MRO's Archives - Page 53 of 109 - Aviation, Inflight and Aero Connectivity Consultants

Raytheon to Provide Dual Frequency Upgrades for Wide Area Augmentation System

The Wide Area Augmentation System, or WAAS, monitors and evaluates all GPS signals over North America to enable pilots to fly using augmented GPS data for safety of life missions like precision landing and en-route navigation. The system allows pilots to safely land in places that were previously inaccessible because of the airport location and/or weather. It also makes airports without ground-based navigation available to pilots. (Photo: Raytheon Intelligence & Space)

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a new 10-year contract to Raytheon Intelligence & Space that will provide a technical refresh for the Wide-Area Augmentation System (WAAS)—a space-based precision navigation system that first became operational in the U.S. in 2003. Under the contract, which has a $375 million “ceiling value,” according to Raytheon, the WAAS system will receive Dual Frequency Operation (DFO) upgrades.

WAAS is a system of satellites and ground stations that correct the errors in GPS signals caused by effects like ionospheric disturbances. With such signal corrections, WAAS provides position accuracy that is better than three meters. The FAA has worked with Raytheon—the prime contractor for WAAS since 1996—and other major industry players on a series of upgrades to the system over the last two decades, including the development of a new WAAS satellite payload contracted to Intelsat in 2018.

FAA’s latest reported statistics on WAAS-enabled landing procedures available at North American airports include 4,092 LPVs available at 1,989 airports and 726 LPs at 531 total airports.

A representative for Raytheon, in an emailed statement to Avionics International, confirmed the contract will include several ground infrastructure upgrades for WAAS, including new Ground Uplink Station (GUS) receivers, new processors, a new Internet Protocol (IP)-based Telecommunications Network, and “enhanced system cybersecurity.”

“Dual Frequency service, the namesake upgrade of the DFO-2 contract, will provide the biggest benefit by giving users an extra dataset to calculate their own ionospheric errors,” the representative said. “Currently, ionospheric corrections are calculated centrally for single frequency. Dual frequency will provide improved accuracy, availability, and safety to users, especially during periods of high ionospheric activity like solar storms.”

According to an overview of WAAS featured on Raytheon’s website, the addition of the dual frequency service is “anticipated by 2028.” WAAS users with dual frequency WAAS-enabled GPS receivers will find that, once the DFO service becomes operational, the system will “support better positioning determination even during solar storm periods.”

“There is no margin for error during take-off, flight or landing,” Denis Donohue, president, Surveillance & Network Systems at RI&S, said in a statement. “Our modernization effort for WAAS will improve system robustness during ionospheric events and ensure safety-of-life requirements continue to be met.”

The post Raytheon to Provide Dual Frequency Upgrades for Wide Area Augmentation System appeared first on Avionics International.

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EASA Proposes Delay to ELT Distress Tracking Regulation for Passenger Jets

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is proposing a delay to an upcoming ICAO GADSS-related ELT (DT) equipage requirement for aircraft manufactured and delivered after Jan. 1, 2023. (Photo: EASA)

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has proposed a two-year delay to its Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS)-inspired regulation requiring commercial passenger jets to be equipped with emergency locator transmitters of a distress tracking type (ELT (DT)), according to a draft rulemaking amendment released by the agency.

EASA’s proposed delay focuses on the autonomous distress tracking (ADT) portion of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) adoption of Amendment 39 to Annex 6 of its normal aircraft tracking standards and recommended practices (SARPs) in November 2015. The SARPs require operators to track aircraft operating under normal flight conditions every 15 minutes with an additional abnormal-event minute-by-minute tracking capability.

The ADT requirement adopted by EASA applies to aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of over 27,000 kg (60,000 pounds) with an airworthiness certificate issued after Jan. 1, 2023, would have to autonomously transmit position information once every minute or less when that aircraft is operating under distressed conditions or those that could cause a diversion or accident. ICAO’s GADSS initiative—implemented by civil aviation regulators on an agency-by-agency basis—was developed after the 2014 disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

In 2018, EASA adopted the ADT portion of ICAO’s Standard 6.18.1 as “point CAT.GEN.MPA.210,” or ‘Location of an aircraft in distress — Aeroplanes’ of Annex IV (Part-CAT) to Regulation (EU) No 965/2012. However, several factors summarized in their proposed amendment to CAT.GEN.MPA.210 have led EASA to seek a delay for the timing of the regulation due to delays aircraft manufacturers are experiencing in getting newly manufactured aircraft equipped with ELTs that meet the mandate’s performance objectives.

