TRU Simulation + Training has signed a deal to build a Beechcraft King Air full-flight simulator for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Queensland Section in Australia. The level-D simulator—which can be reconfigured for the King Air 250/260 and 350/360—will be housed in a new training facility next to the operator’s base in Bundaberg. It is expected to receive qualification by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia and be ready for training in 2023.
“The Royal Flying Doctor Service is a highly respected organization that provides life-saving services throughout Australia, and TRU is honored to be a part of ensuring its pilots have the best quality training device and support possible,” said TRU v-p and general manager Jerry Messaris. “As the simulator will be reconfigurable between various King Air 200 and 300-series aircraft, this will ensure the RFDS can meet all of its pilot training needs.”
In 2021, the RFDS Queensland Section placed an order for four cargo-door and heavy weight operations package-equipped King Air 360CHWs. The aeromedical organization recently acquired two additional King Airs and placed an order for another, which will bring its King Air 360 fleet to seven aircraft. These new turboprop twins add to RFDS’s already sizeable King Air fleet, which is used to deliver aeromedical retrievals and provide healthcare services to regional, rural, and remote Queenslanders.
No fatal accidents involving U.S.-registered business jets were recorded in the first nine months, according to preliminary statistics gathered by AIN. This compares with five fatal accidents that claimed 19 lives in the same period last year. However, there were 16 nonfatal accidents of U.S.-registered business jets in the first three quarters, up from 13 in the same period a year ago.
Non-U.S. registered business jets suffered three crashes in which 14 occupants died in the first nine months of 2022, compared with a single accident that killed one person in the same period in 2021. Investigations are ongoing into these three accidents: a June 22 crash of a Venezuelan-registered Learjet 55C that killed six; a July 1 crash of an Argentinian-registered Learjet 35A that killed four; and the Austrian-registered Cessna Citation II/SP that plunged into the Baltic Sea near Latvia on September 4, with all four onboard presumed dead.
In the first nine months of this year, six accidents of U.S.-registered turboprops killed 25 people, compared to seven accidents fatal to 16 in the like period last year. All but one of the fatal accidents of both comparable periods occurred under Part 91.
Gulfstream Aerospace took the wraps off its Fort Worth Alliance Airport service center in Texas today with a ribbon cutting of the $35 million, 160,000-sq-ft (14,864-sq-m) MRO. Announced in 2020, the center includes 80,000 sq ft of hangar space, 44,000 sq ft of back shops, and 32,000 sq ft of offices.
As part of the facility’s development, the Savannah, Georgia-based airframer shifted about 150 customer-support jobs from its location at Dallas Love Field, which has taken on completions of the large-cabin G600 twinjet, in addition to outfitting the super-midsize G280. Further, fifty jobs were created at the facility at Fort Worth Alliance.
Gulfstream is also building a 225,000-sq-ft service center in Mesa, Arizona, which is expected to employ more than 200 people and gain LEED Silver certification as part of the company’s sustainability push. The OEM is already operating out of a temporary facility in Mesa until that center opens next year.
New York Giants tickets, CAE and FlightSafety International training, Napa Valley reserve and Chateau Dassault wine, and a 2023 Tracker Off Road 800SX Waterfowl Crew Edition are among the nearly three dozen items now available for bid online as part of the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) annual fundraising auction. Announcing that online bidding is live, CAN is providing a sneak peek of the varied items donated for this year’s auction.
In addition to online, bidding will be available in-person and culminate at the Fund an Angel Reception to be held during the second evening of NBAA-BACE 2022 (October 19) in Orlando, Florida. The reception, and associated auction, is one of the most important fundraisers for CAN, a nonprofit that arranges travel for cancer patients aboard business jets. To be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., CAN said the reception helps generate awareness for its mission.
Donated items range from watches, luggage, and art to jet fuel cards, airline and hotel points, a golf package, wine, and even a fudge of the month club. Starting bids begin at $60 for a custom charcuterie board and run to $40,000 for the FlightSafety advanced training package. Bids for the Tracker Off Road 800SX start at $12,500.
CAN also is accepting direct donations alongside the auction.
Duncan Aviation Adds New Perforation, Multicolor Sewing And Embroidery Capabilities
Duncan Aviation recently added new in-house capabilities for customizing aircraft interiors with leather perforation, multicolor sewing and embroidery for seat inserts, throw rugs, entry runners, lower sidewall accents, and company logos or signature marks. The new capability increases customization options and decreases the downtime needed to complete those designs.
SkyLux Consultancy, a new Singapore-based corporate flight attendant training provider, has launched to meet the growing demand for specialized hospitality training in the growing Southeast Asia market. The company offers tiered courses for all levels of experience such as “Introduction to the Corporate Aviation Industry,” “Corporate Flight Attendant Masterclass,” and “Advanced CFA Leadership Masterclass.”
“At SkyLux, we are passionate about creating impactful and delightful customer experiences and journeys,” said company founder Casey Tan. “We are dedicated to helping corporate flight attendants and operators enhance their in-flight service standards and create delightful passenger experiences through blending in the unique Asian service philosophy with international service expectations.”
In addition, the company provides advisory services in cabin outfitting, along with cabin crew and flight department staffing. By next year, SkyLux plans to expand its training programs throughout the region, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Duncan Aviation has created a parts manufacturer approval part for a new bezel to surround the Collins Aerospace Venue cabin management system (CMS) touchscreen panel on low-serial-number Bombardier Challenger 300s. The part eliminates the need to modify the cabin’s drink rails because of the odd-shaped cutout left by replacing the obsolete Audio International switch panel.
