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NASA Awards Electra.aero STTR Contract for eSTOL Aircraft

Shown here, Electra’s ultra-short takeoff and landing aircraft can deliver nearly triple the payload capacity, an order of magnitude longer ranges, and less than half the operating costs. Electra is the most sustainable choice for advancing urban and regional air mobility. (Electra)

Electra.aero has received a $125,000 small business technology transfer (STTR) contract from NASA to mature its electric ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft, the company announced in a July 27 press release. 

The contract was secured with the partnership of Electra.aero and Dr. Alejandra Uranga, a Gabilan Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California’s Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. The two partners will work on computational models of distributed electric propulsion, Ben Marchionna, director of technology and innovation at Electra.aero, told Avionics International. 

“This contract will be focused on the development of low-order computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of blown lift aerodynamics from wing-propulsor interactions – i.e., distributed electric propulsion,” Marchionna said. “The models will help improve the accuracy and precision of performance estimates and speed up design trades.”

Uranga said currently available models have not been validated against full-scale vehicles and the methods developed in these models will help Electra.aero when designing its vehicle. 

“Even the best CFD-based blown lift and distributed electric propulsion models today lack validation against full-scale vehicles for these unique configurations,” Uranga said in a statement. “Current computational methods can predict some limited blown lift flow fields in three dimensions, but the large eSTOL design space compared to conventional aircraft means that fast, trusted, low-order methods are needed to rapidly evaluate design choices. This contract will help us develop those methods.”

Electra.aero’s aircraft will differ from other electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft because it uses electric propulsion and a technique called blown lift to takeoff over very short distances. The eSTOL aircraft Electra.aero is developing will be able to takeoff and land in less than 150 feet. 

“eVTOLs use electric propulsion to takeoff and land vertically – many of these concepts then transition from vertical flight to forward flight with a wing providing the lift once in cruise,” Marchionna said during an interview earlier this year. “Vertical flight requires significantly more power, resulting in an enormous payload, range, and cost penalty. eSTOLs use electric propulsion and an aerodynamic technique called blown lift to takeoff over distances as short as 100 feet. This provides eSTOL aircraft access to many of the same urban air mobility markets.”

The blown lift technology pushes air over the aircraft’s wings and then moves it downward. 

“Blown lift is an aerodynamic technique that tricks the wing into thinking it’s much larger than it really is,” Marchionna said. “Propellers are typically used for thrust and the wing is used to generate lift. Blown lift uses the propellers to also blow significant amounts of air over large wing flaps that deflect the air downwards. This can be done very efficiently across the entire span of the wing with distributed electric propulsion systems. The technique has been used for nearly 75 years, with extensive research, flight testing, and operations by NASA and the USAF in the 1960s and 70s, but the advent of distributed electric propulsion now makes blown lift practical again.”

Electra.aero received a $1.5 million investment from the Air Force’s Agility Prime in June to develop this technology.  

The company is currently building its technology demonstrator that will complete ground testing later this year, Marchionna said. The aircraft is expected to begin flight testing in 2022 and receive certification from the Federal Aviation Administration under Part 23 regulations in 2026. 

The post NASA Awards Electra.aero STTR Contract for eSTOL Aircraft appeared first on Aviation Today.

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Icelandair Ready to Activate Viasat In-flight Connectivity on 737 MAX-9s

EASA issued a supplemental type certificate last month allowing Icelandair to activate Viasat in-flight internet on its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX-9s, following the rollout of the service on their 737 MAX-8s in March. (Viasat)

Icelandair is ready to start rolling out Viasat in-flight connectivity (IFC) service across its fleet of 737 MAX-9 aircraft, following a supplemental type certificate (STC) issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the aircraft type last month.

According to a July 19 blog post from Viasat, their satellite antennas, modems, wireless access points and other IFC enabling hardware and software were installed on Icelandair’s 737 MAX-9 aircraft earlier this year, however it was deactivated pending an STC from EASA. The same IFC service launched on the airline’s 737 MAX-8 aircraft in March 2021.

“Over Europe, this network includes the KA-SAT satellite and could include others like Avanti’s Hylas constellation in the future. When traveling over the US, Iceland and the Atlantic Ocean, the aircraft will connect with several other Viasat satellites, including ViaSat-2,” Icelandair said in a July 19 blog post on their website.

Viasat’s access to the Hylas constellation referenced by Icelandair is the result of a partnership announced June 3 with U.K.-based satellite operator Avanti Communications. The new agreement is designed to augment Viasat’s KA-SAT satellite coverage and capacity and will initially be leveraged to serve new mobility customers in the region. Viasat plans to leverage Avanti’s HYLAS 4 and HYLAS 2 satellites beginning in October 2021.

Icelandair became the first airline to start offering Viasat IFC on flights over the Atlantic Ocean from a 2017 agreement reached between the two companies. By activating the satellite system on the 737 MAX-9, the airline now features connectivity across every aircraft model within its fleet.

The Boeing 757s and 767s operated by Icelandair feature IFC from Global Eagle Entertainment, resulting from a 2016 investment by the airline. Passengers are charged €6 for Wi-Fi access on Icelandair’s European routes, and €12 for flights to North American destinations.

EASA’s approval of Viasat IFC on Icelandair’s 737 MAX-9 aircraft comes following the launch of the same service launching on KLM’s 737-800 aircraft in April.

