FAA Approves First General Aviation Head-up Display

After extensive design work and flight testing, MyGoFlight subsidiary SkyDisplay received FAA certification yesterday for its first STC covering the installation of its head-up display (HUD) in Cirrus SR22s. Not only is this the first STC for the SkyDisplay HUD, but it is also the first approval for any such display for light aircraft. While HUDs have long been available in midsize and larger business jets and commercial aircraft, the SkyDisplay HUD brings the safety benefits of HUD to piston singles and twins, turboprops, and light jets. 

The SkyDisplay HUD, which displays data from the aircraft’s certified avionics, is part of an integrated system comprised of the projector and display screen in the pilot’s field of view and an aircraft interface device (AID) that connects to the aircraft's Arinc 429 and serial data buses. While traditional HUDs have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, the SkyDisplay HUD substantially lowers that barrier at an initial price of $29,500, not including installation. Duncan Aviation worked with SkyDisplay on the HUD installation for the certification program.

SkyDisplay's HUD was approved first for Cirrus SR piston singles and is available as part of an approved model list STC for other Part 23 aircraft operating under Part 91 regulations, a list that includes the Beechcraft King Air 300, Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, Embraer Phenom 100, Pilatus PC-12, and Daher TBMs.

Blackhawk Expands into Avionics STCs with Acquisition

King Air performance specialist Blackhawk Aerospace, under a new business entity called Blackhawk Aerospace Technologies (BAT), is expanding into the avionics space with the acquisition of all assets of Columbia Avionics & Aircraft Services (CAAS).

In business since 1995, CAAS has developed STCs for avionics packages for Cessna Citations and other business jets. Waco, Texas-based Blackhawk plans to use CAAS’s expertise to do the same for the turboprop market. “The avionics STC development capabilities of the company will not only provide our dealers with more offerings for their customers, but it will also help Blackhawk to certify engine-to-avionics integrations more quickly and efficiently,” said Blackhawk president and CEO Jim Allmon.

Leading BAT will be Mark Wilken as president, Conrad Theisen as v-p of sales and marketing, Lance Fox as director of engineering, and Shad Sones as general manager. The four leaders bring a combined 110 years of avionics experience. BAT will remain based at Columbia (Missouri) Regional Airport.

“Blackhawk Aerospace’s long-standing reputation in the King Air series aircraft along with the extensive Citation avionics, STC, and maintenance capabilities at our Columbia facility is a perfect match,” said Wilken. “Blackhawk Aerospace Technologies will bring King Air and Citation owners and operators the personalized customer attention, quality, and technical experience they have been looking for.”

Senate Bill Calls for Ligado To Pay for GPS Harm

Continuing his campaign to minimize the impact of Ligado Network’s planned 5G network, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) has introduced a bipartisan bill to require the company to pay for costs of repair of any private equipment harmed as a result of its use of the associated spectrum. The FCC in April 2020 had granted approval for Ligado—once known as LightSquared—to use portions of the L-band spectrum that is adjacent to frequency bands used for GPS and satellite communications.

That approval came over strong opposition from aviation users who warned that it could compromise safety. The Departments of Defense and Transportation also objected.

The FCC order was conditioned on Ligado paying the federal government for costs of correcting interference but did not specify what those costs were and did not address the private sector. “When Ligado’s effort to repurpose spectrum causes interference...as tests have shown it will, consumers and taxpayers shouldn’t bear the burden of updating countless systems.”

Jointly introduced with Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) and Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), the Recognizing and Ensuring Taxpayer Access to Infrastructure Necessary for GPS and Satellite Communications Act (RETAIN GPS and Satellite Communications Act, S.2166) would lay out some of the costs involved, as well as ensure private operators were compensated from any damage incurred. The bill has received support from a number of aviation and other industry organizations.

Mobile Repair Team Joins EmbraerX’s Digital Mx Platform

Aircraft structural repair specialist the Mobile Repair Team (MRT) has signed on to EmbraerX’s Beacon digital maintenance coordination platform. Through its web and mobile application platform, Beacon connects operators, maintenance providers, aftermarket suppliers, and OEMs with the goal of accelerating aircraft return-to-service time during unscheduled maintenance events.

UK-based MRT plans to run all its global maintenance cases through Beacon, which will replace informal communication channels with a single, compliance-ready platform that, for example, will facilitate easier and accurate communication between maintenance shifts. MRT also expects the Beacon platform to reduce the time spent coordinating with technicians and other stakeholders during maintenance events.

“MRT sits at the forefront of a very dynamic and demanding market segment, and for this reason, the full experience, the detailed transparency at every step of the process, and its full integration are a game-changer for the MRT solution,” said MRT director Chris Creutz. “Beacon is a market-disrupting solution that will bring great effectiveness to the MRT portfolio of return-to-service options.”

