Daher Delivers 1,100th TBM Turboprop Single

Daher has handed over the 1,100th TBM turboprop single to a customer, the French aircraft manufacturer announced yesterday. The milestone aircraft—a TBM 960—went to Bruce McCollum, an active private pilot who previously owned a TBM 850 and TBM 900. 

McCollum went to the TBM production plant in Tarbes, France, last week to fly the aircraft on its trans-Atlantic ferry flight to the U.S., where the formal handover occurred at Daher’s operation in Pompano Beach, Florida.

“The 1,100th delivery is an achievement that we owe to our faithful customers for their continued confidence, and which is built on the dedication of our Daher teams in engineering, flight test, production, and support,” said Nicolas Chabbert, senior v-p of Daher’s aircraft division.

This milestone delivery occurred just two years after Daher’s handover of the 1,000th TBM and some 32 years after the first TBM 700 entered service. Current TBM production versions include the TBM 960 and TBM 910, which trace their lineage to the Model 700, followed in 2006 by the TBM 850 and TBM 900-series in 2014.

MRO Insider Partners with Thoroughbred Aviation

Kentucky-based aircraft acquisition and sales company Thoroughbred Aviation has partnered with MRO Insider to enroll its clients with the app-based aircraft services quote facilitator. Thoroughbred president Nathan Winkle calls the move a value-added service that will provide its sales clients with domestic and international AOG service, scheduled maintenance, FBO, parts, and ground support equipment capabilities.

“Our commitment to the clients who have trusted us with their transactions extends past the actual closing,” Winkle explained. “We want them to take delivery of their aircraft and feel confident that it is ready for that inaugural trip anywhere in the world.”

MRO Insider’s app allows users to ping business aircraft service providers based on the location of their aircraft. The app has more than 2,700 registered tail numbers and features more than 420 providers.

“Nathan and his team at Thoroughbred have a unique no-surprises approach to buying and selling aircraft, which includes flat transaction fees and a transparent process that has proven beneficial to their client’s bottom line,” MRO Insider president Andy Nixon said. “We are excited that Thoroughbred added us to their new owner packet so we can provide a quick, time-saving method when it comes to business aviation services.”

Honeywell Unveils New SAF Production Technology

Honeywell, one of the pioneers in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) refining technology, has developed a market-ready ethanol-to-jet (ETJ) processing pathway that will allow the production of SAF from corn-based, cellulosic, or sugar-based ethanol. As the demand for SAF continues to grow, much of it today is derived from animal fats, waste oils, and other non-food crop oils, which could present supply limitations. Honeywell noted that ethanol represents a widely available and economically viable option that was approved as a SAF feedstock by ASTM International in 2018.

Depending on the composition of the ethanol feedstock, the company said the ETJ fuel can reduce total lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 percent compared to fossil-derived jet-A. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Energy determined that the ETJ process when combined with technologies such as carbon capture and sequestration and smart farming practices could result in negative GHG emissions compared to conventional jet-A.

Using the Honeywell ETJ technology, SAF plants can be constructed in a modular design, allowing production to start more rapidly than is possible with traditional construction approaches. That design also permits the quick conversion of existing or idle refinery plants.

Clay Lacy Ramping Up MRO Capabilities in Oxford

While construction is underway for Clay Lacy Aviation’s third FBO at Waterbury-Oxford Airport in Connecticut, the business aircraft services company is also working toward building up its maintenance capabilities there.

“Oxford is in its infancy stage,” Clay Lacy senior v-p of product line support Ed Mirzakhanian told AIN. “They’ve got 25 technicians in the repair station. We’re investing heavily in tools every year. Our capital expenditures are hundreds of thousands of dollars plus facilities. So we’re continuing to expand our capabilities.”

With full-service Part 145 facilities at California's Van Nuys Airport and McClellan-Palomar Airport near San Diego, Clay Lacy established its Oxford operation in 2016 with the acquisition of Key Air, an aircraft management and charter company. As part of the acquisition, the company retained 11 managed aircraft and a small maintenance operation comprising three staff.

“Our initial focus was the managed aircraft that were based out of there—and that’s how Clay Lacy Van Nuys got started, just by supporting the fleet of aircraft we were managing,” Mirzakhanian said. “Obviously, the opportunity grew to working on transient aircraft.”

As work there increased, the company pursued a Part 145 certificate for Oxford, which it received in 2020. “We are working very closely with our avionics partners to be able to get authorizations for Oxford so they can do some installations, heavy mods, and so forth,” he explained.

