Pilot Report: Vision Jet 2.0

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Unparalleled comfort in a six-foot-tall, fat-foor cabin. Ka-band home-like connectivity. Power the future. Take command. Lead the way. Learn more at executive.embraer.com. INTRODU CING THE NE W www.bcadigital.com Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 7 HERE’S A MATTER YOU’VE NEVER CONSIDERED AND A QUESTION you’ve never asked: Wherefrom will come the next generation of aviation writers? Admittedly, it’s a fairly rarefied concern and one that causes little alarm among the masses. But still, it’s out there. In fact, Flying magazine’s Rob Mark recently posed the question to a few dozen av journalists and got a spirited, supportive response. It seems that most of us have noticed a certain graying of our crowd. That’s not to suggest that we all qualify for the AA RP, but there aren’t many notetaking neophytes at events where we gather. When I began my aviation journalism career in my 20s, it seemed like most of my professional colleagues were contempo- raries. Well, despite the passage of decades, they still are — at least those continuing to turn out copy. And that gives a lot of us pilot-scribblers pause. In that regard, our curious little subgroup reflects the bigger problem facing aviation. You’ve all read and talked about it and it’s having quite an impact throughout the aviation industry. The problem, of course, is the current and growing shortage of professional pilots, along with tech support. The global expansion of scheduled carriers combined with the ongoing and increasing forced retirements of seasoned air- line pilots has caused the airlines to act. For a variety of rea- sons dating back to 9/11 or further, the pilot pipeline thinned as the cost of qualifying for a right seat in an airliner soared. Meanwhile, the military started handing out bonuses to keep its aviators, and those collegians with technical proclivity had lots of inviting career options. Beyond that, I think in the public’s mind, aviation not only lost its swagger, it pretty much vanished from consideration. For most people, an airplane trip is an unpleasant exercise in- volving physical discomfort, mental anxiety, serial frustration and expense — something to endure for the reward of getting to Point B safely. The travelers barely see an airplane. Rather, they’re shuffled through a claustrophobic gantry and into a long tube cramped with narrow seats, only a relative few of which even have windows. Actually, the very idea of “aviating” is downplayed. Years ago, I wrote articles for an airline seatback magazine and its editors made clear to me that stories about aviation were unwelcome. I’m still unsure whom the subject upset — the passengers or the airline’s managers — but I was allowed only to work at the edges. And unfortunately, a visit to many general aviation airports has become unfriendly as well. Visitors are ignored or viewed with suspicion. Meanwhile, locked doors, high fences and secu- rity cameras don’t imbue one with a sense of warm welcome. An airplane? Don’t you dare go near one! As a result of the forgoing, and since the airlines obviously need pilots to fly paying passengers and derive profit therefrom, they are reeling in business aviation pilots with promises of high pay, guaranteed time off and rapid promotion. It’s working, and business aircraft operators — charter and aircraft management companies in particular — are getting squeezed. Meanwhile, as notes Sheryl Barden in this month’s Fast Five (page 18), some business aviation veterans are pushing their current employers to the limits, with long-term consequences unknown. One temporary fix would be to extend the mandatory retire- ment age for airline pilots. But ultimately the industry overall needs more pilots entering the system, possibly even more re- liance on automation and perhaps accelerated training pro- grams. All those things are being addressed now in a variety of ways and will pay out over time. Ah, but what of the missing coolness factor? I saw the prom- ise of its eventual reinstatement in recent visits to the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California, and 2,500 mi. to the east at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in upstate South Carolina. In both places children are truly welcomed and encouraged to par- ticipate in aviation, from creating and flying paper helicopters at the former, to operating radio control aircraft at the latter. The resulting laughter and excitement are infectious and the root source, marvelously, is aviation. I salute the leaders and volunteers behind such institutions — and, thankfully there are many — since now more than ever it is such places that serve as aviation’s incubator. This is where the wonder is instilled, with swagger to follow. And just maybe among those giggling, gaming, pointing, climbing and running tykes there will be a few who might one day like to write about the experience. Which, for me, is so sat- isfying still. BCA Help Wanted The aviation pipeline’s flow has slowed too long Viewpoint EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER/ISTOCK William Garvey Editor-in-Chief william.garvey@informa.com Thanks for Looking Back Thanks for the Retrospective: The “Greenhouse Patter” reprint in the December issue. In 1965, I was 15 years old and about to solo on my 16th birthday so I hadn’t read this one. I had my private at 17 and went off to Parks College. While there, I earned my commercial and CFI at 18 and shortly after that, my instrument, multiengine and seaplane ratings, and an A&P certificate. It wasn’t until after four years in the U.S. Air Force, first as a CH3 crew chief then as a flight engineer/winch operator that I knew about and started reading the Torch Lewis columns. He sure had lots of great stuff and wisdom! Torch’s “The Early Days” column in BCA’s December 1965 issue reminds me of my son when he was about ten. He and his sister were used to riding around in the corporate King Air 200 and Learjet 35A that I flew. One day he asked me when I would take him for a ride in a real airplane. I asked, “What do you mean?” He said, “You know, a Cessna 150 or something like that!” Thanks for the memories. Larry Zetterlind Chief Pilot Hartzell (Retired) Hartzell Propeller Piqua, Ohio Ole’ Torch Still Remembered I e n j o y e d t h e “ R e t r o s p e c t i v e : Greenhouse Patter” by Ole’ Torch (December 2018). That was the first page I turned to every month before I read anything else. He pretty much nailed everything right on the head. I have a signed copy of his book of compilations that his wife mailed to me after he died. He had signed it and put it aside to be mailed at a later date and obviously forgot about it until his wife found it. Sure do miss him. John Forrester Alexander City, Alabama Thought-Provoking Article Congratulations to BCA and James Albright on the thought-provoking article on “Premeditated Stupidity” (December 2018). I do not think there is any pilot who can look back on their flying career and not find a single, or multiple, examples of “stupid.” Capt. Albright and I have shared the example of continued normalization of deviance which is a prime example of “Premeditated Stupidity” as relates to the required after engine start flight control check in Gulfstream and other similar aircraft. Recently I observed a GIV from a major Southern California