PlaneSense is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its PlaneSense fractional ownership program this month. PlaneSense took delivery of Pilatus PC-12 S/N 120 on Sept. 9, 1995, officially launching the program. Today, the Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based company has 36 PC-12 turboprop singles, five PC-24 twinjets, and three Nextant 400XTi light jets in its fleet, as well as nearly 400 employees.
“We set out in 1995 to build an innovative private flight program that would provide versatile and affordable aircraft ownership,” said PlaneSense founder, president, and CEO George Antoniadis. “Twenty-five years later, I am thrilled at all we have accomplished. There have been plenty of challenges over the last two and a half decades, but we’ve never wavered in our commitment to our clients, staff, and to this company.”
Antoniadis credits the company’s success to “steady, thoughtful growth, a strong team, and a faithful community of shareowners.” Expanding on the latter point, he said one-fourth of the PlaneSense aircraft shareowners have been in the program for 10 or more years.
As the operator of the world’s largest civilian fleet of PC-12s and one of the largest fleets of PC-24s, the PlaneSense program has exceeded 440,000 hours of flight time and has operated at more than 2,500 airports across the U.S., Canada, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico.
SmartSky Networks has become embroiled in a legal dispute involving a major equipment vendor for its planned air-to-ground network and said the launch of the network will now be pushed back until 2021. The communications specialist, which is based in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, has terminated a contract and filed a lawsuit against its former radio contractor, Wireless Systems Solutions (WSS), alleging improper actions and misappropriation of intellectual property.
“We have pledged to defend our intellectual property vigorously because it is critical to our success,” said SmartSky president Ryan Stone. “In this situation, WSS failed to complete what it was contracted to do for SmartSky. Simultaneously, we believe WSS attempted to sell our product as its own."
The dispute results in another delay for the network that was originally hoped to launch in 2016. SmartSky said it recently closed on $40 million in additional equity funding and $10 million in new debt. “We’re transferring WSS’s former work scope to contractors who have performed well for us in the past on other aspects of our program.”
WSS called the SmartSky lawsuit a retaliatory action responding to a WSS lawsuit filing on September 3. “We categorically deny the allegations that SmartSky has put forward in the second-filed lawsuit and will be responding accordingly,” said WSS v-p Susan Gross.
JSX could be shut out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County (SNA) if a new lease agreement is approved that would prohibit it from using ACI Jet's FBO terminal there. Instead, SNA officials are proposing JSX use the same passenger terminal as major and commuter airlines.
But that’s contrary to JSX’s business model of providing scheduled air service on 30-seat Embraer regional jets with quick boarding. “This capability is fundamental to JSX Air’s business model and is the key component of the 'crowd-free' experience that sets JSX Air apart from the traditional air carriers,” according to a letter from JSX’s attorneys to Orange County board of supervisors chairwoman Michelle Steel. The board will vote on the new lease today.
CEO Alex Wilcox told AIN SNA airport director Barry Rondinella offered no explanation of the change. SNA spokeswoman Deanne Thompson wrote in an email to AIN that the FBOs that responded to the airport’s request for proposal to operate there—and were subsequently selected for negotiation—checked the box “no” when asked if they intend to sublease to a regularly scheduled commercial service. Further, community residents want “commercial airlines, such as JetSuiteX” to prohibit their operation from an FBO.
Should JSX be unsuccessful in convincing the Orange County supervisors to strike the clause from the lease agreements, the company could consider legal action, Wilcox suggested.
Gulfstream Re-ups SAF Supply Contract with World Fuel
Gulfstream Aerospace has extended the contract with World Fuel Services to continue providing the Savannah, Georgia-based aircraft manufacturer with a steady supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by World Energy. The announcement was made yesterday in conjunction with the Virtual 2020 Business Aviation Sustainability Summit.
This contract extends Gulfstream’s original multiyear purchase agreement, which was the first of its kind in business aviation when signed in 2015. Since March 2016, Gulfstream has used SAF for its Savannah-based fleet, which includes corporate, demonstration, completion, customer support, and flight-test aircraft. The company's service centers in Van Nuys and Long Beach, California, also offer SAF, which is produced at a nearby refinery operated by World Energy and blended with traditional jet-A.
To date, the company has made more than 650 flights with an SAF-jet-A fuel blend, flying more than 1.3 million nm and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,700 tonnes.
“This renewal marks another step in our ongoing commitment to promoting positive change in our industry,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “Reducing our impact on the environment by using SAF is a move we all should consider making. Creating a sustainable future for aviation is a responsibility we share, and we appreciate the leadership, innovation, and collaboration of World Energy in helping Gulfstream—and the industry at large—fulfill that responsibility.”
HAI Looks To Reboot Safety Accreditation Program
The Helicopter Association International (HAI) is looking to reboot its Accreditation Program of Safety (APS) later this year, HAI president James Viola told AIN. APS is based on two sets of performance standards: IS-BAO and the HAI-APS Helicopter Mission Specific Standards (HMSS). HAI developed the latter to address safety for specific missions flown by helicopter operators.
Viola and HAI senior staff agreed that the APS's past close coupling with the IS-BAO standards, which are geared toward fixed-wing operators, had discouraged wider participation in the program. Begun in 2016, APS has drawn limited industry interest to date, with only a half-dozen organizations presently holding current accreditation and two auditors supporting the program.
Viola, who came to HAI in January from the FAA, said he initially considered dropping APS as a cost-saving measure. After consulting helicopter operators and upon further examination, he saw the enormous value the program could have if it were made more relevant to helicopter operators.