Icelandair expects all Viasat-enabled aircraft to be installed by April 2022.

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What’s Trending in Aerospace – July 25, 2021

Check out the July 25 edition of What’s Trending in Aerospace, where editors and contributors for Avionics International bring you some of the latest headlines and updates happening across the global aerospace industry.

Commercial 

American Airlines Sees Strong Recovery From Pandemic Lows in Second Quarter

American Airlines reported its second quarter financial results last week, posting a “second-quarter net loss of $1.1 billion” excluding special items, according to a July 22 press release.

“We’ve flown more customers than any other airline in the second quarter. Our team safely transported more than 44 million passengers on nearly 470,000 flights. It’s more than five times the number of passengers we carried in the second quarter of 2020 and more than two-and-a-half times the number of flights,” American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said during the airline’s second quarter earnings call. “We’ve ramped up the operation dramatically in response to customer demand, and our operational performance continues to improve as we grow in scale.”

United Airlines Sees Demand Recover Faster Than Expected in Second Quarter

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the Chicago-based international carrier saw both leisure and business air travel demand recover at faster rates than they expected during their second quarter earnings call last week.

United posted its second-quarter 2021 financial results on July 20, with an adjusted net loss of $1.3 billion. Despite the loss, the company expects continued gains as more businesses return by end of summer and into 2022, with a full recovery in demand anticipated by 2023, according to a July 20 press release.

“If I was going to briefly summarize where things stand right now, I’d say the demand is recovering even faster than we had hoped domestically, both leisure and business demand. And internationally we see the exact same pattern every time new borders are reopened,” Kirby said during the earnings call. “And while the US isn’t yet opened to Europeans the data and science, including the demonstrated safety of air travel, similar vaccination and case rate and similar level of variance in Europe and the US support an opening and we expect it to happen at some point. And when the borders do open, we expect to see the same robust hockey stick increase in demand that we’ve already seen domestically.”

Last month, United placed its largest ever order for a combined 270 commercial jets, including 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, 150 737 MAX 10s, and 70 Airbus A321neos.

Air Canada CEO Sees Positive Signs of Recovery for Remainder of 2021

Air Canada reported its second quarter 2021 financial results last week, posting an “operating loss of $1.13 billion compared to an operating loss of $1.55 billion in the second quarter of 2020,” according to a July 23 press release.

The airline also reported a net cash burn of $6.36 million per day during the second quarter, and reached a deal in April that will provide up to $4.7 billion in government-backed aid. Canada is re-opening cross-border travel to fully vaccinated U.S. tourists starting Aug. 9, following a 16-month ban forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are seeing steadily increasing bookings for the domestic, trans-border and Atlantic markets and to sun destinations for the coming winter. In fact for the next winter sun travel, future bookings during some weeks in June, were ahead of the same period in 2019 that hard to remember time before COVID-19,” Air Canada CEO Mike Rousseau said during the airline’s earnings call. “We are certainly pleased to see vaccination rates increasing and in more recent announcements of the soon easing of travel restrictions in Canada. We can now optimistically say that we are turning a corner and we expect to soon see correlated financial improvements.”

Airbus Delivers First A350 From Completion Center in China 

Airbus delivered the first A350 from its widebody completion center in Tianjin, China to China Eastern Airlines. (Airbus)

Airbus has delivered the first A350 from its wide-body completion & delivery centre in Tianjin (C&DC), China, taking additional steps in the expansion of its global footprint and long-term strategic partnership with China, according to a July 21 press release.

The A350-900 aircraft was delivered to China Eastern Airlines, the largest Airbus operator in Asia and second largest in the world.

Located at the same site as the Airbus Tianjin A320 Family Final Assembly Line and the Airbus Tianjin Delivery Centre, the widebody C&DC covers the aircraft completion activities, including cabin installation, aircraft painting and production flight test, as well as customer flight acceptance and aircraft delivery.

“I’m proud that Airbus successfully extended the capability of the widebody C&DC in Tianjin to the A350, the latest new generation aircraft, at such a difficult time of global aviation,” George Xu, Airbus Executive Vice President and Airbus China CEO said in the release. “This is a new milestone in the long-term cooperation between China and Airbus, which further demonstrates Airbus’ commitment to the country.”

Universal Hydrogen and Deutsche Aircraft Join Forces to Develop Zero Emissions Aircraft 

A new partnership between Universal Hydrogen and Deutsche Aircraft is aiming to advance the decarbonization of aviation by integrating Universal Hydrogen’s modular capsule technology into the Dornier 328 program, according to a July 21 release. 

“We see hydrogen as the only realistic approach for aviation to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement,” Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen, said in a statement. “We are tackling the biggest obstacle to near-term hydrogen adoption: its delivery and distribution to airports and aircraft globally without costly infrastructure. This partnership with Deutsche Aircraft will accelerate our shared goal to put aviation on a trajectory toward true zero carbon emissions.”

The project will study the size and integration of the modular capsule technology for hydrogen, aircraft weight and balance, hydrogen cost, mission performance, and the hydrogen logistics network, according to the release. 

“Deutsche Aircraft is committed to enter the new era of climate-neutral aviation. Partnering with companies that share our passion for climate-friendly design like Universal Hydrogen allow us to accelerate our vision for decarbonization,” Martin Nüsseler, chief technology officer for Deutsche Aircraft, said in a statement. “We are excited to leverage Universal Hydrogen’s technical expertise to assess the safe and affordable use of hydrogen onboard our aircraft as part of our journey to zero emissions.” 

