Kansas, FAA Agree To Establish Supersonic Test Corridor
The Kansas Department of Transportation signed an agreement with the FAA to establish a Kansas Supersonic Transportation Corridor (SSTC) that would be used for testing aircraft up to Mach 3, the state announced today.
The agreement would provide a critical testing site for the emerging group of supersonic aircraft as civil supersonic flight remains banned over land. Flight testing for models such as Aerion’s AS2 and Boom’s Overture is expected this decade, while NASA noise trials with the X-59 demonstrator are anticipated by 2024. “This year marks 73 years since Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, and with this supersonic flight corridor Kansas will have a unique role in the next generation of supersonic transportation,” said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) in the announcement of the agreement.
The 770-nm corridor, designed as a bi-directional “racetrack,” runs from slightly west and south of Garden City, Kansas to nearly Pittsburg in the east at altitudes above FL390. It runs right over Wichita.
In establishing the corridor, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Division of Aviation worked with the FAA Central Region and air traffic control, and Lemasters Group Consulting to establish specific procedures for use of the corridor such as requirements for entry into the corridor and clearance before takeoff for direction and flight route to minimize the effects of supersonic aircraft on commercial traffic.
Airbus Helicopters has certified a new alternate gross weight (AGW) and a new single-pilot IFR (SPIFR) Helionix cockpit for its H135 light twin. The EASA approvals enable up to a 265-pound increase in maximum takeoff weight and useful load and can extend the range by up to 75 nm and endurance by 40 minutes under standard conditions. The AGW is an available option for all H135s with Helionix and can be applied retroactively to all H135s so equipped.
The new SPIFR Helionix cockpit enables customers to remove the co-pilot side of the instrument panel to increase the field of view or keep it to install specific supplemental type certificate approved equipment. Airbus notes that the new SPIFR cockpit will boost H135 capabilities for missions including aerial work, utility, and law enforcement.
More than 1,400 H135s have been delivered to 300 customers in 60 countries. The fleet has amassed 5.6 million flight hours flying diverse missions, including air ambulance, law enforcement, private and business aviation, offshore wind, and military training.
China Flight University To Acquire M2 Sim from TRU
The Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC) has agreed to acquire a Cessna Citation M2 Level D flight simulator from TRU Simulation + Training that will support the school’s fleet of four M2 light jets delivered this year. It will be the first Level D M2 simulator to operate outside the U.S.
“This agreement is the latest in a long history of support to both CAFUC and to the Civil Aviation Administration of China,” said TRU v-p and general manager Gerald Messaris. “We are pleased to continue that relationship by providing CAFUC with advanced technology and a world-class flight simulator to enhance the work of the school in support of China’s aviation industry.”
Equipped with the latest Garmin G3000 avionics, the simulator also features real aircraft parts throughout the cockpit. Manufactured at TRU’s fabrication and logistics center in Tampa, Florida, the simulator is expected to be operational by the end of 2021.
In addition to the M2, CAFUC operates a fleet of 159 Cessna 172 Skyhawks and seven Citation CJ1/CJ1+ twinjets.
Argus: Bizav Ops To See Gains after Slow Start in 2021
Aviation data and safety specialist Argus believes a return to “normal” in business aviation flight activity is still several months away with year-over-year declines anticipated through the next several months but sees improvements after that as Covid-19 vaccine distribution increases. “While a return to ‘normal’ may still be several months away, we are beginning to see the light and continued signs that will further stabilize our industry,” Argus said in its 2021 outlook.
Argus projects a quiet December with activity 18.4 percent below that of December 2019. Part 135 is anticipated to represent the strongest sector, with operations down by 12.6 percent. Large-cabin activity is expected to remain down by more than 20 percent year-over-year for the next few months.
Moving into January, operations overall are anticipated to be down 12.3 percent and still down 14.8 percent in February. March, however, “will start to yield some interesting numbers in our industry,” Argus added, given that the drop-off in flights began in that month. Argus sees a 21.6 percent gain in March 2021, compared with a year earlier. April will follow with expected gains “never seen in the modern age of our industry,” Argus said, with a leap of 194 percent in operations from April 2020. However, April 2020 also represented the trough for business aviation operations. From there, operations should head into a busy summer season.
Pilots using Garmin’s FltPlan flight planning service can now access AeroData’s runway analysis service, which has been integrated with FltPlan. AeroData, which primarily serves the airline market, is now adding business aviation to its services, and pilots can use AeroData to calculate takeoff and landing performance directly within FltPlan.
