Aviation holding company SAR Trilogy, which operates the Aero Center FBO chain, is expanding into the Atlanta market via a definitive purchase agreement for family-owned Epps Aviation, a full-service FBO at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (KPDK). The transaction is expected to close within 45 days, pending necessary approvals.
One of three service providers at KPDK and the only independent on the field, Epps has been in operation for nearly 60 years, led by Pat Epps and his three children. The 18-acre facility includes a 7,000-sq-ft, two-story terminal with a passenger lobby, refreshment bar, pilot lounge with a snooze room and showers, flight-planning area, two conference rooms, tenant offices, and concierge service. The FBO also has 220,000 sq ft of hangar space.
Additionally, the purchase includes Epps’s Part 135 charter certificate and Part 145 repair station, giving the Aero Center chain its first exposure in these areas. Aero Center currently operates FBOs at Florida’s Lakeland-Linder International Airport (KLAL) and North Carolina's Wilmington International Airport, with three other locations under development.
“As we have been highlighting since we started Aero Center, the full-service FBO, the integrated FBO, is a smart FBO,” industry veteran and SAR Trilogy co-founder Michael Scheeringa told AIN, adding that the company believes in a balance of revenue streams. “We think that has more sustainability in the current environment than a fuel-only oriented FBO.”
Honeywell Aerospace will begin the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its Phoenix campus after receiving its first delivery of the renewable fuel over the past week. The company will use the SAF in the development and production testing of its auxiliary power units (APUs) and aircraft engines, as well as the testing of units from its repair and overhaul facility.
“At Honeywell, we see SAF as a logical path to decarbonize the aviation industry and we consider our facilities as laboratories for sustainable aviation,” said Dave Marinick, the company’s president of engines and power systems. “Running our engines and APUs on SAF is a further demonstration of our commitment to our customers to do our part to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Produced by California-based World Energy using Honeywell’s UOP Ecofining technology and distributed by World Fuels, the SAF is processed using the hydrotreated esters and fatty acids pathway and is derived from feedstocks such as beef tallow, which is delivered to World Energy's Paramount facility in rail cars.
Neat SAF is currently approved for use in blends with conventional jet-A of up to 50 percent with no modifications of equipment or infrastructure required. Honeywell plans to test on higher blends as well, culminating in the use of 100 percent SAF.
The FAA has published revised Information for Operators 23001, which offers expanded guidance about which aircraft approach categories should be used for instrument procedures. It emphasizes that approach categories for either Vref, if specified, or 1.3 Vso are determined at maximum certified landing weight even if the actual landing weight is lower. “The certificated approach category is permanent and independent of the changing conditions of day-to-day operations,” the FAA said.
Further, “aircraft may not be flown to the instrument approach minima of a slower approach category.” If it becomes necessary to operate above the upper limit of the speed range of an approach category, the minimums for the higher category should be used if available. Regardless of approach category, the pilot must maneuver the aircraft to stay within the protected area for that category to achieve obstacle and terrain clearances.
“In other words, the pilot must ensure that an approach speed category that is less than the aircraft’s prescribed approach speed category is never used,” said Rich Boll, chair of NBAA’s access airspace, ATC, and flight deck subcommittee. Boll also cautioned that “many of the flight standardization board (FSB) reports for various aircraft types still state the next higher approach category must be used for a circle-to-land approach.” This is no longer true. These FSB reports will be updated to remove this statement, said Boll.
Technology-based staffing company CrewBlast has rolled out an upgraded app that it said incorporates frequently requested features to make the service easier to use. Founded in 2021, CrewBlast's app pairs private aviation operators with available qualified crew and flight attendants. CrewBlast v2.0 comes as the firm completed its first full year of operation and exceeded its forecasted sales by 350 percent.
The new version incorporates an ability for registered crewmembers to upload and maintain their documents within the app, enabling quicker response and hiring time. Hiring operators can review and approve documents on the web portal, CrewBlast noted, saying this streamlines the process and makes it seamless. Upon approval, the system makes introductions between the hiring operator and crewmembers. CrewBlast further is expanding its database to include armed security officers, which are necessary for flights to certain airports.
Meanwhile, “Our first full year of operations exceeded all forecasted expectations and the feedback has been incredible,” said company president Timothy Griffin. CrewBlast credits the rapid growth in sales to its automated approach, the speed of the connection between operators and staff members, and its global reach.
Griffin said the company is building strategic partnerships to offer discounted training for flight crews, growing its registered operator list and crew database, and eyeing the next features for the app.
