Through a partnership with the Czech Technical University in Prague (CVUT), GE Aviation Czech will begin testing in 2022 the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in its new Catalyst turboprop engine. The goal of the research is to power the Catalyst with 100 percent SAF within 18 months.
Testing will take place in new advanced test cells located outside Prague; the two partners and Avio Aero have already begun preparations for the operations. Initially, the testing will begin with a mixture of 40 percent SAF as well as comparisons running the engine on traditional jet fuel and a SAF blend to compare the carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions. GE Aviation noted the engine has been approved for a mixture of jet A-1 and 50 percent SAF.
Catalyst also shows promise for hybrid-electric flight, according to GE Aviation. Initial evaluations of the engine suggest it can generate more than 1 MW of power. “The turboprop engine market lends itself favorably to the application of technologies aimed at cutting CO2 emissions,” said GE Aviation Turboprop engineering leader Sergio Salvano. “Catalyst will be a reference point in this respect, so much so that it is destined to be a crucial part of the journey towards sustainability targeted by the next European program, Clean Aviation.”
Researchers from the Russian Tupolev Kazan National Research Technical University have proposed the stratolet—an intercontinental supersonic aircraft designed for flights in the stratosphere. One of its proposed uses is as a business aircraft.
According to conceptual drawings, the aircraft would have a fuselage with wings and horizontal control surfaces at the front and rear. It would also be equipped with a combined rocket or air-rocket engine running on oxygen, as well as a recoverable upper stage with two gas turbine engines and engine cowling. Performance characteristics of the aircraft have not yet been disclosed.
The stratolet shares some similarities with the British-led Skylon project, which is a reusable unmanned spacecraft from Reaction Engines that is scheduled to be flown mid-decade. But the Russian researchers claim their design will have higher efficiency, increased payload, and faster takeoff thanks to its two-stage flight concept, which reduces weight during the second stage. At the same time, the oval wing of the booster block will increase the aircraft’s lift and shorten takeoff time.
The FAA has notified officials in California’s Santa Clara County that it is informally investigating their decision to ban 100LL aviation gasoline at Reid-Hillview Airport and San Martin Airport. In a December 22 letter, the agency noted it had received multiple complaints from airport tenants, operations, and industry representatives alleging the bans violate airport grant assurances.
“As a result of these complaints, the FAA is commencing an informal investigation under 14 CFR Part 13,” the FAA said, directing the county to respond within 20 days of the notice—a shorter timeframe than the typical 30 days. In this case, the FAA said expedited handling is necessary because the ban takes effect December 31. “Further, the County is apparently refusing to offer long-term leases for all tenants at Reid-Hillview airport whose leases will expire on Dec. 31, 2021, including the fixed base operators (FBOs) who provide aviation fuel,” the agency said.
The FAA added that it remains committed to a lead-free future and sustainability. “However, in the interim, all parties must adhere to grant assurances. Therefore, the FAA strongly recommends that the County take action to suspend the effective date of its ban on leaded gas at the County-owned airports until this matter can be resolved,” the agency said.
Italy’s Milan Linate Airport is now the first in the country to fuel a business aircraft with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), according to SEA Prime. The company's Milano Prime subsidiary manages the GA infrastructure at the city’s two airports (Linate and Malpensa).
The company obtained a load of blended SAF produced by Italian energy company Eni for use in fueling long-time tenant Sirio’s fleet of managed private jets. The company hopes to make the supply of SAF widely available to all business aviation operators at Milano Prime over the next few months.
The move is the latest in the company’s environmental initiatives, which have also included replacing its passenger shuttles and operational equipment with electrically-powered versions. It also plans to construct a green-hydrogen generating plant at Malpensa.
“We are really glad to have reached a new milestone for Milano Prime,” said CEO Chiara Dorigotti. “The decarbonization of our sector is certainly a priority for SEA Prime and for the SEA Group, as evidenced by all the initiatives to date, and we trust that availability of SAF in Italy will increase to respond to the ever-increasing demand from business aviation operators who want to achieve sustainability objectives.”
Technology, Relationships Set Flightsafety Maintenance Training Apart
FlightSafety continually advances its training through innovation and expert instruction. It has relationships with major manufacturers, companies and OEMs built over decades. Maintenance technicians training with FlightSafety enjoy relationships built over decades with manufacturers and companies. The result is the best trained technicians in the industry, keeping aircraft airworthy and safe, and reducing downtime.
David Rimmer and partners Omar Diaz and Andy Ferguson have launched Suits on the Ground, a company that provides concierge services on behalf of charter operators and brokers, FBOs, and corporate flight departments. Suits on the Ground operates on the belief that the experience of traveling by private jet starts at the moment a passenger pulls into the parking lot of an FBO.
“[I] just think there’s a lot to be said for an added level of service,” said Rimmer, CEO and “chief suit” of Suits on the Ground. “I think, personally, that the first and last hundred feet of a trip are make or break for business aviation.”