Military 

NATO Conducting Competition for Risk Reduction and Feasibility Studies on AWACS Replacement

The 14 NATO AWACS planes received glass cockpits between 2016 and 2019 (NATO)

NATO is conducting a competition for three risk reduction and feasibility studies under its Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) program to replace 14 Boeing E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft when they leave service in 2035.

In March last year, six companies or industry teams delivered AFSC concept studies to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA)–Airbus Defence and Space; Boeing and Indra Sistemas, Inmarsat, Leonardo, and Thales; General Atomics; L3Harris and Meta Mission Data, Deloitte Consulting, Hensoldt Sensors, IBM, Musketeer Solutions, Synergeticon and Videns; Lockheed Martin; and an MDA Systems and General Dynamics team.

NSPA said this month that it has identified “three high-level conceptual approaches…for further analysis through three separate Risk Reduction and Feasibility Studies (RRFS).” Through a competition for those three studies, “industry will further develop the proposed AFSC concepts and demonstrate their technical and operational feasibility for 2035 and beyond,” NSPA said.

NATO said it is not wedded solely to an airborne approach for AFSC. AWACS “could be replaced with different combinations of systems in the air, land, space, or even in the cyber domain,” NSPA said.

Bell Begins Building UH-1Y Again For Helicopters Headed To Czech Republic

UH-1Y assembly. (Bell)

Bell said Monday July 19 it has officially restarted production of the UH-1Y Venom as it looks to build the platform for planned deliveries to the Czech Republic, the first international customer for the attack helicopter.

The company noted Crestview Aerospace has finished manufacturing the first of eight UH-1Y cabins, which will then head to the Bell’s production facility in Amarillo, Texas, for final assembly.

“Crestview Aerospace is honored and grateful for the opportunity to team with Bell on the continued production of the UH-1Y cabin for the first international customer,” Paul Kohlmeier, Crestview Aerospace’s senior vice president for strategy and business development, said in a statement. “Crestview continues to build in the same high quality and reliability into the international Venom helicopters that underpin the aircraft currently operated by the United States Marine Corps around the world.”

Business & GA 

Gulfstream Surpasses 500 In-flight Connectivity Service Installations 

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. on July 21 announced it has surpassed 500 installations of the Inmarsat Jet ConneX in-flight connectivity platform on large-cabin aircraft.

Jet ConneX is powered by Inmarsat’s global Ka-band satellite network, providing in-flight internet coverage that supports video streaming and file sharing among other connected applications. Certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, it transmits at speeds of approximately 20 megabits per second. Its coverage is worldwide and reliable over land and water through all phases of flight, with extended coverage over the polar regions coming soon, according to a July 21 press release.

“We are delighted to celebrate the 500th installation of our Jet ConneX in-flight broadband solution on Gulfstream aircraft and proud of their continued trust in Inmarsat,” Kai Tang, head of business and general aviation, Inmarsat said in the release. “This milestone is a testament to the Inmarsat ecosystem of partners and our joint commitment to delivering the highest standard of global connectivity to Gulfstream and their customers, for whom only the most reliable and consistent customer experience is acceptable. We look forward to building on this momentum and working side-by-side with Gulfstream on the next 500 installations and beyond.”

Single-Engine Beechcraft Denali Joins the Turboprop Product Line Up 

Textron Aviation’s single-engine Beechcraft Denali will now be part of the company’s turboprop product lineup along with the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 260 and King Air 360/360ER, according to a July 21 press release. 

“The Beechcraft Denali represents our continued strategy to invest in clean-sheet and current products in both our Beechcraft and Cessna iconic brands. Beechcraft turboprops are renowned for their versatility and reliability, and the single-engine Denali is a perfect complement to this legendary family of products,” Ron Draper, Textron Aviation’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “Pilots and passengers will appreciate the aircraft for its enhanced capabilities, innovative technology and all-around passenger comfort.”

The Beechcraft Denali, which was previously called the Cessna Denali, is predicted to take its first flight this year, according to the release. The aircraft will feature a payload of 1,100 pounds and have a range of 1,600 nautical miles. 

“We continue to receive interest around the world from turboprop and piston owners of competing aircraft, who are looking to move into an aircraft with greater performance and enhanced passenger experience,” Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of Global Sales and Flight Operations, said in a statement. “The Denali will offer an outstanding combination of lower operating costs and technological advancements, along with the widest and most comfortable cabin in its segment. And all of it is backed by the most extensive global network of factory-direct service centers in the industry.” 

EAA AirVenture Live Convention Returns to Oshkosh

The Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual air show, AirVenture, is returning to its live in-person format in Oshkosh, Wisconsin this week.

AirVenture 2021 is scheduled for July 26 to Aug. 1. EAA will not be live-streaming the event this year, although the organization published links to third-party streams of the event. Check out more information about EAA here.

eVTOLs

Archer Wins Round 1 as Wisk Promises to Fight On

Archer’s demonstrator eVTOL aircraft, Maker, will begin test flights this year. (Archer)

Wisk’s request for a preliminary injunction against Archer Aviation was denied by a San Francisco judge on July 22, according to a statement from the company. This injunction was filed in an ongoing legal battle between the two companies in which Wisk is accusing Archer of stealing Wisk’s proprietary intellectual property.

