Engineering and Modifications Icon James Raisbeck Dies

James Raisbeck, who had an aviation career spanning 67 years and made his mark for his engineering and aircraft modifications expertise, died August 31 at the age of 84. Raisbeck founded his Seattle-based business Raisbeck Engineering in 1973 and designed modifications that have been incorporated on thousands of aircraft.  

“James was an iconic figure in the aviation industry, best known for King Air modifications, but his influence reached well beyond that segment of the market,” said Rick Nagel, managing partner of Acorn Growth Companies, which acquired Raisbeck Engineering in 2016. “The entire Acorn and Raisbeck teams will miss his unwavering passion for the aerospace sector and are deeply saddened with his loss."

Raisbeck’s aviation career began in 1954 in the U.S. Air Force. He subsequently obtained an aeronautical engineering degree from Purdue University in 1961 and joined Boeing, where he helped design a trailing-edge flap system for the 707. Raisbeck left the manufacturing giant in 1969 and became president and chief engineer of the Robertson Aircraft Corporation, famed for the Robertson short takeoff and landing kits used on general aviation aircraft.

Raisbeck subsequently launched his own company that perhaps is most known for its Beechcraft King Air modifications. The company estimates that 64 percent of the more than 6,200 King Airs are equipped with at least one of its modifications. In addition, Raisbeck developed modifications for other aircraft, including Sabreliners, Learjets, Airbuses, and Boeings.

IBAC To Offer Carbon Credit Exchange Program

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has teamed up with Carbon Trade eXchange (CTX) to provide a means for business aviation operators to voluntarily purchase carbon credits to offset CO2 emissions. Through the alliance, the business aviation organization will offer a real-time, electronic IBAC Carbon Credit Exchange program.

Exchange participants can choose from a range of offset projects that have been certified under The Gold Standard, the UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), or the Verra Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).

IBAC noted that market-based measures are among the options available to help the industry achieve its goal of carbon-neutral growth and can be used in the near term as a supplement to other sustainability efforts underway such as operational improvements and the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

“Operators should first assess the degree to which further fuel efficiencies and emissions reductions can be gained, at reasonable expense, from new technology, enhancements, and the use of SAF,” said Bruce Parry, IBAC environment director. The remaining impact could then be offset, he said. 

IBAC director-general Kurt Edwards added that the organization chose CTX based on its experience in the market and transparent business model. “Their fixed-fee transactions allow 95 percent of the funds collected to go directly to accredited projects,” Edwards noted.

On Air Dining Sees Rebound after Investment, Expansion

UK-based private aviation caterer and concierge On Air Dining (OAD) has seen a quick rebound in pre-pandemic lockdown revenue because of additional investment and personnel at its Farnborough and Stansted airport operations. The investment and efficiency initiatives OAD undertook during the Covid-19 lockdown have doubled the company’s month-over-month revenue and increased market share, according to OAD.

Believing Farnborough would recover quickly from the pandemic, OAD CEO Daniel Hulme expanded the kitchen team there, invested in its infrastructure, and opened an on-site On Air Café in coordination with the airport. Through the launch of the café, OAD has been able to respond to the post-lockdown influx of flights, as well as serve flight crews, staff, and tenants at Farnborough.

At Stansted, OAD began the work of relocating its operations from the Diamond Hangar to Inflite Jet Center, where it is nearing completion of expanding its kitchen space and invested in a full refit of the kitchen. The move put OAD in a better spot at Stansted for customers while the bigger kitchen will improve support for widebody aircraft catering.

“Taking advantage of the slowdown in movements to make improvements across both sites is now proving invaluable,” Hulme said. “I…feel we are better positioned for continued growth in the post-recovery market.”

Milestone Leasing Three AW139s to Thai Aviation

Helicopter lessor Milestone Aviation Group will lease three Leonardo AW139 intermediate twins to Thai Aviation Services (TAS) to support a multi-year oil and gas contract recently awarded to the Thailand-based offshore helicopter operator and partner Helistar. According to Milestone, the three helicopters will be delivered in February 2022 and be based in Malaysia.

The helicopters will operate from U-Tapao International Airport and Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport in support of oil and gas production and exploration activities in the Gulf of Thailand, including the territorial waters of Thailand’s neighboring countries, such as Cambodia and Malaysia. TAS’s fleet also comprises Sikorsky S-61N, S-76 A++, S-76 C+, S-76 C++, S76D, and S-92 helicopters.

“We are delighted to expand the TAS fleet with the agreement to lease these three AW139 helicopters from Milestone,” said TAS managing director Suwanawat Koeworakul. “TAS’s existing relationship with Milestone is strengthened by the addition of these aircraft. The three AW139s will help us meet our obligations in providing…offshore service for our customers in Thailand with our partner Helistar in Malaysia.”

