Bombardier Donates 2,800 Face Shields to HCA in Florida
Bombardier’s fifth Global 7500 flight-test vehicle, FTV5, has found a new mission: transporting face shields for medical facilities. The Canadian aircraft manufacturer recently donated 2,800 face shields to HCA Healthcare East Florida Division for distribution throughout the medical care provider’s 15 affiliates across East Florida.
Bombardier loaded FTV5 up with the face shields earlier this month and transported them to Sheltair Aviation at Fort-Lauderdale-Hollywood International, where the HCA team was there to greet the flight crew.
“We were honored that Bombardier reached out to us to make such a generous donation to help continue to supply our frontline workers during this pandemic,” said Fred Wilson, CEO of HCA Healthcare East Florida Division Supply Chain Services. “We are proud to partner with organizations that share in our commitment to corporate social responsibility and want to make a difference fighting Covid-19 in our communities.”
“These types of missions really highlight how pivotal aviation is in the transportation of life-saving humanitarian aid,” added Bombardier Aviation president David Coleal. “The Global 7500 aircraft is particularly well-suited to this type of assignment: with its long-range and ability to land and take-off from challenging airports, it can go anywhere.”
Bombardier worked with Molded Precision Components, a fabricator of auto parts and medical components, to secure the face shields.
AINsight: Aviation Medicine in the Pandemic, Part 3
The entire world continues to learn new adaptations and strategies to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic, and all businesses are making adjustments, including those involved in both corporate and airline flight operations.
Aviation medicine is making adjustments, too. The FAA has realized that the process of obtaining a medical certificate is hindered by the pandemic, both in regard to the routine logistics of doing so and also for the inherent exposure risks to pilots and their AMEs. So the agency has provided relief for both medical and operational certification date requirements.
On July 7, the FAA stated that the “non-enforcement of expired medical certificates is a rolling 90-day action.” Thus, the FAA clearly supports that medical certificates may be used for an additional three months.
However, the final rolling action timeline stated is that certificates that would normally expire Sept. 30, 2020 will now be in a non-enforcement status until Dec. 31, 2020. No extensions are stated beyond that date in this most recent guidance, so I recommend that affected pilots check with their AMEs now on appointment scheduling to avoid bottlenecks.
There also remains confusion regarding how to handle expiring special issuances, which have a time limit placed directly on the medical certificate. Without guidance from the FAA, this limitation makes it impossible to determine if they qualify for the three-month grace period.
Collins Aerospace has begun testing of the first aviation application for Iridium’s new higher-speed Certus satcom service. According to Collins, this test was the first Certus aviation low-gain transmission. The company plans to offer Certus hardware, including two types of antennas, in 2022.
The L-band Iridium Next satellite constellation, completed early last year, promises much higher speeds than the classic Iridium network. Flying in low-earth orbit, the Iridium satellites cover the entire planet, so there are no dead spots as is the case with most higher-orbit Ku- and Ka-band geostationary satellite networks.
The airborne hardware includes a Satcom Data Unit (SDU), SDU Configuration Module, and an antenna. A smaller low-gain antenna will permit network speeds up to 176 kbps and a larger high-gain antenna speeds up to 704 kbps (less than 1 Mbps). The classic Iridium service had a maximum speed of 2.4 kbps. Ku- and Ka-band satellite service can deliver far higher speeds—up to 50 Mbps—but antennas and equipment are generally larger and because of the high speeds, service charges are higher.
Collins engineers conducted the testing in a lab with equipment, including the low-gain antenna, communicating directly with the Iridium satellites. According to Collins, it was the first aviation supplier to pass the mandatory Iridium antenna simulator testing and the first to make an aviation equipment transmission to the orbiting network.
Montreal FBO Relocates to New Home
CYHU H-18 Services, a service provider at Montreal’s Saint-Hubert Airport (YHU), has opened its new facility and renamed itself HUB FBO. In March 2018, the company agreed to sell Hangar 18, which it occupied since 2012, to a commercial charter operator, paving the way for it to begin work on what was initially to be called Aéroparc H-19, at the airport.
The company recently moved into the CDN$11 million ($8.3 million), 45,000-sq-ft facility but the planned grand opening festivities have been postponed indefinitely due to the Covid pandemic. Located near the former FBO, off the airport’s 7,800-foot-long Runway 24R, the new Avjet-branded complex sits on a 4.5-acre site and includes an approximately 25,000-sq-ft heated hangar that can accommodate aircraft up to the Bombardier Global 7500.
The 20,000-sq-ft, two-story terminal features a passenger lounge, concierge, pilot's lounge, two snooze rooms, shower facilities, a pair of conference rooms, crew cars, car rental, and customs upon request, as well as office space. The facility handles a wide variety of clients, including sports teams.
