The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) today issued a type certificate for EHang’s EH216-S two-seat eVTOL aircraft, clearing the way for commercial passenger-carrying flights to begin in China. Announced early today, this approval makes the two-seat model the first eVTOL in the world to be cleared for commercial use. The achievement is especially remarkable given that EHang’s aircraft will operate autonomously with no pilot on board.

According to Guangzhou-based EHang, it has completed the entire process since January 2021 when CAAC accepted its application for type certification. The so-called “special conditions” covering the new category of aircraft were published in February 2022. The Chinese regulator has given the startup a high degree of latitude in permitting it to conduct extensive flight testing in multiple locations, including public demonstrations with passengers on board.

EHang explained that the validation process for the EH216-S “scrutinized components, equipment, and the entire aircraft for prefabricated defects, faults, and interferences.” It said the process has encompassed more than 500 specific test items and 40,000 test flights, resulting in adjustments and formal conformity assessments covering 65 “major categories” and 450 individual test items.

EHang will now be increasing production rates at its Yunfu factory and stepping up deliveries to operators in China. It also intends to launch commercial operations that could include air taxi and sightseeing flights.

It is time to review the impact of taking dietary supplements while flying under FAA and DOT regulations. Many pilots take unregulated supplements. While this is seemingly a harmless activity for the general population, for pilots it brings additional risks.

Please keep in mind that dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). When a product is being researched to become a “medicine,” it must go through the intensive FDA approval process.

When the salesperson at the vitamin store or on the website regales customers with the purported benefits of a supplement, they are not really recommending a formal treatment for anything. You will note that on the package of all such supplements, there is typically a single disclaimer. Usually, it reads something like this: “This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease.”

When a pilot brings a supplement to me and asks if it’s OK to take while flying, I look at the ingredients. If I have never even heard of some of the ingredients, I caution the pilot that I cannot give them an educated opinion.

One of the substance abuse psychiatrists I work with often is quite clear with his pilot clients: unless the supplement is a routine generic multivitamin from a trusted pharmacy, pilots “should avoid all supplements.”

Garmin autothrottles will come standard-equipped in all new-production Cessna Citation M2 Gen2 light jets beginning in mid-2025, Textron Aviation announced today.

The Wichita-based aircraft manufacturer, which introduced the Citation M2 (née CitationJet/CJ1) in 2013 followed by the Gen2 upgrade in 2021, will be displaying the M2 Gen2 next week at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas along with several other Citation models, as well as the Beechcraft Denali, King Air 360, and Cessna Caravan.

Fully integrated with the M2 Gen2's Garmin G3000 avionics suite, the new autothrottle gives pilots more control and precision in all phases of flight. This means that they “experience decreased pilot workload and increased peace of mind,” said Jimmy Beeson, the senior manager of technical marketing at Textron Aviation.

The autothrottle system manages the engine thrust to optimize airspeed and fuel efficiency while automatically adjusting engine power for variables such as the aircraft’s weight, altitude, and airspeed.

“This provides pilots the added layer of automation, precision, and efficiency,” added Lannie O'Bannion, Textron Aviation's senior v-p of sales and flight operations. “We're seeing strong demand for this M2, and this feedback is all based upon what our customers are asking for. This is a great example of our continuous investment in our product lineup.”

UK business aviation hub Farnborough Airport will soon embark on a solar energy project that will be one of the largest installations in the southeastern part of the country.

When completed, the project will cover 25 percent of the airport’s electricity needs. Solar panels will be installed on the curved roofs of the airport’s iconic hangars, on its three-story terminal, the airport control tower, its ground support facility, and on the onsite Aviator Hampshire Hotel. It will also allow Farnborough’s fleet of electric vehicles to be charged using self-generated electricity.

Many aircraft hangar roofs are unable to accommodate the weight of traditional solar arrays. However, the airport will partner with solar power generation solutions provider Solivus, which has developed a lightweight solar energy panel that Farnborough’s hangars can accommodate.

“In our efforts to be a sustainability showcase for airports around the world, we are always looking for new ways to supply and create sustainable energy sources,” said Farnborough Airport CEO Simon Geere. “The new solar installation will enable us to reduce our controllable emissions as set in our Net Zero Roadmap, in which we have committed to be net zero by 2030 or sooner.”

