Gulfstream Nabs EASA Nod for G500

Gulfstream Aerospace’s ultra-long-range G500 received European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) validation, the Savannah, Georgia-based aircraft manufacturer announced yesterday. Coming a little more than a year after U.S. FAA type certification, the EASA nod paves the way for registration of the aircraft in European Union countries.

“The G500 has been very well received in Europe,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “Customers in the region have been drawn to the unprecedented level of technology and innovation on the flight deck and the impact that has on safety and efficiency.”

With a top speed of Mach 0.925, the G500 has a 5,200-nm range at Mach 0.85 and 4,400-nm range at Mach 0.90. Entering service in September 2018, the aircraft already has accumulated 35 city-pair records around the world, including Seville, Spain, to Abu Dhabi in 5 hours 45 minutes; Geneva to Chicago in 8 hours; Doha, Qatar, to Shannon, Ireland, in about 7 hours 30 minutes; and Farnborough, England, to Las Vegas in 10 hours 20 minutes.

C&L Acquires Global Parts’s Beechjet Rotables Inventory

C&L Aerospace has purchased the Beechjet 400 rotable parts program from Global Parts in Augusta, Kansas, and the inventory now resides at C&L’s warehouse in Bangor, Maine. The acquisition allows C&L to boost existing inventory and support for what it calls a “robust” Beechjet support program.

“With this acquisition, MROs and operators have the ability to purchase all their Beechjet 400 parts in a cost-effective manner from one source,” said C&L Aerospace senior v-p Marty Cooper. Added parts include pitch trim actuators, brakes, and power supplies, all of which are currently available for sale or exchange.

Inspection of the new inventory has been completed and has undergone a cataloging process that included photographing and barcoding the parts and supporting documentation, which is expected to make purchases and exchanges faster, easier, and more transparent for customers, the company said. A unit of C&L Aviation Group, C&L Aerospace is an MRO provider to business aviation and regional airlines.

Flexjet Opens London Office To Support Euro Expansion

Flexjet last night opened a new office and customer hospitality space in London as part of the private aviation group’s plans to expand its presence in the European market. The U.S.-based group said the new facility, located in the upmarket Mayfair district of the UK capital, will provide fractional owners with benefits similar to those available through the Flexjet Red Label program with the Flexjet-Exclusive Private Terminals at airports.

The London office was opened by Marine Eugène, the former NetJets executive who became Flexjet’s European managing director in January. “In the coming year, we expect to make further announcements about our European expansion, including the acquisition of new aircraft and new programs to expand access for Europe-based customers who surely will gravitate to the Flexjet Red Label experience.”

Flexjet, which is part of the Directional Aviation group of companies, is not yet offering its Flexjet Red Label fractional ownership or 25-hour charter card program from sister company Sentient Jet to customers in Europe. However, Directional does offer ad hoc charter flights in Europe through its Private Fly subsidiary.

To support expansion plans in Europe, the group has opened a European Tactical Control Center at London Luton Airport. In 2016, Flexjet acquired UK-based operator Flairjet and then in 2018 added Italian operator Sirio. Between them, these companies operate a fleet of 15 jets, including a mix of 12 Nextant 400XTis and three Embraer Legacy 600s.

Bell Names Fifth Authorized MRO in China

Bell Textron has appointed China State Grid General Aviation its newest Bell 429 authorized maintenance center (AMC), making it the helicopter manufacturer’s fifth Civil Aviation Administration of China Part 145 certified Bell-authorized MRO in China. “Bell is committed to providing first-class support and services for all customers worldwide; this milestone once again confirms our commitment,” said Bell director of international support and services Michael Reagan.

This year, Fort Worth, Texas-based Bell said it has undertaken a significant expansion of its support network in China, appointing Reignwood Star a Bell 505 AMC and opening a supply center in Shanghai.

The medium twin for which China State Grid has been named an AMC has a multifaceted role in the Far East nation. “In China, the Bell 429 is widely used for corporate transport, air medical services, and public safety missions,” said Bell North Asia managing director Jacinto Monge. “This new AMC will provide industry-leading customer support to our local customers in China.”

Bombardier’s Global 7500 Becomes Opera House

Nearly a year after Bombardier brought its flagship Global 7500 to market, the Montreal-based manufacturer is continuing to lift the curtain on new high-end cabin features designed for ultra-long-range flight, the latest of which is its immersive high-fidelity audio system dubbed l’Opera. To be showcased next week at Bombardier’s static display at Henderson Executive Airport during NBAA-BACE, l’Opera is an advanced audio system with full-range speakers, the latest in digital signal processing, and “seat-centric” sound technology that is able to follow the passenger in the cabin.

