Category: BizJet

Former Cirrus Chief Inspector Robert McCarthy Joins Force Aviation

Robert McCarthy joins Force Aviation as chief tnspector at their Dallas Executive Airport facility.  McCarthy will oversee final delivery of all turbine and piston aircraft. McCarthy will also help improve Force’s quality control, expand overall capabilities and ensure a smooth, efficient and timely return to service process. McCarthy brings more than 30 years in aviation experience to the Force Aviation team and will manage their team of floor inspectors.

Based at KRBD, Force Aviation is a full-completion maintenance facility with more than 37,000 sq. feet of hangar space and a large, experienced and diverse staff. Force specializes in airframe and engine maintenance, major modifications, avionics installation, structural repair, interior refurbishment, and paint of all fixed wing and rotorcraft. Force also offer full-service parts support, sales/acquisition, detailing and sourcing. AOG services (within a 50-mile radius of the DFW Metroplex).

 

Aviation Maintenance Technology Program Receives Major Boost

Marshall University’s Aviation Technology and Maintenance program moved a significant step closer to takeoff with the announcement in October of a $1.36 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to fund startup and operating costs. The new Marshall program is a collaborative effort among Marshall University, the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) and Mountwest Community and Technical College.

“The ARC POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) award to the Region 2 Planning and Development Council based in Huntington is crucial to the future economic diversification and resiliency of the Tri-State,” said Chris Chiles, executive director of the Region 2 Planning and Development Council.

POWER is a federal initiative to spur economic development in communities affected by the decline in coal mining and related industries. In Wednesday’s announcement, the ARC awarded more than $43.3 million to boost the economy across Appalachia, including more than $5.8 million for projects in West Virginia.

“POWER grants are playing a critical role in supporting coal-impacted communities in the Appalachian Region as they recover from COVID-19 by building and expanding critical infrastructure and creating new economic opportunities through innovative and transformative approaches,” said ARC Federal co-chairman Tim Thomas. “Projects like this are getting Appalachia back to work.”

Marshall University’s Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) program helps grow the aerospace industry in West Virginia, and expand opportunities in the western region of our state,”  said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.

Graduates of the 18-month Aviation Technology and Maintenance program, based at the Huntington Tri-State Airport, will have the opportunity to earn FAA certifications along with an Associate of Applied Science degree in aviation maintenance through a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Marshall University and Mountwest Community and Technical College. The Aviation Technology and Maintenance program is set to launch in January 2022 and is being developed with the input of aviation industry experts.

“The development of a highly skilled workforce is key to the continued expansion of the aviation/aerospace sector in West Virginia,” said Marshall President Jerome Gilbert. “Skilled maintenance technicians are in great demand – even during the time of COVID-19. Aviation industry experts project a need for 193,000 new maintenance technicians between 2020 and 2038 because of growth in the sector and the retirement of baby boomers.”

The Tri-State Aviation Maintenance Technician Start-Up program, coordinated by the Region 2 Planning and Development Council, Marshall University, RCBI, and Mountwest Community and Technical College, will train aviation maintenance technicians for good-paying jobs that support the growing aerospace industry in the state,” said Sen. Joe Manchin.

“Thank you to ARC for helping make our state the premier place for business growth and economic investment,” said Congresswoman Carol Miller. “This project will create new jobs and strengthen our growing aerospace industry.”

For more information about the Marshall University Aviation Technology and Maintenance program, contact Jim Smith, interim program manager, by phone at 304-781-1688 or by e-mail at jsmith@rcbi.org.

Textron Aviation Parts Now Performs Repairs on Cessna Citation CJ3 MLG

Textron Aviation Parts and Distribution can now perform its’ new standard repair process on Cessna Citation CJ3 aircraft main landing gear (MLG). This solution provides customers with a cost-effective solution for repairing their MLG instead of replacing it when the gear experiences damage.

“The development of this repair solution was a collaborative effort across Textron Aviation. The ability to repair instead of replace, while providing a rental asset, allows customers to benefit from reduced downtime and operating cost,” said Kriya Shortt, senior vice president, Parts and Programs. “We are committed to providing our customers with a continuous evolution of product and service offerings to better their total ownership experience.”

To achieve this repair capability the Textron Aviation team successfully completed static and cyclic testing of the Citation CJ3 MLG with up to five lifetimes (75,000 landings) of the gear’s life limit, to substantiate the repair safe-life.

This repair solution will subsequently be applied across all CJ series aircraft starting in 2021. Textron Aviation is also taking this opportunity to address future repairability for its new Cessna SkyCourier and Denali turboprops in development.

 

GAMA Welcomes Four New Memberships

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced the addition of Mustang Aviation and Seattle Aviation Solutions as Members, and NUAIR and Texas UASWERX as Associate Members EPIC.

Mustang Aviation is based out of Pierre, South Dakota, and was originally founded in 1990. They provide fixed based operator, charter, maintenance and repair services; flight instruction; and freight and cargo support.

Seattle Aviation Services is based out of Redmond, Washington, and was founded in 2017. They are a nose-to-tail material supplier for all business jet applications, including airframe, engines, landing gears, auxiliary power units and avionics. They also provide distribution and management of parts, and repair and overhaul services.

