TEB To Begin Runway Offset Arrivals in July

The FAA plans to begin implementing the Runway 19 offset arrival procedure for New Jersey's Teterboro Airport starting on July 1, according to an agency spokesperson. Under discussion for more than a decade, the new route will avoid residential neighborhoods in nearby Hackensack by following Route 17.

An alternative to the primary ILS approach, the new flight path is the result of years of negotiations between the FAA and the Teterboro Airport Noise Abatement Advisory Committee (TANAAC) following numerous registered noise complaints from local residents. It evolved from environmental research and safety studies.

TANAAC was formed in 1987 to address quality of life issues from the surrounding communities while maintaining the efficient operation of the New York City-area airport, the busiest business aviation hub in the world pre-Covid-19. The FAA held an information session for interested stakeholders on the offset arrival plan in early 2020, but the pandemic delayed its implementation. Training for air traffic controllers on the long-anticipated alternate flight pattern began in May and was expected to last 45 days.

AeroVanti Launches P.180 Avanti Charter Member Program

AeroVanti is a new charter membership program that launched today exclusively with seven-seat Piaggio P.180 Avanti turboprop twins. The Annapolis, Maryland-based company believes it can tap into an unserved part of the charter market in the Eastern U.S. with what it calls “ultra-competitive pricing.”

Monthly membership fees range from $1,000 for an individual, $1,500 for a family, and $2,500 for corporate users. Hourly rates are $1,995 and members won’t pay empty leg or positioning fees. “AeroVanti members travel for roughly the same price as first-class commercial travel while knocking off significant travel time,” said AeroVanti principal counsel Steven Leitess.

By exclusively operating the Avanti through a partnership with charter provider Brazos Valley Air, AeroVanti said it is offering members a more fuel-efficient aircraft than light and midsize jets as well as other turboprops in its class.

Despite past issues among some operators having timely access to spares and support for the P.180, AeroVanti CEO and co-founder Patrick Britton-Harr told AIN that AeroVanti is working directly with Piaggio on service agreements that will provide “proper support we need to maintain customer service and keep our members flying.”

Britton-Harr added that Brazos Valley Air has the world’s largest supply of Piaggio parts at its Tulsa, Oklahoma headquarters, and AeroVanti is “confident we've positioned ourselves to keep our planes maintained to proper standards and flying accordingly.”

FAA Implements Internal Voluntary Reporting System

The FAA is rolling out its new congressionally mandated Voluntary Safety Reporting Program (VSRP) for the engineers, safety inspectors, system safety specialists, and other employees in its aviation safety organization. The announcement last week follows the release of an order earlier this year that detailed the VSRP.

In the sweeping consolidated appropriations and Covid-19 relief bill passed late last year, Congress called on the FAA to establish the program for the agency’s aviation safety organization, as well as implement numerous other whistleblower protections and some certification reforms. These measures were in response to the many reviews of the agency’s certification activities that followed the Boeing Max crashes.

The VSRP enables FAA aviation safety workers to confidentially report safety concerns without fear of punitive action. Information submitted to the system will be used to validate or verify concerns, identify root causes, and seek corrective actions, the agency said. 

“We can never be satisfied with the status quo when it comes to safety, and the free exchange of vital information is a cornerstone of safety and continual improvement,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. “We want our employees to know that when they speak up, they can be sure someone is listening.”

Airbus Corporate Jets Offers Philips Medical Support

Airbus Corporate Jets has signed an agreement with health technology provider Philips to equip ACJs with monitoring and medical equipment. Under the agreement, ACJ operators will have greater access to in-air medical care supported by technologies such as the Philips IC2 patient monitor, which enables flight crews to check on vital signs of passengers and transmit that data instantly to ground-based teams. This will enable support teams to make decisions in real-time on the ground and in the air that can help avoid unnecessary medical diversions, Airbus Corporate Jets said.

“When it comes to in-flight emergency preparedness and safeguarding the care of air travelers, remote access to data and ground-based medical support is becoming increasingly important,” said Ryan Landon, general manager for emergency care at Philips. “With connected monitoring like Philips Tempus IC2 and HeartStart FRx, flight and ground crews alike can access the right tools and information to make confident decisions in the air and provide better, more holistic care.”

Airbus Corporate Jets will offer three packages providing different levels of support, depending on the needs of the clients. New ACJ customers will receive a comprehensive package for three years. Packages will include tools to assist in an in-flight incident and comprehensive 24/7 medical support covering preflight, in-flight, and crew care provided by Flightcare Global. Additionally, packages will provide access to Osprey Flight Solutions’ aviation alerting system.

