New Focus on SAF in UK’s ‘Green Industrial Revolution’

The UK is considering a mandate requiring the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) from 2025. As part of a plan for a so-called Green Industrial Revolution announced by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday, the government said it will consult on a “possible mandate” in 2021.

Aviation and maritime were just one combined item in a 10-point plan covering multiple sectors that also include road vehicles and domestic heating systems. Most of the section on aviation simply referred back to announcements made earlier this year under the new JetZero program.

However, £21 million ($27.7 million) in new funding is being made available to support “difficult-to-decarbonize industries to become greener through research projects for zero-emissions planes.” Next year, the government will run a £15 million competition to support production of SAF. This will run in tandem with a consultation over the proposed SAF mandate.

A further £3 million is being made available to establish a “clearing house” to certify new fuels. Another £3 million is earmarked for investments in research and development infrastructure, including recharging and refueling equipment for airports to prepare for a switch to electric and hydrogen power. Officials have yet to provide details as to how companies can participate in these new programs, which will be run by the Department for Transport.

Hermeus Receives Funding Round for Hypersonic Aircraft

Hermeus Corp., the aerospace startup that landed a U.S. Air Force contract toward the development of a hypersonic business jet for presidential travel, closed a $16 million Series A funding round that the company said will help build “foundational capabilities” in its quest to develop a Mach 5 aircraft.

In August, the company announced that it had received an “Other Transaction for Prototype Agreement Direct to Phase II” contract from the U.S. Air Force and the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate, adding that the award followed the successful test of a Mach 5 capable engine prototype in February. Hermeus, which was founded in 2018, said it “designed from scratch, built, and successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype in only nine months.”

As it announced the latest round of funding, Hermeus gave a snapshot of an initial test facility that it said went “from open field to engine tests in two months” and added that plans call for an expanded test facility in Atlanta that will also be capable of light manufacturing.

The company is working toward the development of a full-scale engine that will power its first Mach 5 aircraft and also is working on the design of that aircraft. Details of that design are anticipated to be released in upcoming months.

Wyvern Awards Sun Air First ‘Flight Leader’ Certificate

California-based charter operator Sun Air Jets has achieved Wyvern’s first Flight Leader certificate, which the aviation safety risk management firm said is a step above its Wingman certification and focuses less on regular auditing and more on SMS effectiveness, as well as human factors and organizational culture.

“It requires discipline and professionalism to become a Wingman, and it takes sound leadership and effective management of human and organizational factors to be a Flight Leader,” said Wyvern CEO Sonnie Bates. “A Flight Leader inspires other Wingman operators to reach higher and attain new levels of excellence.”

According to Wyvern, Flight Leader focuses on continual soft-skills training and monitoring of safety performance indicators related to human and organizational factors, through quarterly self-assessments and recommendations for the achievement of 90-day goals. In the past 12 months, a number of operators have joined the program and Wyvern expects additional Flight Leader certificates to be issued in the coming weeks.

“Sun Air Jets takes great pride in being the first operator to receive this distinctive award and we are grateful to Wyvern for the opportunity,” said Sun Air safety director and v-p of business strategy Andreas Mauritzson. “We feel that it is essential to continue to put safety as our utmost priority.”

Sky Valet Joins Paragon FBO Network

The Paragon FBO Network has bolstered its European footprint with the addition of the Sky Valet chain to its ranks. Sky Valet, a subsidiary of Aéroports de la Cote d’Azur, has a presence at 30 airports across the continent in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Bulgaria, including popular destinations such as Cannes, Madrid, and Barcelona. It handles more than 40,000 business aircraft movements a year.

The move brings the Paragon Network to more than 100 locations in 24 countries, with its upscale member FBOs covering many predominant business regions, including many of the major cities in the U.S.

“It’s a perfect fit to have Sky Valet join our network of outstanding FBOs that already focus on safety, customer service, and value,” said Paragon Aviation Group president Megan Barnes. “With the addition of their impressive network to our already strong presence overseas, we are now among the largest FBO networks around the globe.”

Before any new location being welcomed to the network, each must pass an audit conducted by Paragon, evaluating its facilities and services, to ensure a uniform level of quality. Each company must also adhere to a set of core standards to remain a member.

