Honeywell Sings New Tune with Anthem Avionics

Honeywell unveiled its next-generation avionics platform, called Anthem, yesterday at an event in New York City. It is the first “cloud-connected” avionics suite designed to serve all aviation segments from advanced air mobility vehicles to light aircraft, business jets, and large air transport aircraft. Vertical Aerospace and Lilium are the first aircraft manufacturers to announce the adoption of Anthem for their eVTOLs—the VA-X4 and Lilium Jet, respectively.

With full-time connectivity, Anthem gives new capabilities such as the ability to create and upload a flight plan away from the aircraft, even if the aircraft is not powered on. Other features, such as customizing the layout of flight deck displays, can also be done remotely. The primary focus, however, is improving the user interface for pilots, and this means not just intuitive gesture control of touchscreens but also voice control, as well as retention of a cursor-control device.

Anthem is not the next version of Honeywell’s foundational Epic avionics system, however. “This is a transformational change compared with Epic,” said Vipul Gupta, Honeywell Aerospace's v-p and general manager of avionics. “It’s drastically new, but we are reusing some software elements,” including Honeywell’s synthetic vision system.

On the Anthem flight deck, pilots will use the pilot interface display unit (PIDU) along with fully touchscreen instrument panel displays. The PIDU has a nine-inch screen with a “smart scratchpad.”

Western Aircraft Wraps Up First Phase of $17M Expansion

Western Aircraft has opened a 53,000-sq-ft hangar at Idaho's Boise Airport (BOI), marking the completion of the first phase of a $17 million MRO expansion by the Greenwich AeroGroup subsidiary. The new hangar joins eight other buildings and hangars totaling 90,000 sq ft on 18 acres at the southwest corner of BOI.

Under the expansion project, the Part 145 repair station and FBO is adding a total of 93,000 sq ft. A second phase will add a 40,000-sq-ft building that will house Western’s avionics and interiors shops, as well as administrative offices. The second phase is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

“This beautiful facility was designed with our current customers and prospective customers in mind,” said Western v-p and general manager Austin Shontz. “Our culture is based around a customer-centric approach and personalized service—something that our growing base of Gulfstream, Cessna Citation, and Embraer customers have embraced, spurring our need to construct more space to serve.”

Shontz told AIN in an earlier interview that the company expected to add 100 more workers with the expansion. In addition to the aforementioned airframers, Western is a factory-authorized maintenance and modification facility for Dassault Falcon, Pilatus, and Piper.

NBAA, Blade Partner To Offer Helo Shuttles During BACE

The urban air mobility concept is coming to fruition next week at NBAA-BACE. NBAA has partnered with Blade Urban Air Mobility to offer helicopter shuttle flights for show-goers between the Las Vegas Convention Center and the static display at Henderson Executive Airport 15 miles away.

The shuttles will be arranged through Blade for a per-seat, one-way cost of $99. Operated by locally based Maverick Helicopters, the rides will provide passengers the opportunity to fly over traffic and enjoy aerial views of the Las Vegas strip in an Airbus Helicopters EC130. The flights will seat up to six passengers and run continuously during show hours from October 12 to 14.

Passengers can book seats through the Blade mobile app and will have access to Blade passenger lounges in the north lobby of the convention center’s West Hall, as well as on the aircraft display ramp at Henderson.

“There’s a lot of excitement in the business aviation community about the potential for safe, fast, on-demand vertical air transport over congested urban traffic,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Through our partnership with Blade, those attending NBAA-BACE will have an important opportunity to experience urban air mobility today.”

Blade president Melissa Tomkiel added that the service enables attendees to experience the urban mobility service as “we continue working with our strategic partners to expedite the transition to quiet and zero-emission electric vertical aircraft.”

Metro STCs Garmin GTN 650/750 Xi in Airbus EC145

Metro Aviation has received FAA STC avionics approval for installation of the Garmin GTN 650/750 Xi, which is certified for single-pilot IFR, in the Airbus EC145 light-twin helicopter. The avionics—which Metro has installed in a helicopter operated by Pennsylvania’s Geisinger Life Flight—allows pilots to visualize the entire flight plan, including holds and approaches, on a high-resolution touchscreen.

Garmin's GTN 650/750 Xi multifunction display supports multiple inputs and can show moving maps, terrain, traffic, weather, and airport diagrams. The new STC was designed to be used either as a complete installation or for eventual upgrades to the nearly 100 in-service EC145s. It also includes the Garmin GTX345R, GDL 69H, TAS605A, GWX75H, HTAWS, and ADS-B. This new STC includes features not previously available in the GNS series of equipment. Metro has received a second STC for the Garmin GTN 650/750 on the Airbus EC135.

