Daher, Airbus, and Safran announced a collaborative partnership today at the Paris Air Show to design and develop EcoPulse, a wing-mounted distributed hybrid-propulsion demonstrator based on Daher’s TBM platform. First flight is expected in 2022, according to the three French companies.
The project aims to validate technologies designed to reduce emissions and noise pollution and create new uses for air transportation.
Safran will develop the distributed hybrid-propulsion system. Airbus has charge of aerodynamic optimization of the propulsion system, installation of high-energy-density batteries, and their use to power the aircraft. Daher will handle component and systems installation, flight testing, regulatory approvals, and construction.
Though the design is in its early stage, the small model displayed at the 2019 Paris Air Show and in animated videos appeared identical to a Daher TBM turboprop but for three small, evenly-spaced electric motors and propellers on the leading edge of each wing.
These electric engines could be used to power the aircraft to and from the runway and also during cruise and descent in place of the TBM's Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6. Meanwhile, the turboprop engine would be used for takeoff and other high-power flight phases, charging the hybrid system’s batteries at the same time. Expected performance metrics have yet to be released.
Fewer than 5,000, or 27 percent, of U.S.-registered turbine-powered aircraft remain unequipped with ADS-B Out, according to FlightAware, whose May 2018 report released today shows that the number of registered aircraft that comply with the FAA’s rule rose slightly to 13,174, a 2 percent gain from April 2018. A year ago, 8,337 registered aircraft were not equipped with ADS-B Out.
The top five turbine aircraft with the highest rates of ADS-B compliance were the Cirrus SF50 Vision jet, 99 percent; Honda HA-420 HondaJet, 95 percent; Dassault Falcon 7X, 94 percent; Embraer Legacy 600/650, 91 percent; and Gulfstream G650, 90 percent.
Aircraft models with the lowest equipage rates were led by the Gulfstream GIII, 39 percent; Learjet 55, 43 percent; Cessna 650 Citation III and Piaggio P.180 Avanti, 49 percent; and Learjet 31, 50 percent.
On January 1, 2020, the FAA rule takes effect and requires ADS-B Out equipment for aircraft to operate in designated airspace. It does not require the equipment for those aircraft that fly only in airspace that isn’t designated ADS-B.
Bombardier’s Global 7500 Makes Paris Air Show Debut
Bombardier’s new flagship Global 7500 will make its Paris Air Show debut this week as part of the static display at Le Bourget Airport. The ultra-long-range twinjet received Transport Canada certification in October, followed by FAA authorization a month later, and EASA approval in February. It has a range of 7,700 nm, which allows it to fly from New York to Hong Kong nonstop at a maximum speed of Mach 0.925.
It is the industry’s first true, four-zone-cabin business jet and features the airframer’s new Nuage seats with an ergonomically perfected deep recline position, and the Soleil lighting system, a circadian rhythm-based cabin lighting system that is integrated with the aircraft’s flight management system to help fight jet lag.
“With its range, comfort, and smooth ride, the Global 7500 is ideally suited to meet the needs of business jet customers throughout Europe, and we are delighted to debut its impressive attributes at this prestigious event,” said David Coleal, president of Bombardier Aviation.
Gulfstream Obtains Further FAA Nods for EFVS
Gulfstream Aerospace has expanded its list of aircraft that are U.S. FAA-approved to use an enhanced flight vision system (EFVS) for touchdown and rollout. The most recent approvals for the EFVS credit were for the G650ER, G650, G550, and G450.
With the latest round, all of the Savannah, Georgia manufacturer’s certified in-production models, along with the G450, now may use EFVS for landing. The authorizations come on the heels of approvals for the new large-cabin G500 in December and for the super-midsize G280 in April. Gulfstream expects to achieve FAA signoff for the ultra-long-range G600 as well once it is certified.
EFVS combines a cooled forward-looking infrared camera—or enhanced vision system—and a head-up display, providing improved visibility in conditions such as haze, smog, fog, and darkness. Operators must undergo training and obtain a letter of authorization from the FAA to use the EFVS for landing. Offered as an option on the G280, the EFVS system is standard on all in-production large-cabin aircraft and was on the G450.
Private aircraft management provider Jet Linx voluntarily grounded its entire fleet early last week so that its 500-plus employees could participate in the company’s third annual safety summit. The focus of this year’s event was safety culture, safety management, and identifying potential hazards, with a keynote address by former NTSB chairman Jim Hall on organizational contributing factors in aviation safety.
“Our annual safety summit allows us to continue advancing best safety practices and standards of excellence across the entire organization,” said president and CEO Jamie Walker.
The event was co-organized by Sheryl Clarke, the company’s recently appointed director of safety and security. A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, she holds an ATP rating with more than 7,500 flight hours as PIC, plus another 1,800 in the military. She most recently served with United Airlines as its managing director of airport operations, safety, and compliance, responsible for the safety efforts at all 337 airports the airline frequents.
