Gulfstream Aerospace Delivers First Large-cabin G600

Gulfstream Aerospace has delivered the first G600—to an unidentified U.S. customer—from its Savannah, Georgia headquarters, the company announced yesterday. This milestone comes a little more than a month after the fly-by-wire twinjet earned both U.S. FAA type and production certification.

“We always strive to exceed our customers’ expectations, and our first G600 delivery is a prime example of that,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “Our team enabled this technologically advanced aircraft to move from certified to delivered in a short period of time. The G600…continues the emergence of a new generation of Gulfstream aircraft that started with the G500 in 2018. We have only just begun.”

The G600, which received FAA approval on June 28, is entering service after a design and test program that included flying nearly 100,000 hours in the company’s labs and more than 3,200 flight hours. With a range of 6,500 nm, it can fly nonstop from Paris to Los Angeles or Hong Kong at an average speed of Mach 0.90. To date, the G600 has broken more than 10 city-pair speed records.

AINsight: When Can’t I Fly?

U.S. FAR 61.53 outlines basic medical responsibilities that a pilot must adhere to between FAA medical exams with an aviation medical examiner. The pilot has both leeway and ethics in self-assessing whether or not he/she is fit-to-fly on any given day.

Are there circumstances, however, when it is certain that a pilot cannot fly? Quite clearly there are, and these provisions are outlined in FAA Part 67.

Disqualifying conditions outlined in Part 67 in reality do compromise the safety of flight, so grounding is appropriate (at least temporarily). In reality, there are only about 15 “specifically disqualifying” conditions. All other medical conditions fall into the “generally disqualifying” review protocols and policies.

While the conditions noted in Part 67 are immediately grounding, they also are often approvable through the special issuance process. They include diabetes, as well as cardiovascular, mental, and neurologic conditions. The primary goal is to first ensure that all conditions that could cause “sudden incapacitation” are stabilized before then permitting a pilot to return to the cockpit. This is all part of the FAA’s mandate to “protect the national airspace.”

For most generally disqualifying medical conditions, once stabilized a pilot may return to the cockpit via a self-assessment per FAR 61.53. It is advisable for pilots to read and understand the provisions of Part 67 to augment understanding of FAR 61.53.

ICAO Bulletin Caps NAT Region Datalink Altitude

A recently issued ICAO North Atlantic Systems Planning Group NAT OPS Bulletin revises the North Atlantic datalink mandate, putting an upper limit of FL410 on operations in the North Atlantic Track (NAT) region starting Jan. 30, 2020. Datalink (generally FANS-1/A equipment) is now required from FL350 to FL390 in the NAT region, and until this bulletin (revision 4) was released and became effective on July 9, there was no cap on the altitude.

Starting January 30, 2020, the datalink mandate changes from FL290 to no specific altitude limit, to the new FL290-to-FL410 cap in the NAT region, and this is good news for operators of certain airplanes.

Older airframes, Gulfstream’s GIV and GV, Bombardier Globals, and the Citation X, for example, are able to climb above FL410 before reaching NAT airspace, unless the outside temperature is abnormally warmer than typical. And an airplane that can achieve that performance can dispense with having expensive FANS equipment installed. If an operator doesn’t have to install FANS, this could extend the lifespan of older and less valuable airframes.

Of course, these aircraft still require ADS-B Out by midnight Dec. 31, 2019. But ADS-B Out provides an additional benefit for North Atlantic operations, in that Aireon’s space-based ADS-B network running on Iridium’s Next satellite network will allow controllers to track such aircraft, even if they aren’t FANS-equipped.

JetSuiteX Transforms into JSX

Rapidly growing public charter provider JetSuiteX has taken on a new identity, JSX, this week rolling out the new brand, logo, livery, updated website, and ad campaign that highlights its “hop-on jet service.” The sibling of private charter provider JetSuite, JSX was founded in 2016 to offer regular short-haul service between defined city-pairs at costs that compete with scheduled airlines.

JSX has since grown to offer more than 330 flights weekly out of six airports—Burbank (BUR), Las Vegas (LAS), Orange County (SNA), Napa/Concord (CCR), Oakland (OAK), and Seattle-Boeing Field (BFI)—and is preparing to add a seventh destination later this month: Phoenix (PHX).

“We have created a model at JSX that fuses the best of the commercial experience, meaning accessibility and cost efficiency, with the best of private flying which is ease, time efficiency, and an elevated experience,” said JSX co-founder and CEO Alex Wilcox. “As we continue to grow, it’s important we not only distinguish ourselves uniquely as a brand but as a new type of travel solution that is focused on creating ‘Joyful, Simple Experiences’ every time you fly—and which is now clearly reflected in our new name ‘JSX.'”

