NBAA-BACE Convention News 2023 Day 2

NBAA CONVENTION NEWS

DAY 2

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NBAA CONVENTION NEWS

DAY 2

OCTOBER 18, 2023

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Bombardier’s EcoJet tech could cut emissions by 50%

By David Donald Bombardier’s EcoJet Phase 2 technology demonstrator has now flown 10 times and is generating large amounts of data as part of efforts to develop technologies that could reduce emissions of a Global 6000-sized business jet by 50 percent. The blended-wingbody (BWB) craft—which has roughly 16 percent of the wing span of a Global 6000—is flying from an undisclosed North American location.

The 18-foot-wingspan air vehicle was revealed at EBACE in May, having made its first flight in late 2022. It is the latest test vehicle of a research program that began 15 years ago and initially resulted in an eight-foot-wingspan air vehicle that represented a notional 7 percent scale model of a potential BWB business jet configuration.

That Phase 1 vehicle provided enough data for Bombardier to progress to the Phase 2 aircraft, with the aim of further refining the data and

making it more applicable to the design of a full-size aircraft.

The EcoJet BWB concept is seen as having enormous promise in terms of fuel savings and also offers the potential for carrying large volumes of fuel, which may be an important advantage if fuels with lower power densities than jet-A are selected.

Bombardier suggests that the aerodynamic efficiencies of a BWB could account for around 20 percent of the continues on page 53

AVIONICS A grand challenge Universal Avionics is tapping staff for ideas to put artificial intelligence to work | 22

SUSTAINABILITY Path to future Business aviation’s demand for SAF is catching up to supply, and more is needed | 26

DIVERSITY Welcome to aviation The National Gay Pilots Association is focusing on outreach around the world | 42

Exhibitors were optimistic as day 1 of NBAA-BACE got underway, with many saying that the attendee numbers were way up over last year’s event. alerts

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Honeywell upgrades JetWave broadband

By Hanneke Weitering

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Honeywell is introducing its next-generation cabin connectivity service, JetWave X, and upgrading its Cabin Sentinel software suite for business jets to provide enhanced connectivity and better service for all JetWave customers, the company announced this week at NBAA-BACE. Cabin Sentinel, which Honeywell introduced in May, is a cabin connectivity monitoring and support service intended to “improve the passenger experience by better optimizing and securing JetWave’s connectivity link,” said Steve Hadden, v-p and general manager of services and connectivity at Honeywell Aerospace.

The upgraded Cabin Sentinel software suite, available this quarter for all JetWave customers, provides more robust data security by using quantum-encrypted keys to protect

user data. An advanced data control feature reduces network bottlenecks while giving customers the ability to prioritize bandwidth for specific devices and users.

“Most importantly, the real-time monitoring of the health of the system will provide early warnings of hardware or network issues to help prevent the loss of connectivity onboard the business jet,” Hadden said.

JetWave X, Honeywell’s next-generation satcom hardware system, builds on the original JetWave hardware used by airliners, military aircraft, and business jets. The upgraded JetWave X system is designed specifically for business jets, with more service network flexibility and new hardware that is easier to install.

With JetWave X, customers also have the option to tap into Viasat’s Ka-band network, which includes the Global Xpress satellites that Viasat inherited through its recent acquisition of Inmarsat. z

As electric aircraft development accelerates, opportunities abound for public viewing, such as Wisk Aero’s Gen 6 on site at NBAA-BACE 2023.

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Alto Aviation bought by Heads Up Technologies Heads Up Technologies has acquired Alto Aviation, which manufactures audio and cabin management system products for aircraft manufacturers and the aftermarket. Heads Up Technologies is backed by New York-based JLL Partners and manufactures lighting, cabin management systems, and cockpit electronics.

Alto Aviation is based in Sterling, Massachusetts, and was founded in 1997. “This acquisition marks the next exciting chapter in our journey,” said Alto president and CEO Don Hamilton. “The partnership with Heads Up Technologies allows us to continue providing customers with high-quality, innovative products and makes for an exciting combination of solutions. With the support of Heads Up Technologies, we look forward to a future of groundbreaking innovations and setting new industry standards.”

“The combined product offering will allow us to better serve the critical needs of OEMs and operators across the aviation industry,” said Heads Up Technologies CEO Renée Rump. “Alto’s premium audio and cabin management products complement our portfolio of innovative solutions and expand our growing presence in the aftermarket products.”

This week at NBAA-BACE, Alto Aviation introduced a line of subwoofers designed for midsize, large, and VIP business jets. Available in two sizes, the subwoofers feature side-firing technology, which combines two types of radiated energy into one discreet exit, fusing the acoustic front wave from the loudspeaker with the resonant back wave into a common high-velocity chamber.

The arrangement allows the subwoofer to couple extended bass responses directly into the listening room, avoiding putting bass energy into the cabinets or furniture.

M.T.

Tennis greats kick off opening day

By Kerry Lynch

Education in 1994 to promote educational access and reform.

Graf and Agassi also talked about their business endeavors, including emphasizing that they invest in people rather than things.

And while their focus is on their family, business, and philanthropy, the competitive side of the tennis champs still prevails.

They discussed an upcoming pickleball tournament that Graf and Agassi will play in February against tennis greats Maria Sharapova and John McEnroe. While stating

incursions, but now “we have six active investigations on the runway on six runway incursions that occurred over the past year.” That forum honed in on the need to collect data, she said. “Data is very important, but we have to at some point get beyond the data and start making decisions and implementing some safety measures that can save lives.”

Thomson further praised the dedication of her colleagues at the FAA but conceded that they “are under stress in terms of staffing,” particularly with air traffic controllers.

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To business, philanthropic, and tennis superstars Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, business aviation is essential to all that they do. Kicking off NBAA-BACE 2023 yesterday morning, Graf—who has notched 22 Grand Slam singles titles and 107 titles overall—told the audience at the opening day keynote session, “Being in airplanes was something I’ve always loved.

We’ve grown up in airplanes, and that’s how I kind of see it with our sport. We travel around the world.”

Joining Graf on stage, her husband Agassi added that business aviation provides more control over their time and said “controlling all the things you can…[is] a big part of us being the best of ourselves.”

Also appearing on the main stage during the opening session were FAA deputy administrator Kathryn Thomson and National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy. Jared Isaacman was featured on the stage as well; he is known as the commander of Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit, and he accepted NBAA’s Meritorious Service Award.

NBAA CEO Ed Bolen (left) queried Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi about their passion for aviation.

Agassi, who earned 60 men’s singles titles— including eight Grand Slam singles championships and an Olympic gold medal—shares that this is for fun, Agassi also joked that he Thomson also discussed how the agency is Graf ’s passion for flying. “I was always com- “wanted to beat the shit out of McEnroe.” forward-looking. “We’re very focused on the fortable in the airplane,” he said. “It was the Meanwhile, Thomson and Homendy art of the possible. We want to find a way to get only place you could really shut down. We touched upon some of the issues they’ve been to yes, [but] we will not compromise safety.” jumped from continent to continent, literally, focusing on in Washington. Homendy praised As for the future, Isaacman—founder and sometimes from week to week.”

NBAA for opening the convention with a dis- CEO of payments company Shift4—discussed Agassi stressed that, for him, business avi- cussion on safety. “I think that is critical and his love of aviation that led him to co-found ation is “about efficiencies,” saying that the really sends a great message.” the Black Diamond Jet Team that particitime savings have been key. “The idea of me Thomson noted that the aviation industry pates in airshows. He also holds a round-thebeing able to go do what I need to do and be had seen some “pretty serious close calls” world record in his Cessna Citation Mustang, back home for dinner to take the kids to school earlier this year and while it hasn’t been an which was a fundraising mission for the overall increase from last year, it “reminded Make-A-Wish Foundation, and has underwas such a huge importance and priority.”

Graf and Agassi also relayed how they us of how important the focus on safety is.” taken multiple space endeavors, including as were drawn into their philanthropic endeavThis resulted in an all-hands-on-deck call commander of Inspiration4, which he used to ors—Graf founded Children for Tomorrow to discuss opportunities to bring greater help support programs at St. Jude Children’s in 1998 to provide psychological help for chil- awareness and leverage available resources Research Hospital.

He discussed the possibilities of the future dren and families who have suffered trauma to drive continuous improvement in safety. from war, abuse, or loss of the family. Agassi Homendy noted that a 2017 roundtable and expanding horizons beyond earth but, launched the Andre Agassi Foundation for that the NTSB hosted focused on runway importantly, providing hope for all. z

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Vista Global launches Vista America Private aviation group Vista Global Holding has established Vista America, a unified platform designed to manage its Vista members’ fleet operations in the U.S. This strategic initiative, starting from November 1, will serve both VistaJet and XO clients.

The platform represents a significant consolidation of Vista’s existing U.S. partnerships, including Jet Select, Western Air Charter, XOJet Aviation, and Red Wing Aviation. While Vista holds non-controlling minority stakes in these entities, the company expects the unification under the Vista America banner to enhance brand clarity in the U.S. market and deliver a more streamlined service experience to clients.

Along with this announcement, Vista also revealed that David Stanley was appointed as the president of Vista America. Stanley

comes to Vista with more than 19 years working in the aviation industry and previously held the title of senior director at Collins Aerospace.

“David is a highly respected industry leader

with a deep understanding of the private aviation market,” noted Vista COO Nick van der Meer. “He is the ideal person to lead Vista America as we continue to grow our business in the United States.” z

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By Jessica Reed

Vista Global’s new Vista America unified platform will help the worldwide charter provider streamline the service experience.

How electric aircraft will complement business aviation

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The electric aviation revolution is here, and it could have a signif- existing aircraft, they also open up new possibilities that will complement the current market, the panelists agreed. icant impact on business aviation. During a BACE Newsmakers luncheon yesterday, a group of panelists from companies develFor people unfamiliar with advanced air mobility, the terms oping various types of electric aircraft discussed how they see the “electric air taxi” or “eVTOL” may evoke the image of George Jetson new technology fitting into today’s business aviation ecosystem. whizzing around Orbit City in a UFO-like airframe. While urban air While new electric aircraft have the potential to replace some mobility is certainly one application for electric aircraft, there’s a much bigger market in regional air mobility or longer-range flights of up to a few hundred miles, said Marc Ausman, chief product officer at Electra, a company developing a hybrid-electric, shorttakeoff-and-landing aircraft. Due to the lower operating costs associated with electric flight, “when you’re looking at starting new business opportunities, the economics pencil out a lot quicker, and so you can take that risk now,” he said. “There’s a huge growth opportunity here.

We can open up entire segments and expose people to aviation in a way that just wasn’t possible before.”

Kriya Shortt, president and CEO of Textron eAviation, said battery-electric powertrains are also ideal for pilot training. According to Shortt, eAviation’s Pipistrel Velis Electro electric trainer can reduce operating costs by about 75 percent. This lowers the cost Electric aircraft proponents promoted their products and how they will barrier that many aspiring pilots face when entering the profession, benefit business aviation during yesterday’s Newsmakers luncheon. which could in turn alleviate the workforce shortage.

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Gogo Avance L5 with 5G provisions available at Falcon service centers

The new King Air propeller saves weight and increases takeoff and climb performance.

Latest McCauley C780 propeller enters service on King Air B300

By Gregory Polek McCauley Propeller Systems today confirmed the first delivery and service entry of its newest C780 propeller for the Beechcraft King Air B300 series, following its installation at Textron Aviation’s Tampa service center in Florida. The propeller, which features four aluminum swept blades and a 105-inch diameter, gained FAA approval in July.

“The new McCauley C780 offers King Air customers increased performance, a quieter cabin, and greater efficiency,” said Heidi McNary, v-p and general manager of Textron Aviation subsidiary McCauley Propeller Systems.

Textron Aviation’s Tampa facility installed the C780 propeller on a Beechcraft King Air 350 operated by ExecuJet Charter Service.

