Bizav Ops Set To Soar in Back Half of 2021, Argus Says
Business aviation flight activity in North America is at or near all-time highs and is expected to approach or exceed 300,000 monthly operations in July, August, and October and surpass 2019 levels by nearly 10 percent through the remainder of the year, according to aviation data and safety specialist Argus.
In its 2021 Mid-year Business Aviation Review, Argus noted that “after last year’s record lows, we’ve seen multiple record highs through the first six months, with Part 135 activity setting flight activity records in March, May, and June.”
Argus TraqPak data—which tracks aircraft arrival and departure information on all IFR business jet and turboprop flights in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean—recorded a slow beginning of the year, with activity declining 10 to 12 percent from both 2019 and 2020 levels. But that turned in March when flight activity jumped 46.3 percent over 2020, and it since has improved every month compared with 2020 and even 2019. Year-to-date, flight activity is up 42.4 percent from 2020. With the slower months early on, year-to-date flight activity is still down 1.2 percent from 2019.
Going forward, Argus sees the market gaining further strength. As the Part 91 and long-haul markets begin to recover, Argus expects business aviation activity to consistently remain 5 to 10 percent above pre-pandemic levels and up by 32.7 percent over 2020.
Pent-up demand for meeting old friends, seeing the latest aviation technology, and hanging out under the wings of various aerial behemoths and other flying machines made for perhaps the largest-ever EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The show is still going on as I write and ends this Sunday, and by all measures, it was a doozy.
With ticket sales exceeding 2019 levels, the number of aircraft that showed up put pressure on the parking volunteers who were trying to find space for all the arrivals last weekend. Well more than double the number of aircraft that arrived during the first three days of the last show in 2019 came during this year’s first three days. Aerial views of the show site at Wittman Regional Airport reveal an extremely busy venue, with half a dozen rather large airplanes on Boeing Plaza, including the DC-8 operated by charity Samaritan’s Purse, a UPS 747, Boeing 737 Max, Airbus A400M airlifter in Luftwaffe livery, U.S. Air Force C-17, and the Orbis eye charity’s massive DC-10.
There was plenty to see that was new this year, some of which was put off by the cancellation of last year’s AirVenture due to the pandemic. Although patrons were advised that wearing masks was recommended at indoor events and in exhibit halls for the non-vaccinated, it was rare to see covered faces.
Bombardier, Union Leadership Settle Strike in Toronto
The labor strike at Bombardier’s Toronto business jet manufacturing facility was apparently short-lived, as the airframer announced this morning that it has reached a settlement with union leaders. Approximately 1,500 of its employees walked off the job on Wednesday as negotiations continued. A union ratification vote for the new three-year agreement is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, and the details of the deal will be released publicly after acceptance.
“Bombardier is pleased to confirm that its Toronto site leadership team and Unifor Locals 112 and 673 have tentatively renewed the collective bargaining agreements,” the airframer said in a statement released this morning. “Upon ratification, the mutually beneficial agreements will help secure the future of aerospace manufacturing in Toronto.”
The Downsview facility is currently the assembly site for Bombardier’s Global series of ultra-long-range business jets, and the strike affected approximately three-quarters of the company’s workforce there.
“We would also like to acknowledge and recognize both the Bombardier and Unifor bargaining committee members who worked tirelessly with professionalism, dedication, and patience in pursuit of these agreements,” Bombardier added. “Our united team’s talent and skill are proudly showcased around the world every time a Global aircraft takes off.”
De Havilland Canada manufactures the Dash-8 turboprop regional airliner at the facility, and 700 of its union workers remain on strike.
Joby Aero has started the process to secure the FAA Part 135 air carrier certificate it will need to begin planned air taxi operations with its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft, the company has confirmed.
The California-based airframer said it is on track to secure this approval, along with type and production certificates for the model, in time to begin commercial services in the U.S. during 2024.
Joby believes it may be able to secure the air carrier certificate before the end of 2022. In a July 29 statement, Joby said it plans to operate some existing, conventional aircraft as soon as it gets its air carrier certificate. It will subsequently add its as-yet-unnamed eVTOL aircraft to this Part 135 certificate once the vehicle has secured type certification, which it anticipates receiving in 2023.
Joby’s preparations for commercial air services are being led by Bonny Simi, head of air operations. She previously held senior operational and strategic positions with JetBlue Airways and United Airlines.
