Brian Redondo. “We’re planning to take the unit to a couple of local FBOs on the airport to fog their lobbies, and a lot of our customers would like their aircraft disinfected before they start flying again.”

Duncan crews trained to use the system can either perform the service at one of its facilities currently offering the service or travel to the customer's hangar with a portable unit. The unit sprays an Environmental Protection Agency-registered and hospital-grade disinfectant on an aircraft’s interior surface via an aerosol, fogger, or spray application. The 100 percent biodegradable disinfectant is non-corrosive and safe for various custom surfaces and avionics, according to Duncan.

The service was initially launched at Duncan's main facilities in Lincoln, Nebraska; Battle Creek, Michigan; and Provo, Utah.

APG Acquisition Opens Doors for Future Growth

When AFV Partners bought Aircraft Performance Group (APG) in January, this signaled new opportunities for the developer of the iPreFlight Genesis iPad app and long-time provider of runway analysis services. Tony Aquila, the founder and CEO of AFV Partners, “is a long-term investor and he creates value,” said APG CEO Mike Caflisch. “We were looking for a partner to bring our long-term vision and strategy together.”

Just two months after buying APG, AFV Partners added the RocketRoute flight-planning service to its aviation stable, purchased from Alyssum Holdings. APG had been working with RocketRoute for years, providing runway analysis and aircraft performance services for RocketRoute customers. The owner of RocketRoute ran into financial trouble and needed to divest. “We saw it as an opportunity,” said Caflisch. “They have a technology set that is really terrific and complementary to what APG is doing.”

APG’s iPreFlight Genesis app includes flight planning, but the plan was always to add new capabilities, and RocketRoute will help with that plan. “This acquisition by AFV and bringing RocketRoute into the family will create an incredible number of functionality exchanges,” he said.

Chief among these is RocketRoute’s strength in flight planning in Europe’s complex airspace. “We’ll take advantage of that. And there are other features on our roadmap that we’ll add, and vice versa.”

Elliott Makes Garmin Install Time, Cost Guarantees

Elliott Aviation is offering guaranteed four-week and three-week downtimes for certain Garmin G5000 and G1000 NXi installs, respectively, the Illinois-based MRO provider announced this week. These guarantees apply to retrofits of the G5000 on Cessna Citation Excel/XLS twin jets and the G1000 NXi on Beechcraft King Air turboprops. If the work isn’t done within the guaranteed time, Elliott Aviation will pay the customer $3,000 per day over the three- or four-week period, up to a $15,000 maximum.

To date, Elliott said it has completed cockpit retrofits of more than 50 total G5000 systems in the Beechjet 400A/Hawker 400XP and Citation Excel/XLS, and more than 350 G1000/G1000 NXi systems in King Airs. Of its G5000 installs, 12 have been completed on the Excel/XLS at its headquarters in Moline and its facility in Des Moines, Iowa.

G5000 replaces Honeywell Primus 1000 avionics on the Citation Excel/XLS, including autopilot and flight director. The Garmin flight deck features wide-area augmentation system/localizer performance with vertical guidance (WAAS/LPV), ADS-B, SiriusXM weather, electronic charts, SafeTaxi, engine monitor data, and emergency descent mode. G1000 NXi replaces Collins avionics and also includes a new autopilot, WAAS/LPV, and SiriusXM weather, as well as georeferenced charts, RVSM, SurfaceWatch runway monitoring, and cockpit connectivity.

Sino Jet Becomes Asia’s Largest Bizjet Operator

Asian private aviation provider Sino Jet has been identified as the region’s largest and fastest-growing business jet operator, according to Asian Sky Group’s recently released 2019 Asia Business Jet Fleet Report. The company, which was founded in 2011, rose to the top position having added seven jets to its managed fleet last year, giving it a total of 45, the majority consisting of ultra-long-range aircraft such as Boeing BBJs and Gulfstream G650s. More than half of the fleet is internationally registered, while 42 percent are based in China.

“What enables Sino Jet to differentiate is that we understand the needs of Chinese and global clients and we can navigate challenges with airports and cities having ever-changing policies,” the Beijing and Hong Kong-based company noted. “Our brand strengthened as we evidenced our ability to manage a highly diverse fleet while ensuring ease of travel in and out of China.”

The company continued its growth despite the downturn faced by the industry. “Challenges due to Covid-19 have been felt throughout the business aviation industry, however growth can still be achieved if we focus on the value we can add,” said the company, which in 2018 became the first Asian operator to achieve Stage 3 IS-BAO registration. “We are always open to new ideas from our global team to provide a unique customer relationship management experience.”

AIN Product Support Survey Now Open

Tell us about the product support you receive from business aviation OEMs. The 2020 AIN Product Support Survey is now online, ready for selected readers to rate aircraft, engine, and avionics support. AIN readers who have been selected to participate in this year’s Product Support Survey should have received their account number and link to the online survey website by e-mail. The survey needs to be completed by midnight on June 12.

Where Did the Boeing and Embraer Merger Go Wrong?

AIN senior editors Gregg Polek and Charlie Alcock pick over the ruins of the collapsed merger deal between Boeing and Embraer, trying to make sense of why the deal fell apart. Plus, they reflect on a flurry of discouraging financial results in the aerospace industry.