The runway analysis feature helps pilots maximize aircraft performance while meeting runway and obstacle requirements, according to Garmin. The new capabilities include engine-out escape procedures factoring in obstacles and terrain, configuration of takeoff and landing data (TOLD) based on conditions and limitations, automatic calculation of fuel requirements based on the flight plan, integration with the Garmin Pilot app, and other features.
A unique AeroData feature for takeoff performance calculations is provision of a clearly spelled-out, concise engine-failure procedure in the takeoff and landing report. The report includes takeoff reference speeds, flaps, power, ECS, anti-ice settings, runway surface conditions and contaminant level, tailwind calculations, and maximum takeoff weight for each runway. Landing data takes into account the flight-planned fuel burn and includes reference speed and landing distance based on weight and aircraft configuration and reported braking action. The engine-failure procedure is based on the calculated data for each runway and the aircraft’s configuration.
AeroData is now the third runway analysis service available through FltPlan, joining Aircraft Performance Group and Automated Systems in Aircraft Performance as optional paid services.
Mountain Aviation Marches Toward 35 Citation X Feet
Floating fleet charter operator Mountain Aviation has taken delivery of its 26th Cessna Citation X, which it claims makes it the largest operator of the type in the world. The delivery keeps the Broomfield, Colorado-based operator on track to achieve operating 35 Citation Xs by the second quarter of 2021.
In all, the 27-year-old company operates a fleet of more than 60 aircraft, from Beechcraft King Air turboprops to Gulfstream IV-SP large-cabin jets. Mountain Aviation said in the current fourth quarter it ranks third among all private jet floating fleet operators and second in the super-midsize category for flights, hours, and total miles flown. “We're excited to continue our aggressive pursuit of growth and expand our reach in 2021,” said CEO Gregg Fahrenbruch.
In addition to serving the leisure and business charter markets, Mountain Aviation supports the oil and gas industry as well as physician outreach and federal government flights.
Sheltair Adds Hangar in Ocala
Sheltair has completed construction on a 20,000-sq-ft hangar at Florida’s Ocala International Airport. Earlier this year, the company established an FBO in the airport’s new general aviation terminal and announced the groundbreaking on the new structure, which is now fully operational.
The new $2.1 million hangar, which can accommodate the latest in-service and under development ultra-long-range business jets such as the Bombardier Global 7500 and the Gulfstream G700, brings the facility up to 55,000 sq ft of hangar space.
“Our new hangar at the Ocala International Airport fully complements the FBO terminal we inaugurated earlier this year,” said company COO Todd Anderson. “We are thrilled to provide our clients with a world-class facility that is supported by our award-winning FBO service and ability to accommodate the latest generation of aircraft.”
Sheltair added the company continues its efforts to protect the health of its customers and employees, monitoring all CDC and local authority guidelines. The Ocala location earned its NATA Safety 1st Clean certification in August.
Blade India Launches Mumbai-Pune Service
Helicopter rideshare service Blade, which began local service in India late last year in partnership with Hunch Ventures, has begun operating daily flights between Mumbai and Pune with a per-seat price of $200. According to Blade India, the flight time on this route is just 45 minutes as opposed to four hours via ground transportation.
Blade India, which flies a fleet of Bell 407 and Airbus H130 helicopters, said it will soon launch per seat service from Bengaluru and intra-city service in Mumbai. Private charter is currently offered from Mumbai, Pune, and Shirdi and anywhere else in India via service partners at rates beginning at $1,276 per hour.
Per-seat customers can purchase discounted seasonal packs of 10 and 30 flights, valid for one-way travel with one date change allowed. Ground congestion in India is estimated to cost in excess of $22 billion annually. Blade India is following strict Covid-19 protocols including touchless temperature checks, mandatory wearing of PPE and masks, and electrostatic aircraft decontamination before each flight.
iFlightPlanner Integrated with iFly GPS
The iFlightPlanner “Bring Your Own EFB” program has been enhanced with its integration with iFly GPS. Premium iFlightPlanner and iFlightPlanner Core members who plan a flight with iFlightPlanner or iFlightPlanner for AOPA will now have the ability to wirelessly sync flights to iFly GPS’s apps for Android, Windows, and Apple mobile devices.
“Although at first glance we could be viewed as two companies competing for the same customer, iFly GPS saw this as an opportunity to collaborate with iFlightPlanner and allow our combined technologies to provide a safer flight planning and cockpit experience for today’s pilot,” said Rob Colvin, iFly GPS’s v-p of strategic development.
With the newly released v11.1 of iFly GPS, users can now navigate to the iFlightPlanner settings via the Flight Plan > More Options menus and follow the on-screen instructions to connect the two platforms using their iFlightPlanner credentials. That will allow for any new or changed flight plans to wirelessly sync between iFlightPlanner and iFly GPS automatically.
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.
