Aviation International News May 2024

EXPERT OPINION: WHY PILOTS SHOULD EMBRACE AUTONOMY

LEGACY TAILS: BOMBARDIER'S WIDEBODY PIONEER

ROUNDTABLE: EXPERTS TAKE ON WORKFORCE ISSUES

SAFETY: FAA TACKLING SERIOUS CONTROLLER SHORTAGE

Mx Moves into the Future

Technology is driving big changes in aircraft maintenance

6 Globe-girdling Gulfstream G700 gets FAA green light

8 Bombardier, Gulfstream pass on exhibiting at EBACE

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Last Downsview Global 7500 rolls of the production line

Business jet accidents and fatalities double in first quarter

Legacy Tails: Canadair Challenger, a widebody pioneer

AIN Roundtable: Industry leaders take on workforce issues

the way for a controller ramp-up

guidance provides compliance path for European ramp checks

Today we recommit ourselves to shaping the future of flight as GE Aerospace, an independent publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. A new era begins now.

Globe-girdling Gulfstream G700 gets FAA green light

BY CHAD TRAUTVETTER

Gulfstream’s flagship G700 finally crossed the finish line, the Savannah, Georgia-based company announced on March 29. The 7,750-nm twinjet earned its FAA stripes after more than two years of delays largely stemming from more intense certification reviews established in the wake of the Boeing Max debacle. Amstat data shows that Gulfstream has produced 53 G700s, including an anticipated 46 that the company will soon start delivering to customers.

In September, Gulfstream announced that the G700’s range grew to 7,750 nm at Mach 0.85 and 6,650 nm at Mach 0.90, up 250 nm at both speeds from previous projections. FAA certification also confirmed two additional performance improvements: a balanced field length takeoff distance of 5,995 feet (1,827 meters) and a landing distance of 3,150 feet.

The G700 is equipped with an air-purification system that delivers 100 percent fresh cabin air and has a cabin altitude of 2,840 feet at 41,000 feet, “the lowest cabin altitude in the industry,” Gulfstream said.

“We have successfully completed the most rigorous certification program in company history with the G700,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “The G700 brings a new level of performance and cabin comfort to business aviation and is doing so while meeting the highest certification standards our industry has ever seen…I am proud and excited to begin our G700 customer deliveries.”

Just days after certification, Gulfstream also received its production certificate (PC) and an STC for the twinjet’s cabin interior and cabin air purification system.

“Receiving these additional clearances so quickly on the heels of FAA type certification showcases how mature the G700 program is,” Burns added. “Thanks to the investments made in advanced manufacturing and interior innovations, operators will benefit from the industry-leading quality, fit, and finish of the G700.”

Certification of the G700’s shorter sibling, the G800, is expected to follow by year-end. z

ROLLS - ROYCE ’ S PEARL 10X ENGINE TAKES FLIGHT

Rolls-Royce last month began flight testing its Pearl 10X turbofan that will power the Dassault Falcon 10X. The 18,000-poundthrust engine is being flown on Rolls-Royce’s Boeing 747-200 testbed in Tucson, Arizona. According to Rolls, the engine will undergo performance and handling checks at a range of speeds and altitudes, in-flight relights, trials of the nacelle’s anti-icing system, and fan vibration assessments. Flight trials come as the program has accumulated more than 2,300 test hours, including both on its Advance2 core demonstrator and the Pearl 10X, which uses the Advance2 engine core.

BOMBARDIER ADDS CL650 ENVIRONMENTAL DECLARATION

Bombardier has published an environmental product declaration (EPD) for the Challenger 650 and now has one in place for its full suite of in-production aircraft. An EPD provides an analysis of the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle. Bombardier paved new ground in the business jet sector with the initial EPD it secured for the Global 7500 in 2020.

DAHER ON TRACK FOR HYBRIDELECTRIC AIRPLANE IN 2027

Daher will begin the conceptual design phase later this year of a hybrid-electric TBM model, aviation division senior v-p Nicolas Chabbert said last month at the 2024 Sun ’n Fun Expo. The end product will be influenced by the TBM 940-based EcoPulse technology demonstrator now being tested in partnership with Safran and Airbus. Chabbert announced the hybrid-electric model last year, pledging to have it in service in 2027. To date, EcoPulse has performed 14 “e-flights”using its six 50-kilowatt electric power units, the turbogenerator, and six electric thrusters installed along the wing—since November 10.

The Gulfstream G700 received FAA approval on March 29, 2024.

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Bombardier, Gulfstream pass on exhibiting at EBACE

BY KERRY LYNCH

EBACE will look a little different this year with two of the heavyweights in the business aviation market, Bombardier and Gulfstream, deciding not to exhibit. However, the annual show—to be held May 28 to 30 in Geneva—will sport its first eVTOL vehicle on static display, from VoltAero, and have a focus on hydrogen as well as electric propulsion, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said. He further told AIN that all of the other aircraft manufacturers that traditionally exhibit at the event have committed to returning.

Bombardier confirmed that it was not exhibiting and “is exploring various regional marketing concepts as part of our broader business plan.” The Canadian manufacturer also emphasized that it “supports the great work of both the EBAA and NBAA in key areas.”

Earlier, Gulfstream, which decided against exhibiting at NBAA-BACE in October, also confirmed that it had decided against exhibiting at EBACE and similarly said it planned to “select events in markets that align with our business objectives.”

Acknowledging the decisions of Gulfstream and Bombardier, Bolen said, “We

do have a number of exhibitors that are very enthusiastic about the show. What we do see is that the other manufacturers certainly will be there. And so we’re very excited about that continued level of support that we see.” He further noted the strong support from Geneva and Eurocontrol, “both of whom are going to be front and center as part of the opening sessions.”

Another area that will differ this year, although it may or may not be visible, is security. Last year eco-protesters disrupted EBACE briefly with some chaining themselves to a Gulfstream, among others. As for this year, Bolen said, “I don’t want to get too deeply into security details,” but several meetings were held with a breadth of officials and security experts.

“We have a very comprehensive security plan in place,” Bolen said. “We’re working with all of the exhibitors on the specifics related to that. We’re determined to host a safe, secure, and successful show and we think we have the elements to do that.”

While Gulfstream and Bombardier have both opted against displaying, neither have pointed to that—at least publicly—as a reason for their respective moves. z

HONEYWELL ’ S HTF7000 SURPASSES 10M FLIGHT HOURS

Honeywell’s HTF7000 engine recently surpassed 10 million flight hours, logging 20 years in service. The HTF7000 entered service in 2004 on the Bombardier Challenger 300 and also powers the Challenger 350 and 3500; Gulfstream G280; Cessna Citation Longitude; and Embraer Legacy 450/500 and Praetor 500/600. “We’re expecting to build more than 400 HTF7000 series engines in 2024, and as many as 4,500 over the next decade or so as the demand for super-midsize jets continues to grow,” said Honeywell president of engines and power systems Dave Marinick.

SOUTHERN SKY EXPANDS FOOTPRINT WITH SECOND FBO

Southern Sky Aviation, which has operated an FBO at Mississippi’s Trent Lott International Airport since 2021, has expanded with a location at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. The $30 million-plus complex opened last month and features an 11,000-sq-ft terminal with passenger lobby, pilot lounge, snooze room furnished with heated massage recliners, shower facilities, refreshment bars, a business center, conference room, covered guest parking, and onsite car rentals from Go Rentals.

VREF: SMART LINK PLUS BOOSTS AIRCRAFT VALUE

Bombardier business jet operators enrolled in the OEM’s Smart Link Plus health management service could see about 5 percent higher aircraft market valuation, according to Vref Aircraft Value Reference. Since Smart Link Plus is standard equipment on the Global 7500, those continuously enrolled in the program from delivery onward have a back-to-birth traceability. Thus, continuous enrollment in the program could have a “significant impact” on Global 7500 valuation, Vref said.

EBACE 2024 static display visitors won’t get to see the latest Bombardier and Gulfstream jets.

Last Downsview Global 7500 rolls of the production line

BY KERRY LYNCH

Bombardier rolled out the final Global 7500 produced in Downsview, Ontario, ending an era for the Montreal-headquartered manufacturer at the assembly facilities it inherited with its 1992 acquisition of de Havilland from Boeing.

In March, a spokesman confirmed that the “last fly away was this past weekend” and that there was no more aircraft production activity at the Downsview site, marking the full transition to its new Global jet facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The final copy left the facility on March 23.

Bombardier is planning a formal inauguration of its $400 million, 770,000-sq-ft factory at Pearson on May 1 in concert with its Investor Day.

The final Global 7500 Downsview departure marks a significant milestone for the transition to the new factory that has been methodically ongoing for months. Bombardier announced in 2018 that it planned to build a facility at Pearson and transfer Global production there, noting that the modern plant would reduce energy consumption by almost 60 percent and help consolidate its industrial footprint.

While the site originally housed production of the de Havilland regional turboprops, Bombardier has produced Global business jets in Downsview, celebrating the rollout of the original Global Express in 1996 with much fanfare. The Global 7500 was added to the lines some two decades later.

Production on the Global 5500 and 6500, along with the 7500, is now in full swing at Pearson. As part of the transition, the first 6500 left the final assembly building at Pearson on February 6, and the first Global 7500 finished assembly there on March 1.

While production transfer was ongoing, the Global 7500—which has a top speed of Mach 0.925 and 7,700-nm range—continued to rack up speed records, now topping 30. The latest round included record-setting flights from Farnborough to Muharraq and Phoenix to Paris on February 28 and March 6, respectively.

Charter company Catreus established the Global 7500 record from Farnborough to Muharraq, while charter firm Phenix Jet Cayman flew the record-setting route from Phoenix to Paris.

Entering service in late 2018, the Global 7500 fleet has grown to more than 165 and amassed 100,000 flying hours. z

News Briefs

SAB AVIAÇÂO UPGRADES FALCON 50 PANEL

Brazil-based SAB Aviaçâo has obtained field approval to install a dual Avidyne Atlas flight management system (FMS) upgrade in a Dassault Falcon 50. The Atlas FMSs enable fully-autopilot-coupled GPS approaches, including LPV, LP, LNAV/VNAV, and LNAV-only GPS approaches. The FMSs include integrated navcom radios, Jeppesen georeferenced charts, touchscreen or QWERTY keyboard interfaces, and Avidyne’s GeoFill waypoint entry feature. Atlas’ wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity also allow it to work with several tablet applications.

GARMIN ADDS STORMOPTIX RADAR DISPLAY OPTIONS

Garmin GTN Xi navigators and TXi flight displays will soon be certified as the primary indicator for the GWX 8000 StormOptix weather radar. The addition of these products as primary indicators makes Garmin’s GWX 8000 available for potentially thousands of high-performance piston- and turbine-powered aircraft that don’t have Garmin-integrated flight decks. The expanded display interface capability should be available in the second quarter of this year.

ALTO AVIATION INTROS PREMIUM SOUNDBAR

Alto Aviation has developed the Alto Soundbar to enhance the in-flight entertainment experience for passengers aboard midsize, large-cabin, and VVIP business aircraft. Available in two sizes (31 and 40 inches), the Soundbar system can be installed beneath monitor screens or in other locations within the cabin. Three TSO-approved Alto ASP-250 loudspeakers are included in the system, in addition to an Alto amplifier and a variable number of Alto subwoofers tailored to the aircraft’s requirements.

The final Global 7500 made at the Downsview production facility left on March 23.

A WORLD OF SUPPORT

Wherever your destination, Gulfstream Customer Support has you covered. With an extensive force of experts around the world, we offer responsiveness matched only by our devotion to detail. It is our pleasure to serve you.

Bizjet accidents and fatalities double in first quarter

BY GORDON GILBERT

Turbine business airplanes were involved in 12 fatal accidents worldwide in the first quarter of this year compared with seven in the first quarter of last year, according to preliminary data collected by AIN. Those fatal accidents in this year’s first three months claimed the lives of 43 crew

and passengers versus 19 in the same period 2023.

Nine people died in three U.S.-registered business jet crashes in the first quarter of this year while two accidents caused two fatalities in the first quarter a year ago. On

AMI DEMOS KING AIR STARLINK

After completing the first King Air 200/300 supplemental type certificate for installation of SpaceX’s Starlink satcom, AMI Aviation Services brought its customer’s Starlink-equipped King Air 200 to Fort Worth, Texas, for flight demonstrations during the Aircraft Electronics Association Convention. With the six passengers using multiple devices, along with the pilots using electronic flight bags, post-flight results showed peak download speeds of more than 300 Mbps and uploads up to 35 Mbps.

SPOOF - PROOFING IS SEND ’ S NEW SOLUTION

Send Solutions has engineered an add-on to its Airtext+ Iridium satcom that can not only identify and report GPS jamming or spoofing but also help pilots stay on the proper track when such incidents cause faulty navigation inputs. By monitoring at least three GNSS constellations and Arinc 429 flight management system (FMS) labels, Airtext+ can compare the aircraft’s FMS position to a known good position and detect jamming and spoofing quickly, then notify the crew via the annunciator that there is a questionable navigation status and air trafc control via email or text.

STANDALONE SMART MONITOR JOINS COLLINS VENUE FAMILY

Collins Aerospace has introduced a “smart monitor” for its Venue cabin management system (CMS), allowing aircraft owners and operators to install the monitor as a standalone inflight entertainment system (IFE) or as part of a Venue CMS. Buyers can start with a smart monitor and build a CMS in a phased approach. The smart monitor allows integration of IFE products such as Airshow moving maps and Stage on-demand entertainment and the system is upgradeable as the technology develops.

If you believe the hype, we should all be looking for work

Several times a year, I am asked to address aviation professionals and inevitably to comment on how the rapid pace of developing technology, specifically in aircraft automation and autonomy, will impact the future of cockpit crews and flight departments. It’s an interesting question and deserves a thoughtful answer since it gets to the very core of the flying profession: what’s required of pilots when it comes to contemporary airmanship?

For well over a decade, the arrival of uncrewed air vehicles, remotely piloted vehicles, drones, or whatever you want to call them has piqued the imagination of everyone involved in the aviation profession. Add to that the hype of AI as a threat to virtually every human-occupied position in aviation and you have an environment of unease and insecurity that is hard to escape, especially if you read our industry’s trade publications and listen to the news.

The idea of coming to work one day to find that your copilot has been replaced by a robotic system is not an uncommonly held fear these days. To those outside of aviation and some of us on the inside, it seems as if none of us will be working in cockpits or support roles by the end of the decade.

Unfortunately, all of this talk about the impending removal of humans has had the effect of distracting many of us from real safety focus areas that need our attention. These vulnerabilities in both the operator and the technology are as prevalent today as they were before the widespread adoption of advanced flight guidance systems, including flight management systems, precision satellite-based navigation, and other digital technologies that have proliferated

BY CHRIS LUTAT

on the flight deck over the past 30 years.

