Category: BizJet

Constant Aviation Recognized by FAA for Advancements in Safety Management

Constant Aviation has been certified as an active participant in the FAA Part 5 Voluntary Safety Management System (SMS) Program, putting it on the forefront of business aviation maintenance safety and risk mitigation efforts. Constant says the certification will also help to create a blueprint for implementing SMS among other business aviation maintenance providers.

Effective since 2015, the FAA Part 5 SMS Program provides aviation organizations with systematic procedures, practices and policies to manage safety risk. Constant Aviation used the FAA’s guidelines to enhance its existing SMS program to address four key SMS elements: safety policy, risk management, safety assurance and safety promotion.

“We have operated with an internal safety management system for quite some time now, and obtaining FAA certification reinforces our program,” said Timothy Wade, Constant Aviation Environmental Health and Safety manager. “Maintaining an FAA-validated SMS strengthens our organization and the safety of our employees, which ultimately gives our customers a better-quality product. That is always the focus of our team,” Wade continued.

While the FAA does not currently require MROs to implement SMS, customers and foreign certificate holders are increasingly demanding it. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) started keeping SMS data in 1997, and it can prove these programs mitigate risk in a productive manner. That’s why SMS has become the standard for safety programs throughout the aviation industry worldwide, and why it is now expanding to maintenance operations. With continual oversight and monitoring, Constant Aviation and the FAA will work together to refine SMS for maintenance providers.

“For too long, aviation maintenance organizations have been viewed as simply the support system for aviation operations,” said Kent Stauffer, Constant Aviation VP of Quality, Safety and Training. “Subsequently, maintenance rules and programs have lagged behind their operational counterparts in their requirements. SMS implementation is an aggressive approach to prevention that brings maintenance safety to the leading edge of the aviation community.”

Duncan Aviation Celebrates 20th Year in its Turbine Engine Facility

In 1999, Duncan Aviation expanded its turbine engine service business into a newly remodeled 20,000-sq.-ft. facility to accommodate its rapidly growing Honeywell TFE731 business. In the 20 years since, the company’s engine team has continued to add new capabilities, tools, and authorizations.
More than two decades ago, the demand for Duncan Aviation engine service work had increased to the point that shop space was a limiting factor. The decision to move to the new facility was an easy one allowing for continued expansion, improved efficiency, and more servicing flexibility. It brought all of the engine service and back shop capabilities into one place, including a consolidated engine parts inventory, dedicated on-site NDT (nondestructive testing) lab, and a separate room for flow and balance equipment.
The Duncan Aviation engine parts inventory continued to expand at such a rate that in 2014, it required a move into its own 10,000-sq.-ft. space.
In 2016, the overhaul shop went through another expansion with the addition of a 20,000-lb., thrust-class turbofan engine test cell and state-of-the-art control room. The NDT and balance and flow rooms added new equipment and authorizations to support both Honeywell HTF and TFE engines.
Duncan Aviation’s engine program is not finished growing. “We put a priority on investing in new tooling, training, and team members not only to meet immediate demands but with an eye to the future,” says Scott Stoki, Duncan Aviation’s Engine Overhaul manager.
Stoki goes on to say even seemingly small investments have large impacts on the shop’s ability to bring added services in-house, which can improve turn times and provide positive customer experiences. Such is the case with the recent purchase of new shot peen equipment. “We were already able to shot peen fan blades but the new equipment has a larger capacity and allows us to shot peen fan discs, fan blades, compressor wheels, and the impeller wheel after blend repairs.”
Six of the original 15 engine technicians that moved to the new facility 20 years ago are still there. Greg Palensky, Engine Overhaul team leader, is one of them. He witnessed all of the changes over the years, but there is one thing he says hasn’t changed. “The technology sure has changed, but we have always worked together as one team, pulling our weight, and treating everyone like family. That hasn’t changed. It never will.”
In addition to being a Honeywell Authorized Service Facility (HTF7000 Series Minor & TFE731 Heavy), Duncan Aviation is authorized by Pratt & Whitney, GE, Williams International, and Rolls Royce to perform a broad spectrum of engine services including MPI, CZI, HSI, and other major maintenance.

ADS-B Mandate Deadline is here; Duncan Aviation Asks “Do You Have A Flight Plan?”

