Bombardier Snags 10-aircraft, $452M Deal

Bombardier received its largest business jet order for the year thus far with a 10-aircraft deal valued at $451.8 million, according to current list prices, the Montreal manufacturer announced yesterday. Bombardier did not disclose the customer nor did it discuss the order mix, citing “competitive reasons.” But based on the amount cited, such a contract would support the purchase of three Challenger 350s, five Global 5500s, and a pair of Global 7500s, for instance.

“Our portfolio ideally responds to the growing interest in private aviation, with spacious, high-performing aircraft that are designed to offer the best passenger experience in terms of convenience, comfort, air quality, and a smooth ride,” said Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel.

The latest order provides further evidence of a strengthening market after last year’s pandemic-related malaise. Martel told analysts in May he was encouraged by improving order activity that had started slowly in January but picked up notably in February and March and carried into the second quarter. Bombardier had achieved a book-to-bill ratio exceeding 1:1 in the first quarter. It plans for deliveries this year to remain roughly flat from 2020 totals.

New Report Says It’s ‘Party Time’ for Bizjets

In a report to investors titled “Bizjet Party Time is Now,” analysts at investment bank Cowen see a number of factors improving fortunes for the next couple of years for the business jet industry and, in particular, for OEMs Gulfstream Aerospace and Textron Aviation. “The combo of Covid concerns, a robust stock market, and firming economy are creating the strongest bizjet environment since 2007,” the report said.

Analysts noted the inventory of used business jets for sale reached an “all-time low” of 4.5 percent of the fleet while the 275,000 business jet departures in May—led by fractional and charter operators—were near the October 2019 peak of 278,000. With demand driven by ultra-high-net-worth individuals and an increase in first-time buyers, that should push them toward the purchase of new business jets. OEMs likely won’t see the fruits of that demand on deliveries because of production lead times until 2022 “and possibly 2023,” according to the report.

As for the OEMs, Gulfstream “looks best positioned in bizjets” because preowned jet demand is highest in the large-cabin category. In addition, increasing G500 and G600 deliveries and the fourth-quarter 2022 service entry of the G700 are pluses for Gulfstream, the report added.

At the lighter end of the market, Cowen analysts see a strong second-quarter 2021 book-to-bill for Textron Aviation and a “solid sales lift” in 2022, potentially extending into 2023. 

Redesigned Eviation Alice Set To Fly Later This Year

Eviation Aircraft today unveiled the revised design for Alice, its all-electric 11-seat aircraft, and confirmed plans to complete FAA type certification and service entry in 2024. Further, the company said the aircraft will make its first test flight by year-end.

Newly published design drawings reveal significant changes from an earlier prototype, with a T-tail configuration replacing a V-tail. “We moved from a V-tail to a T-tail to optimize performance and handling and make it easy and reliable for pilots to seamlessly transition to flying the aircraft,” a company spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, Alice’s two MagniX Magni650 electric motors have been relocated from the wingtips to a pylon mount on the aft fuselage. In May, MagniX delivered the first Magni650 motors to Eviation. Singapore-based Clermont Group owns the two companies.

Eviation has sublet several hangars at Arlington Airport in Washington state and has spent at least $300,000 to renovate the facility to support its plans for the Alice development work.

Key program partners announced so far include Honeywell Aerospace, which is providing Alice’s fly-by-wire flight control system, and aerostructures group GKN Aerospace. On June 3, GKN said it delivered the first fully integrated wings, empennage, and electrical wiring interconnection systems for the aircraft from its facility in Bristol, UK.

Want more? A longer version of this article can be found at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective, independent coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.

IBAC, French DSAC Collaborate on Data-sharing Trial

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the French Directorate for Civil Aviation Safety (DSAC) to share data in an effort the association hopes will demonstrate the value of IS-BAO. One of the ultimate goals of the “experiment” would be to enable EU ramp inspectors to focus on operators that do not have a recognized safety management system, IBAC said. SMS is at the core of the IS-BAO standard.

The signing marked a step forward in the joint trial, clearing the way for IBAC to provide information on participating operators to DSAC. Then DSAC will be able to compare this data with its own and assess the value of IS-BAO Stage 2 and 3 audits.

In return, DSAC will provide IBAC with aggregated, de-identified data based on the results of ramp checks. This information would enable IBAC to better identify trends that could be addressed with the business aviation community, it said.

However, IBAC was not able to share any collected data with DSAC until the memorandums were signed. “With the return to operations progressing well, the project with DSAC can finally enter the next phase,” said Daniel Devraignes, IBAC audit manager/acting IS-BAO program director, in a recent update to operators.

IBAC encourages operators to ensure their information is current and hopes to expand the number of participants.