charter company load passengers and baggage, close the door, start engines and call for taxi in world record time. The big item they missed and we witnessed, was the required f light control check. Oh, how some forget the fatal GIV crash at Bedford, Massachusetts (KBED) so easily. “Premeditated Stupidity” extends to crews who think they are impressing their principal or passengers by getting the aircraft moving post haste. The “need for speed” has killed people. Our passengers rely on us to operate safely. Just because we may be “stupid” and can be considered for the Darwin Awards, our passengers deserve and demand the normalization of excellence from us. Nat Iyengar Captain/G650 Fleet Technical Pilot Jet Aviation Business Jets Hong Kong From the Web Comments about “Checking Your Angst: Dealing With Check-Ride Nerves,Inflight Mistakes,” by James Albright, December 2018 Great a r ticle.Boiler up! Does the picture labeled “Engineering Mall” get a Q2? Took a picture of the gateway this summer by Cary Quad, next to the Armstrong Hall. Being an EE, I always thought the mall with EE, ME, ChemE was the Engineering Mall. EE being the center of the universe and all. northriver.nw@frontier.com Comments about “Boeing Business Jet,” by Fred George, January 2019 Major drawback on the BBJ2 we have flown for the last 17 years is the outdated (structure not avionics) and therefore very noisy cockpit. Cargo door size is often limiting bulky loads. kurtluder@hispeed.ch It’s a plane that is built to last and fun to fly. Easy to find on the ramp. Worldwide parts and service with the only limit of finding airports that can take the weight. Great personal jet for those downsizing from a Boeing B757 or larger. northriver.nw@frontier.com Comment about “Thin Margins in Wintry Takeoffs,” by Patrick Veillette, Ph.D., December 2018 Very relevant enough so that my nephew who is a corporate pilot is going to get a copy. Thanks very much. jovandewoe@gmail.com Readers’ Feedback capngrog From the Web “All I’m saying is that it apparently took some time before the seriousness of the incident “sunk in” to all involved.” 8 Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 www.bcadigital.com Comments about “A Near Catastrophe: Within Feet of Becoming the Worst Air Disaster,” by Richard N. Aarons, December 2018 I think that the failure to immediately recognize this near disaster needs some investigation. I understand that all involved (tower and waiting/taxiing crews) were very busy at the time of the overf light incident. However, I would think that someone would have loudly voiced concern over the apparent near disaster. Because of the failure to recognize the serious nature of the incident, critical data (cockpit voice recordings) were lost. At least two crews, UAL1 and PAL115, were “looking out the w indow” and detected an unusual situation developing. Only the crew of PAL115 took effective action, but apparently neither they, nor the crew of UAL1 notified the tower that something really bad almost happened. Even if the crews of UAL863 and UAL1118 were “heads down” programming/moni- toring their “labor saving systems,” they certainly should have noticed the full power roar of AC 759 passing close overhead. How about a call from each of the aircraft waiting on Taxiway C to the effect: “Hey that guy (AC759) almost hit us!” This may have prompted the tower staff to have notified their supervisor that something was seriously amiss, with a resultant call to FSDO. All IÕm saying is that it apparently took some time before the seriousness of the incident “sunk in” to all involved. capngrog For any skygods that may be about you may wish to peruse the observations made of three airlines, one was a major U.S. flag carrier, one was a major U.S. domestic carrier, and one was a major foreign flag carrier. Not permitted to post links, but search for NASA-TM-2010 -216396 “Checklists and Monitoring in the C o ck pi t : W hy C r uc i a l D e fe n s e s Sometimes Fail.” Quote, “In the course of sixty airline flights eight hundred ninety-nine devi- ations were observed (194 in checklist use, 391 in monitoring, and 314 in primary procedures)” babraham@netspa . . . Of course we should always strive to tune, and check the ILS frequency for such an approach, and do everything else the crew failed to do, but one late night we just might not do it. . . . But in this day and age I really donÕt understand why we still are inundated with pages of irrelevant NOTAMS. A bout 15 yea rs a go I worke d for a company that provided “tailored NOTAMS.” They had two duty officers starting to work every morning at 0500 going through the actual NOTAMS and qualifying them according to their pertinence to certain types of operations. We would not have to read through NOTA MS about changes in charts for example that already had been incorporated in our route manual. NOTAMS not valid on the day of our flight would not show up either. Today this process probably could be automated, but we keep on getting the pages of NOTAMS, and have about 5 minutes to sift through them. rene.schreiber@. . . Also informative wrong surface events: Southwest at Branson, Delta at Rapid City Ñ these had CVRs. bill@tuccio.com Unfortunately, MurphyÕs law combined w ith human factor w ill always be lurking in the shadows. aerobase@yahoo.com Comments about The Ultimate Narrowbody Citation 560: Encore+,” by Fred George, December 2018 We have been operating a 2002 model now for nearly a year, and love it. Mostly a family operation and operate within 600 nm, but payload, range and climb are unbelievable. mfairless@hotmail Comments about “Premeditated Stupidity: A Planned Mistake Is Something Worse” by James Albright, December 2018 When learning to f ly I was given a few critical instructions. An early one came from the back seat of Citabria N6302 November where I was accused of flying it like an engineer, and I was. The second came from the front seat of a Stearman via a gosport tube when the wizened old instructor said “I can teach a monkey to fly but I canÕt teach you to think.” In both cases the instructors were correct. The first was correct that flying is more than proceeding from one data pint to the next and the other that you have to think. The upshot of this article is that rules are hard won summaries of many experiences and that you have to think ahead about what you are doing. Violate either and you are discarding vital learned experience and avoiding common sense. marklincoln1@aol.com With airline background I was always aware that I was thrusted to treat the f lying like I was trained! Never go into business for yourself was the most important issue in my career. I did jet upsets, inverted spins in a test pilot school, but never beyond that, perhaps that is the reason I hold the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award with captain ratings on nine (9) airliners. No better feeling in the world then try to be a professional. Flying the Bush in Alaska during the 1950s was enough exposure to sticking my neck out, why do it when not necessary. Great article! captaindan6@hotmail.com www.bcadigital.com Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 9 If you would like to submit a comment on an article in BCA, or voice your opinion on an aviation related topic, send an email to jessica.salerno@informa.com or william.garvey@informa.com 844.436.8200 \ info@globaljetcapital.com \ globaljetcapital.com \Or, you could let us. You could worry about the depreciative effect new models are going to have on the business aircraft market – A Global Jet Capital Operating Lease can help your customers upgrade to a new aircraft more quickly and easily. We help insulate owners and operators from risks associated with the impact new models can have on resale and residual values. Which turns “Let’s wait–and-see” to “Let’s do it.” Simple. With more than $2 billion in assets, world-class fnancial backing, hundreds of years of collective experience, and thousands of business aircraft transactions behind us, Global Jet Capital is uniquely positioned to craft customized fnancial solutions. ▶ TEXTRON AVIATION’S FLAGSHIP $26.9 MILLION Citation Longitude super- midsize business jet was granted provisional type certification by the FAA on Dec. 19. According to Brad Thress, Textron Aviation senior vice president of engineering, the provisional approval allows operators to begin flight training in the Longitude, including taking check rides, as they prepare to take delivery. However, until the re- striction is lifted, the aircraft may not operate under Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums (RVSM) nor conduct high-elevation takeoffs and landings. In addition, ser- vice on the aircraft’s electrical wiring interconnect system must be performed by Textron Avia- tion. The Longitude’s flight test program, including functional and reliability testing, was com- pleted in early November, Thress said. Meanwhile, Thress said in December that Textron Aviation “is pushing through the final documents” toward full certification and “We’re very, very, very close,” adding about 94% of the documents for certification were complete. A change in regulations created certification challenges for the Longitude. Thress explained, “It is the first all-new Part 25 we’ve done in many, many years. There were a lot of rule changes between now and then that we’ve learned an awful lot about.” This experience, he believes, will make the company more efficient during the development of the Hemisphere, the company’s largest Citation and another clean-sheet design. At issue has been the Longitude’s fuel system, which stores Jet-A in the wing with the center portion covered by an aerodynamic fairing, according to an FAA docket. Textron Aviation considers the fuel tank to be in a conventional unheated aluminum wing, which can be shown to meet flammability requirements through qualitative analysis, according to the docket. The FAA disagreed, and Textron is working to accommodate all technical objections. The Longitude was announced in 2012 and made its first flight on Oct. 8, 2016. The aircraft will accommodate up to 12 passengers in a flat- floor, 6-ft.-tall cabin. It has a 3,500-nm range and a full fuel payload of 1,600 lb. It is equipped with the Garmin G5000 flight deck, a head-up display and Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines with fully integrated autothrottles with envelope protec- tion. In October, NetJets placed an option to purchase up to 175 Longitudes. The agreement includes an option to begin deliveries in the second half of 2019 and ad- ditional options over the next 10-15 years. ▶ AS OF FEB. 1, AIRCRAFT OPERATORS HAVE JUST 11 MONTHS remaining to meet the equipage mandate for automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS- B) Out. Since that deadline was established a decade ago, those hoping it might yet be extended are likely to be disappointed. And if not so equipped, and certified as in compliance, the aircraft essentially cannot be operated in controlled airspace as of Jan. 1, 2020. How many airplanes need to be upgraded? Paula Derks, president of the Aircraft Electronics Association, recently cited the FAA estimate that more than 100,000 airplanes still need to equip, and so, “It’s going to be a busy year for avionics shops to meet the installation demand.” Since the shop backlog is likely to be long, she predicts installations will continue “well into 2020 and even into 2021.” As for the looming deadline, Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the NBAA, sees the situation as “a long way to go and a short time to get there” and thus the heightened need for “awareness, understanding, scheduling and capacity.” NEWS / ANALYSIS / TRENDS / ISSUES INTELLIGENCE For the latest news and information, go to aviationweek.com and bcadigital.com www.bcadigital.com Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 11 EDITED BY WILLIAM GARVEY, JESSICA A. SALERNO AND MOLLY MCMILLIN william.garvey@informa.com jessica.salerno@informa.com molly.mcmillin@informa.com Jet-A and Avgas Per-Gallon Fuel Prices January 2019 Jet-A Region High Low Average Eastern $8.50 $4.18 $6.14 New England $7.46 $3.62 $5.21 Great Lakes $8.09 $3.65 $5.42 Central $7.45 $3.27 $4.88 Southern $8.04 $4.20 $5.95 Southwest $6.70 $3.00 $5.16 NW Mountain $7.79 $3.20 $5.24 Western Pacific $8.06 $3.60 $5.84 Nationwide $7.76 $3.59 $5.48 Avgas Region High Low Average Eastern $8.70 $4.50 $6.44 New England $7.45 $4.35 $5.85 Great Lakes $8.59 $4.85 $6.03 Central $7.69 $4.39 $5.38 Southern $8.24 $4.25 $6.09 Southwest $7.17 $3.91 $5.51 NW Mountain $6.89 $4.60 $5.69 Western Pacific $8.52 $4.80 $6.24 Nationwide $7.91 $4.46 $5.90 The tables above show results of a fuel price survey of U.S. fuel suppliers performed in January 2019. This survey was conducted by Aviation Research Group/U.S. and reflects prices reported from over 200 FBOs located within the 48 contiguous United States. Prices are full retail and include all taxes and fees. For additional information, contact Aviation Research/U.S. Inc. at (513) 852-5110 or on the internet at www.aviationresearch.com Collins Aerospace is teaming with Inmarsat to offer Jet ConneX high- speed internet service to business air- craft operators. Under the agreement, Collins said it will work with Inmarsat to improve the infight experience of Jet ConneX customers with better data transfer between the aircraft and operations teams on the ground. The service will be offered as part of ARINCDirect. Collins is a division of United Technologies Corp., recently created by combining UTC Aerospace Systems and Rockwell Collins. Tecnam, the Italian aircraft manu- facturer, recently received full type certifcation for the P2012 Traveller from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); FAA certifcation was expected to follow shortly, with deliveries on track to begin early this year. The project was announced in 2015. The frst P2012 prototype made its initial fight in July 2016. Two prototypes few a total of 600 hr. The frst P2012 Traveller high- wing aircraft will be delivered to launch customer Cape Air, a com- muter airline based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Collins and Inmarsat Team Up for Jet ConneX EASA Certifies Tecnam P2012 Traveller ▶ ROLLS-ROYCE IS HOPING TO MAKE ITS MARK ON the electric aircraft speed record with a vision of breaking the 300 mph barrier in 2020. The British engine maker is cham- pioning electric flight through developments such as the E-fan demonstrator, working with Airbus and Siemens on a hybrid-electric propulsion system on an Avro RJ100 regional airliner testbed. But the company has also recognized that the general aviation market could allow it to develop electric systems much more quickly than with large-scale commercial or military