Dillingham Airfield Gets Six-month Reprieve

Dillingham Airfield on Oahu, Hawaii, which had been facing a June 30 closure date as a civil airport, will continue to operate at least through year-end as the Hawaii Department of Transportation Aviation Division (HDOTA) works through issues related to lease terms. However, in a recent letter to tenants there, the HDOTA cautioned that “because it is not certain that DOTA will be able to negotiate acceptable terms for a new lease, it is important that you understand that DOTA is still working with the [FAA] on the process for terminating the lease and closing the airport.”

The HDOTA has managed the field under a series of leases with the U.S. Army since 1962. While its latest lease wasn’t set to expire until 2024, the HDOTA in recent years indicated it planned to exit the lease early and had been negotiating those terms.

Facing the end of the lease, local airport advocates and businesses have banded together as the Save Dillingham Airport group and worked with organizations including AOPA to generate support for the facility. The local advocacy group welcomed the decision to extend the termination date as “great news” but expressed disappointment that it had only been moved to the end of the year. Encouragingly, the Army is interested in extending a long-term lease, the organization said.

Luxaviation Adds Managed Jets to Charter Fleet

Aircraft management and charter operator Luxaviation is expanding its European and Middle East fleets with the addition of a Gulfstream G600 and an Embraer Lineage 1000 and Legacy 600, the Luxembourg-based company announced late last week. The G600 will be based at London Luton Airport, making Luxaviation the first operator to offer the type for charter in the UK.

Both the Lineage bizliner and super-midsize Legacy 600, operating under a San Marino air operator certificate, will be available for charter and managed by Luxaviation’s Middle East team. “As the world eagerly awaits the easing of restrictions with growing optimism, the Middle East and London will soon become thriving global charter destinations again,” said George Galanopoulos, Luxaviation's head of charter sales for Europe. “The G600 will be a perfect jet for the resurgent UK travel market, easily connecting London to key cities and economic centers as far away as Beijing, Hong Kong, and Singapore.”

The company also added a Bombardier Challenger 300 to its managed fleet in Turkey. This twinjet is not available for charter, however.

Study Eyes SAF Benefits in Meeting Environmental Goals

Emissions targets set by the aviation industry are unlikely to meet the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, according to a new study.

Published last week in the journal Nature Communications, the study noted that while programs such as Flightpath 2050 and ICAO’s carbon offsetting CORSIA scheme are aimed toward meeting the carbon emissions “target set to support the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degree C goal between 2025 and 2064,” the aviation-induced global warming effect will likely increase due to non-CO2 emission effects such as the formation of nitrogen oxides, ozone, and contrail cirrus clouds, all of which also contribute to climate change.

“Technological improvements to engines and airframes and operations won’t be enough to sufficiently reduce the impact of aviation on climate change,” said Dr. Simon Blakey, study co-author and senior lecturer in mechanical engineering at the UK’s University of Birmingham. He added that the use of additional measures such as the adoption of cleaner-burning sustainable aviation fuel are crucial to the industry’s goals.

“Accounting for sustainable fuels must include the impact of non-CO2 emissions in use as well as the CO emissions in fuel production,” he continued. “If we base all our calculations on CO2 alone, we miss the large improvements on non-CO2 emissions that these fuels can offer, particularly in reducing particulate matter emissions that contribute to an increased warming effect at cruise conditions.”

Textron Aviation Launches Second Apprenticeship

Wichita airframer Textron Aviation has launched a numeric controls (NC) technician apprenticeship program, following the successful launch last year of its tooling apprenticeship program. Candidates who are accepted into the NC technician program will be Textron Aviation employees with benefits and salaries.

They will receive a combination of factory and classroom training, with the latter to be offered at WSU Tech. Tuition and fees for the WSU Tech portion of the program will also be paid for by the company. There are 10 apprenticeship positions open at Textron Aviation's Wichita plants, according to a spokeswoman.

Apprentice NC technicians will learn to perform routine maintenance and repairs on advanced production machinery and electronic systems working with assigned mentors at Textron Aviation production facilities. They will use a variety of test equipment and troubleshooting tools such as infrared cameras, ultrasonic detection, control software, dial indicators, and voltmeters.

A collaboration between the company, WSU Tech, and the machinist’s union, the program addresses long-term production and operations needs for Textron Aviation’s aircraft programs. “This program further cements our dedication to educational and community partnerships that benefit the company and the region,” said Maggie Topping, Textron Aviation senior v-p of human resources and communications.