Category: BizJet

Missing Aircraft Mechanic Found Dead

An aircraft mechanic, Suren Seetal of Florida, that had been missing since early November was later found dead – the result of a homicide. Authorities believe he was killed for trying to collect $315,000 he was owed. Seetal was last seen alive on Nov. 2 when he was leaving work. His family reported him missing when he didn’t come home, return to work for his next shift or answer phone calls. His body was found two weeks later on Big Cypress Reservation.

Three men were charged with kidnapping and murdering the 36-year-old, the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida said in a statement in mid-December.

29-year-old Somjeet Christopher “Lil Chris” Singh, 24-year-old Avin “Smalls” Seetaram, and 18-year-old Gavin Hunter have all been charged with murder for hire conspiracy, murder for hire, kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping and obstruction of justice.

A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida charged Avin Seetaram, a/k/a “Smalls,” 24, Somjeet Christopher Singh, a/k/a “Lil Chris,” 29, and Gavin Hunter, 18, all of Broward County, with “murder for hire conspiracy, murder for hire, kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice, for their involvement in a violent kidnapping and murder of Miami-Dade resident Suren Seetal.”

According to allegations contained in the previously filed criminal complaint and the indictment, Seetal was last seen alive on November 2, 2023, when he was leaving work. After leaving work, Seetal’s telephone was in the vicinity of Dr. HVAC, Singh’s air conditioning business, before going off network shortly thereafter. Seetal’s body was recovered at Big Cypress Reservation on November 21, 2023.    

Anyone with information regarding this matter is encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

RTX Names Christopher T. Calio to Succeed Gregory J. Hayes as CEO

In a planned leadership transition, RTX recently announced thatChristopher T. Calio, president and chief operating officer, will succeed Gregory J. Hayes as chief executive officer at the 2024 RTX Annual Shareowners Meeting scheduled for May 2. Hayes will continue to serve as executive chairman of RTX. Calio was also appointed to the company’s board of directors effective mid-December.

“Today’s announcement reflects the Board’s deliberate, disciplined succession planning process,” said chairman and CEO Greg Hayes. “Chris has a deep understanding of the industry, our customers’ needs and our operations. I have every confidence in his ability to lead RTX and drive the company’s long-term success.” 

“Greg has had a remarkable career leading RTX, his vision to transform from a conglomerate to a top global aerospace and defense company has created tremendous value for shareowners, employees and our nation,” said Fredric G. Reynolds, Board lead director.  “The Board looks forward to Greg’s continued influence and leadership as executive chairman.”

“The Board is very pleased to have Chris Calio succeed Greg Hayes as RTX CEO,” added Reynolds. “Chris has been disciplined in leading the company’s operations and strategic growth strategy. We look forward to working with and supporting Chris as he leads RTX to continued growth and success.” 

“I deeply value the Board’s confidence in me and am grateful for the opportunity to lead the RTX team forward,” said Chris Calio. “I am honored to succeed Greg, who has built the best positioned portfolio in aerospace and defense.  As a leadership team, we are focused on driving operational excellence and accelerating technological innovation as we deliver on the record backlog of customer demand and meet shareowner expectations.”

As president and chief operating officer of RTX, Calio, 50, oversees the company’s three business units, as well as its functions for technology, engineering, enterprise services, digital, operations, quality, supply chain, and environment, health and safety. In 2023, Calio oversaw the realignment of RTX from four to three business segments: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon. Prior to his current role, Calio was president of Pratt & Whitney, where he led the business that designs, manufactures and services aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. He joined the company in 2005 and held various leadership roles and drove significant transformational change throughout his tenure.

Responsible for leading 180,000 employees and $67 billion in annual sales, Hayes, 63, has been instrumental in creating a global organization focused on delivering innovative products and solutions for a safer, more connected world. 

Elected chairman of the board in 2021, Hayes had a nearly 21-year career at United Technologies Corporation, holding several senior leadership roles across finance, corporate strategy and business development, culminating with his appointment to chief executive officer in 2014 and chairman in 2016. As CEO, Hayes led the reshaping of UTC from industrial conglomerate to a focused aerospace company. Beginning with the divestiture of Sikorsky Aircraft in 2015 and the acquisition of Rockwell Collins in 2018, Hayes continued to focus the business with the spinoffs of Otis Elevator Company and Carrier Corporation in 2020. Hayes then led the merger of UTC’s remaining aerospace businesses, Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace Systems, with Raytheon Company, to form RTX in April 2020. 