Located in Florida, ExecuJet provides private air charter services.

The C780 propeller offers King Air B300 owners and operators more than 50 pounds of weight savings, increased takeoff and climb performance, reduced cabin and cockpit noise, and an extended TBO of 5,000 hours or 72 months.

King Air B300-series customers can get the propeller installed at a Textron Aviation service center or authorized McCauley service facility without the need for any additional modifications. z

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Gogo Business Aviation’s Avance L5 system with Gogo 5G provisioning is now available at Dassault Falcon Jet service centers for several Falcon business jet models. Of the more than 2,000 Falcons in service, 500 are equipped with Avance L5, giving them an upgrade path to Gogo’s 5G high-speed airborne connectivity. Dassault is developing Gogo 5G Avance LX5 STCs for Falcon installations.

“Gogo 5G was designed with our customers in mind to deliver high throughput with low latency, addressing the increased demand for data-heavy services and applications,” said Gogo v-p of aftermarket sales Dave Salvador. “Dassault’s investment in Gogo 5G provisions and STC development is a critical component in bringing this game-changing network technology to the market.”

Customers who choose the upgrade will experience an immediate performance boost, said Gogo. For the 5G provisioning, technicians will install a Gogo Avance L5 system and two belly-mounted multiband antennas. The system will operate on the Gogo Biz 4G network until the Avance LX5 single-box LRU—equipped for Gogo 5G connectivity—becomes available for installation in mid-2024.

Gogo is offering savings of up to $50,000 for customers wanting to upgrade or install Avance L5 now in preparation for LX5 and Gogo 5G availability next year.

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Duncan’s elaborate Falcon 900EX refurb a ‘massive undertaking’

By Gregory Polek Duncan Aviation completed a multi-milliondollar interior and exterior refurbishment of a Dassault Falcon 900EX it considers one of its finest and most unique efforts to date.

“This project was a massive undertaking,” explained Duncan Aviation sales manager Nate Klenke. “Nearly everything in the aircraft, from entry to aft, was new or required some level of modification. It demanded detailed planning throughout from the initial call to scale the size and associated costs of the project, to the design and engineering, the day-to-day management, the consistent attention to detail, and the final installation.”

The aircraft owner, for whom Duncan has renovated multiple aircraft over the years, brought an “experienced eye for design and style.”

“We embraced his openness to big ideas and suggestions, and he carefully considered all of the team’s suggestions and ideas,” commented Duncan Aviation lead designer Stephanie Kuhn.

For the interior, the owner provided multiple 3D illustrations of seat designs that incorporated custom-quilted patterns, which Duncan’s in-house automated quilting machine reproduced flawlessly. A subtle color

“Nearly everything in the aircraft, from entry to aft, was new or required some level of modification.”

Nate Klenke, Duncan Aviation sales manager

The refurbished Falcon 900EX’s custom seat quilting was inspired by the owner’s 3D illustrations.

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change on the seating visually separates each section of the cabin, flowing easily from one to the next and united by elements such as a foil-fused lower sidewall material, carved carpet, and stitching details.

“When doing a complete Falcon interior with a couple of our key upgrades, including our Duncan Aviation-designed passenger service unit [PSU] overlay panels and our drink rail modernization, we provide our “finishing touches” hardware package to complete the interior transformation,” said Tracey Boesch, senior Falcon completions and modifications sales representative. “This provides a unified look with the same profile and style so that the handles in the galley, lavatory, window shades, and drinkrail lids are harmonious throughout the aircraft.”

The interior team installed new Duncan Aviation-designed PSU overlay panels, teaming with their avionics technicians to install bright, energy-efficient LED lighting. Cabin electronics upgrades included audio/video and high-speed internet connectivity. Gogo Avance L5 gives passengers and pilots access to the Gogo Business Aviation air-to-grounnetwork, while an Alto Aviation CMS allows for high-fidelity audio through cabin speakers or their own headphones.

Exterior modifications included a new paint job featuring a pattern on the tail that produces the illusion of fading onto the aircraft fuselage and a pair of API blended winglets from Aviation Partners. The first authorized installers for Falcon Blended Winglets, Duncan Aviation has installed more than 100 pairs of API winglets on Falcon aircraft.

Project manager Ryan Oestmann, who oversaw the structures work needed for the winglets into the flow of the schedule, marveled at the final product. “The veneer in the galley is absolutely beautiful, and the lower sidewalls look amazing,” he said. “There are special details in every part of the airplane.” z

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Honeywell diplexer/amp protects against 5G

By Matt Thurber Honeywell has received FAA technical standard order approval for its new Type J diplexer/low-noise amplifier (DLNA), which is designed to mitigate interference by certain terrestrial and cellular networks with L-band satellite communications. Typically, business aviation operators use L-band for safety services functions such as FANS 1/A messaging, and ancillary terrestrial component, and LTE and 5G cellular networks being deployed can cause such interference because they operate in frequency bands adjacent to Inmarsat’s L-band network, according to Honeywell.

No changes to the aircraft’s wiring, connector interfaces, or mounting provisions are needed when replacing existing diplexers with the Type J DLNA. All operators with Class 6 or 7 satcoms can upgrade to the new diplexer.

“There has been growing concern globally that certain 5G services could interfere with some aircraft satcom systems, and the Type J DLNA can limit those effects,” said Honeywell Aerospace v-p and general manager of services and connectivity Steve Hadden. “With the upgrade, airlines and aircraft operators will continue to have access to Future Air Navigation System [FANS] routes, which allow airplanes to fly at their optimum altitudes and burn less fuel. That creates a significant reduction in flight durations and fuel costs while improving overall flight safety.” z

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Satcom Direct Plane Simple STC’d for Gulfstream G650 Satcom Direct’s Plane Simple Ku-band tail mount antenna system has received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for the Gulfstream G650. The antenna variant will become available for installation through the Gulfstream service network.

Satcom Direct’s Plane Simple Ku-band satcom uses Intelsat’s FlexExec network.

Plane Simple uses the Intelsat FlexExec high-throughput satellite network for connectivity service. Satcom Direct also provides customer support, hardware, software, ground infrastructure, and cybersecurity for the system.

“This STC is significant for us as we continue to raise the connectivity bar with this new class of hardware, which has been purpose-built for the business aviation sector,” said Satcom Direct CEO Jim Jensen. The antenna installation requires fitting two-line replaceable units, the tail-mounted antenna, and the SD modem unit. Plane Simple STCs already are available for the Gulfstream IV, V, G450, and G550 through the Gulfstream service network.

Satcom Direct has served as the exclusive provider of cabin connectivity service plans on both in-production and in-service aircraft for the Gulfstream Connectivity Service program. In fact, the SD FlightDeck Freedom platform is the default datalink system for in-production Gulfstream G500s, G600s, and G650/G650ERs. C.T.

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LHT expects new Nice in two years

By Peter Shaw-Smith Lufthansa Technik’s OEM Business Units division expects to see delivery of the new iteration of its Nice cabin management suite within two years. “I expect market entry in 2025 when the first aircraft will be equipped with the new Nice digital platform,” Christiane Grude, senior director, told AIN. The main customers of Network Integrated Cabin Equipment—or Nice—are business jet OEMs, including Bombardier, Embraer, and one with which LHT will unveil a cooperation agreement during NBAA-BACE. “Nice is an in-flight entertainment [IFE] cabin management system,” she said. “It manages any cabin interaction. You can steer the lighting or audio. We also have a big IFE portion: watching videos, getting great sound aboard the aircraft, and really making the flight enjoyable. That’s what Nice is all about.”

Grude expects to see high pick-up rates for software configuration and upgrade possibilities. “Earlier this year, at EBACE, we celebrated delivery of our 1,500th shipset. Some 1,500 aircraft are flying with the Nice system.

It’s a fast-growing market because the 1,000th shipset was delivered in 2019; an additional 500 took just three or four years.”

Nice has evolved in a journey that started 20 years ago and has seen steady growth and expanding technological possibilities. Nice SD was the first generation, then came Nice high definition (HD) in 2014. In 2018, LHT added an upgrade to 4K. The next generation allows software configuration possibilities and updates over the air.

“We are always looking at what is in the customer’s world—customer experiences with home or car entertainment, such as charging possibilities,” she said. “We’ve introduced wireless charging. People use it at home, or in the car, but if you want to use it in the aircraft, that involves completely different development, testing, and qualification processes.

Nice has always been at the forefront of these technological advancements.”

Lufthansa Technik is also looking into display technologies. Bombardier recently announced a 55-inch OLED 4K monitor, supplied by Lufthansa Technik. “We provide the OEM’s cabin-management IFE,” she said.

“Another of our innovations is in the area of voice control, which seems to be one of the features that makes it easier to connect to the aircraft and have it do what the customer wants.”

Grude’s team began development on the new platform two years ago. This year, it reached an important milestone with the

completion of the ground portal—the deployment mechanism—to the aircraft.

“We are working with customers on these features. Today, the technician uses a USB onboard the aircraft. In future, we want to revolutionize that: we need a portal to enable configuration and data transmission from the ground. Obviously, something onboard the aircraft needs to receive the data. We are therefore developing a 5G modem.” The modem is due in 2024, followed by market entry in 2025.

Grude also oversees Lufthansa Technik’s original equipment innovation business and a team of 200 colleagues, with a broad product portfolio. In addition to Nice, Lufthansa Technik also makes a non-electrical floor path marking system named GuideU, installed on most Airbus aircraft. “We are the market leader there, as well,” she said.

Other products include a patient transport unit; a radome solution; graphics, or placard solutions, as well as exterior aircraft foiling; and 3D-printing capability. “That’s, in a nutshell, the original equipment innovation business unit I oversee, along with a colleague who is more on the operational and engineering side. I’m the P&L responsible for product, technical sales, programs, customer interactions, and development of products for successful customer relationships.” z

Lufthansa Technik has continuously improved the Nice system’s features.

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F/List touts interior materials mastery

By Curt Epstein

that can be produced in various colors, textures, finishes, and thicknesses. Options range from a metallic stingray skin theme to textured glowing geometric patterns.

To achieve the various finishes, F/List uses real metal, stone dust, and even—to provide a luxurious sparkle—ground mother-of-pearl reclaimed from broken buttons from a manufacturer of traditional Austrian clothing.

According to Prince, Aenigma made its commercial debut in one of the company’s yacht completions, which called for an abundance of stingray skin leather for wall cover-

In the foothills of the Austrian Alps, set amid bucolic farmland, is the global headquarters of F/List, a family-owned company that has become a major purveyor of luxury fittings and materials to the high-end aviation, yacht, and residential markets. The company has worked as a supplier to virtually every aviation OEM in the 35 years since its founding.

At last year’s NBAA-BACE, F/List unveiled its Shapeshifter concept, a vision of a future where cabin furniture can morph into various shapes to allow customers to do more with the same space. This year, it will once The F/List stone veneer countertop. again show off its morphing credenza—made from seemingly solid wood that can silently and swiftly change shape into that of a desk using pneumatic actuators artfully concealed beneath a layer of flexible wood veneer.

As part of the Shapeshifter concept, F/List developed a cordless cellphone charger built into a side ledge storage cover with a cradle depression that magically ings. “They needed about 1,000 stingrays on vanishes when the phone is removed. It was the wall and our team was feeling a little sad covered with Aenigma, a proprietary, durable, that we would need to kill that many stingstretchable fabric-like material. “When we rays,” she recalled. “So they basically took started the Shapeshifter, we figured we would one of the skins, created a mold, and without start with leather because leather can morph killing any further animals were able to reproand bend, but it’s not really happy stretching,” duce stingray leather with a non-animal basis.” explained Melanie Prince, the company’s head In the static display at NBAA-BACE, a Pilaof innovation. “It sags and it creases, so we tus PC-24 is showcasing the first installation said this is not going to work—so we needed of the material in a business jet. F/Lab—the to try to build our own material.” company’s innovation team—responded to a The highly customizable material is cre- customer’s request for a lightweight, durable ated from renewable high-performance surface with a metallic finish for the light jet’s natural fibers in a resin matrix. F/List uses bulkheads and decorative surfaces. F/List’s cutting-edge chemistry to fuse traditional materials wizards responded by adding pure jewelry techniques with aerospace technology silver powder to the Aenigma mix, eliminating to create a decorative, customizable material the need for any synthetic or petroleum-based

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pigments, and the material was then bonded to a thin, hard backing for use.

