IMP Group Limited (IMP), the Canadian conglomerate that owns Canjet, Innotech Aviation, Execaire and Pacific Avionics, continues to expand its aviation portfolio with the acquisition of Toronto-based Image Air Charter to compliment Execaire's charter and management services. The company, which has 60 employees, manages a fleet of 20 aircraft. Execaire employs 290 workers and has a managed fleet of 53 aircraft.
After reading, “Who's Up Front?” (February 2013, page 9) I'd like to share my thoughts on airplanes without pilots. PA announcement of the future: “Folks, welcome aboard No Pilot Airlines Flight 1 to Frankfurt. You're currently at 35,000 ft. just east of Boston. You are flying an engineer's dream, a plane without pilots. “The engineers have won. At this mo–ment there are 1,500 airliners airborne and 40 U.S. and allied fighters heading to destroy terrorist targets. All of those are pilotless.
Sikorsky is taking another look at the fixed-wing M-28 light twin-engine transport plane. It inherited the development when it took over PZL Mielec back in 2007. The aircraft has achieved some success, with a large sale to the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, and the company is confident of more future sales .
EASA certified both the Dassault Falcon 2000S and 2000LXS March 11. This puts the 2000LXS ahead of schedule. It was originally anticipated to enter the market in 2014, but Dassault now expects the aircraft to enter service in the second half of this year. The Falcon 2000S is slated for first deliveries in the second quarter. Dassault unveiled the Falcon 2000S during the 2011 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition as a successor to the Falcon 2000DX.
Dassault expects to see a boost in Falcon sales and slight increase in deliveries to 70 Falcon business jets in 2013. The improving sales would follow a year in which Dassault's Falcon net order intake (minus cancellations) increased by more than 50%, from 36 in 2011 to 58 in 2012. Deliveries were up last year by three units from 2011 to 66. But with the lead time in orders to deliveries, Dassault's production output is still reflecting slow orders during the downturn and is well beneath the 2010 peak of 95 deliveries.
EASA has updated guidance for flying in volcanic ash-contaminated airspace, revamping its recommendations to reflect the latest research conducted by industry groups studying the threat of ash to aircraft operations. Feedback from original equipment manufacturers convinced EASA to take a more aggressive stance on flying through ash clouds, and the agency's first recommendation urges carriers to “avoid operations in visible volcanic ash.”
In the 1963 Handbook for Planning & Purchasing, the five most expensive aircraft listed in the “Fixed-Wing Business/Utility Aircraft” tables were: Lockheed JetStar 1329-23A, $1,450,000; Fairchild Stratos Corp., F-27 Business, $895,000; North American Aviation, Sabreliner 265-40, $795,000; de Havilland DH 125 Series I, $625,000; Howard Aero, Howard 500, $597,000. (In BCA's 2012 edition the most expensive airplanes listed are the Airbus Corporate Jetliner at $80 million and the Boeing BBJ at $70 million).
The Bell 47 is reborn as a turbine. Scott's — Bell 47 (SB47), a Minnesota-based upgrade and modification specialist, has launched a program to restart production of an all-new variant of the venerable Bell 47 light utility helicopter. Although outwardly identical in most respects to the original 1946-vintage design, the new variant will feature an array of 21st century features, including composite main rotor blades, an improved instrument panel with solid-state electronics, LED lighting and a new interior.
The FAA's Aerospace Forecast for 2013-2033 predicts the general aviation fleet will increase at an average annual rate of 0.5%, from an estimated 220,670 in 2012 to 246,375 by 2033. This growth reflects an anticipated 2.8% increase in turbine aircraft on average per year. Business jets in particular are forecast to grow 3.5% on average per year, reaching 24,620 by 2033.
After losing the USAF Light Air Support (LAS) competition for the second time Feb. 27 to a Sierra Nevada/Embraer team, Beechcraft once again protested the loss. The LAS contract is worth up to $950 million. Once a protest is filed with the Government Accountability Office, auditors have up to 100 days to review the case and make a determination. Citing the need “to honor a critical and time-sensitive U.S.
