In response to a recently published white paper by Greenpeace highlighting the CO2 emissions from business aircraft headed to the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, this week, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), NBAA, and NATA have issued a rebuttal statement.
The organizations countered the document’s assertion that the WEF draws as many as 1,000 extra flights, faulting its methodology and claiming its totals include activity not associated with the event, as well as that of military and government aircraft. WEF itself notes that the number of private jet movements for the event is typically around 250.
For officials and other people heading to the event, business aviation offers more benefits than other forms of transportation, the groups noted. Davos is in a remote, mountainous area, and, while travel to it from London by train takes a full day each way, by private aircraft that span drops to just 1.5 hours. As well, private aviation offers a higher degree of security, which is important to government officials and business leaders.
Lastly, the organizations pointed to their industry’s track record of progress in sustainability, with continuous improvement driven by research and development leading the push toward the decarbonization of the aviation sector. The conference organizers partnered with Jet Aviation this year to make sustainable aviation fuel book-and-claim service available to visitors.
SmartSky Networks said an FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) has been completed for the installation of its air-to-ground connectivity hardware on Dassault Falcon 900 trijets. This marks the first STC for SmartSky hardware on a Falcon.
More than 400 Falcon 900-series jets are in service, according to SmartSky. “Since SmartSky’s next-generation service for business aviation became available nationwide [in the U.S.], it has continued to impress, even in the most demanding use cases—from executives having full access to office applications and VPNs to teens using FaceTime and TikTok,” said SmartSky CEO Dave Helfgott. “Bringing SmartSky to Dassault Falcon airframes is an important addition to our available STCs for business aviation aircraft. In addition, we have multiple new STCs in progress and we are laser-focused on expanding availability to meet escalating demand.”
The Falcon 900 STC builds on approvals for SmartSky hardware on other business jet types from OEMs such as Textron Aviation, Gulfstream Aerospace, Bombardier, and Embraer.
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen is visiting with the Chicago Area Business Aviation Association (CABAA) today to discuss local and broader national issues, such as what is in store for Congress this year. On a local level, Bolen anticipates having a dialog about legislation under consideration by the Illinois General Assembly that would credit $2 per gallon for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) purchases. This dovetails with NBAA’s focus on sustainability industry-wide and the belief that SAF is a key toward the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Another issue at both the national and local levels is workforce development. NBAA noted CABAA has been especially active in workforce development through scholarships, training, and other outreach initiatives. The CABAA Educational Foundation awards more than $90,000 in funding each year for students.
“CABAA sets the standard for local and regional groups in terms of workforce development and supporting new entrants to the business aviation workforce,” said NBAA senior program director and Southwest regional director Steve Hadley.
The gathering today kicks off NBAA’s regional outreach efforts this year. “CABAA is one of the oldest local and regional groups in the country and is made up of some of NBAA’s most active members,” Hadley added. “This event continues to be a great opportunity for us to renew our combined commitment to coordinated advocacy on local and national issues.”
Safran Helicopters has signed an SBH contract with Yellowhead Helicopters to provide support-by-the-hour of the Arriel engines powering Yellowhead's Airbus AS350 and H125 fleets. The SBH contract formalizes a long-term MRO and services agreement for 21 engines.
Safran Helicopter Engines Canada in Mirabel, Quebec, will manage the contract. That unit provides customers in North America with support services for the Arriel and Arrius engines such as the repair and overhaul of engines, modules, and accessories.
“This contract is a reflection of the strong relationship the two companies have nurtured over the years,” said Safran Helicopter Engines Canada CEO Stewart Noel.
Yellowhead operates missions for the forestry, mining, oil and gas, utility, and tourism industries. “This partnership has grown over the past 10 years,” said Yellowhead CEO and accountable executive Jacob Forman. “Within Yellowhead Helicopters, Safran Helicopter Engines Canada team is recognized as a top-tier partner providing exceptional support and service, integral in the continued growth and success of our company.”
A compensation perception survey recently undertaken by NBAA highlighted a general ambivalence toward salaries that the association warned could represent a red flag regarding employee satisfaction.
The survey—which solicited opinions on topics such as salary, bonus, pension, and medical benefits—involved 116 participants, 54 percent of whom were bosses, NBAA said. About two-thirds of the respondents were pilots, while the remainder held maintenance, scheduling, and other industry positions. NBAA said the perception survey is the first of its kind in the industry and is designed to provide insights on how aviation departments can strengthen their approach to reward and payment.
