Airbus Testing Hybrid Propulsion on Flightlab Helo
Airbus is testing an engine backup system (EBS) that uses a 100-Kw electric motor to provide power for up to 30 seconds in the event of main turbine engine failure. According to Airbus, the motor is connected to the main gearbox and gives pilots extra time to react, maintain rotor speed, and enter a smoother autorotation.
The hybrid-propulsion is currently being tested on the company’s H130 turbine-single “Flightlab” in partnership with the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC). Current tests include simulated engine failure across a variety of conditions, including takeoff and landing.
Tests will also demonstrate performance increases from the electric motor input in terms of increased maximum takeoff weight that both compensates for the mass of the EBS and provides additional payload capabilities. Airbus Helicopters said the EBS is a “techno-brick” for future production aircraft and designed for serial production.
“The engine backup system is a good example of the incremental approach in our innovation strategy,” said Tomasz Krysinski, head of research and innovation at Airbus Helicopters. “We already foresee a second phase of the project with more energy and power onboard.” Krysinski said Airbus aims to develop a “fully parallel hybrid propulsion system” to optimize fuel consumption and enable hybrid-single-engine helicopter flights over urban areas.
Foley: Annual Bizjet Deliveries On Pace To Top 900
Annual business jet shipments could soon surpass 900 units for the first time since deliveries peaked in 2007 and 2008, according to industry analyst Brian Foley. He noted that airframers are seeing their orderbooks swell and backlogs grow thanks to a surge in demand for private aircraft spurred by the pandemic.
Foley noted that business jet usage has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels as people seek safer travel in Covid times, which has also led to a surge in first-time private jet users. Meanwhile, preowned busines jet inventory has been picked clean due to an all-time high in transactions and corporate customers who hunkered down are now ready to replace their aircraft,
“By the first half [of 2021] most OEMs were reporting new jet orders outpacing shipments by a two-to-one margin, fattening depleted backlogs and giving hope that the long lost go-go days of the early 2000s may finally be returning,” Foley said.
While business jet deliveries this year are expected to be flat at approximately 700 aircraft, he believes that OEMs will ramp up production rates as they “gain confidence that the increased demand is real.” In fact, Foley expects the production pace to ramp up starting in 2022 and last for several years, with the 900-business jet delivery plateau being reached in the 2024 to 2025 timeframe.
Blender’s Tax Credit Gains Steam on Capitol Hill
The concept of a blender's tax credit to boost the availability of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is gaining momentum with the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee agreeing last week to include such a measure in the House budget reconciliation proposal. Ways and Means approval as part of its package for the Build Back Better Act follows the endorsement by the White House of the measure.
The aviation industry has strongly supported adopting blender’s tax credits as a key tool to incentivize the production of SAF to help make it more affordable and accessible to general aviation.
The Ways and Means provision would have a blender’s tax measure take effect Jan. 1, 2023, providing a $1.25 per gallon credit for each gallon of SAF with a lifecycle greenhouse gas reduction of at least 50 percent compared with conventional fuel. The credit increases by one cent up to $1.75 per gallon for each percentage point that the emissions reduction exceeds 50 percent and would continue through the end of 2031, which NBAA said was important to attracting additional investment in SAF production.
“A long-term, refundable blenders tax credit as advanced by the Ways and Means Committee is a critical development to expand the production and availability of SAF, which will significantly reduce the aviation sector’s environmental footprint,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.
Dassault Aviation has expanded its facilities in Bordeaux-Mérignac with the inauguration today of a new 26,000-sq-m (280,000-sq-ft) plant that will house design, development, and after-sales support teams for both the French manufacturer’s civil and defense businesses. Dedication of the new building comes a little more than two years after the construction began in May 2019.
The facility houses 1,650 workstations, 24 modular collaborative workspaces, and nine project offices. In addition, it includes a Falcon Command Center, aircraft system test bench rooms, and a 268-seat auditorium. Built to the latest and most stringent environmental standards, the building incorporates smart lighting and energy management, solar panels, green roofs, heat recovery system, and power distribution integrated into the floor. Dassault further saw to the planting of 500 trees on the site.
The airframer said the new facility is designed to foster collaboration and enhanced development activities as it consolidates more activities near its production operations in Mérignac, which is in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. As part of the consolidation, the new building along with existing facilities will accommodate the defense customer support, Falcon aircraft services, industrial operations, procurements, and design office teams. The design office will remain in Saint- Cloud.
Safer Training Through High-Tech Reality Replication
Safely preparing a crew for whatever anomalies the aircraft or nature may bring is best done in a full flight simulator—the more realistic, the better. Through continuous improvement and technology innovation, FlightSafety continues to provide the most realistic simulator training available for the business and private aviation market.
Today at Airbus's sustainability summit in Toulouse, France, the manufacturer unveiled a design for a fixed-wing CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL with a V-shaped tail and eight sets of electric motors and propellers. An engineering team led by Airbus Helicopters is working on the detailed design for the model, with the aim of achieving a first flight with a prototype in 2023, en route to type certification in 2025 under EASA’s Special Conditions-VTOL rules. It will carry up to four passengers on flights of up to 80 km (50 miles) and at speeds of 120 km/h (75 mph).
“We are on a quest to co-create an entirely new market that sustainably integrates urban air mobility into the cities while addressing environmental and social concerns,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even. He acknowledged that the real challenges are wide, spanning urban integration, public acceptance, and automated air traffic management, as well as vehicle technology and business models. “We build on all of the capabilities to deliver a safe, sustainable, and fully integrated service to society,” Even noted.
