Global aviator April 2022

Global aviator April 2022

APRIL 2022 - Vol 14 / No 4

GLOBAL

Bell 505 Jet Ranger X versatile helicopter

THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS

Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 6X completes cold soak trials

Bombardier Challenger 3500 is luxury at ‘zero gravity’

VSR700 AUTONOMOUS TAKE-OFF AND LANDING CAPABILITIES TESTED AT SEA

fastjet Launches Victoria Falls toMbombela Kruger Mpumalanga flights

A vibrant land of contrasts where tradition andmodernmeet INDIA

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GLOBAL AVIATOR | Vol.14 / No 4 / April 2022 3

INDUSTRY NEWS

CONTENTS GENERAL NEWS 6 fastjet launches Victoria Falls to Mbombela Kruger Mpumalanga flights. 8  AIRLINE NEWS 14  INDUSTRY NEWS 34  From the desk of Texton. BOOKOF THEMONTH 37 RED BURNING SKY FEATURES 16  Bell 505 Jet Ranger X versatile helicopter 18 VSR700 autonomous take-off and landing capabilities tested at sea . 22  A vibrant land of contrasts where tradition and modern meet 32  Bombardier Challenger 3500 is luxury at ‘zero gravity.’ 38  The cost of doing business. 40 SHORT TAKES

Cover: Richard Brown

44 Aérospatiale - Alouette II 48  Mike Wright speaks to Chris Sibbald about his interesting rise in Aviation. 52 Microlighting in South Africa. INCLOSING 56 In closing - SAAT gains Comair Aircraft. ULTIMATE DEFENCE 59  Rostec - Developing Avatar simulator prototype 60  INDUSTRY NEWS 64  Damen Interceptor 1503 FRP commissioned in Gibraltar. 64 GKN AEROSPACE onto MQ-9B RPA. 66  Boeing’s Australian-produced uncrewed Aircraft to be Named ‘MQ-28A Ghost Bat’. 68  GA-ASI installs first V-tail fromGKN Aerospace onto MQ-9B RPA . 70  Eagle Owl - South Africa’s own UAV. 72  Sukhoi patents Checkmate’s unique aerodynamic design

4 Vol.14/ No 4 / April 2022 | GLOBAL AVIATOR

A refresher on flight delays and compensation By Peter Rogers, senior associate and Michael Homveld, candidate attorney at Norton Rose Fulbright, South Africa

reversed its position, and is now offering passengers a refund on the same terms as the refund offered to British Airways passengers. It should be remembered that, as at the date of publication, Comair remains under business rescue, and those opting for refunds will likely look for assurances from the business rescue practitioners that they In today’s digital world, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that an airline passenger concludes a contract of carriage with the airline. The terms of that agreement are set out in the conditions of carriage, which, in the case of Kulula, are available on their website. In terms of Articles 9 and 10 thereof, Kulula do offer refunds under certain conditions. Any passenger on any airline would be well served by familiarising themselves with the conditions of carriage of the carrier, before they fly. These events, unfortunate as they are, serve as a timely reminder that while South Africa is generally a consumer- friendly jurisdiction, it is will not find themselves as unsecured creditors. lagging behind on protection of passenger rights for delayed and cancelled claims. Although passengers are afforded some protections under the Consumer Protection Act, 2009, these rights are often difficult to enforce. For the most part, a claim for a refund, compensation, hotels or meals are based on the conditions of carriage, or the standard terms and conditions of each airline. For travel into or out of South Africa, passengers