Redstar Aviation, Turkey’s Leading Air Ambulance Operator, Selects TrustFlight’s Centrik to Streamline Safety and Compliance

TrustFlight, a technology innovator focused on digitization of the aviation industry, announced that Redstar Aviation, Turkey’s leading Air Ambulance operator, has selected TrustFlight’s Centrik software to streamline its safety (SMS) and quality management system (QMS) for real-time operational management of its Challenger 605, Learjet 45 XR, and Leonardo AW139 fleet.

Redstar Aviation, which provides air ambulance, medical escort, offshore oil and gas, and air taxi services, as well as MRO, CAMO, Part-147, and Part-21 services, has a long-standing reputation of excellence in safety and compliance. Redstar Aviation will leverage the full Centrik suite which includes safety, risk, compliance, training, forms, equipment, document, as well as its workflow modules, to enable enterprise-wide automation of critical tasks related to safety and quality management.

“Redstar Aviation deeply values safety and operational excellence,” said Yusuf Cizdan, compliance monitoring and SMS Manager, Redstar Aviation. “When evaluating ways to improve our internal processes, Centrik stood out as the ideal platform for us. TrustFlight, as subject matter experts, understand our commitment to scaling operations safely and efficiently—we’re excited to leverage their industry-leading software.”

Centrik provides a complete picture into an organization’s operational profile. It removes costly, outdated paper-based processes and procedures for fleet operators, MROs, regulators, and airports around the world. Centrik is the world’s only all-in-one safety and quality management system for every element of successful maintenance and flight operations departments.

“We are pleased to see Redstar Aviation commit to TrustFlight’s Centrik for its SMS and QMS requirements,” said Karl Steeves, director, TrustFlight. “Redstar Aviation is well-regarded as a leader in air medical services, and we look forward to supporting them and their growth in a safe, scalable manner.”

TrustFlight’s suite of solutions enable fully-digital workflows for crew and maintenance personnel by automating vital information to greatly enhanced speed and accuracy while reducing the man-hours required. In addition to TrustFlight’s Centrik SMS and QMS solution, the firm also offers Electronic Tech Log, MEL Manager, and Reliability Analytics software that seamlessly integrate for a unified user experience leading to accurate, actionable decision-making across the enterprise.

About TrustFlight
TrustFlight is a digital technology innovator focused on the aviation industry. The company’s best- in-class digital tools and services provide new levels of safety, efficiency and insight to everyone involved in the operation and maintenance of aircraft. TrustFlight boasts a suite of digital solutions. Electronic Tech Log automates flight data entry, scheduling, and maintenance recording. Centrik offers managers a 360-degree view of company operations. MEL Manager serves to digitise and manage minimum equipment lists. Originally founded by two commercial pilots, TrustFlight has grown to become a global firm supporting a wide variety of airlines, airports, maintenance providers and regulators. To learn more, visit www.trustflight.com, and follow @TrustFlight on Linkedin.

About Redstar Aviation
An outstanding aero-medical company with a rich history, Redstar Aviation operates an extensive dedicated fleet – consisting of five Learjet 45 XRs alongside three Bombardier Challenger 605s as well as five Leonardo AW139s – out of Istanbul, Türkiye. With a combination of a multilingual alarm centre, powered by a hand-picked staff of qualified skilled medical doctors, and operational & technical experts, Redstar Aviation clearly demonstrates that its commitment to the highest standards in aviation medicine are unparalleled in the industry. Redstar operates worldwide, including war-torn & conflict zones, and is equipped with the latest state-of-the art equipment. To learn more, visit www.redstar.com.tr.

Eaton Names John Sapp President, Aerospace Group; Nanda Kumar to Retire

Eaton recently announced that John Sapp has joined the company effective December 4, 2023. He will succeed Nanda Kumar as the president of Eaton’s Aerospace Group upon Kumar’s retirement on March 31, 2024. Sapp will report to Paulo Ruiz, president and chief operating officer, Industrial Sector, and will join Eaton’s senior leadership team.

“Nanda is an exceptional leader who inspires and motivates others with his passion for our mission and deep expertise across our businesses,” said Ruiz. “I want to express my gratitude to Nanda for his invaluable contributions to the company and congratulate him on his retirement.”

