Category: BizJet

Garmin Expands Availability of the Retrofit G1000 NXi

Garmin Expands Availability of the Retrofit G1000 NXi

Garmin announced the addition of five aircraft eligible for its G1000 NXi integrated flight deck upgrade. Aircraft currently equipped with a WAAS G1000 integrated flight deck that are now eligible for the G1000 NXi include the Cessna 172/182/206 and Beechcraft Bonanza and Baron. The G1000 NXi includes capabilities such as wireless connectivity, SurfaceWatch and map overlay within the HSI. “Based on the success of the G1000 NXi upgrade programs that are available today, we’re excited to deliver this upgrade to thousands of additional aircraft owners and operators,” says Carl Wolf, Garmin vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “With the G1000 NXi, customers experience faster performance and find tremendous value in new features like wireless cockpit connectivity, visual approach guidance, SurfaceWatch, map HSI and more, all of which make this upgrade an absolute must-have in every aircraft.”

Aircraft that currently have a WAAS G1000 integrated flight deck that are now eligible for the G1000 NXi upgrade are the Cessna 172 R/S, Cessna 182T, Cessna 206H, Beechcraft Bonanza G36 and the Beechcraft Baron G58.

As part of the G1000 NXi upgrade for these aircraft, Flight Stream 510 and Connext technology enables Database Concierge, the wireless transfer of aviation databases from the Garmin Pilot app on a mobile device to the G1000 NXi integrated flight deck. Additional features enabled by the Flight Stream 510 include two-way flight plan transfer, the sharing of traffic, weather, GPS information, back-up attitude information and more, among the G1000 NXi and the Garmin Pilot, FltPlan Go and ForeFlight Mobile applications. The G1000 NXi also includes geographical map overlay within the horizontal situation indicator (HSI), visual approach guidance and more.

The G1000 NXi supports the display of various Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In benefits, including traffic and subscription-free Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B) weather. Other standard features include SurfaceWatch runway monitoring technology, which provides visual and aural cues to help prevent pilots from taking off or landing on a taxiway, on a runway that is too short, or on the wrong runway based on performance data entered during preflight. Visual and audible runway distance remaining annunciations are also available via SurfaceWatch. Additional features that are available as standard include animated NEXRAD weather radar imagery, Vertical Situation Display (VSD), IFR enroute charts, VFR sectionals and Visual Reporting Points (VRPs).

Upgrading to the G1000 NXi takes little aircraft down time and disruption of the panel because the displays preserve the same footprint and connectors, so panel and wiring modifications are minimized, says Garmin.

Rusada Unveils New Technical Publications Module for ENVISION

Rusada Unveils New Technical Publications Module for ENVISION

Rusada has revealed the newest module for its MRO and flight operations solution ENVISION. “Technical Publications” can be used by aircraft operators and MRO’s to integrate their library of documents into their product, ENVISION, creating live, digital versions of these resources.

A feature of the module is the digitization of OEM manuals and maintenance programs, enabling the creation of a digital library of maintenance task cards. These task cards can be authored as users see fit, including the option to add custom validated fields and electronic sign-off. The information in these task cards is live, so when OEM’s release revisions of their documents, the relevant data can be instantly updated, without the need to manually re-create or edit existing task cards.

In addition to this, by linking Technical Publications to ENVISION’s Human Resources module, organizations can ensure that only users with the correct designations and approval stamps can sign-off maintenance activities, keeping them in compliance with aviation regulations.

Rusada predicts that this functionality could save countless hours of time and allow organizations to take the next step to a paperless MRO environment. As ENVISION is a web-based solution, Technical Publications can be used in the field on a tablet or smartphone.

“Many people in the industry have been asking us for this functionality. They’ve had enough of trying to manage these vital activities with paper documents, static spreadsheets or low functionality software,” Julian Stourton, CEO at Rusada says. “I am therefore thrilled to be rolling out Technical Publications to the market. The functionality that we’ve developed will save our customers huge amounts of time and resource, while keeping them compliant. This is a fully developed and live solution that is ready to be implemented today.”

