Ahead of NBAA-BACE 2022 next week in Orlando, Avfuel has provided Sheltair Aviation’s FBO at Orlando Executive Airport (KORL) with two truckloads—16,000 gallons—of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Neste produced the fuel, which is a 30 percent SAF blend. It will reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by 38 tonnes—the equivalent of 88 barrels of oil.
In addition to the fuel available at KORL, Avfuel provided an extra load of SAF to Sheltair’s FBO at nearby Melbourne Orlando International Airport (KMLB), which receives and stores the fuel for use by Embraer’s U.S. headquarters. In Wichita, the fuel distributor delivered an additional load of SAF to Textron Aviation. Both airframers already have continuous-supply agreements with Avfuel and Neste and will use these further volumes to power their aircraft flying in for the show’s static display.
“The Avfuel team is proud to have the capability to provide four extra loads of SAF surrounding NBAA-BACE,” said Avfuel manager of alternative fuels Keith Sawyer. “Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without Sheltair’s coordination to help customers fly sustainably, Neste’s dedication to SAF production, and the OEM’s commitment to reduce emissions.”
With the presence of actual SAF, inbound operators can now take advantage of both means of furthering the use of the renewable fuel. Atlantic Aviation will be sponsoring SAF book and claim at its two Orlando FBOs.
The Singapore police on October 12 filed charges against Geoffery Owen Cassidy, the former managing director of aircraft charter company Zetta Jet and director of Asia Aviation, for alleged embezzlement and other criminal conduct that occurred between 2014 and 2017. In all, the police cite 34 alleged offenses that could culminate in decades of prison time. AIN was not able to immediately reach Cassidy for comment.
Charges include allegedly misappropriating more than S$11 million ($7.6 million) from Zetta Jet between 2016 and 2017; using more than S$1.4 million of the misappropriated funds for property-related expenditures; “cheating a company,” AirLNG, into delivering more than $400,000 to Asia Aviation on five occasions between April 2014 and May 2015; and having employees forge invoices and falsify accounts. If convicted, these charges range in prison time of up to 10 years each and/or fines.
Singapore-based Zetta Jet went bankrupt in late 2017 after just a few years in operation. It had grown quickly with an owned fleet of Bombardier large-cabin jets and stretched internationally, including a U.S. subsidiary, Zetta Jet USA, that came with the merger of Advanced Air Management.
Zetta Jet PTE and its U.S.-based company USA had ousted Cassidy and hoped to save the company through U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but a district court denied the reorganization financing petition, forcing the company into liquidation.
The FAA recently issued a notam prohibiting general and business aviation aircraft from using en route Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) except for approved “trial participants.” According to the agency, many avionics configurations in these aircraft have not been able to consistently demonstrate operational performance to allow reliable CPDLC operations in the National Airspace System (NAS).
Per the notam, CPDLC departure clearance (DCL) operations are still permitted, but to operate CPDLC en route, the operator must verify that its aircraft meets the “verification of avionics configurations” list and fill out the “U.S. Domestic Enroute Eligibility form.”
The FAA warns that aircraft operators not meeting an approved configuration—meaning being included on the current avionics configuration list—must temporarily stop filing flight plans (flight plan code in block 18) for en route CPDLC. Only those aircraft that have demonstrated consistent performance and are included on the approved list can participate and file in the CPDLC en route trial and use en route CPDLC services.
Both the FAA and L3 Harris are working with business aircraft OEMs and operators to evaluate and update the operational performance of various avionics configurations to be included on the approved list.
Rapidly growing aviation service provider chain Modern Aviation has expanded its footprint with an agreement to purchase a trio of New England FBOs. The sole-source facilities include Mystic Jet Center at Connecticut’s Groton-New London Airport (KGON) and the two Columbia Air Services locations at Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport (KBHB) in Trenton, Maine, and Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport (KRUT).
KGON serves the Mystic area, a popular destination for tourists, while KRUT is located in the heart of Vermont’s ski region. KBHB is the closest airport to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, the only national park in the U.S. Northeast. Combined, the three locations will add 161,500 sq ft of hangar and office space to the Modern network, which has grown from three FBOs in the U.S. to 16 over the course of a year.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to continue to grow and expand our presence in the northeast,” said Modern CEO Mark Carmen. “All three locations are in attractive, growing markets and have a long track record of outstanding customer service and safety provided by their experienced and long-tenured professionals.”
