Million Air San Juan has acquired its competitor Signature Flight Support’s facility at Puerto Rico’s Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (TJIG). The move makes it the only FBO at the San Juan gateway, which offers a 5,539-foot runway.
According to Million Air San Juan president Tommy Hill, the Signature facility never truly recovered from the damage suffered during 2017’s ferocious Hurricane Maria. He told AIN he plans to renovate and relocate the FBO's ground handling operations into the 5,000-sq-ft former Signature terminal, which has taller ceilings and more glass than the current Million Air terminal. The purchase also adds nearly four acres of additional ramp space, which when combined with the company’s adjoining apron acquired in the 2017 purchase of a San Juan-based charter provider, will give it more than five acres directly in front of the new terminal, plus an additional three acres near its existing terminal. That facility will continue to house its charter division.
The company currently has 88,000 sq ft of existing hangar space at TJIG, and it has already cleared away the small rundown hangars on the new property in preparation for building a 30,000-sq-ft hurricane-proof concrete hangar, capable of sheltering the latest big business jets. Altogether, it expects to spend $6 million on the project, which is slated for completion in late 2020.
Canada Tables ADS-B Out Mandate
In response to feedback from stakeholders and industry, Nav Canada has shelved its ADS-B Out Performance Requirements mandate, originally slated to begin in 2021, stating that more time is required to prepare for its implementation. The agency noted that space-based ADS-B will be used for surveillance in Class A airspace starting in February 2021, but there will be no mandate for equipage until regulatory changes are made to the existing regulations.
The postponement of the mandate will allow Nav Canada to develop the regulatory framework with Transport Canada, as well as provide additional time for the equipment certification process associated with antenna diversity requirements. Christine Gervais, Nav Canada’s manager for level of service, told AIN that operators will be given at least a year’s notice once the mandate is finalized.
According to the U.S. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Transport Canada was calling for requiring a 1090-MHz extended squitter (1090ES) ADS-B Out with top- and bottom-mounted transponder antennas, to reliably enable satellites to receive data transmitted from the aircraft. The postponement is in recognition of data showing that satellites cannot receive data from belly-mounted antennas alone with enough reliability to meet the stated performance requirements, AOPA said.
Textron Aviation Opens Bigger European Parts Warehouse
Textron Aviation has opened an expanded parts warehouse in Düsseldorf, Germany, that doubles its space there, the Wichita-based airframer announced this week. Following the expansion, its European Distribution Center comprises 22,000 sq ft and increases parts availability for Beechcraft, Cessna, and Hawker aircraft in the region to nearly 35,000 items, the company said.
“Our customers count on us to get them the parts they need as fast as possible,” said Brad Thress, Textron Aviation senior v-p of parts, programs, and flight operations. “Over the last three years, we’ve steadily increased the percentage of European part orders fulfilled directly from the Düsseldorf location. This warehouse expansion allows us to store more parts in Europe and ensures we’re ready to support our customers at any time.”
CEO Ron Draper previously told AIN the expansion follows requests from service customers who “want even more availability and faster response times.” It's also part of an effort to put a greater emphasis on supporting the company’s legacy Citation jet line. More than 1,800 jets and turboprops comprise Textron Aviation’s installed base in Europe, where it also operates a network of six service centers, five line stations, and a mobile service unit.
Expansion in Düsseldorf also follows a company-wide revamping of its parts operation that included the addition of about $100 million in inventory this year.
U.S. Customs Retires Last of Its Cessna Citation 550s
The remaining five Cessna Citation 550s, and the only law enforcement jets operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), will be auctioned off by year-end. A total of 28 of these Citation models were built and modified for the agency and patrolled the nation’s borders for more than 40 years.
Cessna modified the C-550 to exacting CBP standards, including equipping the aircraft with military “fire-control” radar, sophisticated infrared camera, custom instrument panels, and law enforcement communication packages.
According to the agency, “The C-550 Interceptor, along with the tethered Aerostat radar systems, all but eliminated the illegal use of private aircraft smuggling into the United States.” The agency said that since 2012, the C-550 contributed to the seizure of 741 pounds of cocaine, 11,687 pounds of marijuana, 608 pounds of methamphetamine, 83 weapons, five aircraft, and 58 vehicles. The C-550 also conducted 260 hours of surveillance during Super Bowl football games.
Although the retirement of the Citations means the CBP will no longer operate jets, the agency will still have an impressive fleet of interdiction air support ranging from single-engine pistons, single- and multi-engine turboprops, turbine helicopters, and Predator drones. Also, a CBP spokesperson told AIN that the agency is “currently funded for five additional multi-role enforcement Beech Super King Air 350ERs, five Sikorsky HH-60s, and 16 light enforcement helicopters.”
Jet Aviation, South Wales Cooperate on MRO Training
Jet Aviation and the University of South Wales (USW) in Dubai have signed a cooperation agreement to support the development of aviation professionals through training opportunities and tuition. “Effective immediately, Jet Aviation will provide required on-the-job training opportunities to students in Dubai enrolled at USW Dubai, while USW will support tuition for qualified Jet Aviation employees,” the companies said.
Jet Aviation's EASA-, FAA-, and GCAA-approved maintenance facility in Dubai will cooperate with USW to offer industrial training and internships to USW Dubai’s aviation students. USW will reciprocate by providing Jet Aviation employees the opportunity to pursue a bachelor's degree in maintenance engineering or a master's degree in aviation engineering and management at the USW Dubai campus.