Because of the urban mission, low noise levels are essential. CityAirbus's design calls for sound levels below 65 dB(A) during flyover and below 70 dB(A) during landing. Airbus said the design is optimized for efficiency in hover and cruise flight, without having any moving surfaces or tilting parts to handle this transition.
Massachusetts Senate Tables $1,000 Landing Fee Bill
A proposed bill in the Massachusetts state Senate that would have established a $1,000 landing fee for general aviation in the state has been grounded. Sen. Julian Cyr (D), sponsor of the legislation, told AIN, “The state’s Committee on Transportation reported the bill to study on September 2, which effectively means it will not be advancing any further in this legislative session.”
Before being tabled, Cyr said he planned to extensively revise the measure when it came before the relevant committee. The fee was proposed ostensibly to reduce carbon emissions generated by what he sees as “luxury aircraft owned by the ultra-wealthy.” From feedback he received from aviation advocates, it’s “clear that more exemptions should be included, such as prorating the fee based on the size of the aircraft,” Cyr told AIN.
NBAA opposed the bill, pointing out that the aviation industry has set aggressive climate goals and has made significant investments in sustainable aviation fuel. The association also contended that the proposal violates federal law. “Grant-obligated airports must keep the revenue from landing fees for airport funding, and the proposed bill aimed to direct money to another fund,” NBAA said.
Transport Canada Publishes New Aviation Safety Program
In accordance with the recommendations in Annex 19 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Transport Canada has published a state safety program (SSP). Annex 19, Safety Management, was originally released in 2013 and contains the basis for an SSP intended for adoption by the organization’s member countries.
Canada’s SSP follows ICAO guidance very closely, grouping its components into four categories: safety policy; safety risk management; safety quality assurance; and safety promotion. The plan is designed to apply to all private and commercial operators, maintenance personal and facilities, flight and ground training companies, airframe and component manufacturers, and airport operations.
One of the most important elements of the SSP is its emphasis on operators having a safety management system (SMS). Over the last decade, Transport Canada has been applying SMS requirements to segments of its regulated companies in the aviation, marine, and rail sectors.
While Canada strives to be compliant with Annex 19 requirements, the SSP concedes that “more work is needed to support SMS adoption by other [than commercial] operators” even though many have voluntarily adopted SMS programs. Currently, SMSs are required for airline, commuter, and most air taxi operators, but are only recommended for private aircraft operators.
XO Enhances Member Benefits, Charter Fleet Access
On-demand charter provider XO is enhancing benefits for members and improving their access to its fleet, Dubai-based parent Vista Global Holding announced today. Specifically, XO’s Signature Access members will receive 4 percent back in loyalty credits and Select Access members will receive 2 percent back in loyalty credits on all flights booked on the more than 180 managed and owned aircraft in its dedicated fleet, except for the Bombardier Global 7500.
That fleet has expanded to include aircraft operated globally by sister company VistaJet and Talon Air in addition to XO’s North American fleet of light, midsize, and super-midsize jets. XO noted that its own fleet has seen recent growth with the addition of Cessna Citation Excels in North America and Citation XLSs in Europe.
“XO is taking the lead of the strong resurgence in global demand by expanding further its services for new and existing members worldwide, adding more aircraft and even more benefits,” said Vista Global founder and chairman Thomas Flohr.
Count on AIN for Full Coverage of NBAA-BACE
As ever, you can count on AIN for full coverage of NBAA-BACE 2021. Our team will publish three of our award-winning daily NBAA Convention News editions at the show on October 12, 13, and 14. We will also have comprehensive real-time reporting of all the top news at AINonline.com and in our daily e-newsletters. If you are an exhibiting company that wants to share news or propose pre-show interviews and briefings please contact show editor Chad Trautvetter.
People in Aviation
Bill Darbe joined L2 Aviation as director of business development. Darbe has more than 30 years of avionics-related sales experience, including as v-p of sales for Satcom Direct and director of aftermarket sales for Gogo.
ACC Aviation named Julian Aldana to lead up its newly formed technical services division as v-p of technical sales. Aldana has 16 years of aviation technical experience, most recently as technical manager Americas for IBA Group, as well as related roles with airlines such as Etihad, Air Berlin, and Swiss.
Elite Jets added seven aviation professionals to its growing team. Jhon Arias, who joined Elite as an Embraer Phenom 300 first officer, previously was a pilot-on-call for business executives in Naples and has experience as a mission pilot, maintenance officer, and IT officer for the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary. Rick Castellon, a Phenom 300 first officer, is a former commercial and cargo pilot and also has experience flying the Piaggio Avanti and Cessna Citation II. David Shnipes, Embraer Legacy 500 and Hawker 850XP captain, has 8,000 hours total time, most recently as a captain for a Florida-based private aviation company. Teresa Parry, manager of client services, previously spent 25 years with Procter & Gamble in travel services and most recently was a corporate and leisure air specialist in Naples. Dave Smith, director of quality assurance, previously was general manager for a company specializing in helicopter and engine parts. John Westbrook, executive charter consultant, has 20 years of private aviation experience in sales, operations, owner services, and client services. And Chad Yarnell, line crew technician, is a former lead mechanic at a flight school.
Jet East hired David Grup to serve as v-p of sales. Grup, a former member of the U.S. Navy search and rescue team, has held maintenance roles with companies including Stevens Aviation and Textron Aviation, and most recently was regional sales director for Constant Aviation.
West Star promoted Toliver Lasswell to Embraer project manager at its East Alton, Illinois facility. Lasswell has more than 10 years of aviation experience, including seven with West Star beginning in line services and then as an aviation maintenance technician.
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