New Genav Terminal in Offing for Marco Island Airport

Marco Island Executive Airport (MKY) in southwest Florida is undergoing a $15 million makeover that includes a new general aviation terminal, Collier County airports manager Justin Lobb told AIN. Now underway, the first phase of the project involves the construction of a two-story, plantation-style terminal that will house the airport’s FBO—operated by the county—and offices for airport administration, flight schools, and charter operations based there. The 16,000-sq-ft, $10.5 million project is expected to open in the first half of 2020, Lobb said. 

A $4.5 million second phase calls for demolition of the original terminal and construction of an expanded apron. That phase is expected to start next month. “When all is said and done, we hope to have everything completed by the end of 2020,” Lobb said.

Separately, a private developer plans to add a mix of box hangars and three larger hangars on just under three acres. And construction of a new Civil Air Patrol (CAP) hangar is about to begin, Lobb added, replacing the CAP hangar destroyed by Hurricane Irma two years ago.

“These new facilities are being built to withstand some of the strongest hurricanes,” Lobb said of the projects planned and underway at MKY. They are also designed to mitigate the effects of flooding. MKY, which has a single, 5,000-foot-long runway, was originally opened as a private airport in the 1970s.

EBAA Renews Commitment to Single European Sky

EBAA was among dozens of organizations that signed the “Future of European Sky” joint declaration yesterday in Brussels, Belgium. In so doing, the association renewed the European business aviation community’s commitment to the Single European Sky (SES) initiative, which seeks to improve airspace efficiency in the region.

“We are happy that the joint declaration…aims all noses in the same direction: delivering the efficient and sustainable European airspace we all deserve,” said EBAA secretary-general Athar Husain Khan. “The future air traffic management (ATM) system should be inclusive, because one size does not fit all.”

In addition to easing airport delays, the SES initiative is projected to cut 18 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions from aircraft annually in Europe, according to EBAA.

The association added that implementation of the SES initiative “will require the development of a clearer governance structure, outlining key responsibilities between the EU Institutions, member states, and industry stakeholders. It should also build upon interoperable, current, and new technologies and aircraft capabilities.” Further, EBAA is urging European institutions to simplify the regulatory framework and institutional setup to make the European ATM system “fit for the future.”

Collins, SES Launching LuxStream High-speed Satcom

Vista Global is the launch customer for LuxStream, a new high-speed satellite communications system developed by Collins Aerospace that runs on Ku-band satellites operated by SES. Collins will provide airborne hardware and its ArincDirect unit will be the service provider for the broadband network operated by SES. Vista Global’s VistaJet and XOJet fleets will carry LuxStream systems, with the first to be installed in VistaJet’s 36 Bombardier Globals.

While some satcom hardware manufacturers don’t provide the service to aircraft operators, Collins is making the systems, including the onboard router, and selling satellite airtime to operators. Network speeds on the SES systems will be up to 25 Mbps in the U.S. and 15 Mbps elsewhere, and passengers will be able to stream HD video and use multiple devices simultaneously. Coverage is global except for over polar regions.

The LuxStream hardware consists of an Astronics T-series tail-radome-mounted antenna, the Collins Cabin Router, and KuSAT-2000 satcom terminal. The terminal includes an antenna control and modem, block-up converter, and block-down converter.

Collins Aerospace is targeting the aftermarket for LuxStream sales, primarily large-cabin jets such as Globals, Challengers, Falcons, and Gulfstreams. The first supplemental type certificates, to be developed by Collins dealers, will be for VistaJet Globals and Gulfstream IVs and should be completed in the first quarter of next year.

EASA Issues Emergency AD for New Airbus Helo Singles

A fatal crash of a new Helitrans operated Airbus Helicopters AS350B3e in Norway on August 31 that killed all six aboard has prompted emergency directives from EASA and the manufacturer for one-time inspections of that and similar Airbus models. 

Yesterday, EASA issued Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) 2109-0225-E, effective tomorrow, mandating the immediate inspection of main gearbox (MGB) driveshafts, fittings, and couplings for all recently delivered (total time less than 300 hours) Airbus AS350B3 (H125) and EC130T2 (H130) helicopters.

The EAD was published as Airbus issued its own emergency alert Service Bulletin that calls for visual inspection of the driveshaft links between the engine and the MGB, specifically a check of the flexible coupling between the shaft and the MGB and the coupling between the shaft and the engine—in all, 12 bolts, nuts, and safety pins.

Any observed anomalies should be reported to Airbus Helicopters for corrective action before further flight. The EAD was issued by EASA following preliminary wreckage observations by the Accident Investigation Board of Norway (AIBN). 

In a carefully-worded statement issued yesterday, the AIBN said it has “not concluded whether, or not, failure of the connection between the engine and the main gearbox is a causal factor” and that it was still investigating.

