Worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales jumped by 22.6 percent year-over-year in the first three months, topping $777 million, the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) reported yesterday. Sales were up by $143 million over the $634 million reported in first-quarter 2022.
Forward-fit sales drove that leap, up 32.1 percent to nearly $468 million in the quarter, while retrofit sales also rose by 10.5 percent to $310 million. Forward-fit represented some 60.1 percent of sales in the quarter. The North American market dominated, accounting for 74.5 percent of sales in the quarter.
However, total sales in the first three months of the year ebbed by 2.1 percent from the fourth quarter of 2022, “snapping a streak of 10 consecutive quarters of increasing [quarter-over-quarter] sales,” AEA noted.
"This quarterly report offers mixed results, as the industry posted a lower dollar amount in sales when compared to the fourth quarter of last year, while at the same time reporting an increase in sales of more than 22 percent compared to the first three months of 2022,” said AEA president and CEO Mike Adamson. “Also of note, the industry garnered the largest forward-fit sales volume in the history of the report with more than $467 million in avionics sales to OEMs. It is only the second time that quarterly sales have topped $400 million in that category."
With mandates and blending goals being imposed on the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), renewable fuel producer SKYNRG predicts a worldwide demand and supply of at least 4.5 billion gallons worldwide by 2030, with voluntary usage by business aviation, airlines, and cargo operators expected to further increase that amount. By 2050, that total could reach 42 billion gallons in markets where blending mandates or production goals are in place or under development.
In its “Sustainable Aviation Fuel Market Outlook 2023” released Wednesday morning, SKYNRG noted that with SAF derived from a variety of feedstocks and processes, certain regions will likely favor one over the other going forward based on policy and supply. For example, in the EU, waste oil-based SAF and eSAF will be more attractive, while HEFA-process fuel produced from agricultural commodities such as soybean oil will prove favorable in the U.S.
The report noted that an impediment to the success of vegetable-based HEFA could be competition from renewable diesel, which could place a strain on feedstock supply, “or risk impacting global agricultural commodity markets by significantly expanding soybean oil production.”
UK-based Aerocare Aviation Services and Inflite the Jet Centre have agreed to collaboratively offer their respective business aviation customers an extended range of paint and MRO services.
Aerocare’s dedicated VIP paint facility at Hawarden Airport in Chester, UK, will accommodate Inflite’s MRO customers requiring aircraft painting during their maintenance visits. Customers can simultaneously book paint jobs and MRO on the business aircraft types Inflite supports, offering a one-stop-shop solution for all maintenance requirements.
The collaboration allows Inflite to extend its Part 145 approval to provide EASA and FAA certification across the aircraft types it supports, including the Embraer Phenom 100 and 300, Praetor, and Legacy families and Bombardier Challenger 600 Series jets while their aircraft receive updated or new paint liveries at Aerocare.
The partnership will provide Aerocare with access to new markets, along with the ability to deliver its existing client base an extended Part 145 coverage. The capability reduces the need to position engineers and specialized tooling between the North West and Inflite’s London Stansted home when providing the necessary engineering support during painting, significantly reducing downtime and cost.
Between 1990 and 2021 there were more than 255,000 reports of animals and aircraft colliding submitted to the FAA’s National Wildlife Strike Database (NWSD), according to proposed Advisory Circular 150/5200-32C, “Reporting Wildlife Strikes.” Over that 30-year period, 32,742 reports—12.8 percent of the total—indicated the collision caused aircraft damage and/or adverse effect to the aircraft in flight.
Ducks, geese, gulls, hawks, and vultures continue to cause the most damage to civil aircraft in the U.S., while European starlings are responsible for the greatest loss of human life. About 97 percent of all wildlife strikes reported to the FAA involved birds, while 2 percent involved terrestrial mammals and less than 1 percent involved bats or reptiles. But deer and coyotes remain responsible for the most damaging aircraft strikes.
The draft AC also describes recent improvements in the agency’s wildlife strike reporting system, changes to how to report a wildlife strike, how to access the NWSD database, and the FAA’s bird identification program. Finally, the proposed AC adds sizes, weights, and types of animals subject to strike reports; expands the bird/mammal list from 50 to 79 species; upgrades reporting forms; and requires reports to be filed electronically. Comments on the draft AC are due by June 12.
Your Dream Plane’s Maintenance Journey: What’s Next?
Now that you’ve got your wings, you might be wondering, “What’s next?”
A well-informed and "engaged" facility should be reaching out to you several weeks prior to input to discuss and verify several things - and here are just a few..."
Global trip support provider and FBO operator Jetex has signed a deal with aviation fuel management company 360 Jet Fuel that will allow it to offer customers book-and-claim for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) purchases.
