Embraer Takes RJs to Semi-private Cabin Configurations
Embraer is developing an STC to offer an aftermarket “semi-private” cabin configuration for all ERJ-145 regional jets following growth in use of such aircraft. Under the conversion, the twinjets can be converted from the 50-seat configuration to “premium” seating for 16 to 28 with no more than one seat on each side of the aisle.
The semi-private configuration also would include removing overhead bins, aimed at creating more personal space for passengers. Embraer-owned service centers would perform the conversions.
Marsha Woelber, Embraer Service & Support’s head of worldwide executive jets customer support and aftermarket sales, said the number of aircraft with semi-private cabins have doubled since 2019, from 21 to more than 40. “With the pandemic, we believe this number will increase even more,” she added.
Similar cabin configurations are already used by public charter operators JSX and Aero with their ERJ-135 and -145 fleets. The configuration could also be useful for companies seeking to add a corporate shuttle to expand the role of their flight department.
Garmin Completes AeroData Acquisition
Garmin announced today that it has completed the acquisition of aircraft performance data provider AeroData. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company’s products include runway analysis, takeoff and en route performance, weight and balance, passenger and cargo load planning, a global airport obstacle database, notam monitoring, and custom software.
In December, Garmin announced the integration of AeroData’s runway analysis services with FltPlan, the flight planning company that Garmin purchased in 2018. Garmin plans to look at more ways to add AeroData capabilities for its business aviation customers. “We look forward to building upon AeroData’s incredible success in providing advanced software solutions for both air transport and business aviation,” said Phil Straub, Garmin executive v-p and managing director of aviation. “In addition to broadening Garmin’s presence in commercial aviation, AeroData’s extensive load planning, performance, and flight path analysis expertise significantly enhances and expands our digital services portfolio.”
AeroData will continue operating under its brand at the Scottdale location. The company’s customer base includes more than 135 airlines and it provides “performance data to more than 70 percent of airline flights in North America,” according to Garmin.
“AeroData provides aircraft performance data for more than 20,000 commercial flights each day,” said AeroData president Terry McDonough, “and we are excited to further expand this reach to commercial and business aviation customers worldwide within the Garmin aviation ecosystem.”
FAA Administrator Steve Dickson reassured lawmakers that his agency is remaining engaged with EASA to ensure that certification and validation approaches remain consistent with the U.S./EU Safety Agreement. In letters to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ranking Republican Sam Graves (Missouri) and aviation subcommittee ranking Republican Garret Graves (Louisiana), Dickson said the FAA takes “seriously” remarks made earlier in the year by EASA Director-General Patrick Ky that EASA “will increase our level of involvement [and] our level of independent review of U.S. projects…to build our own safety assessments.”
The statement prompted concerns that EASA “intends to move away” from established validation practices. Both Congressmen asked the Administration for confirmation that EASA’s plans do not violate the bilateral safety agreement in place between the U.S. and European regulators.
Dickson told the lawmakers that the FAA “is closely monitoring how EASA is approaching ongoing validation projects...It is always a CAA’s prerogative to exercise additional scrutiny as it validates the certification work of another CAA. However, there is a limit to what a CAA can reasonably insist on as part of its overall validation process of U.S. products and still conform to the principles established in a bilateral aviation safety agreement.”
The lawmakers said they appreciated the Administrator’s efforts and would continue to monitor the Administration’s and EASA’s actions under the bilateral agreement.
Bizav Data Provider Portside Receives $17M Investment
Portside, a provider of cloud-based software for the business aviation industry, has received a $17 million investment from a group of private equity investors to accelerate product development, engage large customers, and add staff. The investment was led by Tiger Global Management, with participation from existing Portside investors I2BF Global Ventures and SOMA Capital.
The San Francisco-based company's cloud-based data platform offers business aviation providers and flight departments a single system that combines flight operations, crew and staff scheduling, expense management, maintenance, and financial and budgeting data to streamline workflows and optimize operations. Last year, Portside recorded a nearly 300 percent increase in revenue and added more than 50 private, managed, fractional, and government fleet operators to what it said is a rapidly growing customer base in more than 25 countries.
"We appreciate the strong support we have received from both our existing and new investors in this round,” said Portside co-founder and CEO Alek Vernitsky. “They have collectively demonstrated their confidence in our strategy and intentional approach to cloud-based digital transformation of the global business aviation industry.”
Gogo Offers Business Aviation’s First Unlimited Streaming and Data Wi-Fi Plan
Data consumption in the air and on the ground has increased by 38 percent year over year during the past 10 years. To better accommodate the rising demand for data onboard business aircraft, Gogo Business Aviation launched the first unlimited streaming and data plan in business aviation – Gogo Biz 4G Limitless.
Universal Helicopters (UHI) is partnering with Bell to deliver pilot training in the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X light turbine single. New pilots can receive ab initio, private pilot, commercial, and rotary-wing add-on training in the 505 at UHI locations, including Scottsdale and Prescott, Arizona, with instructors who have been approved by the Bell Training Academy and use Bell's proprietary coursework.
UHI is the only approved Bell training center in the U.S. and operates a “Bell Center of Excellence” at UHI’s Dallas location. UHI also can provide training at customer locations on demand. The company uses the Bell 206B to provide initial and refresher flight training in accordance with Bell's curriculum and is a long-time operator of that model for both instructional and Part 135 operations. UHI and sister company Universal Flight Concepts also operate collegiate programs in cooperation with Baylor University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Nearly 300 customers operate the Bell 505 worldwide. Powered by a 459-shp Safran Arrius 2R engine, the 505 features an anti-vibration system and Garmin G1000H NXi avionics.
