New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has vetoed a bill that would have allowed the state attorney general and anyone else to sue a pilot, flight department, line service worker, or company employee for creating an “unreasonable level” of rotorcraft noise anywhere in the state—even if the flight operation complied with federal law and regulations. The legislation also would have prohibited the use of the West 30th Street heliport for sightseeing operations.
Hochul cited the “stop the chop” bill’s questionable legality in rendering her decision, noting in her veto statement, “Recent federal case law makes clear that non-federal actors must carefully consider how state and local restrictions interact with federal laws governing aviation and must be attentive to federally mandated processes for enacting policy in this area. Certain elements of this legislation run counter to the federal scheme regulating New York’s airports and airspace. Therefore, I am constrained to veto this bill.”
Her decision was praised by both NBAA and HAI. NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen thanked Hochul “for her swift action in vetoing this obstructive bill. In New York, the general aviation industry is responsible for 43,200 jobs and more than $8.6 billion in total economic output, and this proposed legislation would have done great harm to our industry.”
As an aviation recruiter, I interview people for a living. And one of my go-to questions is to ask them about a professional failure they’ve experienced.
Last week, a candidate shared that his biggest professional failure was early on in his career, when he noticed that a colleague was really struggling. His colleague had a behavioral issue that kept him from working in a focused way—and it continued to worsen.
Our candidate tried and tried to help his friend, but, for the safety of the operation, he finally chose to report the issue to management. And by doing so, he lost a friend, but was able to avert a possible safety risk. This candidate saw himself as a failure for not being able to do more to help.
Mental health issues in aviation are real, and not just within the pilot ranks. In fact, in the above example, the individuals were both A&P maintenance technicians.
Private aviation operator Flexjet has completed its seventh Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) Industry Audit Standard (IAS) for Part 135 and Part 91 operators. The Cleveland, Ohio company also was the first to meet and pass the audit in 2009.
“Flexjet’s safety culture is present in everything we do, and this audit is among the accolades that confirm our commitment to providing the safest transportation for our aircraft owners, as well as our employees,” said Flexjet CEO Michael Silvestro. “We are proud to lead the industry in seeking and achieving the highest standards of safety and compliance as well as maintenance excellence.”
Completion of the audit builds on Flexjet’s other safety initiatives this year, including its active conformance with the FAA’s safety management system (SMS) and its 23rd FAA Diamond Award of Excellence for Aviation Maintenance Technician Training.
“They maintain the world’s highest standards for safety and security by actively participating in SMS, aviation safety action program, and fight data monitoring,” said ACSF president Bryan Burns. “Through the years, our criteria for IAS registry have become far more rigorous, making Flexjet’s commitment to its auditing standards that much more impressive.”
Boom Supersonic announced that it has formed a team of engine designers, an additive manufacturer, and a turbine engine maintenance specialist to help develop the new Symphony engine that will power its Overture supersonic airliner. However, the U.S. start-up, which to date has not been able to persuade any of the major aircraft engine makers to join its ambitious program, did not identify which company will manufacture the Symphony engine nor where it will be made.
The new engine will produce 35,000 pounds of takeoff thrust and features a twin-spool architecture with a single-stage fan and a passively cooled high-pressure turbine using traditional hot-section materials. The medium-bypass-ratio engine will not be equipped with an afterburner.
Boom is targeting the rollout of the Mach 1.7, four-engine Overture in 2024 at its Greensboro, North Carolina, factory followed by first flight in 2027 and type certification in 2029. Certification of the Symphony engine will be under FAA and EASA Part 33 regulations.
Partners in the Symphony design and development plan announced this week include Florida Turbine Technologies, a unit of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, which will design the engine; GE Additive providing additive technology design consulting; and StandardAero for engine maintenance.
Rotor Technologies made its first uncrewed helicopter flight on December 2 at the FAA’s unmanned aircraft systems test site using a modified Robinson R22. Founded by a team of MIT scientists, the company has created “Cloud Pilot,” an operating system that combines flight control algorithms, computer vision, and satellite communications that allow an uncrewed helicopter to be “teleoperated” from anywhere in the world.
The system uses commercial low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations—such as SpaceX’s StarLink—to transfer data over long distances with minimal delay. Proprietary virtual reality technology gives remote pilots better visibility than from in the cockpit, enabling night and low-visibility operations, according to the company.
