Dassault Falcon 900LX and Falcon 2000 Series Certified for 100 Feet EFVS Operations
The Dassault Falcon 900LX, Falcon 2000LXS and Falcon 2000S have been certified by EASA and the FAA for an enhanced flight vision system (EFVS) capability that greatly improves access to airports in bad weather, providing operational credit for poor visibility approaches down to 100 ft. The new EFVS capability, provided through Dassault Aviation’s revolutionary FalconEye Combined Vision System (CVS) and its unique combination of six fused sensors, was previously certified on the Falcon 8X ultra-long range trijet following the completion of joint EASA/FAA trials last year.
FalconEye is the first Head-Up Display (HUD) to show separate synthetic, database-driven terrain mapping and enhanced thermal and low-light camera images at the same time. It also allows pilots to adjust the split between synthetic vision system (SVS) and enhanced vision system (EVS) imaging areas to suit visibility conditions, providing an unprecedented level of situational awareness and allowing the crew to perform bad weather landings with much higher levels of confidence, precision and safety. The FalconEye option has been available on the two-engine 2000LXS/2000S and the three-engine 900LX since October 2016 and on the Falcon 8X since early 2017. The system will also be available on the new Falcon 6X ultra widebody twinjet, which is due to enter service in 2022.
The next enhancement to the FalconEye option will be the addition of a dual head-up display configuration that will support an EFVS-to-land capability, allowing pilots to fly a full approach and land without requiring natural vision to see the runway. The full approval of this capability is anticipated next year.
The recent operational improvement to FalconEye and certification is part of a series of enhancements and new options designed to extend Falcon mission capability. Others include Dassault’s Falcon Sphere II integrated Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) suite and FalconConnect, a comprehensive package of broadband communications solutions designed to facilitate the use, management and control of inflight connectivity.
Dynamatic Delivers Hundredth Ship Set of A330 Family Flap Track Beams to Airbus
Dynamatic on February 22 handed over the 100th Ship Set of Airbus A330 Family Flap-Track-Beams to Airbus in the presence of executive vice president and head of procurement, Airbus, Klaus Richter.
Dynamatic is a Tier 1 supplier for Airbus for A330 Family Flap-Track-Beams. It has created a global footprint in manufacturing of details parts in the UK and assembly in India. Dynamatics has worked closely with major aircraft manufacturers to establish advanced manufacturing capabilities in India, which is truly in consonance with the ‘Make in India’ programme. Dynamatic is proud of its partnership with Airbus and has invested considerably in the development of its training, tooling and quality systems.
“We have industrialised the programme by creating footprints in the UK and India. Ramping-up deliveries to reach 100 aircraft Ship Sets for Airbus is a tremendous achievement,” said CEO & managing director, Dynamatic Technologies Limited, Udayant Malhoutra.
Dynamatic currently delivers close to 800 aircraft Ship Sets annually, making Dynamatic the largest producer of Flap-Track-Beams globally. The flaps on the wings, which are instrumental in controlling the speed, direction and balance of the aircraft, move along high tech guide rails known as the Flap-Track-Beams. These Flap-Track-Beams are Class-1 Flight Critical Assemblies that are connected to the wings.
‘Make in India’ is at the heart of our business strategy. Our partnership with Dynamatics exemplifies our commitment towards setting up an aerospace ecosystem in India,” said president & managing director, Airbus India & South Asia, Anand E Stanley. “We congratulate Dynamatics for their high-quality work. With partnerships like these Airbus’ annual sourcing from India has exceeded USD 550million from more than 45 suppliers.”
GoAir and Sri Lankan Airlines Selects Skywise by Airbus
Sri Lankan Airlines and GoAir have signed agreements with Airbus to benefit from the manufacturer’s cloud-based platform Skywise Core.
GoAir, first Indian customer on Skywise, will use the platform to reduce operational interruptions and maximise aircraft utilisation and flight operations. This will benefit the airline’s existing fleet of about 50 aircraft and the future deliveries.
“With the growth of our A320 fleet, we are delighted to join Skywise. We are convinced this digital platform will support our daily operations,” said MD and acting CEO, GoAir, India, Jeh Wadia.
