EcoPulse, the hybrid-electric technology demonstrator aircraft being jointly developed by Daher, Safran, and Airbus, has started its flight-test campaign. Today, the partners announced that the first flight happened on November 29, with the modified Daher TBM 910 taking off from Tarbes Airport in the southwest of France for a 100-minute sortie.

During the flight, pilots deployed all parts of the powertrain, including the six 50-kilowatt electric power units, the turbogenerator, and six sets of electric thrusters, or “e-propellers,” installed along the wing. The flight tests will validate the results of earlier ground testing and also 10 hours of flight tests that were conducted without the electric propulsion system functioning in May and June. The first test also evaluated the flight control computer and high-voltage battery pack.

Safran is responsible for the integrated motor/thruster units, as well as for the turbogenerator, which combines a gas turbine with a generator. The French aircraft engines and systems group has also developed EcoPulse’s power distribution and rectifier unit that protects the high-voltage network, in addition to the power harnesses.

Airbus developed the high-energy density battery pack, which is rated at 800 volts DC and can deliver 350 kilowatts of power. The European airframer also made aerodynamic and acoustic modifications to the TBM testbed aircraft, as well as developing the flight control computer.

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is holding hearings today examining the National Parks Air Tour Management Program (ATMP). Critics of the ATMP maintain that the new rules governing these flights are draconian and will cripple the air tour industry at these locations, virtually eliminating them in some instances.

Opponents also claim that the rules were constructed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the FAA without sufficiently consulting the industry and stakeholder National Parks Overflights Advisory Group (NPOAG). NPOAG was formed by the FAA and the NPS in the wake of the National Parks Air Tours Management Act becoming law in 2000.

Ruling on a suit brought by environmental groups, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 2020 ordered the FAA and the NPS to implement ATMPs or voluntary agreements for 23 NPS areas. The agencies were given 24 months to comply, a deadline extended through this year with the consent of the court.

The Helicopter Association International (HAI) and other groups and operators have charged that hastily drawn agency compliance rules, resulting from the court’s ruling, either eliminate air tours over certain areas—such as South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore—or are so restrictive as to make them uneconomical. They also believe that some altitude, route, and radio frequency mandates pose safety issues.

ForeFlight has released an oceanic plotting solution that allows pilots to plot overseas flights in the ForeFlight Mobile app, eliminating the need for paper charts. Oceanic plotting is a per-user add-on option for ForeFlight business users, and ForeFlight Dispatch is also required.

With oceanic plotting, ForeFlight users can plan the flight, select diversion airports and equal time points, and—once entering non-radar airspace—note information for each fix and perform gross navigational error (GNE) checks. After the flight, pilots can sign the plot and save it, archive it, and email it as a PDF.

“Performance estimates are automatically recalculated during the flight as pilots record time and fuel actuals at each waypoint,” according to ForeFlight. Integrated with ForeFlight’s active navlog, oceanic plotting also gives access to ForeFlight Dispatch’s existing contingency planning capabilities.

“Logging position reports and GNE checks have been a manual, time-consuming task for our customers, and we’re excited to introduce our integrated digital solution to simplify and streamline this process,” said Kevin Sutterfield, ForeFlight and Jeppesen global sales leader. “We actively incorporated customer feedback through the development of this feature to ensure we directly addressed the specific challenges and needs expressed by pilots and operators. ForeFlight’s oceanic plotting feature simplifies the process of oceanic crossings for pilots while also automating the regulatory compliance required for those operations.”

South Korea’s Flight Inspection Services Center (FIC) has taken delivery of the country’s first Embraer Praetor 600 to perform a wide range of flight inspection tasks, the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer said.

Embraer worked closely with German prime and flight inspection system manufacturer Aerodata to achieve type certification and customer delivery to the Seoul regional office of the FIC, part of South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. Outfitted with Aerodata’s AeroFIS flight inspection system, the aircraft complies with the high-level requirements of the end user, said Embraer.

The FIC plans to use the aircraft for tasks such as site survey, surveillance, commissioning inspection, periodic inspection, special inspection, procedure validation, and ADS-B airborne checks. Vital for maintaining and calibrating navigation aids, such missions ensure the safety and precision of air navigation systems across the country. Flying to a range of 4,018 nm, the aircraft can cover vast distances efficiently, allowing comprehensive inspection coverage of South Korea's airspace and navigation infrastructure, said Embraer.

"Embraer is proud to support South Korea's Flight Inspection Center in its mission to enhance the safety and efficiency of their airspace,” said Bosco da Costa Junior, president and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. “The deployment of the Praetor 600 for flight inspection services reflects our commitment to delivering innovative solutions."

Brazilian business aviation services company Líder Aviation is promoting its COO, Junia Hermont, to CEO effective next month. She will take over from Eduardo Vaz, who after 25 years as CEO will move into the chairman role. At the same time, Bruna Assumpção will become superintendent of business aviation.

Hermont is the first female chief in the firm’s 65-year history, but is not an outlier—40 percent of Líder’s leadership roles are filled by women. Vaz began as a trainee in 1968, and Hermont started as a manager in 1998.

“Junia is an innovative professional, extremely competent, and with 25 years of business aviation experience—all of them here at Líder,” said Vaz. “The transition process is happening smoothly and with the assurance that it’s the correct decision for the company.”

Líder has more than 1,450 employees, a fleet exceeding 50 aircraft, an air charter operation, an offshore helicopter operation, and an FBO and handling arm that has a presence at 21 airports, as well as business aviation aircraft sales and maintenance. It also represents Honda Aircraft in Brazil. Other services include flight simulator training, aviation insurance sales, and helicopter rotor repair.