The turboprop-converted Piper PA-46 JetProp DLX that crashed in Yoakum, Texas, at about 10:39 a.m. local time on January 17 was flying in IMC and above freezing temperatures, according to the NTSB preliminary report. The pilot and three passengers were killed and one passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was on an IFR Part 91 business flight from Memphis International Airport to Yoakum Municipal Airport.
ADS-B data showed that after being cleared for the RNAV (GPS) Runway 31 approach at Yoakum, the airplane—then about one mile south of the runway—turned to the east, descended, and crashed in a field approximately 1.5 miles southeast of the airport. It came to rest upright, and both wings were found separated from the fuselage due to impact.
Investigators reported that the airplane sustained substantial damage, but there was no post-impact fire. The injured passenger was able to exit the cabin and contact first responders on his mobile phone. Representatives from the NTSB, the FAA, and Piper Aircraft arrived at the accident site to conduct initial documentation and examination.
This is the second fatal accident of a DLX-converted PA-46 in just over a month. On December 12, a pilot died when his JetProp crashed while on approach to Goose Bay Airport, Canada.
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
Provided by
When managing aircraft automation, what is a “reasonableness” check?
A. A review of the approach plate as reference for the arrival briefing.
B. The act of asking the other crewmember if there are any doubts after a briefing.
C. A preflight check on the crew to assure fitness to fly.
D. Any check that is carried out to verify that a result looks “reasonable” given other available knowledge and information.
Business aircraft maintenance quote platform MRO Insider has added 30 more AOG provider locations in the U.S. so far this month, the company announced today. This brings the number of business aviation service providers on MRO Insider to more than 450.
AOG providers are notified by MRO Insider through both email and push notifications when an aircraft needs support. This allows these shops to quickly respond directly back to the aircraft operator with an ETA and hourly rate, along with sending messages and documents back and forth to complete the job.
“With response times below 10 minutes from AOG ping to quote, the app allows a flight department to get a solid plan together without waiting for a callback, ” said MRO Insider president Andy Nixon. “This not only saves time but, in many cases, the expenses associated with supplemental lift, which can cripple a bottom line.”
Flight departments pay a yearly, per-tail fee to have access to the platform. Service providers pay a flat monthly fee based on the number of locations, with no additional fees or expenses for winning jobs.
Lawmakers continue to round out the committee structures for the 118th Congress, including formally naming Rep. Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) as chair of the House aviation subcommittee. Graves moves over from the ranking member seat on aviation with the Republicans taking control. He worked alongside then-aviation subcommittee chair Rick Larsen (D-Washington) in the 117th Congress. Larsen has since moved into the ranking member seat for the full House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
In accepting his new post, Graves cited a need to address the “tumultuous times” in passenger air travel and facilitate opportunities in advanced aviation technologies. “Our subcommittee will work to improve the passenger experience and help transform the FAA to facilitate the entry of new American aviation technologies into the market,” said Graves, who will be charged with spearheading FAA reauthorization legislation this year.
National Air Transportation Association (NATA) president and CEO Curt Castagna praised the selection of Graves to head the subcommittee. “Rep. Garret Graves has distinguished himself as a forward-thinking champion of the U.S. aviation industry, with proven policy expertise and an in-depth understanding of the challenges facing our membership, as well as business aviation’s immense potential for continued evolution with new technology and sustainable innovation,” Castagna said. He further noted that Graves has worked closely with NATA on several initiatives.
Myairops is leveraging its strategic data partnership with Spire Global to integrate the latter’s weather data to enhance the former’s flight product with additional situational awareness and data insights. Previously, Spire’s global aviation data has been used to drive efficiency and automation in Myairops’ software.
With Spire’s point-optimized forecast covering airports globally, Myairops users will be automatically notified when weather conditions are outside their defined minima and will receive the latest forecast information within the platform. Considering the variables at each specific airport, Myairops will access artificial intelligence-powered location-specific weather forecasts as input into its aviation platform to allow features such as weather-based data dashboards and map overlays.
“Airports are a critical cog in the logistics sphere and exert a significant bearing on the global supply network, which is highly interconnected. A weather-related delay at one airport may require subsequent players to adjust their operations and create a ripple effect of delays,” said Mike Eilts, general manager of weather and earth intelligence at Spire. “Spire Weather [provides] reliable, location-specific optimized weather forecasts to ensure the smooth delivery of operations.”
Make Your Voice Heard in AIN’s 2023 FBO Survey
AIN’s FBO survey is open for year-round feedback, but the deadline to vote in the 2023 survey (to be published in April) is February 3. The survey takes only a minute, and you can do it while waiting for passengers, on the shuttle bus to/from the hotel or any other time that is convenient for you. Participants will be entered to win a $500 Amazon gift card. Log on to www.ainonline.com/fbosurvey to rate your experiences at the FBOs you visit.
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.
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