Given the limited distribution of SAF, some aircraft operators who wish to use the greener fuel may not have access to it at the airports they frequent. Now, through the 360 Green Fuel platform, Jetex clients will be able to purchase SAF and receive the CO2 emissions reduction credit even though the fuel is dispensed at another location that has physical SAF supplies. Those customers will receive a certificate specifying the amount of SAF they purchased along with an audited statement of the corresponding CO2 reduction, which can be used for reporting under various sustainability and/or emissions programs.
360 Jet Fuel sources SAF from certified suppliers, guaranteeing verification of the claimed amounts and delivery to an airline partner. To eliminate the possibility of double claiming environmental benefits, the program—which undergoes rigorous third-party auditing—traces each SAF delivery batch.
Through the system, customers can purchase any amount of SAF including equaling 100 percent of their fuel needs or becoming carbon neutral without any limitations such as blending limits. According to Jetex, in addition to promoting the increased usage of SAF, this arrangement brings it closer to its goal of global carbon neutrality.
After nearly a decade’s hiatus, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is bringing back its Air Charter Summit with a focus on addressing issues that are “bringing the future into play today,” according to association executives. Last held in 2014, the association moved away from an air-charter-specific summit in favor of a broader event that merged it with its then-called Aviation Business and Legislative Conference. However, NATA this year is planning various events that are more focused on different aspects of aviation businesses.
To be held June 21 and 22 in the Washington, D.C. area, the Air Charter Summit will open with committee and Capitol Hill meetings, while the second day of the event will feature government officials and other experts discussing pressing issues.
Among the sessions is a fireside chat with Carol A. (Annie) Petsonk, assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs for the Department of Transportation, who will discuss how on-demand and public charters fit within her agency’s mission. “We’re seeing a lot of confusion [in this area],” said Alan Stephens, v-p of regulatory affairs for NATA.
With that as an opening backdrop, the summit will lead into sessions on illegal charter, public charter opportunities, FAA reauthorization, and the future involving advanced air mobility. FAA regulators further will delve into plans for Part 135 SMS, the pilot records database, Air Traffic Organization oversight, and certification efforts.
On a conference call with reporters this morning, Sikorsky CEO Paul Lemmo vowed continued product support for the company’s line of S-76 medium twin-engine civil helicopters, even though the airframer has no plans “to be producing any more here in the [United] States.” Lemmo said there are no new developments with regard to a potential sale of the type certificate to an offshore OEM, despite persistent rumors that at least one company in India was interested.
“We continue to examine all other options with other partners and we'll see where that goes,” Lemmo said. “Obviously, we continue to support the aircraft. We've got a large number of customers out there and we're committed to supporting them.”
While declining to disclose whether the company had secured any orders for its proposed S-92A+ heavy helicopter, Lemmo said Sikorsky is having “some great discussions with several customers, but nothing to report yet.” The company shut down its Coatesville, Pennsylvania civil helicopter assembly plant last year and dispersed limited remaining production of export-market S-76s and S-92As to its other facilities. Sikorsky took the decision to end domestic production of the S-76 following an FAA mandate that all new-production helicopters be equipped with crash-resistant fuel systems.
The FAA has issued a notice seeking public comments on draft air tour managment plans (ATMPs) for four U.S. national parks: Haleakala, Hawaii Volcanoes, Mount Rushmore, and the Badlands. According to the FAA, the drafts “provide acceptable and effective measures to mitigate or prevent the significant adverse impacts, if any, of commercial air tour operations upon the Parks’ natural and cultural resources and visitor experiences, as well as on tribal lands.”
These management plans specifically apply to commercial air tour operators as defined by the FAA, namely, “a flight for compensation or hire in a powered aircraft, where a purpose of the flight is sightseeing over the park or within one-half mile outside the park’s boundary during which the aircraft flies below 5,000 feet agl.”
The notice includes links to the ATMPs for each of the four parks, and also gives links to virtual meetings between May 24 and June 7. The meetings will provide an overview of the proposed ATMPs and an opportunity for the public to ask questions. Adoption of these drafts can set the stage for implementing revisions to commercial air tour operator regulations (FAR Part 136). Comments on the drafts are due by June 20.
What is the maximum blend of fossil-based fuel to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) currently certified for aircraft?
A. 10%
B. 25%
C. 50%
D. 100%
AIN Product Support Survey Now Open
Tell us about the product support you receive from business aviation OEMs. The 2023 AIN Product Support Survey is now open, ready for selected readers to rate aircraft, engine, and avionics support. AIN readers who have been picked to participate in this year’s Product Support Survey should have received their password and link to the online survey by e-mail. The survey needs to be completed by midnight on June 9.
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