I’m still trying to figure out how they pulled it off, fielding an ideal complement of single-engine turboprops into the market during a calendar year. But that’s just the shiny part on the surface that we see—the mountainous iceberg of effort that went into bringing the TBM 960 and now the Kodiak 900 to certification in 2022 began years before, in both cases.

In the case of the 900, it started within Quest—and a desire to meet a clear need for a larger cabin and faster cruise speed. But underlying that project was another, greater challenge—to bring together two teams that not only differed on engineering mission but also in culture. The cranberry color of the airplane caused me to recall the Thanksgiving holiday I spent solo in Paris several years ago. I set out to recreate a handful of favorite dishes to mark the occasion. Finding a turkey leg to roast was easy—but for the life of me I could not find fresh cranberries with which to make sauce. But my dinner was far from ruined—I roasted chestnuts and had a tarte tatin for dessert, combining the best of my new locale and the heritage I brought with me.

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That kind of solution feels fundamental to the successful marriage of two distinct—and strong-willed—traditions. A good result brings out the best of both, harmonizing the differences. And that helps us under-stand what had to come together to create the 900.

On a Mission

A collaboration of humanitarian organizations originally ponied up the money to launch Quest Aircraft in 2001, after founders Tom Hamilton and Dave Voetmann dreamed up the perfect turbine-powered mount to serve the mission community. Hamilton came from Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft, building the Glasair and Glastar experimental/amateur-built singles, while Voetman hailed from missionary aviation—specifically Mission Aviation Fellowship. Voetman left Quest in 2010, but remained with the MAF, from which he recently retired after 62 years of service, both flying and volunteering.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Daher Kodiak 900

A town of less than 10,000 tucked into the pines at the top of Lake Pend Oreille in northern Idaho, Sandpoint might seem like an unusual place for aerospace development—it’s a resort town complete with restaurants, inns, wineries, taprooms, and a small sandy beach on the lakefront: quiet, remote, away from it all.

But it became home to that aerospace company called Quest, which purchased its original plant at Sandpoint’s municipal airport (KSZT), a 27,000-square-foot facility that would eventually expand to 84,000 square feet by the time the company was ready to ramp up production. The original Kodiak’s first flight took place in October 2004, and type certification on the utility starcame on May 31, 2007.

It took almost six years for Quest to go from delivering its first production unit in January 2008 to ticking over serial number 100 by the end of 2013. That slow ramp up served the company well. Since Sandpoint is not on any main thoroughfare, any buildup in personnel needed to take place incrementally.

EASA type certification came in April 2017,  just after Quest secured the ability to operate the Kodiak at night in IMC—critical for consistent commercial operations with the airplane. The original Kodiak 100 is certificated in more than 60 countries. The 900 gained FAA type certification in July, but as of press time was still waiting on the EASA sign-off.

Beginning in 2019, joining Daher and Quest, leadership has been critical to the process. Collaboration was already part of Daher’s way of doing business, as evidenced by the transoceanic cooperation between the OEM and suppliers such as Pratt & Whitney. Chabbert joined Nicholas Kanellias, vice president of general aviation for Pratt & Whitney, as they opened up the cowl to show off the PT6E-66XT at Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo last year, and it was the same at the unveiling of the new PT6A-140A at Oshkosh. The pair demonstrated the symbiotic relationship between airframe OEM and engine manufacturer, working through design, supply chain constraints, and other challenges together.

The Next Kodiak

Back in 2014, when FLYING flew the Quest Kodiak around south Florida, there was little indication the company was interested in fielding a larger model, other than the fact it made total sense. But it turns out that there was definitely something in the works.

Brown recalls the initial conversations at Quest,which began in 2015, “brainstorming, drawing on napkins if you will.” In 2016, the project was funded and started moving forward in earnest. “At that time it was not what you see today,” said Brown. “It was all about ‘how can we make the Kodiak faster?’” The company had had the original Kodiak and its incremental evolutions on the market for nine years when the project started. “We always felt like there was room in the market for a new airplane,” said Brown. “There was a hole in the market… [and the need for] a bit more room—but the big thing was speed.” The target? A 200-kt-plus true airspeed,

The Kodiak 100’s primary competition—the Cessna Grand Caravan and the Pilatus PC-12—boast of more room but also higher price tags. True to its roots as a cost-conscious problem-solver for utility and humanitarian markets, Quest sought to keep the airplane in the $3 million range, yet retain its excellent off-airport capabilities. Plus, it needed to hold 3,300 to 3,500 pounds of cargo and people. “That was the blue space that we were after in the market,” said Brown.

• We Fly the Daher Kodiak 900, Ready for Grand Adventures

“We needed to break into what we considered to be special missions and commercial operators,” such as fleet-type sales used in Part 135 operations. “We thought we knew the answer” to the model differentiation, but no one in the market really knew about the 900 until the big reveal at Oshkosh, and at the show, there were some good surprises.

As Chabbert noted in our interview, “people were so excited to see an aircraft in this class, to cross the 200-knot [line], that they just came with their checkbooks and said ‘we want to order it.’” Indeed: The company sold out of its 2023 production slots by the end of the show.

Bringing Plans to Fruition

Translating the new model into production and first deliveries—slated for the first half of 2023—isn’t like flipping a switch. When I walk a production line at a general aviation manufacturer, I’m always struck by the hundreds of small elements that must come into the process at just the right point. In a smaller company, producing only a couple dozen units each year, it may feel like there’s more room for variation in when each component comes together, but anyone who has built even one airplane in their garage knows there are certain things that must happen in sequence.

It’s a highly intricate puzzle to solve—and it’s compounded if a manufacturer chooses to build more than one model on the same line. Daher has done this successfully for many years with the TBM series, and now the company works toward the same integration of the 900 within the 100 line as much as makes sense. The plan optimizes efficiency from the commonality of parts, including the wing, empennage, much of the fuselage, and the flight deck. “We knew we wanted to keep a lot of Kodiak 100 parts,” said Brown. The parts commonality is anticipated to drive efficiencies in production, as well as for fleet operators using both models.

But the integration involves a few points of differentiation that happen at the joining of the fuselage itself, the fuselage to the gear, and the engine hang and cowling stations. Two plugs in the fuselage stretch the 100 into the 900, and add a little more than four feet in exterior length, boosting cabin length by three and a half feet. “We knew that a commercial airline or special missions operator, that cost of operation would be very important to them. The Kodiak was already known for that, so we didn’t want to make this more complicated. And we were actually able to redesign quite a bit to make it less complicated, more maintainable.”

Initial production units are coming together on the same line as the 100, but will eventually command their own line, if production reaches a certain volume, according to Brown. And that’s a goal that feels very achievable, given the model’s success right off of the line.

A Green Future… Now

Throughout the 2022 promotion of its new turboprop models, Daher has focused on the efficiency and economy of the series updates—building on an already solid foundation. 

The company reported at NBAA-BACE that it was working to provide sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to all aircraft operating from the plant—building the infrastructure now so that aircraft flying out of the Tarbes base will be fueled with SAF as of late October, using a blend of SAF and jet-A as was available from partner World Fuel Services. “The path is quite clear for us,” said Didier Kayat, CEO of Daher, during a press conference at NBAA-BACE. But to have a wider use of SAF, Daher would need to have more visibility about SAF policy by fuel suppliers in terms of blending, pricing, and availability. The sourcing of SAF isn’t a straight forward problem, as supplies globally remain limited—in 2021, only 1/1000th of the total volume needed was actually produced. According to a report by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) in early December, roughly 300 million liters of SAF were produced in 2022, with a path for the industry to produce 5 billion liters by 2025, and 30 billion liters by 2030.

That may sound like a lot of fuel sloshing around in the tanks, but, IATA said, “Airlines are committed to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 and see SAF as a key contributor. Current estimates expect SAF to account for 65 percent of the mitigation needed for this, requiring a production capacity of 450 billion liters annually in 2050.”

Airlines in the European Union are operating towards the requirement that they uplift 5 percent SAF at every European airport by 2030.

Answering the recent eruptions of climate change protests in France and around Europe, the trio of Daher, Dassault, and Airbus appears to be working together both on real efforts to innovate in sustainable directions and getting that message out to the general public.

Daher has integrated environmental concerns into its Me and My TBM application to assist its pilot-owners with operating in the most efficient manner. The scores generated by pilots include an “eco-ranking,” “because we do consider that we need to goto a decarbonization for oursector,” said Kayat, and the company is fully committed to achieving the net-zero carbon emissions standard by 2050.

EcoPulse Progress

The partnership with Safran and Airbus to develop the EcoPulse demonstrator—taking a TBM airframe and seeking to power it electrically—continues on track. Kayat reported that high-voltage testing was underway with the EcoPulse at Daher’s facilities. “We are learning a lot,” said Kayat. “We feel we need this first step of having a demonstrator before we can have a roadmap on products.”

The post Quest to Daher appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

What do you do when you have a serious backcountry turboprop single that does its job so well—and is so well loved by the folks who fly it around the world? In the case of the Kodiak 100, you stretch it and speed it up—while at the same time managing to make it more efficient—and quieter too. 

Join FLYING editor-in-chief Julie Boatman as she gets an introduction to the Daher Kodiak 900 upgraded utility turboprop both on the ground and in the air.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Daher Kodiak 900

The post We Fly the Daher Kodiak 900, Ready for Grand Adventures appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

What compels us to fly, to load up an airplane and strike out for adventure? It’s not just the call of the places we long to fly to, but also the confidence inspired by having a machine matched to the task. One that takes us—and our closest companions and their gear—further and faster and into those special places.

There’s a visual pleasure to an airplane that’s wellmade, too. The effective translation of function into form makes a considerable impression when you approach a well-designed aircraft on the ramp, for one. There’s also the exterior design, enhanced by the choice of paint scheme—and the paint itself.

Looking at the Daher Kodiak 900 as I prepared for my demo flight, I couldn’t help but think “frosted cranberries,” though the trade name for the Sherwin-Williams paint color is the more prosaic Red Pearl.

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Maybe it was the lead-up to the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays that gave me that sensation when I walked up to it on the ramp at Hagerstown Municipal Airport (KHGR).

We’d assembled to shoot the cover of this issue, with the maples and beeches throwing an embroidered coverlet of russets, golds, and greens over the hillsides, still shivering off their leaves for the season in western Maryland. 

The rich, blazing red glazed over an executive gray dash and set off against that backdrop in a herald. But there was so much more to the monster turboprop than just the 900’s significant ramp presence. The exterior hinted at a lot more, inside and out.

A. The Garmin G1000 NXi incorporates envelope protection, along with data from the GTS 800 TAS and WX 500 Stormscope in the executive package.

