Category Archives: MRO’s

Insitu Forms Partnership for Drone Operations in the Arctic

The Insitu ScanEagle UAS has flown more than 1.3 million hours in the world’s most challenging conditions. The alliance with Robot Aviation of Hønefoss, Norway and Andøya Space of Andenes, Norway will synergize each company’s capabilities and experience to offer products and services optimized for the harsh environments north of the Arctic Circle where many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO) allies operate routinely. (Insitu)

Insitu, a Boeing subsidiary, has formed a partnership with two Norwegian companies, Robot Aviation and Andøya Space, to build an unmanned aviation ecosystem made for the Arctic and High North, the company announced in a June 8 press release.

“The Arctic is a place where, you know, one of the world’s most inhospitable environments, kind of collides with the tyranny of incredibly vast distances, right,” Dave Funkhouser, Insitu’s Global Growth Executive for Northern Europe, told Avionics International. “There’s just nowhere else like it really on Earth, but it also presents enormous opportunities and untapped potential that if it’s responsibly developed, it could benefit the entire planet food resources, energy resources mineral resources, things like that. Unmanned aircraft and autonomous systems in general, basically exists to do all dirty and dangerous jobs, but, quite honestly, the reality is most unmanned aircraft systems available on the market today can’t handle the Arctic because they were designed to operate primarily in the deserts and mid-latitudes, since that’s where most of the conflicts over the past 20 or 25 years.”

Most unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that have operated in these environments up to this point have not been optimized for the harsh environments of the region, Funkhouser said. The current technology that would equip an aircraft for these environments is made for larger commercial aircraft that can break or shake ice off of the airplane, however, drones have strict weight and power limitations that would make current methods unusable.

“Traditionally the way you fix that on a commercial airliner is a lot of heating elements and or pneumatic equipment that basically breaks and shakes the ice off the airplane,” Funkhouser said. “Well, that’s great on a big airliner but on smaller aircraft such as Insitu makes, it’s difficult to implement those kinds of technologies either because of the size weight and power limitations, or just the complexity.”

The partnership will focus on the whole UAS ecosystem including drone services. An example of this would be the Integrated Remote Sensing for the Arctic Project (IRSA) which Boeing and international partners participate in, Funkhouser said. This project would create a persistent network of autonomous systems to monitor the Arctic, North Atlantic, the Norwegian Sea, etc.

“Basically, imagine if every fishing fleet, every shipping company, every offshore energy company…have the ability to log on to a network and take a real-time look at what’s happening in a given spot in the Arctic,” Funkhouser said. “We think that would be a pretty valuable service, and in order to provide that we would need platforms that are able to not just survive but thrive in the arctic environment.”

The partnership will start with an exercise hosted this summer called ArcticX21 which will be a demonstration of the IRSA Development Group’s capabilities for Arctic service, Funkhouser said.

“At Andøya’s facility, the IRSA Development Group…will be hosting the first ever exercise called ArcticX21, where we bring several of these capabilities together same time, same place, link them all together, develop the techniques and procedures for employing them together basically in a controlled exercise style environment,” Funkhouser said. “The idea is to learn how to make everything communicate together and function together as one system and present all of that data in a common operating picture that eventually will become the basis of the IRSA project.”

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FAA Forms New Rulemaking Committee to Advance BVLOS Drone Operations

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) created a new aviation rulemaking committee to develop a regulatory path for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) created a new aviation rulemaking committee to develop a regulatory path for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson announced at the FAA Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Symposium on June 9.

“I’m very pleased to announce that the FAA is forming a new aviation rulemaking committee for ARC [Aviation Rulemaking Committee], to help us develop a regulatory path for routine beyond visual line of sight operations,” Dickson said. “This committee will consider the safety, security and environmental needs as well as societal benefits of these operations.”

BVLOS drone operations will be key to enabling routine package delivery and infrastructure inspections, Dickson said.

Dickson said the committee would be submitting its recommendations to the FAA within six months.

“Right now, there are several companies using limited beyond visual line of sight, under existing regulations with waivers to conduct routine surveillance inspection and maintenance tasks for the railroad, electric, oil and gas and communications industries, and we’re learning a lot from this work but the operations…are not truly scalable or economically viable in the mid to long term under today’s rules so we need to change that,” Dickson said.

The new BVLOS recommendations that come out of the committee will work in conjunction with remote ID and operations over people and at night rules which were released in December of 2020 and implemented earlier this year.

“The bigger picture, really, is that remote ID is a necessary ingredient for truly scalable routine beyond visual line of sight operations,” Dickson said. “And of course, as we all know those are key to unleashing the true potential of drones and other highly autonomous vehicles.”

