FlightSafety Adds EFVS Training for Gulfstreams

FlightSafety International has added enhanced flight vision system (EFVS) touchdown and rollout training for the Gulfstream G280, G450, G500, G550, G600, and G650/650ER. According to FlightSafety, the courses meet FAA training requirements for operators to use EFVS in lieu of natural vision to descend below the decision height/altitude (DA/DH) or minimum descent altitude (MDA).

Once the courses are completed, pilots can then obtain FAA authorization to use EFVS-to-touchdown operations that will allow them to begin instrument approaches when visibilities are lower than the published approach minimums. “These courses will also help pilots identify failures affecting the aircraft’s EFVS capability and then to apply the appropriate contingency procedures,” FlightSafety added.

This training is available in Gulfstream simulators at FlightSafety’s learning centers in Dallas; Hong Kong; Long Beach, California; Savannah, Georgia; Wilmington, Delaware; and London Farnborough Airport. FlightSafety has been the factory-authorized training organization for Gulfstream Aerospace for more than four decades.

FAA Policy To Provide Relief During ADS-B Outage

The FAA is assuring operators that, in certain circumstances, a degradation of GPS performance will not be deemed as noncompliance with ADS-B Out requirements, including in cases where the properly-equipped operators conduct “due diligence.”

“There are circumstances outside of an operator’s control that may result in a temporary degradation of GPS performance and an apparent violation of ADS-B requirements,” the agency said in a new policy statement and outlined some of these circumstances.

An operator might perform due diligence before a flight to ensure the availability of ADS-B service for an intended route, but experience a rerouting that results in encountering an unanticipated degradation of performance. Further, an operator might encounter GPS interference along the intended path or be unable to complete a preflight check of availability because the FAA’s tool for such a check, the service availability prediction tool (SAPT), is out of service, the agency noted, and said it “will not consider these events to constitute noncompliance…due to the circumstances.”

To take effect Jan. 1, 2020, FAA rules require aircraft operating in controlled airspace be equipped with ADS-B Out technology that provides real-time positioning information. All approved ADS-B Out position sources rely on a GPS receiver.

UTM Provider Unifly Draws More Investors

Unmanned traffic management (UTM) software provider Unifly has raised an additional $19.2 million from investors, including Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS, Germany’s national ATC authority) and the sovereign wealth fund of Belgium (FPIM). FPIM manages the federal government’s shareholdings, cooperates with the government on specific projects, and pursues its own investment policy in the interests of the Belgian economy. The new investors join others including Japan’s Terra Drone and Belgian investors QBIC and PMV.

Unifly’s UTM software enables safe drone tracking and management alongside commercial aviation. It provides visibility on where drones can fly, requests and provides flight approvals, manages potential conflicts, and implements regulations, including no-fly zones. 

The company has won national contracts with Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and Austria, and several U.S. regions, including the NuAir Northeastern UAS flight corridor and research site. Unifly also manages drone corridors in Japan and Malawi. It is a selected technology provider for the U.S. FAA's LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) program.

Women Are Winners in CAE Flight Scholarship

Training provider CAE revealed the names of its first three Women in Flight scholarship winners during the recent Paris Air Show. CAE launched the Women in Flight program in December, committing to spending the money and resources needed to help encourage more women to join the pilot ranks by becoming role models and influencers for potential future female pilots.

The scholarship program is for five pilots every year, and CAE is paying the full cost of the winners’ flight training and also helping arrange airline flying jobs for each winner. Known as Women in Flight ambassadors, the winners will help drive awareness and promote the pilot profession among women and increase diversity in aviation.

“This ground-breaking scholarship program is a catalyst for more diversity in the cockpit, and we congratulate the winners as they pave the way for a new generation of pilots,” said Nick Leontidis, CAE group president, civil aviation training solutions. “It’s only five women, but the point is that we will create five ambassadors to the profession who will be followed over the course of their career.”