According to EASA, in March 2022, the International Coordination Council of Aerospace Industry Associations (ICCAIA) sought a delay to ICAO’s applicability of Standard 6.18.1 on behalf of the aircraft manufacturers it represents. Airbus simultaneously petitioned EASA for a similar delay to the applicability of CAT.GEN.MPA.210. A series of meetings held with groups representing airlines, EASA member states, and other stakeholders impacted by EASA’s ELT DT regulation ultimately led to the agency deciding on implementing a delay.

“The intelligence gathered through those meetings and discussions revealed that aircraft manufacturers are facing significant delays in certification due to the time needed to fit the aeroplanes concerned with the necessary equipment,” EASA writes in the proposed delay. “The COVID-19 pandemic affected the planned delivery in 2022 of 700–1000 aeroplanes with an MCTOM of more than 27,000 kg, which had been designed and manufactured without the equipment needed to comply with point CAT.GEN.MPA.210 and Standard 6.18.1.”

There have also been delays in establishing the communications infrastructure necessary to process and transmit ELT (DT) signals to search and rescue (SAR) points of contact in the various European nations. Rescue coordination centers (RCC) will need additional time to adopt their procedures for handling information stemming from signals generated by an active ELT (DT), according to EASA.

The majority of ELTs designed to meet the ADT performance requirements are able to capture abnormal events that occur within the aircraft and transmit a distress message to air traffic controllers, search and rescue agencies, and the aircraft operator’s ground-based personnel. This is a capability featured, for example, in the Ultima-DT selected by Airbus in 2020 as the new standard ELT featured on Airbus passenger aircraft manufactured after Jan. 1, 2023.

Under EASA’s proposed delay, the ELT (DT) equipage installation deadline moves from Jan. 1, 2023, to Jan. 1, 2024, with a new applicability date of Jan. 1, 2025. This option was found to be ideal because it “would keep the number of ADT-system-equipped aircraft largely at the 2023 baseline figures, while still providing industry with the two-year deadline extension that it requested,” according to EASA.

The draft rulemaking published by EASA seeking the delay on the ELT (DT) regulation is the latest sought by a civil aviation regulatory agency since the recent postponement of Canada’s ADS-B Out requirement published last month. An Aug. 2 update on the delay published by NAV Canada attributed the delay to “supply chain limitations and backlogs” associated with aircraft transponder equipment.

EASA did not respond to an email from Avionics International seeking confirmation on when the draft rulemaking for the two-year delay will become official regulation. According to the draft rulemaking, the opinion on the amendment has been submitted to the European Commission, which is currently deciding on whether to officially adopt it.

The post EASA Proposes Delay to ELT Distress Tracking Regulation for Passenger Jets appeared first on Avionics International.

In-Flight Connectivity Players Revisit Questions About the Business Model Versus Demand

The satellite industry gathered in Paris this week for World Satellite Business Week (WSBW). (Photo: WSBW)

PARIS — Mobility, and in particular aviation, remains a key barometer for the satellite industry, as it looks to diversify its revenue streams away from video/broadcast. In-flight Connectivity (IFC) remains a key target market for many big players. The market was shaken up this year when Starlink announced a deal with Hawaiian Airlines.

Against this backdrop, at World Satellite Business Week (WSBW), executives from El Al Airlines in Israel, Corsair, Anuvu, and Gogo Business Aviation examine the current state of IFC and what is next for a market that has had a turbulent couple of years.

Tal Kalderon, head of In-Flight Entertainment & Connectivity, El Al gave an interesting perspective from an airline point of view. He said that El Al has seen a significant upswing in terms of people looking to fly and that the demand for connectivity is high as well. Customers continue to expect the same level of connectivity service they get on the ground.

However, given the investment involved, going to a completely free model for an airline could be difficult to justify. He said, “I hope in the future it will be free, but I don’t know yet, but that is the plan. In short haul flights, people don’t use things like Netflix and Spotify. We give connectivity free to business class passengers. The demand for connectivity in flights to Europe is quite low. However, having said that, passengers would still like to have the option, so we still offer it as a possibility on short haul flights.”

The ultimate vision for El Al is to not have separate IFC and IFEC [in-flight entertainment and connectivity] systems, and have one IFC system that powers everything. Kalderon added, “The dream of El Al is to have only one system. Today, we have IFC and IFEC. In the future, passengers will get all the content and services through an IFC system. Ultimately, we won’t need to provide movies on a server. Most airlines are going for free, even if just for business class. Most providers are working on ways to get streamed content to the aircraft.”

