The Colonial Pipeline—the 5,500-mile petroleum fuel transport system extending from Houston, Texas, up the East Coast of the U.S. to its terminus in Linden, New Jersey—can now transport sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Its operator noted that customers will be able to ship up to a 50 percent SAF blend from any of the pipeline origin points to any destination along the length of the network. Across the fuel spectrum, the pipeline has a flow capacity of three million gallons a day.
“Colonial Pipeline is excited to provide this new service to meet our customers’ evolving need for renewable fuels,” said Aaron Smith, the pipeline operator’s business development manager. “We are ideally situated to safely and efficiently supply fuel with direct connections to seven East Coast international airports, along with transport connections to other large and mid-market airports.”
“This is a positive step forward for the future of SAF and sustainability in aviation,” explained Muneeb Ahmed, Avfuel’s director of trading and logistics. “By our estimates, Colonial Pipeline supplied over 50 percent of the roughly seven billion gallons of jet fuel that was consumed on the East Coast in 2021. We expect that this should encourage more production facilities to come online in the Gulf Coast region to help fulfill the aviation industry’s pledge to consume at least three billion gallons of SAF across the U.S. by 2030.”
The number of preowned business jets for sale this month is down 54 percent from a year ago and the young inventory—those less than seven years—dropped 59 percent, according to analyst Jefferies. Overall, 2.3 percent of the fleet is available for sale, while average pricing is up 16 percent year-over-year.
Using Amstat figures, Jefferies reported that the decline in available inventory is across all aircraft categories but led by midsize jets, which are 60 percent below that of April 2021. Light and large-cabin jet inventories declined 51 percent and 52 percent, respectively, over the same period.
While sharply down from a year ago, the available inventory this month leveled off from March overall, Jefferies said. Some 580 aircraft are available for sale this month, according to the latest figures. This compares with 578 units last month and 1,270 in April 2021.
Broken down by OEM, Dassault inventory experienced the sharpest decline, down 76 percent with 12 Falcons for sale, representing just 1.3 percent of the active fleet. This compares with 5.4 percent from a year ago. The active Embraer fleet saw a 65 percent year-over-year decline in availability. Bombardier inventory slid 59 percent, Gulfstream availability 56 percent, and Cessna Citations are down 54 percent year-over-year.
Average preowned Gulfstream prices rose 23 percent, to $23.6 million, and Bombardier models increased 22 percent, to $13.5 million.
Schedaero, a Gothenburg, Sweden-based unit of Avinode, recently rolled out upgrades to its flight operations software as it makes a “get into the flow” push to emphasize the benefits of digitizing. The enhancements include a new duty dashboard and digital crew schedule that Schedaero said are designed to help schedulers, dispatchers, pilots, and crew “find flow.” Schedaero also expanded its onboarding process for the software, which includes dedicated support professionals and training videos available 24/7.
“Customers who’ve embraced these new, easy-to-use tools are so glad they did,” said Kevin Klein, Schedaero's director of customer success “They don’t miss all the manual handling, back-and-forth emails, paper trail, and quickly outdated Excel spreadsheets. They’re better in every way.” To highlight those advantages, Schedaero launched a campaign toward going paper-free.
In addition to a social media effort, the company also released a “get into the flow” playlist on Spotify that it said can boost concentration for better productivity. According to Schedaero, the playlist is based on scientific research conducted by cognitive behavioral therapist Dr. Emma Gray that found music with 50 to 80 beats per minute can stimulate learning and heighten focus.
As its client base continues to grow, Schedaero has doubled its U.S.-based customer team and is planning further changes to its product such as additional maintenance features and improvements in the crew app.
Embry-Riddle Launches the Latest Evolution in Business Education
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s innovative approach to business education gives students a key competitive edge when it comes to advancing or enhancing their careers in aviation, aerospace and beyond. With groundbreaking, flexible programs delivered by expert faculty, students get the kind of real-world results that set them apart.
Idaho’s Friedman Memorial Airport (KSUN) in Hailey closed this week for a month-long runway, taxiway, and apron rehabilitation project. Fully funded by FAA grants, the $8.6 million project will involve the milling and inlay of 7,550-foot Runway 13/31 along with the construction of paved shoulders and a blast pad, installation of a runway surface condition system, replacement of runway signs, and relocation of the perimeter fence at the southeast end of the runway. As well, the Section 1 apron will be milled and inlaid, while Taxiway B and the Section 3 apron will be rehabilitated with crack sealing and new markings.
KSUN is home to several dozen business aircraft, and during the time it is out of action the airport authority recommends the use of Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field, Joslin Field/Magic Valley Regional, and Idaho Falls Regional airports.
