NetJets Makes Special Delivery Run for Mount Sinai

A pair of NetJets Bombardier Global 6000s was dispatched late last week from Anchorage, Alaska, on flights to Nanjing, China, to pick up surplus N95 masks and other medical equipment for Mount Sinai Health System, which is seeing rising cases of Covid-19.

According to FlightAware, EJA Flight 143 and N147QS left Anchorage International Airport (ANC) a few minutes apart on Wednesday at around 8 p.m. local time and landed at Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG) on Thursday around 9:30 p.m. local. After loading up the medical supplies, the Globals left NKG in tandem at about midnight local, stopping at ANC on late Thursday afternoon to clear customs before flying to Teterboro Airport (TEB), where they landed at 3 a.m. on Friday. Ground crews at TEB then unloaded the 5.5 tons of medical equipment for Mount Sinai.

A NetJets spokeswoman confirmed the humanitarian flights but wasn’t able to provide details about the flight-planning process, which reportedly required special approval from two U.S. agencies—Customs and the Food and Drug Administration—and the Chinese government. “NetJets was proud to partner with Goldman Sachs and Mount Sinai Health System to transport critical medical supplies from China to New York City during a time of such need. We feel fortunate to have been able to leverage our aircraft to support such an important cause,” she told AIN.

Watchdog: FAA Registry Open to Fraud, Abuse

A lack of transparency and limited verification processes involved in the U.S. FAA aircraft registry has made it vulnerable to fraud and abuse involving money laundering, drug cartels, and other criminal activity, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said last week. The government watchdog's results of its investigation into the registry found that the “FAA needs to better prevent, detect, and respond to fraud and abuse risks in aircraft registration.”

The GAO study looked into fraud and abuse of the registry and the extent of enforcement involving such activity. Nearly 300,000 civil aircraft are currently in the registry. The FAA relies on self-certification of registrants and a GAO review found that, under this process, the agency typically does not verify applicant identity, ownership, and address information. According to the GAO, other vulnerabilities come with the use of opaque ownership structures such as trusts.

A review uncovered numerous cases of fraud and abuse, some of which were discovered through joint FAA and DEA efforts. One such case involved a registry from entities that had ties to the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico. While the FAA uses some registry information to detect fraud and abuse risk, the format limits the data's usefulness, the GAO added. 

The GAO issued 15 recommendations on improvements to the aircraft registry system, many of which the FAA has already begun to address.

API’s Joe Clark Passes Away

Aviation Partners Inc. (API) co-founder Joe Clark, the aviation pioneer and entrepreneur whose vision of blended winglets led to the design being incorporated on thousands of aircraft, has died. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Clark grew up in the Seattle area and discovered his affinity for aviation while at the University of Washington, according to the San Diego Air & Space Museum. In 1965, when he was 24, he founded Jet Air, the first Learjet dealership in the Northwest.

By 1981, Clark shifted into regional operations, co-founding Horizon Air, which was later sold to Alaska Airlines. Clark co-founded Aviation Partners in 1991 when Dennis Washington asked him to find a means for his Gulfstream II to fly across the country nonstop. That launched their Seattle-based firm, which initially developed for the Gulfstream II blended winglets that reduced drag by more than 7 percent. In the subsequent decades, the technology took root, and now more than 70 percent of the Gulfstream fleet uses blended winglets, as do more than some 6,000 Boeing aircraft and numerous other business jet models.

Over his career, Clark was involved in a number of organizations and garnered numerous accolades, including being inducted into the San Diego International Air and Space Hall of Fame in 2010 and receiving one of NBAA’s highest honors, the Meritorious Service to Aviation Award, in 2015.

FAA Provides Part 135 Medical Exemption for Intl Ops

The FAA, working rapidly to address an array of concerns about meeting a number of requirements and deadlines during the Covid-19 crisis, is releasing an exemption that extends the duration of expiring medicals until June 30 for pilots who conduct Part 135 operations outside the U.S. The exemption, issued at the request of NATA, comes as the agency also is releasing a broader policy statement that it will not issue enforcements for lapsed medicals of persons serving as a “required pilot flight crewmember” between now and June 30. That statement is to be published in the Federal Register tomorrow.

As for the Part 135 international operations exemption, an employer must submit a letter of intent listing who will be exercising the exemption. The FAA is opting for an exemption in these cases, even though the broader policy statement has been released, because foreign states might take different approaches to enforcing expired medicals.

Some concerns have arisen about whether insurance companies will honor the expired but not enforced medicals under the policy statement issued separately from the exemption. Matt Drummelsmith, president of Aviation Specialty Insurance, said, “The general consensus seems to be: Provided the FAA considers the medical valid, then we will agree to the same.” HAI, however, advises discussing these situations with an individual's insurance carrier.

Arkansas Airport Digs Out from Tornado Damage

A powerful EF-3 tornado packing winds as high as 140 mph touched down in Jonesboro in Eastern Arkansas on Saturday, causing severe damage along a 20-mile swath, including Jonesboro Municipal Airport.  

