TAG Farnborough Airport Wins Environmental Award

TAG Farnborough Airport has been named the winner of the inaugural Energy and Carbon Transition Award, part of the Sustainability Impact Awards granted by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). IEMA’s awards are designed to “recognize people and businesses that are transforming the world towards sustainability, with winners selected by a panel of judges featuring leading authorities in the environment and sustainability sector.”

Last year, Farnborough Airport became the first business aviation airport in the world to achieve carbon-neutral status after an assessment by Airports Council International-Europe. Since then, according to the airport, it “has continued to make further substantial reductions in [our] carbon footprint, with a confirmed offset totaling 1,605 [metric tons] of carbon emissions for the last year.”

Over the past five years, TAG Farnborough Airport said it has invested more than £1 million into energy efficiency projects, such as a complete upgrade to LED lighting, and in 2018 it committed to 100 percent renewable energy supply through the UK energy regulator’s Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin scheme. With these initiatives, the airport said it has reduced its carbon emissions by 73 percent.

TAG Farnborough Airport’s 2009 Master Plan had laid out the vision for sustainability, stating its “intention to grow the business responsibly, in a way that considered all aspects of environmental impact and opportunities for sustainable development.”

Subic Bay Opens New Bizjet MRO Facility

Philippines’ Aviation Concepts Technical Services (ACTSI) recently opened its new 18,000-sq-m/193,750-sq-ft maintenance hangar at Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA), following a first phase of upgrades to the former U.S. Navy base and FedEx hub. Currently, the MRO has Cayman and Bermuda approvals for the Gulfstream G450 and G550, but ACTSI business development director Raul Trinidad Jr. said the company is working towards nods for the GIV and GV. ACTI also plans to attain FAA Part 145 certification by later next year.

The new hangar, which can simultaneously accommodate up to eight G650s, is already servicing aircraft for casino group Solaire and International Container Terminal Services. Trinidad Jr said ACTSI is targeting Asia-Pacific-based aircraft but has had some inquiries from U.S. operators. Subic has no slot restrictions, online the congested Manila International Airport.

“We have long dreamed of developing the SBIA into a business and general aviation airport in the country, and this project is one huge step towards realizing that vision,” said Wilma Eisma, chairman and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. “We are banking on the strategic location of Subic in the Asia Pacific region to boost SBIA’s chances to become a regional player in the MRO business.”

NBAA Forms Partnership To Foster Leadership Council

NBAA has teamed with industry veteran and FunD Av Consulting president Lyndse Costabile to help grow and support its Leadership Council. Comprising a range of business aviation organizations and individuals, the council supports the association’s efforts to promote “an environment that fosters business aviation in the U.S. and around the world.”

“NBAA’s Leadership Council is not only advocating for business aviation today, it’s become key to the organization’s work to ensure that business aviation is strong five, 10, and 25 years from now,” Costabile said. “Having previously participated on the council as a member, I am honored to have the opportunity to support its growth and mission.”

Costabile, who brings a background of management and nonprofit leadership, coaching, team building, philanthropy, and top-level fundraising to the partnership, has been actively involved in business aviation and education efforts. Before forming her current firm, she was chair of Dreams Soar, supporting STEM and aviation outreach. Costabile also has served as director of corporate relations and development for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), where she supported student involvement at NBAA events.

“We look forward to working with Lyndse to grow the council and continue supporting its important mission to positively shape the industry’s destiny, today and in the years to come,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.

JSSI Acquires MRO Tech Firm Tracware

In a bid to bolster its technology-based services, Jet Support Services (JSSI) has acquired Tracware, a UK-based developer of process control software to manage workflows for third-party MRO providers, OEMs, and aircraft management firms. It is the latest strategic acquisition for JSSI; last year, it acquired Conklin & de Decker and S3 Aero Specialists.

As a provider of maintenance programs to the aviation industry, JSSI is responsible for more than 2,000 business and regional jets and helicopters, managing nearly 10,000 maintenance events annually across a broad section of MRO providers. “Tracware’s comprehensive understanding of the specific processes and requirements these businesses need to thrive operationally, combined with JSSI's capabilities, presents many opportunities to better serve our customers at every stage of aircraft ownership, and to deliver technology enhancements to industry partners,” said JSSI president and CEO Neil Book.

Tracware founder and managing director Andrew Maley explained the acquisition will enable the firm to build on its current products and services, “leveraging decades of JSSI maintenance data to better meet the requirements of MROs globally.”

Under the acquisition, Tracware will be recognized as a JSSI company, and its employees and operations will be integrated with JSSI.

CBAA Launches Letter Campaign for CYUL Access

The Canadian Business Aviation Association is asking operators who use Montreal Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport (CYUL) to write letters to the airport authority to express their concern over a night arrivals ban on all general aviation airplanes during runway work. According to Notam 09/117 issued on Friday, all runways are unavailable for landings by GA airplanes from 8 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday. The ban is in effect while runway renovations are underway—until around mid-December.

