As aircraft operators learn to navigate the complexities of reporting their sustainability efforts, NATA and industry solutions provider 4Air today announced the rollout of the first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) receipt program for business aviation. According to NATA and 4Air, the receipt will provide a standardized document for operators to acknowledge their uplift of the fuel, a crucial link to the “last-mile” transfer of the fuel from FBO to the end user.
It will contain information such as the specific feedstock used in the particular uplift, which is vital to understanding the fuel’s carbon intensity. Additionally, it will outline the ratio of the blend between SAF and jet-A, which is important in calculating the actual lifecycle emissions reduction and in educating users as to the fuel's benefits.
The hope is that the implementation of the document program will drive more uplift of SAF by making it easier to comply with organizational environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, and with formal reporting programs.
“Sustainable aviation fuel is today’s most accessible way to not just offset but actually reduce carbon emissions that contribute to climate change,” said 4Air president Kennedy Ricci. “However, many operators were struggling to get the necessary information to report on their use of SAF. Our collaboration with NATA provides a standardized paper trail for everyone in the industry.”
The latest 20-year outlook from Boeing sees a need for 2.1 million personnel to meet the demand for commercial air travel, including 602,000 pilots, 610,000 maintenance technicians, and 899,000 cabin crewmembers. The 2022 Pilot and Technician Outlook marks a 3.4 percent increase from last year’s forecast and comes as demand for scheduled air travel comes roaring back.
Boeing further projected a doubling of the commercial fleet, reaching 47,080 aircraft by 2041. The forecast does not include the Russian region due to the sanctions prohibiting aircraft exports. Africa, Southeast Asia, and South Asia represent the fastest growing regions over the forecasted period, each expected to grow by more than 4 percent.
The rebound in demand is creating openings for new pilots and carriers are resuming their focus on new pilot development, Boeing noted. However, the industry is facing a global shortage of certified flight instructors.
Efforts to accelerate training will take years but the industry is facing short supplies now. Many junior pilots who lost their jobs are not returning and have found other careers. At the same time, many seasoned pilots took early retirement. “As a result, competition for qualified pilots will remain strong over the next few years,” the forecast said.
Additionally, the outlook saw business and general aviation as means for pilots to build flight hours.
Just a year after its heralded opening, Richmond Executive Aviation (REA), one of two FBOs at Virginia’s Richmond Executive-Chesterfield County Airport (KFCI), had its 30-year lease terminated by the county authority due to multiple defaults of the airport’s contracted minimum standards. The move leaves Dominion Aviation Services as the lone FBO on the field.
In a letter to REA’s leadership, airport manager Jeremy Wilkinson detailed the violations that included not employing enough FAA-certified aircraft mechanics and flight instructors, running out of fuel, unsafe fueling practices, and not having an airworthy multi-engine aircraft available for flight training.
A county spokesperson told AIN that REA was required to satisfy minimum standards of operation applicable to all FBOs at the airport. And, he added, despite being given multiple opportunities and ample time to achieve compliance, it had defaulted on many of those minimum standards and other terms of the agreement.
“As a result, Chesterfield was well within its contractual rights to terminate the company’s FBO agreement and revoke its access to county-owned facilities at the airport effective immediately,” the spokesman said, adding the company is still sorting out financial and legal matters between its ownership. The county will continue to work with the owner of the hangars, which is a separate entity from the FBO, to help position them for other aeronautical uses such as storage of aircraft.
TRU Simulation + Training’s Cessna Citation M2 full-flight simulator for the Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC) has received level-D qualification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). According to the Textron company, this is the first level-D Citation M2 simulator in operation outside of the U.S.
“The success of the Cessna Citation M2 simulator program in China is the result of a long-standing relationship between the TRU and CAFUC teams,” said TRU v-p and general manager Jerry Messaris. He added that TRU designed and produced the simulator, and then collaborated with CAFUC on the installation and qualification process.
Located at CAFUC’s training center in Guanghan City, China, the simulator will support the university’s fleet of four Citation M2s and expands the capabilities of China’s largest pilot training school. CAFUC’s fleet also includes 159 Cessna Skyhawk piston singles and seven Citation CJ1/CJ1+ light jets.
The CAAC qualification of the M2 simulator comes just three months after TRU’s full-flight simulator for the Cessna SkyCourier received FAA level-D qualification. According to the company, additional qualifications for other TRU training devices are expected by year-end.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), joined by a handful of other Republican colleagues, yesterday introduced a bill that would raise the airline pilot retirement age from 65 to 67. The legislation, Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act (S.4607), stipulates that pilots older than 65 must maintain first-class FAA medicals, which are renewed every six months. Also, air carriers must remain in compliance with their FAA-approved pilot training and qualification programs.
In introducing the bill, Graham estimated that some 5,000 airline pilots will be forced to retire in the next two years, exacerbating a looming shortage of pilots. The bill was introduced as Boeing was releasing its latest outlook forecasting a need for 602,000 pilots over the next 20 years.
Co-sponsoring the legislation are Sens. John Thune (R-South Dakota), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee).
However, the Air Line Pilots Association International opposed the bill, calling it a misguided attempt to solve a problem that does not exist. “This legislation is yet another attempt to distract the conversation from the real issue, which is that some U.S. airlines have clearly failed to plan for the industry’s comeback that we are experiencing today,” said ALPA president Joe DePete.
Airbus Helicopters and VRM Switzerland are co-developing a virtual reality (VR) training device for the twin-engine H145 helicopter. The new training tool will offer H145 operators a compact training solution with 3D vision and high-resolution scenery.