programs. So, it has embarked on ACCEL — short for Accelerating the Electrification of Flight. The company is working with British electric-motor manufacturer YASA and startup firm Electroflight to adapt a Sharp Nemesis NXT racer to battery power. Nemesis’ own specifications claim the aircraft can cruise at 325 mph. Matheu Parr, ACCEL project manager, says Rolls-Royce is focusing on battery, powertrain and motor technologies to beat the current speed re- cord of 210 mph set in 2017 by an electric-powered Extra 330 aerobat modified by Siemens. Flight test- ing of the electric Nemesis is planned for early 2020. Ultimately, ACCEL envisions using a densely packed lithium-ion battery pack with 6,000 cells capable of delivering 750 kW of power. The batteries will power a trio of YASA-developed lightweight motors, with the propeller shaft running through all three. — Tony Osborne ▶ BYE AEROSPACE, WHICH IS DEVELOPING A FAMILY OF ELECTRIC aircraft, re- ceived a major investment by the Subaru-SBI Innovation Fund. Though the dollar amount was undisclosed, Bye says the investment will be used to advance the FAA’s certification process for the Sun Flyer 2 electric training aircraft, which is expected to be the first electric aircraft to receive FAR Part 23 type certification. “My sincere thanks to the Subaru-SBI Innovation Fund for their vision, their passion for our industry and their belief in electric propulsion,” said George Bye, founder and CEO of the eponymous development company. “This is Bye Aerospace’s largest individual investment to date.” Electric aircraft are receiving broad attention, said Itaru Ueda, manager of the Subaru-SBI Innovation Fund. “We expect the future of small electric airplanes to be led by Bye Aerospace.” The fund is used to invest in promising startup companies expected to generate synergies in Subaru’s existing and prospective business areas. ▶ BELL UNVEILED MAJOR CONFIGURATION DETAILS OF ITS NEXUS on-demand urban air mobility (UAM) concept at the recent Consumer Technology Association’s CES 2019 show in Las Vegas. The Nexus will feature six tilting ducted fans and will be sized to carry four passengers and a pilot. Powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system incorpo- rating batteries and an unspecified Safran turbine engine, the Nexus is designed to “safely and efficiently redefine air travel,” according to Michael Thacker, Bell’s executive vice president for technology and innovation. Bell is one of five companies teamed with Uber to develop urban air taxi demonstration vehicles for trials in Dallas and Los Angeles as early as 2020. “While we are not sharing specifics on active projects today,” says Thacker, “we believe that viable commercial operations are possible in the mid-2020s. He goes on to note that “the challenges facing our population centers are not going away and will not be solved by conventional means. There is a lot of work to be done to create a vi- able UAM network, but we believe the future is real and possible and coming soon to a city near you.” The Nexus is targeted at a range of 150 sm and a cruise speed of around 130 kt. Bell is aiming for a takeoff gross weight of 6,000 lb. and maximum payload capacity of 800-1,000 lb. — Guy Norris INTELLIGENCE 12 Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 www.bcadigital.com Gulfstream Aerospace set a world speed record in a G650ER on a fight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Dubai, a distance of 6,142 nm, in 11 hr., 2 min. The fight was com- pleted at an average speed of Mach 0.90. It beat a previous record by 1 hr., 48 min., Gulfstream said. Pending approval by the National Aeronautic Association, this record will be the G650 family’s 79th. Cirrus Aircraft cofounder and CEO Dale Klapmeier plans to relinquish his chief executive post and transition into a senior advisory role during the frst half of this year. Meanwhile, an internal and external search is under- way by the Duluth, Minnesota-based company. A CEO is expected to be named during that time period. “Tran- sitioning out of day-to-day operations will give me the opportunity to focus on long-term strategic opportunities,” Klapmeier said. Gulfstream Sets Speed Record in G650ER Klapmeier to Step Down as Cirrus CEO ▶ ASTM INTERNATIONAL HAS LAUNCHED A NEW CERTIFICATION program for business jet cabin crews by its affiliate, the National Center for Aerospace and Transportation Technologies (NCATT). According to Louisa Fisher, FlightSafety International’s manager for cabin safety, the NCATT effort is being administered worldwide by SpaceTEC Partners, a nonprofit, educational group performing workforce validation and headquartered in Titusville, Florida. Fisher was among a group of professionals who proctored the initial beta tests of the written exam. “Of those, approximately 80% passed and will receive certification,” she said. The exam has now been finalized and will be administered beginning later in the first quarter 2019. The Business Aviation Cabin Crew test requires candidates to demonstrate the knowledge and skills involved in aircraft safety procedures and cabin-service safety, as well as professionalism and discretion. “Since I began training cabin crewmembers, there have been ongoing requests from clients for accreditation,” Fisher says. “This new program meets the need for an objec- tive and industry-respected certification that recognizes the training and experience of cabin crewmembers.” The certification complements formal safety training by demonstrating a crewmember’s knowledge and commitment to the profession, said Mike Horan, lead safety flight attendant for the Altria Corp.’s flight department. Those are traits attractive to current and prospective employers. “The certification also serves to create a standard of excellence for pro- fessional crewmembers, without respect to where they received training, the size of their flight department, its geographical location or other factors,” Horan said. In FAR Part 135 charter and Part 91 corporate aircraft operations, there is no formal regulatory oversight of cabin crewmem- bers. And with the increasing technologically complex systems found in corporate aircraft today, organizers felt a formal certification effort was needed. The bulk of the testing covers the areas of passenger safety, customer service, cabin systems, security, food handling and cabin safety. The cost of certification is $175. Exams are administered online to registered candidates through the SpaceTEC examination management system, under the supervision of an approved test proctor. ▶ TEXTRON AVIATION IS ENHANCING THE ELECTRONICS on its Cessna and Beechcraft piston aircraft with standard and optional equipment as part of Garmin’s G1000 NXi integrated flight deck. This includes the Garmin GMA 1360 audio panel with enhanced audio capabilities and Bluetooth audio link to pair portable electronic devices to the flight deck. Other equipment includes the GFC 700 autopilot with enhanced automatic flight control system (E-AFCS). The equipment is standard on the 2019 production Cessna Skylane and Turbo Stationair HD, along with the Beechcraft Bo- nanza G36 and Baron G58, and is optional on the Cessna Skyhawk. The Baron G58 also comes equipped with Garmin’s new GWX 75 Doppler weather radar. Other optional features for the Cessna and Beech models include the Garmin GSR 56 Iridium satellite receiver. ▶ LONDON BIGGIN