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.

Air Charter Expo To Consider State of the Industry

The Air Charter Expo next week at London Biggin Hill Airport will feature a full conference program assessing the current and future state of the industry. The September 14 event will feature at least 14 business aircraft on static display and is the first in-person business aviation trade show in the UK since early 2020.

The morning conference is organized by the Air Charter Association and will open with a keynote address by chairman Kevin Ducksbury. Four sessions will focus on the impact of the Covid pandemic, a new charter broker training program, an update on European Union operations post-Brexit, and illegal charter. There will also be a special presentation by Dassault on its new Falcon 6X and 10X jets.

In the afternoon, the Green Charter 2021 conference will assess new electric aircraft technology and how operations can become more environmentally sustainable. Speakers will include representatives from VoltAero, Faradair, Tecnam, Vertical Aerospace, Air BP, Luxaviation, 4Air, and Collins Aerospace. The sessions will be moderated by AIN senior editor Charles Alcock, who produces the FutureFlight.aero platform focusing on new aviation technologies and business models.

The Air Charter Expo will also feature around 50 exhibiting companies.

FAA: Laser Strikes on Aircraft Increasing

Although shining a laser at aircraft is against federal and state laws and may result in civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation and up to $30,800 for multiple incidents, the frequency of laser events is increasing. This is according to a newly released FAA interactive webpage detailing data from more than 57,800 reported incidents between 2010 to 2020.

The FAA said that despite greatly reduced flying hours in 2020 due to the pandemic, pilots reported 6,852 laser strikes last year versus 6,136 in 2019. In addition, the number of incidents reported last year was the highest annual total in a decade since the peak of 7,383 reported in 2016.

The agency also revealed that there have been nearly 200 reports by flight crews of injuries resulting from laser strikes between 2010 and 2020. According to the data, about one of every four laser strikes occur below 3,000 feet agl.

California led the nation by far, with 11,198 incident reports over the last decade. Texas, which came in second, had just 5,802 reported events between 2010 and 2020. On a per capita basis, Hawaii averaged 64 events per 100,000 people over the 10-year period. Meanwhile, the FAA has issued $600,000 in civil penalties since 2016, which includes $120,000 imposed so far this year.

Canada Prohibiting Passenger Flights from Morocco

Canada has some of the strictest Covid-19 travel and border measures in the world and is continuing to take a risk-based and measured approach to reopening its borders. The latest such action is the restriction of direct public, private, and charter flights from Morocco to Canada.

“An increase in Covid-19 positive test results has been observed in travelers arriving in Canada from Morocco over the past month,” said Transport Canada. Consequently, a notam has been published that restricts all direct commercial and private passenger flights to Canada from Morocco until September 30, it added.

This prohibition does not apply to cargo operations, medical transfers, ferry flights, flight crew repatriation, technical stops where passengers do not disembark, and aircraft safety situations.

Transport Canada is also amending its regularly updated Covid-19 interim order requirements related to third-country pre-departure virus tests to include travelers to Canada from Morocco via an indirect route. “This means that passengers who depart Morocco to Canada, via an indirect route, will be required to obtain a valid Covid-19 pre-departure test from a third country—other than Morocco—before continuing their journey to Canada.”

SE Asia Buyer Orders Two JB12 JetPacks

JetPack Aviation has booked the first order for its VTOL JB12 JetPack, which is powered by six turbojet engines, each producing 88 pounds of thrust. JetPack Aviation has been developing its manned JetPack VTOL devices for many years in Southern California. The undisclosed Southeast Asian customer is paying $800,000 for two JB12 JetPacks.

The JB12 weighs 105 pounds and is similar in appearance to the JB11, although the JB12 is a classified version. The six turbojet engines are mounted on a wearable frame, with three engines on each side. Directional control is provided by vectoring each engine’s thrust, via a thrust-management computer system that essentially provides fly-by-wire flight control. A JB12 pilot will be able to hover and maneuver in any direction and also fly up to 120 mph.

In addition to the JB12, the company is developing the Speeder “flying motorcycle.” Both the Speeder and JB12 could enable unique military and special mission capabilities, according to JetPack Aviation.

The first full-scale Speeder prototype, P1, has completed flight trials, and the next version P1.5, should fly later this year. Data from those flights will be used to optimize the design of P2, and this version should fly in the first half of 2022, in preparation for production versions. JetPack Aviation is now preparing letters of intent and taking preorders for the production version of the Speeder.