Western Aircraft Joins Rolls-Royce’s Engines Service Network

Western Aircraft in Boise, Idaho, is joining Rolls-Royce’s global network of authorized service centers (ASCs). The facility, which is part of the Greenwich Aero Group, will support BR710A1/C4 and Tay 611-8/8C engines under the manufacturer’s CorporateCare program for business aircraft operators.

Rolls-Royce now has more than 75 ASCs worldwide, and these facilities are backed up by the UK-based group’s On Wing Service specialists based in strategic hubs in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The company also has spare parts and lease engine storage locations around the world.

“With more than 3,600 Rolls-Royce powered aircraft in service today we are the leading engine supplier in business aviation and our customers trust us to deliver outstanding in-service support,” said Andy Robinson, senior vice president for business aviation services. “Our collaboration with the world’s most experienced maintenance providers ensures industry-leading service levels for our growing global CorporateCare customer base.”

Next year, the new Pearl 700 engines will enter service on Gulfstream’s latest G700 long-range aircraft. According to Rolls-Royce, the turbofans have now logged more than 8,000 test cycles and 3,000 testing hours on 2,000 flights as it prepares for type certification. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce's engineering team is also developing the new Pearl 10X turbofan. This variant will power Dassault's latest Falcon 10X, which is slated to enter service in 2025.

Daher’s TBM and Kodiak Turboprops Set Sales Record

Daher, manufacturer of the TBM 940 and Kodiak 100 single-engine turboprops, expects to deliver 50 of the French-built TBMs, and 20 of the U.S.-made Kodiaks this year, putting the manufacturer on pace to surpass 60 airframes for the first time since the product line has combined. The French company further believes that it will hit the 100 deliveries per year mark in 2023, Nicolas Chabbert, senior v-p of Daher’s aircraft division, told AIN at NBAA-BACE. 

Chabbert described Daher’s “milestones and achievements” since purchasing Kodiak two years ago, including the recent introductions of the Kodiak 100 Series III and the HomeSafe feature, Daher’s branded version of the Garmin emergency autoland system, on the TBM 940.

But first, Chabbert said, the 2019 acquisition of Sand Point, Idaho-based Kodiak manufacturer Quest expanded Daher’s portfolio. This moved the company “from a single product to a product line with two distinct, different turboprops,” with the sleek and fast TBM 940 complemented by the rugged utility of the Kodiak. “We continue to demonstrate we are not a small player,” Chabbert said. “We are definitely planning to grow in the U.S."

Since the Kodiak acquisition, Daher has focused on finding and developing “synergy between the two groups,” Chabbert said, an effort that began with the customer service end of the businesses, where the TBM scores highly among customers. “We needed to have Kodiak adapt the programs and agree it’s a priority,” he said.

Duncan Ramps Up Mx Capabilities

Duncan Aviation is strengthening its AOG services and expanding its parts manufacturing and engine services capabilities in response to demand and to organically grow its business.

A streamlining of the Lincoln, Nebraska-based MRO provider’s internal communication and synchronization efforts has led it to issue an “AOG Promise.” It means that an AOG customer will hear from a Duncan rapid response team (RRT) member by phone to acknowledge a request within 30 minutes. Within an hour, the company will follow up with labor availability and logistic planning. And within 24 hours, Duncan will be at the customer’s location, pending agreements and approvals.

The company's AOG services are provided by more than 175 airframe, engine, and avionics technicians at 30 satellite stations, 18 engine RRT launch sites, and three MRO airframe RRT teams. They operate from a fleet of 26 AOG vehicles. The company launched its latest mobile engine RRT site in September in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In addition to AOG support, Duncan has expanded its parts manufacturing and fabrication areas to create Duncan Manufacturing Services (DMS) at its Lincoln headquarters. DMS will continue to manufacture parts internally as well as for customers and aviation systems and aircraft OEMs, but it also seeks to provide those services to other industries.

Duncan invested $4 million in new equipment and a 21,000-sq-ft facility for DMS that’s next to its turbine engine overhaul shop.

Technology, SAF Key to 2050 Sustainability Goals

Following a pledge announced yesterday morning at NBAA-BACE 2021 that business aviation will reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Omer Bar-Yohay, co-founder and CEO of electric aircraft manufacturer Eviation Aircraft, said, “I think we not only can do it and must do it, but we can actually do it earlier. We can put the pressure on the supply chain to push the technology to where we should be.”

Speaking at the Business Aviation Sustainability Summit also yesterday at BACE, Bar-Yohay was part of a discussion that also featured Bryan Sherbacow, president and CEO of new sustainable fuel company Alder Fuels.

Bar-Yohay noted that the business aviation industry has been improving its efficiency on the order of 2 to 3 percent a year for the past several years. “That happens because it makes economic sense,” he said. “Yes, it’s also the right thing to do for the climate. Yes, it’s also good for a lot of things, but this is the driving force that makes things happen.”

Sherbacow noted that 2050 is closer than it seems. “One of the things that people need to be mindful of is that targets that are out there on the horizon, in order to achieve them, we need to be pushing really hard today. We can’t be complacent that we have time.”