HILL AIRPORT REPORTS IT GREW BY 12% in 2018, as com- pared to what it claims was a 1% decline in business aviation activity at other London airports. It attributed its growth in part to its helicopter shuttle to downtown, extension of its operating hours, competitive handling fees and charges, and the absence of slot restrictions, with much of the activity stemming from the charter market. Robert Walters, the airport’s business development director, said, “Following significant investment in recent years, we have had an extraordinarily successful 2018 and finished the year on a particularly strong note. During December, we led the London market in terms of charter requests and saw a big increase in large-cabin aircraft movements of more than 25%. He continued, noting, “We have a number of projects coming to fruition during 2019 and we are thrilled to be starting the year on such a positive note.” www.bcadigital.com Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 13 AVIAA, an international group pur- chasing organization for business aviation, has signed a new preferred supplier partnership with Jetex, a ground handling specialist in the Middle Eastern region. The partner- ship will save clients on full business aircraft handling through select Jetex FBOs, the company said. The agree- ment was signed at Jetex’s VIP Dubai South facility at Dubai World Central Airport during December’s Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) Show. Baker Aviation has begun con- struction on two new hangars at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, with plans to centralize and expand its operations there. Baker Aviation Maintenance will move its FAR Part 145 repair station from Addison, Texas, to the Fort Worth headquarters. A new 30,500-sq.-ft. maintenance hangar is expected to open by November 2019. Adjacent to the hangar, Baker is constructing a 35,850-sq.-ft. facility for its Part 135 charter and aircraft management business. AVIAA Signs Supplier Partnership With Jetex Baker Aviation to Expand Fort Worth Facilities ▶ ATTENTION TO SAFETY IS TYPICAL AT ANY FBO, but American Aero at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (KFTW) has taken it to a higher level as the first ever to earn In- ternational Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) Stage 3 certification. The Stage 3 International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) approval issued in October 2018 verifies that safety management activities are fully integrated into an FBO’s business, and that a positive safety culture is being sustained. “The IBAC certification reflects that vision and demonstrates our commitment to deliver unparalleled safety and service,” commented entrepreneur and phi- lanthropist Robert M. Bass, who founded American Aero in 2012. The attention to safety at the Texas facility also ensures that 22 of the FBO’s staff members have completed third-party cardiopulmo- nary resuscitation (CPR) and first-aid training, and three of them have re- ceived emergency medical responder training. Further, the Avfuel tank farm is managed by a National Air Transportation Association Safety 1st-trained line staff. Safety also extends to the concept of environmental responsibility. Two American Aero buildings are certi- fied under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, and trained teams ensure that the storm-water pollution prevention program as well as the spill prevention, control and countermeasures are current and compliant. American Aero also engages in the principle of giving back. The facility has been participating in the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Christmas charity since opening its doors, and in that time has purchased 550 bicycles and helped gather another 1,200 gifts for children. “American Aero FTW has been a tremen- dous partner in our efforts and we are truly grateful for its support each year,” said Toys for Tots Coordinator Marine Staff Sgt. Jason Smith. Further, the FBO has donated more than $100,000 to the Navy SEAL Foundation since 2014. Funds raised are earmarked to support scholarships for Navy SEALs interested in earning a pilot license. American Aero was also recently ac- cepted as an approved gateway to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Further, the Signature Select American Aero program offers Signature Status and TailWins benefits and rewards. The touchpoints of service at American Aero include U.S. Customs clearance, free luxury crew cars 24/7, an industrial dishwasher, full audio/visual conference room, 11-acre ramp and personalized concierge service. The new, 8,400-sq.-ft. FBO terminal includes large window panels that automatically adjust the tint through an electrochromic process, ensuring clarity, reducing heat and glare, and cutting energy costs by 20 to 25%. “American Aero is focused on extending the inflight safety envelope to the ground-handling experience,” said Vice President Robert Agostino. “Our goal is to continue to provide our clients with unsurpassed service and to maximize safety margins when their aircraft is in use.” ▶ TAG AVIATION HAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED ITS FIRST FBO IN Asia-Pacific. Located in Macau, the new facility represents the fourth FBO for TAG Aviation globally. “The opening of our Macau FBO expands our global network to Asia and provides TAG Aviation with the operational capabilities to deliver world-class FBO services in the region,” said Steven Young, TAG Aviation Holding director and president of TAG Aviation Asia. The Macau FBO provides a compre- hensive suite of 24/7 business aviation services including passenger facilitation, VIP and business-executive amenities, on-site customs and immigration clearance, flight planning and chartering, along with aircraft maintenance and servicing capabilities. The Macau facility joins TAG’s international network of FBOs based at Farnborough, U.K., and Geneva and Sion, Switzerland. INTELLIGENCE/FBOs 14 Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 www.bcadigital.com TAG Aviation Farnborough Mainte- nance Services (TFMS) has marked the 15th year of maintenance ser- vices operations from its base at TAG Farnborough Airport. The milestone coincides with TFMS’s release of one of the world’s frst 48-month base checks on a Bombardier CL350 aircraft. The comprehensive main- tenance check included a complete cabin removal and reft. The sole full-service FBO at Naples Airport has announced a name change from Naples Airport Author- ity to Naples Aviation. “We’re excited about the new name, along with all of the changes that come with it,” said Mike Hushek, Naples Aviation’s FBO manager. “We have launched a new website for easier customer use and are offering competitive rates on jet fuel with Avfuel Contract Fuel.” With the addition of contract fuel, opera- tors will beneft from better-than- retail rates on jet fuel. TAG Celebrates 15 Years of Maintenance at Farnborough Naples Full-Service FBO Reveals New Name ▶ YINGLING AVIATION HAS ANNOUNCED A 73,000-SQ.-FT. EXPANSION to its facilities at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (KICT). The expansion brings its footprint to nearly 200,000 sq. ft. The company is building a $3 million, 23,000-sq.-ft. facil- ity for aircraft avionics and maintenance. Construction was scheduled to be completed in late January, said Yingling CEO Lynn Nichols. It also is leasing a 50,000-sq.