B. The integrated GFC 700 autopilot uses a relocated control panel to the top center of the flight deck.

C. Upgrades to flooring combat issues stemming from trapped condensation in the 100.

D. The oxygen system facilitates high-country operations as well as long-distance cruise so that the pilot can optimize speed at altitudes that stretch the turboprop’s range even farther.

E. The power quadrant and central pedestal remains virtually the same as the 100, easing the transition between the models.

First Impression

It is a big baby. The top of the tail sits nearly 17 inches taller than the 100’s, though both the forward and aft door sills are roughly the same height off the ground. The 900’s door handle solves a minor yet common nag from pilots—you have to reset the lever flush on the outside of the door on the 100 in order for it to close properly from the inside. No longer is that the case on the 900—the handle resets itself. Redesigned steps in the rear cargo door make entry more like the TBM, too.

As Mark Brown, Daher’s chief demo pilot for the Kodiak, taxied into the wide ramp at Hagerstown for our day’s festivities, we stood a bit transfixed by its approach. Though I’d visited the airplane on display at shows twice, you don’t feel the 900’s true size until you see it in the wild—and taxiing towards you.

We conducted a detailed walkaround, in which Brown outlined all of the key points of difference between the models, as well as those critical elements that remained the same—the wing, the tail, and the cargo pod now smoothed into the massive cowling.

The preflight revealed all of the mods that have translated into 25-plus knots of additional speed for this model over its sibling—the wing flap track fairings, the integrated cowl faired into the belly of the fuselage, and the wheel pants spring to mind first. The cowl shrouds a critical part of the equation, as the obvious streamlining you see from the outside only tells part of the story.

Firewall forward, the 900 is completely new. The increased speed results from a few different areas, with the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-140A at 900 hp continuous—from which the model draws its name—on take-off and in cruise, connected to the Hartzell five-bladed composite prop, it wrests more power throughout the phases of flight while making gains in other areas. “Noise was also a big component,” and a reason to upgrade to the new prop, said Brown. “Specifically being owned by Daher in Europe—noise is a much bigger deal, although we wanted to be good neighbors everywhere.”

Other factors in the 900’s increased speed lie in the inlet and outlet design. “What a lot of people underestimate is how much drag is produced by airflow as it goes into the engine and as it goes through coolers, and when it exits,” said Brown, adding that, on exit, you want that airflow to be smooth. If it’s turbulent, that creates drag.

Customer feedback—from 15 years in the field—drove several standard features, such as single-point refueling (an option on the 100) and an improved TKS ice protection system. The reservoir location under the cockpit, accessed through the forward section of the cargo pod on the 100, created a pain point from both a pilot’s and ops’ perspective. The new location makes it easy to inspect fluid levels and service the reservoir.

Once on board, the sense of presence couples with the same practical ruggedness reproduced from the100’s flight deck. The power quadrant carries over from the original model, as does the circuit breaker panel placement. The avionics and aux bus switches have been updated from rockers to toggle switches as well.

Up front, the Garmin G1000 NXi provides the interface for all aircraft control, navigation, and engine management in three displays. This is coupled with a G5 electronic flight instrument with an internal battery backup. The NXi suite provides familiar grounds for transitioning pilots, whether they are moving from the 100, across the Daher fleet from a TBM, or from a glass-equipped piston single or twin. The GFC 700 autoflight system’s mode controller moved from below the central MFD to above it, for slightly better access.

Climb Power

Power management changes subtly as the 900 drives through the air behind the new PT6A-140A—the largest PT6 variant yet. Daher elected to flat rate the -140A as it has the PT6As in the TBM line—and the PT6E-66XT in the 960—restraining the horses to 900 shp. The benefit? You still command a 150-hp increase over the -34in the 100, and you have access to that same hp over the entire operational range, up to 99 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperature. The powerplant carries a 4,000-hour TBO and on-condition hot section requirement.

Our engine start generally follows the same sequence as in the 100, with a couple of tweaks. The starter switch no longer has Lo/Motor and Hi positions for start-up, and the igniters come on automatically when the start switch is moved to the On position and the aux fuel pump is On, moving to Standby after a successful light off. The pilot monitors Ng (the rotation speed of the compressor section of the engine) as it comes up quickly through 12 percent before introducing fuel to low idle. Then they monitor fuel flow and ITT (staying below 1,090 degrees) until Ng climbs past 62 percent, when the starter can be released. After bringing the generator and alternator online and making electrical system checks, the prop lever comes out of feather to max rpm.

As we watch everything stabilize, we call for a taxi clearance and head out to Runway 7. This wide expanse of pavement really isn’t necessary—except for its ability to accommodate my roll-in of right rudder as I push up the PT6A to full bore, gauging its strength.

Slow Flight, Short-Field Ops

We climbed to 10,500 feet to test climb and cruise. Because the 900 is unpressurized—like the 100—you may pick an altitude that keeps you out of the oxygen masks. The fastest speeds are to be found up higher—without the wing-mounted radar pod—but we consistently saw speeds above 205 ktas after we’d leveled off.

Good low-speed handling characteristics turn the dark edge of the envelope into a playground—and that’s exactly where the Kodiak needs to bring its best game. In the backcountry environment, the margin of safety this provides becomes critical—not just at STOL strips in the Idaho wilderness but remote places scattered around the globe where a minor screw-up can send you into a starring role in a Lord of the Flies tale.

The 900 carries over the multi-phased wing, with a series of primary airfoil and leading edge cuffs that drive stall propagation inboard to retain aileron effectiveness. Brown demonstrated this directly with our stall series. I set up for a standard power-off stall, no flaps, and watched it break cleanly. Then he said, “check this out,” and proceeded to take the 900 deep into stall territory like we were in a 1,500-pound Cessna 150 as opposed to an 8,000-pound utility hauler.

The safety benefit produced by advanced aerodynamics, like those in the original Kodiak’s wing, carry over into the 900. The natural low-airspeed protection of the wing offered a buffer against the variances introduced by pilots and micro conditions on final approach. Again, this is invaluable in the true backcountry where you do not have the support of a planned airfield and normal TERPS and airport design criteria. Also, the tail cone on the 900 is virtually identical to the 100, including the empennage—more commonality that is intended to help the model fit well on the production line with its sibling.

The new design also allowed engineers to move the landing gear out of the belly of the airplane. That change resulted in reducing complexity in the flight control system too—a lot of pulleys that had to route cables up and around the forward cabin were eliminated to a good extent, according to Brown. To preserve a similar control feel between the 100 and 900 models, Daher for the most part kept control surfaces the same, with minor adjustments made at the higher end of the speed spectrum, for consistency in the transition from low to high speeds. According to Brown, this was accomplished with a few extra springs and similar components.

Halfway through the demo flight, we landed at Bedford County Airport (KHMZ). Though not a short strip by any measure, it provided a more immediate feeling of the airplane’s capabilities. We set up for a short-field takeoff and were easily off in the first quarter of the 5,006-foot-long runway on the mild afternoon (21 degrees C/+8 degrees C ISA).

In cruise, the 900 achieves the desired speed while reigning in fuel burn—thus far it has proven a 9 percent reduction in specific fuel consumption at 205-knot-plus cruise speeds, according to both Brown and Nicolas Chabbert, CEO of Daher Aircraft USA. “I flew from Sandpoint, [Idaho], to take the aircraft to Oshkosh,” said Chabbert in an interview in October. “I actually had nine people on board, and we were nicely truing at 205 knots.” It took them a little less than five hours to cover the roughly 1,200 nm distance.”

Daher Kodiak 900

• Price (executive package): $3.487 million
• Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-140A, 900 hp
• TBO: 4,000 hours
• Propeller: Hartzell Raptor 5-blade composite, 97 in.
• Seats: 2+8 
• Wingspan: 45 ft.
• Wing area: 240 sq. ft.
• Wing loading: 33.3 lbs./sq. Ft.
• Power loading: 8.89 lb./shp
• Length: 37.7 ft.
• Height: 16.1 ft.
• Cabin height: 4 ft. 9 in.
• Cabin width: 4 ft. 6 in.
• Cargo compartment volume (external): 65 cu. Ft.
• Cargo compartment capacity (external): 680 lb.
• Standard empty weight: 4,470 lb.
• Max takeoff weight: 8,000 lb.
• Max landing weight: 7,800 lb.
• Standard useful load: 3,630 lb.
• Full fuel payload: 1,546 lb.
• Fuel: 311 gal. usable
• Max rate of climb, sea level: 1,724 fpm
• Certified ceiling: 25,000 ft.
• Stall speed (flaps extended): 65 kcas
• Max cruise speed: 210 ktas, at 12,000 ft.
• Max cruise range/endurance: 969 nm. 4.3 hours at 58 gph
• Takeoff distance, sea level (ground roll): 1,015 ft.
• Takeoff distance, sea level (ground roll, no reverse): 1,460 ft

More on the Inside

A  black leather interior says “utility” but also “let’s do this in style.” The aim to create an environment like the inside of a Range Rover, yet to keep much of the field serviceability for which the Kodiak is rightfully famous, is apparent.

The interior can be configured in a multiplicity of ways, up to two seats up front and eight in the back.Only the left front seat—the pilot’s perch—is required for flight. Though you need to comply with the seat pitch limits outlined in the POH’s section six, weight and balance, there’s a lot of flexibility baked into the way you can lay out the cabin for your particular operations—or any given mission. Like its predeces-sor, the 900 can hold all the seats on board in the vast belly-slung cargo compartment that is now a seamless part of the fuselage.

Other considerations carry over from the earlier Kodiak design, such as nose-gear tow points that are functionally the same as those on a Cessna 182 or 206 for commonality on the FBO ramp—or for getting it into your own hangar.

As a whole, the 900 looks like it has hit that bluespace in the sky—as our next section reveals—that first Quest and now Daher have targeted so precisely

This article was originally published in the February 2023 Issue 934 of FLYING.

The post We Fly: Daher Kodiak 900 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

With six Cessna SkyCouriers delivered in 2022, flying for launch customer FedEx, the model has yet to enter passenger service—but that’s about to change.

Textron Aviation has delivered the first of its twin turboprop SkyCouriers to Western Air—doing business as Lana’i Air in Hawaii—which plans to operate the model on its interisland routes connecting Oahu to resorts on Lana’i.

• READ MORE: Cessna SkyCourier Expands Capability With Gravel Kit Option

“The Cessna SkyCourier is well on its way to becoming a legendary aircraft for our company,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of global sales and flight operations for Textron Aviation. “It’s highly versatile, with cabin flexibility, payload capability, performance, and low operating costs, and has already proven to be popular around the world.”

The passenger configuration swaps out the rear cargo door and open area to fit three LD3 shipping containers for an up to 19 passenger-seat installation—with large windows suitable for viewing the incredible scenery between Honolulu and Lana’i. With a 900-nm range and 200 kts cruise speed, the SkyCourier targets the short-haul mission well. 