Dickson said the FAA is also continuing to invest in research and programs like BEYOND to create these rules. This research will also include things like unmanned traffic management (UTM) and urban air mobility (UAM) for passenger transport.

“So, of course, we’re heavily invested in making sure that the drone ecosystem will fit hand in glove with our air traffic control system,” Dickson said. “Our answer is UTM, which as you know is a foundational capability needed to unlock the full potential of this important aviation sector. Now based on the work that we’ve done with NASA, we’re planning a regulatory framework based on a federated approach that will allow airspace users to cooperatively manage their operations where the FAA does not actively provide separation services.”

The UTM system will include drones and air taxis or electric vertical take-off and lift (eVTOL) aircraft, Dickson said.

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Honeywell to Provide Avionics and Flight Control Systems for Lilium’s 7-Seater Jet

A rendering of the 7-Seater eVTOL jet which shows the 36 ducted fans. (Lilium)

Lilium has a new partnership with Honeywell Aerospace to create the avionics and flight control systems for its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the 7-Seater Jet, the company announced on June 9.

“Honeywell has a decades-long track record of developing and certifying avionics and safety systems for leading aerospace companies and has worked alongside Lilium to develop a bespoke solution for our aircraft,” Yves Yemsi, Chief Program Officer at Lilium, said in a statement. “We are proud that Honeywell is joining our roster of world-class aviation partners and also as one of our investors as we prepare to launch commercial operations in 2024.”

Lilium debuted its 7-Seater Jet design in April which features an architecture based on efficient cruise flight for regional air mobility. The aircraft will have a range of 200 kilometers and speeds up to 300 kph. The aircraft uses forward canards, main wings, and a distributed propulsion system with 36 individually controlled flaps each containing an embedded ducted fan.

“The avionics and flight control computers from Honeywell will be a key element for the Lilium Jet’s electronic architecture,” Yemsi said. “Honeywell will integrate an advanced flight deck tailored for Lilium Jet as the central interface to the pilot with a vehicle management computer and a high integrity flight controls computing platform to provide a state-of-the-art Fly-By-Wire solution for the Lilium Jet.”

Honeywell’s compact fly-by-wire system will be used as the flight control system on Lilium’s eVTOL controlling all moveable parts on the aircraft including its ducted fans, according to Lilium.

The aircraft’s other avionics system will also be provided by Honeywell, according to the release. The system will be designed to be flown by a single pilot as well to reduce training time.

“At Honeywell, we believe in the promise of the Urban Air Mobility segment and we see the enormous potential it has to bring about a new age of aviation and forever transform the way we think about flight and transportation,” Stéphane Fymat, vice president and general manager of Urban Air Mobility at Honeywell, said in a statement. “Lilium shares that vision with us, which has enabled us to forge a fantastic relationship. We’re extremely excited for our avionics to be on board the Lilium Jet, where they will help ensure not only safe operation, but also make it easier for pilots to fly and provide a more comfortable journey for those onboard.”

Honeywell will also participate in the common stock PIPE offering with Lilium’s SPAC transaction with Qell, according to the release.

The Honeywell partnership comes several weeks after Lilium recently announced a partnership with Luxaviation Group to support its eVTOL operations in Europe.

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New Multicore Cockpit Display Earns Design Assurance Level A Regulatory Approval

The new MFD-3068 smart cockpit display developed by CMC Electronics is the second multicore avionics system to be certified to DO-178C Design Assurance Level (DAL A). (CMC Electronics)

A new multi-function smart cockpit display developed by CMC Electronics, the MFD-3068, has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) approvals to DO-178C Design Assurance Level A (DAL A) from Transport Canada.

The TSO submission included evidence of meeting all CAST-32A requirements for multicore processors, and this approval represents the second multicore system from CMC to be certified, after the PU-3000 avionics computer. Similar to the PU-3000, the MFD-3068 uses the Green Hills Software INTEGRITY-178 tuMP multicore real-time operating system (RTOS).

The initial installation for the certified MFD-3068 multicore smart display is on a major rotary-wing aircraft in Europe, according to a June 2 Green Hills Software press release. A representative from CMC Electronics told Avionics International that they’re unable to disclose what helicopter model or operator will be the first to use the new display system.

Brad Nolen, Vice President, Sales and Marketing for CMC Electronics told Avionics that the software development kit (SDK) that accompanies the new display will allow operators and OEMs to implement their own unique applications on the display while retaining their intellectual property.  A combination of customer developed and CMC developed software including primary flight display, navigation display, synthetic vision system, flight management applications can be hosted on the unit simultaneously, Nolen said.

“It is the first time that CMC supports customers in developing and hosting software applications on a cockpit display systems while meeting the highest design assurance level A ( DAL A),” Nolen said.