“The record makes it clear that Wisk has provided no evidence—not a single document, not a single witness—that Archer ever received or used any Wisk trade secret,” Archer’s Deputy General Counsel, Eric Lentell said in a statement. “Wisk’s charges of massive theft are based entirely on conspiracy theories and outright misrepresentations of the actual record.”

In another July 22 statement from Wisk, the company claims that the preliminary relief has no bearing on the outcome of the case and does not exonerate Archer. Wisk also cited the judge in the case saying the company “has many reasons that make it suspect there is a problem here” and acknowledged “arguable indications of misappropriation” by Archer.

A date for the trial has not yet been set.  

Joby Announces New Additions to Board Ahead of Merger 

Joby Aero has announced its Board of Directors ahead of its planned merger with Reinvent Technology Partners, according to a July 23 release. 

“We are incredibly humbled to have been able to assemble such a remarkable and diverse group of world-class leaders to guide and support Joby as we plan to enter the public market,” JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby, said in a statement. 

Since December 2020, Joby has appointed Aicha Evans and James Kuffner to its board, according to the statement. Evans is CEO of Zoox and Kuffner is CEO and representative director of Woven Planet Holdings and member of the board of directors and operating officer of Toyota Motor Corporation. 

Once the merger has closed, Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder and co-lead director of Reinvent Technology Partners; Halimah Delaine Prado, general counsel at Google; and Laura Wright, former CFO at Southwest Airlines, will be joining the board. 

Space 

Blue Origin Sends Jeff Bezos & Crew into Space on New Shepard’s First Crewed Mission

Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket carrying Jeff Bezos and crew, just moments after liftoff.

Blue Origin successfully launched its founder, Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, aerospace pioneer Wally Funk and Dutch teenager Oliver Daemen into space at 9:13 a.m. EDT July 20 on its New Shepard rocket. Blue Origin also recovered the rocket’s reusable booster. The entire mission lasted 10 minutes and 20 seconds from launch to capsule touchdown.

The success of the New Shepard’s first crewed mission is a major milestone for both the company and for commercial space travel as a whole.

The New Shepard rocket took off from Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site carrying its four passengers on an approximately three-and-a-half-minute ride above the Karman Line (100 kilometers above Earth). Once in space, Bezos and crew could be heard cheering and admiring the view as they floated in microgravity.

The New Shepard’s booster returned safely to its recovery launch pad a little more than seven minutes after launch.

Unmanned

Air Force Awards $15.9 Million to AeroVironment for Puma 3 AE and Raven UAS 

AeroVironment received two firm-fixed-price orders for over $15.9 million from the U.S. Air Force for its Puma 3 AE unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and Raven UAS, according to a July 22 press release. 

“The combat-proven Puma 3 AE and Raven are versatile, rugged and reliable tactical unmanned aircraft systems designed to provide the United States Air Force Security Forces with the enhanced situational awareness and mission effectiveness they require when safeguarding bases,” Trace Stevenson, AeroVironment vice president and product line general manager for small UAS, said in a statement. 

The Puma 3 AE UAS can be used for land and maritime operations and provides extended flight times and high level imaging, according to the release. The Raven system can be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions at low altitudes. It can also provide real-time video and infrared imagery. 

AeroVironment has already delivered the Puma 3AE UAS to the Air Force and the Raven UAS are expected to be delivered by November of this year, according to the release. 

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Public Acceptance or Public Tolerance? Industry Experts Talk AAM Community Integration

As communities discuss how to prepare for urban air mobility, it’s unclear whether the FAA will have authority over most vertiports. (The Beck Group/Uber Elevate)

Electric air taxis are speeding towards their certification and commercial debuts. While there has been lots of attention on the design and capabilities of these aircraft themself, there has been less attention to how the industry plans to actually integrate these aircraft into communities. 

“We can all collectively figure out the safety aspects of AAM [advanced air mobility], and that work is well underway,  however, if we don’t integrate this new form of aviation smartly into existing cities and existing regions, then we may not have accomplished very much,” Scott Gore, program manager for strategic engagement in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) unmanned aircraft systems integration office, said during a panel discussion at the Vertical Flight Society’s Electric Aircraft Symposium on July 20. 

Industry experts on the panel explained how the air taxi industry should be thinking about integrating these new aircraft into communities and provided information on how they can effectively gain public acceptance. 

Adam Cohen, a mobility futures researcher and consultant at the University of California at Berkeley, said there are three layers to public acceptance: the institution and public sector perspective, the non-user perspective, and the user perspective. The institutional and public sector impact relates to how organizations prepare for AAM and what community impacts may exist. The non-user perspective is how people in the community who are not using this new technology are impacted and the user perspective is about what benefits these vehicles can provide end users over other mobility alternatives. 

Cohen said all of these perspectives should take into account equity. 

“I think it’s really important to mention that the role of equity really kind of has the ability to kind of impact the adoption of the services and perceptions from each one of these different perspectives,” Cohen said. “We know that AAM has a variety of potential opportunities, such as bridging really important gaps in the transportation network, whether it be spatial, topographical, or even the build environment. It could potentially reduce the mismatch between jobs and housing.” 

The integration of AAM into communities should start with city planning, Adrienne Lindgren, Hyundai Air Mobility lead for state and local partnerships, said. Lindgren said planning is a political process that involves integrating stakeholders into the growth and development of a town or city. 

