Inflight Aviation, which recently acquired the former Elliott Aviation FBO at Minneapolis-area Flying Cloud Airport, has embarked on a complete renovation of the six-acre facility.

This is the first FBO for Inflight, which began as a flight school based at Elliott. CEO Trever Rossini grew it from two aircraft a decade ago to a fleet of 25 today. Elliott exited the FBO business at Flying Cloud after providing services there for some 60 years.

Rossini told AIN that the Phillips 66-supplied property is getting a $2 million makeover with fresh paint, new illuminated signage, Wi-Fi throughout the complex, a surveillance camera network, and repairs to the fuel farm.

The 1970s-era 7,400-sq-ft terminal is being gutted and rebuilt in two phases. When completed by May 2024, it will feature an open, airy floor plan with new flooring and HVAC systems, a gas fireplace in the lobby, a club lounge, a pilot lounge, a conference room, new restrooms, offices, and a business center. In the meantime, according to Rossini, the construction area has been walled off from the operational part of the terminal with a temporary pilot lounge, complete with an 86-inch television, installed in a mobile trailer.

Aircraft are accommodated in 67,500 sq ft of heated hangar space, which can hold a super-midsize business jet.

Fueling aircraft with the wrong type of fuel can lead to a complete loss of engine power causing serious injury or death. This is most critical when an aircraft powered by a reciprocating engine is fueled with kerosene-based jet-A fuel rather than aviation gasoline (avgas). According to the FAA, a reciprocating engine burning jet-A fuel at high power settings suffers detonations, rapid loss of power, and high cylinder head temperatures, quickly followed by a complete engine failure.

For a variety of reasons, according to investigators, reciprocating engine-powered aircraft continue to crash with the wrong type of fuel in their tanks. These crashes are often deadly since there is just enough avgas in the aircraft’s fuel system to take off and begin its initial climb—to a low altitude—where the mixture of jet-A becomes great enough to cause an engine failure.

On Oct. 5, 2019, a Piper Aerostar 602P crashed less than four miles south of the Kokomo Municipal Airport (KOKK) in Kokomo, Indiana. The sole ATP-rated pilot was fatally injured in the crash. The NTSB cited in the probable cause "a dual engine power loss caused by the line service technician fueling the airplane with the wrong fuel, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control.” The report continued, saying, “Contributing...was the pilot’s inadequate supervision of the fuel servicing.”

Business aviation usage in North America and Europe is now aligned with 2022 trends, according to industry data tracker WingX Advance, with activity levels 20 percent above pre-Covid levels.

In the dominant North American market, business jet activity was down 3 percent in week 42 but was 21 percent above pre-Covid 2019. New York City-area general aviation hub Teterboro Airport experienced its busiest October activity in the past four years.

While European activity was 1 percent ahead of last year’s pace and up 12 percent over 2019, it was 15 percent off the post-Covid peaks of 2021. Though fractional fleets have been flying more than in any October over the past four years, corporate flight activity in Europe is off by 16 percent year-over-year and trailing 2019 by 19 percent.

For the Asian market, business jet activity has been up by 12 percent in terms of the number of flights flown so far this month compared with the same period last year. The region is paced by India, which saw an increase of 10 percent. Following last year’s lockdown constrictions, China is seeing a nearly 200 percent increase in activity.

The Middle East continues to exceed last year’s activity levels, up 4 percent over October 2022 and more than 50 percent above 2019. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are both experiencing their busiest October since 2019.

A new study conducted by the DLR—the German Aerospace Center—shows that the use of bio-based sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) reduces not only lifecycle carbon emissions but also ultrafine particle emissions that can lead to health problems.

In a recent month-long experiment, the researchers measured the emissions from SAS-operated A320Neos fueled on a blend of 34 percent SAF while they taxied from the runway to a gate at Copenhagen Airport. From a mobile laboratory set up at the gate, advanced sensing equipment was used to take measurements several times a day.

The findings showed an overall reduction in ultrafine particulate matter of approximately 30 percent, compared with operations with fossil-based fuel. According to the scientists, this study—the first to be conducted in an authentic airport environment—provides the most detailed picture to date of the effect that using SAF has on local air quality.

“It’s an important discovery that sustainable aviation fuel has an impact on air quality,” stated Christian Poulsen, Copenhagen Airport’s COO and acting CEO. “We already know that it helps reduce CO2 emissions, so this is another significant benefit of shifting aviation to sustainable fuels.”

Embraer delivered 28 business jets during the third quarter, accounting for 65 percent of the company’s total and representing a 22 percent increase over the same period last year.