While the SkyCourier was delivered in the passenger configuration, the cabin design makes exchanging the seating for a cargo-only profile relatively easy.

• READ MORE: Textron Delivers First Cessna SkyCourier to FedEx Express

The SkyCourier is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65SC turboprop engines, paired with McCauley C779 full-feathering, 110-inch, four-blade props. Up front, the flight deck features the Garmin G1000 NXi integrated avionics suite.

The post Textron Aviation Delivers 1st Passenger Cessna SkyCourier appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

When it debuts in 2025, the Beechcraft Denali will join the ranks of other single-engine turboprop and turbine aircraft in the class with Garmin’s Autoland emergency protocol standard.

In an announcement made during Textron Aviation’s media event on Thursday, May 4, Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of sales and flight operations, joined program managers from GE, and Dan Lind, senior director of sales and marketing for Garmin Aviation, to update on the development of the clean-sheet design—and reveal the news.

“You’ve heard us talk repeatedly about our product development strategy, which includes both clean-sheet designed aircraft,” as well as updates to popular models, said O’Bannion. “Because we’re aligning the aircraft with the certification of GE’s certification timeline, we’re now expecting the Denali to be certified in 2025. I’m also excited today to announce that we’ll be adding the ‘peace-of-mind’ technology to the Beechcraft Denali cockpit with the Garmin emergency Autoland system.” 

Autoland is the world’s first certified system of its kind for general aviation aircraft, with the ability to activate during an emergency situation and autonomously control the aircraft and land it without pilot intervention. Textron Aviation took customer feedback into account when determining the inclusion of Autoland in the Denali.

Paul Corkery, program manager for GE Aerospace Turboprops gave an update on the powerplant’s progress through certification and testing on the Denali airframe. “It’s running great. We’re getting up to 20 percent better fuel burn and ten percent higher power in cruise,” said Corkey. “We have a 16 to 1 pressure ratio” rather than the 10 to 1 or 11 to 1 ratio typical for engines in the class. “The first two stages of the compressor have variable geometry,” said Corkery. Plus, “we’re running hotter so we have cooled turbine blades—all that gives us that performance” driven by technologies that have trickled down from GE Aerospace’s “big engine” experience.

Textron Aviation and GE have logged more than 5,400 hours in engine testing using the Catalyst engines on the stand, and on the Denali airframe and previous platforms. GE has built a total of 26 Catalysts so far, and Corkery reported they were “75 percent of the way though the test plan.” Certification on the engine is now projected to come in late 2024—setting the stage for Denali’s debut the next year.

In total, flight test has logged more than 540 flights across three test aircraft, with takeoff and landing performance tests one of the sections recently completed.

Adding Autoland

FADEC is integrated into the powerplant development—and this allows for the autothrottle implementation from the aircraft’’s debut. And, it paves the way for Garmin’s Autoland functionality, which requires an autothrottle in order to execute the emergency descent, approach, and landing process.

Dustin Smisor, chief test pilot for Textron Aviation on the Denali flight test program, explained more about the flight testing already conducted using the Autoland system.  Along with more than 1,300 hours of flight testing in both extreme hot and cold conditions, Smisor noted, “We robustly tested the avionics, autopilot, the autothrottle, the environmental control system—I talked about the ice protection system—and really importantly, the engine.

“We as test pilots go above and beyond what normal pilots would do in the course of flying,” said Smisor. “We take the airplane to extremes—really what people would consider abusive kinds of tests,” including lots of in-flight shutdowns and slamming the power up and down. “Every day we’re seeing in flight this fuel efficiency,” he added. “As a test pilot, I’ve kind of had to re-gauge myself because it just doesn’t burn very much fuel.”

As for Autoland testing? “The maturity that we already have in Denali even with the early stages of flight testing is pretty remarkable,” he said. “I personally was on the third flight of testing the Autoland, and we went out to Colorado, got behind Pike’s Peak, and activated the button” to see how it would do around mountainous terrain.

More Engine Details

Chris Lorence, chief engineer on the program for GE Aerospace, said of the comprehensive test program, “It’s a very rigorous approach, but it’s taking a lot of capacity to go do it. We’re almost three-quarters of the way through our test plan—we’ve got six more engine tests and eleven more certification component tests to get through before we’re complete.”

The test program has also put more than 3,400 hours on the McCauley propeller that will be paired with the Catalyst on the Denali. The program also recently checked off the additional maintenance interval inspection tests, where engineers run the engine and then tear it down to inspect components for wear. “One of the areas we always look for when we do these tests is looking at the hot section,” said Lorence. “We’re very pleased with how those parts look.

“It gives you a very jet-like experience,” said Smisor. “Even getting in up front, just the simplicity of the layout, the single-power lever, not very many switches, very integrated, automated tests—it just gives you a jet-like experience. It’s a lot of fun to fly.”

The post Beechcraft Denali Gets Garmin Autoland appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Epic Aircraft E1000 GX represents a serious upgrade from the initial certified single-engine turboprop that secured FLYING’s Innovation Award in 2020. 

In the We Fly report, editor-in-chief Julie Boatman flies this advanced, 1,200 hp cruiser around the Pacific Northwest on an extended demo mission and then shepherds the cross-country machine down to the Florida Keys to do what it does best—travel in style—and capture great photos for the print edition’s Issue 933, December 2022/January 2023.

• READ MORE: An Epic Build

We take the fast turboprop through a standard flight, plus the high work—slow flight, stalls, and maneuvering—before making approaches back into Bend.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Epic Aircraft E1000 GX

The post We Fly: Watch Our Report on the Epic Aircraft E1000 GX appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In order to prepare for the departure from an airport in a congested metro area, a pilot must have a plan, a way to feel as though they are orchestrating events as opposed to pushing the throttle forward and hanging on for the ride.

That’s even more important when the Epic E1000 GX you’re strapped into accelerates down the runway pulled by 1,200 jet-A-propelled horses and five blades cutting through the gummy Seattle air.

As we taxi out to the departure end of Runway 16 at the Renton Municipal Airport (KRNT), I check in with Epic Aircraft demo pilot Tony Paradis to assess if, by his countenance, he appears ready to engage his plan. I feel pretty good about mine, but it has been 15 years since I last flew an Epic—and that was an experimental LT version, crafted under the company’s factory-assist-build program in early 2007.

The Takeoff

We brief the Renton 3 Departure and the subsequent route to Bend Municipal Airport (KBDN) in Oregon, where Epic is based. There’s a heading we’re supposed to track—150 degrees—until 1,000 feet msl, then a left turn to 130 degrees for the remainder until given another heading on course or left to our own devices (literally). It seems to me like we’re going to blow through that first thousand feet quickly. I’m not wrong.

Lined up and ready—really ready—to go, I move the power lever forward and feel the incredible torque pulled by the Hartzell prop tractoring the 1,200 shaft horsepower (at takeoff power) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A engine. It takes a lot of right rudder to keep it on the centerline, which Paradis had briefed me on, but even being told to anticipate it, it still takes me a second to catch up. We lift off after using just over half the runway at nearly 1,000 pounds below the maximum takeoff weight of 8,000 pounds.

Indeed, we blow through 1,000 feet—after tucking up the gear and flaps—accelerating with a climb rate between 2,000 and 2,500 fpm. A power reduction to 89 percent torque and 90 gph fuel flow comes just a couple of minutes after departure when we’re already on our way through 5,000 feet msl, and with that—by necessity—the right rudder comes back out. The control authority granted by the large tail surface is crystal clear. Because we have folks in the back, we set the yaw damper on at this point as well—and the YD goes a long way to smoothing things out. The reduction keeps us below max continuous power, which is 1,000 shp and a prop speed of 1,700 rpm.

After continuing the climb between 2,900 and 3,500 fpm, we exit the Seattle Class B veil. I level off once we reach 27,000 feet, our filed altitude, and we enjoy a nice little tailwind—up to 32 knots—for most of the hour-long flight back to Bend. At FL 270, we clock about 325 ktas, burning about 58 gph at an average of ISA +17 Celsius. We originally showed a 45-minute flight, but opt to stop along the way to perform a few gentle maneuvers, to continue my introduction to the certified version of the E1000’s predecessor, the experimental category Epic LT that I first flew in 2006 and 2007. It’s a new model to be sure, somewhat tamed from the original—but still reverberatingly fast.

A. The Wedge annunciator panel tells us if we’re ready to go—and an angle of attack gauge keeps us advised of the lift we have left.

B. The standby ESI-500 electronic instrument comes from L3Harris, and it incorporates a solid-state backup battery.

C. The Garmin G1000 NXi comes with two pilot and copilot displays: the GDU 1050 PFDs measure 10 inches and the GDU 1250 center display comes in at 12 inches.

D. The yaw damper, automatic trim, and coupled go-around capabilities come with the addition of the Garmin GFC 700 autopilot integrated into the G1000NXi in the GX mode.

A Long-Term Project

The LT was the brainchild of Epic’s engineering team in the early 2000s, with previous company leadership at the helm during the initial phase. Epic’s factory-assist-build program for the LT rode the wave of that process’s increasing popularity at the time—but it was a long road to get from the experimental version to the one that would secure an FAA Part 23 type certificate.

Yes, from 20 feet away, the LT and the E1000 GX look very similar, but a comprehensive list of changes and evolutions had to take place in the airframe, avionics, and components before certification could be achieved—which came to be in November 2019. And there have been upgrades to the model since that first one—the E1000—won FLYING’s Innovation Award in 2020, as we reported in the August 2020 issue. The GX gained its type certification in July 2021, just nine months later, and includes Hartzell’s composite propeller and the Garmin GFC 700 automated flight control system—fully integrated with the G1000 NXi flight deck up front. It takes the place of the Genesys Aerosystems S-Tec IntelliFlight 2100 autopilot originally included in the avionics package.

According to pilots who have flown both the original E1000 and the GX, the addition of the five-blade prop went a long way towards reducing noise and vibration both inside and outside the airplane.

Airwork

Back in Bend, Paradis and I took another flight the next day to ensure we captured a climb all the way to the E1000 GX’s maximum altitude of 34,000 feet msl from Bend’s field elevation of 3,459 feet—which took roughly 18 minutes, according to FlightAware. It gave us the opportunity to put the E1000 through a more aggressive maneuvers profile as well. 

The engine start followed the checklist and buttons deftly organized in sequence on the left-hand subpanel, with the pilot managing the initialization procedures and finalizing their completion with a check of the Wedge annunciation panel on the upper left-hand corner of the flight deck before takeoff. Not only does the Wedge include the departure checklist annunciation system, it also presents the angle of attack indicator right in the pilot’s field of view.

We departed on Runway 34 at KBDN to the northwest, and after a chicane to keep us clear of Redmond’s airspace to the north, we were cleared to climb to FL 340 almost without interruption. A straight-line speed run demonstrated a top mark during our test of 0.53 Mach or 316 ktas at ISA +8 Celsius—the E1000 GX hits its sweet spot in speed around FL 260, but this still impressed me.

