According to the company, the new design is the result of listening to customer suggestions, which led to “more than 300 improvements of the current P2006T MkII.”

• READ MORE: Continental Unveils CD-170R Rotorcraft-specific Heavy Fuel Engine 

Among the changes, according to the company, is an additional front door for the copilot and external access to the baggage compartment. Windows have been redesigned and are larger for improved visibility.

“The powerplant is now provided by twin fuel-injected Rotax 9121Sc3 engines, offering high-altitude efficiency and reduced fuel consumption of 14 liters per hour, [3.7 gallons per hour] per engine,” Tecnam said.

The aircraft integrates wing position and anticollision LED lights into the winglets. Inside, a central console houses the FMS GCU477 keyboard for management of all Garmin avionics, including the GFC700 three-axis autopilot and the G1000 NXi.

• READ MORE: Caribbean Charter Set to Be Tecnam P2012 STOL Launch Customer

Tecnam is also offering a super-premium version in the form of the P2006 NG Sport. This lux variant borrows heavily from Italian sports cars, featuring a handcrafted black leather interior that includes Alcantara headliners, plush moquette seats, and leather side walls.

The post Tecnam Unveils P2006T NG at AERO 2024 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The powerplant manufacturer, which is a subsidiary of Continental Aerospace Technologies, has submitted its certification package to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and  expects certification by the end of the year.

• READ MORE: AERO Friedrichshafen Encourages Pilots to Arrive in Their Own Aircraft

According to Continental, the CD-170R variant is “an evolution” of its CD-170 for advanced fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft and will feature similar characteristics. The CD-170R, however, does not have a gearbox, shaving its weight by 37 pounds.

“The 170 hp turbocharged engine combines the state-of-the-art, full authority digital engine control (FADEC), resulting in lower fuel consumption and dual redundancy,” Continental said in a statement. “While fuel consumption is application based, this 4-cylinder model is expected to conservatively burn approximately 7.9 gallons of jet-A-1 per hour when in cruise. Similar to its predecessors, the CD-170R will debut with a time between replacement (TBR) of 1,200 hours and will increase with time in service.”

According to David Dörner, vice president of global research and development for Continental Aerospace Technologies, the engine was engineered with pilot needs at the forefront.

“This is a major innovation milestone in Continental’s history that will allow us to serve even more pilots and operators in the [GA] industry,” said Dörner. “Controlled via FADEC with rotorcraft-specific software mapping, pilots can now direct their focus toward the critical phases of flight and mission, alleviating the need to manage both the throttle and the collective simultaneously.”

The post Continental Unveils CD-170R Rotorcraft-Specific Heavy Fuel Engine appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The 30th anniversary AERO event runs from April 17-20 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, with the career days on April 19 and April 20.

• READ MORE: Rolls-Royce Launches Flight Testing of Pearl 10X Engine

According to show organizers, some 25 companies are participating in the recruiting effort, including Liebherr Aerospace, Rheinland Air Service (RAS), Diehl Aerospace, Rheinmetall, EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency), Air Alliance, Hillsboro Aero Academy, Textron Aviation, Junkers Aircraft, Lufthansa CityLine, Zeppelin, Trelleborg Ceiling Solutions and Platoon Aviation.

“The current forecast of Boeing sees a global need for a total of around 2.29 million new employees for the aviation industry by 2042, including 649,000 pilots, 690,000 new technicians and 938,000 cabin crew,” said Tobias Bretzel, AERO show director. “In addition, there will be a need for additional personnel in general aviation, business aviation and the military. The prospects for young people for a successful career in aviation and aerospace are better than ever. The AERO Career Days offer interested parties a unique opportunity to obtain comprehensive information at first hand.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post Europe’s Biggest GA Show to Host Career Opportunity appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Kyle Martin, vice president, European affairs for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), opened the conference by setting the scene. “I’m surprised to believe the rulemaking for what we’re going to discuss…started 30 years ago.”

“We’ve gone through a journey to where we are today—we have our regulatory regime in place, we have operations happening, but there’s definitely a massive untapped potential.”

