Dassault Expands Certifications for FalconEye

The FAA and EASA have granted certification for operational credit for low visibility approaches to 100 feet in Dassault Falcon 900LX, 2000LXS, and 2000S jets equipped with the FalconEye combined vision system (CVS). The 100-foot credit was certified last year on the Falcon 8X.

The FalconEye CVS, the first such system to be certified, allows both infrared and low-light camera-based enhanced vision system (EVS) and database-driven synthetic vision system (SVS) imagery to be displayed at the same time on the head-up display (HUD), but the images are not overlaid. FalconEye allows the pilot to adjust a horizontal split line between EVS and SVS, moving the line up or down the HUD combiner depending on the particular outside environment. An EVS conformal runway clear zone around the airport always remains visible to the pilot, even if the airport is within the SVS split region.

Dassault expects to receive certification of a dual-HUD FalconEye configuration next year, and this will enable EFVS-to-land capability. This new capability allows pilots to fly an approach and land solely by viewing the runway environment through the HUD, without using natural vision to see the runway.

The FalconEye HUD is optional on the Falcon 2000LXS, 2000S, 900LX, and 8X, and will also be offered on the 6X when it enters service in 2022.

AINsight: The Psychology of an Unstable Approach

Aviation safety and human factors practitioners around the globe are perplexed by one question: why don’t pilots go around from an unstable approach? Clearly, a go-around from an unstable approach is recognized as proven risk mitigation to reduce the number of approach and landing incidents and accidents, but flight crews fail to go around in 97 percent of all unstable approaches, according to a Flight Safety Foundation/Presage Group study.

This might be explained by the fact that, unlike the go/no-go takeoff decision, it is much more difficult to switch tasks during the approach and landing phase of flight. One of the greatest influences is that as flight nears completion, the internal pressures to complete that task increases. In other words, 95 percent of the flight might be complete and another trip around the traffic pattern or diverting to an alternate is a barrier to completing the task or is framed as a negative.

Training profiles in the simulator are designed to help a crew avoid cognitive lockup by encouraging crews to be more resilient by prioritizing and switching between competing tasks. This same mindset needs to be promoted during the approach and landing phase by actively deciding whether to go around or land—a “land/no land” decision.

GAMA: eVTOL Interest Expands as Development Accelerates

The electric and urban mobility community is rapidly expanding as more major companies jump into the fray and development of aircraft is occurring faster than originally thought, said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. During GAMA’s annual State of the Industry event this week, Bunce noted the association formed its Electric Propulsion and Innovation Committee (EPIC) in 2015 to focus on emerging technologies and urban mobility. EPIC has grown to 79 global companies that are “looking at where this new revolution in aviation is going,” he said, noting a Morgan Stanley study projects a total “addressable market” of $1.5 trillion for autonomous aircraft by 2040.

Bunce further stressed that the timeline is accelerating. “A lot of people didn’t think this was going to happen until well into the 2020s. It is happening now,” he said, noting executives this week held meetings with top regulators at the FAA about certification basis for these vehicles. Anna Dietrich, an eVTOL policy expert who co-founded Terrafugia, agreed, saying, “The time is now,” and adding that a number of credible players have joined the market.

As for certification, Dietrich said eVTOL developers are benefiting from the Part 23 rewrite, which was intended to facilitate the development of new technologies. However, she cautioned that getting these vehicles into the air will not happen overnight, suggesting the industry will have to take a crawl-walk-run approach to integration.

Eviation Taps Siemens for Alice’s Electric Motors

Eviation Aircraft has selected Siemens to provide high-power electric propulsion systems for the nine-passenger Alice. The all-electric airplane is expected to be able to fly 650 nm at a speed of 220 knots on a single charge, according to Eviation.

“Siemens was selected for its leading development in extremely low-weight and high-power compact efficient motors designed to meet aviation standards and safety regulations,” Eviation said. “With a significant push toward bringing all-electric flight to regional markets, Siemens and Eviation will work on propulsion-system integration, including electrical integration, fly-by-wire system connectivity, thermal-management system development, and mechanical mounting.”

Siemens head of eAircraft Dr. Fran Alton said the partnership “will serve as an industry milestone to demonstrate information exchange and system adaptations to create the first all-electric solution.”

Alice will be displayed at the Paris Air Show in June and is slated to achieve first flight later this year. Certification is scheduled for 2021, with deliveries to follow in 2022. Eviation said the airplane will incorporate advances in thermal management, autonomous landing, distributed electric propulsion, battery technology, and composite body frames.

