EBACE 2019 To Highlight Jet Biofuels, eVTOL Revolution

Europe will once again be the focal point for the business aviation community when EBACE 2019 opens on May 21 in Geneva, Switzerland. With some 50 aircraft on static display and more than 400 exhibitors, this year's event is on par with previous years. The three-day show, which is jointly organized by NBAA and EBAA, will bring together all the latest business aircraft and aviation equipment manufacturers, industry and government leaders, operators, and services suppliers, among others.

This year's show will ramp up focus on business aviation’s sustainable alternative jet fuels (SAJF) initiative, including SAJF-powered flights from multiple European airports, a dedicated SAJF day at TAG London Farnborough Airport, discussion about SAJF at the media luncheon on May 20, and a panel discussion on these jet biofuels at the Innovation Zone on opening day.

The opening-day kickoff session will feature keynote speaker Florian Reuter, the founder and CEO of Volocopter. Meanwhile, EBAA will use the show to further promote its Expanding Horizons initiative, which aims to spread recognition of business aviation as an “accessible, indispensable, and desirable” transportation option throughout Europe. There will also be dozens of informational and safety-related sessions held during the show. The final day is themed “Careers in Business Aviation Day” and will thus be dedicated to students.

AINsight: More Women Finding a Place in Aviation

It is often said that stereotypes don’t die. It is probably more accurate to say that stereotypes certainly don’t die easily. In aviation, a technology-centric and traditionally white male-dominated industry, it has largely been “fact” or “reality” that most key roles have been performed by men. In many organizations today and certainly in the past, it is quite commonplace to be in a room, a hangar, or an aircraft where most of the “real jobs” were being performed by men. For most of the 116-year history of “manned” powered flight, the aviation industry has been mostly powered, piloted, and promoted by men.

Easy to overlook in the “truth” of aviation history is the role that women have played. Some of the earliest aviators were women, but most of their names are little known except to aviation historians. 

Business aviation’s talent shortage is being felt across much of the industry today, as skilled people looked for the best return on investment when it comes to where they want to spend their careers. Isn’t it a shame that we have collectively and probably individually not yet done enough to make the industry more diverse, inclusive, safe, and fascinating for the other half of the world? 

Although aviation—general and business aviation in particular—remains a “good ol’ boys club,” the times are changing. Fresh perspectives and ideas are everywhere, helping us navigate toward a better and more inclusive future, one where we break down stereotypes and open up the skies above us to a world of possibilities.

Bombardier’s Global 7500 Connects London City to LA

Bombardier’s 7,700-nm Global 7500 recently wrapped up a round of flight trials for steep approach approval, completing what the company claims is an industry first: a direct flight from London City Airport (LCY) to Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in California.

Completed on May 11, the flight from LCY to VNY involved Bombardier’s fifth flight-test vehicle, which was configured with the equivalent weight of a fully fitted interior, including stateroom. It also carried 2,400 pounds of additional payload that represented about 11 passengers and baggage.

The flight was part of an overall steep approach test campaign that also involved a number of takeoffs and landings at the airport to demonstrate operational capability. Bombardier is targeting the Transport Canada nod later this year.

“Welcoming the Bombardier Global 7500 to London City Airport for its flight-test campaign is a crucial milestone towards certification and subsequent business jet operations at London’s most central airport,” said Gary Hodgetts, director of operations at London City Airport. “The flight completed by the Global 7500 FTV on May 11 is the longest flight ever out of London City and demonstrates the exceptional performance of the aircraft.”

The May 11 mission followed back-to-back city-pair speed records involving Global 7500 flights between New York and London and between Los Angeles and New York. The Global 7500 also completed a long-range mission from Singapore to Tucson, Arizona, during a world tour.

Five-seat Lilium Electric Jet Air Taxi Makes First Flight

Germany’s Lilium made a successful unmanned first flight of the full-scale prototype of its five-seat, electric jet powered urban air mobility (UAM) air taxi on May 4 in Munich, the company announced Thursday. Lilium’s head of test flight, Leandro Bigarella, said the Lilium Jet  “performed exactly as expected and responded well to our inputs.”

The aircraft is powered by 36 electric motors that allow it to take off and land vertically with zero operating emissions. Lilium said it has begun a certification flight campaign and plans to certify the aircraft to “commercial standards,” although no country has yet published any certification regulations covering these vehicles. Designed with wings, the aircraft uses less than 10 percent of its maximum 2,000 horsepower during cruise flight, has a maximum speed of 162 knots, and a range of 162 nm, Lilium said.

