In what is becoming a holiday tradition, New Hampshire-based fractional aircraft provider PlaneSense flew one of its Pilatus PC-12s filled with donated food to Manchester Boston Regional Airport yesterday for the New Hampshire Food Bank. While last year’s contribution totaled 800 pounds, this year saw the company’s charitable effort amass more than 7,000 pounds of food, exceeding the turboprop-single's cargo capacity and requiring the remainder to be delivered by truck.

The flight, piloted by company president and CEO George Antoniadis, was greeted at the airport by Manchester, N.H. Mayor Ted Gatsas and other officials. “It is my great pleasure to be here with the New Hampshire Food Bank for the second year in a row, to accept and thank the PlaneSense team for being so giving during the holiday season,” said Gatsas. “Their donations today will give so many Queen City and New Hampshire residents a wonderful meal this holiday season.”

According to the food bank more than 140,000 state residents require some form of food assistance, and increasing the public’s awareness of that fact was a key goal of the company’s food drive, Antoniadis noted.

Nearly a year after Global Jet Capital was launched, the aircraft financing firm has completed about 90 percent of its acquisition of GE’s fixed-wing corporate aircraft financing portfolio in the Americas. Global Jet Capital, which announced the planned acquisition in October, has acquired all 276 aircraft in the portfolio in the U.S. and Canada. The remaining 10 percent, comprising accounts in Mexico and Brazil, is slated for completion in January 2016. The entire portfolio represents about $2.5 billion in assets.

“[The] announcement is a significant step in further cementing our position as a leader in business aviation finance in the Americas,” said Global Jet Capital executive director Shawn Vick. “We are acquiring an excellent book of financed aircraft that not only provides us with a steady flow of income, but also a strong client base, which creates a huge opportunity for us to provide new business aviation finance solutions.”

Vick added that the company is well positioned to capitalize on the growing market with the majority of the acquisition complete and more than $1 billion lined up to lend in new purchases. Global Jet Capital is capitalized through GSO Capital Partners, a Blackstone company, in partnership with Franklin Square Capital Partners; The Carlyle Group; and AE Industrial Partners.

World-Way Aviation will debut its new FBO at Brazil’s Sorocaba Airport in February, the company announced last week. The $15 million facility, one of six service providers at the airport, will offer a hangar with a clear span of 252 feet and nearly 100,000 sq ft of space—enough room for nine Embraer Lineage 1000s—and 1.5 acres of ramp area.

The FBO's 30,000-sq-ft terminal will have a dedicated VIP lounge, conference room, crew lounge, flight-planning room, crew rest suites, fitness center, observation balcony and concierge service. It will be the largest service provider facility in the country, as well as Brazil’s only member of the Air Elite network.

Located 60 miles from downtown São Paulo, the dedicated business aviation airport is open 24 hours with no slot restrictions, and is the world’s only airport to host service centers owned by Dassault, Embraer, Gulfstream and Pratt & Whitney Canada.

During a ceremony at Gulfstream's headquarters in Savannah, Ga., on Friday, Qatar Airways group CEO Akbar Al Baker took delivery of the airline’s first Gulfstream, a G650ER that is part of an order for up to 30 G650ERs, G500s and G600s. Qatar Airways' charter, management, FBO and maintenance division, Qatar Executive, will operate the new Gulfstreams, joining a fleet that includes the Bombardier Challenger 605, Global 5000 and XRS and Airbus A319. 

Deliveries of the G500s are scheduled to begin in 2018, and all of the Qatar Airways order, which includes firm purchases and options, will be delivered within the next five years, according to Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “I think this will help us sell a lot of airplanes in the Middle East,” he said. “Putting these airplanes in the Middle East in commercial operation gives us a good footprint [there]. This is a very important day for us. We’re looking forward to a long and healthy relationship.” 

After formally receiving a key to the new jet, Al Baker praised the Gulfstream employees. “I would like to appreciate the fantastic work the young men and women who have built this very fine machine for us. The private jet division of Qatar Airways will today soar to new heights as it takes delivery of [our] first Gulfstream aircraft. We look forward to this new relationship with Gulfstream as we enter this aircraft in our growing private jet fleet.”

Immediately following the delivery, the new jet was flown directly from Savannah to Doha by Nadhim Nielsen, vice president of flight operations, and captain Eleni Veliu, chief pilot-training for Qatar Airways. Qatar Executive will operate this G650ER as a G650 until the -ER receives EASA certification next year. 