4AIR Takes the Confusion Out of Participation in Aviation Sustainability Initiatives

Whether you operate one aircraft or a large fleet, integrating a carbon offset program into your flight department’s operations can be a labor-intensive and confusing task. The team at 4AIR has the insights you need to make your operation’s participation as simple as a daytime VFR landing.

ForeFlight Apps Add New Integrated Features

ForeFlight is releasing enhancements to its Dispatch and Mobile applications that bring new integration, as well as new features such as weight-and-balance improvements, fuel tankering, and eAPIS services. Other new features include a custom navlog builder and additional aircraft available on ForeFlight’s runway analysis service.

“We’re bringing it all together for business aviation,” said Stephen Newman, ForeFlight executive v-p of sales and marketing. “Dispatch is at the center, and it’s a new, modern collaborative flight planning system.” Dispatch is ForeFlight’s flight planning and dispatching application, for use by flight department dispatchers and planners. All of the information in Dispatch comes from the same underlying data that serves the ForeFlight app, allowing pilots and dispatchers to easily share and synchronize information.

After introducing its runway analysis service earlier this year, ForeFlight has already developed engine-out procedures for more than 60 percent of the common business aviation fleet, according to Newman. More aircraft are added with each new software release, and runway analysis is available with the Mobile app, Dispatch, and ForeFlight’s web platform. Runway analysis is an add-on feature and quickly calculates the available maximum payload given the planned runway, weather conditions, and loading of the airplane.

ForeFlight has redesigned its weight-and-balance system so it is more integrated into the flight planning workflow, and this was released just before NBAA-BACE. The Fuel Advisor’s tankering advice is a new feature, and it will be available in Dispatch later this year.

Signature Launches SAF Book-and-Claim

Signature Flight Support this week at NBAA-BACE launched its new Signature Renew book-and-claim program, allowing customers to purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) credits even in locations where the greener fuel isn’t physically available.

Operating the industry's largest FBO network, Signature now currently has SAF permanently available at seven facilities, mainly in the Western U.S. near the fuel's production centers. Through book-and-claim, operators can purchase a corresponding reduction in CO2 for any flight, at any airport, using any FBO, even those outside the Signature network. While the actual fuel is dispensed at one of the locations that stocks SAF, and is consumed by an entirely different airplane, hundreds, or even thousands of miles away, the book-and-claim user will receive the carbon credits for the use of the fuel, for use in any environmental reporting program. Strict accounting measures in place prevent double counting and ensure proper attribution of the benefits.

"The launch of Signature Renew's book-and-claim program further demonstrates Signature's commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050,” said Tony Lefebvre, the flight support provider’s interim CEO. “Book-and-claim will accelerate the adoption of SAF by providing an alternative mechanism to unlock the carbon reduction benefits of sustainable fuels."

The company has pumped more than four million gallons of SAF since it began stocking permanent supplies 13 months ago. 

Traxxall Targets MRO Providers with New Application

Traxxall is showcasing its newest product, the MRO module, at NBAA-BACE. The module is aimed at improving business for MROs through generating and leveraging data for maximum operational efficiency and financial success. It is complementary to the company’s maintenance tracking and inventory management modules.

The module tracks time, tasks, and labor costs, and it integrates with existing automated systems such as those for accounting and flight scheduling. It also provides daily updates on airworthiness directives and service bulletins and features dashboards that provide access to real-time data. Because MRO is subscription- and web-based, it also offers a lower cost of entry than similar competing products, Traxxall president Mark Steinbeck told AIN.

“When we did our market research into that, kind of the market feedback we were hearing was [competing offerings] had big, up-front costs, and implementation was very difficult,” he said.

MRO module is available now. Traxxall signed up three operators before its release, Steinbeck added. “Since the announcement, we’ve seen quite a bit of demand—more than we expected, actually,” he said.

Genesys, JetTech Partner on S-TEC 5000 Citation STCs

Autopilot manufacturer Genesys Aerosystems is partnering with avionics installation and engineering firm JetTech to develop new supplemental type certificates (STCs) for Cessna Citations. The first STC will cover the Citation S550, Encore, Ultra, and V.

The S-TEC 5000 is a digital attitude-based autopilot that integrates with modern avionics displays and flight management systems to offer features that include straight-and-level recovery, envelope protection and alerting, precision approaches, coupled missed approaches, and additional autopilot modes and functions. S-TEC autopilots are installed in many airplane and helicopter models, but this will be the company’s first Part 25 retrofit application.

“We recognize that autopilots in this segment of the market are becoming obsolete and expensive to maintain,” said Jamie Luster, director of sales and marketing for Genesys. “Not only are we offering enhanced capabilities with this upgrade but also recurring cost savings with new technology and a two-year warranty.”

Genesys is owned by aerospace flight control and control component manufacturer Moog. In addition to fixed-wing autopilots, Genesys offers a line of HeliSAS helicopter stability augmentation system autopilots.