Bye Electric eFlyer 800 Seeks To End King Air’s Reign

Bye Aerospace today unveiled plans to enter the business aviation market with the eFlyer 800, an all-electric aircraft powered by a pair of Safran Engineus electric motors. The twin will be able to carry seven passengers and two pilots on flights of up to 500 nm at 320 knots, the company added.

The new model will compete with existing turboprop models such as the Beechcraft King Air 260 and Daher TBM 940, albeit with less than one-third of the range. Denver-based Bye Aerospace indicated it expects to complete type certification by 2026, but said that it already has “customer deposit agreements” from undisclosed air taxi, charter, and cargo operators in the U.S. and Europe.

Bye Aerospace is working toward FAA Part 23 type certification for its two-seat eFlyer 2 model, which will mainly be used for flight training. It is also developing a four-seat eFlyer 4 aircraft that could also be used for air taxi and cargo missions. Both are also powered by the Safran motors, which have a power rating ranging from 50 kW to 500 kW.

The company claims that operating costs for the eFlyer 800 will be one-fifth of comparable jet-A-powered aircraft, based on the assumption that electricity will cost less than fuel and that electric motors will require less maintenance than turboprop engines.

NBAA Launches Flight Dept Sustainability Program

In honor of Earth Day, NBAA used this morning’s edition of its news hour webinar to announce the launch of its Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation Program. With an eye towards a formal rollout this fall at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, the program—still under development with its initial pilot test members, including Starbucks and Adobe—will serve as an industry standard for validation of sustainable flight operations.

It will concentrate on four areas: flight, operations, ground support, and infrastructure. In support of enrolled members, NBAA will provide online educational materials and other training components. Virtual audits will document the certification eligibility, along with randomized in-person audits to further verify the adoption of sustainability culture.

The webinar also offered some real-world sustainability perspectives from flight department members Kathy Julien (Starbucks) and Kerri Russi (Adobe), with the latter indicating that her department now considers the availability of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) at destinations when establishing flight plans.

“We’re going to be flying these aircraft for decades to come and so SAF is our solution for today and it’s our bridge to tomorrow,” said NBAA director of technical operations Stewart D’Leon, adding that education about the drop-in nature of the fuel needs to continue. In addition, he noted that the organization has now established an environmental subcommittee as part of its maintenance committee.

Schwenk To Step Down as Pilatus Remains Steady

In releasing its 2020 results today, Pilatus Aircraft chairman Oscar Schwenk also announced that he would be stepping down this summer but would remain with the company in a non-operational capacity. “In Hansueli Loosli, a current member of the board of directors, we have found a capable personality who is available and qualified for this office,” he said. Loosli joined Pilatus's board in mid-2020 and has chaired numerous other boards, including Coop, Swisscom, Bell Food Group, Transgourmet, and Coop Mineraloel.

Despite the difficulties associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, Pilatus brought in CHF 1.1 billion ($1.2 billion U.S.) in 2020, nearly matching its 2019 results, and delivered 129 aircraft, five shy of the 134 delivered a year earlier, the Swiss manufacturer reported. Last year's shipments included 41 PC-24s, 82 PC-12 NGXs, and six PC-21s.

Operating income of CHF 155 million, meanwhile, edged out 2019 results of CHF 153 million. However, the order book fell from slightly more than CHF 2 billion at the end of 2019 to CHF 1.7 billion with new orders amounting to CHF 836 million in 2020. Pilatus reported that 2021 production is sold out and the PC-24 is sold well into 2022.

GA Orgs Urge FAA To Address Flight Training Pay

Concerned that a recent U.S. Appeals Court ruling has created confusion and could restrict access to flight training, AOPA, EAA, and GAMA are urging the FAA to clarify its approach to compensation for flight instruction, testing, and line checks. The groups made that appeal in an April 19 letter to FAA associate administrator for aviation safety Ali Bahrami, following the April 2 court finding in Warbird Adventures v. the Federal Aviation Administration.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that a flight instructor who receives compensation for flight instruction is carrying persons for compensation or hire, the organizations said. While that determination was unpublished—which the organizations said means the court did not see precedential value in the finding—the characterization still raises concerns of “significant domino effects across the aviation regulatory landscape” should the FAA adopt those positions.

“The court’s characterization of instructor compensation as payment for carriage of persons is contrary to the FAA’s long-standing position,” the associations said, calling flight training a “cornerstone for safe flight operations.”

In its ruling, the court had declined to lift a cease-and-desist order issued by the FAA against Warbird Adventures of Kissimmee, Florida, concluding that the organization was operating a limited-category aircraft for compensated flight training without a necessary exemption.

Microbial Fuel Contamination Test App Released

Fuel test provider Conidia Bioscience has launched a mobile app that will work alongside its FuelStat microbial contamination test kit. The free FuelStat Result app works with iPhone and Android devices and allows operators to complete compliance testing on site, without registration, verifying fuel test results and preparing a professional report that can either be printed or emailed.