Embraer Executive Jets today announced the delivery of the first Phenom 100E in China. The light jet will be operated by Wanfeng Aviation, a subsidiary of the Wanfeng Auto Holding Group, for business passenger travel. Wanfeng Auto has businesses in automotive parts, machinery, financial investments, alternative energy and materials.

“We are glad that Wanfeng chose Embraer’s Phenom 100E, and it’s an honor for us to support Wanfeng’s growth in China,” said Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Marco Tulio Pellegrini.

“It’s a great honor to receive the first Phenom 100E in China,” said Wanfeng president Chen Bin. “After comprehensive studies of executive jets in the same class, we chose the Phenom 100E, as it ideally meets our demands with plenty of space, fast speed and low fuel consumption.”

More than 320 Phenom 100/100Es are currently in operation in 26 countries.

Operators of GIVs and GVs can now have Gogo Business Aviation’s UCS 5000 Smart Cabin System installed by Gulfstream factory-owned service centers under an STC issued to Gulfstream Aerospace. The UCS 5000 is a “smart” router capable of managing multiple onboard networks, according to Gogo, and it also interfaces with Gogo Biz air-to-ground connectivity services via Gogo’s ATG 4000 or ATG 5000, including Gogo’s Text & Talk feature that allows passengers to use their own smartphones for text messaging and voice calls.

Operators can also connect the UCS 5000 to Iridium and Inmarsat Swiftbroadband satcom systems. For cabin entertainment, the UCS 5000 works as a “full-function media server” so passengers can access the Gogo Vision library, which stores up to 200 movies and TV shows. Gogo Vision is updated via a USB drive or using the Gogo Cloud service at certain FBOs in the U.S.

The new equipment, which weighs less than 10 pounds, can be installed at Gulfstream’s company-owned service centers in Savannah and Brunswick, Ga.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Westfield, Mass.; Dallas; Appleton, Wis.; Las Vegas; and Long Beach, Calif. Gulfstream is working on an STC for the UCS 5000 in the G450 and G550, and this should be available next year.

ExecuJet’s Berlin facility this week became the first FBO in Germany to achieve certification under the International Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAH). A joint program between International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IBAC) and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), IS-BAH incorporates a safety management system in all aspects of FBO operations and is structured on the earlier International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO).

“Receiving IS-BAH accreditation is a great achievement for our FBO and ground handling team,” said Sigrun Leidel, the FBO’s general manager. “It is becoming increasingly important for business aviation operators to seek verification of the level of proficiency of its business aircraft handling, and IS-BAH provides an excellent means of meeting safety management system requirements.” Last month, the ExecuJet facility in South Africa became the first in Africa to receive the IS-BAH stamp of approval from IBAC.

The National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) recently named its new board of directors and products and services member advisory council members.

The new board, which will take effect next month, will be led by Ogarajets president and CEO Johnny Foster as chairman; Sabrina Prewitt of Jack Prewitt & Associates is secretary; and Matt Bosco of Axis Aviation Group is treasurer. Other board members include Chad Anderson of Jetcraft, Todd Jackson of Elliott Jets, Mitch McCune of Corporate Fleet Services and Brian Proctor of Mente Group.

Wayne Starling of PNC Aviation Finance will serve as chairman of NARA’s products and services member advisory council. JetNet’s Paul Cardarelli is first vice chairman and Jonathan Levy of Advocate Consulting Legal Group is second vice chairman of the council. In addition, Stephan Asper of AIC Title Service is secretary.

Like its Gulfstream G650s that will enter service next year, Flexjet’s supersonic Aerion AS2s—slated for delivery starting in 2023—will be part of the fractional provider’s Global Access program, Flexjet chairman and parent company Directional Aviation Capital principal Kenn Ricci told AIN. This means that Flexjet will not be selling shares in either of these long-range aircraft.

Instead, existing Flexjet share owners would pay an additional monthly fee to get access to the G650 and AS2, in addition to hourly occupied charges. The company said these hourly charges will be “dynamic,” with members paying lower rates for the hours spent in long-range cruise.

According to Ricci, the AS2 will be relegated to flying international city pairs—likely coastal cities that would allow nearly the entire flight to be flown overwater at the aircraft’s top speed of Mach 1.5. Another reason is the jet will be 170 feet long, requiring specially built hangars, and also need longer runways than traditional business aircraft. Customers using theAS2 would then need to transfer to a subsonic Flexjet aircraft to complete the rest of their trip, essentially a hub-and-spoke system.

