Category: PRs

Avcon Industries Acquires STC-Approved Installation of Non-Halon Aircraft Fire Extinguishers in Learjets

Avcon Industries, Inc. and its affiliate Butler Avionics Inc., manufacturers and systems integrators for special mission aircraft modifications, announced Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental
Type Certificate (STC) approval for the installation of non-halon portable fire extinguisher replacements in Learjet Models 24, 25, 29, 31, 31A, 35, 36, 35A (C-21A), 36A, 40, 45, 55, 55B, 55C, 60, 60XR, 70, and 75 aircraft.

Avcon received FAA STC No. ST12087CH authorizing the replacement of existing halon fire extinguishers across the full line of Learjet aircraft. This STC allows for the installation of Halotron BrX-filled fire extinguishers, which are designed for ease of retrofit and compliance with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requirements. An application is being made for EASA validation of the Avcon fire extinguisher STC approval. The new extinguishers are designed to be size-equivalent replacements, having minimal impact on fit and compatibility.

Halon has been designated as an Ozone-Depleting Substance. Halon production has been banned in EU member states since 1994, although it has been allowed for certain “critical uses,” including in some aircraft systems. Pursuant to European Union regulations and the Montreal Protocol, regulatory bodies, including EASA, have required that hand-held Halon fire extinguishers in airplane cabins and crew compartments be replaced with suitable alternatives by December 31, 2025.

“Avcon and Butler Avionics teamed with a leading specialty fire extinguisher vendor to make available non-halon fire extinguishers to comply with the pending EASA mandate, and obtain STC installation approval for Learjets,” said Patrick Hupp, avionics manager. “The new extinguishers are engineered for straightforward installation in the same location as existing units, with provisions for additional mounting locations in some legacy Learjet models. We are working diligently to obtain EASA approval for the replacement fire extinguisher installation. Avcon and Butler Avionics are also working to add additional models to the STC-approved model list (AML).”

Emitech Group Selected Exclusively by Flying Whales to Negotiate Contract for PowerWhale Test Bench

The Emitech Group announced that it has been selected by Flying Whales under an exclusive negotiation agreement for the development and supply of the PowerWhale test bench, a strategic piece of equipment for the LCA60T heavy airship program.

This collaboration is part of a letter of intent (LOI) signed between the two companies, marking a mutual commitment to move quickly toward a final contractual agreement.

A strategic milestone for the Emitech/Flying Whale collaboration
The letter of intent signed between the two companies formalizes:
• The selection of Emitech as the exclusive partner for the development, manufacture and support of the PowerWhale test bench,
• The launch this summer of an initial engineering study phase, prior to the technical validation (Preliminary Design Review) and contractual stages.

The PowerWhale test bench: a tailor-made test facility for innovation
The PowerWhale test bench will enable the critical subsystems of the LCA60T airship to be validated in a controlled environment. It will include:
• Powerful energy sources (AC/DC),
• A test bench for the battery included in the electrical chain,
• Active charging systems,
• A set of multi-physical sensors and software supervision,
• A modular architecture to support program developments.

A partnership based on trust and technical commitment
The Emitech Group and Flying Whales are continuing their joint approach with the aim of:
• Optimizing the technical solutions offered,
• Securing the budgetary aspects of the project,
• Supporting the associated public funding mechanisms (CIR, CEE).

This partnership illustrates the Emitech Group’s ability to get involved in groundbreaking industrial projects at an early stage, supporting its customers through all the critical stages: engineering, testing, qualification, and long-term support.

“We are proud of the trust Flying Whales has placed in us through this exclusive agreement,” said Stephan Lassausse, CEO of the Emitech Group. “Our teams are fully committed to contributing to the success of the LCA60T program.”

FlightSafety International Expands Arizona Presence with New 100,000-Square-Foot Learning Center in Mesa

FlightSafety International, a global leader in aviation training, today announced the expansion of its operations in Arizona with the construction of a new 100,000-square-foot Learning Center in Mesa. This expansion is part of FlightSafety’s broader growth strategy, building on the company’s long-standing presence in the state through its Tucson Learning Center, and adds to its growing network of flagship training centers across the U.S. and around the world. The new Mesa facility is designed to meet rising demand for high-quality aviation training and reflects FlightSafety’s continued commitment to advancing aviation safety and preparedness.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for October 2025, with the center expected to open in early 2028.

“This expansion is a reflection of FlightSafety’s continued growth and long-term investment in the future of aviation training and safety,” said Barbara Telek, president, FlightSafety International. “As global demand rises, we’re scaling our operations to support our customers and advance the highest standards of safety and preparedness. The new Mesa Learning Center strengthens our ability to deliver world-class training while supporting the aviation workforce in Arizona and across the industry.”