CMC has seen interest from customers using the MFD-3068 to port their existing applications or develop new DAL A applications like primary flight display, autopilot software, and engine indication that can be hosted alongside lower DAL applications such as moving map, checklist, or customer mission applications.

“The SMFD can drive up to 3 external video displays in addition to its own 6×8-in glass. In the specific case of driving a digital [head-up display] HUD, the display can host the HUD symbol generation and drive the HUD from its digital video interface with a refresh rate up to 60Hz,” Nolen said.

CMC is also currently developing a touchscreen capability for the MFD-3068.

“While our competitors are claiming multicore certification requires more research, Green Hills has enabled four different multicore TSO authorizations on two different systems deployed across both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft,” Dan O’Dowd, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Green Hills Software said in a statement.

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What’s Trending in Aerospace – June 6, 2021

Check out the May 30 edition of What’s Trending in Aerospace, where editors and contributors for Avionics International bring you some of the latest headlines and updates happening across the global aerospace industry.

Commercial 

United Airlines Commits to Purchase of 15 Boom Supersonic Airliners 

United Airlines will acquire 15 supersonic airliners under a new deal with Boom Supersonic. Pictured here is a computer generated rendering of what United’s future Overture aircraft could look like. (Boom Supersonic)

United Airlines made its second major next-generation air transportation investment of the year on Thursday, committing to a purchase of 15 supersonic aircraft being developed by Denver, Colorado-based Boom Supersonic.

Boom Supersonic, which first revealed plans about the supersonic demonstrator aircraft it was building back in 2016, will supply its Overture supersonic airliner under the agreement with United—which includes an option for another 35 aircraft. The supersonic purchase agreement comes several months after United made another major investment in future aircraft technology through a partnership with Archer Aviation for its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Heathrow Airport Integrates Sustainable Aviation Fuel into Distribution 

Heathrow Airport has begun integrating sustainable aviation fuels into its aircraft fuel distribution operations on a small number of flights per day. (Heathrow Airport)

Under a new partnership with Vitol Aviation and Newste MY Sustainalbe Aviation Fuel, Heathrow has begun integrating sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) into its aircraft fuel distribution operations, according to a June 3 press release.

The airport hopes to use the new integration as a proof of concept for future fuel distribution at the airport.

“Vitol Aviation’s expertise in the specialist handling of jet fuel will be combined with Neste’s market-leading SAF production capabilities. Neste MY SAF is produced 100% from renewable and sustainable waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal and fish fat waste. Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel in its neat form and over the life cycle, reduces up to 80%* of greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil jet fuel use,” according the release.

“The UK Government now has an opportunity to create a new British growth industry by backing sustainable aviation fuel production and also be leaders in the race to a net zero 2050,” Heathrow Chief Executive Officer, John Holland-Kaye said in the release. “Now is the time for less talk and more action and Ministers should set an escalating mandate to blend SAF into fuel and provide incentives that are stable over 5-10 years to foster investment in production, with a target of 10% by 2030 and at least 50% by 2050.”

Rolls Royce Starts Testing Powerful New Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System

Rolls Royce has established a new testbed for a new hybrid electric propulsion system being developed for next generation aircraft. (Rolls Royce)

Rolls-Royce has started testing the first elements of what the company describes as “the most powerful hybrid-electric aero power and propulsion system in aerospace at a newly-renovated testbed,” according to a June 3 press release.

“Rolls-Royce has begun testing the AE2100 engine element and specialist controls and thermal management system, supported by a system integration generator, at our Testbed 108 in Bristol, UK,” the company said in the release.

The tests are part of the 2.5 megawatt (MW) Power Generation System 1 (PGS1) demonstrator program, for future regional aircraft, according to Rolls Royce.

“Our PGS1 tests will lead the way in finding out what this new generation of hybrid-electric propulsion system is capable of delivering,” Alan Newby, Director Aerospace Technology and Future Programs, Rolls-Royce, said in the release. “For example, our generator is about the size of a beer keg but it needs to produce enough electricity to power around 2,500 homes and do so continuously. By doing these tests we will be able to validate our digital modeling and find out precisely what is physically and technically possible.”

Regulation 

EASA Proposes Use of New Technologies to Support All-Weather Operations

A new regulatory framework proposed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) applicable to all-wether operations (AWOs) and flight crew training would allow new technologies to make more medium-sexed airports accessible to more flight operations.

The concept of all-weather operations refers to the ability of aircraft to take off and land in an airport under low visibility conditions. In such circumstances, technological support can ensure safe operations in situations that would otherwise pose safety challenges, according to a June 1 EASA press release. While large aerodromes are, for the most part, already equipped for such operations, medium-size or regional airports had typically so far been unable to afford the investment required.

