Private Aviation Paradise for Sale in Florida

If you ever wished for a home on a private runway large enough to handle a Boeing 747, you now have your opportunity. Jumbolair, a private aviation community in Ocala, Florida, is on the market for $10.5 million. The property has seen many uses, including a horse farm owned by the Vanderbilts, and a wildlife refuge before it turned to aviation.

It includes the 7,500-foot paved and lighted runway that also hosts an annual drag race for street-legal cars; a 7,686-sq-ft mansion with a 1,000-sq-ft swimming pool and bar; an 88,730-sq-ft warehouse/manufacturing complex; five Quonset hut hangars; a 400-seat banquet hall; horse stalls; and Jumbolair Aviation Estates, a 38-lot residential development with deeded access to the runway.

“This is the place for someone with a passion for aviation who wants to be part of an exciting, vibrant community,” said real estate agent Bartow McDonald IV, managing director of SVN Florida, which is marketing the property. “It’s a point of departure for all kinds of private and business travel.”

AINsight: Wittman’s Field of Gold

Aviation enthusiasts will be navigating towards the little town of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, over the next several days, eager to absorb the delights of aeronautical technology and acquaint (or reacquaint) themselves with as many of the thousands of like-minded souls as they can meet in just a few days. On hand next week at EAA AirVenture will be more than 10,000 aircraft and hundreds of thousands of attendees. Among them will be the best, the brightest, and the most bushy-tailed aircraft enthusiasts, innovators, tinkerers, and doers.

Celebrating 50 consecutive years at Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport, the airshow’s golden anniversary is a perfect time to make the pilgrimage to the temporary center of the known aviation universe.

As an arena where technologies are incubated, Oshkosh is unmatched. Attendees will surely be dazzled by the rich diversity of aircraft in aerial displays and across the vast 1,400-acre expanse of Wittman Field, which will once again earn its stripes as the world’s busiest airport by total aircraft movements, if only for a few glorious days.

At AirVenture 2019, hybrid and all-electric air vehicles will be on prominent display, as innovators stretch the realm of what is possible towards that which is soon to be reality and the new normal. Oshkosh will truly be the place to be for aviation’s up-and-coming Young Eagles, as well as the young at heart.

Europe’s Galileo GNSS Malfunction Was ‘Major Incident’

Europe’s Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) experienced what the GSA agency that operates it described as a “major incident” that started on July 12 and ended six days later. GSA said multi-constellation GNSS receivers were unaffected as they could compute position and timings using other constellations (such as the U.S. GPS system), but Galileo-only receivers were unable to produce a navigation message. The agency noted that the Galileo search and rescue service was not affected at any time, however.

An anomaly review board was “convened immediately” and “urgent recovery procedures were activated,” following which GSA said that “based on the results of the troubleshooting activities, several elements of the ground infrastructure were re-initiated.”

However, it took until July 18 for the GSA to confirm that “Galileo initial services” had been restored, after which the agency said it would invoke “an independent inquiry board to identify the root causes.” GSA said it would then work with the EC, as Galileo program manager, “to draw lessons for the management of an operational system.”

BendixKing, Airwork Team on Helo Flight Deck Upgrades

Honeywell subsidiary BendixKing is teaming up with New Zealand-based rotorcraft operator and MRO provider Airwork on a cockpit upgrade STC for light and medium civil helicopters. The STC to be developed by Airwork with support from BendixKing’s engineering staff will initially focus on the Airbus AS350.

Their solution allows operators of utility helicopters to replace analog gauges with modern advanced technology displays. It will center on the BendixKing AeroVue Touch flight display to provide high resolution and access to critical flight data, along with the Honeywell SmartView synthetic vision system and ADS-B In for weather and traffic.

According to the companies, the package can be installed quickly, limiting downtime to less than three weeks.

“This new collaboration will allow us to upgrade analog cockpit systems with new technology that will greatly improve safety and help reduce accidents,” said Airwork general manager Shane McMahon. “With BendixKing’s technology, we will be able to target this section of the helicopter market and provide a significant improvement in situational awareness that will provide a reduction in pilot workload, while enhancing operational safety during demanding phases of flight.”

NTSB Reiterates Call for Increased Part 135 Standards

The NTSB is continuing its call for increased standards in Part 135, highlighting the issue during a hearing on Wednesday before the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee.

