Surf Air Acquiring Electric Aviation Pioneer Ampaire

Surf Air Mobility is acquiring hybrid electric aviation pioneer Ampaire in a deal worth more than $100 million. The private air travel company aims to have hybrid aircraft available by 2024 for customers booking its scheduled and on-demand services. Ampaire co-founder Kevin Noertker will be president of a new Surf Air division called AMP.

Ampaire is working to convert several aircraft types to hybrid-electric propulsion, building on recently completed flight tests with its Electric EEL Cessna 337. It believes the first of these programs, which likely will include the de Havilland Twin Otter and Cessna Grand Caravan, could be certified by the end of 2023.

“The probability of achieving this timeline has increased as a result of this announcement,” Noertker told AIN. The company expects to get its first supplemental type certificate for a hybrid-electric retrofit within three years, with a second following around 12 months later as the process is streamlined.

The new Surf Air Mobility division will offer retrofits for existing aircraft, including, it hopes, some of the 2,000 or so aircraft currently offered by multiple operators through the Surf Air marketplace. Surf Air Mobility will also market the retrofit packages to other operators, in some cases sourcing available preowned airframes. It is already in talks with unnamed manufacturers about the prospect of supporting the production of hybrid-electric new-build aircraft.

AINsight: An Awakening

The pandemic has been an awakening for business aviation. It’s temporarily alleviated the pilot shortage, brought in first-time aircraft buyers, and prompted military professionals to rejoin our industry.

One of the changes we’re witnessing is the emergence of a new set of business aviation customers who, for the most part, are buying preowned aircraft. As a result, there’s been an increased demand for pilots and maintenance professionals to support these aircraft.

Meanwhile, corporate flight departments haven’t been doing as much hiring over the past year, but they’ve done an excellent job of retaining their talent. Now, with the promise of some relief, these companies realize that they have positions they’re going to need to fill when they resume flying.

Right now, as I talk to directors of aviation and employers of pilots, I advise them to do everything they can to keep their best people on the payroll. Because it's going to become very competitive once again, in a very short amount of time.

Since 2016, the flow of retiring military professionals into our industry has slowed. But in 2021, those retirees are looking at bizav and saying, “Wow, what a great career this is.” I truly believe this is one of Covid’s silver linings.

Business aviation is a great industry and, even in this pandemic, we have a good story to share.

Court Converts One Aviation Bankruptcy to Liquidation

With most of its salable assets already in the hands of other entities, the nearly six-year run of Albuquerque, New Mexico-based One Aviation came to an end yesterday with an order by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Christopher S. Sontchi to liquidate the company’s remaining assets.

“I've lost confidence in management,” Sontchi said in converting One Aviation's reorganization effort, which began in October 2018, to Chapter 7 liquidation. “We need an independent fiduciary to come into this case and have a look at it…We need to stop the music here.”

Following an aborted Section 363 asset sale attempt, One Aviation received court approval in November to sell off the Eclipse 500/550 program to AML Global Eclipse LLC, with Nautical Hero Group bidding for assets related to Kestrel Aircraft. Arguments on the disbursement of funds from those sales and remaining company assets will now proceed under stewardship from the U.S. Trustee Program.

AML Global has maintained support for approximately 260 Eclipse aircraft worldwide and rehired many non-management One Aviation employees involved with that program. That process also hasn't been without some drama, as AML Global accused former management of hiding multiple files containing employee and financial records from the new owners, prompting a court order last month to preserve those documents.

Jet It Grows Footprint with Canadian Expansion

After announcing plans last month to expand to Canada, fractional operator Jet It said this week that it has aligned with Skyservice Business Aviation for aircraft management and operations there. “Skyservice is the premier operator in Canada with the best facilities, one of the largest managed fleets in North America, and they have a focused commitment to service for the full range of their capabilities,” said Jet It CEO Glenn Gonzales. “By aligning with Skyservice, our clients will be assured a high level of service reaching across the country.”

The North Carolina-based company also has hired Canadian aviation industry veteran Jeremi Austin to lead sales and operations there. A licensed pilot, Austin “has earned and maintained an incredible reputation throughout Canada and the U.S. and we are very fortunate to have him introducing Jet It to Canada,” Gonzales added.

With 10 HondaJets now in its fleet, Jet It said it expects to have its first Canadian-registered HondaJet operating in the coming months. With the expansion, the company is offering a C$2,200 ($1,731) hourly rate with no reposition fees, fuel surcharge, or landing fees. Through its fractional program, owners can purchase one-tenth to half of an aircraft and have an aircraft available to them for an entire day and only pay for the occupied time at that rate.

