Signature Announces Permanent SAF Supplies at Two FBOs

Ahead of the start of the inaugural Sustainable Business Aviation Fuels Summit today, Signature Flight Support launched its Signature Renew industry sustainability program, including agreements with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provider Neste and private jet operator NetJets.

The deal with Neste calls for Signature to purchase five million gallons of SAF, which will be used to establish permanent supplies of the environmentally-friendly fuel at its FBOs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and at the UK’s London Luton Airport (EGGW). Customers purchasing SAF at Signature SFO will take advantage of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) tax incentive programs, while those at EGGW can reduce carbon offsetting needs for the EU’s ETS. The SAF purchase agreement is the largest by an FBO provider to date.

“Signature is undertaking a momentous step that enables the widescale adoption of SAF,” said COO Tony Lefebvre. “Prior to establishing a permanent supply of SAF, FBOs have only been able to provide a few thousand gallons at one time, typically by request of an individual aircraft operator or for a one-off event.” He added that the company aims to have the world’s first 100 percent sustainably-supplied FBO in the first quarter of 2021.

Also announced, NetJets will be the launch customer for Signature-supplied SAF at SFO, committing to purchase up to three million gallons in a non-exclusive agreement.

Covid Crisis Spurs $2B Plunge in 1H20 Genav Billings

All sectors of general aviation experienced a downturn in the first half of the year as the hurdles associated with the Covid-19 pandemic led to a 20 percent drop in total billings—a full $2 billion less than the same span a year ago—according to statistics released today by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

Business jet deliveries for the half were down by 26.7 percent year-over-year, declining from 333 in the first six months of 2019 to 244 in the same period this year, while turboprops experienced even worse erosion, with deliveries dropping to 152 after airframers handed over 231 in the first half of last year, a 34.2 percent decline.

In the rotorcraft segment, turbine-powered helicopter deliveries were off by 37 percent.

“It should come as no surprise to anyone that the Covid-19 pandemic severely impacted the general aviation industry and its global operations in the second quarter,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “With facilities conducting operations in a ‘new normal’ work environment, what has been very encouraging is that the supply chain has begun to stabilize and robust screening procedures and innovative work station Covid-19 mitigation protocols have resulted in very few virus transmission incidents.”

Wheels Up Unveils Orange King Air To Fight Hunger

Wheels Up and OEM Textron Aviation today unveiled a Beechcraft 350i with an orange livery to recognize the private aviation provider’s Meals Up initiative with Feeding America. Announced in March, Meals Up is a campaign to provide meals to those facing hunger during the Covid-19 pandemic and so far has raised the equivalent of 47 million in meals for Feeding America’s network of 200 food banks across the country. September is also Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month.

In addition to donating the painting of Wheels Up’s orange King Air, Textron Aviation is making a monetary donation for the equivalent of 500,000 meals. “We are grateful to Ron Draper and Textron Aviation for once again donating the design and livery of the orange plane to shine a light on this important cause,” said Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter.

The orange King Air will be part of Wheels Up’s permanent fleet and serve as a symbol to raise awareness of food insecurity and the work by Feeding America and its member food banks. “Wheels Up has been a steadfast partner to Feeding America,” said Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot. “We thank them for their continued contributions and for helping us rally the nation to end hunger in our communities.”

Aerion, Honeywell Progress on AS2 Avionics

Aerion Supersonic is continuing a flurry of activity as it strives to bring its Mach 1.4 AS2 business jet to market later this decade, working through the joint definition phase for the avionics and connectivity suites with Honeywell Aerospace.

While still under development, Aerion gave an outline of plans for the next-generation display system, which will feature intuitive symbology, advanced communication and navigation systems, and flight guidance and management systems. A key aspect is the avionics must support supersonic flight and Aerion’s Boomless Cruise technology, which will enable both transonic and supersonic flight with reduced noise. In addition, the aircraft will feature the latest in Honeywell’s connectivity offerings, including the Forge platform.

“Honeywell Aerospace is the definitive leader in cutting-edge avionics technology, and we are delighted to continue our long-standing collaboration,” said Tom Vice, Aerion CEO, chairman, and president. “We appreciate the considerable investment in resources that Honeywell has made in our program, and we look forward to continued collaboration as we work with our global supply team to bring the AS2 into production.”

