Dassault Highlighting Push to Longer, Larger at BACE

Dassault is highlighting its push toward longer-range, larger aircraft during NBAA-BACE next week, showcasing a full-scale mockup of its 7,500-nm Falcon 10X alongside a mockup of the 5,500-nm Falcon 6X. It will also bring an actual Falcon 8X trijet to the show’s static display at Henderson Executive Airport outside Las Vegas.

The debut of the 10X mockup comes five months after Dassault unveiled what is to be its new flagship, and its largest and longest-range aircraft yet. In addition to its ultra long range, the cabin—at 6 feet 9 inches high and 9 feet 1 inch wide—is wider and taller than any other traditional business jet. Dassault expects to obtain certification for the model in 2025.

Dassault also is bringing a full-scale Falcon 6X mockup. The French airframer currently has three of that model busy in flight test as it proceeds toward the long-awaited certification in 2022. A fourth aircraft, the second to sport a full interior, is on schedule to fly later this year and it will then head on a global tour that will test the cabin systems. 

Meanwhile, the 8X—Dassault’s current flagship with a 6,450-nm range and nearly 1,700 cubic feet of cabin space—that will be on display in Las Vegas has been restyled to highlight comfort, connectivity, and productivity, Dassault said. The interior incorporates new LED lighting with sunrise/sunset functions.

SD Trials Confirm Plane Simple Antenna Performance

Satcom Direct (SD) has completed transatlantic and European validation trials that confirmed the successful functioning of its tail-mounted, Ku-band Plane Simple antenna system, the company said today. Spanning more than 16 hours over three days using a G350, the tests demonstrated the compatibility of the Plane Simple antenna with the Intelsat FlexExec satellite network. The antenna provided for seamless data transmission supported by SD hardware, software, and terrestrial infrastructure.

According to SD, consistent data streaming was delivered across multiple devices even as the flight transitioned between three satellites on the Intelsat Network—from along the U.S. East Coast, across the North Atlantic, and to Ireland before returning to Melbourne, Florida. SD’s SDR Gateway router supported Wi-Fi distribution among a number of personal electronic devices for simultaneous use of multiple streaming applications, video conferencing calls, and Live-TV.

The first in a series being developed by SD in partnership with Germany-based QEST Quantenelektronische Systeme, the Plane Simple antenna system consists of only two line-replaceable units, an antenna, and a modem that are easily accessible for upgrades and maintenance. SD is developing STCs to support installations, anticipating the first will be for the Dassault Falcon 2000.

Leonardo Launches Luxury Brand 'Agusta'

Leonardo unveiled the new “Agusta” branding of its AW line of VIP and corporate helicopters over the weekend in Dubai. This announcement followed the arrival of the company’s AW609 AC4 civil tiltrotor there, on display at Falcon Aviation Services.

“With Agusta we give our VIP operators a strong brand that they can easily recognize and identify with, a sign that embodies their desire for excellence and quality with a personal touch and distinction," said Leonardo Helicopters managing director Gian Piero Cutillo. “We want them to be themselves before takeoff, during flight and upon arrival at their destination, setting them apart from others. The strength and recognition of the Agusta brand legacy still continues to live on in this particular market segment.”

Launch of the Agusta brand draws on the heritage of the Agusta name from an aviation company formed in Italy in 1923 by Giovanni Agusta. That company began producing helicopters under license from other OEMs, most notably Bell, in 1952, and began developing its own indigenous civil helicopter, the Agusta A109 light twin, in the late 1960s. It then merged with Britain’s Westland Helicopters in 2000 to form AgustaWestland, later rebranded Leonardo Helicopters in 2017, a nod to 15th and 16th Century Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, widely credited with devising the first concept for the helicopter.

FSF Appeals for Standardized Digital Health Certificate

Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) is urging the aviation industry to work with government regulators and health authorities to deploy a standardized and globally accepted digital health certificate within the next year.

“Commercial aviation has begun the long, slow climb out of the travel trough created by the Covid-19 pandemic, but even the most routine international trip is fraught with confusion and frustration about acceptable documentation, testing requirements, and the specter of quarantines, never mind the risk of fake Covid test results or vaccine status fraud,” said FSF president and CEO Hassan Shahidi. “To maximize passenger health safety we need a secure, globally accepted digital tool.”

While a number of countries have implemented digital health certificates and apps, FSF said the adoption has been slow and uneven. As a result, the safety organization worries that this could introduce confusion and require border control and other agents to deal with a wide array of documents to process.

FSF recently published a resource, Guidance on Advancing Covid-19 Risk Mitigation in Air Travel, providing recommendations on passenger health safety.

