Airbus Delivers First U.S.-made EC145e

Airbus Helicopters late last week delivered the first EC145e twin produced at its Columbus, Mississippi assembly plant. The helicopter is part of a 25-ship order placed last year by Metro Aviation for its air medical services business. Deliveries on the order will continue over four years.

“Airbus Helicopters is pleased to deliver this EC145e, now the third Airbus model to be produced in the U.S. by workers in our Columbus plant,” said Romain Trapp, president of Airbus Helicopters Inc. and head of the North America region. “For more than a decade, our workforce has been producing high-quality aircraft for both the U.S. Army and more recently our commercial operators in North America.” The EC145e, UH-72A, and H-125 single are all assembled in Columbus.

Metro plans to operate some of the new EC145e helicopters in its own medevac fleet, but said it would also remarket others in medevac, utility, and VIP configurations. While the EC145e was originally developed as VFR-only, Metro and Genesys Aerosystems recently developed an IFR avionics STC for the helicopter.

Duncan: 5,400 Business Aircraft To Bust ADS-B Deadline

With the FAA deadline just 15 weeks away, almost a quarter of the U.S.-registered business jet fleet and nearly half of the country’s turboprop fleet is not currently equipped with ADS-B, according to research released late last week by Duncan Aviation. The company’s report—which is based on data from its proprietary customer database, the FAA, and other industry sources—states that 5,400 business aircraft likely won't be compliant by the Jan. 1, 2020 deadline.

Duncan said 23 percent of the U.S.-registered business jet fleet, or 3,384 aircraft, still don’t comply. “At this rate, we anticipate that at least 1,660 business jets will not be in compliance when the calendar flips to January 1,” said Duncan Aviation satellite operations manager Matt Nelson.

Meanwhile, the report says 49 percent of the U.S. business turboprop fleet is not yet in compliance and that more than 3,800 of them will still need ADS-B upgrades at the beginning of next year.

“I encourage operators who are not in compliance to consider investing in the upgrade yet this year,” Nelson said. “Right now, we still have some availability at some of our satellite shops for ADS-B work and can turn aircraft in less than 10 days.” Duncan Aviation said it holds or has access to 42 STCs for FAA-approved ADS-B equipment for more than 100 business aircraft models.

DOT Watchdog: Genav Behind on ADS-B Equipage

Industry-wide equipage for ADS-B Out jumped 69 percent between May 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019, but general aviation is lagging behind business and commercial aviation, the Department of Transportation Inspector General (DOT IG) reported today. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee asked the DOT IG to examine equipage rates, plans for equipage, and reasons in equipage decision-making. Given the Jan. 1, 2020 ADS-B Out deadline, the DOT IG provided a preliminary report on equipage rates as of June 1.

As of June, 73,421 commercial and general aviation aircraft were in compliance with the ADS-B-Out mandate, the DOT IG found. Overall, 76 percent of commercial aircraft were equipped, while only 44 percent of general aviation aircraft were. Smaller commercial carriers were equipping at slower rates than the mainline and regionals and even business jet and turboprop operators, according to the DOT IG. By June 1, 44 percent of small commercial aircraft had equipped versus 63 percent of business jets and turboprops. Meanwhile, only 40 percent of piston aircraft were equipped.

The DOT IG estimated that 143,322 GA aircraft may be equipped, including 22,596 business jets and turboprops. At the beginning of June, 14,166 business jets/turboprops and 48,238 pistons were equipped. The FAA has reported close to 13,500 more general aviation aircraft were equipped between June 1 and September 1.

Kansas Firm Expands Charter, Management Ops To OKC

Kansas-based Clemens Aviation is expanding its aircraft management and Part 135 business to Oklahoma City, owner Dwayne Clemens told AIN today. The company has secured a hangar at Wiley Post Airport (PWA) and just trained its first Oklahoma City-based flight crew. Its sales will be led by Gary Purdum, a former Raytheon Aircraft colleague of Clemens. “We decided just from the requests of customers and people down there, and the sales guys, to go south,” Clemens explained. “The ultimate goal is...to have our own facility [in Oklahoma City] like we do here.”

In the next couple of weeks, Clemens Aviation will move one of its 14 Beechjet 400As from its base at Lloyd Stearman Field Airport northeast of Wichita to PWA. It will be followed by a second Beechjet that is currently undergoing refurbishment, including installation of Garmin G5000 avionics and winglets. “We’re starting up with two and then we’ll continue to grow as many as we can get,” he said. “We hope to get between 10 and 15.”

With a growing fleet of Beechjets, Clemens thinks it was time to expand to a new market. “We still sell shares here and there, but for the size of Wichita and 14 Beechjets—we have over 60 owners in our program here—we have quite a few [aircraft] for the size of town we’re in,” he added.

