Hermeus, which landed a $60 million U.S. Air Force contract for the initial development of a hypersonic business jet for presidential travel, last week unveiled a non-flying prototype of its Quarterhorse unmanned small-sized test vehicle. During the by-invitation-only event at its Atlanta headquarters, the company not only unveiled an integrated airplane with working hardware but also gave a live demonstration of its engine at maximum afterburner power.
Quarterhorse’s powerplant is a turbine-based combined cycle engine based on the GE J85. An airworthy prototype that will test speeds between Mach 3 and Mach 5 is expected to begin flight tests next year, according to Hermeus. The company has acquired a half-dozen GE J85s as it proceeds with an “iterative, hardware-rich approach” development program.
“When an aerospace company typically unveils a new aircraft, it’s nothing more than Styrofoam and fiberglass,” said Hermeus COO Skyler Shuford. “But at Hermeus we drive to integrated products. And we really, really like to make fire.” He noted that the company designed, manufactured, and integrated the aircraft, “from nothing but an outer shape,” in just four months.
Plans call for following with a midsize vehicle that will be used for flight testing for cargo purposes around 2025. It will have longer range and more capable environmental control. Hermeus then will proceed with a 20-seat passenger aircraft targeted for FAA certification in 2029.
Gulfstream Aerospace plans to build a 225,000-sq-ft service center at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, the Savannah, Georgia airframer’s first facility in Arizona. Gulfstream officials “have looked long and hard to find the right place to build” such a facility, Gulfstream president Mark Burns said during an announcement yesterday.
A more than $70 million investment, the new service center will create more than 200 jobs and expand Gulfstream’s MRO capabilities in the western U.S. It follows recent company-owned service center expansions in Savannah; Van Nuys, California; Fort Worth, Texas; Palm Beach, Florida; Appleton, Wisconsin; and Farnborough, England. The Mesa facility is expected to open in 2023.
Gulfstream will pursue LEED Silver certification of the Mesa facility, which will have a fuel farm with a dedicated sustainable aviation fuel supply, low-flow plumbing fixtures, LED lighting, and an energy-efficient HVAC system. Sensor-controlled lights, a white roof to reflect heat, native plants, and low-water-demand landscaping will be additional sustainable features of the Mesa center.
The company also is working with the airport authority to use green power from the airport’s electrical utility, in addition to installing solar panels. “In the past decade, as our fleet has grown, we have invested to create a network of modern facilities to provide our customers with outstanding service and support when and where they need it,” said Burns.
Canadian FBO chain Skyservice has expanded into the U.S. via the rebranding of four Leading Edge Jet Center (LEJC) locations in the Pacific Northwest under the Skyservice banner. The two companies have shared primary ownership since 2019 through Toronto-based Instar Asset Management, and combining under the Skyservice brand allows the business to improve market presence and heighten its service offerings to customers across the border.
The LEJC locations are at Seattle King County Airport-Boeing Field (KFBI), Oregon’s Redmond Municipal (KRDM) and Bend Municipal (KBND) airports, and Helena Regional Airport (KHLN) in Montana. Those facilities, which are expected to be rebranded early next year, join the Canadian service provider’s existing locations at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Calgary International Airport, and Macdonald–Cartier International Airport in Ottawa.
LEJC had been on a buying spree of late. The company acquired its Seattle location a year ago with plans to build a 70,000-sq-ft environmentally friendly terminal and hangar complex, and earlier this year it purchased Exec Air Montana, the lone FBO at KHLN.
“Skyservice is one of the most respected companies in business aviation globally and we are proud to become part of the family,” said LEJC CEO Steven Levesque. He will become president of Skyservice's U.S. operations, while Benjamin Murray will remain as president and CEO of the overall company.
Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services (KAMS) in Kjeller, Norway, has been named as an authorized service center for Bell Textron to provide maintenance for the fleet of 18 Bell 412 helicopters operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Bell said KAMS has played a significant role in the Norwegian aviation industry since 1916 and posesses extensive capabilities in repair, overhaul, and modifications, as well as component testing, for several aircraft types.
“We are thrilled to include KAMS in Bell’s AMC network,” said Duncan Van De Velde, managing director of commercial business. “Bell has a total of five AMCs in Europe and 12 worldwide. We look forward to growing our network and supporting our European customers.”
Heli-One in Stavanger also serves as a customer service facility for Bell in Norway, providing maintenance and components overhaul services for the 412. “This an important milestone for Bell in Norway,” said Bell independent representative Ole Petter Bakken. “With the opening of the Bell 525 Experience Center at the Stavanger Airport earlier last month and the new AMC, Bell is making an impact in the region.”
The FAA has declared the Saab remote tower system at Virginia’s Leesburg Executive Airport (KJYO) “operationally viable,” authorizing ATC services to continue there using this system. Leesburg has been Saab’s U.S. test site for its remote tower technology and in 2019 was granted approval from the FAA to conduct an initial operational phase, during which time certified controllers safely managed more than 75,000 operations at the airport.
Monday’s announcement “brings us even closer to an FAA-certified, lower-cost alternative for U.S. general aviation airports needing to replace their aging towers, or for busy airports similar to Leesburg seeking to add ATC services,” said Saab Inc. president and CEO Erik Smith. An FAA spokesman told AIN that agency certification of Saab’s remote tower is “not currently expected before the end of 2024.”