Virtual Engine Training Sets FlightSafety Apart

For more than 10 years, FlightSafety and Pratt & Whitney Canada have worked together to develop, improve, and implement technology in maintenance training. The work and innovation have led to immersive and interactive virtual engine training. This revolutionary technology was recognized by AIN as a 2021 Top Flight Award winner in Maintenance Innovation.

Baldwin Tool Helps Quantify Safety Actions

Baldwin Safety & Compliance has developed an Accident Prevention Effort (APE) program to help business aviation operators track and benchmark their safety initiatives. To be showcased next week at NBAA-BACE 2022, the APE software is designed to help organizations quantify their efforts and better assess where additional actions or resources might be needed.

As part of Baldwin’s safety management systems program, APE sets a numeric baseline for the organization’s safety programs and monitors for trends and areas of possible improvement. The program assigns values to safety activities, Baldwin said. For example, an Emergency Response Plan drill may have a higher value than submitting a safety report.

Baldwin noted that the APE concept is derived from the Quantum Safety Metrics method as introduced by D. Smith, president of the International Society of Safety Professionals. It evaluates the number of preventions and what is known as a “Sierra Scale” to determine a cumulative APE value. APE can be tailored to the size, complexity, and safety priorities of an organization.

“Businesses often focus on measuring outputs or outcomes without measuring the safety activities that could positively influence those outcomes. Baldwin’s APE is an important tool to do just that,” said Baldwin director of safety Jason Starke. “It will help decision-makers understand what the organization is doing proactively to improve safety and what more can be done.”

UK CAA Publishes Mx Guide for Light Jets, Turboprops

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published "The Airworthiness Code: A Maintenance Guide for Light Aircraft,” which is aimed at providing owners of general aviation aircraft, including turboprops and light jets under 12,500 pounds, a better understanding of airworthiness regulations and how to apply it to their airplanes.

Topics addressed by the guide include the airworthiness system, airworthiness responsibilities of the owner-operator, the Part-ML maintenance program, and practical continuing airworthiness.

“Communication is one of the key pillars of our relationship with the general aviation community,” writes UK CAA group director of safety and airspace Rob Bishton. “With around 18,000 general aviation aircraft and 30,000 pilots, it is important that key messages around safety and risk management are clear and concise. Feedback from the community indicated that in the realm of maintenance and continuing airworthiness management, there has sometimes been room for improvement.”

European Rotors Seeing Exhibitor Jump over First Event

More than 200 exhibitors have committed thus far to European Rotors, a number that is 25 percent ahead of the inaugural event held in 2021, organizers said. Host organization European Helicopter Association expects this number to grow since there are a few booth slots still available. Scheduled from November 8 to 10 in Cologne, Germany, European Rotors will cover the gamut of the rotorcraft industry—from helicopter emergency medical services and search and rescue (SAR) operations, police and public safety, aerial work and disaster relief, passenger transport, and advanced air mobility.

The conference will highlight the latest technologies, including dedicated areas for eVTOL, autonomous operations, and other future innovations. Companies including Bell, Airbus, Leonardo, Safran, Robinson, Boeing, Ruag, Pratt & Whitney, Luminator Aerospace, Rebtech, and Iwiation are among those participating.

A training day is scheduled in advance of the event on November 7 to cover human factors, night vision goggle operations, SAR system oversight, and a nominated postholder course, among others. In addition, the event will host a career day on November 9 to attract a wider range of people into the industry and help develop careers of those already working in the field.ield.

The November show, which also has the support of Helicopter Association International, will be held in tandem with EASA’s annual Rotorcraft and VTOL Symposium.

Helicopter Institute Selects FreeFlight’s Altimeters

Training provider Helicopter Institute has selected FreeFlight Systems to equip its fleet of helicopters with the avionics company's 5G-tolerant Terrain-series radar altimeters. Helicopter Institute’s fleet includes Bell 206, 407, and 505; Airbus AS350; MD Helicopters MD 500 and 600; and Robinson R44 helicopters.

FreeFlight’s RA-5500 and RA-4500 MK II devices provide an alternative method of compliance to mitigate interference from the recent rollout of C-band 5G telecommunications networks by using digital signal processing technology. The altimeters feature an altitude measurement range of up to 2,500 feet and have a 55,000-foot service ceiling.

“Recognizing the risk to flight safety in the face of potential radar altimeter C-band spectrum interference, it was clear that we needed to equip our aircraft with the Terrain-series product line to ensure continued safe operations while also educating prospective pilots on the need to be proactive amid changing environments,” said Helicopter Institute president Randy Rowles.