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Boeing Expands Safety Management System Data Analytics with Aireon Space-based ADS-B

A computer generated depiction of Aireon’s space-based ADS-B global surveillance network (Photo courtesy of Boeing)

Aireon and Boeing announced a new agreement today that will add space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) surveillance data to the aircraft manufacturer’s internally operated safety data analytics suite.

Under the new services agreement signed by the two companies, Aireon will provide historical and near real time aircraft event data to “select Boeing airplane programs,” according to the announcement. Space-based ADS-B data will be fed to data analytics tools being used as part of Boeing’s ongoing implementation and operation of an enterprise Safety Management System (SMS).

Mike Delaney, who was appointed as Boeing’s chief aerospace safety officer by CEO David Calhoun last year after serving as an engineering executive over the last decade, first explained how the company was adopting the new SMS during an interview featured on a podcast internally distributed to Boeing employees in January called InsideBoeing. During the podcast, Delaney explained how the SMS was being voluntarily implemented and had already begun some initial benchmarking activity at Boeing Defence UK, a U.K.-based aerospace and defense facility operated by the company.

Boeing also updated its SMS company policy memo in April, with a list of 10 key principles that define its SMS. The list includes the use of “actionable key performance metrics,” such as those that could be leveraged by the space-based ADS-B data that Aireon will provide to Boeing under their new agreement. Boeing Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) Chris Raymond also discussed the SMS rollout by Boeing during a recent appearance on a Jefferies Virtual A&D ESG Summit Conference webcast.

“It’s a system where you’re really constantly receiving data and input. And to receive data and input, you need a culture where people want to speak up, and they realized that is what you want them to do and they’re not hesitant to do that, whether they’re in the supply base or they’re in your operational customer sets or in your own employee base,” Raymond said.

The FAA defines an SMS as a top-down structured process that requires aviation organizations to manage safety “with the same level of priority that other core business processes are managed.” The agency first started requiring commercial airlines authorized to conduct operations under 14 CFR Part 121 to implement an SMS in 2018.

Vishwa Uddanwadiker, the safety analytics lead within Boeing’s Chief Aerospace Safety Office (CASO), told Avionics International in an emailed statement that Boeing already has access to ground-based ADS-B data, and incorporating the space-based global view will enhance their knowledge of “flight operations and performance during various phases of flight and help us build probabilistic risk models.”

“It will provide us a holistic or broader view of our fleet and help us strengthen our safety management system implementation. Boeing will be able to analyze the flight path,” Uddanwadiker said. “The data can be used to help to identify hazards and monitor emerging safety trends. Expanding our stream of performance data supports our effort to proactively strengthen the safety of our products and services.”

Uddanwadiker also confirmed that Boeing will not be using any of the space-based ADS-B data provided by Aireon for commercial services. AireonINSIGHTS, the Microsoft Azure-based platform that will feed Boeing’s SMS, is capable of combining space-based ADS-B data with aviation contextual data like infrastructure, weather, avionics, and aircraft registry and scheduling data, according to the company’s website.

Since the introduction of its space-based ADS-B network in 2019, Aireon has continued to expand the number of services and applications powered by its global surveillance capability, including leveraging “advanced machine learning and analytics functionality” that could go beyond its core air navigation service provider (ANSP) customer base to support airlines, airport operators, leasing companies, and unmanned aircraft system operations, among others, according to a June 20 press release.

Don Thoma, Aireon CEO, said the latest agreement “unlocks a cache of information for Boeing regarding the operations of its aircraft in the global airspace.”

The post Boeing Expands Safety Management System Data Analytics with Aireon Space-based ADS-B appeared first on Aviation Today.

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Skyports and SITA Partner to Explore Biometric and Vertiport Technology

Skyports, a vertiport developer and operator, announced plans last week to develop biometric and vertiport technology in partnership with SITA. Above is an illustration from Skyports’ partnership with Hanwha of their vertiport concept. (Photo courtesy of Hanwha)

UK-based vertiport developer Skyports announces plans to develop biometric and vertiport technology in partnership with SITA, an IT provider with expertise in airport technology. SITA’s Smart Path biometric solution will be integrated with Skyports’ system to create a seamless passenger experience for those traveling in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

This next phase for Skyports is all about defining the experience for its end-users, explained Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports, in the company’s announcement. “Advanced Air Mobility has presented an opportunity to reimagine the entire travel experience, from the vehicles we use and energy sources we rely on, right down to the way passengers book and check-in to flights,” Walker remarked.

President of Europe at SITA, Sergio Colella, commented that this new partnership enables them to use existing airport technology to reimagine the passenger experience. SITA will simplify each step in the process of booking, checking in, and boarding for eVTOL flights with facial biometric technology or a mobile application.

Skyports shared news of a partnership with eVTOL aircraft developer Wisk in April. As part of their collaboration, the companies published a concept of operations for autonomous urban air mobility (UAM) operations and vertiport integration. This document emphasized the importance of a standardized data system for vertiport operations, as well as the need for a resource management and scheduling system (RMSS) for vertiports.

