Canadian aeromedical services provider Ornge has placed a firm order with Pilatus for 12 PC-12 turboprop singles. The Ontario-based operator is familiar with the type, having eight PC-12NGs in its fleet of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft since 2009. These will be rotated out of service as the new airplanes are delivered between 2026 and 2030.

“We are very pleased that Ornge has elected to continue the excellent long-term partnership with Pilatus in this upgrade to its fleet,” said Thomas Bosshard, the Swiss airframer’s president and CEO. “We take great pride in being able to support the health care system of Ontario's citizens.”

Ornge operates the country’s largest air ambulance and critical care land ambulance fleet, performing approximately 20,000 patient-related transports annually. It serves more than 13 million people in an area of nearly 400,000 square miles, with its operations control center in Mississauga coordinating the logistics of Ornge's 14 bases throughout Ontario.

“The Pilatus PC-12 has played a significant role in Ontario’s air ambulance program for many years. Its performance, versatility, and reliability have helped us deliver high-quality care in transport across the province, including many remote Indigenous communities in the north,” said Dr. Homer Tien, Ornge's president and CEO. “With the renewal of our fleet, we know that this aircraft will continue to help us save lives and deliver health equity for generations to come.”

West Star Aviation has concluded its planned acquisition of fellow MRO and managed fleet provider Jet East, some three weeks after Jet East owner Gama Aviation and West Star private equity owner Sterling Group conditionally agreed to the deal at last month’s NBAA Convention in Las Vegas. Although Jet East’s enterprise value totaled $131 million, proceeds to Gama Aviation amount to some $100 million.

Jet East provides MRO services and supports fractional and managed fleet operators. Capabilities include an “expansive” AOG mobile repair technician network, line maintenance operations, heavy maintenance facilities, and other complementary services. Gama Aviation has provided MRO services in the U.S. since 2012, and in 2020 Wheels Up acquired Gama Aviation’s aircraft management business. In January 2021, Gama Aviation purchased Jet East for $11.9 million.

“Both West Star and Jet East are remarkable companies with strong and unique cultures,” said Jim Rankin, CEO of West Star Aviation. “I’m looking forward to bringing the Jet East and West Star teams together as we build the premier business aviation maintenance provider in the industry. Our focus now is to use this combination to better serve our customers and support our employees.” 

In a statement, West Star stressed that customers and vendors should expect no change while leaders of each organization work together on longer-term integration planning.

Speaking this morning at Corporate Jet Investor (CJI) Miami, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said the business aviation industry must pull together to meet its goal of reaching net zero by 2025. “This is a very aggressive goal, and we didn’t pull the year 2050 out of thin air,” he noted. “We considered technologies being developed, and we believe we have a pathway to meet net zero by that year.”

According to Bolen, business aviation has been a leader in technologies—including winglets, composite materials, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—that will help the industry reach this goal. “Every new business aircraft model being delivered today is 30 percent more efficient than the aircraft it is replacing,” he added. “Business aviation is an incubator for new technologies.”

Bolen is pleased with the Biden Administration’s policies on green aviation fuels, especially the SAF Challenge, which aims to increase SAF production to three billion gallons by 2030, and the blender’s tax credits that incentivize SAF production. He further noted that talks to extend the SAF tax credits beyond 2024 are ongoing, with support from “both sides of the aisle in Congress” and from the agricultural industry.

Besides sustainability benefits, Bolen also noted that SAF boosts the energy independence of the U.S.

CAE and Sun Air Jets have created a pilot development program (PDP) that will allow young pilots to gain flight experience in second-in-command (SIC) roles on Beechcraft King Air 350s operated by Sun Air. 

While two pilots are not required for the King Air 350, the FAA allows charter operators to adopt a PDP that enables SICs to legally log flight time in single-pilot aircraft. The operator must seek FAA issuance of OpsSpec A062 to use the PDP for SIC logging.

Once in the program, pilots can build flight time towards upgrades to pilot-in-command roles, and several have already done so since the program was launched. CAE’s Morristown, New Jersey facility provides training for Sun Air’s King Air pilots.

“This [PDP] will help provide additional qualified pilots while increasing overall safety,” said Sun Air Jets director of operations Ed Fares. “The program is designed to bring beneficial operating experience to our young pilots, allowing them the opportunity to grow into bigger jet aircraft and a strong foundation as a safe and professional pilot.”

