The FAA plans to allow additional business aircraft to use en-route controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) again, ending a moratorium that began late last year. But the long-term goal of NBAA and GAMA is to have FAA define what constitutes acceptable CPDLC performance for avionics.
About 1,000 business aircraft, mostly jets and a few turboprops, had joined a trial program that allowed them to use en route CPDLC. However, on October 25, the FAA closed the trial to new entrants, citing concerns over acceptable performance criteria. As a result, participating aircraft started to dwindle over the next seven months.
Conceived by kitplane designer Tom Hamilton in the late 1990s, the Kodiak is specifically made to get in and out of tight spots under harsh conditions, originally to meet the needs of missionaries on relief flights in Africa and Asia. Those flights were once served by a variety of aging piston-engine aircraft, but in many foreign markets avgas for those aircraft is becoming scarce and unreasonably costly, whereas jet-A is globally ubiquitous.
The first-generation Kodiak 100 gained FAA certification in 2007 and a variety of design iterations and improvements have been made over the years, including the installation of modern Garmin glass-panel avionics; better fit, finish, and door function; a quieter cabin with a greater choice of interior layouts; and a plethora of options. Last year, Daher unveiled the $3.5 million Kodiak 900, a larger, faster version.
From the Archives: 1,500-hour Rule Brings Challenges
The FAA has issued a final rule that raises to 1,500 the minimum flight hours required by first officers for U.S. air carriers flying under Part 121 regulations, up from the current 250 hours. The new rules stem from a Congressional mandate following the 2009 crash of Colgan Air 3407, a Bombardier Q400, in Buffalo, New York.
The rule also requires that first officers hold an ATP certificate and a type rating in the aircraft being flown. To earn the ATP, pilots will need to log a minimum 50 hours of multi-engine flight time and complete a new FAA-approved training program. Before upgrading to captain, pilots will need to have logged at least 1,000 hours as copilots.
Artificial intelligence (AI) applications have created a buzz on the internet and with investors, and have the potential to transform the aviation industry. From flight data analytics to optimized route and fuel planning applications, AI, in its infancy, is making an impact on aviation—at least operationally. But can it improve aviation safety?
Natural language AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, according to technology publication Digital Trends, “continue to dazzle the internet with AI-generated content, morphing from a novel chatbot into a piece of technology that is driving the next era of innovation.” In a mixed outlook, one article states, “No tech product in recent memory has sparked as much interest, controversy, fear, and excitement.”
Juggling two high-pressure jobs is usually a head-spinning proposition, but Zipporah Marmor does it without breaking a sweat. She serves as the vice president of aircraft transactions at global aviation services company ACASS and as board chair of the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA), a worldwide organization aimed at providing more transparency in preowned aircraft transactions.
She is widely known for her intelligence, pristine ethics, quick wit, and grace under pressure. Here, she talks about both of her positions and the lessons her career has taught her.
FutureFlight: Ampaire Buys eVTOL Developer Talyn Air
Ampaire, a California-based tech startup working to retrofit airplanes with hybrid-electric powertrains, is expanding into eVTOL aircraft manufacturing with the acquisition of drone developer Talyn Air. Announcing the acquisition on July 20, Ampaire said the move will boost revenues and accelerate growth as it ventures beyond hybrid-electric propulsion systems to explore drone and eVTOL applications.
Founded in 2019 by two former SpaceX engineers, Talyn has secured numerous contracts from the U.S. Department of Defense, including the Air Force’s Agility Prime program, for the research and development of its eVTOL flight technologies.
In 2009, high school student Caleb Carr was on a night-training search and rescue mission in the Oregon mountains when a fellow volunteer suffered a cardiac arrest. The medevac helicopter sent to the scene could not land due to the terrain and attempts to lower a rescue basket failed due to high winds. Eventually, the aircraft left the area, and Carr’s fellow volunteer died.
The incident inspired Carr, now CEO of Vita Inclinata and Broomfield, Colorado-based Vita Aerospace, to seek a solution to the problem. But it wasn’t until his business partner and chief technology officer Derek Sikora hit on an idea while staring out an airliner window that the answer became apparent: a lightweight, computer-controlled package of battery-powered ducted fans that attaches to the bottom of a litter and stabilizes the load—called the Vita Rescue System (VRS).
AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). We reserve the right to edit correspondence for length, clarity and grammar. Send feedback or news tips to AINalerts editor Chad Trautvetter.
AINalerts is a publication of AIN Media Group, 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