An RMSS is one of three pillars of Skyports’ technology framework for vertiport operations, according to Ankit Dass, Skyports’ Chief Technology Officer. The other two pillars are passenger identity management and situational awareness systems. “We do not want to reinvent the wheel,” said Dass. Rather, they are looking for the best-in-class software providers to meet the needs of the use cases that Skyports needs to solve.

Dass said that Skyports is exploring how their understanding of advanced air mobility (AAM) and vertiport infrastructure development will “create the use case which is right for passengers who will be using this new form of transportation.”

SITA has provided passenger identification solutions for the air transport industry for many years, Dass remarked, although their solutions are designed with the needs of traditional airports in mind. “They have a digital solution toolkit which enables us to effectively and efficiently manage passenger identity during the check-in process, and anything related to passenger support within the terminal,” he shared.

Because the solutions SITA offers need to be tailored specifically to vertiport technology, Skyports’ collaboration with SITA was intentionally formed as a partnership rather than a software procurement. The two companies will coordinate to adapt and customize SITA’s solutions to create the ideal experience for an eVTOL passenger.

The technology developed to provide biometric solutions for passenger identification will be central to Skyports’ strategy moving forward because it connects to both the scheduling management system and the resource management and planning system. SITA’s solutions will help Skyports to identify the number of passengers arriving at any given time; this data in turn will be used to evaluate the most efficient way to manage passenger boarding and de-boarding, leading to faster turnaround times for the aircraft.

Dass and the Skyports team do not envision passengers spending a long time in the terminal or needing to arrive hours before their flight’s scheduled departure. It’s more like a subway station, he explained. Facial recognition could enable passengers to arrive at the terminal, check in, and go to the appropriate vertiport within a matter of minutes. With biometric technologies, Dass said, “your face becomes your ticket.”

“We will be hosting the solution in the cloud to make sure that [it] is scalable and adaptable across different regions and geographies—because we are building vertiports to deploy globally,” he explained. “We need to make sure we capture enough data while doing this to optimize processes, and work with SITA to onboard new technology, to understand growth hotspots, [and] where to improve efficiencies to make it better. That’s what this partnership is all about.”

Reserving a spot at a vertiport will be a dynamic process, Dass says, somewhere in between an operator booking an airline’s spot at an airport months in advance and a customer booking a ride with Uber where the driver shows up within minutes.

Skyports’ team is working with multiple industry partners, including OEMs, to learn how they envision the process of reserving a spot at a vertiport. They are aiming to hit various milestones each quarter over the next 12 months, and the expectation is that by this time next year, the solution will be ready to deploy at some of Skyports’ test vertiport sites. These sites will provide useful feedback for improving Skyports’ entire system and ensure technological readiness for initial commercial operations.

Just a few months ago, Skyports announced $23 million in investments from their latest round of funding. The capital came from existing shareholders in the company such as Deutsche Bahn Digital Ventures, Solar Ventus, Groupe ADP, Irelandia, and Levitate Capital. There were also multiple new investors in this funding round, including Kanematsu Corporation, Goodman Group, 2i Aeroporti, and U.S.-based VC firm GreenPoint.

The post Skyports and SITA Partner to Explore Biometric and Vertiport Technology appeared first on Aviation Today.

Proposed Part 38 Rule Would Add New Fuel Efficiency Metric to Federal Aviation Regulations

The FAA names Boeing’s 777X, pictured here at the 2021 Dubai Air Show, as one of the aircraft that would be subject to a new fuel efficiency metric regulation, according to a new proposed rulemaking that the agency released last week. (Photo, courtesy of Boeing)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on June 15 published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would introduce a new Part 38 fuel efficiency metric (FEM) to the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR)—the rules that the agency uses to govern U.S.-based civilian aviation activities.

FAA’s proposed Part 38 fuel efficiency regulation is the result of airplane emissions rules adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last year that are aligned with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 2017 update to its carbon dioxide emission standards. According to the 16-page NPRM published by the FAA this week, Part 38 is applicable to new subsonic jet aircraft and large turboprop and propeller aircraft that are not yet certified, and for new airplanes manufactured after January 1, 2028.

Furthermore, Part 38 will prescribe the new FEM metric to aircraft with 20 seats or more, and a maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) greater than 5,700 kilograms (12,500 pounds). Under the NPRM as proposed, Part 38 uses a metric that equates fuel efficiency and consumption with reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) based on the unique specific air range (SAR) and reference geometric factor (RGF) characteristics of individual airplane models.

The Fuel Efficiency Metric equation as proposed in the NPRM

SAR, according to the FAA, is determined by the distance an airplane can travel per unit of fuel consumed by measuring fuel efficiency of airplanes at every point that occurs within a given trajectory while in stable cruise flight conditions. An aircraft’s fuselage size and load carrying capacity determine its RGF, and the new Part 38 regulation uses an RGF parameter that is represented by the “floor area of pressurized space in an airplane, and is flexible enough to account for single or multi-deck airplanes,” according to the NPRM.