Constant Readies Own AOG ‘Pit Crew’ for NASCAR Event

MRO provider Constant Aviation in readying its own pit crew for this weekend’s NASCAR South Point 400 event in Las Vegas with AOG technicians and equipment stationed in the region. The races and entertainment events scheduled over the weekend are anticipated to attract tens of thousands of visitors and could potentially double the business aviation traffic experienced at local airports.

South Point is one of a number of such high-profile events that Constant Aviation’s AOG mobile response operation supports around the county, with others including events such as the Kentucky Derby and the Masters Tournament, said Paul Witt, Constant's v-p of operations - AOG. The Masters draws tenfold the traffic to local airports. The company works with suppliers to estimate traffic and potential needs to best position its AOG teams and associated equipment, Witt said. “We have technicians that are well adapted to those types of events.”

The MRO provider has built a nationwide AOG network encompassing 60 technicians that are based at 25 key locations that provide nationwide coverage. This includes Las Vegas. Constant also has a fleet of 28 fully equipped trucks for AOG events. Central to this is a Constant dispatch operation staffed 24/7 and well prepared not only for everyday AOG but events such as South Point. Its rapidly growing AOG network services 150 to 175 AOG events a week, about double that from two to three years ago, Witt estimated. 

Jet Linx Elevates Service Training with Forbes Travel

Jet card and aircraft management provider Jet Linx has entered into a partnership with the Forbes Travel Guide (FTG), which in addition to its rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas, offers service training for those industries. The new collaboration will allow the aircraft operator to establish and implement FTG’s standards of service excellence, as well as create a customized, proprietary set of standards of its own.

“Our industry has extensive regulatory and operational standards for companies to comply with, but it has never set a customer service standard, until now,” explained Jet Linx president and CEO Jamie Walker.

Phase one will begin with FTG assessing and training all client service personnel at Jet Linx’s 18 base locations, including its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, on pre- and post-flight standards of service excellence. Next, its flight crews will be evaluated and trained to establish similar standards for the in-flight portion. On an ongoing basis, FTG will re-evaluate and requalify all of Jet Linx’s customer-facing personnel to ensure that each embraces and upholds those standards.

“This partnership is a gamechanger for private aviation and will set a necessary benchmark for the industry,” said FTG CEO Filip Boyen. “Our 60 years of expertise in leading with excellence lends itself not just to hospitality, but to every industry that wants to cultivate an excellent service culture.”

Magpie Guidance System To Support Autonomous Flight Ops

Two Switzerland-based companies are preparing to launch a new vision-based guidance system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that they say will mark a breakthrough in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in autonomous aircraft operations. The new Magpie system jointly developed by Daedalean and UAVenture provides features such as safe landing advisories and visual navigation to sustain operations during GPS outages.

Magpie will soon be available to commercial UAV operators using UAVenture’s existing AirRails flight control system. Daedalean is using the technology for its planned AI-based autopilot intended to support autonomous operations of both new generation eVTOL aircraft and existing rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft. It intends to add computer vision and vision-based functions to the capability of UAVenture’s existing autopilot.

According to Daedalean, the Magpie system “is the ideal demonstrator of the safety-certifiable neural networks that process vision, enabling the features that nowadays require the human pilot’s eyes and visual cortex.” The existing AirRails system relies on laser- and radar-based distance sensors for accurate landing or terrain following. The partners say this will be enhanced by adding visual sensors, which will bring benefits such as avoiding the need to pre-mark landing spots and the ability to operate in a natural environment and recognize dynamic obstacles on the ground.

Textron Aviation Opens Australia Parts Warehouse

Textron Aviation has opened a 2,000-sq-ft aircraft parts warehouse in Melbourne, Australia, the Wichita-based airframer announced yesterday. Co-located with Premiair Aviation Maintenance at Essendon Fields Airport (MEB) the new warehouse will hold up to 10,000 parts across the OEM’s Beechcraft, Cessna, and Hawker product lines, a Textron Aviation spokeswoman told AIN.

“This represents another step in our ongoing commitment to Textron Aviation aircraft owners in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region,” said Textron Aviation senior v-p of parts and programs Brad Thress. Factory-direct parts, shipped locally from Essendon, can be purchased from the company online or through its local sales and support staff.

Premiair Aviation Maintenance is Textron Aviation’s new authorized service facility in Australia. “Customer service is why our customers come to us, so providing spare parts delivery—shipped the same day in most instances—is another way to ensure comprehensive support,” Premiair managing director Paul Montauban said.

Opening of the Australia warehouse comes after Textron Aviation expanded its parts warehouse in Singapore last year to better support customers in Asia-Pacific.

5G for Bizav: Separating Fact from Fiction

Join us for a free lunch event on October 22 at NBAA-BACE 2019 in Las Vegas to hear from a panel of subject experts who will discuss the latest technological advancement for connectivity in aviation—5G. They'll help you cut through the noise in the market to better understand what a true 5G network is, as well as what it will mean for anyone traveling on a private aircraft and what elements are required, end-to-end, for a network to be truly 5G. Attendees will also be entered to win a YETI gift basket. Sponsored by Gogo Business Aviation.