Avidyne Plans To Certify First AI Avionics in 2022

Avidyne has partnered with Daedalean, a Zurich-based company focused on artificial intelligence (AI) applications for the aerospace industry, to develop AI-based avionics to assist pilots and eventually lead to autonomous operations. Dan Schwinn, Avidyne president and CEO, told AIN that the company’s, and perhaps the industry’s, first AI-based avionics product—a see-and-avoid system—will gain FAA certification next year.

Schwinn said Avidyne chose to develop a non-flight-critical avionics system to ease certification with the FAA, which will certainly have to draft numerous special conditions to allow for certifying AI-based systems. The see-and-avoid system will employ 360-degree cameras that the AI avionics system will use to detect other aircraft.

“Right now, our focus is on autonomy building blocks and developing systems that assist—not replace—pilots. We want to make flying safer and are interested in manned aircraft and making it simpler to fly,” Schwinn said. “Over the next decade, we see AI as augmentation, not pilot replacement.”

He said Avidyne’s second AI avionics product could likely be a pilot landing assistance system, though Schwinn said the Melbourne, Florida-based company is exploring many AI applications for manned aircraft.

Meanwhile, Avidyne expects to increase its employment ranks by 20 percent this year as it ramps up R&D efforts. It also plans to launch more general aviation avionics products this year.

Shell Invests in SAF Producer

Shell has joined the group of investors in LanzaJet, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer that has just awarded a construction contract for its first commercial production facility in Soperton, Georgia. When operational in 2022, the Freedom Pines Fuels plant, which will utilize the alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) production pathway, will have a capacity to create 10 million gallons of fuel a year, up to 90 percent of which could be SAF with the remainder biodiesel.

The LanzaJet fuel is approved at blends of up to 50 percent with conventional jet fuel as a drop-in, fully miscible replacement. The SAF portion of the blend delivers more than a 70 percent reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions in comparison with standard petroleum-based jet fuel.

Shell joins founding investors that include LanzaJet’s parent company, LanzaTech, as well as Suncor Energy and Mitsui & Co. British Airways and All Nippon Airways have invested more recently.

“LanzaJet’s technology opens up a new and exciting pathway to produce SAF using the AtJ process and will help address the aviation sector’s urgent need for SAF,” said Shell Aviation president Anna Mascolo.

"I am delighted to welcome Shell to the LanzaJet family,” said Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of the LanzaJet parent company, “as we work together to realize our ambition of producing significant volumes of SAF from wastes to help the aviation sector meet their carbon reduction goals."

FAA Awards SMS Approval to Constant Aviation

Constant Aviation said the FAA has accepted its fully functional safety management system (SMS) as being in “active conformance” with the Part 5 Voluntary SMS Program, which is the final step in the regulator’s SMS process. As such, Constant is the fourth MRO out of the more than 4,500 maintenance organizations nationally and the first independent business jet MRO Part 145 repair station to achieve the designation for aviation maintenance safety and risk mitigation.

The Cleveland-based MRO provider has been operating under the processes for SMS approval for the past year and in that time has reduced incident severity and workplace injuries by more than 55 percent. Also, incident costs have been reduced by 200 percent and the company has seen direct cost savings of $250,000.

“Implementation of SMS across our entire network has revolutionized how we approach safety,” said Constant v-p of quality, safety, and training Kent Stauffer. “Involvement in risk mitigation on this level allows us to anticipate where we will see hazards, furthering our ability to prevent those hazards from becoming safety incidents. That reduces incidents and incident severity, prevents injuries, and reduces costs.”

Leonardo Preps for AW609 Production with New Hangar

Leonardo has a leased a 32,000-sq-ft hangar by its Philadelphia complex to house the AW609 as it lays the groundwork to transition the tiltrotor program into production. “We've been focusing heavily on the industrialization of that program,” William Hunt, CEO of Leonardo’s AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp., told AIN.

Situated about 100 yards from where the current development program is, the new hangar, Hunt said, “is perfect for the 609,” in that it is conducive for a winged aircraft. “We've been building a wing aircraft inside of a helicopter factory, which has its challenges at times,” he said. The new hangar has an unobstructed door, which he said is “very advantageous” for a fixed-wing aircraft.

He expects the program to transition over the next few months to its new home as certain improvements to the hangar are completed to ensure it can handle the power requirements for the AW609 program.

Meanwhile, the company has continued with the test program with two AW609s (aircraft one and four) flying in Italy and one (aircraft three) flying in Philadelphia. Leonardo plans shortly to add aircraft five into the flight-test program; and aircraft six, the production version that will be destined for customer Bristow, is in production.

As for certification, Hunt wasn’t ready yet to lay out an adjusted timeline but expects to have a better idea in the next few months.

Duncan To Install 250th Gogo Avance L5 System

Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln, Nebraska, facility is approaching its 250th installation of a Gogo Avance L5 in-flight airborne connectivity system. The milestone equipment installation will be carried out by Duncan avionics techs in a Gulfstream GV-SP using one of the nine STCs developed by the MRO provider’s engineering and certification department.

