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Kongsberg Geospatial Advances Solutions for Airspace Monitoring and Managing Unmanned Traffic

The IRIS UxS platform enables an operator to manage one or more unmanned aircraft flying BVLOS operations. (Photo: Kongsberg Geospatial)

Kongsberg Geospatial, based in Canada, develops software for geospatial visualization and situational awareness that is used for air traffic control and air defense applications. One of Kongsberg’s products is IRIS UxS, an airspace visualization system for operators conducting unmanned aircraft beyond a visual line of sight (BVLOS). The company also offers IRIS AM, a real-time airspace management system that was designed to facilitate the safe integration of unmanned systems.

The IRIS software platform is essentially the user interface built on top of Kongsberg’s TerraLens, a geospatial SDK that provides real-time 2D and 3D mapping, according to Paige Cutland, VP of Sales and Marketing. TerraLens is optimized for mission-critical, real-time applications like air traffic control.

During a webinar hosted by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) this week, Cutland explained how unmanned aircraft operators use the IRIS platform for monitoring BVLOS operations at remote operations centers, and he shared some of the recent projects the team has worked on.

One of the new features that will be released soon for IRIS is a sensor correlator function. “We’re doing our first trials onsite with live sensors next week, providing a correlator for Echodyne’s EchoGuard radars,” Cutland said. “They have four different radars and don’t want to see duplication as it goes from one radar coverage area to overlapping coverage area in another.”

Kongsberg Geospatial also provided a similar multisensor correlator for the sensors in Iris Automation’s Casia G ground-based surveillance system. With the IRIS solution, operators will have a simplified view of the data even when sensor coverage overlaps.

Another of the company’s customers is funding development of a suggested avoidance visualization feature for IRIS. “This builds on our conflict prediction service,” Cutland explained. “It provides visualization to the operator for the suggested avoidance maneuver they should take, which will greatly improve their ability to make decisions very rapidly based on a variety of constraints and data they’ve entered.”

The next step, which he says will be coming soon, is to take the human out of the loop and to direct automated avoidance maneuvers straight to the autopilot.

Kongsberg’s team has also recently integrated with FlytBase, an enterprise drone automation platform, to develop a tool for controlling vehicles through the cloud.

The IRIS platform can be used for managing a variety of autonomous aircraft, from small drones to unmanned VTOL aircraft. (Photo: Kongsberg Geospatial)

The main function of IRIS, Cutland explained, is to combine all sensor and data feeds into a single picture that allows the operator to monitor the airspace and to deal with situations as they arise. This prevents any of the problems that come along with adding a new data feed.

The IRIS platform aggregates available information “to allow for flexible presentation of different data feeds containing information from the airspace: terrain information, satellite imagery, periodic aeronautic data, live data, ADS-B, traffic feeds, etc.,” said Cutland.

He added that Kongsberg Geospatial can integrate numerous types of data feeds into the IRIS remote operations software, including LiDAR, RF detection, UTM feeds, ATC feeds, and EO camera/video.

The IRIS platform could be particularly useful for last-mile drone delivery companies to enable a single operator to control multiple drones at once. With a fleet of autonomous drones, the operator simply monitors what the aircraft are doing, and IRIS allows the operator to be in the loop for certain aspects of the mission or for any contingencies that arise along the drone’s route.

One company offering drone delivery services, Skyports, partnered with Kongsberg Geospatial last year to enable BVLOS operations during a three-month-long medical drone delivery project in Scotland. The partners were able to conduct 14,000 kilometers of BVLOS drone flights carrying COVID-19 test samples and kits, medicine, and PPE during the project.

The Canadian Coast Guard uses Kongsberg Geospatial’s IRIS UxS software to safely pilot the Shield AI V-BAT aircraft, a long-endurance, unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) surveillance system, for offshore sea trials. Kongsberg’s Modular ISR Data Analysis and Storage system (MIDAS) takes in data feeds from the cameras and sensors onboard the VTOL aircraft. The IRIS software displays information from the data feeds and provides a comprehensive situational awareness picture of the airspace.

Pictured above is the Shield AI V-Bat aircraft, used by the Canadian Coast Guard to conduct offshore sea trials. (Photo: Kongsberg Geospatial)

The post Kongsberg Geospatial Advances Solutions for Airspace Monitoring and Managing Unmanned Traffic appeared first on Avionics International.