The FAA’s January 1, 2020, deadline for upgrading their aircraft to Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is this week. Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics shops say they have  been asked a number of questions in the last couple of weeks.
One question comes from owner/operators whose aircraft are not ADS-B-compliant. They are wondering if they’re going to be able to fly once the mandate goes into effect next week.
Mike Mertens, manager of Regulation Compliance says the FAA released a policy statement in April of this year clarifying how Air Traffic Control (ATC) will handle non-compliant aircraft. He says the agency made clear that it will not issue in-flight authorizations to non-compliant aircraft. Permission must be requested and obtained before takeoff.
“At least 60 minutes before a flight, preferably considerably earlier, pilots flying aircraft that are not equipped with ADS-B Out must file their flight plan with the FAA and wait for permission from ATC in the airspace through which they intend to fly,” says Mertens. “If ATC is busy, airspace is congested or there’s inclement weather, permission to fly may be denied.”
Mertens stressed that these exceptions will not be granted more than one or two times. Aircraft that are not compliant with the FAA’s ADS-B-Out mandate will likely face inconvenient restrictions and downtime in the coming weeks.
After the first of the New Year, some of the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics Shops have space available for upgrading aircraft to ADS-B Out. Duncan Aviation holds or has access to Supplemental Type Certificates for dozens of aircraft, and the techs have a great deal of experience with all makes and models. Throughout 2019, Duncan Aviation techs at Satellite Avionics Shops have upgraded more than 400 aircraft for ADS-B, and the three main facilities in Lincoln, Nebraska, Battle Creek, Michigan, and Provo, Utah, have upgraded an additional 125 aircraft.
“We’ve also received questions about how soon we can update aircraft from owner/operators who had intended to sell their aircraft rather than upgrade, but they’ve found there’s no market for aircraft that are not ADS-B-compliant,” says manager of Satellite Operations Matt Nelson. “We’re encouraging owner/operators in this position to call the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics Shop nearest them to schedule time in January for the upgrade.”
Nelson says the flight restrictions on non-compliant aircraft may pose some problems, but the FAA will likely grant permission for aircraft to fly to Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) centers like Duncan Aviation in order to obtain the upgrade to ADS-B.
Duncan says upgrading to ADS-B requires about 10 days to two weeks if downtime.
For more details on the ADS-B mandate, check out our sister publication, Aerospace Tech Review’s story here.

Blast Collapses Part of Textron Facility, Injures 11, in Wichita

Eleven workers at the Textron Aviation east Wichita, Kan., plant were sent to the hospital with injuries early on December 27, 2019 after a nitrogen tank exploded. The former Beechcraft facility was severely damaged. No one has died at this time but reports say the injuries range in severity from minor to serious.

A three-inch nitrogen line ruptured at about 8:00 in the morning, which is suspected to be the cause of the explosion. The aircraft manufacturing facility partially collapsed. That facility housed the some of  the company’s composite manufacturing operations and experimental aircraft fabrication. Witnesses said the explosion sounded like “a sonic boom.” Fortunately, at this time of year, the plant typically has only a few staff or workers on duty.

Baron Releases Customizable User-Defined Alerts for Baron Threat Net

Baron, a leading provider of critical weather solutions, announces it has released fully customizable User-Defined Alerts for the Baron Threat Net suite of products. Baron says users can now set location-based weather condition and forecast criteria to trigger text or email notification. Baron Threat Net is an active weather monitoring and forecasting tool for public safety featuring operations center, mobile, and web-based accessibility. The enhanced tool is ideal for municipal, school, or private outdoor facility administrators as well as weather-dependent business operators.

To set User-Defined Alerts, users simply select a weather parameter to monitor, choose the condition or forecast criteria to trigger an alert, and an alert will be sent when conditions are met. These alerts can be delivered via text and email, or on-screen to a desktop or tablet. Specific location-based alerts can be set for:

– Temperatures
– Wind Speed
– Relative Humidity
– Wind Chill
– Wet Bulb Globe
– Heat Index – Past 24 Hour Liquid Accumulations
– Forecast Air Quality Index
– Forecast Accumulated Precipitation
– Forecast Precipitation Rate
– Forecast Wet Bulb Globe

With User-Defined Alerts, university athletic departments can monitor wet bulb globe temperature for outdoor practice safety, stadiums and concert venues can monitor temperature to anticipate heat-related health concerns, amusement parks can monitor windspeed to close attractions in high winds, and construction and landscaping businesses can monitor forecast precipitation to determine when to send crews to sites.

Baron Threat Net provides detailed data and visual monitoring on precipitation, forecasted road conditions/hazards, and lightning strikes—plus Baron exclusive severe weather monitoring of damaging winds, hail, and flooding, the company says. Storm Tracks enable accurate storm tracking up to an hour in advance, and interactive visualization on high-resolution mapping down to street level lets users quickly scan, monitor, and investigate all weather threats on a single screen. Baron also offers a mobile companion application for iOS and Android which allows access to real-time weather monitoring on the go.

Gulfstream Expands Service Center Network at Van Nuys

Gulfstream Aerospace officially opened its second company-owned maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Southern California. The new service center at Van Nuys Airport has customer resources that include sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and sizeable ramp space.