Containing the OEM data package, the H145 VR simulator will allow pilots to perform proficiency checks, receive training credits, perform type and instrument ratings, and practice emergency and special operations. The latter includes hoist operations and flight with night vision goggles.
VRM Switzerland and Airbus Helicopters previously partnered in 2021 to bring the EASA-qualified H125 VR training device to the market. “As we did with the H125 VR simulator, our Airbus pilots and experts will work hand in hand with VRM’s team, bringing our OEM experience to this affordable, flexible training solution that will surely answer our customer’s requirements. With this type of simulator, the pilot can enter operational scenarios that would be very risky to attempt in actual flight but which bring significant added value to training,” said Christoph Zammert, Airbus Helicopters’s executive v-p of customer support and services.
Cirrus Aircraft recently opened an expanded aircraft paint and finish facility at its Duluth, Minnesota headquarters. The 16,000-sq-ft expansion at Duluth International Airport (KDLH) yields a 35 percent increase in aircraft spray capacity for the company’s SR-series pistons and SF50 Vision Jets. Cirrus’s entire Duluth paint and finish facility is now 86,000 sq ft, the company noted.
“We are proud to expand the Cirrus paint and finish facility at our Duluth headquarters,” said Cirrus Aircraft CEO Zean Nielsen. “These investments allow us to both meet the increasing demand for our leading-edge aircraft and create additional jobs in our local communities.” The company currently has 130 employees at its paint facility, but with this expansion expects to hire 50 more.
Meanwhile, Cirrus is also expanding into the former Northwest Airlines aircraft maintenance facility at KDLH and is also preparing for further growth in Duluth, according to Cirrus v-p of operations John Gallo.
GE Aerospace, in a partnership with NASA and Boeing, is preparing to fly a hybrid-electric propulsion system on board an aircraft testbed later this decade. This effort follows successful completion of testing involving a megawatt-class, multi-kilovolt hybrid-electric propulsion system in simulated altitude conditions for single-aisle commercial flight.
Beginning a little more than a year ago and running through earlier this year at NASA’s Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) facility in Sandusky, Ohio, the test marked the culmination of more than a decade’s worth of research. It also marks a key milestone in the effort to bring hybrid-electric propulsion to single-aisle aircraft in the mid-2030s.
Involving a complete high-power, high-voltage system, including electric motor/generators, power converters, power transmission, and power control systems, the test demonstrated the performance and operation of components in flight environments up to 45,000 feet. Two sets of a hybrid-electric system were operated to represent the right and left aircraft engines.
The components were tested independently and as an integrated system with evaluations covering multiple modes, including power transfer from side to side, power assist to a simulated engine, and aircraft power generation. The trials also involve simulation of energy storage.
Testing will continue under NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration Program with flight trials later in the decade of a hybrid-electric system involving CT7-turboprop-powered Saab 340.
Women in Aviation International (WAI) has appointed four new team members to its full-time staff. Jabili Kandula has joined WAI as associate editor and will assist with the production of Aviation for Women and Aviation for Girls magazines, in addition to website content and social media. Annie Stikeleather was hired as manager of youth programs and will be responsible for implementing a new educational and experience-based version of the Aviation for Girls App, as well as age-appropriate resources for Girls in Aviation Day. Trish Steineke was appointed as conference and events coordinator to assist with the management and development of WAI’s annual conference and Connect events. Jessi Rowden is the organization's new manager of chapter relations, working to expand the resources and support to the WAI chapter network.
Rolls- Royce has appointed Tufan Erginbilgic as CEO and executive director of Rolls-Royce Holdings. Erginbilgic will succeed Warren East in the role on Jan.1, 2023, as East announced in February his intention to step down at the end of this year. Erginbilgic has a background in engineering and served for more than 20 years with BP, five of which as a member of its executive team. He has also held several non-executive directorships in heavy industry and manufacturing companies, including at aerospace technology group GKN.
Skyservice Business Aviation has hired Qi Tang as CFO. Tang, who has more than 25 years of experience in finance and business leadership, is a CPA, CA, and CFA and holds a master's degree in accounting from the University of Saskatchewan. Before joining Skyservice, she was most recently CFO and senior v-p of RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, one of the largest publicly traded real estate companies in Canada.
SterlingRisk Aviation has appointed Kris Larkin as v-p and senior account executive. Larkin previously held the position of client service supervisor at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the aviation practice division. Before that, she held positions with State Farm Insurance, Aviation Insurance Services of Illinois, and Near North Insurance Brokerage. In her new role, Larkin will oversee accounts and account personnel, provide comprehensive advisory expertise, and facilitate audits and inspections to identify and mitigate client risks.
Four Corners Aviation has hired industry veteran Vincent Kavanagh to serve as executive v-p and head of sales. Kavanagh joins Four Corners after being employed by Air Partner in various senior sales positions over the past eight years. He has also previously held sales management positions with VistaJet International and NetJets Europe. Kavanagh will be responsible for overseeing sales of the company’s Freedom "Corporate Jet as a Service" solution.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has appointed DavidDunning as director of global innovation and policy, and promoted JoeSambiase to managing director of airworthiness and regulatory affairs. Dunning joins GAMA after having served as advanced air mobility program manager at the FAA. He has more than 19 years of experience in military, civil, and government aviation operations. Sambiase joined GAMA in 2010 and is responsible for the organization's activities related to regulatory requirements governing the initial and continuing airworthiness aspects of general aviation aircraft. In his new role, he will oversee a broader range of technical domains within certification, production, and maintenance of general aviation products, and provide increased representation through international initiatives and partnerships.
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