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Regent’s CEO Shares Insights On All-Electric Seaglider Demonstrator’s First Flight

The quarter-scale prototype of Regent’s seaglider recently performed its first successful flight during a series of flight demonstrations in Rhode Island. (Photo: Regent)

Regent announced this week that its all-electric quarter-scale seaglider technology demonstrator completed its first flight. The seaglider is the first vehicle to take off from a controlled hydrofoil to wingborne flight, the company claims. The hydrofoiling increases the seaglider’s wave tolerance while on the water, and it retracts once the aircraft takes flight.

Following the initial flight demonstration, Regent completed a series of flights in Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. The company is targeting entry into commercial service by 2025 following passenger-carrying test flights that are expected to start in 2024. Orders for Regent seagliders currently total more than $7 billion.

Currently, the team at Regent is focusing on development of the full-scale prototype, which will have a 65-foot wingspan (the quarter-scale demonstrator has an 18-foot wingspan).

“Regent is the first team in history to overcome the deficiency of low wave tolerance with past designs by combining high-speed hydrofoils with ground-effect flight—a crucial innovation that will revolutionize coastal transit,” remarked Mike Klinker, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), in the announcement by Regent.

Regent’s seaglider prototype in flight (Photo: Regent)

Last month, Regent selected Siemens Digital Industries Software to provide its Xcelerator portfolio of software and services for the seaglider. Regent’s team is also partnering with Allocortech, an aerospace engineering company that will provide avionics components for Regent’s vehicle.

Billy Thalheimer, CEO and co-founder of Regent, spoke with Avionics International about flight testing their seaglider prototype and about the company’s long-term vision.

Avionics: How does Regent’s electric seaglider work?

Thalheimer: The hydrofoils, which are basically underwater wings, give us high wave tolerance and maneuverability through a harbor. Once we get through the harbor, traffic dies down, and we’re in open water, we take off. The vehicle flies within a wingspan of the surface on a cushion of air, known as ground effect, that creates aerodynamic efficiencies. We can go 180 miles on a totally battery-powered system with existing battery technology.

Seagliders really combine the hydrofoiling wave tolerant maneuverability with the speed of an aircraft out in the open waters to create a vehicle that is essentially the speed of high-speed rail and the convenience without the infrastructure costs—the speed of an aircraft and the convenience of a boat. It fills a gap in regional travel—Los Angeles to San Francisco, Boston to New York City—these are the really painful routes, and seagliders are solving that problem.

Avionics: What is the operational experience of the seaglider like?

Thalheimer: It’s technically operated by a captain, not a pilot. You don’t fly seagliders, you drive them. The controls are boat controls—left and right, fast and slow—think all two-dimensional. Regent has taken all the hard, historically dangerous parts of aviation—the roll, pitch, altitude control, take-off and landing transitions—and we’ve wrapped that up into our digital flight control system which controls all these phases. With our quarter-scale prototype, we just have a remote operator, but with our full-scale vehicle we will have a captain at the helm doing boat controls, and our digital flight control system is doing the rest. It’s a hugely lower bar to entry compared to the years it takes to get a pilot’s license.

In August, Regent received an Approval in Principle (AiP) from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore for the Viceroy seaglider. The AiP offers a clear path for the vehicle’s classification as a wing in ground effect (WIG) maritime vessel. (Photo: Regent)

Avionics: When do you expect to complete development of the full-scale prototype?

Thalheimer: The goal is to have humans flying by the end of 2024.

Avionics: What are some of the challenges facing the company over the next few years?

Thalheimer: It’s really been about proving that this technology works—proving that we can transition between the floating, foiling, and flight modes which we’ve now proven on the quarter-scale prototype. We’ve also been proving that the technology will scale to the full-scale model, which we’ve done. We recently announced completion of our full-scale blown wing testing—a full-scale section of the wing with multiple propellers on it that shows us how the aerodynamics will scale up.

We’ve now completely de-risked the technology. The next step is really just implementation. We’ve already reached our first major milestone with our maritime regulator, Bureau Veritas, that’s called the Approval in Principle.

Avionics: Could you share any details about Regent’s long-term strategy?

