Flexjet, Viasat Enter Ka-band Connectivity Partnership

Viasat and Flexjet have entered a partnership in which the satcom provider’s Ka-band in-flight connectivity (IFC) will be line fit on the fractional company’s super-midsize Embraer Praetor 600 fleet that operates transatlantic and domestic European routes. Flexjet’s Bombardier Global and Gulfstream G450 and G650 fleets also will be equipped with Viasat’s Ku-band IFC service, enabling a path to transition to its Ka-band system in the future as that network is further built out.

Because of the partnership, Viasat said Flexjet will be the first fractional operator to offer Ka-band IFC in the super-midsize jet category when it soon takes delivery of a Ka-band equipped Praetor 600. Viasat offers uncapped speeds—typically more than 20 Mbps—on its Ka-band service, which uses compact, lightweight hardware.

For the larger Globals and Gulfstreams in Flexjet’s fleet, sister company and MRO provider Constant Aviation—both companies are owned by Directional Aviation—will install Viasat’s Ku-band IFC system, replacing a different system. Viasat’s equipment is designed to easily convert from Ku-band to Ka-band, according to Viasat.

“When we began evaluating IFC partners to improve our existing connectivity, it became clear that Viasat’s products and services would enhance it on more devices across more of our fleet,” said Flexjet chief operating officer Megan Wolf. She added the transition to Viasat Ka-band will “ensure the IFC investments we’re making today will meet the increasing data demands of tomorrow.”

NBAA Moves Full Steam Ahead with In-person Event Plans

As NBAA moves forward with its effort to bring back the in-person BACE in October in Las Vegas, the association also remains in the throes of planning a nearly full lineup of in-person events in 2022, beginning with its annual Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2022).

The association recently established a July 16 priority deadline for exhibit space at SDC2022, which is scheduled for January 18 to 21 at the San Diego Convention Center. NBAA noted it is working with physician-led company CrowdRx to establish safety protocols for the event. SDC2020, which the association held in March 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina, turned out to be NBAA’s last in-person event before everything shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Along with SDC, other NBAA events scheduled thus far in 2022 include its annual Leadership Conference from February 7 to 9 in Fort Worth, Texas; International Operators Conference from March 14 to 16 in Los Angeles; Maintenance Conference from March 3 to 5 in San Antonio, Texas; and EBACE from May 23 to 25 in Geneva.

Absent from the lineup at this time, however, is ABACE, typically held every year in April in Shanghai, China, in concert with the Asian Business Aviation Association. With ongoing uncertainties and rolling restrictions surrounding the global pandemic, NBAA continues to monitor the situation in China, it said.

Million Air KHPN Sues County over Second Hangar Delay

Million Air is suing Westchester County for $30 million for refusing to allow construction of its planned second hangar at Weschester County Airport (KHPN) in White Plains, New York. According to Million Air’s lawsuit, filed this week in federal court, the replacement hangar is permitted under its lease and the company thus asserts the county is breaching contract obligations by denying the approval to build it.

The FBO alleged the county has already delayed the project by 3.5 years and each additional week of delay adds approximately $175,000 “in lost revenue and other unnecessary costs.” In November 2017, Million Air submitted plans for a second phase of an improvement project outlined in its lease, proposing to build a modified second hangar. The first phase included a 50,000-sq-ft hangar and new passenger terminal, which opened in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Million Air is asking the court for an “expedited declaration” that the county breached its lease by “unreasonably failing” to approve Million Air’s second hangar adjacent to its current hangar and FBO terminal. “Million Air has no choice but to seek the court's intervention to enforce its rights to build the second hangar,” said Russell Yankwitt, one of the lead lawyers representing Million Air.

Westchester County has yet to respond to AIN’s inquiry seeking comment about the lawsuit.

WingX: Bizjet Flights Surge in June, Topping 2019

Business jet activity is experiencing a resurgence globally in the first half of June, surpassing pre-Covid levels and outpacing cargo growth for the first time, according to the latest Global Market Tracker weekly report from WingX. The business jet sector logged more than 100,000 movements month-to-date, representing 15 percent of all fixed-wing movements and exceeding June 2019 first-half numbers by 12 percent, WingX said. Scheduled airline activity remains 40 percent below pre-pandemic averages for this time of year.

To date in 2021, global business jet and business turboprop activity is within 6 percent of 2019 totals and is up 41 percent from the comparable year-to-date activity in 2020. Business aviation activity is down 15 percent in Europe and 7 percent in North America. However, activity is ahead elsewhere: up by 10 percent in Asia, 45 percent in Africa, 80 percent in South America, and 23 percent in the Middle East. In the U.S. alone, activity is up 1 percent over 2019 levels so far this year with June activity up 20 percent.

