The Quest Kodiak is now, officially, a Daher product, Daher CEO Didier Kayat announced yesterday. The deal closed on October 1, Kayat said, adding that the only immediate change will be a name change—to Kodiak Aircraft. The staff of 280 at the Sandpoint, Idaho factory were said to be thrilled with the prospect of the merger and Daher now has aircraft production assembly lines on both sides of the Atlantic.
While both aircraft are single-engine turboprops that share the same engine and propeller-maker (Pratt & Whitney Canada and Hartzell, respectively), the Kodiak and the TBM 910/940 have significantly different missions. The Kodiak is an unpressurized utility aircraft, a flying SUV that could serve in a number of roles, including medevac, VIP transport, cargo, and bush flying (on wheels or floats), among them. “It can go just about anywhere,” said president of aircraft programs Nicolas Chabbert.
Shifting to the TBMs (the Garmin G3000 and autothrottle-equipped 940 and the G1000NXi-equipped 910), Chabbert touted the platform as a 330-knot airplane that can get to anywhere on the planet in two days “and land in less than 2,500 feet.”
Gaining a production toehold in North America could also have implications for Daher’s ambitions to tap Silicon Valley for cooperative research projects, such as the Eco-Pulse, a joint project with Airbus and Safran.
Bombardier Aviation’s Global 5500 will have slightly greater range than first anticipated, the Canadian airframer announced yesterday at NBAA-BACE 2019. The new member of the Global family will fly 200 nm farther—to 5,900 nm at Mach 0.85.
"We are thrilled to offer this extended range to our customers,” said Bombardier Aviation president David Coleal. “The rigor and innovation behind our Global 5500 aircraft design and test program have allowed us to deliver enhanced performance without compromise. Not only are we standing by our commitment of certifying and bringing to market an exceptional aircraft on time, but we are also exceeding expectations along the way.” Coleal added the 5500's extended range was discovered during its flight-test program involving two flight-test vehicles.
The 5500’s adjusted range gives it 700 nm more range than its closest competitor, Bombardier said, and the capability of flying nonstop from Western Europe to the U.S. West Coast. The upgraded variant of the Global 5000 includes Rolls-Royce’s Pearl 15 engines, advanced wing design, built-in systems redundancy, and the Nuage chaise, a lounge chair that converts into a flat surface for sleeping or banquet-style dining. The 5500 and its slightly larger cousin, the 6500, were both recently awarded European Union Aviation Safety Agency validation following Transport Canada certification.
Honeywell’s IntuVue Radar Moves to Smaller Aircraft
Honeywell has unveiled a new version of its IntuVue weather radar family—the RDR-7000—for upgrading older radars on the in-service fleet and forward-fit applications in new aircraft. The RDR-7000 will be available for a variety of airplanes and helicopters that can accommodate a 12-inch antenna, although it will also be available with an 18-inch antenna. The new radar is on display this week at Honeywell’s NBAA-BACE booth.
Like the IntuVue RDR-4000, the RDR-7000 gives pilots a vertical view of storms. “IntuVue is the only radar that provides a full-up vertical view,” said Vipul Gupta, senior director of product marketing for Honeywell Aerospace. “It scans the entire volume of air, from zero feet from the ground to 60,000 feet.” The radar’s “3D volumetric scanning,” according to Honeywell, automatically analyzes “a storm cloud in 17 different scans…providing a 3D view of the entire storm cell.” IntuVue “can detect hazardous weather like hail and lightning, [and show] predictive windshear and present it in an intuitive and simple-to-understand display,” he said.
The RDR-7000 is designed for a relatively simple retrofit, with the same bolt pattern as the legacy radars. “It’s not a massive upgrade,” he said, with a new antenna, adaptor cable, and transmitter/receiver unit, but reuse of the controller, which is fitted with a new faceplate. Retrofits of the RDR-7000 will be available starting in April 2020 via an approved model list STC.
With the Jan. 1, 2020 deadline looming for aircraft flying in most U.S. airspace to comply with the ADS-B Out mandate, business aircraft service provider Duncan Aviation recommends operators perform an emitter status check to ensure their equipment is compliant.
“A recent report found there are more than 7,700 aircraft with non-performing emitters (NPE),” said Nate Klenke, Duncan Aviation manager of completions and modification services sales. “Many of the aircraft with NPEs were likely installed more than four years ago or prior to changes made in the mandate. Some may be a result of an improper installation or equipment configuration.”
Other reasons the emitter might not be transmitting include incorrect software version, incorrect emitter category based on the aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight, incorrect flight ID, and the transmission of airborne data when the aircraft is on the ground.
One hour after a flight, the aircraft operator can request a Public ADS-B Performance Report (PAPR) from the FAA online. The emailed report shows functioning and failed parameters for the aircraft ADS-B system on the selected flight.
Textron Heightens Emphasis on Parts, Service Technology
In an effort to bolster its customer support, Textron Aviation has been on a path this year to revamp its parts operation and introduce new technology that’s expected to minimize maintenance downtime on its newest Citations and turboprops, the Wichita airframer announced. Brad Thress, who earlier this year moved from engineering to lead parts, programs, and flight operations as senior v-p, told AIN he is focusing on three priorities: parts availability, pricing, and timely delivery.