Deliveries included 17 Phenom 300s and two Phenom 100s, compared with 13 Phenom 300s and two Phenom 100s in third-quarter 2022. Embraer also handed over nine Praetors (four 500s and five 600s) in the most recent quarter, up from four apiece a year earlier.

For the first three quarters of the year, Embraer delivered 66 business jets, compared with 39 commercial airplanes.

The value of its executive aviation backlog now stands at $4.3 billion, while its book-to-bill ratio of 1.5:1 highlights the high volume of jet sales that is continuing as deliveries increase. Embraer said the business unit continues to enjoy sustained demand across its entire portfolio and strong customer acceptance in both retail and fleet markets.

At NBAA-BACE this month in Las Vegas, Embraer introduced the Phenom 100EX, revealed an autothrottle feature for the Phenom 300E, and said it has successfully tested the Phenom 300E and Praetor 600 on 100 percent neat sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Embraer also said that Embraer-CAE Training Services (ECTS) will add more training capacity with the deployment of two new Phenom 300 full-flight simulators.

During a sudden “hard right turn” before the fatal crash of a Cessna Cardinal 177RG, the pilot flying—AOPA senior executive Richard McSpadden—could be heard over the traffic advisory frequency saying, “We have a problem and we’re returning to the airport,” according to the NTSB preliminary report issued recently. Also killed in the accident on October 1 near Lake Placid Airport in New York state was former NFL player Russ Francis, a pilot and president of Lake Placid Airways.

The purpose of the flight was to take air-to-air photographs of the Cardinal. After taxiing to the runup area, witnesses heard the engine of the Cardinal, but then it shut down. About 10 seconds later, the engine restarted. During the takeoff roll, a witness said the engine sounded as if the propeller was set for “climb” and not takeoff, and then he heard the engine surge.

On the initial climb, the witness further said, the engine did not sound as if it was running at full power. The Cardinal then made a gentle left turn while it was level at 300 to 400 feet agl. The Cardinal then “suddenly made a hard right turn back toward the airport” before falling and hitting the ground in a right-wing, nose-low attitude.

A post-accident examination of the wreckage showed the mixture control in the full rich position, the propeller control in the high rpm/fine pitch setting, and the throttle out about two inches.

De Havilland Canada is developing upgrades and forward-fit installations of a Universal Avionics integrated flight deck for its CL-215T, CL-415, and DHC-515 firefighting twin turboprops. The company made the decision to pick Universal as lead supplier after consulting with operators of these aircraft.

The avionics suite includes Universal’s InSight flight display system with five displays plus an engine indication system and alert messages, dual touchscreen controllers, dual flight management systems, Kapture voice and flight data recorders, and data communications capabilities. Universal’s equipment allows the crew to interact with the avionics wirelessly. It also enables maintenance tracking via Universal’s cloud-enabled data services and third-party providers, according to the avionics manufacturer.

“Our success in retrofit and forward-fit solutions with de Havilland Canada demonstrates the versatility of Universal’s solution and its role as a leading avionics provider in the aerial firefighting market,” said Dror Yahav, CEO of Universal Avionics. “Mission-driven solutions for these popular firefighting aircraft help make aerial firefighting operations safer and more efficient.”

“[Universal’s] long tradition of innovation, and the versatility of the systems they provide, are going to be key enablers to sustain our aircraft in customer operations for years to come,” said Jean-Philippe Côté, de Havilland Canada v-p of programs and business improvement.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University kept busy during NBAA-BACE 2023 with a series of announcements of philanthropic support from a range of donors for various business aviation programs.

Aircraft management firm Solairus has granted Embry-Riddle’s Runway to Business Aviation Scholarship a $100,000 gift to help meet the anticipated growth in demand for civil aviation pilots. This scholarship fund supports flight training costs for students interested in pursuing careers in business aviation. Solairus created the endowment to recruit high-performing students from underrepresented backgrounds and contribute to their success through a scholarship that pays for flight training costs.

Next, business aviation financial technology firm Tuvoli issued a $50,000 endowment to support students pursuing business degrees. Greg Johnson, president and CEO of Tuvoli and an Embry-Riddle alumnus, signed the agreement for the endowment to support students pursuing business degrees in the David B. O’Maley College of Business. Along with providing financial support, the new internship program will engage business students with hands-on experience in the financial technology sector.

Finally, on the convention’s second day, the National Aircraft Finance Association Foundation (NAFA) gifted $100,000 to support faculty in ensuring the growth of general and business aviation programs at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s David B. O’Maley College of Business. Along with the gift, the foundation has agreed to involve its members in panel discussions for faculty and students, sharing expertise, and serving as class speakers.