As Textron Aviation gears up for the Special Olympics Airlift, it has assigned customer Coca-Cola Consolidated and its Cessna Citation XLS+ the lead callsign, Dove 1. It will be the first business jet to land on June 4 at Orlando Executive Airport as part of the airlift organized by the Wichita-based airframer.
The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bottler is one of nearly 175 Citation, Beechcraft, and Hawker owners and operators to donate the use of their aircraft, pilots, and fuel to transport Special Olympics athletes and coaches to and from the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, concluding June 12. With so many aircraft involved in the airlift, Textron Aviation works with the FAA to determine specific departure times and assign them a Dove callsign and number, which allows them to operate in priority airways that keep the airlift on schedule.
“An aircraft will take off or land approximately every two minutes during the airlift,” said Textron Aviation senior v-p of sales and flight operations Lannie O’Bannion. “It is truly a team effort that starts with the generosity of our customers.” This is the fourth time Coca-Cola Consolidated has participated in the airlift, which was first organized in 1987 by then-Cessna Aircraft. Since then, the airlift has transported more than 10,000 athletes and coaches to Special Olympics World Games and USA Games.
Air bp has signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce that will see it furnish the UK-based engine maker with sustainable aviation fuel to power its engine testing programs. First deliveries of a 10 percent SAF blend will commence in the second quarter to the three Rolls-Royce testing areas in Derby (civil aviation), Bristol (defense), and Dahlewitz, Germany (business aviation).
In addition to product improvement testing, completed production engines are tested extensively by the manufacturer before customer delivery, and the two companies expect the SAF portion alone of the delivered fuel will total nearly 780,000 gallons a year.
“This agreement delivers on a commitment we made that the fuel for testing and development is a 10 percent sustainable aviation fuel blend by 2023,” said Rolls-Royce president for civil aerospace Chris Cholerton. ‘We want to encourage the use of SAF throughout the aviation industry and this agreement is an example of the firm commitments fuel producers require to support their continued production investment.”
The Women in Aviation Advisory Board (WIAAB) today signed off on 55 recommendations surrounding culture changes, recruitment, retention, advancement, and data to draw more females into the industry. Congress established the 30-member WIAAB in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 to address the long-standing gender gap in aviation. Comprising industry and academic leaders, the WIAAB found that women represent 20 percent or fewer of most major aviation job categories, except flight attendants.
Notably, 4.6 percent of air transport pilots, 3 percent of aviation CEOs, and 2.6 percent of maintenance technicians are women. “For the last 60 years, the introduction of women into aviation—in nearly every functional specialty—has been stagnant,” the WIAAB said.
The board pointed to culture as a key barrier, beginning with a lack of encouragement for young girls to pursue aviation. Research also has found that 38 percent of surveyed women in aviation reported considering leaving the industry, citing poor family and work-life balance or negative workplace culture.
The WIAAB complied the recommendations in a 70-page report that is expected to be available publicly by the end of the month. “This report is timely,” said chair and former U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson. “Just last week two carriers announced that 65,000 flights would be canceled over the next few months in part because of a lack of trained people.”
After intense lobbying efforts by the Canadian Business Aviation Association, the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, and the business aviation community, the federal government has stepped back from its previous position that could have seen virtually all private aircraft purchased in Canada taxed as luxury “personal” aircraft.
New draft legislation published last week proposes that tax relief is to be expanded to take into account “qualifying flights that are conducted in the course of a business with a reasonable expectation of profit.” Comments on the revised proposal are due by April 11.
“The CBAA team is currently reviewing the proposed legislation,” said the association. “This is a huge win for our entire sector: operators, manufacturers, and suppliers, and the jobs they represent.”
In last year’s federal budget, the government of Canada proposed a tax on the sale of new luxury cars and private/corporate aircraft with a retail sale price exceeding $100,000 and new boats over $250,000. The tax would be calculated at the lesser of 20 percent of the value above these price thresholds or 10 percent of the full value of the luxury vehicle, aircraft, or vessel.
Under the current proposal, the tax law is set to come into effect on Sept. 1, 2022.
24/7/365 Flight Operations Center
Business aviation operators who use Collins Aerospace ARINCDirect flight planning services have on-demand access to FAA-certified aircraft dispatchers and air traffic specialists. Always ready to help support the unique mission profile of corporate flight departments around the world, ARINCDirect flight coordinators can be reached by phone, email, message and even aircraft data link.
The aviation industry paid tribute to the legacy of Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the long-time congressional leader who died Friday at the age of 88.
Young, who stepped into his congressional role after winning a special election on March 6, 1973, at the time of his death was the lower chamber’s oldest and longest-serving lawmaker—often called the “dean” of the House. Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee from 2001 to 2007, Young was known for his “steadfast service to his country and his passionate commitment to promoting aviation,” according to NBAA.