Kalderon admits it is important that an airline has access to the best technology when it comes to IFC, even if replacing equipment means it is tricky to make decisions. “We must always make sure we are getting the best technology. So, previously it was Ka-band. Technology is progressing fast. We know it is a huge investment. We don’t see a choice. The demand is growing all the time,” he said. “We don’t know yet what future iterations of technology will look like. I don’t believe in the next few years, we will change the antennas or the hardware on board, as an example. But, if we find out, the technology isn’t providing what we want, we have SLAs with our providers. We need to ensure we have the best technologies.”

Enea Fracassi, COO of Corsair, a French charter airline, said they had a good summer, but one noticeable change was people are taking a much shorter term outlook when booking flights.

When talking about the importance of connectivity, he said, “People are really careful about the price [when booking flights]. Price is still the priority. I don’t think connectivity is a driver when people are booking flights. The take-up rate [of IFC] is still quite low. Having said that, a Wi-Fi connection is becoming an essential. It is becoming part of the landscape. Most people want it as part of the package.”

Like El Al, making it successful from a business point of view remains a challenge. Fracassi said, “I haven’t met any airline that has made a success of it (IFC) in terms of P&L. We need to keep systems very simple. We are dealing with a number of providers and this isn’t easy.”

Anuvu has plans to launch its own constellation of satellites to offer a more well-rounded service to airlines. Josh Marks, CEO, Anuvu said the industry was at a “transformational point.” He spoke about the ‘free’ model and how ultimately it could be seen to pay off for airlines. He said: “A number of clients have gone ‘free’ on Wi-Fi, and that drives 30 percent take-up rates. If you have a platform, and you can get that number up to 80 percent of the flight accessing connectivity, there is a chance to market it, and offer personalized services to customers. What we are hearing from airlines is how can we make this profitable as an investment?”

In terms of its own approach, Marks says Anuvu believes in an ecosystem business model, and that this will provide the best value for airlines.

“Our view of the world is a hybrid approach is the right one. So, one where you can have multiple technologies. What we are looking at now is an ecosystem model. We are launching our own constellation. The rapid development of LEO is key to this ecosystem,” he said. “GEO satellites have a key role also. They definitely help in terms of capacity scalability. From a customers’ perspective, the system has to work 100 percent of the time. We have to re-orientate how we think about satellite coverage around the world. The constellation is there to provide additional coverage.”

This article was first published by Via Satellite, a sister publication to Avionics International, it has been edited. Click here to view the original version.>>

The post In-Flight Connectivity Players Revisit Questions About the Business Model Versus Demand appeared first on Avionics International.

Parker-Hannifin Completes £6.3 Billion Acquisition of Meggitt

Meggitt, the British aerospace and defense supplier, will retain its brand name while joining Parker-Hannifin Corp.’s aerospace division under an acquisition completed this week. Pictured here is the Meggitt chalet from the 2022 Farnborough International Air Show. (Photo: Meggitt)

Parker-Hannifin Corp. has completed its acquisition of U.K.-based aerospace and defense supplier Meggitt for approximately £6.3 billion, according to a Sept. 14 announcement from the two companies.

The acquisition cleared antitrust approvals from the European Commission in April, and separately from U.K. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng in July, on the condition that Parker divested its aircraft wheels and brakes division. Both regulatory agencies found that the transaction would reduce the already limited number of suppliers of wheels and brakes for small general aviation aircraft, business jets, civil and military helicopters, and military fixed-wing drones, according to the EC’s decision on the acquisition published in April.

That led to the $440 million sale of Parker’s aircraft wheel and brake division to Kaman Corp. in May and cleared the completion of the acquisition by Parker this week.

“Parker has great respect for Meggitt, its heritage and its place in British industry. We are committed to being a responsible steward of the company and we plan to continue to innovate and invest in key markets that are of importance to Meggitt,” Roger Sherrard, President of Parker’s Aerospace Group, said in a statement. “The combination of Parker and Meggitt is exciting for both companies and provides our customers with a broad array of solutions for the global aerospace industry.”

The acquisition is the largest in the history of Parker-Hannifin Corp. and will nearly double the size of its Parker Aerospace division, the company said in its announcement. Parker-Hannifin’s aerospace segment includes 5,300 total employees and 24 manufacturing facilities globally with divisions focused on commercial and military flight control as well as hydraulics and other mechanical aircraft systems.