“This Opinion is innovative in certifying the use of technologies that are already available to increase safety, while at the same time broadening the commercial network by increasing the accessibility to medium-size airports and bringing environmental and cost advantages by reducing the number of diversions due to poor visibility,” EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky said in the release.  “It takes a performance and risk-based approach to increase safety in a cost-effective way, taking advantage of technological innovations.”

Connectivity 

Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit Goes Live June 8-10

The Global Connected Aircraft Summit has gone online for the second consecutive year as the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit, to be remotely hosted by editors of Avionics International and Via Satellite June 8-10. Speakers and panelists for the virtual event include Jonathan Hofeller, vice president of Starlink Commercial Sales for SpaceX, Victoria Stennes, VP of Customer Experience at Avelo and Tiina Suvanto, head of customer experience IFEC development at Finnair among others.

Register for the free event here.

Honeywell Rolls Out New JetWave Offering for Military Customers 

Honeywell Aerospace has unveiled expanded its JetWave product family of broadband satcom solutions with a new offering specifically designed for military and governmental aircraft. On June 2, the company announced the JetWave MCX. It is specifically designed for military or government aircraft and can be used for surveillance, combat, or humanitarian missions like search and rescue operations.

Honeywell’s satellite communications systems aims to provide operators, passengers and crew with reliable, consistent connectivity throughout the world. They serve a range of needs, including in-flight connectivity for voice and data-streaming in the cockpit and the cabin, as well as fleet tracking and aircraft management.

“With the release of JetWave MCX, we’ve built upon this success and further developed the technology to create a more customized solution that addresses the unique needs of military and defense customers,” John Peterson, vice president and general manager of Software and Services for Honeywell Aerospace said in a statement.

Military 

US State Department Approves $3.5 Billion Sale Of Apache Helicopters To Australia 

An AH-64E at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. (U.S. Army)

The State Department approved a potential $3.5 billion Foreign Military Sale of 29 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and associated equipment to Australia.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the sale on June 3.

This approval comes after Australia said in January it selected the Apache as its next armed reconnaissance helicopter to replace the country’s Airbus Tiger helicopters in a $3.5 billion deal.

The sale to Australia includes the 29 helicopters along with 64 T700-GE 701D engines (58 installed, six spares); 70 AN/ARC-231A Very High Frequency/Ultra High Frequency radios (58 installed, 12 spares); 85 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles; 29 M36E8 Hellfire Captive Air Training Missiles; and 2,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System Guidance Sections.

The sale also includes M230E1 + M139 AWS Automatic Guns; M261 Rocket Launchers; M299 missile launchers; 2.75 inch rockets; 30mm rounds; Manned-Unmanned Teaming-2 (MUMT-X) video receivers; MUMT-X Air-Air-Ground kits; and various other weapons as well as logistics and training support. 

Space

Lockheed to Make Spacecraft for NASA Venus Missions

NASA has selected Lockheed Martin to build, design, and operate spacecraft for its missions to Venus, the company announced on June 2.

“We’re very grateful for this opportunity to work with NASA and the missions’ principal investigators to fully understand how rocky planets evolved and what it means for our planet, Earth,” Lisa Callahan, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Commercial Civil Space business, said in a statement. “Our team who designed these two spacecraft to study Venus in unprecedented detail – and yield answers to its greatest mysteries – is beyond excited!”

The missions will take place in the 2028-2030 timeframe, according to the release. These missions will use VERITAS and DAVINCI+.

eVTOLs

Astro Aerospace Acquisition of Horizon Aircraft Closes

The Cavorite X5 is a hybrid-electric VTOL with a patented fan-in-wing design. It can carry up to five passengers and has a 500 km range. It has a pusher prop in the back which is uses for thurst 90 percent of the time when flying, Robinson said. When taking off or landing, it can use the 16 fans hidden inside its wings. (Horizon Aircraft)

Astro Aerospace, a developer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has closed its acquisition of Horizon Aircraft, the maker of the Cavorite X5 eVTOL, according to a June 3 release.

The acquisition gives Astro Aerospace three eVTOL aircraft under development across commercial and industrial applications which include Alta, Elroy, and now Cavorite X5, according to the release.

The announcement also states that Brandon Robinson, the co-founder and CEO of Horizon Aircraft, will now be the president of Astro Aerospace.

“This completed Acquisition is a huge opportunity for both companies’ eVTOL projects to progress exponentially,” Robinson said. “Astro’s respected industry reputation and available funding, together with Horizon’s engineering and design talent, will complement Astro’s existing product lines, ALTA and ELROY, and will accelerate the development of Horizon’s revolutionary eVTOL, the Cavorite X5.”