“I think it has a lot of direct relevance to us as sort of advocates for the AAM industry,” Lindgren said. “It is a huge barrier beyond certification, it is not necessarily even a part of that planning process. Aviation in general tends to have a slightly more distinct planning process…..Additionally, city planning is in many ways the gatekeeper to city operations, where the public has the most amount of influence they take the planners, take their constituents very seriously, and the public takes their ability to participate in the planning process quite seriously.” 

City planning will not only be necessary for integration into communities but also for public acceptance, Lindgren said.  

“Part of the other reason that we want to engage with planning processes is because I believe it is deeply linked to public acceptance,” Lindgren said. “So unlike other transportation technologies of the last 10 years, where we went from a dock-less model, UAM will require fixed location infrastructure and location-based decision making. Part of what that does is it triggers the public process. The planning process is generally wrapped around the public, and all those stakeholders are wrapped around it in some form or fashion.” 

In order to integrate AAM into communities, stakeholders need to hold demonstrations and evaluations to gauge public and institutional readiness, Cohen said. 

“A lot more work is really needed to be done to integrate AAM into local and regional transportation planning,” Cohen said. “In particular, we need to very quickly deploy demonstrations and evaluations to prepare the public for readiness or institutional readiness as well to assist the public sector in evaluating requirements and policies that either support or impede the development of AAM to understand the impacts and validate the technical institutional and policy feasibility of various deployment use cases.” 

However, before stakeholders can start building infrastructure for these aircraft, the FAA will have to provide guidance for vertiports. Gore said this information should be released within the next year. 

“We do have existing guidance for heliports, although, given the unique aspects of AAM aircraft, vertiports are going to be somewhat different than traditional heliports. Such things as electric charging and electrical storage systems, for example. So we have a lot of research ongoing. We hope to publish interim guidance within the next 12 months.” 

Lindgren said it is also important to think about public acceptance as building support instead of tolerance. 

“I think we have to stop looking at public acceptance as sort of an exercise that we have to go through to get people to tolerate the industry and think about how we build support,” Lindgren said. “I think the overall planning process and implementation of land will be much more successful if we can reposition that conversation around how do we best reach the people that we aspire to serve and the communities that we aspire to serve and start reframing that as communities, versus a sort of a headache that we have to get through.” 

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PODCAST: Advanced Aviation Team Founder Talks a Different Side of Flying Private

Gregg Brunson-Pitts, founder and president of Advanced Aviation Team, is the guest on this episode of the Connected Aircraft Podcast.

On this episode of the Connected Aircraft Podcast, Gregg Brunson-Pitts, president of Advanced Aviation Team joins as the guest to discuss providing on-demand private jet brokerage services to a different type of clientele.

Advanced Aviation Team was first established by Brunson-Pitts and co-founder Peter Newell in 2015, specializing in serving as a private jet broker to presidential candidates. Most recently, the company was the exclusive air travel provider for the Biden/Harris 2020 campaign with over 1,130 flights.

Gregg began his career in the White House in 2003, under President George W. Bush, eventually becoming Director of the White House Travel Office. He also discusses how private flying trends changed during the pandemic, charter brokers versus app-based on-demand services, and whether he thinks Advanced Aviation Team and its competitors will continue seeing first-time private aviation users as the industry emerges from the impact of COVID-19.

Have suggestions or topics we should focus on in the next episode? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy at wbellamy@accessintel.com, or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC.

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

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Satcom Direct Becomes Preferred In-flight Connectivity Supplier to Luxaviation

Luxembourg-based private jet charter company Luxaviation has selected Satcom Direct as its preferred in-flight connectivity supplier under a new three-year agreement. (Luxaviation)

Luxaviation has established a new three-year preferred supplier in-flight connectivity (IFC) supplier agreement with Satcom Direct for its individual business jet owners, flight crews and passengers.

The Luxembourg-based private jet charter company’s fleet includes a total of 110 business jets and turboprop aircraft along with 24 total helicopters. Luxaviation Chief Operating Officer Stuart Williamson told Avionics International that decisions regarding how many of their aircraft will receive new antennas, modems and other connectivity-enabling upgrades are based on the decision of each individual aircraft owner that they work with.

“Every Luxaviation client has individual needs when it comes to Satcom connectivity for their aircraft. Furthermore, the solutions will vary depending on the aircraft and its fitted equipment,” Williamson said. “In order to provide perfectly tailored solutions for each of our aircraft owners that specifically meet their individual needs, the Luxaviation Group needs to be able to rely on a supplier that will ensure that every detail is correctly addressed to meet the client’s requirements. But it doesn’t stop here – after-sales support is just as important so that any technical or customer support requirement is dealt with impeccably for our clients without any hassle or delay.”

According to Satcom Direct, the three-year agreement includes access to IFC that will support “a plethora of inflight requirements including voice, message, email, and internet services,” the company said in a July 13 press release. Inmarsat’s Jet Connex and SwiftBroadband services will enable cabin and cockpit Wi-Fi access across the Luxaviation fleet.

Williamson said most Luxaviation pilots use electronic flight bag applications in-flight and will see their data consumption needs supported by their new access to Jet Connex and SwiftBroadband.

