After Pandemic Delay, EASA Certifies Citation Longitude
Nearly two years after Textron Aviation received type certification for the Cessna Citation Longitude from the FAA, the super-midsize twin has been certified by EASA, paving the way for deliveries in Europe. Tom Perry, Textron Aviation v-p of sales for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, said the company has a specially configured Longitude set to be delivered in Europe later this year that is outfitted with flight inspection equipment for verification of navigational aids.
A Textron Aviation spokeswoman told AIN that EASA certification typically follows FAA certification by six months to a year for clean-sheet aircraft, but in the case of the Longitude “there were some delays in certification efforts due to the pandemic and significant shutdowns in the U.S. and Europe.” Since receiving FAA type certification in September 2019, the Wichita-based airframer has delivered 34 of the type, according to figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
Powered by a pair of Fadec-equipped Honeywell HTF7700L turbofans and with full-fuel payload of 726 kg/1,600 pounds, the Longitude has a range of 6,482 km/3,500 nm, making it capable of flying nonstop from Geneva to Dubai or Rome to New Delhi.
London-area Farnborough Airport is the latest UK gateway to offer continuous supplies of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with the arrival last week of its first regular shipment of the fuel. Produced from 100 percent renewable waste including used cooking oil, SAF in its neat form, can reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by as much as 80 percent compared with traditional jet-A.
The move enhances Farnborough's environmental efforts. In 2018, it was the first business aviation gateway to be awarded carbon-neutral status by Airports Council International Europe and it has reduced its controllable GHG emissions by more than 70 percent over the past decade.
“The introduction of SAF at Farnborough Airport is a major milestone in our sustainability program and we are pleased to be able to offer Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel by working with our fuel provider World Fuel Services,” said airport CEO Simon Geere. “We are fully committed to a sustainable future and are delighted to offer our customers the opportunity to make a greener choice and work with us to play an integral part in delivering against the UK government’s targets for net-zero carbon emissions.”
In May 2019, ahead of EBACE, Farnborough was the site of an SAF demonstration/education event. More than a dozen business jets heading for the Geneva business aviation show from North America fueled up on SAF at Farnborough before continuing on to Geneva.
Elit’Avia To Sell HondaJets in France, Parts of Africa
Business aircraft sales, leasing, and charter management company Elit’Avia has inked a deal with Honda Aircraft to serve as the exclusive HondaJet sales representative in France and 16 Western and Central African countries, including Nigeria. Elit’Avia will thus sell the HondaJet Elite S—the latest version of the Honda twinjet, unveiled in late May—in the region.
“We are pleased to be working with the Elit’Avia team,” said Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino. “Representing France and several African nations, Elit’Avia completes our global reach. Elit’Avia’s expertise in aircraft sales, charter, and management, as well as its operations in the European and African business aviation market, adds great value to our commitment to the business aviation market and customer support in the region.”
Michel Coulomb, CEO of Elit’Avia, said that with its 1,437-nm range, the Elite S is “perfect for travel throughout Europe and ideally suited to reach African destinations that are not typically well-served by commercial aviation carriers. As a light business aircraft, the HondaJet delivers many of the efficiency and comfort benefits of a much larger aircraft but at a far more attractive price point.”
Joby Teams with JetBlue, Signature on Carbon Credits
Startup eVTOL developer Joby Aviation is joining forces with JetBlue and Signature Flight Support to establish carbon credits for flights using green electric and hydrogen propulsion. The companies announced today that they will “work to define the creation, validation, and eventual use of these new credits on aviation carbon markets, including identifying a third party to oversee and validate transactions.”
U.S. airline JetBlue sees the partnership as part of its wider commitment to carbon neutrality, which it says it achieved in 2020 for domestic flights through the purchase of carbon offsets from solar, wind, and forestry projects. The company is an investor in Joby through its venture capital division, JetBlue Technology Ventures.
Signature Flight Support has been introducing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through its FBO chain, as well as via book-and-claim at locations where it doesn’t yet carry SAF. “We’re excited to expand that model through this partnership to include the purchase of electric aviation credits from clean operators like Joby,” said Signature CEO Tony Lefebvre.
Joby’s intention is to help create a market for electric and hydrogen flight credits by working with partners to define the terms for these credits, taking into account factors such as the carbon footprint of the electricity supply. Among the issues that will need to be resolved is the basis on which consumers and operators will be able to purchase credits.
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Prepared vs. Proficient: How Training Measures Up
If you asked them, most pilots, flight crews and maintenance technicians would claim they are proficient. But that’s the right answer to the wrong question.Instead, they should ask themselves whether they are prepared for any and every situation. Find out what difference that answer makes to safety.
The current post-Covid surge in private aviation likely will persist, according to the results of a just-released survey conducted by industry buyers guide Private Jet Card Comparisons. According to the findings, 69 percent of private aviation users expect to use private aviation more now than they did pre-Covid, while 28 percent expected the same amount of use.
Among the respondents who began flying privately after the start of the pandemic—approximately half of the total respondents—100 percent said they would continue to use private aviation, with 53 percent of that amount noting they plan to use it “regularly.” The latter total represents an increase from the 41 percent noted by the company in its January survey. For its subscribers, Private Jet Card Comparisons analyzes more than 65 flight option variables to help them determine their best choices.
“If the question is will new users stick with private aviation even in a post-Covid world, the answer is a unanimous yes, with many saying they will now use private aviation regularly,” said company founder and editor-in-chief Doug Golian.
