Fractional aircraft provider Volato has taken delivery of its first HondaJet Elite II with a second of the twinjets expected to be handed over to the Atlanta company by the end of next week. The deliveries stem from an order the company placed with Honda Aircraft earlier this month for 25 of the type, which will increase its fleet of HondaJets to more than 40.
“Volato seeks to uphold our market standing in providing the most innovative solutions to private aviation,” said Volato CEO Matt Liotta. “Every business decision is made with our customers at the core, and we're ecstatic to bring this model to market for those interested in flying on the most innovative aircraft of its kind.”
The Elite II order preceded one Volato made in September for four super-midsize Gulfstream G280s, which will be added to the company’s fractional fleet.
In addition to fractional ownership, Volato offers aircraft management, charter, and a jet card program. Operating a floating fleet nationally, the company has bases in Atlanta; St. Augustine and Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; Houston; and Carlsbad, California.
AINsight: Adaptations, Groupthink Down Twin Otter
In November 2021, a Canadian-registered de Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter operating as a scheduled flight ran out of fuel and was forced to make an off-airport landing. The final accident report was just released and did not identify any mechanical issues with the aircraft, medical or physiological concerns with the flight crew, or any problems related to the weather. The pilots simply failed to check the fuel quantity prior to takeoff.
During the crash, the Twin Otter was substantially damaged. The two pilots and three passengers survived the crash and were rescued four hours afterward; each was treated for minor hypothermia after being exposed to freezing temperatures.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada through its analysis determined several causes and contributing factors to the accident. The most interesting findings relate to human factors and the development of adaptations when using checklists and how group dynamics can negatively influence flight safety.
Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel expressed dismay on Wednesday about reports that the Canadian government is considering awarding a sole-source contract directly to Boeing for the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) program.
The Canadian Department of National Defense (DND) in February issued a request for information (RFI) seeking input on plans for the CMMA program, which would replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s fleet of 14 aging CP140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft with ISR-capable aircraft. Calling the RFI a first step in the industry engagement process, the government outlined a timeline for the program, which could carry a value of more than $5 billion, with definition in 2025, implementation in 2029, and initial operational capability in 2034.
The Ottawa Citizen reported late last week that Defense Minister Anita Anand was considering whether to move forward on a proposal from Boeing for between eight and 12 P-8 Poseidons to fulfill the CMMA mission. Following the reports, Martel responded, “I want to publicly share my concern that Canada, which is facing an important choice about the airborne surveillance of its vast borders, may be considering awarding a sole-source contract.”
He further touted the range, endurance, and reliability of the company's Global 6500 and said the CMMA tender “would be an opportunity for Canada to rethink its surveillance capabilities. A Canadian-built option should, and must, be considered on equal footing."
Lufthansa Technik has received a supplemental type certificate from EASA for the installation of AeroShark riblet films on two Boeing 777 variants. Developed jointly by Lufthansa Technik and BASF, AeroShark is a surface structure composed of microscopic ribs that reduces the frictional resistance of the aircraft skin, thereby decreasing fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 1 percent.
That means an annual reduction of about 400 tonnes of kerosene and more than 1,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions on a Boeing 777-300ER. On the slightly shorter 777F, AeroShark is expected to provide an annual savings of about 370 tonnes of fuel and 1,170 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
With the approval, launch customers Lufthansa Cargo and Swiss International Air Lines can begin applying the modification to their 777 fleets. “The approval of AeroShark for the Boeing 777 variants is an important step in the distribution of this new technology for more sustainability in air transport,” said Lufthansa Technik CEO Soeren Stark. “With our partner BASF, we can now support our customers in making entire sub-fleets more climate-friendly. Moreover, we intend to realize the use of the new technology for further aircraft types.”
As worldwide business aviation wraps up a record year, activity was down by 2 percent in the first half of December versus the same period in 2021. However, it was still 10 percent above pre-Covid numbers, according to the latest data from WingX Advance. For the nearly complete year, global business aviation is up 10 percent year-over-year, 54 percent above pandemic-stricken 2020, and 14 percent over 2019 totals.
North American business jet operations month-to-date are down 4 percent from a year ago but still 12 percent above December 2019 levels. New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport showed the most activity thus far in December, with 4,846 departures, virtually static from last year and nearly 7 percent above 2019 activity.