Bizjets Get More Hangar Space at Subic Bay Airport

Aviation Concepts Technical Services (ACTSI) has signed a 25-year lease with the Philippines’ Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for a nearly 18,000-sq-m (193,750-sq-ft) hangar at Subic Bay International Airport for business jet operations.

ACTSI plans to refurbish the former U.S. Navy hangars by the third quarter, using the space for business jet parking and MRO services. The company holds Part 145 approvals from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands and Bermuda and is working toward expanding its capabilities to include similar approval from the U.S. FAA.

“With the added push coming from government, we will be able to jointly launch ACTSI’s services this year together with Subic Airport’s 24/7 capability,” said SBMA chairperson and administrator Wilma “Amy” T. Eisma. The airport is expected to eventually be managed by the proposed Philippine Airport Development Corp., which will oversee construction, maintenance, and operation of all airports in the country.

Bombardier Funds Design, Green Technologies Research

Bombardier is investing $16.7 million over three years into two cooperative aerospace research projects involving advanced aircraft systems design and development and more environmentally friendly technologies. Both projects are part of larger industry, government, academic, and research institute collaborations.

“Through this strong alliance between industry, government, and researcher partners, we are proud to not only push the limits of technology and build greener, more efficient aircraft but also to increase the competitiveness of the Québec aerospace industry,” said Bombardier chief technology officer François Caza.

The first, Aéro21, will involve 24 companies and a $49.3 million investment over three years. The Government of Quebec is contributing 25 percent of that total and Bombardier is committing $14.2 million. The Montreal-headquartered manufacturer said its participation would focus on expanding the use of computerized models to test aircraft systems and components from design through certification. The goal is to bring products to market faster and at lower development costs.

The remaining part of the Bombardier investment is for the third phase of the Smart Affordable Green Efficient (SA²GE) project. Launched in 2010, the project is exploring possibilities for “smarter, more efficient, and effective technologies” that reduce the environmental footprint. One area being explored under this project is the development of multifunctional business and commercial aircraft wings that optimize aerodynamics and weight, reducing costs and fuel consumption.

Britten-Norman Expands Manufacturing Footprint

Omani-owned UK aircraft manufacturer Britten Norman has signed leases on two additional hangars at its Solent Airport base, on the south coast of England. Airport owner Fareham Borough Council has recently built several new hangars at the site to expand its business park.

The expansion adds 13,000 sq ft and will be used for “a new aircraft final assembly plant,” along with aircraft refurbishment, MRO services, international field servicing, and specialist avionics and mission system integration.

Meanwhile, the expansion will allow the company's BN Defence subsidiary to use the existing facilities “to expand output to meet increased demand in the military MRO sector,” said the company, which builds a military version of the Islander called the Defender 4000.

Britten-Norman CEO William Hynett told AIN that, having managed to survive the 2008 financial crisis, the company looked to support Islander operators around the world. He estimates that approximately two-thirds of the 1,300 Islanders built remain in operation.

While it is manufacturing only four new airframes a year (with an order book for a couple of years), upgrading and modifying aircraft has provided a rich stream of work—and the company is interested in acquiring aircraft also for upgrading. The new aircraft now have Garmin 600 cockpits as standard, so this is being offered as a retrofit.

UK’s Inflite Buys Excellence Aviation Services

UK-based Inflight The Jet Centre, which operates an FBO and MRO at London Stansted Airport, has purchased Bombardier aircraft maintenance specialist Excellence Aviation Services (EAS). The acquisition includes the Part 145 repair operation and continuing airworthiness management organization (CAMO) as well as Excellence Aviation Ltd., its Part NCC aircraft management business.

Working from Inflight’s 250,000 sq ft of hangar space at Stansted, EAS will expand its offerings from line service to full base maintenance for Challengers and Globals, in addition to continue providing line maintenance at London Oxford, Luton, and Farnborough Airports. EAS founder Colin Solley and partner Mike Smith will remain with the company, which will also add two additional maintenance technicians to its staff of 12.

“This strategic acquisition is a perfect fit for us,” said Inflite managing director Christoffer Creutz. “Excellence Aviation Services’ Bombardier capabilities and services complement our long-established activity on Embraer Executive Jets and Boeing BBJ platforms, and together with our dedicated VVIP corporate FBO at Stansted, we can offer a full turnkey solution to EAS’s customers too.”

Flying into Tough Airports: London City, UK

AIN spent some time in a Falcon 900EX level D simulator at FlightSafety International’s Teterboro learning center to learn how to fly into some of the toughest airports in the world.

Today’s challenging airport is London City, which is surrounded by water and urban development. Aircraft and aircrews need to be certified to land here because of the required steep 5.5-degree approach glidepath, which is in force for noise abatement.