Vector Aerospace Helicopter Services has joined Greenwich AeroGroup’s LiveAero Broadband SATCOM systems dealer network. Vector Aerospace Helicopter Services-North America, based in British Columbia, Canada, provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for helicopter operators globally. The dealership agreement enables Vector Aerospace Services in British Columbia to offer certification and installation services for the LiveAero System.
Royal Jet, a charter company based in Abu Dhabi, has awarded SR Technics a five-year contract to maintain, repair and overhaul its fleet of CFM56-7B engines. The contract is for the 12 engines currently in service on Royal Jet’s six Boeing Business Jet aircraft used by the carrier’s VIP guests. The engine work will be done at SR Technics’ headquarters at Zurich Airport, Switzerland.
A national program called “ExporTech” will be offered in Kansas for the first time through the Mid-American Manufacturing Technology Center, or MAMTC. The program will help up to eight South Central Kansas companies with an eye on foreign export markets in three group sessions, organizers say. Companies will be selected in the coming weeks. They will be assessed a $2,000 fee and allowed to bring up to three executives to the sessions. The end result will be a completed export plan and action items to grow exports.
XOJet, an on-demand private jet charter company, exceeded its profit targets and added a record number of new clients last year, it said. The San Francisco-based company recorded a 56% increase in new program sales last year, with a 19% improvement in retail charter sales. That included flights operated by XOJet and its partner operators. It experienced growth across North America and especially in the Northeast. Flights beginning or ending in the New York tri-state metro area were up significantly.
Three Textron Aviation service centers have gained certification to repair and service King Air aircraft, the company said. Its company-owned service centers in Sacramento, California, Mesa, Arizona, and Paris have gained certification for Beechcraft King Air 90-, 200- and 300-series aircraft. The certification expands King Air operators’ access to its global customer service, the company said. The Sacramento and Mesa facilities are the first Citation service centers in North American to gain FAA authorization for Beechcraft King Air Service.
Landmark Aviation has acquired Ellington Partners and Southwest Airport Services at Ellington Airport in Houston, the company said. It is Landmark’s second fixed base operator in the Houston area. It also operates an FBO at George Bush International/Houston Airport. “We are happy to expand our footprint in Houston, and we look forward to being a part of Ellington Airport and its surrounding communities,” said Dan Bucaro, Landmark Aviation president and CEO.
The first simulator for Honda Aircraft Co.’s new HondaJet aircraft has been delivered and is being installed at its headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. The installation is underway as Honda Aircraft expects FAA type certification on the very light jet by the end of March. The full-motion, Level D simulator and HondaJet training program were developed in a partnership with FlightSafety International. The simulator will be located at the HondaJet Training Center at Honda Aircraft.
Advanced Helicopter Services has opened a new regional helicopter support location at the Provo, Utah, airport. The satellite maintenance facility will support a broad range of aircraft maintenance capabilities for a number of helicopter models and mission profiles, it said. Advanced Helicopter Systems is a maintenance, repair and overhaul, or MRO, provider based at the Watts-Woodland airport northwest of Sacramento, California. The company recently acquired Cascade Helicopter Services in Seattle to enhance its services.
The Helicopter Association International’s (HAI) annual HELI-EXPO, held March 2-5 in Orlando, Florida, drew 18,272 registered attendees, hosted 735 exhibitors, including 57 aircraft on the convention hall floor. An upbeat Matt Zuccaro, HAI President and CEO, said at the time that “a lot of business is being done on the show floor.” And a lot of newsworthy announcements were forthcoming as well.
HAITEC Aircraft Maintenance GmbH, based in Germany, was granted Repair Station Approval by the FAA, which will allow it to offer maintenance, repair and overhaul services to operators of N-registered aircraft worldwide and grow its customer base, it said. HAITEC said it will mean growth at maintenance facilities at Hahn Airport and its VIP aircraft maintenance facility in Erfurt in Germany.
FlightSafety International says it plans to increase its fleet of advanced helicopter simulators by more than 40%.It aims to add Level D qualified simulators to its Learning Centers in Dallas, as well as at new facilities in Denver and Singapore, and at a location yet to be determined. The Denver facility is scheduled to open in 2016.
