Introducing the Beechcraft King Air 360

Textron Aviation ushered in the next generation of its legendary King Air turboprop family on Tuesday with the introduction of the Beechcraft King Air 360/360ER. The updated flagship turboprop offers the latest technological advancements in the cockpit, a redesigned cabin, and enhancements to passenger comfort. The aircraft is currently in production with customer deliveries expected to begin in the fall of 2020.

Cockpit upgrades

A key feature of the King Air 360 cockpit is the addition of the Innovative Solutions & Support ThrustSense Autothrottle. The autothrottle supports pilots in their critical mission of delivering people or cargo safely by automatically managing engine power from the takeoff roll through the climb, cruise, descent, go-around and landing phases of flight. This enhancement reduces pilot workload and supports them in their continuous vigilance to prevent over-speed or under-speed, over-temp and over-torque conditions.

Another important update in the cockpit is the new digital pressurization controller, which automatically schedules cabin pressurization during both climb and descent, reducing pilot workload and increasing overall passenger comfort. The pressurization gauges have been integrated with the powerful Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flight deck.

Cabin upgrades

With seating for up to nine passengers, the latest King Air offers an even greater passenger experience than its predecessor. The aircraft features a cabin altitude of 5,960 feet at a typical cruising altitude of 27,000 feet – more than 10 percent lower when compared to the King Air 350i. The improved cabin altitude levels provide greater comfort for passengers, especially during longer flights.

A redesigned bespoke cabin design features a stunning new look with custom-built cabinetry, partitions and side ledges, upgraded materials and finishes, along with all new interior schemes.

Nearly 7,600 Beechcraft King Air turboprops have been delivered to customers around the world since 1964.

Spirit AeroSystems announces further reduction in workforce

Spirit AeroSystems announced Friday it will further reduce employment at its facility in Wichita, Kan., as a result of the most recent rate reduction on the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and the ongoing global pandemic. The pandemic continues to impact the demand for new commercial aircraft and the airline industry as a whole.

"Our production rates for commercial aircraft have fallen from historic highs to significantly lower volumes in a matter of months," said Tom Gentile, president and CEO of Spirit AeroSystems.

The 737 MAX production rate reduction is the third this year, lowering Spirit's production from 125 units to 72 units for 2020, a reduction of more than 80 percent from its 2019 production rates.

To support the alignment of workforce levels with the customer demand for aircraft, Spirit will reduce headcount on commercial programs by 1,100 employees. This announcement represents 450 new layoffs at the Wichita site when taking into account prior layoff notifications and employees transitioning to defense programs, moving to the temporary special project to build ventilators or electing to participate in the voluntary layoff opportunity.

"We are taking this action to better calibrate our employment level to the reduced demand we see from our customers. This action, along with previous actions, is intended to reduce costs, increase liquidity and position Spirit to remain financially healthy while we move through a period of recovery in the commercial aviation market,” said Gentile. "Although this extraordinary time has required us to make difficult decisions, we remain focused on fulfilling requirements to our customers, including the important work we provide for defense and space programs," Gentile said. "I continue to remain confident in the future of the aviation industry, and in our ability to navigate through these challenges to emerge a stronger company."

Past stories on Spirit layoffs:

May 2020 - Spirit AeroSystems reducesemployment in Wichita as a result of lower demand

September 2013 - Spirit AeroSystems layoffs

July 2013 - 360 layoffs at SpiritAeroSystems

Boom Supersonic and Rolls-Royce agree to work on propulsion system for supersonic jet

Boom Supersonic and Rolls-Royce announced Thursday an engagement agreement to explore the pairing of a Rolls-Royce propulsion system with Boom's flagship supersonic passenger aircraft, Overture.

The goal of the new agreement is to work together to identify the propulsion system that would complement Boom's Overture airframe. The teams will investigate whether an existing engine architecture can be adapted for supersonic flight, while Boom's internal team continues to develop the airframe configuration.

"We've had a series of valuable collaborations and co-locations with Rolls-Royce over the past years to lay the groundwork for this next phase of development," said Blake Scholl, Boom founder and CEO.

Both companies recognize that supersonic passenger travel has to be compatible with a net-zero carbon future. Overcoming the technological challenges of supersonic flight provides a unique opportunity to accelerate innovation sustainably.

"We share a strong interest in supersonic flight and in sustainability strategies for aviation with Boom," said Simon Carlisle, Director of Strategy, Rolls-Royce.

Boom announced July 8 that its supersonic demonstrator XB-1 will roll out on Oct. 7.

First V-22 Osprey for Japan delivered to Camp Kisarazu

Bell Boeing delivered the first V-22 Osprey to Camp Kisarazu in Japan on Friday. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) is the first operator of the V-22 outside of the U.S. military.