The history of the rule—known as COM-SET IMC—began in 1993 with a meeting in Rome, Italy, and ICAO published the  initial standards and recommended practices—SARPs—in 2005. EASA and QinetiQ conducted a study that had an outcome supporting SET commercial operations with the appropriate safety mitigations in 2007, further paving the way. The rulemaking itself was launched in 2012, and the official proposed rulemaking was published in 2014.

In March 2017, GAMA celebrated at AERO Friedrichshafen the codification of the brand-new regulation—2017-363—and operators could ostensibly move forward, utilizing it to guide single-engine turboprop flying for commercial purposes, unlocking that potential. Six years on, that’s only very partially true.

Defining COM-SET IMC

The U.S. has allowed for the operation of single-engine turboprop aircraft—such as the Pilatus PC-12, TBM series, and Cessna Caravan—in instrument meteorological conditions since the publication in August 1997 of a simple and clear update to FAR 135.163 (62 FR 42374) stating the equipment requirements for single-engine turbine aircraft operating under IFR on a Part 135 air operator’s certificate (AOC). Canada secured its approval even earlier, under Policy Letter 80 in 1993. Until 2017, there was no correlating approval under EASA regulatory framework. 

However, that final rule contains requirements beyond what has been required by the U.S. and Canadian aviation authorities. It includes:

• the requirement to use routes or operate within areas “where surfaces are available that permit a safe forced landing to be exceuted”
• the need for proof that “an acceptable level of turbine engine reliability [has been] achieved in service by the world fleet for the particular airframe-engine combination”
• specific maintenance instructions included in the operator’s maintenance program, plus the need for an engine monitoring program or automatic trend monitoring, and “a propulsion and associated systems reliability program”
• flight crew composition and training/recurrent check program
• special operating procedures, including in-flight shutdown (IFSD)
• a “safety risk assessment” 
• a list of required equipment significantly longer than that in FAR 135.163

While these requirements may sound generally reasonable, in practice it has been a different story with operators who might seek compliance, but instead find alternate means to conduct business.

According to the folks at GAMA, with the EU’s larger population (739 million) and aggregate economy ($16.6 trillion) larger than the U.S. (314 million and $15.7 trillion, respectively), the disconnect is striking. At the time of the publication of the EASA rule, there were only 12 single-engine turboprops operating under EASA exemption, versus a fleet of 673 in the U.S.—many of those Cessna Caravans delivering cargo for FedEx, DHL, and other entities. Following EU implementation, that number has risen—to a mere 60 aircraft.

Yet the single-engine turboprop market has been a strong driver of growth in the industry overall, selling well with updated, more efficient models entering the mix, in high demand. Innovation surges throughout the turboprop segment as well, with advancements such as autothrottles, digital data management, and safety protocols like Garmin’s Autoland. So there appears to be a discrepancy between the fleet numbers and those on commercial operating certificates: “Only a small fraction of that [fleet] is actually working in the commercial IMC market,” said Martin, where their efficiency, reliability, and improvements to safety can benefit the public. One example: JetFly, represented at the SETOps conference, has 40 PC-12s in its fleet, yet not on an AOC. Contrast this with Tradewind Aviation, based in Connecticut, which just took delivery of the first of 20 more PC-12s to bring its fleet to 38 of the turboprops. All of those Tradewind aircraft have flown safely across the north Atlantic Ocean from the OEM’s production facilities in Switzerland.

As it turns out, the restrictions placed within the regulation are archaic and constrain the true potential of the modern single-engine turboprop fleet. “Operators are essentially not able to take full advantage of the high efficiency and reliability of the PC-12, and other single-engine turbine aircraft,” said Martin. “ They have to do strange routings to keep within a distance of landing sites, they have to go through an extensive bureaucratic process with their national authorities to get those routes approved, reviewed, questioned—it’s taking a lot of extra effort for no added [value].”

Performance-based rules should allow the operator to follow the intent of the rule and gain some ease of compliance. “But the inspector level at authorities,” added Martin, “they like to ask for paperwork, documentation, and justification—and re-justification. So there’s a mass of uncertainty out there.” Small operators feel that burden acutely, as they don’t have the staff to deal with the extra workload.