Once fuel samples have been collected, the app uses the phone’s camera to interpret the results. As the user lines up the test kit with the outline on the camera screen, the app will verify the results and provide an instant indication of the fuel’s level of microbial contamination using a simple “traffic light” system. The app will also give an alert if the results are close to a threshold, helping the user determine the next test interval.

The app will also keep a record of the previous 10 test results on the device. If the user wishes to register on the app, their details are automatically entered in the reports and the results are then transferred to a secure portal.

“From taking fuel samples to having the test report ready to send can be completed on site in as little as 15 minutes compared to sending samples to a laboratory, which can take up to 10 days,” said Myrsini Chronopoulou, Conidia’s research and development manager.

NBAA Backs Measures for Permanent Bonus Depreciation

NBAA is backing legislation introduced in the House and Senate last week that would make permanent 100 percent bonus depreciation, or immediate expensing, for qualified capital equipment, including for new and used business aircraft. Immediate expensing was modified and extended as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act but is set to begin phasing out at the end of 2022 and completely phase out by 2027.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania) and Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) introduced the Accelerate Long-Term Investment Growth Now Act in their respective chambers on April 15 to eliminate that phaseout. “The end of the Covid-19 pandemic is in sight, and Congress should enact policies that enable workers and job creators to propel our economic recovery,” said Toomey, in announcing his bill, S.1166, which is co-sponsored by 15 Republican Senators. “Allowing businesses to immediately write off purchases of new equipment was one of the most pro-growth features of the 2017 tax reform law.”

“There’s no bigger incentive in the tax code for job creation and economic expansion than allowing businesses, both large and small, to fully and immediately deduct the cost of new investments, equipment, and machinery,” agreed Arrington, who has attracted 16 co-sponsors (all Republican) to his bill, H.R.2558.

NBAA expressed concern that allowing bonus depreciation to expire could damage the U.S. economy as the country emerges from the pandemic.

Jets, Pittsburgh Jet Form Strategic Partnership

On-demand charter and jet card provider Jets has taken an equity stake in Pittsburgh Jet Center, an FBO and Part 135 operator, which is rebranding as Private Jet Center (PJC). Based at Zelienople Municipal Airport outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the charter operator will remain an independent company in its current location and with its current staff. Co-founder Clayton Pegher will become its CEO.

“We have identified an opportunity to combine the operational experience of Pittsburgh Jet Center with the sales force of Jets,” Pegher said. “This alliance will allow us to expand our fleet by offering aircraft management services to existing Jets clients and leverage the synergies of our relationship.”

Pegher will be joined in the management team of PJC by Jets COO and partner Daniel Satterlund with plans to expand the rebranded company. He said with the ownership stake, Jets clients and members will benefit from the strategic partnership.

“Current Jets clients and members can seamlessly access on-demand charter, jet card membership, and moving forward, aircraft management,” Satterlund explained. “Over the past several years we knew it was imperative to grow a fleet to serve our current and growing membership base.”

PJC’s fleet comprises two Cessna Citation CJ3s and an XLS.

Offshore Wind Boost Could Trigger Helicopter Boon

In what may be a boon to the battered offshore oil-and-gas helicopter industry, the Biden administration has indicated that it is going all-in on offshore wind, particularly in an 800,000-acre area along the New York-New Jersey coast known as the New York Bight. Helicopters are used during the installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of offshore windfarms.

The White House recently announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), along with the Department of the Interior, have established a priority Wind Energy Area in the bight. Overall, the administration has targeted the generation of 30 GW of power from offshore wind by 2030.

The BOEM said it was already moving on potentially 19 GW of this target, with plans to complete lease reviews on 16 projects. Ultimately, the White House said it is aiming at 110 GW of offshore wind by 2050, and to that end is supporting projects in the bight, as well as others off the coasts of New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. 

The Department of Transportation is inviting applications for $230 million of port and “intermodal infrastructure-related projects.” The Department of Energy’s loans program office is making another $3 billion available in loan guarantees for businesses related to offshore wind.

BJT Webinar: Air Charter 101

If you've taken only a few private charter flights—or are thinking about taking your first—you likely have lots of questions. That’s understandable, given how many options and providers exist and how widely costs vary. AIN sister publication Business Jet Traveler is here to assist with a free Webinar on May 4 that will walk you through every step of the process, helping you to know what questions to ask to get the most out of your charter experience.

BJT editorial director Jennifer Leach English will moderate an expert panel of speakers that include AIN editor-in-chief Matt Thurber and senior editor Charles Alcock, along with Avinode Group CRO and co-founder Per Marthinsson and AirPSG owner—and frequent air charter customer—Michael Ryan.