FAA Rule Clears Path for Supersonic Flight Tests

The FAA took another step toward facilitating the development of civil supersonic aircraft with the release of a final rule today that clarifies procedures for obtaining special flight authorizations for flight testing beyond Mach 1.

Adopted largely as proposed in June 2019, the final rule outlines the information needed for applications of special flight authorization and designates the FAA program office that will process those applications. It also creates a more “user-friendly” format, the agency said. It further recognizes that supersonic flight testing could be used to gather noise data.

However, the rule does not lift the ban on supersonic flight over land; instead, the rule streamlines and simplifies access to the various information necessary for special flight authorizations.

The FAA did revise language in the final rule involving the environmental review process, saying the original language generated confusion. And it dismissed general opposition from environmental groups and certain municipalities about possible harm supersonic operations could have on the environment. These arguments are outside the scope of the rule, the FAA maintained, adding the final rule does not permit regular supersonic operations.

This final rule is one of several steps the FAA is taking to enable the progress of civil supersonic flight, including developing a separate rulemaking altogether regarding takeoff and landing noise certification standards for supersonic aircraft.

Duncan Expands NorCal Engine Rapid Response

Duncan Aviation has expanded its Rapid Response mobile engine services to northern California with the hiring of Greg Gaden. Based in Oakland, Gaden brings more than 30 years of engine experience on makes such as Honeywell, Rolls-Royce, and Pratt & Whitney working with Textron Aviation, Dallas Airmotive, Talon Air, and Garrett Aviation.

Shane Heier, Duncan’s Rapid Response assistant manager for the West Coast, noted there is a large presence of Duncan customers in the territory Gaden serves. Until now, that territory has been served by Duncan’s mobile rapid response locations in Seattle and Long Beach, California. “We have been looking for the right person to step in and establish a dedicated local resource for reliable mobile engine services to support these customers,” Heier said.

Gaden earned his A&P mechanic certificate in 1983 and has worked in a variety of positions such as senior technician, crew chief, director of maintenance, field service representative, and quality control inspector. “I look forward to developing connections and relationships with operators in the region,” Gaden said. “I want to be their local resource for technical questions and engine Rapid Response needs.”

Aerion Picks Universal ClearVision EFVS for AS2

Supersonic business jet developer Aerion has chosen Universal Avionics to supply the head-wearable ClearVision enhanced flight vision system (EFVS) for the AS2 supersonic business jet’s flight deck. ClearVision’s head-up display imagery is delivered on the SkyLens head-wearable display, which offers an unlimited field of regard, meaning the pilot can view imagery such as flight symbology, infrared and visual camera views, and synthetic vision system graphics while looking in any direction.

An added feature that ClearVision offers is a combined vision system, where synthetic vision system graphics and enhanced vision system imagery from Universal’s EVS-5000 camera are overlaid to give the pilot a comprehensive view of the outside world. This will eventually include traffic displayed on the SkyLens view. ClearVision is the first head-wearable display certified for commercial aviation, and it is approved and flying in Europe on the ATR 42/72. 

“This industry-leading technology will offer pilots of the AS2 unparalleled vision and enhanced situational awareness capabilities,” said Steve Berroth, Aerion COO and executive v-p of aircraft.

“By using the SkyLens as a wearable head-up display, the ClearVision EFVS brings unprecedented capabilities to the airplane and demonstrates a compelling roadmap to the future, on top of the proven operational landing credit and all-weather operation,” added Universal Avionics CEO Dror Yahav.

EASA Moves Ahead with SMS for Repair Stations

Following up on a notice of proposed amendment (NPA) published for comment last year, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an official regulatory opinion with its plan to adopt regulations requiring certain Part 145 repair stations to have safety management systems (SMS). The rules would apply to maintenance organizations that maintain airliners and turbine business aircraft.

The final rules are slightly revised, based on EASA's consideration of some 2,650 comments submitted in response to the NPA this summer. To limit the impact on small Part 145 facilities, the application of SMS provisions would be commensurate with the size of the organization and the complexity of the operations.

Some respondents, mainly from the U.S. (where repair station SMS is currently applicable only on a voluntary basis), would have liked to see SMS not mandatory and are concerned about its impact on bilateral agreements. The EASA expressed disappointment that “a significant number of comments did not address the safety management principles although this was the very essence of this rulemaking project.”

Compliance would be required within one year after the date the final rule is published.