Meggitt provides “proprietary airframes and engine products” for the aerospace market, and has more than 9,000 team members and 40 manufacturing facilities globally, according to its website.

Among Meggitt’s recent commercial aviation supplier contract wins was a selection by Boeing last year to provide cockpit indicators for all versions of the 737 MAX. Meggitt also provides fire detection and suppression systems, electrical power conversion equipment, and elastomeric seals for the MAX.

On the defense side, the company is a supplier for a wide range of military aircraft, including the rudder pedal assemblies for the F-35.

“We are excited to have reached the closing of what is a very compelling strategic and cultural combination,” Tom Williams, CEO of Parker-Hannifin, said in a statement. “Meggitt’s complementary product portfolio and geographic footprint, as well as its proprietary and differentiated technologies, will significantly enhance Parker’s capabilities, positioning us to provide a broader suite of solutions for aircraft and aeroengine components and systems.”

Parker Hannifin is scheduled to host a conference call and presentation about the acquisition on September 28, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. ET.

The post Parker-Hannifin Completes £6.3 Billion Acquisition of Meggitt appeared first on Avionics International.

Airbus and Hiratagakuen Partner to Test Future Flight Routes for eVTOLs in Japan

Hiratagakuen, a helicopter operator based in Japan, is partnering with Airbus to simulate ideal eVTOL routes in the Kansai region and to evaluate requirements for launching operations with the CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL. (Photo: Airbus)

Airbus and Japanese helicopter operator Hiratagakuen announced a new partnership last week targeting the development of advanced air mobility operations in the Kansai region of Japan. The partnership will address the requirements for launching commercial services with the CityAirbus NextGen electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Airbus unveiled the fully-electric CityAirbus NextGen aircraft design nearly a year ago which resulted from the Air Mobility Initiative led by Airbus. The company has since selected partners for all of the main components and systems of the eVTOL, including choosing electric motor company MAGicALL to supply a customized version of its MAGiDRIVE generation of motors.

Airbus and Hiratagakuen aim to address a range of operational contexts and enable air mobility services beyond those limited to urban environments. Some of the intended use cases are air medical services, sightseeing, and commercial air transport.

The partners are planning to perform a demonstration flight later in 2022 as part of an initial joint project to create a simulation of ideal routes for eVTOLs in the region, as well as the necessary equipment and concepts of operation. Airbus and Hiratagakuen will be testing advanced navigation and communication technologies via an H135 helicopter to explore how to operate eVTOLs safely within a city.

An H135 helicopter, like the one pictured above, will be used to conduct a demonstration flight in Japan. (Photo: Airbus)

The aim of the simulation, a representative from Airbus told Avionics in an emailed statement, is “to study the feasibility and business rationale of selected flight routes that will connect key points of interest in the Kansai region.” One area of focus is exploration of paths that connect areas around two cities in the area: Osaka and Kobe.

Based in Kansai, Hiratagakuen specializes in helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), transportation of personnel, flight training, and maintenance. “We have been operating Airbus helicopters for many years,” remarked Mitsuhiro Hirata, Vice President of the Aviation Operation Division of Hiratagakuen, in the announcement last week, “and highly appreciate their high safety, performance, and operational reliability.”

Hirata also commented that the Hiratagakuen team is looking forward to conducting the demonstration flight with Airbus. “We are aware that a revolution in air transportation is now approaching in the Osaka area, and we expect CityAirbus NextGen to play a central role in this revolution,” he said.

“Through this simulation, we will be able to analyse relevant use cases for the communities in Kansai,” stated the representative from Airbus, “to try and find how best CityAirbus NextGen’s zero emission flights could bring added value to passengers’ journeys.”

Airbus is currently doing detailed design work on the CityAirbus NextGen after running extensive simulations and wind tunnel tests. The company announced the start of construction on a new test center in Donauwörth, Germany, in July. This center is an important step towards beginning ground and flight test campaigns for the CityAirbus NextGen, according to Airbus’s spokesperson.

The post Airbus and Hiratagakuen Partner to Test Future Flight Routes for eVTOLs in Japan appeared first on Avionics International.

US Airlines Begin Installing 5G C-Band Filter for Radio Altimeters on Airbus A320s

(Photo courtesy of Thales)

U.S. airlines have begun installing a radio altimeter replacement for in-service Airbus A320 model aircraft that currently feature altimeters susceptible to interference from 5G C-band wireless signals generated by networks recently deployed by AT&T and Verizon. Thales, the Toulouse, France-based avionics manufacturer, has confirmed the start of installations of an upgraded version of their radio altimeters that will replace the 5G C-band susceptible legacy ERT 530.

