With the addition of its latest location, AEG Fuels has announced the launch of AEG Connect, its branded dealer network. The company told AIN it wished to achieve a certain number of locations before publicly disclosing the network.
The newest FBO to become a branded AEG dealer is family-owned National Jets, one of four service providers at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. It joins existing members Boston Executive at Norwood Airport in Massachusetts, Kansas Jet Center (Manhattan Regional Airport), Legacy Jet Center (Tulsa International Airport), SkyPlace FBO (San Antonio International Airport), US Aviation Jet Center at Florida’s Space Coast Regional Airport, and five of Brazil’s TAM Aviação Executiva locations (Manaus, Congonhas, Confins, Pampulha, and Guarulhos).
Each location is committed to “delivering superior service,” according to Miami-based AEG, and all members must undergo a periodical audit to ensure their service and facilities are up to the network’s established standards. Members will be provided with a suite of tools that will enhance their ability to compete in their marketplace, such as a fuel loyalty program and AEG’s marketing efforts that include attendance at major industry events.
“With AEG Connect network, our customers know they will receive superior service and excellence every time,” said Dave Diulus v-p of AEG Connect. He added that clients will experience “seamless travel experiences and enjoy exceptional facilities and amenities at each location.”
The House passed the Inflation Reduction Act (H.R.5376) on Friday, clearing the way for a blender’s tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over the next five years and providing a key incentive to spool up production, according to business aviation advocates. The act, which passed the House by a 220-to-207 vote, followed Senate approval on August 7.
The bill provides a $1.25 per-gallon credit for each gallon of SAF sold as part of a qualified fuel mixture, including that it has a demonstrated lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction of at least 50 percent compared to conventional jet fuel. The credit, available for two years beginning January 1, increases up to $1.75 per gallon on a sliding scale based on the percentage of lifecycle GHG emissions reduced beyond 50 percent. Beginning in 2025, SAF would be eligible for credits up to $1.75 per gallon under a new Clean Fuel Production Credit (CFPC). That credit is set to expire at the end of 2027.
Noting the business aviation industry strengthened its commitment with a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce said, “These provisions will accelerate the production, distribution, and use of SAF and spur aviation innovation.”
Bunce also praised another tax credit measure that he said would “assist in facilitating the production and development of hydrogen technologies for aviation.”
The sole-occupant pilot that died in the crash of Cessna Citation V N3RB on Jan. 9, 2021, near Warm Springs, Oregon, lost control of the twinjet after becoming incapacitated for reasons that could not be determined, according to an NTSB probable cause report published on Friday. An NTSB investigation determined that N3RB did not appear to have any mechanical issues when it was destroyed after hitting the ground at 1:37 p.m. PST.
During the first 15 minutes of the flight, the 72-year-old pilot who had 12,350 hours TT but not a Citation V type rating, appeared to have difficulty maintaining assigned headings and altitudes. After reaching FL270, the airplane began to deviate about 30 degrees right of course while continuing to climb. The controller alerted the pilot, who did not respond, and the airplane continued to climb. Two minutes later, the airplane entered a spiraling descent that lasted eight minutes until the airplane hit the ground at high speed in a right-wing-low attitude.
According to the NTSB, a review of the pilot’s medical history uncovered several conditions and medications unreported to the FAA. While these conditions or medications would not have directly caused incapacitation, the pilot may have had an undiagnosed disease or had some acute event that would have incapacitated him, the NTSB said, noting that the available evidence is consistent with a loss of airplane control following pilot incapacitation.
Argus has awarded Thrive Aviation its Platinum safety rating, following an on-site audit of the Las Vegas-based charter operator and jet card provider. The audit was an in-depth historical safety analysis of Thrive’s aircraft, pilots, and procedures, as well as a validation of its safety management system and emergency response plans.
“This is not just a stamp of approval in process, but a reflection of our team's hard work and commitment to a superior culture of safety before anything else,” said Thrive director of safety Brian Harlan.
The awarding of the safety rating comes as Thrive prepares to put its first ultra-long-range jet into service, a Gulfstream G600, as well as earning IS-BAO Stage I certification. Over the past two years, Thrive has also taken delivery of several Citation Longitude and Sovereign+ twinjets, adding to its fleet of XLS+, CJ3, and M2 aircraft.
"We've always been a safety-first organization, but with our rapid growth over the past few years, we knew that we needed to invest heavily in scaling that culture,” said Thrive co-founder Stuart Edenfield. “The recent audit by Argus and the resulting Platinum designation was a great validation of our team's ability to meet and maintain the highest safety standards in the industry.”
