In this year’s Product Support Survey: Avionics, AIN readers once again rated Garmin at the top of the list in the flight deck avionics category, with an 8.9 overall average, up 0.3 from last year. The rankings replicated last year’s results, with Collins Aerospace in second place at 8.2, down slightly from its 8.3 rating last year. Coming in third was Universal Avionics at 8.0, down 0.2 from last year, followed by Honeywell at 7.6.
In the cabin management systems category, Gulfstream took the top spot with an average rating of 8.0, up 0.1 from last year, followed by Textron Aviation at 7.9. Collins Aerospace ranked in third place at 7.5, down 0.4 from last year, followed by Honeywell and Lufthansa Technik each at 7.0.
Satcom Direct moved into first place in the airborne connectivity category, which AIN created last year to recognize this increasingly important segment. The company's overall average rose 0.2 from last year to reach 8.4. Gogo Business Aviation ranked second at 8.2, down from last year by 0.3, with Honeywell in third place with an overall average of 7.9, down 0.4 from last year. Collins Aerospace didn’t receive enough ratings in this category to be included this year.
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen has stepped up his defense of the use of business aviation as the industry has once again faced perception issues, this time for its sustainability. Bolen responded to a Bloomberg opinion piece that ran in The Washington Post calling for increased levies on business jets and curbs on shorter routes and “wasteful journeys.”
In a letter to the editor entitled “It’s Time to Stop Shaming an Essential Business Tool,” Bolen contended that the opinions set up a false debate on the value of business aviation. “Let’s get the facts on the table: business aviation is a critical component of our nation’s economy and transportation system, with important societal benefits and a strong momentum toward a net-zero carbon future,” he wrote. “Business aviation has, for decades, helped companies of all sizes—particularly small and midsize enterprises—gain key advantages in efficiency and productivity.”
The ability to use more than 5,000 airports helps businesses compete against larger city counterparts and fosters growth and economic opportunity, he maintained. Further, Bolen added, “Business aviation continually leads the way in emission reduction, thanks to a relentless investment in technologies that have slashed aircraft emissions nearly in half in recent decades.”
He also outlined business aviation’s goals of net-zero emissions for business aircraft by 2050 and efforts to accomplish this through sustainable aviation fuels and other carbon-cutting technologies.
Modern Aviation has completed its purchase of Sheltair’s New York City-area FBOs with the acquisition of its locations at Long Island Republic (KFRG) and Francis S. Gabreski (KFOK) airports. The deal was first announced in October 2021, and by this past March Modern had acquired the Sheltair bases at John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia, and Long Island MacArthur airports.
This latest transaction marks Sheltair’s complete divestiture in the Northeastern U.S., a move the country’s largest privately-owned FBO chain attributed to its growing focus in its home market of Florida and other regions.
“Modern Aviation’s team of professionals share our commitment to flight safety, service, and a corporate ethic that consistently puts customers first,” said Sheltair president Lisa Holland. “It should come as no surprise that they have retained our Farmingdale and West Hampton staff to ensure a seamless experience for passengers and pilots and a reputation for outstanding professionalism.”
The latest additions bring the rapidly expanding Modern Aviation network to 12 FBOs in the U.S. “We are excited to be closing on our last two acquisitions of Sheltair locations in New York,” noted Modern CEO Mark Carmen. “On behalf of our whole team, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new teammates and customers to the Modern Aviation family.”
Argus International has launched a new analytics service to help support business aviation companies and their strategic initiatives. Under Argus Analytics, the company provides one-on-one sessions with an analyst as part of a customer’s ClearView subscription.
“ClearView with Argus Analytics supports operators by giving them access to our global data via our ClearView dashboard, as well as our analytics specialists who are experts in capturing complex data streams and crafting them into valuable, meaningful reports,” the company said. Its analytics specialists publish monthly activity reports, in addition to midyear and annual reports.
Travis Kuhn, Argus’s senior v-p for international market intelligence, told AIN, “We have heard from various organizations, operators included, that they want the program but they do not have the in-house team to actually run reporting and analyze the data. Argus Analytics solves this problem as each subscriber will have a dedicated analyst available to help them with reporting, analysis, and interpretation on a monthly basis as part of their ClearView subscription. The end result will be a more encompassing user experience with data that allows them to achieve actionable results.”
Million Air Opens Up New Location in Jacksonville, FL
Million Air is excited to announce it is now operating at Jacksonville Cecil Spaceport (KVQQ), Jacksonville’s largest airport with the lowest fees in the region. Million Air has acquired the Jacksonville Jetport FBO, a 28.75-acre footprint on the field.
A lithium-ion battery pack erupted in flames inside a Beta Technologies shipping container at the eVTOL developer’s facilities near Burlington (Vermont) International Airport on Friday at approximately 12:30 p.m. EDT. Beta Technologies, which aims to have its all-electric Alia 250 in service in 2025, is working with the local fire department to determine what caused the fire.