Sometimes I ask skeptics of the role of the human operator how often aircraft systems fail while airborne with passengers and cargo, how frequently aircraft divert because a crewmember becomes incapacitated, or how many times in a day a welltrained and experienced flight crew acts with great skill and precision to safely land an aircraft that has experienced a unique or rare inflight emergency.

The answer to how frequently these situations occur is, simply, all the time.

Should we be engaged in the discussions that describe a more automated future? Absolutely: ignoring the debate is foolish. The resulting systems will be better if flight crews are involved on the front end.

In my view, however, not just as a longtime industry observer but as a crew member of large, long-range aircraft, most of our focus should be on what will likely be many more decades of “humans in the loop” and how they are uniquely suited to use these highly complex systems to deliver increasingly higher levels of efficiency and widening safety margins.

Recently, I was persuaded even more in my opinion of the primacy of the human

operator in the cockpit, the cabin, under the wing, and on the shop or hangar floor when I read Missy Cummings’ article in IEEE Spectrum, titled “What Self-Driving Cars Tell Us About AI Risk.”

Cummings is a roboticist who once flew fighter aircraft aboard U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. Her “5 Practical Insights” regarding AI and autonomous systems have applications well outside of surface transportation. Understanding these concepts provides great insight into the importance of our individual “human-in-the-loop” role. Practical insights regarding AI and autonomous systems:

1. Human errors in operation get replaced by human errors in coding.

2. AI failure modes are hard to predict.

3. Probabilistic estimates do not approximate judgment under uncertainty.

4. Maintaining AI is just as important as creating AI.

5. AI has system-level implications that can’t be ignored.

If you re-read this list and replace “AI” with “flight deck automation,” you can see the close relationship and the influence of these concepts in aviation. For emphasis, consider this quote from Cummings:

“Neither the AI in LLMs [large language models] nor the one in autonomous cars can ‘understand’ the situation, the context, or any unobserved factors that a person would consider in a similar situation. The difference is that while a language model may give you nonsense, a self-driving car can kill you.”

For years, as a proponent of wise and thoughtful integration of the human operator with complex technology, I have accumulated a few insights that are eerily similar

CHRIS LUTAT MANAGING PARTNER, CONVERGENT PERFORMANCE

to those of Cummings. They map over to the above list and come from decades of experience reading, writing, and experiencing firsthand the safety demands of modern aviation. Here are just five of them:

1. Complex systems fail in complex ways (from “Normal Accidents” by George Perrott).

2. The real world happens. Just ask the crews of the most notorious aviation accidents of the past 20 years— those with both “heroic” and “tragic” outcomes.

3. It’s impossible to “automate” all aircraft systems to handle every nuance of contemporary flight operations.

4. The more complex systems there are on the aircraft, the more maintenance and oversight are necessary to ensure smooth and reliable operations on the line.

5. We tend to overestimate technology in the short term and underestimate it in the long run (paraphrased from Kevin Kelly, former editor of Wired magazine). So where does that leave us? I suggest that there are interactions with technology and automation that are worthy of your study and mastery today. Less concern about an imagined, distant future and more focus on becoming the very best professional you can be will yield not only broader safety margins for your flight department but much better personal performance and satisfaction on the job. In my next blog in this series, I’ll address some of the pressing needs surrounding airmanship in contemporary flight operations. Until then, fly safely and, always, fly the airplane first.

Chris Lutat is managing partner of Convergent Performance, a B777 captain, and co-author of “Automation Airmanship: Nine Principles for Operating Glass Cockpit Aircraft.” z

The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily endorsed by AIN Media Group.

THE PERFECT PLACE FOR BUSINESS AIRCRAFT

Canadair Challenger: a widebody pioneer

BY DAVID DONALD

The CL-600, represented here by the second prototype, marked a major step in executive aircraft development with its wide-body cabin greatly appreciated by passengers who could stand up inside. The type not only laid the foundations for a business jet dynasty now headed by the majestic Global 8000 but also spawned a major airliner family.

Bombardier’s Challenger jets remain strong sellers but the roots of these programs, as well as of its flagship Globals, trace back decades to the company Canadian Vickers, which produced large numbers of PBV-1 Canso (license-built Catalina) amphibious aircraft for the Allied war effort in World War II.

In 1944, the company was taken over by the Canadian government and moved forward as Canadair. Although, it was then sold in 1946 to what later became General Dynamics.

A vast production facility was constructed at Cartierville in Quebec, which during the Cold War built CL-13/F-86 Sabres, CL-90/F-104 Starfighters, and CL-219/F-5 Freedom Fighters to assist with the rearming of NATO air arms.

There were commercial projects, too, such as the CL-44 derivative of the

Britannia airliner, the CL-66 version of the Convair CV-540, and the CL-215 amphibian.

By the mid-1970s, much of that business was gone. Major contracts had been fulfilled but not replaced, and the workforce had been slashed from 10,000 to 1,400. A new major project was desperately needed.

Enter Bill Lear. The legendary creator of the Learjet had left his company in 1969, having sold it to Gates two years previously. In the early 1970s, he had reasoned that the business jet market would come under increasing pressure as oil prices rose, culminating in the 1973 oil crisis. The future of the thirsty, turbojetpowered aircraft that dominated the market looked bleak.

Lear also recognized that there had been several critical developments in technology that had not yet arrived in the business

jet arena, principally the use of fuel-efficient turbofans and the aerodynamically efficient supercritical wing. He schemed a concept that included both, which he named the Learstar 600.

Armed with his design and backed up by data that underlined its efficiency, Lear visited all of the U.S. manufacturers to tout the Learstar 600, but they had already invested heavily in their existing designs and had no appetite for a new aircraft program. So, with one eye on the near-empty Cartierville factory and an under-employed design staff of experienced engineers who were no strangers to innovation, Lear called Canadair.

Initially, at least, the pitch had a lukewarm reception, but there was sufficient interest for a study to be launched that pitted the Learstar against likely rivals, such as the Falcon 50 and Gulfstream II. The

results were favorable enough for further work to proceed from late 1975.

In the following year, the government reacquired Canadair and began secretly funding the program. This had come about in part due to personal conversations between Lear and future prime minister Jean Chrétien, who was minister of trade and industry, and later finance, during this time. The secret nature of the support later caused controversy in Canada.

Canadair officially acquired the Learstar 600 program in April 1976 and began detailed design work. The project was formally launched on Oct. 29, 1976, at which point Canadair had taken 53 firm orders. The launch customer was Federal Express, which placed an order for 25 parcel carriers.

At its instigation, the design incorporated a large cargo door from the outset. However, FedEx canceled its order following the overturning of aircraft size restrictions in the freight market, resulting in the company turning to the Boeing 727 instead.

Lear’s original concept had been little more than that, and the eventual aircraft was in most respects a clean-sheet Canadair design. Many changes were made: the low-set tailplane was replaced with a T-tail to raise the surfaces out of the jet e ffl ux; the original Garrett TFE731 turbofans were replaced by Avco Lycoming ALF 502s, largely at the behest of FedEx; fuel carriage was moved to the supercritical wings; and, most importantly, the fuselage was enlarged to provide “widbody” accommodation for either freight or passengers.

In March 1977, the aircraft was renamed the CL-600 Challenger. Lear had disliked the widebody approach, disparagingly referring to the aircraft as “Fat Albert,” and such disagreements led to his ousting from the program. He died in May 1978.

INTO THE AIR

By early 1977, three prototypes were under construction. A mock-up was displayed at the Paris Air Show that year, and by the year’s end, orders had topped 100. The

The ill-fated CL-600 first prototype is seen during an early test flight, possibly its first, accompanied by a Canadair CL-41 Tutor trainer.

appearance of the Challenger spurred the development and launch of the rival Citation III and Gulfstream III.

Canadair rolled out the prototype (C-GCGR-X, c/n 1001) on May 25, 1978, powered by the 7,500-pound-thrust ALF 502L. The first aircraft took to the air in Montreal on Nov. 8, 1978, piloted by Norm

Ronaason and Doug Adkins, with the second and third joining the following year.

After around 25 flights from Montreal, the flight test and certification campaign was moved to Mojave in California to take advantage of better weather. The first aircraft was lost in a crash there on April 3, 1980. One Canadian Department

thank you for making us #1 four years in a row.

of Transport regulator demanded that the new aircraft have an aerodynamic deepstall protection capability, despite U.S. and European officials having accepted electrical stick-shakers and -pushers.

Accordingly, Canadair was forced to add a small surface that made one wing stall before the other, so causing a routine fall-off stall before the deep stall that plagued T-tail designs could develop. This requirement was later dropped from the certification approval, but not before it led to tragedy.

A series of trials were conducted to optimize and validate the strake design, with the prototype fitted with an anti-stall/spin chute. During one flight, an anomalous noise—later traced to an engine issue— was detected, and additional flights were planned to investigate.

In one of these flights—1001’s 354th— the aircraft entered a deep stall and the chute had to be deployed. The stall was overcome as advertised, but the explosive release bolts that were designed to jettison the chute failed. The aircraft plummeted down to 6,000 feet, at which point the pilot, Norm Ronaason, ordered the crew to bail out. All three escaped the aircraft, with co-pilot Dave Gollings and test engineer Bill Scott surviving. Ronaason, however, had insufficient altitude for his chute to deploy properly and was killed.

Despite the crash, the CL-600 received Canadian certification in August 1980 and FAA approval in November, albeit with mtow restrictions. There were numerous issues to overcome, including icing and being overweight, while the ALF 502L engines struggled to meet specifications and were prone to compressor stalls. Nevertheless, Canadair built 81 CL-600s.

TAG Aviation was the first recipient. In addition to private and corporate buyers, 12 were bought by the Royal Canadian Air Force for use as CC-144 passenger/ light transport aircraft (eight) and CE-144

electronic warfare trainers (three). The 12th was the second prototype, which was employed on trials duties as the CX-144.

CHALLENGER DEVELOPMENTS

Development of the CL-600 family began before the type had flown, the initial derivative being the CL-610 Challenger E. This was a stretched version that was offered to FedEx in place of the 25 CL-600s on order following the deregulation of freight aircraft. As noted previously, FedEx canceled its order and a stretched version of the Challenger was shelved while Canadair focused on the executive model.

The original Challenger’s Achilles heel was its powerplant and, even while initial deliveries were just getting underway, Canadair announced the CL-601. This would have winglets for increased aerodynamic efficiency and a switch in the engine to the more powerful 8,650-pound General Electric CF34-1A turbofan, which could be distinguished from the ALF 502 by having a reduced-length cowling and exposed nozzle section. Three late-production CL-600s were completed with the winglets as the CL-600S.

The third prototype was adapted to the CL-601 configuration and made its first flight as such on April 10, 1982. The new CL-601-1A model proved popular in the marketplace and was further developed into the CL-601-3A with 9,220-pound CF34-3A engines and a glass cockpit. Both -1A and -3A were offered in an ER extendedrange version with an additional fuel tank in the fin. The tank was standard in the final CL-601-3R sub-variant.

Next came the CL-604, for which the third prototype again provided the initial test platform. This model introduced saddle tanks to increase fuel capacity, structural improvements, and a new undercarriage that permitted higher takeoff weights. Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics were installed. A number were supplied to military users, including maritime surveillance aircraft for Denmark.

After more than 350 CL-604s had been built, the CL-605 was introduced in 2005. It had Pro Line 21 avionics and larger cabin windows. A new tailcone design was introduced. A further refresh to the design came in 2015 with the Challenger 650. A new cabin interior, Pro Line 21 Advanced avionics with synthetic vision system, and an

The third prototype CL-600 after modification to the CL-601 standard with winglets and GE CF34 engines.

increase in takeoff thrust were the principal new features. The 650 remains in production, with around 1,100 CL-600 family aircraft having been built to date.

STRETCHING THE CHALLENGER

Early delivery delays and issues with the CL-600 had nearly caused Canadair’s bankruptcy, and despite the boost in sales created by the CL-601, the government sold off the company to Bombardier in 1986. One of the new owner’s first projects was to begin development of a stretched version that was considerably more ambitious than the earlier CL-610. The result was the Canadair Regional Jet, or CRJ, formally launched in 1989.

Bombardier capitalized on the ability of the Challenger’s cabin to accommodate a 2+2 seating arrangement. By adding a 128-inch plug ahead of the wing and a 112inch plug aft, the length was increased to 87 feet 10 inches, sufficient for 50 seats to be installed. On May 10, 1991, the first CRJ-100 took to the air, powered by 8,730pound CF34-3A1 engines.

Sales were brisk, and the CRJ-200 followed with more efficient CF34-3B1 engines. More than 1,000 CRJ-100/200s were built but operators were clamoring for more seats.

Bombardier responded with the CRJ700, with a further stretch to 106 feet 1 inch length and typical accommodation for

70 passengers. Subsequent stretches introduced the CRJ-900 (118 feet 11 inch/90 pax) and CRJ-1000 (128 feet 5 inch/104 pax). Sales of the longer CRJs added another 896 aircraft to the production list. CF34 power was retained throughout, and all were designated as subvariants of the CL-600 on the type certificate.

Bombardier also produced a business jet variant, dubbed Challenger 800, which was based on the CRJ-200. It was followed by the updated Challenger SE (later Challenger 850), which had the option of additional fuel tanks. Production of the CRJ-based bizjets reached 74 by the time production ended in 2012.

CL-600’S LEGACY

Although embodying many features and technologies from the Challenger 600 family, the Challenger 300 (originally known as the Continental) was a cleansheet design first flying in August 2001 and is still in production in its updated Challenger 3500 form.

In the meantime, Bombardier had been working on a vastly more ambitious new aircraft, the BD-700 Global Express. While it was essentially a clean-sheet design, the long-range aircraft naturally drew on experience from the Challenger and CRJ families, and all members of the Global family share the same fuselage cross-section initially introduced by the CL-600. The Global family has subsequently grown to become a major success for Bombardier.

One particular Challenger also played a significant role in the development of the later Global variants. The long-serving third CL-600 prototype was modified into the Active Control Technology testbed for fly-by-wire flight control systems. Flying as such from 1999 to 2004, the ACT aircraft contributed to the development of the Global 7500. It is now on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum at Rockcliffe in Ottawa. The second prototype also survives, displayed in the Air Force Heritage Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba. z

The first CL-605 gets airborne from the Bombardier plant in Montreal.

The long-range Global family, represented here by a XRS, is the ultimate expression of the Challenger concept developed in the late 1970s.

Industry leaders take on workforce issues

BY KERRY LYNCH

Leaders point to a shortage of skilled and experienced talent and the need for retention

When asked before the Covid-19 pandemic what issues kept business executives up at night, more often than not, workforce was the top answer. After a brief reprieve during the early days of Covid-19, those issues came roaring back. Not only were companies dealing with increased absences, early retirements, and losses of workers to other industries, but the workforce was further strained by overheated demand that took hold after the pandemic’s initial shock. AIN brought together thought leaders on this issue to discuss what’s happening now, whether industry efforts are helping to restore the pipeline of the next-generation of workers, and what needs to be done for the future. Here are some of the highlights from that discussion. West Star Aviation sponsored this roundtable.