may have a right to claim compensation under the Montreal Convention, which provides for compensation of financial loss arising from travel disruptions, whether they are flight delays, cancellations or denied boarding. However, the passenger must prove financial loss as a result of the disruption, the disruption itself not giving rise to an automatic claim. The Montreal Convention does not apply to domestic carriage within South Africa. The situation is very different in other jurisdictions. For example, in the European Union, a passenger may have a right to claim simply as a result of a delay, even if no financial loss arose (subject to various defences that are available to the airlines in “extraordinary circumstances”, such as adverse weather, airport closures and so on). In the EU (and some non-EU countries such as Norway, Iceland and Switzerland), passengers have the right to claim compensation if they arrive at their final destination more than three hours after their scheduled arrival time. The right to compensation also includes delayed connecting flights in the EU with a final destination outside of the EU. The amount that the passenger may claim varies on the distance of the flight, but is typically between R4 000 to R10 000. It is to be hoped that, with South Africa’s domestic airline industry becoming increasingly competitive and sophisticated, the South African legislation will keep pace with international best practice. •

Flight delays are a frequent source of frustration and financial loss for passengers. South Africa is certainly no stranger to the spectre of flight delays and cancellations on a mass scale - most recently when, on 12 March 2022, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) announced the immediate grounding of Comair by suspending their Air Operators Certificate (AOC). Comair is the operator of both the Kulula and British Airways brands in South Africa, which account for a significant proportion of the domestic market. The suspension was put in place for a period of 24 hours, later extended indefinitely, following “… the recent spate of safety incidents at the Operator." – with the CAA citing various landing gear malfunctions, engine failures and engine malfunctions. Following a CAA review, Comair’s AOC was reinstated and the operator resumed flights from 17 March 2022. Over that period, many passengers were left stranded and frustrated. Frustrations were compounded when Kulula offered its passengers a seemingly less favourable refund protocol than that offered to British Airways passengers - despite both being operated in South Africa by Comair. In brief, British Airways passengers were given the option to refund their ticket, whereas Kulula passengers were offered a credit for their ticket value, valid for six months. In recent days Kulula has

GLOBAL AVIATOR | Vol.14 / No 4 / April 2022 5

FROM THE DESK OF FASTJET

fastjet Launches Victoria Falls to Mbombela Kruger Mpumalanga flights

Friday. Providing a boost for tourism between the two countries, the new direct flight will be a seamless connection for travellers on the safari circuit, effectively linking the Lowveld lodges in and around the Kruger National Park, directly with Victoria Falls, another of Southern Africa’s greatest tourism attractions. Fastjet will operate the service using the airline’s

50-seater Embraer ERJ145 aircraft. This aircraft type is known to provide the versatility to build a sustainable regional network with the right-size capacity, while offering customers comfortable seating with generous legroom. Fastjet Zimbabwe spokesperson, Nunurai Ndawana, said, “fastjet is a leading airline operating

Fastjet Zimbabwe, the award-winning value- based airline, launched flights from Zimbabwe’s tourism capital of Victoria Falls, to Mbombela Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport in South Africa. The new schedule service route will operate three times a week on a Monday, Wednesday, and

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Schedule between Victoria Falls (VFA) and Mbombela Kruger Mpumalanga (MQP)

from 16 March 2022 VFA-MQP Flight FN8801 MQP-VFA Flight FN8802 Mondays | Wednesday | Fridays 10:30 – 12:15 Mondays | Wednesday | Fridays 12:45- 14:30

Fastjet Group Chief Commercial Officer, Julian Edmunds commented, “Since our announcement of this route, the response from Victoria Falls and the Mpumalanga Province has been overwhelmingly positive. Our nonstop service from Victoria Falls to Mbombela Kruger Mpumalanga will benefit a variety of travellers especially those

into Victoria Falls and the region. We are delighted to be adding another crucial direct flight connection to Victoria Falls. We believe this route will facilitate accelerated travel between these two globally recognised tourism destinations of Zimbabwe and South Africa, thereby massively contributing to the restart of tourism in the region”.

that want to maximise their holiday by exploring multiple Southern African destinations in a single visit”. Fastjet offers flexible booking change options and generous free baggage allowances across its network of flights.

