Safran Helicopter Engines has validated its “Eco Mode” hybrid propulsion system during recent ground tests in Bordes, France, ahead of flight tests later this year on the Airbus Helicopters Racer (rapid and cost-efficient rotorcraft) high-speed, compound helicopter demonstrator. The hybrid electric propulsion mode was tested for the first time in a configuration similar to the one to be used on the Racer.
Designed for twin-engine helicopters, Eco Mode places one engine on standby during cruise flight, while the other operates at a more energy-efficient power setting. This mode reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by about 15 percent and increases the helicopter’s range, according to Safran. The engine is automatically restored to full power within a few seconds, via an electric fast restart system, when landing or during an emergency.
Eco Mode was developed as part of a research project funded by the French civil aviation authority (DGAC). It uses a Safran Aneto-1A engine (2,500 shp) and a fast restart electrical system, developed jointly with Aquitaine Electronique (AECE Group) and Safran Cabin (Ventilation Systems). This system combines electronic engine control with a high-power-density electric motor, mechanically connected to the engine's high-pressure section.
As of today, arriving international business flights at New York’s Westchester County Airport (KHPN) have their choice of FBOs at which to clear U.S. Customs. Previously, all flights were required to first stop and clear at the U.S. CBP office in Signature Aviation’s west terminal, but with the start of a pilot program, aircraft can now be met by Customs officers on the ramp of their preferred FBO and be processed onboard with digital technology.
According to the CBP, KHPN sees approximately 300 international arrivals a month.
“There was a long-standing relationship between Signature West and Customs,” said Million Air KHPN general manager Lauren Rones-Payne. “The Customs office was built there, and it really then locked in the international traveler to clear U.S. Customs on their ramp, and after over 20 years there is now a new program that allows travelers to choose the FBO of their choice.”
Customers can now specify an arrival at Signature East or West, Million Air, or Atlantic Aviation East. The only exception is Atlantic’s facility on the west side of the field, which still maintains the artificial weight restriction imposed on it decades ago.
The first aircraft to clear Customs at the Million Air facility was a Learjet with company CEO Roger Woolsey, COO Chuck Suma, and their spouses aboard.
Textron Aviation is constructing a hiring and learning center on its East Wichita, Kansas campus, the company announced on Friday. The 100,000-sq-ft facility is scheduled to be completed by August 2024.
Funded in part by a $3.325 million grant from the state of Kansas through its Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training (ALOFT) program, it will include a paint lab, sheet-metal training, and instruction in flight-control rigging and blueprint reading and interpretation. A K-12 experiential space, multiple classrooms, learning labs, and interviewing and onboarding spaces will be on-site.
The facility will consolidate currently dispersed programs focused on skill development, job and technical training, and hiring activities. The company plans to add more than 2,000 employees this year as a result of growth and attrition, and it remains focused on its long-term global strategic workforce plan.
“Our commitment to investing in our employees is unwavering, and the establishment of the hiring and learning center is just the latest example of how we are advancing our focus on growing a world-class workforce,” said Maggie Topping, Textron Aviation’s, senior v-p of human resources and communications. “Centralizing our workforce development within this advanced facility is a success multiplier. It will not only equip our team with paid job training to achieve their full potential but also shape the future of Textron Aviation.”
Aeronautical Data Systems released an updated version of its Ergo Blue overwater safety iPad app, which allows users to export ship and oil rig locations for display on the ForeFlight app’s moving map. The ship and oil rig locations give pilots the option to ditch closer to potential rescuers during an overwater emergency.
After inputting potential diversion airports into Ergo Blue, the user can view the locations of ships along the route of flight, reporting their position and velocity information to the automatic identification system used for tracking maritime traffic. When the app is connected to the internet, the ship and rig locations are shown in real-time. Touching the ship or oil rig symbol caues a pop-up to show information including lat/long and bearing to and distance from the airplane to the ship or rig. The position information can be downloaded just before takeoff and thus is still useable—although only fixed oil rig positions would not change, while ships would have moved.
Tapping the “direct to” button on the pop-up window in ForeFlight draws a magenta line from the aircraft to the ship or rig and adds it to the flight plan, giving pilots instant guidance to vessels and rigs where ditching nearby may be the best option in an emergency.
Dassault Aviation’s new Falcon 6X wide-cabin business jet will take to the skies during the Paris Air Show—flown by the airframer's test pilots—using a blend of 30 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as part of Dassault's commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions in 2050, the company said.
