NBAA appealed to the FAA to continue remote tower operations at Leesburg Executive Airport (KJYO) in Virginia until an alternative can be developed for the facility, which falls within complex airspace near Washington, D.C. Over the past eight years, Leesburg airport has used a system that would relay operations data captured via cameras and other technologies to a remote tower center located outside the airport. However, the FAA has opted to discontinue its use in June.
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen maintained that the Saab-developed remote tower system has provided both safety and cost benefits. He noted multiple risk assessments have only demonstrated safety enhancements for both local and itinerant operations and that the FAA in September 2021 issued an operational viability decision to continue with the Saab remote tower system.
“It is concerning that over a dozen safety assessments, an operational viability decision, and years of operational experience, as well as robust investments by the FAA and industry, are being discarded and services will come to an end on the cusp of a busy summer travel season,” Bolen said. “The complexities of the Washington, D.C. airspace and the mix of operations at KJYO are not trivial and must be considered before remote services end.”
Bolen asked that the FAA convene a safety risk management panel to evaluate the situation.
AINsight: 1 in 60 Rule and Why Accuracy Matters
What is the 1 in 60 rule? If a pilot takes off headed to their destination and they are just one degree off course, every 60 miles you fly with that error moves you one full mile off course. So you can see that even a slight variance from accuracy can create a real issue.
Buying and selling business aircraft is a complex and complicated business. The dollars are high, the risks of mistakes are great, and the reputations of us all depend on doing things correctly. I want to stress how critically important to a transaction the accuracy of the specifications of what you are selling or buying are, and what a difference mistakes make.
Aircraft values are in great part established by the installed equipment. I know you are familiar with the disclaimer of “subject to verification” that is written at the bottom of each page of the marketing specifications, but that should be a last resort safety net for honest mistakes.
Checking, rechecking, and several sets of eyes should go into building and approving the specifications before marketing an aircraft for sale. People depend on the accuracy of the specs. In fact, when we are buying an airplane, one of the tasks we contract for with the inspecting facility is to audit the sale specifications.
Airbus Helicopters has signed a contract with China’s GDAT, a helicopter lessor and operator, for 50 H160 intermediate-twin helicopters—a deal worth more than $700 million. The announcement came during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China and is the largest single order for the H160 on the civil and parapublic market since the helicopter was unveiled in 2015.
The helicopters will be used for missions supporting offshore oil and gas, wind farms, and harbor piloting, as well as a parapublic missions such as air ambulance. Airbus and GDAT also signed a strategic cooperation agreement related to support and services capabilities. GDAT specializes in helicopter sales, leasing, maintenance, and modifications, as well as operating emergency rescue and other government services flights. It is headquartered in Shanghai and has four wholly-owned subsidiaries across China, in addition to operating bases in Suzhou and Ningbo and an overseas branch in London.
“We are honored GDAT has decided to bolster their all-Airbus fleet of 26 helicopters with the addition of 50 H160 helicopters. The H160 has been designed at the outset as a multimission helicopter and is, therefore, well suited to the multiple segments that lessors provide for,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even. GDAT’s current Airbus fleet includes 21 H225 Super Pumas.
Gulfstream Aerospace is committing $98.5 million for the second stage expansion of its MRO facility at its customer support center at Georgia's Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (KSAV), the company announced on Thursday. This expansion will nearly double the new-build 202,000-sq-ft service center that the company opened at its KSAV headquarters in 2019.
Slated for completion in early 2024, the new sustainably-designed facility will add 250 jobs and 200,000 sq ft of hangar space and back shops to enhance Gulfstream’s array of MRO services in Savannah. These services include scheduled aircraft maintenance, avionics installations, interior refurbishments, and ground services.
“We are excited to announce the latest development in Gulfstream’s support of the growing demand for our fleet around the world,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “Continued investments in products, modern customer support facilities, and our communities set Gulfstream apart in our industry, and we are grateful to our partners at Savannah/Hilton Head Airport, the Savannah Economic Development Authority, and the Georgia Department of Economic Development, among others, for their support for our growth in the region.”
The Gulfstream customer support Savannah investment complements the company’s other recently completed or in-progress expansions in Mesa, Arizona; Fort Worth, Texas; Farnborough, England; Palm Beach, Florida; Appleton, Wisconsin; and Van Nuys, California.
Finally, WiFi that actually works. Customers are experiencing sustained connection that is as effortless at 41,000 ft as connectivity on the ground
SmartSky is wowing customers across the country. It’s time to get on board. Availability of the newest, state-of-the-art solution for the entire aircraft makes connecting to what’s most important as effortless in the air as it is on the ground.