The Mesa facility will include full-flight simulators and advanced training devices, with capacity to serve pilots, maintenance technicians, and cabin crews. The center is designed to scale over time to meet increasing demand.

The Mesa Learning Center is expected to bring strong economic benefits to the region. Following the opening and as operations ramp up, approximately 100 jobs are projected to be created, with potential for additional growth over time. In addition to direct job creation, the center is expected to attract thousands of aviation professionals to the area for training each year, bringing measurable tourism and business travel activity to local hotels, restaurants, and service providers.

“FlightSafety’s decision to expand in Mesa is a major win for our region,” said Gila River Indian Community Lt. Governor Regina Antone, board chair, Mesa Gateway Airport Authority. “This project will bring meaningful economic impact and reinforce Mesa’s leadership position in the global aviation landscape.”

Arizona has played a prominent role in the aviation industry, with a strong presence of manufacturing, engineering, and service providers across the state. The region supports a growing ecosystem of aerospace innovation and operations, providing the ideal foundation for FlightSafety’s latest expansion. Its robust infrastructure and strategic location in the Southwest offer convenience and access to major aviation hubs.

“Mesa is proud to welcome FlightSafety to our community,” said Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman. “This facility will not only serve aviation professionals from around the globe, but it will also showcase Mesa as a city where innovation, training excellence, and economic growth go hand in hand.”

This announcement marks the latest step in FlightSafety’s strategic growth initiative to expand access to premier aviation training while supporting the communities where it operates.

Sunnen Highlights Advanced SV Systems for High-Production Aerospace Honing

Sunnen Products Company highlights its advanced SV Systems designed for high-production aerospace environments. These vertical honing systems deliver exceptional performance, flexibility and efficiency for a wide range of aircraft component applications. Systems can be tailored to specific aerospace needs with multiple columns, air gaging, brushing and many other options.

The SV Systems are engineered to handle diverse aerospace jobs with a powerful servo spindle motor, providing the necessary power for honing tough aerospace alloys and large-diameter aircraft components. Advanced servo stroke control enables precise honing of critical aircraft parts, such as landing gear and hydraulic components, producing straighter and rounder bores crucial for aerospace applications. Synchronized servo stroke and spindle functions maintain a consistent crosshatch finish throughout the bore, essential for optimal sealing and lubrication in aircraft hydraulic components.

The Windows-based PC control system offers an intuitive interface for quick operator training and minimized setup time, simplifying operation for aerospace technicians and reducing training time. The new Sunnen 2 control is designed with ease of use and setup as a priority. A bore profile display shows bore straightness during the cycle, allowing real-time monitoring of bore straightness, critical for maintaining tight tolerances in aerospace components.

Designed for integration with robotic systems, the SV Systems offer an optional automation interface for 24/7 operation, increasing efficiency in high-volume aircraft part production. These automation-friendly systems are designed for the integration of part-handling systems to increase efficiency. Heavy-duty construction ensures long-term reliability and precision in demanding aerospace manufacturing environments. The EtherCAT industrial communications protocol minimizes machine response time and increases the level of control. LED work area lighting improves visibility during operation.

The High Production SV Systems boast advanced safety features including a safety PLC, Safe Drive System, and secondary stroker brake. All models, including the SV35, SV3000, SV3100, SV3400, and SV3500 series, comply with the European Machinery Directive (CE). Meanwhile, all models feature Beckhoff electronics with large color touchscreens and a multi-axis handwheel helps reduce setup time and increase machine “uptime.” An optional post-process gauging system enables data collection and machine process control to sub-micron tolerances, meeting the exacting requirements of aerospace components. In addition to selectable inch/metric units, multiple languages are screen selectable, which facilitates use in various global aerospace manufacturing facilities.

Sunnen writes its own code for the machines, providing flexible and modular machine designs for tailoring the honing process to specific aerospace applications for maximum performance and efficiency. Sunnen honing machines are backed by a 3 year warranty. Sunnen says their commitment to precision and performance is represented by these complete high production solutions for machine, fixturing, automation, tooling, abrasives, coolants and more.

Barnes Aerospace Completes Acquisition of ATI’S East Hartford Operations

Barnes Aerospace, a provider of aftermarket component repair & overhaul (CRO) services and manufacturer of highly-engineered parts primarily for aeroengines, announced the closing of its acquisition of the East Hartford Operations division (“EHO”) of ATI Forged Products, a business of ATI Inc.