Some within EASA recognize that the industry suffers from over-regulation, a feeling that representatives from the agency revealed on Thursday at AERO during a report-out. The timing provided an opportunity for the assembled members of the SETOps conference to come up with specific, actionable recommendations to take to EASA to help streamline the current regulations and make them more workable.

In-Flight Shutdowns and Safe Landing Sites

Ralph Menzel spent 33 years flying as an operator and pilot prior to joining EASA in 2005. He served as the PCM for Pilatus, among other contacts with the segment. Menzel pointed out several pain points that he’d observed, including the difficulty in identifying landing fields outside of aerodromes and “getting them discussed with the national authorities.” These landing spots are significant, as, per the rule, an operator must be generally within gliding distance of a previously-deemed-suitable spot to land at all times along the route.

But achieving the needed improvements through another rulemaking Menzel feared would take “another 30 years. The easiest task is to [make the updates] through a safety promotion, interpretive material—things that we can put together right now.”

In-flight shutdown procedures form another critical area of needed clarification and work, along with safe forced landing site selection. A working group centered around the Luxembourg civil aviation authority, DAC-LU, has begun, with “good discussions already,” according to Menzel. 

For example, some countries are imposing operating weather minima on safe forced landing sites, regardless of the fact that when the engine-out approach is to an airport or aerodrome, the standard approach minima cannot be used because the aircraft is not following the published approach path. Conversely, if the safe forced landing site is not an aerodrome, no weather minima exist in the first place—and there’s typically no observation provided.

To counter this, DAC-LU conducted a study putting flight crews through a series of 50 IFSD approaches while wearing view-limiting goggles simulating IFR conditions and determined that with proper training, pilots could make the approaches safely in all weather conditions. The plan is to produce special guidance materials and an NPA for the next update to the rule.

Another problem surrounds the availability and suitability of the flight simulators for use in the required initial and recurrent training for COM-SET IMC approval, with only one available previously—a Cessna Caravan sim in Wichita, Kansas. “To take an aircraft out of revenue service, first to do a class rating course and the ACC, I probably need the aircraft out of service for six days, seven days—versus the simulator. Look, I’d love a full flight simulator based in [London] Gatwick—brilliant—but we need to be realistic,” said Edwin Brenninkmeyer, CEO of Oriens Aviation, Pilatus, and Tecnam sales and service for the British Isles.

What’s Really Happening Here

But we all know what happens when excessive regulation strangles business—the clever ones create workarounds. Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of the Aviation Division at Daher, has been involved in the process heavily for at least the last 15 years, and Daher has supported those operators seeking AOCs under the 2017 rule. Chabbert pointed out this “elephant in the room” during the technical discussion of the rule in practice: Operators may be using aircraft to provide shared “rides” outside of the AOC to avoid the onerous burden of the rule, or while waiting for mitigations to take place.

“The reality of the [reported] numbers that we are talking about, it’s a very small fraction of people that are using the TBM in commercial operations,” said Chabbert. “We see that we have a lot of other types of activity that are coming from—[flight sharing] apps, you know, fractional [operations]—we can have some type of usage, that is shared between people, and separation between the aircraft they are renting, and the rental.”

The complex regs have done nothing to advance safety—which should have been the point—in Chabbert’s view. “Today, there’s no safety objective that has been achieved. This is a lie in Europe. We have a roadmap, we have the safety analysis, we have the technology, we have the motivation from the operators. We just need to make sure that what we are going to apply makes sense and is not going to destroy what we think is an addition to the wealth of those in the nation, of the [transportation] choices that we have in Europe.

“I was involved for those 30 years, and in fact, for real for the last 15 years, [and hoped] that I would see, as we speak today, a large majority of operations under SET. This is not the case. What can we do to make it a real goal, and how long are we going to give ourselves so that instead of looking at the facts today where it’s a minority that is under SET, it becomes a majority? Do we need two years? Five years? Fifteen years? What we need is to basically set objectives so that we can have a very simple way to operate, and make sure that the market will then grow, and that operators can make money.”

