General aviation aircraft billings increased by more than 5 percent from $8.6 billion to $9.1 billion, while business jet deliveries rose by nearly 10 percent in the first half of 2022 compared with the same period last year, according to newly-released statistics by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
Textron Aviation paced the improvement with 15 additional aircraft deliveries, equating to a 20 percent increase year-over-year. The Wichita airframer handed over eight more Citation Latitudes than it did in the first half of last year.
The turboprop market also saw a boost of 11.8 percent compared with the first half of 2021. The higher-end, pressurized segment saw just one additional delivery from the first-half 2021 total of 95 aircraft.
Deliveries of turbine-powered helicopters remained static year-over-year with 257 handed over in the first half of this year, representing just two fewer than in the first six months of 2021.
“Since the initial setbacks of the pandemic, we have seen some segments make strides with growing backlogs and high rates of operations while others are still diligently working to navigate the path to recovery,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “Despite supply chain and workforce issues, our industry continues to make progress and strategically posture for the future, which is a true testament to our strength and durability.”
Timothy Obitts will end his nearly three-year run as president and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) on September 1. He will be succeeded by past NATA board chair Curt Castagna.
A member of NATA’s staff since 2014, Obitts served as its COO, executive v-p of business operations, senior v-p of business, and general counsel before following Gary Dempsey as president in February 2020. In addition to helping his constituency navigate the uncharted waters of the Covid pandemic, he helped initiate the promotion and expansion of sustainable aviation fuels by encouraging adoption of book-and-claim programs and by providing guidance to FBOs, airports, and other aviation businesses wishing to reduce their environmental impact. Obitts will continue to champion aviation sustainability as chief legal officer for Alder Fuels.
Castagna is an industry veteran who serves as president and CEO of California-based aviation real estate development and management firm Aeroplex Group Partners. He is a six-year NATA board member who will bring aviation business experience to the position.
“My initial focus will be the advancement of the association’s membership and staff through personal and professional development, collaborative initiatives, and opportunities for increased industry awareness and engagement,” Castagna told AIN. “I am passionate about the aviation business industry and want to do all I can to further NATA’s mission to empower the safety and success of its members.”
Eve is stepping up efforts to test the basis on which eVTOL aircraft could operate air taxi services in crowded cities, with a planned urban air mobility (UAM) simulation in Chicago. In an announcement this week, the eVTOL aircraft developer said the exercise will involve helicopters operated as part of the rideshare network of prospective customer Blade Air Mobility.
Last year, Eve conducted a similar exercise in Rio de Janeiro, with local helicopter charter operator Helisul Aviation providing aircraft for a 30-day trial to map out prospective routes and operating procedures with passengers on board. This work, which was also supported by flight booking service Flapper, resulted in the publication of a concept of operations for eVTOL flights that has been presented to Brazilian regulator ANAC.
Like Blade, Helisul also plans to add Eve's eVTOL vehicle to its fleet from 2026, and Flapper also intends to offer flights to its on-demand customers.
Beginning September 14, Blade will arrange services around the Chicago area, with flights available to passengers via its app from the downtown Vertiport Chicago to “helistops” in the northern suburb of Schaumburg and the southern suburb of Tinley Park. Eve will study operations, ground services, passenger journeys, and eVTOL operator needs, allowing for more accessible and faster connections to the city center.
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.
Airbus Corporate Jets is encouraged by the continued strength of the U.S. market, noting that the region accounts for 62.5 percent of the world’s business jet fleet and 37.5 percent of those aircraft are heavy or long-range. The airframer released an analysis of industry data finding that 14,632 private jets are based in the U.S., with heavy/long-range aircraft accounting for the largest share of those. Light jets followed at 36.5 percent, then midsize at 20.5 percent, and very light jets at 5.5 percent.
Texas is home to the largest number of jets in the U.S. at 1,651 with Houston housing 329 of them and Dallas 327. Florida closely followed Texas with 1,619 jets, anchored by the 307 in Fort Lauderdale and 229 in Miami. California has the third-largest U.S.-based business jet fleet at 1,431, with 273 in Van Nuys. New York and Georgia round out the top five at 487 and 439, respectively.
“The U.S. business aviation sector is the biggest in the world, and it is growing,” said Sean McGeough, v-p of commercial Airbus Corporate Jets for North America. “We expect to see strong demand from owners of private jets looking to upgrade to newer models, and we are seeing more potential first-time buyers of larger private jets.”
McGeough added that Airbus Corporate Jets is “well positioned to capitalize on this growth” with its ACJ TwoTwenty.