-ft. facility, to be used for a paint hangar, prep hangar, ser- vice, aircraft interiors and offices. The space was formerly the home of Hawker Beech- craft Services. It was vacated after Textron Aviation combined the services with its Textron Aviation Service Center across the runway at KICT. The paint hangar will have capacity for aircraft up to Hawker 800 size. Yingling also is expanding its parking and ramp area. The facility will undergo a major renovation over the next year, in a project expected to cost between $500,000 and $1 million, Nichols said. “The opportunity to offer aircraft paint services has long been on our list of new services to provide, so having these facilities, particularly next door, is a perfect situation for us,” Nichols said. “Adding paint will complement our interior, avionics and aircraft maintenance services.” ▶ AJWA AVIATION SERVICES, BASED IN RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA, plans to con- struct a number of hangars on a secure site at Riyadh Airport as the number of customers grows. Saudi Arabia’s harsh weather, including dust and heat, can cause problems for aircraft, Ajwa CEO Abdulmajid Obaid said. Its hangars will help protect the aircraft. A later phase of construction will include heavy maintenance facilities. ▶ JAPANESE STARTUP EUGLENA HAS COMPLETED CONSTRUCTION of the country’s first demonstration plant for producing renewable jet and diesel fuel. The refinery, in Tsurumi, Yokohama, is to begin operation in spring 2019. Euglena has partnered with All Nippon Airways to conduct Japan’s first biofuel revenue flight in 2020, when Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympic Games. Other partners include automaker Isuzu, which was to begin using the renewable diesel in shuttle buses last month. The demonstration plant will produce renewable fuels from euglena microalgae and waste cooking oil using the Biofuels Isoconversion process licensed from Chevron Lummus Global and Applied Research Associates. — Graham Warwick ▶ LEE AEROSPACE HAS ANNOUNCED THE EXPANSION OF ITS FAR Part 145 ca- pabilities and its presence across the U.S. As of late December, the Lee Aerospace Part 145 Repair Station has added capabilities to include composite repairs on specific models for the main entry door assembly of the HondaJet. In addition to the existing certificate rating, which originally focused primarily on transparencies, Lee Aero- space is now expanding into other structural elements of the airframe. “We are well-known in the industry for our inspection, repair and installation of transparencies. However, we have manufactured composite assemblies and major aerostructures at Lee Aerospace for years. Adding this composite capability to our 145 certificate allows us the opportunity to perform repairs on structural assemblies that we know very well on the manufacturing side,” said Greg Piland, vice president of aftermarket sales and services. “This expansion is a natural progression for the company.” In addition to the new capability, the Lee Aerospace Part 145 Repair Station has added more service technicians on the West Coast. Lee now will be dispatching additional certified techni- cians out of Provo, Utah, to cover the western regions of the U.S. www.bcadigital.com Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 15 ▶ BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE DELIVERED ITS FIRST FLAGSHIP Global 7500 long-range business jet Dec. 20 at a ceremony at its Montreal headquarters. “This revo- lutionary aircraft is the gateway to a transformed business aviation landscape and a very bright future,” said David Coleal, Bombardier Business Aircraft president. Bombardier will lease the Global 7500 from its owner, whose name was not disclosed, to operate it on a demo tour this year. At the tour’s completion, the owner will take possession. The $73 million Global 7500 was launched in 2010 as the Global 7000; the name change reflects a 300-nm increase in range during flight testing to 7,700 nm. The aircraft also exceeded its original takeoff and landing perfor- mance commitments, including a takeoff distance of 5,800 ft., the company said. The aircraft re- ceived type certification by Transport Canada last September and by the FAA in November. It made its first flight on Nov. 4, 2016. The company has said it plans to deliver three to five aircraft during the first half of 2019 and 10 to 15 in the second half. It is sold out through 2021. Bombardier describes the aircraft as “the world’s larg- est, longest range and most luxurious purpose-built business jet,” and as the only one in its segment with four living sections, a full-size kitchen and a special crew suite. It comes equipped with the Vision flight deck with fly-by-wire technology and is powered by General Electric Passport engines that give it a top speed of Mach 0.925. ▶ WILLIAM “BILL” JUVONEN, A FORMER U.S. MARINE CORPS PILOT and well- known business aviation executive, passed away at his home in Stamford, Connecticut, on Dec. 22, 2018, after a long illness. He was 81. A native Californian and Stanford University graduate, he earned his Wings of Gold in 1961 and served as a carrier-based fighter and helicopter pilot. During one training mission, his Crusader’s wing failed, forcing Juvonen to eject over the desert in Yuma, Arizona. In a review of the incident, his commanding officer wrote, “controlled ejection, material failure, wing broke at fold, excellent job.” Upon entering civilian life, Juvonen was recruited by super salesman Jim Taylor to work with him at Pan Am Business Jets, which was then marketing the new Falcon 20. He later moved to Cessna with Taylor to introduce and sell the Citation 500 business jet. After that, he teamed with Taylor yet again at Canadair in launching the Challenger program. All efforts were tremendously suc- cessful. Upon the sale of Canadair, he took over marketing at Polaris Aircraft and later was co-founder and chairman of Flight Services Group Inc., a major corporate aircraft operator based in Stratford, Connecticut. ▶ BUSINESS JET DELIVERIES TO THE MIDDLE EAST ARE EXPECTED to total nearly 200 aircraft over the next decade, according to data from the Aviation Week Network, with 12 deliveries in 2019 rising to 20 in 2028. The top deliveries through the 10-year period from 2018 through 2028 are expected to be the Boeing 737 MAX, with 23 deliveries, followed by the Gulfstream G650, with the Bombardier Global 6500, Bombardier Global 7500 and the Gulfstream G600 tied for third place. At the same time, the business jet fleet in the Middle East is expected to grow to nearly 435 aircraft in 2019 and to 580 by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.3%, according to Aviation Week data. Delivery projections came ahead of the Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) Conference held Dec. 10-12 in Dubai. INTELLIGENCE 16 Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 www.bcadigital.com Textron Aviation is upgrading the fight deck capabilities to new-pro- duction Cessna Caravan and Grand Caravan EX turboprops. The features include new standard and optional equipment as part of Garmin’s G1000 NXi next-generation integrated fight deck. New options to the Caravan series include Garmin’s Enhanced Automatic Flight Control System. Fea- tures include electronic stability and protection, underspeed protection, emergency