Gama Aviation yesterday revealed that it has “conditionally” agreed to sell its Jet East U.S. MRO business to West Star Aviation. The enterprise value ascribed to Jet East is $131 million but net proceeds to Gama Aviation will be approximately $100 million. Shareholder approval is required for the deal, which should be completed shortly after the general meeting on November 3.

West Star Aviation is a portfolio company of The Sterling Group. Much of Jet East’s business is for fleet operators such as management and fractional-share companies, and the company recently expanded its mobile repair team business to add mobile engine repair.

Gama Aviation has been providing MRO services in the U.S. since 2012 and in January 2021, it purchased Jet East for $11.9 million.

“Jet East has subsequently performed strongly, benefitting from a highly committed management team, a complementary nationwide network of operations, strong customer relationships, and cost savings from rationalization of operations,” according to Gama Aviation. “There has also been considerable investment totaling some $25 million to enable growth.”

In 2022, Jet East’s revenues were $118.2 million and its adjusted EBIT was $1.3 million. For the first half of 2023, Jet East reported revenues of $70.7 million, which equates to growth of 27 percent compared with the first half of 2022. 

Heads Up Technologies has acquired Alto Aviation, which manufactures audio and cabin management system products for aircraft manufacturers and the aftermarket. Heads Up Technologies is backed by New York-based JLL Partners and manufactures lighting, cabin management systems, and cockpit electronics.

Alto Aviation is based in Sterling, Massachusetts, and was founded in 1997. "This acquisition marks the next exciting chapter in our journey,” said Alto president and CEO Don Hamilton. “The partnership with Heads Up Technologies allows us to continue providing customers with high-quality, innovative products and makes for an exciting combination of solutions. With the support of Heads Up Technologies, we look forward to a future of groundbreaking innovations and setting new industry standards.”

“The combined product offering will allow us to better serve the critical needs of OEMs and operators across the aviation industry,” said Heads Up Technologies CEO Renée Rump. "Alto's premium audio and cabin management products complement our portfolio of innovative solutions and expand our growing presence in the aftermarket products.”

Daher has opened a new paint facility at its Kodiak Aircraft production site in Sandpoint, Idaho. The 9,000-sq-ft paint shop cost $2.7 million and includes separate preparation and paint bays. The facility mirrors the one at Daher’s TBM factory in Tarbes, France.

New-production Kodiak 100s and 900s had previously been flown to other locations for painting following their completion. The new onsite facility allows major components—such as fuselage, wings, control surfaces, cowlings, and doors—to be painted after manufacture before being flowed directly into the final assembly process. Electrostatic painting is employed; this technique makes the operation more environmentally friendly and also creates a better paint finish.

The new paint shop is one of a number of investments parent company Daher has made since it acquired Kodiak in 2019. In 2021, it launched the improved Kodiak 100 Series III with increased landing and maximum zero-fuel weights, and a corresponding rise in payload.

Powered by a 750-shp PT6A-135, the Series III is compatible with plug-and-play Aerocet floats. It will be fitted from 2024 with a five-blade Hartzell composite propeller as standard. Last year, the stretched Kodiak 900 with the 900-shp PT6A-140A was introduced. This accommodates a pilot and nine passengers and can cruise at 210 knots, with a maximum range of 1,129 nm.

Honeywell is introducing its next-generation cabin connectivity service, JetWave X, and upgrading its Cabin Sentinel software suite for business jets to provide enhanced connectivity and better service for all JetWave customers, the company announced this week at NBAA-BACE. 

Cabin Sentinel, which Honeywell introduced in May, is a cabin connectivity monitoring and support service intended to “improve the passenger experience by better optimizing and securing JetWave’s connectivity link,” said Steve Hadden, v-p and general manager of services and connectivity at Honeywell Aerospace. 

The upgraded Cabin Sentinel software suite, available this quarter for all JetWave customers, provides more robust data security by using quantum-encrypted keys to protect user data. An advanced data control feature reduces network bottlenecks while giving customers the ability to prioritize bandwidth for specific devices and users.

“Most importantly, the real-time monitoring of the health of the system will provide early warnings of hardware or network issues to help prevent the loss of connectivity onboard the business jet,” Hadden said.

The JetWave X system is designed specifically for business jets, with more service network flexibility and new hardware that is easier to install. With JetWave X, customers also have the option to tap into Viasat’s Ka-band network, which includes the planned ViaSat-3 global satellite constellation, as well as the Global Xpress satellites that Viasat inherited through its recent acquisition of Inmarsat. 

