Electric-powered Grand Caravan Achieves First Flight
Magnix yesterday made the first flight with a prototype of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan powered by its 750-hp Magni500 all-electric propulsion system. The aircraft took off from Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington, and landed just over 30 minutes later after conducting some basic maneuvers.
According to Magnix and its partner AeroTec, the Grand Caravan is the largest aircraft to have flown with an all-electric propulsion system. The companies are developing the re-engined turboprop single under the name eCaravan and are aiming to achieve certification by the end of 2021.
AeroTec has been responsible for replacing the Grand Caravan’s 867-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop with the Magnix propulsion system. It currently draws power from a set of 750-volt lithium-ion batteries weighing around one tonne that need around 30 minutes of charging after a flight of the same duration.
The partners estimate that current battery technology would allow the 10- to 14-seat aircraft to carry nine passengers on flights of up to around 100 miles. Magnix is also considering lithium-sulfur batteries or hydrogen fuel cells as alternatives that might support longer-range operations.
In the 1990s, fourth-generation airliners introduced fly-by-wire (FBW) technologies with active flight envelope protections. Their impact on airline safety was impressive—FBW has reduced the number of loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) accidents by 75 percent and cut the overall accident rate to 0.1 accidents per million flights.
Today, nearly all newly certified air transport and business aviation aircraft employ some form of these technologies. In general aviation, manufacturers are rapidly embracing concepts such as envelope protection in the latest turboprop singles and light jets.
Earlier this month, the Piper M600 SLS became the first aircraft to secure FAA approval for the emergency-use-only Garmin Autoland system. Garmin Autoland is part of Piper’s multi-layered safety system, which it calls HALO, integrated into the M600’s Garmin G3000 flight deck.
This is significant for general aviation, as it demonstrates a leap in technology that Piper, and other OEMs—namely Cirrus Aircraft and Daher—are incorporating into their flagship general aviation aircraft to enhance safety and efficiency.
Obviously, the greatest safety feature on any aircraft is a well-trained pilot, but it is always nice to have a little help. Garmin Autoland is brilliantly engineered and demonstrates advancements in avionics, autonomous flight, sensor, and servo technologies. It is important not to understate the significance and importance of this technology—it is utterly amazing—and how these systems make general aviation safer.
Epic Aircraft has delivered the first two customer copies of its E1000 all-composite turboprop single. The deliveries, announced by the airframer on Thursday, follow FAA type certification of the airplane last November.
“Completing these deliveries is a tremendous milestone for our company and our customers,” said Epic CEO Doug King. “The E1000 is a remarkable aircraft and seeing the enthusiasm of our owners as they take delivery is extremely gratifying. This is the successful culmination of eight years of hard work, extensive investment, and a passionate belief in our product.”
Bend, Oregon-based Epic’s first E1000 delivery was made in February. That airplane has been leased back to Epic for what it said are several “priority” engineering projects. Last week, it delivered the second E1000 after being delayed several times because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Equipped with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and a 1,200-hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A engine, the six-seat airplane has a cruise speed of 333 ktas and can climb at 4,000 feet per minute. Its range is 1,560 nm, which Epic said will allow it to fly coast-to-coast with one fuel stop.
With E1000 deposits from customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Russia, and South Africa, the company noted its operations are returning to full capacity and it plans to ramp customer deliveries following Covid-19-related setbacks.
With most flight departments and aircraft operators seeing vastly reduced flight hours as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, companies are looking for ways to keep their pilots’ skills sharp and ready for when demand increases. In a webinar presented by Wyvern on Wednesday, that problem was explored from the perspective of Part 91 and Part 135 operators.
Brad Self, chief pilot for VF Corp., noted that the company’s Denver-based flight department stopped flying on March 12 for what was initially expected to be a short-lived period. But as the goalposts kept moving, Self began working on plans to keep flight crews current. To ensure night currency after two months of no flying, the department received permission for its crews to roll out a Dassault Falcon 7X one night to fly 18 traffic patterns. Self now hopes to receive permission for his crews to begin making destination training flights in the aircraft and possibly carry company employees.
Tom Benvenuto, senior v-p of flight operations for California-based aircraft charter/management provider Solairus Aviation, said, “Fortunately, most of our clients have allowed us to take the airplane out and do takeoffs and landings and in some cases a few approaches. That’s been keeping our guys somewhat current, or at least fresh, so when we do spool up here in the near future, they’ll be ready to go.”
Global aviation services provider Luxaviation has acquired the Sky Valet FBO at Paris Le Bourget and will rebrand it as part of the ExecuJet chain. Sky Valet rented much of the 9,150-sq-ft (850-sq-m) terminal building, which is owned by Luxaviation France and houses its offices and a charter lounge.