The lowest fares can be found on their website www.fastjet.com

GLOBAL AVIATOR | Vol.14 / No 4 / April 2022 7

AIRLINE NEWS

Airlink resumes flights to St Helena Fortnightly Airlink flights between Johannesburg and St Helena Island resumed on 26 March 2022. This includes a monthly inter-Island service with Ascension Island. Additional inter- Island flights have been included during periods of peak demand. The Airlink flight schedule between March 2022 and January 2023 can be found on the St Helena Government website: https://www. sainthelena.gov.sh/visitors/ service between OR Tambo International Airport and St Helena Airport are now on sale via the Airlink website and through all IATA travel agents. For those living on, or wanting to travel to Ascension Island, bookings for the inter- island service can be made via the Ascension Island Government Finance Office in Georgetown. Passengers can visit the Finance Office in person or contact them via email: flight.bookings@ The Airlink service is the only commercial passenger service that operates to St Helena. Booking a ticket Airlink tickets for the ascension.gov.ac or via tel: 67000 extension 115. During the flight Passengers are required to wear a face mask at all times, observe best social

distancing practices and carry out good hygiene by washing hands or using sanitiser regularly. All arriving passengers must wear a mask or face covering. When instructed to, disembark the aircraft with your hand luggage. Proceed to the After Immigration you will be asked to proceed via the customs hall to the main concourse whereby you will be given a Lateral Flow Test arrivals hall via the Immigration Desk at Arrivals. Regardless of the test result, all arrivals will enter the mandatory 10-day quarantine You will be called forward to the proper officer for further questions and the process for quarantine will be explained. and in groups guided into Baggage Reclaim for your luggage. You will then be seated After collecting your luggage you need to clear Bio-Security and Customs. You will then enter the Arrivals Hall, please take a seat as instructed. When transport is

the US and South Africa. After United applied for a thrice-weekly Washington-Cape Town service, Delta responded by claiming it would not serve the public interest. Under the two countries' air service agreement, US carriers are limited to 21 weekly services to South Africa, of which 17 are already occupied. However, the airline is set to compete with Delta Air Lines for the frequencies, given that under the current air services agreement between the US and South Africa there are only four unused weekly flights available to US carriers. Delta is hoping to take three of them for a service between Atlanta (ATL) and Cape Town. The SkyTeam alliance member applied to the DOT in February for the rights to operate the route, which it wants to serve from 18 November 2022 using Airbus A350-900s. In a filing to the DOT, government-to-government links. It adds that the IAD- CPT route would also create connecting opportunities at Cape Town via partner Airlink to 15 points across Botswa,na, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. United would apparently “be amenable to accepting an immediate allocation of two weekly frequencies to both Delta and United.” However, Delta is not interested in United argues that its proposal would offer “significant consumer benefits” including facilitating important

available you will be instructed to collect your luggage and be transported to your quarantine premises.

Delta and United go head-to-head Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are competing for three of the remaining four frequencies between

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Maintenance International to South African Airways Technical. Previously both service providers were being used but the situation now seems to be that all maintenance work on all aircraft will be done by SAAT. This comes after the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) suspended Comair’s flights indefinitely after a series of incidents. After the airline’s Air Operator Certificate was restored five days later, another incident occurred on 19 March, in which a Comair aircraft’s landing gear malfunctioned. What has now emerged is that after LTMI passed a routine audit by the CAA in February, a second, unscheduled review by the CAA produced a number of findings that had to be addressed by the evening of 21 March, or LTMI's Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) licence would be suspended, according to a Comair statement. Comair said it was acting pre-emptively. “Our priority at the moment is to restore a full, reliable flight schedule for our customers to ensure they can book and fly with confidence, which is why, in these extraordinary circumstances, we acted as soon as we were informed that the suspension was a possibility,” said Comair CEO, Glenn Orsmond. Comair went on record saying that Lufthansa and its technical maintenance facility ranked globally as "one of the world's most

a split allocation.

