FAA Selects Sita to Provide Oceanic Airspace Services

Swiss-based industry information technology specialist Sita won an FAA contract to provide its Future Air Navigation System (FANS 1/A) datalink services to manage air traffic across the U.S. oceanic airspace.

Sita’s datalink services will enable air traffic controllers to send text instructions to pilots in real-time over oceanic airspace, covering a vast swath from the U.S. to European and Asian airspace. Controllers operating from FAA centers in Anchorage, New York, and Oakland can send up to 1,200 messages per hour, including multiple concurrent messages, Sita added, noting this will help them detect conflicts between aircraft and offer more optimal routing.

Using Automatic-Dependent Surveillance-Contract (ADS-C) and Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC), pilots and controllers can communicate through standardized digital text messages. These messages provide information such as aircraft position, route, requests and guidance for routing, speed, and altitude changes, as well as weather and traffic advisories. Pilots can thus receive ATC instructions that are more accurate and confirmed and air traffic control can reduce separation requirements, Sita said.

Sita noted the North Atlantic is the busiest air traffic route “by far,” with some 2,000 aircraft crossing between the U.S. East Coast and Europe daily. Traffic over this route is predicted to increase by 50 percent over the next decade, it added.

White House Outlines Policies for Reopening Int’l Travel

Aircraft operators must verify testing and vaccination status and maintain contact information of their passengers arriving from international destinations beginning November 8 under a revised policy released from the White House yesterday. NBAA welcomed the release of the policy to enable foreign travelers to enter the U.S. again after they have largely been prohibited throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the revised policy that was issued through a presidential proclamation, incoming non-citizen, non-immigrant travelers must be fully vaccinated before boarding an airplane, with limited exemptions.

NATA advises though that the policy also tightens testing requirements. Fully vaccinated U.S. citizens, as well as foreign nationals, must furnish a negative Covid-19 test taken within three days of travel into the country. However, in a change, non-vaccinated individuals now must have taken the Covid test within one day of travel.

The policy provides some exceptions to the vaccination requirement for foreign nationals, including medical and travel for emergency or humanitarian reasons. Those arriving with non-tourist visas from countries with low vaccine availability would be exempt as well. In addition, the vaccine requirements apply to those aged 18 or older.

Further, operators must retain contact information of arriving passengers to enable public health officials to trace travelers who may have been infected or exposed to Covid-19.

Aerospace Technology Heads Give Sustainabilty Support

In a show of support for aviation industry sustainability targets, the chief technology officers (CTO) for seven major aerospace companies issued a statement today reaffirming their commitment to support the sector’s net-zero carbon emissions ambition by 2050. The statement by the CTOs of Airbus, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, and Safran comes ahead of the COP26 event in London, an annual showcase for the aerospace, defense, security, and space industries.

These seven companies have spent a combined $75 billion in R&D on sustainability over the past five years, focusing on advancing aircraft and engine design and technology, supporting increased availability and usage of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and investigating hydrogen as a future fuel. They also continue to develop new technologies that will eventually achieve net-zero aviation.

The CTOs are calling for policymakers to support new technologies and stimulate SAF and green hydrogen production, as well as develop globally consistent regulations and standards. They also seek investment to increase SAF production capacity, in addition to funding for airport infrastructure required to support the new technologies.

Each of the seven companies has made its own strides towards sustainability through projects under development. Dassault actively promotes SAF usage, and its Falcon range of business jets is already SAF compatible. The airframer is also partnering on hydrogen fuel-powered aircraft projects with France's civil aviation research council.

Wyvern Awards Pro Safety Rating to Sun Air, Planet 9

Sun Air Jets and Planet 9 have been selected among the first Part 135 operators to receive Wyvern’s new Wingman Pro certification, the business aviation industry safety audit provider’s highest safety standard. Awarding of the certification to Camarillo, California-based Sun Air and Van Nuys-based Planet 9 follows the operators’ participation in Wyvern’s Flight Leader Program.

Wingman Pro validates an organization’s safety culture using advanced safety culture tools recognized by safety experts and regulatory agencies, according to Wyvern. It is a benchmark above the Wingman certification and is issued once an organization with that certification shows effectiveness in all areas of safety management systems, excellence in addressing human factors and organizational safety culture, and continuous conformity to international standards through an internal audit program.

“This achievement validates their commitment to attaining and maintaining an enduring safety culture that elevates their performance above other operators who are just beginning to embrace the value of formal safety risk management,” said Wyvern CEO Sonnie Bates.

Safer Training Through High-Tech Reality Replication

To be prepared for anomalies and emergencies, crews need to know the aircraft systems, avionics, flying characteristics, and emergency procedures before they jump into the simulator.  With more than 70 years of training, FlightSafety brings as much realism into the classroom as possible using advanced-technology simulators, virtual reality and computer-assisted debriefing tools.