In terms of the types of travel, 54 percent of the more than 225 respondents said they fly privately for personal/leisure aviation, while 43 percent use it in a combination of personal/business needs. Only 3 percent responded that they fly privately solely for business.
NFPA Committee Agrees on Hangar Foam Exemption
The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Technical Committee on Airport Facilities has voted to approve revisions to the NFPA 409 standard for aircraft hangar fire protection requirements. The changes, as championed by NATA, call for the creation of a new risk-based process for determining and defining hangar fire protection requirements.
They would also exempt Group II hangars—typical business aviation industry hangars between 12,500 and 40,000 sq ft—where hazardous operations are not performed from the fire foam system requirements currently present in NFPA 409. Hazardous operations are defined in the revision as “including but not limited to fuel transfer, welding, torch cutting, torch soldering, hot work (such as cutting, brazing, or grinding), spray painting, oxygen service, composite repairs, fuel system or fuel tank maintenance, aircraft cabling, wiring changes, or initial electrical system testing.”
“NATA is pleased that the Technical Committee acknowledged that the requirements for foam in Group II hangars have not kept pace with the current risk of fire in modern hangar operations and aircraft,” stated Megan Eisenstein, the trade association’s managing director of industry and regulatory affairs. “The low risk of fuel spill fires in non-hazardous operations hangars warrants modified protection requirements.”
If no written objections are submitted by the NFPA’s membership, the revisions will be ratified at the association’s annual meeting, which is slated for next June.
FAA Approves Safran Arrano, Paves Way for Airbus H160
Safran Helicopter Engines’ Arrano 1A has received FAA type certification, some two years after getting the nod from EASA. The engine will power the Airbus H160 medium twin, and its certification clears the way for that helicopter’s entry into service.
The 1,100- to 1,300-shp Arrano features reduced maintenance, new digital controls, a two-stage centrifugal compressor, and variable inlet guide vanes that combine to reduce fuel consumption by more than 15 percent and reduce emissions compared to comparable engines, according to the manufacturer. The gyratory combustion chamber features 3D-printed fuel injectors that improve engine start performance. The Arrano is certified to operate on up to a 50 percent sustainable aviation fuel blend.
Cyrille Ressejac-Duparc, Arrano program director, said the new engine “is more than ready” for the Airbus H160’s service entry. This engine lies at the vanguard of Safran Helicopter Engines’ new range. In addition to the H160’s imminent service entry, Safran Helicopter Engines is strongly committed to supporting Airbus and French Armed Forces in developing the “Guépard” military variant of the H160. Various French government agencies could take delivery of as many as 190 H160s beginning in 2024.
Aero Asset: Twins Leading Used Helo Market
Helicopter consultancy Aero Asset reports that the sales volume of used twin-engine helicopters improved by 15 percent in the first half, while inventory during the period shrank 10 percent versus the year-ago period. North America led the transactions, accounting for 50 percent worldwide. Customers expressed a strong preference for VIP cabins, which posted a 40 percent increase year-over-year.
“Light twin-engine helicopter retail sales jumped nearly 40 percent in the first two quarters of 2021, and medium twin sales 25 percent,” said Valerie Pereira, Aero Asset v-p of market research. “Heavy helicopter sales, however, slumped during the same period.”
Aero Asset reported that after two consecutive quarters of growth in the number of deals pending, the “deal pipeline” decreased by 35 percent quarter-over-quarter, but the number of deals pending in the pipeline were up 15 percent year-to-date compared to the same period last year. The most liquid preowned market year-to-date is the Leonardo AW109S/SP, closely followed by the Airbus EC145/H145.
Infrastructure Key to eVTOL Access in Cities
New types of electric aircraft will soon bring air services much closer to where we live and work. But the advanced air mobility revolution will require a lot of new infrastructure, such as vertiports for eVTOLs and short takeoff and landing runways to connect smaller communities. Experts are laying the ground work for how cities can prepare for moving people and cargo by air in more efficient and sustainable ways.
People in Aviation
Tommy Sowers has taken the role of president and David Ivy v-p of engineering for flyExclusive. Sowers most recently was the Southeast region lead for innovation for the U.S. Department of Defense and also has taught innovation and entrepreneurship at Duke University, as well as co-founded and served as CEO of GoldenKey. Ivy has a background in leading technology teams and developing consumer and enterprise software applications across a variety of industries, including healthcare and data science.
Jean-Marie Bégis was appointed as director of product management and partnerships for Universal Avionics. Bégis has more than 20 years of experience in business development and implementation of mobile communications, aircraft datalink services, and aerospace systems, including with SITA, CMC Electronics, and Avionica.
Elliott Aviation hired Gerrod Andresen to serve as director of aviation products and programs at its headquarters in Moline, Illinois. Andresen brings 25 years of aviation experience in engineering and product development at Boeing, most recently as a systems engineer in the innovation and portfolio management office.
JetHQ appointed David Coppock as v-p of sales, based in the U.S. A U.S. Air Force combat veteran, Coppock most recently was managing director for the Mente Group and has worked with Gulfstream, Hawker Beechcraft, and Bombardier.
West Star named Craig Duncan as Textron project manager at its facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Duncan has more than 25 years of aviation experience, including holding roles with Cessna and Garmin.
Alex Díaz joined Duncan Aviation as territory manager for Central and Northeast Mexico, with a base office soon to be in Guadalajara. Díaz, who joined his family’s construction company at 15 and later helped launch a laser tag business, worked as an intern at Airbus in Toulouse in 2011 and since held roles with a customs agency, freight forwarder, and automotive manufacturer, and, most recently, ALE Service Center.
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