Jetex Sees Bizav Traffic Surge at Dubai Al-Maktoum
Jetex has reported surging growth in numbers of movements and passengers since the beginning of this year at its VIP terminal at Dubai Al-Maktoum International Airport. Private jet traffic using the facility soared 349 percent year-to-date, reaching 5,073 movements, compared with 1,129 during the same period a year ago and 1,522 in 2019.
“In a context that remains affected by the health crisis and limited international travel, Jetex is equipped to build upon the hoped-for recovery in 2021 and benefit from the growth momentum for all its businesses,” a company spokesman told AIN. Speaking to AIN in January, Founder and CEO Adel Mardini said, “March, April, and May 2020 were the [company's] worst months ever,” due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He added business was up 150 percent at its flagship Dubai facility in the second half of 2020, while in 2019 he announced plans for Jetex to become the largest FBO operator outside of the Americas. Jetex opened a new FBO at Singapore Seletar Airport late last year and has targeted a total of 50 FBOs worldwide by the end of 2022—up from its current 40 locations. Jetex plans to “further strengthen its global leadership position in private aviation in 2021,” the spokesman said.
European Regulators, Industry Take On Pilot Fatigue
Regulators and industry groups are increasingly becoming concerned about risks related to fatigue that are inherent to business aviation and have been developing new regulatory requirements and industry best practices to address this issue. EASA has cited a number of typical fatigue hazards in business aviation, including operations at short notice, long standby at home or in the hotel, frequent change of duty assignments, time zone crossings, and long positioning.
Schedule-related risks and individual factors are the two main sources of fatigue risk in business aviation, said Matthew van Wollen, senior project manager and CFO at Pulsar Informatics. “A robust fatigue risk-management program recognizes these sources and makes safety promotion a shared responsibility,” he said.
Today, in EU member states, the prescriptive limits of Annex III to Regulation 3922/91 apply to commercial business aviation to a certain extent. To update and harmonize the legal requirements and promote fatigue risk management, in 2017 EASA published a notice of proposed amendment (NPA) to the air operations fatigue regulations for air taxis, AEMS, and helicopter emergency medical services. Based on the NPA and feedback provided by stakeholders, EASA is planning to publish an Opinion for some business aviation operations, including air charters, in the third quarter of 2022.
Mountain Lion Aviation, a Truckee, California-based Part 135 operator, has expanded its operations to Fort Worth (Texas) Alliance Airport. The airport’s central location and proximity to a large mid-market population were among the reasons behind the expansion of the four-year-old charter provider.
“We serve business travelers who need to get to cities such as Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, West Texas, or neighboring states—and then be home for dinner or events with their families,” said MLA founder and chairman Jim Wilkinson, who is also chairman and CEO of Dallas-based global advisory firm TrailRunner International. “We also serve families whose desire is to travel, on their own terms, to places such as Colorado and Florida or a college football game or golf tournament, and then be back home while others are still stuck in airport security or traffic.”
MLA’s fleet comprises a Pilatus PC-12, Daher TBM 940, and Cirrus SR22 Turbo. The Fort Worth location will be served by deputy chief pilot Jeff Fay, customer service officer Whitney Ramsey, and COO Jessica Fay.
Russia's MC-21 Gets New Wing, Preps for Flight Testing
Irkut, a subsidiary of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation, has just fit the first set of new composite wings to its MC-21 airliner. U.S. political sanctions against Russia have prompted the company to increase the use of Russian-made parts and systems, potentially including the Aviadvigatel PD-14 engine. The Pratt & Whitney PW1400G-powered version, which has attracted orders from airlines both inside and outside Russia, is expected to enter service in 2023.
People in Aviation
FlightAware added Bruno Moreno and Toby Tucker to its team in Europe and the Middle East. An aviation sales executive for the EMEA region, Moreno formerly was a key account manager for Cirium and has 16 years of aviation experience. A senior sales executive based in London, Tucker formerly led mobile crew applications for cockpit and cabin crew for SITA.
Pentastar Aviation named Mark Schenkel v-p of finance. Schenkel, who joined Pentastar in 2015 as controller, is now responsible for all strategic financial initiatives and financial operations and information technology activities of Pentastar Aviation and Pentastar Aviation Charter.
Jet East hired Brian Sprecher to serve as sales director for the U.S. Southeast. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Sprecher brings 28 years of aviation experience at companies such as Atlantic Aero, Landmark Aviation, Greenwich Aero Group, Constant Aviation, and C&L Aviation Group.
West Star promoted Matt Vogel to director of information technology. Vogel, who joined West Star in 2002 and most recently was IT manager, has more than 27 years of IT experience.
Deem promoted Harper Lieblich as v-p of product, overseeing its Etta business travel product. Lieblich most recently was the senior director of product experience at Deem and previously has worked with companies including Mission Motorcycles, Clear Channel Media, and Bloomberg R&D.
Gamma Aerospace appointed Donna J. "DJ" Fox as CFO. Fox has held a number of financial leadership positions with companies including Triumph Group, Raytheon Technologies, Northrop Grumman, and The Boeing Company.
Maria Willis joined Blackhawk Aerospace’s group in Alabama as capture manager. Willis brings eight years of experience as a program manager of equipment and information technology at Contractor Service & Fabrication.
Scott Sweet joined Heads Up Technologies as v-p of sales and marketing. Sweet formerly served as v-p of sales and marketing for Aerosonic Corp. and, before that, was market development director for Inmarsat.
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