On Friday, the FAA released the list of 50 airports that will have buffer zones when wireless companies turn on new 5G C-band service on January 19. In a statement, the agency said many airports are not currently affected by the new 5G deployment and were thus omitted from the list of 5G-buffered airports. “These include airports not in the 46 markets where the new service will be deployed and airports that do not currently have the ability to allow low-visibility landings,” the FAA added.
The FAA said it will continue to “work with the aerospace manufacturers and wireless companies to make sure 5G is safely deployed and to limit the risk of flight disruptions at all airports.” After intense negotiations earlier this week, AT&T and Verizon agreed to turn off transmitters and make other adjustments at airports on the list for six months to minimize the potential for C-band interference with aircraft radar altimeters.
Release of the list was praised by airline interests, including National Air Carrier Association (NACA) president and CEO George Novak. “NACA’s airlines look forward to continue working collaboratively with the FAA, manufacturers, and telecom companies,” he said, “to ensure that the first phase of 5G C-band deployment does not result in significant operational disruptions and that all segments of the industry have input into the process as we move forward.”
Satcom Direct (SD) and AI-powered spend management platform MySky have signed a strategic integration agreement with tax reclamation specialist VAT IT USA to offer streamlined VAT and tax reclamation services. Customers who sign up for the service can have inputted expense and invoice data analyzed and processed by tax specialists for VAT reclamation.
Under the partnership between the three entities, SD’s Pro digital flight operations platform will facilitate the VAT IT recovery option with the MySky financial module. MySky will provide SD Pro users access to financial data and tools to help owners and operators reduce costs and refine spending. The addition of VAT IT will provide a means to simplify tax recovery, which SD said can be cumbersome and time-consuming.
“This arrangement showcases the benefits of our open-architecture platform, which allows integration of third-party suppliers to deliver tangible added value to the user experience,” said Chris Moore, president of business aviation for SD.
integration begins immediately for complimentary initial VAT IT services, with full tax reclamation services anticipated to become available through SD Pro and MySky in the second quarter.
Gendarmerie Nationale, the French National Police, has ordered 10 new Airbus H160 medium twin helicopters as part of a contract for the procurement of 169 H160Ms for the French Ministry of Armed Forces. The latter is part of a 2020 government stimulus plan to support France’s aeronautical industry. This order means the company now has H160 customers for offshore transportation, private and business aviation, search and rescue, and law enforcement missions, according to Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even.
These H160s for the Gendarmerie Nationale will be equipped with a Safran Euroflir 410 electro-optical system and winching and fast-roping capabilities. The air force command center of the Gendarmerie Nationale and Airbus are also developing a tailored H160 mission management system.
The agency already operates a mixed fleet of Airbus H125, H135, and H145 helicopters. Adding the H160 is expected to bring a new troop transport capability to the French Ministry of Interior’s security forces—mainly tactical units such as the Gendarmerie Nationale’s intervention group (GIGN). The first H160s will be delivered before the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, to be distributed to four bases around the country.
Stratos Jet Charters has partnered with cryptocurrency exchange FTX US to accept payments in crypto and fiat through the FTX Pay platform. The service will be available only to FTX customers in the U.S.
Under the partnership, the Orlando, Florida-based charter broker chooses which coins or crypto it will accept for payments by way of the Stratos Marketplace online booking platform. Stratos customers will be charged a 1.5 percent fee compared with a 4 percent fee associated with standard credit card payments.
“With the current unprecedented level of demand for private aviation, Stratos was looking for a more secure and efficient way of securing client payments for charter flights,” said Stratos CEO Joel Thomas. “We felt that accepting crypto as a form of payment would dramatically reduce our risk versus credit cards and we selected FTX Pay due to the sophisticated simplicity of its platform and its ability to seamlessly integrate it within our air charter marketplace.”
Thomas added that in the first week of integrating the platforms about a half-million dollars in revenue was transacted.
