Jet card provider Sentient Jet is preparing to roll out a new service to its cardholders that will enable them to book a charter via text messaging on their mobile phones. Using an artificial intelligence (AI) functionality, the automated text-to-book service will provide card owners quotes and an option to book flights without the need for human contact. It is expected to launch in the third quarter.
Through the user-authenticated and automated service, cardholders begin the process with a series of prompts, followed by the collection of necessary trip information. They are then presented with different options and quotes for the charter. The process to book a flight takes fewer than 60 seconds, according to the Directional Aviation subsidiary.
Thirty-five percent of Sentient Jet’s bookings are currently done by way of its mobile app. With the auto text-to-book and app combined, the company is estimating it will reach $200 million in mobile transactions this year.
“We’re big believers in the future of text-based commerce and are working to pave the way to introduce more AI-like interactions into the travel industry,” said Sentient Jet president and CEO Andrew Collins. “This new way of booking is a real innovation in an already incredibly dynamic and complex market. Sentient Jet is streamlining the process in such a way that it puts the control in the users' hands.”
North Carolina’s Wilmington International Airport (KILM) now has two FBOs with the opening yesterday of Aero Center Wilmington. Located north of the Taxiway Alpha and Hotel intersection, near the U.S. Customs facility, the newly-constructed facility includes an 11,000-sq-ft terminal, 15,000-sq-ft and 10,000-sq-ft hangars capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range business jets, 50,000-gallon capacity fuel farm, and more than two acres of ramp.
Aero Center's KILM facility will also provide maintenance for both piston and turbine aircraft, as well as 24/7 AOG maintenance support services for both general aviation and airline customers. The new FBO, the growing chain’s second location, will also provide airline fueling services at the airport.
“We signed our lease two years ago and started development immediately, [and] while the Covid-19 related supply chain and labor issues delayed our opening, we could not have asked for a more supportive partner than the team at Wilmington International Airport,” said Sanjay Aggarwal, co-founder and managing director of Aero Center parent company SAR Trilogy. “They have provided the right atmosphere to attract new business to the airport and community. We look forward to seeing the general aviation business at KILM grow again, starting with returning tenants.” He added that all customers—general aviation, airlines, and the military—will benefit from the competition Aero Center Wilmington brings to the market.
Global professional and standards organization SAE International has created industry panels surrounding supersonic and hypersonic aircraft, as well as human considerations in safety assessment.
The newly formed Supersonic Aircraft Steering Group is tasked with identifying and coordinating standardization activities necessary for both supersonic and hypersonic aircraft. This group will assemble industry stakeholders “to help shape the collective effort of supersonic aircraft systems and applications, and through the collaboration of industry and government, look to how industry standards may facilitate certification and regulatory compliance.”
Ben Murphy, head of sustainability policy at Boom Supersonic, praised the initiative to proactively evaluate standards necessary for certification and regulatory compliance and added that he expects his company—which is developing a supersonic airliner—will participate.
In addition, SAE established the S-18H Human Considerations for Safety Assessment Committee “to bring together aviation stakeholder expertise to clarify relationships and resolve gaps involving human considerations in function development, safety assessments, and human factors processes.” The committee will produce reports and recommend practices and standards to help close those gaps, SAE said.
"The S-18H committee, in collaboration with the G-10 committee on Flight Deck Human Factors, has begun the work of developing and improving standards to comprehensively address the role of human considerations as part of the safety assessment process,” said Robert Voros, chair of S-18H and system safety lead at Merlin Labs.
The Hansen Helicopter trial came to an abrupt pause last week and has been continued through at least mid-August due to the illness of the lead prosecutor, jurors, and a variety of scheduling conflicts. The case that began in February and was originally scheduled to last just three weeks already has seen jurors dismissed for cause and illness. Any additional delay beyond August could further erode the number of available jurors and trigger a mistrial.
Guam-based Hansen and its CEO, John D. Walker, are on trial for more than 100 combined counts of fraud and money laundering relating to allegedly employing pilots and mechanics without proper licensure, use of unapproved aircraft parts, falsification of aircraft logbooks and registrations, bribery of an FAA inspector, and using mismatched data plates. Hansen operated a fleet of more than 50 helicopters that were leased to tuna boat companies as spotting aircraft.
The trial was halted in March after the cases of four other co-defendants were severed. It resumed May 9 but has proceeded at a much slower pace than anticipated as prosecutors admitted more than 3,000 exhibits, 13 terabytes of data, and a long list of witnesses from the FBI, IRS, FAA, and MD Helicopters; former Hansen pilots; and fraud investigators and independent safety experts.
Pilots—and the flight departments who depend on them—should seek out the training options that challenge them to excel, to command, and to master. In other words, to prepare them. It is a question every pilot should ask themselves before the time comes when the answer is critical. Am I prepared for anything? FlightSafety-trained pilots can say yes.
As business aircraft manufacturers work to ramp up production to meet increasing backlogs and bring new products to market, concerns loom about the ability of regulators to keep pace with the rapid growth, according to analyst Jefferies. Recently hosting a Business Aviation Summit, Jefferies said a key takeaway is that as the industry has recovered, “the government helped from the safety and regulatory perspective, but there is a backlog of projects for regulators to get through.”
