The past year has marked a flurry of activity in advances across the sustainable front from the Eviation Alice electric commuter first flight to the successful test of 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on the GE Honda Aero Engines HF120 and Bombardier’s landmark multi-year book-and-claim agreement with Signature Aviation, to name a few.
However, industry advocates agree that perhaps the most significant advance in the past year has been a shift in the outlook of the business aviation community itself on sustainability.
Daher's $4.3 million, six-seat, single-engine TBM 940 turboprop made its debut in 2019. This iteration of the popular TBM series has a top cruise speed of 330 knots and is the first turboprop weighing less than 12,500 pounds to offer a standard, factory-installed integrated autothrottle and automatic deicing. Both features significantly reduce pilot workload and stress, as does the aircraft’s single-lever power control. As most TBMs are operated single pilot at altitudes up to 31,000 feet, those factors can be significant.
The Garmin autothrottle allows the 940’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D engine (850 shp) to be operated safely and efficiently. It uses software to analyze many aircraft and atmospheric variables and automatically control engine power to produce a selected and safe airspeed.
Nearly 18,000 FAA workers involved in activities such as airmen certificate issuance and NextGen development are furloughed as a result of the partial federal government shutdown that took effect on Dec. 22, 2018. This marks the third time this year the government has shut down as Congress and the White House reached stalemates over various issues, this time border-wall funding.
While Congress was able to pass year-long funding bills for agencies such as the Department of Defense, it could not push through bills for numerous federal agencies, including the Departments of Transportation, Homeland Security, and Commerce.
Air New Zealand, which recently announced its ambition to bring zero-emissions flights to the country by 2026, has selected four major partners for the new program, called Mission Next Generation Aircraft. This week the carrier confirmed that Eviation, Beta Technologies, VoltAero, and Cranfield Aerospace—all companies working on either electric, hybrid, or hydrogen-powered aircraft—will support its efforts to demonstrate the viability of reducing carbon emissions.
On December 13, Air New Zealand announced it has signed a letter of intent to purchase an initial three aircraft, with the option for 20 additional aircraft, from at least one of the four partners. The airline will select exactly which aircraft and how many units it will purchase after an evaluation process expected to wrap up in the next 12 months.
A December 13 letter from an alliance of 15 advanced air mobility (AAM) pioneers to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was polite but firm. It called on the Biden Administration to significantly up its game in prioritizing the quest for zero-emissions aircraft or risk not only failing to meet its stated net-zero objective for 2050 but also seeing the U.S. industry lose ground to rivals in Europe.
The letter is signed by Airbus, Ampaire, Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Bye Aerospace, Eve Air Mobility, Joby Aviation, Lilium, Overair, Signature Flight Support, Skyports, Supernal, Vertical Aerospace, Wisk Aero, and ZeroAvia. Interestingly, five of these companies are based outside the U.S. However, what is more striking is the absence of Boeing and other major U.S. aerospace groups like GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon, and Honeywell.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has launched the first major phase of a collaborative program between Italy, Japan, and the UK that will develop the next generation of fighter jets for the three nations. Known as the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the project builds on the development work already performed by the Anglo-Italian Team Tempest, and Japan’s F-X program.
“The security of the United Kingdom, both today and for future generations, will always be of paramount importance to this government,” said Sunak. “That’s why we need to stay at the cutting-edge of advancements in defense technology—outpacing and out-maneuvering those who seek to do us harm. The international partnership we have announced today with Italy and Japan aims to do just that, underlining that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are indivisible.”
The air ambulance lobby is charging that the federal “No Surprises Act” (NSA) has become little more than a license to steal.
Consequences for the nation’s air ambulance industry could be dire, according to Christopher Eastlee, the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) vice president for public affairs. Eastlee claims health insurers are using the NSA to “diminish payments over time” and the result could force air ambulance services to close. More broadly, “the entire health care structure is at risk.”
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