descent mode, coupled go-around and an auto-level function. New aviation rollup iAero Group has signed a defnitive agreement to purchase nearby Swift Air, an independent U.S. airline charter busi- ness. The acquisition adds to iAero’s portfolio of aviation businesses put together since its inception in early 2018, including the engine MRO and leasing company AeroThrust and air- frame MRO AeroTech. Miami-based iAero is located on a campus with more than 350,000 sq. ft. of offce and MRO space at Miami Interna- tional Airport. — Michael Bruno iAero Group Adds Swift Air Charter Business Textron Upgrades Cessna Caravan Flight Deck Questions for Sheryl Barden FAST FIVE INTERVIEW BY WILLIAM GARVEY 1 3 4 5 2 You’ve reviewed countless business aviation resumes. What makes for a good one? Barden: If you’re looking for a piloting position, it should describe your experi- ence in depth: hours, command time, ratings, aircraft flown, international versus domestic flying. But perhaps even more important is to detail what you’ve done to deliver the most value to your organization. How did you contribute? Rather than simply noting you were a safety pilot, note that you developed a safety manual or a FOQA [flight operations quality assurance] program with measurable results. Any time your actions saved the company money, or measurably increased safety or efficiency, they need to be highlighted. This is an opportunity to prove your value and that should not be wasted. Considering that piloting is a technical career, is a bachelor’s degree really a necessity anymore? Barden: It’s an important differentiator in any career field. It’s almost become a standard for anyone in business. It shows your dedication to education and to personal development. Are people being hired without one? Yes. Some build their hours first, and then get a degree on line, which is fine. But having a degree is espe- cially important for those hoping to get a leadership position in business aviation. Keep in mind that in business aviation you’re working with and serving some highly educated people and they want those around them to come from a similar place. The projections for growth in both airline travel and business aviation over the next decade and beyond are pretty heady. Do you think they’ll prove out? Barden: Aviation has always been a cyclical business and I have doubts that things will continue at this pace. Clouds of concern are building in our economy. Dick Van Gemert [former Xerox and KC Aviation executive] is an industry sage who I really look up to. He recently reminded me that history has shown us that aviation leads the downturn and lags in the recovery. I don’t think that’s changed. He cautioned people should have a Plan B and I think that’s good advice. And yet the combination of operational expansion and the forced retirement of a whole generation of airline pilots seems to have created a giant talent vacuum with all kinds of implications. Barden: The pilot shortage is the No. 1 topic in every pilot lounge; it’s the subject of the year! And some pilots are afraid they’re maybe going to miss the bubble. Char- ter and smaller fractional companies are really struggling to get and keep talent. There are corporate pilots holding their companies, their principal or the family for whom they work hostage by demanding compensation adjustments every couple of months. Some ugly things are coming out now, and in some places — not all — it’s a get-as-much-as-you-can game. And that saddens me since I don’t think they’re looking at the whole package. We have to find a place where we balance out and are compensated fairly and appropriately. I am not sure where that is. Isn’t trying to improve your circumstances a natural urge? Barden: Yes, but I’m concerned that in this frenzy, some are losing their moral compass. And if the demands for compensation are too high, and pilot salaries ap- proach those of their reporting executives, companies will look for other solutions. Keep in mind that the young CEOs don’t want to own things and also don’t place as high a value on face-to-face meetings. These “millennial values” will certainly have an effect on our world. Back in the Great Recession, pilots coined the phrase “will fly for food.” That wasn’t so long ago, and while it may be hard to believe today, somewhere down the road that may become a reality again. BCA Sheryl Barden President and CEO Aviation Personnel International (API), San Francisco The daughter of Jan Barden, who founded the renowned business aviation-oriented placement, recruitment and advisory firm 50 years ago, Sheryl Barden graduated from Penn State University and then made her mark in the paper goods industry, advancing through a variety of executive positions. After earning an MBA at the University of San Francisco, she joined API in 2001 and was named president two years later. She assumed the CEO responsi- bilities in 2013. In 2017, she was appointed to the NBAA’s board of directors and also serves as vice chair of its Associate Member Advisory Council. TAP HERE in the digital edition of BCA to hear more from this Interview or go to aviationweek.com/fastfive 18 Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 www.bcadigital.com DOWNLOAD YOURS AT: acukwik.com/products Know Before You Go THE DATA YOU TRUST IN A CONVENIENT, EASY-TO-USE APP IN A CONVENIENT Can you recall the last time you actually extracted your smoke- shield oxygen mask from its com- partment and visually checked it over? The current wording of FAR Part 121.333 says you should do exactly that on each preflight cockpit setup. But, as Ireland’s Air Accident Inves- tigation Unit (AAIU) pointed out after a recent incident, “it has become custom and practice” for pilots to check oxy- gen and microphone functions with the masks in-situ in their stowage boxes be- side crew stations rather than to physi- cally remove them for visual inspection. The case in point involved Embraer ERJ-190 air carrier pilots who found themselves with impaired visibility as they peered through scratched and de- graded oxygen masks while shooting a CAT II approach. The situation was aggravated by an intermittent micro- phone failure in the copilot’s mask. The aircraft — the AAIU doesn’t identify the carrier — pushed back at 0600 and launched from Cardiff Air- port (EGFF) in Wales at 0614 for a scheduled passenger flight to Dublin Airport (EIDW) in Ireland with a crew of five and 75 passengers. The 42-year- old captain was the pilot flying (PF), while the 27-year-old copilot was the pilot monitoring (PM) and performing most of the communications with ATC. The takeoff, climb, en-route and initial descent flight phases were routine. At 0635, the aircraft entered Dublin airspace and was cleared via a STAR for Runway 10. However, low-visibility weather conditions at Dublin had re- sulted in delays, and the incident flight was instructed to hold at BABON at FL 090, descending to FL 070. At 0706, ATC cleared the aircraft to leave the holding pattern and continue on the STAR to Runway 10. The flight was in and out of instrument conditions. Weather at Dublin included light rain and drizzle with scattered clouds at 100 ft. and a broken layer at 200 ft. Visibility was 3,500 meters (about 2 sm). As the aircraft departed the holding pattern, it entered the top of a cloud layer and the flight crew noticed a burn- ing smell, which they described as “sul- furous” and