Researchers in Switzerland say they have developed technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel using nothing but air and sunlight. In an article, “Drop-in Fuels from Sunlight and Air” (Schäppi, R. et al.), published this week in the journal Nature, the team at public research university ETH Zurich, described how they have operated a solar-powered mini-refinery on the roof of one of the school’s laboratories for the past two years to demonstrate the three-stage thermodynamic process by which the fuel is created.
First, a direct capture unit extracts carbon dioxide and water from ambient air. The next phase converts these elements—CO2 and H2O—into CO and H2 in a specific ratio known as syngas. The final step converts the syngas into liquid hydrocarbons. By tailoring the syngas composition, the researchers were able to produce either drop-in synthetic methanol or kerosene that would be fully compatible with existing infrastructure and fuel supplies.
The test unit is intended to prove the concept on a very small scale and can only produce less than two ounces of fuel per day. Project leader Aldo Steinfeld, a professor of renewable energy carriers at ETH Zurich, noted that the energy efficiency on the solar reactor still requires improvement. But he believes that the process, once handed off to the university’s industrial partners, could be scaled up to commercial production in arid environments where sunlight is plentiful.
AINsight: Aircraft Buying Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
As prospective aircraft buyers scramble to get to a year-end finish line, I see great minds begin to work with a bit of mushiness. Worse still, I see some aviation professionals even support the weaker due diligence. Deadlines can sometimes be drivers for failure rather than success.
If the only measure of success is making a transaction have an in-service target for bonus depreciation, then the next year could prove really bad as maintenance and paperwork issues that should have been fleshed out well in advance of the sale come to light.
Personally, I am not taking on new clients who want that guarantee of bonus depreciation as a mandate. Instead, I am coaching new clients to be willing to wait until the first of the year when the buying frenzy will no doubt slow some and the pricing might be more logical.
I am working hard to not just capture tax plays, but buy and sell great aircraft. My sense is that the amount extra someone is willing to pay for an opportunity to capture that tax consideration will not remain as a value-add on the worth of the aircraft. Aircraft brokers need to be good stewards and maintain high due diligence standards, as well as guide our clients to make smart, strategic acquisitions. Aircraft acquisitions should be a marathon, not a sprint.
The aerospace world gathered in Arlington, Virginia, yesterday evening to celebrate Garmin’s receiving the 2020 Robert J. Collier Trophy for the development of its Autoland system. According to the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), the award was “for designing, developing, and fielding Garmin Autoland—the world’s first certified autonomous system that activates during an emergency situation to safely control and land an aircraft without human intervention.”
NAA awards the Collier Trophy annually “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.” Last night’s event was the 106th time the trophy was awarded.
Garmin Autoland was under development for 10 years and in 2020 was certified in the Piper M600 SLS and Daher TBM 940 turboprop singles and Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet.
“I think the most important part of NAA’s mission is our role in advancing aviation,” said association president and CEO Greg Principato. “And with our records and awards programs, we’ve done just that for more than 100 years. The story of the advancement of aviation in the United States is the story of the Collier Trophy…Mr. Collier would want it to spur teamwork in aviation innovation, and many winners personify that.”
Gulfstream added four new city-pair speed records to its trophy shelf following trips to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last month by its G600 and G700 twinjets. The aircraft notched records on both their outbound legs from the U.S. to Riyadh, where they participated in a regional customer showcase, as well as on their return.
The fully-outfitted G700 production aircraft flew nonstop on October 23 from Houston to the Saudi capital, with the 7,172-nm trip representing its longest flight to date. Conducted using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), it made the flight in 13 hours and 40 minutes. Its stablemate G600 departed Washington, D.C., the same day and flew 6,146 miles, also on a SAF blend, in 11 hours and 39 minutes.
For the return leg on October 29, the G700 traveled 6,507 nm from Riyadh to its home base in Savannah, Georgia, in 13 hours, 55 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.875. The G600 returned from the Middle East to Teterboro Airport, covering the 5,915 nm in 12 hours and 56 minutes. The airframer is applying carbon credits for all the record-setting flights to be carbon neutral.
“These city-pair records showcase the ability of our aircraft to help our customers reach their destinations faster,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns, adding the company is eagerly anticipating the G700’s entry into service later next year.
Equinox Charter began operations this week as a private flight brokering option specializing in the needs of the entertainment and sports industries. The UK-based startup is operating in tandem with travel management company Equinox Travel.
According to Equinox Charter managing director Elliot Bottomley, the return of shows and live events, which were disrupted for more than a year by the Covid pandemic, is spurring renewed demand for business aircraft charters. The company claims it will offer choices more objectively for clients, arguing that most charter brokers are reluctant to suggest airline services because they have a vested interest in booking only private charters even if a scheduled flight makes more sense.