According to airport manager George Jackson, while damage assessment is continuing, approximately 75 percent of the airport, which has a 6,200-foot main runway, was impacted. He told AIN that while the terminal of the Arkansas Air Center, the lone FBO on the field, largely survived the storm intact, the airport’s commercial terminal and ARFF station were destroyed along with half of the hangars. AIN's attempts to reach the FBO directly were unsuccessful.

Photos of the scene show at least one collapsed hangar with what appears to be a Beechcraft King Air twin turboprop pinned underneath the debris, along with a smaller aircraft. Aerial video from a local news organization depicted aircraft strewn around the airport grass, which Jackson said were either occupants of the 20 former T-hangars that were destroyed or airplanes torn from their tie-downs.

All told, Jackson estimates between 50 and 60 general aviation aircraft were impacted, including at least four light jets and three King Airs. Some aircraft were damaged so thoroughly that they have yet to be identified, said Jackson, who added no determination has yet been made as to when the airport will reopen.

Honeywell Ramps Up N95 Mask Production

Honeywell is adding to its capabilities for producing personal protective equipment (PPE), including N95 masks, with a new production line added to its Phoenix engine campus. Earlier, Honeywell unveiled plans to add production capability for N95 masks at its Smithfield, Rhode Island plant.

At the engine campus, Honeywell will continue production of turbine engines and auxiliary power units. The company was able to make room for the PPE production by clearing out storage space, according to a spokesman. In combination with the Smithfield plant, Honeywell will be able to manufacture more than 20 million disposable N95 masks, which are being sent to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

To meet the demand for masks, Honeywell plans to hire workers to fill 500 new jobs in Arizona, in addition to the 500 new positions in Rhode Island. These jobs are in addition to existing work being done in these facilities, the spokesman told AIN. “We’re bringing in about 200 pieces of new machinery to produce the masks,” he added. Honeywell has also added to its PPE production capabilities in other facilities outside the U.S.

“We have moved quickly to expand our production capacity for N95 masks globally and are pleased to announce our second new U.S. manufacturing line to supply the Strategic National Stockpile,” said Honeywell chairman and CEO Darius Adamczyk.

Airbus Closes Voom Per-seat Helicopter Charter Service

Airbus-backed helicopter charter service Voom ceased operations on March 30. Confirming the decision in a blog post, Voom CEO Clément Monnet said Airbus decided not to resume services that had been suspended on March 23 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Voom launched its on-demand, per-seat booking service in 2017 in São Paulo, Brazil, and later expanded it to Mexico City and the San Francisco area. The company used a network of operators to provide the flights, which could be booked via an app or online up to an hour before departure.

According to Monnet, Voom has provided Airbus with extensive data about consumer preferences and behavior that will support the wider plans of its Silicon Valley-based A3 division to develop urban air mobility services using eVTOL aircraft. He also hailed what he said was the first mobile helicopter booking platform in a market that now includes competitors Uber Copter and Blade.

Nearly 150,000 people signed up for the Voom app and the service flew more than 15,000 passengers. In its first year of operation, 60 percent of customers were making their first flight in a helicopter. Monnet claimed that the service achieved a 45 percent repeat customer rate and that the average price for a ride was around double the cost of private car service but 10 times faster.

Piper Aircraft Opens Face Shield Production Line

Piper Aircraft has opened a new production line at its Vero Beach, Florida, facilities, but instead of airplanes, this line will concentrate on the production of a piece of much-need personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical personnel at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic. The new line started to manufacture face shields late last week.

“This is a critical time for our community, our country, and the world,” said Piper COO James Funk. “It is a time for action, cooperation, and collaboration. As a team, we can make a difference for people in need and directly support those fighting the battle on the front lines of this unprecedented crisis.”

According to Piper, its manufacturing engineering team had been looking for ways to help in the pandemic when it fashioned a prototype face shield using off-the-shelf materials, including plastic, industrial tape, foam, and elastic. Following approval of the prototype, the team began sourcing the materials from wholesale suppliers and established the production line.

Piper said it has the ability to produce thousands of face shields daily. In addition to the face shields, Piper said it will be donating more than 1,300 N95 masks to the hospital.

Covid-19 Shutters London Heliport

The Covid-19 crisis has claimed another victim: the London Heliport at Battersea is closed until at least April 13 on advice from Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In a statement issued Monday morning, the heliport said it has paused all operations and is “unable to provide full services until the national lockdown is lifted.” The statement added the heliport expected to resume operations in the future and that it would “consistently ensure that our dedicated clients and stakeholders are updated with any changes, as soon as clarity is provided.” 

Heliport general manager Simon Hutchins praised the performance of his team to date during the crisis. “Everyone has been working tirelessly to ensure we adhere to government guidance at all times.” As April 13 approaches, the heliport said it would issue a status update. 

The London Heliport has been in operation since 1959 and is currently owned by the real estate firm Reuben Brothers. It is the only CAA-licensed heliport, hosting nearly 12,000 operations annually, many of them connecting passengers to executive aircraft at suburban London airports at London Biggin Hill, Luton, Oxford, Farnborough, and Stansted. Located on the River Thames between Battersea and Wandsworth bridges, the heliport caters to customers requiring fast access in and out of the city. The heliport also runs its own charter brokerage.