"We are thrilled to have opened the doors of our new FBO and are proud to provide the same high-quality standards we have been giving since day one,” said general manager Sylvie Santini. “This modern facility will surely exceed your expectations.”
Traffic Data Shows How Southwest Overtook U.S. Rivals
Data released to AIN by Spire Aviation shows that between January and the end of July, Southwest Airlines consistently outpaced rivals United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines in terms of weekly flights (both international and domestic) during the Covid-19 pandemic. American and Delta were neck-and-neck in the number two spot, while United tracked low in fourth place. Spire's data is collected from a combination of satellites and ground-based receivers.
For the whole period, Spire’s data shows Southwest with just over 625,000 flights. American totaled just under 507,000, while Delta was just over 456,000, and United a little above 294,000. At some points during the early stages of the pandemic, Southwest ranked as the largest airline in the world based on scheduled seats on offer, overtaking its U.S. rivals with their extensive international networks. In May, the low-cost carrier was pushed down to the number two slot by China Eastern Airlines as domestic traffic started recovering in China.
In the latest data for the week ending August 2, Southwest was still in front with just over 21,000 flights, followed by American at about 17,300 flights; Delta, around 13,500; and United, about 7,400.
California’s ACI Jet is the latest FBO operator to offer sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to its customers, having received a 7,300-gallon load of the fuel this week at its facility at John Wayne-Orange County Airport. The fuel was supplied by Avfuel, which sources its concentrated SAF from Gevo and blends it with standard petroleum-based jet-A in accordance with ASTM standards. ACI expects to receive another 7,300-gallon load, which will be split between the company's headquarters at San Luis County Regional Airport and its Paso Robles Municipal Airport location.
“ACI Jet has proven our commitment to remaining innovative in all of our business activities,” said Andrew Robillard, the company’s v-p of FBOs and facilities. “In aviation specifically, sustainability is the new frontier for innovators and we’re excited to work together with Avfuel in setting a new benchmark for others to follow.”
The nearly 15,000 gallons of SAF placed in the FBO’s general fuel storage tanks at the locations, and available to all customers, will represent a net four metric ton reduction in CO2 emissions.
“Despite the hardships aviation, and our world, has endured these past many months, we continue to look ahead to a brighter, cleaner future with the use of these sustainable products,” said Avfuel v-p of sales Mark Haynes. “These demonstration days are one more important step forward for our world’s wellness.”
MTU Teams with DLR To Advance Hydrogen Fuel Cells
MTU Aero Engines has joined forces with the DLR German Aerospace Center to jointly develop and validate a new hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system that they believe could eventually power aircraft as large as the ubiquitous Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 narrowbody airliners. On August 5, the partners signed a memorandum of understanding that will lead to them developing an initial system to be tested on a Dornier Do228 turboprop twin.
Their combined engineering team will equip an existing Do228 with a hydrogen fuel cell and a 500-kW electric propeller engine on one side of its wing, while the other will carry the aircraft's original Honeywell TPE331 turboprop engine. The partners said they are aiming to achieve first flight of this new technology demonstrator in 2026.
DLR—the government-backed Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt—will manage the flight-test program and is also responsible for the integration and certification of the new propulsion system. The agency already has secured some financial support for the program from Bavarian state authorities.
Munich-based MTU has a long track record in developing low-pressure turbines, high-pressure compressors, and turbine center frames for a variety of turboprop, turbofan, and turboshaft powerplants.
Warbird Trainer Fights FAA Emergency Order
Warbird Adventures and its president and chief pilot Thom Richard have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to issue an emergency stay for an FAA cease-and-desist order prohibiting flight training in a Curtis P-40 Warhawk trainer, arguing the agency’s actions essentially ban flight training in limited-category aircraft.
Issued on July 28, the emergency order says Warbird Adventures violated FAR 91.315 by operating a limited category civil aircraft while providing flight training for hire. Also, on July 28, the FAA issued an order suspending Richard’s airman and flight instructor certificates for 120 days. That order has been stayed pending appeal. And, in tandem, the agency proposed a civil penalty of $6,750.
In the partial emergency stay request, Warbird Adventures contended that “the FAA’s baseless assertions are not supported by substantial evidence and are contrary to law.” The cease-and-desist order “prohibits Mr. Richard and other certified flight instructors from providing flight training in any limited-category aircraft, including the P-40,” the company said. “Historically, limited-category aircraft have been utilized for flight training/student instruction ever since the end of WWII."
Meanwhile, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said it was closely assessing the case, which “raises concerns that have the potential to more broadly impact flight training and safety in the warbird community and beyond."
This photo certainly makes us green with envy. Corporate pilot Phil Brown took this image of a green glow over the Honeywell Epic-based Symmetry avionics in a Gulfstream G500 caused by the sunrise reflecting off of the HUD while southwest of Iceland. “What a great airplane,” he said—and we agree. Thanks for sharing, Phil!
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