Category: General Aviation

Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings Showcases “Envisioned Precision” With New Products and Services at 2024 NBAA-EBACE Exhibition

Under the theme “Envisioned Precision,” Sherwin-Williams is introducing numerous new aerospace coatings products and design services at the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).

“We’re excited to show off and present a variety of new topcoats, undercoats, prep materials and design services soon available to aviation industry professionals and the entire maintenance, repair and overhaul community,” says Julie Voisin, Sherwin-Williams Market Segment Manager Aerospace, Original Equipment Automotive Interiors and Commercial Vehicle Refinish. “We look forward to showcasing the latest in aerospace coatings technology and innovations, as well as engaging with visitors at this year’s NBAA-EBACE exhibition.”

Come See What’s Being Featured at Booth #1713 at NBAA-EBACE This Year

The latest 850 Series SKYscapes Effect Finishes from Sherwin-Williams delivers a consistent, durable and colorful mica, metallic and hybrid finishes. This high-performance polyurethane basecoat is specially designed for productivity and appearance with a full complement of effects – for use in everything from striping and accents to overall paint completion of a larger or commercial aircraft.

In addition to its extensive color and effects palette, the new SKYscapes 850 Series also offers what aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and paint shops desire most – an incredibly simple and easy-to-use product.

The new 858 Series SKYscapes single-stage topcoat delivers consistent, colorful finishes in multiple gloss levels. It is a convenient, single-stage system for the exterior and interior surfaces of general aviation aircraft. This polyester/urethane hybrid topcoat can be applied as an overall topcoat or used for striping while delivering a consistent, durable finish and an option for a clearcoat.

Available in a full solid color palette with multiple gloss levels – including full-gloss, semi-gloss and flat finishes – the 858 Series SKYscapes offers an ultra-smooth appearance with excellent flow and leveling.

Achieve Any Desired Scheme Design
Due to the overwhelming success of the Sherwin-Williams Aircraft Color Visualizer, four new aircraft types were added to its inventory. This web-based tool allows plane owners, paint shops, aircraft scheme designers, original equipment manufacturers and even aviation enthusiasts to let their imaginations go to work as they create and envision aircraft color combinations easily in a fully interactive experience.

The interactive tool – which is available as an interactive desktop site or mobile app – expanded from six to 10 aircraft models – ranging from a kit aircraft to a heavy jet – that can be customized with any color in the Sherwin-Williams aircraft color library and instantly viewed on screen. Aircraft designs can be created from thousands of colors, accents and paint style combinations.

What Else Is New?

Next-Generation Chrome-Free Epoxy Primer offers class-leading corrosion resistance, performance and durability protection for all types of aircraft. Sherwin-Williams Next-Generation Chrome-Free Epoxy Primer (CM0483800) is a new high-performance, two-component, corrosion-inhibitive primer that contains no chromate. The primer is ideal for application on all types of aircraft, including commercial aircraft, business jets, military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, rotor aircraft and general aviation.

Jet Prep Sol-Gel Metal Pretreatment (CM0220P01) provides excellent corrosion protection and adhesion. It is a chrome-free, water-based, translucent, sol-gel metal pretreatment solution designed specifically for the aerospace industry. The two-component pretreatment kit provides superior adhesion and corrosion protection over aluminum substrates and pairs with aerospace-grade corrosion-protective epoxy primers and topcoat paint systems, all to provide applicators the ability to apply a complete Sherwin-Williams chrome-free system from substrate to topcoat.

New Universal Clearcoat System for General Aviation Aircraft delivers premium aesthetics with versatile application characteristics. This high-gloss, durable clearcoat (CM0ACC201) delivers maximum results in terms of appearance and protection and also provides versatile application options, from flexible wet edge times to fast repairs.

A conductive coating offers a high-conductivity solution for dissipating static on aluminum and composite aircraft. This new aerospace coating (CM0485115) enables aircraft owners to impart conductivity onto aluminum and composite substrates by producing an anti-static conductive film on their surfaces with a resistivity of 0.1 to 100,000 ohms per square meter to help static charges dissipate from antennas and radomes.