respected airlines and maintenance organisations". But the airline company also said it respected and fully supported the SACAA in fulfilling its mandate, which was to ensure that flight safety standards prevailed in South Africa. > International Air Services Council On 10 March the SA cabinet confirmed the names of South Africa’s new International Air Services Council (IASC) and Air Services Licensing Council (ASLC). Airlines domiciled in South Africa have been waiting for both councils to be reconstituted in order to review their applications for new international and domestic routes. As a result of the months that passed with no council being announced, any economic benefits that could have been won, such as job creation and economic links, failed to take place. The council announced by the cabinet is: (international routes) Nomveliso Ntanjana (Chairperson); Nare Thupana (Vice Chairperson); Grant Reagon Son; Tumelo Chipfupa; and Pfumelani Dorcas Mbulayeni. Serving on the Air Services Licensing Council – (domestic routes) are: Leroy Musa Nsibande (Chairperson); Raesibe Sharon Kekana (Vice Chairperson); Rickie Rodger Rennie; Zonica Leanda

United opened a route between Newark and Cape Town in December 2019, marking its return to the African market for the first time since suspending flights to Lagos in Nigeria in 2016. After pausing operations at the start of the pandemic, the airline began a Newark- Johannesburg route in June 2021 and resumed Newark- Cape Town last December. Delta last served Cape Town in 2009. As well as seeking approval for the nonstop Atlanta-Cape Town route, the airline in 2020 and 2021 tried to launch an Atlanta-Johannesburg- Cape Town-Atlanta triangle service but failed to secure the green light from the South African government. Ideally, South Africa would enable both carriers to get their wishes by increasing its weekly allocation of flights, especially as SAA, the primary beneficiary of the air agreement between the two countries, isn't currently flying to the US. United is also proposing a year-round service, while Delta's service would be offered on a seasonal basis. Additionally, should Delta be granted its three frequencies, United is unlikely to operate just once a week and would scrap its STOCKPOT service altogether. Comair returns to SAAT Comair has apparently moved the maintenance of some of their aircraft from Lufthansa Technik

GLOBAL AVIATOR | Vol.14 / No 4 / April 2022 9

AIRLINE NEWS

Mtshali; and Ramovha Emmanuel Mbuwe. Andries Ntjane, Deputy Director Aviation Licensing & Permits at the DoT, welcomed the development. He confirmed that the election process was now fully concluded. Council crucial The Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) has been working behind the scenes to encourage South Africa’s government to expedite the appointment of the new councils, which both wound up in April 2021 when the terms of the councils ended. The organisation has called on the new councils to move swiftly to clear the backlog and to enable South Africa’s airlines to better connect the country with its markets. AASA CEO, Aaron Munetsi, added: “While we congratulate Cabinet on confirming the appointments of the new councillors, there is much work to be done and no time to rest. The absence of functioning councils for almost a year held back South Africa’s airlines and prevented them from providing the economic and social benefits that air connectivity provides by facilitating trade, tourism and travel. The councils’ resumption will be a great relief for South Africa’s travel and tourism sector as it seeks to rebuild following the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions.”

FlySafair Chief Marketing Officer, Kirby Gordon, agreed that airlines and the South African economy would benefit. “It’s great news! We are supportive and hope that we can see results. South Africa needs to get international travel back on track. It is great to have a council to make some decisions, especially so that we can make sure the South African economy takes full advantage of the available international frequencies.” Cemair CEO, Miles van der Molen, expected it would take some time and several meetings so they the new councils could work through what he termed “a pretty catastrophic backlog”. “The last council meeting was March last year (2021) but, I’m not sure what was decided in those last meetings so, effectively, it has been longer than that,” he said. Cemair has several applications in the system, including new routes to Malawi and Livingstone. Van der Molen confirmed plans for major capacity increases this year, with a further three aircraft (one 78-seater and two 90-seaters) coming into service at the airline between March and May. Van der Molen also felt that appointment of the new councils would mean the end of protection for some operators, including Mango Airlines, which remains grounded, and the now-defunct South African Express. Rodger Foster, CEO and MD of Airlink, said