By aircraft type, turboprop flights are down by 7 percent from 2019, but light, very light, and super-midsize jet activity is up. However, heavy jet hours are down 13 percent and ultra-long-range jets are still 27 percent below 2019 levels, WingX reported.

Take The Stress Out Of Turbulence With Bombardier’s Smooth Flĕx Wing

One of the most important aspects of a wing’s design that yields the greatest effect on ride quality is wing loading, which is the relationship between the weight of the aircraft and the size of its wing.

EASA Intros Human Factors to Rotorcraft Cockpit Design

EASA executive director Patrick Ky has issued a decision that directs airworthiness authorities to ensure that human factors are systematically considered during the design and certification process of rotorcraft cockpits. This will help to “reduce the risk of design-related errors attributable to human factors that may lead to or contribute to an accident or incident,” EASA said.

Specifically, CS-Parts 27 and 29 (small and large helicopters) have been immediately updated to introduce certification specifications for human factors assessment of all the installed equipment intended for use by flight crewmembers.

Regarding the investigation of rotorcraft accidents and incidents, certification specifications and acceptable means of compliance for large helicopters have been created or amended to support operational rules requiring the recording of datalink communications. In addition, they also seek to improve the serviceability of flight recorders and the audio quality of cockpit voice recorders recordings, “ensuring better data analysis related to accidents or incidents.”

EASA based the directive on previous rulemaking proposals and consequent amendments the agency adopted after consulting “interested parties on the matters which are the subject of this decision.”

NTSB: Citation Descending at 31,000 fpm before Crash

The last ATC radar return of a Cessna Citation I/SP that crashed into a lake in Smyrna, Tennesee, after an uncontrolled dive on May 29 showed the aircraft at about 700 feet msl and descending at some 31,000 fpm, according to an NTSB preliminary report published yesterday. The pilot and his six passengers were killed. An IFR flight plan had been filed for the Part 91 flight.

When the airplane was about three miles north of the departure airport, ATC instructed the pilot to turn right to a heading of 130 degrees; however, the pilot did not acknowledge. About 20 seconds later, the controller asked the pilot if he “copied” the heading instruction. The pilot responded about four seconds later with “130…Bravo Kilo.” A little over a minute later, the controller instructed the pilot to climb and maintain 15,000 feet, but there was no response. Multiple attempts to re-establish communications failed.

Radar data revealed that after the pilot established contact with departure control, the twinjet made a series of heading changes along with several climbs and descents before it entered a steep, descending left turn. The airplane was not equipped with flight data or cockpit voice recorders. Weather at the accident site was IMC.

CDC Eases Mask Mandate for Transportation Hubs Outdoors

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted its mask requirements for vaccinated individuals in outdoor areas on the premises of transportation hubs. This guidance comes in response to ongoing discussions between industry groups and federal agencies, the National Air Transportation Association said.

NATA stressed that the guidance is only for fully vaccinated individuals, noting the CDC continues to call for masks of unvaccinated individuals at transportation hubs, whether indoors or outdoors. “Outdoors” refers to any open-air area, NATA advised. Aircraft operators, however, must continue to require all people on board to wear a mask, including during boarding and disembarking, as well as for the duration of travel.

The CDC, which is requesting that federal partners and state and local entities adopt a similar approach, will continue to evaluate the requirements to determine whether additional changes are warranted, NATA added. This move is designed to better align its mask policies, the CDC said.

SAF Group Adding Three More Airbus H145s to Fleet

Airbus Helicopters is delivering three more five-blade H145 light twins to air ambulance provider SAF Group, adding to the three already ordered by the company between 2018 and 2020. The new helicopters will be based in France in Grenoble, Valence, and Montpellier. SAF operates in France and Belgium and already flies a mixed fleet of 55 Airbus helicopters including a Super Puma, H135s, and H125s. SAF recently deployed its first H145, based in Belgium.

“We are happy that the five-blade H145 is gaining momentum in France and playing a key role in the modernization of the EMS fleet in the country,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even, who noted that the helicopter OEM and SAF have had a commercial relationship for more than two decades. 

More than 1,470 helicopters in the H145 family are in service worldwide with over 470 of those engaged in air rescue and air ambulance missions. The fleet has accumulated more than six million flight hours. The latest derivative, with a five-blade bearingless main rotor system, was announced in 2019. This new rotor system helps increase the H145’s useful load by 330 pounds.