Constant Aviation is expanding its MRO services to include helicopters, drones, and other commercial unmanned aircraft systems, which positions the Cleveland-based business jet maintenance and repair provider to serve the emerging eVTOL market. The expansion follows the recent launch of a private helicopter division by sister-company and fractional-jet-share provider Flexjet. Directional Aviation is the parent company of Flexjet and Constant.
“Our expansion into these sectors positions us well for the future, including our ability to serve even newer emerging technologies such as eVTOL aircraft,” said Constant CEO David Davies. As part of the expansion, Constant’s Orlando, Florida facility is refurbishing the interiors of the new division’s Sikorsky S-76 helicopters, including refinishing their veneers and restoring their seats, carpets, and sidewalls with new materials. As well, the company is repainting the helicopters to mimic the liveries of Flexjet’s fixed-wing aircraft to feature a chameleon paint with a carbon fiber accent on the upper cowling and leading edge on the vertical tail.
“The aviation industry is evolving quickly, with new systems coming to the fore, especially in vertical flight and unmanned systems,” Davies explained. “We want to be positioned as the leader in servicing these newer forms of flight and have been expanding our capabilities to offer them the same levels of skill, speed, and quality that we have long provided to business jets and other fixed-wing aircraft.”
Constant is already supporting drones—whose engineering, materials, and systems similar to those employed for helicopters—after becoming an authorized UAS service center in 2017. More recently, the company renewed its partnership with Robotic Skies, a global marketplace for drone maintenance services.