Survey results revealed that 401(k) vesting periods were generally viewed poorly while stock options and deferred compensation were welcomed for long-term retention. However, AirComp Calculator founder and CEO and NBAA Business Aviation Management Committee member Christopher Broyhill added that most responses related to compensation appeared neutral and there was little difference in the responses from bosses and non-bosses. “For me, this ambivalence is a potential red flag. You want your people to be thrilled with how you compensate them, so you want a better reaction from your employees than ambivalence.”
While that may not mean a mass exodus, it could place pressure on retention, he said. There could have been other factors playing into the survey such as timing and sample size, Broyhill added.
Jet It has selected Gogo Business Aviation’s Avance L3 air-to-ground connectivity solution for installation on its fleet of HondaJets, Gulfstream G150s, and Embraer Phenom 300 business jets.
“After carefully evaluating every inflight connectivity solution, Gogo was the clear winner for the 26 aircraft in our fleet,” said Jet It founder and CEO Glenn Gonzales. “We've been a longtime customer of Gogo's, and the Avance L3 has been proven to meet the connectivity needs of our customers. The service Gogo provides is reliable and affordable and their customer support meets the demanding schedules our busy coast-to-coast operations require.”
The fractional aircraft provider has Gogo connectivity systems installed on its HondaJets and will install Avance L3 for the remainder of its fleet, including every new Phenom 300. Avance L3 is Gogo’s connectivity solution for light jets and includes Gogo Vision 360, which provides unlimited streaming of on-demand movies, TV programming, and other services such as 3D moving maps.
Blade Air Mobility’s stock surged 11 percent in early trading this morning after the Wall Street Journal reported that private-equity firm RedBird Capital Partners had taken a more than 5 percent stake in the company. RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale has been a personal investor in Blade since 2016.
Over the last 12 months, Blade shares have shed 32 percent of their value, but are up more than 21 percent year-to-date. Blade has a market capitalization of $300 million.
RedBird holds positions in media and professional sports teams, including the Boston Red Sox, and Blade founder and CEO Rob Wiesentha said he believes combining passenger air mobility with Redbird’s entertainment/event portfolio presents a growth opportunity.
Nearly half of Blade’s revenues are now generated by organ transport via its MediMobility division. Those revenues grew by 801 percent to $20.2 million in the third quarter from the prior-year period due to organic growth of 174 percent and the acquisition of Trinity Air Medical. MediMobility is now the largest dedicated air transporter of human transplant organs in the U.S., serving 67 transplant centers and organ procurement organizations.
However, Blade continues to lose money even as passenger and medical revenues increase. In the third quarter, Blade lost $9.2 million on revenues of $45.7 million.
Vortex Aircraft Services has signed on to Embraer’s Beacon web- and app-based maintenance coordination platform. Beacon is designed to enhance maintenance coordination and responsiveness to AOG services, simplify communication around maintenance events regarding all types of aircraft, streamline workflows, and improve efficiency and knowledge exchange.
Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Vortex provides AOG and scheduled maintenance for commercial and private aviation. Luis Osuna, Vortex founder and director of maintenance, said joining Beacon will help with the company’s plans to expand its operations in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is a “strategic location” for Vortex’s operations supporting air carriers in the Southeast U.S.
“We firmly believe in strengthening the quality of work and response for our customers,” Osuna said. “By joining Beacon, we continue to make our relationship more dynamic between our customers and us so we can keep them flying.”
Model(s): BO-105A, BO-105C, BO-105S, BO-105LSA1/A2, BK117A1/A3/A4, BK117B1/B2, BK117C1/C2, and BK117D2
Published: January 12, 2023
Effective: January 16, 2023
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Requires a one-time detailed inspection of the horizontal stabilizer central box; reporting the results to Piaggio Aerospace for determination of the severity level of the corrosion; depending on the outcome, repetitive detailed inspections of the central box; and any necessary corrective action(s). For airplanes found to have level 3 corrosion, AD requires repair or replacement of the horizontal stabilizer, which terminates the repetitive inspections. Prompted by an occurrence where, during scheduled maintenance, corrosion was found inside the horizontal stabilizer central box. Subsequent investigation and inspection of 16 other airplanes representative of the the complete P.180 fleet revealed corrosion at different levels of severity on the various aluminium alloy reinforcements in the horizontal stabilizer central box. This corrosion was caused by formation of a humid environment inside the box due to water ingress and/or condensation, which promoted galvanic phenomena. Further investigation revealed that airplanes subjected to prolonged inactivity and parked outside are more prone to suffer from corrosion damage.
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