“We are very keen to extend real hands-on experience and learning opportunities to aspiring aircraft maintenance professionals in a safe, controlled, and supervised aircraft maintenance environment,” said Prabhat Gummadi, Jet Aviation’s maintenance director in Dubai. “The industry needs qualified professionals, and combining academic learning with practical training is the best way to ensure we have a talented pool of aviation professionals in the future.”
Honda Aircraft Expanding Markets for HondaJet Elite
Honda Aircraft, displaying its HondaJet Elite at this week's Dubai Airshow, is eying growing acceptance as it expands into new markets. “My goal is to expand business aviation in international markets by introducing light jets with the HondaJet,” said president and CEO Michimasa Fujino, noting that 25 percent of customers are first-time buyers. He expects to see “good sales activity” for the jet in the Middle East, as well.
Transport Canada certified the HondaJet earlier this year, and four deliveries to Canadian customers have followed. Meanwhile, the first delivery to Japan, a country with little business aviation activity, occurred last year, and with the Civil Aviation Authority of China granting certification this August, growing Asian sales are anticipated.
Some 140 HondaJets are now operating worldwide, having logged more than 40,000 flight hours, with 99.7 percent dispatch reliability. To support European growth, Honda, in partnership with FlightSafety International, is building a second flight simulator and training center at the UK’s Farnborough Airport, expected to be operational in April 2020.
Adding to its mission capabilities, Honda introduced at NBAA-BACE the first medevac configuration for the HondaJet Elite, which is entering service with Wing Spirit, a U.S. charter operator based in Hawaii. Wing Spirit has ordered 15 HondaJets. Honda Aircraft showcased the medevac interior in a mock-up at its pavilion at the Dubai Airshow.
StandardAero Opens Vancouver Helicopter Mx Facility
MRO provider StandardAero last week opened its newest helicopter maintenance facility in Vancouver, Canada, that will support what it calls a “dense helicopter industry in the Pacific Northwest and global community alike.” The new facility is part of StandardAero’s move to establish dedicated centers of excellence and to consolidate helicopter support operations across its footprint.
“Just over a year ago, we set out on a mission to improve our operations in a manner that would allow us to better leverage the expertise of our skilled workforce and streamline our processes to achieve higher levels of efficiency and customer service,” said StandardAero v-p and general manager for helicopter programs Claus Eisenschmid. “The opening of our new StandardAero Vancouver facility is a major milestone in completing that mission.”
At 24,000 sq ft, the new facility will house helicopter maintenance work that was previously performed at other StandardAero facilities including machining, cleaning, painting, and non-destructive testing for engines such as the GE T700/CT7 and Rolls-Royce M250, as well as Airbus Helicopters dynamic components. Transport Canada has validated the facility’s activities.
West Star’s East Alton Mx Facility Earns ANAC Approval
Brazil’s civil aviation authority, ANAC, has granted final approval for West Star Aviation’s East Alton, Illinois facility to perform maintenance and repairs on aircraft registered in the Latin American country, the MRO provider announced. The certification is in addition to DGAC certification for Mexico-registered aircraft at the West Star facility based at St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN).
Under the certification, West Star’s ALN facility can perform avionics and modification installations, scheduled inspections, repairs, and line maintenance on the aircraft. “This certification extends our world-class aircraft MRO services to Brazilian aircraft operators at our ALN facility,” said West Star regional sales manager for Latin America Santiago Carol.
ALN is one of four primary facilities for West Star, with the others located in Grand Junction, Colo.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Perryville, Miss. It also has satellite operations at Centennial Airport in Denver and Aspen-Pitkin County Airport in Aspen, Colo; Chicago Executive Airport; Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport in Houston; Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport; and Scottsdale Airport in Scottsdale, Ariz.
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Supersedes AD 2019-11-06 requiring inspection of the mass-balance weights of the elevators, ailerons, and rudder, along with their attachment parts, and replacement as necessary. This AD expands the applicability, makes the compliance time more restrictive for certain aircraft, and includes reporting requirements. This AD stems from corrosion found on the control surfaces of the affected model.
Requires the inspection of the nose landing gear (NLG) shock strut cylinder and the addition of protective treatments to improve corrosion resistance: Corrosion was found on the shock strut cylinders during unscheduled maintenance of the NLG. In some cases, the corrosion was found to be beyond repair limits. If not corrected, this condition could result in structural failure of the NLG.
Revises Emergency AD 2019-0272-E calling for repetitive inspections of the tail rotor (TR) hub body and corrective actions as necessary and replacement of associated attachment bolts, washers, and nuts. That AD stemmed from a report that during an inspection of a TR hub body, a recurrent case of loss of tightening torque on several attachment bolts was found. This condition can lead to crack and loss of the TR drive, possibly resulting in the loss of yaw control of the helicopter. Since that AD was issued, it was determined that crack propagation is linked to flight hours and not to calendar time. Consequently, this revised AD is issued to remove the calendar-days interval and instead calls for a flight-hour interval.
Supersedes AD 2015-20-04, which required initial and repetitive inspections until replacement of the No. 10 bearing, and eventual replacement of the No. 9 bearing, both located in the engine reduction gearbox assembly. This AD requires removal from service and replacement of the No. 9 and No. 10 position bearings. This AD was prompted by reports of incorrect engine torque for PT6B-37A turboshaft engines.
Requires a service life limit and repetitive inspections of the spherical thrust bearings. This action results from an investigation revealing that the Airworthiness Limitation Section of the model AS 350 BB did not include the life limit for the affected part, as well as a repetitive inspection task. This condition, if not corrected, could lead to extended in-service use and consequent failure of an affected part, possibly resulting in loss of control of the aircraft.
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