The Takeaway

With the right correction—implemented in a timely fashion—there’s much to gain as the GA industry sits at a unique tipping point, able to provide an answer to sustainable, efficient transportation solutions while maintaining a high degree of safety. At the same time, there can be clarification between private and commercial operations instead of the shades of gray prevalent today.

The industry has demonstrated its ability to drive towards greater efficiency—with a 2 percent gain as targeted since 2009—and a commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The broader acceptance and distribution of sustainable aviation fuel to more and smaller GA airports underscores this promise, along with the early implementation of alternative energy sources. Add to this a commercially viable program, and it’s clear the potential this market segment has for growth in the future as well as today. GAMA plans to consolidate the outcomes from the meeting into recommendations to EASA, and it will publish the results.

The post Single-Engine Turboprop Commercial Ops in the EU Still in a Tangled Web appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In fact, we are already doing it, according to key industry leaders from ZeroAvia, Daher, Textron eAviation, Pilatus, and Elixir, at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s luncheon. “GA is the solution to this,” said Kyle Martin, GAMA vice president of European affairs.

The event focused squarely on illuminating that message so that those who were there could spread it beyond the walls of Messe Friedrichshafen—and beyond the confines of the general aviation industry into the greater world that needs to understand it. Rather than being an easy target for blame under the auspices of climate change, GA already demonstrates the innovative answers that are possible. Stopping flying is not the answer—flying in better and more sustainable ways will be.

Eric Hinson, GAMA chairman for 2023 and president and CEO of Simcom International, kicked off the lunch with his observations. “I’m going to begin by talking just a little bit about the importance of GA—and I think that’s an important message that we in the industry need to do a better job of communicating. [GA] is basically a connectivity tool that connects people, product, and services.” Those not in GA see it through a myopic view—the high net-worth individual who gets out of a jet—and not for the intrinsic value it provides to nearly everyone in some way.”

Those companies working on solutions in both short- and long-range segments include, according to Hinson, GAMA members and others which are “working on hydrogen-powered solutions…[and] working on electric propulsion to replace fossil-based fuels—and so I’m very confident that over the next 10 to 15 years we are going to see significant advancements in our capability to replace fossil-based fuel for short-range flying. That’s happening here in Europe as well as in the United States. 

“The other area that is equally important is really focused on long-range flying, because we’re always going to have a power-density problem for some time to come—so the long-range solution there is a lot tougher. And of course, the answer there is sustainable aviation fuel.”

There are several legitimate concerns about the current implementation of SAF both in Europe and North America. The first lies in its composition—what biosource it’s derived from, and whether corn-based, cooking oil-based, or various silage-based processes. A second concern lies in how “green” the process of making the fuel is—such as the source of electricity for the manufacturing plant—and how much energy is used in delivering the fuel from its production facility to the distribution points on airports. As Martin would sum up later in the program, in pointing out the value of the book and claim system that allows operators to take credits for SAF entered into the fuel stream: “Trucking tanks of SAF from a Neste factory in Finland to the south of Spain is not the most sustainable approach.”

A corollary to this lies in the current state of electric propulsion, which we have seen this week in several spots on the show floor at AERO—Pipistrel and H55, for two examples—but both directed at short-hop training flights and perceived by some as having limited value to the marketplace.

It’s easy for naysayers to throw rocks at these efforts, but the fact is we won’t get to a solution unless we work on the problems and try new things.

The State of GA in Europe

Martin followed Hinson at the luncheon with his insights into the status of the general and business aviation industries in the EU and UK, including the recovery post-pandemic and political elements affecting both that return to “normal” and moving forward.

“The great news is that we are powering through the COVID recovery,” said Martin. “We are showing growth across all four main product sectors, whether it’s piston airplanes for the training market, turboprop airplanes for the transportation and air services market…the business jet market is growing and coming back—it’s being held back a bit by supply chain constraints, but many new products are coming to the market and that will help boost numbers in the years ahead. And the helicopter market’s finally coming back.”

In addition, traffic numbers reflect the normalizing of the GA industry, with 2022 IFR traffic numbers showing “strong growth versus 2021,” as Martin noted.