Sapp joins Eaton from Collins Aerospace, where he most recently served as vice president and general manager of Strategic Solutions for Mission Systems. Before this role, he was the vice president and general manager of the Integrated Solutions business and prior to that, vice president of Commercial Aftermarket Sales and Support. Before joining Collins in 2018, Sapp held leadership roles with GE Aviation and was an F-15C fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He also attended and later served as an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School.

FAA Proposes to Require Drug and Alcohol Testing of Certificated Repair Station Employees Who Work on Commercial Aircraft Outside of the U.S.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes to require certificated repair stations located outside the United States whose employees perform safety-sensitive maintenance functions on certain air carrier aircraft to obtain and implement a drug and alcohol testing program. These programs would align with the FAA and Department of Transportation (DOT)’s drug and alcohol standards.
 
FAA says this would be an important step in their overall safety mission because few countries require testing of aviation or maintenance personnel. This rule would ensure these employees are held to the same high level of safety standards regardless of where they are physically located.
 
The repair stations would have to ensure their employees receive all necessary anti-drug and alcohol training and send their testing data electronically to the DOT. 

The proposed rule would impact approximately 977 repair stations in 65 countries. It is scheduled to publish in the Federal Register on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, and the public will have 60 days to submit comments.  

Tony Curtis Named New Duncan Aviation Component Repairs and Parts & Rotables Sales Manager

Duncan Aviation is pleased to announce Tony Curtis has been selected as the components repair and parts & rotables sales manager to replace Keith Schell, who will retire in January of 2024. 

Curtis’ 30+-year aviation career began in 1990 in the United States Air Force before joining Duncan Aviation in 1997. Starting as an accessory technician, he quickly took on greater responsibilities, working up to landing gear team leader. In 2016, he was promoted to assistant manager of component repairs, overseeing Duncan Aviation’s aircraft accessory and avionics back shops. 

“Tony is a servant leader,” says Mark Cote, VP-parts sales, component repairs, and satellites. “This, combined with his technical background, is why he is a great fit to lead Duncan Aviation’s component repairs and parts & rotables sales teams into the future.”

One of the first moves Curtis made was to assemble a leadership team with three assistant managers. Cary Prange, Dustin Johnson, and Cody Orth fill those positions.  

“They are all knowledgeable within their respective areas,” said Curtis. “My goal is to align their talents and experience and empower them to take further action by working together to build strong relationships with our growing customer base.”

Prange is the assistant manager of Duncan Aviation parts & rotables sales, providing daily oversight and leadership to the team that works around the clock offering rotables, loaners, exchanges, outright units, avionics, instruments, accessories, and technical support to aircraft operators worldwide.

Prange’s career at Duncan Aviation began as a parts runner in 1985. Since then, he has held many positions throughout the company, including warehouse specialist, return goods team leader, purchasing supervisor, and team leader for parts & rotables sales before assuming his current position.

Assistant managers Dustin Johnson and Cody Orth lead more than 140 component repair technicians who inspect, install, troubleshoot, service, and repair virtually all avionics and accessories equipment in an aircraft.

Johnson joined Duncan Aviation as an avionics tech assistant in 2003. He quickly worked his way up the technical ranks to become a team leader, customer account rep, and shop supervisor before being named assistant manager. 

After joining Duncan Aviation in 2017, Orth worked in the hydraulics and landing gear shops, eventually becoming a team leader before assuming the assistant manager role. Before joining Duncan Aviation, Orth managed an ethanol plant in Colorado for 13 years. 

Every Duncan Aviation Location Now United Under First-Ever Single FAA-Issued Certificate

Duncan Aviation announced it has received the first-ever FAA-issued Repair Station certificate, uniting all of its facilities and Satellites under a single Repair Station number (JGVR194F). On October 29, the Duncan Aviation Satellites and Additional Fixed Locations (AFLs) in Oxford, Connecticut; Bedford, Massachusetts; Teterboro and Morristown, New Jersey; and White Plains, New York; began operating as AFLs under the Duncan Aviation Repair Station certificate in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The remaining main facilities in Battle Creek, Michigan, and Provo, Utah, as well as the rest of Duncan Aviation’s Satellites and AFLs, transitioned to the Lincoln Repair Station certificate on December 10. The quality team at Duncan Aviation, lead by Mike Mertens, enterprise quality manager, transitioned the first five Satellites, resolved issues, and transitioned the wider enterprise prior to surrendering the dozens of separate repair station certificates.