“We are excited to present this new material to industry delegates as we lead the way in setting new standards for sustainability within the aviation industry,” said CEO Katharina List-Nagl. “This chameleon-like material epitomizes the versatility of our F/Lab alchemists, highlights the infinite potential for designers, and indicates the trend is beginning to move toward sustainable options for interiors.”

The company will also show off two of its other engineered materials product lines at the show. Whisper Leather is a sustainable plant-based alternative to ultra-leather, manufactured from a polymer derived from cornstarch, with a viscose backing. Linfinium, a linseed oil-based recyclable product, can be used for anything from countertops to flexible flooring. Through the addition of ingredients such as stone dust (recycled from its stone shop), recycled cork, sand from the customer’s favorite beach, or even ground apricot pits, the company can alter the properties of Linfinium to change its firmness and surface texture.

To better serve its customers in all three of the highend markets it provides for, F/List (named after company founder Franz List) now has a global footprint with satellite facilities in Denver; Melbourne, Florida; Montreal; Sorocaba, Brazil; London; Berlin; and Dubai, UAE. Of the more than 1,000 F/List employees worldwide, 700 are based at its Thomasberg, Austria headquarters, which includes its primary manufacturing and final assembly facility.

To accommodate growth at its headquarters production facility—which offers 278,000 sq ft of production space and operates one of Austria’s largest photovoltaic plants—the company broke ground this summer on Plant 3.

Currently, Plant 2 is largely dedicated to aviation serial production, and the completion of the new 50,000 sq ft facility (expected in the first half of 2024) will free up space through the relocation of the aviation final assembly, quality review, and shipping departments. z

Hadid Int’l optimistic for continuing growth

By Peter Shaw-Smith Dubai-based flight support services company Hadid International Services has seen a strong first half this year, its top U.S.-based official said on the eve of NBAA-BACE 2023.

“We are anticipating the trend will continue through the fourth quarter,” Jacqueline Simmons, Hadid’s business development manager for the U.S. and Latin America, told AIN. “If current indicators continue for the remainder of the year, we will reach our productivity goals for 2023. The outlook for 2024 is yet to be seen, but I am optimistic that the growth momentum will continue.”

Enthusiasm in the current U.S. market had seen airline financial performance beating expectations and a number of positive international developments and drivers this year. The latter includes China lifting its Covid restrictions, jet fuel prices easing, and high passenger

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demand for travel, despite inflation, she said.

“With all the enthusiasm in our current domestic market, we do need to keep in mind and respect the geopolitical climate and its effects on the aviation industry,” she said.

“We are confident that 2024 could be our best year, provided global markets do not dip into recession, geopolitical tensions ease, and restrictive markets continue to open.”

Hadid is encountering certain challenges that, while offering valuable opportunities for growth, require creative solutions. “One such opportunity lies in addressing our staffing needs, both locally and internationally,” she said. “At Hadid, we pride ourselves on our commitment to cultivating and developing exceptional talent, yet the process of identifying the right individuals is challenging, both in the U.S. and beyond.”

U.S. air charter operators have kept Hadid busy this year with significant requests for international support. “If the activity we are seeing is any indicator, you can surmise that the charter business is alive and well,” she said. ”Once the traveling public has experienced private flights and the flexibility they bestow, the rigidity of commercial flights no longer meets its needs. I can’t speculate with certainty, but I don’t foresee the charter trend losing momentum in 2023.”

Asked to identify a national market outside of the U.S. where Hadid sees significant growth, Simmons referenced India. With a substantial and expanding airport infrastructure throughout the Indian subcontinent, the Asian nation continues to see greater demand for support.

“It can be a difficult country to navigate, and we have Hadid personnel locally assigned to facilitate the logistics in the region,” she said.

“We continue to expand our capabilities and we stand ready to assist at a moment’s notice.”

Two years ago, Simmons said Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico were the Latin American markets to watch. Today, she maintained that Hadid is still very much committed to Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We are constantly looking and expanding our network to better serve our clientele,” she

20 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

“If current indicators continue for the remainder of the year, we will reach our productivity goals for 2023.”

Jacqueline Simmons, Hadid’s business development manager for the U.S. and Latin America

said. “In addition, we plan on increasing our presence year-over-year to be a strong competitor in the region.”

Looking back, Simmons said Covid was a “double-edged sword” for Hadid’s international operations. As a fully functioning organization and having responsibility for many employees, it had to make difficult decisions within a short time frame from the start of the pandemic to address the unknown factors that continuously erupted.

She noted that company leadership provided the sales force latitude to accommodate the shifting market, empowering staff to make difficult decisions at the regional level to continue driving the business forward.

“We were able to adapt and leverage the situation to some extent,” Simmons said. “The pandemic accelerated changes in the aviation industry, creating new opportunities for flight support services. Hadid responded proactively by adjusting its operations and services to align with the changing needs of the industry.

“Some of the new concepts we are developing came directly from the Covid shutdown. It gave us a license to fast-track ideas,” she concluded. z

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Artificial intelligence tools offer new opportunities for Universal Avionics employees.

Universal Avionics taps AI for second grand challenge

By Matt Thurber Universal Avionics director of professional services Amanda Grizzard oversaw the October 9 launch of the company’s next Grand Challenge, allowing employees to form teams to solve big problems and develop products for the Tucson, Arizona-based avionics manufacturer. This Grand Challenge asks employee teams to determine whether generative artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT can lead to new products.

Grizzard participated in Universal’s first Grand Challenge in 2019 and gladly accepted the role of leading Grand Challenge 2.0. “The company loved it [last time],” she explained.

The spur for the new challenge was Universal CEO Dror Yahav and his learning about the latest AI developments. “He wanted to know how we could use it,” Grizzard said. “[Employing] large-language models and seeing how easy it is for someone without skills to use generative AI to improve the company’s operational efficiency and whether it can be incorporated in new products.”

As it did with the first Grand Challenge, Universal opened the second to all employees. Those interested are forming teams and developing ideas for putting AI to work.

Currently, the plan is that teams continue to form and come up with ideas, and then submit those for initial approval for access to data needed for the AI application. On November 13, the proposal phase kicks off, and teams will have two weeks to finalize their submissions.

Judges will evaluate and select those that will move on to the next phase—developing applications—which begins December 11.

Applications need to be ready for submission

by January 15, when judges will decide which teams advance. Finalists will demonstrate their products from February 6 to 8 and the winner will be announced on February 12.

“For the first one, employees were really engaged,” Grizzard said, “and they came up with great ideas. This time, we’re going for scaleable applications and long-term opportunities. And we could have multiple solutions.”

22 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

The proposals will have to consider data security as they will rely on internal company resources. To avoid connections to the outside cyber world, participants will be given access to a secure internal network with all the information they need, as well as an internal AI trained only with Universal’s information.

Participants will be given access to a guide that answers all their questions, provides links to resources, and gives areas of focus to consider for their solutions. This could include using AI for developing training materials, technical publications, chatbot services, and repair and maintenance processes.

A guideline suggestion is to develop an AI-based system that captures the knowledge of Universal’s 42 years of flight management system (FMS) development. The company still gets calls for support for older units, but the people who designed, built, and supported those FMSs are no longer around.

“One guideline is to be able to train a neural network language model-based system to remember everything we’ve done,” said Yahav.

“We have material for a company that has a lot of legacy products, but they’re somewhere [not easily accessible]. If we teach a system, we can present this knowledge.”

Once the winning solution or multiple solutions are chosen, they will be implemented, but all with an eye toward cybersecurity and protecting intellectual property (IP) ownership. This could be an issue because generative AI systems capture information from a variety of sources, often without permission. Universal’s approach addresses, for example, whether a writer who answers a question in a training module owns the IP for that response and how that response can be used in an AI framework.

“One benefit of when we identify how we want to use that information and having a locally hosted AI server [is that] we can influence the training,” Grizzard said. “We start with a base model we believe in and we influence that model.

“And we always have a human oversight aspect, making sure it’s doing things correctly, it’s ethical, and checking those boxes. We are the influencer, and there aren’t peripheral inputs. I really believe it can change how we work for the better.” z

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Wyvern awards Flight Leader certificate to Sun Air Jets By: Mark Huber

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and Part 145 maintenance for a diverse fleet that includes aircraft from Gulfstream, Bombardier, Embraer, Cessna, and Beechcraft based at Van Nuys (KVNY) and Camarillo (KCMA) airports. It recently became Wyvern’s first Certified Flight Leader.

“A Flight Leader inspires other Wingman operators to reach higher and attain new levels of excellence,” said Wyvern CEO Sonnie Bates. “Sun Air Jets’ recognition as a Certified Flight Leader is proof that their leadership is focused on their organization’s safety culture and the key human factors that matter most in aviation safety.”

“The benefits of engaging in the program are immeasurable,” said Sun Air Jets COO Steve Maloney. “Not only does the program’s 90-day sortie continuous assessment structure revolu- Steve Maloney, tionize the external Sun Air Jets COO. audit business, but it also keeps us consistently accountable and up to date with the industry’s most recent aviation safety trends.”

“With the collaboration with partners such as Sun Air Jets, we have ensured that the Flight Leader program focuses on what matters— continuous improvement of each operator’s safety system,” said Andrew Day, Wyvern senior v-p, operations. z

Aviation data and market intelligence firm JetNet has expanded its executive and leadership teams, appointing Josh Baird as COO, Katherine Minty as CFO, Eric Foss as senior vice president of engineering, and Greg Kimball as senior vice president of product. It also tapped Craig Smith and Julie Mandello for the newly created positions of vice president of program management and controller, respectively. C.T.

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Bizav charting path to SAF-powered future

By Curt Epstein The business aviation industry has done a good job in signaling its receptivity for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), according to Kennedy Ricci, president of industry sustainability solutions provider 4Air. “It speaks well to the initial interest of people out there that we’ve been able to meet what is currently available for supply,” he told AIN at NBAA-BACE 2023. “We’ve seen the demand catch up to supply availability, so we’re waiting for some of the plant expansions to be completed and for some of the new producers to start.”

Federal incentives such as the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Credit—better known as the blender’s tax credit and created as part of last

year’s Inflation Reduction Act—are playing a role in spurring industry growth.

“It’s definitely helping with the new producers to kind of give some certainty that there is going to be better support for SAF specifically,” said Ricci. “We haven’t seen as much impact to the end operator, but [it’s giving] a little more benefit to people willing to put future production out there.”

The recent expansion of state-based incentivization programs has seen SAF availability spillover from California—which has been a hotbed of SAF production and distribution—into other states. According to 4Air’s SAF availability map on its website, regular supplies of the fuel can be found at certain FBOs in five U.S. states: California, Washington, Oregon, Michigan, and Texas. But due to

Supplies of sustainable aviation fuel are growing, with the three West Coast states and Texas and Michigan the early adopters, but more states will come online.

legislative changes in the works, that could soon change, according to Ricci.

“The biggest thing we are seeing positively is low-carbon fuel standard programs and other SAF incentive programs on the East Coast specifically,” he said. “New York and New Jersey were working on one; I think the first version failed but that’s coming back through. Massachusetts just emerged as another one, and obviously, we have the recent one in Minnesota.”

Those measures combined with the under-development production sites in the Upper Midwest and the Southeast could finally see the expansion of SAF’s footprint to airports in the Northeast. “In the Southeast, certain types of SAF producers will be able to get into the pipelines that go up into the East Coast, so those production facilities down there might be able to get some fuel to the Northeast.”