Joby Moves Forward on eVTOL Infrastructure with New Partnership to Build Skyports

Joby Aviation has secured an infrastructure partner to develop takeoff and landing sites for its aircraft—pictured in flight here—in REEF Technology. (Joby Aviation)

Joby Aviation announced a new partnership that will give the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft maker exclusive access to rooftop infrastructure in key metropolitan areas in the U.S. to build skyports for its aircraft, the company announced in a June 2 press release.

Joby is partnering with parking garage operator, REEF Technology, and real estate company, Neighborhood Property Group (NPG) to build skyport infrastructure for its aircraft, according to the release.

“This is a landmark deal on Joby’s path to building a transformational ridesharing service in our skies,” JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO at Joby Aviation, said in the release. “NPG and REEF have an unbeatable network of sites across the U.S., and we’re excited to be working with them to identify sites that will become the backbone of our future service. Parking structures are ideal locations for us as they allow us to deliver our customers as close to their destination as possible, while minimizing any local impact and reducing the need for building new infrastructure.”

Unmanned

FAA Asks for Budget Increase for Unmanned Traffic, Sustainability and Safety Oversight 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requesting a budget increase for fiscal year (FY) 2022 as it seeks to update its air traffic control system, make investments in safety and next-generation systems, and address the impact of aviation on climate change.

The budget request was released on May 28 and totals $18.5 billion, a 2.7 percent increase from FY 2021, with $11.4 billion for safety operations including $17.4 million for aviation safety oversight, $1 billion to update FAA facilities including the air traffic control system, and $88.5 million to reduce the impact of climate change including a new aviation climate research program.

“This funding level allows the FAA to make continued investments to safeguard the most complex airspace in the world,” the budget request states. “It also allows the FAA to future proof the nation’s airspace by continuing the deployment of NextGen technologies as well as safely and securely integrating new entrants such as unmanned aircraft systems and commercial space. In addition, the budget request supports our ongoing efforts to address the impacts aviation has on our environment and climate by overcoming barriers to the development of sustainable aviation fuels and accelerating the maturation of technologies to reduce noise, emissions and fuel burn from new commercial aircraft and engines.”

FAA to Host Episodes III and IV Virtual FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium

The Federal Aviation Administration is hosting Episodes III and IV of their virtual FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Symposium this week. The theme for this year’s event is “Above and Beyond” and it will all be hosted remotely on June 9-10, 2021 and Sept. 14-15, 2021.

Episode III keynote speakers:

• FAA Administrator, Steve Dickson
• FAA Office of UAS Integration, Executive Director, Jay Merkle
• AUVSI President and CEO, Brian Wynne

Episode III (June 9-10) sessions will focus on:

• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education
• International standards
• Public safety operations
• Recreational community
• Commercial operations

Register for the virtual symposium here.

Skyports and Hanwha Sign MoU

During a project in Scotland, Skyports worked with Kongsberg Geospatial to enable beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights. (Skyports)

Skyports, the drone delivery company, and Hanwha Systems, the global smart technologies company, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on urban air mobility projects like infrastructure, flight services and a mobility platform, according to a June 3 release.

“Hanwha Systems’ wealth of experience providing smart technology solutions across the aerospace industry make them an important partner for us to advance our vertiport capabilities,” Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports, said in a statement. “Their solutions-focused, customer-first approach is highly aligned with Skyports’ own values. We look forward to developing this partnership which will shape our own vertiport offering and enable the wider industry.”

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United Airlines Commits to Purchase of 15 Boom Supersonic Airliners

A computer rendering of what the United Airlines supersonic aircraft will look like in the future. (Boom Supersonic)

United Airlines made its second major next-generation air transportation investment of the year on Thursday, committing to a purchase of 15 supersonic aircraft being developed by Denver, Colorado-based Boom Supersonic.

Boom Supersonic, which first revealed plans about the supersonic demonstrator aircraft it was building back in 2016, will supply its Overture supersonic airliner under the agreement with United—which includes an option for another 35 aircraft. The supersonic purchase agreement comes several months after United made another major investment in future aircraft technology through a partnership with Archer Aviation for its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

According to a June 3 press release, Boom is projecting a 2025 rollout for Overture, followed by a first flight in 2026 and entry into service with passenger-carrying operations to begin in 2029.

“United continues on its trajectory to build a more innovative, sustainable airline and today’s advancements in technology are making it more viable for that to include supersonic planes. Boom’s vision for the future of commercial aviation, combined with the industry’s most robust route network in the world, will give business and leisure travelers access to a stellar flight experience,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in the release.

A computer rendering of what the interior cabin setup will look like on a United Airlines Overture aircraft. (Boom Supersonic)

Boom has set a $200 million price point for Overture and previously estimated market demand to be between 1,000 to 2,000 aircraft for the first-generation model. Overture is projected to be capable of traveling from New York to London in about 3 hours and 15 minutes, with round-trip flights estimated at $5,000.

