Satcom Direct: Cyberattacks Against Bizjet Pax Rising

Nefarious hackers are going after passengers on business jets with rising frequency. That was the message at EBACE from Satcom Direct. The company tracks cyber threats on the 600 aircraft subscribing to its cybersecurity threat-monitoring module and it has logged a 54 percent increase in critical and high-level threats recently.

Critical threats represent activity that can affect default installations of widely deployed software such as consumer digital device operating systems, compromising servers, and leaving a back door for additional malice (Trojan horse or viruses). A high-level threat would be a web browser exploitation or malware that can cause serious long-term damage to complete corporate networks.

It takes a lot to stop these aggressive and intelligent hacks, but Satcom Direct said its SD Pro dashboard is fine-tuned for the job, monitoring both inbound and outbound threats and delivering a real-time, centralized inflight view of the cabin network. Any abnormal behavior on the network is flagged and potential threats are simultaneously blocked before they can reach the digital devices in use on the aircraft. 

The company also provides a threefold approach to education on cyber threats, and the first two levels are available at no charge. Anyone can download the Satcom Direct white paper on cybersecurity from the company’s website, and the company provides a free audit of any company’s security, pointing out holes in the “armor.”

AINsight: Takeoff Performance System Errors

Automated takeoff performance systems provide for operators an optimized solution that is designed to ensure safety and improve economics. The problem, as with other automated systems, is that flight crews are susceptible to errors that can lead to a risk of a runway overrun due to a takeoff attempt with an improper thrust and/or misconfigured flap setting.

Recent runway overrun or “late takeoff” events highlight some of the risks associated with using automated takeoff performance systems.

The first lesson from each of these events is that the takeoff performance system did not fail the crew. In each case, had the crew input the correct information, the system would have provided enough performance to take off safely. 

Another lesson is to remember the old adage: garbage in, garbage out. Always validate the information that is input into the takeoff performance system. Likewise, when reviewing the returned performance solution, ensure that the conditions match exactly what was requested.  

Lastly, the most critical step is to effectively communicate and coordinate with the other crew member when inputting data into the FMC and/or thrust-management computer. Always verify and crosscheck that information with the correct performance solution and confirm it with the other pilot. Pilots should treat performance data entries with the same care as other flight deck automation such as FMCs or mode control panels.

U-Space Drone Demo Flights To Begin in Gulf of Finland

The first demonstration for the single European sky air traffic management research program joint undertaking (SESAR) Gulf of Finland (GOF) unmanned airspace (U-space) project in Estonia and Finland will take place next month in Helsinki, the European Union said. U-space is designed to provide secure airspace access to drones.

According to the EU, the first part of the demonstration will involve urban drone fleet operations with police intervention. Altogether, the GOF demonstrations will run through August and cover seven scenarios of drone operations, including manned and unmanned aircraft in shared airspace. These demonstrations are designed to provide data toward implementing a shared U-space in Europe, including low-altitude airspace.

The Helsinki demonstration will be followed by long-distance multisensory forestry inspection flights in Asikkala, Finland; drones and manned aircraft sharing airspace in Pyhtää, Finland; urban drone operations in Tallinn, Estonia; powerline inspection in the Läänemaa, Estonia rural areas; a maritime search and rescue exercise with the Estonian border guard in Hiiumaa; international parcel drone delivery over the Gulf of Finland between Torbacka, Finland and Muraste, Estonia; and an urban Volocopter air-taxi flight from the Vantaa international airport to Helsinki.

UAS-specific Weather Data Lacking

The current weather tools and weather training for the UAS industry are woefully inadequate. That’s the assessment of Don Berchoff, a former U.S. Air Force meteorologist and the CEO of TruWeather. “Our Part 107 [UAS pilot] certification training has a weather section in it that is totally irrelevant,” Berchoff said. “We have a mismatch right now in standards and requirements,” he said, adding that current standards may allow UAS operators to “check the box” for regulatory compliance but fall short of operational needs. 

Berchoff said that while “micro weather is really going to be a big issue in terms of enabling this industry to be successful and profitable,” a recent MIT Lincoln Laboratory study found that commercially available weather products do not completely meet the needs of the UAS industry. To be truly useful, weather data must “be used at the right time, at the right location, and be the right data for the right application.” And that means “interpreting it properly for actual decision-making.”

Weather delays, in terms of lost productivity as opposed to natural disaster, already cost the U.S. economy $640 billion annually, Berchoff said, a number that will certainly grow as UAS becomes a bigger percentage of that economy.

HEMS Operator Reports Double-digit Rise In Night Ops

German air rescue DRF Luftrettung saw a 4 percent increase in air rescue missions in 2018, with night missions increasing 20 percent from the prior year, the company reported. Its crews were dispatched 40,090 times for air rescue missions in 2018.