StandardAero and Sierra Nevada Extend PT6A/PW100 Engine Support Agreement

StandardAero and Sierra Nevada Extend PT6A/PW100 Engine Support Agreement

StandardAero has extended its relationship with Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) with the signing of a five-year agreement covering maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) support for the Pratt & Whitney PT6A and PW100 turboprop engines. StandardAero will support SNC from its Designated Overhaul Facility (DOF) in Summerside, PE, Canada, and its other global locations.

SNC provides command, control, computers, communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) solutions, with experience on over 200 different types of manned and unmanned platforms including the Beechcraft King Air and Cessna Caravan. SNC has also partnered with Embraer to offer the A-29 Super Tucano for U.S. Department of Defense and international requirements. In addition, SNC provides aircraft design, modification and support services for a range of platforms, including the Dornier 328, supported via its subsidiary 328 Support Services.

“SNC continues to be very pleased with the level and quality of service and support that we receive from StandardAero on all levels, and we look forward to continuing our relationship in the future,” says James Livingston, senior procurement manager at Sierra Nevada.

“StandardAero is extremely pleased to further extend its close relationship with SNC through this five-year engine MRO support agreement,” said Jason Johnson, vice president – Global Sales & Marketing for StandardAero Airlines & Fleets. “SNC is one of our most valued customers on the PT6A and PW100 engine families, and we are delighted to be able to support the company’s diverse international activities with our global network of overhaul facilities and service centers. We look forward to extending our relationship with SNC to include auxiliary power unit (APU) support services in the near future.”

Embraer Launches Predictive Maintenance System IKON

Embraer Launches Predictive Maintenance System IKON

Embraer has the launched IKON, a cloud system for capturing, storing and analyzing high volume data for the predictive maintenance of the E-Jets family. The new system is totally based on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform and was developed by Embraer, with the support of the suppliers AWS ProServe and Claranet, using Big Data and Analytics technologies to deliver 96 percent productivity gains in the aircraft analysis and data processing, the company says.

Embraer says the scalability, elasticity, durability and analysis helps their system deliver efficient management of processing and storage capacity, making possible for Embraer to optimize the data ingestion time of the E-Jets E2. Using AWS’s set of analytics services, this new technology identifies data patterns, and is even able to pinpoint and solve potential aircraft issues before they occur. Embraer says the ability to perform predictive maintenance will help deliver new feature enhancements to the E2 and accelerate the delivery of improvements to previous models.

“Embraer constantly invests in new technologies. We see IKON as a totally agnostic tool that opens new horizons to deal with data and an evolution that recognizes possibilities for improvements, making us able to function as an aircraft health monitoring provider. Predictive maintenance translates into increased efficiency with reduced costs, higher aircraft competitiveness and availability,” says Johann Bordais, president and CEO of Embraer Services & Support. In addition to this, the system is a step forward in the process of aeronautical industry digitalization. Embraer says their second-generation of commercial aircraft produces about 100GB of directly accessible information per year. As the result of an expedited routing and analysis system, this high volume of data is able to be transmitted for prompt action. With IKON, the automatic data collection went from 12 days to an immediate process, guaranteeing data is ready to be analyzed five minutes after its generation in the aircraft. The high volume of data and the demand for faster and more accurate decisions require technologies to capture, store and connect information across a network. At the time the plane lands, this data is automatically transferred to IKON via a module installed on the aircraft, called Wireless Server Unit (WSU).

Embraer Ground Server (EGS) uses AWS to automatically connect to the aircraft and handle flight data downloads. After landing, the transmission to the platform is completed in about five minutes. Next, it is transferred to the IKON data lake, allowing engineers to analyze this information. “IKON and EGS put into practice Big Data and Analytics concepts, which gives Embraer a huge advantage in offering unique services towards customers’ needs”, explains Andre Doro, chief information officer at Embraer. AWS is the provider of the entire cloud infrastructure, which offers security, agility, high processing power, analytical tools and cost management – a pay-per-use service, meaning that users only pay for what they use.