“Dividing SAR by RGF results in a universal equation to denote the fuel efficiency of any airplane regardless of size. This is the FEM,” the FAA writes in the proposed rulemaking.

A key aspect of the NPRM for avionics manufacturers relates to the proposed regulation of an aircraft’s FEM metric when a modification occurs to the aircraft that impacts the criteria originally used for it to meet the FEM during its type certification process.

To exemplify the applicability requirements of the new FEM metric for changes to aircraft systems and components, the FAA included, in the draft of the proposed rulemaking, an example of a satellite antenna modification. According to the example provided, adding a satellite antenna to the top of a fuselage “may adversely affect the airplane’s FEM value by increasing drag.” The example references a 60,000 kg MTOM modified airplane.

“If this 60,000 kg MTOM modified airplane shows an increase of FEM value of more than 0.75% (as calculated, under § 38.19(a)(2)), the applicant would need to demonstrate compliance with the fuel efficiency limit that was established for the prior version of the airplane,” the NPRM says.

An explanation of the new Part 38 rule’s applicability requirements provided by the FAA in the new NPRM

In the announcement proposing the new Part 38 rule, the FAA clarifies that the FEM metric will not be applicable to aircraft that are already in service. The agency also provided some specific examples of aircraft that the rule could apply to, including the “upcoming Boeing 777-X and future versions of the 787 Dreamliner; the Airbus A330-neo; business jets such as the Cessna Citation; and civil turboprop airplanes such as the ATR 72 and the Viking Limited Q400.”

The post Proposed Part 38 Rule Would Add New Fuel Efficiency Metric to Federal Aviation Regulations appeared first on Aviation Today.

Zipline Receives Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate and Reveals New Detect-and-Avoid Technology for Drones

(Photo, courtesy of Zipline)

Drone delivery company Zipline just announced that it has received its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, enabling the company to perform the longest range on-demand deliveries with commercial drones in the U.S. Zipline also recently unveiled its new detect-and-avoid system that uses acoustic-based technology onboard an autonomous aircraft.

Zipline began commercial operations more than five years ago and their autonomous electric drones have recorded over 325,000 commercial flights around the world. The drones, used for so-called “instant” delivery service, are powered by rechargeable electric batteries, and according to the company they are capable of carrying up to four pounds.

The company launched flights in Arkansas last year with Walmart, operating under the FAA’s Part 107 rule.

As the team considered the logistics of entering a complex airspace like in the U.S. with an autonomous aircraft, they quickly determined that a solution for safe drone integration was necessary. One solution, detect-and-avoid (DAA) technology, “has been the holy grail for a long time,” Okeoma Moronu, Head of Aviation Regulatory and Legal Affairs at Zipline, told Avionics International.

They first considered what was already available on the market for DAA solutions, Moronu said. “We found that all the other technology solutions were too expensive because they were over-engineered, too infrastructure-heavy, or not precise enough to meet the regulatory requirements we were seeing, based on conversations we were having with regulators,” she continued. There were also multiple companies pursuing ground-based solutions, but this was not an ideal solution for Zipline’s envisioned operations and plans to scale.

They prioritized an onboard solution that was both agile and responsive to the airspace. An acoustic-based sensing system was chosen because it offers 360-degree visibility and can operate in rainy or cloudy conditions. The system includes, Moronu explained, “an array of microphones situated on the wing of the aircraft that are able to differentiate different sound profiles. The aircraft is able to compute that information and make decisions about how to respond.”

Zipline’s detect-and-avoid solution is designed with “an array of microphones situated on the wing of the aircraft that are able to differentiate different sound profiles,” says Okeoma Moronu, Head of Aviation Regulatory and Legal Affairs at Zipline. “The aircraft is able to compute that information and make decisions about how to respond.” (Photo, courtesy of Zipline)

Keenan Wyrobek, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Zipline, commented that the company’s acoustic DAA system is “the first solution that is actually practical to deploy at scale and light enough to fit on aircraft. This DAA technology enables us to provide those long-range flights for instant delivery.”

One challenge for drone developers is that the regulatory framework was not designed for autonomous vehicles in their current iteration, said Moronu. “There is a level of autonomy in existing aircraft, but this level of autonomy is going to be new to our regulators,” she remarked. Overcoming this challenge will involve demonstrating—through research and testing—the safety of autonomous aircraft to both regulators and the public.

The DAA system is just one part of Zipline’s service, and the team has avoided focusing too much on any specific technology involved, she said. “It’s not just solving one problem. You have to solve all the problems for your customers and community. It’s about the drone, the software, the autonomy; it’s about how we manage our fleet, operations, and inventory, and it’s about how we engage with customers.”

The Part 135 air carrier certification issued to Zipline is the first of its kind issued under the BEYOND program of the FAA. This initiative is aimed at safe integration of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations in the U.S. Zipline is set to begin flying routes as long as 26 miles, including flying in controlled airspace and for BVLOS operations. Zipline’s hub in North Carolina will host the first flights under the new Part 135 certificate, operating as a medical drone delivery service.

