While Saturday’s 148th running of the Kentucky Derby was a shocking win for 80-1 odds longshot Rich Strike, Atlantic Aviation, which operates the lone FBO at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (KSDF), saw a rich strike of its own due to private aviation traffic being drawn to the event. The service provider said it saw 812 landings at KSDF over the four days bracketing the race.
As Rich Strike crossed the finish line and stunned the crowd at Churchill Downs, there were dozens of aircraft on the ground at the airport, pushing available parking to max capacity and requiring additional aircraft to drop their passengers and go. Atlantic has operated the FBO at KSDF since 2005 and, according to Jay Hamby, the FBO chain’s senior v-p, this year’s Run for the Roses was “the biggest Derby we have ever seen.” It brought in additional staffers from its other locations to handle the surge.
FlightAware’s special event tracking website noted that more than 1,400 business aviation flights arrived at KSDF and the three closest gateways—Bowman Field in Louisville, Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, and Indiana’s Clark Regional Airport—between May 4 and May 8. That represents a marked increase from the previous Derby record of 950 set in 2018.
EBACE is returning with a full agenda, first-time exhibitors and aircraft debuts, and plenty of engagement opportunities. However, the May 23 to 25 show, which is co-organized by NBAA and EBAA, also will see fewer exhibitors as the effects of the Russian-Ukraine war and remnants of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to loom over Europe.
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen and EBAA secretary-general Athar Husain Khan provided a glimpse of EBACE 2022 during a webinar this morning. “We have missed being with you, but we haven't gone back to where we were. We have gone forward and it's the future that will be on display,” Bolen said.
As evidence of that, the show floor will once again house an Innovation Pavilion but the number of exhibitors there has expanded, including companies such as EHang, Eviation, Lilium, Pipistrel, and VoltAero. Nearly 50 aircraft are lined up for static display, including the show debuts of Gulfstream’s G700 and Dassault's Falcon 6X, among others.
The number of exhibitors has reached about 250, well shy of the nearly 500 in 2019. However, NBAA director of exhibit sales, services, and operations Maureen Cameron said, “We’re pretty excited that we continue to get exhibit applications in nearly every day. So those numbers will increase."
EBACE will continue to house key events such as a two-day Sustainability Summit, career day, and numerous educational sessions.
Runway excursions and circle-to-land approach accidents are raising concerns and warrant greater attention and risk mitigation, safety experts from the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) and the FAA reported today at the Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS) 2022 in Savannah, Georgia. BASS is co-organized by FSF and NBAA.
More than 60 years of data covering 796 accidents involving 1,498 fatalities shows runway excursions accounted for 30 percent of the mishaps, and they are “growing in proportion, in some years exceeding 50 percent,” said FSF director of safety strategy and policy Henry Gourdji. About one in five excursions occur during the takeoff phase. With the U.S. accounting for more than half of all business aviation accidents (about 51 percent), Flight Operational Quality Assurance data from GE presented in a subsequent session revealed that most excursions occur in June, July, and August, when contributing factors such as ice or snow are absent.
Addressing circle-to-land operations, NTSB national resource specialist and senior accident investigator David Lawrence recounted the Challenger 605 and Learjet 35 repositioning flight accidents last year in Truckee and El Cajon, California, respectively. Both involved highly experienced crews, in reduced visibility, and the crashes occurred while making tight turns to align with the runway on final approach. Lawrence noted Part 135 operators have accounted for 16 accidents while circling to land, 12 of which involved fatalities and serious injuries.
Eve Holding began trading today on the New York Stock Exchange following the completion yesterday of the merger of special purpose acquisition company Zanite Acquisition and Embraer subsidiary Eve Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Eve Holding’s common stock is trading under the ticker symbol EVEX, while warrants have the symbol of EVEXW.
The combined business generated $337 million in gross proceeds, which will be used toward the development, certification, and commercialization of Eve’s UAM plans for manufacturing, service and support, fleet operations, and air traffic management, according to the new organization.
“Today, we celebrate a historic milestone in a journey that we began nearly five years ago in EmbraerX, the market accelerator of Embraer,” said André Stein, co-CEO of Eve. “This transaction is a key enabler of our mission to become a leading player in a potential $760 billion UAM addressable market."
Eve co-CEO Jerry DeMuro added that the company has launch orders for 1,825 vehicles, with non-binding letters of intent from 19 customers including Azorra Aviation, Falko Regional Aircraft, Republic Airways, and SkyWest. “We believe Eve is uniquely positioned to develop, certify and commercialize our UAM solutions on a global scale,” he said.
Eve will retain a strategic partnership with Embraer that includes a royalty-free license of Embraer’s intellectual property, access to Embraer employees, and use of Embraer’s global infrastructure.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Means Business
Armed with an industry focus on business education, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University creates groundbreaking opportunities for those who want to launch new business careers or upgrade their current professional skills. Practical programs in collaboration with renowned global partners are just one way Embry-Riddle helps its graduates stand apart.
Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems celebrated the opening of its new MRO facility last week at Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport near Nashville, Tennessee. The company had been operating from temporary facilities at the airport for the past two years after having moved there from Nashville International Airport. Work on the first customer aircraft commenced the day after the May 4 grand opening.
