The preowned business aircraft market is continuing at a feverish pace with the number of completed transactions jumping by 35 percent in the first quarter, to 288, according to the International Aircraft Dealers Association's (IADA) first-quarter market report. This compares with 213 transactions a year earlier, the association reported.
“We live in tumultuous times. Despite that, the aviation field continues to show extraordinary strength,” said IADA executive director Wayne Starling. “Global demand is very high.”
IADA members reported a nearly doubling of acquisition agreements to 223 in the first quarter, up from 121 a year earlier. Price dropped only in six cases, compared with 27 a year earlier. IADA reported that 45 deals fell apart in the quarter. Although that number was up from 41 in first-quarter 2021, it was against the backdrop of an increase in the number of agreements. The association’s members were retained exclusively to sell 155 aircraft in the quarter, down from 157 a year earlier.
A member survey revealed that current market sentiment was 20 percent more positive in the first quarter than a year earlier, but the six-month outlook is less certain. “While it is a great market for sellers, it is very challenging for buyers, to the point of significant buyer frustration and in some cases desperation,” said Shawn Dinning of Dallas Jet International.
Goodyear is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), Air Force Research Lab, BioMade, and Farmed Materials to commercialize natural rubber made from Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TK), a species of dandelion. The DOD has classified natural rubber as a strategic raw material due to its use in military, aircraft, and truck tires.
More than 90 percent of the world's natural rubber is made from rubber trees, which are primarily sourced from tropical locations outside the U.S. TK was narrowed down as a viable domestic natural rubber source from a list of 2,500 plants tested under the DOD-led program. Goodyear is joining the program after Farmed Materials’ pilot programs for TK yielded strong harvests that necessitate the need for additional planting and funding.
Rubber trees typically take seven years to produce the latex needed for rubber production, but dandelions can be harvested every six months. TK is also resilient and can grow in more temperate climates such as the U.S. Midwest, according to Goodyear.
The partners will now plant TK seeds in Ohio in the next two months, and the harvest will be used to produce military aircraft tires that will be tested at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. If additional trials yield positive results, Goodyear expects that TK-sourced rubber can be used in its commercial and military tire applications.
Farnborough Airport is transitioning its diesel-powered cars on-site to the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). The WP Group is supplying the HVO, a paraffinic diesel that can directly replace standard diesel, airport officials said.
Noting HVO can cut net greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 percent, airport officials said HVO is produced from 100 percent sustainable renewable feedstock such as used cooking oil and plant, food, and animal waste. Accredited to the EN15940 European standard, HVO provides increased storage life, reduces NOx and tailpipe emissions, is not susceptible to “diesel bug” contamination, and has a low freezing point.
Farnborough officials note the switch to HVO is part of its larger sustainability efforts. In July, the airport introduced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to its offering and in 2018 was the first business aviation facility to be recognized with carbon-neutral status by Airports Council International Europe. Over the past 10 years, the airport reduced its controllable emissions by more than 70 percent, it added.
“The Farnborough Airport team recognizes that climate change is a clear and pressing issue and is committed to minimizing its environmental impact and improving environmental performance throughout its operations,” said Farnborough Airport CEO Simon Geere. “The introduction of HVO is another milestone in our sustainability program and an integral part in delivering against the government’s targets for net-zero carbon emissions.”
Gogo Marches Toward 5G Launch
During the past three months, Gogo Business Aviation has been on a tear with the development of its 5G program. Despite a global environment that has created supply-chain woes, the inflight Wi-Fi provider remains steadfast that it will launch 5G in the second half of this year and that the program remains on schedule and on budget.
Avfuel announced that the window for its annual Pilot-in-Training scholarships and Avtrip scholarship is now open with applications available for students interested in furthering their aviation education. Through the Pilot-in-Training scholarships, Avfuel will award three students with funds for education, such as flight training, tuition fees, or licensing costs, while the Avtrip scholarship will present one member of Avfuel’s Avtrip pilot rewards program with $2,000 to pursue their aviation educational goals. Completed applications are due by September 5.
New this year, the Michigan-based fuel company has also partnered with FBO and aviation real estate operator Sheltair on the Future Takes Flight Scholarship program, which will provide six $5,000 scholarships spread across three categories: flight training, aviation technician, and continuing education. The application window for this program opened in December and will close on June 1.
The recipients of all three scholarship program awards will be announced in October at NBAA-BACE in Orlando, Florida.