South Africa’s Comair Flight Goes Carbon Neutral

Comair Flight Services (CFS) has unveiled a carbon offsetting initiative, the CFS Pure Flight Programme, in partnership with Credible Carbon, a South African carbon registry. The company, which is based at Lanseria Airport near Johannesburg, South Africa, said it is “the first in Africa to go carbon neutral” on all its flights. “The offset cost is automatically included in the price of any charter flight,” CFS added.

CFS is “sourcing carbon credits from independently reviewed and accredited projects that actually reduce carbon dioxide emissions,” the company said, adding it “does not profit from these transactions in any way.” Pure Flight will offset aircraft CO2 emissions by supporting various projects that reduce net greenhouse gas emissions and also aim to alleviate poverty. “Many of these carbon offsetting projects provide wider benefits in addition to carbon reduction, such as biodiversity, education, jobs, food security, and health, and well-being in developing countries,” it said.

Kerry Searle, client services director at CFS, added, “Sustainability is very important to our clients and they wanted a simple way to offset the carbon their flights produce and still remain competitive on pricing…I think we’ve been able to achieve that.”

Drone Remote ID NPRM Delayed Again

For the third time this year, the widely-anticipated FAA notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on drone remote identification (remote ID) has been delayed. The NPRM is now expected to be released in late December. These delays have prompted criticism from industry and Congress. 

“Remote ID is necessary for enabling advanced and expanded operations such as flights over people and beyond line of sight, which will provide significant benefits throughout our economy and society,” said Brian Wynne, CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). Wynne said the technology “is critical for ensuring airspace safety by helping law enforcement identify and distinguish authorized UAS from those that may pose a security threat.” 

Congress also has expressed its frustration. In July, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, saying, “We believe failure to complete this effort poses serious risks to the National Airspace System, its users, and the nation’s most critical and sensitive facilities and assets. Delays also stifle innovation, preventing the U.S. commercial UAS industry from reaching its full potential."  

The FAA initiated its remote ID rulemaking process in February 2018. Legislation enacted in 2016 required the FAA to issue regulations or guidance on remote ID by July 2018. ASTM Committee F38 on unmanned aircraft systems is developing remote ID standards due to be published soon.

New Part 145 Shop Opens at Wiley Post Airport

Oklahoma’s Wiley Post Airport has a new FAA Part 145 repair station with the opening of Avion Aero Holdings. Owned by Oklahoma Aviation founder and president Sho Kassam and Justin Colvalt, an aviation mechanic, inspector, and pilot with nearly two decades of experience, the company recently acquired a long-term lease on a 30,000-sq-ft hangar at the airport.

It offers full services ranging from oil and filter changes on piston and turbine aircraft, to annual inspections and scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. Its turbine specialties include Cessna Citations (510, 425, 560, 680, and 750 series) and the Beechcraft King Air family from the C90 through the 300. Avion Aero is also the state’s only specialized repair facility for Astra, Cirrus, Diamond, and Piper aircraft. It also offers a mobile repair unit.

“I foresee in a year from now that we’ll be investing in and improving our tooling capabilities and training our personnel to stay on the cutting edge of the forefront of this technology evolution,” said Kassam. “By deploying and adapting more technology, we’ll be able to provide an increase in safety margins and efficiencies.”

Industry Study Looks To Improve Aviation Training

With the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) forecasting a need for more than 750,000 aviation professionals, including pilots, technicians, air traffic controllers, and airport professionals by 2036, The Ohio State University is leading a multi-disciplinary team from academia and industry to evaluate what will be required from the academic sector to meet those demands. A recent survey of human relations professionals revealed that only about 28 percent believe current aviation education and training are very effective.

The university is inviting those in the aviation industry to complete an online survey by October 18, indicating their workforce needs and how they believe academia can contribute to future development. Respondents might be invited to participate in future focus groups on the topic.

“We’re excited to be performing this study for the National Academies [of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine], who are very aware of the critical workforce needs of the aviation industry and the great potential for the academic community to enhance their curricula to meet these needs,” said Seth Young, principal investigator of the study, and the university’s McConnell chair of aviation. 

A report is expected sometime next year.

Free Seminar: Sustainable Aviation Fuel Basics

Alternative fuels are slowly but surely working their way into fuel supplies worldwide and many of the turbine-powered aircraft that will fly to Las Vegas for the NBAA-BACE static display will burn some amount of sustainable aviation fuel. AIN’s 1.5-hour live forum during the NBAA show in Vegas will bring together a panel of industry experts to explain how this fuel is gaining ground, why it is good for turbine engines and the environment, and how you can help move the needle on the use of sustainable aviation fuel in the aircraft that you operate. Register today for this free luncheon seminar on October 23 at 12 noon PT (seating is limited). Moderated by AIN editor in chief Matt Thurber, it will feature panelists Steve Csonka, Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative; Charles Etter, Gulfstream Aerospace; and Keith Sawyer, Avfuel Corp. Sponsored by World Fuel Services, TAG Farnborough and Gulfstream Aerospace.