German air rescue and ambulance provider DRF Luftrettung has signed on to modify its fleet of Airbus H145D2 helicopters with five-blade main rotors as part of the OEM’s Service Bulletin retrofit kit beginning in next year's fourth quarter. DRF is converting its diverse fleet of 50 helicopters to an all-Airbus fleet of H135 and H145 twins. Earlier this month it took delivery of two new helicopters—one H135 and one H145.
“In the next few years, we intend to adjust our entire fleet to two models. Afterward, our air rescuers will fly with the H135 and H145 models. This also means greater efficiency for our fleet maintenance and training of our personnel,” said DRF chairman Krystian Pracz.
The new, foldable five-blade main rotor system is among the upgrades Airbus announced earlier this year for the H145, available as either a retrofit or on new-production aircraft to be called the H145D3. They include Fadec, lower empty weight, and increased useful load. Compared to the D2, the D3 has a slightly smaller main rotor disk, from 36 feet to 35.4 feet, and a 330-pound increase in useful load.
The upgrade kit consists of the rotor blades; transmission kit, comprising rotor mast, swashplate, scissors, control rods with associated assembly, oil cooler, and rotor brake; additional electrical hydraulic pump; Helionix software; new forward cross-tube; and modification/tuning of the horizontal stabilizer.
AvStrategies Markets Turboprop Single TC, Tooling
AvStrategies is marketing the FAA type certificate (TC) and tooling for a short-lived, single-engine turboprop (SETP) airplane manufactured in the 1970s. The Interceptor 400 was a clean-sheet SETP with a pressurized cabin with seating for three passengers and a pilot. Powered by a 400-shp Honeywell TPE331 engine, the airplane's performance and specs included a cruise speed of 244 ktas, top speed of 300 ktas, 900-nm range, and 24,000-foot ceiling.
Owned by Interceptor Aviation, the package that is offered for sale includes the type certificate (TC), tooling, drawings, and jigs, as well as an actual Interceptor 400 airplane, all of which the seller said has been “carefully stored in obscurity on a farm in Wichita.” In addition, the sale includes a shared TC and tooling for its cousin, the Meyers 200 piston single, more than 100 of which were manufactured and some of which remain airworthy today.
“With FAA certification costs of a clean-sheet design approaching $100 million today, it’s likely the certified platform and tooling will be of interest to existing airplane manufacturers wishing to extend their product lines up- or down-market without the certification risk and cost of starting from scratch,” AvStrategies said of the Interceptor 400.
HAI Slams Proposed NYC Helo Ban Bill
In a strongly worded rebuttal issued yesterday, the Helicopter Association International (HAI) slammed a congressional bill announced Saturday that would effectively ban most private and commercial helicopter traffic over New York City. The group called the bill “an attempt to completely dismantle a thriving industry” and further characterized it as having a chilling effect on development of one of the potentially largest urban air mobility (UAM) markets in the world.
“With an industry advancing in terms of both urban mobility and unmanned aircraft, these politicians are looking back, not forward,” said HAI president Matt Zuccaro, a veteran NYC helicopter pilot and a former aviation executive for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. “These politicians’ draconian solution to the perceived threat of helicopters is to put an industry out of business.”
HAI attacked the bill as having “no positive effect on aviation safety over New York City” and a threat to the “viability” of the helicopter industry there. The association pointed out that the FAA updates helicopter route charts in select markets, including New York City, every 56 days or as needed and that it provides guidance on “standard routes, specific altitude limitations when appropriate, standard frequencies, and mandatory reporting points.” The association also said that the lawmakers ignored the protections offered by established altitude ranges in New York Class B airspace.
Inflight Wi-Fi connectivity provider Gogo Business Aviation’s Avance systems—Avance L5 and Avance L3—have reached a milestone of more than 175,000 flights and more than 108 million miles flown. It comes after the initial launch of Avance L5 in mid-2017.
“When we launched the Avance L5, we knew it would delight our customers, but it’s surpassed all our expectations,” said Gogo president Sergio Aguirre. “We then launched Avance L3 and that system has delivered connectivity to smaller aircraft bringing a customizable connectivity experience to meet the needs of passengers on light jets and turboprops. The great news is that demand from the marketplace continues to be strong for both systems.”
Using a combination of hardware and software that’s serviced and supported remotely, the Avance platform is scalable, allowing new features to be added as connectivity technology evolves. In all, Gogo Business Aviation reported 5,462 aircraft flying with its air-to-ground systems onboard and another 5,099 using satellite connectivity.
Swissport Rebrands Skycare FBO
The Skycare FBO at New Zealand’s Auckland Airport has rebranded under the Swissport Executive Aviation name. Swissport International acquired the FBO’s parent company, Aerocare, in March 2018. The Auckland facility includes a terminal with VIP lounge, concierge service, and in-house customs, immigration, and baggage screening.
Swissport handles more than 24,000 flights a year at more than 90 airports in 25 countries and has concierge staff at 32 airports in Australia and New Zealand.
“We have operated locally since 1987, delivering expert services at more than 47 locations throughout New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific Islands,” said Rob D’Alessio, Swissport’s senior v-p for the region. “Joining the global network and operating under the well known and trusted Swissport Executive Aviation brand will benefit our new and existing customers and set the benchmark for safety and seamless international service.”