"In less than two years we have been able to design, build, and successfully fly an aircraft that will serve as our template for mass production,” said company CEO Daniel Wiegand. Lilium first flew a two-seat prototype in 2017. It expects its five-seater to be fully operational and in commercial service as an on-demand air taxi by 2025. To date, the company has attracted investment of $100 million and employs 300.  

Bell 505s To Fly Air Tours Over Vietnam

Vietnam has launched helicopter tours over iconic Ha Long Bay, flying Bell 505s. The tours will be flown by state-owned Vietnam Helicopter unit Northern Vietnam Helicopter (VNH North).

Ha Long Bay is a Unesco World Heritage Site and the most popular tourist attraction in Vietnam. It is expected to attract up to 16 million visitors by 2020. The new Van Don International Airport opened last year is less than an hour’s drive away. 

VNH North provides utility and transport services across several industries such as oil and gas, tourism, air ambulance, search and rescue, and VIP transportation. The company plans to offer point-to-point transfers from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, charter flights, wedding photography, and aerial surveys with its Bell 505s. VNH also is a Bell Customer Advantage Plan maintenance plan customer.

“We are proud to be part of this historic milestone for Vietnam,” said David Sale, Bell managing director, Asia-Pacific. “The Bell 505 is a great aircraft for tourism and is already flying tourists in Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and now Vietnam.” 

Virgin Galactic Is ‘Coming Home’ to NM Spaceport

Nearly a decade after the facility landed on the high desert plains of southern New Mexico, Spaceport America will soon welcome its anchor tenant. Virgin Galactic recently announced plans to relocate its headquarters and flight operations to the massive inland spaceport this summer in anticipation of hosting commercial spaceflights by the end of the year.

"Virgin Galactic is coming home to New Mexico, and it's coming home now,” said Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, announcing the plans. “With today's announcement, New Mexico will become the first place on this beautiful planet of ours to regularly launch humans into space."

More than 100 Virgin Galactic flight personnel and support staff are expected to move from the company's current base of operations at California's Mojave Air and Space Port. Spaceport America will also host final validation flights of the SpaceShipTwo suborbital launch vehicle VSS Unity later this year, ahead of commencing full-scale commercial operations. Virgin Galactic affiliate The Spaceship Company, manufacturer of both that vehicle and the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft (VMS Eve), will remain at Mojave.

FBO Partners Adds Safety Program Management Option

Business Aviation consultancy FBO Partners is celebrating its fifth anniversary with the introduction of a safety department that will add to its menu of services for FBOs and other aviation businesses.

The new division will be headed by Patrick Moylan, who brings 20 years of experience, most recently as senior director of health, safety, and environmental for BBA Aviation. “I can think of no more qualified individual in our industry than Patrick to lead those efforts for FBO Partners,” said company president Douglas Wilson.

The new offerings will complement the firm’s existing IS-BAH auditing and implementation consulting services and include a subscription-based online safety officer program, for those FBOs seeking outsourced management and oversight of their safety programs, as well as traditional online training programs.

“Safety is the backbone of any aviation business, yet the economic realities of our industry mean few FBOs can afford a dedicated, full-time safety officer or manage a viable SMS program,” noted Wilson. “With the safety officer program, we aim to do both for our client FBOs, at a fraction of the cost.”

Swiss Rega Develops Autonomous SAR Drone

Swiss air rescue service Rega has developed a drone that can scan large areas autonomously with onboard sensors and cameras. The pixel patterns from camera images are categorized aboard the drone in real time to determine if a person has been located and then the drone automatically relays this information to its operator. Eventually, the drone will also have the capability to track cell phone signals. 

The aircraft is currently undergoing flight testing and could be operational by next year. 

Rega developed the drone, which looks like a small helicopter, because nothing else currently on the market meets the service’s key parameters for unmanned missions including flight durations of several hours with full beyond visual line of sight capabilities in a small, flexible package.

The drone has a rotor disk of just over six feet and is built to fly at altitudes up to 320 feet agl. It is equipped with satellite navigation, a flight computer loaded with digital terrain and obstacle data, and an emergency parachute. It can independently detect and avoid other aircraft and obstacles. The drone is designed to fly in a variety of conditions including limited visibility that would ground manned SAR helicopters.