Skywise will primarily help Sri Lankan Airlines anticipate maintenance tasks for its A320 and A330 fleet, allowing them to track and analyse their operations and performance data. These will benefit the airline’s present fleet of 30 aircraft and those on order.
“We are confident that Sri Lankan Airlines will benefit from Skywise within our current digital transformation,” said chief officer service delivery, Sri Lankan Airlines, Capt. Rajind Ranatunga.
“We are delighted to see GoAir and Sri Lankan Airlines join the growing number of airlines connected to Skywise. This makes us even more confident in our ability to bring more value to the industry through data sharing, and I would like to thank our valued customers for their forward-looking approach,” said digital transformation officer, Airbus, Marc Fontaine.
By using Skywise Core, the airlines will be able to integrate their own operational, maintenance, and aircraft data into the Skywise cloud, so they can store, access, manage, and analyse selected Airbus data together with their own data and global benchmarks without the need for additional infrastructure investments. This resulting value will provide new insights at aircraft, fleet, company, and global levels while allowing the operators to enhance their operations through access to OEM expertise and global fleet context.
Skywise is a key element of Airbus’ ambitious digital transformation. It is an enterprise data platform driving digital collaboration across the aerospace value chain by capturing information from all upstream processes, including design, engineering, manufacturing and maintenance support. Skywise is accelerating digitalisation in aviation by providing players across the sectors with the data and capabilities they need to make better decisions.
Heligo receives its first Airbus H145 helicopter from Milestone Aviation
Milestone Aviation Group Limited (Milestone), a GECAS company and the global leader in helicopter leasing, and Airbus Helicopters announced February 20, that Heligo Charters Private Limited (HCPL), a Mumbai Based Non-Scheduled Helicopter operator has taken delivery of its first H145 helicopter. The helicopter configuration allows it to perform a variety of missions. The aircraft taken on lease from Milestone will start operations soon in the state of Jharkhand.
“We take immense pride in the fact that Heligo has placed its trust in Milestone’s certainty of execution to deliver the aircraft, coupled with our financial and technical capabilities. We look forward to continuing to grow this long-term relationship,” said SVP commercial at Milestone, Michael York.
HCPL is a leading onshore and offshore helicopter services provider to Oil and Gas Industry, Corporates and VIP travel in India. The company currently operates 10 helicopters, including four Airbus AS365 N3 Dauphins.
“HCPL will use the versatile H145 helicopter for a variety of missions. With enhanced safety features and a reputation for reduced maintenance, the H145 is an ideal craft for performing diverse roles,” said CEO, Heligo Charters Pvt Ltd, Capt K. Padmanabhan.
Airbus Opens Commercial Pilot and Maintenance Training Centre Near Delhi
Airbus has inaugurated a world class training centre for commercial pilots and maintenance engineers in the National Capital Region of Delhi, as part of its continuing efforts to support the exponential growth of the civil aviation sector in the country.
Airbus forecast a need for more than 25,000 new pilots in India over the next 20 years to keep pace with the current double-digit growth in its commercial aviation industry.
The training centre incorporates an A320 flight simulator for full-flight simulation, along with programmes on aircraft procedure training, computer-based classroom training, and standard pilot transition training, including an ‘Upgrade to Command’ course aimed at improving skills and maturity of co-pilots as they transition to commandership. The facility will complement Airbus India’s training centre in Bengaluru which has trained more than 4,500 maintenance engineers since its inception in 2007.
“Providing a robust training infrastructure to support our customers’ businesses is a priority for us. One pillar of our customer services mission is proximity to the customer, and another one is safety. In that respect, having a training centre located in the country is proof of our commitment towards both,” said president and managing director, Airbus India & South Asia, Anand E. Stanley.
Globally, Airbus has a comprehensive and highly customised training programme, aimed at pilots, maintenance crew and engineers. Its training facility in India is another testament to the company’s focus on making the most advanced training technologies accessible to the subcontinent while creating highly skilled workforce in line with the government’s ‘Skill India’ initiative.
“The new training centre in India is part of our worldwide development plan to address the growing demand for pilots. Over 500,000 new pilots will be required worldwide over the next 20 years. Our increasing footprint also aims at providing service closer to airline customers,” said head of training services, Airbus Commercial Aircraft, Michael Chemouny.