AIN ROUNDTABLE

THE PARTICIPANTS :

F KATIE JOHNSON—CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER FOR WEST STAR AVIATION

With a 75-year history, West Star Aviation has become one of the largest independent MRO providers, employing more than 3,000 and spanning a dozen locations, including at full-service stations in Illinois, Colorado, Tennessee, New Jersey, Missouri, and North Carolina, as well as at satellite locations. The MRO offers maintenance, paint, interior, and avionics services, along with AOG and mobile repair services nationwide.

F TONYA SUDDUTH—HEAD OF U.S. STRATEGY FOR BOMBARDIER

Bombardier became a pure-play business aviation manufacturer in 2021 and recently has significantly expanded its presence in the MRO arena with the addition of more than one million sq ft of service center space globally. In addition, Bombardier continues to build up its Wichita base, including in the defense arena. Bombardier has a workforce of more than 18,000.

F SHERYL BARDEN—PRESIDENT AND CEO OF AVIATION PERSONNEL INTERNATIONAL

In service for 54 years, Aviation Personnel International (API) helps Part 91 flight departments identify, select, hire, and retain workforce in business aviation. While mostly known for its talent identification, API also provides compensation planning and departmental culture consulting services.

F MELISSA FITZGERALD-DREW—EXECUTIVE V-P OF CLIENT SERVICES FOR SOLAIRUS

Based in San Francisco, Solairus Aviation has grown into one of the largest charter, management, and support services firms with more than 75 base locations and more than 330 aircraft in its management fleet throughout the U.S. Solairus employs nearly 2,300 flight crew and personnel, both full time and on a per-diem basis.

KATIE JOHNSON

TONYA SUDDUTH

SHERYL BARDEN MELISSA FITZGERALD-DREW

THE DISCUSSION:

ON OVERARCHING ISSUES SURROUNDING WORKFORCE

KATIE JOHNSON The real issue boils down to, there’s simply not enough of the workforce available, which is magnified by a robust demand for talent. It’s important we remember that this is not something that just developed post-Covid. It’s been a lingering challenge that started well before the pandemic.

I think that the issue with not just having enough talent is maybe better stated as a lack of experienced aircraft maintenance technicians. There’s a good movement we’re seeing within the FAA certifying more mechanics than what we’ve seen in the past. But there’s still that skills gap.

The newer aircraft are more modern, they have different systems, and they’re more complex. Some of those skills are just not learned during the course of going to college and getting your license.

TONYA SUDDUTH I’m seeing the same thing, in particular, with the A&P technician. That is a key area of challenge for us. It’s something we’ve seen coming as an industry. We’ve had many people start to transition into the retirement phase. Then we had the pandemic, which created many more labor shortages. At the same time, we had increased demand in our industry.

It seems like one of the biggest challenges we have right now is that experience gap. We have several employees that I would say have about 20 or more years of experience, and we have several employees that I would say are brand new, recently certified as an A&P. It’s that in-between and trying to figure out and develop strategies to try to help mitigate that skills gap.

SHERYL BARDEN It is a very competitive world right now. And on the pilot side,

we have just been through and are now maybe having a little bit of a slowdown in what was a perfect storm that has been coming for a long time.

Our airlines are trying to solve this through very high compensation, which has put incredible pressure on our flight departments. There’s incredible pressure not only on compensation but also on work-life balance or worklife integration.

What we see is our Part 91 individual operators are having to increase compensation and increase headcount in order to retain talent. And then, finding new talent is a real challenge.

We used to find much of our new talent either coming out of the military or coming out of the regional carriers because they were not able to move up into [the airline] pipeline. Those people are going up into the [airline] pipeline so fast now… that we don’t have that anymore.

MELISSA FITZGERALD - DREW We are seeing a limited talent pool amongst all professionals, maintenance technicians, pilots, but also the overhead sta ff. We’re looking into di ff erent ways to bridge the gap between new and experienced professionals and what we consider a qualified

technician or a qualified pilot who would be entering the workforce.

Looking into the future, about 30 percent of our overall professionals within our company will be retiring in the next five to ten years. So, the problems are continuing to increase, and the talent pool is continuing to be limited. About 15 percent of our pilots are in that group where they will be exiting the industry in about five to ten years.

[The issue is] having the experienced applicants. We hired about 280 pilots in the past two years alone. Now, we’re finding that the talent pool that’s qualified—what we consider qualified, around 4,000 hours and maybe 10 years of corporate aviation experience would be what most aircraft owners are looking for these days—and that talent pool is extremely limited.

So, we are getting a lot of applicants who have around 2,000 hours or 1,000 hours trying to enter the industry, and unfortunately, for a company like Solairus, where the majority of our 330 aircraft are heavy aircraft, the requirements just aren’t there.

It’s an increasing issue, and it’s both on the pilot front and the technician front.

ON WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE PIPELINE

KATIE JOHNSON We are actually seeing a slight uptick in licensed technicians becoming available. What I would say is it’s certainly not enough to fill the pipeline. We’re starting to see more interest in students going into that career.

But we need to realize that momentum was generated because we all started talking about this problem several years ago. And so, we just need to make sure as an industry that we don’t feel good that the problem is solved because we’ve seen maybe two percent more technicians becoming certified in the past year.

We all need to continue to find out how are we generating this interest. Because otherwise we’re going to rally around and feel…good, and then all of a sudden, the enrollments are going to back down and we’re not going to see the pipeline.

TONYA SUDDUTH The trend is we’re seeing more interest in the pipeline. I think some of the work that we’ve done is starting to take hold. When I say we, I mean the industry. We’re getting more word out there to the younger populations about how exciting this field is and what the opportunities are.

However, we are working to grow our business significantly and continue to be

faced with the challenges. We’ve taken some really good steps and it’s just going to take some time to get us through there.

ON HOW THE LIMITED TALENT POOL AFFECTS INDUSTRY BUSINESSES AND APPROACH TO HIRING

SHERYL BARDEN Compensation is getting to a place that is almost unsustainable in the corporate environment. Probably one of the hardest things that an organization is dealing with today as well is making sure that there is that work-life balance, meaning we’ve got some hard days off

I think some of the paradigms that have been part of business aviation for years are changing rapidly. If leadership in the flight department isn’t embracing those changes, then that’s going to be an organization that is going to have a very difficult time and probably have a revolving door.

When we have people who come to us and say, “No, we don’t offer any hard days off. You’re on 24/7 call,” we’re like, “You’re not competitive. This is what you must do in order to have the talent there.”

Replacing people has been another critical shift. Pre-pandemic, our clients were hiring for a fit and training for skill. Then during the pandemic, we could not get training slots. We ended up hiring that

type-rated pilot. From that, we could see some fallout in our flight departments because did we hire the right person or did we hire the typed person?

KATIE JOHNSON It’s an interesting point. West Star has recently started to embrace more of the hiring for personality fit and training for the specific experience. Sometimes when you do find that highly experienced person, that experience is overshadowed by some of the behaviors that they bring.

[Managers] do get a little hesitant about hiring too many inexperienced people. We’ve been able to help them overcome that by helping them see that personality and fit are defining some of those characteristics that we’re looking for. When we hire for the right behavioral attributes, they’re actually soaking up and learning more of the skills.

MELISSA FITZGERALD - DREW One of our best resources for attracting talent is our employee referral program. A lot of [our recruitment] is based on education, ensuring that not only the crew members understand the quality of life that each [of our] flight department [clients] provides but the aircraft owner as well—educating our clients on retention.

There is more [understanding among aircraft owners] now. They all talk to each other…and bounce ideas or problems that they’re having with their flight department.

I agree that a lot of owners and corporations now are concerned with where the salaries are headed. Moving forward, we’re just trying to come up with alternative solutions for compensation. But we spend a great deal of time early on educating aircraft owners on what’s important for pilots to retain them.

ON FILLING THE PIPELINE

TONYA SUDDUTH Some of the things that we’ve done at Bombardier is we have teamed with the U.S. Department of

Defense on the SkillBridge program. This is a pretty cool program. It gives us access to experienced military technicians, and we’re able then to help them transition into civilian positions on our line.

Another thing that we’ve done is we’ve teamed with Captain Barrington Irving. He’s our talent ambassador. He’s done a great job of generating that interest in STEM at very young ages as well, and he’s working to help with training programs for our A&P programs.

We launched the first state of Kansasregistered A&P technician program here in Wichita in collaboration with WSU Tech, Wichita State University. It is set up to where we are extending offers to the mechanics on day one. They are fully paid by Bombardier, they spend a day or two in the classroom, and the rest of the time they’re onsite. It’s a great opportunity for us. We’re super excited about it and are very excited to see what the future holds [with] more of these types of programs.

KATIE JOHNSON We’ve grown our footprint across the U.S., opened new hangars, and started new greenfield sites. My 10-year career at West Star has been about strategically building for the future that we know we’re going to need. We started going back years ago with formalizing our apprenticeship program with the

Department of Labor.

But we looked at it and said, “Okay, what we’ve done in the past is great, but it’s not necessarily going to close the talent gap in the future.” That’s what led us to deepen our relationships with not only industry but also partnering with our community.

We ended up creating West Star Aviation Academy. We recruit people who have a mechanical aptitude and the right behavioral attributes to be successful as a mechanic. We hire them as a full-time employee to go to school for seven months, and this school is onsite at West Star. It is in full partnership with Southwestern Illinois College [SWIC].

What happens is we’ve expanded our access to getting licensed mechanics by simply removing the barriers to being able to get into the program by not having to work full time and go to school full time. We pay them a living wage, they earn benefits. We also pay the cost of the tuition for SWIC as well. And then to deepen skills, we spend the last several weeks of the academy where we actually are in a learning environment that is not part of our active hangar.

A key part of our future growth is trying to understand what are some of the barriers that are preventing more people from going to college and also understanding some of the pain points that the colleges have had.

ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BUSINESS AVIATION TO COLLECTIVELY PROMOTE CAREERS

SHERYL BARDEN This has been a big frustration for me for a very long time. When you look at who we are now competing against for talent—United, UPS, FedEx—all of these big organizations recruit huge numbers of pilots, technicians, and flight attendants every single year. Our business aviation groups, like our Part 91 flight departments, they might recruit a pilot every five years. We are a group of lots of smaller hiring entities in relation to who we’re competing against for talent. And, we have no unified voice.

Everything we do is on a grassroots basis. I’ve always been an advocate that we need a true umbrella program to recruit and compete and tell the business aviation story in a unified way. We don’t have that. We have lots of folks doing their own little thing and no coordinated effort or coordinated message.

I believe it’s an industry-wide [responsibility]. It goes to all of the organizations to bring together some sort of a mechanism to promote the greater good of why it’s great to be a part of business aviation and general aviation.

MELISSA FITZGERALD - DREW The most important thing we could do right now as an industry is go into these A&P schools and colleges and educate professionals on what business aviation is.

Oftentimes, when college students or people are in an A&P school, they don’t actually know what business aviation is.

I think the airlines do a really good job of educating them where they can offer and get a contract six months prior to them graduating from school. And it’s a sure thing and a known salary, where we don’t have the ability to do that.

I think as an industry, we should come up with better solutions for younger talent

coming out of these schools, bridge programs, where management companies can tap into those resources.

I would say that we should even be starting with a high school. Ten years from now, our prospective talent is still in high school.

SHERYL BARDEN [Going back to] the fact that we need an experienced pilot with 4,000 hours. Where do you get that time? Just recently I was working with a young pilot who is almost at 3,000 hours and works for a management company. If you’re flying just 300 hours a year, it takes three-plus years to build 1,000 hours, and 300 is a heck of a lot of hours for a Part 91 pilot to be flying.

I think we’ve got some paradigm changes that have to be made around training because we can see the military train fantastic pilots who come out without 3,000 hours. The military pilots are trained to an exceptional level and they are flying top brass, the CEOs of the military, at less than 1,000 hours.

Some of our flight departments are really starting to tackle this. They’re starting to bring on pilots earlier, but it takes an incredible amount of work for both the pilot and the organization. It is not the solution, but it’s one of the potential solutions.

KATIE JOHNSON I definitely agree this has really got to be a collaborative approach. West Star has started that through deepening our partnerships with the Aviation Technician Education Council and Choose Aerospace [a nonprofit collaboration dedicated to developing technicians].

How do we get to the high school guidance counselors and educate them? That’s one of the things where West Star has been partnering.

We presented to a group of educators a few months ago about what Choose Aerospace offers, which is a ready-to-go aviation maintenance general education, with 500 hours that can be taught in the high school environment. It’s designed to help people who don’t know about aviation to be able to teach it. They have teacher kits. They have teacher workshops.

What that does is create more awareness, and it creates a stronger pipeline.

As we think of this more broadly, we want to get the community involved. We want to also show them that there is a direct path from high school to work.

TONYA SUDDUTH I think so much of the work that we have to do is to tell our story and I agree it’s a collective effort as an industry to tell that story. NBAA is making huge progress in doing that from an

industry standpoint, but of course, we all have work to do, right?

All of us have to come to the table and tell that story. Captain Barrington Irving came in to support our Safety Standdown and then while he was here, he went and visited a local middle school and presented to around 600 students. The school had a chance to excite the audience about this industry. Sitting in that audience, I watched those kids jump out of their seats with questions. We need so much more of that. We need to engage them very young. We need to get them excited about it. I think this is absolutely imperative.

ON RETENTION

TONYA SUDDUTH From a retention standpoint, I think one of the things that’s super important is showing your employees that you are invested in their career, being able to show a path of progression, being able to show the steps that they can take to continue to evolve and to grow in their own career. We’ve been spending quite a bit of energy around that, especially in a field like the technicians that’s incredibly competitive right now. You know, step one, you come in and you learn this; step two, step three, step four—so that they can see that they’re going to continue to grow and learn in their career with the company.

KATIE JOHNSON That’s exactly what West Star is doing. We found that what happens is the younger technicians go to high school, go to college, and have all the modules laid out: I need to do all these things and then I’m going to get to graduate and then they come into the workforce. And they’re like, “I want to be the master mechanic.”

We just needed to provide that clarity so they truly understand. There is a pathway, here are the things you need to learn, and sometimes you don’t just get to do a task once and you’re proficient.

Part of what we’ve recently done is determining that somebody’s proficiency level sometimes can be subjective. What we are piloting right now is giving technicians the opportunity to test to prove they are proficient as a way to try to remove some of the subjectivity. That certainly has helped West Star.

[Also], it’s not always just pay and benefits. I think in this industry, everybody is doing the same. A couple of years ago, West Star really looked at how are we treating our employees. We have invested in improving the leadership abilities of our management team, helping them to realize that people today maybe have different expectations on communication, feedback, and recognition. Sometimes people just want to know if you see them.