Mass. Gov. Declares GA Month, Senate Mulls Landing Fee

As Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker prepares to declare July as general aviation appreciation month at a ceremony at a local airport on Friday, the state’s legislature is scheduled to hold a hearing a day earlier on a proposed bill that would establish a $1,000 landing fee for general aviation in the state.

However, Massachusetts state Sen. Julian Cyr, who submitted the bill, now says he has plans to extensively revise the measure when it comes before the relevant committee. The bill was proposed ostensibly to reduce carbon emissions generated by what Cyr sees as “luxury aircraft owned by the ultra-wealthy.” From feedback he has received from aviation advocates, it’s “clear that more exemptions should be included,” Cyr told AIN.

“Specifically, flights used for pilot training, sightseeing tours, and smaller Cessna-like airplanes and/or those registered in Massachusetts and owned by a Massachusetts resident.” Additionally, he said, “We can revise to exempt planes operating on sustainable aviation fuel and electric aircraft. It seems reasonable that any landing fee would be prorated given the size of the aircraft.”

The governor’s office has not yet responded to AIN’s inquiries regarding its stance on the proposed bill.

Chicago Jet ProLink STC’d in G200

Latitude Technologies’ DL-150 satellite data unit has been selected as a core connectivity element in Chicago Jet Group’s (CJG) recently approved NextGen ProLink STC upgrade for Gulfstream G200s equipped with Collins Pro Line 4 avionics. ProLink enables the G200 to meet requirements for FANS 1/A+ controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) and European ATN B1, including CPDLC digital clearances and push-to-load messaging required for U.S. en route CPDLC operations. Also added are LNAV, LNAV/VNAV, LPV, and LP instrument approach capabilities, and the upgrade enables ACARS and VHF VDL Mode 2 and Iridium datalink.

The G200 STC includes dual U1808 ProLinks, plus dual Universal Avionics SBAS FMSs and control display units, flight deck voice recorder, UniLink communications management unit, solid-state data recorder, and DL-150 Iridium datalink. The NextGen ProLink package paves the way for an eventual Universal Avionics InSight display system avionics suite upgrade.

“[This] is the first in a series of STCs, which remove Collins Pro Line 4 or Pro Line 21 equipment and upgrade to a full integrated suite of Universal Avionics components,” said CJG president Mike Mitera.

Installations are available from Trimec Aviation in Fort Worth, Texas.

Epic Selects Premier as Authorized Service Center

Premier Aircraft Service (PAS) at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in Florida has been selected by Epic Aircraft as the first factory-authorized service center (ASC) in the Southeast U.S. for the all-composite Epic E1000, E1000GX, and legacy experimental Epic LT turboprop singles.

A division of Premier Aircraft Sales, PAS is an FAA Part 145 repair station and EASA-certified maintenance facility with experience servicing Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engines, supporting Garmin avionics, and performing composite repairs. It is also a factory-authorized service center for Diamond, Beechcraft, Cessna, and Mooney Aircraft, as well as Austro, Continental Aerospace, and Textron Lycoming piston and diesel engines.

“Premier’s reputation for service excellence and their dedication to customer support is widely known throughout the region,” said Epic CEO Doug King. “We are confident they will provide our customers with top-notch care and expert aircraft maintenance services.”

Settlement Reached in Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash

A confidential settlement has been reached in at least one of the lawsuits spawned by the helicopter crash that killed retired basketball legend Kobe Bryant and eight others last year. Settlement papers filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles indicate that the plaintiffs—all surviving family members of the crash victims—have struck a deal with aircraft operator Island Express Helicopters and the estate of pilot Ara Zobayan.

All aboard the Sikorsky S-76B were killed when it crashed on Jan. 26, 2020, near Calabasas, California, in thick fog on a VFR Part 135 flight from Santa Ana to Bryant’s Mamba Academy youth basketball camp in Thousand Oaks, California. Zobayan was the sole pilot aboard.

In February, the NTSB found that the probable cause of the accident was “the pilot's decision to continue flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s likely self-induced pressure and the pilot’s plan continuation bias which adversely affected the pilot’s decision-making, and Island Express Helicopter Inc.’s inadequate review and oversight of the safety management processes.”

Other litigation related to the crash remains pending, including a counterclaim filed by Island Express against two of the air traffic controllers who handled the flight.

How Electric Aircraft Might Transform Public Transportation

Electric aircraft are being developed for an array of roles that could transform public transportation of people and things, and also the way society deals with emergencies. But there are significant differences in what the various designs and technologies can deliver, so we asked independent expert Darrell Swanson to discuss the ways that multicopters, fixed-wing, and lift-and-cruise designs differ, and how society can get the most from them.