FBO chain Aero Center has received permission to establish what will be the second FBO at Washington’s Spokane International Airport (KGEG). The $6 million facility will be completed by the first half of 2023, it said.
Aero Center last week secured a 25-year lease for 1.86 acres on which it will establish a 5,200-sq-ft terminal with an adjoining 15,000-sq-ft hangar capable of sheltering aircraft up to the size of a Bombardier Global 7500. A separate 10,000-sq-ft hangar will be reserved for the company’s maintenance activities. As part of the deal, Aero Center will also lease nearly two acres of ramp space.
Airport board chair Ezra Eckhardt thanked the company for investing in “much-needed” hangar space and offering additional services to support general and corporate aviation as the area’s economy continues to grow.
“The Aero Center Spokane will bring competition for these aviation services to the airport,” said Michael Scheeringa, managing director and co-founder of parent company SAR Trilogy Management. “We are looking forward to growing with the community."
KGEG will be the third location for the company. Aero Center’s Wilmington, North Carolina FBO will occupy its new facility in late January, while at Florida’s Lakeland Linder International Airport it will open a permanent facility in the first quarter.
Business aviation support group Jetex is joining a growing list of prospective partners working with Embraer Eve to prepare the ecosystem for eVTOL operations. Last week at the Dubai Airshow, the companies signed a memorandum of understanding under which the companies would evaluate locations for developing the infrastructure needed for urban air mobility services.
However, Jetex and Eve provided no specific details as to where they might join forces when the latter’s eVTOL—branded as the Eve-Senna last week—starts commercial operations in 2026. Jetex, which started its business in the United Arab Emirates, did indicate that it could get involved in lobbying regulators and stakeholders in some parts of the world. Embraer subsidiary Eve has already announced ecosystem development partnerships in Europe, Asia, South America, and Australasia.
Jetex operates FBOs providing ground-handling services to business aircraft operators in 40 locations across 15 countries on five continents. It also offers trip planning and aircraft refueling services and has a newly established marketing alliance with Jet Club for fractional ownership sales covering the HondaJet.
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
NBAA is warning that EASA's environmental registration deadline is upcoming at the end of next month for operators of aircraft with an mtow of 34,000 kg (75,000 pounds) or more and 19 or more passenger seats. This affects both Part 91 and 135 operators that fly into EU airports, even though those in the latter category are already submitting environmental information through the third-country operator (TCO) portal.
“This may seem like a redundant requirement for Part 135 operators, which already submit similar data through the TCO portal,” said Brian Koester, NBAA's director of flight operations and regulations. “Unfortunately, EASA was tasked by the European Commission to establish this registry.”
EASA is providing two options for documentation: furnishing a stand-alone noise certificate issued by the state of registry that indicates configuration details, registration marks, and noise data; or pages from the aircraft flight manual/aircraft operating manual (AFM/AOM) providing aircraft information, including serial number, engine designation, maximum takeoff and landing weights, certificate of airworthiness, and stage/noise certificate levels.
Since the FAA does not issue stand-alone noise certificates, operators of U.S.-registered aircraft should plan to comply with the AFM/AOM option and maintain the information and documentation on board in the event of a ramp inspection, NBAA advised. EASA prefers registration via email.
Air ambulance provider ADAC Luftrettung will extend the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to its fleet of helicopters powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) engines as part of its goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations. ADAC Luftrettung is one of Europe’s largest air rescue organizations, with a fleet of more than 50 helicopters, including P&WC-powered Airbus H135 helicopters.
Pratt & Whitney Canada has been actively involved in testing SAFs for almost two decades and helped to establish technical standards, which allows today’s engines to operate SAF at blends of up to 50 percent with standard jet fuel. The company is working towards validating its engines to operate with 100 percent SAF and continues to collaborate closely with the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) and ASTM International in service of that goal.
While all P&WC engines are certified to operate on blends of up to 50 percent SAF with conventional jet-A/A-1, this pilot program will allow ADAC Luftrettung to validate its own best practices for SAF usage in its day-to-day operations in cooperation with P&WC. ADAC intends to operate with SAF blends of 30 to 40 percent over the course of 36 months.
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Through a partnership with Dassault Falcon Jet, Duncan Aviation has developed Aviation Clean Air (ACA) Ionization STC packages for the French airframer’s 7X, 2000/2000EX, and 900/900EX business jets. These approvals also include EASy variants.
Duncan’s engineering and certification services team, using the MRO’s Organization Designation Authorization, has received FAA approval for the STCs. The team is now seeking approval from EASA, Transport Canada, and Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil for the STCs. The ACA system is designed for installation in an aircraft’s existing environmental control system to neutralize pathogens, including those that cause the flu and the common cold, and remove allergens and unpleasant odors.