Bottomley previously ran Argus-certified charter broker Artist Charter, and the new company has joined both EBAA and the British Business and General Aviation Association. “As part of our commitment to safe travel and consistently high quality of service, due diligence will be paramount, and we’ll work only with a network of vetted operators and private aircraft worldwide,” he stated.
In response to the growing demand for more environmentally sustainable private charter services, Equinox said it will select aircraft with lower carbon dioxide emissions, arrange electric cars for ground transfers, and evaluate hotels based on their sustainability performance. It also offers carbon-offsetting solutions and promotes the use of empty-leg flights and sustainable aviation fuel.
The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved a bill yesterday that is designed to help facilitate the emergence of the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector. Passed by a 383-41 margin, the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act, H.R.1339, would establish an interagency working group to collaborate on the “safety, infrastructure, physical security, cybersecurity, and federal investment necessary to bolster the AAM ecosystem.”
Similar legislation (S.516) was introduced by Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) earlier this year and approved by the Senate Commerce Committee in May.
Sponsored by Reps. Sharice Davids (D-Kansas) and the House aviation subcommittee ranking Republican Garret Graves (Louisiana), H.R.1339 would have the Secretary of Transportation establish the working group with leaders from other agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, and Commerce.
GAMA hailed the passage as an important advancement to fostering the sector. “The Advanced Air Mobility sector is on the verge of transforming the future of aviation with the introduction of electric and hybrid-powered aircraft into the national airspace system,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “The Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act will ensure that the federal government develops a coordinated approach for promoting this innovative sector of aviation, which will facilitate additional transportation options, create jobs and economic activity, advance environmental sustainability and new technologies, and support emergency preparedness and competitiveness.”
Tamarack Aerospace is disputing the NTSB’s final report regarding the fatal crash of a Cessna Citation CJ2+ outfitted with its active winglets. The twinjet went down soon after takeoff from Indiana's Clark Regional Airport on Nov. 30, 2018, killing the pilot and two passengers.
The CJ2+ was equipped with Tamarack’s Active Technology Load Alleviation System (ATLAS), which includes aerodynamic control surfaces mounted on the wing extensions that either hold their position in trail with the wing or symmetrically deploy trailing edge up or down to alleviate structural loads.
According to the NTSB, the accident's probable cause was “the asymmetric deployment of the left-wing load alleviation system for undetermined reasons, which resulted in an in-flight upset from which the pilot was not able to recover.” Last week, Tamarack countered the NTSB’s determination by issuing a supplemental submission stating that its investigation of the physical crash evidence proved that the system was functional at the time of the crash. It noted that the accident sequence showed that the Citation’s autopilot disconnected at a bank angle less than its expected extreme range of functionality.
Tamarack is proposing an alternate scenario where the attitude and heading reference system/autopilot failed, leading to the onset of the initial roll event that doomed the light jet. The company has not yet responded to AIN's query of whether it will file a “petition for reconsideration” with the NTSB.
Carver Aero’s two newest FBOs—in Janesville, Wisconsin, and Sugar Grove, Illinois—are the latest members to join the Avfuel-branded dealer network.
In July, Iowa-based Carver acquired the Janesville Jet Center, the lone service provider at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport. It offers a 2,725-sq-ft terminal with a pilot lounge, dining area, eight-seat conference room, and flight planning area, along with a 7,000-sq-ft hangar capable of sheltering light jets and turboprops.
A month later it followed that up with the purchase of Lumanair Aviation Services at Chicago-area Aurora Municipal Airport, which features a 30,000-sq-ft terminal with passenger and pilot lounges, three conference rooms, and flight planning area, as well as offices and a flight school. It has six hangars ranging from 6,400 to 39,000 sq ft and can handle jets up to a Gulfstream G450. The operation also offers a Part 145 repair station and avionics shop.
Both facilities, along with the company’s previous three Iowa locations in Council Bluffs, Davenport, and Muscatine now participate in the Avtrip customer loyalty and contract fuel programs.
“The addition of Janesville and Aurora to the Avfuel Network provides exceptional service options in key Midwestern locations for [our] flight department customers,” said Joel Hirst, the fuel supplier’s senior v-p of sales.
Photo of the Week
Northern night light. 1st Lt. Jeffrey Keiper of the 16th Combat Air Brigade—aka the Raptor Brigade—captured the aurora borealis in this photo taken during the recent Arctic Dustoff field exercise in Alaska. The brigade operates two medevac helicopter units—one in Washington state and another in Alaska. Thanks for sharing this beautiful image, Jeffrey!
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