We’re also investing in our employees’ leadership abilities—one of the best ways to retain your people and to show them they have the ability to grow through internal mobility. So last year, we launched our first emerging leader program. Our managers are embracing that because, as we continue to expand, we need more leaders but people don’t have the leadership skills.

MELISSA FITZGERALD - DREW So much of the focus in aviation has been on the pilot and staffing front, but [retention] is universal to the whole industry right now. We’ve put in place an Atlas program, which is a leadership development program at Solairus for middle-level managers to ensure that they can progress their careers

to meet that executive level in the future. Investing in their career and showing them that we’re investing is vital to retaining professionals.

We have a program which we refer to as “Moving Above the Cabin” that gives a clear pathway for crew members so they can move into another type of aircraft or up into a leadership program.

We talk a lot about replacement value and replacement cost when it comes to crew members because there is a cost associated with having high attrition within a flight department.

We’re trying to put avenues in place and then promote those within our organization so people know that there’s a pathway forward to continue their career within Solairus.

THE BOTTOM LINE

TONYA SUDDUTH We’ve all seen significant labor shortages. It required us all to react very quickly. I think it’s important as we react quickly that we focus not only on those who are just ready to be A&P technicians, but also on the industry trying to generate that interest with all the stakeholders and make sure we get that story out there around business aviation and the great things that we have to offer to these kids.

Collaborations with other people in the industry are huge. For instance, the SkillBridge not only benefits us because we get that labor in the doors with some experience, but it also benefits our military. It gives them a chance to liaise over to the business aviation side from the military side. I’m super proud of the work that we’re doing there and of the apprenticeship and the relationship that we have with Barrington Irving.

We’re very excited for the future to see how these collaborations continue to grow and the opportunities continue to expand.

SHERYL BARDEN I would wrap this up with the word culture. This is one

of the things that API is shifting with our clients—not just to work on talent identification, but on talent retention through culture.

Why do people leave jobs [for reasons other] than compensation? It is culture and leadership. People leave because the culture is not healthy or they are not aligned with the culture. People leave because the leadership is not leading. If compensation is not exactly where it needs to be, then you’ve got a perfect storm of folks going.

We have to put our programs together to meet the expectations of the next generation. And as much as we don’t want to (perhaps) make those changes because we didn’t do it that way, we certainly need to make those changes if we’re going to retain. And the key is retention. The cost of turnover is huge.

MELISSA FITZGERALD - DREW I think the greatest thing that we can do is have a collaborative front, educating young professionals, providing them pathways to enter our industry, and providing them a pathway to succeed and be recognized. It’s vital to our industry as a whole—not just on the pilot and maintenance front, but on the leadership front—to ensure that we are investing in people’s careers and finding them a way to enter the industry and be successful.

KATIE JOHNSON It boils down to three things: We have to keep our momentum going that we’ve seen with more awareness, more enrollment, and more licensed mechanics coming online; we have to make sure that we are helping the industry and our educators sustain that interest; and we also have to continue to focus on how we can accelerate the skills that these new technicians need and we have more of that talent gap closed.

If we do those things, it becomes that circle that helps us as an overall industry sustain a better pipeline of talent in the future.

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Aviation maintenance business embraces technology advances

BY GREGORY POLEK

A Pratt & Whitney “cobot” ensures standardization of processes such as pre-induction engine photo capture.

Breakthroughs in technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins, health monitoring, and augmented reality have begun to present possibilities for a leap forward in the way maintenance departments ensure aircraft, as well as their engines and other systems, remain in service.

Increasingly, the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector has begun to embrace a path away from “paper-based” processes to one committed to digital transformation, according to General Aviation Manufacturers Association director of airworthiness and regulatory affairs Joe Sambiase. AI is one such technological advancement that will accelerate that digital transformation.

“AI in my opinion represents a pretty significant opportunity for safety improvements,” Sambiase told AIN. “If you think about the different buckets of safety improvements we’ve had over the last hundred years, we continue to evolve each one of those, whether it be technology or training or reliability. So we keep adding to those, but every once in a while some new opportunity comes up. And I think AI is one of them.”

The need for modern infrastructure advances has remained a hurdle to adopting fully digital processes, he explained. “We did a survey of manufacturers, operators, and maintenance organizations to see how and where they’re using digital data

versus where they cannot. And what we found was a lot of the inward-facing things like internal procedures and manuals that an organization needs to write could be done on a digital platform.”

While MRO providers have access to “all the information in the world,” they can’t process it fast enough to do anything useful with it, according to Sambiase. However, AI can grab that data and yield something of value much faster than today’s processes, as long as the information exists in a digital format.

“We still have to go in and do a much further deep dive to determine whether or not that information’s factual,” explained Sambiase. “But I think at least from that

initial research perspective, AI can help us get there and start to pick out trends pretty quickly.”

Digitalization also serves as a prerequisite to support engine health monitoring systems, enabling mechanics to pull data in real-time and continue to watch it, he added. Moreover, it applies to the use of so-called digital twins, which replicate all the systems and all the data of major components such as engines.

“We can go ahead and test and make some changes and do what we need to do on the digital twin before we do it in real life,” said Sambiase. “We can also monitor that digital twin as, again, it’s got that digital data behind it to allow us to do an analysis, [such as] risk analysis, performance analysis, reliability analysis.”

COBOTS DRIVE INDUSTRY 4.0 CHANGE

Companies adopting digital twins include aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney (P&W), whose own Industry 4.0 journey has broadly increased efficiencies both in production and in the MRO environment.

In a recent interview with AIN, Gilbert Sim, P&W’s director of aftermarket global operations technology and CORE (customer-oriented results and excellence), explained how the company’s Industry 4.0

work incorporates automation, along with digital twins to aid efficiency and yield safety benefits.

“Industry 4.0 is the portion where we get a lot more from automation and robotics, but at the same time, we also insert a human piece into it,” explained Sim. “That’s what we call a cobot, which is the collaboration between human and machinery. And that’s where Industry 4.0 comes into play. Before we got into Industry 4.0, the majority of our processes were still pretty labor-intensive… but this digital twin allows us to simulate the layout that we want.”

For example, Sim added, a shop’s pre-induction process includes taking photos of the engine from different angles. The quality of those photos usually varies from technician to technician, Sim noted, making it difficult to predict a standard.

“We inserted an inspection cobot system that will do the necessary survey programming of this robot,” said Sim. “Now, with the press of a button, the robots will go around an engine and collect the photos. The system will generate it [for inclusion in] a report.”

Meanwhile, P&W already has seen benefits from its recently established Singapore Technology Accelerator (STA), where more than 30 innovations have emerged to maximize MRO productivity. The company

announced a collaboration with the Singapore Economic Development Board to establish the technology accelerator program in 2022.

Today, the STA works with more than 20 Singapore companies to develop new technologies in the commercial aviation sector. Its projects have focused on automation, advanced inspections, connected factories, and digital twins, P&W said, adding that the company has already applied the innovations across its four Singapore-based MRO facilities.

“We deliberately set up this technology accelerator in Singapore so that we’re in close proximity to support the Asia-Pacific sites and, at the same time, connect very closely with the headquarters over in Connecticut,” noted Sim.

AI-ENABLED PARTS TRACKING

In yet another example of reducing or eliminating reliance on paperwork, Bellevue, Washington-based Alitheon has devised a way to use AI to identify counterfeit and used parts sold as new. Already in use in applications such as automotive, luxury goods, and precious metals, the version of Alitheon’s system for aerospace has undergone four and a half years of development and, according to company CEO Roei Ganzarski, and has drawn significant interest from MRO providers and airlines.

Ganzarski described to AIN how his company’s system for detecting bad parts applies to the aerospace industry.

“So what we do is basically challenge the status quo in aerospace, which is everything that has to do with paperwork,” he explained. “And the paperwork could be actual physical paper or it could be digital paperwork. It doesn’t really matter. Paperwork is easy to fake. You just write up a new document, attach it to a piece of paper, and show a serial number or a barcode. What we’re doing is saying, forget the paperwork. Let’s use, in our case, advanced machine vision or optical AI to make sure that the part is what you think it is.”

Alitheon’s AI-based technology can identify counterfeit parts and keep them from being installed.

Alitheon has developed a platform that can detect minute differences in a part and determine whether it meets manufacturing tolerances. “We can see with traditional standard cameras…inside those tolerance bands and all of the various minute flaws, features, or aspects of manufacturing,” said Ganzarski. “So we found a way to see those things with standard off-the-shelf cameras and codify them into a mathematical representation. You pull out your phone, take a picture of the part, and it’ll tell you that it is in fact, part number 12 that the OEM just sent you.”

PREDICTING PARTS NEEDS

For Canada’s Bombardier, AI-enabled advances can aid parts inventory forecasting. Bombardier senior director of aftermarket products and services Elza Brunelle-Yeung noted that the company’s AI journey started about four years ago, just before the onset of Covid-19. Once the pandemic began to result in delivery delays and limited availability of parts, the ability to forecast inventory needs became even more vital, both for third-party MRO providers and Bombardier itself.

“That project was very, very successful, and we’re using these AI models, which are pulling on real-life data to generate an accurate spare parts forecast,” explained Brunelle-Yeung. “We were able to do a pretty good job, I would say, to provide the parts that [operators] needed.”

Bombardier also has introduced AI-based advances to its “connected aircraft” platform to develop a module to provide maintenance recommendations to customers. Essentially a health management unit for business aviation called Smart Link Plus, the program allows flight and maintenance crews to quickly prioritize and proactively troubleshoot in-flight alerts. At the heart of the program, the GE-provided Smart Link Plus box collects, stores, and transmits

aircraft data, allowing operators to quickly track and troubleshoot issues that may be detected and dispatch a mechanic when necessary.

The Smart Link Plus box collects that data and then transmits it to the ground, where it gets decoded, decrypted, and sent to Bombardier’s cloud for consolidation of fleetwide data.

 That project was very, very successful, and we’re using these AI models, which are pulling on real-life data, to generate an accurate spare parts forecast... 

— Elza Brunelle-Yeung Bombardier senior director of aftermarket products and services

DIGITAL ‘MAGIC’

“That’s where the magic happens,” said Brunelle-Yeung. “That’s where we’re able to provide next-level insights to our customers.”

Bombardier’s MyMaintenance app gives maintenance directors access to key information coming from the aircraft, wherever its location. “It has the capability to send smaller data while the aircraft is flying over high-speed connectivity,” explained Brunelle-Yeung.

When the aircraft lands, it automatically transfers the big data, typically over cellular networks. “So the service includes worldwide cellular coverage, but it can also be transferred over wi-fi if the person’s got wi-fi in their hangar,” she added. “So the small data, the big data, all that gets combined into this app.”

By April of last year, Bombardier had won Transport Canada, EASA, and FAA approvals for Smart Link Plus in almost its entire line of Globals and Challengers, apart from the Global 5500 and 6500. Bombardier expects certification for those models by late 2024.

Bombardier’s Smart Link Plus facilitates troubleshooting by flight crew and maintainers.

Brunelle-Yeung noted that the platform has achieved a “very high take rate” among customers acquiring new aircraft, adding that Smart Link Plus box appears in the “vast majority” of Global 7500s and 3500s. She added that Bombardier has seen more and more momentum in demand for retrofits in previously delivered airplanes.

Meanwhile, the company’s work with AI also applies to its e-commerce module, where Bombardier sells spare parts. “In the context of MRO technology, when you are buying a spare part, it’s not always very clear what else you need,” noted BrunelleYeung. “And it requires quite a bit of research or knowledge around what else you need to buy when you’re buying that one part. Well, we’ve developed a module that’s able to provide recommendations to our customers as part of that e-commerce.”

IMAGE ANALYTICS SUPPORT MAINTENANCE PLANNING

For GE Aerospace, AI has enabled engineers to process data contained in advanced image analytics, according to company chief manufacturing engineer for MRO Nicole Tibbets. Most of GE’s engines and aircraft systems portfolio from an R&D perspective involves standard image capture, with which AI and image analytics can determine how much longer an operator can fly the airplane.

“And then all of that data from our analytics-based maintenance team and those physics-based models goes back to design,” explained Tibbets. “It’s really a full lifecycle because they can inform design in terms of where and how those components are failing. So when they introduce the next generation of stage one blade, stage one nozzle or combustor, we get improved durability.”

GE also has incorporated virtual reality technology to accelerate and standardize training, allowing trainees to visualize a particular function at the same time they perform a manual task. “The other thing it’s really good for is line maintenance activities,” noted Tibbets. “So if you have

Advanced technologies will help GE improve maintenance on engines such as the CF34.

multiple crews of line maintenance activities that are happening, distributed across the world, how do you ensure that all the line maintenance technicians have the same training or if they see a defect on the engine, that they understand how to repair that in a very timely fashion? So it’s probably less about AI, but more about how do you create a new training regime that allows people to very quickly come up the learning curve in a highly regulated industry.”

Another advance that GE has embraced— additive manufacturing—allows for tip restoration on compressor airfoils, for example. As a compressor ages, it loses tip clearance, which results in a loss of engine efficiency. “Additive is a really interesting space for repair because it does allow you to do some interesting geometries,” explained Tibbets. “And then obviously it gives you some unique material properties in terms of how you can build back up surfaces that have lost dimensional tolerance.”

Furthermore, additive technology replaces the need for a welder to work on each individual tip, allowing for batch production. “We have fixtures and trays and large powder metal beds that allow us to do up to 16 airfoils simultaneously in a much smaller footprint,” she noted. “So it allows us to achieve our capacity ramp with less labor.”

MRO GROUP TAPS AUGMENTED REALITY

Already actively applying automation innovations and concepts such as “big data” to its everyday activities, Scottsdale, Arizonabased MRO provider StandardAero has spent almost a year preparing to employ augmented reality (AR) in its maintenance activities.

StandardAero director of operations for engines Jamie Gardner, who leads the company’s CFM Leap industrialization process in San Antonio, Texas, identified the applications and benefits of AR glasses supplied by Indian information technology company Tech Mahindra.

“One of the things that we needed to do was to make sure that we could teach our students and our trainees, what it looks like to do a test properly,” Gardner explained. “Many of [the trainees] are very visual learners, depending on where they’re at in their learning curve. So this technology allows us to not only video what we have in real-time, but project it in-house on TV screens. But then the technology also has the ability for you and me to call that up with an app. So I’m able to look at what the team is doing on my cell phone as they’re going through training, if I so choose.”

The technology, which StandardAero plans to eventually apply to all the powerplants it supports, can give customers an unobstructed view of a boroscope inspection, for example, enabling a better understanding of the conditions inside the engine, explained Gardner. “You know how interpretation comes up and how things develop between what’s being read in the manual and what the technician sees via a scope,” he said. “You’re able to break down barriers and start speaking to the actual issue a t hand.”