Leading Edge Jet Center Buys Montana FBO

Oregon-based Leading Edge Jet Center (LEJC) has expanded its footprint to the central U.S. with the acquisition of Exec Air Montana (EAM), an aviation services provider at Helena Regional Airport. In addition to operating the lone FBO on the field, EAM also provides aircraft charter, management, and Part 145 maintenance services, as well as medical airlift through its Montana Medical Transport division.

The FBO features a 6,000-sq-ft terminal with a passenger lobby, pilot lounge with snooze room, conference room, concierge, and on-site car rental (crew cars are also offered). U.S. Customs is available on the field. The facility also has more than 70,000 sq ft of hangar space that can accommodate aircraft up to a super-midsize business jet.

“We are delighted to announce the expansion of Leading Edge Jet Center’s network into a new region of the United States in partnership with John Maxness and Dan Norhton,” said company CEO Steven Levesque. “With their combined industry experience both as the founders of EAM and as residents of Helena, we are happy to welcome them to LEJC, continuing with the team they created to keep customers safe and connected.”

LEJC operates facilities at Redmond Roberts Field and Bend Municipal Airports in Oregon, and last fall moved into the Seattle area with the purchase of Kenmore Aero Services, an FBO at King County-Boeing Field International Airport.

Turbine Engine Specialists Increases Bizjet APU Support

Engine and APU MRO provider Turbine Engine Specialists (TES) has acquired the 36-100 and 36-150 APU rental bank used by helicopters, light and midsize business jets, and turboprops from Honeywell and will begin support of those units on January 18, the Fort Worth, Texas-based company announced. The APU rental bank supports a variety of business jets manufactured by Bombardier, Textron Aviation, Embraer, Dassault, and Gulfstream.

This deal complements parts distributor agreements on the Bombardier Challenger CL600/601 and Learjet 60 that TES’s parent company, Killick Aerospace Group, made last year. In addition to the rental bank, TES has received overhaul authorization from Honeywell on the RE220GX APU that is found on Bombardier’s Challenger 850 and CRJ700/900.

“With the addition of the 36 Series APU rental bank and overhaul capability on the RE220GX APU, it will move TES to the forefront of service providers in business aviation,” said Killick Aerospace president and CEO Russell Starr. “With these additional APU services, we continue to enhance our product and services portfolio, between TES and Killick Aerospace, across many business aircraft programs that will benefit our expanding customer base.”

FXAir Sees Robust First Year, Expects Stronger 2021

FXAir, a premium on-demand charter provider launched by Directional Aviation six months ago, ended the year with more than 4,000 arranged charter flights that carried more than 8,000 passengers to 600 different destinations, the New York City-based company announced today. Likewise, FXAir doubled the 2020 sales goal for its Aviator debit card program.

With FXAir’s launch, Directional Aviation’s on-demand charter segment in North America increased its revenue by 55 percent when compared with 2019. “The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated change in a number of industries, including private aviation,” said FXAir president Gregg Slow. “While there was growing demand for premium on-demand charter service, travelers wanting to avoid exposure to the coronavirus have sought out private air as an alternative to crowded commercial airliners and terminals. From a timing standpoint, FXAir was perfectly positioned to meet this demand and raise the bar for charter service within the U.S.”

Slow believes leisure travel will continue to account for most of the private charter activity in the first quarter, though he expects business travel to return in the second and third quarters. “We are confident business travel in all forms will have a strong comeback once vaccines are distributed and coronavirus risks diminish,” he explained. “And when that happens, the thousands of people who experienced private jet charter during the pandemic will likely continue to utilize it.”

Clay Lacy Completes First Global 6000 JetWave Install

Clay Lacy Aviation recently completed its first installation of a Honeywell JetWave Ka-band connectivity hardware system on a Bombardier Global 6000. An authorized Honeywell dealer, Clay Lacy installed the system at its Part 145 repair station in Van Nuys, California.

The multi-component system connects to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Ka-band satcom network, which provides high-speed streaming internet connectivity for watching movies, sharing video on social media, and performing tasks such as videoconferencing and sending and receiving large files. “Clay Lacy performed this complex JetWave upgrade on schedule and on budget thanks to their Honeywell and Bombardier expertise,” said Renan Bayar, the ultra-long-range twinjet’s captain.

In addition to the Global 6000, the MRO provider’s factory-trained technicians can install the JetWave system on Dassault Falcon and Bombardier Challenger business jets. Downtime for installation is typically 30 to 35 days.