Modern avionics create opportunities to add new safety features to older aircraft, and Garmin has taken advantage of its technologies to help pilots during the critical time when an engine fails on a twin-engine, piston-powered airplane.
Garmin’s new Smart Rudder Bias (SRB) not only adjusts rudder force to help control sideslip after engine failure, but it works with Garmin’s Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) to help the pilot control bank and avoid flying too slow.
SRB is certified in the Beechcraft Baron B58/58A and Piper Navajo PA-31-300 through 325. Garmin is working on other piston twin types but hasn’t yet identified which will be next. The required equipment for SRB includes Garmin’s G500 or G600 TXi configured as a primary flight display with Engine Indication System (EIS) and GFC 600 autopilot with yaw axis option.
SRB is part of Garmin’s Autonomi family, which includes Autoland. Garmin test pilot Brandon Tilby explained the rationale behind SRB: its primary purpose is to reduce workload and give the pilot more time during an engine-failure event when the airplane remains fully in control. This time can be used to identify the failed engine, shut it down safely, and run the emergency checklist. “There is a lot going on [during an engine failure in a twin],” he said. “The pilot might need a little bit of help.”
With the start of distribution of the Covid vaccine taking place this week, the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) has hedged its bets by moving back the date for its 64th annual convention. Originally slated to take place starting on March 15, 2021, the three-day event is now scheduled for June 22-25 and will remain in Dallas at the Hilton Anatole.
According to the AEA, all convention attendee registrations and exhibitor contracts previously transacted will be automatically moved to the new dates, and no further action is required. For those who have not yet registered, the trade organization has accordingly extended the deadline for early-bird registrations from Dec. 31, 2020, until March 31, 2021.
"The health and well-being of attendees and exhibitors is our top priority,” said AEA president and CEO Mike Adamson. “In consultation with hotel and health officials in Dallas, we have decided to move the event dates to allow more time for Covid-19 vaccinations and for the possibility of fewer travel restrictions. We will continue to work with our hotel partner to ensure that we can meet safely by following established protocols along with guidance from the CDC and local government."
JSX Sues John Wayne Airport To Provide Air Service
JSX has filed a lawsuit in U.S. Central District Court-Southern Division against Orange County, California, and John Wayne Airport (SNA) director Barry Rondinella to stop their efforts preventing the company from operating at one of its top three markets. In September, the Orange County board of supervisors approved new FBO lease agreements with ACI Jet and Clay Lacy Aviation that effectively shut out JSX from operating its business model of “hop-on jet service” at SNA but left open the ability to conduct traditional airline operations.
JSX alleges in the lawsuit that despite assurances to the contrary from Rondinella that it would be awarded passenger allocations at SNA in 2021, JSX was informed in a letter to CEO Alex Wilcox dated November 19 that his company would no longer be allowed to operate from the airport effective January 1. An airport spokeswoman said the county is reviewing the lawsuit and its allegations and has no comment.
Wilcox thinks SNA’s so-called Access Plan that would prevent JSX’s operations there violates FAA and other federal government funding the airport receives. “I am hopeful that the board will see that they have been led astray and will take quick corrective action to avoid a protracted legal battle,” he said.
With Products Refreshed, Bombardier To Focus on Mx
As Bombardier moves forward as a “pure-play” business aviation company, it will remain focused on expanding market share, increasing its maintenance reach, and continuing to improve sustainability. But, speaking during an Aero Montreal International Aerospace Innovation Forum virtual session yesterday, Bombardier CEO and president Eric Martel reiterated that the company’s business aviation lineup just went through a refresh. Thus, new aircraft or significant aircraft updates are unlikely in the next five years. Beyond then, he was not ready to say where Bombardier may be investing, except to say that the Challenger line might be poised for an update.
Martel in November said that the company hoped to manage its anticipated debt load of $4.5 billion in part with lower capital costs. Such investments would be “very minimal because we've refreshed our product line pretty much across the board.” He reiterated those sentiments yesterday, saying reinvesting in the aircraft lineup “would be challenging...we need to rebuild our balance sheet.”
However, with the recent upgrades of the Global lineup, including the new Global 5500 and 6500 and the addition of the 7500, Martel expressed confidence that the company is positioned to compete over the next five years with the current portfolio. Also, Bombardier’s installed base of just under 5,000 airplanes represents “a huge potential” for maintenance and is an area where the company wants to grow.
Blade To Become Public Through Experience Acquisition
Urban air mobility provider Blade signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by special purpose acquisition company Experience Investment and publicly listed on Nasdaq. Anticipated to close in the first half of 2021, the transaction is expected to result in $400 million in gross proceeds that Blade said will enable it to expand its urban air mobility routes, build up its passenger infrastructure, and accelerate its plans to transition from conventional aircraft to eVTOL aircraft.
Blade currently has four primary transportation models: short-distance commuter flights; flights between New York-area airports and dedicated lounges in Manhattan heliports (suspended during the pandemic); flights to transport human organs; and flights in international markets through joint ventures, including India. The company said it was designed to be scalable and profitable using conventional helicopters today but transition to eVTOLs when available.
