Satcom Direct has developed an aviation cyber threat awareness course for flight departments, aircrews, operators, and passengers aimed at changing digital behavior and device handling to minimize cybersecurity risk. It is available for enrollment on Satcom Direct’s website.
According to the company, the self-paced course offers instruction on best practices for implementing data security compliance, identifying common hacking and attack methodology, and recognizing and mitigating inherent vulnerabilities on the ground or in the air. It also explores the importance of protecting data during international travel and is supported by information about the use of personal digital devices before, during, and after a flight.
“The threat of cyber events continues to escalate in business aviation,” said John Kummer, Satcom Direct's senior v-p of strategy and programs. “It is not a matter of if a cyber event will occur, but when, so we wanted to provide our customers with an accessible course that supports cyber threat prevention from an aviation user and facilitator, rather than purely technological, perspective.”
Kummer added that there is a “rise of increasingly sophisticated bad actors” who are a “clear and present danger” to flight departments, corporate fleets, and business aviation stakeholders. “This course helps to clarify weak points, whether they be technical or human-behavior related, and provides solutions that will strengthen data practices,” he said.
EASA: Zero Private Bizav Accidents in Europe Last Year
There were no reportable accidents and only one serious incident last year involving EASA-member-state-registered, non-commercial complex (NCC) turbine business airplanes, according to the agency’s 2021 Annual Safety Review. In addition, the number of serious incidents has significantly decreased in comparison with the average of the previous 10-year period even though traffic levels of NCC business airplanes remained at 75 percent of 2019 levels last year.
In 2020, there were also no fatal accidents involving European commercial air transport (CAT) holders—meaning airlines and air taxi/charter operators. Although there were eight nonfatal accidents and 42 incidents involving CAT holders, the number of nonfatal accidents was lower than the average of the previous 10-year period. Also, serious incidents decreased last year versus the previous year and the average of the previous 10-year period.
The number of CAT helicopter accidents, fatalities and serious injuries last year were also significantly lower than the average of the preceding decade. The only CAT helicopter fatal accident in 2020 occurred in Italy during an air taxi ambulance operation for heliskiing, when a skier remained hooked with the helicopter’s utility basket on takeoff and fell to the ground. In addition, helicopter sightseeing operations were involved in zero accidents compared to a 10-year average of 1.5.
Jet Linx Looks To M&A for Additional Growth
Charter company Jet Linx is preparing itself for further growth through the hiring of Paul Kloet as director of mergers and acquisitions and the promotion of 20-year company veteran Jason Vanis to senior v-p of integrations, both of which are new positions to the company.
Kloet will be responsible for identifying Part 135 operators as potential merger and acquisition candidates, as well as other value-added ventures, while Vanis will expand his duties of overseeing Jet Linx’s base locations to include integration of newly acquired companies into Jet Linx.
“Jet Linx has witnessed exponential growth in recent years, and we are excited for Paul and Jason to lead us into our next phase of expansion through the acquisition of select Part 135 operators in both existing markets we already serve and new markets we have slated to open,” said CEO Jamie Walker. “Paul brings to Jet Linx an impressive skillset and deep experience in leading M&A transactions that will undoubtedly advance our growth strategy. Jason…is intimately familiar with our brand and operations, which makes him the perfect person to facilitate our post-acquisition integration activity.”
The announcement follows Jet Linx’s 2020 acquisition of Meridian’s aircraft management and charter business. Jet Linx also plans to open its 20th base location in Miami later this year, followed by a new private terminal in Omaha in June 2022.
Airbus Delivers Five-blade H145s to Germany’s ADAC
German air ambulance provider ADAC Luftrettung has taken delivery of two five-blade Airbus H145 light twin helicopters and announced plans to upgrade its current fleet of 14 four-blade H145s to the five-blade variant. ADAC Luftrettung operates more than 50 Airbus helicopters from its 37 bases throughout Germany. In June, an ADAC H145 was the first HEMS helicopter to fly with sustainable aviation fuel.
