Fort Worth Brings Record for BBD Safety Standdown

Bombardier kicked off its 23rd annual Safety Standdown this morning for the first time in Fort Worth, Texas, drawing a crowd of more than 500 and maintaining a focus on this year’s theme: “Elevate Your Standards.” It previously hosted the event in Wichita for decades. Franco Pietracupa, a Bombardier demo pilot and Safety Standdown host, opened the three-day event informing attendees that “you are in the record books” by filling all available slots within eight days of the opening of registration this past August.

While the event has a new locale, it is drawing a number of familiar faces, including perennial favorites retired USAF Lt. Col. Tony Kern of Convergent Performance and Dan Boedigheimer of Advanced Aircrew Academy. Kern, who said he was speaking at his 22nd Safety Standdown, drove home the point of pushing personal standards beyond the organizational or regulatory standard through professionalism and making a commitment, rather than intent, to execute the improvement.

Also opening Safety Standdown was Tim Miller, director of Office of Air Carrier Safety Assurance for the FAA, who highlighted how the increase in transparency between the agency and industry was elevating standards. NBAA COO Steve Brown called Safety Standdown a “must-attend event” and discussed key safety focus areas for the industry, saying it needs to redouble efforts because one accident is too many.

UK Labour Call for Bizjet Ban Draws Industry Fire

Business aviation leaders are decrying a call by certain UK political leaders to ban business jets from UK airports and encourage electric technologies as a means to address climate concerns.

Andy McDonald, shadow transport secretary for the British Labour Party, last week backed such restrictions, saying, “Climate targets cannot be met without curbing pollution from air travel, and a passenger on a private jet produces 10 times the emissions of someone on a regular flight.” McDonald added that electric advancements will be possible in a few years' time—as long as governments put in the proper “incentives."

In a joint statement, NBAA and the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) charged such proposals disproportionately target a single transportation segment. “Even though business aviation accounts for only a minuscule portion of transportation emissions, the industry is pressing ahead on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF),” said IBAC director general Kurt Edwards. SAF has the potential to reduce emissions up to 80 percent.

“We urge leaders in the UK and elsewhere to set aside punitive proposals like this one, and work with us to build upon the significant progress made to date,” added NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.

EBAA also objected to the proposals, saying they would do little to curb climate change. “Air traffic is an international business, meaning unilateral, isolated solutions make little sense."

Louisiana’s Capital Airport To Get Another FBO

Louisiana’s Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport will be gaining a third FBO with the announcement of groundbreaking by the Williams Jet Center. Aimed primarily at the owner-flown community, the new five-acre complex under construction on the northwest side will be the only source for fuel in that area of the airport. At the start, the facility will offer only self-serve jet-A and avgas. “We’re not going to initially have fuel trucks, but we might get into that down the road,” said co-owner Luke Lewis, adding the company plans to offer its based customers a fuel discount incentive.

With a price tag of several million dollars, the location will include 34 hangars for based tenants only, the largest of which will be 8,000 sq ft, enough to shelter aircraft up to an Embraer Phenom 300. Most of the 12 hangars available for purchase have been pre-sold, while the remaining ones will be available for lease.

A 1,500-sq-ft terminal will be “lightly staffed,” according to Lewis, and serve mainly as a clubhouse for the aircraft owners, with a stocked refreshment bar, pool table, lounge chairs, television, restrooms, computer terminal, and possibly a classic car from the company owner’s personal collection.

The first phase—which includes three of the larger hangars, the terminal, and the fueling system—is expected to be finished by mid-2020.

Study: Encroaching Drones Usually Not Seen by Pilots

Pilots approaching a runway usually can’t see small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) encroaching on their airspace, and they virtually never detect motionless drones, according to a recently published study. During an airborne human factors experiment, pilots in a Cessna 172S failed to see a common type of quadcopter in motion during 28 of 40 close encounters, researchers with Oklahoma State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University reported.

The pilots got a bead on the invading drone in only 12 out of the 40 cases, or about 30 percent of the time. When the drone was not moving, the task became even more difficult. A mere three out of 22 motionless drones were spotted by the pilots. Drones were detected at distances of between 213 and 2,324 feet. If a drone was identified at the study’s maximum detection range of 2,324 feet, the pilot would have about 21 seconds to avoid a collision, according to the research.

While the FAA “has made strides to secure controlled airspace from sUAS incursions,” the study authors wrote, “their efforts have been met with mixed results.” There is currently no reliable method for tracking sUAS flights within the U.S. The research team’s next project will involve rigging a drone with ADS-B technology to track it. This study will assess whether the technology helps pilots pinpoint and avoid the drone.