United Airlines has reinforced its commitment to purchasing eVTOL air taxis from Archer Aviation with a $10 million down payment on 100 units of the initial production version of the aircraft. The U.S. carrier, which is an investor in the California-based start-up, announced the deposit late last week.
In February 2021, United Airlines signed a provisional agreement with Archer to purchase up to 200 of Archer's four-passenger eVTOL aircraft in a deal valued at $1 billion, implying a price tag of $5 million per unit. Archer said the pre-delivery payment represents one of the first of its kind in the nascent eVTOL industry, with multiple manufacturers having announced provisional sales that appear not to be backed by any type of formal payment schedule or deposits.
“To receive a cash deposit is validation of Archer’s achievements to date, not only with flight testing and product development, but also a great signal of confidence in our roadmap to commercialization,” said Archer CEO Adam Goldstein.
United and Archer formed a joint eVTOL advisory committee together in April to explore maintenance and operational arrangements for the new eVTOL aircraft, which Archer aims to bring into commercial service in 2024. United plans to use the aircraft to transport customers to and from its major hub airports.
Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) has validated the supplemental type certificate (STC) for the uAvionix tailBeaconX 1090 MHz ADS-B transponder. With the validation, the tailBeaconX is available for installation in more than 250 single-engine airplanes in Brazil, according to uAvionix, “including Cessna, Beechcraft, Piper, Mooney, Tecnam, and Socata.”
The tailBeaconX includes a rear navigation light, ADS-B Out with Mode S, SBAS GPS, and antennas in a compact, lightweight package. It replaces an airplane’s typical tail-mounted position light, which makes installation of the transponder fairly simple.
Aircraft fitted with a tailBeaconX need a control head for the transponder, and uAvionix offers the AV-30-C electronic flight instrument for that role. ANAC has also issued an STC for installation of the AV-30-C, but uAvionix is developing other control methods using its equipment or third-party devices. Because its antenna faces the sky and ground, the tailBeaconX also meets the requirement for use of space-based ADS-B that is being implemented in Canada.
According to uAvionix, “With the growing use of ADS-B in Brazil, tailBeaconX will offer a permanently installed ADS-B Out solution for certified general aviation aircraft, while offering optimal visibility to other aircraft and drones equipped with ADS-B receivers, saving aircraft owners thousands of pounds [in weight] for equipment and installation as compared to other systems.”
Las Vegas-based Jet Token has a new investment partner: Global Emerging Markets (Gem) Global Yield. Luxembourg-based Gem, which has $3.4 billion in assets, is committing to a $40 million investment in the private aircraft services provider.
Under the agreement, Jet Token will draw from the investment periodically through the exchange of common stock. The 36-month term commitment will become active following Jet Token’s public listing of common stock.
Jet Token offers fractional ownership, jet cards, and charter service with the HondaJet Elite S. Through an operating partnership with Las Vegas-based Cirrus Aviation, Jet Token clients also have access to a fleet of 20 private aircraft that range in size from light to ultra-long range jets.
Gem has completed more than 480 investment transactions in 70 countries and operates offices in Paris, New York, and Nassau, Bahamas.
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
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The effect of factors that affect the landing distance should be considered cumulative when assessing if the aircraft will be capable to stop within the landing distance available. Is this statement true or false?
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has updated its standard industry fare level (SIFL) rates for the second half of the year, softening its unadjusted levels slightly over those in the first six months. SIFL rates are used for determining values of non-business transportation aboard employer-provided aircraft as required by the IRS. The DOT calculates the rates using airline cost and seat mile data and has published multiple versions to account for government relief received by air carriers during the pandemic, NBAA has advised.
For the period of July 1 to December 31, the unadjusted SIFL rates are $0.2417 for flights up to 500 miles, $0.1843 for between 501 and 1,500 miles, and $0.1771 for more than 1,500 miles. The terminal charge is $44.18. This compares with the first half rates of $0.2460 (up to 500 miles), $0.1876 (between 501 and 1,500), and $0.1803 (more than 1,500). The updated terminal charge also is lower than the $44.98 in the first half.
Adjusting for Payroll Support Program (PSP) grants, second-half SIFL rates are $0.2460 (up to 500 miles), $0.1875 (between 501 and 1,500), and $0.1803 (more than 1,500), with a $44.97 terminal charge. Adjusting for PSP and promissory notes during the latter half of the year, the rates are, respectively, $0.2562, $0.1953, and $0.1878, with a $46.83 terminal charge.
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