The H145 is powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines with Fadec and the Helionix digital avionics suite with a four-axis autopilot. Of the 1,470 H145 family of helicopters in service, more than 470 are used for air ambulance and rescue missions worldwide. In total, the fleet has logged more than six million flight hours.
Airbus unveiled the five-blade H145 in 2019, featuring a new bearingless main rotor design reduces maintenance requirements and contributes to increased performance, yielding a 330-pound increase in useful load. The upgrade kit from the four- to five-blade model includes new composite main rotor blades; transmission kit consisting of rotor mast, swashplate, scissors, control rods with associated assembly, oil cooler, and rotor brake; additional electrical hydraulic pump; Helionix software; new forward cross-tube; and modification/tuning of the horizontal stabilizer.
Being Prepared Goes Beyond the Requirements
Simply meeting a regulatory minimum is not enough. Pilots must be trained to excel and command their aircraft with calm confidence. Proficient is capable. Prepared is unshakeable. Pilots and their passengers shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security that checking a box is the same as being prepared.
Rolls-Royce North America has completed a $500 million modernization program at its Indianapolis campus, where it manufactures engines and components for helicopters and defense and commercial aircraft. Six years in the making, the now-revitalized facilities have improved energy efficiency and are helping Rolls-Royce meet its goal to become net-zero in carbon use in operations by 2030.
“Rolls-Royce has been innovating in Indianapolis for decades. Now, we take a major technological leap into the future with facilities that are among the most advanced and efficient of any Rolls-Royce site, anywhere in the world,” said Rolls-Royce North America chairman and CEO Tom Bell. The new facilities also employ more digital engineering and robotics capabilities to maximize operations throughout the manufacturing campus.
Three primary World War II-era operations buildings were upgraded through an orchestrated process in which new technology was designed and installed and old manufacturing equipment was removed while continuing to deliver engines and products to customers without interruption. While several inefficient buildings dating to 1942 were also demolished, Rolls-Royce said the improved efficiency at the three revamped operations buildings resulted in greater manufacturing capability despite the smaller footprint.
Rolls-Royce also plans to soon add new test capabilities at the Indianapolis campus to support military engine production.
Scared Passengers Sue Helicopter Operator
Missed approaches to a Canadian oil rig in bad weather have triggered a lawsuit from the passengers, charging the experience caused mental distress, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Operated by Canadian Helicopters, the Canadian Helicopters Offshore (CHO) Sikorsky S-92A departed Halifax Stanfield airport at 11:54 local time on July 24, 2019, with two pilots and 11 passengers in conditions described by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) as VFR for the 155-nm flight. Observer weather reports at the landing area in the Thebaud Central Facility (TCF) for the incident’s time were overcast, five-eighths mile visibility, and 300-foot broken ceiling. A surface vessel in the area reported fog.
The flight crew aborted two initial approaches to the rig off Sable Island, part of the TCF, due to limited visibility and lack of visual references. On the third approach, the helicopter became unstabilized across parameters of speed, bank, and pitch and entered a vortex ring state and a resultant spin. The pilot flying depressed and held the cyclic trim release, which in turn degraded the performance of the automatic flight control system, according to the TSB.
The flight crew recovered, but not before committing flight control inputs that resulted in multiple torques and engine exceedances up to 146 percent and descending to just 13 feet above the waterline. There were no physical injuries to anyone onboard.
Tamarack Aerospace president Jacob Klinginsmith stressed the need for the aviation community to work urgently and collaboratively on sustainability initiatives, warning a panel hosted by ICAO that industry targets could be at risk without immediate cooperation. ICAO had asked Tamarack to participate in the Pre-Stocktaking Sustainability webinar last week to discuss current and upcoming technologies that aid in reducing fossil fuel usage and noise. The Pre-Stocktaking Sustainability webinar was a precursor to the ICAO Stocktaking Seminar that begins on August 31.
