Global business aircraft flight activity was up 32.6 percent from January 2021, according to Argus International’s January 2022 Aircraft Activity Report. The North American market recorded a yearly gain of 22.7 percent while Europe jumped 73.4 percent, based on TraqPak data that tracks business aircraft IFR flights.
In North America, all categories saw yearly increases of at least 20 percent with Part 135 operations leading the way at 23.2 percent. Part 91 flights followed with a 22.6 percent increase while fractional activity rose 21.1 percent.
Among aircraft types in North America, activity gains were the highest among large-cabin jets, up 39 percent from January 2021. Midsize jets recorded an improvement of 25.8 percent and light jet activity increased 22.7 percent year-over-year. Turboprops were up just 12.5 percent.
Year-over-year large-cabin activity surged 142.3 percent in Europe with midsize jets following at 68.1 percent. Light jet and turboprop activity in the continent was up 63.6 percent and 27.7 percent, respectively.
Other regions of the world recorded more than 51,000 flights in January and overall activity for the year was up 57.4 percent.
It could be years, not months, before there is a comprehensive solution to the 5G C-band radar altimeter interference problem, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson warned the House Aviation Subcommittee late last week. Dickson said the ultimate solution is to develop new standards for radar altimeters and that the FAA is working with the RTCA in that regard and hopes to settle on a new standard early next year.
Dickson blamed the ongoing struggle to issue an ever-growing flurry of alternative means of compliance (AMOC) approvals for aircraft, radar altimeters, and airports to more than 1,500 notams dealing with C-band radar altimeter interference to the lateness with which the FAA received relevant data from the two chief 5G C-band wireless carriers, AT&T and Verizon. But he also soft-pedaled criticism of those companies.
Cathryn Stephens, airport director at Eugene, Oregon, warned the subcommittee that the solutions negotiated between the FAA and the wireless industry are “limited and temporary.” She said the notams pose “significant challenges” at her home airport and, had they been in place in 2021, would have impacted 40 percent of flights there during 90 low-visibility days.
HAI president James Viola encouraged the subcommittee to consider not just the impact of 5G C-band interference on helicopter operations, but also the emerging eVTOL market. He said helicopters “could very well conduct their entire flight within zones of this [5G] interference” due to their low operating altitudes.
On-demand charter operator Verijet is expanding its service to include points in the Caribbean, the Opa-locka, Florida-based startup announced this week. The company noted service to the Caribbean will be available on a limited basis because of government restrictions and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Established in October 2020 and operating a fleet of Cirrus SF50 Vision jets, Verijet offers short-haul charter flights in the Southeast and parts of the Western U.S. In its first year of business, the company completed more than 1,200 flights. “We've seen tremendous adoption of our service on the East Coast with 51 percent repeat customers since launching in 2020, and we expect to see the same in the Caribbean market,” said Verijet chairman and CEO Richard Kane.
Verijet’s focus is on providing sustainable travel and as such uses the single-engine Vision jet to save more than one ton of CO2 per hour of operation compared with other light jets. The charter company has also partnered with carbon offset credit provider 4Air to further reduce its carbon footprint.
A coalition of aviation trade groups including GAMA, HAI, NATA, and NBAA has issued a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting an expansion of the feedstocks approved for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production as it ponders an update to the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).
The letter, issued in response to the agency’s request for comments on a proposed RFS rule, states that expansion of the list of eligible feedstocks to include additional sources such as municipal solid waste and woody biomass would create new opportunities for increased SAF production through the approval of new technology processes. It would also ensure that the renewable volume obligations (RVO)–which determine how many gallons of renewable biofuel should be blended into each year’s fuel supply–are set at levels that will allow greater supplies of those fuels.
The alphabet groups noted that such changes to the RFS, established in 2005, would be crucial in meeting the White House’s previously announced “SAF Grand Challenge,” which set an annual goal of 3 billion gallons of SAF production by 2030.
“The RFS has been driving growth from biofuels and accomplishing what creators of the program aimed for—deployment of domestic ultra-clean renewable fuel,” stated the letter addressed to EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “For this success to continue, certainty must be provided to the market."
Sikorsky teased expectations of its plans for the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector at the Electric VTOL Symposium, which was part of the Vertical Flight Society’s 2022 Transformative Vertical Flight event in San Jose, California, at the end of January. The company’s strategy lead, Jonathan Hartman, spelled out what Sikorsky views as technological priorities for product development, without delivering a specific punchline regarding what the market can expect from it.