Nosewheel Steering Failure Leads To Runway Excursion

A Bombardier Global 6000 operated by VistaJet experienced a runway excursion following a nosewheel steering (NWS) failure and “inadvertent application of right braking” while landing at Liverpool Airport on Dec. 11, 2019, according to a UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch report issued today. As a result of a fault, the NWS went into free caster shortly after touchdown. During the landing roll, directional control was lost and the aircraft—registered as 9H-VJM—departed the runway surface onto the grass, causing no damage.

“The commander, in applying left rudder to try to keep the aircraft straight, had inadvertently applied some right braking,” the AAIB said. “As the aircraft slowed, full left rudder was unable to counteract the effect of this braking.”

According to information from the flight data recorder, the aircraft was stabilized on approach and touched down on mainwheels, slightly right wing down and nose left, at about 115 knots and with the ground spoilers deployed. On rollout, the “small input on the commander’s right brake pedal” lasted about two seconds and “the nosewheel ‘bounced’ twice over a period of four seconds, during which a master caution occurred.”

The twinjet then veered right and increasing amounts of left rudder—and right brake by the pilot—were applied before the aircraft went off the side of the runway, coming to a stop 24 seconds after the master caution illuminated.

London Biggin Hill Airport Opens Covid Testing Center

With the UK in national lockdown to curb the spread of the pandemic, London Biggin Hill Airport is now Europe's first general aviation gateway to offer an on-site Covid-19 testing center. Named after Dr. Joe Mansi, a physician who risked his life saving local bombing victims during WWII’s London Blitz, the center will offer testing to all arriving and departing passengers and crew, as well as airport businesses and local residents from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on weekdays.

The facility, which opened this week, is equipped to administer four different Covid-related tests with differing timeframes and pricing, including antigen (15 minutes, £85), antibody (15 minutes, £75), LAMP test (one hour, £140), and RT-PCR test (48 hours, £140). Recipients of the quick tests are given documentation to show authorities, while those for the latter are delivered electronically. On Tuesday, its first day of operation, the center administered 37 tests. If a positive test is received, the individual must then isolate, according to UK government guidelines.

“The Mansi Testing Suite is an extension of our contactless travel initiative, giving passengers and crew a convenient way to be tested so they can continue their journey with peace of mind,” said Andy Patsalides, the airport’s head of marketing. “Passengers can either be tested at the Mansi Suite, or clinicians will come airside to conduct tests onboard the aircraft or in the terminal building.”

AIA, IAM Chiefs Urge Congress To Act on Jobs Bills

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) are stepping up lobbying efforts to convince Congress to move on legislation that would provide government assistance to keep aerospace workers employed. Companion bills introduced in the House and Senate would authorize federal government assistance for up to 50 percent of compensation for “at-risk” aviation manufacturer employees, as long as the company covers the remaining portion.

In a joint op-ed piece to the Washington insider publication The Hill, AIA president and CEO Eric Fanning and IAM international president Robert Martinez Jr. stressed that the aviation industry has been one of the most heavily impacted from the Covid-19 pandemic. That impact, they said, “is reverberating across the aviation ecosystem,” with global aircraft production dropping by half this year and thus putting 220,000 U.S. jobs at risk at companies of all sizes.

The companion bills would create a “temporary, targeted, and transparent emergency program” to help stave off layoffs. 

“We’ve already seen too many U.S. job losses—it’s time for Congress to act,” they stressed. “Passing these payroll bills will help save vital U.S. jobs and empower aerospace’s extraordinary workforce to help strengthen American economic success and national security. It will stabilize this critical industry today and ensure we are set up to achieve an even better tomorrow.”

JetHQ Adds Egypt to Middle East Footprint

JetHQ has added a sales office in Egypt as the Kansas City, Missouri-based business aircraft broker and consultancy continues to build on its Middle East presence. Leading the new office is Sherif Abouzeid, who has been appointed v-p of sales for Egypt.

“Sherif has a proven ability to envision working hypotheses and seeing them through,” said JetHQ founder and managing director Garett Jerde. “His understanding of the premium goods market translates well to the needs of aviation buyers and sellers. With a pipeline of opportunities in the public and private sector, he is well positioned to tap into a diverse network to benefit his clients.”

Abouzeid was most recently CEO of Cairo-based Global Countertrade & Offset, an import-export firm. He is fluent in English and Arabic and, according to JetHQ, has experience managing and expanding the relationship between a commodities company and the Egyptian Aviation Authority.

JetHQ’s Middle East operations include an office in Dubai, and Abouzeid will report to Rebecca Johnson, the company’s EMEA president. So far this year, JetHQ has added offices in India, Latin America, Mexico, and the U.S.