“Jet Linx has managed to pursue a nationwide expansion while demonstrating an unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety of their clients, pilots, and team,” she said. “I am proud to be working with Jet Linx to continue to drive the industry standards for safety and security.”
House Committee Supports Industry Workforce Efforts
Forty aviation and aerospace groups sent a letter to leaders of the U.S. Department of Transportation and Office of Management and Budget in support of a pilot education grant program and an aviation technical workforce grant program. In response, the House Appropriations Committee has approved $5 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2020 and authorized the programs for five years, as proposed in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.
U.S. Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-Illinois) and Sam Graves (R-Missouri) were leading supporters in the House, along with Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) in the Senate. The Appropriations Committee said it supports “increasing the strength and number of aviation professionals who are well-trained and can be relied upon to make air travel safe and efficient.”
The pilot education grant program is for high school students, designed to provide curriculum and training for STEM, while the aviation technical workforces grant program includes scholarships and apprenticeships, establishes new training programs, and funds equipment for schools. It also supports career transitions for members of the armed forces. A vote by the full House of Representatives is expected by the end of the month.
Mapiex To Open VIP Lounge in Panama City
Panamanian aviation services company Mapiex is opening a VIP lounge for the business and general aviation clients for which it provides ground handling at Tocumen International Airport, Panama’s main international gateway, on June 24.
At the Caribbean Aviation Meetup in St. Maarten last week, Julio Miselem, the company’s flight services chief, told AIN that the VIP lounge—which represents a new business model for the company—will operate on a 24/7/365 basis. Other than the Signature Flight Support FBO, it will be the only private aviation facility at Tocumen where clients will not have to go to the crowded commercial-aviation terminals for customs and immigration clearance.
Rather than being located in the two commercial terminals, which are far from the GA ramp, the Mapiex VIP Lounge will be located in the airport’s cargo facility, which was the airport's original commercial terminal. While the 750-sq-ft lounge will not be a full FBO, it will include a dispatch center and a small crew room. Mapiex will provide its entire suite of VIP concierge services at the facility.
Mapiex handles about 65 percent of all general and private aviation activity in Panama. It operates FBOs at Panama’s Pacifico and Marcos A. Gelabert airports, both of which see much more business aviation activity than does Tocumen. Mapiex also operates FBOs in Guatemala and—with local partners—at all of Cuba’s nine civilian airports.
A pilot preparing for an FAA instrument proficiency check is planning to shoot some practice instrument approaches. Which of the following is correct?
A. Pilots on a VFR flight plan are still required to comply with basic VFR weather minimums.
B. Aircraft on a VFR flight plan executing practice approaches are not automatically cleared for the missed approach.
C. Aircraft cleared for practice approaches may not deviate from the approach without clearance to do so.
D. All of the above
SkyDome Offers Solution to Defeat Rogue Drones
Fortem Technologies has launched SkyDome 2.4, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled, application-program-interface-friendly platform that allows approved drones to fly safely and rogue drones to be mitigated. The platform contains Fortem’s new ThreatAware AI analysis engine that assesses data from multiple sensors and sources in real time, providing continuous threat levels for multiple objects in a given environment. It identifies site-specific patterns-of-life and provides security personnel with situational awareness and threat alerts that enable integrated response decisions.
SkyDome 2.4 enables 3D ground-to-air coverage and can be networked to track hundreds of objects simultaneously. Users can create zones, geo-cages, and rules around existing infrastructures, landscapes, and environments. Threats can be removed by Fortem’s “DroneHunter” security drone that can autonomously pursue and capture problematic drones with a net gun.
“In the last few months, drones have caused delays and airport-wide closures affecting hundreds of thousands of people,” said Fortem Technologies CEO Timothy Bean. “Recently, an unauthorized drone entered Fenway Park during a Red Sox game, causing a game-altering disruption. The drone was able to breach Fenway’s radio frequency (RF) geofence, breaking FAA regulations of the no-fly zone because it emitted no radio frequency. These types of drone-related incidents have shown us that the need for a radar-based airspace detection and mitigation solution is dire,” said Bean. “SkyDome can detect even the RF-silent drones that criminals routinely use.”
Breguet Atlantic 2 (ATL2) Flies at the Paris Air Show
The Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic is a long-range maritime patrol aircraft, which entered service in 1965. It was manufactured first by Breguet Aviation, and then by Dassault Aviation after 1971 when the former was acquired by the latter. Missions include anti-submarine warfare and reconnaissance. The aircraft has been operated by the French Navy, German Navy, Italian Air Force, Pakistan Navy, and Royal Netherlands Navy.
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