To that end, the company has added about $100 million in parts inventory this year, mostly for the categories of parts that are slow-moving. On a scale of A through D—with A representing the fastest-moving part that sells at least once or twice a month—Thress said Textron achieves 98 to 99 percent availability. “But when you get down to the Cs and Ds and even some of the slower-moving Bs, it’s more challenging. So that's where most of that inventory is being added and we've seen those availabilities come up there.” Textron further expects to expand exchange and overhaul parts by about $30 million next year.
The company is also placing more emphasis on pricing. As for bringing more parts closer to its customers, Textron has expanded its parts facilities at three U.S. service centers and next month, it will open a 10,000-sq-ft expansion of its parts distribution facility in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (DOT IG) is taking another look at a key FAA safety database, the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) system. In 2007, the FAA and airline industry partners set out to develop ASIAS to promote an open exchange of safety information. For the past 12 years, ASIAS has evolved and drawn together a wide variety of safety data and information sources across government and industry, including confidential data from air carrier voluntary safety programs. More recently, general aviation has been encouraged to participate.
In a 2013 audit, the DOT IG reported that FAA had made “significant progress with implementing and encouraging participation in ASIAS since 2007, and the program now captures key confidential voluntary safety data from 95 percent of all Part 121 operations.” However, the FAA’s plans to use ASIAS to predict safety risks “are still years away, and the program [at that time] does not yet contain data from non-commercial sectors of the aviation industry.”
A follow-up review of the agency’s efforts and plans to improve the system is scheduled to start later this month, the result of a requirement in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. The DOT IG said, “Our objectives will be to assess the FAA’s progress with implementing ASIAS and plans to improve the system, including its predictive capabilities, and efforts to more widely disseminate results of ASIAS data analyses.”
StandardAero, Robertson Gain Canada Nod for AS350 CRFT
StandardAero and Robertson Fuel Systems obtained Transport Canada approval for their AS350/EC130 crash-resistant fuel tank (CRFT) retrofit. The Canadian nod followed similar approvals for the CRFT from the U.S. FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Pointing to Robertson’s history in military standard fuel containment products, StandardAero said the CRFT provides a high-quality, safety-driven retrofit option that is compliant with FAR Part 27.952 fuel system crash resistance requirements with and without cargo swing/hook installed. It comprises a durable composite material container strategically reinforced to distribute impact loads in an accident.
“With nearly 600 AS350s flying in Canada, roughly 75 percent of which are legacy variants for which no other CRFS solution exists, there is a clear safety gap which we are intent on addressing, so we are extremely pleased to now have a certified solution in Canada to begin retrofitting these aircraft,” said Elvis Moniz, StandardAero v-p of business development for airframe and avionics. He noted that Canadian operators use the legacy helicopters as workhorses in unique and challenging conditions.
“To maintain their value, these older machines must remain competitive with newer aircraft being delivered into the market, which come standard with CRFT technology,” Moniz added. StandardAero has shipped nearly 160 CRFT kits to customers worldwide to date.
Health usage and monitoring system (HUMS) maker GPMS has patented a method to make helicopter gear fault analysis more precise, the company announced. The GPMS Foresight HUMS system now includes a patented zero-phase filter that reduces tachometer jitter.
GPMS noted that gear fault analysis techniques have traditionally been based on the time synchronous average (TSA), which is based on tachometer zero-cross times for a key phasor. As a result, the analyses are dependent on the quality of the tachometer data. However, a tachometer signal has a constant jitter due to electrical noise, magnetic noise, or manufacturing spacing error of the tachometer target. Therefore, the TSA data did not accurately reflect the performance of gear condition indicators and impacted the performance and maintenance of this equipment.
By reducing tachometer jitter, the GPMS Foresight system yields large improvements in fault detection and enables the delivery of actionable information about current mechanical and operational issues, predictive information on timeframes for upcoming required maintenance, and minimizes unplanned downtime, the company said.
In February, GPMS entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Bell unit Aeronautical Accessories for GPMS's Foresight MX predictive health monitoring system on Bell 407 models following FAA STC approval in 2018.
C&L Aerospace appointed Everette Mash senior v-p of aircraft sales. Mash previously led Twin Otter Holdings for 13 years and also has served with Jet Aviation and Embraer.
West Star Aviation named Brian Jansen Falcon program manager at its facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Formerly a lead and maintenance technician for West Star, Jansen has 29 years of aviation experience, including as Falcon program manager at Avmats and director of maintenance at Barry-Wehmiller.
O’Melveny added Jason Kaplan as a partner in its corporate finance practice in New York. Kaplan, who will focus on all aspects of aviation and equipment finance at O’Melveny, formerly was with the equipment finance group of another international law firm, specializing in negotiating and drafting complex agreements for the transfer, use, and financing of aircraft and other transportation equipment.
Duncan Aviation named Sandra Phelps as its international parts and rotables sales representative dedicated to European Union member states. She will specialize in aircraft parts sales in the European market, managing work orders, parts exchange transactions, and international shipments, including hazardous material.
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