Gulfstream Hits One Million Miles on Sustainable Fuel

Gulfstream’s fleet based at its Savannah, Georgia headquarters has now flown more than one million nautical miles on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the manufacturer announced today. Since 2016, the OEM has used renewable fuel to fulfill its corporate, demonstration, customer support, and flight-test needs.

Over the course of more than 550 flights using the fuel—produced by California-based World Energy and supplied by World Fuel Services—that consists of a blend of 30 percent low-carbon SAF produced from agricultural waste and 70 percent conventional jet-A, the airframer has cut its CO₂ emissions by 1,300 metric tons.

“We take our role as an industry leader in environmental sustainability very seriously, so this is a milestone we’re extremely proud of,” noted Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and helping our industry achieve its sustainability goals. The widespread use of SAF is critical to meeting those goals.”

NBAA, GAMA, and IBAC have committed the business aviation industry to achieve a 50 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2050 relative to its 2005 levels; a 2 percent improvement in fuel efficiency per year from 2010 to 2020; and carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onward.

In addition to its normal fleet usage, Gulfstream also has SAF available for customer purchase at its Long Beach and new Van Nuys facilities in Southern California.

NBAA New Board Members Bring Backgrounds in UAM, Space

As the business aviation community continues to evolve, NBAA is adding to its board of directors two members who bring backgrounds in urban air mobility (UAM) and aviation systems and aerospace. These additions are Kate Fraser, who is head of safety for California-based eVTOL developer Joby Aviation, and Charlie Precourt, a former astronaut who is v-p and general manager of propulsion systems at Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems.

“NBAA is honored to have the diversity of experience and knowledge that Kate and Charlie bring to our board, which will help inform and enhance NBAA’s programs and operations,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. 

Before her work at Joby, Fraser led aviation policy for Uber and has worked with regulators and policymakers to pave a path for UAM. She also has served with the FAA’s Office of Accident Investigation and Prevention. Precourt previously was involved in four space flights and has held several management positions with NASA. A member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame and retired Air Force colonel, he also serves as vice-chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association board of directors.

FAA Changing Airman Cert Process, Plans Webinars

Beginning January 13, the FAA is changing the way it tests applicants for an FAA airman certificate—including drone pilots—and plans to host four informational webinars starting next week to acquaint them with the changes that the agency said will improve the process. It identified the creation of an Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) profile by applicants in advance of registering for a knowledge test as one of the most important changes.

Once applicants have created an IACRA profile, they will be assigned an FAA tracking number (FTN) that enables them and any certifying officer to access airman information in a consistent format that’s expected to eliminate errors with an applicant’s name. Name inconsistencies have previously led to returned files and lengthy delays, according to the regulator.

IACRA is an online system for applicants seeking airman certification and ratings that also serves to guide users through the application process. Informational webinars have been scheduled for 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT on December 19; and 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. CT on January 8.

Aireon To Expand Aircraft Surveillance in Africa

Aireon and the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (Asecna) will go live on January 1 with a space-based surveillance system for ADS-B-equipped aircraft in Asecna’s six flight information regions—Antananarivo, Brazzaville, Dakar Terrestrial, Dakar Oceanic, N'djamena, and Niamey. Implementation of Aireon’s system will give Asecna 100 percent real-time air traffic surveillance over 16.1 million square kilometers of its controlled airspace.

“Expanding ATS surveillance across key oceanic airspaces will allow us to more easily partner with regional [air navigation service providers] in these important corridors,” said Asecna director-general Mohamed Moussa. “Today’s announcement reinforces our decades-long commitment to creating a seamless African sky.”

Since July, Aireon terrestrial surveillance data currently reaches Asecna centers in Dakar and Abidjan, which is then distributed to its other centers by way of very small aperture terminals. The space-based system allows for service expansion over water and connects ADS-B data that will enable Asecna to safely reduce aircraft separation minima, adding more capacity and permitting preferred routes for airlines.

EASA Drone Conference Focuses on Societal Concerns

“The vision of a world where drones are used safely and efficiently to provide transportation, emergency services, and small-package deliveries can become a reality only if safety standards are met and solutions found to issues such as noise and privacy,” EASA executive director Patrick Ky said at the agency’s conference on drones earlier this month in Amsterdam.