Not all SAFs are the same, with several different production pathways approved for use by ASTM, the governing body on fuel certification. Those differing pathways will play a role in the availability of SAF for business aviation and its cost, according to Ricci.

“There is a lot of feedstock availability out there. It speaks to the need to have a lot of different feedstock sources—different supply chains, different pathways because no single feedstock is going to be able to supply everything that we need,” he noted, adding the commercial airlines with their massive offtake agreements will likely be able to control a lot of the lower-cost feedstocks.

“We’ll see probably the lower-cost fuel going to the airlines, and business aviation will be left with a bit more of the higher-cost SAF. There’s a significant amount of feedstock out there; it’s just how much you are willing to pay and it’s really about the competition with other industries as well.”

4Air continues to educate business aviation operators on how they can use SAF without direct access to the actual fuel via the bookand-claim process. It is a method by which operators can purchase SAF and receive the accompanying environmental benefits, while the fuel is dispensed at a different location into a different aircraft. continues on page 28

26 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

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Airbus ACJ TwoTwenty takes N. American bow Airbus Corporate Jets introduced its latest offering, the ACJ TwoTwenty, at this year’s NBAA-BACE, marking its debut in North America. This “extra large” business jet has an intercontinental range of 5,650 nm or more than 12 flight hoursof endurance.

“The airplane can fly to three continents— Europe, South America, and Africa—from Las Vegas,” Sean McGeough, head of Airbus Corporate Jets North America, told AIN. The airframer found that just 1 percent of ultralong-range travelers in the U.S. exceed the range of 5,600 nm, and most operate primarily within North America.

The ACJ TwoTwenty’s most defining feature is its expansive cabin, according to McGeough. “It’s literally three times the real estate of what you’d find in a Gulfstream or Bombardier ultra-long-range airplane,” he remarked.

Six distinct zones are included in the cabin, from a gourmet kitchen galley to a private

SAF future continued from page 26

“I think within the industry, people are starting to see the benefits of accessing fuel that’s either where they are, or getting better-priced fuel because it is staying closer to production,” said Ricci. “It’s keeping the production incentives in the state, so that type of transaction I think is getting more accepted.”

While most SAF fuel is approved for use at up to 50 percent blends with conventional jet fuel, tests are being conducted by many engine manufacturers in conjunction with airframers on the use of neat (100 percent) SAF, and the ASTM is said to be looking at two approval pathways for certification of the unblended fuel once production supplies permit it.

lounge. Two 55-inch 4K TVs, a California kingsized bed option in the bedroom, and a full stand-up rain shower in the bathroom also set this aircraft apart.

Beyond space, Airbus Corporate Jets has focused on enhancing the in-flight experience. While most aircraft tout their cabin altitude—“and we do have a nice cabin altitude,” McGeough noted—the TwoTwenty introduces an air humidification system.

Originally designed for up to 160 passengers, this system boosts the humidity by up to 25 percent for up to 19 passengers, reducing the impacts of jet lag.

The TwoTwenty is competitively priced, according to McGeough, and operational The ACJ TwoTwenty’s six-zone cabin takes costs are a third less than its ultra-long-range advantage of the airframe’s spacious dimensions. counterparts. This is because of longer maintenance intervals, affordable parts, and the robustness of the Airbus commercial infraThe current financial landscape shows a structure, he said. According to McGeough, shift toward off-balance-sheet leasing, with the aircraft’s residual value depreciates at banks displaying a preference for financing only 2.5 to 3 percent annually, compared with large cabin airplanes, which typically deprethe industry’s average of 6 to 7 percent. ciate slower.

McGeough also shared with AIN that many of the company’s customers “and a lot of peo“You have one approach that would be a ple in business aviation are focused on philandrop-in 100 percent SAF,” said Ricci. “ASTM thropy or how they can use their airplane for looked at using two synthetic blending com- good causes.” ponents to meet the aromatic requirements, Airbus Corporates Jets partner Comlux so they take synthetic aromatics and blend announced on Monday that it had received two more orders for the ACJ TwoTwenty, them with a synthetic jet fuel.

“The other would be a non-drop-in 100 per- which will be completed by Comlux Complecent SAF standard. Obviously, that is a little tion. Comlux is the exclusive outfitter for the less favorable because now you have a sepa- first 15 copies of the bizliner. rate fuel so that is separate fueling infrastruc“The combination of the Airbus airture, separate tanks, separate trucks.” frame, the Pratt & Whitney engines, and The durability and longevity of today’s air- the Comlux cabin has really resulted in the craft is another factor weighing against the creation of a champion of business avialatter, according to Ricci. “The aircraft we tion,” said Christophe Pelet, head of Comhave flying today will still be flying in 2050,” lux Transactions. he explained. “We can’t make a new fuel stanThe first TwoTwenty was delivered to dard that is not going to help those aircraft launch customer Five Hotels and Resorts in also decarbonize because they will still be May. Comlux expects to deliver the second of z around in 25 years.” z the outfitted bizliners in February.

28 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

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Jetex to open Al Bateen FBO next month

By Peter Shaw-Smith Jetex will hold the official opening of its new Al Bateen Executive Airport FBO in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, in November, around the time of the 2023 Dubai Airshow. The facility soft-opened at the beginning of September.

“I’m working for more FBO options, but I’m now focusing on the final opening of our Abu Dhabi FBO later this year,” CEO Adel Mardini told AIN. “We will also start moving now on new locations.”

Jetex’s growing workforce now numbers 820 people, a figure Mardini expects to reach 1,000 by the end of the year, with the headcount in Abu Dhabi reaching 100 employees by then. “We are always developing our assets and now we are not only in Dubai, but Abu Dhabi as well,” he said. “We are providing a ‘UAE solution’ for the client. We are selling a UAE package: Dubai and Abu Dhabi.”

Mardini said that Jetex would provide the only FBO at Al Bateen, meaning that the company now controls a sizable chunk of the UAE market. “My expectation is 6,000 movements a year there,” he said.

He also clarified the number of movements Jetex handled at the VIP terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport (OMDB) in 2022: “...10,925, to be exact.” Set against the official Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub figure of 15,444 business jet movements at OMDB last year, Jetex has a 71 percent share of that market.

Given the significance of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to the Middle East’s economy, Mardini’s strategy of pursuing FBO opportunities in the GCC is paying dividends.

Although Qatar is closed to outside players and Bahrain is a small market, Mardini is making headway in the GCC’s other four nations.

“We are now in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Salalah,” he said. “We are waiting for Kuwait to release a tender soon. We are very interested in the Kuwaiti market.”

The Saudi market remains the glittering prize. As early as 2015, Arabasco told AIN that Jeddah alone handled 22,000 movements at its FBOs. Jeddah, Riyadh, Medina, Dammam,

Al Ula, and Neom are all in focus for Mardini.

“I would love to be in all Saudi locations,” he said. “We have made sure the Saudis know we are interested. I believe Saudi Arabia is building a new strategy for business aviation. There are locations in Saudi Arabia where there is no

need to wait: Jeddah, and the Red Sea Project.

“We are still in discussions with them.

There’s nothing concrete. I’m waiting for them.

It’s a government decision. I’m sure they’re not ready. For me, if I go into Saudi Arabia, I go for everything—all the locations. z

Jetex’s Dubai FBO is part of the company’s “UAE solution,” which now includes an Abu Dhabi facility.

X-1FBO’s enhancements boost fuel truck ops FBO software systems integrator X-1FBO has introduced the latest enhancement to its Cloud Connect platform for fuel truck operations. The use of the company’s Cloud Connect modem provides a new level of fuel automation for users.

Notably, it moves the tanker’s fuel register information into the X-1FBO system and its Single Point fuel management module.

The system allows remote control of the TCS meters, allows users to create on-the-spot fuel tickets, and includes a built-in GPS transmitter to permit the tracking of fuel trucks.

For existing X-1 customers, this marks a powerful enhancement to their operations, as well as an incentive for those looking to adopt the management system.

“From the drawing board to the ramp, we

30 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

envisioned the X-1 Cloud Connect as the nexus of technology, data, and fueling technology,” said company co-founder and CEO Jim Wiley. “Today, seeing it connect devices, trucks, and the cloud with such precision… we’re not just improving fueling operations; we’re transforming how FBOs operate for the future.”

This week at NBAA-BACE, the company is demonstrating its X-1 Pilot application, which provides real-time visibility to aircraft operators and service providers. Through the application, users can find FBOs, review their services and fuel prices, and send requests directly to their customer service desks. A complementary wallet feature allows them to save payment methods, view invoices, and pay them.

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Camp companies team up on integrated E-commerce Camp Systems companies Inventory Locator Service (ILS), Corridor, and Quantum Control have partnered on a platform that provides a native ERP and marketplace-integrated e-commerce platform for the aviation aftermarket. Called SalesEdge Commerce, the system allows parts suppliers to market and sell using a branded e-commerce storefront platform with their websites, ILS Marketplace presence, and Corridor or Quantum Control ERP.

The company announced the launch of the platform on Monday at NBAA-BACE, saying it is “power[ing] a new era of aviation parts sales.”

By enabling parts suppliers with custom-branded storefronts and materials co-listed in the ILS Marketplace and integrated with their ERP, parts suppliers can provide “best-in-class” online parts purchasing, improve operational sales productivity, drive growth, and reach more markets, Camp said. They can also protect their investments in workflows, company brand, and intellectual property, and extend the value of the ERP and marketplace presence they already have.

With SalesEdge Commerce, buyers gain the ability to securely purchase online with terms set with the supplier. They can also review critical material characteristics and track order status and delivery. Parts sellers can increase revenues by opening new channels of business, save time and effort by automating their sales processes, and deliver a better experience for their customers by enabling online purchasing.

“Customers in our ecosystem are keen to advance their commercial reach and improve productivity while offering superior customer buying experiences to their customers at any time, from any device, and from any location—including shop floors,”

Camp Systems CEO Sean Lanagan highlighted the company’s integrated e-commerce platform and how it helps automate mundane processes.

JESSICA REED

By Gregory Polek and Jessica Reed

on the important stuff, and automate things where possible.”

SalesEdge Commerce is a white-label e-commerce solution, Brian Driscoll, v-p of eCommerce at ILS, explained. “It’s natively integrated with our ERP solutions. It means that I do not need somesaid Camp Systems CEO Sean Lanagan. one to physically manage getting the “Our vision was validated by our customers, inventory to my storefront or have somewho all wanted to add e-commerce to their one that is syncing up customer details. digital strategy yet wanted to ensure they All of that data is transmitting over autocould do so while protecting all the invest- matically into these online interfaces in ments in processes, knowledge, people, and real time.” systems made over time.”

John Kochel, director of parts and logisLanagan further commented, “Most tics at Western Aircraft, talked about the industry meetings that I go to start and value of its partnership with Camp. “It end with staffing shortages. There just was critical that we had an efficient way aren’t enough talented people. You have to to improve our customers’ access to our be able to attract them and take mundane inventory and to do that in a way that stood processes off their plate so they can focus alongside our ERP partner,” he said. z

AviationManuals, GE combine safety tools AviationManuals is integrating its safety hazard reporting tool with GE’s digital flight operations quality assurance (FOQA) data.

The company is thus enabling business jet operators to more easily source GE Digital’s FOQA data analytics after each flight operation. Further, it will automatically fill out an incident hazard report, regardless of scope.

The integration provides immediate safety insights covering all levels of FOQA incident and accident data. “We believe that safety is in the small stuff, and even minor

32 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

deviances need to be addressed to mitigate risks,” said AviationManuals CEO Mark Baier.

AviationManuals supports more than 4,500 operators worldwide and provides manual development services and SMS software for business aviation flight departments, aircraft management companies, and owner/operators. GE’s digital aviation software enables operators to enhance operator safety and efficiency, reducing operational disruptions and improving decisions regarding real-time fleet health. M.H.

