AOPA Asks FAA To Weigh Supersonic Limits Below FL180

Recognizing that supersonic flight represents “a new potential market in the aviation industry,” AOPA is cautioning the FAA to carefully consider issues such as see-and-avoid at lower altitudes to ensure supersonic flights are safely integrated into the National Airspace System alongside subsonic operations.

“We believe it is important that supersonic activity does not infringe on general aviation’s ability to access and transit the NAS,” AOPA senior director of airspace and air traffic Rune Duke said in comments to a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that the FAA released in June to facilitate special authorizations for supersonic flights primarily for flight-testing purposes. Deadline for comments to the NPRM (FAA-2019-0451) is August 27.

AOPA endorses the NPRM as an important step toward “adopting a regulatory posture that is accepting of these aircraft,” but stressed the need to uphold safety standards. “This and future rules [should] in no way allow for the approval of operations which could decrease public safety,” he added.

The association is particularly concerned that pilots operating under VFR above 10,000 msl might not have the ability to see and avoid aircraft flying at supersonic speeds. “Given that danger, we believe that the FAA should study whether subsonic speeds below Flight Level 180 should be required,” AOPA said. Thus, the FAA should consider that many GA aircraft routinely fly above 10,000 feet msl, it noted.

ADS-B Fleet Grows, but 3,600 Bizcraft Still Unequipped

While 79 percent of the U.S. turbine business aircraft fleet was ADS-B Out compliant by the end of July, some 3,632 aircraft were still not properly equipped for the mandate approaching on January 1, flight-tracking specialist FlightAware said in its monthly update on equipage rates.

By the end of last month, 13,862 U.S. business aircraft were ADS-B compliant, according to FlightAware. This is up by more than 500 aircraft compared with the equipage at the end of June and by nearly 3,300 from the 10,597 compliant business aircraft at the end of 2018.

Newer aircraft, including the Cirrus Vision Jet and the Honda Aircraft HondaJet, lead the equipage rates at 98 percent and 96 percent, respectively. But they share similar rates with some older models such as the Gulfstream G150 (96 percent) and Mitsubishi MU-2 (94 percent). In all, 11 business aircraft models were at 90 percent equipage or greater at the end of July, FlightAware data shows.

At the other end of the spectrum, though, a handful of models—all older, out-of-production aircraft—have an equipage rate below 60 percent, including the Learjet 55, which has the lowest rate at 42 percent. Other such models are the Gulfstream GIII (57 percent); IAI Astra (57 percent); Dassault Falcon 20 (56 percent); and Cessna Citation III (55 percent).

Mobile NDT Now Part of Duncan Aviation’s Services

Duncan Aviation has begun offering mobile non-destructive testing (NDT) to aircraft owners and operators, the MRO provider announced this week. Its in-house NDT teams are a minimum of Level II certified in four methods and can be deployed from Duncan facilities at Lincoln (Nebraska) Airport, Provo (Utah) Municipal Airport, and W.K. Kellogg Airport in Battle Creek, Michigan.

NDT services include eddy current, fluorescent penetrant, ultrasonics, and magnetic particle inspections on all aircraft makes and models, including helicopters. “Although we would love for them to come to Duncan Aviation for all of their aircraft maintenance, we understand why some operators elect not to relocate their aircraft,” Duncan Aviation v-p of maintenance Kasey Harwick said. “We work with them to facilitate their NDT requirements so that they can do just that.”

Additionally, Duncan Aviation is an authorized Dassault NDT facility in the Western Hemisphere, one of a handful of facilities with personnel trained and authorized to meet Falcon NDT requirements. Of the 22 Dassault-certified NDT technicians in the Western Hemisphere, five are at Duncan Aviation.

Metrojet Completes 60-month Inspection on Global 5000

Metrojet Limited’s MRO facility in Hong Kong recently supported a 60-month inspection on a Bombardier Global 5000, the business aviation services firm announced this week. Through its maintenance delivery system, Metrojet MRO HK was able to complete the inspection in 42 days, the company added.

Non-destructive testing (NDT), cold work, shot peening, and cadmium plating were among the full structural support services it provided. Additionally, upgrades for corrosion-inhibiting flap removal and ADS-B Out were performed during the Global 5000’s inspection.

“The on-track completion of the inspection attests to our team’s professional experience on planning and our dedication to delivering quality maintenance services with customers always in mind,” said Metrojet HK MRO general manager Bruce Watson.

An authorized Gulfstream Warranty Repair Center and Bombardier Aircraft Service Facility, Metrojet is a certified repair station with approvals from the Hong Kong CAD and the FAA, and is authorized for maintenance on aircraft registered in China, Macau, Thailand, the Philippines, Bermuda, Canada, Isle of Man, Cayman Islands, San Marino, and Aruba.

Deadlines Set for Australia’s Pilot Fatigue Rules

Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has finalized new crew fatigue rules that apply to holders of commercial air operator certificates (AOCs), including charter, on-demand air taxis, and Part 141 flight schools. The rules go into effect September 2 and provide for up to a one-year phased-in transition period for non-airline AOCs.