Fill Bond Flex Aerospace Filler (FBF100) restores aircraft exterior composites by permanently concealing surface imperfections. This is a new, convenient method for filling seams and rivets and doing small spot repairs on aircraft prior to painting. The high-quality, two-component polyester filler kit (FBF100) is designed to block, and permanently conceal, surface imperfections on composite exterior aircraft surfaces by offering strong adhesion; resistance of shrinkage; and better sandability, flexibility, and stain resistance.

To see all these new aerospace products and services, visit Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings at Booth #1713, Oct. 22-24, 2024, at the NBAA-EBACE exhibition.

Helping Attract New Aviation Maintenance Technicians Workforce

Since 2019, a small firm based in east Vancouver, Washington has been aggressively creating new opportunities for young people to access the pathways for careers in Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT). Aviation Maintenance Technicians are the professionals that are most needed at this time. According to aviation leaders, 500,000 new AMTs are needed to replace a retiring and overworked workforce nationally. Internationally the numbers are even greater!

Why are new Aviation Maintenance Technicians needed? SAFETY in the skies, which is what AMTs provide for all of us. Witness the many airline mishaps in the news recently. Shocking, because we’ve all taken airline safety for granted. Many of these hard-working professionals began their careers 30-40 years ago, with most coming out of the military where they gained training, certification and employment. Since the COVID pandemic layoffs, airline travel has more than rebounded. Given the even greater demand and stress, aircraft mechanics are retiring en masse. This means that an ambitious, coordinated effort is required to replace them, and that is what we have been working to achieve.

The new workforce being sought are middle and high school students who are currently trying to imagine their work opportunities after they graduate. Most are unaware that their penchant to “fix things” could lead to an incredibly stable and rewarding career in Aircraft Maintenance Technology. These opportunities allude them, because they have not been made aware through effective means.
Here are some of the successful initiatives that have been created by Ryan Strategies International so far:

• Creation of a brand-new AMT program at a regional community college bridging Oregon and Washington States, connecting students to airlines offering good starting salaries after 18 months of training and certification, along with the great benefits and travel opportunities.
• Sponsorships of money, training, surplus parts and expertise by successful aviation and airline leaders.
• Development of AMT career awareness and student outreach programs for elementary, middle and high school students.
• Building of new AMT career pathway relationships between industry leadership and educators.

• Outreach to government regulators and career facilitators to offer the proven approaches to recruit students to the profession. Especially highlighting where their skills are needed.

At a time when many young people are struggling with mental health issues and a sense of frustration and isolation, the promotion of AMT careers may offer them a sense of purpose and new possibilities. They will recognize the aging workforce can be reinvigorated with their enthusiasm for the new environmentally sustainable fuels, new flight technologies, flight guidance and safety instrumentation, and much more!

Robert Ryan, president of Ryan Strategies International, is passionate about creating this avenue for young people to have meaningful, properly compensated careers. He is motivated by his experience working as a business volunteer helping high school students to learn essential business skills, and by working one on one to help them graduate. Members of his own, and the co-founder’s family had been aviation maintenance technicians for part or all of their careers. He understands and values this field of work as a successful and rewarding career.

He envisions similar careers addressing the workforce needs in Unmanned Aerial Systems and Aerospace. “I was brought-up during the first Space Race, and now we are on to another thrust forward, into the future of global flight and exploration of the universe.”

For more information contact: ryanstrategies@aol.com: 503-250-2337

Turtles Fly 2 Issues Plea to General Aviation Pilots: A Call to Action to Help Those Impacted by Hurricane Helene

Although Turtles Fly 2’s mission is to facilitate the use of general aviation to transport endangered species and to promote conservation through education and outreach, the group is issuing a call to action for their volunteers — general aviation pilots who contribute their expertise, aircraft, fuel, and time — to help now during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Click here to volunteer.