BJT Readers’ Choice Survey

Here are the results of the Business Jet Traveler 2023 Readers’ Choice survey, which attracted nearly 1,300 respondents and incorporated many questions that we didn’t ask in previous years. As promised, we have made a contribution for every completed survey to Corporate Angel Network, which arranges free flights on business aircraft to treatment centers for cancer patients.

Note: Percentages don’t always total 100 due to rounding and because respondents were allowed to select multiple answers for two questions.

About how much do you fly privately in a typical year?

Less than 25 hours 25–50 hours 51–75 hours 76–100 hours More than 100 hours

10%

26%

10%

How much do you expect to personally spend on flying private in 2023?

13%

23%

9%

Continue chartering indefinitely Move up to whole ownership of an aircraft Return to the airlines at some point Move up to a fractional jet share Move up to a jet card

19%

34 %

Have you ever taken an international private flight?

Yes No

18%

If you fly via charter, do you plan to…

32%

37%

Do you try to use favored FBOs when booking flights?

33%

1%

Yes, I try to select airports that have FBOs I favor, or, at airports with multiple FBOs, use ones I prefer No, I don’t I don’t know what an FBO is

68%

12%

66%

13% 11%

10%

9% 32%

8% More than $500,000 $250,000–$500,000 27% $100,000–$249,000 $50,000–$99,000 Less than $50,000 Nothing, because my company covers the cost Nothing, because I don’t expect to fly privately this year

13%

The first time you ever flew privately was…

19%

34 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

On a friend’s aircraft On your company’s aircraft On an aircraft you wholly owned On a charter flight you booked On a colleague’s aircraft On an aircraft you fractionally owned Via a jet card you purchased

7% 2% 2%

35 %

AIN Product Support Survey: Engines

By Gregory polek GE Aerospace returned to take top honors in this year’s Product Support Survey for turbofan engine makers, matching its overall average rating from last year of 8.7. However, Rolls-Royce jumped in the ratings to the second slot just behind GE with an 8.6 rating, and support for its BR700 and AE3007 models moved into a tie at the top for engine-specific overall average.

In the comparison of engine makers, Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) and Williams International tied for the third position this year, each compiling a score of 8.4. The Williams FJ44 fell behind the Rolls turbofan models with a rating of 8.4.

Although Honeywell placed last among the turbofan manufacturers, the Phoenix-based aerospace giant scored 9.1 in turboprops, equaling P&WC for the top score among all engine makers. P&WC also posted a 9.1 rating in turboshaft engines while scoring 8.6 in turboprops.

Along with airframers highlighted in AIN’s August issue and avionics OEMs in September, engine makers continue to contend with supply chain disruptions and a tight labor market.

GE Aerospace

Several have added authorized service centers to accommodate increasing support demand in the business aviation sector as well as headcount to help mitigate delivery delays.

Honeywell, for example, has over the past year dedicated 300 employees to its Supplier Rate Readiness team, which works on

dual-sourcing strategies and returning repair capability to its own network. GE Aerospace, meanwhile, increased the size of its “in-region” support team by 10 percent and boosted the number of personnel now dedicated to managing logistics for customers of its OnPoint preferred engine maintenance program. z

Rating Factory Category & Overall Overall Overall Authorized Cost per Cost Overall Change Owned Parts AOG Warranty Technical Technical Average Ratings for Average Average Service Hour of Engine from 2022 Service Availability Response Fulfillment Manuals Reps Aircraft Engines 2023 2022 Centers Programs Parts Reliability to 2023 Centers

Turbofan Engines GE Aerospace

8.7

8.7

0.0

8.8

8.7

8.5

8.5

7.4

8.5

9.1

9.0

8.7

9.6

Rolls-Royce

8.6

8.3

0.3

8.8

8.8

7.9

8.3

7.1

8.6

8.9

8.5

8.8

9.5

Pratt & Whitney Canada

8.4

8.3

0.1

8.5

9.0

8.0

7.8

7.0

8.2

8.9

8.3

8.6

9.2

Williams International

8.4

8.6

(0.2)

8.3

8.2

8.2

7.8

7.2

8.8

9.2

8.3

8.8

9.0

Honeywell

7.6

7.6

(0.0)

8.3

8.9

6.8

6.7

6.2

7.3

7.8

7.5

7.1

9.1

Honeywell

9.1

8.8

0.3

9.7

9.1

8.9

9.0

7.3

9.4

9.5

9.5

9.2

9.8

Pratt & Whitney Canada

8.6

8.5

0.1

9.1

9.2

7.6

8.3

6.9

8.3

8.9

8.8

9.0

9.5

9.1

8.5

0.6

9.3

9.2

8.8

8.8

8.3

9.2

9.4

9.2

9.1

9.3

Turboprop Engines

Turboshaft Engines Pratt & Whitney Canada

36 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

Clay Lacy sells out 1st hangar phase at KOXC By: Curt Epstein California-based Clay Lacy Aviation, which is building its first East Coast FBO at Connecticut’s Waterbury-Oxford Airport (KOXC), has reached a milestone in its development.

Clay Lacy announced that it has fully sold out its first 40,000-sq-ft hangar in advance

The first 40,000-sq-ft hangar will open in early 2024 at Clay Lacy’s KOXC facility.

of the facility’s opening in early 2024. accepting reservations for the latter two, which The hangar and adjoining 5,000-sq-ft termi- are anticipated to be completed by mid-2025. nal represent Phase I of the project. Plans call “We considered aircraft owners’ needs first for the $20 million, 11-acre complex to even- and foremost when developing this project,” tually include three same-size hangars with said Buddy Blackburn, the company’s senior 29-foot-high doors capable of sheltering the lat- v-p for FBO operations at Waterbury-Oxford. est under-development ultra-long-range busi- “The overwhelming response has shown that airness jets, up to and including the Falcon 10X. craft owners and flight departments have been They will permit flight departments with two searching for space to accommodate both curor more aircraft to hangar them together, an rent and future aircraft models and a tailored option that is lacking in the tight Tri-State avi- aircraft design solution that allows maximum ation real estate market, and Clay Lacy is now protection and access for clients.” z

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10/3/23 5:39 PM a i n o n l i n e . c o m • October 18, 202 3 • N B A A Convention News 37

The best FBOs of 2023 FBOs are a key cog in business aviation’s airport system. Often touted as offering the first impression visitors arriving by air have of a destination, they provide ground handling, parking, hangar space, towing, and in most cases fuel for aircraft. For passengers, they offer amenities that typically include comfortable lobbies and waiting areas, refreshment bars, business centers, and customer-service agents or concierges. For pilots and crew, there are lounges, snooze rooms, flightplanning areas, and courtesy cars.

To determine which FBOs provide the best overall experiences, AIN has conducted an annual survey since 1981. AIN polls a select subset of its readers, including pilots, flight schedulers, and dispatchers—those who can evaluate FBOs most knowledgeably. These subscribers now have access to a website that allows them to rate FBOs at any time during the year, with their latest rating of a location replacing any previous one.

AIN culled through thousands of responses from the past five years (2018–22) to compile cumulative average scores for its latest annual lists of the best FBOs in the Americas and the rest of the world.

The magazine asked survey respondents to rate facilities they’d used over the past year FBO

on a scale of 1 to 5 in the following categories: Line service—competence and professionalism of the workers who meet the airplane on the ramp and service it.

Passenger amenities—quality of lobbies, lounges, conference rooms, and refreshments, as well as availability of ground transportation.

Pilot amenities—the availability and quality of pilot lounges, flight-planning facilities, snooze rooms, crew showers, entertainment and recreation offerings, and complimentary crew cars.

Facilities—cleanliness, comfort, upkeep, and convenience of the location.

Customer service—professionalism of customer-service representatives, their familiarity with the local area, and their assistance with reservations and catering.

The survey responses show that to be a top-scoring FBO, it is not enough to excel in only one of these categories. Facilities must demonstrate excellence across the board.

The highest-rated FBO in the Americas last year, for the third consecutive year, was Pentastar Aviation at Oakland County International Airport in Pontiac, Michigan. It garnered an average score of 4.78, placing it among the top 10 in all five survey categories in AIN’s latest ranking, the AIRPORT CODE

Pentastar only location to achieve this distinction.

The company, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year, offers a variety of uncommon services, including what is likely the only FBO-operated jetway in the U.S. Open and staffed 24/7, the complex includes 155,000 square feet of hangar space and 10 acres of reinforced ramp space. The company has acquired one of the last remaining parcels of undeveloped land at its airport and will soon begin work on an $11 million expansion project that will add a pair of 25,000-sq-ft hangars and 8,000 sq ft of passenger lounges and office space.

The 2023 AIN FBO survey turned out to be a close contest, with Pentastar just edging out American Aero at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport and Sheltair at Florida’s Tampa International. z

AIRPORT

LOCATION

OVERALL AVERAGE

PENTASTAR AVIATION

KPTK

OAKLAND COUNTY INTL.

MICHIGAN

4.78

AMERICAN AERO

KFTW

FORT WORTH MEACHAM INTL.

TEXAS

4.77

SHELTAIR

KTPA

TAMPA INTL.

FLORIDA

4.77

BANYAN AIR SERVICE

KFXE

FORT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE

FLORIDA

4.73

WILSON AIR CENTER

KMEM

MEMPHIS INTL.

TENNESSEE

4.73

HENRIKSEN JET CENTER

KTME

HOUSTON EXECUTIVE

TEXAS

4.72

JET AVIATION

KPBI

PALM BEACH INTL.

FLORIDA

4.72

HENRIKSEN JET CENTER

KEDC

AUSTIN EXECUTIVE

TEXAS

4.71

SHELTAIR

KFLL

FORT LAUDERDALE/HOLLYWOOD INTL.

FLORIDA

4.71

SHELTAIR

KBJC

ROCKY MOUNTAIN METROPOLITAN

COLORADO

4.71

AERO-ONE AVIATION

KDHN

DOTHAN REGIONAL

ALABAMA

4.69

BUSINESS JET CENTER

KDAL

DALLAS LOVwE FIELD

TEXAS

4.69

WESTERN AIRCRAFT

KBOI

BOISE AIR TERMINAL/GOWEN FLD

IDAHO

4.69

38 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

Top 5%

Web Manuals unveils new data importer

By James Careless To enhance client access to compliance information, Web Manuals (Booth N3035) unveiled a compliance data importer tool this week at NBAA-BACE. The company specializes in digital documentation for the aviation industry.

This tool “enables us to input any publicly available library worldwide for our customers,” said Richard Sandström, the company’s co-founder and chief technology officer. “The data importer means operators can have all their compliance and regulatory documentation in one place, with the flexibility of being able to add any others they may need at any time.

“Users can cross-reference any changes made to one regulation to any documents they apply to. New and updated documents can be pushed out to all users instantly rather than have them manually edited, printed, and distributed. This

ensures faster compliance and significantly reduces the chance of human error, improving safety across the board.”

By adding the compliance data importer tool to its portfolio of online aviation documentation, Web Manuals is one step closer to its goal of serving and supporting the entire world of aviation compliance.

“We now have more than 300 unique compliance libraries available in the Web Manuals store,” Sandström said, “and for our customers in the Americas, we can now input libraries from Mexico and Canada, with further libraries from Colombia, Panama, Brazil, and Argentina being added.”

He continued that the added value of digitized safety and compliance management systems in this sector has been recognized worldwide as Web Manuals strengthens its position. In fact, the company has acquired 76 new customers

since January, of which 25 represent corporate jets. It serves a total of 560 customers worldwide.

More than half the U.S. organizations that have joined the Web Manuals community are from the business aviation segment. According to Sandström, this is due to his company’s commitment to addressing the specific needs of business aviation operators through adaptable cloud-based applications.

Meanwhile, Web Manuals has made its electronic flight bag (EFB) app available for Google Android and Apple iOS devices. Recent updates to this app include connectivity recognition and dark filters.

