The UK’s Aviation Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) has issued a special bulletin containing a recommendation calling on Bombardier to inform 600-series Challenger operators of actions to take in the event of an uncommanded flap deployment in flight. This stems from the agency’s ongoing investigation of an August 10 incident in which a German-registered Challenger 604 experienced an uncommanded flap extension above the maximum flaps-extended speed. The event occurred while the jet was climbing after departing Farnborough Airport, where it returned and landed safely.
Testing identified that one of the two motor-retract relays was not working properly. The fault with the No. 1 retract relay meant the No. 1 motor continued to operate and the wingtip brakes did not engage. Consequently, the flaps continued to extend uncommanded at half speed until they reached the limit stop. Further, the uncommanded flap movement protection system did not work.
The pilots received a master caution warning of flaps failure, but there is no annunciation for a failed relay. During the aircraft’s 64 previous flights recorded on the FDR since July 4, flap retraction occurred at half-normal speed.
According to the AAIB, it is possible “that other aircraft in the fleet may be operating with a similar latent failure that could render the uncommanded flap movement protection system ineffective.” Bombardier is expected to issue an advisory wire addressing the issue next month.
Vertical Aerospace president Michael Cervenka warned that unless the U.S. and Europe can align on policy, regulation, and global collaboration, neither will be able to take a leadership role in advanced air mobility (AAM). Instead, Asia will emerge as a leader, Cervenka told attendees yesterday at the Honeywell Air Mobility Summit 2022 in Washington, D.C.
“The megatrend, the biggest market opportunities will be in Asia and that’s where we will end up putting our focus,” he said. Cervenka addressed comments made throughout the day surrounding what was necessary to help make AAM a reality and how the U.S. can take a leadership role in those efforts.
Noting he had been in the eVTOL space for seven years, Cervenka said he has seen “this world go from hype” to where “people are no longer questioning, ‘Is this going to happen. Is it real?'” Now people are asking how can it be done safely, he said. “From our perspective, this is absolutely an ecosystem and a collaboration that is going to make it happen.”
As far as U.S leadership in the market, he noted that while it is a really important market, it represents about 20 percent of the forecast for future eVTOLs. “So, if the U.S. wants to lead, it needs to take a really global perspective.”
Sheltair simultaneously christened its second large-cabin-jet hangar and broke ground on three more aircraft shelters at its Denver Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (KBJC) FBO, the aircraft services chain announced today.
The company's just-completed $12 million Hangar B has 30,240 sq ft of space and a 28-foot-high door opening, making it suitable to house ultra-long-range jets such as the Gulfstream G650 and Bombardier Global Express. Sheltair also added overhead radiant heaters, high-volume fans, and four utility stations with power, water, and compressed air hookups for comfort and convenience.
The Hangar B complex also has 6,324 sq ft of office and support space, designed as six leasable areas served by common area with a lobby, kitchen, and restrooms. Outside, it added 48,000 sq ft of ramp and 94 vehicle parking spaces, 16 of which are covered. Electric vehicle charging stations are also available for Sheltair customers.
Meanwhile, Sheltair’s next development project at KBJC will add three hangars totaling 52,000 sq ft for aircraft storage and 3,700 sq ft of office space. Parking for 56 vehicles and 67,856 sq ft of new ramp space will also be constructed. The company expects this project to be finished in first-quarter 2024.
Kittyhawk, the eVTOL technology innovator launched by Google co-founder Larry Page and senior Google executive Sebastian Thrun, is closing its doors. The California-based company, which since 2010 has been working on a variety of new electric and autonomous aircraft, announced via Twitter late yesterday that it has “made the decision to wind down” and that it is “still working on what’s next.”
The venture’s most current project has been the Heaviside autonomous eVTOL vehicle that last year received military airworthiness approval from the U.S. Air Force. Under the service’s Agility Prime program, the aircraft was being evaluated for potential military applications. Emergency medical support group Falck also was exploring how it might adapt Heaviside for first-response use to treat critically injured patients.
Kittyhawk is also the joint owner with Boeing of eVTOL aircraft developer Wisk Aero, which was established in 2019. The company did not respond to AIN’s inquiries about whether it will stay involved in Wisk’s plans to bring a four-seat autonomous eVTOL vehicle to market.
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.
