The Stratos 716X single-engine, four to six seat personal jet made its first flight on Thursday from the company’s factory in Redmond, Oregon. Stratos's jet single is designed to cruise at 400 knots and have a maximum range of 1,500 nm. On the 22-minute first flight, test pilots performed a full-power takeoff and climbed to an altitude of 13,500 feet.
The carbon-fiber 716X is powered by a 3,000 pounds of thrust Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5 turbofan with electronic engine control (EEC) and features Garmin avionics components, including dual G3X screens, GTN 750 MFD, and integrated Garmin autopilot. It is also equipped with dual standby Mid-Continent attitude indicators, custom switch panels, fully automated pressurization system, and air conditioning.
Stratos announced the aircraft in 2018 as a follow-on to the proof-of-concept Model 714. Compared to that aircraft, the 716X has a fuselage that is 31 inches longer and two inches wider. Initially, the company plans to offer the aircraft as a kit but will eventually produce a fully-certified model badged simply the 716. The initial run rate for the kit aircraft will be three units per year. The company said it will offer a comprehensive build-assist program and kit build time is estimated at 2,500 hours.
Fatal accidents involving U.S.-registered turbine business aircraft plummeted in the first half, according to data compiled by AIN. The rate fell steeply from 57 people killed in 13 accidents in the first six months of last year to 14 killed in five accidents this year.
The February 8 in-flight breakup of a Cessna Citation 501 in which the two pilots and two passengers died was the only fatal U.S.-registered business jet accident in the first six months versus 21 people killed in five business jet fatal accidents in the same period in 2019. Four U.S.-registered turboprop accidents took the lives of 10 people in the first half of this year, compared with eight accidents and 36 fatalities last year.
The number of fatal crashes involving non-U.S.-registered turbine business airplanes took the opposite trend from U.S. accidents in the first six months, despite the impact of the pandemic on reducing worldwide operations. Fourteen people died in three accidents involving non-N-numbered business jets in the first half of this year versus zero fatalities in the same period last year. Non-U.S.-registered turboprops suffered one fatal accident in the first half versus zero fatal crashes in the same year-ago period.
London Biggin Hill Airport Promotes Contactless Travel
London Biggin Hill Airport (BQH) is introducing a contactless travel initiative to highlight what it says are the health and safety benefits of private aviation. Under the plan announced on July 2, the privately owned UK airport has published a commitment to mitigate the risk of Covid-19 infection through measures such as two-meter separation markings, minimizing personal contact between passengers and with staff, and the use of personal protective equipment.
From this week, Biggin Hill has started issuing safety kits to everyone passing through its facilities. They include gloves, hand sanitizer, tissues, and masks.
“Passengers typically arrive at the airport’s terminal 10 to 15 minutes before departure, so flying privately means they can better avoid any risk of infection from commercial airport queues and more easily adhere to social distancing measures,” said Sally Powell, head of customer services at BQH. “When you fly via London Biggin Hill, you can be safe in the knowledge that all aircraft moving through the airport are fully-sanitized, with specialist teams providing fumigation and disinfection treatments.”
The airport has remained fully operational through the Covid-19 pandemic. Movements have included a mix of passenger flights (such as repatriations), as well as medical support and cargo operations.
Bizav Uptick Doesn’t Mean Orders Will Quickly Follow
Even with a robust rebound in business jet flight activity since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, industry analyst Brian Foley doesn’t believe it will translate to a surge in orders for and deliveries of new business jets, according to a report released today by Brian Foley Associates. The pandemic’s lasting effects on private air travel won’t be known for some time to come, he added.
In his analysis, “Bizjet Makers Downsize Despite Rebound in Private Air Travel,” Foley acknowledged that telephones of charter operators “are ringing off the hook, and jet card sales…are selling like crazy.” And while it would seem logical that an upturn in new business jet production would follow, he pointed out that owning and maintaining a business jet is “a multimillion-dollar proposition limiting the buyer base to those with the “financial will and wherewithal.”
Moreover, many charter operators won’t be in the market for new jets since much of their fleets are managed versus owned. Fractional operators also won’t be buying new jets until they see new travelers move from buying jet cards to shares.
It is for those reasons why the big-three OEMs—Bombardier, Gulfstream, and Textron Aviation—have shed thousands of jobs to date and aren’t expecting any meaningful pick up in jet orders in the near term, Foley concluded.
Operators of certain Part 27 helicopters can now install Garmin’s GI 275 electronic flight instruments under a field approval process. In the fourth quarter, Garmin expects to receive a follow-on STC for use of the GI 275 as a replacement for attitude and horizontal situation indicators in helicopters.
Garmin's GI 275 mounts from the rear of instrument panels and fits in standard 3.125-inch instrument holes, simplifying the replacement of older flight instruments. Pilot control of the GI 275 is via touchscreen and dual concentric knobs.