Boeing is moving all of its full-flight simulators (FFS) from Seattle to Miami. The relocation began when the first 787 simulator was shipped by truck to the company's training facility at Miami International Airport. This starts a consolidation of the company's pilot training activities in Miami that is expected to finish by year-end. Maintenance training for all but the 787 will remain in Seattle.
Metro Aviation has released a smart phone app with the potential to decrease response time by up to 5 min. When air transport is needed, hospitals and first responders can use Metro Alert to notify one of Metro Aviation's bases and send GPS coordinates using the helo- alert function. Users will receive an estimated time of arrival and availability of the closest helicopter, as well as have access to other functions such as tips for preparing the landing zone.
Sikorsky is insisting it has not abandoned its Schweizer light helicopter product line, but is working to rationalize it in a bid to reduce costs. Sikorsky took over Schweizer in 2004, taking on the product lines of S-300, S-333 and S-434 light-piston and light-turbine helicopters. But since the takeover, production of the light helicopter line has been significantly reduced, and several operators have struggled to get parts for the helicopters, limiting training and operations.
New FAA guidance is providing FAR Part 121, 135 and 91K operators an alternate means to demonstrate compliance with initial training requirements for their contract instructors and check airmen. The guidance, released in February, after the agency met with industry groups concerned that the training requirements were forcing some Part 142 training centers to pull authorizations of their inspectors and check airman.
The NTSB, March 12, issued five safety alerts aimed at reducing the number of general aviation accidents: reduced-visual reference; aerodynamic stalls at low altitude; pilot inattention to indications of mechanical problems; risk management of aviation maintenance technicians and risk management for pilots. The five Safety Alerts issued are: “Is Your Aircraft Talking to You?
The emergence and strong sales of Robinson's R66 Turbine is causing helicopter manufacturers to think again about the light single-turbine market. For years, Robinson's piston R22 and R44s were considered to be in a league of their own. But the development and certification of the R66 — nearly 200 of which were delivered in 2012 — has raised eyebrows, as it begins to impinge on markets that were previously strongholds of models produced by Bell, MD, Enstrom and to some extent Eurocopter.
The FAA is gauging the interest of aerospace companies in developing upgrades to the ground-based portions of its wide-area augmentation system (WAAS) in advance of dual-frequency GPS operations for the aviation community later this decade. WAAS uses a network of ground-based reference and control stations, and three geostationary satellites, to augment the accuracy of GPS signals to enable satellite-based instrument approaches and precision navigation operations in North America. Similar satellite-based augmentation systems are available in Europe, Japan and elsewhere.
JSSI has introduced the Embraer Legacy 650 Airframe Program and Platinum level coverage for the Honeywell HTF7000 series engine. The Legacy 650 program covers almost every part, component, assembly and system on the aircraft, excluding the engines and APU, for a limited contract term. Legacy 650 clients can also opt to include engine and APU to get JSSI's Tip-To-Tail coverage. The HFT7000 program allows for the option of adding coverage for scheduled repair and replacement of life-limited components, as well as routine inspections.
Argus TRAQPak data shows that February 2013 flight activity levels decreased from January, finishing the month down 2.3% overall. The results by operational category were mostly negative with the exception of fractional activity, up 0.8% over January. Part 135 and Part 91 flight activity were both down for the month, 4.5% and 1.7% respectively. Reviewing the individual market segments, the Part 91 large cabin segment posted a 5.5% month over month increase, while the Part 135 turboprop segment posted an 8.3% month over month decrease.
ARINC Direct, Annapolis, announced that Jim Banville and Michael Shearer have been promoted as directors of sales for the company. Banville will head the Western U.S. and Canada sales team and Shearer will be responsible for the Eastern U.S. and Canada team.
Piper Aircraft has adopted the most recent Garmin G1000 software supporting a three-display avionics suite as standard equipment in new piston-twin Piper Seneca V models available in 2013. The announcement was made at Airshow 2013, the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition in February.