A Sept. 14 update posted to the Thales Aerospace brand LinkedIn page notes that 50 A320 aircraft operated by unnamed airlines have been retrofitted with the ERT530R. The A320 radio altimeter retrofit program for U.S.-registered A320s is a result of the requirement issued by the FAA in June for operators of regional aircraft that the agency has identified as being the most susceptible to interference from 5G C-band wireless signals to install radio frequency filters by the end of the year.

“At this stage, Thales has received around 2,000 orders for its enhanced, 5G immune Radio Altimeters,” Thales notes in its LinkedIn updates.

Thales first earned a European Technical Standard Order authorization from EASA for the ERT530R in July. The ERT530R uses bandpass radio frequency filtering, a technique that isolates signals within certain frequencies—in this case, those in the 4.2-4.4 GHz range used by aircraft radio altimeters. Signals occurring above and below this range, such as those from AT&T and Verizon’s 5G networks, are attenuated, according to an overview of the how bandpass filters work published by Science Direct.

Aircraft radio altimeters operate within 4.2–4.4 GHz, the lower half of which falls within the C-Band—a frequency range from 3.7–4.2 GHz where the combination of the range of signal transmissions and capacity are optimal. The 5G wireless networks operated by AT&T and Verizon occur within the 3.7–3.98 GHz frequency range, close to the altimeters.

Under an agreement reached with the FAA in June, announced along with the radio frequency filter requirement, AT&T and Verizon are delaying switching on some portions of their respective 5G C-band wireless networks until July 2023.

The A320s, like all Airbus aircraft models except the A380, are equipped with two radio altimeters that provide height information to the aircraft’s auto pilot, auto thrust, primary flight displays, and weather radar, among other navigation systems, according to the 2011 article “Radio Altimeter Erroneous Values” published by two Airbus engineers.

Several U.S. airlines contacted by Avionics International in August regarding the FAA’s 5G C-band radio frequency filter requirement declined to comment on individual progress with retrofitting in-service aircraft. Most deferred to a statement provided by a representative from Airlines for America.

“As the U.S. airline industry works to actively install the required aircraft modifications, we remain in close communication with the federal government, telecommunications companies, manufacturers and other stakeholders to achieve our shared goal of working to safely implement additional 5G service, so that the United States remains a world leader in both safety and technological innovation,” a representative for A4A said in an emailed statement.

The FAA also declined to comment on progress retrofitting any specific aircraft models with radio frequency filters.

“Brazil’s safety regulator and the FAA have already approved the retrofit kits for the regional aircraft that comprise the bulk of the airplanes needing retrofits by the end of 2022,” a representative for the agency wrote to Avionics. “I don’t have an exact number of planes that have been retrofitted, but the count is above 50 and we know that numerous kits are either in transit or already in the hands of the operators.”

A representative for Boeing said, in a statement to Avionics last month, that the company is “actively working with suppliers, regulators, the airlines and telecom companies to ensure long term stability and help mitigate operational restrictions where possible in an effort to promote the safe co-existence of aviation and 5G environments for all models of the Boeing fleet.”

The post US Airlines Begin Installing 5G C-Band Filter for Radio Altimeters on Airbus A320s appeared first on Avionics International.

PODCAST: Shift5 CGO Talks Cybersecurity and Unleashing Connected Aircraft Innovation Faster

Michael Weigand is the Chief Growth Officer and co-founder of Shift5.

On this episode of the Connected Aviation Intelligence Podcast, Shift5 Chief Growth Officer and co-founder Michael Weigand is the guest.

Shift5 is a cybersecurity company that focuses on protecting transportation and military infrastructure and assets from cyberattacks. The company was co-founded in 2018 by Weigand and Josh Lospinoso, a former US Cyber Army Officer who previously founded RedOwl Analytics, which was acquired by Raytheon/Forcepoint in 2018.

Weigand is responsible for executing Shift5’s long-term growth objectives. Prior to Shift5, Michael served eight years in the US Army as an Airborne, Ranger qualified, Infantry officer and was selected as one of the first Cyber operations officers.

He discusses some of the certification and innovation challenges faced by companies developing new electronics software and systems for aircraft which has typically lagged behind advancements in other markets.