The GTN650/750 Xi installation in Geisinger’s helicopter was part of a larger refurbishment performed by Metro that included the installation of a complete medical interior that can accommodate three medical providers and up to two patients and can securely hold ventilators, IV pumps, and multifunctional monitors. Geisinger, which employs 150 people, has been in business for 40 years and flown more than 75,000 transports. It operates nine helicopters—a BK117-C1 and eight Airbus EC145s—that fly more than 3,600 patients per year from bases in central and northeastern Pennsylvania.

4AIR takes the confusion out of participation in aviation sustainability initiatives

Whether you operate one aircraft or a large fleet, integrating a carbon offset program into your flight department’s operations can be a labor-intensive and confusing task. The team at 4AIR has the insights you need to make your operation’s participation as simple as a daytime VFR landing.

Hangar Network Rebrands, Adds New Functionality

Online aviation real estate directory Hangar Network has rebranded itself as the Aviation Property Network (APN) and has launched a website that will demonstrate next week at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas. When the company started in 2013, it moved past the traditional “bulletin board” listings through the use of a simple map-based interface that allowed users to search geographically for available aviation real estate at any airport in the U.S.

Improved functionality on the new website allows visitors to more tightly focus their listings or search for specific property-type availability, ranging from hangars and offices to FBOs and greenfield lots for development. The website also features integration with the company’s Affiliate Broker Network, which leverages specialized aviation real estate professionals with knowledge of local market conditions to help acquire or dispose of airport properties. Real estate appraisers and other affiliated service providers will be added to the website to make it a one-stop shop for airport real estate transactions.

The website’s popular national newsletter will remain, but APN will add regional flair with separate newsletters focusing on events, news, and opportunities in specific areas of the country. While the company has dealt specifically with U.S. airport real estate over the past eight years, it is now working with several European FBOs and property managers to extend its services across the Atlantic.

Bombardier Agreement Expands Duncan’s Mx Approvals

A new authorized service facility (ASF) agreement with Bombardier allows all three of Duncan Aviation’s primary MRO facilities to perform service on all Learjet, Challenger, and Global 5000/5500 and 6000/6500 twinjets. Under the agreement, the Duncan facilities are authorized to perform both new aircraft warranty and service bulletin work on nearly all of Bombardier's products.

Previously, Duncan’s Lincoln, Nebraska facility could provide authorized service only on Learjets, while its Battle Creek, Michigan facility could provide service on both Learjets and Challengers. Its Provo, Utah facility, on the other hand, could provide authorized service for Learjets, Challengers, and Globals, but not on the 5500 or 6500 models.

“The renewal of our authorization and addition of the new models are a testament to the strong business relationship between Duncan Aviation and Bombardier,” said Duncan v-p of sales Ryan Huss. “The two companies have worked together at many levels to provide operators with top-notch support options for their maintenance and modifications. Duncan Aviation is honored to be one of Bombardier’s ASF partners and to help to provide exceptional support to the Bombardier fleet.”

USAIG Adds Black Swan Crisis Management Benefit Option

Aviation insurance provider USAIG has added Black Swan Solutions by Empathia crisis management services to its portfolio of Performance Vector safety support offerings. USAIG’s Performance Vector suite of safety services is available to turbine-powered aircraft and multiple policyholders, who can select one program option to enhance loss control and safety activities.

The partnership with Empathia helps boost policyholders’ emergency response plan (ERP) readiness, said USAIG. Companies will sometimes push off emergency preparations in favor of other priorities, USAIG said, adding that operators that have had to navigate through an incident have found the process enormously challenging, complex, and demanding.

USAIG policyholders that select the Black Swan Solutions ERP services will receive up to six hours of consultation in the first year on optimizing and aligning ERPs to the organization’s needs; training in and integration with the Black Swan Disaster Information Management System to facilitate access to and deployment of response plans, protocols, forms, and contact data; emergency response team web-based and quarterly training access; and an array of other specialized resources and services.

C&L Adds Legacy 500 Inventory to Growing Parts Store

C&L Aerospace has acquired an inventory of Embraer Legacy 500 parts, including 1,100 line items and covering everything from control services to avionics, landing gear, and other rotables and structural components. The parts come from a Legacy teardown project where the aircraft had low time and cycles.

Storing the parts at its newest 27,000-sq-ft warehouse in Bangor, Maine, C&L is tagging them and many are ready for immediate sale or exchange. The parts have been inspected, photographed, and barcoded and are accompanied by documentation.

The inventory continues the major investment C&L has made in its parts business, including 15 teardown projects in 2021. Among the teardowns were nine ERJ-145s that the company purchased from a European-based operator. C&L also purchased a multimillion-dollar ATR spare parts inventory.

“This is an exciting step here at C&L,” said Brad Vieux, the company's director of business development. “We’ve built our existing Challenger, Hawker, and Beechjet parts business on a fast and transparent quoting system, quick and seamless delivery, and fair pricing. We’re proud to offer that same dependability to Legacy operators.”