“Lastly, Web Manuals will be partnering with the Southern California Business Aviation Association to host a safety day in April 2024 in conjunction with Web Manuals’ annual Go Digital conference in San Diego,” said Sandström. z

a i n o n l i n e . c o m • October 18, 202 3 • N B A A Convention News 39

Baldwin adds features to safety management system

By James Careless Baldwin Safety & Compliance has added a new mapping feature and the ability to integrate GE Aviation flight data monitoring (FDM)/ corporate flight operational quality assurance (C-FOQA) event information to its safety management system (SMS) programs. According to Baldwin (Booth C12026), both are significant additions to its platform, offering SMS users more capability to manage their aviation operations safely, efficiently, and with accountability.

Baldwin’s mapping feature “allows users to effortlessly pinpoint and monitor the exact location of safety-related events,” said Jason Starke, the company’s director of safety and product development. “A key advantage of this flexible tool is the ability to monitor data collected from a wide range of sources,

Mapping and new FDM/FOQA data integration features are now included in Baldwin’s SMS. be mitigated is a huge step forward for the aviation community.”

Similar safety advantages can be garnered from Baldwin’s integration of GE C-FOQA data into its SMS program. Through this feature, “a multitude of flight event data points will seamlessly flow into the Baldwin safety system to analyze, track, and monitor safety events,” Starke said.

“By integrating the data collected from

“A key advantage of this flexible tool is the ability to monitor data collected from a wide range of sources.”

Jason Starke, Baldwin Safety & Compliance director of safety and product development

including safety reports, Aviation Safety Action Program, Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing, and FOQA. “The real value lies in the long-term analysis to determine recurring safety hazards and patterns unique to specific areas,” he said.

“When events such as precise bird strikes, severe turbulence, and course deviations can be plotted on a map, the ability to analyze the data visually and find patterns that can then

the flight data monitoring system into the Baldwin system, the data goes from being statistics to data that can be analyzed and tracked for future monitoring of the health of the flight department,” he added. “The Baldwin suite of tools will seamlessly handle the imported data for reporting and analysis that can be used to review or expand key safety performance indicators and assurance charts.”

40 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

These two enhancements are just the latest introduced by Baldwin for its SMS program. In April, the company also released an external stakeholder safety and quality reporting tool.

According to Starke, “receiving external safety reports can help companies of any size improve safety through widening the scope of hazard identification beyond the organization.” Thus, this tool was developed so external stakeholders can participate as an additional hazard and risk identification mechanism for organizations.

This feature is tied to the recent FAA Part 5 SMS notice of proposed rulemaking, along with support for the interface management concept advocated for SMS by ICAO. The external stakeholder safety and quality reporting tool is now available to all Baldwin SMS subscribers, with activation through customer support. Once the tool is active, each client is given a unique URL associated with external reporting that can be shared to enable access by external stakeholders. Baldwin said it employs robust security to protect client data for this tool, as well as for all of its products.

The company said it plans to roll out additional SMS program integrations with C-FOQA and scheduling providers, along with enhancements to data analysis and visualization, later this year. z

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and we are built upon our local members doing good work in their community. We’re really proud of our network of local chapters, and we hope to see that expand even more next year with help from nationals in the form of increasing our investment in resources for local leaders.”

NGPA has chapters across three continents.

“We’re in the U.S., Canada, and soon to be Mexico,” Ellixson-Andrews said. “We have chapters across Europe, as well as in Australia.

The mission of NGPA is to build, support, and unite the aviation community—that doesn’t stop at any particular airline, state, country, or any other barrier. Aviation is a global industry, and so our focus is on the LGBTQ+ aviation community.”

The NGPA said it has 5,000 active members and 11,000 supporters in its network.

Ellixson-Andrews said the role of NGPA executive director is a full-time, permanent position. Prior to NGPA, he held various leadership positions in talent acquisition for airlines and flight schools. He is also a private pilot.

NGPA counts 5,000 active members and 11,000 supporters in its global network.

“We’ve long been increasing our network of

By Peter Shaw-Smith all across the industry. That’s our big accom- university and local chapters, and then came plishment for the year.” our recent expansion into Europe and AusWhen Justin Ellixson-Andrews congratuEllixson-Andrews hopes to increase the tralia,” he said. “We’re seeing more and more lated a prominent industry professional on NGPA’s scholarship program even more next people feeling comfortable to self-disclose. winning a leadership award, the colleague year. The association is also striving to build That’s really the name of the game. If you feel responded on social media by saying: “Jus- the pipeline of new aviators with a focus on its comfortable bringing your whole self to work, tin, I’m honored to call you a friend.” As university and flight-school chapters. then you’re going to do so. And if you’re not, executive director of the National Gay Pilots “We’re also investing more resources into you’re simply not going to go there.”

Association (NGPA), based in Grand Rapids, our local chapters,” Ellixson-Andrews said.

Ellixson-Andrews professes not to know Michigan, Ellixson-Andrews helps to build, “The NGPA is a very grassroots organization, how many gay business aviation pilots are active today. “I would be curious to see that support, and unite the world’s LGBTQ+ number,” he said. “NGPA is the worldwide aviation community. organization for that group. We have affiliIn comparing the gay experience in the commercial and business aviation industries, ates across the globe that are expanding to fill he said there is little difference between in where we don’t have an existing presence. the two. “Business aviation is a little slower Are there others? I would hope so. I’d like to to react to some of the advances that we’ve learn more about them so that we can all work been able to accomplish,” he told AIN in a together for a shared cause. pre-NBAA interview.

“Our focus is on the LGBTQ+ aviation community across the world. We need “We are celebrating our 25th year of awardallies now more than ever to help support ing scholarships—flight training scholarships primarily,” Ellixson-Andrews said. “This year, and show up for our community because it is a difficult time out there, not just for the we’re set to award the highest figure in our history—over $500,000. This will go towards The National Gay Pilots Association supports NGPA, but for all minorities. From a pure flight training, general aviation education LGBTQ+ aviators all over the world in its mission safety of flight issue, this has the potential expenses, and aviation maintenance training to unite the aviation community. to become critical.” z

NGPA leading aviation diversity efforts

42 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

Tecnam rapidly expanding in U.S., Italy

By Kerry Lynch Italian airplane maker Tecnam is eyeing expansion in the U.S. market in the commuter, utility, and training sectors as it continues to build its footprint in Italy. At Tecnam’s 75-year anniversary in May celebrating the aviation heritage of its Pascale founding family, managing director Giovanni Pascale Langer told AIN that while the company has a long history in Europe, it is still expanding its visibility in North America.

The company opened its U.S. operation in 2014 and was selling a few of its aircraft per year in that market. Since then, sales in the region have grown to about 80 units annually, he noted.

To help bolster the effort, Tecnam recently appointed Urva Aviation based at Pompano Beach Airpark (KPMP) in Florida to serve as its exclusive dealer for sales and service in the state.

Part of the X-Flight Aeronautical Solutions

group that has bases throughout Argentina, Urva Aviation has been at KPMP since 2021 and was created to manage Tecnam business.

While it is growing its presence in the U.S., Tecnam is rapidly expanding in Italy with the construction of new facilitates to accommodate the ramp-up of its P-Mentor trainer and 11-seat P2012 piston twin.

Under construction in front of the Tecnam factory in Capua, Italy, has been a modern headquarters building and a 16,000-sq-m (172,000-sq-ft) production facility that will come online later this year. Also under development is a 2,000-sq-m flight-test facility that will enable the company to bring its test aircraft closer to the runway. Though the runway is a grass strip right now, it will also be receiving a makeover with concrete pavement.

The changes are enabling Tecnam to consolidate and boost production as it expands

the market for the P2012 and brings the P-Mentor trainer to the U.S. The P2012 has drawn strong interest in the U.S. with carriers such as Cape Air, which has ordered up to 100.

In fact, Tecnam recently delivered two P2012 Traveller aircraft to Pacific Air Charters in Hawaii. The first was handed over in August, followed by a second landing in Hawaii last month following a 14-hour 57-minute flight from Santa Maria, California. A third is being assembled for the Hawaiian air charter operator, which has 24 more of the airplanes on option.

While the market has been expanding for the P2012, Tecnam also recently took the wraps off the P-Mentor IFR two-seat single-engine trainer in the U.S. The company brought the P-Mentor to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh as it has been in the final throes of U.S. certification, following EASA approval in 2022. z

a i n o n l i n e . c o m • October 18, 202 3 • N B A A Convention News 43

Scheme Designers combines the talents of its designers with the desires of the aircraft owner to create a unique paint scheme that emphasizes airflow and speed.

Scheme Designers, architects of unique paint patterns

By Matt Thurber Twenty-seven years ago, Craig Barnett, a pilot and civil engineer, launched Scheme Designers, a company that does something people may think is simple: designing aircraft paint schemes.

Many aircraft owners put their faith in the paint shop and a straightforward design with a simple base color and a few stripes. However, Barnett pointed out, “A lot of paint shops are not artistic, they’re contractors. They build what they’re told to build. But what you want and what you get are sometimes two things.”

An aircraft owner might have a vision for what they want from their paint job, but, he added, “If you don’t give proper direction, you may get a fantastic outcome or their vision, their interpretation of whatever sketch you’ve given.”

Just providing a photo of a paint design isn’t sufficient, Barnett explained, because there is no guarantee the paint shop can replicate that accurately. “Some shops can,” he said, “but you don’t know until you pick up the airplane and then you don’t have a leg to stand on.”

What Scheme Designers has done, he said, is “opened people’s eyes to possibilities.” And that doesn’t necessarily mean a complex design, but something that fits the aircraft, whether a light airplane, a helicopter, a business jet, or even an airliner. “People will have a design idea and see a [Jackson] Pollock painting and want splatters,” he said, “but they can’t understand how that will work.

We take these dissimilar ideas people have and coagulate them into an idea that actually works on an aircraft and enhances the shape of an aircraft.”

Turning those ideas into a cohesive design isn’t just a matter of coming up with pretty drawings, however. Scheme Designers creates the design, based on the owner’s desires, but also provides detailed specifications to the paint shop for proper application, including the thickness of stripes and proper spacing between various elements. “It’s properly articulated in terms of renderings and dimensionally correct with detailed dimension drawings and written specifications and a layout to the eighth of an inch for the whole aircraft,”

44 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

Barnett said. “When you walk out of the paint shop and leave the specifications there, that is your contract for how it’s going to look.”

Naturally, Barnett recommends that owners contact the designer well ahead of scheduling the paint job. For most owners, painting their aircraft is something that happens rarely.

“Creating a paint scheme is a process,” Barnett explained. “You want to take your time and think about it. You’re spending so much to paint it, we’re inviting you to guarantee you get what your vision is. It’s a very small investment.”

For customers who want more than a threeview rendering of what their airplane will look like, Scheme Designers has developed full-motion 3D photo-realistic renderings that show the paint scheme from any angle. The customer can play with different colors and view the rendering in various environmental conditions such as in the air, on the ground, and during the morning or evening. NBAABACE visitors can see the 3D rendering tool at the Scheme Designers booth (N2226).

As the designers behind many of the paint jobs seen on new and preowned aircraft (more than 16,500 airplanes and helicopters from a Vans RV-3 to a Boeing 747 during the past 27 years), Barnett and his team are uniquely suited to give advice on painting, and visitors might want to ask about trends in aircraft paint design and products. For example, while matte finishes are popular on cars, they easily attract grease and dirt, Barnett said, and are difficult to clean. “Fingerprints will ruin the look,” he commented. “And especially with airplanes that create soot [turboprops and jets], it gives a surface that’s easy for soot to grab onto.”

A better choice, if matte is desired, is a semi-matte clear coat because it doesn’t pick up as much dirt and oil. But for cleanliness and ease of maintenance, gloss and semigloss are still the preferred coatings.