“With the increased demand for business aviation pilots, CAE is committed to working in partnership with operators like Sun Air Jets to ensure they have the highly trained pilots needed to maintain safe and efficient operations,” said Alexandre Prevost, CAE president of business aviation and helicopter training.

Pratt & Whitney Canada has appointed Duncan Aviation’s operation in Lincoln, Nebraska, as a designated overhaul facility for maintenance, repair, and overhaul of PW300 and PW500 turbofan engines that go into service over the next two years.

P&WC v-p for customer service Irene Makris explained that the designation of Duncan reflects a desire to proactively ensure the availability of MRO capacity when and where customers need it.

“Duncan Aviation has extensive experience in the line maintenance and hot section inspection of both our PW300 and PW500 engines,” she added. “Stepping into the official MRO role for these two engine families is the logical extension of our long-standing relationship with their team.”

P&WC’s global service network consists of company-owned MRO shops, designated maintenance facilities for line work and mobile repair team services, designated overhaul facilities that provide MRO services, and approved repair facilities that maintain auxiliary power units. The facilities number more than 50 and are located in 25 countries.

StandardAero has added 13 technicians to its mobile service team (MST) this year and plans to hire more as the need for mobile and AOG engine services increases. The hiring drive comes as the company realigns schedulers to collaborate across OEM product lines, redeploys its mobile support vehicle fleet and tools to key areas of customer support, and increases the use of technology to aid efficiency.

“We’ve added more field service schedulers and billers to our team this year as well,” said StandardAero v-p of service for business aviation David Cobb. “These individuals power our customer support team, helping us decrease response times to customers.”

Decreasing response time from the moment of inquiry to arrival onsite represents a key performance indicator for the MST, he added.

“Our Honeywell-focused schedulers, for instance, are now working together to support all Honeywell engine events versus separate product lines exclusively,” noted Cobb. “We’re also beginning the redeployment of our MST vehicles and tools to initial regions, namely Dallas; Denver; Van Nuys, California; Des Moines, Iowa; Farmingdale, New York; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

StandardAero has outfitted all mobile service technicians with iPads, allowing them to host all technical data in one device and eliminating the need for computers and printers. The mechanics can also instantly create boroscope reports onsite—a key benefit for customers.

AIN Media Group co-founder and chair emeritus Wilson Leach joined a slate of three other individuals who are the 2023 recipients of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) Wesley L. McDonald Distinguished Statesman and Stateswoman of Aviation Award, the association announced this morning. Established in 1954, the award honors “outstanding living Americans who, through their efforts over an extended period of years, have made significant contributions to aeronautics and reflected credit upon America and themselves.”

Along with Leach, safety expert Gregory Feith, champion aeromodeller Jim Richmond, and veteran communications and marketing executive Robert Stangerone are this year’s honorees. Previous recipients have included luminaries such as of this award include Chuck Yeager, Olive Ann Beech, Clay Lacy, and Majorie and Katherine Stinson.

“The history of aviation is marked by great people who have impacted the industry in extraordinary ways with their life’s work,” said Amy Spowart, president and CEO of the NAA. “This award serves to recognize these remarkable people. This year's awardees represent excellence in vital industry sectors. From safety to leadership and beyond, this distinguished group is excellence personified, and we are honored to recognize them and their contributions to aviation.”

Leach is being recognized for “his extraordinary dedication to serving the aviation field over more than half a century and perseverance in nurturing AIN from a small publishing company into an industry leader.”

Moment, a provider of onboard entertainment and connectivity solutions, has announced a partnership with ExecuJet MRO Services Middle East. This collaboration aims to elevate the in-flight entertainment (IFE) offerings available to patrons of the Dubai, UAE-based MRO service provider.

Moment has introduced Flymingo Jet, an IFE system engineered for the needs of the business aviation sector. The system is compatible with a diverse spectrum of business aircraft, ranging from very light jets to long-range models. The Flymingo Jet platform offers passengers a content library with movies, TV, and more.

This technology allows passengers to utilize their personal devices to tap into entertainment options that are delivered through an easy-to-install platform. The service enhancement is already in use, with the IFE system installed on an aircraft and showcased at the ExecuJet MRO Services Middle East showroom in Dubai.

"This partnership with Moment reflects our desire to expand the boundaries of IFE and provide customers with more choices,” said Nick Weber, regional v-p at ExecuJet MRO Services Middle East.

Tanguy Morel, CEO and co-founder of Moment, added that this cooperation with ExecuJet MRO Services Middle East “redefines the IFE experience, raising the industry benchmark for quality, connectivity, and passenger satisfaction.”