Eight Killed as PC-12 Crashes after Takeoff from Milan

Eight people, including two pilots and six passengers, were killed when a Pilatus PC-12 crashed approximately four minutes after taking off from Milan Linate Airport at 1:03 p.m. local time on Sunday. Italian aviation safety agency ANSV confirmed that the single-engine turboprop’s flight data recorder had been found at the crash site in an unoccupied office building near the subway station in San Donato Milano.

According to FlightRadar24.com, the Romanian-registered aircraft (YR-PDV) had departed Milan for a flight to Olbia on the Italian island of Sardinia. It had arrived in Milan on September 30 from the Romanian capital Bucharest.

Milan prosecutor Tiziana Siciliano confirmed that no one survived the crash, but there were no fatalities or serious injuries on the ground. She told reporters that the flight crew had not alerted controllers of any emergency and that the PC-12 had “plunged” suddenly before crashing into the building roof.

ANSV, which is investigating the accident, has not yet issued any further details.

Luxaviation Granted Maltese AOC

The Maltese Civil Aviation Directorate has awarded Luxaviation Group an air operator certificate (AOC), bringing its total worldwide AOCs to 13, the Luxembourg-based aircraft management and charter firm announced today. The first aircraft on its Maltese AOC will be a Bombardier Global and the company is expecting additional aircraft to join the AOC before the end of 2021, said Luxaviation Malta managing director Karol Gueremy.

“Between North Africa and southern Europe, between Tunisia, Libya and Italy, Malta is such a historic and strategically important location,” Gueremy said. “We are excited to be able to offer our clients the life cycle of aviation services there, from registration to operation, maintenance, and charter.”

In Europe alone, Luxaviation holds AOCs in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal, San Marino, and the UK.

Luxaviation’s Malta location also will be part of the pilot phase of the European Business Aviation Association’s Standards & Training for Aviation Responsibility and Sustainability (STARS) initiative. The STARS program aims to develop sustainability standards and certification across business aviation, including aircraft operators, ground handling providers, brokers, maintenance facilities, and law firms.

NTSB Investigating Fatal Arizona Flight Training Midair

The NTSB is continuing its investigation into the fatal midair early Friday morning between a Robinson R22 and a Piper PA-28 Archer II at Chandler Municipal Airport (KCHD) in Arizona. Both aircraft were operated by flight schools on the field and were conducting flight training operations at the time of the accident, with one instructor and one student aboard each aircraft.

At approximately 7:42 a.m. local time, while the Piper had been conducting a series of touch and go landings and was on short final to land, the main rotor blades of the Robinson struck the Piper’s landing gear, separating the main left gear from the airplane, which then landed safely before skidding off the runway. Neither occupant was injured.

Witnesses said the main rotor of the R22 separated on impact and the debris from it then struck various parts of the R22 and generated an in-flight break-up. The left main gear from the Piper was found next to the R22. The helicopter wreckage was consumed in a post-crash fire and both occupants aboard were killed. The R22, registered as N412TL, was operated by Quantum Helicopters, while the Archer was operated by Flight Operations Academy.

Aircraft Broker Jetcraft Expands in Asia

UK-based global private aircraft brokerage Jetcraft is expanding its network with the opening of an office in Singapore. The new outpost will support market growth in Southeast Asia and will be led by Tim Yue, who is currently operating out of Hong Kong and has more than a decade of experience in the industry.

Jetcraft has had a presence in the Asia-Pacific region since it opened its Hong Kong office in 2012, followed by a second location in Australia. The company plans to recruit a local team in Singapore, as well as relocate some current employees.

“Asia remains a crucial market for Jetcraft, so expanding our footprint into Singapore is a logical step, providing further proof of our long-term commitment to servicing our global client base and unrivaled market access,” said David Dixon, the company’s president for Asia, adding that the “significant number of first-time buyers entering the market” is demonstrating the real value of the industry worldwide. “Singapore has seen significant growth in business aviation and the multiple maintenance facilities at Seletar Aerospace Park, paired with the region’s role in the financial service sector, make it an optimum location.”

Step Aboard the First Production Gulfstream G700

Gulfstream Aerospace’s largest aircraft, the five-zone G700, is on track to enter service in late 2022. The company has been flying a half dozen flight-test aircraft as certification nears, and the sixth—the first production G700, also known as P1—is the first of the type to have a full production interior. Gulfstream’s regimen for P1 includes more than 15,500 test points, examining and validating every cabin function. Tray Crow, Gulfstream's director of interior design, highlights the cabin features aboard P1 in this video.