Check out this excerpt from the interview below, where the Shift5 CGO compares advancements in other technology markets and how they compare to aviation:

“There are some companies out there doing an amazing job providing aircraft connectivity and other solutions. But the pace of software development that we all take advantage of in our professional lives and where we’ve seen disruption in the automotive industry where we can push over the air software updates, and advance functionality and user features and benefits in a car—think of advances made by Tesla and other manufacturers that are incorporating a lot of those concepts into their newer offerings—we just don’t yet see or have that in the aviation space. A big part of that is regulation. How do we ensure that things are tested and are safe to the levels of requirements and performance expectations that we have in aviation? But candidly, I just think there is a way to achieve both of these things. To deploy especially software features and functionality and advancement faster and provide more value while also maintaining safety. I don’t think that we’ve even begun to scratch the itch there in aviation.”

This episode is sponsored by Shift 5.

Shift5 is the OT cybersecurity company that protects the world’s transportation infrastructure and weapons systems from cyberattacks.

Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes or Google Play. If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.

The post PODCAST: Shift5 CGO Talks Cybersecurity and Unleashing Connected Aircraft Innovation Faster appeared first on Avionics International.

Jetson CTO Talks New Testing Facility for R&D and eVTOL Production

Jetson is developing an ultralight personal electric aircraft called the Jetson ONE. The company recently received its 500th pre-order, and deliveries are expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2023. A new production facility and airfield was purchased in April, and Jetson is converting the facility into its European headquarters which should be completed in November. The latest seed round is anticipated to bring in $10 million in investments; $8 million has been secured so far, and the company anticipates finalizing the remaining $2 million by the end of September.

(Photo: Jetson)

Jetson announced in January that it had sold out all of its 2022 production of the Jetson ONE eVTOL since launching in October of 2021. Jetson’s co-founder and president, Peter Ternstrom, told Avionics International that future models of the aircraft will come with longer flight times. The model produced in 2024, for example, could have a flight time of up to 30 minutes, while the current version of the aircraft is expected to have a 20-minute flight time.

Tomasz Patan, co-founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Jetson, recently participated in a question-and-answer session with Avionics to discuss the company’s progress and upcoming milestones.

Avionics: What is the status of Jetson’s facility in Italy?

Tomasz Patan: The site has an 800-meter-long strip of land—which is an actual airfield where we’re going to test our Jetson ONE design. The building next to the airfield is an old industrial facility from the late 19th century. We are currently working hard to renovate this facility and convert it into our European headquarters, with offices, a showroom, and limited production. We are progressing with the project aggressively, and it should be ready in November. It is a perfect location for testing our vehicle and we will later lock in the design of the aircraft.

Jetson’s new R&D and limited production facility located in Arezzo, Tuscany (Photo: Jetson)

Avionics: Can you share any details about the latest seed round?

Tomasz Patan: The seed round is almost closed. We have raised $8 million USD, and we hope to bring this final number to $10 million. It’s a huge milestone for Jetson. Especially in this climate—the current status of the stock market is not really great, and that’s why we are really happy that we are able to do this.

Avionics: How do you expect the company to grow over the next couple of years?

Tomasz Patan: Our team is growing at full speed. We have about 20 employees working full-time, and that number should be around 50 in late 2023. During the spring, we appointed Swedish entrepreneur Rikard Steiber as a Senior Advisor—he is also Jetson’s first external investor. We introduced our new head of research and development, Alec Bialek. We have also hired numerous carbon fiber specialists, mechanical engineers, software developers, and 3D printing specialists. We’re looking to expand the company to the U.S. next year. As we work to lock in the design and prepare for manufacturing, we are also looking at our next step in the U.S. We are really looking forward to seeing the opportunities awaiting us there. This is also quite important for Jetson because currently, 75% of our clients are based in the U.S. It’s also because of the regulations that allow our clients to fly Jetson ONE without a pilot license; those regulations are already there in the U.S.

Avionics: What are the unique features of the Jetson ONE?

Tomasz Patan: The most important aspect is that the Jetson ONE is an ultra-light aircraft. It’s a very compact and lightweight personal flying aircraft that anyone in the U.S. (and some other countries) could fly without a pilot license. Clients will learn how to operate it according to regulations and in a safe manner.

The flight time is up to 20 minutes, and the weight of the aircraft is 40 kilograms [88 pounds], or 86 kilograms with batteries. It’s equipped with many safety features, including a ballistic parachute. It has a flight computer and fly-by-wire controls system where you can actually let your hands off the joysticks and it will hover automatically in one spot. It will also stabilize itself during flight. Because of the specialized flight computer that we use, it’s possible to learn to fly it in a matter of minutes which is quite a novelty in the industry.