The company also plans to start deliveries in the state of Utah later this year, in partnership with Intermountain Healthcare.

Zipline’s co-founder and CEO, Keller Rinaudo, remarked on the achievement, saying, “With our part 135 certification, and in close collaboration with our partners and the FAA, we are one step closer to making safe, clean and quiet instant delivery a reality for communities across the U.S.”

Another advanced air mobility company that recently received a Part 135 certification from the FAA is electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Joby Aviation. Following this certification, Joby can start on-demand commercial operations with air taxis.

The post Zipline Receives Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate and Reveals New Detect-and-Avoid Technology for Drones appeared first on Aviation Today.

Air Nostrum Group Reserves 10 Aircraft from Hybrid Air Vehicles

Hybrid Air Vehicles, the company designing the Airlander 10 hybrid-electric aircraft, entered into an agreement with Air Nostrum. As part of this agreement, Air Nostrum has reserved 10 aircraft from HAV for its fleet, with operations expected to begin in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Hybrid Air Vehicles)

Air Nostrum Group, one of Europe’s largest regional airlines, has reserved 10 hybrid-electric aircraft from the UK-based company Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV). HAV’s aircraft design, the Airlander 10, is expected to launch in 2026, when Air Nostrum plans to begin operating the fleet of 10 aircraft in Spain.

“We’ve spent the last few years developing and testing a production design that’s going to work for many different customers,” Nick Allman, Chief Operating Officer at HAV, shared in an interview with Avionics International. The aircraft was originally designed with the military surveillance market in mind, but HAV has more recently shifted to focus on a much broader market.

The Airlander 10 will have a maximum speed of 80 miles per hour, and the maximum range is 4,000 nautical miles. The aircraft’s maximum payload is also expected to be about 22,000 pounds. The aircraft’s design includes a helium-filled hull to reduce the fuel required for keeping the vehicle airborne. HAV’s team intends to develop a version of the Airlander 10 that will be fully electric and ready to enter the market by the year 2030.

Interest in HAV’s fuel-efficient aircraft for short-haul mobility has grown in the past couple of years, in particular because of the increasing focus on sustainability for air travel. The Airlander 10 is designed to produce just about 10% of the emissions of a conventional aircraft. To meet the needs of the short-haul mobility market, Allman explained, they added a larger cabin to the aircraft with a 100-passenger capacity.

In addition to relatively short flights, HAV is also considering applications in the tourism market for its aircraft. This market “is more like a cruise liner in the sky,” he said, “for a two- to three-day flight at a relatively low altitude to go somewhere that’s very difficult to see otherwise.” The company continues to explore surveillance applications in line with the original design of the aircraft. The surveillance model of the vehicle would have 5+ days of endurance built in, and could serve both military and civilian communications applications.

“We have made changes to some of the basic aerodynamics of the aircraft” in the last couple of years, Allman mentioned. The changes have been primarily aimed at efficiency and ease of operation. The team at Hybrid Air Vehicles uses a flight simulator, which has been calibrated against flight test data from their prototype, to explore possible design changes and alternative methods of operation.

“We’ve spent the last few years developing and testing a production design that’s going to work for many different customers,” said Nick Allman, Chief Operating Officer at HAV. (Photo, courtesy of Hybrid Air Vehicles)

There have been plenty of obstacles in developing the Airlander 10. However, Allman said, they have gained a huge amount of experience as they progressed with the design. And that experience has enabled them to cross off a significant milestone: “We’re the only campaign to have flown a full-scale hybrid aircraft,” he noted.

The employment market in the U.K. is very strong right now, he said, which benefits HAV’s long-term strategy for growth. The company has about 60 employees at the moment, but expects to grow to nearly 2,000 within the next few years.

The team is collaborating with regulators in the U.S. and Europe in addition to those in the U.K. to ensure that the Airlander 10 is safe to operate once it enters the market in 2026. Production of the aircraft is set to begin later in 2022, in South Yorkshire, U.K. HAV is working particularly closely with local and central government as well as other partners to establish its facility there.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) awarded HAV a Design Organisation Approval (DOA) in 2018. That same year, the company also was awarded a Production Organisation Approval (POA) by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

Hybrid Air Vehicles expects the Airlander 10 to fall under the same essential regulations as any large aircraft. “Whereas some of the small eVTOL type products are needing quite a significant regulatory change depending on their level of technology,” Allman explained, “we don’t need a regulatory change at any of those points in the chain to be able to successfully operate the aircraft.” One example of a difference in HAV’s aircraft is the lack of a metal undercarriage, an aspect of standard aircraft that is heavily regulated.

Allman shared that he doesn’t foresee any issues in the production phase, and their team is already working on the operational side of things, even though it’s four years away. “We feel completely confident that [regulations for the aircraft] won’t be a hurdle for us. We’re trying to stick as closely as possible to the way aircraft are regulated now,” he added.