What climbs fast also descends like a freight train—since the flight levels weren’t ideal for maneuvers, we pushed N831VF into a steep descent, coursing down to 10,000 feet msl at upwards of 4,500 fpm at times. Time to kick off the enhanced stability protection on the G1000 and get rid of the “silent nudge” coaxing us back into straight and level. Our flight track then dipped into a series of steep turns, slow flight, and initial stall entries to help me understand the airplane’s handling and low-speed flight characteristics.

Roll response was sharp even as we came down through the top of the white arc at 130 kias—also best glide speed, reminding you this is a sleek airframe—with the AOA just tapping the top of the green range.

Return to Base

The GX has a maximum landing weight of 7,600 pounds—which means you need to burn off 400 pounds of fuel before returning if you take off at the MTOW of 8,000 pounds. The top end of the useful load is a stout 2,860 pounds, with a full-fuel load of 1,100 pounds.

You’re more likely to cube out the cabin with extra stuff, though it too leads the class at a width of 54.4 inches at its widest point behind the front two seats. The pitch distance between the rear club seats is a full 31.2 inches, giving a generous amount of legroom for those in the back.

An area of minor concern expressed by potential owners relates to the door—the closing of it is straightforward but a bit “fiddly,” and it lacks a side rail or other kind of assistance with which to leverage yourself up and inside. And the glass window set within the door—in an area that is likely the target of FOD from passengers stepping in without realizing the possible fragility of the photovoltaic dimming inset—may take a hit more readily, so it pays to treat it with care during use.

Operators we spoke to—who go by the philosophy to baby any powerplant—point out that a nice happy place lies snugly in the normal cruise settings, at an initial 83 percent torque down low, dropping off in the climb. This translates into about 311 ktas at FL 340, and an enviable balance between speed and economy—as low as 47 gph.

EPIC E1000 GX

Price (as tested): $4,190,000

Powerplant: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A, 1,200 shp

Propeller: Hartzell 5-blade composite, 105-in. diameter

Seats: 6 

Length: 35 ft. 10 in.

Height: 12 ft. 6 in.

Cabin Width: 4 ft. 7 in.

Wingspan: 43 ft.

Baggage Volume:18 cu. Ft.

Fuel Capacity: 264 gal. usable

Max Takeoff Weight: 8,000 lb.

Useful Load: 2,860 lb.

Full Fuel Payload: 1,100 lb.

Max Rate of Climb: 4,000 fpm

Normal Cruise Speed/Fuel Burn: 49gph at 315 ktas, FL 340

Range: 1,560 nm

Max Cruise Speed: 333 ktas

Stall Speed (ldg config): 68 kias

Takeoff Distance (over a 50-ft. obs.): 2,254 ft.

Landing Distance (over a 50-ft. obs.): 2,399 ft.

This article was originally published in the December 2022/January 2023 Issue 933 of FLYING.

The post We Fly: Epic Aircraft E1000 <i>GX</i> appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Pilatus said its global fleet of more than 1,900 PC-12 turboprop singles has surpassed the 10 million flight hour mark. The company said it expects more opportunities in the future for the model that received its type certificate nearly 30 years ago.

The company said its fleet leader, a PC-12 based in Canada, has flown more than 35,000 hours, while 71 PC-12s have logged more than 20,000 hours of flight time each. Altogether, the PC-12 fleet has logged more than 9.3 million landings, with four aircraft reporting more than 50,000 landings. The aircraft was certified in 1994.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Pilatus PC-12 NGX

“When the PC-12 was launched, this milestone seemed light-years away in the future,” said Ignaz Gretener, vice president of Pilatus’ Business Aviation division. “You must give credit to the engineers who designed this incredibly robust airframe, the production team that builds outstanding quality into each unit, the sales team that found so many markets eager to adopt this versatile aircraft, and the support team so dedicated to keeping them in the air.”

Pilatus said it delivered 80 new PC-12s during 2022, and plans to increase production to meet higher demand this year. The latest model, the PC-12 NGX, is the third major variant and it of the type and has benefitted from a number of improvements over the original PC-12. These include more power, speed, gross weight and payload capacity and upgraded interiors. In 2019 the aircraft received Pratt & Whitney’s electronic propeller and engine control system, or EPECS.

• READ MORE: Blackhawk to Offer Pilatus PC-12 Upgrade

“The PC-12s past, present, and future success boils down to its appeal to a wide range of operations, its solid reliability, and its proven outstanding safety record,” said Pilatus CEO Markus Bucher. “As an additional benefit, these attributes have resulted in PC-12 owners enjoying one of the highest levels of value retention among all business aircraft,” he added.

The post Pilatus PC-12 Fleet Logs 10 Million Flight Hours appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The issues plaguing the 2017 European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) rule implementation for commercial single-engine turboprop operations in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in the European Union have drawn intense frustration—and a quest for solutions.

Kyle Martin, vice president, European affairs for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), opened the conference by setting the scene. “I’m surprised to believe the rulemaking for what we’re going to discuss…started 30 years ago.”

“We’ve gone through a journey to where we are today—we have our regulatory regime in place, we have operations happening, but there’s definitely a massive untapped potential.”

The history of the rule—known as COM-SET IMC—began in 1993 with a meeting in Rome, Italy, and ICAO published the  initial standards and recommended practices—SARPs—in 2005. EASA and QinetiQ conducted a study that had an outcome supporting SET commercial operations with the appropriate safety mitigations in 2007, further paving the way. The rulemaking itself was launched in 2012, and the official proposed rulemaking was published in 2014.

In March 2017, GAMA celebrated at AERO Friedrichshafen the codification of the brand-new regulation—2017-363—and operators could ostensibly move forward, utilizing it to guide single-engine turboprop flying for commercial purposes, unlocking that potential. Six years on, that’s only very partially true.

Defining COM-SET IMC

The U.S. has allowed for the operation of single-engine turboprop aircraft—such as the Pilatus PC-12, TBM series, and Cessna Caravan—in instrument meteorological conditions since the publication in August 1997 of a simple and clear update to FAR 135.163 (62 FR 42374) stating the equipment requirements for single-engine turbine aircraft operating under IFR on a Part 135 air operator’s certificate (AOC). Canada secured its approval even earlier, under Policy Letter 80 in 1993. Until 2017, there was no correlating approval under EASA regulatory framework. 

However, that final rule contains requirements beyond what has been required by the U.S. and Canadian aviation authorities. It includes:

• the requirement to use routes or operate within areas “where surfaces are available that permit a safe forced landing to be exceuted”
• the need for proof that “an acceptable level of turbine engine reliability [has been] achieved in service by the world fleet for the particular airframe-engine combination”
• specific maintenance instructions included in the operator’s maintenance program, plus the need for an engine monitoring program or automatic trend monitoring, and “a propulsion and associated systems reliability program”
• flight crew composition and training/recurrent check program
• special operating procedures, including in-flight shutdown (IFSD)
• a “safety risk assessment” 
• a list of required equipment significantly longer than that in FAR 135.163

While these requirements may sound generally reasonable, in practice it has been a different story with operators who might seek compliance, but instead find alternate means to conduct business.

According to the folks at GAMA, with the EU’s larger population (739 million) and aggregate economy ($16.6 trillion) larger than the U.S. (314 million and $15.7 trillion, respectively), the disconnect is striking. At the time of the publication of the EASA rule, there were only 12 single-engine turboprops operating under EASA exemption, versus a fleet of 673 in the U.S.—many of those Cessna Caravans delivering cargo for FedEx, DHL, and other entities. Following EU implementation, that number has risen—to a mere 60 aircraft.

Yet the single-engine turboprop market has been a strong driver of growth in the industry overall, selling well with updated, more efficient models entering the mix, in high demand. Innovation surges throughout the turboprop segment as well, with advancements such as autothrottles, digital data management, and safety protocols like Garmin’s Autoland. So there appears to be a discrepancy between the fleet numbers and those on commercial operating certificates: “Only a small fraction of that [fleet] is actually working in the commercial IMC market,” said Martin, where their efficiency, reliability, and improvements to safety can benefit the public. One example: JetFly, represented at the SETOps conference, has 40 PC-12s in its fleet, yet not on an AOC. Contrast this with Tradewind Aviation, based in Connecticut, which just took delivery of the first of 20 more PC-12s to bring its fleet to 38 of the turboprops. All of those Tradewind aircraft have flown safely across the north Atlantic Ocean from the OEM’s production facilities in Switzerland.

As it turns out, the restrictions placed within the regulation are archaic and constrain the true potential of the modern single-engine turboprop fleet. “Operators are essentially not able to take full advantage of the high efficiency and reliability of the PC-12, and other single-engine turbine aircraft,” said Martin. “ They have to do strange routings to keep within a distance of landing sites, they have to go through an extensive bureaucratic process with their national authorities to get those routes approved, reviewed, questioned—it’s taking a lot of extra effort for no added [value].”

Performance-based rules should allow the operator to follow the intent of the rule and gain some ease of compliance. “But the inspector level at authorities,” added Martin, “they like to ask for paperwork, documentation, and justification—and re-justification. So there’s a mass of uncertainty out there.” Small operators feel that burden acutely, as they don’t have the staff to deal with the extra workload.

Some within EASA recognize that the industry suffers from over-regulation, a feeling that representatives from the agency revealed on Thursday at AERO during a report-out. The timing provided an opportunity for the assembled members of the SETOps conference to come up with specific, actionable recommendations to take to EASA to help streamline the current regulations and make them more workable.

In-Flight Shutdowns and Safe Landing Sites

Ralph Menzel spent 33 years flying as an operator and pilot prior to joining EASA in 2005. He served as the PCM for Pilatus, among other contacts with the segment. Menzel pointed out several pain points that he’d observed, including the difficulty in identifying landing fields outside of aerodromes and “getting them discussed with the national authorities.” These landing spots are significant, as, per the rule, an operator must be generally within gliding distance of a previously-deemed-suitable spot to land at all times along the route.

But achieving the needed improvements through another rulemaking Menzel feared would take “another 30 years. The easiest task is to [make the updates] through a safety promotion, interpretive material—things that we can put together right now.”

In-flight shutdown procedures form another critical area of needed clarification and work, along with safe forced landing site selection. A working group centered around the Luxembourg civil aviation authority, DAC-LU, has begun, with “good discussions already,” according to Menzel. 

For example, some countries are imposing operating weather minima on safe forced landing sites, regardless of the fact that when the engine-out approach is to an airport or aerodrome, the standard approach minima cannot be used because the aircraft is not following the published approach path. Conversely, if the safe forced landing site is not an aerodrome, no weather minima exist in the first place—and there’s typically no observation provided.