The aircraft is being developed to fly at Mach 1.7—twice the speed of most in-service air transport category aircraft—with a 4,250 nm range. Overture will also be capable of flying on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel, according to Boom Supersonic.

Boom unveiled its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator in October and expects it to make its first flight later this year. While supersonic flights over land in the U.S. are still prohibited, the new deal between Boom and United Airlines comes following the Federal Aviation Administration’s publishing of its final rules for supersonic flight testing earlier this year.

“The world’s first order of net-zero carbon supersonic aircraft marks a significant step toward our mission to create a more accessible world,” Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic said in a statement. “At speeds twice as fast, United passengers will experience all the advantages of life lived in person, from deeper, more productive business relationships to longer, more relaxing vacations to far-off destinations.”

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FAA Asks for Budget Increase for Unmanned Traffic, Sustainability and Safety Oversight

FAA headquarters in Washington DC. (U.S. Department of Transportation)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requesting a budget increase for fiscal year (FY) 2022 as it seeks to update its air traffic control system, make investments in safety and next-generation systems, and address the impact of aviation on climate change.

The budget request was released on May 28 and totals $18.5 billion, a 2.7 percent increase from FY 2021, with $11.4 billion for safety operations including $17.4 million for aviation safety oversight, $1 billion to update FAA facilities including the air traffic control system, and $88.5 million to reduce the impact of climate change including a new aviation climate research program.

“This funding level allows the FAA to make continued investments to safeguard the most complex airspace in the world,” the budget request states. “It also allows the FAA to future proof the nation’s airspace by continuing the deployment of NextGen technologies as well as safely and securely integrating new entrants such as unmanned aircraft systems and commercial space. In addition, the budget request supports our ongoing efforts to address the impacts aviation has on our environment and climate by overcoming barriers to the development of sustainable aviation fuels and accelerating the maturation of technologies to reduce noise, emissions and fuel burn from new commercial aircraft and engines.”

The budget request shows an increase in funding for research and development activities totaling $258.5 million, which is $60.5 million more than FY 2021.

Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) investments

The FAA is requesting a total of over $100 million in funding for UAS research, development, and integration.

“As the pace of UAS integration accelerates and the number of users increases, FAA resources constrain our ability to review and grant airspace access requests, proactively respond to external stakeholder concerns, and implement the security requirements from the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act,” the document states. “To address these critical rulemaking efforts such as Remote Identification, the FAA is requesting an increase to enhance our analysis of data collected from all FAA partnerships, which is needed to ensure the safe and successful integration of UAS.”

The request includes $23.1 million and 46 full-time permanent (FTP) and 23 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees to be divided between Aviation Safety (AVS), Security and Hazardous Materials Safety (ASH), and Air Traffic Organization (ATO). This funding will help to manage the implementation of rules, legislation, and policy like Remote ID and UAS traffic Management, improve outreach and support to UAS stakeholders, and expand partnerships with state, local, and tribal governments.

The FAA is requesting $31.3 million for UAS implementation which includes $2.9 million for an FAA Drone Zone. The FAA Drone Zone is a cloud-based information technology platform that includes a UAS registration system, Part 107 authorizations and optional waivers, and UAS accident reporting.

As part of the FAA’s NextGen budget request, the agency wants $24 million for UAS concept validation and requirements development, UAS flight information management, and urban air mobility.

“These projects will allow integration of UAS operations into the national airspace system without impact to manned aircraft operations or creating disruptions or delays,” the request states. “The program will identify industry’s innovation work that can be leveraged in public-private partnerships. These projects support expanded operational opportunities while ensuring that national airspace operations will continue to remain as safe as they are today.”

These projects will tackle issues like beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights, airborne collision avoidance systems, developing a concept of operations for integrated UAS traffic management and air traffic management operations, and creating a flight information management system prototype for UAS traffic management operations.

In FY 2022, $4 million in funding is also requested for urban air mobility operations like airspace designs, rules, and procedures.

The FAA also wants over $22 million for a UAS research program to study UAS in the national airspace and develop regulatory standards. This research would develop and validate detect and avoid systems, command and control link performance, and pilot and visual observer training and qualifications.

“This research program focuses on the technical and regulatory challenges the FAA must overcome to safely integrate these new concepts and technologies into the NAS. Integrating UAS potentially affects the entire NAS due to various sizes of UAS, a wide range of maximum takeoff weights, large performance disparities compared to existing certificated aircraft, and varying capabilities to operate in all classes of airspace,” the document states.

Climate Change Investments

The FAA’s budget request reflects support for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from aviation to reach the 2030 and 2050 U.S. climate change goals.

The FAA’s NextGen budget request includes $33.4 million for funding to support the Continuous Lower Energy, Emission and Noise (CLEEN) program and the Aviation Sustainability Center (ASCENT) which will work to develop new aircraft and engine technologies and advance sustainable aviation fuels.

