Building the ranks of aviation maintenance technicians (AMT) in business aviation was the center-stage topic at the opening today of the NBAA Maintenance Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. ServiceElements founder Bob Hobbi moderated the 45-minute general session that included PepsiCo director of aviation Pat Cunningham and Duncan Aviation sales manager Phil Suglia on developing the AMT pipeline, and ways that corporate flight departments and Part 145 repair stations are developing and recruiting their future workforce.
At PepsiCo, Cunningham said, one effective way to recruit AMTs now and in the future is through internships, recruiting near military bases, and word of mouth, which “is still a good way to find people.” But he acknowledged that the industry needs to improve in raising awareness of AMT careers in business aviation, especially with younger generations. “A lot of young people today are not hearing about aviation as a career option,” Cunningham said. Duncan’s Suglia agreed, noting that the industry should be reaching out to high school counselors and parents of teens about the AMT profession and its opportunities. Kids aren’t considering aviation because there’s a lack of “career awareness and a negative public perception of what it is to be a mechanic,” Suglia said.
The industry also needs to do a better job of showing its passion for the profession, Hobbi said.
Bombardier’s Learjet program received a boost with the sale to an undisclosed customer of five Learjet 75s valued at $69 million.
Announced today, the sale comes as Bombardier recently released a comprehensive Garmin G5000 avionics upgrade that the manufacturer said will enable operators to optimize routes and pave the way for future upgrades. Unveiled last fall, the G5000 update is offered both on new aircraft as well as via retrofit for in-service Learjet 75s. In addition, Bombardier recently lengthened intervals between recurring major powerplant inspections from 3,000 hours to 3,500 hours.
“With its bevy of recent enhancements, the Learjet 75 aircraft is a superior business jet offering in terms of size, performance and reliability, all at highly competitive operating cost,” said Peter Likoray, senior v-p of worldwide sales and marketing for Bombardier Business Aircraft. “Reliability and longevity are just two of the reasons customers among Fortune 500 companies continue to choose Learjet aircraft for productivity gains.”
Earlier this year, the Learjet fleet topped the 25 million flight-hour mark, a milestone reached some 55 years after the first Learjet entered service in 1964.
The FAA has issued a supplemental type certificate to Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) for its ThrustSense Autothrottle system in King Air B200 turboprops. The ThrustSense system automatically controls power settings of the King Air’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engines, matching power to the selected airspeed but also protecting against exceeding torque and temperature limits. IS&S’s first autothrottle STC was for the Pilatus PC-12.
Pilots can use ThrustSense in all phases of flight including go-arounds. The system also provides automatic protections, according to IS&S, “regardless of autopilot engagement state in an attempt to keep airspeed, torque, and temperature from exceeding pre-defined targets.”
Autothrottles help lower pilot workload during arrivals and help pilots fly stabilized approaches by controlling speed during descents, while also preventing over-torque and over-temp of the engines.
Installation of the ThrustSense Autothrottle system takes about four days, the company said, with no structural modifications to the existing throttle quadrant. The installation includes the controller for the autothrottle and its interface, in an Autothrottle Control Panel. IS&S also plans to offer a software upgrade this year for King Air Vmca (minimum controllable airspeed) mitigation.
Search crews located the wreckage of a Bombardier Challenger 601 that disappeared from radar May 5 over the Mexican state of Coahuila. At least 13 passengers and crew onboard reportedly were killed. According to flight-tracking information, the aircraft, N601VH, departed McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas at 1:52 p.m. PDT for an approximately two-and-a-half-hour flight to General Mariano Escobedo International Airport (MMTY) in Monterrey. Its last radar return came approximately 90 minutes later in the vicinity of Monclova, about 100 nm northwest of Monterrey.
The twinjet had climbed from its cruising altitude of FL370 to FL390 approximately 10 minutes before contact was lost, with indications the aircraft was ascending steeply to FL410 immediately before it disappeared. News reports stated the flight crew might have been attempting to avoid convective activity in the area.
Aerial surveillance located the wreckage Monday in a remote mountainous area near Ocampo, according to a Coahuila government statement. Images from the scene suggest the aircraft hit terrain in a flat, level attitude, with severe fire damage to most of the airframe but the wings and empennage appear largely intact.
The 30-year-old jet (S/N 5043) was registered to Utah-based TVPX Aircraft Solutions Incorporated Trustee and operated by an as-yet unidentified entity. Local media stated the passengers had chartered the jet to watch a weekend boxing match and were returning home.
Swiss Online Fueling Service Expands to Africa
Switzerland-based fuel purchasing service Valcora has expanded its global coverage to Africa with the opening of a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa, one of the main business aviation hubs on the continent and home to some of the world’s most rapidly expanding economies. According to the company, the decision to open the two-person office was based on the growing need for reliable fuel purchasing options for local, intra-, and intercontinental operators and owners, as well as on the growing business aviation fleet in countries such as Angola, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
Valcora believes that African operators will benefit in particular from its experience in handling the complexities of European taxes. Its system automatically calculates fiscal responsibilities, ensuring customer taxes are correctly and fairly determined.