Bell Helicopter has delivered its first Bell 429WLG in North America. The aircraft was delivered to Kenny Habul, a professional Nascar driver and founder of CEO of SunEnergy1, a solar energy performance certificate company in Moorseville, North Carolina, specializing in utility-scale, ground-mount projects. The Bell 429 Wheeled Landing Gear, or WLG, will be used for corporate and VIP travel. “The Bell 429WLG is the perfect fit for our corporate and transportation needs,” Habul said.
AgustaWestland announced it had increased the maximum takeoff weight of its AW139 to 7,000 kg and will begin delivering new-build aircraft with the added heft from Italy in May and then from its U.S. assembly line in Philadelphia in July. The company is developing a retrofit capability for all AW139s to benefit from the change, although retrofitted aircraft will not benefit from all the performance improvements that new-build aircraft will.
A New Delhi fixed base operator is the first to be certified under the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling, or IS-BAH. SRC Aviation was the first FBO to become certified to the new standard, a voluntary, performance-based program for ground handlers based on practices to ensure quality, manage risk, avoid ground mishaps and protect people on the ramp, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) said. Several FBOs around the world are in the process of adopting the standard, according to the NBAA.
Becker Avionics, based in Miramar, Florida, has introduced a new ADS-B tracking and surveillance system for flight and ground operations. The system is called ATLASS, for ADS-B Traffic Localization and Surveillance System, a traffic monitoring system that provides air and ground situational awareness. The concept will be on display at the Heli-Expo convention March 3-5.
Cirrus Aircraft announced a Special Edition SR22T for use in the Australian market, called the Australis. The aircraft was designed and tailored to the climate, condition and remote area flight operations that Australian pilots frequently experience, the company said. The Australis features a custom interior and exterior design with a two-tone paint exterior and an array of color options, bolstered leather seats, carbon fiber accents on the instrument panel and polished lights and vents throughout the cabin.
Continental Motors Group has announced that its six-cylinder engine that will run on alternative fuels, the IO-360-AF (Alternative Fuel) engine, has received type certification from the FAA.The engine is certified for standard 100LL as well as for 91UL avgas now available in several countries. Flight Design GmbH is expected to take delivery of the first certified engine in the second quarter of this year for use on its Flight Design C4 all-carbon composite light aircraft.
Piaggio Aerospace completed the first flight of its first fully configured P.1HH HammerHead unmanned aerial vehicle in December. The HammerHead — an unmanned version of the P.180 Avanti executive turboprop — made its first flight on Dec. 22 from Trapani air base in Sicily.
Pilatus Aircraft recently delivered its 1,300th turboprop PC-12 to Surf Air, a private air travel club based in California. Surf Air flies members to small airports in the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles Metro area, Santa Barbara, Carlsbad/San Diego, Truckee/Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas and is adding destinations. The PC-12 NG delivery marked Surf Air’s fourth since it placed an order for 15 aircraft with options for an additional 50 last fall.
Purdue is expanding its propulsion laboratory for research directed at reducing fuel consumption and emissions for the next generation of jet engines. Expansion will include test cells to support laser-based measurements in a building to be constructed next to its high-pressure lab. The high-pressure lab was developed in 1964 as part of NASA’s Apollo program and is sponsored by aerospace companies, NASA, the Air Force and other agencies. The lab specializes in rockets and gas-turbine engines.
The two-place Guimbal Cabri light piston helicopter saw its best year yet in 2014 when 27 aircraft were delivered. The French company expects to deliver 44 Cabris this year and 58 in 2016.Powered by a Textron Lycoming 0-360, the Cabri is the only piston helicopter in production in Europe. The 100th unit is expected to fly this month.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) will begin a large-scale runway construction and rehabilitation project beginning in March. The construction will take place in five stages and is expected to be completed in 2017. Phase one includes the closure of Runway 25L-07R for 33 days, from March 6 to April 7. Departure delays are likely during peak times because of reduced departure rates. At times, the airport will be down to a three-runway operation.
The Aerospace Industries Association is searching for a new president as Marion Blakey, the longtime face and voice of U.S. aerospace and defense industry concerns in Washington, will be taking a job as the president and CEO of Rolls-Royce’s North American Operations. The unit’s current president, CEO and chairman, James Guyette, is retiring May 31. In Blakey, RRNA is getting an executive who knows Washington and the industry.