On the initial test flights, communications from the helicopter and control station were transmitted over multiple digital radio links, while a wired tether provided a fail-safe backup. The prototype was operated in low hover within a visual line of sight.
Rotor Technologies is planning field tests of the system next year in cooperation with state and federal agencies, with a particular eye on how the technology can be used to enhance aerial tanker operations to combat wildfires by enabling remotely-piloted aircraft to carry more payload greater distances.
The U.S. Senate last night passed a measure in a national defense bill that eliminates a controversial requirement for pilots and instructors to obtain a letter of deviation authority (LODA) for flight training in experimental aircraft. The 4,000-plus page James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023—named after the long-time lawmaker who is retiring this year—passed the House on December 8 and now heads to the White House for President Joe Biden's signature.
Section 5604 of the bill specifies that a lessor or lessee of an aircraft will not be required to obtain a LODA from the FAA to conduct or receive flight training, checking, and testing in an experimental aircraft if the flight instructor does not provide both the training and the aircraft; no person advertises the aircraft as available for training; and no person receives compensation for use of the aircraft for a specific flight involving training other than expenses of ownership, operation, and maintenance of the aircraft.
Backed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the measure is designed to address concerns raised by a July 2021 FAA directive requiring certain aircraft owners and flight instructors that train in experimental aircraft to obtain LODAs. That directive had drawn fire from numerous organizations. AOPA said it disregarded “decades of precedent” and argued that it created a burden without a safety benefit. In fact, AOPA claims it had just the opposite effect, initially grounding some 40,000 pilots.
“The FAA legal office has turned the definition of flight training upside down and this provision is only the first step in getting us back to where we were and where we need to be,” said AOPA president Mark Baker. “Flight training is a safety issue and we don't need anything that impacts that in a negative way.”
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling for the widespread deployment of enhanced ground support equipment (GSE) that uses anti-collision technology to improve safety and contain the cost of ground damage. Without the transition to enhanced GSE, the yearly bill for aircraft damage occurring during ground handling operations on the apron would double over the next 15 years, to $9.7 billion, according to an analysis by IATA.
Speaking during the trade body’s recent global media days in Geneva, IATA senior v-p of operations, safety, and security Nick Careen described the transition to enhanced GSE as a “no-brainer.” According to IATA, the technology exists and pilot projects with GSE equipped with advanced sensors and auto-navigating systems have shown it improves vehicle control and increases docking accuracy. “We have proven technology that can improve safety,” he said. “There is a clear business case supporting early adoption.”
Minor dents and scrapes that were previously tolerated to a degree are “no longer acceptable” in composite aerospace structures, the IATA study noted. The study added that this has prompted the need to find a new way of reducing or eliminating ground damage.
Wichita flight training institute Ortega Aviation Services (OAS) is partnering with Yingling Aviation on a flying club for the FBO/MRO’s employees at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport (KICT). Under the partnership, Yingling will subsidize a portion of flight training, ground school, and airplane rental costs at Ortega for employees wanting to obtain their private pilot certificate, commercial certificate, and instrument rating.
OAS owns and operates two Garmin G1000-equipped Cessna 172 Skyhawks, a G3X Piper Pilot 100i, and a G1000-equipped Diamond DA42 Twinstar. Beyond flight training for single- and multi-engine ratings, OAS operates a Frasca AATD configurable simulator, a G1000 legacy and NXi systems trainer, and a Garmin cross-country training simulator.
“We certainly value our relationship with Yingling and are excited to grow our partnership beyond the care of our OAS fleet,” said OAS managing partner Teresa Ortega. “Building a successful flying club to help pilots realize their dream, and further enhance the future of aviation in the Wichita community, is a privilege we are very proud to be a part of.”
Yingling president Andrew Nichols added that offering flight training to employees has been on his to-do list for a while. “We’ve been waiting for the right partner and are thrilled that Ortega Aviation Services can satisfy all our needs,” he said.
Photo of the Week
Lined up and ready to go. Doug Barnett, a pilot who flies Boeing 757s and 767s from a base in Vancouver International Airport (CYVR), snapped this photo during an evening flight out of CYVR while jump-seating on a B767. “Called out on reserve, I was deadheading on a company flight and had the chance to snap this one while we were waiting for takeoff clearance,” he said. Thanks for sharing this beauty, Doug!
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