Recent changes in the leadership team at XTI Aircraft have prompted a fresh approach to efforts to produce the TriFan 600 aircraft. First, the Colorado-based company has opted out of the rush to be first to market in the advanced air mobility sector. Second, it has resolved to press ahead with turboshaft engines certified to use 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and defer the introduction of electric propulsion until later iterations of the aircraft.
Earlier this month, newly appointed CEO Michael Hinderberger reported that planned first deliveries for the TriFan 600 have been pushed back by up to three years to 2027.
XTI’s primary objective appears to be to readdress the needs of the business aviation sector by getting closer to combining a helicopter’s operational flexibility with a fixed-wing aircraft’s range, payload, and speed, to deliver what it calls “the missing link” in air travel.
Carrying four or five passengers, the TriFan 600 aims to offer a range in VTOL mode of up to 600 nm and in CTOL operations, using a short runway, extending up to 750 nm. Top speeds are expected to reach 300 knots.
The company is confident of finding an off-the-shelf engine solution that will mitigate the technology challenges. XTI further believes it will take until 2029 to be ready to introduce an electric or hybrid-electric TriFan.
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Another West Coast FBO is now offering continuous supplies of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Hillsboro Aviation, a service provider at Portland-Hillsboro Airport (KHIO), is the first in the state of Oregon to offer SAF.
“Our Oregon roots—as a company and as a team—mean we’re passionate about doing what’s right for the environment, and in turn, what’s right for our team, our customers, and our community,” said company v-p and COO Ryan McCartney. “It’s a point of pride for our team to be the first FBO to welcome SAF supply in Oregon.”
The location received its first 8,000-gallon truckload of blended SAF from Avfuel earlier this month. A blend of 30 percent neat SAF and 70 percent jet-A, each load of the Neste-produced SAF provides a lifecycle carbon emissions savings of 19 tonnes, the equivalent of the amount of carbon sequestered annually by 22.5 acres of forests.
“The team at Portland’s Hillsboro Aviation is passionate about environmental conservation, which made it the perfect first FBO partner to establish SAF supply in the state,” noted Keith Sawyer, Avfuel’s manager of alternative fuels.
Neste’s SAF is produced from renewable waste and residue feedstocks such as used cooking oil and is approved under ASTM D-1655 as a drop-in fuel at blends of up to 50 percent.
Preowned business jet sales in August have dropped by a third from a year ago but still inched up by 2 percent from July, according to market analyst Jefferies.
Citing Amstat data and its own estimates, Jefferies said the 33 percent year-over-year (YoY) slide was broad-based with preowned heavy jet sales leading the way, down by 38 percent. But available inventory continues to shrink, down 27 percent YoY for aircraft less than seven years since manufacture. At the same time, pricing is up 20 percent.
The latest market update from Jefferies shows 673 preowned aircraft were available for sale this month, up from 660 in July but down from 1,008 a year ago. The available inventory is about 2.7 percent of the total fleet—including all models and vintages—and down from the one-year average of 2.9 percent.
Proportionate to sales, heavy jet inventories are down 38 percent YoY, while medium jet inventories declined by 33 percent and light jets 31 percent.
Precision Aviation Group (PAG), which provides a range of products and services to the aerospace and defense industries, plans to acquire PTB Group through a definitive agreement between the companies. Financial terms of the transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, were not disclosed. PTB is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
The acquisition will increase Atlanta-based PAG’s repair stations to 20, expand its engine services division by adding Pratt & Whitney PT6 and Honeywell TPE331 turboprop engines, and “significantly enlarges our supply chain services business,” said PAG CEO David Mast.
PTB Group comprises Pacific Turbine USA with operations in Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas; and in Australia, Pacific Turbine Brisbane and Pacific Turbine Leasing (both in Brisbane) and International Air Parts in Sydney. “We…believe they will be a good future owner of the company who will be committed to continuing to expand our products and services and ensuring continued opportunities for our workforce of approximately 150 people,” said PTB managing director and CEO Stephen Smith.
PAG is a portfolio company of venture capital firm GenNx360 Capital Partners. “The PTB acquisition is highly strategic, and we are excited about the expansion of PAG's engine services capabilities and increasing their market share in this vertical,” said GenNx360 managing partner Daphne Dufresne.
In 2021, nearly a third of AviationManuals clients identified lack of recency as a risk factor for their operations, according to data analyzed by the flight department manual and safety services specialist. Lack of recency among pilots occurs when they haven’t been flying for a period and may miss performing tasks once they return to the flight deck. AviationManuals senior adviser Kevin Honan suspects that much of the lack of recency issue centers around the Covid-19 pandemic, which idled a lot of Part 91 and 135 aircraft for several months.
Data for the analysis came from AviationManuals’ flight risk assessment tool that is a part of the company’s ARC safety management system software. Specifically, the information was culled from 17,000 risk assessments.
Some flight departments have policies to pair less experienced captains with more experienced pilots to overcome lack of recency, but not all flight departments have the same resources. For smaller operators, another means to alleviate lack of recency is to climb onto the flight deck and run through departure and arrival procedures in a simulated environment. There are other steps that flight departments can implement as well. One is to plan daytime departures and avoid flying at night. Another is to take extra time on preflight briefings, spending “a lot more time to just make sure you’re checking all the boxes,” Honan said.
Bakersfield Jet Center (BJC) by Loyd’s Aviation, one of three service providers at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California, is the latest to join the small but growing group of FBOs that have earned Stage 3 registration under IBAC’s International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH).