Gulfstream Van Nuys also serves as the local operating base for Gulfstream FAST Field and Airborne Support Teams, a rapid-response unit that specializes in troubleshooting grounded aircraft. The Gulfstream Long Beach company-owned service center and completions facility is approximately 45 miles away.

“We are excited and proud to add Gulfstream Van Nuys to our rapidly growing worldwide service center network,” said Derek Zimmerman, president, Gulfstream Customer Support. “Southern California, especially Los Angeles County, is a prime location for Gulfstream business jets, and with maintenance facilities in both Van Nuys and Long Beach, we have the resources to assist customers based in and transitioning through the area faster and more efficiently.

“This expansion ensures our new aircraft, the Gulfstream G500 and G600, and the rest of our growing fleet continue to have the best service and support in business aviation. We’re grateful to our parent company, General Dynamics, and to Los Angeles World Airports for their critical support.”

There are more than 130 Gulfstream aircraft based at Van Nuys Airport, the most active business aviation airport in California. More than 220 Gulfstream aircraft are based in Southern California.

The Gulfstream Van Nuys facility is approximately 66,000 square feet/6,132 square meters, which includes approximately 43,000 sq ft/3,995 sq m of hangar space, enough to accommodate four Gulfstream G650ER or G650 aircraft. Adjacent to the facility is a fixed-based operation run by sister company Jet Aviation that has a 10,000-sq-ft/929-sq-m terminal and 43,000-sq-ft/3,995-sq-m hangar, which includes office space.

Gulfstream Van Nuys has easy access to Gulfstream’s West Coast Customer Support Distribution Center, in place at Van Nuys Airport since 2014, which has a parts and materials inventory of nearly $30 million.

Gulfstream’s MRO operations in Van Nuys and Long Beach are certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Gulfstream Long Beach also has European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Civil Aviation Administration of China maintenance approvals, among others. Gulfstream Van Nuys will add foreign maintenance approvals in the coming months.

Both Gulfstream Van Nuys and Long Beach offer sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is produced at a nearby refinery operated by World Energy and blended with traditional petroleum-based Jet A fuel.

“We continue to educate our customers about SAF and promote its many benefits,” Zimmerman said.

Gulfstream Van Nuys has many sustainable features, including recycled building materials, an energy-efficient thermoplastic polyolefin roof, water-saving fixtures and landscaping, and enhanced control systems for heating/cooling. The facility will receive U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

Gulfstream Van Nuys is the company’s third maintenance facility opening in the past five months. In August and September 2019, Gulfstream opened service center expansions in Appleton, Wisconsin, and Savannah, respectively. In 2020, Gulfstream will begin operations at newly built service centers in Palm Beach, Florida, and Farnborough, England. The combined space of Gulfstream’s five new maintenance facilities exceeds 790,000 sq ft/73,393 sq m.

ITP Aero Strengthens its Board and Management

The ITP Aero Board, chaired by Josep Piqué, has added Ben Story, strategic marketing director Rolls-Royce and retired Colonel Diego García Bernabeu. Reflecting ITP Aero’s status as a “corporate entity” within the Rolls-Royce Group, Carlos Alzola has been appointed CEO and member of the ITP Aero Board. He will now report to Warren East, CEO of Rolls-Royce.

ITP Aero has also made significant organizational changes to bolster its two business units – Civil and Defence – ahead of the next decade, led by Mikel Lantero and Álvaro Santodomingo respectively (appointments effective January 2020). MRO and aftermarket services will be integrated into the two business units with the aim of improving market access through the strategic partnerships with different OEMs and creating in service support creative solutions to meet each market segment needs. These business units will benefit from reinforced capabilities including engineering and commercial services.

The organizational changes bring the additional benefit of a leaner executive committee comprised of the Civil and Defence Business Units, Operations, Engineering, and reinforced corporate functions; HR, Finance and Internal Governance.

“Coinciding with our 30th anniversary, we are now working to further develop our Strategic Plan as we seek to drive our business ahead for the next decade. Our Board of Directors has been reinforced with new members, who will help us to continue to thrive as a ‘corporate entity’ within the Rolls-Royce Group; with our own P&L and autonomy, allowing us to continue to work with all our different customers across the markets in which we operate,” Carlos Alzola says. “The organizational and management changes will bring increased clarity and improved market access allowing us to further develop ITP Aero’s position as the leading Spanish aero engine and components company, positioning us well to master the opportunities and challenges which lie ahead.”