The proceeds of the transition will enable it to fund growth into new markets, including in the Northeast corridor and the West Coast, as well as in Asia. It also plans to expand its infrastructure in these markets. This growth will help fuel its long-term eVTOL transition ambitions, Blade said. Plans call for Experience Investment, an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners, to merge Blade into a subsidiary that will be called Blade Urban Air Mobility. KSL’s portfolio companies include Ross Aviation. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.
With a milestone in the revision cycle for the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) standard 409 (which deals with aircraft hangars) looming, NATA last week held a webinar to answer industry questions on the topic.
According to NFPA’s original five-year revision timeline, the second draft meeting to consider the latest changes to 409 was supposed to have taken place in April of this year, but due to Covid restrictions, it was postponed. That meeting is now scheduled for the week of February 22, with the revised standard taking effect in 2022.
Among the changes NATA is urging is an easing of the requirements for hangar foam dispensing systems for typical business aviation Group II hangars, which can add $1 million on average to the base build cost, in addition to thousands of dollars in annual maintenance costs. NATA had commissioned a report from the University of Maryland, which indicated that such systems no longer serve the purpose for which they were intended, and are subject to costly false discharges.
Those discharges have become an issue, according to Jon Wenrich, director of business development for FBO construction and design firm Centrex, and chairman of NATA’s NFPA 409 subcommittee. “There are more and more Fortune 500 flight departments in particular that are disallowing their aircraft to be housed permanently or overnight in a hangar with foam,” Wenrich said.
Precision mapping and surveying services provider GPI Geospatial has relocated its Florida headquarters and three airplanes to 11,000 sq ft of office space and 10,906 sq ft of hangar space in Sheltair’s FBO facilities at Orlando Executive Airport (ORL). The leased space will accommodate GPI’s aviation, engineering, planning, and IT departments—which employ more than 40 people—as well as its Piper Navajo twin and two Cessna 206 singles.
“Sheltair made our move seamless and accommodated our needs with their creative and advanced facility management programs, fleet support, and IT infrastructure,” said GPI president Paul Badr. “This move created operating synergy between our remote sensing flight acquisition and data processing groups, yielding increased efficiency, higher growth, and providing ultimate client satisfaction.”
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, GPI will postpone the grand opening of its Sheltair suite—which fills the entire third floor—until sometime in 2021. In June 2019, Sheltair opened its FBO expansion at ORL, comprising a four-story, 37,000-sq-ft terminal and two additional hangars totaling 22,600 sq ft with 3,600 of additional office space.
Cadence App Supports Control of Cabin Systems
Alto Aviation has released the Cadence mobile device remote control app that can control inflight entertainment and cabin management systems when paired with Alto’s SM-1070 system master controller.
The Cadence app is available for iOS, Android, and Windows devices, but Alto is also offering wired touchscreens as an option. While Cadence can control Alto’s products, it also interfaces with third-party monitors, lighting, source equipment, and other products.
Aircraft operators can opt for a customized design for the app’s interface, which features a “proprietary graphic design approach,” according to Alto. The company can also help customers test and approve the app design remotely.
“The new Alto Cadence cabin remote control app represents a fresh new approach to the passenger user interface,” said Steve Scarlata, Alto Aviation v-p of research and development. “We made the design intuitive and easy to use with a responsive performance optimized for any device or screen orientation.”
Ampaire’s Electric EEL Tests Prepare for Greener Airline Service
Electric propulsion pioneer Ampaire has taken its Electric EEL technology demonstrator to Hawaii to evaluate how it will perform on airline routes. Local operator Mokulele Airlines is helping the company to define what preparations will have to be made for hybrid-electric aircraft to enter commercial service on scheduled routes by around 2023.
People in Aviation
Savback Helicopters appointed Rick Andrew commercial director, establishing a presence in the UK for the first time. Andrew previously served with Sloane Helicopters, a long-established Robinson and Leonardo Helicopters UK sales distributor.
Sam McRickard joined West Star Aviation as project manager at the Grand Junction, Colorado facility. McRickard previously has held research and development, design, and certification project management positions at Cirrus.
Spartronics named Annette Cusworth senior v-p and CFO. Cusworth has more than 30 years of financial experience, previously with electronics manufacturing services company Creation Technologies.
C&L Aviation Services hired Roger Daily to serve as assistant director of maintenance. Daily has 30 years of aviation experience, most recently with ExpressJet
GlobalParts named Jamie Breth Part 145 manager of the GlobalParts Aero Services repair station. Breth, a U.S. Air Force veteran, joined GlobalParts in October 2017 after serving as a sales application engineer with Wescon Controls and spending 16 years in various roles with Bombardier Aerospace.
Gulfstream Aerospace named Brian McCarthy regional v-p of sales for Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, and the countries of Oceania. McCarthy, who has 10 years of business aviation experience, joined Gulfstream in fall 2019 as regional sales manager for Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand after serving as a sales manager for an aircraft brokerage company.
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