BAE Prepares for Fly-by-wire Tests on eVTOL Aircraft
BAE Systems is advancing plans to provide lightweight fly-by-wire (FBW) flight controls for several eVTOL aircraft already under development. The goal is to produce a common baseline FBW package that can be easily adapted for multiple aircraft designs and be ready for test flights to begin by the end of 2021.
The aerospace and defense group has extensive experience in developing FBW controls, having introduced the technology for F-16 and F-18 fighters in the 1970s and since has provided systems for civil aircraft such as the Boeing 777, Bell 525, and Leonardo AW609.
In 2017, BAE started discussions with eVTOL developers to assess their various requirements. The group’s flight controls engineering team at Endicott, New York, then started working on an FBW package to incorporate a propulsion controller, actuation controller, and a flight control computer.
The platform assembled so far can already host software developed by its prospective partners, allowing them to define the flight control laws and redundancy for their aircraft. As this technology is matured, the BAE team will deliver engineering development units that would be close to versions needed for type certification.
Brian Hull, engineering director for strategic development with BAE’s electronic systems division, said the company will assemble hardware and software for the common flight control computer this year and expects to begin environmental tests late this or early next year.
Some might say we are flying blind with respect to preowned business aircraft values and activity today and in the near future. But I am not willing to go there. Values and activity can be pegged.
Along with many of my fellow aircraft professionals, I’m working hard to keep my eyes wide open and shape the future rather than being shaped by this crisis. We must not be dragged down into a discussion about how bad the virus is and therefore how low prices must go. Instead, we must speak factually, not perpetuate rumors, and be leaders.
For aircraft brokers, this translates into not focusing on being market-makers, but instead putting all of our energy into building a vibrant and robust marketplace. The market-maker is often discussed when talking about stocks and other commodities that are purchased for resale and profit. I am much more excited to be a part of creating a marketplace that promotes, markets, and builds solid markets for the aircraft we all have for sale. This marketplace fosters right pricing, right representation, and right dialog around the offerings.
It might be that the mix of use may change during this pandemic, possibly less international travel, and a higher component of domestic flying, but flying is flying and whatever keeps these airplanes in the air is positive and strengthens our marketplace.
Argus: July Bizav Flights Off 20%, but Strengthening
North American business aviation activity continued to rebound on a monthly basis from the Covid-19 pandemic-related downturn, but last month’s tally was still down 19.6 percent from July 2019, according to Argus’s latest TraqPak report. Flights in the U.S., Caribbean, and Canada were up 9.4 percent from June, with all categories of aircraft and operations showing improvement. Turboprops involved in fractional operations showed the largest month-over-month gain, rising 25.2 percent in July.
Turboprop activity overall was up 14.1 percent, leading the aircraft categories in the month-over-month improvements. However, large jets followed next with a 10.2 percent improvement throughout operations and a 12.6 percent jump specifically in fractional flights. Part 135 flights, including all aircraft categories, improved 12.3 percent from June to July, fractional was up 11.8 percent, and Part 91 flying 6.5 percent.
However, continued ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic are still evident in the year-over-year comparison, where all categories of aircraft and operations remain down. Overall, Part 91 lagged the most, with flights down 25.2 percent from a year earlier, while Part 135 was the strongest, off just 11.9 percent from a year earlier.
Argus predicts the year-over-year gap will increase this month with a 21 percent decline. The typical increase in August activity will not be at the levels of previous years, particularly in light of the resurgence of Covid-19 cases, Argus said.
The first officer's “inappropriate response” to inadvertent activation of the autopilot’s go-around mode and the captain's inadequate monitoring of the airplane flight path and lack of taking control were cited in the NTSB's probable cause report of the Atlas Air Boeing 767 crash on Feb. 23, 2019, near Houston. Both pilots and a pilot flying jumpseat died in the accident.
According to the NTSB, the 767 descended rapidly from about 6,000 feet, 32 seconds after the FO inadvertently switched on the airplane’s go-around mode. “Within seconds of go-around mode activation, manual elevator control inputs overrode the autopilot and eventually forced the airplane into a steep dive from which the crew did not recover,” it said.
The probable cause of the accident “was the inappropriate response by the first officer as the pilot flying to an inadvertent activation of the go-around mode, which led to his spatial disorientation and nose-down control inputs that placed the airplane in a steep descent from which the crew did not recover.” Contributing was the captain’s failure to adequately monitor the airplane’s flight path and intervene. Also contributing were systemic deficiencies in the aviation industry’s selection and performance measurement practices, as well as the FAA's failure to implement the pilot records database in a sufficiently robust and timely manner.
Leonardo Breaks Ground on Temp Facility in Florida
Leonardo broke ground this week on its U.S. Navy TH-73A temporary support facility at the Peter Prince Airport (2R4) in Milton, Florida. The facility will house modular office, warehouse, and hangar space and support deliveries and maintenance as the first new training helicopters are sent to the Navy’s nearby NAS Whiting Field from Leonardo’s Philadelphia plant.