Wings of Hope Airplane Raffle Open

The annual Wings of Hope airplane raffle has gone live today, Monday, September 9, 2024 at 12am Central Time. There are only 5,000 tickets being made available. The cost for one ticket is $100 and three tickets is $275. Each ticket has a chance to win one of the following prizes:

  1. Grand Prize: 1964 Piper Cherokee 235 (N8623W)

The 1964 Cherokee 235 is an example of Piper’s top of the line four-place, fixed gear design. It has the performance to carry four people, full fuel (84 gal in four fuel tanks), and more than a hundred pounds of luggage (via a large baggage door) with a cruise speed of 150+ mph. It can do this while still taking off and landing on short strips and having a service ceiling of 14,500’ (at gross weight)! The 235 is also known for its reliability incorporating a Lycoming O-540 engine with 2,000 hr TBO, a McCauley fixed pitch propeller, a quickly removeable top cowling, manual flaps, and a center-mounted hand brake lever. To top it off, this 235 has been totally updated including recent overall silver paint, 2-tone leather interior, all windows replaced, along with engine and propeller overhauled. Then avionics technicians and volunteers updated the avionics with the following all new Garmin equipment:

  • G3X and G5 STBY
  • GMA-345 Audio Panel
  • GNX-375 GPS/Transponder
  • GNC-215 NV/COM
  • GTR-205 COM
  • Remote Units:
    • GAD-27 Power Supply
    • GSU-25 ADAHRS
    • GEA-24 Engine Sensor
    • GMU-11 Magnetometer

  1. Second Prize: a PPL or Advanced Training Scholarship
  2. Third Prize: a Bose A30 aviation headset

In order to purchase tickets, go to the Wings of Hope website at https://wingsofhope.ngo/raffle/. Purchases can be made with any major credit card, no other forms of payment will be accepted.

Grupo EULEN Appoints New VP of Aviation Operations for U. S. and the Caribbean

Grupo EULEN announced the appointment of John Jones as vice president of aviation operations for the United States and the Caribbean.

In his new role, Jones will lead and support Grupo EULEN’s aviation division in the U.S., overseeing a team of highly skilled professionals who serve at ten airports in the USA and Jamaica. Jones will be responsible for driving the strategic growth plan to further expand the company’s aviation division.

“I am excited to join Grupo EULEN in the United States and work with such a talented and dedicated team,” said Jones. “My vision for this role involves a multifaceted strategy that focuses on building an exceptional leadership team in the U.S., where all leaders are equipped and motivated to nurture our most valuable asset: our workforce.”

Jones brings more than 27 years of experience as a leader in the aviation industry, known for building strong customer partnerships, forming successful leadership teams and promoting a culture of continuous and sustainable improvement. Before joining Grupo EULEN in the U.S., he held various leadership positions, including HUB director, regional director, senior vice president, and chief operating officer at Dnata USA. He also served as senior vice president of the international division at Aeroméxico (dba Aeroméxico Connect), overseeing the airline’s regional operations, commercial, marketing and personnel management in the U.S. His aviation career began at Conquest Airlines in Texas, where he served as director of stations, developing the company’s domestic and international network. Jones holds a degree in business management from Texas A&M University.

“We must provide development opportunities to help our leaders manage and support our workforce, genuinely showing our employees that we value them and care about their well-being,” said Jones. “We want to instill the concept of operational excellence and deliver a best-in-class service to our aviation business partners.”

In addition to optimizing current operations at the ten airports in the U.S. and Jamaica, Jones will focus on generating opportunities to expand Grupo EULEN’s aviation portfolio in the U.S., collaborating with both current and potential business partners.

“Challenges exist, as the aviation ground handling industry is highly competitive; however, Grupo EULEN has successfully built a new and solid leadership in the U.S. I am confident that our new management team is equipped with the skills and technology needed to achieve our goals of growth and operational excellence,” said Jones.

Jones is planning to visit each airport location in the coming weeks to meet with operational leaders and frontline employees, aiming to fully understand each operation and provide solutions to the specific complexities and challenges of each station.