The idea behind Suits On the Ground is to fill a gap that he said exists today, providing passenger meet and greets, facilitating ground transportation, movement of luggage, and fulfilling last-minute requests that may be difficult for busy FBO staff or flight crews to provide. “Not only do we act as a brand extension…we’re also the canary in a coal mine: we can give early warning if things aren’t going to plan,” he said.
With the demand the charter market is currently experiencing, Rimmer believes there’s a significant opportunity for Suits on the Ground. “We think that operators and brokers have to ask themselves how they distinguish themselves from their competitors,” Rimmer said.
The FAA is continuing its education campaign to safeguard operators from the effects of potential 5G interference in the C-Band, this time with a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO 21007) warning of systems that could have faulty information and advising of forthcoming notams that will identify affected geographic regions. Released last week, SAFO 21007 stated the notams will specify where radio altimeter operations will be prohibited per airworthiness directives issued this month (AD2021-23-12 and AD2021-23-13).
Covering all transport and commuter category airplanes, and all helicopters equipped with a radio altimeter, the ADs “were prompted by a determination that radio altimeters cannot be relied upon to perform their intended function if they experience interference,” the FAA said. It also cited numerous systems that could be affected, from TAWS to autothrottles and thrust reversers.
Rollout of the C-band 5G wireless broadband is anticipated on January 5 initially in 46 predetermined areas. The notams will identify the areas, airports and heliports, and procedures where the radio altimeter may be unreliable and also specify where certain operations would be prohibited, along with exceptions for operators that have FAA-approved alternative methods of compliance.
Two Spanish ministries have ordered 36 Airbus H135 light twin-engine helicopters. The Ministry of Defense will receive 18 H135s to be operated by the Ejército del Aire (air force) and the Armada Española (navy) while the Ministry of Interior will also take delivery of 18 H135s to be operated by the Policía Nacional and the Guardia Civil. Deliveries will start in 2022.
The Spanish army already operates a fleet of 16 H135s. The newly ordered helicopters will be the air force’s first H135s and the navy’s first Airbus Helicopters product. As was the case for the army’s H135s, the new air force and navy H135s will replace older helicopters currently used for advanced pilot training. Standardizing training fleets across the three armed forces will create new and more efficient training and support activities.
The Ministry of Interior currently has a fleet of 31 helicopters from the H135 family in operation with the Policía Nacional, the Guardia Civil, and Tráfico. The new helicopters will enable the Policía and Guardia Civil to replace its BO105 helicopters for missions including law enforcement, surveillance, and rescue activities.
There are about 1,350 H135 helicopters flown by 300 operators in 64 countries, and the fleet has accumulated 6 million flight hours.
Gulfstream Aerospace announced promotions in both its sales and international teams, including a new regional senior v-p for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent who will succeed Roger Sperry.
Sperry is retiring at the end of the year after serving with Gulfstream for 20 years and in the business aviation industry for nearly 50. His aircraft sales career began with Cessna in 1973 and he ultimately managed sales across all product lines there before joining Learjet in 1992. Sperry moved over to the Galaxy Aerospace sales and marketing department when it launched in 1996 and remained with Gulfstream after the Savannah, Georgia manufacturer acquired the Galaxy programs in 2001.
Succeeding Sperry is Michael Swift, who joined Gulfstream in 2018 as a regional vice president of sales after holding aircraft financing positions with Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Textron Financial.
In addition, Chad Beaulieu was promoted to regional v-p of sales for the south-central U.S. He succeeds Sherman Griffith, who is retiring after 15 years with the company. Beaulieu previously was regional sales manager for the south-central region. Meanwhile, Tim Wood has rejoined Gulfstream as regional sales manager for the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. Wood originally joined Gulfstream in 2018. He subsequently took a role as v-p of aircraft sales for Wallan Aviation.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) hired Alex Burkett as general counsel and director of safety and regulatory affairs. Burkett joins GAMA after serving as the staff director and special advisor on aviation for the U.S. House aviation subcommittee and also has served as director of regulatory compliance for United Airlines and as an attorney with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Joe Irwin was named aviation maintenance technical trainer for West Star Aviation in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Irwin, who has a degree in occupational education with an emphasis on instructional design and course development, formerly spent 20 years in the U.S as an F-16 crew chief and also as a training manager.
Duncan Aviation appointed Sarah Warner as its landing gear service sales rep. Warner, who previously had a background in raising livestock, veterinary pharmaceutical sales, and the non-profit sector, joined Duncan Aviation in February as a component customer sales and service rep.
Randy Stromski joined King Aerospace Commercial Corporation (KACC) as director of quality assurance. Stromski formerly was site manager for ACET Hawaii, where he supported C-40 (B737-700) aircraft and subsystems, and also has held leadership positions with Viasat San Diego, Mokulele Airlines, Gogo, AAR Aircraft Services, Bombardier Aircraft Services, and Premier Turbines.
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.
AINalerts is a publication of AIN Media Group, 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