Carlos Alzola, CEO ITP Aero, has developed his professional career in ITP Aero, occupying various positions of responsibility. In 2007, he was appointed Executive Officer of the Civil Business Unit, a position he held for ten years. In 2017, he assumed the position of General Manager of the Externals business of ITP Aero. He is an Industrial Mechanical Engineer (UPV-EHU). In addition, Carlos is Member of the Shareholders Board of the European Defence Consortium Europrop, Chairman of HEGAN (Basque Aeronautic Industry trade body) and member of the Board of the Aeronautical Technology Centre (CTA).

Ben Story, Strategic Marketing Director, Rolls-Royce has over 25 years of investment banking experience. Throughout most of his career, Ben has focused on the industrials sector, including aerospace & defence and transportation. Prior to joining Rolls-Royce, Ben was Head of UK Investment Banking & Broking at Citi from 2013. Previously, he worked at Deutsche Bank from 2005 to 2012 and at Morgan Stanley from 1997. Ben holds a BSc in Management Sciences from the University of Warwick. He is a Board Member of Transport for London and a Governor of the Warwick Manufacturing Group Academy Coventry.

Diego García Bernabeu, has developed his career within the Spanish defence institutions; since 1977 within the Spanish Air Force and from 1986 within the Spanish Ministry of Defence. Between 2007 and 2010 he worked for NETMA (NATO agency) being responsible of negotiating contracts with Eurofighter and Eurojet, among others. His last official position has been Deputy Director (Ministry of Defence) between 2014-2019. In addition to his military career, He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and an MA in International Trade.

Mikel Lantero, Executive Officer, Civil Business Unit, will be responsible for the relationship with all ITP Aero’s civil customers, and the development of current and future programmes. Mikel joined ITP Aero in 1998, where he has held various positions of responsibility in engineering and commercial aviation programmes. In 2014, he was appointed Business Director of Pratt & Whitney Canada. He is an Industrial Engineer from University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) and a Master of Science (MSc) in Thermal Power from Cranfield University.

Álvaro Santodomingo, Executive Officer, Defence Business Unit. Álvaro will be responsible for ITP Aero’s positioning and access to the Defence market as well as the development of current and future defence programmes. Álvaro joined ITP Aero in 2008 as Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Corporate Development. Prior to joining ITP Aero, Álvaro worked over 10 years in corporate finance at Lehman Brothers. He holds a Bachelors degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas de Madrid (ICADE) and is CFA Charterholder.

Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics to Extend Business Hours Beginning January 2, 2020

Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics is extending its business hours. Customer service and sales representatives will be available 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST) Monday through Friday. These new hours become effective January 2, 2020.

The company says their new, extended hours will allow their customers around the globe more access to one-on-one support from the company’s team of representatives. This includes legacy instruments and avionics service requests, technical support and new product sales.

TACG Offers Human Factors Training for Maintenance Professionals

The Aviation Consulting Group (TACG) is offering a course in human factors (HF) for maintainers called, “Human Factors Train-The-Trainer for Aviation Maintenance” and it will be held in Myrtle Beach, SC, beginning on January 27, 2020.

The Human Factors  Instructor (Train-The-Trainer) course is appropriate for company personnel who would like to learn how to develop and teach HF courses. This is a five-day intensive course that will, upon successful completion, allow the candidate to be certified as a company HF trainer. It is also approvable as such by most civilian aviation authorities.

There are no prerequisites for this course but the ideal candidate has already completed basic human factors training and is looking to become a human factors trainer.

TACG will also be conducting their Human Factors Initial for Aviation Maintenance course beginning on January 27, 2020. This HF Initial course is appropriate for aircraft maintenance engineers who have not had any previous HF training, or have not had an HF course for an extended period of time.

For more information about these courses and other course offerings from TACG, go to https://www.tacgworldwide.com.

 

Mirandy Products Goes Green

Mirandy Products, a supplier of niche, performance chemicals used in the
aviation, industrial, institutional and janitorial industries has been in the research and development stages of a new product line with positive ramifications, the company says.

The company announced a new line of enhanced environmentally friendly chemical products, launching in January 2020. The first of these products include Tuff Guy, a multi-purpose peroxide cleaner, and All Clear, a ready-to-use glass and window cleaner. Mirandy also plans to launch several other green
products following the early 2020 launch.

“Protecting and conserving our shared environment has long been an important value of ours, and we are glad that we can offer our customers new green products that will also fulfill their goal of protecting the Earth,” Lindsey Mendelson, Mirandy’s president, says. “After lengthy research, we believe these products will effectively satisfy our customer’s needs.” Not only are these two products friendly to the environment, but they also are available in pleasant scents. Tuff Guy is available in Fresh Orange scent and All Clear is available in Crisp Apple scent.

The company says the new product line will be a great addition to their already extensive line of aviation, industrial, institutional and janitorial products. Mirandy says they are hearing about the need for more green products from various customer channels and will continue to provide new products in order to satisfy new inquiries for effective and safe products.