Continuing on its acquisition trail, technology and software provider Portside broadened its suite of tools in the safety arena with the purchase of Baldwin Safety & Compliance. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but Portside said the move is in alignment with other acquisitions that included the licensing and development rights for the Avianis flight management system in July and Stellar Lab’s flight operations system hosting business and the BART scheduling product suite earlier this year.

Portside specializes in aviation software and other technologies and counts among its clients 1,000 business aviation and government organizations in more than 30 countries. Baldwin will provide Portside with a wide portfolio of safety management systems and other programs.

“Safety is the foremost concern for any aviation provider, and Baldwin is an undisputed leader in this space. They excel not only in terms of delivering safety and compliance programs that adhere to the highest industry standards, but also in tailoring and supporting these programs to meet the ever-evolving needs of their clients,” said Portside CEO Alek Vernitsky. 

Founded in 2004, Baldwin provides SMS expertise to various transportation operations including FBOs, MROs, business aviation and commercial providers, UAS, airports, and air medical transport operations. In addition, Baldwin’s services include risk management, document management, gap analysis, and quality management systems, among others.

Aircraft appearance and detailing specialist Immaculate Flight is expanding its presence in the western U.S. with the acquisition of Crowe Aviation. To take effect November 1, the acquisition provides Immaculate Flight with an anchor in Las Vegas, including locations at Harry Reid, Henderson, and North Las Vegas airports.

Crowe has the ability to dispatch mobile teams to surrounding states and provides a full range of exterior and interior cleaning. It has been named a preferred vendor by a number of large operators such as VistaJet, Flexjet, JSX, and Wheels Up.

Company founder and CEO Aaron Crowe will join Immaculate Flight as regional manager for Nevada. Immaculate Flight said Crowe brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the team and will ensure a seamless transition.

“Crowe Aviation is a great company with a team of talented and experienced professionals. We look forward to working with them to continue to provide our customers with the best possible aircraft appearance and detailing services,” said John Craft, president of Immaculate Flight.

Aaron Crowe added that the resources and national presence of Immaculate Flight will benefit the Las Vegas customer base. Immaculate Flight provides cleaning services in locations throughout the U.S., including Washington and California on the West Coast, as well as Texas, the Southeast, Michigan, and Ohio.

Duncan Aviation has completed its 550th installation of Gogo Business Aviation's Avance L3 and L5 in-flight connectivity systems. The company’s technicians have performed the installations at its three full-service MROs and 26 Duncan Aviation satellites across a variety of business aircraft models. The use of design data from its 14 Avance supplemental type certificates also enabled other installers to provide an additional 250 operators with the Gogo systems.

“Because of our confidence in the performance and reliability of the Gogo Avance L5 and L3 systems, Duncan Aviation’s engineering and certification services teams have invested and continue to invest in the development of numerous STCs,” said Nate Klenke, Duncan Aviation’s sales manager of modifications and completions in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Avance L5 is a comprehensive Wi-Fi system, offering 4G with faster speeds than the L3. Passengers are able to stream audio and video and transfer large attachments via email. The L3, on the other hand, works best for email and light internet browsing.

Both the L5 and L3 function on Gogo’s air-to-ground low-latency network, ensuring coverage in the contiguous U.S. and parts of Canada and Alaska. The Gogo Avance platform includes the Gogo Vision 360 integrated in-flight entertainment media server, which can stream movies and TV shows to passengers' devices.

Private jet card and membership prices remained flat in the third quarter, up a mere 0.3 percent from the second quarter at an average hourly rate of $11,055, according to Private Jet Card Comparisons (PJCC) research. PJCC estimates are based on its database of more than 80 providers and 900 programs and count rates for occupied hours, including repositioning costs.

Prices are down by 6.3 percent from December across all categories, but they are still 24 percent more than in December 2020. They are also up by 19.9 percent over the fourth quarter of 2019, PJCC noted, adding that this is in line with inflation.

Ultra-long-haul jet cards averaged $19,195 per hour at the end of the third quarter, down 7.6 percent from the end of 2022 but up 0.2 percent from the end of June. Large-cabin rates were down 2.5 percent from the end of last year to $15,717 per hour but were up from the second quarter by 0.2 percent.

Super-midsize jet cards averaged $12,102 per hour, down 4.7 percent from December 2022 but up 0.5 percent from the second quarter. Midsize jet hourly rates were down by 4.9 percent over the fourth quarter of 2022 and 0.1 percent from the second quarter to $9,351. Light jet hourly prices similarly dipped by 4.6 percent from December 2020 but were up by 0.5 percent sequentially to $8,093.