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Overair, an emerging developer of all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft,  has entered a strategic collaboration with leading private jet management company, fixed-base operator, and infrastructure developer Clay Lacy Aviation to establish emission-free, ultra-quiet electric aviation operations throughout the Southern California region.

The companies will work together to develop a concept of operations for Overair’s Butterfly eVTOL aircraft, which begins testing in early 2024 following the completion of Overair’s first full-scale prototype last year, as well as other advanced aircraft. Overair and Clay Lacy plan to develop electric charging facilities at Clay Lacy’s FBO locations at John Wayne Airport in Orange County and Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles. Finally, the partnership will explore the establishment of new vertiport facilities and services across Southern California. 

Overair’s Butterfly eVTOL aircraft. Overair image

“Advanced air mobility (AAM) is an ideal addition to Southern California’s transportation network, creating a new option for fast, safe, and quiet transportation in the region,” said Valerie Manning, chief commercial officer at Overair. “We have been working with our partners at Clay Lacy for over a year and are delighted to announce our shared plan. We are confident that this strategic collaboration will leverage our respective strengths to create an AAM network that will positively impact local residents and visitors alike.”

Per the agreement, Clay Lacy will focus on development of charging infrastructure and aircraft operation logistics. Overair will bring expertise in aircraft integration, maintenance, certification, user and vertiport software integration, flight path planning and public-awareness building to the collaboration.

“Ultra-quiet all-electric aircraft bring the promise of convenient and efficient transportation, easing traffic congestion and reducing travel times,” said Scott Cutshall, senior vice president of strategy and sustainability at Clay Lacy.  “This collaboration with the Overair team brings us one step closer to better serving the residents and communities in Southern California.”

This partnership is the latest of several AAM infrastructure initiatives announced by Overair recently, including partnerships with India’s JetSetGo, the City of Arlington and DFW International Airport in North Texas, and several agreements with South Korean partners.

“As we continue to make strides developing Butterfly, we’re also focused on partnering with infrastructure leaders to ensure that operations using this new mode of transit can be scaled quickly and efficiently,” said John Criezis, head of mobility operations at Overair.

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Jet Aviation announced today that it has secured a supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for visitors during the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2024. This is the second time Jet Aviation has provided on-site SAF in Zurich for visitors to WEF in partnership with Zurich Airport.

“Since 2020, we have been offering SAF to our customers attending the WEF, either on-site or through Book and Claim,” says Joao Martins, vice president regional FBO operations Europe and General Manager Zurich.  “We have been working closely with the Zurich Airport team and our partners and are delighted to be able to make physical SAF available on-site again this year.”

SAF has the potential to reduce aviation’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% over its lifecycle. It is a fully compliant, drop-in Jet A/A-1 fuel with the same characteristics and specifications as conventional jet fuel.

“Jet Aviation is committed to supporting efforts to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint, and we will continue to partner with airports and suppliers to increase SAF access and availability across our network,” adds Jeremie Caillet, senior vice president regional operations EMEA.

Jet Aviation piloted SAF in Zurich during WEF 2020. It was the first time SAF had been made available for purchase in Switzerland. Since then, the company has continued to provide customers in Zurich with SAF via Book & Claim, while working with partners to secure further physical supply.

“We are proud to support Jet Aviation in offering Sustainable Aviation Fuel at Zurich Airport,” says Emanuel Fleuti, Head Sustainability & Environment at Flughafen Zürich AG. “The increased production and use of SAF is an important piece of the puzzle in the decarbonization of the aviation industry. This requires the commitment and cooperation of all the airport partners involved.”

In 2019, Jet Aviation was the first supplier to offer sustainable fuel via a blended fuel option at Van Nuys Airport, California. In 2020, the company brought a temporary supply of SAF to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum and in 2021 a permanent supply of SAF was introduced in Amsterdam, followed by Singapore in 2022. That same year, Jet Aviation signed the World Economic Forums’ 2030 Ambition Statement, ‘Clean Skies for Tomorrow’.

In 2023, the company added their FBOs in Bozeman and Scottsdale to the locations where physical SAF is available in the United States, followed by Rotterdam, The Netherlands, earlier this month. Since 2021, Jet Aviation has also offered customers the opportunity to access the benefits of SAF in locations where there is currently no physical supply through its global Book and Claim program.

