The Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI) has been formed around the emerging urban air mobility (UAM) industry and will assist in its development as well as aid cities with the integration of such systems, the Seattle-based nonprofit organization announced today. “New technologies and new aircraft promise to make flight accessible and practical on a daily basis for more people than ever before,” said CAMI co-executive director Anna Dietrich. “With that promise comes the responsibility to integrate those aircraft into our communities safely, responsibly, and equitably. We created CAMI as the industry’s commitment to our neighbors and the decision-makers who support them to work to ensure that happens.”
According to Dietrich, CAMI’s charge is to work with state and local officials on integrating UAM in their communities through public education and helping to shape policies governing and regulating UAM in local jurisdictions. Dietrich noted there already exists a patchwork of state regulations and laws regarding small UAS.
Early backers of CAMI include trade groups such as NBAA, GAMA, and the Vertical Flight Society; OEMs Bell and Raytheon; and fledgling eVTOL manufacturers Karem Aircraft, Joby Aviation, and Jump Aero. CAMI has a total of 13 founding member companies and organizations.
Researchers Focus On Turbine Blade Failure Predictors
Researchers at Purdue University say they have developed a monitoring system that can detect rotor forced response vibration, one of the most common causes of premature blade failure in turbine engines. Turbine blades can act as a tuning fork with a specific frequency when they vibrate, and at times the vibrations can be so intense they affect the engine’s functioning.
“The key challenge is how to filter out all the noise and just listen to the sound of the blade vibration,” said Yujun Leng, a research scientist in the university’s College of Engineering. “Our technology is a blade vibration monitoring system using multiple unsteady pressure sensors to listen to the specific sound of gas turbine engine blade vibration.”
Data analytics make it possible for that blade vibration information to be used to predict possible engine failure, noted Nicole Key, a professor of mechanical engineering. “This technique has great potential to be used as a real-time blade vibration health monitoring system for the gas turbine engines used in both aviation and power generation.” She added that existing pressure sensor arrays already present in most engines can also be used to measure and monitor blade vibration at the same time.
The university’s research foundation has filed for a provisional patent for the technology and the researchers are looking for partners to further test and commercialize it.
NATA Stepping Up Efforts on Human Trafficking Awareness
In recognition that FBOs can serve as a gateway for human trafficking, NATA is working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on training videos for aviation businesses to remain on the alert for such activity. NATA COO and general counsel Tim Obitts discussed those efforts yesterday as the association kicked off its 2019 NATA Aviation Leadership Conference. The two-day conference gathered the association’s leadership, who received updates from Capitol Hill, the insurance industry, regulators, industry leaders, and analysts, among others.
Keynoting the opening luncheon was Philip Langford, North America president for the International Justice Mission (IJM), which has waged a global battle against trafficking. Langford painted a picture of some 40 million men, women, and children trapped in slavery in what amounts to a $150 billion business. “The brutality is real…It is more vast, more brutal than at any time in history,” he said. But Langford also said the activity is more stoppable than ever before, particularly when government scrutiny increases.
DHS already has been working with commercial airports on awareness, and training for human trafficking is a requirement in Part 135. But Obitts worried that not all Part 135 operators are aware of those requirements or might participate unsuspectingly. He also noted that these cases might involve piston airplanes using small non-tower airports in rural airports to transport victims.
StandardAero’s First Parts Warehouse in Europe To Open
MRO provider StandardAero has chosen Amsterdam as the site for its first European-based business aviation parts warehouse, the Arizona-based company announced. The facility will strengthen the company’s parts support in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia (EMEA), and is expected to be fully operational in January.
Current parts that support Honeywell TFE731, HTF7000, and CFE738 engines and Honeywell APUs will be the first items to fill the warehouse. Future expansion will include parts to support Bombardier Learjet, Challenger, and Global; Gulfstream; Hawker; Dassault Falcon; and Cessna Citation airframes. StandardAero will partner with MNX Global Logistics, which is ASA-100 accredited, as a forward stockist. Locating inventory in Amsterdam will facilitate easy shipments across Europe and the region.
“StandardAero has a large and diverse inventory and our material planning capabilities are a result of real experience based on usage by a large group of business aircraft operators flying different aircraft models all over the world,” StandardAero business aviation parts trading manager Rhyse Booth said. “Our ability to respond and deliver on-time is unmatched and we’re driven to provide the best customer experience for EMEA operators every day.”
Scheme Designers Intros Concierge Service
Aircraft custom livery specialist Scheme Designers has introduced a concierge design service that fast-tracks paint scheme design development, providing immediate access to the company’s chief artist and enhanced rendering services. “Demand for our specialized services often results in long schedule lead times, and our new service allows clients to jump to the head of the line,” said Scheme Designers founder and CEO Craig Barnett.
In addition to direct, immediate contact with the company’s lead graphic designer, the service, available for an additional fee over standard design work, also provides 3D photo-realistic artist renderings of the customer’s aircraft during the paint scheme development process, allowing them “to better visualize the design work as compared to 2D renderings,” the company said.
