Taking a step toward its vision of creating an ecosystem of door-to-door travel that supports supersonic flight, Aerion Supersonic has formed a partnership with Falls Church, Virginia-based Electra, which is developing electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft.
Aerion chairman Tom Vice in June outlined plans for the company’s Aerion Connective initiative—which involves the development of a global ecosystem of transportation, including vehicles such as eSTOLs and eVTOLS—to get customers to and from the airport to provide a smoother, faster experience from beginning to end.
As part of that strategy, Aerion signed a memorandum of understanding naming Electra as a preferred partner for Aerion Connect in the greater New York metropolitan area and other potential regional hubs. “We’re…clear that enabling this reinvented, faster ecosystem will require world-class partners to achieve success,” Vice said. “I’m delighted to launch this partnership with Electra and their new generation of eSTOLs, which with their large cabin, optimal range, speed, and emissions capabilities will integrate seamlessly into our vision of the future.”
Headed by Aurora Flight Sciences founder John Langford, Electra has ambitions for fixed-wing regional mobility aircraft that use a powered-lift concept to operate in and out of small spaces such as roofs of parking garages.
This story comes from the new FutureFlight.aero resource developed by AIN to provide objective, independent coverage and analysis of new aviation technology, including electric aircraft developments.
During a recent discussion I had with Kriya Shortt, Textron Aviation’s senior v-p of parts and programs, she commented that Textron’s pilot/owner group is “done with Covid.” She implied that they’ve safely moved past the virus and are using their airplanes for business pursuits. “They don’t want to hear about Covid protocols,” Shortt said. “They’re more concerned with access to airspace, airports, etcetera.”
In an effort to find out who’s flying safely, I spoke with a couple of business aviation professionals. One, a chief pilot for a Midwestern energy company, told me that after six months of Zoom meetings, his board of directors felt it critical to meet in person. The aviation department, in collaboration with the company’s medical team, provided a safety-focused solution.
Another discussion was with NetJets president of sales and marketing Patrick Gallagher, who said, some of the company's clients “tell us that they expect to do more flying with NetJets as the state of the airline network and Covid-19 concerns will make it more challenging for them to move teams around. The type of business travel that customers were doing cannot be permanently replaced by videoconferencing.”
I, for one, have tremendous Covid fatigue. As I write this, I’m on a completely full United flight, indicating that a good percentage of the public is choosing to embrace life while cautiously navigating Covid.
UK CAA Prosecutes Pilot for Alleged Illegal Charter
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has begun a criminal prosecution against David Henderson, who it alleges was involved in arranging the January 2019 flight in which a Piper Malibu crashed en route between Nantes, France, and Cardiff, UK, killing soccer player Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson. The CAA is pressing charges under the Air Navigation Order, relating to allegations that the flight constituted an illegal commercial operation and also that Henderson “acted in a reckless/negligent manner likely to endanger” the U.S.-registered aircraft.
Henderson is due to appear in Cardiff Crown Court on October 26, having already appeared in a magistrates’ court where he denied the charges. The criminal prosecution will delay the full inquest into the deaths of the two men, and this is now not expected to be completed until 2022.
On March 13, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) published its report on the Jan. 21, 2019 accident. It concluded that Ibbotson, who held EASA and FAA private pilot licenses, had lost control of the aircraft as it crossed the English Channel in poor weather conditions at night. “Neither the pilot nor the aircraft had the required licenses or permissions to operate commercially,” said the AAIB investigators.
Dassault Aviation Makes Changes to Hourly Mx Program
Dassault Aviation has signed the 500th contract for its FalconCare maintenance program and is adding new options to it. The program currently offers scheduled and unscheduled maintenance services through C-Check, including airframe, avionics, and landing gear parts, labor, consumables, service bulletins, and maintenance tracking that can be performed at more than 60 Dassault Falcon-owned and authorized service centers.
Based on feedback from flight departments and the Falcon Operator Advisory Board, FalconCare service will now be offered at two different levels. The basic level, known as FalconCare Essential, covers the full cost of Dassault spare parts; meanwhile, FalconCare Elite covers parts as well as labor, consumables, AOG GoTeam service, documentation, and exchange items such as batteries and wheels.
FalconCare Efficiency Bonus—a rewards program—and a flex spending account for costs outside FalconCare coverage are also available for both plans. “Thanks to operator input, we’re now able to offer different plans and options that meet the diverse needs of our growing customer base,” said Jean Kayanakis, senior v-p of worldwide Falcon customer service and service center network. “We are always tapping the knowledge of our operators on how to expand and improve our service plans, and expect that FalconCare offerings will continue to evolve in the future in line with changing customer needs.”