NUAIR (Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance, Inc.) manages operations of the New York UAS Test Site in Rome, New York, one of seven FAA-designated unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test sites in the United States. NUAIR is responsible for the continued advancement of New York’s Advanced Air Mobility Proving Grounds and 50-mile UAS corridor, which facilitates beyond visual line of sight testing, commercial operations, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft – including vertiport automation, and the safe integration of UAS into the national airspace.

Texas UASWERX is a not for profit aeronautical and engineering firm based out of Dallas, Texas. They provide expertise in Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Integration, Systems Engineering and Configuration Management to manufacturers, technology providers and authorities. They operate the nation’s only purpose-built 5G enabled, eVTOL and UAM Proving Ground and Flight Test Facility, which also includes and a Subsonic Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel.

Aviation Concepts Technical Services Achieves 8A/8C Check on Gulfstream Fleet

Philippines-based Aviation Concepts Technical Services, Inc. (ACTSI)  announced recently they upgraded their capability to 8A/8C from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). With a strong and experienced Gulfstream team, the ACTSI MRO is now capable of providing maintenance services for Gulfstream IV-X (G350/G450) & GV-SP (G500/G550) With Limited Engine – 8A / 8C, 72-month, 96-month, and 144-month inspections.

“We are delighted to see the FAA recognize our strength and dedication to providing world-class standards of MRO services here in Subic Bay by approving our 8A/8C from 1A/1C in the first quarter of 2020,” says Fernando Gaspar, president of ACTSI. “We have been providing services to clients in the region and our international team will continue to work our best to provide well-deserved services to the corporate jets and maintain them as valuable assets.”

ACTSI, a new facility for aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services recently opened at the Subic Bay International Airport (SFS/RPLB), transforming the former U. S. Navy base into a 24/7 hub for business aviation in the Asia Pacific.

Strategically-located within an 18,000 square-meter hangar, ACTSI says it hopes to become “a premier parking and MRO service provider for business jets within the region.

Getac Brings Integrated LiFi Technology to Rugged Mobile Computing Market

Getac has announced that it is bringing integrated LiFi technology powered by pureLiFi to the rugged market for the first time. The company says this means customers across a wide range of professional sectors will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of fully rugged reliability and innovative LiFi connectivity in a single device, unlocking a host of powerful new applications and use cases.

Previously, users wishing to capitalize on the benefits of LiFi technology had to rely on a USB dongle plugged into the side of their device. This approach is highly vulnerable to even the slightest knock or drop, making it unviable in many working environments, such as those found in the defence, aviation, public safety, automotive, energy and manufacturing sectors. With this announcement, users across these sectors will be able to purchase a fully rugged solution with LiFi technology fully integrated into the device. The first Getac device to offer integrated LiFi capability will be the recently launched UX10 fully rugged tablet.

LiFi (Light Fidelity) technology uses light to transmit data rather than radio frequency, which is the case with traditional technologies such as WiFi, LTE, 4G, 5G etc. This innovative approach has a number of benefits over RF-based technologies including:

  • Improved privacy and security: Light can be more easily contained than radio waves, and secured in a physical space. As a result, it is much less vulnerable to hacking or hijacking, while giving greater control over network localization, asset tracking and user authentication.
  • Superior connection quality: LiFi offers a thousand times the data density of RF-based networks, resulting in enhanced reliability and interference free communications. LiFi also doesn’t interfere with RF signals, meaning both networks can be run simultaneously in the same physical space.
  • Extremely low latency: Light-based data connections have significantly lower latency than RF-based technology, which can radically enable innovation, automation and the use of advanced applications including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

The combination of rugged reliability and LiFi connectivity unlocks a series of powerful new applications across a range of sectors. These include:

  • Defense: Inherently secure, fully rugged communications solutions that can be rapidly deployed in the field, thanks to minimal cabling requirements.
  • Public safety: Lightning fast on-scene data collection and transmission in emergency response scenarios, aided by high quality, low latency LiFi connectivity.
  • Automotive: Fast, uninterrupted data downloads for upgrading vehicle firmware in highly physical factory or workshop environments.
  • Manufacturing and energy: LiFi can help turn old infrastructure into IoT (internet of things), aiding digital transformation in areas where there are concerns over RF-based equipment interfering with safety-critical operations.

“At Getac, we work with a huge range of customers across multiple sectors, many of whom have very specific technology requirements and challenges,” says Rick Hwang president of Rugged & Video Solutions Business Group at Getac. “Today’s announcement once again demonstrates our commitment to solving these challenges by combining powerful new technologies such as LiFi with our proven rugged devices, to create industry leading solutions that excel in even the most adverse operational environments.”

Stottler Henke Associates, Inc. and Collinear Group Announce Partnership

Stottler Henke Associates and Collinear Group  have announced a new agreement whereby Collinear Group will become a sales partner for the Aurora software suite. In addition, Collinear Group will support deployment and configuration activities for Stottler Henke and joint customers.