To counter this, DAC-LU conducted a study putting flight crews through a series of 50 IFSD approaches while wearing view-limiting goggles simulating IFR conditions and determined that with proper training, pilots could make the approaches safely in all weather conditions. The plan is to produce special guidance materials and an NPA for the next update to the rule.

Another problem surrounds the availability and suitability of the flight simulators for use in the required initial and recurrent training for COM-SET IMC approval, with only one available previously—a Cessna Caravan sim in Wichita, Kansas. “To take an aircraft out of revenue service, first to do a class rating course and the ACC, I probably need the aircraft out of service for six days, seven days—versus the simulator. Look, I’d love a full flight simulator based in [London] Gatwick—brilliant—but we need to be realistic,” said Edwin Brenninkmeyer, CEO of Oriens Aviation, Pilatus, and Tecnam sales and service for the British Isles.

What’s Really Happening Here

But we all know what happens when excessive regulation strangles business—the clever ones create workarounds. Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of the Aviation Division at Daher, has been involved in the process heavily for at least the last 15 years, and Daher has supported those operators seeking AOCs under the 2017 rule. Chabbert pointed out this “elephant in the room” during the technical discussion of the rule in practice: Operators may be using aircraft to provide shared “rides” outside of the AOC to avoid the onerous burden of the rule, or while waiting for mitigations to take place.

“The reality of the [reported] numbers that we are talking about, it’s a very small fraction of people that are using the TBM in commercial operations,” said Chabbert. “We see that we have a lot of other types of activity that are coming from—[flight sharing] apps, you know, fractional [operations]—we can have some type of usage, that is shared between people, and separation between the aircraft they are renting, and the rental.”

The complex regs have done nothing to advance safety—which should have been the point—in Chabbert’s view. “Today, there’s no safety objective that has been achieved. This is a lie in Europe. We have a roadmap, we have the safety analysis, we have the technology, we have the motivation from the operators. We just need to make sure that what we are going to apply makes sense and is not going to destroy what we think is an addition to the wealth of those in the nation, of the [transportation] choices that we have in Europe.

“I was involved for those 30 years, and in fact, for real for the last 15 years, [and hoped] that I would see, as we speak today, a large majority of operations under SET. This is not the case. What can we do to make it a real goal, and how long are we going to give ourselves so that instead of looking at the facts today where it’s a minority that is under SET, it becomes a majority? Do we need two years? Five years? Fifteen years? What we need is to basically set objectives so that we can have a very simple way to operate, and make sure that the market will then grow, and that operators can make money.”

The Takeaway

With the right correction—implemented in a timely fashion—there’s much to gain as the GA industry sits at a unique tipping point, able to provide an answer to sustainable, efficient transportation solutions while maintaining a high degree of safety. At the same time, there can be clarification between private and commercial operations instead of the shades of gray prevalent today.

The industry has demonstrated its ability to drive towards greater efficiency—with a 2 percent gain as targeted since 2009—and a commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The broader acceptance and distribution of sustainable aviation fuel to more and smaller GA airports underscores this promise, along with the early implementation of alternative energy sources. Add to this a commercially viable program, and it’s clear the potential this market segment has for growth in the future as well as today. GAMA plans to consolidate the outcomes from the meeting into recommendations to EASA, and it will publish the results.

The post Single-Engine Turboprop Commercial Ops in the EU Still in a Tangled Web appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

AERO 2023 launched in Friedrichshafen on April 19 with a focus on sustainable aviation. 

In fact, we are already doing it, according to key industry leaders from ZeroAvia, Daher, Textron eAviation, Pilatus, and Elixir, at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s luncheon. “GA is the solution to this,” said Kyle Martin, GAMA vice president of European affairs.

The event focused squarely on illuminating that message so that those who were there could spread it beyond the walls of Messe Friedrichshafen—and beyond the confines of the general aviation industry into the greater world that needs to understand it. Rather than being an easy target for blame under the auspices of climate change, GA already demonstrates the innovative answers that are possible. Stopping flying is not the answer—flying in better and more sustainable ways will be.

Eric Hinson, GAMA chairman for 2023 and president and CEO of Simcom International, kicked off the lunch with his observations. “I’m going to begin by talking just a little bit about the importance of GA—and I think that’s an important message that we in the industry need to do a better job of communicating. [GA] is basically a connectivity tool that connects people, product, and services.” Those not in GA see it through a myopic view—the high net-worth individual who gets out of a jet—and not for the intrinsic value it provides to nearly everyone in some way.”

Those companies working on solutions in both short- and long-range segments include, according to Hinson, GAMA members and others which are “working on hydrogen-powered solutions…[and] working on electric propulsion to replace fossil-based fuels—and so I’m very confident that over the next 10 to 15 years we are going to see significant advancements in our capability to replace fossil-based fuel for short-range flying. That’s happening here in Europe as well as in the United States. 

“The other area that is equally important is really focused on long-range flying, because we’re always going to have a power-density problem for some time to come—so the long-range solution there is a lot tougher. And of course, the answer there is sustainable aviation fuel.”

There are several legitimate concerns about the current implementation of SAF both in Europe and North America. The first lies in its composition—what biosource it’s derived from, and whether corn-based, cooking oil-based, or various silage-based processes. A second concern lies in how “green” the process of making the fuel is—such as the source of electricity for the manufacturing plant—and how much energy is used in delivering the fuel from its production facility to the distribution points on airports. As Martin would sum up later in the program, in pointing out the value of the book and claim system that allows operators to take credits for SAF entered into the fuel stream: “Trucking tanks of SAF from a Neste factory in Finland to the south of Spain is not the most sustainable approach.”

A corollary to this lies in the current state of electric propulsion, which we have seen this week in several spots on the show floor at AERO—Pipistrel and H55, for two examples—but both directed at short-hop training flights and perceived by some as having limited value to the marketplace.

It’s easy for naysayers to throw rocks at these efforts, but the fact is we won’t get to a solution unless we work on the problems and try new things.

The State of GA in Europe

Martin followed Hinson at the luncheon with his insights into the status of the general and business aviation industries in the EU and UK, including the recovery post-pandemic and political elements affecting both that return to “normal” and moving forward.

“The great news is that we are powering through the COVID recovery,” said Martin. “We are showing growth across all four main product sectors, whether it’s piston airplanes for the training market, turboprop airplanes for the transportation and air services market…the business jet market is growing and coming back—it’s being held back a bit by supply chain constraints, but many new products are coming to the market and that will help boost numbers in the years ahead. And the helicopter market’s finally coming back.”

In addition, traffic numbers reflect the normalizing of the GA industry, with 2022 IFR traffic numbers showing “strong growth versus 2021,” as Martin noted.

Martin also emphasized the value of GA in sustainability problem solving: “Our industry is absolutely the incubator and the growth engine for sustainable and safe aviation technology.” Yes, it’s simply easier to innovate and iterate using small aircraft—we witness all the time how new tech in our GA cockpits “trickles up” to larger platforms until it makes it onto a Part 25 transport category jet a decade—or more—later. At Oshkosh this summer, you’re certain to see an airline captain gazing wistfully at the instrument panel on an RV-series. The most innovative solutions will happen first in the skunkworks of our GA manufacturers, the labs of small but feisty aerospace startups, and in the hangars of our kitbuilders. The first applications may be limited in scope—but that’s the point. You want to test things on a small batch first.

Industry Panel on Workforce, Energy

In parallel to the discussion of sustainability is attracting the workforce that will develop it. To this end, the discussion turned to an industry panel led by Cate Brancart, GAMA’s manager for European operations and safety. 

The panel featured:

• Cyril Champenois, co-founder and CMO of Elixir Aircraft
• Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of Daher’s Aircraft Division
• Jane Lefley, strategy associate for ZeroAvia
• Rob Scholl, president and CEO of Textron eAviation
• Urs Thomann, director of technologies and processes, Pilatus Aircraft

Scholl’s organization—newly formed to consolidate Textron’s efforts in several future-leaning sectors—represents well the human energy derived from a company’s dedication to innovation. “We are seeing a lot of people express interest in coming to work for our organization,” said Scholl, “because everything that we’re doing right now—as you see from this group on stage—is new…For those people who want to take on the challenge in this exciting industry, these projects offer a unique opportunity to really get into something that no one in the world has done before.”

That’s a key part of the GA story we need to tell, according to the panelists.

Specifically, bringing young people into GA OEMs is another goal—and one that Elixir seems to have done naturally, with an average age of 34 or 35, according to Champenois. “We are at a turning point in general aviation,” he said, regarding not only energy sources but the way aircraft are manufactured to reduce parts count and streamline processes. “We feel that [the younger generation] was kind of lost for the past 20 years because nothing was really moving.”

A market-based approach will provide the most practical solutions. “We all know that we have the difficult challenge [ahead] to transition to the alternative fuels,” said Chabbert. “This is something that is a ‘must.’ We all know that this is on our trajectory to become neutral by 2050—it’s a key element to our strategy. But…let’s go back to the roots. What is the market wanting? ‘Cause if we’re just about to propose a bunch of technologies, I think we’re probably going to miss the main thing that we’re doing, [which] is to address the market needs.”

As for attracting new entrants to the workforce, Daher relies upon its apprenticeship program. “We have renewed our workforce, and the way that we do that is through apprentices—we have doubled the number of apprentices about every year, so it is a growing number of new people to us.” The younger generation is environmentally sensitive, he added, “so I think they are also after a project that is going to rehabilitate Earth.” Of the apprentices they engage, 80 percent transition to full-time employment, according to Chabbert.

“Agility is one thing that is going to be important,” said Thomann. “If the workforce is agile in selecting their employers, then the employers have to become agile as well.” A diverse workforce is a critical piece too—and across the industry panel, they discussed how they are helping to grow the applicant pool so that the best and brightest minds get the education they need and become visible to the companies that need their talents. Pilatus has also recently implemented better compensation strategies to help attract and retain the people it wants in the organization—instead of keeping bonuses until the end of the year, they incorporate the higher pay rate in a much more transparent way so that its personnel can plan more accurately.

In order to ensure a diverse talent pool, Chabbert added: “We need to bring in schools—I mean, it is not new, it is nothing that has not been done, it is something that we stopped doing. We have to resume and get the schools into our plans so [the students] can actually practice, and get themselves exposed to the different jobs. With the kind of diversity that we’re talking about, it is data management with a technology-driven approach.”

Telling the GA Story

All of these topics circle back around to one critical concern: Many governments around the world appear to be moving against the GA industry, setting targets for carbon emissions that may not be realistic. If we don’t achieve those goals, will the rug be pulled out from under us? That question was the final one put to the panel—poignant at AERO because of recent movements in the Netherlands’ Schiphol Airport to propose a ban on business jets, and there’s legislation in France seeking to reduce or stop short-haul flights—or the insane idea we might ban flying altogether in order to achieve net-zero.

