U.S. Bizav Fleet Passes 70 Percent ADS-B Equippage
With the ADS-B equipage mandate deadline seven months away, 71 percent of the U.S.-registered turbine-powered business aircraft fleet has been equipped, according to the latest statistics by industry data provider FlightAware. Of the 17,759 currently registered aircraft, 5,088 or 29 percent have not yet been upgraded, down from 51 percent a year ago.
Among the models with the highest rate of compliance are the Cirrus Vision (99 percent), HondaJet (96 percent), Dassault Falcon 7X (91 percent), Cessna Citation CJ4 (90 percent) and Latitude (88 percent), Beechcraft King Air 300 (88 percent), Bombardier Global Express (88 percent), Gulfstream V-series and G650 (88 percent), and Mitsubishi MU-2 (88 percent).
The model ranking lowest on the list was the Gulfstream III, with one-third of the 42 registered aircraft having been ADS-B-equipped, followed by the Piaggio Avanti, Hawker 4000, and Citation III, all with less than 50 percent of their U.S.-registered fleet having been modified.
“As was expected, we are seeing the equipage pace gain speed as we get closer and closer to the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline,” said Geoff Hill, director of communications for the Aircraft Electronics Association and editor of Avionics News Magazine. “Not surprisingly, we have many AEA member repair stations throughout the United States that are reporting an ADS-B installation backlog of three to six months.”
FAA Adviser: Following Procedure Not Just AMT Problem
Failure to follow procedure (FFP) is not just an aviation maintenance technician (AMT) issue, but an organizational one, FAA chief scientific and technical adviser Bill Johnson told attendees of NBAA Maintenance Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, on Tuesday.
Johnson called FFP a cultural issue and explained that FFP by an AMT can involve every person in the maintenance chain, including managers who pressure AMTs to complete their work on time, inspectors who overlook potential mistakes, the writers of the procedures, the lawyers who added cautionary notes and language to the procedures, as well as the regulator whose guidelines necessitated the lawyer’s involvement.
“Everyone is the problem” when it comes to FFP, Johnson said, but they can also be the ones to change that. It starts with the individual becoming a “safety champion.” Last fall, the FAA launched a self-directed training program, “Follow Procedures: The Buck Stops Here,” aimed at reducing FFPs in aviation maintenance organizations. So far, Johnson noted, 4,000 people have accessed the program’s website, www.followprocedures.com, and 80 percent of those taking the voluntary training have completed it. “Following procedures 100 percent of the time, that’s a pretty good idea.”
The three-month long runway replacement project at California’s Catalina Island Airport was completed and celebrated last week in a reopening ceremony that included a landing by a World War II-vintage Douglas DC-3. The project replaced the “Airport in the Sky’s” crumbling 3,000-foot asphalt airstrip, which cost the Catalina Island Conservancy, the airport’s custodian since 1972, an average of $250,000 a year to repair.
Performed by the U.S. military, the work was part of an Innovative Readiness Training Program that matches community needs with military training opportunities. The U.S. Marines and Navy transported more than 500 tons of equipment and supplies to the island for the $5 million project, $4 million of which was covered through fundraising by the Conservancy, including a $1.5 million donation from California-based aerospace and power generation manufacturing company ACE Clearwater. The remaining $1 million was assumed to be the estimated costs for labor and equipment rental had the project been performed by a commercial contractor.
“We had a wonderful experience working with the military from the first meeting to the end,” said Conservancy CEO Tony Budrovich. “They showed exemplary service and capabilities and learned what it was like to work on Catalina. It’s a remote and sometimes difficult place to make things happen, but they had success. We are so thankful for all of the partners who contributed to this project.”
CityAirbus eVTOL Makes ‘Tethered Jump’
The four-passenger CityAirbus eVTOL urban air mobility demonstration aircraft made its first flight on May 3 at Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Donauwörth, Germany. The flight was announced via Twitter by Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even, who provided a photo of the flight demonstration team with the aircraft.
The company characterized the flight as a “tethered jump” intended to further assess the performance of the propulsion and flight control systems, as well as gather a few other data points. The flight-test program will now move to Manching, Germany, to open the flight envelope in restricted airspace. The aircraft is currently designed to accommodate a pilot, although Airbus said the eventual goal is to fly autonomously.
Power comes from four battery banks wired to eight Siemens SP200D 100-kW motors that drive eight propellers in four ducted assemblies. Estimated cruising speed is 65 knots with an endurance of 15 minutes.