Thalheimer: We want seagliders to be part of the transportation canon, where people are used to taking seagliders on all coastal routes. In terms of our path toward commercialization, we’ll size up our prototype, build something with roughly a 65-foot wingspan, build our full-scale prototype, set up our manufacturing line, commercialize these, and get them into hands of our customers who are already ready for delivery. That’ll be by the end of 2025 for commercial operations. From there, we’ll build them even bigger. Our first model is called Viceroy with 12 passengers. From there, we’re going to build Monarch, a 100-passenger vehicle. That’s the goal—to have 100-passenger Monarch seagliders on every coast on the planet, servicing the 40% of the world’s population that lives in coastal communities.

The post Regent’s CEO Shares Insights On All-Electric Seaglider Demonstrator’s First Flight appeared first on Avionics International.

Air Canada Signs Purchase Agreement for Heart’s Updated ES-30 Electric Aircraft

Air Canada on Sept. 15 announced a purchase agreement for 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid aircraft under development by Heart Aerospace of Sweden. (Photo: CNW Group/Air Canada)

Heart Aerospace has replaced the 19-seat design of its previous ES-19 aircraft with the 30-seater battery-powered ES-30. The Swedish startup has also confirmed Air Canada as a new minority shareholder with a $5 million investment and a purchase order for 30 ES-30 aircraft.

Saab, the Swedish aerospace and defense manufacturer, joins Air Canada as the newest minority shareholder in Heart Aerospace with its own separate $5 million investment in the company. According to details about the ES-30 released by Heart Aerospace last week, the ES-30 is powered by four electric motors using lithium-ion batteries as a primary source of power and two sustainable aviation fuel-powered turbo generators as reserves.

Heart Aerospace describes this as a “reserve-hybrid configuration” where the pair of turbo generators “can also be used during cruise on longer flights to complement the electrical power provided by the batteries.” On battery charge alone, the ES-30 is being developed to fly a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles) with an altitude ceiling of 20,000 feet.

(Air Canada released this computer-generated concept video of the ES-30 flying with an Air Canada livery Air Canada: ES-30 from Air Canada on Vimeo.)

The company also specifies an extended range of 400 kilometers with 30 passengers and the ability to fly up to 800 kilometers with 25 passengers. Heart’s targeted range for the ES-30 is similar to the ES-19 that was also being developed to fly up to 400 kilometers.

Air Canada expects the ES-30’s battery system to have a charging time of “30-to-50 minutes.”

“The introduction into our fleet of the ES-30 electric regional aircraft from Heart Aerospace will be a step forward to our goal of net zero emissions by 2050,” Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada, said in the press release. “Already, Air Canada is supporting the development of new technologies, such as sustainable aviation fuels and carbon capture, to address climate change. We are now reinforcing our commitment by investing in revolutionary electric aircraft technology, both as a customer for the ES-30 and as an equity partner in Heart Aerospace.”

Over the last year, Heart Aerospace has continued to make progress on what has now become the ES-30 aircraft development program. Key achievements include confirming Garmin International to supply its G3000 integrated flight deck for the ES-30 cockpit. Garmin explained in an interview with Avionics International last year how their work with Heart will focus on interfacing the aircraft’s battery management system, motor control units, and other electric drive train components to the G3000 computers.

In January, Heart completed a test flight with a 1:5 scaled model of the ES-19 that was powered by commercial off the shelf electric motors. The startup also noted at the time that its electric drivetrain had been in ground testing for more than a year. No other details about a timeline for the first flight or ground test of a full-scale ES-30 aircraft have been released.

Heart Aerospace is building offices and production and flight test facilities which, together, will form a new campus called the Northern Runway. (Photo: Heart Aerospace)

On the same day as the Air Canada and Saab shareholder investment announcements came the addition of a new industry advisory board and plans released for the development of an electric aircraft development campus. Heart is building new offices and production and flight test families for the new campus, “Northern Runway,” to be located in Gothenburg.

Their new ES-30 industry advisory board includes representatives from 21 airlines, including Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Cebu Pacific, Icelandair, and United Airlines among others. United Airlines also committed to a future purchase agreement for up to 100 electric aircraft from Heart Aerospace. The startup has also received letters of intent from SAS, Wideroe, Air Greenland, and Finnair, among others.