The ultralight Jetson ONE eVTOL weighs only 88 pounds without batteries, or about 190 pounds with batteries. (Photo: Jetson)

The aircraft uses eight motors; you can still fly safely even without one of the motors. The battery system is redundant, and all the electronic systems onboard are fully redundant.

The top speed of the Jetson ONE is 102 kilometers per hour [63 mph]. To control it, you have just one joystick, a 3-axis joystick, and a throttle lever—two controls that are extremely easy to operate. It also doesn’t require any maintenance, because it is fully electric.

Avionics: What systems are in the aircraft?

Tomasz Patan: Some of the components are proprietary, and we are working together with other companies to supply the rest of the components.

The display screen is minimalistic. It is located in the front of the cockpit so the pilot always has a good view of the display. It shows remaining battery capacity, remaining flight time, and some very basic information provided by the flight computer.

You also have a very bright LED, a warning light, whenever there is a situation. This LED will basically show you when you should be heading back for landing. Even though you have that information available to you, the flight computer will have an automatic landing feature. Whenever there is a situation that you are not responding to correctly, this feature will be activated, and the Jetson ONE will start descending, but you still have full control while descending and you can choose your landing location.

Avionics: What is the team currently working on?

Tomasz Patan: The biggest upcoming milestone will be locking in the design of the aircraft. This also means we will still have to test our ballistic parachute as well as some of those safety features that will require a lot of flight hours. That’s the whole reason for the new facility, where we can easily fly the pre-production prototypes 24 hours a day.

We are really happy with our progress—another recent milestone for us is that we recently sold our 500th unit. We are on track with 2023 deliveries, and we are preparing for manufacturing to start early next year. Flight testing will be happening at our new airfield.

The post Jetson CTO Talks New Testing Facility for R&D and eVTOL Production appeared first on Avionics International.

NASA Conducts New Series of Flight Tests with Autonomous Sikorsky Helicopter

NASA’s Integration of Automated Systems effort recently conducted the first in a new series of research flights with the Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft, or SARA. (Photo: NASA)

Pilots and researchers from NASA began conducting research flights with the Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft, or SARA, in March. The system uses Sikorsky’s MATRIX Technology that is designed to enable operators to autonomously fly any aircraft, or to fly an aircraft as an optionally piloted vehicle. The researchers and pilots performing these flight tests are part of NASA’s Integration of Automated Systems (IAS) effort within the Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign program. NASA’s team has now started a new series of flight test campaigns in the past couple of weeks to continue exploring autonomous technologies in partnership with Sikorsky and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The new test flights involve determining how well the SARA platform can interpret a flight path’s four-dimensional trajectories into primitive commands and then follow those commands. “The pilots were reviewing the flight profiles and approving them for execution,” explained Dr. Adam J. Yingling, IAS Technical Lead at NASA, in an interview with Avionics International. The use of 4D trajectories adds the fourth element of time to the three components historically used to calculate an aircraft’s trajectory (latitude, longitude, altitude).

A key component of research for advanced air mobility (AAM) is the pilot interface. The IAS flight tests are evaluating three different tablets for pilots to use, Dr. Yingling shared. “We looked at a Getac F110, a ruggedized computer tablet format; we looked at a Samsung S7; and we’re also looking at iPads,” he said. He added that the tablets have worked very well so far and exceeded his expectations in terms of performance.

It’s important for the pilot interface to make it easy for the operator to select options while in flight, which can include a lot of movement and changes in lighting. That all needs to be factored in to the interface, and it needs to be easy for pilots to interpret any information that is displayed, said Dr. Yingling.

NASA’s IAS team is working on data analysis to quantify how successfully the aircraft was able to follow the software. The first week of testing, which took place at the end of August into early September, also involved testing the effects of different atmospheric conditions to evaluate how sensitive the algorithm is to certain external factors. “The aircraft has its own physical limitations for things like right-angle turns, but we anticipated that, and the aircraft did a good job following the commands,” he remarked.

Dr. Yingling explained that Sikorsky offers significant expertise in autonomous technologies, such as the MATRIX Technology. However, he noted, there won’t be one single type of technology that can create the autonomy the AAM industry will need. “We’re going to have to stack the algorithms to work well together,” he said. “Some of the automations are all about flying safely. Some are about communicating with external services, with other aircraft, with air traffic control, and all of these need to be brought together. We have to figure out how to stitch them together so that they work in concert.”