It’s also the first time that the FAA has granted a single repair station certificate for multi-location facilities. Now, instead of consulting dozens of FAA Flight Standard District Offices (FSDO) representatives in dozens of different locations throughout the country, every Duncan Aviation location will consult the FSDO in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“Although, briefly, the transition complicated things on our end because the Satellites have been operating the same way for more than 38 years, it will actually make our goal of meeting our customer needs much easier,” said Matt Nelson, enterprise manager of satellite operations. “We’re now able to send technicians from one location to another without worrying which repair station number they’re working under. It will also allow us more flexibility in the addition and removal of certain capabilities.”

Duncan Aviation says the greatest benefit to their customers is that with one group overseeing and supporting all of the locations, the service will be the same at every location.

“Theoretically, the service we provide has been the same no matter the location, but with each location dealing with different FAA personnel, there was always the possibility of slightly different interpretations of rules,” says Mertens. “Now, with only one person, there will be one interpretation. As a result, we will be even more consistent in providing the same service at every location.”

The single repair station number will allow the FAA to shift its focus from administrative tasks to safety issues.

“A further benefit Duncan Aviation’s customers is that the FAA will look at workorders for technicians on the floor,” says Mertens. “Roughly one-third will be looked at by the FAA FSDO team in Lincoln, one-third will be looked at by the local FSDO team at the request of Lincoln, and one-third will be inspected by Mike Brown Duncan’s Aviation enterprise manager of the safety management system and Jeff King, quality chief inspector. This allows inspectors at all of the locations to focus on airworthiness instead of administrative issues.”

Duncan Aviation had been operating under the same repair station manual, but up until December 10, 2023, there were dozens of FAA inspectors overseeing the 23 different certificated repair stations, all of which required a separate review.

“This unification will simplify things dramatically for the FAA, by having only one group inspecting the standard requirements,” says Mertens.

Marsh McLennan’s Oliver Wyman to Acquire SeaTec Consulting

Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting, and a business of Marsh McLennan announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire SeaTec Consulting Inc. a leading provider of consulting, engineering, and digital expertise across the aviation, aerospace and defense, and transportation industries. SeaTec will join CAVOK, a division of Oliver Wyman, focused on aviation services.

For more than 20 years, SeaTec’s deep industry knowledge, paired with technical and digital expertise, has delivered high value programs for clients. SeaTec has a long-standing record of excellence by providing expertise and insight to clients on aircraft acquisitions, engineering, maintenance records, MRO IT systems replacements, operational improvement, and supply chain solutions.

“SeaTec perfectly complements our CAVOK business while also extending our technical services and technical consulting capabilities giving us an opportunity to further scale the business globally,” said Anthony DiNota, senior vice president of CAVOK. “SeaTec’s focus on helping clients solve complex problems and improve processes directly aligns with Oliver Wyman’s core offerings. The combination of CAVOK and SeaTec will provide powerful and unmatched offerings to clients.”

“We’ve long respected the CAVOK team and their capabilities. We are excited about the growth opportunities for the business and what the future holds for us together,” said Paul Harper, managing partner of SeaTec.

“Our companies share a strong set of core values including caring for our customers and our people. Joining the CAVOK team furthers the SeaTec mission to deliver excellence, delight our customers, and unleash the potential of our people and our clients” added SeaTec chairman, Tim Rider.

“As a firm with deep expertise, Oliver Wyman and our Transportation Practice are excited about the enhanced capabilities to serve our clients. This combined team will enable Oliver Wyman, CAVOK and SeaTec to continue to make a significant impact in operations, cost, reliability and safety for the aviation, defense, and transportation industries,” said Brian Prentice, Partner at Oliver Wyman.

SeaTec is based in Atlanta, GA and has offices across the US, Canada, and UK with an extended network of clients and senior advisors around the world. The firm’s employees will join Oliver Wyman and integrate with CAVOK.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024. This is Oliver Wyman’s second recent acquisition in the aviation consulting industry. In November 2022, Oliver Wyman acquired Avascent, an aerospace & defense management consulting firm focused on the corporate and private equity sectors.

Gulfstream Customer Support Announces Strategic Service Center Appointments

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. recently announced several appointments across its customer support network to further enhance the Gulfstream customer experience. 