University Researchers Turn Plastic into Jet-A

Researchers at Washington State University have developed a process for turning waste plastics into sustainable jet-A. If refined and applied on a major scale, the procedure could address two urgent environmental problems: greenhouse gas emissions and plastic pollution.

Described in the journal Chem Catalysis, the process employs polyethylene, the most common plastic worldwide that is used in everything from milk jugs to plastic bags and composite lumber. While this plastic can be recycled, less than 10 percent currently is in the U.S. The most common recycling method of melting and remolding produces a lower-quality product, while chemical recycling is a long process requiring high reaction temperatures that makes it uneconomical for industrial purposes.

Through their new process, the researchers were able to convert 90 percent of the plastic amount to jet fuel or other hydrocarbon products in less than an hour, with the end result determined by adjusting the variables such as temperature, time, and amount of reaction catalyst applied.

“Depending on the market, they can tune to what product they want to generate,” said Chuhua Jia, the lead graduate student on the project. “The application of this efficient process may provide a promising approach for selectively producing high-value products from waste polyethylene.”

The next steps involve scaling up the process, which the researchers believe can be effectively adapted to use other types of plastics.

MyGoFlight Designs ‘Never Obsolete’ USB Charger

At the Aircraft Electronics Association convention last week, MyGoFlight introduced a new concept for USB chargers: the InfinityPower series with a permanent panel-mount fixture and a replaceable USB module.

Because technology changes so rapidly, aircraft owners and operators might have to replace an installed USB charger with a new type when the connector design is updated. “Unfortunately, the time and cost it takes to reopen a panel, remove the previous unit, and install another is both time consuming and costly,” said MyGoFlight CEO Charles Schneider. “This leads to slow adoption of new power solutions.”

The InfinityPower USB chargers consist of a Power Base module that is installed in the aircraft and a USB insert module that simply twists into the base module by hand. The USB module can easily be replaced with new modules carrying different connectors, without removal of the base module. The Power Base module can be installed in instrument panels, galleys, or in-cabin seats and fixtures, and it displays power input and amps used by connected devices.

MyGoFlight expects TSO approval of the InfinityPower USB chargers later this year, with deliveries beginning in the first quarter of 2022. The base module and insert module will each retail for $175, with introductory prices set at $150.

Fly Louie Service Aims To Boost Member Charter Bookings

Independent charter network Fly Louie has added a new benefit called WholesaleFlex aimed at increasing the number of charter quotes for its more than 200 charter operator members. Fly Louie claims the service can yield up to twice as many confirmed trips for a charter operator and acts as an extension to an operator’s sales team.

“Wholesale quoting is a numbers game for operators of all sizes,” said Fly Louie CEO Julia Takeda. “To convert roughly 2 percent of requests, operators must generate hundreds of quotes weekly.” Many operators don't have the staffing to respond to the volume of quotes in the charter market, added Fly Louie business development director Dan Morrison.

The new offering is scalable and works with an operator’s existing scheduling system, gathering such information as pricing guidelines and fleet availability. All requests are fielded by Fly Louie’s WholesaleFlex team, which also generates quotes. Operators are then alerted to pending bookings to confirm owner approval, as well as crew and aircraft availability. Once booked, the flight is handed off to the operator to manage the details. Real-time updates are provided through an operator’s scheduling system and performance and competitive insight reports are available regularly.

ForeFlight Releases Holding Pattern Advisor

An update to the ForeFlight electronic flight bag app allows pilots to set up holding patterns at any waypoint. ForeFlight v13.5 also added new augmented procedures to help show minimums for approach procedures, as well as more aircraft to its runway analysis service and visualization of engine-out procedures (EOP) on a preview map.

Hold Advisor is accessed by tapping on a waypoint on the moving map or in the flight plan bubble editor or using the Procedure Advisor. A hold can also be set at any arbitrary lat/long coordinate. ForeFlight chooses the holding pattern entry according to the course that will be flown to the waypoint. The user can adjust parameters associated with the hold, including inbound or outbound course, leg length or time, left or right turns, and options such as altitude, speed, and expect further clearance time.

Once the parameters are selected, the hold can be added to the route, which displays the hold and the proper entry. The navlog then shows the hold details, including headings to be flown during the entry and hold.

The augmented procedures feature shows approach minimums based on aircraft category and airport equipment status and displays the applicable minimums as part of the route. Meanwhile, ForeFlight’s runway analysis service now includes the Bombardier Global Express/XRS/5000; Learjet 60 and 70; Gulfstream G500; and Embraer Phenom 300/300E. 

Ex-NTSB Chair Reflects on 15 Years of Safety Advocacy

Now-former NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt reflects on his 15 years of aviation accident investigation, transportation safety advocacy, and memorable moments and photos never before shared. Sumwalt officially retired yesterday from the NTSB as one of the agency's longest-serving board members.