Martin also emphasized the value of GA in sustainability problem solving: “Our industry is absolutely the incubator and the growth engine for sustainable and safe aviation technology.” Yes, it’s simply easier to innovate and iterate using small aircraft—we witness all the time how new tech in our GA cockpits “trickles up” to larger platforms until it makes it onto a Part 25 transport category jet a decade—or more—later. At Oshkosh this summer, you’re certain to see an airline captain gazing wistfully at the instrument panel on an RV-series. The most innovative solutions will happen first in the skunkworks of our GA manufacturers, the labs of small but feisty aerospace startups, and in the hangars of our kitbuilders. The first applications may be limited in scope—but that’s the point. You want to test things on a small batch first.

Industry Panel on Workforce, Energy

In parallel to the discussion of sustainability is attracting the workforce that will develop it. To this end, the discussion turned to an industry panel led by Cate Brancart, GAMA’s manager for European operations and safety. 

The panel featured:

• Cyril Champenois, co-founder and CMO of Elixir Aircraft
• Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of Daher’s Aircraft Division
• Jane Lefley, strategy associate for ZeroAvia
• Rob Scholl, president and CEO of Textron eAviation
• Urs Thomann, director of technologies and processes, Pilatus Aircraft

Scholl’s organization—newly formed to consolidate Textron’s efforts in several future-leaning sectors—represents well the human energy derived from a company’s dedication to innovation. “We are seeing a lot of people express interest in coming to work for our organization,” said Scholl, “because everything that we’re doing right now—as you see from this group on stage—is new…For those people who want to take on the challenge in this exciting industry, these projects offer a unique opportunity to really get into something that no one in the world has done before.”

That’s a key part of the GA story we need to tell, according to the panelists.

Specifically, bringing young people into GA OEMs is another goal—and one that Elixir seems to have done naturally, with an average age of 34 or 35, according to Champenois. “We are at a turning point in general aviation,” he said, regarding not only energy sources but the way aircraft are manufactured to reduce parts count and streamline processes. “We feel that [the younger generation] was kind of lost for the past 20 years because nothing was really moving.”

A market-based approach will provide the most practical solutions. “We all know that we have the difficult challenge [ahead] to transition to the alternative fuels,” said Chabbert. “This is something that is a ‘must.’ We all know that this is on our trajectory to become neutral by 2050—it’s a key element to our strategy. But…let’s go back to the roots. What is the market wanting? ‘Cause if we’re just about to propose a bunch of technologies, I think we’re probably going to miss the main thing that we’re doing, [which] is to address the market needs.”

As for attracting new entrants to the workforce, Daher relies upon its apprenticeship program. “We have renewed our workforce, and the way that we do that is through apprentices—we have doubled the number of apprentices about every year, so it is a growing number of new people to us.” The younger generation is environmentally sensitive, he added, “so I think they are also after a project that is going to rehabilitate Earth.” Of the apprentices they engage, 80 percent transition to full-time employment, according to Chabbert.

“Agility is one thing that is going to be important,” said Thomann. “If the workforce is agile in selecting their employers, then the employers have to become agile as well.” A diverse workforce is a critical piece too—and across the industry panel, they discussed how they are helping to grow the applicant pool so that the best and brightest minds get the education they need and become visible to the companies that need their talents. Pilatus has also recently implemented better compensation strategies to help attract and retain the people it wants in the organization—instead of keeping bonuses until the end of the year, they incorporate the higher pay rate in a much more transparent way so that its personnel can plan more accurately.

In order to ensure a diverse talent pool, Chabbert added: “We need to bring in schools—I mean, it is not new, it is nothing that has not been done, it is something that we stopped doing. We have to resume and get the schools into our plans so [the students] can actually practice, and get themselves exposed to the different jobs. With the kind of diversity that we’re talking about, it is data management with a technology-driven approach.”

Telling the GA Story

All of these topics circle back around to one critical concern: Many governments around the world appear to be moving against the GA industry, setting targets for carbon emissions that may not be realistic. If we don’t achieve those goals, will the rug be pulled out from under us? That question was the final one put to the panel—poignant at AERO because of recent movements in the Netherlands’ Schiphol Airport to propose a ban on business jets, and there’s legislation in France seeking to reduce or stop short-haul flights—or the insane idea we might ban flying altogether in order to achieve net-zero.