The post Air Canada Signs Purchase Agreement for Heart’s Updated ES-30 Electric Aircraft appeared first on Avionics International.

Experts Discuss Considerations for Advanced Air Mobility Infrastructure and Integration

At the Vertical Flight Society’s 6th Workshop on Advanced Air Mobility Infrastructure this week, representatives from NASA, Five-Alpha, and Urban Movement Labs discussed some of the most important considerations for vertiport site selection and integration of AAM operations. (Photo: PS&S)

NASA recently published a whitepaper outlining more than 450 considerations for selecting vertiport locations. According to Nancy Mendonca, Deputy of the AAM Mission Integration Office at NASA, there was previously a lack of understanding in vertiport site selection. The Community Integration Working Group, of which Mendonca is the Technical Lead, gathered input from subject matter experts in a variety of areas in order to create this extensive list. The objective of this working group is to address social concerns surrounding safety, security, affordability, noise, privacy, and legality to achieve successful integration of AAM (advanced air mobility) vehicle operations in metropolitan areas.

Researchers, local transportation planners, and other members of the advanced air mobility (AAM) ecosystem can use these considerations for analyzing demand, developing AAM networks, and identifying potential gaps in policy and research.

The list of considerations is focused on vertiports that facilitate air taxis operating within a metropolitan area, Mendonca remarked during the 6th Workshop on AAM Infrastructure hosted by the Vertical Flight Society this week. She noted that there is a large degree of uncertainty around regulatory issues, both at the federal and state levels in addition to local regulations.

The whitepaper, titled “Advanced Air Mobility Vertiport Considerations: A List and Overview,” categorizes various considerations including those that are physical—both fixed and temporary. Some fixed considerations include buildings, trees, power lines, and billboards. Mobile and temporary considerations are listed as noise, weather, building cranes, and temporary vertiports.

Clint Harper (left), Rex Alexander (center), and Nancy Mendonca (right) discuss advanced air mobility at the 6th Workshop on AAM Infrastructure hosted by VFS this week.

Rex Alexander, Advisor for VTOL Infrastructure at VFS and president of aeronautical consulting firm Five-Alpha, shared his thoughts on the importance of establishing consistent terminology for AAM and educating the community during the AAM Infrastructure workshop this week. “Harmonization of the terminology across the federal, state, and local levels is one of the first things we want to do,” Alexander explained.

He drew a comparison to the helicopter industry: the difference between a heliport and a helistop is the same as the difference between a vertiport versus a vertistop. “There’s no hangar, no refueling, no scheduled maintenance, and no storage at a vertistop,” he said.

“And it’s at the local level that this makes the biggest difference. The terminology is going to drive what local municipalities do, and it’s one of the elements that we want to get right from day one.”

Alexander is also an ASTM International working group volunteer and member. ASTM published a new standard for designing vertiports and vertistops at the end of last month.

Community engagement, or lack thereof, has also been a big concern in the helicopter industry, Alexander remarked. To establish vertiports and other infrastructure for AAM operations, it’s necessary to address community engagement and to educate the community on the benefits of the industry.

Communicating the benefits of advanced air mobility for emergency medical services is one way to encourage public acceptance. However, regulations for air medical operations vary from state to state, Alexander said.

Another potential area of concern is that the Federal Aviation Administration does not have oversight over private-use facilities, and many vertiports—like heliports—will be private facilities. For public-use facilities, the FAA can protect the airspace from obstructions. It will be up to individual owners to protect the airspace over private-use vertiports by having the surrounding area rezoned.

“The challenge is that zoning is tied to politics,” Alexander noted, “and politics change, so zoning can be changed depending on who’s in office. In comparison, avigation easements are ironclad. An easement is permanently attached to a property, whereas zoning is not.”

Clint Harper, Advanced Air Mobility Fellow at Urban Movement Labs in Los Angeles, agreed with Alexander that proper definitions are especially important at the local level. “For a local jurisdiction to put out any kind of regulations around vertiports, they’re going to look at what the legal definition of a vertiport is. They aren’t going to create their own definitions,” Harper explained during the AAM Infrastructure workshop.