Carlos Bertomeu, President of Air Nostrum, remarked in the announcement from HAV that they entered into this agreement because of the dramatic reduction in emissions offered by the Airlander 10 aircraft. “Sustainability is already a non-negotiable fact in the daily operations of commercial aviation,” Bertomeu said. “Agreements such as these are a very effective way to reach the de-carbonization targets contemplated in the Fit for 55 legislative initiative.”

In addition to the Airlander 10, Hybrid Air Vehicles has conceptualized a larger model called the Airlander 50 for heavy lift freight transportation. This vehicle’s design includes a payload of about 110,000 pounds or 55 tons, and a 200-passenger capacity. According to HAV, the fully electric version of the Airlander 50 could be available to customers by 2033.

The post Air Nostrum Group Reserves 10 Aircraft from Hybrid Air Vehicles appeared first on Aviation Today.

Wisk Aero Partners with Local Government in Queensland, Australia

Wisk is partnering with the Council of Mayors in South East Queensland, Australia, to explore integration of autonomous aircraft, like Wisk’s eVTOL, into the region. (Photo courtesy of Wisk)

Electric air taxi developer Wisk Aero has entered into a partnership with the Council of Mayors South East Queensland to bring autonomous aircraft services to the region. Wisk and the Council of Mayors signed a Memorandum of Understanding which spells out their intent for collaboration, and Wisk is adding personnel that will be based in Australia, expanding their presence in the country.

According to the recent announcement from Wisk, the fifth generation of Wisk’s aircraft will be on display in Brisbane next month. The company, based in San Francisco and in New Zealand, is developing an autonomous electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft called Cora. The eVTOL has earned experimental airworthiness certificates from both the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Federal Aviation Administration.

As part of the agreement between Wisk and the Council of Mayors, the two entities will collaborate on future business interests related to autonomous flight, Catherine MacGowan, Asia Pacific Region Director for Wisk, told Avionics International in an emailed statement.

“Wisk brings investment to the state, district, and regional economies,” she remarked. “In the early stage of our partnership, this will focus on providing employment and training opportunities, including building a pipeline of talent by working with local tertiary and training institutions on R&D and education opportunities.”

MacGowan noted that Wisk initially plans to add a small number of staff as their Australia-based personnel to complement the company’s global team. The staff members will work closely with regulators and other key stakeholders, she added.

“We are looking forward to [this collaboration] to develop the ecosystem that will enable self-flying air taxis to be part of the future of transport in this region.” – Catherine MacGowan, Wisk’s Asia Pacific Region Director (Photo courtesy of Wisk)

The state of Queensland ranks third for transportation-related carbon emissions in Australia, according to MacGowan, which is part of the reason for selecting the South East Queensland region to introduce advanced air mobility (AAM). Wisk’s fully-electric aircraft could facilitate the introduction of zero-emission aviation operations there.

Although Wisk declined to comment on a timeline for beginning eVTOL operations in Queensland, the company is eager to start collaboration with the local government, and the first step is establishing a pipeline of talent based in Australia. “We are looking forward to [this collaboration] to develop the ecosystem that will enable self-flying air taxis to be part of the future of transport in this region,” MacGowan shared.

Wisk’s CEO, Gary Gysin, commented in the company’s announcement that they look forward to working closely with the forward-thinking members of the Council of Mayors. “This is an exciting time for us, as we continue our momentum and expand our global presence,” Gysin stated.

The South East Queensland region includes a range of landscapes—rural, beach, and city environments—which offers opportunities for exploring and launching new technologies, remarked the Council of Mayors Chair, Brisbane Lord Mayor Cr Adrian Schrinner. “We expect to see the emergence of advanced air technology in places like Paris and Los Angeles, and by 2032 I’d love to see it supporting new and innovative experiences for tourism and travel in South East Queensland,” Schrinner said.

Another location where Wisk is considering launching eVTOL operations is Long Beach, California. The company shared in February that they are conducting a study on the economic impact of AAM operations in the region, collaborating with the Long Beach Economic Partnership. The study will explore various components of AAM integration, including how to establish community acceptance and solutions for integrating autonomous aircraft like Wisk’s eVTOL into existing transportation plans for the City of Long Beach.

In January, Boeing provided $450 million in funding for Wisk’s eVTOL development and to support the eventual launch of scale manufacturing. Wisk is also an industry partner of NASA, and has collaborated with Blade Urban Air Mobility to explore eVTOL operations on Blade’s network of terminals.

The post Wisk Aero Partners with Local Government in Queensland, Australia appeared first on Aviation Today.

Garmin Hits 25,000 Delivery Milestone for Integrated Avionics Flight Decks

Garmin celebrated a delivery milestone for its G1000, G3000, and G5000 integrated avionics flight decks this week. (Photo courtesy of Garmin)

Garmin has achieved a delivery milestone for its line of avionics cockpit technologies, as the company celebrated the delivery of more than 25,000 integrated flight decks in a June 15 announcement.

According to Garmin, the delivery milestone includes forward-fit and retrofit installations of its various flight decks including the G1000, G3000, and G5000 to general and business aviation, rotorcraft, military and government, and regional aircraft operators. March 2023 will mark the 20-year anniversary of Garmin’s introduction of its first G1000 integrated flight deck for Cessna’s Citation Mustang, the company said in its announcement.