To combat this, we need to take control of the narrative. “We have to educate… we are not a victim…we have to be proud of saying our story—and say it loud and clear: that is what we do and why we do it,” said Chabbert. “We need to make our story and to praise it.”

Lefley concurred: “I agree with you—I think the industry faces an existential threat ultimately, which is why new technology like what ZeroAvia is doing is so critical. One of the things we need to do is to educate governments and the public about the fact that people are doing this already, and that it can be done safely.

“I think it’s easier to use technology than to force everyone to stop flying,” she concluded.

It’s a global story we must tell, and the examples set in the EU—making progress on regulatory coordination and public understanding—will provide a roadmap for the innovation of the industry to drive us forward.

The post General Aviation Has a Great Sustainability Story To Tell appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

To pursue further the development of sustainable aviation fuel solutions and alternative energy sources for its aircraft—current and future models—Diamond Aircraft Austria, together with its sister company Austro Engine, announced this week at AERO the projects it has undertaken recently towards this future.

“Next to the all-electric eDA40, SAF will become a near-term available solution for sustainable aviation,” said Robert Kremnitzer, head of the design organization for Diamond Aircraft Austria. “In the piston engine segment, we have the big advantage that most of our existing fleet is already using jet fuel. With this program we ensure that sustainable alternatives to [these] fuel types may be used as soon as they become available at airports with general aviation fuel stations with no or only minor adaptations to the aircraft.”

Austro will cooperate with fleet customer Lufthansa Aviation Training, fuel producers, and universities—and also with other GA partners, including a Germany-based initiative, aireg (aviation initiative for renewable energy in Germany e.V.).

“We believe the coexistence of several technologies is strategically sensible for general aviation,” said Felix Zahradnik, chief technology officer for Austro Engine. “In addition to further innovations in the field of material science and combustion process development, the key to sustainability lies in the type of fuel used. By using regeneratively produced fuels, not only can the existing infrastructure be utilized, but also the CO2 balance is significantly and directly influenced. The goal of current efforts is clearly the release of sustainable fuels for currently available aircraft.”

The partnership plans to result in an ATSM-accepted D7566 SAF blend, which will be a drop-in replacement for GA aircraft in the next couple of years. The company plans to power its own fleet with the blend by 2025, and gain market acceptance with the SAF by 2030. A 100-percent pure, unblended SAF is on the horizon for 2050.

The post Diamond Partners with Austro Engines on SAF appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The milestone? Cirrus marks its 9,000th delivery of an SR-series airplane this year, and much as it did with the 7,000th delivery and 8,000th delivery, it has crafted a limited edition run of the SR series, with comprehensive owner packages and bespoke exterior and interior designs. 

The 9,000th SR Packages

“The SR Series continues to move people, businesses, and imaginations as we reach another significant delivery milestone,” said Zean Nielsen, CEO of Cirrus Aircraft, in an accompanying statement. “Our talented Xi Design Studio collected inspiration through the lens of our customers and the worldwide travel and freedom personal aviation offers. The 9,000th SR Series delivery means that 9,000 owners are living the Cirrus Life enabled by the best-selling high-performance piston aircraft in the industry for over two decades.”

The design carries two themes, according to Ivy McIver, SR series program manager. The first is the number “9” that is integrated into several places on the aircraft. The second is the color orange—incorporated into the scheme by Xi Design Studios to create four palettes: ’Balos,’ ‘Lava,’ ‘Magma,’ and ‘Santorini,’ using Sherwin-Williams paint in Lava Orange and Aegean Blue.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Cirrus SR22T 8000

The owner packages also include five Bose A30 headsets and two Garmin D2 Aviation watches, along with five-year warranty and maintenance programs for a total ownership experience.

More Cirrus Metrics

Before Simmons made it to the big announcement, he took time to review a handful of significant numbers that Cirrus has achieved over its 24-year history. Among them, the fact that those 9,000 airplanes—the SR fleet—have amassed more than 15 million flight hours—and for the past nine years, Cirrus has delivered more than 300 piston aircraft per year. In 2022, the SR series was again the top-selling piston aircraft for the 21st year in a row.