“There were no injuries or damage to our current test equipment or aircraft and the fire was quickly extinguished,” a company spokesperson told AIN. “We are grateful to the first responders who arrived on the scene, and that the response plans and safety precautions we have in place worked effectively. An investigation into the root cause of the incident is underway.”
Beta said the fire started in a reassembled lithium-ion battery pack that had been stored in the shipping container while awaiting end-of-line testing. Because the reassembled battery pack had not yet been through the testing process, it had not been approved for flight, according to Beta. South Burlington fire marshal Terry Francis told local news outlet WCAX that the lithium-ion battery underwent a thermal runaway event.
In 2019, the company experienced another lithium-ion fire inside a storage container at the same facility, according to WCAX. Luminati Aerospace CEO Daniel Preston explained that just about every major eVTOL developer has experienced a fire caused by lithium-ion batteries.
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.
Yingling Aviation is seeing new business since joining the Fly Louie Alliance as one of its preferred FBOs. The FBO based at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport joined the network of more than 300 independent charter operators following contact between it and the network at the NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference earlier this year.
“We are always looking for ways to enhance the products and services we offer our customer base—and to expand it in ways that are mutually beneficial,” said Yingling FBO customer service manager Kathie Hampton. “This affiliation with the Fly Louie Alliance definitely meets that criterion by offering us direct exposure to more than 300 charter operators.”
The alliance was founded in September 2019 to offer cost savings and benefits to charter operators and FBOs such as fuel discounts, crew travel savings through WholesaleFlex, a group health insurance plan, and the Connect fleet networking initiative. “Fly Louie’s fuel program is an efficient and effective means of allowing us to leverage Yingling’s obvious assets for charter operators,” Hampton added. “We have an immaculate, modern facility that offers a full range of services and support, including an on-site restaurant at an airport that is centrally located in the heart of the country.”
Continuing its campaign to address workforce shortage issues, HAI recently participated in a roundtable that focused on ways to build on the success of the Utah Rotor Pathway Program and other means to help bolster interest in aviation careers. Organized by Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), the Aviation Workforce Development Roundtable recently held in Salt Lake City brought together helicopter operators, educators, and government stakeholders.
HAI created the Rotor Pathway Program to introduce the rotorcraft sector to students as a possible career. Utah was the first to establish the program, HAI said, adding that it has since met with officials in other states to help set up similar programs.
“Helping to find, or establish, federal resources for pathway programs would open doors for similar partnerships across the country,” the association said. “It helps the rotorcraft industry reach the next generation of pilots and maintenance technicians while still in high school.”
Under the program, students receive pilot and maintenance training, earn college credits, and are offered mentoring, internships, and job interviews. Some 32 high schools in the state participate and the number of industry partners continues to expand.
In addition, the roundtable looked at other ways to attract new workers to the sector and available government resources to support such efforts.
Premier Private Jets has expanded its business jet fleet with the addition of two Cessna Citation Ultras, the Stuart, Florida-based Part 135 operator announced this week. The Ultras join the company’s floating fleet of light and midsize jets that include the CitationJet, Citation Bravo, and Hawker 400XP and 800XP/850XP.
“Premier Private Jets continues to bring value by delivering a great flight experience for all our clients, and at reasonable prices,” said president and CEO Josh Birmingham. “This is the central focus of everyone on the Premier team. We are a small operator with a commitment to make every flight better and deliver safe and efficient service.”
Launched in 2013 following the acquisition of a dormant Part 135 certificate, Premier is also a Part 145 repair station with operations at Witham Field in Stuart and at Oakland International Airport in Waterford, Michigan.
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European aircraft management group Alliance Jet is expanding its fleet with the addition of a second Bombardier Challenger 605. By early 2023, the company expects to add more aircraft to a portfolio that already includes a Bombardier Global 6000 and Boeing 737.
The Malta-based company was founded in 2020 by Hans Cauchi, who also runs Hans Jet, which arranges flights using Pilatus PC-12 turboprop singles. In July 2021, seasoned business aviation executive Hervé Laitat joined AllianceJet as a co-shareholder and CEO to implement a strategy of providing highly personalized service to aircraft owners, mainly specializing in Bombardier, Gulfstream, and Dassault Falcon types.
“We’re committing not to grow to a fleet of more than 15 aircraft,” Laitat told AIN. “My philosophy is that you shouldn’t make promises to clients if you can’t give them the time.”
AllianceJet is now stepping up plans to judiciously grow a portfolio of privately-owned aircraft that it will manage and make available on the charter market. “We are promising a fully transparent relationship with our clients, boutique in the true sense of this word,” said Laitat.
With its VX4 eVTOL prototype nearing first flight, Vertical Aerospace is working with customers, including American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways, to plan how commercial services could launch in 2025. While much work remains to prepare infrastructure and operational processes, Vertical also must learn how to achieve anticipated high rates of production that could be aided through lessons from carmakers such as Ford and McLaren Automotive.
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