“It is so important that we work together as a national and international industry, aggressively using any and all available current technologies to address the climate crises,” Klinginsmith said. “We cannot afford, as an industry and a planet, to wait any longer to begin development and actual large-scale implementation of carbon emission reduction.”
He reiterated the sustainability benefits that emerging technologies such as Tamarack’s Active winglet can provide. The company had released a white paper for the 2021 Earth Day (April 22) noting the winglets, which are now installed on more than 130 Cessna Citations, could reduce fuel usage up to 33 percent.
In addition to participating in the webinar, Tamarack was added to ICAO’s Sustainability Coalition, and company chairman and CEO Nicholas Guida submitted testimony to Congress on the need to consider all aviation technology related to combatting climate change.
Afghan Airspace ‘Uncontrolled’ as Chaos Erupts in Kabul
Following the overthrow of the Afghan government by the Taliban Islamist group, the Afghanistan civil aviation authority yesterday issued a notam declaring its airspace “uncontrolled” and advised all civilian traffic to avoid overflying the country. U.S. authorities have taken over air traffic control at Kabul Airport and surrounding FIRs have received notice that the civilian side of the facility has closed until further notice.
Flights from east to west now pass over the United Arab Emirates instead of Afghan airspace. “The diversions will be only for a few hundred miles,” Vishok Mansingh, CEO of Mumbai, India-based consultancy Vman Aero told AIN. “The situation is fluid, and we will have to wait and see when the airspace will be opened."
Chaotic grim scenes of locals trying to get into parked aircraft at Kabul Airport circulated on social media. A U.S. Air Force C-17 boarded 640 passengers in its cargo hold meant for 150. Air India has carried out evacuation flights. With civilian flights not allowed to land or take off, many foreign citizens remain stranded and anxiously await evacuation.
"The Taliban is fractured and nobody knows who is in control, so the risk is big,” noted Mansingh. “Besides, they have surface-to-air missiles and likely will be in a trigger-happy state of mind."
In a story in Friday’s AINalerts about Embraer's second-quarter deliveries and sales, we incorrectly reported that the company made 109 executive jet deliveries in 2020. That number was actually its 2019 total for business jet shipments. Last year, the airframer delivered 86 business jets.
People in Aviation
Stanton & Partners Aviation named JP Nunez, president of sales and partner, to head up its recently opened U.S. headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida. Nunez, who joined the firm a year ago, has more than 23 years of corporate aviation experience, previously serving as v-p of sales for Gulfstream Aerospace. Also serving on the U.S. advisory and management team is Bill Arrazola, a former regional v-p of sales for Gulfstream, and Allan Baylis, formerly a sales support manager at Gulfstream.
Wheels Up appointed Gene McKenna chief product officer, steering the continued expansion of its Marketplace platform, as well as the entire product portfolio. McKenna, who has more than 18 years of product management experience and a decade of software engineering experience, has founded and sold two internet companies in the events and travel industries and held leadership positions at Acxiom Digital and Groupon.
Omni Aircraft Maintenance appointed Caleb Benner president. Benner, who has more than 20 years of aviation experience, has served as director of maintenance for Omni Air Transport and Omni Aircraft sales for the past five years and also led the development of Omni Aircraft Maintenance over the past year.
Elliott Aviation promoted Josh Oestern to avionics sales manager. Oestern has served with Elliott since 2008, beginning as an avionics technician and holding positions of increasing responsibility, including most recently as a project manager for its MRO services in Moline, Illinois.
West Star promoted Jeremy Camren to Gulfstream avionics supervisor at its East Alton, Illinois facility. A U.S. Army veteran, Camren has more than 17 years of aviation experience, previously serving in the avionics departments at Gulfstream and Jet Aviation.
Electra appointed Robie Samanta Roy COO. Roy joins Electra from Lockheed-Martin, where he most recently was v-p for technology in the government affairs group and also had served as corporate v-p for technology strategy.
AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). We reserve the right to edit correspondence for length, clarity and grammar. Send feedback or news tips to AINalerts editor Chad Trautvetter.
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