Mike Madsen Takes Reins as CEO of Honeywell Aerospace
Long-time Honeywell Aerospace executive Mike Madsen was selected to take over the Phoenix-based manufacturer as president and CEO. He succeeds Tim Mahoney, who held the role for 10 years and is moving to the position of senior v-p of enterprise transformation for Honeywell Digital. Madsen will work closely with Mahoney during a transition period. Both executives are company officers and report to Darius Adamczyk, chairman and CEO of parent company Honeywell.
Most recently v-p of integrated supply chain, Madsen has more than three decades with the organization, also holding the roles as president of Honeywell Aerospace's Defense and Space group and leadership positions within the Air Transport (ATSG) and Regional business. He began his career at Honeywell as an engine performance engineer supporting TFE731, ATF3, and CFE738 engines. Pointing to Madsen’s background in major business units and core support functions, including operations, Adamczyk said, “He is an extremely effective leader and change agent who is passionate about the aerospace industry and serving customers at the highest level.”
Adamczyk added that under Madsen’s stewardship, “We expect continued acceleration in our development of advanced technologies that blend hardware and software to create more fuel-efficient aircraft, more direct and on-time flights, and safer skies, and airports.”
Signature Flight Support is launching early next year a Trip Estimator Tool that will deliver retail fuel pricing, as well as handling and infrastructure fees, allowing pilots and schedulers to review the estimated costs of their trip before takeoff. This comes nearly three years after AOPA began calling for fair pricing and fee transparency at publicly funded airports, with the association calling the move “welcome progress."
“[Customers] enter their aircraft tail number, their destination, the date that they are planning to fly—up to seven days in advance—and we return the pricing information,” said Matthew Carroll, the service provider chain’s senior v-p of marketing. “We know this is something that many of our customers have been asking for and I think we're probably going to be one of the first to deliver something like this.”
Carroll cautioned the tool is an “estimator,” which will give the handling infrastructure information and alert users if there will be any other potential charges. “At this point, it would make sense for a customer to double-check that with the FBO,” he told AIN, adding the system will be continually improved from its introduction. “I hope that in the next 12 to 18 months you will get to the point where you make a reservation, you click through, you get confirmation, and you don’t even have to call the FBO.”
Next week is National Drone Safety Awareness Week, a series of FAA-coordinated events designed to advance public understanding of drone safety and the benefits of drone operations. A preview event will be held tonight at the Commercial UAV Expo Americas in Las Vegas. That event is hosted by Sundance Media Group, Droneresponders, the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), and KSNV NBC 3 News Las Vegas.
It will feature a drone-based crime scene investigation simulation simultaneously combined with a newsgathering drone flight in common airspace. Tonight’s demonstration will include a night forensic scene aerial capture workflow by Sundance Media Group, FoxFury, and Pix4D that highlights how two different drones and related technology can be used to capture law enforcement evidence.
Halfway through that mission, a news crew-launched drone will simulate incident newsgathering. Three drones will operate in relatively confined airspace as they accomplish their separate objectives.
"This type of operation will be coming to cities and towns around the world in the very near future,” said Droneresponders director Charles Werner.
Tales from the Flight Deck: Airmanship Saves Southwest Flight
A Southwest Airlines flight crew finds themselves in a situation they'd never experienced before when their Boeing 737 suffers an uncontained engine failure on a flight from New York to Dallas, leaving them mere moments to make the right decisions to save their compromised aircraft and their passengers.
Although the crew is able to maintain control of their stricken aircraft and later guide it to a successful emergency landing in Philadelphia, the event was not without casualties, something that continues to weigh on the mind of the flight’s captain, who was heralded as a hero. Today, Tammie Jo Shults shares her story, her thoughts on training proficiency and flight deck automation, and the lessons she took away from Flight 1380.
Elevate Jet hired Patti Ann Sullivan to serve as executive v-p of aircraft management. Sullivan has 30 years of aircraft finance and aircraft management experience, previously holding executive and consulting roles with Key Bank, Textron Financial, DEBIS, Aviation Resource Group, and Executive Jet Management.
ACASS appointed Sunil Chahal as sales director for Asia, based in Kuala Lumpur. Chahal brings years of industry experience and regional knowledge to this new position and the sizeable client base ACASS serves throughout Asia. Chahal has spent nearly five years with ACASS in various roles, including as flight crew manager and sales manager, and also has served with Bombardier, JetEventz, and Able Fisher Group.
Mike Townsend joined C&L Aerospace as regional sales manager for corporate aircraft. Previously serving as a regional sales manager and manager of component repair and overhaul for Bombardier, Townsend has two decades of experience specializing in parts sales and exchanges, component repair and overhaul services, and supply chain management for multiple business aircraft.
Airworthy Inc. named Del Hebert general manager for its cabin solutions division in Anaheim, California. Hebert previously was v-p and general manager for Ducommun, a provider of manufacturing and engineering services for the aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. He also previously held roles with EnCore Aerospace, Talsco JVR, Zodiac-Driessen Interior Systems, Composite Technology Corporation, and United Testing Systems.
Chris Hicks joined Latitude Aero as director of VIP sales. Hicks brings 27 years of corporate and regional aviation sales and marketing experience to Latitude Aero, most recently as director of sales and marketing with Quiet Technology Aerospace.
West Star Aviation promoted Eric Valdes to Gulfstream program director at its East Alton, Illinois facility. Serving as Gulfstream program manager for the past 12 years, Valdes has 26 years of aviation experience, also including with Midcoast Aviation and the U.S. Air Force.
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