Viasat Ka-band System Approved for Praetor 600

Viasat’s Ka-band inflight connectivity system has received type certification from the FAA, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and Brazil’s ANAC for the Embraer Praetor 600. The system will be offered as a line-fit option on the super-midsize jet. Using Viasat’s Global Aero Terminal 5510, it will be compatible with Viasat-1, Viasat-2, and European Ka-band satellites, as well as Viasat’s next-generation Viasat-3 satellite with no additional hardware upgrades.

“Praetor 600 passengers and crew will be able to simultaneously experience high-speed internet connections for streaming high-quality content and accessing critical business and entertainment applications,” said Viasat Business Aviation business area director Claudio D’Amico. “The forward compatibility of this system will allow the Praetor 600 to take advantage of Viasat's continual innovation, ensuring an onboard connectivity experience recognized for its quality, performance, and speed.”

The compact design of the Global Aero Terminal 5510 means that it lowers overall installed system weight. It can also be installed in non-pressurized areas of the aircraft, Viasat said.

Chairman Goes All In with Textron, Orders CJ3+

Chairman Aviation, a Dallas-based fractional and private aviation membership company, has ordered a new Cessna Citation CJ3+ for delivery later this year—its second Citation jet purchase from Textron Aviation in 2019. The order, announced at NBAA-BACE 2019, marks the third Textron Aviation aircraft addition to its fleet. The company operates a Beechcraft King Air B200 and recently took delivery of a Cessna Citation X.

“Our purchases of the Citation CJ3+ and Citation X are important components of our vision to deliver an enjoyable and efficient private flying experience that exceeds our customers’ expectations for value, comfort, and performance,” said Chairman Aviation president Howard C. O’Shell III. “With our transition to an all-Textron Aviation fleet, Chairman can provide customers with the right aircraft for their unique mission, operated by a team of experienced and dedicated aviation professionals equipped with decades of commercial airline and military training. We are excited to continue our strong relationship with Textron Aviation.”

Kaman Announces More K-Max Orders

Kaman has received a second new order for its K-Max medium-to-heavy lift helicopter in as many months. This brings to 13 the total number of firm orders since the relaunch of production in 2015.

This most recent order is from a new operator, Heli Air-Swiss, a member of Heli-Austria of St. Johann in Pongau, Austria. Delivery is planned for December. This order follows another for the aircraft in September from Balzers, Liechtenstein-based Rotex Helicopter, which currently operates multiple K-Max aircraft focused on aerial construction and logging.

The K-Max was certified in 1994 and the production line was shuttered in 2003 after 38 were built. The aircraft is designed specifically for vertical reference flight and features a counter-rotating rotor system and is optimized for external load operations. It can lift up to 6,000 pounds externally and is powered by a single 1,500-shp Honeywell T53-17 engine. 

In May, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) began reactivating two unmanned Kaman Aerospace K-Max helicopters (CQ-24As) that were used in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom from 2011 to 2013. The helicopters are being retrofitted with the latest generation of unmanned systems and will then be returned to flight status. 

Kaman also is continuing to improve the design of optionally piloted vehicles for future commercial applications, including aerial firefighting and humanitarian relief, for new and existing aircraft. 

KlasJet: Air Charter a Game-changer for Sports Teams

Sports teams that travel via air charter versus airline flights can have up to a 60 percent more chance of winning their game, according to Europe-based business aircraft charter and management company KlasJet.

It cited the EuroLeague basketball team from Lithuania, Zalgiris Kaunas, which signed up with the company for charter flights in 2017 after previously using the airlines for team travel. In the 2017 to 2018 season, Zalgiris won 18 away games, compared with just seven away games in the 2015 to 2016 season. “Taking into account how hard the team trains and how tall basketball players are, comfort and extra time to strategize is a must,” said Zalgiris head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius. “I believe that every detail in basketball counts and that flying with a private jet helps us to perform better.”

“Chartered flights are extremely convenient for sports teams because they can take them directly to their destination without any additional headache from transfers or waiting in lines at the check-ins,” said KlasJet CEO Rita Domkute. “The athletes don’t have to worry about flight delays; private jet timetables meet the customer’s request precisely. Overtime is usual in sports and regular airlines do not have the flexibility to delay flights when that happens.”

How Business Aircraft Crew and Passengers Can Stay Safe on the Road

Aircraft operators and their customers face all sorts of security risks when traveling, and not only in the most visible hotspots around the world. AIN talked to an industry security expert to find out how they can better understand the risks and protect themselves from them.