Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft King Air 360/360ER has been awarded FAA type certification, a little more than a month after the upgraded twin-turboprop was announced. The first delivery is expected in the coming weeks.
The upgraded airplane features the Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) ThrustSense autothrottle, which allows pilots to automatically manage engine power from the takeoff roll through climb, cruise, descent, and go-around phases of flight. Also new to the King Air cockpit is a digital pressurization controller that automatically schedules cabin pressurization during climb and descent and the gauges of which have been integrated into the airplane’s Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flight deck.
Cabin altitude has been improved by 10 percent over its predecessor 350i, providing for an altitude of 5,960 feet at a typical cruising altitude of 27,000 feet. New look custom-built cabinetry, partitions, and side ledges plus upgraded materials and finishes and new interior schemes round out improvements to the type’s cabin.
“The new era of the industry-leading Beechcraft King Air begins today,” said Textron Aviation senior v-p of engineering and programs Chris Hearne. “The King Air 360 is a perfect combination of customer input, innovative technology, and next-generation capabilities. With certification now in hand, we are thrilled to soon get these aircraft into the hands of our eager customers.”
ACJ TwoTwenty ‘Xtra Large Bizjet’ Bows
Airbus Corporate Jets today introduced the ACJ TwoTwenty, a corporate version of its A220 airliner. The new ACJ will be delivered outfitted from a wide choice of predefined luxury cabin configurations and is slated to enter service in early 2023.
“This will open a new market segment, offering an alternative to the traditional large-cabin business jet and the bizliner,” Benoit Defforge, president of Toulouse-based Airbus Corporate Jets, told AIN. The TwoTwenty boasts three times more cabin space and one-third the operating cost, yet is priced “just under a traditional long-range business jet,” he said.
Acting as launch customer and production partner, Switzerland’s Comlux Group is taking the first two of the “Xtra Large Bizjets,” as ACJ calls them, and the group’s Indianapolis, Indiana facility, Comlux Completion, will outfit the first 15 cabins. Four additional ACJ220 orders from undisclosed customers are also in hand.
“It’s a unique product in business aviation,” said Richard Gaona, executive chairman and CEO of the corporate airliner services group, which will make its ACJ TwoTwentys available for charter and sales.
With a significant range increase to 5,650 nm and ETOPS certification in hand, the ACJ TwoTwenty will be capable of linking London and Los Angeles. Additionally, it has a 6,000-foot cabin altitude and can be equipped with the latest in communication and cabin furnishings for comfort on 12-hour flights, Airbus said.
Bombardier’s Learjet 75 Liberty Enters Service
More than 15 months after Bombardier announced its upgraded Learjet, the Learjet 75 Liberty has entered service, the Canadian airframer announced this morning. Auctioneering firm and long-time Learjet operator Alex Lyon & Son has taken delivery of the first Liberty.
“The Learjet 75 Liberty is a value-added business tool for those seeking a safer and more efficient travel option,” said Bombardier senior v-p of new aircraft sales and marketing Peter Likoray. “This achievement would not have been possible without our highly skilled team members in Wichita, who are incredibly proud to be delivering the best Learjet yet.”
The Liberty loses two seats in the forward cabin—for a total of six seats—replaced by two fold-down ottomans and fold-out tables, creating what it calls the “executive suite” for the two remaining seats in the forward section of the cabin, which is separated from the cockpit by a sliding pocket door. In the aft cabin, the four remaining seats are placed in a club configuration.
The APU and external courtesy lights are optional on the Liberty, whereas they were standard on the Learjet 75. It does retain a 51,000-foot ceiling and two Honeywell TFE731-40BR engines, each with 3,850 pounds of thrust. High-speed cruise remains Mach 0.79 but range improves by 40 nm, to 2,080 nm, with NBAA IFR reserves.
Honeywell Forecast Sees Market Optimism Despite Covid
In the wake of a turbulent 2020, which has already left much of the aviation industry shaken, aircraft systems manufacturer Honeywell, in its 29th annual Global Business Aviation Outlook, noted some slight retrenching from last year’s forecast. Nonetheless, it ultimately concluded that the market remains optimistic and prepared to ride out any near-term Covid pandemic headwinds.
“Business jet usage is expected to rebound to 80 to 85 percent of 2019 levels in the fourth quarter of 2020, indicating demand for business jet travel is returning after a slowdown as the pandemic began,” said Heath Patrick, Americas aftermarket president for Honeywell Aerospace. “The information we gleaned from operators shows a less than 1 percent decline in five-year purchase plans, so despite the short-term effects of the pandemic, we don’t expect long-term changes to purchase plans or the overall health of the business jet market.”
The survey report predicts deliveries of 7,300 new business jets over the next decade, down 4 percent from a year ago, while the total value of the sales dipped by 5 percent from $248 billion to $235 billion. “Business jet deliveries are expected to recover to 2019 aircraft and expenditure levels in the first half of the decade,” said Shantanu Vaish, Honeywell’s director of strategic marketing. “New future platforms in the medium-large, large and very-high-speed/ultra-long-range classes will stimulate long-term growth."
The number of U.S.-registered business turbine airplanes involved in fatal accidents and consequent lives lost continued their nosedive as a result of the fewer flying hours this year stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first three quarters, 19 people were killed in seven accidents of U.S.-registered business jets and turboprops versus 57 people killed in 13 accidents in the first nine months of last year.
The February 8 in-flight break-up of a Cessna Citation 501 in which the two pilots and two passengers died was the only fatal U.S. jet accident in the first nine months, compared with 21 people killed in five business jet fatal accidents in the same period of 2019. Six U.S.-registered turboprop accidents, resulting in 15 fatalities, were logged in the first three quarters, compared with eight accidents and 36 fatalities last year.