That facility, one of seven service providers on the field, includes three private lounges, a crew lounge with dispatch office, a private terrace with airport views, onsite security, and dedicated secure vehicle parking. It also has more than 100,000-sq-ft of ramp area and space for customer storage and ground equipment. The FBO, which will retain its staff, earned a 12 percent market share at Le Bourget last year, handling more than 6,000 private aircraft movements.
“With the acquisition of the prestigious Paris-Le Bourget VIP Terminal FBO, we are able to further grow our 26 strong VIP terminal network under our ExecuJet brand, and provide our clients with an unrivaled full-service ground handling in an unparalleled location,” said Luxaviation Group CEO Patrick Hansen.
Sky Valet, which is owned by Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, manages 22 FBOs throughout France, Spain, and Portugal, as well as an additional seven independent locations through its Sky Valet Connect affiliate program. After the sale of the Le Bourget location, the company still operates in France at Cannes and San Tropez.
Sentient Sees Rising Demand from Neophyte Travelers
Half of the 5,000 hours jet card provider Sentient Jet has sold since the beginning of April has been to customers new to private flying, the Directional Aviation subsidiary said this week, calling it an example of “unprecedented demand.” Sentient believes it also indicates a trend by inexperienced business jet travelers “making a serious commitment to flying private in the long-term.”
In the past six weeks, Sentient has seen flight volume increase with the transport of more than 2,500 passengers throughout the U.S. Inquiries for flight quotes at Sentient also have jumped 241 percent since a March low point. “The encouraging demand for private aviation from new customers, and in particular for jet cards that provide flight time for multiple trips, indicates that travelers are making a long-term commitment to flying private and using it as a utility rather than a lifestyle amenity,” said Sentient CEO Andrew Collins.
The Boston-based company is aiming its new marketing campaign, “Be Ready,” at those who really need to travel but might be hesitant to fly via the airlines due to Covid-19. Sentient believes that many in this segment can afford to fly privately—but haven't yet to date—and view it as a safer, viable alternative during the pandemic.
Collins Aerospace is discontinuing its International Trip Support (ITS) business at the end of July, the company announced yesterday, citing softening demand. “The ITS business has experienced declining sales and market demand for some time due to the shift away from high-touch, concierge-level service toward self-service,” the company said. “Due to declining demand and profitability, coupled with the impact caused by the ongoing pandemic, this business is no longer viable going forward.”
The decision, which also includes the Fuel Services offering, primarily affects Collins Aerospace’s operations in Houston and is expected to result in the layoffs of up to 125 workers. However, Collins Aerospace will maintain its Flight Operation Systems (FOS) tech support, as well as program management and engineering teams in Houston.
Collins advised that after July 31 customers will need to use another vendor, but added that its support team would assist with the transition, including data transfer. Its ITS business has provided full-service custom flight plans and fuel and handling arrangements, with the use of a certified in-house travel agency, a global airport service provider network, on-staff meteorologists, regulatory experts, and teams dedicated to customer support.
The company built up much of its ITS base through its acquisition of Houston-based Air Routing International more than a decade ago and then expanded this with the purchase of ArincDirect in late 2013.
Coalition Concerned About Radio Altimeter Interference
Garmin and other avionics manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, and aviation industry associations have formed a coalition and petitioned the U.S. FCC to reconsider a move that could affect aircraft radio altimeters. The FCC has approved the repurposing of C-band frequencies for 5G and other “flexible-use” telecommunications, but the coalition said radio altimeters aren’t fully protected from interference from these C-band uses.
The petition for reconsideration asks the FCC “to reconsider its Report and Order to repurpose C-band frequency spectrum nearby to the frequency band that is used by safety-critical FAA-certified radio altimeters, including Garmin’s GRA 5500 and GRA 55,” according to Garmin. “Radio altimeters are essential to safe airplane and helicopter operations, allowing pilots to safely land and avoid terrain, particularly during poor weather conditions and low visibility. The industry coalition is working to ensure radio altimeters are appropriately protected from prospective flexible-use applications, including 5G operations.”
The coalition doesn’t agree that “the C-band Report and Order [is] ‘carefully designed so that aircraft are able to use [radio] altimeters in a continuous and uninterrupted manner,’” according to a Garmin statement. “The industry coalition does not seek to block repurposing the C-band spectrum. Instead, the coalition seeks a path that will make the C-band spectrum available for purposes such as 5G, while ensuring full protection of radio altimeters.”
Las Vegas-based photographer Barry Ambrose captured this Bermuda-registered Las Vegas Sands private Boeing 747SP departing from Las Vegas International Airport on March 4, two weeks before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the popular vacation spot. Thanks for sharing this great shot, Barry!
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