The 6X is part of a contingent on display at the show that also includes the Falcon 8X and 2000LXS as well as full-scale models of the Next-Generation Fighter and the Falcon 10X cabin mock-up. The 10X will become the first 100 percent SAF-compatible Falcon when it enters service, likely not until 2026 due to supply-chain strains.
“This 54th Paris Air Show will illustrate how we are looking to the future of…business aviation, which connects companies with ever-greater efficiency, safety, and control of its environmental footprint, thanks in particular to SAF,” commented Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation.
Dassault Aviation is also appearing at the Paris Air Lab, an exploration area dedicated to innovation, where company experts will exhibit work on decarbonized aviation and 4.0 production methods.
The company is participating in the “L’Avion des Métiers” (professional careers airplane) and in the “L’Aéro Recrute” recruitment operation as the industry struggles to hire sufficient talent. Dassault Aviation this year plans to recruit 1,000 employees in all fields, including design, production, support, and digital.
The loss of control and subsequent inflight breakup of an instructional flight in freezing IMC was due to “spatial disorientation and the cumulative effects of task saturation,” according to the National Transportation Safety Board's recent report of the fatal crash of a Cessna Citation 501 on Feb. 8, 2020. Two pilots and two passengers were killed in the accident.
In the left cockpit seat was an instrument-rated private pilot with a total flight time of 805 hours. The right seat was occupied by a type-rated CFI serving as PIC. Given that the filed flight plan described the flight as a “training flight” and the left-seat pilot’s plan to obtain a type rating, “it is likely the pilot in the left seat was the flying pilot for the majority of the flight,” concluded the Safety Board.
During the 25-minute flight, controllers repeatedly asked whether “everything was all right” as the aircraft was not holding the assigned course or altitude. The pilots initially reported a problem with the autopilot, then a navigational issue—which they later indicated was resolved—and finally, they reported there was a problem with the left-side attitude indicator.
At 11,500 feet, the twinjet was cleared to 16,000 feet and climbed at 6,000 fpm. As the aircraft passed through 15,000 feet, it entered a descending left turn, and radar contact was lost. The Safety Board said it was unlikely that icing made the airplane uncontrollable.
Effective August 14, the FAA is amending Part 25 standards for airplane pressurized compartment loads to eliminate the need for partitions adjacent to a decompression hole to withstand large decompression conditions. The agency said this rulemaking is necessary because “in some cases, it is not practical to design partitions in certain airplane compartments to withstand this decompression condition if it occurs within that compartment.”
FAR 25.365(g) requires applicants to design bulkheads, floors, and partitions in pressurized compartments for occupants to withstand certain sudden decompression conditions. Applicants are also required to take “reasonable design precautions” to minimize the probability of parts becoming detached and injuring seated occupants.
For some smaller compartments such as lavatories, private suites, and crew rest areas, it has been difficult for applicants to achieve compliance because a large decompression hole would result in very high air loads on the partitions that form the compartment. “Strengthening the partitions to sustain such high loads has been shown to be impractical in many cases for these smaller compartments because doing so could adversely affect the structural integrity of the airplane.”
The new rules allow partition failure if the certificate applicant can demonstrate such a failure “would not interfere with continued safe flight and landing.” The requirements are essentially unchanged from a notice of proposed rulemaking published in 2019 except for some terminology clarifications.
Leonardo recently appointed new international dealers for its single-engine AW09 helicopter (née Kopter SH09). In addition, the company expects the AW09’s order book to possibly grow to 200 by the time the helicopter enters serial production in mid-2024.
Sao Paulo-area-based Gualter Helicopters will distribute the AW09 in Brazil and already holds 20 orders for the helicopter. Principal Gualter Pizzi has 35 years of experience, selling more than 700 helicopters across the country. Leonardo characterizes interest in the multirole helicopter in Brazil as “strong.”
In Malaysia, Leonardo has appointed Helitech Asia PTE to distribute the light-single helicopter in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam. Helitech holds orders for 10 AW09s.
Leonardo also recently signed an agreement with U.S.-based Metro Aviation to develop air ambulance interiors for the AW09 and support its introduction into the American market. Leonardo is positioning the AW09 to compete with light twins from other manufacturers in the air ambulance space.
Following a change of engine suppliers, the AW09 made its first flight in March powered by the Safran Helicopter Engines Arriel 2K. Since acquiring the AW09 program, Leonardo has made numerous design changes to the helicopter, including an elongated mast, updated flight controls, Garmin G3000H avionics, revised upper cowlings, and new main rotor hub and blades. Leonardo eventually plans to offer the AW09 with a hybrid powertrain.
Make/Model: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
City: Ambon-Pattimura Airport
State:
Country: Indonesia
Event Date: June 18, 2023
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