And the SF50 has had its own hit parade. As it approaches 500 deliveries this year, the Vision Jet has increased in both market share and its ability to expand the market overall. For the fourth year in a row, in 2022, it was the top-selling jet with 95 units shipped.

But the Vision Jet notched other milestones in recent months, including the first and second saves using the CAPS, or Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. For customers and pilots seeking to acquire the SF50 type rating under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), it has dropped the minimum number of hours to enter the program from 500 to 250 in certain circumstances.

Cirrus has also added more affiliates in Europe in recent years, including the most recent addition of Orbifly, in France, in March 2023. In October 2022, it added CK Aviation in the UK, and in July 2021, Daedelus.

Sustainable Cirrus

Cirrus has been one of the first OEMs to test out unleaded fuel in its high-performance SR22 and SR22T engines—using the Continental IO-550-N, and TIO-550-K1, respectively. And ti continues to move forward with testing using GAMI’s UL100 as part of the EAGLE program to move towards unleaded fuels.

And the SF50’s Williams International FJ33 engine is all ready to run on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Cirrus was an early SAF adopter with the Vision Jet. From a noise standpoint—also very important, especially under EU skies—the Vision Jet registers between 69 and 71 decibels during flyover, according to its EASA type certificate.

The post Cirrus Marks 9,000th SR in 2023 With Limited Edition appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Elixir co-founder, CMO, and COO Cyril Champenois delivered the update at a press briefing in which he confirmed the company’s engineering origins, and its proactive timeline starting in 2015. “At that time, we created the company with 50,000 euros,” said Champenois. “After seven years we are now almost 100 employees in the company, and we are growing fast. After two years to conceive the design for the Elixir, three years to certify it, and seven years [total] to deliver the first aircraft, we are now reaching 70 firm orders for our aircraft.”

“At the moment we have 14 jobs open…at the GAMA conference we were discussing the workforce challenges we are facing, and we are struggling to hire.” Though this has been a challenge, Elixir still managed to deliver its first 10 units in 2022, beginning with the first shipment in February 2022.

A Minimum of Parts

The low-wing, two-seater is powered by the 100 hp Rotax 912is, well-suited to the training mission, certified under EASA CS-23 and undergoing FAA validation. It features a simple cockpit in its most cost-effective version, though it’s still capable enough for IFR training. 

What sets the airframe apart is its minimum of parts—the composite structure has been designed from OneShot carbon fiber components, and has no spar, ribs, or stringers. The low parts count not only helps achieve manufacturing efficiencies but also drives a lower operating cost, as little as $37/hour. Robust landing gear also serves well for student laps around the pattern. A BRS ballistic parachute recovery system comes standard.

Elixir plans another model, powered by the 140 hp Rotax 915 series, and targeted to private buyers on an IFR mission. It will feature a full glass cockpit as well.

Sales to Mermoz Academy

Elixir announced it has just signed an agreement with Mermoz Academy, one of the largest aviation training organizations in France, for a total of 6 aircraft. Mermoz’ Stephane Meyer was on hand to confirm the arrangement, which builds on the success it has had selling the company’s first model to flight schools on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

“We are demonstrating that we are able to attract big, professional [academies] to our aircraft,” said Champenois. “Big challenges faced by the flight school are solved by this new generation of aircraft, especially regarding fuel consumption and the operating cost and the environmental impact.”

Those orders add to ones posted by early U.S. partner Cirrus Aviation in Sarasota, Florida, which has a total of 10 aircraft on order, to be delivered over the course of 5 years. Cirrus has also been instrumental in another element of Elixir’s planned growth: a U.S. facility for assembly of kits imported from the company’s main base in La Rochelle, France. 

“Knowing that the market is mainly in the U.S., we are already working on the opening of facilities in Florida, where we will assemble kits that will be shipped from France and be reassembled there. As you know, 60 to 70 percent of the market is in the U.S. and we have to be there.”

Champenois also alluded to upcoming financing that will help secure the company’s needed expansion at the La Rochelle-Île-de-Ré Airport (LFBH).