“Flight tracking and updated exchange of flight-critical information is being enhanced by high-speed connectivity. Applications are becoming more “data-hungry” than before thus the requirement for high-speed data transfer. Luxaviation is a global operator, therefore a constant flow of information received in real-time is not only enhancing the customer experience but helps our flight crews, pilots and cabin, to offer a better service, being able to arrange or sort out issues that our clients may have while deplaning. Finally, high-speed internet means also better management of information and usage of less paper or more efficient decision making, so another step towards our sustainability goal,” Williamson said.

Satcom Direct has already begun working with Luxaviation under the new agreement, which also includes a cybersecurity element. The company provides cybersecurity services from its data center in Florida to include threat monitoring, aircraft data encryption, and a customer aircraft network configuration based on the individual needs of end users.

Michael Skou Christensen, senior vice president of Satcom Direct International, explained to Avionics how they manage Swiftbroadband and JetConnex IFC on a per-flight basis.

“Once an aircraft is activated with SD we are on 24/7 standby to provide service to the customer. Luxaviation customers using services like Swiftbroadband and JetConneX services expect continual availability of the services that they pay for and the performance has to be there when they need it,” Christensen said. “Working with our partners like Inmarsat, we have developed a wide array of unique and intelligent diagnostic and management tools that interact and integrate with partner networks to enable us to get ahead of any issues that can occur from time to time. Often our Network Operations Centre, that continually monitors all data usage, metrics and aircraft performance, know about and resolve an issue before we receive any reports from customers.”

The Satcom Direct agreement comes as Luxaviation and its European and African subsidiaries continue to expand its fleet and scope of operations in recent months. In April, an Embraer Legacy 650 jet was added to ExecuJet Africa, while a Bombardier Global 7500 joined ExecuJet Europe. German electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Lilium has a new partnership with Luxaviation making the private jet company responsible for airline operations of their 7-Seater Jet including securing approvals and managing pilots.

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What Challenges Still Exist for Certifying Electric Aircraft

Jaunt Air Mobility is opening design and manufacturing operations in Canada. (Jaunt Air Mobility)

As the aviation industry shifts towards sustainability, more manufacturers are developing electric engines to move away from jet fuel. However, despite years of developments on the industry side, civil aviation regulatory authorities have yet to actually certify one of these aircraft. 

The aircraft manufacturers are at the mercy of regulatory authorities when it comes to certification and some say it is the only thing stopping them from entering into service. During a panel at the Vertical Flight Society’s Electric Aircraft Symposium on July 21, industry and regulatory experts explained what challenges still exist for electric aircraft certification. 

“The only thing that’s stopping us today from operating UAM [urban air mobility] aircraft is to a get an aircraft through certification, that is going to be the pacing item,” Martin Peryea, chief executive officer at Jaunt Air Mobility, said. 

Peryea cautioned that aircraft manufacturers need to establish a certification basis before designing their aircraft to avoid future problems. 

“From a design perspective, you have to actually establish your certification bases before you start designing,” Peryea said. “Unless you really fully understand, how you’re going to certify the aircraft into what rules, it is hard to layout an aircraft architecture from a systems perspective until you could have a full understanding.”

Some manufacturers like Jaunt plan on certifying their aircraft under existing rules like Part 29 and 135, however, they will need a special condition to certify their electric engines. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been working on creating a special condition for electric engines to provide a guide to certification for electric engine manufacturers, Gary Horan, an aerospace controls systems specialist at the FAA, said during the panel. Horan said the FAA has been working with one company in particular to develop this special condition, magniX. 

“We are working at the FAA…to get a special condition issued for the first project to certificate an electric engine,” Horan said. “This special condition is written around one particular company and their product, and to be honest with you, we don’t know if they’ll be the first ones to cross the finish line, but, you know, we had to pick a horse and that’s what we did.” 

Horan said the special condition is based on an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard. He said the terminology is important to consider when talking about certification because the FAA is certifying an electric motor, not electric propulsion. 

“This special condition was developed based on an ASTM standard that we put together over a span of a year, two years, probably longer than that…and it was for what was called at the time electric propulsion, well that terminology is going away,” Horan said. “It is an electric engine that we’re talking about and that makes a huge difference for the FAA, and for [European Union Aviation Safety Agency] EASA by the way, because that’s the only thing we can certify is an engine. We can’t certify an electric propulsion unit because that’s the way the rules are written.” 

One change that the FAA has made is anyone who wants to certify an engine will have to provide information on what aircraft that engine is going in, Horan said. This is based on the agency’s effort to increase safety standards. 

“We are changing one aspect of what we require relative to the engines and safety that we have not required in the past,” Horan said. “If you try to get a type certificate for an engine, you have to do the safety assessment of that engine and you have to project what the rates of failure will be and whatnot. You are now being required to know where it’s going to be installed. You have to know the aircraft because you have to take into account the objectives that the aircraft needs to make to stay safe. So we’ve broadened the scope of the safety assessment, at least at the engine level, but I think what that is going to do is it’s going to reach across to the aircraft level as well.” 

Releasing this special condition will allow manufacturers to have guidelines to follow for engine certification. Lowell Foster, director of global innovation and engineering at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), said without this certification basis, manufacturers are still left with more questions than answers while trying to design a vehicle. 

“The FAA has been a lot more challenging in terms of getting cert basis out and getting agreement with what the means of compliance are, which leaves these questions lingering while you’re trying to design a vehicle,” Foster said. 