“Our development of multiple STCs with PMA installation packages, along with the experience we’ve gained from numerous installations, makes Duncan Aviation an excellent choice for the installation or the source for the PMA packages that include the STC and all of the parts required for installation,” said Duncan completions/modifications manager Nate Klenke. Installation of the ACA system is available at Duncan’s three primary facilities in Lincoln, Nebraska; Battle Creek, Michigan; and Provo, Utah, as well as many of its satellite shops.
Earlier this year, Duncan announced plans to expand its ACA Ionization STC packages for multiple business jet types, including Bombardier Globals and Challenger 300/350s and 604s, as well as Gulfstream IVs.
Thirty-four delegates are now taking part in the Air Charter Association’s (ACA) in-person Air Charter Broker Qualification Training, which restarted with the opening Level 1 Foundation Knowledge Session on November 10 in London, the organization announced today. “After a two-year break [due to the pandemic], resuming our broker training and seeing so many enthusiastic aviation professionals attending the course has been truly rewarding,” said ACA chief executive Glenn Hogben.
Hogben said the program saw a pass rate of 94 percent and noted that 29 percent of those who passed did so with distinction. Added co-presenter and ACA deputy chair Julie Black: “Seeing delegates attend from across the business aviation industry—including brokers, FBOs, ground handlers, and insurers—reflects the benefit this training provides to all those involved in the charter process.”
The course is open to aviation professionals and provides expert knowledge across three levels. In addition to the Level 1 training, ACA offers Level 2, which focuses on understanding operational aspects and flight management, and Level 3, which covers advanced broker skills. The Level 2 and 3 in-person courses are planned for February and July 2022. Successful completion of all three levels is required to become a Qualified Air Charter Broker.
ACA also will be launching an online version of the training over the next few months.
The leadership of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee is calling on the FCC to prohibit 5G broadband transmissions in the C-band until the FAA has determined that allowing them would be safe. In a joint letter sent to FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel on Friday, T&I chair Pete DeFazio (D-Oregon) and aviation subcommittee chair Rick Larsen (D-Washington) said they have long had “grave concerns” with the plan to use the C-band portion of the spectrum for 5G broadband service because it could create harmful interference with aircraft radio altimeters.
They further expressed frustration that after a year of the FAA and other federal stakeholders working with the FCC, “We appear no closer to resolving the serious concerns…and with the FCC’s administrative process mostly complete, we’re now on the precipice of a dangerous situation.”
The T&I leaders called the approach of the FCC and telecom industry to first deploy and then fix issues an “anathema to the strong safety culture we have created and nourished in aviation over the last 20 years.” In addition, they said, aviation industry technical analysis has confirmed the likelihood of harmful 5G interference, and the FAA has implicitly acknowledged that risk with its recent safety bulletin calling for operators to remain aware of the potential degradation of radio altimeter capabilities.
Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first five-blade H145D3 to a customer for offshore wind turbine missions. Germany-based HTM Helicopters will operate the H145D3—which is equipped with a hoist, floatation equipment, and a cargo hook—from bases at Norden-Norddeich, Emden, Borkum, and Helgoland.
HTM provisions helicopters for civil and military customers, offshore operations, air ambulance and passenger flights, flight training, and missions in mountainous terrain. It is an EASA Part 145 and Part 21 G/J-approved organization.
“We already operate one four-blade H145 in the offshore wind segment, which has proven to be the perfect fit for our operations in often challenging environments,” said HTM pilot and managing director Bernd Brucherseifer. “The increased useful load, the smoother ride onboard, and the excellent OEI performance of the five-blade version will help us to further enhance our mission capabilities.”
The new H145D3 light twin features a five-bladed, bearingless main rotor system that increases useful load by 330 pounds over its four-blade predecessor. Airbus expects to sell more H145s into the offshore wind market, noting that the model can address more than 95 percent of the world's current and future offshore wind farms projects. The European Union has targeted the production of more than 60 gigawatts of electricity from offshore wind by 2030.
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
Provided by
Which of the following statements related to ground operations is correct?
A. Any time there is uncertainty about the location of the aircraft on the movement/maneuvering area, the pilot should stop the aircraft, advise ATC, and seek clarification.
B. A runway should never be crossed unless an explicit ATC clearance has been received.
C. When a clearance to taxi to a point beyond a runway is received, it must include the authorization to cross that runway.
D. All the statements above are correct.
AIN Events: Building a Sustainable Flight Department
AIN continues to host one-day regional conferences to help corporate flight departments become more sustainable, with the next set for December 8 in Fort Lauderdale. Attendees will learn about aviation’s contribution to carbon emissions, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), regulator/government roles in minimizing aviation emissions (including CORSIA and carbon credits), and making sense of carbon offsets, among others. You’ll also have an opportunity to network with other top-tier aircraft operators and presenters. Another future sustainability forum will be held in Los Angeles on January 19. Register today, as seating is limited.
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