Airbus Helicopters announced the launch of its new H160 medium helicopter. The 5.5-6-metric-ton helicopter is intended to challenge AgustaWestland’s AW139, which has dominated the medium helicopter segment for a decade. Airbus says the H160 will be able to carry 12 passengers out to an oil platform 120 nm offshore, complete a missed approach and return to land on the same tank of fuel, all at a cruise speed of around 160 kt. It will be powered by a pair of Turbomeca Arrano 1A turboshaft engines.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Flight evaluations of Safe Flight Instrument Corp.’s new Icing Conditions Detector (ICD) by a jet and a piston aircraft manufacturer are expected to conclude soon and production begin. “We have a contract to deliver starting this year,” said Safe Flight Executive Vice President Matt Greene.
Bell Helicopter announced a number of sales including an agreement from Air Methods Corp. for 200 407GXPs configured for emergency medical services. The order was one of the largest commercial sales in Bell’s history. Deliveries will begin in 2016 under a 10-year contract.
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.
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.
All Fueled Up Being the owner of several mogas STCs, I read “Getting the Lead Out: The Future of Avgas” (February 2015, page 7) with great interest. I would like to point out several misconceptions that may arise as a result of the article:
Gulfstream’s done it again. Winning the Collier Trophy, that is. On March 12, the National Aeronautic Association announced Gulfstream will be awarded the 2014 Robert J.
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.
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.
Your aircraft’s logs and maintenance records provide assurance of regulatory continuity from the time its Certificate of Airworthiness was issued that its configuration meets the approved type design. They also provide evidence that the aircraft is compliant to the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness. Without this information, your aircraft is no more than an expensive paperweight. The aircraft and maintenance logbooks are the most valuable items in your hangar, so you must protect them at all costs.
According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gulfstream Aerospace and Spirit AeroSystems have settled a case in which the latter alleged it had sustained damages for incomplete payments for G650 wings it manufactured for Gulfstream. Jefferies aerospace analyst Howard Rubel noted that by the end of last year, Gulfstream had retained $135.1 million in payments for work completed. Meanwhile, Spirit had liabilities tied to the program of $65.1 million. Rubel estimates Spirit received a net payment of $70 million in the settlement.
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.
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.
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.
Looking for help enabling electronic signatures? The FAA has an Advisory Circular to point you in the right direction. “AC 120-78 — Acceptance and Use of Electronic Signatures, Electronic Record-keeping Systems and Electronic Manuals “ is the place to look. The main idea is to ensure that only the person doing the work and returning the aircraft to service is making the entry. This can be done in a number of ways, and this guidance will help you choose.
In 2014, Embraer delivered 116 executive aircraft, including 92 light jets and 24 large jets, as well as 92 commercial aircraft, compared to 119 executive jet deliveries in 2013. Meanwhile, the Brazilian manufacturer’s total revenue in 2014 at Embraer increased 0.9% to $6.3 billion, driven by growth in Embraer’s defense and security segment, it said.
MD Helicopters owner Lynn Tilton says 2014 looks to be one of the company’s most successful years, with deliveries of 60 single-engine MD500 and MD600 helicopters and seven MD902s.