To combat this, we need to take control of the narrative. “We have to educate… we are not a victim…we have to be proud of saying our story—and say it loud and clear: that is what we do and why we do it,” said Chabbert. “We need to make our story and to praise it.”

Lefley concurred: “I agree with you—I think the industry faces an existential threat ultimately, which is why new technology like what ZeroAvia is doing is so critical. One of the things we need to do is to educate governments and the public about the fact that people are doing this already, and that it can be done safely.

“I think it’s easier to use technology than to force everyone to stop flying,” she concluded.

It’s a global story we must tell, and the examples set in the EU—making progress on regulatory coordination and public understanding—will provide a roadmap for the innovation of the industry to drive us forward.

The post General Aviation Has a Great Sustainability Story To Tell appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“As aviators…we need to fly aircraft—we don’t fly PowerPoints.” 

Whether he meant it to become a catchphrase or not, when Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of Daher’s Aircraft Division, talked of making real progress on sustainability through methodical increments that will be relevant and sellable to the market, he managed to encapsulate what so many in the industry have felt: We’re making our way towards sustainability with the quotidian work that the general aviation industry does with each more efficient aircraft—in Daher’s case, the TBM 960 and the Kodiak 900 and 100—better data monitoring and analysis, and the application of lessons learned.

Near-Term and Long-Term Goals

With sustainable aviation critical to keeping us in the air, several movements are underway that provide both near-term and long-range solutions. “For us, we believe that the future of aviation is going to lie in technology, and technology is going to have different aspects,” said Chabbert in Daher’s press conference at AERO 2023 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on April 19.

• READ MORE: AERO Friedrichshafen Focuses on Sustainability, Single-Engine Turboprop Ops

The first step is one most manufacturers have embraced and operators are willing to adopt if they haven’t already done so—or had the chance—and that’s sustainable aviation fuel. “The planes that we have flown from Tarbes [for display at AERO] were both fueled with SAF,” he said. “We have the ability to use—on the field—the SAF, and that’s important for us that this adoption has been made.”

Adding to this is another near-term project, the EcoPulse demonstrator, a TBM airframe utilizing hybrid energy technology to test out various concepts using electric and traditional means of propulsion. Chabbert identified three main areas of focus during the testing: the choice of using the traditional means of energy or electric motorization in a given phase of flight, the storage of energy in fuel or batteries, and how that energy is distributed to the engines. 

The distribution element turns out to be a key part of the puzzle. “That is something that most of the people are forgetting,” said Chabbert. “It’s probably where technology is most critical today, and I gotta tell you that with all of the things that I’ve been able to monitor…a lot of the people that we’ve visited, I am surprised that we are discovering things ourselves that have not been disclosed by anyone—and distribution of energy is going to be one of the challenges to make technology available on our aircraft.”

“The plane is flying—it’s currently into a very thorough test flight campaign,” said Chabbert. “We are going to display the airplane at Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, and we are going to be able to fly [in] an electrical mode just after Le Bourget.”

Once Daher has completed part of the program—in conjunction with Airbus and Safran, the two partners on this demonstrator, “we will make some decisions, [and] we will take the time for the analysis,” concluded Chabbert. “So [then] we can specify what will be the first hybrid aircraft, which we intend to announce by the end of our middle-term plan, which will end in 2027.  We are committed to come with a real solution in the marketplace. 

“What you will see on the demonstrator is not what is going to be the product. That is the difference between what you demonstrate and what you are going to use. [We will take] those specifications, and come back with our different vendors and see who is going to be able to deliver what we need to put together in our one product solution.”

Kodiak 900 EASA Validation

This year’s AERO is also the European debut for two aircraft—though one has yet to make its way across the pond. The Kodiak 900, which debuted at EAA AirVenture 2022, had secured its validation on April 3 under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and Daher is set to deliver its first unit to a European customer this fall.

Chabbert identified the 900 as a great fit for the local market. “I have to say that this is the perfect aircraft for the German market. This is a King Air 350-sized cabin, and this is the aircraft that can not only take a lot of people, but it can safely fly IFR—and fast—to destinations that are short hops that are typical of a country such as Germany, but also looking at the landscape in Europe [in general].”

Watch: We Fly: Kodiak 100 In Training

The Kodiak 100 on display came over from the U.K. for the event, and Chabbert highlighted the updates that will be available to the 100 series. The first fits well in with Daher’s environmental message—a 5-blade composite Hartzell propeller that debuted at Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo last month. One of the biggest achievements for the new prop vis-à-vis the European market is its reduced noise signature, a full 6-plus decibels below the 4-blade prop. “The TBM 960 is at 76.9, the Kodiak 900 is at 78, so all those aircraft are in exactly the noise signature that is the lowest in the market,” said Chabbert.

The other is the upgrade path to the Garmin G1000 NXi, now available as both a new flight deck moving forward, and a retrofit kit.

Daher has delivered a total of 323 Kodiaks, with most orders to deliver in 2024 representing an even split between the 100 and the 900.

TBM 960 Completes a Year

The other aircraft to grace the display floor at AERO was F-HAHF, serial number 1409—the first production TBM 960. It’s been on a tour over in the U.S. as well as around Europe, and now gives the audience at Friedrichshafen the chance to see its new Pratt & Whitney PT6E-66XT up close.

But it’s what’s behind the powerplant that makes a big difference, and Daher has been learning a lot since the model’s introduction. It features the EPECS (engine and propeller electronic control system), which sends a bevy of engine data—including fault messages—to the avionics and in downloadable form.

“We have worked with Pratt & Whitney on almost predictive maintenance, and this is more or less a new field. We learn a lot—it was not easy to adjust—and I think there is still a lot we can do, but this defines the modern support for the fleet,” said Chabbert of the incredible amount of data to analyze.

Daher has delivered a total of 1,139 TBMs, with the TBM 900 series set to achieve delivery number 500 sometime in the late summer of 2023.

Me & MyTBM App

The final effort covered by Daher in its themes on sustainability and safety is the evolution of its pilot app, Me & MyTBM, into a means by which pilots can actually change their habitual patterns. What does this have to do with efficiency? That’s one aspect of the scoring used within the app’s challenge portion. But even more critical may be the app’s ability to connect the pilot with an instructor—and work towards safer operations, such as more stabilized approaches. “We can change—radically—aviation safety with data,” said Chabbert.

New features on the sixth version of the app—in the five years since its launch—include:

• Multiple pilot tracking per aircraft
• Flight-type qualification, to distinguish between training and passenger flights, for example
• Automatic download of data
• Tracking of flights with multiple landings
• An updated challenge summary, with a printout allowing for an instructor to validate and sign

A Real Tomorrow

“So this is definitely tomorrow,” said Chabbert, “but this is a real tomorrow, this is actual, this is not something which is presented on PowerPoint. You can come to Tarbes, you can see the demonstrator, you can see what we actually do.”

The post ‘We Need to Fly Aircraft—We Don’t Fly PowerPoints’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Remote wakeup is just one of the new tools for pilots on new Piper M600 series turboprops—as well as a significant step forward in the airplane’s sustainable future.

Piper Aircraft announced at AERO 2023 this week in Friedrichshafen, Germany, that the M500, M600, and many Meridian models are now able to use sustainable aviation fuel, as well as Garmin PlaneSync for the G3000 equipped M600/SLS to come in Q2 this year.

The SAF news is welcome, particularly in the current climate in the European Union, where goals to reach net-zero emissions are keenly felt. The series is powered by variations on the Pratt & Whitney PT6 twin-shaft turboprop powerplant, with the PT6A-42A at 600 shp. The FAA blessing—SAIB 56-R4—as well as EASA approval covers SAF nominally using up to a 50/50 blend with traditional jet-A for the moment, as percentages up to that ratio are most widely available. 

Ron Gunnarson, Piper’s vice president of sales, marketing, and customer support, characterized it at the press conference, “[The approval of SAF] is for use in every country that the M class can operate, including here [under EASA]. So all jet fuel that meets the requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials [ASTM] can be used in the Piper PA-46 powered aircraft. The introduction to this will not require a change in any aircraft specifications, and will not require a change in placarding or even in the pilot’s operating handbook.” 

The 1:1 Demand Pull

Global economic forces continue to mean Piper is building about as many aircraft as the general aviation market demands, relaxing some from tense highs last year, in which the OEM delivered 236 units—with 70 of those in the M class, including the M350, M500, and M600. M350 demand in particular is going strong—following move ups in the market from Cirrus ST series drivers who see only a small delta between the top of that price range and the $1.6 million for the M350.

“We’re in a pull market for both our trainers and in our M class aircraft—let’s just say it’s not pulling quite as hard as it was maybe a year ago,” said Gunnarson. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. With 35 years in this business at three different OEMs, I can say that what we were experiencing last year from a production versus supply was unsustainable. I think we’re seeing some of the normalizing, if you will.”

In 2022, Piper delivered 236 aircraft, which was a 14 percent increase over its 2021 figures. Looking ahead, Gunnarson notes that 2023 will continue the trend, as the demand continues and the company’s ability to meet it improves. “For 2023, we’re on track to deliver about 265 aircraft, about 10 percent additional growth, with that same kind of mix. It might be heavier in the M class in 2023. We’ve had strong demand for our M350, the most that we’ve had for several years.

“The dealer pull for the M350 this year was 30-plus aircraft,” Gunnarson added—the most it has seen in recent memory.

Piper shepherds about 70 M class aircraft per year out the door, with 140 in the PA-28 series, which includes the DX, LX, and the Piper 100i.

Garmin PlaneSync

Piper had previewed its latest addition to the Garmin G3000-equipped M600/SLS models—including Garmin PlaneSync—to its customers at the National Business Aviation Association’s convention last fall, and now it’s preparing for the release of the new suite of capabilities for these M-class airplanes using that integrated flight deck.

Updates begin with the addition of enhanced taxi routing via 3D Safe Taxi and preprogramming of taxi clearances. By inputting the cleared route into the GTC touchscreen controller, a routing appears on the multifunction display in a top-down view for increased situational awareness.

The enhancements continue with CAS-based checklists, which will pop up with many corresponding crew alerting system messages, bringing the most likely process to resolve the issue directly to the pilot. Garmin and Piper have also added a glide range ring, stabilized approach annunciations, and additional weight and balance performance features.

Finally, pilots will now have the ability through PlaneSync to remotely “wake up” the airplane and check certain functions and status reports from wherever they have an internet connection. These parameters include database and battery states, and fuel and oil levels. On board the airplane, only the left-hand PFD turns on when the pilot accesses these functions, and only partially so as to conserve battery power.

PlaneSync is anticipated to gain FAA certification in Q2 2023, with EASA and Transport Canada validation to follow.