Construction on a permanent facility at the 269-acre Whiting Aviation Park is awaiting expected funding from Triumph Gulf Coast, a non-profit corporation funded by BP’s economic damage payments to Florida in relation to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In September 2019, Leonardo announced that it would build a 100,000-sq-ft Part 145 repair station facility for the helicopters in partnership with the Santa Rosa County Economic Development Office and Space Florida if it won the Navy training contract.
Leonardo was awarded that contract in January and could potentially deliver 130 aircraft under its terms. Through a limited-access use agreement between Santa Rosa County and the U.S. Navy, tenants of Whiting Aviation Park will be able to use the Navy’s airfield facilities for aircraft transfers, which will reduce service time.
Aviaa Adds New World Aviation to MRO Support Network
Business aviation purchasing group Aviaa has added maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) group New World Aviation to its portfolio of service providers. The private company is an FAA Part 145 certified repair station that specializes in supporting Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault Falcon, and Hawker business jets.
Based at Lehigh Valley International Airport near Allentown, Pennsylvania, New World Aviation is conveniently located near the New York City and Philadelphia areas. Avionics and interiors specialist Brunswick Aviation is based at the same airport and is also part of Aviaa’s network.
The appointment adds to Aviaa’s global MRO network, which already includes ACC Columbia Jet Service in Germany, U.S.-based Constant Aviation, and Volare Aviation in the UK. Constant Aviation now provides Aviaa’s U.S. clients with mobile AOG services.
In other news, Park City, Utah-based Aviaa has appointed Scott White as v-p for supplier relations. He was formerly director of global sales with Universal Weather & Aviation for 10 years. Aviaa also has teams in California, Texas, Germany, and the UK.
Covid Crisis Hits GippsAero
Like the rest of the aviation business, Australian aircraft manufacturer GippsAero (formerly Gippsland Aeronautics) has been impacted by the downturn following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The company, a subsidiary of India’s Mahindra Aerospace since 2009, builds the single-engine utility piston-powered Airvan GA8 and employed about 80 people at Latrobe Regional Airport in the state of Victoria, although news reports suggest that some layoffs have occurred. The turboprop GA10 Airvan was certified in 2017 but serial production does not appear to have commenced.
GippsAero may pause its operations for a few months until economies start to bounce back. In a statement, Mahindra said, “The duration of the crisis and the degree to which demand recovers versus pre-crisis levels is still yet unclear. General aviation operators have been hit hard by the crisis, and it has brought many operations to a halt.”
One business with orders for GA8s pending told AIN that it is scheduled to receive some of those this year, but it doesn’t expect the remainder to ever be delivered. However, a Mahindra spokesman said that the company plans to complete all outstanding orders. Last year, Mahindra sold 10 GA8s to China, mainly for skydiving operations.
During 2019, Mahindra reported deliveries of 12 GA8s, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. There were no reported deliveries during the first quarter of 2020.
Jet card and private jet management provider Jet Linx has rolled out a new jet card membership program aimed at businesses. According to the Nebraska-based operator, the Enterprise Jet Card Membership offers companies the ability to “optimize their corporate travel strategy through increased connectivity and productivity.”
Membership in the program will offer customers guaranteed availability of up to four aircraft per day at guaranteed, fixed hourly rates with no per-passenger fees. In addition, there is a 24-hour lead time required with no short-notice fees, guaranteed Wi-Fi, and preferred access to the company’s fleet of more than 100 aircraft ranging from light to large-cabin jets.
Businesses can choose between two flexible payment options, with each including price incentives such as flight credits, confirmed upgrades, and a rewards program. The company offers 19 private base terminals across the U.S.
“Now more than over, we understand the significant role of business aviation and wanted to create a flexible and reliable corporate travel solution, supported by five-star service and a guaranteed highest standard of safety,” said Jet Linx president and CEO Jamie Walker. “Our new Enterprise Jet Card is designed to enhance business performance and growth while saving time and money—two of the most valuable resources for business executives.”
Photo of the Week
Testing: one, two, three—just before customer delivery, this Bombardier Global 6000 was flown to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Montana to check out its Ka-band connectivity system. “I love the mountainous background,” wrote Bombardier Aviation avionics and communications specialist Luis Suarez Zelaya, who took this photo. We do too, Luis, so thanks for sharing your beautiful image with us!
If you'd like to submit an entry for Photo of the Week, email a high-resolution horizontal image (at least 2000 x 1200 pixels), along with your name, contact information, social media names, and info about it (including brief description, location, etc.) to photos@ainonline.com. Tail numbers can be removed upon request. Those submitting photos give AIN implied consent to publish them in its publications and social media channels.
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.
AIN Alerts is a publication of The Convention News Company, Inc., 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