In whatever area one needs, they will find a comprehensive, individualized instruction solution. FlightSafety’s expert instructors deliver the highest quality training for pilots and maintenance technicians, as well as dispatchers and schedulers, and for general cabin safety. Through every course and classroom, FlightSafety students receive a consistent and thorough approach to their training needs, preparing them for not only regulatory requirements, but to handle anything in their aviation responsibilities.
Fractional and charter provider Volato has launched the Stretch Jet Card rewards program in a bid to serve new private aviation users, increase revenue, and improve operational efficiency.
Under the new program, Stretch card users booking a flight on one of Volato’s HondaJets provide ideal departure/arrival airport and time, as well as their flexibility from a quarter of a day to a full day. Once the flight is confirmed and if the departure time and airport vary from their request, cardholders are rewarded with “Stretch credits,” fractions of hours that are deposited into their card wallet. For a quarter of a day reward, cardholders will receive a 0.1 Stretch hour credit, and for a full day, they will have 0.2 hours deposited into their card wallet. Stretch Jet Card rates start at $55,000 for a 10-hour block.
“The industry has received an influx of leisure travelers who now represent the majority of private jet card aviation usage,” said Volato co-founder and CEO Matt Liotta. “The Stretch Jet Card was designed for this growing segment of people who enjoy flexibility in their lives and rewards them for it. We anticipate strong interest from those in existing, fixed schedule programs who can secure a Stretch Jet Card for supplemental lift and potentially reduce their cost of flying by being rewarded when they can be flexible.”
Navigation error incidents continue by aircraft departing Teterboro, New Jersey, (KTEB), according to an FAA Safety Team notice released today. The latest such occurrences pertain to the RUUDY standard instrument departure (SID) on which aircraft have been making lateral and/or vertical navigation errors significant enough for ATC to note.
In the notice, NOTC2564, the FAASTeam reminds operators that the navigation standard is RNAV 1 and the instrument altitude standard is plus or minus 75 feet. Deviations of more than 300 feet msl have been recorded by ATC.
"Off route and altitude excursions are high risk as Newark Liberty International arrivals are only 1,000 feet above RUUDY departures,” said the notice. “It is mandatory to cross WENTZ intersection at 1,500 feet. Do not be distracted by the Top Altitude of 2,000 dictated by Climb Via procedures."
Because flight management systems with push-to-load capability will, upon inserting and activating a route modification, erase a previously loaded SID, the notice said that before departing, “pilots must verify the FMS route, aircraft map display, and the SID waypoints and constraints in order to ensure accurate performance based navigation on departure."
The notice also reminds operators that “it is a regulation to inform ATC of degradation or loss of navigation capability as soon as possible."
The general aviation aircraft committee of ASTM International has revised the standard for systems and equipment aspects of airworthiness and aircraft design in Level 1, 2, 3, and 4 Normal category airplanes. The levels refer to the number of passenger seats in an aircraft—19 or less—and maximum certificated takeoff weight of 19,000 pounds.
The revised standard covers a host of items including electrical systems, manual flight controls, automatic flight controls, flight data and voice recording, and mechanical systems and equipment. According to ASTM, the revision “will allow aircraft manufacturers, suppliers, and regulators to have a clearer understanding on how to show and find compliance to regulations that address unsafe system operating conditions."
“The revised standard will ensure a level playing field for applicants seeking regulatory approval,” said ASTM International member Edward Estagin. “This will also provide further guidance for regulatory authorities.”
Helicopter Association International (HAI) is considering options to build on its growing suite of safety tools with the issuance of a request for information (RFI) from organizations wishing to provide risk management, training and certification, and flight data management (FDM) services. Under the RFI, potential service providers would have until September 6 to seek further information and until September 23 to submit a response.
The RFI comes as the association has been building a “safety tool chest” including support of safety management systems, aviation safety action programs, and training. Member surveys have indicated a desire for such programs, particularly those that support small businesses, HAI explained.
Through the RFI, HAI plans to assess potential industry partners and value-added services that can help grow its portfolio of offerings. Specifically, the association is evaluating an expansion of its Accreditation Program of Safety and is seeking potential interest in partnerships on third-party safety risk management coaching, consulting, and assessment services.
HAI further is looking for training and certification support, including the development, delivery, and management of content; ground instruction; flight instruction; initial and recurrent training; and evaluation and certification.
In the area of FDM, HAI said services could include delivery or management of FDM systems, flight operations quality assurance services, education and training, and data collection and analysis.
Lilium Aims To Reshape Regional Air Services
With a fixed-wing and 30 ducted fan electric motors, the seven-seat Lilium Jet is expected to operate scheduled flights connecting cities up to around 155 miles apart in markets such as Florida, Europe, and Brazil. The German start-up’s business vice president explained this plan to AIN affiliate FutureFlight and also how the performance could support other business models, such as private aviation with partners such as NetJets.
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