Jet Aviation is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) with some 4,000 employees and 50 locations worldwide. Jet Aviation’s offerings include aircraft management, aircraft sales, charter, completions, defence, FBO, maintenance and staffing.

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As much as we would all like to have an aviation safety crystal ball and the ability to predict every possible flight operation safety scenario, the reality is that it still boils down to getting everyone on the same safety page. Nurturing a culture of safety, whether in a large or small flight department, is still fundamentally the best way to identify risks and avoid the possibility of the smallest of safety items slipping through the cracks. Drawing on decades of experience in providing operational guidelines and safety management expertise, AviationManuals offers three useful tips to kickstart your new flight operations year:

• Setting 1-3 safety goals: Using the analogy of setting weight loss goals, something many of us are doing after a fulfilling holiday season, safety objectives should be crystal clear, easily attainable, and easy to measure. Given the amount of ground to cover, try not to accomplish everything all at once. If you are just getting started, set a single goal that will have the greatest impact. In the future as you become more experienced with SMS you can add to your goals.
• Establish an inclusive safety culture: Turn informal safety conversations that often take place on the ramp, in the hangar after a flight, or back at your hotel during a layover into a formal safety briefing and establish a structured protocol for reporting and addressing safety concerns. Encourage your team members to actively contribute by sharing their observations and experiences. Implement a reporting system that allows for timely documentation and analysis of potential risks. By fostering a culture of proactive communication, we can collectively identify and address safety issues before they escalate.
• Keep your operations manual up to date: It is vital that your policies and procedures be formally incorporated in standardized fashion into your operations manual. This not only ensures internal flight operation continuity but also ensures procedural consistency with outside contractors and new additions to the team. Otherwise, the lack of standardization could lead to an inefficiency or, worst-case scenario, a crucial safety shortcoming.

When it comes to maintaining consistent operational safety, regardless of who is in the cockpit or on the ground, the importance of having safety mechanisms in place to help avoid the unexpected is essential. It also helps to mitigate risks from typical challenges like avoiding crew fatigue, assuring contract personnel are properly trained, and fleet management. Like with every flight, it starts with preparation and planning and it ends with successful execution and completion.

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Icarus in mid-2023 delivered to the University of North Dakota five of its “smart” view-limiting helicopter pilot training devices that gives flight training instructors the ability to change flight visibility for students.

Nick Sinopoli, company founder and managing partner, told Avionics on Nov. 13 that the deal had a total value of $6,250 to outfit the university’s Robinson R44 four-seat helicopters. Icarus’ view-limiting pilot training device is a lightweight screen that the pilot wears in front of their eyes, either clamped to a hat or flight helmet or as part of a headset. The device helps pilots practice the critical transition to instrument flight and remain calm and in control of the aircraft, the Sinopoli said.

Icarus has also sold its device to the U.S. Army National Guard (ANG). Sinopoli declined to provide details, but said that 30% of states in the ANG use it.

A student pilot dons an ICARUS flight training device during a demonstration by a company employee. ICARUS photo

The device uses an electronic signal to change the opacity of the screen in front of the student’s eyes, simulating clouds or fog while flying. It can simulate different levels of flight visibility, from unrestricted to less than a half-mile.

When in use, the device can be changed by a flight instructor from transparent to opaque either gradually or instantly, simulating the aircraft’s entry into low-visibility conditions, according to a company statement. The device replaces the traditional hood for instrument flight rules (IFR) training and allows for inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions training. The screen is battery-powered and paired to the instructor’s iPad for remote control.

The technology used in Icarus’ device is polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PLDC) film, also known as smart glass, Sinopoli said. The idea for the technology came after he had a near miss with a bird under a paper hood and had just read about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner commercial fixed-wing jet airliner’s electrochromic windows, which Sinopoli said uses the same type of technology to electronically dim cabin windows.

The device is powered by a common small battery that provides six hours of power. The device is paired to the instructor’s tablet computer for remote control.

There is a cutout in the visor that Sinopoli said allows the student pilot to see the instrument panel. It is tailored to the aircraft to ensure the pilot does not receive any visual cues that they will not get in a cloud. Old hoods and foggles, he said, allow pilots to see outside, which leads to a massive training gap and a false sense of security. As the R44 has a small instrument panel, it has the smallest cutout.

