Continental Motors Group has set sights on its new home market to retrofit diesel engines for China’s fleets of training aircraft. China’s AVIC International Holding Corp. acquired Mobile, Alabama-based Continental in 2011 and then went on to acquire the assets of German diesel aero-engine maker Thielert Aircraft Engines, now Technify Motors, as well, and place it under Continental’s banner.
Triumph Group has taken over production of Spirit Aerosystem’s money-losing Gulfstream G650 and G280 wing work in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The deal was effective Dec. 30. The business will operate as Triumph Aerostructures-Vought Aircraft Division-Tulsa and will be included in Triumph’s Aerostructures Group segment. Triumph received $160 million from Spirit in the transaction along with about $60-80 million in inventory, tooling, machinery, equipment and other assets needed to run the business.
Embraer’s business jet deliveries were down by one in the last quarter of 2014 as compared to the same period a year earlier, and closed out the full year down slightly as well. The Brazilian manufacturer delivered 52 business jets in the 4Q14 and 116 executive jets — 92 light jets and 24 large models — for the year. That compares with 53 executive jets delivered in 4Q13 and 119 for that year. At the close of 2014, the company, which also manufacturers commercial, military and utility aircraft, reported an order backlog of $20.9 billion.
The fleet of Airbus Helicopters rotorcraft in service for the oil and gas industry had accumulated more than 10 million flight hours as of the end of 2014. Of the estimated 2,300 rotorcraft used in oil and gas missions today, about 25% are produced by Airbus. In the Americas the company’s helicopters have accumulated more than 4.12 million flight hours, followed by Europe (3.27 million flight hours) and Asia (over 1.82 million flight hours).
Atlas Air Serviced delivered the first Cessna Citation M2 in Europe to Muller Co-Ax ag from Forchtenbert in Baden-Wurttemberg. The business jet landed at Bremen Airport after flying from Independence, Kansas. The M2 has a range of up to 1,300 nm which enables it to fly direct from Frankfurt to Moscow or Hamburg to Lisbon.
Growing interest from cargo operators in autonomous aircraft is leading a drive for single-pilot operation of freighters. That’s the observation by John Tracy, chief technology officer and senior vice president of Engineering, Operations and Technology at Boeing. And, he says, “Technologically the tool kit is filled.
NetJets Europe has taken the lead in a consortium of 15 companies called Advanced Approaches for all Airports (A3), which intends to demonstrate new approach and landing solutions to increase capacity within the continent’s airport network while reducing emissions, fuel burn and noise. The organization has been formed under the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) program.
Landmark Aviation at Oakland International Airport has obtained authorization as a Part 145 Certified Repair Station. In addition to its FBO services, it now operates as a full-service MRO. It has added limited airframe, engine and accessories ratings to its offerings, which includes avionics services and a mobile on-demand aircraft-on-ground support team. The location serves the Bay Area and many parts of Northern California.
Garmin International says it received certification for its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast equipment for the Gulfstream G150. The Garmin GTX 3000 Mode S Extended Squitter remote transponder and GDL 88 ADS-B datalink combine to fulfill the ADS-B requirements. The GTX 3000 and GDL 88 provides operators a seamless path to meet the demands of air traffic modernization initiatives around the world, Garmin said.
Lower oil prices could give a boost to small general aviation aircraft, small and midsize business aircraft, fractional ownership companies and service providers if they are sustained, an aviation consultant says. On the flip side, cheaper oil may negatively impact the commercial aviation market. The lower end of the general aviation market, including piston aircraft and small and midsize business jets, could benefit from lower fuel prices and an improving economy, said Brian Foley of Brian Foley Associates, based in Sparta, N.J.
FACC AG received approval for series production of bypass ducts for Pratt & Whitney Canada PurePower PW814 and PW815 engines. FACC delivered the test articles to Pratt & Whitney Canada in Quebec in November, where they were assembled with the engine. On the PW800 program, FACC will deliver throughout the service life of the engine family and has a planned order volume of about $150 million. Gulfstream has selected the engines for its G500 and G600 business jets.
