Signature Aviation recently played host to a unique charity event at its Van Nuys Airport FBO in California. The company partnered with nonprofit group Arts Bridging the Gap and local charter provider Dreamline Aviation on “When Art Takes Flight,” an event that brought a team of professional mural painters together with local children and their families to paint one of Dreamline’s retired Bombardier Learjet 60s.
During a pre-event planning session for what would eventually become the design of the mural, a student drew a bird in an open cage. As the power of that image was discussed, it seemed to the project organizers that as the children warmed to the idea, they were no longer afraid to leave their cage.
A peregrine falcon soaring through the universe was chosen by the artists “to represent this theme because they are known to nosedive at breakneck speeds once their target is acquired.” They added, “The students dove into their imaginations with the force of a peregrine falcon once they felt empowered to dream.”
The event has thus far raised more than $75,000 by way of donations from Dreamline clients, partners, sponsors, and the community. While several entities have expressed interest, the final location where the aircraft will be displayed is still under discussion.
The Million Air FBO chain has expanded with the addition of the former Above View Jet Center at Utah’s St. George Regional Airport (KSGU). Freeman Holdings Group, the largest licensee within the Million Air network, purchased the location, which is now being remodeled and rebranded. The facility is Freeman's 22nd location and the 37th FBO under the Million Air marquee. Above View—which managed the FBO for more than a half-century—will still maintain a presence at KSGU with its flight school and MRO facility.
One of two service providers on the field, the Avfuel-supplied facility has more than 20 acres of ramp space and 14,000 sq ft of heated hangar capable of sheltering aircraft up to the size of a Cessna Citation X. Located just north of the airport’s commercial terminal, the two-story FBO features a refreshment bar, pilot lounge and quiet room, showers, and a flight-planning area. It also offers two conference rooms, a concierge, on-site car rental, and Mercedes-Benz crew cars.
“Not only is the community of St. George growing at a rapid pace, but it also boasts year-round warm weather, golf courses, and proximity to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park,” said Freeman Holdings Group CEO Scott Freeman. “We are confident we can deliver a customer service experience that will help support the business and leisure travelers who visit this beautiful area.”
Connectivity provider Iridium Communications is rolling out its low-earth-orbit satellite Certus service for widescale applications, offering secure voice and data capabilities in commercial and business aviation, helicopters, private aircraft, and uncrewed vehicles.
Iridium Certus uses L-band frequencies to provide secure services in the flight deck and can complement Ka/Ku-band services used for passengers on airliners. It also can be a primary service for small and midsize business jets, as well as an option for electronic flight bags, flight-critical data, and passenger communications during oceanic flights.
Iridium is working with value-added partners, which are offering a variety of tiered Certus products and services. These include the Certus 100, which is optimized for smaller low-gain antennas, and the 700, optimized for speed and solid-state antenna options. Certification work is underway, with flight testing anticipated later this year and approvals following in 2024.
“The aviation industry is forecasting a period of unprecedented growth, where reliable connectivity has become crucial for both passenger and cockpit communications,” said Iridium CEO Matt Desch. “Iridium Certus perfectly fits these applications due to the combination of its size, weight, and power, as well as the outstanding reliability of our global network. With our upgraded constellation, we have significantly improved and expanded our offerings, delivering air traffic control services, weather, and critical information to cockpits worldwide more affordably than ever before.”
The No Ice Rotor consortium reported what it claims is a breakthrough in the development, testing, and integration of a novel ice protection system for rotor blades. The group of companies have been working as part of the European Union-backed Clean Sky 2 project to develop more environmentally sustainable aviation technology—initially for Leonardo's Next Generation Civil Tilt Rotor.
This technology promises both anti-icing and deicing capabilities by incorporating embedded “heating mats” within the rotor blades. To achieve this, two heater mats were stacked on top of each other with a mechanical and electrical insulation layer between them.
“To ensure the total thickness of the heater 'sandwich' was kept as thin as possible [so as not to compromise aerodynamic performance], a special manufacturing process had to be devised and tested for the production of the demonstrator, representing a significant achievement,” said Vincent Foucart, a project officer with the EU Clean Aviation venture.
The concept was first tested for structural and environmental performance using small material test samples and full-scale rotor blade sections. During the testing phase, the system was subjected to realistic operating conditions using two demonstrators at the Rail Tec Arsenal icing wind tunnel in Vienna.
U.S. companies now represent the second-largest national group among the members of the Air Charter Association (ACA). Out of a total membership of 375 companies, the highest number—170—are based in the UK, where ACA was formed in 1949 under the auspices of the Baltic Exchange in London.
There are now 25 member companies from the U.S., according to the ACA, with 55 nations in total represented following the recent addition of companies from Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay. The next-largest national groups are Germany and Switzerland, with 19 and 17 members, respectively.
ACA membership is open to aircraft operators, as well as charter brokers, airports, FBOs, manufacturers, maintenance organizations, insurance companies, and other professional service providers. The association said its participation at NBAA-BACE 2022 resulted in an uptick in U.S. membership.
“At ACA, we have a commitment to developing our global footprint to represent and support all members worldwide,” said chairman Kevin Ducksbury. “The fantastic growth in the U.S. is reassuring us that companies value ACA accreditation and being part of our network of professional companies. Members are confident that when they work with another member company, they share the same high standards and core values and are committed to best practices in the industry.”
Continuing strong demand for jet charter options has compelled private aircraft charter broker Paramount Business Jets to expand its Paramount Jet Card (PBJ) program with a $1 million deposit tier, the company said.
Paramount’s Private Jet Membership Card offers a prepaid program that delivers access to private jets with as little as four hours of notice. Customers can charter any size aircraft on a per-trip basis rather than committing to long-term agreements. PBJ promotes the program as a flexible alternative to traditional 25-hour jet cards and private jet memberships.
Clients can access a Paramount Jet Card with a deposit as low as $100,000 held in a dedicated account available for use only by the cardholder. That amount locks in a guaranteed management fee of 16 percent of the total charges for each trip, or $1,600, whichever is greater.
Larger deposits provide access to even lower management charges and travel credits that travelers can apply to in-flight catering, automobile rentals, and other concierge services. A $1 million deposit locks in a 10 percent trip management fee—the lowest percentage available—and caps the maximum commission per trip at $30,000 for trips priced at more than $300,000.
Paramount promises to refund unused jet card reserves whenever the client wishes; the program imposes no expiration dates or monthly service fees.
Which of the following set of sub-skills/actions are required to actually perform the monitoring task in the flight deck?
A. Good anticipation, cooperation, and agreeableness.
B. Rules of the air memorization and strict regulatory compliance.
C. It depends on the respective national aviation authority requirements.
D. Attention management, deliberate checking, and cross-checking/cross-verifying.
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