However, there are many other areas where manufacturers are still unsure of certification standards. Foster said one example of this is the FAA’s flight standard which is going to apply power-lift requirements to electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. 

“The big one that we just found out about is that the FAA flight standard is going to apply powered lift to our fixed-wing VTOL aircraft,” Foster said. “We don’t know what that means yet, other than we’re having to go down a lot more substantial exemption routes. It will also not just be leveraging new generation sims, but it’ll make using simulators and flight training devices a lot more important.” 

Another challenge for the FAA is the varied design architectures from one aircraft to the next. 

“It’s absolutely amazing how many different variations there are,” Horan said. “There are very few applicants that have come to us, that have the same thing that somebody else has. It’s like everybody’s got a slightly different spin on it.” 

While electric aircraft have made strides in recent years, Horan said the biggest issue they still face is power supply. 

“I think the largest issue that they’re all faced with is the power resource, meaning where are you going to get the energy, how you’re going to manage that,” Horan said. “Total battery operation is extremely appealing because it seems like it’s the quickest way to get there, but the battery technology has still got a ways to go to make it a cost and economic benefit and impact on a range. So I see that as being really the biggest issue.” 

Foster said that he is concerned about the issues that aren’t front and center right now. 

“My concerns are with certification too and not so much the ones that are obvious because I think it’s pretty easy to look across some of the new technology and say these are going to be certification issues, and so we’re focused on those but having watched cert programs for a long time, it’s the little stuff that you’re not watching that bite you in the end,” Foster said.  

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US Air Force Test Center Looks for Visual Display Systems for F-35A JSE

An F-35A Lightning II taxis down the flightline in a Beast Mode weapons configuration on July 22 last year at Luke AFB, Ariz. The weapons configuration consists of six inert GBU-12 bombs, four mounted onto the wings and two loaded into the weapons bay, as well as an AIM-9X air-to-air training missile. The U.S. Air Force said that the Beast Mode weapons configuration provides F-35 B-Course student pilots with the additional training and experience needed for potential combat sorties (U.S. Air Force Photo)

The U.S. Air Force Test Center (AFTC) under Air Force Materiel Command wants industry input on Visual Display Systems (VDSs) for the Air Force Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) for the service’s F-35A by Lockheed Martin.

AFTC is looking for the submittal of white papers over the next month on VDS solutions for the Air Force JSE, which is to expand upon F-35 JSE to support high-end modeling and simulation for other current Air Force platforms, such as the Lockheed Martin F-22, and future platforms.

The 412th Air Wing’s Electronic Warfare Group at Edwards AFB, Calif., “has a requirement for [VDSs] to support the Threat and Friendly/Virtual Air Threat (TAF/VAT) Joint Simulation Environment (JSE),” per a business notice last week. “A VDS is defined as an out-the-window (OTW) display screen, image projectors, auto alignment and calibration system, mechanical edge blending solution, and support structures and interfaces. The VDS contractor will integrate all the VDS components.”

“The Air Force is seeking innovative solutions with regards to the fidelity and Field-OF-View (FOV) of the proposed VDS within this call,” per the notice. “The solution offered will need to consider the human factor relationship or the physical relationship of the primary components of the simulator. The important aspects to retain are the physical relationships of the pilot eye.”

Humberto Blanco, AFTC’s Joint Simulation Division Chief, wrote in a July 19 email that “VDS provides a high fidelity display in support of high fidelity TAF/VAT simulation.”

In response to this article, the F-35 Joint Program Office on July 20 said that the F-35 JSE “is located at Patuxent River where Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) is the lead system integrator, responsible for integrating F-35-In-A-Box (a Lockheed Martin product) with complex threat models from several government organizations.”

“The U.S. Air Force Test Center action referenced…is not in support of the F-35 JSE,” the JPO said. “Rather, it is for an Air Force JSE which will support F-35 and other USAF platforms for high-end modeling and simulation in the future.”

This article was first published by Defense Daily, a sister publication to Avionics. It has been edited. Check out the full version here. 

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Pratt & Whitney Engine Operators Get Increased Control Over Flight Data Shared with OEMs

Airlines operating aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney engines, such as the PW1100-GM pictured here, now have access to Teledyne’s cloud-based avionics data service under a new partnership between the two OEMs. (Pratt & Whitney)

Pratt & Whitney’s new avionics cloud computing partnership will open the aircraft engine manufacturer’s analytics platform EngineWise to information captured by Teledyne Controls flight data acquisition systems about the health and status of nearly every airframe part and component on a per-flight basis.

The partnership will allow operators using Pratt & Whitney’s EngineWise data analytics platform to start feeding their data centers with all of the parameters captured by onboard Quick Access Recorders (QAR), such as Teledyne’s GroundLink Comm+ wireless cellular connectivity system. By giving EngineWise users access to this data through Teledyne’s Data Delivery Solution (DDS) Pratt customers now have instant cloud-based post-flight access to the same amount of raw data that is captured by the Flight Data Recorder in a clean actionable format.

Teledyne describes DDS as a cloud computing service that can redact or mask certain data parameters that airlines prefer not to share with OEMs.

“Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine incorporates significantly more sensors than prior engines and can generate millions of data points per engine per flight, providing significant improvements in avoiding unplanned maintenance. These parameters, when collected via devices on board over the full flight, allow us to develop a very thorough picture of the health of the engine,” Joe Sylvestro, vice president of Global Aftermarket Operations at Pratt & Whitney told Avionics International.

