WINGS

Cabin Cruiser Airbus makes its new copter lighter, faster, quieter.

Arriving in the US later this year, the eagerly awaited ACH160 Exclusive is a step up from Airbus’s previous generation of executive helicopters. The new interior is a game changer, with its improved sound insulation and expansive, double-paned windows that open up the view even as they cut back on engine noise. Co-created by Airbus and yacht designer Harrison Eidsgaard, the ACH160 was designed to provide a large blank canvas for whatever an owner wants in the cabin: lounge chairs arranged for a tête-à-tête, three seats across or any other configuration of seating for up to eight. The obsessive attention to detail continues with as many as eight coats of varnish for the woodwork and grain-matched veneers. Other nice touches include outer steps that lower at the touch of a button and get close to the ground for easier boarding. The Safran turboshaft engines deliver a fast cruise speed of 172.6 mph and a range of 512 miles, while burning 15 percent less fuel. The chopper’s intuitive Helionix flight deck is also a technical assist for the pilots. The ACH160 will have a maximum endurance of four hours and 30 minutes. Michael Verdon

HOW SAFE IS YOUR PILOT?

the plane flicks viciously onto its back. Suddenly, I’m staring straight over the nose of the little two-seat aircraft at waves that are zooming closer at an alarming rate. “Recover now,” says flight instructor Mark “Greeners” Greenfield in a voice that’s absurdly calm, considering we are seconds from punching through the rippled surface of the English Channel.

I defy my instinct to haul back on the controls and instead push the nose down even further toward the water. That’s enough to get the stalled wings flying again, allowing me to roll them parallel to the horizon, quickly reduce power and then lift the nose of the Slingsby aerobatic plane up into the cloud-dotted sky, increasing thrust along the way.

Greenfield is teaching me how to save a plane when all goes wrong—which can easily happen if turbulence, mechanical failure or distraction lead a pilot to wing it. Unfortunately, the demand for airline and corporate aviators has fast-forwarded instruction, defense cuts have slashed the number of seasoned ex-military fliers going into commercial operations and the rise in aircraft automation has curbed opportunities to practice hand-flying skills. All of these factors add up to a potential drop in piloting standards.

Regulators are all too aware of this. “Increasingly, you’re seeing pilots who haven’t got a background for building skills in gliders or small planes—skills that tend to make better pilots with more awareness of aerodynamic forces,”

Beyond the autopilot, it’s critical that the aircrew has specialized training for times that flights unexpectedly go bad.

says a source from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority who wants to remain anonymous. Greenfield, a former UK military flier who also headed Britain’s Empire Test Pilot School, now runs the UK-based Ultimate High Academy. He has been giving hands-on upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) to pilots for two decades.

Greenfield also helped frame new European aviation regulatory rules that came into effect in late 2019. These were drafted in response to accidents in which the pilots lost control of perfectly airworthy planes. The updated regs require that newly minted commercial pilots receive UPRT, in real aircraft, before they go into their first corporate or airline job. The situation is different here in the

WINGS | Dream Machines

US, where commercial pilots licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration need a modified version of UPRT, sometimes just on a simulator.

“Sims are wonderful for training in the normal flight envelope,” says Randall Brooks of US-based Aviation Performance Solutions. “But even a full-motion sim is not like being in a plane, and there’s less pressure to learn because everyone knows they’re not going to die. When they leave the normal envelope, some things they have been trained to do will be more dangerous.”

The course at Ultimate High Academy includes three to four hours in the air and practice of the one rule that, according to Greenfield, can solve any problem. That rule, said out loud while performing the actions, is push, roll, power: Push the control stick forward to get the wings flying again, roll level and use power as necessary. Usually, if the aircraft is out of control because its wings have stalled, adding power helps.

While accident statistics, in general, are trending for the better, Brooks notes that rates in corporate aviation are not as good as those for airlines. One reason may be that commercial pilots have more experience and more regular continuing education than some of those operating in the charter and corporate sectors. That said, some larger privateflight departments are now sending their aircrews through UPRT as well.

After my own skill-sharpening session, I’m convinced that such specialized aerial courses save lives. Unfortunately, there is no requirement for already licensed business-jet pilots to take the courses. Hopefully, it doesn’t take another tragic headline to make such training mandatory. Rohit Jaggi

Q&A

Anthony Tivnan

The cofounder of Magellan Jets has a new business model for uncertain times.

Magellan Jets built its business around injecting consistency into the often mercurial charter world. In 2008, cofounders Anthony Tivnan and Joshua Hebert introduced the benefits of fractional ownership to the charter world with membership-based jet cards. The Boston-area firm has just launched a plan for new travelers who are navigating the current pandemic. M.V.

You started Magellan during the worst financial crisis in recent memory. How is this different? This has its own issues, but we’re approaching it similarly. In 2008, we provided the same benefits that fractional companies were giving clients without having to sign up for five years or own part of the jet. We also made sure our clients got the best charter aircraft. Basically, we look for holes and add value.

And now? Our cards tend to have an average value of $210,000. In April, we saw a flood of interest from newcomers who weren’t used to that kind of pricing. Now we’re bridging the gap with a pay-as-you-go program with an $8,500 initiation fee and easy-tounderstand terms.

Has it worked? We’ve seen new business increase massively. These folks, who travel for leisure, don’t need to get places as quickly, so we moved the time limitations to 24 hours rather than 8 on our jet card. We’re also seeing corporations use this as supplemental lift. It’s a way to keep employees safe when the appetite for risk is lower.

Have there been upsides? While I obviously wouldn’t wish this situation on anyone, we’ve done many flights for highrisk individuals. We handled requests for medical supplies. More recently, there were people traveling for weddings. There was a company tied to an IPO. We felt honored to take part in all that. We had people saying thank you for keeping our loved ones safe. There were a lot of emotions tied to it. It was good to see the business from that different lens.

P R O M O T I O N

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