Thus, the company will need to have aircraft based outside of its core U.S. market. On this front, Ricci said Flexjet plans to expand into the European market next year, with operations bases likely added in other world regions in the following years.

California-based aircraft charter, management and maintenance provider Desert Jet will expand its operations at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM) in the Palm Springs area, with the announcement that it is establishing its own FBO. Operations are slated to begin next month from a temporary structure, while the permanent $5 million, FBO is expected to be completed by the end of April.

“Desert Jet’s decision to invest in this aircraft hangar, terminal and office development project reflects our confidence in the role of the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport as the center of business aviation operations in our region,” said company president and CEO Denise Wilson, who believes the new facility with its modern design and function will change the landscape at the Thermal airport, which has seen significant growth over the past decade.

Currently TRM is served by Signature Flight Support and Landmark Aviation FBOs, but with the recent news that Signature parent company BBA Aviation is attempting to acquire Landmark, it remains to be seen whether Signature will be allowed to combine the two locations into a single FBO. The five-acre Desert Jet Center will include 10,000 sq ft of terminal, office and maintenance space, along with a 22,500-sq-ft hangar that will accommodate the latest class of ultra-long-range business jets with its 130-foot wide, 28-foot-tall doors. The company signed on as an Epic-branded dealer and will be exhibiting here at NBAA as part of the fuel provider’s lineup of FBOs (Booth C6609). It is in the process of installing its tank farm, which when complete will hold 48,000 gallons of jet-A.

Established in 2007, Desert Jet’s charter/management and maintenance businesses will be exhibiting separately here at the show at Booth C13328.

The third flight-test AW609 is expected to fly by the middle of next year as work continues on AgustaWestland's civil tiltrotor program following the fatal crash of Ship 02 on October 30. “With regards to the AW609 tiltrotor anticipated certification date, Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland is fully committed to mitigating any delay that our recent tragic accident, and the subsequent investigation, might have on the program itself,” the company told AIN. 

Ship 03 is nearing completion in Italy and will be relocated to Philadelphia for flight testing in the first half of next year. Ship 04, currently in Philadelphia, “will most closely resemble a production aircraft, with the company nearing completion of final configuration aspects and supplier contracts,” AgustaWestland said.

Collaboration continues between AgustaWestland and key AW609 customers, including the Bristow Group, for the development of an offshore transportation variant, as well as with the Joint Aviation Command of the United Arab Emirates on a search-and-rescue configuration. The UAE’s Joint Aviation Command last month committed to a firm order for three AW609s, with options for three more.

Test flying of the new Bell 525 super medium twin helicopter is “ahead of plan,” according to Bell Helicopter 525 program vice president Larry Thimmesch. The first 525 flight-test vehicle (FTV1) made its maiden flight on July 1. A second 525 (FTV2) joined the program last week and is expected to begin airborne trials soon , he said. Overall, the 525 remains on track for certification in 2017, Thimmesch added, with the program eventually to include five test aircraft.

To date, Bell has 75 letters of intent for 525s from customers, the majority coming from the offshore energy services (OGP) industry. The company has yet to formally release a price for the aircraft, though it is expected to be in the $20- to $24 million range.

FTV1 has flown 65 hours and validated the 165-knot Vne and 12,000-foot ceiling, as well as begun hover performance testing in and out of ground effect and initial autorotation testing. “Getting into a production cadence is really where we are focused right now,” Thimmesch said. “The good news about flight test is we spent a lot of time in the systems integration lab validating components integration, throwing faults in the system, and seeing how the aircraft reacts. That has really paid off.”

Los Angeles-based air charter firm Zetta Jet has signed a deal with Bombardier Business Aircraft for up to five Global 6000s worth a potential $318 million at list prices. The agreement, announced today, is a firm order for one Global 6000 and options for four more of the ultra-long-range jets. The airplane will operate out of the company's Asian hub in Singapore and will join Zetta Jet’s fleet of four Globals, which includes a new Global 5000 delivered this quarter.

Zetta Jet, which started operations in August, is an FAA Part 135 charter operator with a scheduling and operations center in Los Angeles, in addition to a network of sales and support offices in New York, London, Harbin, China, and Singapore. Notably, the Part 135 operator has been authorized by the FAA to conduct Polar flights, which can shave off 1.5 hours on a flight between Los Angeles and Moscow.

Geoffery Cassidy, Zetta Jet's managing director, said the Global 6000 was chosen for its comfort and transcontinental range. “With our flagship Global, along with our commitment to world-class service, the Zetta Jet experience sets the benchmark for bespoke private air travel,” he said.