EngineWise was first launched by the company in 2017 featuring a suite of web-based software tools that analyze engine data in search of anomalies or trends captured by the sensors mentioned by Sylvestro. As an example, an airline maintenance team can use the system for a sensor configured to monitor how much fuel is required to generate a set amount of thrust or power. As that engine completes more flights, they may assume that the engine’s efficiency is degrading if the amount of fuel required to generate that set amount of power continues to increase over time.

An example of the type of engine data parameters and analysis EngineWise provides for operators. (Pratt & Whitney)

“The collaboration with Teledyne Controls will enhance engine health management services offered to Pratt & Whitney-powered aircraft, focused on Teledyne Control’s global customers. Teledyne’s Data Delivery Solution is one option for collecting full-flight data. In any case, our goal is to minimize the data management burden on the customer,” Sylvestro said. “With regard to [Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System] ACARS, we continue to use snapshot data to provide customers with analytics services while full-flight data-enabled services capture data throughout the flight.”

Teledyne’s quick access recorders and GroundLink Comm+ cellular system enable real-time data streaming, cabin and flight crew connectivity, wireless distribution of field-loadable software parts and automated flight operational quality assurance (FOQA) data downloads. The technology is used by more than 200 commercial airlines on more than 14,000 aircraft.

Mike Penta, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Teledyne Controls told Avionics that the partnership opens up access to QAR data for Pratt & Whitney operators, and removes some of the past barriers that have prevented such access.

“Pratt & Whitney operators can now feed EngineWise with any aircraft data captured by Teledyne avionics onboard, predominately digitally distributed by the Teledyne GroundLink Comm+ system. As to what new type of data, it is specific to each airline as some are more ‘e-enabled’ than others,” Penta said.  “Teledyne can assist in enabling ‘full flight data’ to supply the EngineWise platform everything that it needs, in a timely manner, at a more precise, higher resolution level than traditional data feeds such as ACARS messages. Being able to also enable additional data points within the aircraft data frame was part of the attraction of working directly with Teledyne.”

According to Penta, airlines operating aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney engines that do not feature GroundLink Comm+ can still take advantage of the new partnership and DDS without modifying their existing avionics systems.

“Even for airlines who do not have GroundLink Comm+ units onboard but are still using ‘sneaker net’ to take data from their aircraft data acquisition units, we can still make it work. It technically does not have to be exclusively Teledyne hardware. Teledyne DDS is agnostic and can work with other QAR systems as well as other various OEMs,” Penta said.

Penta said other OEMs have also expressed interest in what he describes as an “instant data lake” that can be enabled once their native analytics platforms are digitally linked to Teledyne’s flight data cloud computing analytics service. Thus far, the expanded version of EngineWise is being used by one European low-cost carrier and an airline based in the Middle East, both of which requested to remain unnamed.

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Electric Cessna Grand Caravan in Development to Fly by 2024

Surf Air Mobility will purchase 150 Cessna Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprops from Textron as part of the agreement. (Textron)

A new partnership between Surf Air Mobility and Textron Aviation will aim to develop electrified Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft, with hybrid-electric versions of the plane to be available in 2024, the companies announced on July 20. 

Surf Air Mobility will purchase 150 Cessna Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprops from Textron as part of the agreement, according to the announcement. The hybrid-electric version of the Cessna Grand Caravan will be a 9-seat variant of the aircraft. 

“The Cessna Grand Caravan EX is one of the most adaptable and prolific aircraft in flight today. Through this exclusive relationship with Textron Aviation, we’re able to make electrified aircraft broadly available to existing and new operators and bring the benefits of lower cost, lower emission air travel to customers faster and at scale,” Sudhin Shahani, co-founder, CEO and executive chairman at Surf Air Mobility,” said in a statement. “We believe electrifying the Cessna Grand Caravan is the most significant step that can be made toward reduced emission flying with the quickest path to market.”

A hybrid-electric Cessna Grand Caravan could reduce operating costs and carbon emissions by 25 percent while providing similar performance as a turbine engine, according to the announcement. The aircraft would also be immediately operable at public-use airports because it does not need charging stations. 

“Hybrid electric propulsion technology, deployed at scale for environmental and commercial benefits, is an important part of the future of travel,” Ron Draper, president and CEO of Textron Aviation, said in a statement. “This relationship with Surf Air Mobility leverages the unique performance capabilities of the Cessna Grand Caravan in both passenger and cargo operations, and continues to demonstrate the aircraft’s adaptability for innovative missions and configurations.”

Surf Air Mobility wants to deploy the hybrid-electric Cessna Grand Caravan on its network to connect more airports with short-haul direct service, according to the announcement. 

“This is an opportunity to showcase the combined expertise and technologies of both Textron Aviation and Surf Air Mobility,” Rob Scholl, senior vice president at Textron eAviation, said in a statement. “The outstanding capabilities and versatility of the Grand Caravan make it an ideal aircraft to take advantage of this new technology.”

Existing Cessna Grand Caravan owners will have the ability to convert to hybrid-electric systems, according to the release. This will be available in 2024. 

Surf Air Mobility, a regional air travel service, announced an agreement to purchase the hybrid-electric aircraft company Ampaire in February. 

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