NASA Helicopter Lands on Mars

A NASA helicopter has landed on Mars. Attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover, the four-pound Ingenuity micro copter was parachuted onto the planet’s surface at Jezero Crater on Thursday afternoon following a flight that began at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 30, 2020. "The Ingenuity team has done everything to test the helicopter on Earth, and we are looking forward to flying our experiment in the real environment at Mars,” said MiMi Aung, Ingenuity’s project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

The coaxial rotor Ingenuity is equipped with four carbon fiber main rotor blades and is powered by solar cells and batteries. It does not carry scientific instruments. The aircraft is designed to operate in the extreme climate of the Red Planet, where temperatures can fall to -130 degrees F and the gravity is 62 percent lower than Earth’s.

In the coming weeks, NASA will run a variety of diagnostic tests on the helicopter to verify its ability to autonomously warm and charge itself before beginning a limited flight campaign anticipated for later this spring. Ingenuity will fly based on a series of commands and autonomously determine how to fly to a waypoint, according to NASA.

QTA Develops Repair for HTF7000 TR Door Corrosion

Quiet Technology Aerospace (QTA) has obtained FAA and EASA approvals for a lower-cost repair for recurring corrosion issues involving Honeywell HTF7000 engine thrust reverser (TR) doors. Applicable to the Bombardier Challenger 300/350, Gulfstream G280, Embraer Legacy 450/500 and Praetor 500/600, and Cessna Citation Longitude, the repair is approved for use even if the TR doors are deemed beyond economical repair, QTA said.

Martin Gardner, QTA executive v-p of engineering and customer support, explained that the TR doors are made from a one-piece 7075 aluminum casting that is subject to corrosion as jet exhaust washes across the surface in line with each core mixer nozzle lobe.

QTA has developed a “Life Extension Program” that involves structurally reinforcing the door with graphite doublers. This will extend the life of the TR doors until a permanent fix is finalized and approved, which QTA expects later this year. The company will offer credit for the permanent repair to customers who have their aircraft doors reinforced through the Life Extension Program.

“Finally, engineering and technology exist that can repair for now…and permanently resolve very soon, a horribly expensive and time-consuming problem that will not go away by installing new OEM doors,” said QTA president Barry Fine. “Our engineering and composite technology will terminate corrosion to the TR doors."

Baldwin Offers New Safety Tool Free to All Clients

Baldwin Safety and Compliance is now offering its Internal Evaluation Program (IEP)—a tool the company introduced last year to evaluate an organization across many facets and thus improve safety—to clients at no cost. IEP includes “Steps to Excellence” (S2E) and 10 to 15 operational audit questions derived from industry standards and regulatory sources each month.

“We felt it was important to provide open access to this tool so that we can identify emerging trends and make the industry aware,” said Baldwin director of standards Jason Starke. “One of the more important aspects of this IEP is that we have referenced many sources to provide a well-rounded and comprehensive assessment. We aren’t simply copying standards but identifying appropriate standards and regulations to support your operation.”

Baldwin’s IEP draws upon several different regulatory and best practice sources such as IS-BAO, IOSA, OSHA, and FARs. The FAA recommends an IEP should be performed on a three-year cycle, but Baldwin’s service is structured on a two-year cycle “to provide higher resolution and engagement.”

While its IEP is currently designed for traditional aircraft operators, Baldwin plans to further develop this service for unmanned aircraft systems and FBOs.

Legacy Flight Training Adds Piper M600/SLS Simulator

Piper Aircraft M600 factory training provider Legacy Flight Training has added a Frasca M600/SLS simulator that uses an actual fuselage, pilot seating, sub-panels, switching, and flight controls enabling real-world, model specific training. Legacy Flight Training—which has centers in Vero Beach, Florida, and Scottsdale, Arizona—is Piper’s exclusive training provider for the M600.

The new training device, which came online earlier this month at Legacy’s Vero Beach center, features Garmin G3000 avionics with Piper’s HALO safety system (which includes Garmin Autoland), in-flight stability protection, level mode, and autothrottle system. It also has a multi-channel projection system with wrap-around visuals.

“Piper has always held safety at the forefront of our culture and our products,” said Piper Aircraft v-p of sales, marketing, and customer support Ron Gunnarson. “Piper was the first OEM to certify Autoland in a general aviation aircraft. It is fitting that we have a device that can further enhance safety by providing customers with a high fidelity, realistic training environment.”

Photo of the Week

Please unfreeze me. Even during these chilly times, Jota Aviation continues to provide essential ad-hoc cargo capacity with its fleet of Avro RJs thanks to the aircraft deicing crew at London Biggin Hill. This image comes by way of Dan Wiggins from 8020 Communications. Thanks for sharing, Dan!

If you'd like to submit an entry for Photo of the Week, email a high-resolution horizontal image (at least 2000 x 1200 pixels), along with your name, contact information, social media names, and info about it (including brief description, location, etc.) to photos@ainonline.com. Tail numbers can be removed upon request. Those submitting photos give AIN implied consent to publish them in its publications and social media channels.