“It’s important that, as we put together the regulatory framework for drone operations in urban or populated areas, we set the right societal targets in terms of safety, risk exposure, and environmental impact,” he added. “EASA requirements for mandatory registration of all drones will already pass into law in mid-2020.”

A further EASA regulatory proposal, due for publication in the first quarter, will pertain to traffic management in urban airspace (U-space), according to Ky. “The regulation would initially target densely populated urban areas close to an airport and not be implemented before late 2020 or early 2021.”

Closing the conference, Ky stressed the importance of all parts of the aviation industry working together to pave the way for the successful use of drones, adding that once the concerns have been addressed, there are many advantages for society from efficient drone usage.

Sustainability Key for Charter Ops, PrivateFly CEO Says

In what has become an annual tradition, PrivateFly today released CEO Adam Twidell’s predictions for the business aviation industry in 2020, which touch on a host of topics from the environment and technological advances to the new business jet models that will lead their respective categories. 

In 2020, Twidell thinks business aviation will be the first sub-sector to implement electric aviation because of current limitations on battery capacity limiting it to smaller, shorter-range aircraft. Along the same lines, it will be essential for charter operators to communicate a clear and considered sustainability strategy as climate change awareness accelerates and corporate and individual clients become more thoughtful about who they choose to fly.

A resolution to Brexit will come in 2020, Twidell said, “and we can start to move forward with more confidence and understanding of the UK’s new aviation relationship with the rest of Europe.” Consolidation among private charter operations also will increase in the U.S. and UK as business models evolve, he added.

And among new business aircraft in the market, Embraer’s Praetor 600 will lead the super-midsize category while Bombardier’s Global 7500 will top the ultra-long-range sector as the OEM continues to ramp production. Further down the size range, the Pilatus PC-24 will see “notable growth in deliveries,” Twidell explained, as will the HondaJet.

FAA Preps for Changes in Notam System

Key changes are ahead for notices to airmen (Notam), including the consolidation into a single gateway, as part of a larger modernization effort of the system, the FAA announced. The agency, which established an office last month to serve as the single source for Notams and aeronautical information, said these changes come at the behest of Congress in an effort to consolidate access to safety-critical information, improve the presentation of information, and align the system with international standards.

The changes will be phased in over the next couple of years but begin with the planned sunset of the Pilot Web Notam System on January 24. At that point, pilots will use Notam search to access all Notams, the FAA said. In June, the FAA plans to turn off additional feeds to Notam manager to create a single technology gateway for entering, processing, and retrieving all Notam data. “We will have a single Notam repository, with searching/sorting/archiving/filtering capabilities, and with single machine-readable and human-readable formats,” the agency said.

Plans call to clean up and simplify the database with the removal of duplicative information found in Chart Supplements. That initiative is set to begin in March. Longer-term, the FAA plans to align the format of domestic Notams to match the ICAO format in January 2021 and complete this alignment by 2022.

Volocopter Gets First Design Organization Nod from EASA

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has awarded eVTOL aircraft developer Volocopter Design Organisation Approval (DOA). As an approved design organization, the company now has a higher level of authority to conduct tasks associated with the development and manufacturing of aircraft under EASA rules and processes.

Volocopter claims to be the first eVTOL startup company to receive the DOA clearance from EASA. The German company says this will give it a competitive edge in being able to accelerate the pace of getting its aircraft into production.

The DOA process means that EASA exercises its oversight of approved companies as a whole. This reduces the number of steps that have to be completed on the path to granting type certification and airworthiness approval for products.

“Awarding the first DOA with a scope of work for VTOL is a milestone for industry,” said EASA executive director Patrick Ky. “We are happy about the successful cooperation and the fact that our safety standards are now part of the rising eVTOL market.”

In July, EASA published its new Special Condition rules for certifying VTOL aircraft. Volocopter is seeking a type certification for its VoloCity aircraft by the end of 2022.

This story comes from the new FutureFlight.aero resource developed by AIN to provide objective, independent coverage of new aviation technology, including electric aircraft developments. 

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