Carmen added the staffers at all three locations will remain following the acquisition, which is expected to occur by year-end.
Charter and fractional provider FlyExclusive yesterday formally opened its new maintenance hangar at its headquarters in Kinston, North Carolina. The 48,000-sq-ft facility allows the company to perform avionics installations and upgrades, maintenance, paint, and interior work. It also includes space for cabin refurbishment activities.
With the hangar’s opening, FlyExclusive plans to add 200 more employees to support its 24/7 MRO operation. “Today is about more than just a new building; this facility embodies FlyExclusive’s promise to our customers, employees, and community that our services are first-in-class,” founder and CEO Jim Segrave said at a grand opening of the hangar.
Company president and COO Tommy Sowers added that MRO “is a vital pillar of our business” and “a major step forward as FlyExclusive continues to take private aviation to the next level by prioritizing innovation and the overall customer experience.”
In addition to the maintenance hangar, FlyExclusive recently added 100 new pilots to its roster, as well as CFO Brent Smith, who previously served as CFO of NetJets.
Portside has acquired Professional Flight Management (PFM), allowing the San Francisco-based provider of cloud-based software for business aviation to build on its services by adding Pennsylvania-based PFM's scheduling and dispatch software platform for corporate flight departments.
“Portside’s competitive advantage is our ability to focus on the customer experience and deliver cutting-edge technologies,” said Portside CEO Alek Vernitsky. “With PFM, we now gain a deeper understanding of the needs and expectations of the corporate flight departments, which will accelerate our vision to support the broader private, business, and government aviation industry.”
Portside’s data platform offers business aviation providers and flight departments a single system that combines flight operations, crew and staff scheduling, expense management, maintenance, and financial and budgeting data to streamline workflows and optimize operations.
A provider of a comprehensive set of scheduling, record-keeping, and reporting applications for flight departments, PFM was started in 1983 by Bill Figures. The company supports more than 200 flight departments, including Fortune 500 fleets. “Portside has a bold vision of building an end-to-end technology ecosystem for corporate flight departments and we have seen them continue to grow their product suite at a fast pace focused on serving the end user,” Figures said.
The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) recently published draft Advisory Circular (AC) 61-20 v1.0 as the first document of its kind addressing pilot supervision for aircraft operators that do not have a required check and training system in place.
Guidance is provided to operators for delivering “a structured supervision program to pilots operating in a new environment or after completing the regulatory requirements for a new qualification.” The intent of the supervision process is to ensure pilots can “continue to gain effective knowledge and operational experience, during and post induction, or when operating in a new environment.”
CASA emphasized that this AC “does not replace the supervision required by the regulations to complete a qualification. However, all operators could adopt the supervision methodology for their operational safety-critical personnel.”
Comment deadline is November 7. Feedback is specifically requested on these questions: Should pilots who are flying for an operator without a training system have a period of supervision after joining an organization or obtaining new qualifications? Is the advice understood, complete and explained in enough detail? How realistic is the example? And whether you think operators to whom the AC applies will adopt pilot supervision as part of their training process?
Sustainability Question of the Week
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What is a carbon offset?
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Warning that the general and business aviation industry can get entangled in human trafficking operations, the Greater Washington Business Aviation Association (GWBAA) is hosting a guest speaker and luncheon on what the industry can do to identify and combat such operations. Planned on October 27 at the Washington Dulles Airport Marriott, the lunch will feature Michael Camal, senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign, as its guest speaker.
Carmel leads the Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI), which focuses on addressing human trafficking within the aviation industry. GWBAA notes that under Carmel’s leadership, the BLI has tripled in size, expanding its reach to airports and the general aviation industry. More than 200,000 personnel have been trained through the BLI on trafficking indicators and how to report the crime.
“Human trafficking is one of the world’s largest criminal enterprises,” GWBAA stressed. “The general and business aviation industry is not immune to this egregious crime.”
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