Utah GA Groups Unite for Advocacy Efforts

Concerned about protecting airport and aviation infrastructure funding, eight aviation organizations have formed the Utah Aviation Coalition to strengthen their collective general aviation advocacy efforts at the state level. Participants include groups such as the Utah Business Aviation Association (UBAA), Utah Airport Operators Association (UAOA), Utah General Aviation Association (UGAA), and Utah Back Country Pilots Association.

“We wanted to have a bigger voice in the state, in particular with regard to how state aviation funds are allocated,” said Rich Stehmeier, chairman of UAOA. “One of our key goals is to make sure that the money in the aviation fund, which is supposed to be restricted to aviation interests, is used properly.”

The coalition has already begun to work with state legislators regarding the need to protect aviation funds, as well as how the state would pay for potential aircraft purchases under consideration, according to UBAA chairman Jeff Hansen. “The business aviation community in Utah needs more resources at small airports,” he said. “Having adequate funds for runway extensions, other airport improvements, pilot resources, and more will help both aviation interests, as well as the local communities who rely on their services.”

UBAA earlier had expressed concern about the state eying use of aviation registration fees to help offset deficits at its flight department rather than airports.

Sky Harbour Tapped for Dallas-area Hangar Complex

Aviation real estate developer and operator Sky Harbour has been selected by the town of Addison, Texas, to establish a new private hangar complex at its Dallas-area airport (KADS). Sky Harbour builds turnkey, single-tenant luxury hangars, with its own dedicated ground handling staff and equipment at each location.

KADS will be the rapidly-expanding company’s sixth project in the U.S. Its campus at Houston-area Sugar Land Regional Airport, consisting of 13 NFPA Group 3 modular hangars ranging from 8,000 to 16,000 sq ft each, is now operational, while construction is underway on facilities at Nashville International and Florida’s Miami Opa-Locka Executive airports. Those locations are expected to open in September 2022. Additional hangar groupings at Denver Centennial and Phoenix Deer Valley airports are currently in the site-development stage.

At KADS, which is home to two FBOs, Sky Harbour is planning to build six hangars on the east side of the runway for an approximate total of 110,000 sq ft of aircraft storage space, as well as add another 2.3 acres of ramp. A timeline for construction has not yet been established, according to the company.

“It is a privilege to be working with Addison and its professional airport staff to develop this offering, enhance the airport’s appeal to premium aircraft owners, and drive economic development,” said Sky Harbour CEO Tal Keinan.

Wichita State Launches AMT Earn-and-learn Program

Wichita State University (WSU), WSU Tech, and the Werx MRO division of WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research is launching a program in January that will provide full-time employment for individuals pursuing a certificate as an aviation maintenance technician (AMT). Those selected for the Get to Werx program will receive a competitive wage and benefits working at the school’s MRO shop while attending nine semesters of WSU Tech’s aviation maintenance technology program, successful completion of which will earn them an associate degree of applied science.

It also will make them eligible to sit for FAA certification in airframe and powerplant, as well as earn credits toward a bachelor of applied science in organizational leadership and learning from WSU. Tuition reimbursement will be paid upon completion of each successful semester.

“Students will gain industry experience on real modification programs while under the supervision of some of the most experienced technicians and engineers in the field,” said John Tomblin, WSU's senior v-p of industry and defense programs and NIAR executive director.

The first class will be open to between 25 and 30 students, with plans for a second class to start in fall 2022. The Greater Wichita Partnership is also offering a $1,000 relocation stipend for AMT students who reside more than 75 miles outside of Wichita.

FAA Releases Final Alaska Safety Initiative Report

The FAA recently released the final report of its Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative (FAASI) that addresses such longstanding issues as Alaska’s underfunded and broken infrastructure, lack of certified weather availability for published instrument approaches, and broad gaps in areas of communication and surveillance. This report was developed in response to a recommendation from the NTSB, which followed that agency’s 2019 Most Wanted List Roundtable on Alaska Part 135 Flight Operations.

According to the FAASI, there are 133 automated weather reporting stations in Alaska versus about 1,800 in the lower 48 states. However, there are 396 public-use airports in the state, of which 284 are on land, 108 are seaplane bases, and four are heliports.

Neither the FAASI final report nor the earlier interim report published in April provide the number of airports that have instrument approach procedures but lack necessary weather reporting. This has been a longstanding problem inhibiting the success of FAA and industry efforts to increase the use of IFR operations in Alaska.

The next step for the FAASI team is the formation of a team to “develop the roadmap based on the recommendations in the FAASI final report with a prioritized emphasis on those recommendations that may be quickly integrated into the national airspace.” That report will be released by September 2022.

Vertical Aero: eVTOLs Play Role in Public Transportation

Major air carriers such as Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines are laying plans to launch commercial services with Vertical Aerospace’s four-passenger VA-X4 eVTOL from 2024. FutureFlight interviewed the manufacturer’s president, Michael Cervenka, who explained the approach his team is taking to bring the new aircraft to market and why he believes its range and speed will make it competitive in the advanced air mobility sector. Cervenka also described how launch customers intend to tap the technology for transformative transportation options.