The glasses also facilitate infrared inspections and thermal imaging, allowing users to spot bleed air leaks and hot spots in the engine. “Then there’s also another side of this that we’ll be implementing, and that will be as we’re going through key critical steps along the production line, be it in the high-pressure turbine, low- pressure turbine, core assembly, maybe some of the inner workings of a gearbox,” added Lloyd Barker, senior vice president of Leap industrialization. “We will record and project that across our lines where

people can see it in real-time as it’s being worked.”

Barker added that StandardAero expected to induct its first Leap powerplant for Continued Time Engine Maintenance events (i.e. quick-time shop visits) in late March, including work scopes for high-pressure turbine shroud replacements. He explained that the company planned to introduce functional and performance engine testing for the Leap in mid-2024 and achieve Leap Performance Restoration Shop Visit capability by the end of the year. z

CAE says extended reality technology is key to MRO technician training

Aviation training group CAE predicts an industry need for around 402,000 skilled aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul technicians over the next decade. In a newly published white paper, the company has made the case for a new approach to training that it said will both attract a younger generation of recruits and accelerate their training.

In the white paper, CAE and its partner Xennial make the case for deploying so-called extended reality technology to accelerate the development of new technicians. The technology encompasses augmented reality, giving a view of the physical world overlaid with digital elements, and virtual reality, offering an environment where physical and digital elements can interact, as well as a blend of both of these with mixed reality.

CAE recently trialed and implemented simulation with a new technician training program for the Gulfstream G500/G600 and G650. “We have the ability to build

BY CHARLES ALCOCK

Extended

a full digital twin of a Gulfstream aircraft at this point, with all the features of its physical twin,” explained Xennial CEO and founder Douglas Fajardo.

The virtual reality hardware now being deployed includes headsets and hand-tracking technology. According to CAE and Xennial, increased use of artificial intelligence is set to further expand the horizons for extended reality training.

“Aviation is one of the industries where the adoption of emerging technologies is accelerating,” commented Alexandre Prevost, CAE’s division president for business aviation and helicopter training. “Virtual reality, especially when it comes to aircraft technician training, is proving to be a highvalue solution. One of the main reasons it is used in maintenance training is to lower the risks associated with traditional training methods.”

These risks include dependency on the availability of physical equipment and longer aircraft downtime. CAE also said virtual reality is more adaptable to new aircraft models, suitable for digital tracking and evaluation of trainees, and more cost-effective for repetitive practice of tasks.

Pointing to a 2020 PricewaterhouseCoopers study called Soft Skills Training Efficacy, the CAE white paper maintained that virtual reality training can be completed four times faster than classroom training, and in around a third less time than e-learning. This study, for which results were published in 2022, argued that virtual reality trainees were 275 percent more confident in applying skills as well as being more “emotionally connected” to the training content.

The application of maintenance training uses of extended and virtual reality is expanding and includes FlightSafety International, which offers virtual engine training with Pratt & Whitney Canada, and Rolls-Royce, which has developed virtual reality engine models where students can disassemble virtual engines on and off a virtual airplane. z

Paving the way for a controller ramp-up

BY DAVID HUGHES

With numbers ebbing, the FAA is expanding eforts to expand its air

The FAA plans to fill every seat at the controller training academy in Oklahoma City and expand capacity in one of several agency initiatives to ramp up controller hiring and training. This effort comes as controller staffing constraints are under the spotlight in the wake of a spate of high-profile close calls in the last year. But building up this workforce takes time and can be complex.

The controller academy at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) in Oklahoma City provides basic training for new hires. During the pandemic, it allowed new hires to complete the first course at home and then report to Oklahoma. However, the academy was closed for four months, and training at facilities was paused for eight or more months as the FAA focused on keeping ATC facilities

open while dealing with Covid.

The pandemic hit controller hiring and training hard with on-the-job training for developmental controllers significantly dropping at facilities, resulting in delayed certification. In fiscal year 2021, the controller hiring target was dropped from 910 to 500.

Since then, the FAA has been working to restore the training pipeline to full capacity. The agency’s Controller Workforce 2023/2032 Plan had a hiring target of 1,020 in FY2022 (actual hires were 1,026) and 1,500 in FY2023. This is set to increase to 1,800 in the current fiscal year.

But the complexities of training during the pandemic, coupled with the ramifications of sequestration budget cuts in past years and a wave of planned retirements, have taken a toll.

A DROP IN CERTIFIED CONTROLLERS

Noting that there are at least 1,100 fewer certified professional controllers now than a decade ago, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has stressed that “maximum hiring is necessary to reverse the controller staffing crisis.”

Despite a ramp-up in hiring targets, NATCA said that the agency had more than 900 fewer trainees than it had five years ago and it netted just 15 additional certified professional controllers compared with the end of FY2022. This is even though the FAA hired 5,200 new controllers during those five years, offset partly by an average of 361 retirements per year.

Further, a Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General study on FAA controller staffing challenges released in June found understaffing at 20 out of

trafc controller workforce.

26 ATC facilities designated as critical. New York TRACON and Miami Tower, for example, were staffed significantly below the FAA’s own threshold for prioritizing the hiring of replacement controllers. Jacksonville Center staffing was so low that the FAA had to reduce the flow of traffic.

After a series of runway incursions in early 2023, the FAA established an ad hoc Independent Safety Review Team composed of safety and ATC operations experts including former NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt. The team found that the current level of controller understaffing and a historically high and increasing level of overtime are increasing risk and eroding the margin of safety in the national airspace system (NAS).

The safety team said that the 1,800 called for in the FAA’s workforce plan for this year “does not adequately satisfy NAS system needs with regard to complexity, growth, and trajectory.” Further, the report added, “classroom size, lab simulation availability, and an overreliance on contract instructors constrain throughput” at the academy.

The agency considers growing its controller workforce a “top priority” and has rolled out hiring campaigns and worked with organizations like Women in Aviation International, Dreams Soar, and the National Air and Space Museum to reach more youth from diverse backgrounds.

As it looked to widen its net of prospective trainees, the FAA has said it is committed to the tenets of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). In its Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan 2021-2025, the agency has outlined plans to increase outreach and recruitment to underrepresented communities through intern programs, outreach to colleges and universities, community organizations, and partnerships with other federal agencies.

The FAA has an active work group examining DEIA issues and barriers to controller recruitment, training, promotion, and retention. This work group’s findings will

be reported in future workforce plans.

The FAA also plans to have colleges and universities with an air traffic training program have graduates skip the academy and go right to facilities to train. In addition, it will institute year-round hiring of experienced controllers from the military and private industry.

CONCERNS ABOUT RAPID RAMP-UP

However, the move to outsource this training comes with concerns, quietly raising questions about standardization and consistency on competencies as well as the ability to establish a uniform culture, and specifically safety culture, with a mix of controller trainees from outside the academy.

One of the most important activities at MMAC is the basic training of newly hired controllers who have never been controllers before.

“Controllers start their training at the FAA Academy at MMAC for the first four to six months,” said Michelle Coppedge, director of MMAC. “Then they go to a field facility for an additional one to three years of on-the-job training before being certified as a professional controller.”

Training at a facility includes a combination of classroom, simulation, and on-thejob training. While the classroom space could be adequate, the equipment in the classrooms also must be taken into account to accommodate the additional students. That means a careful balance of building up capacity and having too much in the future must be considered.

It also means adequate funding beyond that for the additional controllers. NATCA noted, in the FY2024 budget bill, that Congress provided $19 million more than the FAA’s budget request for air traffic and technical operations training laboratory enhancements, including an additional en route automation modernization lab and operations laboratory at MMAC to help increase throughput.

Meanwhile, the FAA is keeping a close eye on failure rates at the FAA Academy

and among developmental controllers at field facilities who drop out before becoming certified controllers.

In FY2022, 250 newly hired students did not complete academy training, and 107 developmental controllers left before becoming certified.

As hiring ramps up, the FAA expects to have more developmental losses in the years ahead above the average of 91 annually over the past five years. Academy losses are also expected to increase proportionally.

The FAA said that in the last three years, students training in the terminal environment who graduated from the Academy resigned before certification at a rate of 5.07 percent, while en route resignations were much lower at 1.38 percent.

In FY2022, 173 controllers either retired, were removed from service by the agency, or died. The FAA forecasts that just 141 will leave the service this year and then rise to 151 in 2028 and up to 156 in 2032.

STRAIN ON EXISTING CONTROLLERS

Billie Vincent, a retired FAA controller training expert, noted that it takes years to train and certify a new controller, and the surge in freshmen controllers is going to create a wave of on-the-job training workload for certified controllers who are already under stress.

Any new person unsuited to the demanding skillset of air traffic control will add a workload burden, he asserted. Some trainees can control traffic effectively under the supervision of an instructor but can’t make the leap to control traffic on their own.

It takes a personality able to take command and tell pilots what to do, he contended. People who can’t do it eventually drop out but in some cases after years of training. After he led the New York Center in the early 1970s, Vincent led a major reform of FAA controller training in 1975.

The FAA is evaluating attrition of trainees at the academy and as developmental controllers in field facilities. z

FAA provides path for ramp check compliance

BY KERRY LYNCH

Recently released FAA policy, ongoing collaboration with EASA, and a new industry guide are coming together to help ease the stress of European ramp checks.

These ramp checks, known as EASA’s Safety Assessment for Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) program, had become an increasing concern for operators in the latter part of the 2010s over what they needed to demonstrate compliance. There were frustrations over a lack of harmonization and guidance for authorizations of their necessary documentation.

A key issue during these checks, said Doug Carr, senior v-p of safety, security, sustainability, and international operations for NBAA, involved operators that may have had incomplete maintenance and operations procedures, which are a requisite part of the minimum equipment list (MEL) that ramp inspectors would scour—or they might not have them at all. “That’s when the ugly stories would happen,” he said.

Brian Koester, director of flight operations and regulations for NBAA, said certain noncompliance findings would trigger an EASA notification to the FAA of the issue and require an operator to outline corrections. In some cases, when a part that was excluded from the MEL may have been found broken on an aircraft, the operator would be grounded until it was fixed.

Compounding this for U.S. operators was a lack of clear guidance from the FAA on MEL approvals. However, that changed this past October when the agency released AC 91-67A addressing minimum equipment requirements for general aviation and associated policy notice 8900.680.

NBAA explains that the MEL is “the list of equipment that may be inoperative, yet still allow an aircraft to operate safely, per FAA regulations.” MELs are derived from a master minimum equipment list (MMEL) that the OEM provides and the FAA approves.

“The MMEL includes all equipment and accessories available for the aircraft model, while the MEL is created by the operator for your specific type of aircraft,” Encompass Health aviation maintenance director Elaine Karabatsos said in an NBAA article.

Koester noted that the FAA pulled previous approval guidance in the late 2010s as it worked on updates. “It was a significant period of time where operators were left without guidance from the FAA on how to properly execute an MEL,” he noted.

Not only has the industry welcomed the release of the guidance, but the guidance found a way to provide “a best of all worlds,” Koester said. It gives pathways to approvals for MELs and MMELs and simplifies it for noncommercial operators.

“The FAA provided a pathway for the thousands that don’t need to go to Europe,” Koester said. And for those that do: “They also have a pathway to demonstrate compliance.” This guidance and these pathways were critical because EASA and the FAA have differing views on these—the FAA would view an MMEL as an MEL meeting ICAO standards, but EASA did not.

But under the guidance, the FAA provides a pathway that EASA views as compliant.

FAA and EASA officials attending NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) in March discussed these changes.

Also welcomed is the streamlined process afforded under the guidance. Koester noted that the previous process—particularly for MEL changes—was burdensome and time-consuming for the operator and the FAA alike. “I’ve heard horror stories of up to two years,” he added. Not only does the new policy simplify the process for those that do not fly internationally and can use the D095 letter of authorization, the optional attestation letter also “really expedites the process for the D195 authorization” for those that fly internationally.

NBAA remains involved in the process, including participating in EASA’s RAMP Industry Forum to discuss best practices and during IOC released an International Flight Plan Format Guide as a resource to help comply with international requirements.

While the ramp inspections and approval processes have been evolving, operators have been learning how to navigate these changes, Koester said. Even so, this is an area that needs constant watching, he said. z

At this year’s IOC, NBAA released a guide to help operators comply with international standards.

Cockpit video recorder mandates remain elusive

BY HANNEKE WEITERING

While cockpit video isn’t always welcomed, many helicopters are equipped with video/audio/data capture systems such as Eye in

As another FAA reauthorization bill makes its way through the legislature, the decades-old debate over cockpit video recorders has reared its head once again. While the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has had cockpit cameras on its “Most Wanted” list since 2003, Congress and the FAA still refuse to implement a mandate.

When the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced its version of the FAA reauthorization bill in June 2023—the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (H.R.3935)—it included a provision that would require all aircraft flying under

Part 121 rules to be equipped with both a cockpit voice recorder and a cockpit video recorder, each capable of recording at least 25 hours of data.

Under that provision, airlines would have seven years to install crash-proof video recorders in their fleets, and the FAA would have three years to draft requirements for the devices.

By the time the bill made it through the full House in July, legislators had cut the language around video recorders. Rather, the amended bill calls only for cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders that would store at least 25 hours of data, whereas current regulations require just

two hours to be stored. The full House of Representatives approved the amended bill on July 20 by a vote of 351 to 69.

Rules around cockpit video recording devices were also absent from the Senate’s version of the FAA Reauthorization Act, which passed through the Committee for Commerce, Science, and Transportation in February. However, the committee maintained bipartisan agreement over the 25-hour rule for cockpit voice recorders.

In an industry that’s all about safety, it may come as a surprise that cockpit video recorders have been such a contentious subject. The NTSB claims the technology could help with accident investigations

the Sky.

and prevent those same kinds of accidents from happening again in the future. Meanwhile, pilots maintain that video surveillance is an unnecessary invasion of privacy that could affect their job performance.

NTSB’S FUTILE EFFORTS

The NTSB first proposed cockpit video monitoring in 1989 after investigating an incident at Kansas City International Airport (KMCI) in which the flight crew of a Boeing 737 commenced a premature descent on an instrument approach and struck some electrical cables 7,000 feet short of the runway.

They executed a missed approach and landed at a nearby airport with no injuries reported. Because the airplane flew for another hour after the incident, cockpit voice records were overwritten and lost. Following that investigation, the NTSB called for “longer-playing CVRs, which can record cockpit sounds for as long as two hours” in addition to “long-playing video recorders.”

At the time, the equipment needed to capture and store video footage was much bigger, heavier, and more expensive than it is today, and the NTSB’s proposal was quickly dismissed as technically and economically infeasible.

However, with recent advances in video technology, that argument has become all but obsolete. Cameras and data storage devices have gotten smaller, lighter, and more affordable. Mandatory cockpit voice recorders now store at least two hours worth of data, and the FAA recently issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to increase the minimum to 25 hours. Yet cockpit video mandates remain elusive.

UNION PRESSURE

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the world’s largest union of airline pilots, has vehemently opposed efforts to mandate video surveillance.