The FAA has awarded $19 million in research grants to 14 universities in a massive effort to reduce noise pollution associated with aviation. In the April 6 announcement, the FAA revealed the grant recipients and their projects, which include developing noise abatement procedures, assessing the impact of noise on the environment and communities, and acoustic modeling. Participating teams are all members of the Aviation Sustainability Center (ASCENT), a federally funded research organization co-led by Washington State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Georgia Tech will explore the noise-reduction benefits of an over-wing jet engine design concept and develop supersonic aircraft noise prediction methods. Penn State will be simulating sonic booms to develop noise certification standards for low-boom supersonic aircraft. To better understand the noise produced by aircraft and drones, MIT will be developing noise models for different designs. Penn State will also create acoustic models for low-noise urban air mobility vehicles, such as eVTOL air taxis.
Grant awardees will also study the effects of noise on communities and public health. For example, Boston University will study the correlation between aircraft noise and sleep, cardiovascular health, and mental health; University of Pennsylvania researchers will investigate the effects of aviation noise on sleep disturbances; and MIT will also investigate whether any homes have decreased in value due to aircraft noise exposure.
A session at the recent British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) annual conference sought to address how to support small airports in the UK and develop a strategic policy to maintain this infrastructure.
At the session, John Gilder, co-chair of the General Aviation Awareness Council and the Airports Working Group of the All Party Parliamentary Group for General Aviation, advocated for a strategic airfield network review on how these airfields are used. “We would like to examine if these sites are in the right place. Most small airports are disproportionately concentrated in the east of the British Isles. Do we need more, can we afford to lose some? We’ve been waiting some time for government approval to start this and agree to the funding,” he said.
A panel addressing small UK airports, chaired by Marc Bailey, tackled the urgent need for support. This is especially so because airports are “brownfield sites” and thus are easy targets for housing and commercial redevelopment.
“If there was a suggestion to fill in Portsmouth Harbor to accommodate housing or commercial development, there would be an outcry,” said Steve Ford, founder of consultancy Sky Harbour UK. “Yet we have a situation where existing infrastructure is systematically being dismantled.”
Connectsix has introduced a subscription-based service, dubbed SayWxAir, for airports with its SayWeather automated weather advisory systems to provide up-to-the-minute weather data to pilots via text messaging and ForeFlight. While SayWeather provides advisory-only weather information, it provides live updates on demand at a fraction of the cost of certified AWOS systems (about $45,000 all-in).
SayWxAir costs airports $79 a month and adds several ways to distribute SayWeather information beyond the click-to-transmit option over an airport’s common traffic advisory frequency. With SayWxAir, pilots can request METAR information from SayWeather-equipped airports via text by sending “M” followed by the airport ICAO code to 727-4SAYWX4. For Missouri’s Dexter Municipal Airport (KDXE), that would be “M KDXE.”
In addition, pilots can request threshold alert texts when variables such as visibility or wind reach a certain range. For example, to be alerted when winds at KDXE become less than 20 knots, text “KDXE w<20” to the aforementioned number, and the system will monitor winds and send a text when that threshold is met. Airport operators can also receive SayWeather equipment failure notices via text.
Meanwhile, ForeFlight users can now view an airport’s SayWeather advisory data in the same manner they do for any ASOS/AWOS-equipped airport. But SayWxAir advisory METARs for EFBs are updated every 10 minutes instead of once per hour with most published METARs.
Textron announced this morning that Lisa Atherton will succeed Mitch Snyder as CEO of Bell Helicopter, effective April 28. Snyder is retiring after serving as CEO for more than seven years and nearly 20 years with the company.
Atherton was president and CEO of Textron Systems from 2017 until January 2023, when she was named COO at Bell. She joined Textron Defense Systems in 2007 and, in 2013, transitioned to Bell and held a number of leadership positions within military programs, including as executive v-p of military business. Atherton graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served for eight years at the USAF Combat Command’s Directorate of Requirements.
“Lisa has done an outstanding job of building strong teams at Bell and Textron Systems in her 16 years with the company and has earned the confidence of our customers. Under her leadership, Bell will continue its strong execution across military and commercial programs, and I am confident that she will provide the strategic vision to generate future growth for Bell,” said Textron chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly. “I also want to thank Mitch for his leadership. During his tenure, Mitch oversaw the development of new technologies and product innovations, significant wins in Bell’s military business, and the expansion of our commercial programs.”
What is a “thermal runaway” in an aircraft electrical system?
A. A condition associated with a generator under excess output of constant-voltage and is due to cyclical, ever-increasing temperature and output current.
B. A condition associated with a bus bar under excess input of constant-voltage and is due to cyclical, ever-increasing temperature and input current.
C. A condition associated with a battery under recharge by a constant-voltage source and is due to cyclical, ever-increasing temperature and charging current.
D. Any of the above, depending on the system part affected.
5G & Business Jets—What does this mean for your flying?
As the deployment of 5G cellular towers have come online, the rules and advisories are different for every aircraft and for every operation scenario. Learn about how radar altimeters work with your avionics subsystems, what to watch for, and how these new regulations will affect your flight operations in the business jet market. Webinar sponsored by Collins Avionics. Register today!
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