All segments of general aviation manufacturing were up year-over-year in the third quarter while total airplane billings rose 4.8 percent, to $14.1 billion, according to the latest report from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
Business jet deliveries in the first nine months increased by 1.8 percent, to 446 units, from a year ago. Meanwhile, overall turboprop deliveries rose by 7.3 percent over the same span, but the high-end pressurized subset saw an increase of only one aircraft year-over-year, to 165.
Piston aircraft shipments improved by 8.8 percent year-over-year, rising to more than 1,000 deliveries during the first nine months of this year. And the rotorcraft market also showed gains, with turbine helicopter deliveries up by more than 7 percent versus those in the first three quarters of 2021.
“Demand for general aviation aircraft remains hardy as our industry continues to strategically navigate ongoing challenges, which include issues with supply chain and workforce shortages within our industry and within global regulatory authorities,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “Deliveries are converging on, and in some cases surpassing, the levels we were experiencing prior to the pandemic, which is a testament to the strength of our industry and the importance and utility of general aviation.”
Every one of us in aviation needs to show up engaged and empowered. That is the message that NTSB board member Michael Graham shared last week at the Bombardier Safety Standdown in Wichita.
After all, engagement is critical in creating a safety culture and a safe environment. But what happens when someone in the flight department comes to work disengaged? What if they’re preoccupied with an internal work issue or something going on externally? The list of personal and professional concerns that can affect safety is long.
Perhaps someone on your team is finding themselves at odds with a colleague they can’t tolerate; overworking themselves to accommodate someone; going through relationship strife at home; being unfairly judged or harassed due to their personal choices or political beliefs; feeling depressed and unable to take medication for fear of losing their pilot’s license;·dealing with a sick or dying love one; sending a kid off to college; or feeling unsafe to be their authentic selves.
The FAA is releasing a rule next week that will extend the duration of aircraft registration certificates from three years to seven years. According to the draft of the direct final rule, aircraft owners will be required to confirm their registration information and renew their certificates every seven years unless an event or circumstance requires a new registration before that time.
The agency in 2010 mandated that aircraft owners re-register their aircraft every three years. Before then the registration period was indefinite, with the stipulation that owners keep their registrations up-to-date. However, the agency found that owners failed to do so, creating numerous outdated registrations and raising concerns of law enforcement.
But in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Congress directed the agency to extend that three-year period to seven for noncommercial general aviation aircraft. The FAA, however, said it cannot distinguish between commercial and noncommercial general aviation aircraft and added, “It is impracticable to have different durations for commercial and noncommercial general aviation aircraft registrations.” The rule will apply to existing registrations—one issued in 2020 will expire in 2027, for instance—as well as new issuances.
While the agency has opted for a direct final rule, rather than the more traditional and time-consuming notice of proposed rulemaking process, it will accept comments for 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register.
Hermeus took another step forward in its quest to bring hypersonic transportation to market, demonstrating turbojet to ramjet transition within its engine, Chimera. The Atlanta-based company called the demonstration “one of the most important technological feats to making operational hypersonic flight a reality.”
Chimera is a turbine-based combined-cycle engine that essentially is a hybrid between a turbojet and ramjet. The ability to transition between the two will enable Hermeus’s first demonstrator aircraft, Quarterhorse, to take off from a regular runway and then accelerate to high-Mach speeds, the company explained.
Testing took place at the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory, which has the ability to provide heated air to simulate high-Mach temperatures and pressures, Hermeus said.
“The Notre Dame facility allowed us to create conditions similar to what we’ll see in flight,” said Hermeus chief technology officer Glenn Case. “Completing this testing on the ground significantly de-risks our Quarterhorse flight-test campaign, which will begin late next year.”
Hermeus added that the cost and speed in which it was able to reach the milestone is notable—the company designed, built, and tested the engine within 21 months for $18 million.
Private aviation membership and charter provider Wheels Up has entered a cooperative pilot hiring partnership with MAG Aerospace, a U.S. military contractor that logs about 100,000 flight hours annually in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. The companies said the tie-up will expand career opportunities for pilots.
Under a pathway development program created through the partnership, current and former MAG military pilots transitioning to civilian life can move their employment to Wheels Up. Also, former MAG pilots who work for Wheels Up can take a leave of absence and work with MAG under the program. Such an arrangement provides both organizations a shared pipeline of pilots and allows the pilots career-development opportunities.
“Wheels Up is committed to being the employer of choice in private aviation and partnering with MAG Aerospace is another important way we’re helping pilots build lifelong, rewarding careers,” said Wheels Up chief people officer Stevens Sainte-Rose. “This talent pipeline is an attractive, accelerated pathway for pilots and allows us to continue to deliver a premium experience for our members by working with the best in the industry.”
The partnership with MAG builds on other efforts by Wheels Up to increase its pilot ranks, including through hiring partnerships with Delta Propel and ATP Flight School.
Minor injuries were reported for the three humans and 53 dogs aboard a 1985 Fairchild Metro SA227 after the turboprop twin crashed onto a golf course 3.2 nm short of the approach to Runway 10 at Wisconsin's Waukesha County Airport on Tuesday. Weather conditions at the time were reported as one-half mile with snow and fog and a ceiling of 300 feet.
The animal rescue flight, operated by Ameriflight, was en route from New Orleans Lakefront Airport when it touched down on the fifth green at the Western Lakes Golf Course in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, just after 9 a.m. local time. The aircraft then continued through a marsh, onto the second fairway, and the third, damaging several trees along the way. No players were on the course as it was closed for winter maintenance, although it had been full of golfers as late as last week.
The flight was being operated on behalf of the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha (HAWS). HAWS volunteers were awaiting the flight at the airport and rushed to the crash scene to secure the dogs. Some of the “crash dogs” are available for adoption by contacting HAWS.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is hosting a public meeting on December 14 to provide an overview of new grant programs designed to advance sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and low-emissions aviation technologies. In the Inflation Reduction Act that was signed into law in August, Congress set aside $297 million for the newly established Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition through Sustainable Aviation Fuels (FAST-SAF) and Low-Emissions Aviation Technology (FAST-Tech) programs.
During the public meeting, FAA officials will share information on plans for the grants and solicit interest in participation. To be held online and in-person at the DOT headquarters from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the meeting also will provide an opportunity to provide feedback on plans for the execution of the programs, as well as for potential applicants to network and discuss teaming options.
Virtual participants will have access to a chat feature to ask questions. Registration details will be forthcoming.
ATP Flight School took delivery of five Cessna 172 Skyhawks this week, bringing its total fleet to 500 piston singles. Equipped with Garmin’s G1000 NXi integrated flight deck, the Skyhawks are used for the Jacksonville Beach, Florida-based school’s airline pilot training and career development programs.
“Reaching the milestone of a 500-aircraft fleet is significant, not just in scale, but for the operational support required to provide a safe and dependable training environment for our students,” said ATP marketing director Michael Arnold. “The capabilities and advancement of ATP's flight operations center mirror that of airlines, with maintenance, flight operations, flight safety, flight standards, and quality assurance teams working in unison to promote a high level of safety and support for our students.”
The fleet expansion will increase ATP’s capacity to graduate 20,000 airline pilots by 2030, the school said. An additional 85 aircraft are expected to be handed over to ATP in 2023 and 2024.
Photo of the Week
Latitude adjustment. Business jet pilot Chris Favro (Instagram @floridian_aviator) sent in this sunset photo of a Cessna Citation Latitude at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (KSTL). He noted, “Sunset skies can be spectacular in the Midwest.” There’s certainly no argument on that from us, Chris. And thanks for sharing this photo!
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