The acquisition strengthens Barnes Aerospace’s presence in key aerospace and defense market segments and enhances its ability to deliver a broad range of products and services across the aeroengine value chain to customers worldwide. Strategically located in East Hartford, Connecticut, near Barnes Aerospace’s East Granby facilities and important, long-standing customers, EHO specializes in the machining of flight-safety-critical rotating hardware, including rotor hubs, rotorcraft components, and jet engine discs, serving both the commercial and defense aerospace sectors. EHO brings more than 75 years of manufacturing excellence and a workforce of over 80 highly skilled employees to Barnes Aerospace.

“EHO represents a strong strategic and complementary fit that aligns closely with our growth priorities,” said George Whittier, chief executive officer of Barnes Aerospace. “With the addition of EHO, we are well-positioned to strengthen our presence in critical aerospace product and market segments, broaden our reach into the defense market, and enhance our capabilities in rotorcraft components. EHO shares our core commitment to delivering exceptional service to our customers and brings long-standing relationships with industry leaders that will expand our customer base and deepen existing key partnerships.”

Whittier continued, “This acquisition reinforces our commitment to making strategic investments in talent, capabilities, technologies, and systems that will allow us to better serve customer needs, maximize growth, and enhance our position as a leader in the rapidly evolving aerospace and defense supply chains. We are thrilled to welcome the EHO team to Barnes Aerospace and are committed to supporting EHO’s continued growth as we scale our combined capabilities and deliver an expanded portfolio of offerings to our customers.”

Porter Airlines Becomes First in the Americas to Adopt Both flydocs Lifecycle Asset Management and Digital Records Management Solutions

flydocs has signed a three-year software deal with Porter Airlines, the third-largest airline in Canada, as its first Lifecycle Asset Management (LAM) customer in the Americas. flydocs will also fully digitize all aircraft records with its market-leading Digital Records Management (DRM) software, across its growing fleet that currently stands at 75 aircraft.

By integrating both DRM and LAM, flydocs will not only enhance Porter Airlines’ operational efficiency and fleet management capabilities but also gain real-time visibility of its assets to meet lease return conditions. This consolidated view of fleet-wide lease return events can support Porter Airlines in aligning asset management strategies with engineering priorities and making smarter decisions on maintenance planning, cost avoidance and reducing risk during aircraft transitions, supported by predictive analytics and scenario modelling.

In collaboration with flydocs’ Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem partner AMOS, the leading maintenance and engineering (M&E) software developed by Swiss Aviation-Software Ltd., flydocs will ensure a seamless interface between the airlines’ flydocs and AMOS environments to support digital aircraft compliance on demand and embrace a fully paperless approach to its records and asset management.    

 “We’re thrilled to welcome Porter Airlines as our first LAM customer in the Americas, a major milestone for both teams! Porter’s priorities have been clear: reduce manual effort, harness more reliable data, improve compliance, minimise redelivery risk, and streamline maintenance processes to protect revenue,” said Andy Smith, chief commercial officer, flydocs. “Our DRM and LAM solutions deliver on all of this and more. This win isn’t just about a single deal; it’s about unlocking even greater value through the Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem. Together, we’ll empower Porter to make smarter decisions and see real business impact from day one, laying the foundation for a strong, long-term partnership.” 

Brad Warren, Vice President, Maintenance and Engineering, at Porter Airlines, added; “As we continue to grow our network and fleet, we are also advancing our systems and processes to support the operation and our team members. We are confident that flydocs’ commitment to market-leading dedicated records management solutions will boost our digital capabilities. Being their first LAM solution user in the Americas is certainly exciting for us in transforming our approach to asset management across the aircraft lifecycle.”

AeroMech Issues STC for Starlink High-Speed, Low-Latency Connectivity on Citation Sovereign and Sovereign+ Aircraft

AeroMech Incorporated announced it has been awarded a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the installation of Starlink high-speed internet connectivity for Cessna Citation Sovereign and Sovereign+ aircraft.

AeroMech will provide the STC and PMA installation kits to Starlink Authorized Dealers. AeroMech’s wholly owned subsidiary, AMI Aviation Services, will also install Starlink for customers at its facilities in Orlando/Sanford (KSFB) and Nashville/Smyrna (KMQY). AeroMech is now accepting orders for the Cessna Citation Sovereign and Sovereign+ Starlink STC equipment package and scheduling appointments at AMI facilities for installation.

AeroMech currently holds Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) STCs for the installation of Starlink on the Beechcraft King Air 200/300 Series, Cessna Citation Excel/XLS/XLS+/XLS Gen2, Cessna Citation X/X+ (750), Cessna Caravan and Grand Caravan, and Cessna Citation Sovereign/Sovereign+ aircraft.

