Avflight Breaks Ground in Grand Rapids

FBO chain operator Avflight has broken ground on its $6 million-plus FBO complex at Gerald R. Ford International Airport, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Avfuel sister company was selected earlier this year as the airport’s second service provider.

A ceremony yesterday, attended by company executives, airport authority board members, and local dignitaries, marked the beginning of work on the five-acre leasehold, which is expected to open in spring 2020.

“We are anxious to break ground on this new facility, and we are proud to see growth in general aviation at our airport as the demand for more options increases,” said airport president and CEO Tory Richardson, adding it generates more than $3.1 billion in economic output in West Michigan each year. “As our community grows, so does the need for air travel and services associated with air travel.”

The facility on the east side of the airport will include a 5,000-sq-ft terminal, a 30,000-sq-ft hangar capable of sheltering the latest big business jets, indoor car parking, and 1,650 sq ft of customizable tenant office space.

“Grand Rapids is one of Michigan’s flagship communities with so much to offer its businesses and visitors,” said Joe Meszaros, the company’s vice president of operations. “Our multimillion-dollar investment in this new complex reflects our long-term commitment to the region and confidence in our shared future at the airport."

Duncan Aviation: Majority of Lear 31s Not ADS-B Ready

Approximately 65 percent of the U.S.-registered Learjet 31/31A fleet has yet to be upgraded with ADS-B Out, with only 14 weeks left to the FAA mandated deadline, according to statistics presented by Duncan Aviation.

The MRO provider’s NextGen Solutions database shows at least five paths to compliance certification for each Learjet model, including an STC for the BendixKing MST 70 developed by the company’s satellite avionics shop in Kansas City after trying several different WAAS/GPS position sources. The first installation was completed in December 2016.

“The launch customer had a Learjet 31A, and everyone here at our shop was excited about getting to do an STC from scratch, and be part of all the testing,” said Jeff Aman, the facility’s manager, adding the installation requires a minimum of downtime as it consists of a box swap and wiring changes. “Depending on the equipment in the aircraft, we can upgrade the Learjet 31/31As to ADS-B for between $68,000 and $90,000 using this STC.”

The company has MST 70B units on hand, and Matt Nelson, its manager of satellite operations, noted that for aircraft owners who are about to put their aircraft down for inspection, Duncan can dispatch technicians to the location to perform the upgrade at the same time.

Leonardo Displays First VIP Trekker for Europe

Leonardo is displaying the first European customer Leonardo AW109 VIP Trekker this week at the Monaco Yacht Show. The helicopter was sold to longtime Leonardo distributor Sloane Helicopters in the UK. It will be operated by Apollo Air Services and available for VIP charter.

Almost 100 VIP-configured Leonardo helicopters operate in the UK and Ireland, accounting for 90 percent of the VIP charter light-twin market there, a market share second only to Brazil's, where 130 Leonardo VIP helicopters operate. Worldwide, Leonardo claims 44 percent of the twin-engine VIP market. Of the 2,300 Leonardo helicopters in service worldwide, more than 830 currently serve the private, charter, scheduled, corporate transport, air-taxi, tourism, and VVIP transport markets. More than 60 AW109 Trekkers already have been sold to customers worldwide and are employed for missions that include VIP transport, offshore, utilities, EMS/SAR, and law enforcement.

The six- to seven-passenger Trekker is a lower-cost variant of its retractable gear AW109 GrandNew. It is equipped with skid landing gear, sliding rear doors, and the Genesys Aerosystems glass-cockpit avionics system that can be configured for IFR operations.

NAA To Honor John Rosanvallon, Mary Miller

John Rosanvallon, who is retiring as CEO and president of Dassault Falcon Jet after a nearly 45-year career with the French manufacturer, and Mary Miller, corporate v-p of industry and government affairs for BBA/Signature Flight Support, are among a slate of six recipients announced for this year’s National Aeronautic Association (NAA) 2019 Wesley L. McDonald Distinguished Statesman of Aviation Awards. 

They join former NAA president and CEO Jonathan Gaffney, U.S. Air Force chief of staff Gen. David Goldfein, founding member and former president of the International Aerobatic Club Michael Heuer, and former long-time Air Line Pilots Association communications executive Don Skiados as this year’s honorees.

“The 2019 Distinguished Statesmen honorees genuinely represent the full breadth of aviation and aerospace,” said NAA President Greg Principato. “Each has contributed much in his or her career. More importantly, each has done a great deal to make others better.”

