Certain aircraft manufacturers and Part 135 on-demand charter and commuter operators will need to implement a safety management system (SMS) in the coming years, according to much-anticipated FAA final rules expanding FAR Part 5 requirements. Depending on the operation type, the rules require those affected to have an SMS implemented in one to three years. However, less restrictive provisions apply to single-pilot organizations.

According to the agency, the rules currently cover approximately 1,848 Part 135 operators, 694 air tour operators, and 65 Part 21 design or production certificate holders (15 of which are already implementing SMS under the FAA’s voluntary program). Additionally, there are 715 letters of authorization (LOA) for Part 91 holders approved to conduct air tours that are required to implement an SMS—362 of these LOA holders have only one aircraft.

“Requiring more aviation organizations to implement a proactive approach to managing safety will prevent accidents and save lives,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. He noted that the rules also require those who have an SMS to share hazard information with other aviation organizations “so they can work collaboratively to identify and address potential safety issues.”

“As the NATA regulatory team combs through the 160-page rule, it appears the FAA has thoughtfully considered industry input in their drafting,” National Air Transportation Association v-p of regulatory affairs Alan Stephens told AIN.

ForeFlight has released a turbulence-reporting feature that sources information from its Sentry and Sentry+ ADS-B In receivers. The reported turbulence feature captures internal attitude sensor data from the Sentry units when pilots’ iPads are connected to the internet, either in the air if connectivity is available or after landing.

Unlike subjective pilot reports of turbulence, which rely on pilots’ varying perceptions of intensity, the data from the Sentry devices is objective and derived from the units’ sensitive attitude sensors. Traditional turbulence information is based on pilot reports, which are generally biased towards giving more turbulence reports versus fewer smooth air reports, as well as forecast models and winds aloft forecasts, all of which pilots use to try to predict and avoid turbulence while planning flights, according to ForeFlight.

The turbulence reports are generated from the Sentry data and show varying levels of intensity from smooth to severe at altitudes flown by aircraft carrying the Sentry devices. The reports are generated worldwide, and ForeFlight has already captured turbulence data from all seven continents.

To access the new turbulence information, ForeFlight users select the reported turbulence layer in the map mode and then adjust the desired altitude using the slider. Smooth air is depicted as a gray dot on the map, while turbulence is shown in three colors: light (yellow), moderate (orange), and severe (dark orange).

Daher honored long-time pilot Margrit Waltz for completing her 960th ferry flight, an achievement notched last month when she completed a transatlantic trip to deliver a new-production TBM 960 turboprop single to an owner in North America. Daher recognized Waltz last week during the Aero Friedrichshafen show.

Completed in 15 hours and 38 minutes, the milestone flight involved a trip from Daher’s TBM production facility in Tarbes, France, to the U.S. operations base for Daher’s aircraft division in Pompano Beach, Florida, with stopovers in Wick, UK; Keflavik, Iceland; and Canada’s Goose Bay.

“It was a great trip: good winds, good weather—and with the excellent performance of the TBM 960,” Waltz said of the trip. A German-born pilot who lives in Lackawanna County in Pennsylvania, Waltz has remained active in general aviation for 48 years. She became one of the first pilots to ferry a TBM across the Atlantic Ocean in 1991 and has since transported more than 300 of them worldwide.

“It’s highly symbolic that Margrit flew the milestone trip with a TBM 960, as her ferry flight services on behalf of Daher during the past three decades have contributed to the TBM program’s success,” said Nicolas Chabbert, the CEO of Daher’s aircraft division. “With her professionalism and aviator skills, she sets a wonderful example for all women aspiring to a career in aviation.”

Robinson Helicopter has purchased Massachusetts-based UAV manufacturer Ascent AeroSystems. Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the California rotorcraft manufacturer, Ascent is recognized for its compact helicopter drones, designed for a variety of industrial, public safety, and defense applications.

Through its expertise in autonomous electric flight technology and modular design, it is expected to enhance Robinson’s products. Ascent will now move its production facilities to Robinson’s vertically integrated 600,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility at Zamperini Field Airport (KTOA) in Torrance, where it will have room to grow and scale.