The rules require operators to follow prescribed limits within the regulation or develop their own fatigue risk management system (FRMS) that subsequently must be approved by CASA. In either case, operators must submit compliance transition plans. The rules do not apply to non-CASA-certified commercial operators.

Airlines must transition to the new rules no later than July 1, 2020, regardless of whether they select the prescribed limits or apply for FRMS approval. All other AOC holders and Part 141 operators must transition to the regulatory limits by June 30, 2020, or submit an FRMS application no later than that date. Charter, air-taxi and Part 141 operators that apply for an FRMS must be operating under a trial FRMS implementation approval (or revert to prescriptive limits) no later than Sept. 30, 2020. The rules will be effective for them starting Oct. 1, 2020.

The regulation is based on recommendations of an “expert review panel and extensive industry consultation and involvement, including CASA’s Aviation Safety Advisory Panel and an industry technical working group,” CASA said.

West Star Aviation Expands Battery Mx Capabilities

West Star Aviation has been authorized to service and repair Meggitt Securaplane Technologies main ship 9750W lead-acid batteries at its East Alton, Illinois facility, the FBO operator and MRO provider announced yesterday. It noted the 9750 battery is available for most Cessna Citation models. In addition, West Star’s East Alton facility is authorized to perform reblocking of XL245, XL246, Xl249, XL2410 and 2411 series emergency batteries.

“We are happy to continue to grow our capabilities and include this service to…aircraft operators in need of repairs or maintenance to their batteries,” said John Hardy, director of West Star’s East Alton accessory shop.  

West Star Aviation repairs and maintains airframes, engines, and APUs as well as provides avionics installations and repairs, major modifications, interior refurbishment, exterior paint, surplus avionics sales, accessory services, and parts. In addition to East Alton, West Star’s primary maintenance facilities are located in Grand Junction, Colorado; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Perryville, Missouri. It also operates FBOs in East Alton and Grand Junction.

Polar Circumnavigation Set for November Departure

Globe-girdling pilot Robert DeLaurentis plans a November departure for a Polar circumnavigation of the earth aboard “Citizen of the World,” a highly modified 1983 Gulfstream Twin Commander 900 turboprop. The trek is intended to promote STEM education, technology, and aviation safety, while linking “the two places on the planet where there has always been peace and all the people in between,” he said.

Heading southbound from San Diego, the five- to six-month journey will allow time to take advantage of the Poles’ respective summer weather, deal with en route aircraft squawks, and during stops in some 26 nations, highlight the mission’s causes. 

Undergoing final modifications, the Twin Commander is outfitted with Honeywell TPE331-10T engines and 10 auxiliary fuel tanks, delivering a range of more than 5,000 nm. No turboprop of its category has ever completed a Polar circumnavigation, he said, noting its diverse ADS-B Out capability allows the Twin Commander to be tracked by Aireon’s space-based ADS-B network hosted by Iridium’s Next satellite constellation. In-flight activities will include testing prototype data-gathering wafer-scale spacecraft intended for NASA’s Starlight program and hosting celebrity “ride alongs” (when the aircraft is not in ferry configuration).

Following the circumnavigation, DeLaurentis and the aircraft will embark on a two-year tour as a mobile STEM lab. Redbird Flight Simulations, one of some 85 sponsors, will support the roadshow with simulators incorporating simulations inspired by the journey.

Volocopter Unveils VoloCity, Its First Production eVTOL

Germany’s Volocopter today unveiled the design for VoloCity, its first eVTOL aircraft to enter series production. The two-seat multicopter will be certified under the new SC-VTOL rules announced by EASA in July, and the manufacturer said it could take between two and five years to achieve type certification and service entry.

Volocopter intends to operate VoloCity aircraft itself in a new air-taxi model. The aircraft will be operated from ground facilities called VoloPorts. Working with UK-based Skyports, it is developing the first of these in Singapore, where it intends to conduct the first public VoloCity flight during the fourth quarter.

VoloCity is intended for short flights within largely urban areas, with a range of just 22 miles (35 km) and a cruise speed of 69 mph (110 km/h). Initially, flights will be piloted, but eventually Volocopter intends to introduce autonomous operations that would allow two passengers (and their baggage) to be carried. 

VoloCity features design changes developed after more than 1,000 flight tests on earlier prototypes, including further refinements to the aerodynamic design of the beams that house the aircraft’s 18 rotors and a new stabilizer to increase lift and stability in flight.

5G for Bizav: Separating Fact from Fiction

Join us for a free lunch event on October 22 at NBAA 2019 in Las Vegas to hear from a panel of subject experts who will discuss the latest technological advancement for connectivity in aviation—5G. They'll help you cut through the noise in the market to better understand what a true 5G network is, as well as what it will mean for anyone traveling on a private aircraft and what elements are required, end-to-end, for a network to be truly 5G. Attendees will also be entered to win a YETI gift basket. Sponsored by Gogo Business Aviation.