Flight automation pioneer Skyryse recently opened a 27,000-sq-ft headquarters in El Segundo, California, as it increases the size of the engineering team developing the FlightOS system it says will support single-pilot, fly-by-wire capability under instrument flight rules (IFR) for helicopters such as the Robinson R66. This expansion follows confirmation from the FAA in February that the company's flight control system has met all of the federal agency's means-of-compliance requirements, clearing the way for it to complete supplemental type certificate (STC) applications.
“It means that it’s a clear execution task for us, and we’re in a unique position because no other company has achieved 100 percent means of compliance,” company founder and CEO Mark Groden told AIN. “Part of the reason we can do it is that we didn’t want to take technology off the shelf that the FAA isn’t familiar with, and we’re working to the 10-to-the-minus-9 [safety standard] that is more than what the FAA requires for general aviation aircraft. It wouldn’t be enough just to make these aircraft IFR [capable].”
The equipment replaces some of the complex controls in a typical general aviation flight deck with a touchscreen tablet display and a joystick. Fly-by-wire hardware and software handle most of the core piloting functions, according to Skyryse, preventing pilots from inadvertently exceeding safe flight envelopes.
The FAA has offered to partner with NBAA to raise awareness on a policy that could help ease constraints on Part 135 pilot-in-command line checks. That offer came in response to a letter NBAA sent late last year expressing concerns about the current constraints. “Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult to comply with checks required by 14 CFR 135.299,” NBAA wrote. “Due to current policy, operators rely heavily on local inspectors, but FAA national resources (FSIRP), as well as local FSDO resources, are depleted.”
However, NBAA noted that the FAA has some policies that could provide flexibility but are poorly understood. To help that situation, NBAA had asked for the agency to develop more thorough guidance on the use of remote technology and the use of check pilots from other companies to meet checking requirements.
In response, Robert Ruiz, director of the FAA’s Office of Safety Standards, said the agency would be willing to partner with NBAA to develop a plan to create better awareness of the policy surrounding contract check pilots. As for use of remote technology (RT) to observe check pilots, he noted, “FAA inspectors and the air carrier should work together and jointly design how RT will be used for a given checking event, taking into consideration the benefits and limitations of this technology.”
FlightSafety International (FSI) is expanding simulator fidelity by introducing a next-generation Vital visual system powered by the Unreal Engine 3D creation tool. The result is an “extremely photorealistic simulation and rendering, allowing training for the latest immersion content and technology,” according to the aviation simulation training provider.
This includes realistic recreation of details such as land, water, and peripheral features, in addition to what a pilot sees in the air. Weather and precipitation renderings are also “dramatically enhanced, giving pilots the most realistic experience for potentially difficult scenarios,” FSI said.
Every simulator FlightSafety manufactures going forward will be updated to its next-generation Vital system. Delivery of devices with it from FSI subsidiary Frasca are expected later this year, while FlightSafety simulators with the new system are expected to be delivered in 2024. Previously built simulators may be upgraded to the new technology, it added.
“FlightSafety is bringing together its expertise in design, cutting-edge technology, and graphics, and harmonizing it with the regulatory requirements necessary to enhance safety and help address the demand for highly trained pilots,” said Michael Vercio, executive v-p of simulation systems. “This is the next generation of fidelity of environment and it will greatly prepare pilots for what they will see in real-life situations in an unprecedented fashion.”
Montana aircraft charter, management, sales, and flight training provider Summit Aviation broke ground Friday on a facility at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (KBZN).
The complex will consist of a 14,500-sq-ft building that will include an upscale departure lounge for the company’s charter and management clients. It will also house Summit’s flight school, aircraft sales, charter, and management departments, as well as an FAA testing center and simulation lab housing multiple simulators. The school serves as the flight training provider for Gallatin College-Montana State University’s aviation program.
“We’ve made do and done our best with the space we’ve had for a long time, expanding to other buildings on the field as we continued to outgrow our current space,” said company owner and president Ben Walton. “We’ve needed a bigger space for a few years now, and it’s very exciting to see it coming together. “We’re really looking forward to getting everyone back under one roof again.”
With an expected completion in January 2024, the facility will also add 37,225 sq ft of hangar space in a pair of hangars. One will house the flight school fleet, while the other will accommodate the company’s charter and managed aircraft.
Located on the north side of the field, the complex will provide quick access to the airport’s secondary Runway 11/29 frequented by the flight school.
Highly Skilled Maintenance Technicians Are Vital To Aviation
Well-trained technicians like you provide an immense value to the aircraft and flight operations as a whole. As a skilled expert, you know how to make sure maintenance and repairs are done correctly and on schedule—reducing downtimes and getting aircraft back into service faster.
The 2023 King Air Gathering (KAG) drew some 150 attendees from across the U.S. and overseas to St. Augustine, Florida, from April 12 to 14 for Beechcraft King Air-focused seminars and camaraderie. It also marked a new era following the 2022 merger of event owner and King Air parts specialist Davis Aviation with King Air Nation.
The rebranded organization aims to create a larger and more social King Air community, with the annual KAG at its heart, and become “synonymous with the King Air,” marketing director David Johnson told AIN.Last year’s gathering was at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee, which was a historically appropriate location but did not offer the amenities many King Air owners seem to prefer, he noted.