The post Piper M Class Is Ready for SAF, Garmin’s PlaneSync appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

A tale of three instructors: I joined Daher’s SVP of aviation Nicolas Chabbert and director of training Wayman Luy for an instructor’s take on the utility turboprop, the Kodiak 100 Series III. 

Exploring the Kodiak’s key elements reveals what it would be like for you to sit in the left seat for this original take on the backcountry star—as part of FLYING’s We Fly series.

As instructors, we’ve all held the certificates for a long time, with me obtaining mine 30 years ago this week, in April 1993, Luy in 1994, and Chabbert about 25 years ago. We agreed that even though Chabbert and I no longer delivered instruction on a daily basis, we both still fully enjoyed the rewards of being able to continue teaching when the opportunity presented itself. To let go of our precious CFI cards would be too much to take, no matter the work we must go through to renew inside our jam-packed schedules. 

Want to fly along? 

The post We Fly: Kodiak 100 in Training appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Daher kicked off its presence at Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo 2023 with a tour around its flight line—including the Kodiak 900 for the first time at the event in Lakeland, Florida, and showing off the sky-blue-toned Scirocco paint scheme for the TBM 960, which features black mask highlighting around the cockpit windows.

During the following media briefing, the news included important updates to all of Daher’s line—with some of the coolest news coming on the Kodiak 100 III. 

“We have a five-blade prop right here,” said Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of Daher’s Aircraft Division. “It’s missing the plane behind—at least we wanted to show the five-blade prop that is going to go on the Kodiak 100.” 

The Hartzell prop is a direct replacement for the four-blade prop currently found on the 100 series. The new configuration will drop the noise quotient on the airplane by 6.3 decibels—and it’s 13 pounds lighter than the current prop. And, not insignificantly, it promises to reduce takeoff roll by about 6 percent.

Daher also announced a Garmin G1000 NXi retrofit option for earlier Kodiak 100S models.

Leadership on Sustainability

Chabbert paired the safety mission in developing its line of four turboprop models—as well as a fifth application, if you count the 100 on floats—with an equally critical mission, “as you know, the environmental impacts. Obviously, with the TBM side, we’re a little bit more sensitive to what’s happening in Europe, and sometimes in America, we get to thinking that this is coming last—or not coming—but I had a chance to be in D.C. in February and look at the White House roadmap for sustainability. I think that this is coming.” He stressed the need to have workable solutions—and not just think that technology will leap ahead in time to meet the demands of the greater community. “We have to make a combination [of the two],” Chabbert concluded.

To this end, Daher has implemented sustainable aviation fuel in its fleet in Tarbes, and incorporated sustainability features in its Me&My TBM app. The company also plans to display its Eco-Pulse technology demonstrator—a project with Safran and Airbus to explore electric propulsion on the TBM airframe—at the Paris Air Show in June.

Response to the Kodiak 900

The 900 on display at Sun ’n Fun was the first customer aircraft delivered—and one of three test aircraft that have been built to date, also including a static test article for structural testing, and a flying prototype for flight testing. The display aircraft is the first conforming production model that served for airworthiness authority function and reliability testing, and has been sold to a private operator. 

The first full-production aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in May 2023, according to Daher, as it spends time ramping up its production in Sandpoint, Idaho, thoughtfully. “We have the airplanes that are starting to line up in Sandpoint, with three, four, five, that you can see in different stages of the manufacturing process,” said Chabbert. 

Development of the “King Air 350-sized” Kodiak 900 began in 2016. “We have strong booked orders composed of Kodiak 100 and 900 models,’’ said Chabbert. ‘‘All of the positions for the Kodiak 900 in 2023 have been taken, we actually have a good third of the orders that are also taken into 2024.”

A focus on making the Kodiak series more adaptable to its environment—and the sensitivities of the locations in which its operators fly—made for a theme in Chabbert’s update on both the 900 and 100. In particular, the propeller’s design and low 1,900 rpm setting contribute to the low noise level of 79.5 dB on the 900, allowing the aircraft to operate in more strictly regulated noise-sensitive areas.

A Record Year

“The TBM 960 has surpassed all previous sales records, confirming the capabilities of digital power for this latest high-end member of our TBM 900-series aircraft family,” Chabbert said. He confirmed the delivery of nearly 60 units of the new model since its debut at Sun ’n Fun last year, with most of those trekking across the pond to North American customers. Deliveries have also gone to customers in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the U.K.

This year’s model comes with software updates to the Garmin G3000 integrated flight deck up front, along with a control yoke-mounted actuator used to manage the Garmin electronic checklists, as well as a relocated altimeter setting button. The team went through a lot of testing to ensure the proper functionality of the checklist button in particular. Seemingly small things make a difference.

The TBM 960 is also quieter, with the prop turning at 1,925 rpm during maximum power, helping to limit noise and vibration. Its sound level during takeoff is 76.4 decibels, meeting the most stringent international noise standards, according to Daher.

Stepping Up to the TBM

Interested in what it takes to fly the very-fast turboprop? An educational forum session titled “Stepping up to the TBM 960” will be presented by Wayman Luy, director of training and standards for Daher’s Aircraft Division, and is scheduled at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, and Friday, March 31. Attendees will earn credit for the FAA’s WINGS pilot proficiency program. The forum sessions will be held in Room CFAA-08 of the Central Florida Aerospace Academy, 4141 Medulla Road, near the main entrance to the show.

The post Daher Shows Off Kodiak 900, 100 & New TBM 960 Styles  appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Piper Aircraft has inked a deal with Blue Line Aviation for a combined order of 115 Piper Archer TXs and Seminoles. 

The move intends to be a complete replacement for the North Carolina-based flight training organization’s fleet over the next several years. The approved training organization (ATO) currently operates a mostly Diamond fleet, including the DA20 and DA40 NG singles and the DA42-VI light twin. Two years ago, Blue Line signed on for 50 Diamonds with an option for 50 more—so the news represents a big change for the organization.

“We are very proud to announce…a new partner with Piper,” said Ron Gunnarson, vice president of sales, marketing, and support for Piper. “Piper is synonymous with quality, cost-effective training aircraft featuring the latest avionics to safely—and efficiently—train the world’s aspiring pilots. 

“All OEMs build safe airplanes—you’re not in the business if you don’t,” Gunnarson continued. “Not all OEMs build training, air vehicles that can do so in a safe manner, but also so that it’s affordable for the flight schools which means it’s affordable for the students as well. Those qualities are embedded in the training aircraft that are on display [here] with the Piper 100, the Archer series with both avgas and Jet-A, and the Seminole.”

Gunnarson gave one allusion to why Piper won the deal. “We pride ourselves on a quality fleet support structure of parts and technical expertise to assist any customer at any time, and that draws customers to us. We have direct factory support—and at all times we have $13 to $15 million in spare parts inventory available for immediate sending and receipt to our trainers across the globe—and in the U.S., particularly through Boeing, based in Dallas, Texas.”

“This is truly the fun stuff—especially for simple airplane people like the men and women at Piper.”

“Blue Line has a track record of delivering results and [we] rely on our partners to help us do so,” said Trey Walters, founder of Blue Line Aviation. “Expanding our fleet partnership to Piper is a step towards reliably expanding our fleet rapidly to serve more students. We are further excited to be purchasing American-made airplanes built in the great state of Florida, which we will soon be calling home.”

Deliveries will begin later this year.

M600 and Pilot 100i Updates

During the press briefing at Sun ’n Fun, the manufacturer gave an update on the M-series, including the M600/SLS Halo, and the Piper 100i.

The M600/SLS gains additional functionality within its Garmin G3000 integrated avionics suite with the advent of Garmin’s new PlaneSync technology, which includes a 4G LTE Cellular and Wi-Fi datalink, streamlining preflight and post-flight for the pilot. The upgrade allows M600 owners to remotely check aircraft and flight planning information including fuel quantity, aircraft location, oil temperature, battery voltage, the current METAR at the aircraft’s location, and more through the Garmin Pilot application. “PlaneSync technology also automatically downloads databases wirelessly while the aircraft is powered down and the owner is away, eliminating the need to manually update databases,” Piper said in its release.

Piper also showed off the 100th Piper 100i, which had been delivered to Paragon Flight Training in December 2022. “It was just Sun ’n Fun 2019, four years ago, that we kind of re-indexed the affordability of the single-engine flight training aircraft, with the Pilot 100i, so it’s nice to have serial number 100 here on display this week.” Paragon now has 10 trainers from the Pilot 100 series.

The post Piper Inks Deal With Blue Line Aviation For Up to 115 Total Orders appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Ministry of National Defense and Border Security in Belize has taken delivery of a multi-mission Cessna Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprop for missions that include surveillance, casualty evacuations, and search-and-rescue operations, according to the manufacturer. The Cessna Grand Caravan EX aircraft is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company.

The Grand Caravan, the fourth in Cessna’s Caravan series, entered the market in 1990. Known in the aviation world as “the flying Swiss army knife” because of its versatility, the Grand Caravan can be outfitted for varying missions, including surveillance, cargo hauling, and passenger transport. The EX model has a larger cabin, seating up to 14 people, including the pilot.

“The Grand Caravan EX delivered to the Belize Ministry of National Defense and Border Security will be used as a multi-mission platform for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), search and rescue (SAR), air mobility, light air drop, and other operations as necessary,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, Special Mission Sales. “This is the first Caravan EX in the service of the Belize Ministry of National Defense and Border Security.”

According to Textron, this particular Grand Caravan EX is fitted with an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor, operator mission console, tactical radios, and data link. Textron Aviation will provide pilot, mission operator, and maintenance training, as well as an in-country field service representative.

The Foreign Military Sale (FMS) contract was executed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. 

The post Belize Takes Delivery of Cessna Grand Caravan EX appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Kodiak series—built for the backcountry—has supported special missions throughout its model run. In partial recognition of this, Daher announced on Wednesday that it has joined the United Aerial Firefighters Association (UAFA) as that group’s first airframe manufacturing partner.

The relationship keys off of the use of the Kodiak by the Bridger Aerospace Group [NASDAQ: BAER], a longtime operator of the model and founding member of UAFA. The association is a newly-created advocacy group that will focus on the specialized needs of the aerial firefighting community.

“The UAFA’s goals are fully aligned with those of Daher: enhancing the safety, operability, and effectiveness of aircraft, especially in such challenging and unforgiving missions as combating wildfires,” said Paul Carelli, director of Kodiak flight operations and special missions, in a statement. “We intend to be an active UAFA member, bringing our expertise as a multi-role aircraft manufacturer, while also benefitting from the feedback of those who are on the front lines of aerial firefighting.”

Kodiak Special Missions

We spoke with Carelli at EAA AirVenture 2022—when Daher debuted the Kodiak 900—about the 100 series and its proven success in special missions. “I’ve taken the mantle on special missions for both aircraft,” he said, “and, I can tell you, being a former military guy, seeing what these can provide in reliability and safety, [their] speed, and loiter[ing capabilities]—and how all of those characteristics are key to providing consistent surveillance or public safety—[they are] great aircraft for that. 