Want more? A longer version of this article can be found at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective, independent coverage, and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Investigators Depart from Fatal Challenger Crash Site
NTSB investigators will leave today after being on-site near Truckee-Tahoe Airport in California after a Bombardier Challenger 605 crashed on Monday afternoon while attempting a circling maneuver for a visual approach to land on Runway 11. Both pilots and the four passengers were killed in the accident. The crash site is in heavily treed terrain adjacent to a golf course.
According to the latest information, one of the pilots reported the aircraft’s position at Lummo, the final approach fix inbound for the RNAV Runway 20 approach to the 5,900-ft elevation airport and stated they needed to circle to Runway 11 for landing. A witness stated he saw the aircraft descending left-wing-down. Other witnesses said they saw the aircraft in a “very sharp turn."
Preliminary flight tracking data shows the aircraft crossing over the extended Runway 11 centerline at 148 knots, about 300 feet above the terrain, less than a mile from the threshold, and descending at 1,125 fpm. The data also shows the aircraft banking in an apparent attempt to recapture the heading for a short final.
The 2008 model, registered as N605TR to Tarco Aircraft Funding of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was on a Part 91 flight from Coeur D’Alene Airport in Idaho.
The ongoing controversy about new FAA policy concerning flight training in certain aircraft loomed large at yesterday’s “Meet The Administrator” forum at EAA AirVenture. FAA chief Steve Dickson expressed sympathy regarding the confusion and the odious mountains of additional paperwork the policy has created for aircraft owners and instructors but failed to explain the need for the change to the satisfaction of most in attendance, including EAA chairman and CEO Jack Pelton.
Effective July 12, the FAA is requiring owners and instructors for hire in certain primary, limited, and experimental category aircraft to obtain a letter of deviation authorization (LODA) before performing compensated instruction in such aircraft. Pelton and other aviation industry leaders blasted the directive as unnecessary and burdensome. He told Dickson that although the FAA allows owners and instructors to apply for the LODA online, when the EAA accessed the appropriate web portal, the exercise took two days.
Dickson, in a video of the EAA event posted by Aero-News Network, told the audience: “The bottom line is that we have got a rule on this topic that does not say what we want it to say...We need a solution in the near term. So that [LODA] was to set up a way...we could have all the documentation up to snuff. I told my people... we needed to make it as painless as we possibly could.”
Aero Companies To Provide Covid-19 Vaccine Funding
Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace are among four aviation companies donating $400,000 to Gavi’s Covid-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC), an effort to provide vaccinations to 92 lower-income nations. As part of COVAX AMC, the Gavi Matching Fund will double the donation for a total of $800,000.
Each of the four companies, which also include AerCap and SMBC Aviation Capital, donated $100,000 to the effort.
“Pratt & Whitney wants to help ensure that anyone who wants a vaccine can access it regardless of where they live or their ability to pay,” said that company's senior v-p and chief commercial officer, Rick Deurloo.
Added Collins's president of customer and account management, Colin Mahoney, “By supporting COVAX AMC, we can help enable access to doses of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines in low- and middle-income countries...Collins Aerospace recognizes that this pandemic isn’t over until every country recovers, and COVAX offers a great way to lend our support.”
Volocopter Flies 2X Prototype at Oshkosh
Volocopter made the first FAA-approved flight of a manned, eVTOL aircraft in a public environment in the U.S. during the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this week. The appearance by the German company marked a declaration of its intent to enter the U.S. market with planned air taxi and freight operations using its two-seat VoloCity, and later, the larger, longer-range VoloConnect model.
The crewed Volocopter 2X prototype took off at 2.45 p.m. local time on Tuesday for a four-minute sortie at around 164 feet and logged speeds of 18 mph as it cruised in front of vast crowds at the Wittman Regional Airport, where AirVenture is staged each year. On the ground, visitors were able to take a close look at the VoloCity model and get a first glance at the cabin design.
Volocopter confirmed that it is also working on the four-seat VoloConnect aircraft, which is expected to fly up to around 60 miles and at speeds of 155 mph. This is expected to enter service during 2026, while the VoloCity could start commercial operations by 2024.
Want more? A longer version of this article can be found at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective, independent coverage, and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Photo of the Week
Wanna Race? Chris Little, chief marketing officer of California-based Desert Jet, submitted this photo showing one of the company’s Citation Bravos posing on the ramp at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport with a Lamborghini Huracan to celebrate its new partnership as the official private jet sponsor to Ultimate Track Day. The latter provides customers with VIP access to several curated supercar experiences throughout the year, such as Monterey Car Week and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Thanks Chris, you got our engines revving.
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