“The long, productive relationship between Duncan Aviation and Gogo Business Aviation provides a significant benefit to our mutual customers,” said Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln-based modifications sales manager Nate Klenke. “Because of our confidence in the performance and reliability of the Gogo Avance L5, Duncan Aviation’s Engineering & Certification Services teams have invested in the development of numerous STCs and AMLs, covering the full-equipment installation of the system in more than 30 aircraft models.”

Duncan’s STC covers the equipment and antenna installation necessary to use the Gogo Biz 4G network. For a limited time, Duncan is extending free subscriptions to Gogo Text & Talk and Gogo Vision for a full year. Gogo Text & Talk allows crew and passengers to use their personal devices to call and text during flight, while Gogo Vision offers content such as movies, TV shows, magazines, and flight maps.

Piper Displays Milestone Seminole, Pilot 100i at SNF

Piper Aircraft is displaying the 1,000th Seminole piston twin this week at the Sun ‘n Fun (SNF) Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, in addition to publicly showing for the first time an FAA-certified Pilot 100i piston single. Its first Seminole rolled off the production line in 1979. The Pilot 100i, which the company launched at SNF 2019, won certification from the FAA in December.

The new Piper Pilot 100i rounds out Piper’s portfolio of training aircraft products, which also includes the Archer TX/DX, Arrow, and Seminole. Piper’s Pilot 100i offers a factory-new trainer priced under $300,000 and IFR equipped with digital autopilot.

“Adding the Pilot 100i to our training product line at a price point that provides optimal economics has opened the door for new aircraft purchases for many flight schools,” said Ron Gunnarson, Piper v-p of sales, marketing, and customer support. “We are experiencing robust demand with 2021 production currently sold out. We continue to conduct a U.S. demo tour of the Pilot 100i selling backlog into 2022.”

Piper is also exhibiting an M600 with its Halo safety system, which features Garmin Autoland, this week at the airshow.

Air bp Keeps the SAF Flowing

Air bp continues to increase the availability of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with ongoing deliveries at three UK locations, bringing its total to more than 20 locations the company has supplied with SAF globally.

Last month Centreline Aviation, the lone FBO at Bristol Airport, became Britain’s first independent, non-network SAF retailer, and a week later Air bp made its first delivery to dedicated business gateway London Biggin Hill Airport. The fuel company is also now providing SAF at Airbus-owned Hawarden Airport in Flintshire, North Wales, where it will be used to fuel the airframer’s large component-carrying Beluga aircraft.

“We are excited to see these ongoing commitments to SAF supply,” said Air bp sustainability director Andreea Moyes. “Stakeholders’ willingness to invest in SAF and collaborate with us will help drive demand and deliver carbon reductions compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces. We are committed to working with stakeholders to explore the viable sale and purchase of SAF, which we believe is one of the aviation industry’s key routes to reducing carbon emissions.”

Piaggio Wins Helo Engine Mx Contract from Italian Army

Piaggio Aerospace’s engine division has signed a €35 million ($41.86 million), nine-year contract with the Italian Ministry of Defense for maintenance of Rolls-Royce GEM MK1004 engines that power the Leonardo AW129 Mangusta helicopters operated by the Italian Army. The value of the contract includes €3.5 million ($4.18 million) for optional services.

Under the contract, Piaggio will carry out the repair, inspection, and maintenance of the engines. It also will implement technical analysis and investigation on the propulsion system and guarantee relevant logistical support.

“With this new contract, Piaggio Aerospace strengthens the support activity for the engine sector of the armed forces, implementing the project to make the company one of the national centers for the maintenance of institutional fleets’ engines,” said Piaggio Aerospace extraordinary commissioner Vincenzo Nicastro. He added that, with the new contract, the company’s order book becomes even more valuable as it assesses and analyzes non-binding offers from four entities to acquire Piaggio, which declared insolvency and entered into extraordinary administration in November 2018.

Piaggio Aerospace, which also controls U.S. subsidiary Piaggio America, does business in the aviation and engine segments. The former focuses on the design, manufacture, and maintenance of aircraft such as the Avanti Evo, while the latter builds and maintains aero-engines.

AIN Webinar: Overcoming Avionics Obsolescence

Airplanes are built to fly for decades and ideally, a well-maintained airplane will provide many years of safe and reliable service. However, the longer an airplane flies, it’s inevitable that the avionics will need to be upgraded. With fast-moving technology, required safety mandates, and parts obsolescence, compliance with regulatory standards and overcoming technology barriers can be challenging for legacy jet owners and operators. Join us for this free webinar on April 19th as we discuss avionics obsolescence in the legacy business jet market and the proactive approach avionics manufacturers are taking to make retrofit upgrades more affordable and manageable. Sponsored by Avidyne.

Garmin’s GI 275, GTN Xi Offer Upgrade Path for Legacy Aircraft

Garmin demonstrates its new series of instrument panel-mounted touchscreen displays that are rear-mounted into standard 3.125-inch panel cutouts, offering a simple way to replace legacy vacuum- or electric-driven instruments. The GI 275 can replace attitude indicators, attitude direction indicators, horizontal situation indicators, and course deviation indicators, and it can also replace engine instruments as a primary engine indication system. Garmin also demonstrates features of the updated GTN Xi series navigators.