Boeing’s Autonomous Air Taxi Completes First Flight

Boeing NeXT completed the first test flight yesterday of its electrically powered, fully autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) eVTOL prototype in Manassas, Virginia. The two- to four-passenger aircraft, designed by Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, completed a controlled takeoff, hover and landing during the flight, which tested the vehicle's autonomous functions and ground control systems. Future flights will test forward, wing-borne flight, as well as the transition phase between vertical and forward-flight modes.

The PAV measures 30 feet long, 28 feet wide, and has a maximum range of 50 miles. It integrates propulsion and wing lift to achieve hover and forward flight. Power is distributed to a multi-blade propulsor in the rear of the aircraft for thrust and to eight smaller rotors positioned on beams beneath the wings to create lift during hover/low-speed operations. 

"This is what revolution looks like, and it's because of autonomy,” said John Langford, president and CEO of Aurora Flight Sciences. “Certifiable autonomy is going to make quiet, clean, and safe urban air mobility possible.” Boeing NeXt also is developing other platforms, including an unmanned fully electric cargo air vehicle (CAV) designed to transport up to 500 pounds. The CAV has been successfully flown indoors and will transition to outdoor flying later this year.

MROs Look To High Schools To Alleviate Mx Tech Shortage

While finding qualified talent is difficult for many industries, for aviation the mechanic pool is only expected to get tighter due to anticipated retirements, increased demand for aircraft maintenance, competition from outside the industry, and a broader lack of awareness of the need for mechanics outside of aviation.

That has led recruiters to look at current high school students or recent graduates to meet the demand for technicians. On this front, C&L Aerospace started an apprenticeship program about four years ago, and so far has trained 20 of its A&Ps this way. “We’re basically hiring kids who have mechanical aptitude and are willing to learn,” said C&L maintenance director Phil Miholovich. “That’s proven to be quite successful.”

Meanwhile, Textron Aviation recently partnered with Wichita Public Schools and Wichita State University Tech on a program called Aviation Pathways, which is being piloted by four Wichita high schools with plans to expand it across Kansas. The program aims to promote skilled careers in aviation to high school students, allowing them to take classes at WSU Tech that can satisfy their high school graduation requirements while also receiving training in an aviation manufacturing trade or as an aircraft mechanic. “That’s a huge step for us in regard to exposure for the future workforce and pipeline,” said Textron Aviation senior v-p of human resources Maggie Topping.

Groups Unite To Defend Brazil’s Largest Bizav Airport

Brazilian aviation associations filled an auditorium at São Paulo Campo de Marte Airport on Monday evening to forge a common front against a proposal by the state’s newly elected governor to close the airfield and turn it into a park. Campo de Marte, which is near São Paulo's city-center, is Brazil’s busiest general aviation airport and ranks eighth in the country overall, with 70,000 operations last year.

“The cause is more than just, more than noble, and I’ll speak to everyone from aldermen to the president of the republic,” vowed the state’s newly elected senator, Sérgio Olímpio Gomes. State legislator Oscar Castello Branco, another of the politicians forming the “legislative front” to defend the airport, echoed this sentiment. Jorge Bittar, president of Brazilian air taxi association ABTaer, presented the paper outlining this position.

Flávio Pires, CEO of Brazilian business and general aviation association ABAG, provided a more technical defense of the airfield, refuting the governor’s professed safety concerns. He added that the airport has been the country’s fifth-busiest by number of operations and is likely to move up again as the economy recovers, since “business aviation swings are wider than that for commercial aviation.” Pires also pointed out that Campo de Marte could serve as a support base for emerging eVTOL urban air mobility solutions.

Gulfstream Kicks Off Full Customer Support Event Lineup

Gulfstream Aerospace has lined up a busy schedule of customer support events for this year that will include 10 operator forums, in addition to two customer advisory board (CAB) meetings and a virtual operators conference, among other events.

“Each event is an opportunity for us to interact with our operators, get their crucial feedback, and discuss a host of topics that provide them with information, products, and services,” said Derek Zimmerman, president of Gulfstream’s Customer Support organization,

The schedule kicked off yesterday with a flight operations session timed to coincide with the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland. In its third year, the event is designed to provide Gulfstream crews with an overview of advanced aircraft technology and connectivity.

Gulfstream, which first held its CAB meetings in 1998, calls them the staple of its support organization, providing a forum for advisory board members to discuss concerns and provide comment about Gulfstream aircraft and services. These meetings are held twice a year at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center.

To be held the week of June 17, the biennial virtual operator's conference features Gulfstream experts who provide updates on aircraft programs, regulatory mandates, select aircraft systems, and critical inspections. Meanwhile, the operator forums are scheduled throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia this year.