Maintenance records software developer Bluetail has now integrated its aircraft management platform with JSSI’s Traxxall maintenance tracking software. Calling it a bridge between the two platforms, Bluetail said the integration empowers maintenance personnel to harness, uncover, and use the full breadth of their aircraft data and digital records from a single source. 

“At Bluetail, our customers drive the evolution of our product,” said Sam Celaya, Bluetail v-p of sales and business development. “JSSI and Bluetail have both been consistent innovators in the business aviation market. With this integration, our joint customers can benefit from increased efficiency and direct access to their aircraft records anytime from anywhere in the world.” 

This collaboration will allow both technology platforms to seamlessly communicate with each other, preventing redundant effort and enabling customers to easily search any record using Bluetail. 

“The integration with Bluetail enhances the user experience for our mutual customers, who can now manage their historical data directly from Traxxall,” said Mark Steinbeck, chief commercial officer at JSSI Maintenance Software. “This makes their lives easier and their operation more efficient.” 

The integration is now available to all Traxxall customers via their maintenance tracking software.

StandardAero plans to invest $10 million to $12 million in leasehold improvements at the company’s business aviation MRO facility in Springfield, Illinois, the company said Monday at NBAA-BACE. StandardAero said the investments—under a partnership with Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (KSPI)—will come in three phases over a 2.5-year period.

The investments will pay for major building improvements and modernization, including hangar door overhaul, interior door replacement, resurfacing of hangar floors, exterior and interior paint, HVAC replacements, flat-roof replacements, paint facility equipment upgrades, and parking area and road resurfacing.

“We have already started the repair and overhaul process for our hangar doors and we’re proceeding with the other phased improvements,” said StandardAero Springfield v-p and general manager Dave Pearman. “We are grateful to the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport for their support, and once all of the upgrades are completed, we’ll essentially have a ‘like new’ operation.”

Earlier this year, KSPI finished installing a 2.88-MW solar project that consists of six solar arrays with more than 6,500 panels on 7.5 acres of the airport property. Now in full operation, the arrays generate nearly 4,000,000 kWh annually. StandardAero now gets 100 percent of its electrical power from the solar arrays, making it one of the greenest facilities in the industry.

StandardAero Springfield provides airframe maintenance for business aviation aircraft. including scheduled maintenance, avionics installations, interior refurbishments, and aircraft paint.

Textron Aviation has delivered its 100th Beechcraft King Air 360 turboprop twin, the Wichita-based airframer announced yesterday at NBAA-BACE. The aircraft was delivered to the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center, a cancer research and treatment facility in Bakersfield, California, that conducts clinical trials around the world. 

“The addition of this aircraft will be a game changer for us in terms of productivity,” said CBCC founder and medical director Ravi Patel, MD. “We are excited about the increased capability the King Air 360 will give us to globally expand our cancer care delivery and research.”

According to Textron, nearly 7,800 King Airs have been delivered to customers since the original aircraft debuted in 1964, which makes it the best-selling family of business turboprops.

The King Air 360, the latest variant of the iconic jet, received its FAA type certification in October 2020, followed by EASA certification in September 2021. Upgraded features on the King Air 360 include Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion touchscreen avionics with autothrottles, a digital pressurization system, and a fully redesigned cabin.

Textron Aviation CEO Ron Draper said the King Air 360 “continues to really do well around the world, both in consumer applications or special missions or government applications. We’re without a competitor around the world, so we’re proud of the 100th delivery.”

AeroVentures, a new investment firm led by former Jet Edge CEO Bill Papariella, aims to foster growth and innovation in the private aviation industry through strategic financial investments.

The company officially announced its launch this week at NBAA-BACE 2023 and revealed its first partnership on Monday. AeroVentures entered into a “strategic sales alliance” with Jetcraft, a business aircraft brokerage and consultancy firm with 25 offices around the world. As part of the deal, AeroVentures provided Jetcraft with a $100 million credit facility, and Jetcraft will be AeroVentures’ exclusive trading partner.

Papariella told AIN that his family-run business will provide direct credit lines and investments for small- to medium-sized private aviation companies that are either looking to expand or to introduce innovative technologies. In particular, AeroVentures will target mid-market companies with an EBITDA of less than $50 million.

On the venture capital side, Papariella said he would like to invest in emerging companies that are focused on sustainability and cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence and advanced flight operating systems. On the sustainability front, he hopes to invest in infrastructure for sustainable aviation fuel.

Additionally, he aims to provide funding for infrastructure at airfields and aircraft storage facilities, MROs, retail aircraft brokerages, real estate developers, and just about any other aviation-related venture.