Icarus’ device was granted fleet-wide airworthiness releases for the Sikorsky UH-60M/L Black Hawk and the Airbus Helicopters UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) earlier this year.

UND Aerospace has been evaluating the ICARUS device for the past year and found it extremely valuable. “We are always looking at innovative ways to improve safety and flight training, and the ICARUS has proven to be a key tool for instrument training,” said Wes Van Dell, chief flight instructor for the helicopter program at UND Aerospace. “Using the ICARUS in the aircraft combined with our GAT Helo spatial disorientation simulator on the ground, we aim to provide the highest level of instrument and IIMC training in the industry.”

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AAR’s greenhouse gas emissions increased 3% in fiscal year 2023, which ended on May 31, but decreased 6% from fiscal year 2021 and 18% from FY 2020, according to the company’s 2023 environmental, social and governance (ESG) report released on Nov. 8.

AAR spokesperson Daniela Pietsch said on Nov. 14 that the increase in emissions in FY 2023 was driven by a 6% change in Scope 2 emissions, caused by an increase in United States Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) emission factors. The emission factors, Pietsch said, are multiples to determine the greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt hour of electricity consumed.

Every year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its eGRID factors for different electricity grid regions of the nation. Pietsch said many of these factors increased AAR’s greenhouse gas emissions from FY 2022 to FY 2023.

AAR is an independent provider of aviation parts and repair services. The company said in its report that it began upgrading the exhaust system at its landing gear overhaul facility in Miami with new exhaust fans and mesh pads in FY 2023.

AAR expects these upgrades to reduce heavy metal, or chromium, and carbon in its emissions. The company is also working with a third party to track emission levels at this facility.

The company’s total energy consumption increased less than 1% in FY 2023 and decreased 9% from FY 2021 and 15% from FY 2020. AAR’s component repair facility in New York re-enrolled its local power company’s program to reduce energy consumption by implementing an energy reduction plan during high-demand days. The company estimates its rate of energy consumption was reduced each month from October 2022 through the end of FY 2023 without impacting its production or delivery.

AAR in March replaced older steel panel cladding with new siding on the exterior of its component repair facility in Amsterdam. Pietsch said this new siding is made of Falk panels, or metal with a foam core. In addition to being safer and more heat and fire-resistant, the company expects the new siding to reduce this facility’s gas usage. The company repairs and overhauls a large array of aircraft components, such as cockpit instruments, galley equipment, avionics, hydraulics and pneumatics, among others, at this facility.

AAR in FY 2023 continued to evaluate the installation of solar panels at its Miami landing gear overhaul facility to contribute to the building’s energy needs. The company also plans to install an upgraded wastewater processing system at this facility, expecting it to be capable of processing significantly more wastewater per day. It expects this to lead to a higher water recovery rate and a reduction in hazardous sludge.

The company installed drag reduction kits on five commercial aircraft in FY 2023, helping its industry test sustainable aircraft equipment. AAR said these kits have the potential to reduce both fuel consumption and cargo emissions.

AAR in FY 2023 became the first independent third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organization to implement a corporate safety management system (SMS) as it expanded the SMS from a site-specific model to a company-wide model. The SMS provides a platform to all employees to proactively identify and report hazards, perform risk analyses, implement mitigation measures and share best practices.

The company reported a 23% increase in reports through the SMS in FY 2023, including 338 reports by employees. 75% of these reports were proactive reports of potential safety concerns as opposed to reactive reports of incidents.

AAR said its SMS program met all US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements, including a single accountable executive and common database for all required data to receive acceptance for all six AAR repair station facilities. Formal SMS development consists of voluntary SMS implementation by operators and other aviation service providers using FAA-stated standards.

This article, originally published on Nov. 12, was updated with new information.

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Boeing’s ForeFlight subsidiary is now offering oceanic plotting and fleet tracking navigation technologies for business jets. 

Oceanic plotting is an add-on to ForeFlight’s existing Active Navlog system, released in May, and will be integrated with ForeFlight Dispatch. 

Combining the two will enable paperless oceanic plotting directly in ForeFlight Mobile, allowing operators to eliminate the use of paper charts for oceanic plotting and record-keeping, the company says. As with the base Active Navlog product, performance estimates are automatically re-calculated during the flight as pilots record time and fuel actuals at each waypoint.