he cautiously welcomed the appointment of the new councils. Now that the new councillors have been confirmed, he also urged them to move quickly. “What is important is for the councils to swiftly adjudicate applications and make available route licences currently held by entities no longer in business or that are unable to provide the necessary services, so that Airlink and South African- based airlines can compete with foreign carriers, enhance connectivity and help to grow our economy and create new jobs.” War can slow African airlines recovery A Reuters report has stated that a drawn-out conflict between Russia and Ukraine could further drive up oil prices and end African airlines' recovery from the pandemic slump, the head of the industry's association. Unless the conflict is resolved as soon as possible, it will harm economies, increase ticket prices and curb demand for travel and tourism on the continent, Abderahmane Berthe, secretary general of the African Airlines Association, said. "It will be another crisis our industry will have to face," he said in an interview. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, African carriers are expected to lose a total of $23.7 billion by the end of this year, said Berthe, whose association brings together 44 airlines, including the continent's biggest: Ethiopian Airlines. Passenger traffic on

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T he Commercial Aviation Association of Southern Africa NPC (CAASA) is a non-profit organization formed in 1944 to promote and protect the commercial interest of the general aviation industry in South African aviation. Our member companies include airport operators, non scheduled operators, business aircraft operators, flying training organisations, aircraft maintenance companies and companies offeringa whole range of supporting and retail services.

If you are a company trading or operating in general aviation,then you should be a member of CAASA.

www.caasa.co.za Your Aviation Portal CAASA office: +27 ( 0)63 717 3460 Gate 9, Lanseria International Airport [email protected]

AIRLINE NEWS

78,7% of their pre- COVID international routes, though frequencies remained low, highlighted Afraa. Across Africa in general, passenger traffic volumes remained depressed in February due to the unilateral and uncoordinated travel health restrictions imposed by some governments following the outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Airline revenues remained low with many operators still battling with cash-flow issues. Full- year revenue loss for 2022 is estimated at US$4,9bn (R74bn), equivalent to 28,2% of the 2019 revenues. In 2021, African Iata figures These figures seem to tally with Iata’s forecast for the airline industry’s recovery. For Africa, Iata predicts: * Africa’s passenger traffic prospects are somewhat weaker in the near- term, this is due to slow progress in vaccinating the population, and the impact of the crisis on developing economies. * Passenger numbers to/ from/within Africa will recover more gradually than in other regions, reaching 76% of 2019 levels in 2022, and only just surpassing pre- COVID crisis levels in 2025 (i.e. reaching 101% of 2019 levels). • airlines cumulatively lost $8,6bn (R131bn) in revenue.

the continent stands at about half of the pre- COVID level, Berthe said, reflecting lower vaccination rates that have forced many governments to keep travel restrictions in place. "Many airplanes are still grounded," he said. “To boost the sector's recovery, African governments should allow unvaccinated passengers to travel if they present negative COVID-19 test results. The continent has vaccinated just 15% of its adult population, according to the World Health Organisation. The sector also requires financial support, including tax deferral, tax cuts and access to financing,” adding that a $25 billion support package for aviation, mooted by the African Union in 2020, did not materialise. According to Berthe African carriers' share of intercontinental passenger traffic had halved to 20% in the two decades leading up to the onset of the coronavirus crisis. He called for consolidation and co-operation among the companies to help to cut costs and allow more effective competition with their counterparts in Europe, the United States and the Middle East. AFRAA expects the industry to return to pre-COVID levels by the end of 2023 to the start of 2024, Berthe said, but that high prices of oil put that forecast at risk.