EAA Recognizes Rep. Sam Graves for Spearheading Bipartisan Efforts for FAA Reauthorization

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) recognized U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri) for his bipartisan efforts, working with leaders in the House and Senate, to pass the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024, which was signed into law this past May by President Biden. The EAA recognition came during Rep. Graves’ annual congressional update to aviators held at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the world’s largest fly-in convention.

“In his role as Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Sam Graves conveyed to Congress the necessity of giving the FAA its roadmap for the next five years, so the agency can plan and execute its important mission of keeping the American aviation system the safest and most active in the world,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman of the board. “It is especially gratifying to see general aviation represented as an essential, stand-alone title within FAA reauthorization, a provision that exists because of the direction and support of Chairman Graves.”

The FAA Reauthorization Act includes the first-ever general aviation title, a specific section that encompasses numerous provisions supported by EAA that benefit general aviation growth. Of note, the bill mandates the expansion of BasicMed, increasing the size of covered aircraft to 12,500 pounds, the number of allowable passengers to six, and the number of seats to seven. Another provision provides a 24-month maximum deadline for the FAA’s completion of the MOSAIC final rule. While the rule is expected significantly sooner — likely in 2025 — a congressional deadline highlights the importance of the rulemaking.

Also included are sections that provide for the continued availability of avgas, direct a review of the process for reserving aircraft registration numbers to reduce unfair profiteering, and spur development of a suitable position reporting system for voluntary use in non-rule airspace. In further efforts to protect pilots from unfair enforcement, language is included that prohibits the use of ADS-B Out data by the FAA to initiate an investigation, and additional sections amend the Pilot’s Bill of Rights to ensure pilots have adequate time to respond to a letter of investigation.

A longtime pilot himself, Chairman Graves has emerged as a leading voice in Congress in support of aviation. He continues to be active at aviation events throughout the country and as a member of the EAA Warbirds of America board of directors, as that organization is dedicated to the preservation of historic military aircraft.

Elevate MRO, Elevate Jet, Expand to Denver, Boosting Western U. S. Presence

Elevate MRO, a division of Elevate Aviation Group (EAG), has announced the opening of a new aircraft maintenance center at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (KBJC) in Denver. This expansion includes increased staff and maintenance teams to support the existing client base and enhance aircraft maintenance service availability while supporting Elevate Jet’s management, charter and aircraft sales capabilities.

The 17,000-square-foot facility provides essential hangar and office space, allowing Elevate to expand its MRO aircraft maintenance and management. Notably, the MRO will introduce much-needed avionics services, including custom installations and maintenance. Elevate MRO was recently selected by SpaceX as an approved dealer and installer of Starlink for business aircraft.

With other companies closing their Denver operations, Elevate aims to tap into the region’s talented pool of aviation technicians and industry veterans, offering aircraft owners a new local management option. With a mobile AOG team capable of quickly restoring an aircraft to service, Elevate provides support to the Denver metropolitan area and surrounding resort airports.

“In addition to expanding our MRO footprint, this new facility will provide Elevate clients a home for owners who are looking for aircraft management services,” said Jim Slack, president of Elevate MRO. “With its savage client-centric approach, Elevate MRO maintains a wide array of current airframes representing 43 unique aircraft models across 11 manufacturers. This expansion underscores our commitment to delivering top-tier services and innovative solutions to the private jet community.”

Getac’s Next Generation F110 Tablet for Field Professionals

Getac has launched the next generation F110 tablet, which combines fully rugged reliability with a host of powerful new upgrades for exceptional performance and efficiency in the field.

Getac’s flagship F110 model has long been at the forefront of rugged tablet design, making it incredibly popular with customers across multiple sectors and industries. The new F110 builds on this legacy, offering upgraded processing power, brightness, and connectivity, alongside excellent energy efficiency, for full-shift performance in a variety of challenging indoor/outdoor working environments.