However, the number of fatal crashes involving non-U.S.-registered business jets took the opposite trend, despite the impact of the pandemic on reducing worldwide flight operations. Fourteen people died in four non-N-numbered business jet accidents in the first three quarters versus one fatality in the same period last year.
Non-U.S.-registered turboprops suffered nine deaths in two accidents in the first nine months versus 17 killed in four crashes in the same period in 2019.
One Aviation Bankruptcy Sale Hits Turbulence
The latest effort by Albuquerque, New Mexico-based One Aviation to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy has encountered snags following an objection by the U.S. Trustee’s Office and orders to produce documents related to the Section 363 sale of the company's assets to real estate holding firm SE Falcon.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge Christopher Sontchi ruled last month to allow the expedited sale to proceed, after the company filed an emergency motion to part ways with original debtor-in-possession Citiking International US. In an October 5 objection to that ruling, U.S. Trustee Andrew Vara notes while the sale provides compensation to various creditors in line with terms of the original Citiking bankruptcy emergence plan, it “does not provide for payment in full of all allowed administrative or priority claims.” That, he said, is a violation of the bankruptcy code's priority scheme.
Citiking also isn’t surrendering its claims without a fight, issuing subpoenas last week for SE Falcon and One Aviation lienholder DWC Pine Investments to produce documents related to the new sale. The Chinese-backed entity has also deposed One Aviation CEO Alan Klapmeier and company board member James Patrick Carroll.
Ahead of the Trustee's objection, the court announced a second delay to the hearing date for approval of the SE Falcon sale, originally scheduled for the end of September, to October 14.
NetJets has established hangars at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) in California and Denver Centennial Airport (APA) to serve its customers, as well as those of its subsidiary, Executive Jet Management (EJM).
At SJC, NetJets will have 35,000 sq ft of an existing hangar with a 60-foot door and capacity to hold up to seven Citation Latitudes, six Citation Longitudes, or four Global 6000s. It also will serve as the largest West Coast operations center—owner services, flight operations, fleet maintenance, aircraft management, and charter sales—for Executive Jet Management. The Bay area offers NetJets its highest share of market for flight activity and growth, the Columbus, Ohio-based fractional provider noted.
NetJets will also have 15,000 sq ft of hangar space at APA and nearly 7,000 sq ft of office space for NetJets and EJM staff. Both hangars are expected to open later this fall.
“NetJets is proud to share that these hangars include service hubs and operations centers, to continue our growth across the important West Coast market,” said NetJets sales, marketing and service president Patrick Gallagher. “This is an exciting opportunity to further establish San Jose and Denver as leading business aviation gateways and to expand our ability to service our West Coast owners.” He noted that announcements of additional NetJets hangars are pending.
Milestone Commits To Six Airbus H160s
Helicopter lessor Milestone Aviation is adding six Airbus H160 medium twins to its order book for missions such as offshore transport and helicopter air ambulance. Deliveries are set to begin in 2023. The H160 received EASA certification on July 1 and features a design that incorporates noise-reducing Blue Edge swept-tip main blades, all-composite airframe, flat-floor cabin, and the Helionix avionics system with accrued pilot assistance and flight envelope protection.
The aircraft is powered by a pair of 1,300-shp Safran Arrano engines that feature a two-stage centrifugal compressor and variable inlet guide vanes, which cut fuel consumption in all phases of flight. They help propel the H160 to its maximum cruise speed of 150 knots and service ceiling of 20,000 feet and give it a maximum range on standard tanks of 475 nm.
“We are proud that a longstanding customer such as Milestone is renewing its trust once again in Airbus helicopters. I am convinced that the level of innovation that the H160 brings to the market, whether it is passenger comfort, advanced pilot assistance, or its competitiveness thanks to its increased fuel efficiency and simplified maintenance eco-system, combined with its inherent flexibility will make it a valuable asset to their operations,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even.
Boeing Tests New Tech with 787 ecoDemonstrator
Boeing recently reported more promising results from the recently completed latest phase of its ecoDemonstrator program. It was performed over about a week of flying twice a day from a former U.S. Air Force base in Glasgow, Montana, and during individual positioning flights between Seattle’s Boeing Field and the company’s Dreamliner assembly plant in Charleston, South Carolina. The tests, flown with a up to a 50-50 blend of jet-A and sustainable alternative fuel (SAF) derived from agricultural waste from California, centered on noise mitigation, flight routing optimization, and cabin disinfecting technology.
People in Aviation
King Aerospace appointed Boyd Hunsaker as director of sales. Hunsaker most recently served as director of sales and marketing for ST Aerospace San Antonio unit Aeria Luxury Interiors and also has held roles with Comlux America and Associated Air Center.
Tad DeOrio has joined JetLease Capital as president. DeOrio brings extensive experience in insurance, accounting, and the finance sector to his new role, most recently as president of Avant Brokerage and before that, CFO and president of TIMM Communications.
VIH Aerospace appointed Jeff Norie president and CEO. Norie has held a number of positions within the VIH Aviation Group of companies, beginning as a shipper at VIH Helicopters and working his way up to positions as director of maintenance and v-p of maintenance services and leasing for VIH Aerospace. Arne Arneson remains general manager of the unit.
Airshare promoted Alex Franz to COO. Most recently v-p of flight operations, Franz joined Airshare in 2003 and has since held a number of positions, including first officer, captain, base manager, check airman, and chief pilot. Ben Petersen, meanwhile, was named Airshare’s new director of flight operations. Petersen, who joined Airshare in 2007, previously was chief pilot.
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