“We have Bridger Aerospace in Bridger, Montana, doing outstanding work with Kodiaks,” Carelli continued. “They do fire attack; they were busy all last summer—as you know we had that tremendous fire season last year—but they flew two of their Kodiaks for 800 hours without a single maintenance gripe. We’re really proud of that, and we’re proud of Bridger Aerospace, too.” 

“We appreciate Daher’s proactivity in joining UAFA, and look forward to benefitting from its aircraft manufacturer’s perspective as the association develops a strong and coordinated voice for the entire aerial firefighting community,” said Tim Sheehy, CEO of Bridger Aerospace and UAFA board member.

As Carelli indicated, special missions ops for the Kodiak go beyond aerial firefighting to include intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), aerial mapping, air ambulance transportation, parachute operations, resource analysis, wildlife management/anti-poaching, disaster/humanitarian relief, and training. Throughout the U.S., several state and federal agencies operate Kodiaks in support of wildland fire missions, in addition to those operated by private contractors.

• Read More: Daher Unveils FAA-Certified Kodiak 900

The Kodiak family features both the 8-to-10-seat 100 series—which features the Garmin G1000NXi, is off-airport/unimproved-strip capable, and comes in an amphibious version—and the stretched 900 model, with increased passenger and cargo space, plus a cruise speed increase north of 210 ktas. More than 320 Kodiaks have been delivered around the world to date.

Daher Advances Sustainable Infrastructure

Daher—parent company to the Aircraft Division producing both the TBM and Kodiak models—launched 2023 with a celebration of its 160 years in business, and its Take Off 2027 initiative to outline the next five years in its growth and transformation into a global supply and logistics player.

The roadmap includes twin goals of reducing the company’s carbon footprint along with improving customer satisfaction. To that end, Daher announced Monday that it had installed the first PUR-XTL biofuel tank at its Corlog logistics hub in Cornebarrieu, near Toulouse, France.

The “green” fuel, made from waste residual oils and greases, will be used in the company’s ground vehicles to reduce emissions by up to 90 percent. Daher uses the hub to facilitate transport and warehousing of various products, including aircraft sub-assemblies to various assembly lines in the region for its contracts with Airbus.

• Read More: Daher Weaves Sustainability Into Kodiak 900 and TBM 960

From a statement released by Daher, it gave the following example: “The route used by Daher to transport engines and aircraft components from Toulouse to Airbus production plants in Hamburg, Germany, accounts for 60 percent of the 3.5 million kilometers traveled annually by the Daher truck fleet.” Road transportation remains one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions in the supply chain, with an average of 25 to 35 liters of diesel used per 100 kilometers driven, depending on the load carried and other factors. 

Biofuels are not generally available at service stations along trucking routes, so Daher decided to make the investment of €50,000 to install a 30,000-liter tank at the Cornebarrieu facility.

Julie de Cevins, senior vice president of programs and nuclear/projects business units at Daher, said, “The progressive introduction of PUR-XTL biofuel to power our entire fleet of vehicles reflects our determination to decarbonize our logistics activities, in just the same way as the projects now underway at our Log’In innovation technical center, which focuses on developing tomorrow’s logistics. Driving innovation for decarbonization is one of the five priorities of our new Take Off 2027 strategic plan. This initiative will significantly reduce our transportation-generated CO₂ emissions, at the same time as helping our customers to reduce their carbon footprints.” 

Arnaud Joerger, head of transportation at Daher, added, “Using this biofuel reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 90 percent, and NOx emissions by 65 percent without any need to modify or convert our trucks. It’s not only a significant environmental gain for the group, but also a matter of pride for our drivers in the knowledge that they’re driving such clean vehicles.” 

Etienne Valtel, CEO at Altens, producer of the fuel, said, “We’re delighted to have this opportunity of helping Daher to decarbonize its fleet. Approved at European level, our PUR-XTL fuel means that Daher can drive green in France right now, and will soon be able to extend that into Germany. This agreement reflects our ambition to accelerate transportation industry decarbonization by offering a range of application-specific alternative fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The post Daher Kodiak Joins Aerial Firefighting Group As First OEM appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

While they represent only 20 percent of total airplanes delivered, the turboprop market segment offers an enticing blend of speed, utility, and approachability for the pilot wanting to fly their own aircraft—and those who can invest between $2.5 and $6 million (for a new aircraft) to accomplish their goals.

The selections within the pool for buyers offer well-targeted capability and niche design—and the segment continues to attract new entrants from the original equipment manufacturers specializing in these mounts. Daher has led the way in 2022, with the introduction of two new models to its portfolio, the autoland-capable TBM 960 (successor to the 940) and the Kodiak 900, a serious reimagining of the backcountry hauler into a much faster baby. The 900 provides a different flavor of competition for the Cessna Grand Caravan EX—though the classic from Textron Aviation still comes in lower on price point, and you can’t put a 900 on floats—yet. Stay tuned.

Updates from Epic on the E1000 GX preserve speed while upgrading the useful load: You can pack in five adults, a show’s worth of bags, and full fuel—and stay under the maximum takeoff weight of 8,000 pounds. The Pilatus PC-12 NGX is sold out well into 2024, proving the endurance of that model’s attraction—and the M600/SLS Halo (also with autoland) and the M500 from Piper offer an easy step up from high-performance piston singles and twins.

On the multiengine side, Textron Aviation added the Cessna SkyCourier officially to its lineup in 2022, redefining the top end of its twin-turboprop product line. Deliveries to launch customer FedEx started earlier this year in the freighter version, while a passenger model seats up to 19 people. 

Turboprop sales suffered a bit from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, falling from 525 deliveries in 2019 to 443 in 2020, with a rebound to 527 in 2021. The year thus far portends a return to rosy skies for the segment: Through June 2022, GA turboprop manufacturers reported 247 shipments with projections for an even stronger second half of the year. That runs counter to many years, when fourth quarter sales soften. However, lease rates on aircraft also tend to become more favorable at year end, and may combine in 2022 with a bump in sales closings in December when the U.S. faces a potential loss of recent tax advantages on aircraft purchases—as long as rising interest rates don’t spoil the party.

According to Lou Seno, chairman emeritus of Jet Support Services, a provider of hourly cost maintenance programs for aircraft engines and airframes, this could have a real effect on the last quarter. “In 2023, we go back to the regular depreciation schedule,” says Seno, as the bonus depreciation schedules implemented for aircraft placed in service after September 27, 2017, and before January 1, 2023, are no longer available—unless there is an extension granted to the IRS code.

For those owner-pilots and businesses looking to add a capable turboprop like a Beechcraft King Air 360 as a capital investment this year, the timing may be just right—if they have an order in or can negotiate a place in line. Most manufacturers are taking positions well into next year—or the year after.

Single-Engine Turboprop

Multiengine Turboprop

The post Turboprops: A Return to Rosy Skies appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Textron Aviation (NYSE: TXT) is increasing the operational flexibility of the recently certified Cessna SkyCourier with the introduction of a new gravel kit. The addition of the gravel kit will give customers more flexibility allowing them to operate their aircraft from unimproved runways.

Company officials predict that the gravel kit option will make the SkyCourier more attractive to a variety of customers such as humanitarian organizations, government agencies, law enforcement and militaries, air ambulance operators, freight haulers, and corporations that benefit from operating off unimproved runways.

The SkyCourier, Cessna’s clean-sheet design twin-engine turboprop, was FAA certified in March 2022. Deliveries began two months later.

• READ MORE: The First Production Cessna SkyCourier Rolls Out in Wichita

The Cessna SkyCourier twin-engine, high-wing turboprop can be configured for both freight and up to 19 passengers. The aircraft has single-point pressure refueling to enable faster turnarounds when time is of the essence. The aircraft is designed to hold up to 6,000 pounds of payload.

The SkyCourier is powered by a pair of wing-mounted Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65SC turboprop engines with  McCauley C779 four-bladed propellers. The flight deck features Garmin G1000 NXi avionics.

“The addition of this new gravel kit greatly enhances the already rugged reliability of the SkyCourier,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of sales and flight operations. “Cessna aircraft have been moving people and critically-needed goods in and out of remote areas for decades, and this new capability allows SkyCourier customers to operate in some of the world’s most demanding environments.”

• READ MORE:Textron Delivers First Cessna SkyCourier to FedEx Express

The SkyCourier has a maximum cruise speed of more than 200 ktas and a range of approximately 900 nm.

The first deliveries of the SkyCourier with the gravel kit option are expected to begin later this month.

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After significant effort in the fourth quarter, Daher announced on Wednesday it had delivered 73 of its TBM and Kodiak series in 2022. The manufacturer also reports it has a backlog of 100 orders for 2023 and 2024 on its single-engine turboprops, riding on its debut of the new TBM 960 and Kodiak 900 models during the year.

While the company registered many of the same supply chain challenges that have plagued the aviation industry as a whole, those obstacles were surmounted by the team’s efforts.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Daher TBM 960

“Last year’s business performance benefitted from the dedicated efforts of our production, delivery, and sales teams on both sides of the Atlantic, along with our firm engagement to deal with the aviation industry’s continued supply chain challenges and employment shortages,” said Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of Daher’s Aircraft Division, in a statement.

Chabbert also credited the introduction of the FAA- and EASA-certificated TBM 960 and FAA-blessed Kodiak 900 with “energizing” sales for the next two years. FLYING demoed the TBM 960 for its Q3 issue last year—and the Kodiak 900 is featured in our next “We Fly” report in Issue 934, currently on its way to subscribers.

Market Segments 

North America continues to be the strongest market for Daher’s sales in the TBM line, with 40 units going to those customers in 2022, followed by 11 deliveries to clients in Europe. The remainder of the 56 total 960s delivered went elsewhere globally.

The Kodiak series totalled 17 deliveries to a blend of corporate flight departments, private owners, and special missions operators in North America, and one unit to a European customer. One Kodiak 900 was delivered within the total, marking the debut for the new model.

Official delivery numbers for the industry will be disclosed in the upcoming 2022 report from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association on February 22.

A New Base

Daher inaugurated a new U.S. headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in late January, strengthening its position as a global aerospace firm. The move consolidates the company’s administrative and management functions into a single Florida base located near its TBM and Kodiak service facility in Pompano Beach (KPMP), as well as its newly acquired aerostructures plant in Stuart (KSUA). 

• READ MORE: Swiss Pilot Takes the Next TBM 960

From the new location—convenient to both the Ft. Lauderdale (KFLL) and Miami International (KMIA) airports—Daher expects to expand further into the North American market not only in aircraft and aerostructures manufacturing but also logistics and services.

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