Installations currently include the GI 275 as a course-deviation indicator (CDI), radar altimeter display, and multifunction display (MFD). For CDI installations, the GI 275 can interface with legacy navigators, thanks to its built-in omnibearing resolver. It can also accept up to two GPS and two VHF nav sources and can display vertical and lateral GPS, VOC/LOC, and glideslope deviation. The MFD installation enables the display of moving map, flight data, weather, traffic, Garmin SafeTaxi airport diagrams, and radar altimeter information.
The GI 275 also includes built-in Wi-Fi so database updates can be transferred wirelessly to a single GI 275 or synced with multiple units installed in an aircraft. This Wi-Fi capability also enables sharing of GPS position and backup attitude information with the Garmin Pilot app.
EU Simplifies Temporary Admission Process for Aircraft
The European Commission is updating customs rules to formally establish the terms under which aircraft are eligible for temporary admission (TA) to the European Union (EU). From July 16, aircraft owners will no longer be required to complete customs paperwork when crossing the EU’s external border.
According to aviation customs expert Opmas, the change to the EU customs code formalizes what is a long-standing established common practice through which authorities have accepted that the filing of a flight plan to a customs airport constitutes a declaration of entry to the EU for TA purposes. Similarly, filing a flight plan to exit the EU from a customs airport constitutes an acceptable declaration to establish that an aircraft has not remained beyond the permitted limits of customs rules.
The change is confirmed in a new paragraph added to Article 141(d) of the EU Customs Code. In guidance issued on July 2, Opmas stressed that aircraft operators still need to be ready to provide supporting evidence of an aircraft’s TA status in case it is required. This can be based on flight logs or a supporting document.
All aircraft flying into the EU must do so either under TA conditions or full importation. TA status can only be used by entities and aircraft owned, operated, registered, and based outside the EU.
Covid-19 Throttles ACE 2020 Plans
The Air Charter Expo (ACE) set for September has been canceled because of the on-going effects of Covid-19, organizers The Air Charter Association (ACA) and Business Air News announced Thursday. However, it will return on Sept. 14, 2021, at London Biggin Hill Airport (BQH).
“While we’re disappointed to postpone this year’s ACE, our partners, colleagues, and friends are already gearing up for a truly exceptional event in 2021,” ACA chairman Kevin Ducksbury said. “Facing Covid-19 has only proven how agile and innovative our industry can be, and I’m immensely proud of how charter brokers and operators across the spectrum have pivoted their operations to support relief efforts. In preparation for the second half of this uniquely challenging year, we’re reminding our members to call on The ACA for support wherever it’s needed, as we look forward to reuniting in 2021.”
Last year’s ACE was attended by 1,100 brokers, operators, and other aviation professionals and featured 70 exhibitors and more than 20 aircraft. “We are very much looking forward to hosting ACE next year, the fifth to be held at the airport,” said BQH head of marketing Andy Patsalides. David Wright of Business Air News said the ACE team is already working with exhibitors and sponsors in planning “a landmark event in 2021.”
A. The ratio of bleed air used for aircraft systems and the air bypassed to the combustion in a turbojet engine.
B. The ratio of air used in the compressor of a turbocharged engine.
C. The ratio of air that bypasses the core to the air that goes through the core in a turbofan engine.
D. All of the above.
Insurer Recognizes Wyvern Safety Leader Program
Axa XL, the property and casualty and specialty risk division of insurance provider Axa, has recognized Wyvern’s Safety Leader Training Course as part of the insurer’s safety optimization and aviation resource (SOAR) program, which aims to improve the safety culture of flight departments and charter operators. SOAR comprises safety, loss control, and risk-mitigation services provided through Axa XL to aviation clients.
Wyvern’s safety leader course is presented in a four-day webinar that is designed to provide safety managers, pilots, maintenance managers, and others with the skills and knowledge to lead an organization’s safety management system (SMS). Following guidance from the International Civil Aviation Organization, Safety Management International Collaboration Group, and various national aviation authorities, Wyvern’s program is recognized by the International Society of Safety Professionals. The course also meets the requirements for four credits for NBAA’s Certified Aviation Manager credential.
Free Webinar: Value and Benefits of an Engine Maintenance Program
An engine maintenance program can provide financial and operational benefits to business aircraft operators by enhancing asset value, protecting against unforeseen costs and unscheduled events, and maximizing availability and safety. In this free AIN-hosted webinar, you'll learn how such a maintenance program works and the many benefits it offers to aircraft owners and operators. Join us on July 29 at 1:30 p.m. EDT as AIN editor-in-chief Matt Thurber moderates this discussion with Andy Robinson, Rolls-Royce's senior v-p of customer services for business aviation, and Asset Insight president and CEO Anthony Kioussis. Sponsored by Rolls-Royce.
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