Bombardier Ramping Up for This Year’s Internships
Bombardier is planning to hire up to 1,000 students for paid internships in Canada during the 2020-2021 academic year. The Montreal-headquartered business jet maker is working with more than 30 universities and colleges across Canada to fill internships with engineering, science, finance, law, communications, and other business students.
“Providing students with real-world experience has never been more important,” said Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel. “Notwithstanding the exceptional challenges presented by the current health and economic crisis, Bombardier will continue to work with post-secondary institutions in Canada to provide meaningful opportunities to the brightest minds of the next generation.”
For the just-ended 2019-2020 academic year, Bombardier exceeded its goal with more than 1,200 filled intern positions.
Bombardier also this month launched a Women in Engineering (WIE) internship program in partnership with the Gina Cody School for Engineering and Computer Science (GCS) at Concordia University. This program is designed to help inspire female students to pursue engineering and technology careers. Along with the internship, the program includes individualized coaching.
“We believe that a diverse workforce yields the best results. However, today, women are vastly underrepresented in engineering positions across the aerospace industry,” Martel said. “The WIE program is designed to help address this issue by providing mentorship opportunities for female engineering students to develop their skills and accelerate their careers.”
Illinois Airport Adds Customs Capabilities
The University of Illinois-Willard Airport (CMI) in Champaign has inaugurated its new general aviation U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility. Previously, all private international arrivals were required to first stop at an entry point for clearance before heading to CMI.
Located adjacent to the FBO on the north side of the field, the 3,900-sq-ft structure was built to CBP specifications, and its construction was funded by Flightstar, the lone flight service/maintenance provider on the field. It will be staffed from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with services outside those hours based on availability. Flightstar will also pay the facility’s operating costs.
“The addition of CBP services will be an asset to both the airport and our community,” said Tim Bannon, the airport’s executive director, noting the strong partnership with its FBO. “This is the first time private aircraft traveling from international locations will be able to land directly at Willard Airport to complete international arrival border formalities.”
General Atomics Buying Ruag’s German MRO
Ruag International is selling its business aircraft and military helicopter MRO business in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, to General Atomics Europe, the company announced today. Under an agreement signed by both companies on September 30, the deal also includes the sale of the production of the Dornier 228 utility twin turboprop and retention of the 450 employees who work there.
“We are aware of the challenges that a takeover of this magnitude means, especially in the aviation sector amid the current coronavirus crisis,” said General Atomics Europe managing director Harald Robl. “However, General Atomics Europe is economically robust. We are convinced of the great potential of this company and its employees and want to develop Oberpfaffenhofen into the European aviation core of the General Atomics Europe Group.”
The sale by Ruag International comes as part of a plan to realign its business, which was approved in March 2019. The first divestiture under that “unbundling” plan was the sale last year of Ruag’s business aircraft maintenance operations in Geneva and Lugano to Dassault Aviation.
The sale to General Atomics is expected to close later this year following regulatory approval. Ruag will retain its aerostructures business at Oberpfaffenhofen that employs 800 people.
Gogo Avance L3 Added as Factory Option on King Air 360
Textron Aviation has selected Gogo Business Aviation’s Avance L3 as a factory option on its new Beechcraft King Air 360/360ER. Among the Beechcraft King Air models, the 360 is the first to have L3 as an option for in-flight connectivity and entertainment.
A Wi-Fi system that brings the features of Gogo’s Avance system in a small, lightweight form, the L3 system also offers a range of pricing options for business aviation. “Additionally, with the L3 onboard, operators of the King Air 360 will be equipped to take advantage of the lowered service altitude of the Gogo network,” said Gogo v-p of OEM sales Mark Sander. “We lowered our service level to 3,000 feet above ground level, which enables the L3 to provide connectivity on shorter routes and provides additional connectivity time on longer flights.”
The King Air 360 was awarded FAA type certification earlier this month and first deliveries are expected in the coming weeks.
Photo of the Week
One Phenom-enal image. Pilot Richard Depinay took this picture of his company’s Embraer Phenom 300 on the ramp at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) after a late-day rain shower. “I was inside the FBO, waiting for pax, when my copilot called me to look outside. My jaw dropped, and I quickly ran to the aircraft to grab my camera, and voila!” Thanks for sharing this beauty, Richard!
If you'd like to submit an entry for Photo of the Week, email a high-resolution horizontal image (at least 2000 x 1200 pixels), along with your name, contact information, social media names, and info about it (including brief description, location, etc.) to photos@ainonline.com. Tail numbers can be removed upon request. Those submitting photos give AIN implied consent to publish them in its publications and social media channels.
Outlook for Bizav Flying Through End of 2020
The business aircraft flight activity data from analyst WingX doesn’t lie, as AIN once again catches up with managing director Richard Koe to make sense of the latest trends. The Covid crisis continues to take a toll, but there are some fascinating variations in different regions of the market and for different aircraft types.
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