According to HAI senior director, operations, and international affairs Chris Martino, IS-BAO will not be the minimum foundation requirement under APS 2.0, “but it might be contained in a suite of add-on options.” For APS 2.0 to be successful, he said it must be well publicized and offer a compelling value proposition. “The helicopter operator has to say, ‘I can’t afford not to do that.’”
Aerion Supersonic selected BAE Systems to provide the fly-by-wire flight control system for its Mach 1.4 AS2 business jet. Under the contract announced today, BAE Systems will design, develop, and integrate a fly-by-wire system, including active controllers, on the new aircraft that is poised to mark the return of civil supersonic travel.
The active controllers will provide pilots with static and dynamic tactile force feedback in the palm of their hands through the flight stick. This feedback warns pilots of structural or aerodynamic operating limits, improving situational awareness to help the pilot maintain stable flight.
In selecting BAE, Aerion has opted for a supplier with more than 40 years of developing and integrating fly-by-wire systems. “We’re combining decades of expertise and cutting-edge advancements to provide discriminating control technologies that will enable the future of supersonic flight,” said Ehtisham Siddiqui, v-p and general manager of controls and avionics solutions at BAE Systems.
BAE is part of a supplier base that also includes companies such as GE Aviation (engines), Spirit AeroSystems (structures), and Honeywell Aerospace (avionics and connectivity). The contract is the latest of a series of recent AS2 advancements, including the progress of the avionics and connectivity systems and the launching of wind tunnel tests. This activity comes as Aerion prepares to begin production in 2023 and fly the aircraft in 2025.
AFV Adds Another Company to Aviation Stable
AFV Partners, which purchased Aircraft Performance Group in January and RocketRoute in March, acquired another software-based aviation company, Seattle Avionics, on September 3. The purchase of Seattle Avionics builds another leg onto AFV’s portfolio of flight-planning and performance analysis products, adding aviation charting and electronic flight bag (EFB) applications. There has long been little competition in the aviation data market, and AFV Partners CEO Tony Aquila said this acquisition will change that.
Seattle Avionics pioneered the early development of pilot flight applications after its founding in 2002 and is the data provider for avionics and portable device updates through its ChartData service. ChartData includes about 5,000 Seattle Avionics-produced airport georeferenced diagrams in addition to 700 FAA diagrams and georeferenced FAA VFR and IFR maps, charts, and arrival, departure, and approach procedures. Seattle Avionics also developed the FlyQ iPad EFB app with features such as augmented reality views, Slingshot wireless ChartData transfer to installed avionics, 3D synthetic vision, and 4D predictive weather map.
Company founders John Rutter and Steve Podradchik have taken leadership roles in the aviation division of AFV Partners. “We are impressed with what Steve and John have built over the past years,” Aquila said, “and making them a part of our aviation vertical will significantly accelerate our offering for the general aviation and data market.”
JetAviva Top Bizjet Seller in 1H20, Says JetNet Report
Turbine aircraft broker jetAviva was the number-one seller of business jets in the first half of this year, according to JetNet’s Statistical Analysis Report (STAR) of the top-25 aircraft sales companies. JetAviva attributed this success to an increase in first-time buyers entering the market as a result of Covid-19, as well as its focus on turboprops and light to midsize business jets.
“We entered March with more than 50 jets listed for sale,” said company founder and chairman Cyrus Sigari. “As of mid-August our inventory volumes were reduced by half, and we’ve more than doubled our number of active acquisition clients. Out of our current inventory, 15 aircraft are under contract and our global sales team has mandates to purchase an additional 20 aircraft on behalf of clients. We are closely monitoring this increase in buying activity, and the likely resultant effect on pricing.”
According to jetAviva, it saw a significant amount of increased transaction activity in relatively new light jets, with inventory numbers reducing rapidly in select model types such as the Embraer Phenom 300 and Cessna Citation M2. While buying activity has been brisk, Sigari said the preowned market is still recovering from the influx of inventory that hit the market due to the Covid-19 crisis.
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People in Aviation
Western Aircraft hired John Kochel as director of the parts and logistics business unit and Russell Crouch as Gulfstream service manager. Kochel most recently managed the western territory for GlobalParts and also has served with GKN, including with its HondaJet program and Transparency Systems unit. Crouch, a former aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Army, spent 25 years with Gulfstream Aerospace in various roles, ranging from mechanic and operations manager to senior internal sales manager and senior PS sales program analyst.
L2 Aviation appointed Tony Bailey v-p of business development. Bailey has an aviation career that spans more than 35 years and has included a number of leadership positions such as president and COO of Spirit Aeronautics.
Meridian added Kelly Forester Pappas to its board of directors, marking the third generation on the board of the family-owned business. Pappas, whose grandfather John Kenneth Forester founded the FBO and maintenance operation in 1946, has spent the past eight years focused on aviation sales and business development, specifically in the Bay Area, for Meridian.
Elliott Aviation named Lawrence Harting v-p of operations for the company’s headquarters in Moline, Illinois. Harting joined Elliott in 2013 as v-p and general manager of its Minneapolis location and, before that, spent 12 years with Dassault Aircraft Services in Wilmington, Delaware.
The Air Charter Association (ACA) appointed aviation consultant Glenn Hogben joint deputy chair. Hogben, who joined the ACA board in 2017 and will share the deputy chair role with Julie Black, has more than 17 years of experience in aircraft charter, leasing, and management, serving with ACC Aviation since 2004.
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