In Europe, December business jet flights are down 8 percent year-over-year and essentially flat with December 2019. Thus far for the month, the UK is the busiest market and is still growing compared with last year. For the rest of the world, December’s business jet activity remains strong at 18 percent higher than last year and 57 percent above 2019.
“The last few months have seen the post-Covid bounce in business jet demand fall away, and in Europe we are starting to see lower activity levels than in 2019,” said WingX Advance managing director Richard Koe. He expects traffic gains of 5 to 10 percent over 2019 levels next year.
The Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program, which introduces flying to youth ages eight through 17, is seeing growth in participation after a reduction during the Covid pandemic. With nearly 2.3 million free flights given since 1992, the Young Eagles program is supported by industry sponsors and has resulted in many young people becoming pilots.
During 2022, more than 49,000 youths received their introductory flight, carried aloft by 4,078 EAA member volunteer pilots. More than 1,000 of the pilots were new to the Young Eagles program in 2022, according to the organization.
“We are thrilled to see an increase in the number of pilots looking to help inspire the next generation of aviators,” said EAA Eagles program manager David Leiting. “For pilots, the rewards of flying Young Eagles are immeasurable. The only way we get more young people involved in aviation is to have more pilots participate, so the open invitation is always there.”
EAA welcomes more pilots to participate, and more information is available on the Young Eagles website. Pilots must be EAA members and complete the youth protection training and background checks, as well as comply with Young Eagle guidelines and have the Young Eagles registration form signed by the youth’s parent or guardian.
The Mooney that crashed into power lines on November 27 during a night instrument approach to Montgomery County Airpark (KGAI) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, had a properly functioning altimeter, according to an NTSB preliminary report. Both the pilot and passenger survived after the airplane hung suspended 100 feet above the ground in high-voltage electric lines for nearly eight hours before they were rescued. Weather at the time was reported as a 200-foot-ceiling and 1.25 miles visibility in fog, with a convective sigmet issued for the area.
The instrument-rated pilot of the 1977 Mooney M20J called 911 after hitting and becoming entangled in the wires and supporting tower structure, telling the operator, “I got a little lower than I should have” and would later describe conditions to a local media outlet as “pea soup” and expressed concerns about his altimeter’s accuracy. However, post-crash testing under the supervision of the NTSB found the altimeter was “well within the test allowable error at all ranges.”
An analysis of the aircraft’s ADS-B data by the NTSB paints a picture of an approach that was repeatedly off-course, off-altitude, and continually being issued corrective course instructions by ATC. Concurrent to the Mooney’s approach, another aircraft inbound to KGAI “announced that visibility was below minima and requested diversion to another airport,” according to the NTSB.
The Austrian Ministry of Defense has taken delivery of its initial order of 18 Leonardo AW169M helicopters under a 2021 Italy-Austria government-to-government agreement. The handover was made Wednesday at the Tulln-Langenlebarn Brumowski Air Base in Austria.
Austria also announced that it was exercising its option for a second lot of 18 AW169Ms. The helicopters will replace a fleet of Alouette IIIs that have been in service since the 1960s.
The medium-twin AW169Ms will be kitted for a variety of missions, including troop transport, combat operations, disaster relief, emergency response, firefighting, mountain rescue, and medevac. Austria's export order is the first for the militarized version of the AW169, which is produced at Leonardo’s Vergiate, Italy plant. Austrian crews have begun training on the new helicopter at Leonardo’s Training Academy in Sesto Calende, Italy, and will be supported by the Italian Army units flying the helicopter.
Leonardo has received orders and options for more than 300 AW169s and delivered more than 150 to operators in nearly 30 countries. The in-service fleet has accumulated more than 128,000 flight hours. The helicopter is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210 engines and features avionics built around digital Collins avionics, with capabilities including night-vision-goggle compatibility and a four-axis digital automatic flight-control system.
Photo of the Week
Mystic peaks. Captain Shujaat Ali was able to capture these peaks while flying west of Fort Nelson by British Columbia’s Stone Mountain Provincial Park in a Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander on a late fall day while returning from a long day of fuel hauls. Ali said he couldn’t believe how beautiful the mountains looked and how well the camera captured them. We agree! Thanks for sharing, Ali.
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