The first deliveries of the G1000 occurred in June 2004, and those were followed by the eventual introduction of the G3000 and G5000 for the turbine market in 2010 that included the aviation industry’s first certified touchscreen vehicle management controllers. Today, the G1000, G3000, and G5000 are now certified on 80 aircraft models from 20 different aircraft manufacturers, which Garmin claims is “more than any other avionics manufacturer.”

Some of the innovation and upgrades added to the latest configuration of Garmin’s flight decks includes the push-button auto land system first certified for the G3000, featured in Piper’s M600/SLS. Flight Stream 510, a MultiMedia Card (MMC) technology, gives pilots the ability to wirelessly update the aircraft’s numerous databases, and can also facilitate the exchange of flight information to and from the Garmin Pilot app and the panel-mount avionics.

Phil Straub, Garmin executive vice president and managing director, aviation, commented on the milestone in a statement, calling the G1000 the “vision of our late co-founder Gary Burrell.”

“We are very proud to celebrate this extraordinary achievement, and we wish to extend our sincerest gratitude to our aircraft manufacturers, as well as the aircraft owners, who have selected and trusted Garmin over the years,” Straub said.

The post Garmin Hits 25,000 Delivery Milestone for Integrated Avionics Flight Decks appeared first on Aviation Today.

FAA Requires 5G C-Band Filters for ‘Most Susceptible’ Regional Aircraft by End of 2022

Miami International Airport (MIA) is one of 50 U.S. airports identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as requiring a 5G C-band “buffer zone” for some aircraft with radio altimeters identified by the agency as being susceptible to 5G C-band interference. On June 17, the FAA released its latest 5G C-band update related to the upcoming expiration of an agreement by AT&T and Verizon to mitigate the way they operate 5G C-band stations located near airports. (Photo courtesy of Miami International Airport)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring 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, according to a statement released by the agency on Friday, June 17.

Implementing the new radio frequency filter retrofit requirement comes following months of collaboration between the FAA, aviation industry, and AT&T and Verizon seeking a long-term resolution to address susceptibility of some aircraft radio altimeters to 5G C-band interference. In the statement released Friday, the FAA notes that filters and replacement kits for aircraft with altimeters most susceptible to 5G C-band interference have been identified and modification has already begun.

Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in the statement that the agency has identified a path that will continue to enable “aviation and 5G C-band wireless to safely co-exist.”

“We appreciate the willingness of Verizon and AT&T to continue this important and productive collaboration with the aviation industry,” Nolen said.

The agency has not released any specific details associated with specific aircraft models it considers to be the “most susceptible to interference,” as mentioned in its latest statement. However, in recent months, the FAA has issued airworthiness directives for multiple different aircraft models requiring revisions to their associated flight manuals to prevent any impact on the reliability and function of their altimeters.

Most of the directives target limitations on the ability of those identified aircraft to perform low-visibility landings at airports where wireless companies have deployed 5G C-band. As an example, specific ADs have been issued for certain Boeing, 737, 747, 757, 767, and 777 models.

There have also been no details released on what companies or manufacturers are providing the radio frequency filter kits or replacement altimeters. Some avionics manufacturers and test equipment providers have published press releases and statements regarding the development of new altimeters that are not susceptible to 5G C-band interference. Among them are Irving, Texas-based FreeFlight Systems and its new “RA-4500 Mark II (MK II) radar altimeter” announced during the Helicopter Association International’s 2022 Heli-Expo exhibition.

On May 16, Thales, the Toulouse-based avionics maker, published a 5G C-band update to its website, noting its expectation to have a new line of radio altimeters, the ERT-5×0, certified by June 2022 and “available for retrofit shortly thereafter.”

“Thales’s ERT-5x0R uses bandpass radio frequency filtering to deliver a long-term 5G immune solution to airlines with a single retrofit installation,” the company said in the statement.

Aircraft 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 optimum. The 5G wireless networks that were switched on by AT&T and Verizon on Jan. 19 operate within the 3.7–3.98 GHz frequency range, close to the altimeters, which has left aviation industry experts with concerns over signal interference issues.

Additionally, the FAA’s latest update regarding the aviation industry’s concerns over 5G C-band wireless interference with aircraft altimeters is timely, occurring ahead of a key upcoming date associated with a six-month timeline agreed to by AT&T and Verizon. During that period, the two companies agreed to turn off some 5G C-band wireless transmitters and make other adjustments at a list of 50 U.S. airports determined by the FAA to be located in cities and regions that require 5G C-band “buffer zones” to ensure safe landing of some aircraft in low-visibility conditions.

July 5, 2022, will mark the end of that agreement, although the FAA indicates in its latest statement that AT&T and Verizon have offered to continue with “some level of voluntary mitigations for another year.”

