NBAA-BACE News In Brief Oct. 13

AvFuel To Offset Emissions

Aviation fuel provider Avfuel announced new plans to offset all emissions generated from scope 1 and 2 activities from 2020 onward, as it looks to reduce its net carbon footprint while helping customers reach their own sustainability goals.

Avfuel’s commitment means it will now offset all emissions generated on its campuses and by company vehicles—including fuel burned by its owned transport trucks for fuel deliveries—as well as fuel used in corporate aircraft and diesel used in leased refueling trucks.

All carbon credits will be purchased through CBL Markets. CBL will assist Avfuel with identifying back-end efficiencies for the program, including sourcing green projects, carbon credit accreditation and certificate retirement.

For 2020, the first full year of the offsetting program, Avfuel will purchase credits to offset 8,164 metric tons of carbon emissions.

“At Avfuel, we recognize the responsibility we have—especially as a fuel supplier—to operate with a sustainable mindset,” says Avfuel Vice President-Marketing Marci Ammerman. “After carefully reviewing the emissions we produce as a company with third-party sustainability consultants, we felt it imperative to do our part in reducing our net carbon footprint.”

Avfuel also announced a book-and-claim program that allows customers to purchase and receive credits for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) without having to take physically possession of the fuel. This program will benefit operators in regions that are distant from SAF production and distribution centers, which are mostly concentrated in the Western U.S. The company says this system is more efficient and less costly than transporting the SAF, particularly given the national shortage in truck drivers.

“We’re thrilled to now make SAF more attainable for our customers worldwide,” says Keith Sawyer, Avfuel’s manager of alternative fuels. “SAF is the most effective way to reduce a flight’s carbon footprint, and book and claim is the single most effective way to make SAF attainable for customers no matter where they fly.”

Kaman's Composite Structure Repairs

Kaman Composites announced that its FAA Part 145 Repair Station in Wichita has received approval for composite structure repair from the| European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

“This approval is just one step in the process of offering more composite repair capabilities to the commercial and business aviation markets,” says Malissa Nesmith, Kaman’s senior director of business development.

“Kaman has historically performed most of the repair services of the Part 145 station for military support programs. This past year, we have extended those repair services to the commercial market, and offering the customer a Dual Release tag is a must,” Nesmith says. “Earning the EASA certification was an integral part of our growth strategy.”

Kaman Composites is an indirect subsidiary of Connecticut-based Kaman Corp.

Additionally, Kaman Aerospace Group was selected by Transcend Air Corp. to build the Vy 400 high-speed vertical-takeoff-and-landing (Hsvtol) aircraft and is displaying a model at NBAA-BACE.

 One More Phenom 300 Sim

Embraer and CAE announced plans to offer a new full-flight simulator (FFS) for the Phenom 300E in the U.S. during the second half of 2022.

The new FFS will be operated by Embraer-CAE Training Services (ECTS), a joint venture between Embraer and CAE. Location of the simulators will be defined by ECTS “in the coming months,” the companies said.

“Our purpose with the new FFS, besides offering our customers additional capacity for training in the U.S., is to bring the latest technological updates of the aircraft and simulation technology, while providing the highest level of service to the market, as the number of Phenom 300E deliveries continues to grow,” says Embraer Services & Support CEO Johann Bordais.

With around 600 units in operation, the Phenom 300E is the best-selling light jet in the world for the past nine years in a row, according to Embraer. There are currently six simulators for the Phenom family of business jets located in three training locations: Dallas, London and Guarulhos, Brazil

SAF Supplied During NBAA-BACE

World Energy and World Fuel Services announced they are supplying SAF to two Las Vegas-area FBOs during the 2021 NBAA-BACE.

The two FBOs are Henderson Executive Airport and Atlantic Aviation at McCarran International Airport.

World Fuel is supplying the SAF from World Energy, which describes itself as the country’s only commercial-scale SAF provider. Since 2015, World Fuel has delivered more than 22 million gallons of SAF to its business and commercial aviation customers.

The two companies also announced plans to offer a book-and-claim program to all customers flying during NBAA-BACE. The program allows operators to purchase credits for SAF without taking physical possession of the fuel.