“Technologies developed by this program will result in a fleet of aircraft that have lower noise, use less fuel, and produce fewer emissions,” the document states. “This program also provides test data, analyses, and methodologies to support the development and deployment of sustainable aviation fuels. Funds from this program ensure novel jet fuels are drop-in compatible with today’s fleet of aircraft and are certified as being safe for use. They also ensure that sustainable aviation fuels, produced from renewable and waste feedstocks, and lower carbon aviation fuels, produced from fossil feedstocks, are appropriately credited under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).”

The FAA will use this funding to test and approve at least one alternative jet fuel type per year and identify which SAF could be used at greater than 50 percent blend levels.

The FAA also wants to create an Aviation Climate Research (ACR) program which would work with the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Climate in the Department of Energy. The FAA is requesting $50 million for this program which would look not only at SAF but electric propulsion and other transformative technologies.

“These investments will enhance and accelerate research in the areas of sustainable aviation fuels for jet engines, unleaded fuel alternatives for piston-engine aircraft, and alternate aircraft technologies including electric propulsion,” the document states. “More specifically, the program will support the development of sustainable aviation fuels that could be used in jet engines without blending with conventional petroleum-based jet fuel, evaluate aviation fuel supply chains to reduce the cost to produce sustainable aviation fuels and maximize their environmental benefits, and accelerate the identification of safe alternatives to leaded aviation fuel.”

Research on aircraft technologies and fuels related to the environment is also receiving over $33 million in the FAA’s research, engineering, and development request.

The FAA’s budget request reflects an effort to tackle all environmental impacts of aviation including noise. The FAA wants over $20 million to support this mission which would include developing international standards for subsonic and supersonic aircraft and providing support for the development of noise certification standards for UAS and advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicles.

“Noise and emissions generated by aircraft represent considerable challenges to the growth of aviation. Environmental impacts, especially aircraft noise, are often the number one cause of opposition to airport capacity expansion and airspace redesign,” the document states. “Concerns about the impacts of aircraft emissions on climate change could limit the growth of international aviation. Further, in some areas of the country, air quality is of concern. These challenges are anticipated to grow with increased use of the national air space for evolving operations, specifically unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicles, civil supersonic aircraft, and commercial space vehicles.”

Other Big Priorities

The FAA wants to allocate $17.4 million and 81 FTE employees to review the FAA’s aircraft certification process after the Boeing 737 MAX investigation. This funding will support the response to the 2021 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act.

“The FAA continues to implement the recommendations and support activities that directly relate to the Boeing 737 MAX investigation and reviews…Responding to the 2021 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act, the FAA is establishing an Ombudsman organization, as well as designating an Office of Investigations and Professional Responsibility to ensure proper execution of the investigative process,” the document states.

The FAA is predicting an uptick in commercial space transport activities in FY 2022 and is requesting over $32 million to support this mission.

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Joby Moves Forward on eVTOL Infrastructure with New Partnership to Build Skyports

Joby Aviation has secured an infrastructure partner to develop takeoff and landing sites for its aircraft—pictured in flight here—in REEF Technology. (Joby Aviation)

Joby Aviation announced a new partnership that will give the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft maker exclusive access to rooftop infrastructure in key metropolitan areas in the U.S. to build skyports for its aircraft, the company announced in a June 2 press release.

Joby is partnering with parking garage operator, REEF Technology, and real estate company, Neighborhood Property Group (NPG) to build skyport infrastructure for its aircraft, according to the release.

“This is a landmark deal on Joby’s path to building a transformational ridesharing service in our skies,” JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO at Joby Aviation, said in the release. “NPG and REEF have an unbeatable network of sites across the U.S., and we’re excited to be working with them to identify sites that will become the backbone of our future service. Parking structures are ideal locations for us as they allow us to deliver our customers as close to their destination as possible, while minimizing any local impact and reducing the need for building new infrastructure.”

The agreement will give Joby the opportunity to secure long-term leases on rooftops within NPG and REEF’s network of parking garages through a period of exclusivity, according to the release. According to Joby, its eVTOL aircraft will launch in 2024.

(Joby Aviation)

“With our focus on transforming urban spaces into community hubs that enable the future of mobility, aerial ridesharing is a compelling opportunity for us to decarbonize travel and make better use of structures such as parking garages,” Philippe Saint-Just, co-founder of REEF, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to work with Joby to bring this transformational electric aerial mobility to life, and to help realize its potential for cities and their neighborhoods.”

According to Joby parking garages will be ideal for skyport locations because of their proximity to popular locations, size, obstruction-free approach and departure paths, and ability to host mobility hubs.