Two Washington State FBOs Join Avfuel Network

Avfuel has expanded its branded dealer network in the Pacific Northwest with the addition of two FBOs in central Washington: Pangborn Flight Center and McCormick Air Center.

Pangborn Flight Center is the lone service provider at Pangborn Memorial Airport in Wenatchee, providing customers easy access to the north-central region of the state. The full-service, airport-operated FBO offers a passenger lounge, pilot lounge with snooze room, and services such as catering and concierge, along with volume fuel discounts.

In Yakima, McCormick Air Center is the only FBO at McAllister Field, which offers a 7,600-foot main runway, averages more than 100 operations a day, and services the state’s wine-production region. The 10-year-old, two-story terminal offers a passenger lounge, shower facilities, pilot lounge, conference room, a rampside patio and observation deck, on-site car rental, a courtesy car, and aircraft cleaning and detailing service, along with an FAA Part 145 repair station.

Both locations will participate in Avfuel’s contract fuel program, as well as its Avtrip customer loyalty plan.

“We’re proud to offer customers flying and fueling in the Avfuel Network two new premier locations in the Pacific Northwest,” said Mark Haynes, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based fuel provider’s v-p of sales. “Both FBOs have an upstanding reputation for service and a passion for aviation, serving as choice gateways to their respective communities.”

Humanitarian Group Deploys Two More Caravans

Humanitarian air services provider Air Serv has expanded its operations in eastern Africa with the deployment of two additional Cessna Grand Caravans to the region. The aircraft will be deployed in Juba, South Sudan, and Darfur, Sudan, joining the aircraft that is based in Wau.

The two countries have experienced a period of political and economic instability over the past two decades due to drought, famine, and tribal warfare, which has resulted in more than five million refugees and displaced people. Air Serv's aircraft will support assistance programs providing shelter, food, and medical services to those communities.

Additionally, the Juba-based aircraft will be used to support medical programs, with an Ebola outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo having claimed more than 2,000 lives. Air Serv’s crews and staff are working with the World Health Organization to learn proper handling and transport techniques for patients. As the only fixed-wing aircraft in the region dedicated to this mission, it will be strategically located should the epidemic continue to spread.

Virginia-based Air Serv, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, operates a fleet of five Caravans and specializes in “last mile” air transportation in support of humanitarian efforts. In addition to charter, maintenance, and consulting services, the non-profit organization provides response capabilities for assistance groups operating in disaster areas.

China’s EHang Launches Autonomous eVTOL Pilot Program

Chinese eVTOL aircraft developer EHang has chosen its home town Guangzhou as the location for its first “urban air mobility pilot city.” The company, which is already working with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to develop a framework for regulating autonomously operated aircraft, will work with Guangzhou government officials to develop a command-and-control center from which operations can be managed.

Under the plans announced on August 7, privately owned EHang will support the southern Chinese city to develop ground infrastructure to support urban air mobility flights, including the design of safety regulations and market entry thresholds. The announcement did not say whether competing eVTOL aircraft developers will also be allowed to have input on these decisions.

Under its Autonomous Air Vehicle (AAV) program, EHang is developing the single-seat Model 184 and two-seat Model 216. The EHang 216 is projected to be able to fly just 22 miles at a speed of up to 81 mph and at a maximum altitude of just under 10,000 feet. According to Edward Xu, the company’s chief strategy officer, it already has orders for more than 1,000 aircraft from a variety of customers for applications such as tourism, transportation and medical logistics (including transporting organs for transplant).

NBAA’s SDC Prepares for 2020 Scholarships

NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee (SDC) has raised $37,272 from donor companies for its annual training scholarships, which will be awarded this fall. Among this year’s contributing companies are AC-U-KWIK, Carolina Aviation Professionals Association, Jet Aviation, Million Air, Collins Aerospace, OneSky (Flexjet), Signature Flight Support, and Universal Weather & Aviation.

The SDC is dedicated to promoting education and training as a means for individuals to increase the professionalism of their positions, and created the scholarship fund in 1997 to further that objective. Since then, the program has awarded more than $700,000 in industry-sponsored cash grants to nearly 200 deserving members who use the funds in support of a variety of professional development initiatives.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and submit an essay, resume, and two signed letters of recommendation along with their application.

The window for scholarship applications closes on October 11, and the recipients will be announced at NBAA’s annual Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference on March 10-13, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Count on AIN for Full Coverage of LABACE

As ever, you can count on AIN for full coverage of LABACE 2019. Our team will publish three of our award-winning daily LABACE Convention News editions at the show on August 13, 14, and 15. We will also have comprehensive real-time reporting of all the top news at AINonline.com and in our daily e-newsletters. If you are an exhibiting company that wants to share news or propose pre-show interviews and briefings please contact show editor Ian Sheppard.