“We need to start talking about operationalizing these technologies,” Hartman said. “How do we take something that is rather abstract and turn it into real products and applications that customers can apply to their businesses?”
At the top of Sikorsky’s priorities for a new generation of technologies are electrified powertrains—battery-powered, fuel cell-powered, or hybrid, he said. “The ability to shift from mechanical drive trains to electrified ones has the potential to change the way our products are used in both current and emerging missions.”
Optionally-piloted technologies will also play a big part in improving the way customers use VTOL aircraft, Hartman added. Here, Sikorsky is leaning on its suite of Matrix technology, which combines software and hardware components to create an intelligence system that gives operators the ability to fly their large rotorcraft as autonomous or piloted.
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Electric vehicle manufacturer Waev is introducing additions to its aircraft ground service product lineup—the all-new, fully-integrated lithium-ion battery-powered Tiger tow tug and the Taylor-Dunne Bigfoot utility vehicle series. Orders are now being accepted for both vehicles.
The California-based company acquired the Taylor-Dunne and Tiger product lines last year, and the new Tiger tug, while offering the same 60,000-pound tow capacity as its conventionally-powered predecessor models, now has the benefits of zero-emissions, the option for standard 110V charging, increased run time before recharging, and improved cold-weather performance.
The Bigfoot utility vehicle, which can be used inside as well as outdoors on airports, has a range of up to 60 miles, can carry loads up to 3,000 pounds, and has a towing capacity of 10,000 pounds. It can be customized with full cabs, enclosures, and racks, as well as matching carts.
“The future of GSE is electric,” noted Waev president and CEO Keith Simon. “Electric makes sense for work, for safety, and for the environment. As airports and operators are prioritizing sustainability, carbon-neutral, and net-zero solutions like never before, we are bringing high performance, trusted solutions that enable this.”
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
Provided by
At which atmospheric temperature does snow occur?
A. Snow occurs when the temperature remains just above freezing throughout the entire depth of the atmosphere that the precipitation crosses when falling.
B. Snow occurs when the temperature remains below freezing throughout the entire depth of the atmosphere that the precipitation crosses when falling.
C. Snow occurs when already formed water droplets freeze when falling.
Higher costs and lower revenues combined to produce disappointing financial results for helicopter operator Bristow Group in the fourth quarter, according to CEO Chris Bradshaw. Revenue for the quarter stood at $295.6 million, down from $301.6 million in the third quarter.
Bradshaw said the company basically broke even, compared with a modest $2.8 million profit in the third quarter. However, he said Bristow is well-positioned to take advantage of a surging offshore oil and gas market going forward and noted that the company still has $326 million of liquidity.
Several factors combined to dent the company’s most recent quarterly bottom line, including $3.4 million in costs related to the temporary relocation of operations to alternate base locations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico due to damage caused by Hurricane Ida, $3.1 million to the timing of major repairs, $1.1 million in conjunction with aircraft lease return costs, a $3 million adverse variance in foreign currency exchange, and a $1.8 million decline in equity earnings from unconsolidated affiliates.
Higher oil and gas revenues were offset by reduced flight hours from the company’s UK search-and-rescue contract and lower revenues from the company’s fixed-wing service, which it blamed on Covid-19 and seasonality. Bristow was also forced to take a $2.9 million write-down on its inventory of Airbus H225 parts.
The new inReach Mini 2 satellite communications device is now available from Garmin and offers increased battery life and access to Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou satellite positioning networks, in addition to the U.S. GPS constellation. Battery life now allows up 30 days of continuous use in 30-minute tracking mode or up to 14 days with 10-minute tracking. Retail price is $399.99.
Like the original inReach Mini, the Mini 2 can be used for sending and receiving text messages and to alert rescuers in emergency situations via Garmin’s IERCC emergency response coordination center. The Mini 2 is also compatible with Garmin’s Explore mobile app, allowing downloading of maps, creating a course, navigating, typing messages, and obtaining current weather information. Pilots can pair the Mini 2 with Garmin avionics, smartwatches such as the D2 Air, and the Garmin Pilot mobile app, as well as marine chart plotters and in-vehicle navigators. To trigger an SOS, the user can push a safeguarded button on the Mini 2 or do so directly from the paired device.
A new feature on the Mini 2 is a “quick view” look at device widgets with essential information. The Mini 2 display also boasts a greater resolution, providing “optimized viewing in all conditions,” according to Garmin.
Monthly service plans start at $11.95, and a plan is required for communications using the inReach Mini 2.
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