Slow recovery In February, African airlines reached 64% of the capacity they reached in February 2019. Similarly, in February 2022, they saw 49,6% of the air traffic reached in the same month in 2019. This is according to an African Airlines Association (Afraa) estimation published this month. Afraa figures showed further that the domestic market had maintained the biggest share for capacity deployed, though traffic share saw a small dip. Domestic demand – at 45,3% of the February 2019 figures – outperformed intra-Africa and intercontinental travel, which remained subdued at 31,2% for intra-Africa and 23,5% for intercontinental. On the actual number of passenger seats offered, domestic, intra-Africa and intercontinental accounted for 49,4%, 24,7%, and 26% respectively. Four African airlines (not named in Afraa’s route expansion and, by end of 2021, had exceeded the number of international routes operated pre-COVID. Eleven other African airlines also either reopened routes or launched new report) continued their international international routes. At the end of January 2022, African airlines had reinstated approximately

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INDUSTRY NEWS

VistaJet partners with the Scuderia Ferrari team for a fourth year

Ahead of the first race in Bahrain, VistaJet announced a fourth year as Scuderia Ferrari’s partner, helping the team to enjoy a safe and seamless flying experience as they travel around the world to compete in the 2022 Formula One season. With the ever-demanding race calendar and often only days between Grands Prix, the team faces challenging timelines. In a sport where speed and efficiency are fundamental, VistaJet will support Ferrari in its global competition and optimise their travel and transfer times, allowing them to further utilise time off track to arrive

to consistently deliver a winning performance. I am incredibly proud to continue our partnership with the most iconic and successful racing team in the world for a fourth year. Innovation, technology and a focus on efficiency are values we share with them. VistaJet will continue to provide the Ferrari team with seamless travel, to ensure their focus is on what is important — the competition and performance on track. I am excited to see what the 2022 season holds for Charles Leclerc and Carlos

in optimum condition. Having raced competitively with Ferrari for many years and as an official driver in the FIAWorld Endurance Championship (WEC), VistaJet’s Founder and Chairman Thomas Flohr knows the demands of racing and the intense focus required to perform under such pressure. “Racing has been a passion of mine for many years. Alongside my team, I have experienced first-hand the demands of racing and the intense focus required

Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 6X completes cold soak trials

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The Falcon 6X has completed cold weather testing, passing another major milestone towards certification, expected later this year. The test team of engineers consisting of technicians and pilots from Dassault Aviation and engine manufacturer Pratt &Whitney Canada endured bone-chilling temperatures as low as -37°C (-35° F) during the long trial runs in Iqaluit, a tundra town in the far north of Canada. “The Falcon 6X continues to impress us with its performance and reliability as we move through the certification process,” said Carlos Brana, Dassault Aviation’s Executive Vice President of Civil Aircraft. “The aircraft operated flawlessly at the Sainz, and the whole Ferrari team. Forza Ferrari!” Thomas Flohr, founder and chairman, Vista VistaJet places the utmost

extreme temperatures an aircraft can be subjected to in the severest climate conditions. That includes engines, systems and low- temperature maintainability requirements.” During the arctic ground test campaign, the aircraft was cold soaked for three successive nights and subjected to different start sequences each morning. Teams then powered up the aircraft and conducted engine ground runs and high-speed taxi tests. Ground tests were followed by a test flight during which anti- icing systems and handling qualities were checked and the stability of fuel and hydraulic fluid temperatures verified while the aircraft remained in a holding pattern flown at 10 000 feet. These tests, which importance on service and operational excellence. On its branded and consistent fleet of over 80 super- midsize, long-range and ultra-long-range aircraft,

were completed at the end February, followed an initial series of cold weather tests in Iqaluit in December, when temperatures dipped as low as -25°C (-13°F). The 6X endured a total of 50 hours of Arctic cold tests and has now accumulated some 650 flight hours, and completed over 220 flights. Dassault team members were ferried to Iqaluit aboard the 6X from the company’s Istres test center in the south of France and reported that the cabin was exceptionally quiet and comfortable with excellent connectivity en route. Over Canada, they encountered spectacular views of the aurora borealis, especially through the 6X’s unique skylight, a window installed at the top of the galley area. • VistaJet has completed over 220 000 flights globally, safely flying over 540 000 passengers to more than 1 900 airports worldwide. •