Developed in concert with Lufthansa Technik, which provides the nice Touch cabin management system for the Global 7500, l’Opera was inspired by advances both in home theater technologies and in automotive sound systems, said Tim Fagan, manager of industrial design for Bombardier.

L’Opera incorporates a series of mid-range and high-range speakers, accompanied by subwoofers integrated into bulkhead walls and divans to provide a balanced surround-sound experience. The system can produce 1,275 watts of power. Class D amplifiers are designed with built-in algorithms that adjust to sounds, eliminating the need to manually adjust volume, Fagan said.

As for the seat-centric approach, the system is designed to provide “a rich audio field exactly at the level of the user,” Fagan said, with the ability to adjust to an individual’s audio “sweet spot” throughout the cabin through tablets. 

Asset Insight: Preowned Demand Up with Softer Prices

Demand for preowned business aircraft was up 24 percent as the fourth quarter began, driven in part by softening prices, according to aircraft market and evaluation specialist Asset Insight’s third-quarter AI2 Market Report, which looks at the values of every production year for modern business aircraft models. The maintenance analytics encompasses 96 fixed-wing models and 1,752 aircraft listed for sale.

Asset Insight measures demand based on days on market and percent of fleet for sale. Under its metrics, demand increased across all categories quarter-over-quarter—turboprops jumped 42 percent, followed by small jets at 33 percent, midsize jets at 29 percent, and large-cabin jets at 12 percent.

Meanwhile, prices have been falling—by an average of 3.9 percent year-to-date. The only exception is midsize jets, which are seeing a 10.5 percent rise thus far this year, though primarily in the first half of the year as prices actually fell slightly in the third quarter. Large-cabin jet prices ticked up 6.6 percent in the past three months, but are still down by 7.6 percent year-to-date.

Asset Insight reported that indicators are pointing to continued erosion in prices in the fourth quarter. “We are expecting to see a strong year-end close for preowned business aircraft as demand continues to increase and prices are expected to decline,” said company president Tony Kioussis.

Oklahoma MRO Gets EASA Approval

Valair Aviation, an MRO services provider at Oklahoma’s Wiley Post Airport (PWA), has received EASA Part 145 certification, granting it approval to work on Europe-registered aircraft. An FAA-certified Part 145 repair station since 1998, the company specializes in legacy aircraft including the Beechcraft 1900, King Airs, and Beechjet; Hawkers; Bombardier Dash 8s; Cessna Citations, Conquests, and Caravans; Piper Meridians; Gulfstream G100s; Westwinds; and Aero Commanders.

In addition to maintenance, repair, and overhauls, the facility provides performance and surveillance modifications, complete interior refurbishments, floor plan modifications, and customized painting.

“Valair is proud to be EASA certified and provide services to all of our customers, regardless of location,” said Mike Bowen, the company’s vice president of operations. “Our team of qualified technicians perform MRO services for private, commercial, and government customers around the world and with this new designation, also service hundreds of EU-registered aircraft.” He added that through Meta Aerospace Capital, its London-based equity partner, Valair has a direct connection to European customers.

Senator Seeks To Prohibit Low-altitude Drone Flights

Drone operations over private property at altitudes below 200 feet agl could be banned under the Drone Integration and Zoning Act of 2019 introduced this morning by U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s aviation and space subcommittee. The bill is another direct challenge to the long-standing practice of federal preemption on all matters airspace. 

Key provisions of the bill include elimination of federal preemption regarding the regulation of commercial drones with regard to rate, route, or service; provisions for states to be more involved in unmanned traffic management testing; protection of state and local rights with regard to drone takeoff and landing zones; and prohibitions on states from applying uneven or preferential drone regulations on commercial operators.  

Traditionally, legislation seeking to thwart federal preemption has gained little traction in either the House or Senate, and this is not the first time Lee has sponsored legislation designed to give state and local governments a larger voice in drone operations. In 2017, Lee was part of a bipartisan quartet of Senators who sponsored the Drone Federalism Act of 2017, which would have required permission of landowners for drone/model aircraft operation either 200 feet agl or 200 feet above structures, whichever is higher. That bill died in committee. 

How Global 7500's Soleil Lighting Helps Beat Jet Lag

Dubbed Soleil, French for "sun," the dynamic LED lighting system for the Global 7500 has been developed to help fight jet lag by helping passengers’ circadian rhythms get on track with their destination time zone during long distance flights of up to 7,700 nm.