StandardAero Focuses European P&WC TP Engine Work
StandardAero’s engine MRO facility in Gonesse, France, has had its designated overhaul facility (DOF) licenses renewed by Pratt & Whitney Canada for the PW100 and PT6A turboprop engine families. The location has had an association of more than three decades with the PW100, as its predecessor owner SECA was the first independent shop appointed to service the engine in 1986. The facility has approvals for 23 models of the engine, including the PW127M version, which powers the latest ATR-600 turboprop. It also has extensive authorizations for the PT6A, such as the widely used PT6A-41/42 model and the PT6A-64 that powers the Daher TBM 700. It will soon be delivering its 1,500th completed PT6A.
Located midway between Le Bourget and Charles de Gaulle airports in Paris, the shop also had its authorization renewed by Daher as the engine MRO provider for Europe-based TBMs. Over the past several years, the MRO has optimized workflow through lean manufacturing processes, yielding improved turnaround times and quality of delivered work. This year, the location, which is home to a newly expanded mobile repair team (MRT), plans to offer additional services through the introduction of dedicated onsite service center capabilities.
“We are pleased to further expand the range of cost-effective service offerings offered to PW100 and PT6A operators across Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” said Lauent Cluzel, the location’s general manager.
JAL Business Aviation, the new business aviation joint venture between Japan Airlines (JAL) and Marubeni, is on track for launch in this year's first half. The company will not own an aircraft fleet, but will mainly provide logistical support for business jet operations, such as charter flights and aircraft management, and provide operational and concierge services to business jet operators and to customers flying to Japan.
The startup noted, however, that there is work that needs to be done to develop the country’s infrastructure and change the public’s perception of business aviation. “At this point, there are limited infrastructures and various restrictions still in place for the Japanese business jet aviation market,” said a JAL spokesperson. “It is still a very regulated industry and we hope that there will be some deregulation in the coming years.”
In addition, he said, “We need to change the public's perception to view these services as a business tool and not just a luxurious transportation option."
The company will mainly operate from Tokyo's metropolitan area but, in the future, has capabilities to operate from JAL's domestic operating bases within Japan.
The flag-carrier announced the new start-up in January, with a paid-up capital of 150 million yen ($1.36 million). JAL owns 51 percent of the venture with Marubeni owning the remaining 49 percent.
Baker Aviation Tapped as Raisbeck Authorized Dealer
Texas-based aircraft maintenance, management, and charter provider Baker Aviation has increased its focus on the Beechcraft King Air series with its appointment by Raisbeck Engineering as an authorized dealer for its line of aftermarket products. Raisbeck specializes in performance improvements for the twin-turboprop family.
“As our King Air business continues to grow here in Fort Worth, we believe this new dealership is the right direction for our company,” explained Baker president Stan Baker III. “We look forward to offering more performance-enhancing options to our King Air clients and I am confident that this is the beginning of a long and productive relationship with Raisbeck.”
In a widely anticipated move, helicopter services company Bristow Group received a delisting warning notification from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on May 1. Bristow received the warning because the average closing price of its common stock had been below $1 for 30 consecutive days. The NYSE requires stocks to trade at a minimum of $1 per share.
Bristow stock was trading at $18.72 per share a year ago but has consistently been below 50 cents over the last few weeks. This morning it was trading at 38 cents, giving the company a market capitalization of less than $14 million.
Bristow has six months to regain compliance or its stock will be delisted from the NYSE. The NYSE also requires companies listed on the exchange to be in compliance with all U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations including the timely filing of financial reports. Bristow has delayed filing its latest report from the last quarter of calendar 2018, citing “material weaknesses” in its financial controls.
Count on AIN for Full Coverage of EBACE
As ever, you can count on AIN for full coverage of EBACE 2019. Our team will publish three of our award-winning daily EBACE Convention News editions at the show on May 21, 22, and 23. We will also have comprehensive real-time reporting of all the top news at AINonline.com and in our daily e-newsletters. If you are an exhibiting company that wants to share news or propose pre-show interviews and briefings please contact show editor Chad Trautvetter.
Requires modifying the left-hand hydraulic system of the nose wheel steering (NWS) control system and, for certain airplanes, torquing the fittings on a certain tube assembly. The AD was prompted by an incident of uncommanded NWS in-service; subsequent investigation revealed that the steering selector valve is susceptible to jamming in the open position due to particulate contamination of the hydraulic system.
This emergency AD requires revision to the rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) to ensure that control of the helicopter is maintained in all phases of operation. There have been three occurrences where pilots reported unexpected forces or uncommanded inputs to the directional (yaw) control system. Each of these occurrences took place during ground operations. Subsequent investigation has revealed that a yaw trim runaway can occur while the automatic pedal trim function is operating. Transport Canada found that the current version of the RFM is not adequate to reduce the risk of a trim runaway and ensure that control of the helicopter is maintained. In addition, the RFM does not contain specific procedures for responding to a trim runaway.
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