Sasha Cejic, Robert Medina and April Morina have each been promoted to regional vice president of service center operations, a new role created to ensure that customers and operators continue to experience consistent excellence across the Gulfstream service network. All three have held leadership positions within Gulfstream Customer Support’s service centers, and combined, bring decades of experience working directly with Gulfstream customers. 

“The Gulfstream fleet is growing, and so are we,” said Derek Zimmerman, president, Gulfstream Customer Support. “Our longstanding commitment to exceeding customers’ expectations is well known, and these promotions are part of the strategic expansions to our extensive support network that will position us to continue to provide the exceptional service our customers have long relied on.”  

Cejic is responsible for facilities in Brunswick and Savannah, Georgia; and Farnborough, England; Medina for facilities in Mesa, Arizona; Van Nuys and Long Beach, California; and at Fort Worth Alliance Airport in Texas; and Morina for facilities at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Illinois; and in Palm Beach, Florida; Appleton, Wisconsin; and Westfield, Massachusetts. All report to Joe Rivera, vice president of service center operations.

Additionally, Gulfstream Customer Support recently named Scott Larner general manager of Gulfstream’s Westfield service center. In this role, Larner reports to Morina and will oversee daily operations including aircraft maintenance, safety, quality and customer satisfaction. 

These appointments follow recent Customer Support facility expansions that are in progress or have been completed in Savannah, Mesa, Fort Worth, Farnborough, Palm Beach, Appleton and Van Nuys.

Mid-Canada Mod Center Awarded STC for Falcon 50 InSight Upgrade with Universal Avionics

Universal Avionics (UA) recently announced that Mid-Canada Mod Center, an Authorized Dealer, has been awarded Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval from Transport Canada and the FAA for NextGen flight deck upgrades on the Dassault Falcon 50. 

The upgrade program from Mid-Canada Mod Center installs the InSight flight deck solution to modernize Falcon 50 aircraft with latest-generation displays and NextGen capabilities for Data Comm including domestic Controller Pilot Datalink Communication (CPDLC), FANS 1/A+ and ATN B1. Replacement of legacy CRT displays helps address obsolescence, resolving maintenance and repair challenges.  

The Falcon 50 InSight installation includes four EFI-1040 LCD displays, two UNS-1Fw SBAS-FMS, and two touchscreen-enabled EFIS Control Display Units (ECDU). The installation also includes UA’s Data Communications package with the UniLink UL-801 Communications Management Unit, and KAPTURE™ Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) with internal Recorder Independent Power Supply (RIPS). 

The InSight Display System offers the Falcon 50 a new set of capabilities including next-generation 3D Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS), advanced interactive digital maps, embedded electronic charting, high-resolution airport maps, and intuitive touchscreen controls. InSight also offers up to 130 lbs. weight reduction (savings) based on customer-selected options and final aircraft configuration, increased reliability, and reduced maintenance costs. 

“Owners of older aircraft like this Falcon 50 find themselves in a challenging position with obsolete parts that can’t be repaired and flight deck systems lacking the enhanced situational awareness newer aircraft take for granted,” said Bill Arsenault, president at Mid-Canada Mod Center. “Our commitment to safety underpins all of our modifications, and our specialty is reinvigorating aging aircraft and extending their useful life. We couldn’t be more pleased to work with our long-time partner, Universal Avionics, to equip this aircraft with new, future-ready capabilities.” 

“Falcon 50 operators can enjoy efficient operations and NextGen capabilities with InSight, a sustainable glass cockpit upgrade offering long-term cost savings,” said Dror Yahav, CEO of Universal Avionics. “Our long relationship with MC2 and their specialty in developing unique future-proofing solutions makes them the ideal partner to deliver this modern display system upgrade.”

InSight Display System integration with Universal’s SBAS-FMS and UniLink UL-801 CMU provides Falcon 50 operators a path to meet current and future NextGen and SESAR mandates and capabilities: ATN B1, ADS-B Out, CPDLC, Domestic Departure Clearances (DCL), Data Communications, FANS 1/A+, and SBAS/LPV. The 4-display InSight solution is also the first building block in preparing the Falcon 50 flight deck for other systems such as UA’s ClearVision Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) with SkyLens™ Head-Wearable Display, Interactive SVS (i-SVS), and more.