Atlas Adds Honeywell HTF7500, APUs to Service Approvals

Bremen, Germany–based Atlas Air Service has been named an authorized service center for Honeywell Aerospace, allowing Atlas to perform line maintenance on Honeywell HTF7500 engines and GTCP 36-150 and RE100 auxiliary power units. The EASA and FAA Part 145 provider can service Honeywell engines and/or APUs on a range of Cessna Citations—including the Excel/XLS/XLS+, Sovereign/Sovereign+, and Latitude—as well as the Embraer Legacy 450 and 500.

Administrative tasks and logistics for the services can be handled through Honeywell's maintenance service plan (MSP), Atlas said. Along with line maintenance, Atlas Air Service provides 24/7 aircraft on ground service with its mobile support team.

In addition to Honeywell products, Atlas Air Service is an authorized service center for Embraer Executive Jets and Williams International, as well as an authorized sales representative for Embraer Executive Jets in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Providing business aviation services for more than 45 years, the company employs 250 at its locations in Bremen, Ganderkesee, and Augsburg, Germany.

Western LLC Joins Hangar Development Group

Aviation real estate developer Western LLC has formed a strategic partnership with Oaktree Capital Management and Connor Capital SB to develop, build, finance, and manage corporate and business aviation infrastructure assets across the U.S. Known as American Corporate Airport Partners (ACAP), the new entity is backed by an initial $100 million capital investment by Oaktree to finance hangar construction projects.

“We are extremely excited to form this partnership with Oaktree,” noted Western CEO Brad Henderson. “The depth of knowledge, commitment to improving U.S. transportation infrastructure, and experience of the Oaktree team contribute to the strong strategic and financial partnership that allows Western to scale operations and continue to deliver projects on time and under budget for customers.”

ACAP’s first project, a corporate hangar complex with a 30-year lease at San Antonio International Airport, has already broken ground and is expected to be finished by year-end. The remainder of the Oaktree capital will be applied to future Western projects.

“To date, the ownership of these critical airport assets is highly fragmented and comes with significant barriers to entry,” said Oaktree co-portfolio manager Emmett McCann. “As a result, we believe there is opportunity in this market for ACAP to provide its developmental expertise, as well as seamless financing, for these projects and eliminate the capital burden for airports and their tenants.”

Bombardier Adds Mobile Response Truck in New England

Bombardier Business Aircraft has positioned a mobile response team (MRT) truck in New England, enhancing its aircraft maintenance reach and response times in the U.S. region. The strategically located MRT truck will enhance the delivery of parts and technical support to business jet hubs such as Boston and Bedford, Massachusetts, it said.

Bombardier operates 30 MRT trucks in the U.S. and Europe, with each one augmenting the efforts of Bombardier’s mobile response team. The trucks are equipped with technicians and tools to provide scheduled line maintenance, as well as unscheduled maintenance and AOG support.

In addition, there are seven Bombardier-authorized line maintenance stations in Europe, a dedicated MRT Learjet 45 in Chicago, and maintenance control centers in Linz, Austria, and Wichita. The maintenance control centers, which were added last year, work in conjunction with Bombardier’s customer response center, which operates around the clock to streamline customer requests and optimize maintenance support, Bombardier said.

Drones Stop Approaches at Newark

The FAA stopped all inbound flights to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) Runway 22R for 45 minutes at 5 p.m. local time yesterday after two drones were spotted 17 miles away at approximately 3,500 feet between EWR and Teterboro Airport (TEB). That position and altitude put the drones directly in the approach path for arrivals at Newark. Operations at TEB were unaffected, according to aircraft traffic data from FlightAware.

Flights yet to take off and inbound to Newark were ground stopped for a longer period, until 6:45 p.m. local time, out of an abundance of caution and to clear a backlog created by the delay, according to the FAA. Overall, the disruption due to the drone sightings delayed arrivals throughout the region by up to 30 minutes. By 7 p.m. local time, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey tweeted that operations at Newark had returned to normal.

“We’re coordinating with the FAA and fully supporting all federal law enforcement authorities as they investigate this incident,” the authority said. A New Jersey State Police helicopter was dispatched to search for the drones. An aircraft in the area at the time reported seeing one of the drones approximately 30 feet off its right wingtip.

Count on AIN for Full Coverage of Heli-Expo

As ever, you can count on AIN for full coverage of the 2019 Heli-Expo Convention. Our team will publish three of our award-winning daily HAI Convention News editions at the show on March 5, 6, and 7. We will also have comprehensive real-time reporting of all the top news at AINonline and in our daily e-newsletters. If you are an exhibiting company that wants to share news or propose pre-show interviews and briefings please contact show editor Kerry Lynch.