The new facility features a 40,000-sq-ft hangar and 17,000 sq ft of shop and office space. A hangar foam system was installed for fire prevention and to meet military contract requirements. Private offices are available for customers as well as a conference room and a kitchen. Stevens Aerospace has already made provisions to build an additional 40,000-sq-ft MRO hangar next door.
Specializing in heavy maintenance and avionics work on King Air turboprops and Citation and Hawker jets, Stevens Aerospace also offers King Air Garmin G1000 retrofits and Raisbeck aerodynamic and Blackhawk engine upgrades.
“We’re unbelievably excited,” said Kenyon Blacker, general manager of the Tennessee facility. “This new purpose-built facility gives us the additional space we needed to hire additional technical and support staff and expand our customer base. The layout of the facility will also greatly improve efficiency, thereby allowing us to serve our customers better.”
Kristie Greco Johnson, who was chief of staff for House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), is joining NBAA as senior v-p of government affairs. Johnson will assume her new role on June 13.
Johnson is bringing 25 years of government and political experience to her position, including having previously served as senior advisor for Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-South Carolina) in his leadership roles on the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and as Democratic Whip. She further led communications at the FAA as assistant administrator and has been an advisor on presidential and congressional campaign committees.
“Advocacy is fundamental to NBAA’s mission of fostering an environment that allows business aviation to thrive,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “In Kristie, we have found someone with extraordinary experience in political and legislative strategy and communications, and we are fortunate to have a person of her caliber to help us shape a bright future for business aviation.”
Results from recent NASA-backed flight tests with Joby’s eVTOL prototype demonstrate that noise from the four-passenger air taxi vehicle would be barely audible from city streets below. On May 10, Joby published findings from a two-week trial as part of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign.
During the flights, the Joby aircraft registered the equivalent of 45.2 dBA while cruising at an altitude of 1,640 feet at a speed of 115 mph. Recordings made by NASA engineers also demonstrated an acoustic profile for the aircraft while taking off and landing that was below 65 dBA, which Joby said represented a noise level comparable to a normal conversation at a distance of 330 feet from the flight path.
The measurements were conducted using NASA’s Mobile Acoustics Facility, which has more than 50 pressure ground-plate microphones. These were positioned in a grid array at the facility Joby calls its Electric Flight Base near Big Sur, California.
Joby is working to certify the all-electric aircraft, which has expected range of 150 miles and speeds of up to 200 mph, in time to start commercial air taxi operations in 2024. The company said that, with NASA, it will publish further details of the noise analysis at various industry conferences in the coming months.
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Global aircraft brokerage and consulting firm JetHQ is marking its 10th anniversary and a record year of growth in 2021 with promotions and additions to its sales and support team.
Nathan de Knock is returning to JetHQ as the company's v-p of operations and will oversee all inbound aircraft under brokerage agreements and manage the company's inventory aircraft. "Establishing this position at JetHQ is an integral part of our growth from 50 transactions in 2021 to the sales levels we anticipate over the next few years,” said JetHQ founder Garett Jerde. “Nathan began his career with JetHQ shortly after our founding, before branching out to other global sales positions."
Meanwhile, Steven Pinkerton was promoted to director of operations. He joined JetHQ in 2019 at its Kansas City headquarters after previously working as an FAA-licensed aircraft engineer.
Amelia Schaefer was promoted from market research manager to sales manager working from JetHQ’s Holmdel, New Jersey office. Also joining JetHQ in New Jersey as a market analyst is Jennifer Steakin, who previously served as a research analyst at Amstat for five years.
"JetHQ has grown in every way over the past 10 years,” Jerde said. “The team is larger than it has ever been, with more than 20 employees."
People in Aviation
The Aeronautical Repair Station Association elected Alison McHugh to its board of directors. McHugh fills the vacant seat previously held by Jet Center Medford general manager Gary Hudnall. McHugh, who is v-p of safety and quality at Feam Aero and on the adjunct faculty at Miami Dade College, formerly served with the National Air Transportation Association.
Tonya Sudduth was appointed head of U.S. strategy for Bombardier. Sudduth, who joined the business jet manufacturer in 2001 after serving with Koch Industries, had led Bombardier’s Wichita site since 2015, overseeing its expanded service center, Bombardier Flight Test Center, Learjet production, and Global 5000 completions, among other operations.
West Star Aviation named Sean Fields material control manager at its East Alton, Illinois facility. Fields previously spent 22 years with Boeing in supply chain and operations roles.
Dallas Aeronautical Services (DAS) appointed Brian Goddard as commercial/regional component repairs sales manager. Goddard, who began his career as an A&P technician, has served with GE, AirReady, and Nordam, as well as other MROs.
JSfirm has awarded an aviation mechanic student scholarship to Jonathan Roberts, a retired veteran who is working full time and studying aviation maintenance technology at Columbus State Community College in Ohio. He is a member of the Central Ohio Chapter of the Project Management Institute, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, and Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, as well as a service provider for his local FAA Safety Team.
Helicopter Association International appointed Francois Lassale as a special advisor for international initiatives. Lassale is CEO of Heli SGI in Denpasar Selatan, Bali, Indonesia, and formerly served with HeliOffshore.
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