First Aviation Services is acquiring Heliblade, an Anderson, California-based maintenance provider for Bell, Airbus, and Leonardo helicopter main and tail rotors. The company has also simultaneously formed the First Aviation Rotary Wing Group to fold in Heliblade with its existing helicopter MRO capabilities to create a national footprint for rotor blade and dynamic component repair.
Heliblade joins First Aviation’s two other helicopter rotor blade centers of excellence—Aviation Blade Services (ABS) in Kissimmee, Florida, and Piedmont Propulsion Systems in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The trio of shops covers repair for main and tail rotor blades, as well as dynamic components, for the most popular Sikorsky, Bell, Airbus, and Leonardo helicopter models.
John Brennan, ABS’s general manager, along with First Aviation Services COO Paul Bolton will oversee the company’s new rotary-wing division. Heliblade founder Pablo Martinez will remain part of the company during the transition. All employees of Heliblade have also been retained.
When the deal closes, First Aviation Rotary Wing Group will have more than 100,000 sq ft of space dedicated to rotor blade repair and related services.
Signature Aviation is sharpening its focus on customer engagement, creating a dedicated centralized team that will be led by Derek DeCross, the company announced last week at the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference. As senior v-p of global customer engagement, DeCross will spearhead an initiative to enable Signature to better understand, anticipate, and respond to the real estate and aviation needs of its customers, the global FBO chain said.
“Creating a new customer-engagement team, led by Derek, is yet another example that Signature is fully committed to strengthening our focus on customers,” said Signature Aviation CEO Tony Lefebvre. “Derek’s background in aviation and hospitality makes him well suited for this role that will help shape the future of Signature's customer relationships.”
DeCross most recently was senior v-p of global sales for IHG Hotels & Resorts. There he led sales initiatives for IHG’s portfolio of 17 brands and also represented the company as a member of the US Travel & Tourism Advisory Board, the Business Travel News Advisory Board, and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International Board.
Before that, he spent 20 years with American Airlines in various capacities, including v-p of global sales.
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
Provided by
With respect to the altimeter settings, which of the following statements is correct?
A. Setting the correct pressure in the altimeter barometric scale compensates for nonstandard pressure.
B. Setting the correct pressure in the altimeter barometric scale compensates for nonstandard temperature.
C. Setting the correct pressure in the altimeter barometric scale compensates for nonstandard density.
D. Both A and B above are correct, because low pressure goes hand in hand with low temperatures.
Brownout and a continued approach into a questionable landing spot appear to have factored into the March 19 crash of an 11-year-old Airbus Helicopters AS322L1, registered as N950SG and operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) as “Rescue 5,” according to a preliminary NTSB report. Four of the six crew aboard—five deputies and a doctor—were seriously injured.
Shortly before landing at 5:04 p.m. local time, the helicopter became engulfed in dust, contacted a tree, and rolled over on its left side. During the rollover, the pilot-in-command’s lap belt separated from the seat. A preliminary examination of the right pilot’s seat revealed the two lap-belt retention brackets had fractured.
As they neared the landing zone—a highway turnout near Azusa, California—the crew discussed the potential for brownout and tree obstruction but decided to continue the approach, the NTSB said. At five feet agl, the crew chief called out “hold,” the brownout occurred, and the crash sequence began. The helicopter was being operated under Part 91 and was responding to an emergency call.
LASD sheriff Alex Villanueva characterized the accident as a “hard landing and a rollover” in San Gabriel Canyon. “The aircraft landed just a few feet from a 200-foot drop down to Morris Dam below,” he noted.
United Aviate Academy expects to take its first owned aircraft, a Cirrus Trac SR20, next month as it builds a fleet for its growing flight school that aims to “change the face of aviation.” The academy opened its doors in December to provide a year-long flight training program that will take students from private to multi-engine instructor.
Operating from Phoenix Goodyear Airport, the academy has begun training with 25 leased aircraft but made the announcement in February that it was purchasing 25 SR20s and placing options and purchase rights for up to 50 more. The academy is also operating two Piper Seminoles but is evaluating possible multi-engine piston additions, said CEO Dana Donati. Joining the fleet will be seven Frasca simulators.
While the academy is relatively new, Donati said plans have been in the works for some time as parent United Airlines laid plans to build its future workforce. Pam Williams, director of academy services at United Aviate, added that United has made a commitment to hiring 10,000 pilots over the next 10 years, with 50 percent of them being women and people of color. “Part of the pathway into United is the creation of this flight school,” she explained, “and we are intentional about helping in those diversity numbers.”
By mid-March, the academy had enrolled its first 106 students, with 51 percent being women and 78 percent minority.
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