Of those missions, 300 used the organization's two air ambulance jets, which were dispatched to 48 countries during the period. In all, DRF Luftrettung operates 31 helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) bases in Germany and Austria. DRF Luftrettung’s Austrian bases in Tyrol and Carinthia, where it operates as ARA Flugrettung, have in the past year been outfitted with Airbus H145s to operate in the high-altitude regions of the Alps.

Helicopter night operations have become an area of specialization for the service, with special modifications of its fleet including high-intensity searchlights; two instrument-rated pilots using night-vision goggles; and satellite navigation with digital maps. “We set the highest standards for all parts of our work,” DRF Luftrettung chairman Peter Huber said.

Textron Aviation Recommends Flightdocs

Flightdocs, the Bonita Springs, Florida maintenance-tracking company, was selected by Textron Aviation as a recommended provider of maintenance-tracking services for Cessna, Hawker, and Beechcraft models. This means that buyers of new and preowned turboprop and turbofan models from Textron Aviation will be offered an optional free year of Flightdocs Enterprise Maintenance and Inventory modules.

The Flightdocs maintenance-tracking service is available for any Textron Aviation turboprop or turbofan as well as for customers enrolled in Textron Aviation’s ProAdvantage program. 

Both Flightdocs and Textron Aviation are employing application program interfaces “to create a seamless flow of maintenance information and documentation to enhance the customer's experience,” according to Flightdocs. The two companies expect to be able to offer “a full integration of systems for enhanced services” in the third quarter of this year. About 1,000 Textron Aviation aircraft are currently enrolled in Flightdocs. 

"This is a big win for Flightdocs, and it is a giant win for Textron Aviation customers,” said Rick Heine, CEO of Flightdocs. “Choice and free market competition always produce the best products and services, and now Textron Aviation customers get to choose what's best for them.”

Preliminary Accident Report Comes With NTSB Sting

The release Wednesday of the preliminary report for the NTSB’s investigation of the May 13 fatal midair near Ketchikan, Alaska, between a float-equipped de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and a float-equipped de Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter was accompanied by Safety Board criticism of for-hire operations.

Both aircraft involved in the accident were operating under Part 135 in VMC. “This is one in a string of recent accidents involving for-hire aircraft,” the Safety Board said. 

Probable causes have not been determined in any of the accidents cited, but NTSB chairman Robert L. Sumwalt said, “Each crash underscores the urgency of improving the safety of charter flights by implementing existing NTSB safety recommendations. The need for those improvements is why the NTSB put Part 135 aircraft flight operations on the 2019-2020 Most Wanted list of transportation safety improvements.”

The NTSB’s recommendations call on Part 135 operators to implement safety management systems, record and analyze flight data, and ensure pilots receive controlled-flight-into-terrain avoidance training. 

Both aircraft were transporting passengers to Ketchikan from the Misty Fjords National Monument area. The airplanes collided at about 3,350 feet msl near the west side of the George Inlet. The Otter pilot said he was maneuvering the airplane to show passengers a waterfall when the collision occurred.

Taquan Air Suspends All Operations

Ketchikan, Alaska-based charter operator Taquan Air said it has “voluntarily suspended all of our operations until further notice,” following two fatal accidents within a week’s time. On May 13, a Taquan-operated turbine Otter and a Mountain Service-operated Beaver were involved in a deadly mid-air, and on May 20, a Taquan-operated Beaver suffered a fatal crash. Both accidents occurred in VMC under Part 135.

Following the midair, Taquan said it was suspending all its flights while the accident is being investigated, but flights resumed shortly thereafter.

In a statement released one day after the second accident, the company said, “As you can imagine the past 24 hours have been incredibly overwhelming and we are reeling from not only the incident yesterday but also from last week. It’s been a really heavy and heartbreaking time for us. Our priority has been our passengers and their families and our internal staff and pilots. We have voluntarily suspended all of our operations until further notice. We are grateful for your patience and the outpouring of community support and we will update you as soon as we have more information to share.”

Since 1996, Taquan has been involved in five fatal accidents, including the two most recent crashes. The company also experienced a serious nonfatal accident last year.

How are OEMs doing at supporting their products?

Tell us about the product support you receive from business aviation OEMs. The 2019 AIN Product Support Survey is now online, ready for selected readers to rate aircraft, engine and avionics support. AIN readers who have been selected to participate in this year’s Product Support Survey should have received their account number and link to the online survey website by e-mail. The survey needs to be completed by midnight on June 7. Visit this site for more information or if you want to participate in the survey.