“Despite our efforts, which to date have included communications with the chair of Aéroports de Montréal and direct discussions between CBAA and members Skyservice and Innotech-Execaire, and the operations staff at CYUL, our concerns—and our Nav Canada-accepted solution—have been ignored,” CBAA contended. Addressing operators, the association said, “We need your direct intervention to ensure this issue gets attention and is quickly resolved.”

To facilitate operators’ communications with CYUL, the association has drafted template guidance letters that can be adapted and customized, based on different types of operation: corporate flight departments, flight management companies, and business aircraft owner/operators.

Previously, another letter-writing campaign organized by the CBAA proved successful for similar constraints facing GA operations at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Ameron Gets Gulfstream Emergency Braking Weldment PMA

Ameron Mass Systems, the OEM division of Ametek Ameron, has received FAA parts manufacturer approval (PMA) on a cylinder weldment for a steel bottle used on the Gulfstream GIIB, GIII, and GIV. The PMA cylinder weldments are identical to the OEM weldments in fit, form, and function, according to the company. The weldment is for steel bottles connected to the landing gear pneumatic systems and stores either nitrogen or air pressurized up to 3,000 PSI, which is used to supply emergency power for the aircraft’s landing gear, nosewheel steering, and braking.

Mass Systems received similar approval for a weldment on a titanium bottle that stores nitrogen at high pressure and energizes the emergency power assist system of the Boeing 777 passenger entry doors in the event of a loss of electricity.

The company specializes in FAA-PMA components for high-rate discharge fire extinguishing and oxygen systems. Its components are developed, manufactured, and assembled at its Baldwin Park facility in California.

Bombardier Begins Delivery of Special-mission Globals

Bombardier has begun shipment of three special-mission Global 6000 ultra-long-range business jets to Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe. The Canadian-headquartered manufacturer recently handed over the first of the Globals and all three are slated for delivery this year. A long-time Bombardier customer, the Luftwaffe will operate the aircraft for political and parliamentary transport.

“Bombardier is incredibly pleased that the Luftwaffe will add the Global 6000 aircraft to its fleet,” said Bombardier Aviation president David Coleal. “Our Specialized Aircraft team has built longstanding relationships with governments around the world who trust in the safety and performance of our products.”

More than 500 Bombardier aircraft are in service for a range of special missions, from surveillance and reconnaissance to medical evacuations and VIP transport. Bombardier has sold special-mission aircraft across its business jets platforms, including Learjets, Challengers, and Globals, and has provided engineering support and technical oversight.

Bombardier said its Global 6000 is well suited for political and parliamentary transport with a 6,000-nm range that enables non-stop flights between continents. The contract with the Luftwaffe furthers Bombardier’s ties to Germany, home to the headquarters of its rail subsidiary, Bombardier Transportation. Further, the Roll-Royce BR710 engines that power the Global 6000 are built by Rolls-Royce Deutschland in Dahlewitz, Germany.

FAA Seeks $514k Penalty from Parts Supplier

The FAA is seeking a $514,558 civil penalty against Aerospace Support International of Doral, Florida, for allegedly selling ball bearings without the proper airworthiness documentation. These bearings are used in a component that ensures that the aircraft generator provides steady electrical power.

According to the allegation contained in a civil penalty letter, between March 2015 and July 2017 the aerospace parts broker “intentionally duplicated the proper airworthiness documentation of bearings it purchased legitimately to fraudulently attest to the airworthiness of dozens of other bearings it sold numerous times to four separate companies.”

Companies purchasing the parts were Ametec MRO, Safe Fuel Systems, Silver Wings Aerospace, and Triumph Group. Aerospace Support International is also a supplier of parts to Boeing, Airbus, PWA, Parker, Honeywell, MOOG, Liebherr, and Hamilton Sundstrand.

The agency also contends the company duplicated other paperwork that documented the bearings were made to an industry or commercial standard by an FAA-approved parts manufacturer. Aerospace Support International’s “deliberate and intentional action resulted in a serious risk to the flying public,” the FAA asserts.

Aerospace Support International has asked to meet with the FAA to discuss the case. The company declined further comment but has until later this week before the agency will take any further action.

Free Webinar: The Connected Flight Department

The mission of a flight department is to be able to safely and efficiently operate its aircraft in a manner that meets the demands of its passengers. In some instances, this is a very dependable and routine schedule. In other cases, the passengers may have schedules that are fluid and more reactionary. Either way ensuring real-time communication between all members of the flight department is key to being able to meet the mission needs. Join our free webinar on October 2 and learn what you need to look for in today's technology as well as gain insight from the people on the front lines. AIN editor-in-chief Matt Thurber will moderate this discussion. Sponsored by Flightdocs.