With Oceanic Plotting pilots can record position reports and gross navigational error checks. Every check is automatically recorded in the master flight log with an associated screenshot for effortless record-keeping, while completed navigation logs are automatically uploaded to ForeFlight Dispatch and attached to the flight plan.

“Logging position reports and GNE checks has been a manual, time-consuming task for our customers,” said Kevin Sutterfield, ForeFlight and Jeppesen global sales leader. “Throughout the development of this feature, we actively incorporated feedback from numerous ForeFlight customers. ForeFlight’s Oceanic Plotting feature simplifies the process of oceanic crossings for pilots while also automating the regulatory compliance required for those operations.”

Active Navlog is available as a per-user subscription add-on product, with or without a subscription to ForeFlight Dispatch, while Dispatch will be required in addition to Active Navlog to enable the Oceanic Plotting capability once it’s available.

Fleet Tracking enables operators to monitor their fleet’s on-time operations and early detection of potential schedule disruptions, the company says. It can integrate with ForeFlight Dispatch, giving operators the ability to see the live status of all tracked flights. Operators will also have access to an interactive map displaying the positions and statuses of all tracked aircraft.

That interactive fleet tracking page shows ground-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B, data from AirNav Systems and incorporates ForeFlight’s map-based weather layers. If any flight encounters a delay or inclement weather, planners can make changes to the flight plan in ForeFlight Dispatch.

“Providing dispatchers with real-time and accurate aircraft tracking significantly boosts safety and efficiency,” said Sutterfield. “I believe that digital solution suites are changing the business aviation industry because they allow operators to anticipate schedule disruptions and mitigate issues in real-time.”

Two distinct tiers of fleet tracking will be available. The first includes global tracking through ground-based ADS-B. The second, higher tier adds support for global tracking by datalink position reports as well as the ability to track FAA-blocked tail numbers. Both tiers will be available as per-aircraft add-on subscriptions and will require a subscription to ForeFlight Dispatch.

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The Federal Aviation Administration now has a Senate-confirmed administrator, after the body voted 98-0 to appoint Michael Whitaker to the top spot on Tuesday. 

Whitaker takes over the FAA’s top job from Polly Trottenberg, who was appointed acting administrator in June. She was preceded in the acting position by Billy Nolen, who served from April 2022 to June 2023. 

The FAA has not had a full-time, Senate-confirmed administrator since Stephen Dickson left the post in March 2022. He also was preceded by an acting FAA chief, Daniel Elwell, who served in the role for a little over 18 months from January 2018 to August 2019.

Approval of Whittaker, as previously reported, resounded throughout the aviation industry. 

Aside from government service, Whitaker served for a time as assistant general counsel for TWA and then 15 years with United Airlines, including as senior vice president of alliances, and international and regulatory affairs. After leaving United, he was named Group CEO at InterGlobe Enterprises, the holding company for IndiGo, India’s largest airline.

Helicopter Association International President and Chief Executive Jim Viola, who worked with Whitaker at the FAA, praised Whitaker’s confirmation on Tuesday, noting his previous work to modernize the US National Airspace System.

“Having worked closely with Mike during my time at FAA, I have seen firsthand that he has the

knowledge and skill set to effectively lead the agency,” Viola said.

During his confirmation hearing, Whitaker pledged to tackle the personnel shortages, including air traffic controllers, pilots, and maintenance technicians, that are threatening aviation operations and growth, saying, “I would view my role as administrator as chief recruitment officer, certainly for the FAA, but also for the industry.”

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) also hailed the Senate’s vote in favor of Whitaker as the next permanent administrator of the FAA, lauding his abilities as an aviation industry veteran and private pilot.

“Congratulations to Mike Whitaker on his well-deserved confirmation as FAA administrator,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We look forward to working with Mike, whose expertise will help chart a clear path toward a successful future for the aviation community.”

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easyJet partners with Airbus for a pioneering carbon-removal initiative using Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage technology, marking a significant stride in the aviation industry’s decarbonization efforts. (Photo: Airbus)

easyJet has become the world’s first airline to ink a deal with Airbus for their novel carbon-removal initiative, part of the Airbus Carbon Capture Offer. This initiative harnesses Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS) technology, providing global airlines with carbon removal credits to further their decarbonization aspirations.