GAMA, which participated in the summit, reported that changing workforces and disruptions throughout the pandemic have led to a buildup of rules and regulations. Estimates are that one-third of employees responsible for industry oversight have been hired in the past two years.
This is compounded by changes made to the handling of type certifications and organization designation authorizations. Some of this delay comes from an increased focus on operational and training requirements that have come in the aftermath of the Boeing Max accidents. Additionally, there has been a backlog of regulations, policies, and standards that have not been finalized covering new technologies such as avionics and electric and hybrid propulsion.
These issues are among those anticipated to be discussed during the three-day FAA and EASA International Aviation Safety Conference that kicks off today. GAMA has joined the Aerospace Industries Association as a co-sponsor of this event in Washington, D.C.
Business aircraft services platform MRO Insider has merged with its European counterpart, Aviation Heaven, allowing customers access to a larger and geographically broader pool of FAA-authorized maintenance providers through MRO Insider’s mobile and desktop apps for quoting AOG and other maintenance work. With the merger, MRO Insider customers now have access to 63 service providers outside the U.S. The deal also brings MRO Insider’s total providers to more than 400, the company added.
“It’s great to see both networks working together on the same goal, providing worldwide coverage for FAA-registered jets,” said Aviation Heaven president Andreas Past. “We at Aviation Heaven are proud to represent MRO Insider in Europe, Asia, and Africa.” Aviation Heaven customers also will be able to use MRO Insider on their trips to the U.S., Past noted.
MRO Insider president Andy Nixon said Past has helped his company over the years by providing international contacts for maintenance, parts, and ground support equipment. “It seemed fitting to partner up with a like-minded individual when it comes to supporting corporate aircraft providers through technology,” Nixon added.
In September, MRO Insider also entered the FBO market, facilitiating quotes for hangar rental, fuel, and handling services, among others.
ForeFlight’s Sentry Plus ADS-B In receiver adds new features to the compact device such as a display screen, 18-hour battery life, high-performance flight data recorder with g-load, and automatic power on/off setting. Retailing for $799, the Sentry Plus was “developed in collaboration with and [is] manufactured by uAvionix,” according to ForeFlight.
The 1.3-inch OLED display on the Sentry Plus shows battery percentage, eliminating the need to look for the charge level in the ForeFlight app as on the first-generation Sentry. Like the earlier Sentry, the Plus includes the built-in carbon monoxide monitor, but it also adds a visual indicator for carbon dioxide levels on the display.
The g-load sensor added to the Sentry Plus’s attitude heading reference system provides more data for post-flight debriefing. Track logging is more accurate and can be used for to-the-minute Hobbs time logging when the Plus is connected to ship power.
In addition to dual-band ADS-B In TIS-B traffic and FIS-B weather, the Plus includes antennas optimized for European FLARM (traffic) reception. Users can add FLARM capability by purchasing a license via ForeFlight. Other Plus features include a WAAS GPS receiver and Wi-Fi client support, which can be set up using the OLED display.
Ten European flight schools have combined to launch the first European network of independent helicopter academies. Founding members of the Leading Helicopter Academies of Europe (LHA) are European Helicopter Center (Norway), Heli Austria Flight Academy, Helibravo (Portugal), HeliCentre (Netherlands), Heli-flight (Germany), Helicopter Groundschool (Belgium), LION Helicopters (Czech Republic), Mountainflyers (Switzerland), Pole-Air (France), and Superior Air (Greece).
LHA’s combined resources include a fleet of 150 helicopters, 80 flight instructors, and 22 bases throughout Europe providing more than 16,000 hours of training annually. More than 3,000 helicopter pilots already have been trained by LHA members, who offer training in all types of terrain and weather conditions, for diverse ratings, roles, and missions. All LHA members are EASA approved training organizations or recognized providers of advanced and specialized training services.
“Working together, we can now across the board offer training for all aspects of helicopter flight. It is first and foremost our students and customers who benefit from this, thanks to our joint experience, exchange, and safety practices,” said Anette Haldorsen, the LHA spokesperson and CEO of European Helicopter Center in Norway.
People in Aviation
Atlantic Aviation has named Bill White executive v-p and CFO. White has nearly 20 years of experience in the CFO role across a variety of industries, most recently as the executive v-p and CFO at PrimeSource Brands, a distributor of building materials in North America.
Ed Monaghan III has been promoted by Pro Star Aviation to director of maintenance. Monaghan began his aviation maintenance career at American Eagle Airlines and joined Pro Star in 2005 as an aircraft maintenance technician. He most recently held the role of chief inspector.
Ken Thompson has joined the National Air Transportation Association’s regulatory team as a senior advisor, specializing in business aviation maintenance issues. Thompson brings more than 48 years of aviation experience to NATA's regulatory team, including nearly three decades as an FAA aviation safety inspector.
David Kahl has been appointed COO of FL Technics’s wheels and brakes business in Hanover, Germany. Kahl previously worked at Lufthansa Technik and has nearly eight years in the aviation industry with experience in the wheels and brakes segment.
AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). We reserve the right to edit correspondence for length, clarity and grammar. Send feedback or news tips to AINalerts editor Chad Trautvetter.
AINalerts is a publication of AIN Media Group, 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
