Gulfstream late last week became the first business jet manufacturer to fly one of its aircraft on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Friday’s milestone demonstration flight from the airframer’s Savannah headquarters using an unmodified G650 was conducted in conjunction with Rolls-Royce, which supplies the ultra-long-range twinjet’s BR725 engines.
During the approximately 2.5-hour flight, those engines consumed SAF consisting of a blend of fuels supplied by World Fuel in Paramount, California, and Virent in Wisconsin. In the case of the former, the fuel was derived from waste fats and plant oils using the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids process, while the latter was synthesized from plant-based sugars using the synthesized aromatic kerosine production pathway.
SAF is currently approved at blends of up to 50 percent with conventional jet-A due to most legacy engines' need for the aromatic compounds in jet-A that expand their seals, forming tight seals. In the past, Rolls-Royce told AIN that in the company's modern powerplants, such as the BR725, traditional nitrile seals have been supplanted with those made from synthetic materials such as fluorocarbon and fluorosilicon that are unaffected by aromatic content, allowing them to safely use neat SAF.
Ahead of the International Aircraft Dealers Association’s (IADA) fourth-quarter market report next month, the organization said early projections are for its dealers to have completed more than 1,320 business aircraft transactions totaling more than $8.8 billion this year. That would be down slightly from the 1,372 transactions IADA counted in 2021.
Still, the market is expected to cool a bit going into 2023. “The signals that we’re seeing from the broker-dealers in our group and our service providers are that the markets are beginning to normalize, and buyers are starting to become more rational,” said Zipporah Marmor, IADA chairman and v-p of aircraft transactions at ACASS. “The frenzy of the last 12 to 24 months has calmed down quite a bit and we see this as healthy for our industry.”
Marmor explained that business aircraft are no longer appreciating at the “unsustainable rate” they were in previous quarters. However, she added, “We do think the first half of 2023 will be strong as we’re seeing some buyers waiting to see what happens after 100 percent U.S. bonus depreciation is no longer on the table and the rush to close at the year-end is over.”
In the first 11 months of this year, IADA members bought and sold more than 1,200 business aircraft worth $8 billion.
The FAA notified pilots and aircraft owners about an issue with Garmin’s GFC 500 autopilot equipped with optional auto trim. These autopilots are installed in certified, experimental, and light sport aircraft. Garmin issued its own Service Alert (22109 REV A).
According to the FAA, “This issue may result in an uncommanded automatic trim runaway when the autopilot is first engaged. This condition could result in a sudden and significant deviation from the intended flight path.” However, this does not affect Cirrus aircraft equipped with the GFC 500 autopilot, Garmin said.
For experimental aircraft with the GFC 500, Garmin Service Bulletin 22112 explains how to update the autopilot’s software, which resolves the problem. “Impacted owners and operators of certified aircraft need to temporarily disable the autopilot or visit their Garmin dealer to have the GFC 500 pitch trim control disabled. Disabling trim control will allow for continued use of the autopilot as a temporary option until new GFC 500 software is certified,” Garmin said. The new software is expected to be certified by year-end. Meanwhile, customers can disable the electric pitch trim by referring to Service Bulletin 22110 REV A.
“Customer safety and product quality and reliability are Garmin’s top priority,” the company said. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers and will continue to issue updates as more information becomes available.”
Aviation interior specialists AeroVisto Group of Switzerland and Germany’s Vartan Aviation Group have partnered on a new offering, “360°CabinService,” providing a full complement of à la carte interior work for any or all portions of cabin refurbishment projects on business aircraft. Tasks handled include cabin disassembly; outgoing inspection; packaging and transport; interior refurbishment; return transport and unpacking; incoming inspection and reassembly; quality inspection; and handover of the aircraft cabin to the customer.
The service offers MROs “the freedom to choose whether they want to perform these necessary tasks themselves, or whether they want to take advantage of the 360°CabinService for specific purposes,” said Vartan project engineering manager Ingo Grünewald. He called it “an ideal solution to compensate for lack of [staffing] capacity. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, it is essential that the available qualified personnel can concentrate on the core business, and that is usually aircraft maintenance.”
Project managers from Vartan and AeroVisto will serve as customer contacts and supervise the interiors specialists who remove and reinstall the interiors, which will be performed at B1-licensed MRO facilities. The allied effort was conceived by AeroVisto Interior Services CEO Hermann Bauer during a project the two companies were working on.
New York state and city legislators said Friday that they plan to introduce legislation to permanently close New York City’s West 30th Street heliport (KJRA) in response to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s veto of the “Stop the Chop” act.
In a written statement, State Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-27) said, “I plan to redouble my efforts to limit chopper flights over our communities. I will be introducing legislation to amend the Hudson River Park Act to close the West 30th Street heliport in the Hudson River Park.