NASA, Sikorsky, and DARPA will continue their partnership to explore different requirements for enabling AAM. One capability that will be necessary is machine-to-machine communications for autonomous aircraft flying in a dense airspace. Future flight tests will involve scenarios where the automation has to sense and avoid multiple aircraft.

“We’re envisioning a future that has a very dense airspace where typical communications through air traffic control would get congested,” Dr. Yingling shared. “With our scenarios, we’re going to be simulating very dense air traffic.”

Some of NASA’s commercial partners are also involved in the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program, like electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Joby Aviation. NASA and the Agility Prime team have both collaborated with Joby to develop AAM technologies.

NASA’s IAS efforts include evaluating requirements for the design of high-density vertiports. eVTOL aircraft will have different flight profiles for take-offs and landings at vertiports, and it’s important to consider the needs of these aircraft in designing vertiports to enable high-density operations, according to Dr. Yingling.

He added that they will use the SARA platform, which has a large flight envelope, as a surrogate for eVTOL aircraft to test out various flight profiles and determine design requirements for vertiport facilities.

The post NASA Conducts New Series of Flight Tests with Autonomous Sikorsky Helicopter appeared first on Avionics International.

Skyports Continues Partnerships with Wisk and AirAsia, Prepares for Vertiport Testing in Paris

Skyports is continuing to work with its partners Wisk Aero and AirAsia on research related to advanced air mobility infrastructure and operations. Skyports is also planning to launch its vertiport testbed site in Paris in November. (Photo: Skyports)

Skyports, a UK-based vertiport designer and developer, shared updates on its research projects and partnerships with AirAsia and Wisk in emailed statements to Avionics International. The continuing collaboration between Skyports and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Wisk Aero is currently focused on flight and vertiport resource coordination, according to a company spokesperson. Skyports is also working with AirAsia and other partners to initiate conversations with regulators in Malaysia.

The partnership between Skyports and Wisk, announced in April, was the first to connect an autonomous eVTOL developer and a vertiport developer-operator in the U.S. The companies released a concept of operations listing requirements for safe and autonomous eVTOL operations and corresponding infrastructure. The representative from Skyports noted that the ConOps was just the beginning of a long-term partnership with Wisk.

“We are now both actively contributing to research projects which will identify high priority data and communication interfaces to support AAM operations,” wrote the Skyports’ representative. “This current piece of work is an important stage of our efforts to create high level interface documentation.”

In the mid- to long-term, they added, Wisk and Skyports will “work on complex aspects of aircraft and airfield integration, electrification concepts, and more.”

Skyports acquired a London heliport earlier this year. (Photo: Skyports)

Skyports announced the acquisition of a heliport in London in January. The company’s representative explained that although commercial operations for advanced air mobility are not expected to begin until 2024, Skyports is experimenting with and verifying vertiport-related technology concepts using the London heliport. “We have currently deployed a majority of our technology baseline to the heliport and are commencing testing in an operational environment,” they stated.

AirAsia signed a letter of intent with Skyports in late July with the goal of deploying air taxi infrastructure in Malaysia. The letter of intent includes a year-long partnership between the two companies to perform feasibility studies on deploying vertiports in the country. The early stages of the partnership have seen Skyports focus its efforts “on initiating conversations with the country’s regulators and relevant aviation bodies,” the representative shared.

“In tandem with this, we are working closely with our partners to gather critical knowledge and input to form the foundation of the study. We look forward to sharing the outputs and results with industry and media as soon as possible.”

A rendering of the interior of the Cergy-Pointoise vertiport facility (Photo: Skyports)

In late 2021, Skyports announced plans to establish the first commercial vertiport in Europe. It will initially be used as a technology testbed, and will be built and operated at Groupe ADP’s Cergy-Pontoise Airfield in Paris. Practical completion of the site is scheduled for September 16, according to Skyports’ spokesperson.

Systems integration and two months of extensive testing of the vertiport will follow, and the company expects the launch of the site to occur in early November. As the representative from Skyports explained, “the testbed is vehicle agnostic and will facilitate all leading eVTOL OEMs to test and demonstrate aircraft capabilities in a live environment. Volocopter will be one of the earliest eVTOL companies to bring their vehicle to site.”

Other eVTOL developers, including Vertical Aerospace, Joby, Eve Air Mobility, and Airbus, are also part of the program.

The post Skyports Continues Partnerships with Wisk and AirAsia, Prepares for Vertiport Testing in Paris appeared first on Avionics International.

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