ARSA Tool Supports “Traceability” and “Conformity” for U.S./EU Bilateral Compliance

The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) has released an updated “New Article Inspection Form” template to support compliance by U.S. repair stations holding European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval under the U.S./EU bilateral agreement.

The FAA and EASA’s most-recent update to the Technical Implementation Procedures issued under the agreement (TIP rev. 7.1) clarified language for acceptability of new modification and replacement parts consumed in maintenance. When those parts lack an authorized release document from the Production Approval Holder, American maintenance providers may use the requirements of 14 CFR §§ 43.13 and 145.211(c)(1)(i) to to provide traceability to such a manufacturer and conformance to an approved design.

Based on documentation, such as purchase orders, shipping documents, certificates or statements of conformity, or part markings and technical or design data (or a combination thereof), the parts may be utilized in maintenance for which a dual release – appropriate for both U.S. and European systems – will be issued. When documentation is missing, but part marking and/or technical or design data is available, ARSA’s New Article Inspection Form documents provides the regulatory and guidance references supporting the determination whether the article is suitable for use. The form is a component of the association’s Model Repair Station and Quality Manual (RSQM) system and is available for free to members in good standing.

For more information, visit arsa.org/form-103 or go to arsa.org/publications to request the complete set of “Tools for Members” containing the updated form.

Approval of MOSAIC Rule Highlights Decade-Long EAA Leadership Effort for Modernized Aircraft and Pilot Certification

A decade-long effort by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), in association with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other entities, became reality on July 22 with the announcement that the MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification) rule has been finalized and signed. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy made the announcement during the second day of the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention.

“This is one of most significant rule packages for general aviation in the past 75 years,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman of the board, who joined Secretary Duffy for the announcement. “This creates what can be called Sport Pilot 2.0, as it builds on the safety and momentum established by that rule two decades ago and opens tremendous possibilities for current and future pilots, flight schools, manufacturers, and many others. It is fitting that this major modernization was announced at Oshkosh, where the nation’s aviators gather each year.”

The announcement of the MOSAIC signing and its publishing in the Federal Register allow EAA and other organizations to review the new rule in-depth and create programming to meet the possibilities now available. Among the potential benefits of the new rule are:

  • Expansion of the aircraft fleet available to be flown by sport pilot certificate holders and those exercising sport pilot privileges, to as much 70 percent of the current GA fleet;
  • Availability of most of the current flight training fleet for sport pilot training, reducing costs for new pilots;
  • Potential to include a much broader base of flight instructors available to teach students;
  • Ability for GA flight schools to use their current fleet for a wider spectrum of students;
  • Opportunities for aircraft manufacturers to introduce new designs unencumbered by former weight limits.

“I can’t think of a better place than at the largest general aviation airshow in the U.S. to announce that we’re unleashing American ingenuity with a new rule to promote new designs, safer materials, and upgraded technology in the recreational aviation sector,” Secretary Duffy said. “Our recreational pilots and plane manufacturers have correctly noted outdated regulations were inhibiting innovation and safety. Let’s bring this industry into a new age!”

Aviation Search Group Announces Rebrand as a LAUNCH Company

Aviation Search Group at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025 show in
Wisconsin, unveiled its new brand and announced they have become a LAUNCH company,
following their recent acquisition. As a top-tier executive recruitment partner dedicated to
the aviation industry, Aviation Search Group complements the technical solutions and
aviation services provided by LAUNCH. Aviation Search Group will continue to operate as a
separate business and LAUNCH will offer additional executive search services to their
clients through Aviation Search Group.

“We are thrilled to add Aviation Search Group to the LAUNCH family,” said Mike Reporto, group president and chief commercial officer of LAUNCH. “We know our clients will
highly value their expertise in RPO, retained, and executive search recruitment. LAUNCH
continues to strive for growth by adding new services to fulfill the needs of our customers.”

Aviation Search Group executive director, Gary Miner, added, “Partnering with LAUNCH will
allow us to take Aviation Search Group to the next level. Our nationwide network of talent in
aviation, coupled with our unique recruiting process, will be a high-level service addition to
the LAUNCH suite of services. We look forward to providing our capabilities to their clients.”
Aviation Search Group is exhibiting at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Air Show throughout the
week at booth C5. Show visitors are invited to stop by to meet Alex Benyo, Doug Greene,
Randy Rowser and Tom McKinley to learn more about the executive recruiting programs the
team offers.