He also noted that establishing AAM operations will not solve traffic congestion in cities. “Adding capacity for more passengers is just a temporary fix,” he said. Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that use vertiports will only carry, at most, five passengers per flight. With an estimated four or five arrivals or departures at a vertiport facility per hour, these operations won’t have a significant impact on road traffic.

“We need to have a clear end outcome for the community as a whole,” Harper explained. “Even for private use facilities, it’s going to take community resources. We need to make sure we know what story we’re telling—and that is not clearly identified yet.”

The post Experts Discuss Considerations for Advanced Air Mobility Infrastructure and Integration appeared first on Avionics International.

Boeing and Wisk Release Concept of Operations for Urban Air Mobility in the U.S.

Boeing and Wisk released a concept of operations for integrating urban air mobility services into the airspace this week. (Photo: Boeing and Wisk)

Boeing and electric air taxi developer Wisk unveiled a concept of operations this week that includes recommendations for deploying and integrating urban air mobility (UAM) in the United States. Wisk, which is developing an autonomous electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, is backed by both Boeing and Kitty Hawk Corporation.

Boeing made a $450 million investment into Wisk in January to support the development of Wisk’s Cora eVTOL. Earlier this year, Wisk released another concept of operations as part of a long-term partnership with UK-based Skyports, a company that designs and develops vertiports. The ConOps lists requirements for advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure to enable safe, autonomous eVTOL services.

As joint venture partners, Wisk and Boeing also collaborated with the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA to develop the roadmap for UAM released this week. Aurora Flight Sciences, SkyGrid, and other industry partners participated in the effort as well.

The document describes the process of safely integrating uncrewed aircraft into the national airspace by 2030 and proposes that safe and affordable UAM for all should be a foundational principle. Other recommendations are to automate these aircraft in order to reduce the burden on air traffic controllers and pilots, and to ensure support via onboard and ground-based automated systems.

The ConOps covers key principles for uncrewed UAM aircraft, third-party service providers, vertiport management, and airspace infrastructure. The authors of the document define public acceptance of highly automated UAM operations as the most important factor for scaling the market.

“Fostering public acceptance of UAM will be a crucial component to scale the market and justify the business case,” according to the ConOps. “It will be crucial for industry to work with local cities and economic development organizations to effectively evaluate, plan, and implement the changes required to safely integrate UAM in the airspace.”

Keyholes—designed carve-outs—in terminal airspace eliminate tower controllers’ responsibility for overseeing the airspace above vertiport locations. The figure above suggests that a vertiport further away from an airport would not need a keyhole, while vertiports placed close to an airport may require keyholes. (Photo: Boeing and Wisk)

Wisk CEO Gary Gysin commented in the announcement by Boeing, “The important work we’re sharing today provides a stepping stone in the advancement of UAM in the U.S. and the world. This document offers the most comprehensive framework proposed to date with a vision for enabling UAM in the national airspace.”

To fully enable UAM, evolutionary and pragmatic methods are required, according to the ConOps. The document also recommends creation of vertiports and other new types of infrastructure for UAM aircraft. Boeing and Wisk propose that the industry will need fleet operations centers to ensure safety. Air traffic control instructions can be implemented from these centers, and supervisors stationed there can each monitor multiple flights simultaneously.

The ConOps from Boeing and Wisk outlines the key stakeholders for establishing and integrating UAM into the national airspace. These stakeholders include the flying public and community; regulatory agencies such as the FAA and EASA; trade associations; standards development organizations; the UAM industry (OEMs); research and development testing agencies; and policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels.

Brian Yutko, Vice President and Chief Engineer of Sustainability & Future Mobility at Boeing, stated, “We’re working to enable a future of aerospace that is safe, sustainable and at scale. Uncrewed operations will be fundamental to realizing that vision, and we have to exceed the current safety standards for the air transportation system.”

Yutko added that the teams from Boeing and Wisk believe this ConOps will shape the future of UAM operations and will influence public stakeholders along with government, policy, and regulatory stakeholders as the industry grows.

The post Boeing and Wisk Release Concept of Operations for Urban Air Mobility in the U.S. appeared first on Avionics International.

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.

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.>>

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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.

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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.

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(Air Canada released this computer-generated concept video of the ES-30 flying with an Air Canada livery Air Canada: ES-30 from Air Canada on Vimeo.)