Business and general aviation avionics sales jumped 19.2 percent year-over-year, to $1.6 billion, in the first six months of 2023, according to the Aircraft Electronics Association’s (AEA) second-quarter avionics market report. In the second quarter alone, sales soared 16.2 percent over the same period in 2022, to $823 million, AEA reported, noting that this marked the highest quarterly sales volume in the history of its market report.

Forward-fit sales drove those increases, notching its highest quarterly mark at $490 million—only the third time they have topped $400 million over a three-month period. For the first half of the year, forward-fit sales climbed 31.7 percent year-over-year, reaching $958 million.

The retrofit market accounted for 40.2 percent of the first-half avionics sales, marking a 4.5 percent year-over-year increase. First-half retrofit sales were $643 million, compared with $616 million in the same period in 2022. In the second quarter, retrofit sales totaled $333 million.

North America remained the dominant market, accounting for 72.9 percent of first-half avionics sales.

"This quarterly report makes clear that the industry is seeing a recent surge in forward-fit sales, which has topped more than $400 million in three of the past four quarters," said AEA president and CEO Mike Adamson. "The retrofit market appears to have more modest growth."

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) researchers plan to present a report to the FAA later this year with recommendations on procedures that can improve the safety of aircraft go-arounds.  

Associate professor Barbara Holder has spearheaded the research on go-arounds over the past three years under an FAA grant and recently held a workshop with industry and government leaders to gather feedback on the findings. Participants provided thoughts on go-around standardization and training. Plans call for summarizing the findings and recommendations in the report, which the FAA will review and publish next year.

Holder’s research led to the development of proposed procedures that incorporate joint responsibility for crew callouts, direct attention to the flight path, balance flight crew workload, and facilitate procedure recall. These were then evaluated by crews at three U.S. airlines—10 crews who fly Boeing 737s and seven who fly Airbus A320s. The crews conducted 18 go-arounds per session and reported their experiences.

“The procedure forces you to look at power and pitch and say it, do it, not just recite it,” one pilot reported about the new go-around procedures. Another had said the procedures provided a “consolidated, clear picture,” while others maintained that although “callouts are wordy, they seem right,” the university said.

ERAU said the results “showed a decreased risk of error during go-arounds by more appropriately allocating pilots’ cognitive resources.”

Controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) is being expanded in the Montreal flight information region to include messages containing route clearances. According to Nav Canada Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) 15/23, implementation of CPDLC route clearance messages will be communicated via notams before initiation. CPDLC has been used in the Montreal FIR on a limited basis since 2012.

Under the expanded procedures, Montreal ATC will be able to accept pilot-initiated CPDLC route requests and uplink the appropriate clearance using flight management system (FMS) loadable data, thereby reducing readback/hearback and transposition errors. After receiving a clearance that can be automatically loaded into the FMS, the pilot should load the clearance into the FMS and review it before responding with “wilco,” “unable,” or “standby.”

To mitigate errors associated with pilots failing to promptly load or execute the new route clearances, controllers may verify new routes using ADS-C reports or by sending “confirm assigned route.” Pilots are to respond with “assigned route” followed by the clearance details. In aircraft unable to send “assigned route” due to system limitations, pilots should respond with the text message “unable to send route.”

AIC 15/23 also contains pointers to assist pilots in avoiding clearance misunderstandings from failing to load data correctly.

NASA's latest iteration of its vision for aeronautics research activities includes “cutting-edge sustainable aviation updates” and “new perspectives on how NASA’s work addresses key drivers of the aeronautics industry.” The 2023 Strategic Implementation Plan, released last week, lays out the strategy for NASA’s aeronautics research over the next 20 years and beyond.

“To implement this plan, our research portfolio remains organized around six strategic research thrusts,” said NASA associate administrator for aeronautics Robert Pearce. “They detail our vision for future air transportation systems that are safe and sustainable, increase personal mobility, and enhance U.S. economic well-being.”

From 2035 to 2045, NASA envisions that one of these strategic thrusts will result in the introduction of affordable, low-boom, low-noise, and low-emission commercial supersonic aircraft. “It is anticipated that fast point-to-point transportation will first be served by environmentally compatible, small high-speed business jets,” it said.

Another major update is the inclusion of NASA’s commitments to sustainable aviation. Since the last long-term plan was released in 2019, the agency has established a sustainable flight partnership with industry, academia, and government to accomplish the U.S. goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Other areas of research include leveraging technologies such as electric and hybrid propulsion.

Pennsylvania MRO provider Brunswick Aviation Services was named the newest member of SmartSky's sales and installation network. As such, Brunswick can now offer the SmartSky airborne connectivity platform to aircraft operators looking to upgrade their air-to-ground (ATG) systems, complement their satcom capabilities, or add connectivity service.

“SmartSky’s inflight connectivity offers a viable alternative for operators needing high capacity for data over a domestic coverage footprint,” said Per Person, the maintenance facility’s president and CEO. The FAA Part 145 repair station is based at Lehigh Valley International Airport in the eastern part of the state.

“Brunswick Aviation’s reputation for technical problem solving makes them a great fit to partner with SmartSky to continue raising the bar for inflight performance,” explained Aria Bahawdory, the connectivity provider's director of MRO account management. “With their significant experience installing and supporting communications systems and other avionics modifications, Brunswick’s expertise is an invaluable asset to SmartSky’s continued efforts to equip business aircraft with unmatched connectivity nationwide.”

Private Jet Services (PJS) is rolling out a program, PJS Private Client, that offers guaranteed charter aircraft availability, consulting, and other services. The program is designed to provide a more transparent and simpler approach to booking private travel without membership or other fees, according to the company. 

Instead, clients put down a refundable $100,000 deposit that is held in a JPMorgan Chase escrow account. In addition to guaranteed availability, the program provides dedicated account management, a daily catering credit, and advisory services for aircraft management, acquisition/disposition, large-group charter, and emergency-response planning.

“The old paradigm, marred by hidden costs, flawed business models, and restrictions, no longer serves the refined sensibilities of today’s discerning high-net-worth individual,” according to PJS’s chief sales officer. “The model forgoes the constraints of membership and interchange fees, placing the client’s desires at the forefront.”