The women welcomed into the scholarship program are Georgina Thomas-Watson, Generation easyJet Cadet program; Daniella Saucedo Orozco, Aeromexico Cadet program winner; and Bisma Petafi, winner of the CityJet Climb High Mentored Cadet program.

Charter Broker Victor Vows Softer Environmental Impact

Online on-demand charter broker Victor has pledged to reduce the carbon emissions of the flights it charters, find and operate routes with the least amount of fuel burn, and promote and increase the use of sustainable alternative fuels (SAF) in business aviation, the London-based company announced yesterday. It is starting these initiatives immediately, it said.

Specifically, it “guarantees” to double offset the CO₂ emissions of each flight, reducing about 46,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually. Flight planner RocketRoute will assist Victor in identifying optimal routes that require less fuel burn, and Victor will work with SAF producer Neste and the European Business Aviation Association to promote awareness and drive the adoption of SAF.

“We must act now and encourage others to follow our lead rather than passively waiting for governments and legislation,” said Victor CEO and founder Clive Jackson. “The problem is only going to get worse, so the sooner we all start to prioritize the reduction and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, the better chance we have at preventing a 1.5-degree increase in the Earth’s average temperature.”

Global Urban Air Summit Drawing Innovators, Regulators

The first Global Urban Air Summit is set to bring together a diverse cross-section of innovators from the fast-emerging electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) sector with regulators and investors. The event will be held at the UK’s Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre from September 3 to 4.

The summit’s agenda will begin with a global market overview before focusing on topics such as on-demand ridesharing, ground infrastructure, air traffic management, safety, batteries, 5G communications platforms, and investment opportunities. Among the aircraft manufacturers present will be Airbus, Boeing, Airspace Experience Technologies, Ehang, Neoptera, Bartini, and Volocopter.

Speakers booked to date include representatives of leading international regulators and government agencies—Jay Merkle, FAA’s executive director of the office of unmanned aircraft systems; Bob Pearce, NASA’s deputy associate administrator; Ito Takanori, deputy director of the manufacturing industries bureau with Japan’s Ministry of Trade and Industry; and Tim Johnson, policy director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, among others.

The conference also will hear from François Sillion, director of Uber’s advanced technologies research center in Paris, who will provide an update on the company’s plans for flight operations in large cities.

Ground Handling Training Moves into the VR Realm

Baltic Ground Services Group (BGS) is among the pioneers bringing virtual reality (VR) to ground service training. The Vilnius, Lithuania-based company, part of the Avia Solutions Group, has already developed walk-around inspection and fueling VR training modules, with highly realistic graphics and sound effects, and plans to add de-icing and anti-icing modules by the end of the year. BGS, which operates in eight central and eastern European countries, is currently moving its own training into the VR environment, and it plans to offer its VR curriculum as a third-party service to the market.

“Virtual reality training in ground handling is a new trend,” said Konradas Dulka, head of BGS’s IT business solutions. “Virtual reality becomes a bridge between the theoretical training and the field practice, and it increases the speed and quality of the training.”

Paulus Miezelis, the company’s head of training, added that by using the virtual system, trainees can repeat complex tasks without the need to wait for another aircraft turnaround until their skills are competent enough to demonstrate them in reality.

“This minimizes the probability of mistakes,” he said. “Also, there is a possibility to simulate extraordinary and extreme situations, [and] eliminate the noisy environment of the airport, which disturbs trainees during the training.”

GYY Reaches 50 International Arrivals

Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY) last week celebrated the 50th international private aircraft arrival there since the opening of its permanent U.S. Customs and Border Patrol facility last October. It is the newest such facility in the metro Chicago area and the latest improvement to the airport, which is located 25 miles from the Windy City’s downtown. Averaging eight arrivals a month, the on-call facility has attracted flights from Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean, as well as from Central and South America.

“The CBP facility helps secure our position as the premier midsized airport for the Chicago region, and we are very pleased at the frequency the facility is being used,” said Duane Hayden, GYY’s executive director. “We are seeing strong returns on our ongoing investments at the airport, and as a result, the airport is now a preferred destination among corporate and executive fliers.”