The voluntary safety management system-based IS-BAH is built around industry practices and requires audits for each stage of registration. BJC completed its third audit in mid-June and it involved 320 areas of inspection across safety, quality control, and process management. “This is the culmination of a great collaborative effort toward continuous improvement and six years of hard work,” said Ryan Crowl, president of parent company Loyd’s Aviation.
According to IBAC, an operator must wait two years to demonstrate full adoption of the system before attempting to advance to the next IS-BAH level. BJC is now the eighth location in the U.S. to reach Stage 3 registration and the twenty-first worldwide.
The FBO has had a presence at Meadows Field since 1958. “We’ve always tried to be the best at what we do,” said CEO Steve Loyd. “Our team is poised to lead local aviation for decades more to come.”
Reported laser strikes of aircraft totaled 9,723 last year, a nearly 42 percent increase from the 6,852 incidents in 2020, according to FAA data. Despite the levying of fines of up to $30,000 per incident and jail time of more than four years, a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the FAA can do more to address the problem.
Identifying perpetrators remains difficult. “To support incident investigations, FAA asks pilots to complete a lengthy, voluntary questionnaire,” the GAO said. “But it only received responses for 12 percent of 8,221 laser incidents that occurred from 2020 to 2021.” Reasons identified by the FAA and others for the low response rate include the questionnaire length and its voluntary nature.
In 2016, Congress required the agency to report quarterly on laser incidents, including data on civil and criminal actions. However, the GAO found the FAA's reports to be incomplete. “For example, our analysis shows 44 prosecutions from July 2016 through September 2020, when the FAA reported only four.”
Further, the GAO said the FAA does not consistently share collected information with law enforcement. The agency and law enforcement previously had an interagency working group to address laser safety, but the group disbanded in 2015. “We recommend that the FAA improve its efforts to collect and share information with law enforcement and reestablish the working group."
Tailwind Air announced a forthcoming seaplane service between Manhattan and the Washington D.C. area using Cessna Grand Caravan turboprops that, at 80 to 90 minutes each way, reduces total travel time between the city pairs by up to 60 percent, according to the company.
The time savings, “paired with the unforgettable views, make this a compelling experience,” said Tailwind Air co-founder Peter Manice, noting that airline shuttle service between New York and D.C. takes an hour and 20 minutes, in addition to time dealing with airport congestion. Amtrak's Acela train takes three hours and 50 minutes.
With service commencing on September 13, fares for the flights linking Manhattan’s SkyPort Marina on East 23rd Street and College Park Airport, 25 minutes from the Capital, start at $395 one way. Tailwind’s amphibious float-equipped Caravans are fitted with eight leather seats and air-conditioning and will be operated by two-pilot crews.
After introducing what it claims is the first seaplane service between the Big Apple and Boston Harbor earlier this summer, with D.C. added, Manhattan-based Tailwind Air will now serve nine destinations, including East Hampton, Sag Harbor, Montauk, Provincetown, and Shelter Island.
In addition to seaplanes, Tailwind Air operates a fleet of more than 20 jet and turboprop aircraft based in the New York Metro area.
Flying the Dassault Falcon 6X
Flight test activity on the Falcon 6X fleet has reached the stage where it’s now a matter of proving the jet’s reliability and assuring the cabin features meet the demanding requirements of a $47 million jet. In the meantime, the development of the 6X has matured to the point where Dassault invited AIN to sample its flying qualities and performance ahead of certification and entry into service early next year. AIN’s editor-in-chief Matt Thurber recently traveled to Dassault’s Istres Flight Test Center near Marseille, France, to fly the Falcon 6X.
People in Aviation
Gulfstream Aerospace hired Laura Casey and John Miller as regional sales managers for customer support. Casey has nearly 10 years of experience supporting customers in the commercial airline industry, with a focus on aftermarket spare needs. She will be responsible for the East Coast market including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Delaware, and New Hampshire. Miller brings over 15 years of aviation experience to Gulfstream in the corporate aviation MRO business sector and is also a licensed commercial aircraft pilot. His territory will include support for customers in Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Western Canada, and Alaska.
Joshua Krotec, senior v-p at First Aviation Services, has been appointed by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai to serve on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Aerospace Equipment. Krotec will represent the U.S. aeronautical repair station and parts manufacturing industries in the 2022-2026 charter term.
Duncan Aviation has promoted Kody Keller to manager of interiors at its facility in Battle Creek, Michigan. Keller joined Duncan in 2006 and has held various roles in the interior, finish, and upholstery shops, most recently serving as assistant manager of interior/completions.
Cutter Aviation has appointed Melanie Teal as client relationship manager at the company’s facility in Prescott, Arizona. Teal is an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate with a bachelor of science in aeronautics and is working towards her MBA in aviation with a focus on international business. In her new position, she will be customers' main point of contact for all maintenance needs.
Kerry Keith, senior director of development at the Naples Airport Authority (NAA), has been elected as the 2022-2023 chairman of the Florida Airports Council (FAC). Keith has been a member of the FAC board since 2015 and also serves as the chair of the Continuing Florida Aviation System Planning Process Statewide Steering Committee. Diane Cooper, NAA deputy executive director, was elected to serve as chair of the FAC Noise Abatement and Community Affairs Committee. Cooper has been a member of the committee since 2015 and advocates for the community with regard to aircraft operations and noise. Barry Brown, NAA director of operations and maintenance, was elected as vice chair of the FAC Facilities Committee.
Recruiting firm Aviation Personnel International has hired Lisa Borrayo as the company’s client services manager. Borrayo has eight years of experience in business aviation, having previously worked for ASMCorp, an aviation services and fuel provider in Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In her new role, she will serve as a consultative partner to API’s business aviation clientele identifying the most fitting candidates for specific career opportunities and communicating with clients throughout the hiring process and beyond.
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