“This strategic acquisition is in line with our vision to broaden our offerings and meet increasing global demand for enhanced mission capabilities in law enforcement, public safety, firefighting, utility, and defense,” said Robinson president and CEO David Smith. “Ascent’s advanced technologies and versatile designs complement our ability to be the preeminent choice in global rotorcraft.”

Ascent’s UAVs feature cylindrical bodies with coaxial rather than symmetrically distributed rotors and are designed to operate in the most challenging conditions including high wind, heavy rain, sleet, snow, and even blowing sand.

“Drones based on consumer-grade electronics will never be able to provide the safety and dispatch reliability needed to support operations at scale,” explained Ascent CEO Peter Fuchs. “The laws of physics and aerodynamics favor coaxials, and with Robinson’s 50 years of experience, there is now no better domestic source for reliable, mission-critical UAV platforms.”

How to invest in the development of knowledgeable, motivated technicians.

Cloud-based aircraft records storage provider Bluetail announced that it has onboarded charter, jet card, and fractional operator FlyExclusive and its approximately 100 aircraft. Bluetail enables operators to move away from paper-based records to a secure digital format, allowing them easy access to organize, search, and share them from anywhere on any device.

“We’re so excited to welcome FlyExclusive to the Bluetail flock, and to count them as one of the many innovators that truly understand where digital recordkeeping is headed,” said Bluetail co-founder and CEO Roberto Guerrieri. “Bluetail is unique in a lot of ways, but most important is the heavy lift that we remove, as well as the amount of control we allow for our customers.”

FlyExclusive had used digital platforms in the past but none designed specifically for the aviation space.

“As a company that was built by aviation experts for the aviation industry, Bluetail was the perfect partner for us,” said Steve Pawlak, FlyExclusive’s director of maintenance, adding that his company has always placed a premium on safety and efficiency. “We know that going digital adds a new level of efficiency, and have known that digital is the future for a while now.”

The TrustFlight Electronic Tech Log can now be integrated with FL3XX’s aviation management solution through TrustFlight’s integration platform. Integrating the two systems reduces errors caused by time-consuming data entry of flight, passenger, and crew information, and helps ensure that aircraft records are accurate and current.

Once the flight crew enters information into FL3XX, it autopopulates into the Tech Log and is immediately available to operations personnel. Takeoff and landing times, crew duty times, and fuel usage details are also automatically added to FL3XX.

There are more than 80,000 active users of TrustFlight products, which in addition to the Tech Log include safety and quality management systems, reliability analytics software, MEL manager, and continuing airworthiness technical services.

“TrustFlight was founded on three principles—increasing safety, reducing risk, and ensuring compliance,” said CEO Karl Steeves. “With the integration of FL3XX, we’ve made the Electronic Tech Log process even easier so pilots can skip the manual entry and focus on flying. Additionally, operators can be certain that there are no journey log errors or overruns on duty, so compliance requirements are always met.”

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senate Commerce Committee members, led by Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), unveiled a bill on Thursday to foster research to support the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

Also sponsored by Sens. Todd Young (R-Indiana), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado), the Future of AI Innovation Act establishes a U.S. AI Safety Institute under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop voluntary standards while fostering collaboration between public and private sectors. The bill also would create AI technology testbeds at national labs and free up certain federal science data.

The AI Safety Institute would develop performance benchmarks, evaluations, and transparency documentation standards for AI systems. In addition, the institute would be tasked with helping companies and consumers to better understand and use AI tools.

“Our bill ensures the U.S. will lead on AI for decades to come,” Cantwell said. “It promotes public-private collaboration to drive innovation and competitiveness. The NIST AI Safety Institute, testbeds at our national labs, and the grand challenge prizes will bring together private sector and government experts to develop standards, create new assessment tools, and overcome existing barriers.”

Young added that the bill encourages partnerships to develop voluntary standards and best practices while safeguarding from potential risks. “Artificial intelligence has enormous potential, but it’s up to us to make sure it’s harnessed for responsible innovation,” Hickenlooper further said.

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