Facing the prospect of an expiring sales-and-use tax exemption on aircraft parts and maintenance in Virginia, national and regional aviation business and general aviation associations have begun to survey operators in the state to build data on the benefits of the policy. NBAA is working with the Greater Washington Business Aviation Association (GWBAA), AOPA, and the Virginia Aviation Business Association to measure the impact of the tax policy that took effect in 2018 but is set to expire in 2025.

This data will help the organizations better advocate for an extension, NBAA said, noting that a 2018 survey found its members typically spent between $50,000 to $100,000 per event when they traveled outside of the commonwealth for major maintenance work.

“Virginia has seen aircraft maintenance, and in particular aircraft avionics maintenance/repair facilities, open and expand in the state to support the growing industry. These facilities not only support aviation activities but also bring well-paying jobs to all parts of Virginia,” added Caleb Stitely, GWBAA president, in an NBAA article on the issue. “With the neighboring state of North Carolina already having this exemption, and Maryland recently extending their tax exemptions through 2030, we support and encourage the commonwealth of Virginia to follow suit.”

Operators in Virginia wishing to participate can reach out to Greg Voos, NBAA’s regional director for the Southeast region at gvoos@nbaa.org.

Engine support provider BizJet International is making its first public appearance under its new name, Lufthansa Technik Engine Services (LTES). The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company—which has been part of MRO group Lufthansa Technik for more than half of its 38-year history—has adopted the new brand to underline its expanded North American role in its parent company’s global network.

Since 2004, LTES has supported Rolls-Royce’s Tay 611-8 and -8C turbofans for the Gulfstream IV and 450 business aircraft. The Tulsa facility is also equipped to repair and test engines including the V2500, and the CFM56-5B and-7B that power Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies.

In 2016, LTES was included in Lufthansa Technik’s Mobile Engine Services network, which expanded its service offering into commercial airliner engine support. Along with other Lufthansa Technik facilities, the U.S. company provides onsite engine maintenance and repair solutions.

At the start of this month, Michael Scheferhoff took over as president and CEO of LTES, having previously served as managing director and head of operations for the Americas with Lufthansa Technik Component Services.

“With over 650 full engine overhauls and more than 600 Mobile Engine Services events, we have accomplished much, but there is still more to come,” Scheferhoff said. “Leveraging the strength of the Lufthansa Technik brand will help us strengthen our presence and solidify our ambitions in both the corporate and commercial engine services markets.”

Satellite manufacturer and operator Viasat has raised the bar on the performance of its Jet ConneX business aviation satcom and unveiled the new JetXP service with uncapped system speeds, expanded capacity, and more network prioritization for business aviation customers.

The JetXP service is available to customer aircraft equipped for Viasat’s Ka-band GX satellite network (formerly Inmarsat, prior to Viasat’s acquisition of Inmarsat last May). This includes airborne terminals and antennas sold by Honeywell, Collins Aerospace, and Satcom Direct. No new hardware is required to take advantage of JetXP, although the new service is an optional feature.

In 2021, Viasat uncapped service speeds on its satellite network, resulting in positive feedback from customers. Claudio D’Amico, Viasat business area global director, said this move “helped inform this enhancement program that we’re bringing to our Jet ConneX customers today. It’s the first step towards a broader harmonization of service and leveraging of assets that Viasat has access to right now.”

To deliver the enhanced JetXP service, Viasat has optimized its satellite network to prioritize business aviation users and added more capacity. Hundreds of customers have tested the JetXP service with positive initial results, according to Viasat. Typical uses of the service include bulk file transfers, real-time entertainment, and web browsing. All of these “have traditionally performed strongly using Jet ConneX, but have become even more reliable, consistent, and snappy,” the company said.

SAR Trilogy Management, the parent company of the Aero Centers FBO chain, has completed the sale of its Pilatus maintenance operations at Atlanta’s DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (KPDK) to Skytech, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pilatus Aircraft.