Noting that Part 135 safety is on the Safety Board’s latest “Most Wanted” list, NTSB Office of Aviation Safety acting director Dana Schulze told lawmakers, “Regardless of the purpose of the flight or the type of aircraft, all passenger-carrying flights should be safe. However, currently, air medical service, air taxi, charter, and on-demand operators are not required to meet some of the same safety requirements that have proven effective at enhancing the safety of commercial airline operations.”

She pointed to recommendations for flight-data monitoring and safety management systems in Part 135 that the Safety Board made as a result of its investigation of the May 15, 2017 crash in Teterboro, New Jersey. These recommendations were not new, she added, saying they had been made in conjunction with accidents in 2015 (in Akron, Ohio) and 2016 (in Togiak, Alaska).

“Since completing the investigation in Teterboro…and issuing safety recommendations, the NTSB has initiated another 13 investigations into Part 135 accidents and incidents,” Schulze said.

PAFI Tests Show More Work Needed on Avgas Replacement

Finding a drop-in unleaded replacement fuel option for aviation gasoline is proving more difficult than originally hoped, as the candidate selected by the FAA needs more work. In a recent update on research into the unleaded replacement, the agency said test results of an optimized fuel candidate from Shell “were not successful” and indicate a need for refinement.

Testing was conducted through the government/industry Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI) during the first six months of 2019. The FAA also has been screening three additional fuels that were not previously part of PAFI. “The scope of PAFI has continued to evolve with the preliminary evaluation of three other fuels representing PAFI's commitment to research and evaluate all candidate unleaded fuels,” the agency said. 

But the results mark another setback for the program. In June 2018, the FAA suspended flight-testing and certain engine trials of the two drop-in unleaded fuel candidates under evaluation and extended the target completion date of the program by one year to the end of 2019. The agency had cited differences between the two PAFI fuels—one from Shell and another from Swift—as compared with 100LL. In September of 2018, the FAA pushed back the target again to mid-2020, revealing that Swift had withdrawn from its participation in PAFI to pursue a fuel outside of the program.

AirMedCare Network Donates $100K to Veterans Nonprofit

AirMedCare Network (AMCN) has pledged $100,000 to assist Homes For Our Troops (HFOT), a national nonprofit that builds and donates specially-adapted houses for severely injured post-9/11 veterans, the air ambulance membership network announced this week. It also will promote HFOT’s mission to its more than three million network members.

“Their outstanding and enthusiastic support will help raise awareness about our organization and advance our mission of building and donating specially adapted custom homes for deserving veterans,” HFOT executive director Bill Ivey said. “We are looking forward to working closely with them as we build homes and rebuild lives.”

AMCN membership v-p Keith Hovey said 11 percent of the network’s employees are former military, making “this a cause that is particularly close to our hearts. These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. We look forward to working with them in this partnership.”

AMCN combines the membership programs of air ambulance operators Air Evac Lifeteam, Guardian Flight, Med-Trans Corp., and Reach Air Medical Services, which combined operate from more than 320 air medical bases in 38 states.

DOT IG Investigating ‘Doors Off’ Helitours

The Department of Transportation Inspector General (IG) is auditing FAA oversight of the helitour industry at the request of New York’s two U.S. senators. The request was triggered by the fatal “doors off” Liberty Helicopters air tour crash in March 2018. The IG will investigate if tourists are permitted to fly with the helicopter doors off on commercial flights, how the safety restraint system used during the Liberty Helicopters crash received its original approval from FAA, and how the FAA reviewed, tested, and approved the supplemental restraint system. Additionally, the IG will examine the FAA’s role in ensuring that helicopters in use today meet modern safety standards.

Liberty was the operator of a 2013 Airbus Helicopters AS350B2 for a “doors off” FlyNYON air tour on March 11, 2018, operating under the Part 91 aerial photography exemption. Five passengers and one pilot were aboard when it crashed into the East River 11 minutes after takeoff from the Helo Kearny Heliport (65NJ) in New Jersey. Pilot Richard Vance emerged from the wreckage within 90 seconds, but the passengers were “tightly harnessed” and unable to escape before drowning.

The NTSB subsequently discovered that the FAA had not evaluated the passenger harness system used on the accident helicopter and the FAA subsequently placed new restrictions for the restraint systems on doors-off flights.

Count on AIN for Full Coverage of LABACE

As ever, you can count on AIN for full coverage of LABACE 2019. Our team will publish three of our award-winning daily LABACE Convention News editions at the show on August 13, 14, and 15. We will also have comprehensive real-time reporting of all the top news at AINonline.com 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 Ian Sheppard.