North America Bizav Ops Rebound Strengthens in March

North American business aviation operations are rebounding stronger than expected this month, topping the benchmark of 10,000 flights in a single day, business aviation analyst Argus International reported. That mark was reached on March 12, when 10,323 business aviation movements were logged.

Operations throughout the month are exceeding earlier expectations, with Argus TraqPak data indicating they are on pace to finish 42 percent above March 2020 levels and down just 3 percent from March 2019. This compares with its earlier forecast for March to be up 31 percent from a year earlier and down 10 percent from March 2019.

Leisure traffic is continuing to drive operations. Argus noted that Thursday is traditionally the busiest day of the week, but since has been replaced by Fridays. “Weekend activity continues to remain stronger than normal as well,” Argus said.

Part 91 operations are poised to reach 121,000 flights in March, well above the six-month average of 99,000 monthly movements. Large-cabin jet activity also appears to be picking up, on pace for 35,000 movements in March, marking a 20 percent gain and approaching the pre-pandemic January and February 2020 levels of 38,000 and 37,000, respectively.

ICAO Launching Campaign To Improve Notam Quality

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is launching a global campaign to improve notices to airmen (Notam) on April 8 with a publicly-accessible kick-off webinar, citing the crushing amount of Notams pilots can receive during flight planning. In fact, ICAO said more than 1.7 million Notams are filed annually, with an average of 35,000 active Notams daily—about 7,000 of which violate international standards because they are more than three months old.

Thus, Phase 1 of ICAO’s new Notam 2021 campaign seeks to improve Notam quality by pushing nations to purge older ones from the system. ICAO defines Notams as being “old” if they exceed three months but are less than one year, and “very old” if they exceed the one-year duration.

To keep track of the campaign’s progress, ICAO is rolling out a NotaMeter, a web-based tool that will provide an estimate of the absolute and relative numbers of current, old, and very old Notams. The tool will allow users to explore the Notam statistics in their country and compare it to ICAO regions or worldwide. ICAO will also hold progress webinars on June 16, August 31, October 28, and December 15.

FlightSafety Adds First 8X Sim for North America

FlightSafety International has received FAA certification for its second level-D simulator for the Dassault Falcon 8X, which has been installed at the company’s Teterboro, New Jersey learning center. That’s according to a tweet from the company late last week, which added that training on the simulator will begin later this month.

The simulator also is FlightSafety’s first 8X simulator in North America. Its only other for the large-cabin trijet is at Paris LeBourget, where it offers Falcon 8X EASy III EASA- and FAA-approved pilot courses, as well as 8X LiveLearning EASA recurrent pilot training. Other 8X pilot courses provided at LeBourget are FalconEye HUD, EASy III Category II, Data Link CPDLC, 7X EASy II to 8X EASy differences, and Falcon 8X EFVS Initial (FalconEye EVS operations down to 100 feet). FlightSafety also offers Falcon 8X maintenance training at its LeBourget and Dallas/Fort Worth centers.

Dassault delivered the first Falcon 8X in October 2016, following type certification from EASA and the FAA in June that year. More than 70 of the type are currently in service.

Clay Lacy’s California FBOs To Stock SAF

California-based Clay Lacy Aviation has become the latest FBO operator to announce it will continually stock sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). World Fuel Services (WFS) will begin monthly deliveries to the company’s flagship facility at Van Nuys Airport and its new location at John Wayne Orange County Airport this month, with deliveries this year to total a minimum of 100,000 gallons. The drop-in replacement fuel is produced by World Energy from inedible agricultural wastes and is blended with conventional jet-A to meet ASTM standards.

According to Clay Lacy, this move will result in a net reduction of approximately 192 tons of carbon emissions for 2021, equal to 475,000 miles driven by a car. In addition, WFS will also supply renewable diesel to power the company’s refuellers, GPUs, tugs, and other ground service equipment, which will eliminate an additional 64 tons of carbon.

A member of NATA’s environmental committee, Clay Lacy Aviation has achieved carbon-neutral status for the past two years through its involvement with WFS sister company World Kinect Energy.

“We are delighted to begin providing a regular supply of SAF and renewable diesel to both Clay Lacy FBOs,” said Darren Fuller, WFS’s v-p for business development. “Demand for SAF is growing and it is rewarding to work with Clay Lacy to help our industry achieve its goals of cutting carbon emissions in half by 2050.”