The AWS ProServe team, the company’s professional services division, joined forces with Claranet on the design and implementation of the IKON project and worked to ensure the quality and best practices of data analysis, providing state-of-the-art architecture in terms of efficiency, data quality and scalability. “IKON is a really innovative project, combining the power of the cloud with advanced big data and analytics services, which makes complex data simple and easy to analyze in a short time,” says Cleber Morais, country manager of AWS Brazil. “This project matches one of the most modern pillars of corporate applications: making processes based on data insights a crucial part of business planning, execution and evolution.” IKON is now available in the customized support packages for each customer offered by Embraer Services & Support. These programs are part of a range of products developed to serve Embraer jets fleet around the world through the TechCare portfolio.

Rhissa Named Head of Pratt & Whitney Customer Service Center Europe at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg

Pratt & Whitney announced that Ismael Rhissa has been appointed General Manager of the Pratt & Whitney Customer Service Centre (CSC), located in Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany, effective in July. He takes over this role from Carsten Behrens.

“Ismael has been a key part of the success of our aftermarket services. We are pleased that he has accepted this position and look forward to him bringing his extensive experience to continue growing our business and supporting our clients,” says Satheeshkumar Kumarasingam, vice president of customer service at Pratt & Whitney.

Ismael joined Pratt & Whitney more than seven years ago in strategic planning and business development. In 2015, he took on the role of director of aftermarket services for Europe, Middle East and Africa. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a post-graduate degree in Finance and Treasury. In his new position, he will join the MTU Maintenance site of Berlin-Brandenburg.

CSC is a 50-50 joint venture of MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg and Pratt & Whitney Canada. It engages in marketing and sales activities for several Pratt & Whitney engines, providing service and support for customers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Delta Expands A220 Order Book and Delta TechOps Signs MOU for A220 Flight Hour Services

Delta and Airbus have agreed to expand Delta’s Airbus A220 order book by five aircraft to a total of 95.

Delta now expects to take delivery of 45 A220-100s and 50 A220-300s during the next four years, with the first -300 variant expected in 2020 coming from Airbus’s Mobile, Alabama final assembly line.

This summer, Delta began flying the A220 from its Seattle hub, and will offer as many as 74 daily departures from 10 airports this summer.

In a separate arrangement, Airbus and Delta have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding for Delta TechOps to provide A220 component repair and material services for Airbus’ A220 Flight Hour Services maintenance-by-the-hour program. This strategic partnership will allow Airbus to further enhance its successful Flight Hour Services program for the A220 by building on Delta Tech Ops’ proven component repair and management capabilities and on Airbus’ expertise in maintenance engineering, inventory management and innovative services solutions.

Air Hong Kong and HAECO ITM Extend Inventory Technical Management Support Contract

Air Hong Kong and HAECO ITM Extend Inventory Technical Management Support Contract

HAECO announced recently that it has renewed its long-term contract with Air Hong Kong Limited (AHK) to provide inventory technical management support for the airline’s Airbus A300-600 freighter fleet. The contract extension covers component MRO, repair management, component pooling, component engineering, consumable and expendable parts support services, and AOG support. AHK currently has a fleet of 10 Airbus A300-600F aircraft for its regional routes and the airline hopes the extension will continue to bolster AHK’s strong fleet performance.

“We are very happy to be able to extend this agreement with AHK – a long-standing customer of both the HAECO Group and HAECO ITM. The HAECO Group has provided inventory technical management support for AHK since 2004, and HAECO ITM has worked with the airline since 2012, when the company was established,” says Daniel Stromski, executive General manager of HAECO ITM. “This extension of co-operation with AHK is a testament to HAECO ITM’s high operational performance and quality service. We will continue to support AHK with enhanced levels of service delivery for its A300-600F fleet, while working continuously on further improvements.”

Textron Opens Maintenance Data Hub

Textron Opens Maintenance Data Hub

Textron Aviation has opened a new Aircraft Maintenance Data Hub for owners and operators of Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker aircraft. The company says the new data hub will offer a more comprehensive record of all aircraft maintenance performed on Textron Aviation products by working with multiple industry tracking system providers.

“It’s important to our customers that they have a clear understanding and record of work done on their aircraft,” said Kriya Shortt, Textron Aviation senior vice president, Global Customer Support. “This new data hub will offer customers more choices in their tracking system and a comprehensive picture of maintenance records across all their Textron Aviation products.”