Duncan’s engineering team and Duncan Manufacturing Solutions collaborated on the supplemental type certificate (STC) and the part housing the Collins touchscreen panel. The STC covers the part necessary to fill the cutout, and Duncan will provide the finish. To date, the Lincoln, Nebraska-based MRO has replaced two of the old switch panels and bezels.
“Our interior teams can paint, plate, or hydrodip the panels to make the new panels flow with the aesthetics of the interior design,” said Duncan avionics sales rep Scott Kruce. “This is an excellent solution for our customers with low serial number CL300s who have an obsolete Audio International CMS and want to upgrade to the Collins Venue CMS with its touchscreen control panels while avoiding the major modifications to the woodwork in the drink rails.”
AirMed International—a Global Medical Response company—has expanded its operations at San Antonio International Airport (KSAT) in Texas to include a 12,100-sq-ft hangar at American Corporate Airport Partners’ (ACAP) eight-acre, seven-hangar complex.
The new hangar is adjacent to an existing AirMed hangar, doubling its footprint at KSAT, and will be used for crew quarters, aircraft staging, and line maintenance, according to AirMed president Denise Treadwell. San Antonio is one of three U.S. bases for AirMed, with the other two located in Birmingham, Alabama, and Las Vegas.
With AirMed’s multi-year lease, ACAP has one remaining 15,400-sq-ft hangar for lease at KSAT. In addition to San Antonio, ACAP recently leased 10 acres at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida for the development of a widebody aircraft hangar and maintenance complex for Global Crossing Airlines.
BAE Systems is expanding its innovation and manufacturing capabilities with the opening of a $150 million facility in Austin, Texas. Located at Parmer Austin Business Park, the 390,000-sq-ft facility will provide space for manufacturing, engineering design, lab work, and offices. The facility further includes expansion space for future growth.
“We are growing our business, our talent, and our brand in Central Texas,” said Dave Harrold, v-p and general manager of Countermeasure & Electromagnetic Attack Solutions at BAE Systems Electronic Systems. “Our goal is to double our workforce in Austin over the next several years.”
Nearly 700 BAE workers are based in Austin. The location will focus on a range of programs involving autonomy, cyber, and sensor development. In addition, the facility will accommodate programs surrounding the manufacturing of radio frequency and electro-optical/infrared countermeasure systems, and aircraft electrification technology.
CALS—a senior-level and laser-focused peer-to-peer networking summit—will address the latest and most cutting-edge topics, strategies, and solutions in corporate aviation. The summit is attendee-centric and serves as an educational and social platform, connecting select corporate aviation professionals with colleagues, industry experts, and solution providers in a relaxed, informal environment. We invite U.S.-based flight department leaders, including directors of maintenance, to apply to attend this event as our guests, which will be hosted Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, 2022, in Bonita Springs, Florida. Seats are limited, so don’t wait to apply.
People in Aviation
Vita Inclinata appointed Kevin Campbell executive v-p of finance. Campbell’s previous experience includes having served at Greenwich Alternative Investments and as managing director at Avondale Partners. He joins Vita having most recently held roles at Air Methods as senior v-p of corporate finance and then senior v-p of treasury and corporate development.
ACASS hired Krystyna Hranek as sales director for the Southeast U.S. and Central/South American regions. Hranek has more than 15 years of marketing, business development, and sales experience in previous roles at Bombardier Aerospace and SmartJets.
Summit Aviation hired Julian Tonsmeire as v-p of aircraft management and acquisitions. Tonsmeire has more than 20 years of experience in various aspects of the industry, including flight operations, aircraft management, safety management systems, maintenance oversight, aircraft scheduling, and regulatory compliance. He has previously held roles with Sky Harbour Group, Embraer Executive Jets, and Mountain Aviation, and is also a type-rated Embraer Phenom 300 pilot.
Deutsche Aircraft promoted Nico Neumann to COO and joint managing director. Neumann joined the company in 2007 and has held a range of operational positions within the company, most recently as v-p of operations and program. He will continue to be the point of contact at Deutsche Aircraft for the German government, as well as being responsible for operations, program, and supply chain.
Volato has hired Steve Drucker as chief technology officer. Drucker joins the company with nearly three decades of experience building development teams as well as enterprise and consumer-facing products. He was previously the chief information officer and EVP of software engineering at a publicly listed company, project lead for the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, and has authored over a dozen books about software development for Salesforce, Adobe, Intel, and others. In his new role, Drucker will lead Volato’s existing team of in-house developers.
The African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) appointed Dawit Lemma as v-p and Samantha “Sam” Keddle as manager. Lemma has nearly 20 years of experience in aviation across four continents and is the founder and CEO of Krimson Aviation, an aviation services company based in Ethiopia and Malta. Keddle joins AfBAA from the Commercial Aviation Association of South Africa (CAASA), where she served as office manager since April 2016. Her experience includes managing association affairs, addressing the needs of members, and arranging conferences, exhibitions, and meetings.
NAA has awarded the 2022 Wesley L. McDonald Distinguished Statesman and Stateswoman of Aviation Award to Pete Bunce, Anthony Mazzolini, Captain Houston Mills, William Shea, Hazel Sig-Hester, and Cheryl Stearns. The association recognizes these individuals “who, by their efforts over an extended period of years, have made contributions of significant value to aeronautics, and have reflected credit upon America and themselves,” according to the association.
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