In February, Joby announced that it had agreed to G-1 certification conditions with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft will be certified under the FAA’s Part 23 requirements with special conditions detailed in the G-1 to account for the unique characteristics of the aircraft.

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Garmin to Make G5000 Avionics Air Transport Debut on D328eco

Deutsche Aircraft, the newly formed German aircraft OEM partnership between Dornier and the German government, has selected Garmin’s G5000 flight deck to make its air transport avionics debut on the D328eco. (Deutsche Aircraft)

Deutsche Aircraft, the Munich-based aircraft manufacturer that launched operations in December, has selected Garmin’s G5000 flight deck to make its air transport market debut on the D328eco aircraft.

The D328eco is being developed as a next-generation clean energy variant of the Dornier 328 (D328) to be sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) compatible and powered by Pratt & Whitney PW127S engines. The German government first announced Deutsche Aircraft’s D328eco in December, in partnership with the D328 type certificate holder, Dornier.

Garmin will supply its G5000 flight deck for the D328eco, a selection that the two companies claim is the “first time a new flight deck is fitted into a below 50-seat regional aircraft category since the beginning of the 21st century,” according to a June 1 press release.

Deutsche Aircraft launched its D328eco program in December. (Deutsche Aircraft)

“We are thrilled having Garmin join our D328eco program and offer the first newly designed flight deck for a sub 70 seater regional aircraft in this century,” Dave Jackson, Deutsche Aircraft managing director said in the release. “The new D328eco Companion flight deck, based on Garmin’s G5000 proven capabilities, will set the standards for the future of this segment.”

Currently, within its preliminary design review phase, Deutsche Aircraft has so far only released computer-generated mockups and drawings of what the D328eco will eventually look like when complete. Their selection of Garmin will integrate the G5000 into the D328eco’s Companion flight deck.

“The new Companion flight deck has been designed whilst keeping in mind all requirements and expectations of the market allowing total control of how we have designed it. Its functionalities really make Deutsche Aircraft’s innovative vision a reality.” Jackson said. “The new D328eco CompanionTM flight deck features a significant leap in enabling pilots to successfully complete their mission, whether it is flying commercial passengers or special operations.”

Deutsche Aircraft is establishing a final assembly line for the D328eco at Leipzig Halle Airport and plans to introduce the new 50-seat regional airliner by 2025.

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Eve Urban Air Mobility finds Launch Partner in Halo

Eve is an independent company backed by Embraer’s expertise and was the first company to spinoff from EmbraerX.

Eve Urban Air Mobility and Halo, a helicopter provider in the U.S. and U.K., have formed a partnership to develop urban air mobility (UAM) products and services in the U.S. and U.K, according to a June 1 press release.

Eve is an independent company backed by Embraer and was the first company to spin off from EmbraerX.

In the U.K., Halo operates a fleet of Agusta/Leonardo AW109 and AW169 helicopters via charter, card and fractional ownership programs, while also providing helicopter charter and maintenance services from its bases located throughout the northeastern region of the U.S. Last month, Halo was acquired by Directional Aviation’s OneSky Flight, parent of global private jet travel provider Flexjet, to serve as a platform for their official entrance into the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) market.

Now, with Eve, the company has a vehicle development partner to support their entrance into UAM.

“This partnership is an important step for Eve to assume its position as a global leader in the UAM industry,” Andre Stein, President & CEO of Eve Urban Air Mobility, said in a statement. “We are ready to build the future of mobility with our partners in an extremely collaborative way. Halo is aligned with our mission to create comprehensive Urban Air Mobility solutions and this order marks an important milestone for Eve in key markets. We are confident that this mutually beneficial relationship will have a positive impact for many future users and enable both companies to grow their businesses exponentially.”

Halo will receive 200 of Eve’s eVTOL aircraft through the partnership, according to the release. Eve has not released details on its eVTOL. EmbraerX debuted its eVTOL concept in June 2019.

“We believe Eve has designed an aircraft that is well-prepared for not only initial certification but also has a proven track record of production,” Kenneth C. Ricci, Principal of Directional Aviation, an investment fund of which Halo is part of, said in a statement. “The outstanding lineage of aircraft design, certification and production that Embraer brings to this aircraft positions Eve with significant advantages in the competitive landscape. And our background as operators has taught us that product support is absolutely vital to the overall success of new programs. The relationship between Embraer and Eve will create one of the most successful global product support infrastructures in the industry. Finally, the work that Eve and Embraer have completed around their traffic management system is just one more example of how uniquely positioned Eve is to help us deliver on our vision.”

The partnership will also include work on Eve’s Urban Air Traffic Management system, fleet operations, and Eve’s UAM product offers, according to the release.

Eve is also partnering with Airservices Australia and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on a concept of operations for UAM.

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