Textron Aviation named CAMP, Flightdocs, SierraTrax and Traxxall as recommended providers of aircraft maintenance tracking for the new data hub. While previously exclusive to CAMP, customers now have the flexibility to select the recommended provider that best fits their needs.

The data hub will be a new feature in the Textron Aviation Customer Portal. Textron says their customers will benefit from receiving a one-year free subscription from their choice of recommended provider for new and pre-owned aircraft purchased from Textron Aviation. It is expected to be available this summer.

S.S. White Technologies Celebrates 175th Year

S.S. White Technologies is celebrating its 175th anniversary year. Founded by Dr. Samuel Stockton White in 1844 as an artificial tooth factory and growing to become the largest dental manufacturing company in the world, the company patented high-speed flexible shafts used in its White dental engines in 1874. The unique flexible shaft technology later became the company’s focus, used in numerous industrial and automotive applications.

At the birth of automotive mass production, S.S. White designed a flexible shaft speedometer cable, installed as standard in early model Ford Motor Company vehicles. During the Second World War, S.S. White flexible shaft technology proved itself in the air as a critical component in U.S. military aircraft, enabling effective navigation even during tight maneuvering and poor weather conditions.

Current president and CEO Rahul Shukla began his career at S.S. White as a full-time summer quality inspector in 1973, working his way up to draftsman, methods engineer, manager of industrial engineering, and later to director of research and development. In 1988, when S. S. White’s parent corporation put the company up for sale, Shukla liked the product so much that he bought the company, focusing it on flexible shaft technology and surgical instruments. He is among the world’s foremost authorities on flexible shaft design.

\Under Shukla’s leadership, and after conducting years of research and experiments, S.S. White developed precise mathematical formulas governing the performance of flexible shafts. Shukla used the formulas to develop an industry-leading computer-modeling program for designing flexible shafts to microscopically precise parameters. In 1990, S.S. White released the proprietary PERFLEXION software, which allows engineers to fully model the behavior of all wires within a shaft and optimize for flexibility while minimizing torsional deflection with 20-30% improvement over industry standards.

With the acquisition of “Snap-On Medical Products, Inc.,” S.S. White now applies its flexible shaft expertise to the removal of orthopedic implants with state-of-the-art Xtract-All hand-held surgical instrumentation.

Today, S.S. White operates globally with facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, and India. It dominates the Flex Shaft market for Commercial Aircraft TRAS (Thrust Reverser Actuation Systems), supplying Flexible shafts for all of today’s major aircraft power plants including, CFM Leap series (1A, 1B & 1C), Pratt & Whitney GTF series, Rolls Royce Trent 1000 series and XWB, and GE9x Turbofan Engines.

“I am so excited to reach this 175-year milestone alongside a management team with some of the brightest people in the business and fiercely loyal and proud workers,” said Shukla. “The entire team is completely devoted to providing tremendous expert technical support to customers in the projects they undertake.”
S.S. White’s executive team toasts its 175th anniversary.

Left to right: Tom Sarnoski, Director of Finance; Sheryl Sheppard, HR Manager; Rahul Shukla, President & CEO; Subra Naglapura, VP of Operations; Akash Shukla, Customer Relations Officer (Shukla Medical, Orthopedic Implant Extraction Subsidiary of S.S. White).

West Star Approved For Winglet Install On Citation Sovereign

West Star Aviation is offering Winglet Technology’s winglet installation for the Citation Sovereign model at their Grand Junction (GJT) facility, which is one of four West Star full-service Textron Aviation Approved Service Center locations.   Current certified installation of the Transitional winglet for the Sovereign model can be completed at the Grand Junction facility, where West Star has already installed two sets to date.

“We are dedicated to building on specialized capabilities for the Citation airframe and this addition enhances the wide array of services available for the convenience and satisfaction of our Sovereign customers,” stated Dave Krogman, general manager, Grand Junction.

“The Sovereign Transitional Winglet design offers an increase in range/payload capability, improved time to climb, and increased speed at altitude improving the overall operational performance and flexibility of the aircraft,” said Robert Kiser, president, Winglet Technologies.