ightglobal.com 22 August-4 September 2017 | Flight International | 11
Kodiak lined up for
agricultural duties
Show Report PLABACE 2017
Show reportB
razilian authorities have
cleared the HondaJet HA-
to operate in controlled airspace
as the entry-level type continues
to expand in markets beyond
the USA.
Brazil’s civil aviation regulator
ANAC awarded a type certificate
for the HA-420 on 8 August, eight
days after a similar validation for
its GE Honda Aero Engines HF
turbofan, according to Brazilian
government documents.
“We are eager to respond to
customer interest in one of the
largest business jet markets in the
world,” says Honda Aircraft chief
executive Michimasa Fujino.
It is not immediately clear if
Honda Aircraft has any pending
orders from Brazilian customers,
but the North Carolina-based
company has been cultivating
sales in the country for at least
two years.
The HondaJet made a debut
appearance at the LABACE show
in 2015 and Honda Aircraft has
partnered with Lider Aviação,
one of Brazil’s largest business
aviation companies, as a local
dealer. Previously, Lider had rep-resented Bombardier business
aircraft sales in the country.
“The aircraft is particularly
ideal for intra-Brazil travel, con-
necting all the major cities,” says
Eduardo Vaz, chief executive of
Lider Aviação.
Honda Aircraft faces a host of
competitors for sales in the region,
including the homegrown Em-
braer Phenom 100, as well as the
Cessna Citation M2 and Eclipse
Aerospace 550.
The HA-420 achieved limited
type certification from the US
Federal Aviation Administration
in December 2015, with the twin-
jet over the following year obtain-
ing FAA approval for flights in re-
duced vertical separation minima
airspace and flights into known or
forecast icing conditions.
ANAC approved the same con-
ditions with the 8 August type
certificate, which applies to all
aircraft after the first 10 Honda-
Jets built.
Separately, Honda Aircraft has
announced that the HA-420 led
entry-level-class jet deliveries in
the first half of 2017, with 24
units handed over. ■B
ombardier has presented a
Learjet 75 to the super-light
jet programme’s first Brazilian
customer, offering a small boost
to a model struggling with a slow
rate of deliveries.
That handover is among eight
shipments recorded so far this
year for the Wichita, Kansas-
built Learjet 75, according to
Bombardier’s second-quarter fi-
nancial results.
“We are proud a Brazilian cus-
tomer selected the Learjet 75 for
its class-leading performance,
smooth ride and most private and
quiet cabin,” says Stephane
Leroy, vice-president of sales in
C
ovington Aircraft has an-
nounced plans to open a fa-
cility in Brazil, the first interna-
tional site for the Oklahoma-based
radial and turboprop engine over-
haul specialist.
A potential site is currently
under negotiation in Goiás state,
a largely agricultural region near
the capital Brasilia, says chief ex-
ecutive Paul Abbott.
Goiás has a large population
of turboprop-powered aircraft,
such as Beechcraft King Airs,
and agricultural aircraft, includ-
ing a diverse mix of Pratt & Whit-
ney Canada PT6-engined Thrush
and AirTractor models, as well
as radial-powered Grumman Ag
Cat biplanes.
Covington started operations 35
years ago to support aircraft pow-
ered by P&W R-980 and R-
Wasp radial engines. As many of
their customers converted to types
using the ubiquitous PT6 by the
mid-1990s, Covington followed
suit as an OEM-authorised repair
and overhaul provider.
Although considering its ex-
pansion opportunities in the USA,
Abbott says the Brazilian market
presents an attractive growth op-
portunity with a large supply of
aircraft and a dearth of local sup-
port options. ■Latin America for Bombardier
Business Aircraft.
The Latin American region has
always been a welcome home for
Learjet products. In a regional
fleet of 685 Challenger, Global
and Learjet aircraft, the type ac-
counts for 510 of the active fleet,
or about 80%, Bombardier says.
Bombardier has delivered
3,000 Learjets overall since the
original Learjet 23 entered service
in the early 1960s.
Based on the airframe of the
Learjet 45, the Learjet 75 features
a Garmin G5000 cockpit, higher-
thrust Honeywell TFE731 turbo-
fan engines and new winglets. ■CERTIFICATIONHondaJet to press
ahead with growth
outside of the USA
Japanese airframer partners with Lider Aviação as it seeks
entry into one of the world’s largest business jet marketsHA-420 and HF120 turbofan have been approved by regulator ENACStephen Trimble/FlightGlobalEngine repair provider specialises in PT6 powerplant overhaul work
Covington AircraftMAINTENANCE
Covington plans Brazil expansion
DELIVERY
Bombardier is building
up Learjet’s Latin legacy