Complex designs are also becoming less popular because they add considerable expense to the painting process. “It can easily double the cost of a paint job,” Barnett said. He still prefers and recommends the Scheme Designers look. “What we brought to the industry was a flowing design approach that emulates airflow and speaks to speed,” he noted. “It’s still the most popular stylistic approach. And there are infinite ways to do that.” z

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MedAire is giving live demos of its Digital Assessment Kit for inflight medical emergencies at NBAA-BACE.

MedAire clients get more direct control of security information

By Charles Alcock In its quest to improve user experience for its security and medical support services, MedAire is constantly rolling out new features—and this week at NBAA-BACE is no exception. These latest features add ways to customize reports using tools developed for the company’s own team of experts.

The offerings include Brief Builder, which allows flight operations teams to gather and present security information and intelligence they receive from MedAire in a format tailored to their specific needs and circumstances.

MedAire made some of the changes based on engagement forums with clients and in other cases from tracking the types of information most commonly requested.

Explaining the changes, Richard Gomez, the company’s v-p of aviation solutions, told AIN they are intended to make self-service use of the security portal more productive on a 24/7 basis. “We can share whatever information they want us to share,” he explained. “We don’t want to scare people [with information not relevant to them] and our priority is to inform and equip [operators] to deal with risks.”

By filtering the security content from the live database, operators can generate their own Airspace Assessment reports. By inputting which cities, countries, and airports are of interest, they can quickly populate the reports with the most relevant content, explained senior v-p for aviation and maritime security Hany Bakr.

Each month, there are around 3,000 users of both the security portal and mobile app.

According to Gomez, customers increasingly want to use mobile devices for trip planning and find it convenient to use the app’s quick access keys to filter what they need, such as entry and exit requirements or city directories.

“When they are on a trip, they need quick access to all the information so that they can see if things have changed [since the trip was planned],” he said.

MedAire’s security analysts are tracking shifting threats around the world, including rapidly destabilizing zones such as the Sahel region of Africa, where recent coups caused concern for travelers. At the same time, the company has provided guidance over new risks such as aircraft being damaged by eco-protesters.

46 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

While a self-service approach to accessing and using the security information might be gaining momentum among some MedAire customers, the company is also able to provide closer personal attention support through its concierge service. For security cover, it offers what it calls its Personal Security package, which it can tailor to a particular travel profile to provide preventative measures that include MedAire’s team monitoring the location of one or more individual travelers and experienced security officers to provide direct protection.

In some instances, the company will also provide a medical professional to travel with a group that has particular health challenges.

For dealing with inflight medical emergencies, MedAire’s proprietary Digital Assessment Kit (DAK) is a critical tool to support flight crew and their passengers.

The company is demonstrating the DAK this week at its NBAA-BACE exhibit, where chief medical officer Dr. Paolo Alves is taking live calls to show how he and his team deal with situations in real time.

HBO’s hit TV series “Succession” provided a high-profile snapshot of how the DAK can be used to determine how best to care for patients. During an episode that aired in April, media magnate Logan Roy needed emergency medical treatment on a flight from New York to Sweden. MedAire’s medical team provided the show’s producers with extensive technical guidance for the scene.

According to Alves, the key to the effectiveness of the DAK is how easy it is to use.

MedAire provides full training to the flight crew, but prompts on the monitor can instruct novices on how to use it to collect vital data from a patient and relay the information to doctors on the ground.

The DAK consists of a blood pressure monitor cuff, 12-lead electrocardiogram recorder, digital glucometer, pulse oximeter, and contactless thermometer. According to MedAire, the equipment greatly improves the way medical emergencies are dealt with by allowing flight crew to transmit critical information to the company’s assistance centers immediately so that when they place calls to doctors on the ground they receive the right guidance on how best to respond to the patient’s needs. z

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International traffic is UAS’s strong suit

By Peter Shaw-Smith Dubai-based UAS International Trip Support has seen strong levels of business in the U.S. this year, company co-founder and CEO Omar Hosari told AIN on the eve of NBAA-BACE 2023.

“UAS Americas has enjoyed a highly successful year in 2023,” said Hosari. “Our flights and operations have seen remarkable growth, with our local business and client base expanding, particularly in the Part 91 segment. Additionally, we’ve witnessed a substantial increase in inbound traffic to the U.S. market, notably from the Asian and European markets.”

Hosari believes the U.S. aviation sector is in better health than ever. In response to demand, UAS (Booth C10125) has expanded its operations team and made significant investments in technologies and solutions to better serve its growing clientele. It opened its Americas headquarters in Houston in 2013.

“Looking ahead to next year, our outlook is exceptionally promising,” Hosari said. “We already have several flights booked for early 2024, signaling a strengthening and improving

business trajectory. Furthermore, we have extended our presence into Latin America to provide support for our U.S. flights. We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”

UAS’s strength in the African and Chinese markets in the past decade has been noteworthy. “In recent years, we have concentrated on investing in strong regional expertise at various locations on the continent of Africa and in Greater China,” Hosari said. “These networks are now established and incredibly effective, offering unrivaled support to international operators flying to these locations. More recently, we have expanded our presence and added new locations in South America and Southeast Asia.”

UAS’s focus is to expand its network through partnerships at key locations. Hosari said it is now well placed to meet the growing needs of the South American markets.

“In recent times we have seen demand for more comprehensive ground support in the form of dedicated supervision requests as the operational challenges experienced during the pandemic left an indelible mark on the former operating landscape,” he said. “These

UAS team members are prepared for growing business in every region of the world.

48 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

days, operators are taking extra measures to ensure that they avoid any potential delays or complications in trip execution. We foresee this only intensifying.”

UAS’s efforts to promote sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) have yet to gain substantial traction, mirroring the struggles of the rest of the industry. “Uptake for SAF remains quite low despite our efforts to encourage it,” Hosari said.

“The major obstacle is that operators need to know that once they make the switch, SAF will be widely available to them globally, as well as being affordable,” he added. “Unfortunately, right now this is not the case. We would be delighted to see the Middle East become a production hub for SAF and lead the charge and set an example for the entire world to follow.”

Earlier this year, UAS became an “industry partner” of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). “[In this role], we assist IBAC in shaping standards before they are adopted and applied as regulations by civil aviation authorities in their countries,” Hosari said.

“We will also participate in an IBAC advisory committee,” he added. “This was a natural step for UAS because we share IBAC’s passion and commitment to helping communicate and demonstrate the benefits of business aviation to the global economy and society at large. We have joined a powerful force to ensure the sustainable future of the industry we love.”

The company launched UAS Global Trip Manager earlier last year and claims it has proved a game-changing tool for operators.

“Our client testimonials describe it as a highly effective planning tool that is versatile and flexible, offering insight and information through the airport and country databases,” Hosari said.

“This is exactly what we envisioned when we designed it—to put the power to manage all their trip-planning needs easily and effectively directly into operators’ hands.”

UAS is adding capabilities to empower users to manage finances, pay bills, and chat directly with vendors. It also plans to offer features such as automated passenger information systems, hotel desk, and a map-planning engine.

“These new features, as well as a whole host of third-party integrations, will mean that operators enjoy even more power and connectivity—exactly what they demand,” Hosari concluded. z

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50 years on, Avfuel looks to the future

By Curt Epstein This year is a special one for Avfuel: the company is celebrating its 50th anniversary at NBAA-BACE. While Avfuel is now a leading independent global supplier of aviation fuel and services, it has been a long transformation from its start as a regional fuel provider, according to founder, president, and CEO Craig Sincock.

“We were young and we didn’t really know we couldn’t compete with major multinational oil companies,” he told AIN. He recalled flying across the country in his airplane in the early days, visiting several FBOs a day to tell them about his plans to establish a fueling network.

“Then I would ask them what their business needed, so it was really all of our customers who started to write the business plan for Avfuel Corporation—and that’s how we got to where we are today. The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company is now a global distribution network consisting of more than 3,500 worldwide fueling locations and nearly 700 FBOs with Avfuel-branded fuel throughout North America and Europe.

While Sincock has been a fixture in the aviation fueling industry for decades, his son

C.R. has been taking an increasingly larger role in the family-owned company, following his immersion in the industry from a young age. “I think literally since I was 10 years old, I was attending NBAA-BACE, I was going to Oshkosh, and I was going to all these aviation events,” the younger Sincock explained.

“I’ve been sitting, listening, absorbing. Every time we would go on a family vacation, we were stopping at an Avfuel FBO or a prospective FBO,” he added. After completing his business degree, C.R. joined the company full time, working his way up over the past decade and a half to his present role of Avfuel executive v-p and president and CEO of sister company Avflight.

“When I joined the business on a full-time basis, it was great to be able to finally start having a bigger role in shaping things and putting to use some of what I had learned from all those years growing up,” C.R. noted. “I oversee a lot of our supply chain logistics and trading operation, which has obviously been a wild ride the last couple of years with oil prices, as it has been for the entire industry.

“I look over some of our finance and strategy, IT, and of course the Avflight chain of FBOs, but sustainability is probably the one I

Avfuel founder, president, and CEO Craig Sincock (left) and son C.R., executive v-p and president of Avfuel sister company Avflight, are looking ahead to help promote production and distribution of sustainable fuel.

50 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

spend the single most time on lately.”

The sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry has evolved considerably over the past decade and a half, but Avfuel is no newcomer to the field. Sincock credits his company structure for allowing it the flexibility to invest in new technologies from an early stage.

“We’ve always tried to marry the benefits of the scope, scale, and resources of a public company with the stewardship of a family business, and that has allowed us to think long-term,” he explained. “When you think about a public company, they are very driven quarterly. When you look at private equity, that’s kind of a three-year thing and then they flip or sell it. In the family business, you are looking at a 20- to 30-year horizon.”

As a result of this ability to look ahead, the company has formed partnerships with SAF producers, including Neste, to obtain product and expand its distribution system. “It’s one thing to just put [SAF] into SFO or LAX, but it’s another thing to figure out how to move it across the rest of the country,” Sincock told AIN. “That’s allowing us to get out and really develop the supply chain, the infrastructure across the country.”

In 2012, the company founded Avfuel Technologies, which Sincock describes as “our own captive venture capital arm” to make investments in promising SAF production processors. “Those investments, you make them for multiple reasons, to understand what is going on, to be the first to have a seat at the table, to actually create offtakes or agreements,” he explained.

Among those are next-generation producers such as Alder Fuels, which is looking at converting waste biomass into fuel, and Air Company, which is refining a process to derive SAF from hydrogen and carbon dioxide.

But whatever form the fuel takes, Sincock said the company will remain ready to serve its customers and distributors. It also was one of the pioneers of a customer loyalty program to foster fuel brand dedication.

“We have hundreds of based jets…at our nearly 700 Avfuel-branded dealers,” said C.R. “They’re obviously going to benefit from that kind of relationship as we try to push and encourage the traffic to use our branded network.” z

By Mark Huber Airbus Corporate Helicopters’ ACH160 is making its U.S. debut this week at NBAABACE. The delivery of the first ACH160 intermediate twin in the U.S. is expected in the first quarter of next year, and its crew is in training.

The helicopter is certified across six jurisdictions, including the U.S., EASA, Japan, and Brazil. FAA certification was received in June.

Five ACH160s are waiting to be delivered to North American customers, and Airbus plans to install an H160 simulator at its training academy in Grand Prairie, Texas, in 2025.

The ACH160 is part of a growing market offering for private business aviation helicopters. According to Airbus, some 6,000

BARRY AMBROSE

Airbus ACH160 arrives for United States debut helicopters populate that market segment, 1,900 of which are operating in North America.

Four hundred of those were manufactured by Airbus. The private business aviation market Five Airbus ACH160s are in line for delivery to accounts for 200 new helicopters annually, customers in North America. and Airbus claims one-third of that.