GLOBAL AVIATOR | Vol.14 / No 4 / April 2022 15

FROM THE DESK OF BELL

option soon to be available for the Bell 505. In Addition, the system is equipped with: Stability augmentation system to automatically recover the aircraft to near-level flight attitude at all speeds in the event of adverse roll or pitch Stability engagement throughout all phases or flight. Envelope protection to prevent over speeding and under speeding Features • Glass cockpit • Dual FADEC • Newmodern design • Best cabin in class • 125kts cruise • Proven drive train • Fully integrated Garmin G1000H NXi™ flight deck with twin 10.4” LCD screens reduces

Bell 505 Jet Ranger X versatile helicopter utilised for various other roles, including corporate, adventure, public safety, and helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS). The new helicopter will be multi-mission capable with exceptional performance characteristics, a dual channel FADEC Turbomeca Arrius 2R engine and best-in-class value. A personal lease

The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X (JRX) is an American/ Canadian light helicopter developed by Bell Helicopter and produced by Bell Textron Canada. The sky’s the limit with the Bell 505. A high-tech flight deck and adaptable cabin design make it an extremely cost- competitive, and capable for any challenge . Its advanced technologies and versatility make it an ideal platform to train future military pilots worldwide and prepare them for challenging missions. The adaptable open cabin helicopter with integrated tie-downs and adjustable seats can be

16 Vol.14/ No 4 / April 2022 | GLOBAL AVIATOR

pilot workload • Genesys HeliSAS autopilot Design and features • Bell 505 features an advanced aerodynamic design equipped with proven dynamic components. • It comes fitted with a glass flight deck and optional dual pilot controls. • The helicopter incorporates a two-bladed metal rotor systemwith high inertia that enhances its auto- rotational capability, providing powerful lift. • It can accommodate a pilot and four passengers, while the useful load of the helicopter is 1 500lb (680kg). The VIP version is offered with Mecaer Aviation Group’s modified pilot and passenger seats, carpet, new interior panels, headliner with a passenger service unit, USB charging ports, and additional storage space. Bell 505 is powered by FADEC Safran Arrius 2R engine equipped with a dual-channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system. Orders BMCD seeks to protect the public health, safety and welfare by using science- based, environmentally sensitive, integrated mosquito control techniques employing public education, surveillance, source reduction, biological control and the judicious use of pesticides to enhance the quality of life for District residents. “BMCD will use the Bell 505 to enhance our mosquito control efforts for Panama City Beach residents,” said

James Clauson, president, BMCD. “We look forward to working with Bell as we integrate the Bell 505 into our operations and demonstrate the utility benefits of this aircraft.” Bell also announced a signed purchase agreement for a Bell 505 to BESTFLY, an Angolan aviation company, with the intent to purchase a second 505 within six months. This is the first 505 sale in Angola and West Africa. “Nuno and Alcinda Pereira embody the very

spirit for which the Bell 505 was created, enabling extraordinary people to do extraordinary things,” said Sameer Rehman, managing director, Africa and the Middle East. “Their pioneering efforts in West Africa will be further enhanced with the entry of the first Bell 505 in that region. We are privileged to work alongside the BESTFLY team as we begin our journey with the Bell 505 in West Africa.” Bell announced at HAI Heli-Expo 2022 the delivery of a Bell 505 to Beach Mosquito Control District (BMCD). Located in Panama City Beach, FL, the organization will leverage aerial support from the Bell 505 to administer insect-repellant spray and maintain a high-quality environment for its residents. BMCD seeks to protect the public health, safety and welfare by using science- based, environmentally sensitive, integrated mosquito control techniques employing public education, surveillance, source reduction, biological control and the judicious use of pesticides to enhance the quality of life for District residents. “BMCD is thrilled to use the Bell 505 to enhance our mosquito control efforts for Panama City Beach residents,” said James Clauson, president, BMCD. “We look forward to working with Bell as we integrate the Bell 505 into our operations and demonstrate the utility benefits of this aircraft.” •

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