Honeywell Recognizes Gulfstream’s APU Repair Facility

Gulfstream Aerospace’s auxiliary power unit (APU) repair facility at the company’s Savannah, Georgia headquarters service center has been recognized as a center of excellence by Honeywell Aerospace. Established in June 2008, this facility features a maintenance shop and a 300-sq-ft test cell where technicians can repair and test APUs installed on jets made by Gulfstream and other business aircraft OEMs.

According to Honeywell Aerospace senior director for business and general aviation aftermarket business Neil Hounjet, Gulfstream’s continuous investment in APU material, tooling, and maintenance personnel allows it to “deliver a high-quality finished product and achieve turnaround times that are better than industry standard.”

Gulfstream is authorized to perform heavy repairs and overhauls, as well as warranty and manufacturer service program work, on a wide range of Honeywell APUs, including the 36-100, 36-150, RE100, RE220 series, and HGT400. The facility has also received nearly 30 foreign authority approvals.

Sky Harbour Plans Colorado Facility

Continuing the growth of its boutique hangar complex model, New York-based Sky Harbour expects to break ground at its latest location—Denver Centennial Airport—in the third quarter. Intended to occupy 22 acres on the south side of the field, on the Centennial Interport leasehold, the first phase of the facility that is scheduled to open in mid-2022 will consist of 13 privately-leaseable hangars totaling 128,000 sq ft and capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range business jets. A second phase of development will include nine more hangars, for an additional 97,600 sq ft of aircraft storage.

As with the company’s existing locations at Nashville International Airport, Miami Opa-Locka Executive Airport, and Sugar Land Regional Airport in Houston, each hangar houses one tenant, eliminating the need for aircraft stacking by expected use, and its subsequent extraneous movements, thus lessening the risk of hangar rash incidents. Each hangar includes indoor and outdoor vehicle parking, and a customizable interior office suite with private lounges, kitchens, bathrooms, showers, and laundry. Ground handling is performed by the facility’s own dedicated line staff.

“We aim to be the best home-base in aviation, bar none, maximizing the value that owners derive from their aircraft,” said CEO Tal Keinan. “Sky Harbour is excited to be at Centennial, among the most active and best-managed airports in the United States."

Company Puts ‘People First’ in Shared Charters

A new Boca Raton, Florida-based company led by AvWeb co-founder Carl Marbach aims to make the sharing of charter flights easier and without filling an existing booked airplane or membership. Called SharedCharter, the company is employing a “people first” process that matches up travelers at the onset of the planning process and fills any remaining empty seats afterwards.

SharedCharter’s model allows potential flyers to find other travelers to share desired flights, and once a match is made, they source the appropriate aircraft for the trip from a pre-qualified network of private jet brokers and Part 135 operators. Travelers are not limited by aircraft or location, it added.

“Our approach is different from other private jet services in that we match up one or more travelers looking to take the same itinerary before anything else is discussed,” said Marbach. “We also offer travelers more flight options by aggregating all available flights matched with their desired departure date and destination.”

Alto Intros Challenger 601/604/605 Audio Upgrade

Alto Aviation has introduced a seamless retrofit cabin audio upgrade for Bombardier Challenger 601, 604, and 605s. According to Alto, its solution keeps the existing cabin management system (CMS) intact while adding an Alto DZ-290 amp to provide better audio quality, making it a cost-efficient upgrade.

On Challengers with Audio International (AI) CMSs, the amp includes an RS-485 databus reader that allows it to bypass the CMS’s limitations, namely serially controlled amps and integrated audiovisual components. This means the amp can interpret audio settings for audio selection, volume levels, EQ  presets, and speaker on/off.

For those with installed Baker systems with traditional analog amps, the Alto upgrade keeps the CMS intact and requires only minimal redesign. However, the company said a more comprehensive upgrade solution is required when Baker M2060 and M3070 amps are employed.

Additionally, many AI and Baker speakers can be form-fit replaced with Alto speakers using adapter brackets, the company said.

Challenger “customers appreciate the great sound when they get a new Alto audio system,” said Alto v-p of sales and marketing Kevin Hayes. “By reusing the same power supply unit grills and implementing 100 percent fit-compatible speakers, we help keep the installation costs low, making it an attractive upgrade.”