The system at Leesburg includes fixed high-definition cameras and controller displays, as well as maneuverable optical and infrared cameras, microphones, and signal light gun. Controllers at the remote tower have the same tools as at other ATC towers, but use live video displayed on monitors instead of direct vision to detect and direct in-view air traffic.
“This milestone FAA decision has positioned the Leesburg airport—the second-busiest general aviation airport in Virginia—one step closer to permanent ATC services, while avoiding the ever-increasing expense of constructing and maintaining a conventional, multi-story ATC tower,” Saab said.
Clay Lacy Aviation’s FAA Part 145 repair station at the Waterbury-Oxford Airport (KOXC) in Connecticut has been certified by Transport Canada Civil Aviation to provide maintenance services for Canadian-registered business jets, the company announced this week. Under the approval, Clay Lacy Connecticut can provide light line maintenance, heavy airframe inspections, jet engine and APU maintenance, and avionics and cabin entertainment upgrades and repairs.
Working from a 65,000-sq-ft facility at KOXC, Clay Lacy technicians are trained on Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault, Cessna, Embraer, Hawker, and Eclipse business jet airframes. The Connecticut facility is in addition to the company's maintenance centers and full-service FBOs at Van Nuys Airport near Los Angeles and Orange County John Wayne Airport in San Diego.
The business aviation services company plans to establish a full-service FBO at KOXC in 2023.
KiPcreating has developed a software program called Expressa that the company claims will help designers and MROs configure the interior of a business jet and export renderings and specs books in minutes. The Expressa configurator enables workers with no technical 3D visualization expertise to create videos and images of a passenger cabin using various materials, colors, and seating configurations.
A 3D visualization package for a typical business jet—including five renderings, a specs book, and two virtual-reality 360-degree views—can take 15 to 20 hours to create, while KiPcreating says Expressa can perform the same package in eight minutes, reducing operational costs by 75 percent.
“Expressa is a turnkey digital solution for the entire team,” said KiPcreating CEO Max Pardo. “With Expressa, you can deliver captivating customer experiences at a fraction of the cost, using the latest technology trends and without even leaving the workplace.”
GPMS is pursuing a supplemental type certificate (STC) for its Foresight MX health and usage monitoring system (HUMS) for Airbus H135 helicopters in partnership with Metro Aviation. The company anticipates certification in the first quarter of 2022.
Burlington, Vermont-based GPMS currently has Foresight STCs on helicopter platforms including the Bell 407GX/GXP/GXi, 429, and 412/212, as well as the Airbus H125/AS350 B3. Foresight provides helicopter flight data monitoring (FDM) including machine condition monitoring and rotor track and balance.
Jed Kalkstein, GPMS president, said the value of Foresight MX goes beyond parametric FDM by integrating the engine awareness of a HUMS system with vibration management, performance monitoring, and analysis for subcomponents, including gearboxes and rotor systems. This additional data allows Foresight MX to deliver early fault detection and estimates of remaining useful life. “This predictive capability allows operators to more accurately order parts and schedule maintenance to help ensure aircraft availability and mitigate unscheduled maintenance and AOG events,” he said.
“We’ve been actively looking for a next-generation health and usage monitoring system on the H135,” said Milton Geltz, managing director at Metro Aviation. "GPMS and Metro partner Outerlink Global Solutions are also planning on integrating [Foresight] with the IRIS [real-time voice over internet protocol radio communications] system, providing in-flight critical alerts to operational ground support teams and putting HUMS within reach for the medium helicopter segment.”
After Early Covid Hit, Bizav Became Big Part of Solution
The Covid pandemic that erupted in March 2020 initially resulted in a steep reduction in the number of business aircraft flights. Before long, however, demand started climbing as people gravitated toward private aircraft. Meanwhile, the industry stepped up its efforts to help alleviate the crisis by carrying essential supplies and personnel to where they were needed.
Requires removing and cleaning the inner diameter of the flap control pushrods and repetitively applying corrosion-inhibiting compound to this area. Prompted by a report that the flap pushrod assemblies are susceptible to corrosion.
Requires an inspection of each tail rotor blade for the general condition and any evidence of burns, and replacement if necessary. Prompted by a report of damage (burns) on the tail rotor blades.
Supersedes but requires the actions specified in AD 2019-05-06, which mandated replacing the retaining ring, inspecting the hoist cable hook assembly, and, if necessary, replacing the elastomeric energy absorber. Updated AD also equires a modification or replacement of the hoist cable hook assembly that would terminate the repetitive inspections and retaining ring replacements.
Model(s): A109A/AII, A109C, A109K2, A109E, AW109S/SP, A119, and AW119 MKII
Published: November 5, 2021
Effective: December 10, 2021
Requires a visual inspection of the rigid connecting link rods for damage, cracks, or abnormal play, and any necessary corrective actions. Prompted by a report of damage to a rigid connecting link rod and loosening of the nut on the upper rod end.
Requires initial and repetitive recalculation of the consumed and remaining service life of certain life-limited parts, as well as the removal of a life-limited part before its approved life limit or within 90 days after the effective date of this AD. Prompted by flight data obtained from airplanes equipped with certain Rockwell Collins avionics and autothrottle systems that demonstrated significant oscillation of the engine rotor revolution speed during flight.
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