Elite Jets recently added four pilots and three support staff members as demand for the Naples, Florida charter operator’s services continues to grow. New pilots include Ralf Herrmann, an Embraer Legacy 500 captain, and Phenom 300 captains Pascal Collafarina, Matt Simpson, and Ken Urtz. Also joining the Elite Jets team are executive charter consultant Sean Nash, flight operations specialist Nick Farese, and airframe and powerplant mechanic Brian Adams.
“Elite Jets experienced a surge in demand during the pandemic, and that trend shows no sign of slowing down as we head into 2022,” said Elite Jets executive v-p Stephen Myers. “Affluent business and leisure travelers are opting to travel privately for convenience and safety, and we are adding staff to ensure our clients continue enjoying an exceptional travel experience.”
Based at Naples Airport (KAPF), the six-year-old company operates a fleet of four Phenom 300s, a Legacy 500, and a Bell 407 helicopter. It also manages a Hawker 850XP.
FlightSafety International (FSI) and sister company NetJets are investing $225,000 in the Ohio Air & Space (OAS) Hall of Fame and Learning Center as part of a renovation of the original Port Columbus air terminal and tower. The gift from FSI and NetJets—both Columbus, Ohio-based Berkshire Hathaway companies—will be coupled with a state matching grant to enable OAS to begin work on the renovation. The 12,000-sq-ft, three-story terminal, which was dedicated in 1929 and is on the National Register of Historic Places, is at the southeast corner of John Glenn International Airport.
NetJets will be the presenter of the OAS Founders Walk, which will be a series of exterior public displays highlighting the terminal’s historic significance and key local and national leaders who played a role in its creation. NetJets was founded in 1964 at the airport as Executive Jet Aviation, originally based in Port Columbus Hangar One.
FSI, meanwhile, will be the presenter of two flight simulator stations planned for the OAS center, with each station incorporating a pair of simulators. One station will be available to the public on the first floor as part of OAS exhibits and displays. The second will be used for a youth learning center on the second floor of the center.
OAS anticipates completing the first phase of the renovation this year.
Faced with an FAA mandate to expand the runway safety area (RSA) on its primary Runway 18/36, Alabama’s Auburn University Regional Airport (KAUO) is looking to expand its property into neighboring land that is now occupied by a golf course. Under a plan now being considered, the university-owned airport would acquire a portion of land that spans a road and a section of the Indian Pines Golf Course, to increase its 300-foot RSA to a standard 1,000 feet.
According to airport manager Bill Hutto, the deal would involve approximately $3 million in FAA AIP grants, state funding, university funding, and local contributions for the property purchase, as well as the engineering and environmental assessment reports. He told AIN that the road would need to be closed and the golf course holes realigned in preparation for the new RSA. Once that is accomplished, the airport could begin construction of the required additional RSA at the north end of the runway, which would cost approximately $5.35 million.
While the installation of an EMAS barrier would preclude the need for additional land, Hutto noted that that option would shorten the runway. “It would take us below 5,000 feet of usable runway at that end, so that’s not ideal,” Hutto said. “You go below 5,000 feet, that hurts economic development.”
The airport expects a final decision on the plan by the end of April.
Sheltair and Avfuel have opened the application window for their new “Future Takes Flight” scholarship program. Announced in November, the program will offer a total of six $5,000 scholarships divided evenly among three categories: flight training, maintenance training, and continuing education, which the companies hope will support advancement across a broad scope of educational opportunities within business aviation.
Completed applications and essay submissions must be submitted by June 1, and will then be reviewed by a team of executives from the two companies with an emphasis placed on those demonstrating financial necessity. Recipients will be notified on August 1, and will be announced at NBAA-BACE this October in Orlando, Florida. The companies intend to make Future Takes Flight an annual program.
“The Sheltair and Avfuel teams are humbled by the opportunities this great industry has afforded us—enabling us to thrive as collaborative partners for nearly 10 years,” said Joel Hirst, Avfuel’s senior v-p of sales. “It is our privilege to support career advancement opportunities within business aviation. It’s our collective way to celebrate our industry, support its future, and show our appreciation.”
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 2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