Aurora is a planning and scheduling software solution that utilizes advanced artificial intelligence technology. It uses artificial intelligence technologies to encode and apply extensive scheduling knowledge and rules to perform automatic resource scheduling and has proven results with key customers. The latest version uses Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) based on methods and algorithms derived from the Theory of Constraints.

“Collinear Group and Stottler Henke have proven results with these capabilities including large scale assembly and installation, MRO, complex distributed project management, and more,” says Richard Stottler, president, Stottler Henke.

“With this exciting new agreement with Stottler Henke, we are furthering our mission to drive digital acceleration and production optimization in the industry,” said Collinear Group CEO Saul Bankaitis. “We look forward to working with the Stottler Henke team as we drive new levels of efficiency and predictability into the Industry 4.0 space.”

 

Ontic Acquires more JT15D Engine Parts from Pratt & Whitney Canada

Ontic has acquired the manufacturing rights from Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. of additional JT15D engine parts, in what constitutes the fourth phase of a process that started back in 2015.

This is Ontic’s fourth acquisition from Pratt & Whitney Canada, which adds significantly to Ontic’s growing portfolio of engine support capabilities. Ontic will manufacture and sell the additional JT15D components from its Chatsworth, Calif. facility and the parts will continue to be distributed through the JT15D new parts distributor, Boeing Distribution, Inc.

“We are excited to announce this latest transaction which continues the strong relationship Ontic has with Pratt & Whitney Canada and expands our critical support of the JT15D engine in the market,” stated Gareth Blackbird, vice president and CCO of Ontic. “The JT15D engine aligns with Ontic’s commitment to support legacy products. This continues the logical progression and expansion of our current services to our OEM partners. We value our relationship with Pratt & Whitney Canada and are looking forward to continue working with them.”

With more than 6,700 engines produced since the 1970s, the JT15D is used on a wide range of business aircraft, including the Cessna Citation II, Hawker 400A and Cessna Citation V and the T1-A JayHawk.

Ontic’s global legacy focus is supported by manufacturing and MRO facilities in Chatsworth, California; Creedmoor, North Carolina; Plainview, New York; Cheltenham in the United Kingdom and in Singapore.

FlightSafety Textron Aviation Training Now Offers King Air 360 Pilot Training in Tampa and Maintenance in Wichita

FlightSafety Textron Aviation Training now offers King Air 360 pilot training at the Tampa Learning Center, and courses for maintenance technicians who support the aircraft at the Wichita Maintenance Learning Center.

“We are pleased to serve as the exclusive training provider for the new King Air 360 aircraft,” said Rich High, CEO, FlightSafety Textron Aviation Training. “Pilots and maintenance technicians who operate and support the aircraft benefit from our comprehensive training programs developed in conjunction with Textron Aviation.”

The advanced technology simulator used to provide the training is qualified to Level D by the FAA. Qualification by other regulatory agencies will be completed based on customer requirements.

The Tampa Learning Center also offers training for the King Air 350 Fusion, King Air 250 Fusion, King Air C90GTx, Citation M2, Citation CJ3+, Citation CJ3, Citation XLS+, Citation Latitude and Citation Longitude using a fleet of seven full flight simulators.

Courses for maintenance technicians are offered at the Wichita Maintenance Learning Center. This facility is located next to the Textron Aviation Service Center in Wichita, Kansas. Instructors provide classroom instruction and interactive, hands-on practical training for the airframe and engines.

The new King Air 360 offers advanced auto-throttles, digital pressurization for cabin altitude, redesigned cabin interior, and the latest software updates of the Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion avionics suite. New standard features in the aircraft include the IS&S ThrustSense Auto-throttle, which provide precision control for optimized power output including Overtorque and Overtemp protection, and digital pressurization which automatically schedules cabin pressure in both climb and descent resulting in passenger comfort and reduced pilot workload. The Collins Fusion software updates include the integration of flap and pressurization system indications into a multi-function display.

Greene Tweed Announces TechnaLoc Bonded Seals for Critical Applications in the Aerospace Market

Greene Tweed, a manufacturer of high-performance seals, thermoplastics, composites, and engineered components, announces the release of its new TechnaLoc bonded seals for critical aerospace applications.

Composed of seals made with proprietary elastomer materials and bonded to flat metal components, Greene Tweed’s TechnaLoc seals ensure ease of assembly and performance.

Used in multiple engine locations, fuel and oil systems, and hydraulic flight actuation systems, TechnaLoc seals are made of Greene Tweed elastomers bonded to flat components composed of coated aluminum, stainless steel, or titanium. These pre-bonded seals ensure ease of assembly and maintenance.

The company says their proprietary elastomer materials ensure high durability and sealability over the lifetime of an aircraft. In addition, the bonding adhesives have been ideally matched to Greene Tweed’s proprietary elastomers; this optimized compatibility ensures that the seal bonding strength meets and exceeds industry standards.

Greene Tweed’s proprietary elastomers used in TechnaLoc seals have a broad temperature range and fluid compatibility, making them suitable for many aerospace applications. The bonded seals can be custom-designed to meet customers’ unique needs, thanks to the company’s advanced engineering and development resources. Greene Tweed says they also test custom-designed TechnaLoc seals in-house prior to customer delivery for qualification.