“I’m extremely disappointed by the governor’s veto of our Stop the Chop act, the first major state legislative effort to address the ill-effects of helicopters,” he added. On Thursday, Hoylman released a study that claims an average of 165 helicopters fly over Manhattan each weekend, with half of those flights originating in New Jersey.
Separately, New York City council members already have introduced municipal legislation to limit helicopter flights over the city. Council member Gale Brewer’s bill would “prohibit sightseeing helicopters from taking off and landing at heliports owned by the city if those helicopters do not meet the Stage 1, 2, or 3 noise levels for helicopters as determined by the Federal Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990.”
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
Provided by
Considering the following TAF for London Heathrow issued on Nov. 21, 2022, which of the following statements is correct for the forecast period?
EGLL 210501Z 2106/2212 13003KT 9999 FEW030 BECMG 2107/2110 13013KT TEMPO 2108/2116 7000 RA BKN012 PROB30 TEMPO 2109/2116 4000 +RA BKN009 TEMPO 2110/2115 13016G28KT BECMG 2113/2116 25010KT PROB30 TEMPO 2120/2203 6000 RA -RADZ BKN010 BECMG 2122/2201 VRB03KT PROB30 TEMPO 2203/2212 3000 RADZ -DZ BKN006
A. Visibility will be reduced by fog.
B. There is less than 50 percent probability of heavy rain between 09:00 and 16:00 on November 21.
C. There is high (more than 50 percent) probability of gusty winds.
D. The most likely lowest ceiling will be 600 feet after 03:00 on November 22.
The NTSB is continuing to investigate a December 15 crash involving a fixed-wing air ambulance King Air C90A off the coast of Maui, Hawaii, at 9:30 p.m. local time. As of late yesterday, emergency services had still not found the aircraft or its three crewmembers.
The 22-year-old King Air was flying at 5,000 feet before crashing shortly after the pilot reported to ATC that he was having problems with navigation equipment. The turboprop twin was en route to pick up a patient at Waimea on Hawaii's “Big Island.”
A flight instructor flying in the area who witnessed the crash said the aircraft hit the water nose down. The aircraft was operated by Global Medical Response (GMR) on behalf of Hawaii Life Flight.
GMR confirmed the loss on December 16: “We are asking you to continue to pray for our team members and their families. We have partnered with multiple agencies and our sister companies AirMed International and Reach Air Medical Services to bring additional resources in support of emergency air operations. Hawaii Life Flight and GMR extend our deepest gratitude to the U.S. Coast Guard, Governor Green, Hawaii Emergency Air Lift, and the community for their assistance and continued support during this difficult time.”
GMR has temporarily suspended flights in the area. The Hawaii National Guard is supplementing medevac operations until civil service is restored.
Global insurance brokerage Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Aviation Insurance Australia of Brisbane, Queensland. The financial terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.
Aviation Insurance Australia was founded in 1993 and offers aircraft insurance, helicopter insurance, aviation liability insurance, and accident insurance and indemnity for pilots to clients across the country. The company’s leader, Ian Tait, and his team will remain with the acquisition, with oversight provided by Paul Harvey, managing director of specialisms for Gallagher in Australia.
“Aviation Insurance Australia is a well-respected broker that enhances our aviation capabilities and offers cross-selling opportunities in Australia,” said J. Patrick Gallagher Jr., chairman, president, and CEO of Gallagher. “I am delighted to welcome Ian and his associates to our growing, global company.”
Headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, Gallagher operates in more than 130 countries providing insurance, risk management, and consulting services.
Fort Worth Alliance Airport (KAFW) has officially changed its name to Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport following a ceremony last week attended by local legislators and FAA officials.
KAFW, which opened 33 years ago this month, was the world’s first airport designated specifically for industrial use. Named after H. Ross Perot—the late industrialist, billionaire, politician, and philanthropist—it was created in a collaboration between Perot Group real estate arm Hillwood, the city of Fort Worth, and the FAA. KAFW hosts a wide variety of operations including cargo, corporate, and government aviation, and is the cornerstone of the 27,000-acre AllianceTexas development.
“My dad wholeheartedly believed Fort Worth Alliance Airport would be the centerpiece of an unprecedented jobs corridor in Texas,” explained Ross Perot Jr., chairman of the Perot Group and Hillwood. “Investing in the northwest corner of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex mattered to him, and he immediately saw its potential.” He added that development at the site, one of the “great Texas business stories of our day,” is “only halfway through” and will continue for at least another generation.
At the event, plans were unveiled for the construction of Perot Plaza, a memorial on the west side of the airport’s control tower, which when completed, will feature a statue of Perot Sr. The airport also just debuted its newly constructed FBO.
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