With the economic downturn now seven years in the rear-view mirror, the U.S. economy has continued its slow but steady recovery this year, reaching, in the eyes of most of the world, an enviable streak of 22 consecutive quarters of expansion. But the strengthening of the U.S. dollar has placed a chill on the international business jet market, which is still dealing with the effects of declining aircraft residual values.

In anticipation of increased business aviation traffic into the Phoenix area for the college football playoff championship game on January 11, the FAAissued a notam. It warns pilots to be prepared for potential airborne holding, reroutes or Expect Departure Clearance Times (EDCTs), for all domestic IFR arrivals at Arizona airports such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Phoenix Deer Valley, Glendale, Goodyear and Scottsdale. The information, released in the FAA’s 600-page December Notices to Airmen bulletin, was excerpted into a simple-to-understand web page by NBAA.

Arrival and departure reservations, made directly through the FBOs, will be required for IFR operations during certain periods at those airports from January 9 to 12 (January 11 to 12 at Scottsdale Airport). According to the FAA, to maintain program integrity and minimize delays during this period, no airborne IFR filing or airborne changes of destination will be permitted within 200 nm of Phoenix Terminal airspace. In addition, duplicate flight plans to multiple airport destinations are subject to removal from the system.

Any TFRs associated with the event will be released by the agency no less than three days before the game.

The online helicopter booking portal EvoLux now has 200 helicopters enrolled in the system in eight major metropolitan areas, among them New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami, and now founder Ray Leavitt says he is readying the company for the “next level” as he seeks an investment seed round of $5 to $10 million.

Sikorsky Innovations selected EvoLux the winner of its second “Entrepreneurial Challenge Competition” in 2013. Leavitt wants to make it easier to book a helicopter seat via two computerized platforms that let customers either book the entire helicopter through SkyLimo or open up a helicopter they have booked to friends or the general public to cut costs through SkyShare.  Leavitt said EvoLux differs from its better known competitor Blade in that it allows operators more flexibility to accept, deny or shift a flight or substitute equipment as they see fit in a way that “keeps it non-scheduled and Part 135.”

Leavitt thinks his system will be a boon, particularly to small helicopter charter operators who he says spend an inordinate amount of time preparing charter bids. “Our system calculates where the aircraft is located, what the reposition would be, the flight time, the wait time, the reposition of the aircraft back and any other fees that go into it. You can go onto our site and pretty much have a search from anywhere to anywhere and have a price quoted with all that included in less than three seconds. That right there is an efficiency that doesn’t exist in the current marketplace for helicopters,” Leavitt said.

Expanding the Market

Leavitt’s goal is to use EvoLux to get more helicopter riders–and more helicopters–in the air, thus bringing down the cost for both. “My research shows that there are 781 helicopters available for charter in the U.S. That isn’t very many when you consider that in São Paulo, Brazil, alone there are 450. On average a helicopter in the U.S. fleet flies just 0.81 hours per day, but they have the potential to do six to eight hours per day. You can open up that market to a huge population if you had something to make helicopter travel more affordable.” Leavitt thinks EvoLux does just that. “These operators can get to the point where they not only fill their existing helicopters but they can buy new ones because there is now more civilian demand for it.”

Leavitt worked as a consultant to DayJet and as a charter broker before starting EvoLux, rolling out a prototype system in 2009 regionally in south Florida, where he developed a VIP clientele and began doing high-end events such as professional golf tournaments.

EvoLux is paying close attention to infrastructure issues in the markets it serves. In Miami EvoLux uses a “heliboat” that allows it to skirt the zoning and other restrictions associated with building a helipad. What the 60- by 20-foot boat lacks in aesthetics, it more than makes up for in utility. “It’s the ugliest boat you’ve ever seen,” Leavitt concedes, but it is approved by the state fish and wildlife service, local police and the Coast Guard. Passengers are picked up in tender boats and taken to their ultimate destinations. The heliboats can be converted for $150,000 to $200,000 apiece. “We’ve had Bell 429s land on it and the downwash didn’t do anything,” Leavitt said. “The thing works really well.”

The future opening of air travel to Cuba from Miami also holds promise for twin-engine operations, Leavitt noted. 