Fifty percent of the market is light helicop- business aviation market from 26 percent to ters with five seats or fewer, and the remain- 44 percent between 2017 and 2022. In North der is larger helicopters. Airbus claims 67 America, Airbus Corporate Helicopters percent of the overall light helicopter private secured 28 private business aviation orders in business aviation market and 69 percent of 2022, growing its market share to 56 percent that market in North America. Airbus Corpo- from 45 percent in 2021. rate Helicopters delivered 83 aircraft and had Those orders were comprised of 10 ACH125 108 net bookings in 2022 worth $790 million, and six ACH130 singles, and twins includtopping 104 in 2021. Strong sellers included ing one ACH135, seven ACH145s, and four ACH160s. It delivered 18 ACH models to the ACH130 single and ACH145 light twin.

The company grew its share of the private North America in 2022. z

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a i n o n l i n e . c o m • October 18, 202 3 • N B A A Convention News 51

Sharing ownership is the modern way to fly

By David Donald Partners in Aviation (PIA) specializes in matching pairs of business jet co-owners, either new owners looking to acquire a shared aircraft or existing owners looking to share the operating costs of their airplane. Company president Mark Molloy told AIN that in the second half of 2023, the market is recovering to a more balanced supply and demand position than during the Covid era.

The downturn in late 2022/early 2023 that followed the Covid-driven boom has not been as severe as some had predicted, and aircraft prices have decreased slightly as a result.

PIA’s program is aimed at owners with relatively low annual usage requirements, typically around 100 hours. In the case of two new owners seeking to acquire an aircraft, the pair is matched by geographical region and aircraft requirements.

For the most part, owners have been in membership schemes or used jet card

accounts, and they have some experience in the business aviation sector.

Once the partnership has been agreed upon, PIA aids the pair through the aircraft acquisition and also in selecting an aircraft manager. The manager will oversee maintenance and crew employment. PIA’s aviation lawyers handle the formal aspects of the partnership.

Existing owners, on the other hand, are generally those who are under-using their aircraft and wish to share the costs of ownership, which can be exorbitant for an aircraft that is only flown 100 hours per year. However, they typically want to remain in control of what is “their” aircraft, and they value the benefits of having a fixed crew.

Over the last three years, PIA has experienced a marked shift to the latter owner-pair profile, to the point where existing owner/ new owner partnerships account for around half of the matches that the company facilitates. Around 15 percent of the customers are owner-pilots, although this poses no

AIN Media Group is partnering with the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) to bring IADA’s AircraftExchange.com business aircraft search portal to AIN’s global audience.

AIN president Ruben Kempeneer and IADA executive director Wayne Starling announced the partnership on Wednesday at NBAA-BACE. The partnership will give AIN’s audience access to an “Aircraft for Sale” tab on the AINonline homepage. Clicking the tab will send potential aircraft buyers to a search page from which users can access a listing of exclusive aircraft models validated

MARIANO ROSALES

IADA, AIN partner to expand reach of AircraftExchange

AIN president Ruben Kempeneer (left) and IADA executive director Wayne Starling announced the AircraftExchange agreement.

by IADA-accredited dealers’ listings on AircraftExchange.

The IADA portal allows users to create a confidential dashboard of business jets for

52 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

issues and is easily accommodated. The mix of owner-pilot and passenger owners works well because the flight crew for the latter can also provide mentor pilots, which may be required for insurance coverage.

In terms of aircraft types, PIA’s business is roughly divided into thirds between light, midsize, and super-midsize jets. There have been a small number of heavier aircraft acquired under the co-ownership program, including a Gulfstream G450 that is currently in the delivery process.

The PIA deal typically has a maximum yearly usage of 150 hours per owner, although this can be increased by further negotiation.

Although the deal is limited to two owners per aircraft, there is a subservient third-party option, which around 75 percent of customers have taken up. This allows the aircraft to be flown on charter trips to generate some revenue during repositioning flights and to take advantage of periods where it is known that neither owner wishes to use the aircraft.

Molloy said that many of PIA’s matches result in aircraft that are flown for around 100 hours per owner, and up to 150 hours of revenue-earning arranged through a charter manager. This split takes advantage of the usual flight crew capacity of 350 hours per year for a single crew. z

sale, filtered based on their features and amenities, class size, age, and price.

“This partnership benefits IADA’s members by introducing AIN’s highly qualified and engaged global audience to AircraftExchange,” explained Kempeneer. “The partnership also gives AIN readers easy access to the premier listing of business aircraft for sale.”

IADA’s Starling highlighted the two companies’ cultural alignment and mutual business interests. “This new relationship is a perfect fit culturally as IADA and AIN support owners and operators of aircraft with accurate and valuable information that encourages a vibrant aircraft resale industry and transparent transactions. Additionally, it gives IADA dealers a much wider audience through AIN’s premier online suite of publications.”

G.P.

Daher: EcoPulse demonstrator’s first electric flight ‘within weeks’ Daher CEO Didier Kayat reported on Monday at NBAA-BACE that the the electric propulsion in flight from Daher’s facility in Tarbes, France.

EcoPulse distributed propulsion technology demonstrator will fly for EcoPulse is a joint program begun in 2019 by Daher, Airbus, and the first time on electric power “within the Safran. The project aims to reduce fuel connext two weeks or so.” Kayat has committed sumption and emissions by using the electric Daher to launching a hybrid-powered aircraft propulsion system alongside the thermal unit. by 2027.

Initially, the thermal and electric power sysThe EcoPulse demo aircraft, which uses the tems will operate separately, but the goal is to Daher TBM 900 as its platform, has been flyuse the airplane’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 ing with inactive wing-mounted electric thrustengine for some electricity generation. ers installed since earlier this year.

Battery capacity is one of the issues that Two of the 50-kW electric power units were The EcoPulse technology demonstrator has affects what sort of hybrid-powered aircraft fitted in March, with two more added in April. hitherto only flown on turboprop power.

Daher intends to bring to market in 2027.

A full complement of six electric motors was Kayat said that it would not be a clean-sheet flown in time for the aircraft to appear at the Paris Air Show in June. design, being based on one of Daher’s current product lines: the TBM Flight trials with the six electric thrusters have been completed with 900 series or Kodiak utility aircraft. The hybrid power system is likely to the propellers feathered. Ground tests of the electric power and man- be introduced as a supplemental type certificate applied to whichever agement system are complete. Now the team is ready to begin tests of of the existing types is selected.

D.D.

EcoJet testing continued from page 1

desired fuel savings, with new propulsions technologies accounting for a similar saving.

The remaining 10 percent of the 50 percent goal would come from other technological advances, such as advanced weight-saving techniques and materials.

The larger size of the Phase 2 vehicle allows the control surfaces and systems to be more representative of a full-size aircraft and also

permits the demonstrator to fly further, faster, and higher. Additionally, the larger platform is better suited to the testing of realistic full-size aircraft control laws and also for examining critical corners of the flight envelope, Bombardier said.

The flying model is powered by a pair of Bombardier-modified off-the-shelf jet engines normally used by radio-controlled model flyers. Meanwhile, the airframe was developed and built in collaboration with industrial partners and academic institutions. The vehicle

The EcoJet technology demonstrator is powered by model airplane jet engines and first flew in late 2022. With a wingspan of 18 feet, the Phase 2 flying model will be modified as more data is gathered.

is radio-controlled but also has autonomous features, primarily to facilitate the gathering of repeatable data.

Phase 2 is in the early stages, and the design and architecture is likely to change and be optimized through a number of iterations as more data is gathered and more lessons are learned. The flight demonstrations are expected to run for at least two years and potentially up to four years.

At present, Bombardier has no detailed plans concerning the program’s immediate direction or, indeed, what propulsion concept might be selected for a full-scale BWB business jet.

Stephen McCullough, Bombardier senior v-p of engineering and product development, noted, “We know where we want to be at the end of Phase 2...but we’re going to let the physics drive us,” adding that the engineers are “under no constraints.” Possibilities for future development could include a larger demonstrator that examines potential internal configurations.

In the meantime, some of the technologies being explored by the EcoJet could also find their way into the current Challenger and Global business jet families to generate fuel savings and reduce emissions. z

a i n o n l i n e . c o m • October 18, 202 3 • N B A A Convention News 53

Boeing Business Jets intros modular cabin

By Curt Epstein Boeing Business Jets has introduced a new streamlined pre-designed cabin layout option for the BBJ737-7 that it said will simplify the purchase and completion process for customers.

Starting in 2026, the airframer will offer

The front crew rest areas and the aft private bedroom/bathroom configurations will remain set. But customers can choose from a wide range of module configurations, leading to 144 possible combinations in the remaining three zones in between. This middle space equals the entire length of a traditional ultralong-range business jet cabin while offering 50

NEWS CLIPS JSfirm: Aviation Talent Market Still Tight

Aviation job website JSfirm reports that competition between companies to attract talent is at an all-time high.

Compared with 2022, the total number of companies advertising positions increased by 19.7 percent, while the number of jobs available climbed by 16.7 percent. Successful companies continue to offer generous relocation and signing bonuses—up to $175,000 for pilots—when advertising open positions.

Meanwhile, job applications increased by 21.2 percent and new members on the site rose by 40.8 percent compared with the year-ago period.

FlyRight Adds King Air C90A Sim

The modular and streamlined cabin layout for the BBJ Select option will be available in 2026. its BBJ Select process as an alternative to the traditional procedure of delivering a green airframe to a third-party completions specialist that is contracted to the buyer under a separate agreement.

Instead, through a partnership with its exclusive BBJ select completions partners Aloft AeroArchitects and Greenpoint Technologies, Boeing Business Jets will offer modular pre-designed cabin layouts in a choice of three select color palettes at a single all-in price, under a single contract with Boeing which will then deliver a completely outfitted aircraft.

“For customers who may not have the time or desire to create a fully bespoke interior, BBJ Select offers pre-designed options to outfit their cabin, which allows us to offer the jet at a very attractive, fixed price,” explained Boeing Business Jets president Joe Benson.

percent more area, Boeing said.

One of the new module designs, which is taken from the company’s commercial side, will include six business class pods with doors and fully convertible lie-flat seats.

This can boost the configuration up to 16 sleep positions.

In addition to eliminating one-time engineering costs and other expenses related to the design and production of a clean sheet interior, the Select process will save time on the delivery of the aircraft by eliminating a step in the completions process.

Aloft has installed the auxiliary fuel tanks on every BBJ737 since the launch of the aircraft. The work can be done concurrently with the cabin interior installation.

Boeing Business Jets has delivered more than 250 aircraft, including more than 160 in the 737 family. z

54 NBAA Convention News • October 18, 2 0 2 3 • a i n o n l i n e . c o m

Charlotte, North Carolina-based FlyRight is adding the Beechcraft King Air C90 to the list of aircraft for which it offers simulator-based training.

The FAA Part 142-approved training company will offer initial, recurrent, and custom training in a level-C King Air C90A simulator manufactured by ASE and equipped with Collins Pro Line II, EFIS 85 avionics, and Garmin GPS. The new simulator joins FlyRight’s current fleet of King Air simulators for models including the 350i Pro Line 21, 350 with Garmin G1000, 200 with G1000, and B200 EFIS.

Embraer-CAE To Add Phenom Sims in London and Las Vegas

“After opening a new Phenom series full-flight simulator in April, we are announcing two new ones in the U.S. and Europe,” said Carlos Naufel, president and CEO of Embraer Services and Support. “We are working with CAE to be where our customers need us to be, providing them with our latest technological updates and best-in-class support.”

“The two new simulators will double our Phenom 300 training capacity in Las Vegas and London and allow ECTS to train more pilots at a critical time,” explained Alexandre Prevost, CAE’s division president for business aviation and helicopter training. “Over the next 10 years, CAE forecasts a need for 32,000 business aviation pilots.”

With 700 airplanes in operation, the Phenom 300 has ranked as the best-selling light jet in the world for 11 years in a row and has become the most-flown jet in the U.S., according to Embraer.

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