Prior to the FAA’s June 17 statement, a representative for the agency provided Avionics International with a copy of the June 14 letter it sent to organizations representing the airline industry, including Airlines for America (A4A), the National Air Carrier Association and the Regional Airline Association (RAA) urging the implementation of the filter kits.

Nolen, the agency’s acting administrator, used the letter to convey the “urgency with which the aviation industry must treat the installation of radio frequency filters on radio altimeters throughout the fleet.”

“The wireless companies have signaled an openness to continuing voluntary signal-strength mitigations around a number of critical airports. However, they also have indicated a desire to press forward within certain markets beginning in July,” Nolen writes in the letter.

A representative for Airlines for America (A4A) declined to comment on the FAA’s latest 5G C-band update; however, the organization provided Avionics a copy of a letter it sent in response to the FAA regarding retrofitting of in-service aircraft with filters.

In response, A4A President Nicholas Calio said that the group learned during a roundtable discussion with the FAA today that the vast majority of the in-service fleet, “approximately 4,800 aircraft,” would need to be retrofitted by July 2023.

“We have serious concerns that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has placed the burden on the aviation industry to act in a way that would previously be considered, by the FAA itself, to be reckless in the context of design changes to safety-critical avionics,” Calio writes.

In an emailed statement to Avionics, Cathryn Stephens, director of Eugene Airport located in Oregon, said that an airline that operates Embraer 145s at the airport had previously been impacted by the deployment of 5G C-band wireless stations. Stephens testified as part of a congressional hearing on 5G C-band held in February that while the FAA has reviewed and approved AMOCs to cover 90% of altimeters featured on the in-service U.S. commercial fleet, they had not reached a point where all aircraft previously serving her airport could continue to operate in low-visibility conditions.

“The aircraft under restriction at EUG is the E-145,” Stephens writes. “In the meantime, we are out of our foggy season, so we are not currently having delays/cancellations due to low visibility conditions.”

The FAA expects filters and altimeter replacement units for affected aircraft to become available on a schedule “that would permit the work to be largely completed by July 2023.” According to the agency, several unnamed radio altimeter manufacturers have been working with “Embraer, Boeing, Airbus and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to develop and test filters and installation kits for aircraft identified as being the most susceptible.”

The kits can be installed in “a few hours” at airline maintenance facilities, according to the FAA.

Nolen’s letter to airlines also acknowledged that in the long-term, some aircraft will eventually have to undergo additional retrofits as AT&T and Verizon and other wireless companies roll out more 5G networks and expand availability of service to more users.

“The wireless companies assure us that the equipment capable of transmitting at the maximum power levels approved by the FCC is still being developed and will not be ready for widespread use for three to five years,” Nolen writes in the letter. “However, without additional action by the FCC to cap transmissions at currently attainable power levels, the prospect of additional disruption remains.”

Outside of AT&T and Verizon, 19 other companies have been licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to roll out new 5G C-band networks by the end of 2023, according to the FAA.

The post FAA Requires 5G C-Band Filters for ‘Most Susceptible’ Regional Aircraft by End of 2022 appeared first on Aviation Today.

Amazon Prime Air is Set to Start Drone Deliveries This Year

Pictured above is the latest design of Amazon’s MK27-2 drone. The company plans to launch drone delivery services later this year. (Photo courtesy of Amazon)

Amazon’s drone delivery service, Prime Air, will begin serving customers by the end of this year, the company announced this week. Drone deliveries will first launch in Lockeford, California, a community with a population of about 3,500. Prime Air is collaborating with both the Federal Aviation Administration and Lockeford’s local officials on an ongoing basis, and will obtain permission from the appropriate authorities to begin drone delivery operations.

Amazon’s efforts to develop an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for delivery services were first made public in 2013. An updated hybrid prototype was unveiled at the end of 2015, a “multi-rotor helicopter” designed for vertical lift and a transition to horizontal flight with a 15-mile range. This version was one of many; the company shared that they had developed more than 12 prototypes in their facilities.

“Our algorithms use a diverse suite of technologies for object detection.” Pictured above is Amazon’s drone design circa 2016. (Photo courtesy of Amazon)

The company formally requested the FAA’s approval to operate as a Part 135 unmanned air carrier for commercial drone deliveries in the U.S. in mid-2019. At the time, Amazon also requested an exemption to allow Part 135 operations to begin with its fleet of air cargo aircraft before its MK27 drone, intended for Prime Air operations, received its airworthiness certificate.

In this week’s announcement, Amazon shared that they have developed a sophisticated sense-and-avoid system to enable drone deliveries to take place without a visual observer. The system was created for operations at greater distances and to ensure safety by avoiding obstacles and preventing collisions.

The system was designed to change the drone’s course and avoid both stationary and moving obstacles. “We designed our sense-and-avoid system for two main scenarios,” Amazon stated: “to be safe when in transit, and to be safe when approaching the ground. When flying to the delivery location, the drones need to be able to identify static and moving obstacles. Our algorithms use a diverse suite of technologies for object detection.”

According to the company’s June 13 announcement, safety at the moment of delivery is critical. The Prime Air drone will check for a small area at the delivery location that is free of obstructions before descending towards the ground, hovering, and releasing the package.