In Los Angeles, where EvoLux has 24 helicopters enrolled, the company is watching the debate over the fate of the moribund heliport at Los Angeles International Airport and sees Los Angeles overall as a market with lots of potential. “We think southern California is one of those markets that will organically ‘get it’ and just start using this. It’s three-hour traffic jams everywhere you go, and it is so spread out. If we can activate the LAX heliport and then bundle $200-per-seat flights to it with first-class scheduled service on American Airlines, I think you could really kick off the L.A. market,” Leavitt said.

In November, EvoLux announced that it would begin operation from Chicago’s new Vertiport with partners Helimotion, Image Air and Indiana Helicopters. Leavitt noted that EvoLux also is looking hard at the Phoenix and Colorado ski resort markets. EvoLux vets its carrier partners but does not require Argus or Wyvern ratings. “We use only qualified operators,” Leavitt said. “We check a carrier’s certificate and liability insurance and we have declined to invite certain operators onto the platform.”

“We want to attract resorts and destinations that are off the beaten path that normally would take a customer forever to get there,” Leavitt said. “The resorts will want to promote us to their customers.”

Amac Aerospace's Basel facility has secured three BBJ maintenance contracts. A privately owned BBJ 3 will arrive at Amac Aerospace Switzerland during next year's first quarter for a major C-check and a partial removal of the VIP cabin interior. Another privately owned BBJ will undergo a heavy base maintenance check and a removal of the VIP cabin. The scope of work on the N-registered aircraft covers a LAN modification, an installation of a new router and various rectifications, improvements and refurbishments on the VIP cabin. The BBJ will enter the shop next month.

The MRO also signed a maintenance contract for a privately owned BBJ 3 from the Middle East. It will undergo a C-check in conjunction with upgrading the satcom system and installing a new cabin router to enhance the cabin connectivity with additional features and to increase the comfort of the passengers. Finally, an N-registered Gulfstream GIV has also been inducted for an annual inspection.

Elliott Aviation, an authorized service center for the Embraer Phenom 100 and 300, completed three Phenom 72-month inspections in November. The 72-month inspections were performed on Phenom 100s, and all three were delivered the same week. During these major inspections, almost every inspection panel is removed, along with the chin and aft fuselage fairings. The process involves about 200 hours, with an average of 100 additional hours for discrepancies. Elliott Aviation completed the inspections within 15 working days.

“We’ve got a great working relationship with our partners at Embraer,” said Mike Saathoff, senior director of technical sales at Elliott Aviation. “Our Phenom team is dedicated to taking on the most intense inspections on this airframe. With over 50 coming due in 2016, we are in a great position to offer Phenom customers highly experienced, factory-trained technicians for their airframe.”

Elliott Aviation offers aircraft sales, avionics service and installations, aircraft maintenance, accessory repair and overhaul, paint and interior, charter and aircraft management out of its facilities in Moline, Ill.; Des Moines, Iowa; and Minneapolis, Minn.

StandardAero recently completed its first certified ADS-B retrofit for an Embraer Legacy 650 at its Los Angeles International Airport MRO facility. Along with the ADS-B installation, StandardAero also completed a full Waas GPS upgrade. Both upgrades were performed through Embraer Service Bulletins.

“We continue to see an increasing number of requests for our affordable ADS-B solutions for a wide variety of airframes,” said Jerry Sanders, avionics product director for StandardAero Business Aviation. “As a result of these recent upgrades, this Embraer Legacy operator now meets the FAA and Eurocontrol’s 2020 ADS-B mandate.”  

The upgrade will increase fuel efficiency through better aircraft routing, as well as increase safety and situational awareness for pilots.

West Star Aviation announced it has renewed its Textron Aviation authorized Hawker and Citation service center agreement at its Grand Junction, Colo. facility. “In an era of OEM service center agreement uncertainty, we are extremely proud that Textron Aviation has renewed our agreement,” said West Star CEO Robert Rasberry. “The Hawker and Citation MRO services segment has been a focus of West Star for years, and we continue to invest resources in its growth.”

West Star GJT offers support to Hawker and Citation operators, including maintenance, avionics, component overhaul, paint and interior refurbishment, in addition to being a Honeywell TFE731and GTCP36-150 line service center. Also, West Star GJT is approved by Textron Aviation for Hawker landing gear overhaul.

The MRO also offers a component and accessory overhaul and repair shop, parts support and window repair services. In addition to its facilities in East Alton, Ill., Grand Junction, Colo., and Columbia, S.C., West Star Aviation has satellite operations at Aspen-Pitkin County (Colo.) Airport, Chicago Executive Airport and Denver Centennial Airport.