In a statement issued nearly 20 years ago, union representatives claimed that

video footage “would add virtually nothing of real value to the investigative process, and could, due to its subjective nature, lead investigators down the wrong path.” It argued that digital flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders already provide sufficient information for accident investigations and that those devices are “far more useful” than cameras.

For example, the ALPA says, “If an image shows a pilot’s hand moving toward a switch or moving his or her leg, that does not prove that he/she activated that switch or made an input to the rudder, whereas the DFDR will show the exact state of each switch, the exact amount of rudder input.”

The union has also expressed concerns about pilot privacy and data security. Although many countries have laws that restrict access to cockpit voice recordings, transcripts are often released during investigations, and tapes used as evidence in court

proceedings become a matter of public record. “Tort lawyers will find video recordings to be an irresistible gimmick to increase damage claims for pain and suffering and for alleged negligence,” the ALPA argued. Furthermore, cockpit voice recordings have been acquired and distributed by media outlets, despite regulations that prohibit the public release of such tapes. After the 1995 crash of American Airlines flight 965 in Cali, Colombia, the voice recorder tape was leaked to the media and aired live on “Dateline: NBC.”

The pilots’ families heard their loved ones’ final moments on television. If that were to happen with video footage of a fatal accident, the consequences could be even worse.

In ALPA’s statement, an unnamed pilot was quoted saying, “I don’t want my spouse and children and grandchildren and a million strangers to be able to watch me die.”

INDUSTRY PREFERS

PROACTIVE SOLUTIONS

While the NTSB asserts that cockpit video recorders will aid in accident investigations, industry organizations have argued that the investigative agency’s proposed mandate would not proactively save lives.

Airlines for America has cautioned that the aviation industry should focus on proactive solutions to reduce the chances of an accident, rather than reactive strategies designed to examine the cause of the crash.

“We don’t think that the video recorder, like the voice recorder and flight data recorder before it, is always going to provide the ‘golden nugget’ that solves the mystery; and yet, some believe that to be the case,”

Robert Frenzel, who served as the organization’s senior v-p of safety and operations, when he testified before the Senate during a hearing on the deadly EgyptAir Flight 990 crash of 1999. Frenzel has since joined the FAA as a senior attorney and manager of the agency’s operations law branch.

The cause of the EgyptAir crash is still unclear, but the NTSB determined from flight recorder data that it resulted from the intentional inputs of the relief first officer on the flight. Pilot suicide has been widely speculated to be the cause, although many people disputed that, suggesting that a mechanical failure instead was to blame.

Video footage could have potentially settled the EgyptAir debate—but that’s not guaranteed. And even if the cause was confirmed to be pilot suicide, how will having that video footage prevent a similar tragedy from happening again? In this case, proactive programs to support pilots’ mental health might be more beneficial than video footage confirming that a pilot was unwell after it was already too late.

THE OBSERVER EFFECT

Some have also argued that the presence of a video surveillance system in the cockpit could have adverse effects on pilot performance, potentially even making aviation less safe. The feeling that “Big Brother is always watching” can trigger what’s known as the “observer effect,” a psychological phenomenon in which people modify their behavior when they know they are being

observed. It’s also a term used in quantum physics to describe how the act of observing a system can fundamentally alter its state. While psychology research has found that productivity among industrial workers increases when employees become aware of an observer, the same isn’t necessarily true for pilots.

Video surveillance may deter pilots from breaking rules, but it may also cause pilots to second-guess themselves, hindering their ability to make quick decisions when stakes are high. Exactly how a camera could affect pilot behavior is not yet well understood, though, as no such studies have focused on professional pilots.

Speaking at the EgyptAir hearing, thenRep. John Cooksey (R-Louisiana) said, “I think air safety and the safety of the flying public is more important than privacy;” however, “there is also a threat that the airlines could use this video recording against pilots, and I think the pilots could become more focused on, you know, looking good.”

VIDEO OPTIONS ALREADY AVAILABLE

While lawmakers continue to kick around the idea of a cockpit video requirement, equipment manufacturers aren’t waiting for mandates to bring the technology to market for those who wish to use it. Several airlines and aircraft manufacturers have already decided to begin using the video cameras on their own accord.

For example, Airbus Helicopters has made the Appareo Vision 1000 cockpit imaging and flight data monitoring system standard in multiple helicopter models. Thales also offers a cockpit video and avionics digital recording system.

Eye in the Sky is another company that offers video, audio, and data recording devices for helicopters. Company founder Louisa Patterson said she invented the small $4,500 device after her son was killed in a helicopter accident and investigators could not determine the cause. z

JOHN COOKSEY FORMER REP. (R-LOUISIANA)

Louisa Patterson’s $4,500 Eye in the Sky device records helicopter video, audio, and flight data.

WHITE PLAINS REGIONAL FORUM

Aircraft, Education and Exhibits – Right in Your Own Backyard

The northeast regional forum will bring current and prospective business aircraft owners, operators, manufacturers, customers and other essential industry personnel together for a one-day event at the Westchester County Airport. This event will feature over 100 exhibits, an aircraft display, and education sessions to help introduce business aviation to local officials and prospective owners and operators, and to address any current issues in the region.

Rotorcraft

Learning to fly helicopters in the Guimbal Cabri G2

BY MATT THURBER

The first question friends asked when I mentioned that I signed up to learn to fly helicopters was “Why?” Then later, once they saw I was serious, they would ask how many hours it took me to solo in the helicopter.

The second question isn’t really pertinent because I never soloed. I signed up for the commercial rotorcraft add-on rating at FAA Part 141 training provider Pureflight Aviation Training at Chehalem Airpark in Oregon. Pureflight’s commercial add-on program doesn’t include any solo time, which was fine by me. Soloing in a helicopter isn’t a big goal, but getting “rotorcraft” on my FAA pilot certificate definitely was.

So there I was on May 31, taking a demo flight at Pureflight in the French Guimbal Cabri G2. I had seen the Cabri at HeliExpo over the years and thought it looked

like an interesting machine. It shares the clockwise rotor blade rotation of typical European helicopters and the Fenestron shrouded tail rotor of some Airbus Helicopters designs.

As I understand, the Cabri’s electronic pilot monitor (EPM) and multiple limit indicator (MLI) are sort of the piston-engine helicopter equivalent of the Airbus vehicle engine multifunction display and first limit indicator. This convinced me that the Cabri would be a good introduction to eventually flying larger helicopters. In fact, Hélicoptères Guimbal calls the Cabri “the little big helicopter.”

Former Aérospatiale engineer Bruno Guimbal is the chief designer of the Cabri and founder of Hélicoptères Guimbal, and he has a particular focus on crash-worthiness

and safety, especially in the use of the helicopter for training. The name Cabri is an acronym for “comfort in autorotation better with rotor inertia,” and this fits well with Guimbal’s philosophy. The Cabri is a robust, forgiving, and elegantly designed helicopter. With two seats comfortably spaced, the Cabri features a three-blade, fully articulated rotor system, the Fenestron tail rotor with injected plastic blades, a 180-hp Lycoming O-360 piston engine flat-rated to 145 hp, carbon-fiber honeycomb composite airframe and composite main rotor blades, and crash-resistant fuel tank. An engine governor is standard, as is a two-axis electric trim on the cyclic.

My first formal lesson was on June 26, 2023. Pureflight’s Part 141 program requires a minimum of 32.5 hours of dual

PHOTOS: MATT THURBER

instruction and is well laid out so I could see what each lesson entailed and monitor my progress with Flight Schedule Pro. My instructor was Curtis Wilber, a young pilot who had done all of his training at Pureflight through CFII in helicopters.

After showing me the fairly detailed Cabri preflight inspection routine, Wilber had me liftoff, hover, hover taxi, then fly in the traffic pattern at Chehalem Airpark and do some touchdowns. I felt like I could hover more or less in the same spot, thanks to previous dual instruction I’d done, but making the Cabri do exactly what I wanted—especially when near the ground—was challenging.

During subsequent lessons, interspersed with ground school, I learned to use the trim to keep the cyclic, which controls pitch and bank, in the right position. And, I was getting used to manipulating the collective to add or reduce power in concert with the cyclic to give me the result I wanted: a 50-knot climb, descending while slowing down, straight-and-level cruise at 80 knots, and a stable hover.

Wilber went over the lessons in aerodynamics and other rotorcraft-related topics during ground school sessions, but as I was to learn later, I should have been more diligent in taking notes in class.

Each lesson progressed to more challenging maneuvers, from shallow approaches to gusty and hot conditions with the doors off, thankfully, and what seemed like endless traffic patterns and approaches, at Chehalem and nearby Sportsman Airpark and McMinnville Municipal.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

For me, the most challenging aspect of helicopter flying was not only trying to forget fixed-wing habits but also fully adopting the mindset needed to truly engage with the helicopter. This may sound woo-woo, but controlling a helicopter is all about letting go. When the helicopter starts to feel like it’s getting out of hand, you have to stop moving the controls and let the machine settle down. You are not going to harness it by overcontrolling, and the more you over control, the worse it gets. This is especially true close to the ground.

PROGRESS AND PLATEAUS

As with any flight training activity, progress is followed by lessons where things just don’t seem to come together. I had a great experience the first time Wilber had me land on a sandbar in the Willamette River, first circling overhead and running through the confined-area checklist while doing a

high- then low-recon. It was enormously satisfying, although intimidating, to touch down on the sandbar after flying a decent approach, and we did this a few times.

One important maneuver is slope landings. The challenge with slopes is trying to control the helicopter precisely over the landing area and gently let it down so the upslope skid touches first, then gradually allowing the downslope skid to get lower and lower until it touches and keeping the helicopter from moving backward or forward while making sure the downslope skid doesn’t catch and cause the helicopter to flip over.

Another maneuver I found challenging is the hover autorotation. This simulates losing the engine at a low hover and requires quick movement of the left anti-torque pedal to counter the almost-instant yaw to the right then waiting a moment before gradually raising the collective to cushion the touchdown. Done properly, the hover auto looks easy and smooth. My first attempts were anything but.

The big daddy of helicopter maneuvers is, of course, the autorotation, which gets practiced a lot. At the right spot on final, fairly close to the intended touchdown/ stopping point (we did not do full-down autorotations all the way to the ground), I would do the following: push the collective all the way down; twist the throttle off; pull the cyclic back to slow to 50 knots; try to remember to look at the rotor rpm which likely is speeding up and pull a tiny bit of collective to slow it down; make sure I’m headed in the right direction; twist the throttle back up until the governor takes over; check speed and rotor rpm; as we neared tree height, pull the cyclic back and slow the helicopter down to almost a walking pace; push the cyclic forward to level off; pull collective and keep straight with the pedals; and establish a stable hover.

THE PHASE CHECK

Being a Part 141 school, Pureflight requires two phase checks during the commercial add-on rating program. Presumably, the

A patient and skillful CFI, Curtis Wilbur took the controls while I photographed the fall colors.

Rotorcraft

idea is to assess progress, but in my case, I ended up with some valuable insights that helped me improve and get more from my training.

Bottom line, I wasn’t well prepared for the first phase check, and it wasn’t my instructor’s fault. He made sure I had all the information I needed, from ground school and flight lessons, but I hadn’t been taking notes and I didn’t really take the upcoming phase check seriously.

During the flight with instructor Brandon Marsteller, he promptly isolated my weak areas, helping me figure out where I needed to focus my efforts, thus showing the benefits of the stage check process. Soon after the phase check, I got a fresh notebook and I wrote down a clear description of all the aerodynamic concepts along with drawings, and the same with all the normal maneuvers and emergency procedures. I also practiced verbally explaining the aerodynamics and drawing the pictures.

THE FUN STUFF

After a flight to McMinnville, Oregon, Wilber steered me towards the Yamhill River on the way back to Chehalem. He pointed out a narrow, moss-encrusted concrete structure in the middle of the river and said we’d land on it. I flew some recon

circles over the structure, which was remnants of the former Yamhill Locks, and wondered whether we would have enough room to avoid the trees on either side of the river and if the abandoned lock was wide enough to land on. We didn’t try that day because there were some people nearby that added too much risk.

Another memorable occasion was my first night helicopter flight when we did three takeoffs and landings at the Portland Downtown Heliport on top of the six-story Naito and Davis parking garage.

To fulfill the commercial night requirement, we flew to Seattle’s Boeing Field late one night. Flying into a busy terminal and landing at the FBO ramp was a new experience but confidence-building. After departure, we stayed low and flew circles around the Space Needle, then headed back south.

During another of the final lessons, as I suspected would happen, Wilber directed me toward the Yamhill Locks and this time the recon showed that all was clear for landing. I studied the area, picked my entry and exit, looked for any problems, and started descending and slowing down for the touchdown point on the abandoned mossy lock. Everything was feeling just right, the Cabri responded to my cautious but confident inputs, the speed and

altitude diminished in the right proportions, and I made a gentle touchdown.

CHECKRIDE TIME

To prepare for the checkride I went over and over the aerodynamics explanations and drawings and the Cabri’s systems, especially the EPM and MLI. I also studied the emergency procedures and all the maneuvers.

The weather was perfect and ultimately, as has been my experience with every checkride I’ve taken, the designated pilot examiner was fair. Not all my maneuvers were perfect but were within the applicable standards. By the time I was done, I had logged 37.3 hours.

My only complaint about the program in general, and this isn’t about the school, is the lack of good simulators for this level of training. There are emergencies we simply can’t practice in a light training helicopter without adding too much risk, and a simulator would make this so much better.

Learning to fly a helicopter was more than just being able to hover, and I’m glad I went through the time and expense of getting the commercial ticket. It is opening new doors for more flying opportunities and bringing me closer to the amazing people who operate these incredible machines. z

A highlight of the training, landing on the intimidating-looking moss-covered Yamhill Locks on a calm fall day.

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On the Ground

Sky Harbour To Add Hangars at Northeast Airports

Sky Harbour has acquired leases for the construction of two new complexes in the hangar space-constrained Northeast U.S.

At Connecticut’s Bradley International (KBDL), it will develop an eight-acre parcel on the north side of the field near the New England Air Museum. Meanwhile, at Hudson Valley Regional Airport (KPOU) near Poughkeepsie, New York, it obtained seven acres split between the north and south sides of the airport. At both locations, the company will construct approximately 90,000 sq ft of hangar space along with adjoining high-end office space and private parking. It expects to break ground on both projects in late 2024, with anticipated completion in early 2026.

Avflight Adds Mississippi FBO to Network

Avflight has expanded its network with the addition of US Aviation Services, the lone service provider at Mississippi’s Hattiesburg/Laurel Regional Airport (KPIB). The facility includes a 4,000-sq-ft terminal with passenger and pilot lounges and 125,000 sq ft of hangar space. Avflight will retain the location’s existing staff to ensure service continuity. With its 6,500-foot runway, KPIB sees a mix of cargo, military, sports charters, business, and commercial traffic, and for Avflight—a sister company to Avfuel—this marks the 26th location in its mainly U.S. FBO network and its second in Mississippi.