DACCS operates by directly extracting CO2 emissions from the air using powerful extraction fans. Following extraction, the CO2 is then securely and indefinitely stored in subterranean reservoirs. Although it’s currently unfeasible to directly negate CO2 emissions resulting from aircraft operations, DACCS offers a solution by equivalently removing the same amount of CO2 from the atmosphere. This approach complements other carbon-reduction strategies, such as the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

In 2022, easyJet committed to a potential pre-purchase of durable and verified carbon removal credits, valid between 2026 and 2029, through Airbus. These credits will be furnished by Airbus’s partner, 1PointFive. The agreement between Airbus and 1PointFive encompasses a pre-purchase of 400,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits over a span of four years.

Airbus has been at the forefront of the aerospace sector’s decarbonization endeavors, with an ambitious goal to launch its inaugural hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft by 2035. Parallel to these efforts, Airbus continually refines its products and services to address climate change. They are also active proponents of several global decarbonization programs to curb the aviation sector’s CO2 footprint.

Key industry-wide targets endorsed by Airbus and other aviation players include:

• Low Carbon Growth: The aviation industry has been proactive in devising and implementing robust strategies to curtail carbon emissions, even as the demand for air travel burgeons.
• Net-Zero Carbon Emission by 2050: Airbus spearheads innovations in aircraft architecture and aerodynamic design to reduce aviation’s environmental impact. Presently, all Airbus aircraft and helicopters can operate with a SAF blend of up to 50%, with a target to achieve 100% SAF compatibility by 2030.

Airbus has undertaken extensive research to expedite the shift to SAF, with trials involving unblended SAF to validate the fuel’s compatibility with aircraft and helicopter engines. Despite SAF fueling over 450,000 commercial flights since 2011, its global production remains a mere 0.03% of total fuel consumption. Reaching the industry’s ambitious goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 would necessitate ramping up SAF production to a staggering 449 billion liters.

To support the growth of the SAF ecosystem, Airbus has actively participated in new fuel pathway certifications, demonstration projects, flights, and political advocacy for over a decade. Their efforts have also birthed advocacy initiatives like the SAF User Group, aiming to expedite blended SAF utilization in helicopters.

Early last year, Airbus announced that it had started to deliver all aircraft produced at its facility in Mobile, Alabama, using sustainable aviation fuel blended with conventional jet fuel. World Energy and Signature Flight Support serve as partners to supply the SAF to Airbus.

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United Airlines has ordered 50 aircraft from Boeing and 60 aircraft from Airbus. (Photos: Boeing, Airbus, United)

Boeing and United Airlines announced on Tuesday that the airline is exercising options to order fifty 787-9 Dreamliners. Also on Tuesday, Airbus shared that United placed an order for 60 more A321neo aircraft.

In addition to ordering 50 more airplanes from Boeing, United also secured an additional 50 options. CEO Scott Kirby remarked, “This order takes our already successful United Next plan into the next decade and beyond.”

“I’m convinced our strategy is the right one as we continue to add new, larger aircraft to take full advantage of our growing flying opportunities both internationally and domestically,” he added.

The airline now has the largest order book for Dreamliners—150 firm orders—and could become the world’s largest operator of 787s.

United received its first 787-9 Dreamliner in 2014 as the aircraft’s launch customer in North America. The airline was also the launch customer for the 787-8 variant.

According to Boeing, “The enhanced efficiency and performance of the 787 reduces fuel use and emissions by up to 25% compared with the airplanes it replaces, depending on the configuration. The 787-9 has a globe-spanning range that allows carriers to fly up to 7,565 nautical miles while seating up to 296 passengers.”

This week’s order of 60 Airbus A321neo aircraft also supports United’s “United Next” program to bring new planes into its fleet. The airline has previously placed orders for 50 A321XLR and 70 A321neo aircraft.

Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, commented, “Upon introduction of the A321neo into its fleet in the coming weeks, United will take full benefit of Airbus’ Airspace cabin, providing an exceptional customer and cabin crew experience completely in phase with the United Next initiative. With regard to operations, the A321neo’s fuel efficiency, lower carbon footprint and lower maintenance and operating costs will be a game changer.”

According to Airbus, “The A321neo provides superior environmental performance featuring the lowest CO₂ emissions per seat in its class. By incorporating new generation engines and Sharklets, the A321neo brings a 50% noise reduction and more than 20% fuel savings and CO₂ reduction compared to previous generation single-aisle aircraft.”

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