Miller is being honored for “dedicating herself to delivering world-class customer and support services to the business and private aviation community for nearly 40 years” and Rosanvallon for “his 45 years of effective leadership and unrivaled record of success at Dassault Aviation, overseeing numerous new products and expansion into emerging markets.”

The awards will be presented during NAA’s Fall Awards Ceremony on November 12 in Arlington, Virginia.

X-naut Adds To Pilot Series iPad Accessories Line

X-naut has introduced a new series of iPad cockpit mounts designed to complement its Pilot Series iPad cooling cases. The line of lightweight aluminum mounts includes single- and dual-suction-cup variants, in addition to a clamp-based version to attach on a yoke shaft or any exposed tube.

“Our mission with the Pilot Series is to help our fellow aviation enthusiasts fly safer by offering reliable solutions to prevent iPad overheating,” said X-naut founder and CEO Darren Saravis. “Part of this includes making it easy for our customers to get off the ground sooner by developing a complete ecosystem of cooling cases, mounts, and accessories.”

The company also announced a new cockpit visor that eliminates glare on iPad screens, including the mini and full-size versions, in both portrait and landscape orientations. In addition, it launched a new 11-inch size of the Pilot Series cooling case, complete with a magnetic dock to house an Apple Pencil, for the latest iPad Pro models.

Euro Jet Expands Ground Support Network

Ground support group Euro Jet Intercontinental is set to open new private lounges in the Albanian capital Tirana and the Romanian capital Bucharest. When the new facilities open around late October or early November, the Czech Republic-based company will have 13 bases across Eastern Europe.

Its new facility in Tirana is located immediately adjacent to the general aviation aircraft parking ramp and provides a crew rest space with a kitchen and bathroom. The new lounge in Bucharest is at the city's Baneasa Airport within the general aviation terminal.

So far this year, Euro Jet has reported record numbers of flights handled, especially in summer resorts in Croatia and Montenegro. The company also has crew lounges in Prague and Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic; Tivat, Montenegro; Zagreb and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Constanta, Romania; Poprad, Slovakia; Kiev, Ukraine; Belgrade, Serbia; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Warsaw, Poland. Additionally, it has a heated hangar in Prague.

Including its own resources and those provided by partners worldwide, Euro Jet provides handling supervision services through a network of partners covering 46 countries in Europe, 54 in Africa, 44 in Asia, 16 in North America and the Caribbean, 12 in South America, seven in Central America, and 14 across Oceania, including Australia and New Zealand.

Drone Food Delivery Service To Launch in North Carolina

Drone technology company Flytrex is preparing to begin trial food deliveries in the town of Holly Springs, North Carolina, under the FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP). The flights, using drones manufactured by China’s DJI and adapted with software developed by Israel-based Flytrex, will operate on a single designated delivery route between the Holly Springs Towne Center shopping mall and the Ting Park sports and recreation area.

The aircraft will carry loads of up to just over six pounds on a route that crosses over Route 55 and largely over unpopulated areas. Under the IPP, it will operate under Part 107 rules and within Line of Sight of the Remote Pilot in Command.

Flytrex is partnering with local commercial drone operator Causey Aviation Unmanned, having received FAA approval in mid-August. Kite Realty Trust, which owns the mall, is also a partner in the trial program, along with the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

According to Flytrex CEO and co-founder Yariv Bash, the company is hopeful that by the end of 2020 new FAA regulations will be in place to support an expansion of drone delivery services to any location in the U.S. He also indicated that by around the same time, suitable drones should be available that can carry a higher payload on 10-mile roundtrips and operate in wet conditions with higher winds.

China Tests New Jet-fuel Payment Process

The Beijing Business Aviation Association (BBAA) and Chinese business jet operators are currently trialing a real-time aviation fuel payment process aimed at increasing the efficiency of the transaction settlement system, thus improving cash flow. According to BBAA, the system enables operators and fuel providers to complete the payment process within one day, while operators can also deposit funds in their account based on the estimated fuel amount to be used on the next day’s flight.

The system then automatically obtains the fuel payment and transfers the money to the designated account of Air China Fuel Company. BBAA added that the system can generate the refueling bills for each flight of each aircraft on a daily basis, so that the operators can submit payment to the owners in a timely manner, thereby shortening the settlement cycle and improving cash flow.

Three operators are currently testing the system with Hua Xia Bank and China National Aviation Fuel Supply Company as the fuel supplier. To date, more than 100 transactions worth 5 million Yuan ($704,593) have been conducted with no errors.  

Free Seminar at NBAA-BACE: 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.