“Don Young was a vigorous advocate for our nation’s aviation industry throughout his five decades in Congress, including through his support for multiple initiatives to bolster aviation infrastructure and to build our industry’s next-generation workforce,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.
A longtime member of the General Aviation Caucus, Young backed legislation such as Promoting Service in Transportation Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in recent years, and as chairman of T&I, steered through H.R.2115, Vision 100—The Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act.
HAI president and CEO James Viola called Young's understanding and support of commercial and general aviation “nearly immeasurable.” AOPA president and CEO Mark Baker agreed, saying Young “cared deeply about general aviation and the freedom to fly in this great country."
Flight planning and trip support data from Universal Weather and Aviation soon will be integrated into Honeywell’s Forge flight management platform for business aviation, the companies announced today. This marks the first trip support provider to be integrated with Forge, according to Universal.
With this new integration, flight departments can now generate Universal flight plans, Aircraft Performance Group (APG) runway analysis reports, and APG weight and balance performance calculations within Universal’s uvGO mission management platform and automatically sync this data into Forge. This allows ground crews to ensure complete mission readiness within a single platform, the companies noted.
Universal customers who become Honeywell Forge Connectivity Services subscribers can use performance-based communication and surveillance monitoring tools that allow operators to check FANS performance following a transoceanic flight. International operators can also find and address issues much quicker to ensure the ability to fly in the reduced-separated track systems.
“Our collaboration with Universal will allow Honeywell to strengthen the services we offer our customers,” said Philippe Chevrier, Honeywell Aerospace’s president of services and connectivity. “We have been actively listening to the needs of both pilots and operators and are continuously looking at ways to simplify the flight management experience for business aviation customers.”
Honeywell Forge is being used to process data from more than 10,000 aircraft.
Leonardo Helicopters will deliver six AW189s next year to the Rescue and Salvage Bureau of China's Ministry of Transport (MOT CRS) for search-and-rescue operations. The deal follows the November announcement of a contract for two of the super-medium twin-engine helicopters from Beijing’s Municipal Public Security Bureau.
MOT CRS currently operates 20 helicopters across eight bases along China’s coastline. The AW189s will extend its SAR mission radius to 200 nm. MOT CRS is China's only national maritime professional rescue-and-salvage force. Its missions include emergency response to maritime accidents; rescue of people, ships, and property; salvage of sunken ships and wreckages; and oil-spill cleanups.
“We are happy to contribute to this crucial lifesaving program,” said Gian Piero Cutillo, Leonardo Helicopters’ managing director. “The AW189 will deliver long-range search and rescue in demanding maritime environment conditions.”
The AW189 is available with more than 200 certified kits, and more than 100 of the helicopters are on order for a range of missions. Standard features include the main transmission’s ability to run without oil for 50 minutes and a built-in auxiliary power unit. More than 200 Leonardo civil helicopters of various types have been sold to Chinese operators for commercial and public services.
The South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) has issued an RFP to develop 400 acres at Atlantic City International Airport (KACY). Located on the northwest quadrant of the airport, the site is adjacent to 10,000-foot Runway 13 and 6,144-foot Runway 22, and is also close to a rail line and highways leading to New York and Philadelphia.
KACY, which is home to the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center, is a designated Smart Airport Research Test Bed Facility and is adjacent to the National Aerospace Research & Technology Park. Together, those assets form New Jersey’s only officially recognized aviation district. The airport’s Class C airspace sits between the Class B airspace of New York and Philadelphia, and aircraft operators using KACY can avoid holding patterns, ground stops, and other air traffic control delays. As well, its fees are lower than those at other Northeast airports.
Those interested in responding to the RFP can schedule a site visit through the airport director’s office. Any available tax and financial assistance packages can be explored with the Atlantic County Economic Alliance, which serves as the aviation district’s business facilitator. The SJTA's window for electronic proposal submission closes on Wednesday, May 11 at 2 p.m.
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
Provided by
What is the effect on the landing distance of crossing the threshold 10 feet above the required threshold crossing height?
A. A 20-foot increase in the landing distance.
B. No effect, as the excessive height will bleed off during the flare.
C. No effect for aircraft with fixed landing gear.
D. A 200-foot increase in the landing distance.
AIN Events: Building a Sustainable Flight Department
The last of AIN’s planned series of four regional conferences to help corporate flight departments become more sustainable is set for March 30 in Los Angeles. Attendees at the single-day event will learn about aviation’s contribution to carbon emissions, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), regulator/government roles in minimizing aviation emissions (including CORSIA and carbon credits), making sense of carbon offsets, and how to practically implement sustainability into their operation. You’ll also have an opportunity to network with other top-tier aircraft operators and presenters. Register today, as seating is limited.
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