Canada ’ s Skyservice Buys Fontainebleau KFLL FBO

FBO chain Skyservice Business Aviation has completed its investment in Fontainebleau Aviation’s facility under development at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (KFLL). Last October, Skyservice acquired a majority share in Fontainebleau, which

operates one of the dominant FBOs at bustling private aviation hub Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport (KOPF) and retained its iconic name as a joint venture.

Before that, Fontainebleau had purchased the former Jetscape FBO construction project at KFLL. As the first co-development between the two companies, this facility will be completed as the second Fontainebleau location.

The complex at KFLL is expected to be completed early next year and will feature a 25,000-sq-ft terminal along with an 80,000-sq-ft hangar.

FBO Partners Launches Hangar Inventory Tool

FBO Partners has launched its HangarIT cloud-based hangar occupancy software, which is designed to store, manage, and optimize revenue from aviation lease and sublease agreements such as hangar space and offices. It can also provide on-demand hangar occupancy reports.

A roll call feature captures and records all movements of tenant and transient aircraft to provide an accurate inventory of available hangar space. The system’s lease forecasting tool will offer added insight on the revenue side by monitoring lease renewal rates, identifying vacancies, and providing an overall view of the facility’s real estate portfolio.

Aero Centers Opens Aircraft Support Facility at KCPR

Wyoming’s Casper/Natrona County International Airport (KCPR) now has a choice of FBO providers with the opening of the newest member of the growing Aero Centers chain. The company’s seventh location in the U.S., Aero Center Casper offers a 3,000-sq-ft terminal with passenger and pilot lounges, a 12-seat conference room, business center, concierge, dishwashing service, crew cars, and rampside vehicle access. The complex also includes 28,000 sq ft of hangar space and nearly two acres of soon-to-be-completed ramp space.

FBO AND AIRPORT NEWS BY CURT EPSTEIN

Big Changes Ahead for Airport-operated Cerulean General Aviation at Greenville-Spartanburg Airport

It was nine years ago when South Carolina’s Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (KGSP) decided it would take over the operation of its lone FBO, which had had just one operator since the airport’s founding in 1962. When the previous operator’s lease expired at the end of 2016, the airport rebranded the facility as Cerulean General Aviation to distinguish it from its cargo and commercial aircraft handling divisions, which were also reorganized under the Cerulean name. Despite the intervening pandemic, the decision has been a beneficial one for the airport.

“Taking it over allowed us to have more control over the customer experience across all touchpoints of the airport,” said Tiffany Cherry, communications manager for Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District, adding that financial concerns were at play as well in the decision. “It gives us a diversified revenue stream between GA, our land development, fueling, and cargo. When the pandemic hits and the commercial traffic declines, you have these other ones that help you through situations like that.”

The airport assumed operation of the 5,500-sq-ft terminal, which is sta f ed 24/7. It ofers a pilot lounge, 10-seat conference room, private passenger lobby, refreshment bar, business center, onsite car rental, international trash disposal, linen and dishwashing service, and crew cars.

The airport recently began construction on a multimillion-dollar expansion of the FBO’s terminal, which will more than double its size. “It’s going to be a passenger- and crew-centric facility so everything will be driven towards that,” explained general manager Steve Bowlin. Scheduled for completion in May 2025, the addition will provide enhanced amenities including snooze

rooms, a fitness center, two additional conference rooms, and decorative water features. As well, accommodations are being made for an in-house U.S. Customs facility as inspectors currently do not come to the FBO to clear arriving aircraft.

Occupying 22 acres at KGSP, Cerulean has 140,000 sq ft of heated hangar space. Home to 34 turbine aircraft, the facility is at 100 percent occupancy—including the new $7 million 25,000-sq-ft hangar that became operational at the end of 2023. Later this year, plans call for groundbreaking on another 35,000-sq-ft hangar.

Bowlin told AIN that such projects come at a surcharge in the post-Covid inflationary environment. Coupled with the hot building market in the area, that easily adds 30 to 40 percent to the cost of construction.

The World Fuel Services-branded FBO pumps more than 2 million gallons of fuel a year, while the airport overall—including its cargo and commercial divisions—tallies 26 million gallons annually, drawn from KGSP’s fuel farm.

Bowlin noted that his facility caters heavily to the manufacturing industry, with one of

the world’s largest BMW plants adjacent to the airport. That helps to avoid the seasonal feasts or famines seen in some locations. “It’s almost all business so we don’t see the real high peaks and valleys,” he said. “As you head into the holidays, everything kind of falls of, as does the manufacturing, but in general it stays on an average straight line.” Looking ahead, KGSP’s master plan calls for the eventual construction of a secondary parallel runway to augment its 11,000foot main runway. According to Bowlin, the 7,000-foot project would become the primary runway for general aviation tra f c and would sandwich the FBO complex on the northeast side of the field between the two landing strips, providing easy access to either.

The FBO is a member of the Air Elite Network and is the only CAA-preferred location in the area. When it comes to customer service, Bowlin explained its objective is simple. “Our goal here is to get better every day and improve on service every day,” he said, adding that the FBO’s tagline is Wheels up. Spirits High. “We do a pretty good job of it throughout the airport.”

C. E.

An early South Carolina morning highlights the airport-operated Cerulean General Aviation FBO at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.

BY GREGORY POLEK

Duncan Aviation Reorganizes, Expands Turbine Team

Duncan Aviation has carried out leadership changes at its Turbine Engine Services business in Lincoln, Nebraska, naming Scott Stoki, Brad Wales, and Tyler Spurling managers of engine services for Pratt & Whitney Canada, Honeywell, and line services, respectively.

In the third quarter, Duncan plans to break ground on a 36,000-sq-ft powerplant overhaul facility featuring 12 engine maintenance bays, dedicated storage racks, a parts inventory warehouse, and an expanded back shop area.

Thirty-five years ago, v-p of engine services Doug Alleman joined Duncan Aviation as an A&P mechanic. He has witnessed firsthand the growth and expansion of the company’s engine capabilities and shop facilities. “The rapid expansion of our turbine engine overhaul services underscores our commitment to our OEM partners, including Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney Canada, their engines, and mutual customers,” said Alleman.

DFS Adopts TrustFlight Electronic Logbook

Dassault Falcon Service (DFS) has selected TrustFlight’s electronic logbook to drive adoption of digital processes across its fleet of business aircraft. Designed to gain real-time insights while eliminating error-prone, timeconsuming manual processes, the electronic logbook allows for increased operational efficiencies, safety improvement, and the ability to outline potential risks ahead of time.

TrustFlight’s electronic logbook enables fully digital workflows by automating information to enhance speed and accuracy while reducing low-value-added operations. Meanwhile, it integrates into various systems—including AMOS, CAMP, and Leon Software— allowing users to leverage bidirectional data flows to maintain a connected ecosystem of digital products.

Aero-Dienst Ready for Vienna Line Mx Expansion

Aero-Dienst inaugurated an expansion of its hangar space at the Vienna maintenance line station on April 14. Increasing the area to 16,145 sq ft results from a growth strategy that Aero-Dienst has pursued for several years.

“Our nearly 18 years of good partnership with Vienna Airport are very important to us,” explained Aero-Dienst Vienna station manager Christian Weigl. “We appreciate the FBO’s excellent service quality. Our regular Austrian and international customers who land in Vienna a lot use these stops to have us do maintenance work; they are also attracted by the high traffic and central location of Vienna Airport as a site for business aviation.”

The 10-member Vienna Aero-Dienst team of technicians, inspectors, and logistics and work preparation specialists serves the entire Bombardier product range, from the Learjet 45 to the Global 7500, as well as the Falcon 2000EX EASy and 900EX EASy as a Dassault-authorized service center. Its Vienna team completes up to 500 maintenance events every year and includes five licensed technicians with multiple ratings and more than 25 years of experience each.

Nextant STCs Starlink for Gulfstream G450, G550

Nextant Aerospace has received an supplemental type (STC) to install SpaceX’s Starlink satcom system in the Gulfstream G450 and G550 series of business jets. The approval follows closely behind the certification of Starlink Connectivity STCs and PMA installation kits for the Gulfstream G650 and Bombardier’s Global Express, Global XRS, and Global 6000.

“We will continue to broaden access to business jet owners as we pursue FAA certifications for additional aircraft types,” said Nextant senior v-p Tony Kurpely.

Accidents

BY DAVID JACK KENNY

Preliminary Reports

One Killed, Five Hurt in North Sea Training Accident

Sikorsky S-92A, Feb. 28, 2024, 15 nm west of Bergen, Norway

A search-and-rescue (SAR) crew located five of the six crew members after the helicopter crashed into the sea near Sotra Island but had to return to base for fuel before locating the sixth. By the time a second flight found her, the 61-year-old nurse had been in the water more than 25 minutes. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital; one survivor was hospitalized in critical condition and a second was described as seriously hurt.

The wreckage was subsequently recovered from a depth of 220 meters (720 feet). Records retrieved from the flight data recorder led investigators to conclude that the crash “cannot be described as a controlled emergency landing,” possibly explaining why the aircraft’s emergency floats did not activate. The accident, which prompted a brief safety standdown, occurred while the crew was training to conduct SAR operations.

Five Perish in ILS Undershoot

IAI 1125 Westwind, March 10, 2024, Hot Springs, Virginia

Both pilots and all three passengers were killed when the twin-engine jet struck trees about 300 feet short of the threshold of Runway 25 of Ingalls Field Airport (KHSP). Although the operator, SkyJet Elite, held a Part 135 charter certificate, the trip from Florida’s Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport was filed as a personal flight under FAR Part 91.

The passengers had planned to attend a conference in Hot Springs while the crew was set to continue to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.

At about 14:30 local time when the aircraft was 60 nm south of Hot Springs, the crew checked in with Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center and was instructed to inform on which instrument approach they wanted to use. At 14:32, a controller again asked about the approach and if they had the current weather and notams. The crew requested ILS approach to Runway 25 and said their weather information was about an hour old.

About 14:41, the flight crew advised they had the current weather and notams and a few minutes later were cleared to fly direct to the AHLER intersection, which was an initial fix for the ILS approach to Runway 25 about 10 nm northeast of the airport. The flight crew read back the clearance and requested radar vectors for the approach, but were subsequently told to proceed directly to AHLER and cleared for the approach. At 14:47 the flight crew advised that they would cancel their IFR flight plan once on the ground at Hot Springs with the flight service station, and ATC said that the crew could cancel with the controller on the ground. The ATC told the crew there was no tra ffi c observed between their aircraft and the airport and advised them to switch to the common tra ffi c advisory frequency (CTAF). The flight crew readback the instruction; it was the final communication with the controller.

An airport staff member heard the crew announce their intention to land over the CTAF. Shortly after, he heard the aircraft crash and saw smoke rising from the approach end of Runway 25.

The debris path was approximately in line with the runway centerline, oriented 250 to 255 degrees, and spanned 151 feet. Extensive impact damage precluded confirming flight control continuity. Investigators determined that the landing gear was down and flaps extended to 40 degrees; damage to both engines suggested they were operating until impact.

A weather observation recorded three minutes after the accident included winds from 280 degrees at 19 knots gusting to 38, 10 miles visibility, and scattered clouds at 2,000 feet beneath a 2,400-foot broken layer and a 4,500-foot overcast.

Few Clues about Cause of Hawker Fatal

Beechcraft Hawker 900XP, Feb. 7, 2024, Westwater, Utah

The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report on the fatal accident contains details of the final flight. However, it sheds little light on what might have caused the twinjet to descend seemingly out of control and crash near Westwater, Utah. The two pilots were killed in the planned Part 91 IFR positioning flight from Grand Junction Regional Airport (KGJT), Colorado, to Gig Harbor, Washington.

The airplane, operated by Vici Aviation and managed by Clay Lacy Aviation, arrived at West Star Aviation’s facility at GJT on Dec. 20, 2023, for routine maintenance. According to West Star, multiple routine inspections had been completed on the airplane, including a requirement to remove the wing leading edges and TKS panels to inspect for cracks and signs of corrosion. After the inspections were completed, the airplane was returned to service on February 6.

During the positioning flight, the pilots planned to perform a stall warning and systems check per the airframe manufacturer’s requirements. These requirements, listed in the pilot’s operating manual, included an altitude above 10,000 feet agl, 10,000 feet above clouds, and below 18,000 feet msl. In addition, this check could be conducted only during day VMC with a good visual horizon, the autopilot disengaged, an operative stall warning system, the external surfaces free of ice, the ventral fuel tank empty, and weather radar on standby.

After the airplane departed GJT at 10:37 and entered a climb on a southeast heading, ATC approved the pilots’ request for a block of altitude from FL180 to FL200. At about 10:44, the aircraft leveled o ff at FL200.

Three minutes later, ADS-B flight track data showed the airplane in a rapid descent in a circular pattern that resembled the shape of a corkscrew.

The airplane made multiple rotations before crashing into open terrain. The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered and the wreckage has also been retained for further examination. The accident site was IMC at the time of the accident.

Final Reports

Pilot Inexperience Cited in Fatal Approach Crash

Piper PA-46-500TP, Nov. 9, 2022, Bignell, Nebraska

The NTSB identified the 505-hour private pilot’s “lack of total instrument experience” as having contributed to “spatial disorientation, loss of control, and an impact with terrain” during flight into low instrument conditions and turbulence.

The pilot and his only passenger were killed when the single-engine turboprop veered left from the course of the ILS

approach to Runway 30 of the North Platte Regional Airport (KLBF), descending at a rate that eventually exceeded 5,000 fpm.

Prevailing conditions included a 300foot overcast with light freezing drizzle; an Airmet for low-level wind shear was in effect for a 20-knot change in wind speed within 2,000 feet of the surface. Sounding data “indicated a high potential for moderate or greater turbulence between 3,600 and 5,500 feet msl” in a temperature inversion.

The 41-year-old pilot had purchased the airplane about three weeks earlier and received 10 hours of ground instruction and 15.1 hours of dual instruction in the accident airplane in the course of his transition training.

The instructor “gave the pilot a low average score at the completion of the training” which included 1.0 hour in actual instrument conditions encountered in the course of high-altitude instruction. He flew another 9.4 hours in the 12 days after completing transition training but had logged only 5.2 total hours in actual instrument conditions.

ADS-B track data showed that during the last minute of the flight the airplane’s descent rate increased from 500 to 3,000 fpm. In the last 30 seconds it entered a 2,000-fpm climb, then entered a descending left turn that exceeded 5,000 fpm. The pilot of a Cessna 208 freighter inbound from Omaha behind the accident flight recalled current weather reported as one to two miles visibility under a 200-foot overcast with light freezing rain.

He anticipated a “very demanding” approach with potential icing and a tailwind when landing on Runway 30 and acknowledged that the terminal area forecasts provided to himself and the accident pilot “were somewhat behind the actual reported weather conditions.” He flew two holding patterns before diverting to an airport farther south after that aircraft could not be located.