This year’s location at the World Golf Village resort underscored the new direction of the organization. Overall attendance was up by 70 percent, and vendor count about doubled, Johnson said. Attendees included 60 to 70 owner/operators, some 30 of whom flew in to host FBO Sky Harbor Aviation at Jacksonville Craig Airport (KCRG). Featured speakers included Tom Clements, author of “The King Air Bible,” and afternoon breakout sessions for King Air 90-, 200-, and 300-series aircraft addressed avionics, airframe, and engine updates.
Next year’s KAG is scheduled to take place at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia.
AviationManuals, a provider of business aviation compliance and safety solutions, has been named a trusted vendor by 2-REG, the aircraft registry of Guernsey. With trusted vendor status, AviationManuals’ minimum equipment lists (MELs) and international operations procedures manuals (IOPMs) application reviews will be accelerated, thus reducing processing times.
“Being named a trusted vendor by 2-REG endorses our team’s commitment to compliance and aviation safety,” said AviationManuals CEO Mark Baier. “We are dedicated to ensuring our MELs and IOPMs are of the highest quality, giving our subscribers peace of mind at all times.”
Founded in 1996, AviationManuals supports more than 4,500 business aircraft operators, drone operators, and FBOs worldwide, providing manual development services, regulatory compliance support, and safety management system software.
In other Guernsey registry news, Ofcom—the contracted agency that issues radio station licenses for any 2-REG aircraft—recently launched a self-service option for new applicants and existing licensees to apply for and manage Wireless Telegraphy Act aircraft licenses. These licenses are required to operate radio equipment on board 2-REG-registered aircraft.
F/List, an Austria-based manufacturer of high-end furnishing materials for the aviation, yachting, and residential markets, has received a Red Dot award in the product design category for its recently introduced line of Aenigma sustainably-engineered fabrics.
Unveiled last year at NBAA-BACE, the company uses cutting-edge chemistry to fuse traditional jewelry techniques with aerospace technology to create a decorative, highly-customizable material derived from high-performance natural fibers and a resin matrix. It can be produced in near limitless colors, textures, thickness, and patterns ranging from a metallic stingray skin theme to textured glowing geometric patterns. The lightweight, flexible material can be utilized for a wide variety of applications in the aviation and luxury yacht interior completions markets using ingredients such as metals, ground mother of pearl, or repurposed byproducts from the company’s stone fittings shop to create unique compositions.
“The incredible blend has evolved into a technical, glamorous material that would be as at home on the catwalk as on the runway,” stated Melanie Prince, the company’s head of innovation. “With this material, we are only scratching the surface; the market potential for customers is endless.”
At the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) International Convention & Trade Show next week in Orlando, Florida, the association will honor Dewey Conroy as member of the year and Avidyne as associate member of the year.
Conroy, v-p and COO of Pacific Coast Avionics, has been a pilot since age 19 and started working in the avionics business at American Avionics in Seattle in 1984. He was promoted to avionics sales manager in 1989, then in 1991 Gulf Coast Avionics founder Rick Garcia invited Conroy to be a partner in the launch of Pacific Coast Avionics. The company opened in Auburn, Washington, and in 1997 moved to Aurora, Oregon, where it has grown to employ 24 people in an 18,000-sq-ft facility.
Avidyne was founded in 1994 by Dan Schwinn "with the mission of modernizing general aviation avionics by applying advanced technology in order to improve safety and increase aircraft utility,” according to AEA. The avionics manufacturer’s product line includes GPS-based flight management systems, GPS navcoms, digital flight control systems, ADS-B transponders, and traffic advisory systems. It is headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, where the company also manufactures avionics products. Avidyne has additional engineering facilities in Westerville, Ohio, and Concord, Massachusetts.
"An AEA member company since 1995, Avidyne continues to be a strong supporter of the association, its programs, and its member dealers,” AEA noted.
People in Aviation
Aviation safety software company Polaris Aero hired Ian Lumpp as Midwest regional sales executive. Lumpp has more than eight years of experience in aviation, most recently serving as the director of business development and publisher for BusinessAir magazine. He also co-founded the Iowa Business Aviation Association and now serves as the co-chair of the NBAA YoPro Council.
Aircraft brokerage Jetcraft promoted Colin Dunne to U.S. Midwest sales director. Dunne has more than a decade of experience having previously held roles across the aerospace, energy, and construction industries in design engineering, project management, and business development capacities. He joined Jetcraft as a sales manager in 2019, based at the company’s London headquarters.
GE Aerospace appointed Germaine Hunter chief diversity officer, effective May 1. Germaine most recently served as the chief diversity executive and talent acquisition leader at Marathon Petroleum. He previously spent more than 20 years working in the consumer-packaged goods industry in strategic planning and brand development roles and served as the first chief diversity officer at The Clorox Company.
Helicopter services provider PHI Aviation hired Jennifer Veilleux as director of sustainability. Veilleux’s career in corporate social responsibility and sustainability spans 20 years in industries including consumer goods, retail pharmacy, medical devices, and aviation. She most recently was director of corporate social responsibility at Atlas Air.
Air charter firm Chapman Freeborn appointed Katie Holmes senior v-p of business aviation. Holmes has more than 15 years of private aviation industry experience, most recently as a director of key accounts for an on-demand charter provider. In her new role, she will expand Chapman Freeborn’s business aviation unit in the Americas.
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