“We acknowledge this critical rehabilitation project may pose some inconvenience,” said airport director Chris Pomeroy. “We hope our community recognizes the importance of this effort in ensuring a safe and well-maintained airport for the long-term viability of our region, as well as the local jobs it helps sustain.”
Jet Linx has established a new pipeline for pilots through a partnership with ATP Flight School. The collaboraton enables the Omaha, Nebraska-based Part 135 operator to offer a hiring pathway to qualified ATP students, graduates, and instructors to join Part 135 charter operator Jet Linx as first officers.
According to Jet Linx president and CEO Jaime Walker, the partnership represents a “collaborative solution that benefits our industry and helps us prepare for the future.” With 21 private terminals across the U.S., Jet Linx operates a fleet of more than 100 managed light, midsize, super-midsize, and large-cabin business jets.
“We are thrilled to partner with Jet Linx to provide ATP graduates a defined pathway to enter the corporate aviation sector flying for a reputable, expanding Part 135 operator,” said ATP director of airline and corporate partnerships Ashley Pillon. “Jet Linx offers both a compelling career destination and a pathway to advance to a legacy airline.” The partnership with ATP is in addition to a formal pilot pipeline agreement established in August 2019 between Jet Linx and Southwest Airlines called Destination 225° (the southwest heading on a compass rose).
Satcom Direct’s FlightDeck Freedom communications platform has been selected as the default datalink system for in-production Gulfstream G500, G600, and G650ER twinjets with initial line-fits already completed.
Operators of those Gulfstream aircraft can now optimize the FlightDeck Freedom platform, which includes configurable features and monitoring of industry datalink compliance to support secure services between crew, air traffic control, and ground personnel. They can also generate a digital footprint of the aircraft's history from its born-on date, providing better visibility into aircraft performance, management, and operation.
“FlightDeck Freedom is much more than datalink. It keeps the entire flight department and crew synced with the aircraft for more efficient flight operations. It provides critical data to support service monitoring and plays a significant part in communicating dynamic situational changes during flight,” said John Kummer, Satcom Direct's v-p of strategy and programs.
The platform’s open architecture design can be integrated with third-party services, including trip planning, as automated features operating in parallel with traditional datalink functions. Automated alerting improves operations workflow, heightens crew situational awareness, and enhances safety, while GeoNotifcations and automated monitoring provide real-time alerts about hazardous situations caused by weather or security-related events. FlightDeck Freedom also enhances passenger connectivity as the platform advises flight crews of sensitive airspace and potential outage or coverage loss situations.
Pilot training on the Cessna SkyCourier utility twin-turboprop has begun following FAA certification of Tru Simulation + Training’s level-D full-motion simulator. This approval comes a month after Textron Aviation’s high-wing cargo and passenger airplane received type certification from the FAA. A sister company to Textron Aviation, Tampa, Florida-based Tru develops high-fidelity training devices for civil and defense operators.
“The success of the Cessna SkyCourier simulator program is the result of the collaboration between the Textron Aviation flight-test and production teams, FlightSafety International’s courseware and instructor teams, and our employees at Tru,” said Tru v-p and general manager Jerry Messaris. “Together, we worked on the design, production, testing, and qualification of the simulator to ensure the highest-quality training device, and we look forward to pilots using it for many years to come.”
Based at FlightSafety’s Wichita East Learning Center, the simulator is equipped with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and features SkyCourier parts throughout the flight deck for accurate representation. It also incorporates Tru’s third-generation control loading system for a realistic flight experience. Other features include a visual system using FlightSafety’s Vital 1150 Image Generation and Tru’s RealCue system that uses an electric motion base with 42-inch stroke actuators.
Business aviation consultancy ZenithJet has added new sustainability services to its product options as it helps clients move towards carbon neutrality. Among its enhanced offerings are greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, aviation emissions measurement, and GHG inventory reporting.
GHG accounting measures direct and indirect climate impact across the entire supply chain and all departments according to international standards, while aviation emissions measurement relies upon industry best practices to calculate total emissions per aircraft type. Further, GHG inventory reporting communicates sustainability performance and identifies emissions reduction opportunities, allowing users to demonstrate leadership, prepare for future regulations, and enhance their reputations.
“We know that business aircraft owners, operators, and individual passengers want to reduce their GHG emissions,” said Nick Houseman president of the Montreal-based company, which also offers end-to-end service from business aircraft sales and acquisitions to technical support. He noted that the processes involved can be complicated and time-consuming, adding, “We hope to change the status quo by offering simple, effective, and robust services that facilitate change and advance carbon neutrality objectives.”
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