“The growing business aviation sector needs access to easy, international fuel purchasing options to support continued economic growth in Africa,” said company CEO and South African national Daniel Coetzer, adding that Johannesburg represented the ideal location from which to support that need. “South Africa has an established business infrastructure, reliable banking institutions, and an excellent pool of people to hire from, which will all support our own business growth and enables us to better serve our clients.”
The announcement follows the company’s U.S. office opening at the beginning of the year.
DOT IG Auditing FAA Cybersecurity Actions
The Department of Transportation Inspector General has launched an audit of the FAA’s role and responsibilities as a member of the Aviation Cybersecurity Initiative (ACI) interagency task force. In addition to the FAA, the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense participate in the task force. The three agencies work together to identify and mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities affecting the aviation industry and the public.
“Cyber-based threats from both internal and external sources are rapidly evolving,” the IG said in a letter announcing the audit. “At the same time, the FAA’s ATC system is becoming more interconnected as the agency introduces a range of new communication, navigation, and surveillance capabilities. Our audit objective is to examine the FAA’s roles, responsibilities, and actions as an ACI member, especially those that pertain to its authority over civil aviation and air traffic management.”
The audit comes at the request of the chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Congress had directed the FAA in the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 to develop a “comprehensive and strategic framework of principles and policies to reduce cybersecurity risks to the ATC system.”
Specifically, the act requires the FAA to use “a total systems approach that takes into consideration the interactions and interdependence of different components of aircraft systems and the national airspace system.”
FlightSafety’s Master Tech Program Turns to Cabin
FlightSafety is expanding its Master Technician program to include cabin systems, which it said will equip technicians to service and maintain at a high level the cabins of aircraft they support, the aviation training company announced yesterday. Master Technician Cabin Systems designation requires the completion of five courses: avionics standard practices, aeroIT, cabin connectivity, integrated cabin management systems, and cabin systems operational maintenance program.
Offering a combination of in-depth instruction and practical training, FlightSafety said the program was developed in collaboration with aircraft, component, and systems manufacturers. It is offered for aircraft manufactured by Bombardier Learjet, Cessna, Dassault, Embraer, Gulfstream, Hawker Beechcraft, and Sikorsky.
Other FlightSafety Master Technician programs include airframe, avionics, composites, engine-specific courses, and management. Improving safety, lowering aircraft operation costs, and increasing dispatch reliability are among the benefits FlightSafety said its Master Technicians provide. There are more than 4,000 Master Technicians worldwide, according to FlightSafety.
Avfuel Adds Texas Airport to Branded Dealer Network
Avfuel has been tapped by Brazoria County as the fuel supplier for its Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport. Located just south of Houston’s Class B airspace, the FAR Part 139-certified general aviation reliever airport, which has a 7,000-foot runway and is open 24/7, operates a full-service FBO specializing in quick turns. As a branded dealer, it now provides the full slate of Avfuel products including contract fuel, Avtrip rewards, and acceptance of the Avfuel Pro card, the latter of which allows customers to combine multiple transactions at the airport into a single transaction, avoiding any fees.
“We’re proud to serve Brazoria County as a gateway to our community and an economic engine for our region,” said Jeff Bilyeu, the airport’s aviation director. “Our decision to partner with Avfuel will help to drive more opportunities for the airport and those who benefit from its services.”
Mark Haynes, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based fuel company’s vice president of sales, said, “Adding Texas Gulf Coast Coast Regional Airport to the Avfuel network of independent FBOs will benefit our loyal operators with a new key location in the Houston and Gulf Coast region.”
How are OEMs doing at supporting their products?
Tell us about the product support you receive from business aviation OEMs. The 2019 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 7. Visit this site for more information or if you want to participate in the survey.
People in Aviation
BACA-The Air Charter Association appointed Julie Black deputy chair, working alongside chairman Nick Weston. Currently executive aviation manager for the charter services firm Hunt & Palmer, Black also has worked at London Biggin Hill Airport and Chapman Freeborn.
Duncan Aviation named Michael Kussatz regional avionics sales manager, supporting the company’s East Coast Satellite Avionics Shop network. Kussatz has more than 26 years of industry experience, working with West Star Aviation and Garmin International, in addition to Duncan.
Cutter Aviation promoted Taylor Butterfield flight department manager for its charter and flight management department based in Phoenix. Butterfield joined Cutter in early 2016 as a pilot serving on its HondaJet and King Air teams and before that, held numerous roles with General Atomics.
The Av8 Group hired Karen Winterrowd as sales director. Winterrowd has more than 20 years of experience, serving with companies including Garrett Aviation, Arnoni Aviation, and most recently as CFO of Ship It AOG.
Aircraft Specialties Inc. increased the role of Gene Portela to include oversight of the purchasing and marketing departments. Portela will additionally retain his duties as director of sales for the Omaha, Nebraska-based company.
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