Sikorsky has delivered its bid for Poland’s utility helicopter program, despite having earlier raised concerns about the requirements drawn up by Warsaw. The U.S. helicopter manufacturer, working in conjunction with its wholly owned Polish partner PZL-Mielec, delivered its bid for the $3 billion program by Dec. 30 along with competitors AgustaWestland and Airbus Helicopters.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified the search-and-rescue (SAR) variant of the AW189 super-medium helicopter, just months before the aircraft is due to enter service with Bristow on a U.K. government contract. The heavily modified variant builds on the oil-and-gas industry variant already in service with a number of operators in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with an extended nose housing a weather radar and electro-optical camera turret, a rescue hoist and additional avionics systems capabilities.
Canadian helicopter engineering firm Eagle Copters has certified its modification to fit Honeywell’s HTS900 turboshaft engine into the Bell 407 single-engine helicopter. Eagle has been developing its HTS900 retrofit program, called the Eagle 407HP, since 2010, re-starting a project originally envisaged between Honeywell and Bell Helicopter back in the 1990s. According to Eagle, the two companies were not able to make it financially viable.
Fractional ownership company NetJets has signed an agreement with Embraer Executive Jets to convert 10 purchase options for Signature Series Phenom 300s into firm orders, Embraer announced. Deliveries will begin in January 2016. At current list prices, the contract is worth $89.55 million, which will be included in the backlog from the fourth quarter of 2014. NetJets signed a purchase agreement with Embraer in October 2010 for 50 firm orders and 75 options. If all options are exercised, the deal would be worth more than $1 billion at list prices.
Empire Aviation Group, a Dubai-based aviation services company, has added an Embraer Legacy 650 executive jet to its managed fleet based in Oman. The aircraft is being managed on behalf of the owner and longtime client, and will operate only from Oman, where Empire already manages three other business jets. Empire completed the full technical inspection, delivery and induction process of the Brazilian-made super mid-size business jet. The Legacy 650 offers three cabin zones with wireless inflight connectivity and Apple TV to enhance the passenger experience.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is becoming frustrated over the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) slow deliberations regarding an FAA recommendation — strongly endorsed by AOPA — to forgo the needs for a 3rd Class Medical certificate for private pilots. There is no such requirement for aviators operating under the Sport Pilot rule. In a Jan.
Proposed tax rule changes recently issued by the Texas state comptroller go beyond the plain meaning of the tax code in Texas, and seek to impose significant new burdens on aircraft owners and operators, the NBAA says. The rules would “significantly change the standards for creating aircraft ownership and operating structures [and] under the proposal, a new rule might determine when operators could qualify for the ‘sale or resale’ exemption through aircraft leasing,” according to the association.
ARGUS International reports that when compared with the corresponding periods for the previous year, business aviation closed out 2014 posting an increase in activity for 13 months running. Flight activity was up 1.6% in December as compared to that same month a year earlier. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based consultancy predicts gains will continue in 2015.
Bombardier announced Jan. 15 that it is pausing its long-delayed Learjet 85 jet program because of weak market demand for the aircraft and a downward revision in the company’s market forecast. As a result, Bombardier will reduce its workforce by about 1,000 employees in Wichita and Queretaro, Mexico. The move reflects continued weakness in the light aircraft category, the company said. With continued delays, analysts had questioned the program’s fate.
Hypoxia is a silent killer and often pilots are unaware of their condition because lack of oxygen affects their judgment. Technicians who fly regularly or participate in pressurization system maintenance flights need to be prepared as well. To help increase awareness of the dangers of hypoxia, the military would use high-altitude pressure simulators to train pilots. Recent technological advances have introduced portable devices that simulate the high-altitude environment. Combined with software, hypoxia awareness can be taught just about anywhere.
Whoa. Wait a minute. Stop the presses! Wasn’t unleaded automobile gasoline (so-called “pump gas”) approved for use in some engine/airframe combinations years ago, at least for the smaller piston engines, e.g., the Lycoming O-360 installed in thousands of Cessna 172s and other light planes?
While the National Business Aviation Association is almost always identified with issues affecting the operation of turbine-powered business aircraft, more than 1,000 of its member companies operate piston-engine light planes to support their business travel.
A small population of large (“heavy”) transport and vintage aircraft powered by commensurately large air-cooled radial and liquid-cooled inline piston engines remains active in the U.S. and abroad that cannot be operated on any fuel other than 100/115-octane leaded aviation gasoline.