The post Elixir Aircraft Signs Mermoz Academy Order, Plans Sarasota Assembly in Florida appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In a reception hosted on April 19, H55’s André Borschberg, co-founder and executive chairman, joined BRM CEO Milan Brištela in updating on the joint project, based on the Bristell B23 CS-23 certificated two-seat, low-wing airplane.

The B23 Energic is closing in on its own European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS-23 type certification, with a robust testing program out of H55’s home base at Sion Airport (LSGS) in Switzerland. The B23 Energic utilizes H55’s EPS 100 kW propulsion system, and should be capable of training missions standard for initial pilot certification, according to the company.

“With the change of requirements of EASA, we are proposed to adapt the design of this motor, and the certification is scheduled for next year—not far away, mid 2024” said Borschberg. “So I’m very happy…these technologies satisfy the requirements for certifications,” that pertain to testing the ability of the airframe/motor/battery pack to survive and contain an overheating or fire scenario.

The first application for the model is in flight training, according to Borschberg. In fact, a parallel project the company is working on is the electrification of the Piper Archer in concert with CAE and the OEM. “That’s also scheduled for 2025,” he confirmed, progressing with a version of Safran’s ENGINeUS 100 hybrid electric motor, also capable of 100 kW.

Origins of H55

Borschberg’s name may ring a bell for other reasons: He was co-founder and CEO of Solar Impulse, which completed its first round-the-world flight in 2016. H55 is the technological derivative of that project, with a mission to bring electric aircraft into certification and operations.

Its core product centers around the energy storage side of the equation, with its Electric Storage System (ESS). The ESS consists of battery packs, battery management systems, and interfaces with the EPS, or electric propulsion system in question. The ESS is lightweight and scalable to a customer’s requirements and designed to sustain voltage up to 1,250 volts.

The post H55 Electrifies the Sustainable Trail at AERO appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Autothrottle Progress

At a press briefing at AERO 2023 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on April 19, Peter Kriegler, vice president of sales at Honda Aircraft, gave an update on the Elite II’s next upgrades—specifically its autothrottle. The AT is a key component that must be in place in order to complete the Garmin Autoland suite on the HondaJet—which will make it the first twin-engine jet approved with this functionality. The Elite II gained FAA certification without the AT; this update has been projected for completion in the summer 2023, and Kriegler confirmed that progress is on track.

“It’s really about operational improvements to the aircraft, from a capability standpoint, from a safety standpoint, with the Garmin systems that we’re introducing in the cockpit,” said Kriegler, “as well as just a collection of refinements that we’ve learned from over the years.”

Increased Performance

On the display floor for the first time at AERO, the HondaJet shown is not yet the Elite II version—but once it finishes EASA validation, the new model will post improved performance, as a result of a 200-pound maximum gross weight increase that has enabled increases in all weight limits, including the fuel load, which went up by 217 pounds. That will boost the jet’s range to 1,547 nm, up from the original HondaJet’s 1,241 nm and the Elite’s 1,457 nm. The New York to South Florida route in the U.S. is made easily achievable.

• READ MORE: We Fly: HondaJet Elite

The Elite II also features a new matte black exterior paint finish that has proven popular and striking on the ramp, with two of the new schemes delivered thus far, according to Kriegler. 

When the company paused production of the HA-420 model to accommodate the certification of the Elite II, it impacted deliveries, bringing the 2022 total for the company down to 18 units. However, it’s making up for lost time in 2023, and Kriegler anticipates that the first EASA-validated Elite II will be ready right after that process is complete.

Efficiency Story

With sustainable aviation top of mind at AERO, it follows that Honda Aircraft would also want to highlight its own chops in this area, which are significant. While the base model has always posted up to a 15 percent lower fuel burn than comparative models in the category, according to the company, it is also making forays into the future with its own testing on sustainable aviation fuel.

“In an effort to be environmentally responsible, we really put a huge emphasis on fuel efficiency,” said Kriegler. “As we look to the future where we’re using SAF, our partner in our engine program, GE Honda Aero Engines, has begun testing on 100 percent SAF, so we look to the future where we can fly in emission-free flight.”

The post HondaJet Close to EASA Certification on the Elite II appeared first on FLYING Magazine.