Japan’s V-22 has a unique configuration with a customer-specific communication system. The marinized design resists corrosion and reduces the cost of long-term maintenance. JGSDF service members have been training with U.S. Marines for the last month to gain aircraft proficiency before delivery of their first V-22.

Japan joins the United States Marines, Navy, and Air Force in operating the V-22. These aircraft support transportation of personnel, supplies, and equipment; humanitarian support and search and rescue missions; long-range personnel recovery.

Triple Flag sets $550 million agreement for gold and silver from Australian-based mine

Triple Flag Precious Metals Corp. announced Sunday that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Triple Flag Mining Finance Bermuda Ltd. has entered into a stream agreement with certain subsidiaries of China Molybdenum Co., Ltd. (CMOC), to receive gold and silver from the Northparkes copper-gold mine located in New South Wales, Australia. Northparkes is operated by CMOC on behalf of the Northparkes Joint Venture, an unincorporated joint venture between CMOC (80 percent), SC Mineral Resources Pty Ltd. (6.7 percent) and Sumitomo Metal Mining Oceania Pty Limited (13.3 percent). Triple Flag Bermuda will make an upfront cash payment of $550 million and on-going payments equal to 10 percent of the spot gold price and spot silver price at the time of delivery for gold and silver equal to 54 percent of the gold and 80 percent of the silver produced at Northparkes.

Northparkes is a well-established producing copper and gold mine located in central New South Wales, Australia, approximately 27 kilometers north-northwest of the town of Parkes.  Discovered in 1976, the mine has been operating since 1993 and is one of the lowest cost copper mines in the world.

“This is a globally recognized mine with an excellent track record of safety, operations, reserve replacement and community involvement further bolstering and diversifying our portfolio," commented Shaun Usmar, founder and CEO of Triple Flag.

On Friday, the gold spot price closed at $1,798.60 an ounce with silver closing at $18.68 an ounce.

Indiana commission approves Eldorado Resorts acquisition of Caesars Entertainment

Eldorado Resorts, Inc. announced that at a meeting Friday, the company received approval from the Indiana Gaming Commission in connection with its pending acquisition of Caesars Entertainment Corp., subject to applicable conditions.

Eldorado is a leading casino entertainment company that owns and operates 21 properties in 11 states, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, and Ohio. Eldorado’s properties feature approximately 22,400 slot machines, 640 table games, and over 11,200 hotel rooms.

Caesars Entertainment's resorts operate primarily under the Caesars, Harrah's and Horseshoe brand names. In April, Caesars and VICI Properties Inc. agreed to sell the Bally's Atlantic City Hotel & Casino to Twin River Worldwide Holdings Inc. for approximately $25 million in cash. VICI will receive approximately $19 million from the sale, while Caesars will receive approximately $6 million.

First flight of the Stratos 716X jet

Stratos Aircraft announced Friday the first flight of its Stratos 716X model – registration N716X. The flight lasted 22 minutes. Flown by test pilot Sean VanHatten, the Stratos 716X is a spacious six-person jet. The all-carbon airframe, single-engine jet is designed to cruise at 400 knots. The first flight was a full power takeoff and climb to 13,500 feet.  A series of maneuvers were then conducted to evaluate handling characteristics. The flight is the first of an extensive flight test program that will span the next several months.

The 716X is 4.5 ft longer, and has a wider cabin, than the 714 Proof of Concept aircraft introduced at Oshkosh in 2017. The 716X features trailing link gear, a Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5 turbofan engine and is configured with dual G3X screens, GTN 750 MFD, integrated Garmin Autopilot, dual standby attitude indicators, custom switch panels, fully automated pressurization system, and air conditioning. The Stratos 716X is a "multi-role" Very Light Jet designed to comfortably seat six people to support personal, business, and air taxi use.

“When we introduced the Proof of Concept 714 aircraft three years ago, the marketplace interest was tremendous," said Stratos CTO, Carsten Sundin. "It was clear that the market is looking for the performance and comfort we were offering, but in a true six-place aircraft. With a cabin width of 4.9 ft and height of 4.8 ft, there is plenty of room for passengers to relax on long flights.”

The Stratos 716X will be offered as an experimental kit build aircraft while the 716 will be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration for production. "We see producing a limited number of kit aircraft as a logical step towards certification.  It will allow customers who don't want to wait for the 716 certification an opportunity to own and operate a Stratos 716X much sooner, while we continue to develop our production processes," said Sundin.

Test pilot Sean VanHatten has over 5,300 hours, with over 120 hours in the Stratos Proof of Concept 714. Sean has performed 19 first flights and flown four prototype aircraft.

Stratos Aircraft has invested significantly to support the production of the Stratos 716 and 716X. Their facilities total over 41,000 square feet in Redmond, Oregon.