The FAA’s air carrier certificate is required to operate drones that utilize sense-and-avoid technology to perform flights without a visual observer. According to Amazon, “Prime Air is one of only three drone-delivery companies that has gone through the rigorous process” to earn this certificate from the FAA.

Amazon Prime customers in Lockeford that use the free Prime Air delivery option will be an important reference point as the company continues developing the technology and scales up operations to offer delivery services to more customers. Amazon has shared that this inaugural launch in Lockeford will include investments into the community, job creation, and new partnerships with local businesses and organizations.

Heidi Schubert, a senior software engineer at Prime Air, creates drone traffic management software for enabling delivery services. Essentially, she explained, “we build a map of the area and use it to plan a detailed route that helps the drone get to its destination safely.”

Schubert remarked that in the world of autonomy, a lot of people are trying to solve the same problems. With Prime Air, the team aims to combine development and research in order to reach a set goal. “This is about using robot motion to provide value to customers and communities,” she said.

The post Amazon Prime Air is Set to Start Drone Deliveries This Year appeared first on Aviation Today.

New Report Suggests Distributed Ledger Architecture for UTM Systems

A new research paper published by Cranfield University shares findings regarding safety, security, and trust to develop a secure and efficient uncrewed traffic management (UTM) system. (Photo courtesy of Cranfield University)

Cranfield University published a report this week exploring some questions about the development of an uncrewed traffic management (UTM) system. The document is the result of a research partnership between Cranfield, Heathrow Airport, Oxford University, International Airlines Group (IAG), NATS UK, SITA, and multiple other U.K.-based startups and enterprises.

The central objective of the report, coordinated by Dr. Dimitrios Panagiotakopoulos of Cranfield University, is to analyze the potential of cross-cutting technologies—in particular, artificial intelligence (AI) and distributed ledger technologies—and to demonstrate the need for increased collaboration between all stakeholders of the integrated aviation ecosystem. This includes UTM service providers, digital network providers, uncrewed aircraft operators, infrastructure providers, air navigation service providers, and regulators.

The authors of the paper also underscore the importance of trust within the UTM ecosystem and suggest a governance framework that establishes rules for the above-mentioned stakeholders occurring in a distributed ledger, creating a safe environment that participants can trust.

“Drones will create new forms of traffic especially at very low levels of airspace with high demand in densely populated areas where risk levels will be increased,” according to the research group. To ensure safety in this growing ecosystem, with a variety of vehicles operating in the same airspace, the UTM system needs to include new and updated procedures.

Technology that is outdated or unreliable is a big concern in the aviation industry, according to the authors of the paper. They reference a study done by Cranfield University which estimated that, of flight delays that are not due to weather concerns, 60% are a result of failures with data handling. The solution? A new “system-of-systems” that includes cloud infrastructure and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) with blockchain-style information sharing. Using a decentralized system could lead to more secure airspace management. However, there is still work to be done regarding regulations for drones operating beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), and accounting for varying levels of autonomy in the airspace.

As urban air mobility (UAM) operations scale up, the authors of the report predict that “pilots will likely fly the first generations of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) craft in-vehicle, long before remote or even autonomous operations are proven to be safe.” This is because a pilot is trained and able to detect and avoid risks, and can also “make balanced and intelligent safety choices with full situational awareness,” the paper concludes.

But as demand for UAM increases, operations will become more and more dependent on AI. And an ecosystem that relies significantly upon AI needs to have trust—and resilience—built into its digital infrastructure.

The paper includes a diagram, pictured above, illustrating how self-sovereign identity (SSI) technology is used to ensure security between the issuer, holder, and verifier of the credentials of a drone pilot. (Photo courtesy of Cranfield University)

“Truly distributed approaches are now available, to make the underlying digital infrastructure of our UTM and ATM systems reflect the real-world interactions of its users and stakeholders rather than enforcing a one‑size‑fits-all approach,” the report claims.

The researchers bring up a few obstacles to realizing a modular and interoperable distributed system approach for uncrewed traffic management. One challenge is technological instability—blockchain is still a relatively new concept, and stakeholders will need to consider the possibility that a better solution may soon emerge, as well as the risks involved in not taking action.

A UTM solution based upon a DLT architecture can also be susceptible to cybersecurity risks because of the permanent nature of records in a distributed ledger. The report cautions that the encryption methods and contents of messages should be considered in order to maintain system security.

Safety and security are also key priorities for Belgian UTM system provider, Unifly. The company recently received €10 million in funding, and they will use that investment to ensure that their UTM system functions based on some of the same findings featured in Cranfield University’s report, Unifly’s co-founder recently told Avionics International. The company also enabled automation for parts of the approval process for drones operating within controlled airspace, as part of a collaboration with air navigation service provider NAV CANADA. Automating this process helped to decrease risk for drone operators while also increasing situational awareness—for both air traffic controllers and operators.

The post New Report Suggests Distributed Ledger Architecture for UTM Systems appeared first on Aviation Today.

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