Demonstrating the continually receding effects of the recent supply-chain disruptions, general aviation aircraft deliveries were up across all sectors year-over-year (YOY), according to the third-quarter delivery statistics released yesterday by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

For the first nine months, business jet deliveries increased by 2 percent YOY, with 455 aircraft handed over. Turboprop deliveries rose by nearly 15 percent in the first three quarters, while piston deliveries saw a 12 percent gain. Total airplane billings climbed by 2.5 percent in the first nine months, reaching $14.5 billion.

Meanwhile, turbine helicopter deliveries climbed by 6.3 percent YOY, with 469 rotorcraft shipped in the first nine months.

In his quarterly address, GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce noted that the general aviation segment serves as the aerospace technology incubator that drives safety and sustainability and that it is highly focused on these initiatives to further its growth.

“To achieve this, it is imperative that there is stability within our industry’s regulatory bodies, and having a new, permanent leader at the top of the FAA is a great start,” Bunce stated. “It is also essential that Congress act now to pass an FAA reauthorization bill that provides the new administrator and agency with the necessary direction and tools to strengthen and enhance the aviation system.”

The Thales StableLight four-axis autopilot has received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for installation in Airbus Helicopters AS350/H125s. StandardAero partnered with Thales to develop the StableLight STC.

EASA and Transport Canada approvals should follow soon, according to Thales. MacNeil Aviation, the private flight operation for WeatherTech and Pet Comfort founder and CEO David MacNeil, is the launch customer for the first H125 StableLight system.

The StableLight autopilot is based on Thales’s Compact Autopilot System and leverages the European avionics manufacturer’s experience with its transport-category autopilot systems. To keep the system light and small, Thales uses its Smart+ in-line actuators that host autopilot and flight director software. The actuators don’t move the cyclic while providing continuous stability augmentation.

Autopilot modes include attitude retention and stability augmentation, as well as altitude and heading hold and “advanced software out loops” such as hover and departure modes and stabilized climb flight attitude recovery.

“Tailoring the most advanced technologies to offer safety and trust to our clients is at the very heart of Thales’s DNA,” said Tristan Grivel, v-p business development and sales for Thales’s flight avionics business. “Combining Thales’ advanced capabilities with StandardAero's extensive knowledge allows us to draw upon a wealth of industry experience and deliver the autopilot solution that pilots have long aspired to.”

International Flight Center (IFC), one of four FBOs at Miami Executive Airport (KTMB), is accepting short- and long-term leases for a hangar complex it plans to open in the first quarter of 2024.

The company already offers 120,000 sq ft of aircraft storage and this project will introduce a trio of 28,000-sq-ft hangars—each capable of sheltering ultra-long-range business jets—into the tight South Florida aviation real estate market. They will bring the FBO to more than 200,000 sq ft of aircraft storage space.

“We are excited about the construction of our hangar development project at KTMB,” IFC owner and president Wilfredo Valle told AIN. “This project will enormously increase our presence on the field and represents a significant milestone for our company, allowing us to better accommodate our client needs while contributing to the growth of general aviation at KTMB.”

The Avfuel-branded facility occupies more than 12 acres on the southwest side of the dedicated business aviation airport adjacent to the U.S. Customs office. A second phase of development will replace the current 2,300-sq-ft terminal with a modern 10,500-sq-ft, two-story building by the end of next year. As the construction advances, the FBO will offer prospective tenants hard-hat tours of the property on December 13.

Klatt Works, which has developed an augmented-reality display incorporated into an oxygen mask to help pilots when the cockpit is obscured by smoke, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with L2 Aviation for certification and support of its Smoke Assured Vision Enhanced Display (Saved) system.

The Saved system is connected to aircraft data so that, in case of smoke in the cockpit, it can provide critical flight information to pilots if they are unable to see the instrument panel or outside the windows. Saved shows head-up display symbology on the oxygen mask display and it is also connected to a camera on the aircraft’s nose to show exterior views. Saved information is viewable in all lighting conditions. If there is no smoke, Saved can be switched off and stowed out of the normal field of view while using the oxygen mask.

Under the MOU, L2 Aviation and Klatt Works will develop supplemental type certificates for commercial, business, and military aircraft, including the Airbus A320 and A330; Boeing 737 and 787; and Gulfstream G550 and G650. Klatt Works previously partnered with FedEx to certify Saved in the cargo carrier’s Boeing 757, 767, and 777 fleet.

“L2’s expertise and our revolutionary vision display system will enhance flying safety in critical visibility situations like few other products have before,” said Klatt Works founder and CEO Nate Klatt. 