Million Air Opens 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.
NBAA has scheduled 18 safety-related presentations during the week of NBAA-BACE 2022 next month in Orlando, Florida, as it aims to help operators build a preventative safety culture through data analysis and best practices, the organization said. Scheduled from October 17 to 20, sessions will provide strategies for identifying and mitigating risks involved in common accidents, ways to support mental health awareness, and means to tailor safety management systems to different types of operations.
NBAA’s National Safety Forum will take place in an expanded format throughout the week to encourage wider participation. A number of government leaders, including National Transportation Safety Board members and other regulators, also will discuss safety objectives, and a Department of Energy aviation safety summit will be co-located during BACE week. Further, the Single-Pilot Safety Standdown is scheduled for October 17.
“Business aviation’s commitment to constantly refining best operating practices is reflected in the robust NBAA-BACE safety program, which will deliver important perspectives on the latest strategies and technology for preventative safety,” said NBAA director of safety and flight operations Mark Larsen.
Modern Aviation has completed its acquisition of the Elliott Aviation FBO assets and operations at Iowa’s Des Moines International Airport, bringing Modern’s FBO network to 13 locations in the U.S. and its territories. Elliott will continue to operate a maintenance, repair, and overhaul business at the airfield.
The Des Moines FBO, which marks Modern’s first location in the Midwest, operates on a 17-acre leasehold and includes an 8,700-sq-ft passenger terminal with conference rooms, workstations, sleep rooms, lounge areas, and crew cars. In addition, there is a 145,000-sq-ft heated hangar and 20,000 sq ft of office space.
“We are very excited about our new operation in Des Moines,” said Modern Aviation CEO Mark Carmen. “Elliott Aviation has a long history of providing outstanding customer service to its customers through its highly experienced and long-tenured employees, all of whom have joined Modern.”
According to Elliott Aviation president Greg Sahr, divesting the FBO will allow the company “to focus our efforts and investment on growing our MRO business across our geographic footprint.”
GlobalAir has developed a scam reports system to ferret out bad actors posing to buy an aircraft. The system evaluates questionable people or companies showing interest in an aircraft through a database that allows brokers to input names, email addresses, telephone numbers, companies, and the scam that’s being pushed.
The system is free and accessible to any professional aircraft broker or firm with a GlobalAir account and login. “We are a first in the aviation industry to identify this problem and develop a universal solution that can be used by all professional aircraft brokerage firms,” said GlobalAir president and CEO Jeffrey Carrithers.
Scam reporting is the latest tool developed by GlobalAir to deter scams, email spam, and viruses. The Louisville, Kentucky-based company also has internal systems that locate and remove suspicious people and companies that submit inquiries on the aircraft for sale section of GlobalAir’s website. Scam prevention begins with checking all email addresses through an automatic verification process. Analytics staff also watch for patterns that show deliberate signs of deceiving the system. That’s followed up by GlobalAir notifying those who have been contacted by the scam artist.
“These countless illegal submissions cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in scams each year, not counting the amount of time and energy the brokerage industry puts into researching a person,” Carrithers said.
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada announced yesterday that it will construct a manufacturing complex in Wheatland County, Alberta, about 30 minutes east of Calgary. Named De Havilland Field, the 15-acre site will serve as the final assembly for the DHC-515 Firefighter aircraft launched earlier this year, DHC-6 Twin Otter, and Dash 8-400, the latter two of which the company is working to bring back into production.
The location will encompass an aircraft assembly facility, runway, parts manufacturing and distribution centers, and a maintenance, repair, and overhaul center. Educational space for workforce training, general office buildings, and a De Havilland Canada aircraft museum also will be features of the site.
De Havilland Field will complement the company’s parts manufacturing facilities in Victoria, British Columbia, and an engineering and customer support center of excellence in Toronto, Ontario.
The company estimates that De Havilland Field will provide 1,500 jobs once it’s fully operational. Construction is expected to begin in 2023, once the process of rezoning the property and other government approvals are completed. De Havilland officials said the full build-out of the site will likely take 10 to 15 years, though they hope the first buildings will be operational by 2025.
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As ever, you can count on AIN for full coverage of NBAA-BACE 2022. Our team will publish three of our award-winning daily NBAA Convention News editions at the show on October 18, 19, and 20. 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.
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