The Aerion/Honeywell collaboration began in 2018—still in the “formative” stages of the program. By coming on board early into the preliminary design work, Honeywell is able to help shape the future suite, Aerion said.

BBGA Webinar To Explore Brexit Issues

The British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) is assembling key government and industry leaders for a webinar next week that will delve into “all matters” surrounding Brexit. To be held on September 22 and open to the public, the 90-minute webinar will explore how the industry will adapt and the extent that government assistance is needed.

Richard Koe, managing director of WingX, will provide an introduction, including an overview of UK business aviation and scheduled airline outlook. Aoife O'Sullivan, a partner in The Air Law Firm, will give a legal perspective of what the industry is facing leading up to December 31, while Adrian Jones, chartered tax adviser and aviation specialist with Martyn Fiddler Aviation, will discuss tax implications.

Other speakers, covering a range of regulatory, business, operational, and other concerns, include SaxonAir CEO Alex Durand; BBGA CEO Marc Bailey; David Harding, deputy director of general aviation, safety, and skills for the UK Department for Transport; and Rob Bishton, director of safety and airspace regulation, and David Kendrick, head of airline licensing, both for the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

Curtain To Drop on NATA’s Legacy Safety 1st Program

With the sunset for Adobe’s Flash Player set for the end of 2020, NATA has released the schedule for the retirement of its legacy Safety 1st training program, which uses Flash Player, as it moves to fully transition to the new Safety 1st Training Center (SFTC). NATA launched the digital version of its Professional Line Service Training course in 2008 as part of Safety 1st online, moving it from a video cassette-based program. Since then, it has been used at more than 1,600 locations worldwide.

The organization launched the SFTC last year as a comprehensive learning management platform to provide aviation businesses with the tools and flexibility needed to improve operational safety and performance. It provides unlimited-use training for one annual fixed payment, regardless of employee turnover. NATA continues to expand the center’s available information catalog, having recently added courses on fuel quality control and customer service.

By the end of this month, no new companies will be added to the legacy program, and the purchase of new “seats” for existing customers will be halted on October 31.  All registered students in the legacy program must complete their assignments by year-end. The legacy system will remain active only for record management by company administrators until June 1, 2023.

Garmin Adds Features to Excel/XLS G5000 Retrofit

Garmin has added new options and features to the G5000 integrated flight deck retrofit upgrade for the Citation Excel/XLS. The new software-enabled features include stabilized approach monitoring, steep approach certification, and reactive windshear detection, as well as optional takeoff and landing data (TOLD) calculations.

New hardware approvals for these retrofitted aircraft include the Garmin AHRS, GRA 5500 radar altimeter, and the GTS 8000 TCAS II—all of which addresses third-party product obsolescence for these aircraft, Garmin said. In addition, CPDLC datalink message recording is now supported with an upgraded L3 cockpit voice recorder.

Besides new installations, the software features are also available for existing G5000 installs in these twinjets via a software upgrade. The G5000 integrated flight deck upgrade and new optional hardware for the Excel/XLS is available from Textron Aviation Service Centers and select Garmin-authorized dealers.

“Given the success and demand of the G5000 integrated flight deck upgrade in the Citation Excel and Citation XLS, we’re excited to introduce new features that will add significant capability to this upgrade,” said Garmin v-p of aviation sales and marketing Carl Wolf. “With the G5000, owners and operators receive zero-time avionics that yield a lower cost of operation, along with situational awareness tools that streamline cockpit operations, all of which make the G5000 upgrade in these popular aircraft an absolute must.”

AIN Webinar: New Trends in Aircraft Interiors

Please join us on September 23 as AIN editor-in-chief Matt Thurber moderates an in-depth discussion on the latest trends in business aircraft interiors and lighting design. Featuring Aircraft Lighting International general manager Shervin Rezaie and West Star Aviation paint and interior designer Veta C. Traxler, this webinar will help business aircraft owners and operators planning interior refurbishments to make aesthetic choices for upcoming upgrades. Register now for this free webinar.