“World Fuel has been a great partner to us over many years in introducing SAF to the world,” World Energy CEO Gene Gebolys stated. “Together we are collaborating to find ever smarter, better and more efficient ways to empower our corporate clients to lead. Today’s announcement marks just the latest step in the long journey toward affordable carbon-free flight at scale.”

Falcon 900B Satcom Upgrade

Latitude Technologies announced that its Safety Satvoice Solution received an STC for Chicago Jet Group’s Falcon 900B in a two-phase upgrade. The first phase replaces the aircraft’s NZ2000 FMS with dual Universal 1FW FMS SBAS, thus giving the aircraft controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) capability. The second phase replaces the legacy displays with Universal Insight EFI-1040 displays and a dual EFIS touch control display unit.

Duncan's Mexican FDRs

Duncan Aviation announced an STC to upgrade flight data recorders (FDR) to meet the 2020 Mexican Agency Federal Aviation Civil requirements in Mexican airspace. The STC is designed for Collins Aerospace Proline 21-equipped Hawker models 750, 800XP, 850XP, and 900XP.

Downloading FDR data, efficiently

Flight Data Systems announced an upgrade to its Hand-Held Multipurpose Interface (HHMPI) for FDR data downloading. The new portable unit has expanded internal memory and battery power, allowing mechanics to download data from multiple aircraft before having to upload the data to a PC.

Corridor for Jet East

Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service provider Jet East says it has agreed to deploy the Corridor ServiceEdge cloud-based communications software across its network of U.S.-based maintenance shops, part of an effort to streamline customer experience.

Corridor's ServiceEdge platform offers aircraft owners, operators and service centers real-time data and an integrated chat function between customers and MRO centers.

The agreement comes after Jet East reported experiencing a “considerable increase” in scheduled maintenance events in 2021, following a sharp pullback last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As we continue to experience growth and maintenance events increase, it’s imperative that we communicate clearly and efficiently with our customers,” says Jet East CEO Stephen Maiden. “We are excited to further elevate the Jet East customer service experience through improved transparency and increased communication.”

Thrive Orders Three Longitudes

Thrive Aviation, a Las Vegas-based charter operator, has placed an order for three additional Citation Longitude super-midsize business jets from Textron Aviation to help meet demand.

Delivery is scheduled to begin in December, Textron Aviation says. The order will increase Thrive’s fleet of Textron Aviation aircraft to 15. The current fleet comprises Citation Longitude, Citation Sovereign+, Citation XLS+, Citation CJ3+ and Citation M2 aircraft.

“Our relationship with Thrive continues to grow,” says Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation senior vice president of global sales and flight operations. “As they expand their operations, the Longitude will provide them with the lowest direct operating cost of any super-midsize jet.”

 Latecoere, Devialet Develop Loudspeaker For Aeronautics

Aerostructure and equipment specialist Latecoere and Devialet, a French acoustic engineering company, have jointly developed the first high-fidelity loudspeaker specially designed for aeronautics.

The new loudspeaker is an adapted version of Devialet’s Phantom model, dubbed the Phantom II Custom. It will be specially designated for Latecoere, which developed an intelligent 4k monitor and helped make it compatible with Li-Fi technology.

Latecoere will be the exclusive distributor of the Phantom II Custom, which will be available to the business aviation operators from 2022.

“I am pleased and proud that Latecoere is offering a high-quality product to its customers, resulting from a rich collaboration with a world-renowned French company of excellence like Devialet,” says Latecoere CEO Thierry Mootz. “Our common obsession is to offer our customers the best possible service and increasingly innovative onboard equipment. With this first high-fidelity sound system to be installed in airplanes, we offer our customers a new and unique experience.”

25 Years Of Safety Training

Bombardier celebrated the 25th anniversary of its annual Safety Stand-down Conference, at NBAA-BACE 2021 in Las Vegas. The conference was originally conceived in 1996 as a human factors safety-training event for the Learjet flight demonstration team. This year’s event is returning to its roots in Wichita on Nov. 2-3.