Glacier Impact Attributed to Flat Light

Bell 206L, June 28, 2023, Grise Fiord, Nunavut, Canada

Flat light conditions and featureless terrain were cited in the helicopter’s collision with a glacier in the Devon Ice Cap while attempting to drop markers to better define a landing zone. The pilot and both passengers, surveyors for the Polar Continental Shelf Program, escaped with minor injuries.

The accident occurred on the second attempt to land on the glacier, the pilot having broken off the first after determining that the surface was too indistinct for a safe landing approach. The helicopter returned to Truelove Inlet so the pilot could “make markers to drop onto the glacier to improve the surface definition at the landing area.”

The second flight departed at 10:18, flying in unrestricted visibility at an altitude of 3,800 feet under an overcast layer. The pilot crossed the glacier at an altitude of 75 feet to 100 feet, slowing the rotorcraft to about 30 knots.

After passing rocks serving as a reference point, the pilot lost visual contact with the surface and allowed the helicopter to enter a shallow descent, coming into contact with rising terrain in “a slight lateral motion to the right” that progressed to dynamic rollover. There was no fuel spill or post-impact fire, and after all three escaped the wreckage, a passenger was able to contact the program office in Resolute Bay via satellite phone. A rescue flight arrived two and a half hours later.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s report notes that flat-light conditions can deprive pilots of both depth perception and contrast sensitivity, and scene photographs taken just after the accident confirm the lack of any definite horizon at the site. z Your source for aviation news!

Compliance Countdown

BY GORDON GILBERT

JUST AROUND THE CORNER

May 22, 2024

UK: Nighttime Noise Restrictions

Final comments are due May 22, 2024 on a UK government proposal to consider more stringent nighttime noise reduction options at Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted airports. The current policy expires in October 2025. The government is scheduled to announce a decision on the next flight regime at the designated airports by late July 2024 and provide a bridging night flight operational limit of three years that will cover October 2025 to October 2028.

May 31, 2024

U.S.: Workplace Safety

In this final rule, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) clarifies the rights of employees to authorize a representative to accompany OSHA compliance officers during an inspection of their workplace. The representative(s) authorized by employees may be another employee or a third party. Such third-party employee representative(s) may accompany the OSHA inspector when, in his or her judgment, good cause has been shown why they are reasonably necessary to aid in the inspection. A third party may be necessary because of their relevant knowledge, experience with hazards in the workplace, or language or communication skills. This final rule is effective on May 31, 2024.

Sept. 9, 2024

U.S.: Pilot Records Database

Final compliance date is Sept. 9, 2024, for reporting historical records concerning training, alcohol testing, qualification, proficiency, and disciplinary action records that date before Jan. 1, 2015, to the FAA’s new pilot records database (PRD). Also beginning on Sept. 9, 2024, the Pilot Records Improvement Act (PRIA) ceases to be effective and will not be an available alternative to PRD. Also after this date, each entity that holds an operating certificate under Part 121, 125, or 135—or management specifications for Part 91K—must report to the PRD all

historical records kept in accordance with PRIA dating from Aug. 1, 2010, until June 10, 2022. Since June 2023, certain operators under Part 91, 91K, and 135 were required to complete submissions to the PRD of all historical records dating on or after Jan. 1, 2015.

Oct. 24, 2024 and April 25, 2025

U.S.: Airport SMS

Certain air carrier airports certified under FAR Part 139 are required to submit an implementation plan for a safety management system (SMS) on the following deadlines: April 24, 2024, for airports designated as hubs; Oct. 24, 2024, for airports with 100,000 or more annual operations over the previous three years; and April 25, 2025, for airports classified as port of entry, landing rights, user fee, and international facilities. The SMS must be implemented within 12 months of receiving FAA approval of the implementation plan.

Dec. 1, 2024

U.S.: Notam Transition

On or about Dec. 1, 2024, the FAA is scheduled to transition its notam format so it aligns with international standards. The agency said shifting to the new format will ensure U.S. notams are compliant with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization. According to the FAA, the new format will result in improved accuracy and accessibility of notam data for pilots, dispatchers, and other notam

consumers; provide notam consumers with one consistent format for domestic and international operations; and allow for enhanced search, sorting, filtering, and archiving capabilities of notam data. An advisory circular will be published when the new format becomes effective.

Dec.

2, 2024

Europe: Part 145 SMS

Starting on Dec. 2, 2022, EASA Part 145 maintenance organizations were required to meet revised regulations that were published in November 2021. However, there is a two-year transition period, to Dec. 2, 2024, to allow maintenance organizations to correct any findings of noncompliance with the new Part 145 requirements. The main change introduced in the regulation is the required implementation of a SMS. To support the SMS processes, several organization requirements have been changed including the safety policy and internal occurrence reporting.

Jan. 1, 2025

Europe: ELTs

EASA has implemented a two-year postponement requiring certain large airplanes certified in Europe to be equipped with an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) with distress tracking capability: ELT(DT). An ELT(DT) is designed to activate automatically in flight when it detects conditions indicative of a distress situation, or

the flight crew can manually activate the ELT(DT). Under the new rules, airplanes with a mtow of more than 27,000 kilograms (above 59,500 pounds) and first issued their CofA on or after Jan. 1, 2024 will be required by Jan. 1, 2025 to be equipped with an ELT(DT) that autonomously transmits information from which the aircraft’s position can be determined by the operator at least once every minute when in distress.

Feb. 16, 2025

U.S.: Medical Transport of Veterans

Scheduled to start on Feb. 16, 2025—a year delay—the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) will have the authority to begin reimbursing non-contract ground and air ambulance transportation at rates “significantly below costs,” according to providers. Critics charge that the move will force providers to “downsize operations and reduce hours of availability while compromising the ability of veterans, particularly in rural areas, to receive prompt medical transport.” Under the new rules, the VA will be allowed to pay the “lesser of the actual charge or the amount determined by the Medicare Part B Ambulance Fee Schedule.” The VA currently pays for the actual costs of such medical transports.

Jan. 1, 2028

U.S.: Fuel Efciency Certification

Effective April 16, 2024, the FAA adopted fuel efficiency certification standards that implement new EPA-determined greenhouse levels that are required for subsonic jet airplanes with a mtow greater than 12,566 pounds and turboprop airplanes with a mtow greater than 19,000 pounds. An airplane is subject to these certification requirements: (1) at new (original) type certification; (2) upon manufacture of any covered airplane after Jan. 1, 2028; or (3) when a modification to a covered airplane meets change criteria specified in the regulations.

For the most current compliance status, see: ainonline.com/compliance

Duncan Aviation is an authorized dealer for most major flight deck and cabin avionics equipment. Our avionics and engineering expertise, combined with our strong relationships with manufacturers, have established Duncan Aviation as the premier provider of avionics systems for business aircraft.

People in Aviation

BY JESSICA REED

Jon Downey joined Titan Aviation Fuels’ subsidiary EBCO Aviation Insurance as CEO. Downey has a deep background in aviation insurance, previously serving as v-p for United States Aviation Underwriters, senior v-p of operations and head of U.S. Aviation for Allianz, and, most recently, managing director of Assured Partners Aerospace.

Dave Calhoun is stepping down from his position as Boeing CEO at the end of the year and Stan Deal has departed from his role as head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Boeing COO (and former president and CEO of Boeing Global Services) Stephanie Pope assumed Deal’s position, effective in March. The moves came as board chairman Larry Kellner opted not to stand for re-election. The board elected Steve Mollenkopf to replace Kellner and began the search for a new CEO. Mollenkopf, who has served on the board of directors since 2020, previously led Qualcomm as its chief executive. Pope has served as COO of Boeing since January. She previously served as CFO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Long-time NBAA executive Dina Green was promoted to the newly created role of chief of staff, responsible for ensuring that the association leverages “every opportunity to enhance how the organization serves its members and the industry.” Most recently v-p of events, Green will also continue to oversee VIP experiences at NBAA events and other gatherings. Green, who joined NBAA in 2003, previously served as director of registration and seminar exhibits and director/senior director of conferences and forums for the organization. Business aviation veteran and former Learjet president and CEO Brian Barents has joined the board of directors for the Classic Lear Jet Foundation. Barents served as the head of Learjet from 1989 to 1996, part of a career that spanned the U.S. Air Force and multiple business jet manufacturers, also including Cessna

Aircraft and Galaxy Aerospace. He further was co-chair of Aerion and has chaired the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

David Van Den Langenbergh , Luxaviation Group’s chief industry a ff airs o ffi cer, was appointed a member of EBAA ’s board of governors. He joined Luxaviation in 2014 as the group’s chief technical officer and became president of Luxaviation Aviation Services in 2019.

Aviation insurer USAIG announced several promotions that went into effect April 1: Glenn Vallach , previously senior v-p of the general aviation claims department, has become deputy director of claims; Maura Walsh , claims attorney for the airline claims department, was promoted to senior v-p; Timothy Goldrick , controller, was appointed senior v-p for the aircraft insurer’s accounting department; and Kathleen McCoy , previously working in the customer care department, was elevated to senior v-p.

ACASS named Claudio Peer as v-p of aircraft management and charter sales and Stevan Tojagic as sales director for the UK and Northern Europe. Based in Zürich, Peer is an aviation professional with more than 30 years of experience, most recently as v-p of regional sales for aircraft management and charter sales at Jet Aviation. Tojagic, who will be based in London, has more than 12 years of business aviation experience, including operating his own charter business and serving as regional sales manager for Bombardier’s international services sales division.

FBO and air charter management firm Aero Centers hired Mark Babrick as v-p of sales and marketing for aircraft management and charter services division Epps Air Service. In his new role, Babrick will spearhead the integration of charter and aircraft management operations into Aero Centers’ suite of services. He previously was the v-p of sales at air charter company Jet Access Aviation.

DAVID VAN DEN LANGENBERGH STEVAN TOJAGIC

JON DOWNEY

DINA GREEN

Elliott Aviation appointed Rick Rogers as general manager and Jose Irizarry as director of quality and safety. Rogers’ previous experience includes working at Comlux as head of program management for cabin completions and aircraft MRO and at StandardAero. Irizarry previously served as the director of quality/chief inspector at both Hillwood Airways and Saudi Aramco, and he also brings experience from his time as aviation safety inspector/principal inspector with the FAA.

Middletown, Delaware-based business aircraft MRO and FBO Summit Aviation appointed Robert Flansburg as director of operations. He brings more than three decades of experience in aerospace MRO, including at Boeing Vertical Lift, Sikorsky Helicopters, and DeCrane Aerospace. In his new capacity, Flansburg will oversee Summit’s aircraft maintenance operations.

FBO services provider Castle & Cooke Aviation appointed Gregory Wain as general manager of its Van Nuys FBO. Previously, Wain was the property manager and general manager for almost 30 years at Santa Monica Airport’s Supermarine FBO, which became an Atlantic Aviation facility in 2005.

Zach Brandt was promoted to project manager of the Challenger program at West Star Aviation’s Perryville, Missouri facility. Brandt brings 17 years of aviation experience and most recently was lead Challenger aircraft maintenance technician at West Star.

Aviation safety consulting and risk management services provider Wyvern recently appointed Trent Corcia v-p of sales and marketing. Corcia has significant experience in the aviation industry, including serving as CEO of the Citation Jet Pilots Association for two years. z

AWARDS AND HONORS

The British Business and General Aviation Association presented its Michael Wheatley Award for Outstanding Services to Wally Epton, “who has contributed six decades of exemplary service to the aviation industry in civil and defense roles.” Epton was recognized for a career that began in 1958 with the Royal Air Force and led to the establishment of a business aviation association in Australia and as a pilot for numerous companies. He is chair of the Historic Aircraft Association and the RAE Farnborough Aero Club.

William “Bill” Reavis, who left an indelible mark as an aerospace communications stalwart, died on March 14 at his home in Mesa, Arizona, after a battle with cancer. He was 77.

A former combat veteran who served in Vietnam with a broadcast journalism background, Reavis spent most of his career with Bendix/King, AlliedSignal, and, ultimately, Honeywell Aerospace, where he became known for his almost dogmatic representation of his company’s safety and other technologies. He is credited for “putting the auxiliary power unit on the map,” convincing most aviation news outlets to write about the technology that otherwise would have received little attention.

“Bill established himself as one of the most credible PR men in aviation history and was also known for his sharp wit and storytelling,” said his former colleague and now senior v-p of marketing and communications for StandardAero Kyle Hultquist. “Bill was a one-of-a-kind individual in every way.”

The aviation industry mourns the loss of Franz List, chairman of the supervisory board for F/List, a high-end business aircraft interiors company. List passed away on March 23 at the age of 76 following a serious illness.

Under List’s visionary guidance, F/List evolved from a modest joinery, established by his father in 1950, into a global leader in the design, creation, and production of luxury interiors, particularly for business jets.

Franz List’s legacy is marked by his impact on the luxury interiors sector, where he introduced innovative products and achieved several industry milestones. In October 2017, List passed the management baton to his daughter, Katharina List-Nagl, who serves as CEO. while he served as chairman of the supervisory board.

RICK ROGERS

ROBERT FLANSBURG

Feb. 7, 2024, two pilots perished in the crash of their Beechcraft Hawker 900XP flying under Part 91. Just two days later, on February 9, two pilots died when their Bombardier Challenger 604, flying under Part 135, crashed. On March 10, the crash of an Israel Aircraft Industries 1125A while operating under Part 91 killed the two pilots and three passengers.

In the first quarter of 2024, two of the six people aboard a Russian-registered Dassault Falcon 10 died when the twin-engine aircraft crashed while in Afghanistan on a chartered ambulance flight. There were no fatal non-U.S.-registered business jet accidents in the first quarter of 2023.

Operations of U.S.-registered turboprops was the only turbine business aircraft segment to have experienced a decrease in fatal accidents quarter over quarter. In this year’s first quarter, six people lost their lives in one Part 91 accident (the crash of Daher TBM 960 single on March 30, 2024) compared with 14 fatalities in three accidents a year earlier.

There were 26 fatalities in seven accidents of non-U.S.-registered turboprops in the January through March 2024 time frame. Two private and two charter operations alone sustained 22 fatalities. During the same time frame last year, three people died in two non-N-numbered chartered turboprops.

Following the usual pattern, runway excursions accounted for the majority of accidents and incidents: 23 such misadventures in the first quarter of this year compared with 20 in last year’s first quarter.

In the first quarter, the NTSB concluded two turbine aircraft accident investigations: the non-fatal gear-up landing of a Beech King Air 200 on March 6, 2022, due to a gear actuator failure. The turboprop-twin was substantially damaged. On Nov. 9, 2022, the two people aboard a Piper Meridian were killed when the turboprop single crashed on approach in day IMC. The Safety Board attributed the accident to pilot spacial disorientation. z

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