Once the design is completed and approved, Scheme Designers can provide precut vinyl masks and vinyl decals for design elements or for the entire paint scheme. Concierge Design Service customers will also receive assistance in researching and choosing a paint shop, and Scheme Designers will coordinate with the chosen shop to ensure the paint is applied “flawlessly,” the company said.
Barnett stressed the New Jersey design firm will continue “providing an extraordinary level of personal service to translate their vision into art for their aircraft” for all clients.
The Airbus Helicopters H225 that crashed off the South Korean coast late last Thursday night had recently been returned to service after completing a 1,000-hour heavy inspection.
None of the seven occupants aboard survived when the H225, operated by the country’s 119 rescue service, crashed after lifting off from the islet of Dokdo, located in the East Sea 117 nautical miles off the South Korean coast, with an injured fisherman. VFR, but moonless, conditions and light winds were reported at the time. The accident helicopter entered service in 2016. The two-pilot flight crew was described by multiple sources as highly experienced.
Witnesses to the accident said the helicopter crashed within two to three minutes of departing the helipad at approximately 11:30 p.m. local time and that it was flying erratically at a low altitude. The wreckage was located Friday afternoon on the seabed at a depth of 230 feet and pulled to the surface on Sunday. Photos show the helicopter’s rotorhub attached to the main wreckage, but substantial cabin damage. The cockpit and tailboom are not attached.
On Friday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered safety inspections of all H225s in country. It was not immediately clear if the order also applied to the country’s large fleet of more than 90 KAI KUH-1 Surions, a locally-produced variant of the Airbus AS332 L2 used by South Korean defense and police forces.
Cambridge Jet Centre, the newly rebranded FBO at the UK’s Cambridge City Airport, reopened last week after a brief redesign. Marshall Aerospace and Defense Group, which owns and operates the airport, took over the facility following ExecuJet’s departure after seven years.
The rebranding included a new pink and blue color scheme for the location, which features an executive lounge with complimentary refreshments, a new private business center, pilot and crew lounge, 14-seat conference room, in-house customs and immigration services, and panoramic views of the airfield and surrounding countryside.
“The services we offer have been implemented specifically with our passengers front and center of our strategy, to provide up-to-the-minute comfort, safety, and relaxation and allow them to maximize their valuable time,” said Kevan Craske, the airport’s recently appointed director, adding the airport is an important facility that local businesses rely upon. ‘They deserve the best facilities available, so we’ve worked hard to provide them.”
EAP Adds New Engine Models To Support Menu
Maintenance-support provider Engine Assurance Program (EAP), well known for supporting the Honeywell TFE731 turbofan, has added coverage for the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305A/B, Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8, and GE CF34-3A/3A1. Those engines power the Learjet 60/60XR, Hawker 1000, Gulfstream GIV/SP, and Challenger 601-1A/3A.
EAP program director Sean Lynch said customers have been asking EAP to extend its menu to cover those engines. “They fit our mission of supporting older engine platforms and of helping owners save money,” he said. “No EAP clients have ever missed a trip because of an AOG issue, either. When a customer calls with an unscheduled engine issue, we jump into action until the engine is returned to service.”
The company believes its oversight helps operators save as much as $120 per engine per operating hour, increases dispatch reliability, and adds to an aircraft’s residual value. Coverage includes scheduled and unscheduled engine maintenance, including life-limited parts, line replaceable units, removal and replacement, shipping, rentals, line maintenance, and access to 24/7 AOG assistance. The program also offers catastrophic coverage and requires only 75 hours as a yearly minimum. EAP also offers APU coverage.
Lynch said EAP has doubled its enrollment every year since it entered the engine support market in 2015 and continues to grow.
Garmin’s Autoland Can Land an Airplane with an Incapacitated Pilot
Garmin’s new Autoland system can safely fly an airplane from cruising altitude to finding a suitable runway, landing the airplane perfectly, applying brakes, then stopping the engine. Autoland is available for aircraft manufacturers to incorporate in their airplanes equipped with Garmin G3000 avionics and autothrottle. Piper is working on certifying Autoland in the M600, and Cirrus Aircraft will follow with Autoland in its Vision Jet.
Requires repetitive inspections of the tail rotor hub body for loss of tightening torque of attachment bolts and any subsequent development of cracks to the hub body, and, depending on findings, performing any necessary applicable corrective action(s). It also requires repetitive replacement of the associated attachment bolts, washers, and nuts. Prompted by an occurrence where, during an inspection of a tail rotor hub body, a recurrent case of loss of tightening torque on several attachment bolts was found. Subsequent analysis concluded that this loss of torque can cause the development of cracks.
Applies to all Falcon 900EXs and 2000EXs with the EASy flight deck. Requires amendment of the aircraft flight manual to provide instructions to the flight crew to manually activate heating of the angle-of-attack (AoA) probes during runway line up as a new normal procedure. Prompted by reports of iced AoA probes after takeoff, with associated misleading airspeed indication and/or misleading stall warning. As per design and approved procedures, the takeoff position of the thrust levers must be reached within five seconds after starting the takeoff run. A slow or late positioning of levers into this position in certain conditions can lead to probes being heated too late during the takeoff run, which increases the risk of icing on AoA probes after takeoff.
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