Aero Centers inherited the Pilatus repair center when it purchased Epps Aviation, a long-established FBO, MRO, and Pilatus-authorized dealer, early last year.

Skytech will continue to operate from the same hangar on the Aero Center campus and offer the same range of comprehensive services, ensuring continuity for operators of the Swiss airframer’s PC-12 turboprop singles and PC-24 light jets.

“We look forward to growing our relationship with Skytech in KPDK,” said Aero Centers president and COO Geoff Heck. “Pilatus service remains a valuable offering to our customers at our full-service FBO in KPDK. Aero Centers will continue to support our clients through our MRO 145 service center, addressing all non-Pilatus maintenance needs.”

Tamarack Aerospace Group is expanding its European presence, with the addition of Rheinland Air Service (RAS) as a new authorized Tamarack dealer.

The new partnership with RAS brings Tamarack’s “active winglet” technology to Germany.

The active winglets are described by Tamarack as an “innovative, lightweight solution that dramatically improves the performance and efficiency of aircraft, offering fuel savings, improved climb performance, and enhanced safety, without requiring any structural reinforcement of the airframe.”

Rheinland Air Service, based in Mönchengladbach, Germany, will now be offering installations of Tamarack’s active winglets, which the company said will strengthen Tamarack's presence in Europe.

“We have carefully considered this aircraft upgrade, performing competitive analysis between the straight Citation CJ2 and the Tamarack CJ2, for example,” said RAS director of business aviation maintenance Ingo Plückthun. “We have looked at items such as the cruise performance improvement data and also the increased payload capability, and have also evaluated the quality of the product and the safety which is of course well established with the EASA and FAA approvals. We have done this for the series from the M2 up to the CJ3+ and after careful study, we can see that this is a very good offering and we are proud to offer this upgrade to our customers.”

What happened when similar-looking twin-engine Commanders, operated by the same company and with nearly identical registration numbers, were parked nearby on the same ramp at the same time waiting to be refueled? One of them received the wrong fuel. The mistake occurred on September 9 at Canada’s Dryden Regional Airport (CYHD) but was caught before the aircraft even started up.

According to a recent Transportation Safety Board of Canada incident report, Aero Commander Rockwell 500S, a piston-twin registered as C-FRBD and operated by Mag Aerospace Canada, was parked on the apron with the company’s Commander 690A, a turboprop carrying registration C-FDBD. The pilot of C-FDBD contacted the fueling agent and requested jet-A for the 690A.

However, the fueling agent subsequently began fueling C-FRBD, the 500S, with jet-A instead of avgas. For reasons unspecified, fueling was stopped after less than six gallons of jet fuel was pumped into the piston-twin. The pilot of the turboprop twin was immediately notified of the incorrect fueling. Although the engines were never powered up, the aircraft's operator still had to completely drain the fuel tanks.

Aero Star Aviation, an FAA-approved repair and maintenance provider based at Dallas Love Field (KDAL), is moving its facilities into two larger hangars at the airport to accommodate the growing demand for its services, the company announced today.

The company offers maintenance services for Embraer’s Phenom 100 and 300 models, as well as the Praetor 500 and 600 models, at its locations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Dallas. In expanding the Dallas facilities, Aero Star says it will add its own technical training space, “luxury areas” for clients, and additional space for special projects.

“This expansion signifies our continued commitment to enhance operational efficacy while accommodating the growing demand for exceptional Embraer maintenance,” said Aero Star president and owner Chris Grinnell.

According to Aero Star, the larger of the two new hangars covers 44,000 sq ft, with 30,000 sq ft of hangar space and 14,000 sq ft of office space. The second hangar has 32,000 sq ft total, with 22,000 sq ft of hangar space and 10,000 sq ft of office space. Its current facilities at the airport cover about 16,000 sq ft.

Aero Star Aviation’s offerings include scheduled maintenance, pre-purchase and 10-year inspections, engine changes, line maintenance, wheel assembly exchanges, and aircraft-on-ground support. It also offers in-house aircraft consulting and management services.