Powerful and Versatile

Key features include an upgraded Intel Core 13th Gen i5/i7 processor, with Intel UHD Graphics offering new levels of processing speed and graphical performance. Elsewhere, the ultra-bright 1,200 nit LumiBond screen, with multitouch modes (touch, glove, pen) – the brightest ever available on the F110 – optimizes productivity in weather conditions ranging from full sun to rain and snow. For maximum mobility and productivity, the F110 can be used with a wide range of Getac accessories, including detachable keyboard, hard carry handle, and secure vehicle docks. 

Connectivity Options

Fast and reliable remote communication is a critical part of field operations in industries such as defense and oil & gas production/exploration, which is why the next-generation F110 offers a wide array of outstanding connectivity options as standard. These include Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 802.11ax, and Bluetooth 5.3, enabling personnel to quickly communicate with colleagues and share data as needed. Connectivity can be enhanced even further with optional 4G LTE and 5G Sub-6 modules (dual sim design including a physical sim and an e-sim), while a 5MP webcam provides clear and detailed pictures during video calls and remote guidance activities.

Energy Efficient and Reliable

Field professionals in industries like utilities and manufacturing need digital devices they can rely on for the full duration of shifts, even when access to power points or recharge facilities is limited. The next generation F110 features DDR5 memory (up to 32GB), which offers higher base speeds and lower power consumption than previous generations, making it ideal for full-shift operation. Its user-friendly hot-swappable batteries can also be easily replaced in the field if needed. If even more operation time is required between charges, the F110 is compatible with Getac’s optional high-capacity Li-ion batteries as well.

The F110 also boasts rugged reliability. MIL-STD-810H and IP66 certification, a 6ft operating drop rating, and optional salt fog resistance make it ideally suited to operations in challenging work environments where the risk of accidental knocks, drops, and spillages is much greater.

“The F110 has been a mainstay of our fully rugged tablet portfolio for a long time, and for good reason. Its combination of laptop-level performance and tablet convenience makes it the ultimate field device for customers across sectors and industries where challenging operating environments are par for the course every day,” says James Hwang, president of Getac Technology Corporation. “The next generation F110 boasts new features and enhancements that help field professionals get the job done at first time of asking, even when faced with adverse conditions and locations.”

Bluestreak I Bright AM Achieves CMMC Registered Practitioner Organization Status

Bluestreak Compliance, a division of Bluestreak | Bright AM, a quality management and manufacturing execution system software company, proudly announces its approval as a CMMC Registered Practitioner Organization (RPO) by the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body (Cyber-AB). This significant achievement enables Bluestreak Compliance™to offer expert consulting services to defense contractors and suppliers aiming to comply with CMMC cybersecurity standards and prepare for their Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) audits.

In January 2020, the Department of Defense (DoD) introduced the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program to ensure that contractors have implemented adequate security measures to protect sensitive data across its extensive 300,000-contractor supply chain, known as the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). The CMMC 2.0 framework includes three certification levels, from Foundational to Expert, covering 14 control families and 110 practices aligned with NIST SP 800-171 R2.
Although CMMC 2.0 has not been fully released, the DoD plans to implement the CMMC program under a four-phased plan starting as early as Q1 2025, with all new solicitations for contracts involving Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Federal Contract Information (FCI) by October 1, 2026, to secure DoD contracts.

“CMMC certification is critical for your business because it sets clear and rigorous cybersecurity standards, ensuring that all contractors meet essential security requirements to protect sensitive information and strengthen our national defense,” said Joe Coleman, cyber security officer, CMMC-RPA. “If you do any work for a DoD contractor or handle CUI in any way, you must become certified.”

Happy Charles Taylor Day!

Charles Taylor, who was the Wright Brothers’ mechanic and is considered the father of aviation maintenance, was born on May 24th. AMT Day is celebrated each year in the aviation maintenance industry and honors Charles Taylor on the date of his birth. Like Taylor, aircraft mechanics are truly the unsung heroes of the aviation industry. Congress passed a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National AMT Day in 2008. After several years of continuous effort, Senate Resolution #SRES335 passed in December 2016, joining Congressional Resolution #RES#444, recognizing May 24 as AMT Day, and the day is now observed in many states in the U.S. Here’s to all the people who work selflessly to ensure the safety of our air transportation system.