Accidental fire foam discharge claimed another victim when a fire-suppression system was inadvertently activated on October 28 in a city-owned hangar at Dallas-area McKinney National Airport.

Video of the incident—from a privately owned security camera feed in the hangar, according to a McKinney spokesperson—was posted on X (formerly Twitter). It shows a large hangar—containing what appears to be a Bombardier Challenger 300, Cessna Citation X, IAI Westwind 2, Diamond DA42 piston twin, and an unidentifiable piston single—rapidly filling with foam. The airport could not provide confirmation of the aircraft involved.

In a statement released to AIN, the city of McKinney acknowledged that “on Oct. 28, the fire-suppression system in a hangar at the McKinney National Airport was activated. An ongoing investigation is underway to determine the nature and extent of the foam release, as well as the cause of the activation. No injuries have been reported. Several of the affected aircraft are back in service. The restoration of the hangar is underway.”

Accidental foam discharges have been a serious problem for hangar keepers, causing millions of dollars in aircraft damage, foam clean-up, and subsequent system maintenance. In 2021, the NFPA, the governing body that establishes fire safety policy guidance, voted to remove the hangar foam recommendation for Group II hangars (including most used for business aviation), leaving the final determination in the hands of local fire marshals.

Middlefield, Ohio-based Airwolf Aerospace has begun developing supplemental type certificates (STCs) for the installation of True Blue Power lithium-ion batteries in several business jet and turboprop models. These include applications for certain Cessna Citations, Embraer Phenoms, Cessna Caravans, and Pilatus PC-12s.

Airwolf is also working on STCs for True Blue li-ion battery installations in the Airbus Helicopters AS350/AS355/H125, EC120, EC130/H130; Bell 206/L/L1/L4/L4; MD Helicopters MD369/500; and Enstrom 480. It expects those to be completed by the end of this month. Meanwhile, the company plans to add more helicopter models to the STC list after these initial approvals for rotorcraft. 

Airwolf STC installation kits include the lithium-ion battery, mounting hardware, simple wiring harness, and Airwolf’s Intelligent annunciator/controller. The company said it has more than 30 years of experience designing, certifying, and manufacturing parts manufacturer approval and STC’d components.

Europe’s largest rotorcraft show—European Rotors, co-organized by the European Helicopter Association (EHA) and Helicopter Association International (HAI)—begins Monday at the IFEMA Madrid Fair Centre in Spain. The exhibit hall, with more than two dozen helicopters, opens on Tuesday and will feature rotorcraft manufacturers, suppliers, and operators.

Attendees are invited to view presentations that will include hoist and sling load demonstrations, Spanish Day, helicopter emergency medical services, Parapublic Day, and global humanitarian aid projects. The Spanish Day event will be hosted by Spanish helicopter association ATAIRE and will focus on public-service programs such as firefighting and EMS.

“Rotors are the sounds of service,” said EHA chairman and technical director Christian Müller. “Citizens…know assistance is at hand when they hear the sounds of helicopters approaching. Due to the unique capabilities of our aircraft, the vast majority of helicopter flights perform missions that support humanity. These aircraft might be conducting search-and-rescue, fighting fires, supporting electrical grids, or performing airborne law enforcement support, and we are excited to feature this versatility at our show.”

HAI president and CEO James Viola added, “Igor Sikorsky, who developed the modern helicopter, famously stated, ‘If you are in trouble anywhere in the world, an airplane can fly over and drop flowers, but a helicopter can land and save your life.’ Our world would look vastly different today if helicopters were not here to serve.”

Camp Systems companies Inventory Locator Service (ILS), Corridor, and Quantum Control have partnered on a platform that provides a native ERP and marketplace-integrated e-commerce platform for the aviation aftermarket. Called SalesEdge Commerce, the system allows parts suppliers to market and sell using a branded e-commerce storefront platform with their websites, ILS Marketplace presence, and Corridor or Quantum Control ERP.

With custom-branded storefronts and materials co-listed in the ILS Marketplace and integrated with their ERP, Camp said parts suppliers can provide “best-in-class” online parts purchasing, improve operational sales productivity, drive growth, and reach more markets. They can also protect their investments in workflows, company brand, and intellectual property, and extend the value of the ERP and marketplace presence they already have.

With SalesEdge Commerce, buyers gain the ability to securely purchase online with terms set with the supplier. They can also review critical material characteristics and track order status and delivery. According to Camp, this allows parts sellers to increase revenues by opening new channels of business, save time and effort by automating their sales processes, and deliver a better experience for their customers by enabling online purchasing.