similar to that of “burning wood or paper.” The captain had experienced similar odors before and believed it might be originating from the aircraft oven. He contacted the senior cabin crewmember and asked if “everything was OK” in the cabin. In response he was told that the attendants could detect a burning smell in the rear of the cabin but that the ov- ens were not the source. The captain informed the copilot that there was a “smell of smoke in the cabin” and both pilots noted that the smell appeared to be getting more intense in the cockpit. When Irish Eyes . . . The importance of seeing things clearly BY RICHARD N. AARONS bcasafety@gmail.com Cause & Circumstance 20 Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 www.bcadigital.com Satellite image showing path of air (dashed red line) containing smoke from wildfires. Richard N. Aarons Safety Editor bcasafety@gmail.com So many destinations. So many aircraft. One source: aircharterguide.com. Know Your Options Cause & Circumstance 22 Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 www.bcadigital.com goggles, the captain elected to carry out a CAT I approach. The captain took over radio commu- nications and, at 0713, declared a PAN- PAN. ATC immediately gave priority to the flight and cleared it directly to GANET, a waypoint on the final ap- proach to Runway 10. However, the flight crew had difficulty program- ming the FMS to comply with this in- struction due to the restricted visibility through the goggles, and asked ATC to provide vectors to the Runway 10 localizer. The approach controller re- mained in contact with the aircraft throughout the event (rather than handing it off to the tower) until the aircraft had landed. Later, the captain would tell investigators that this action by the approach controller helped re- duce cockpit workload. The captain, frustrated by the poor visibility through the lens of his smoke goggles, briefly removed his mask to check if the smell of smoke was still present. It was, so he put his mask back on. At 0714, the aircraft was cleared to descend to 4,000 ft. and this was ac- knowledged by the copilot whose oxy- gen mask microphone now appeared to be functioning. With the copilot able to resume communication with ATC, the captain took the opportunity to brief the cabin crew, stating that the air- craft was on final approach to Dublin, they would be landing in approximately 8 min., to expect a normal landing, that he had informed ATC of the situation on board, and to await further instructions on landing. The copilotÕs oxygen mask micro- phone functioned normally until 0717, when she attempted unsuccessfully to contact ATC again. From this point, until the aircraft landed, all communi- cations between the aircraft and ATC were carried out by the captain. The pilots conducted the approach and landing checklists by holding the checklist up, pointing to an item and giv- ing a Òthumbs upÓ signal as a means of confirming the item had been actioned and positively checked as completed. This technique was made necessary by the restricted communications and reduced visibility through the oxygen mask face shields. Using this method, the aircraft was configured early for landing. The captain was able to see the aircraft flight instruments despite the problems with his goggles. The captain conducted the ILS ap- proach to Runway 10 with the autopilot Shortly thereafter, the captain real- ized that he had not heard the antici- pated copilotÕs transmissions through his headset, nor did he hear her inter- com transmissions. The copilotÕs oxy- gen mask microphone seemed to have failed, so the captain confirmed the clearance with ATC. Due to earlier low-visibility condi- tions at Dublin, the f light crew had expected and briefed for a CAT II ap- proach to Runway 10. However, due to the communication difficulties and restricted vision caused by the smoke (No crewmember saw smoke at any time during this incident.) At that point, both pilots donned their oxygen masks and noticed imme- diately that the face shield lenses were scratched. Indeed, their vision was ob- scured by the scratches and a Òwaxy coating.Ó The pilots established com- munications with each other speaking through the mask microphones. At 0712, ATC instructed the aircraft to descend to 5,000 ft. The controller heard no response from the aircraft and had to repeat this instruction twice. Exterior of pilot’s smoke goggles showing scratches. Copilot’s smoke goggles showing obscuring layer on inner surface. ▶ December 13 — At 1044 CST, a Piper PA24-250 (N6785P) crashed during a loss of control on initial climb after takeoff. The airplane was departing on Runway 9 at the Porter County Regional Airport (VPZ), Valparaiso, Indiana. The pilot was killed in the accident and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a personal flight. It was VFR for the flight, which was not on a flight plan. The flight was originating at the time of the accident for an unknown destination. Witnesses reported seeing the accident airplane taking off from Runway 9 at VPZ and when the airplane was a few hundred feet above the runway the right wing dropped and the airplane entered a spin to the right and hit the ground. A surveillance video from a camera mounted on a building near the accident captured the final portion of the accident sequence. The airplane can be seen entering the frame of the video and then the right-wing drops, and the airplane enters a spin to the right. The airplane completed one revolution in the spin before impacting the ground in a near vertical attitude. The Piper hit the ground about 3,700 ft. east of the approach end of Runway 9 and 250 ft. south of the runway centerline. The airplane was facing east and had crushing of the forward fuselage and the leading edges of both wings. The airplane had four fuel tanks. Each wing had a rubber bladder type main fuel tank within the wing structure, and a tip mounted tank. All four fuel tanks were ruptured, and no fuel remained in any tank. It was raining during the initial on-scene examination and no fuel odor was detected. The fuel selector valve was found positioned to the right fuel tank and the handle was in the detent for that position. The two electric fuel pumps were removed from the airframe and both electric fuel pumps pumped a liquid when electrical power was supplied to them. ▶ December 13 — About 1318 EST, a Czech Sport Aircraft PiperSport (N145MM) was heavily damaged during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power while on approach to Punta Gorda Airport (PGD), Punta Gorda, Florida. The sport pilot received minor injuries. It was VFR for the personal flight that departed Winter Haven’s Gilbert Airport (GIF), Winter Haven, Florida, about 1330. According to the pilot, the accident occurred on the second flight of the day. He departed PGD about 1015 with 29 gal. of 100LL aviation fuel on board and flew about 40 min. to GIF uneventfully, where he had lunch. He departed GIF about 1330 for the return flight to PGD. About 4 mi. from the airport, at 1,000 ft., he was cleared to land on Runway 15. While on an extended base leg of the traffic pattern, he turned on the electric fuel pump as prescribed in the descent checklist. As soon as he activated the switch, the engine lost all power. He switched fuel tanks and attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. Unable to reach the airport and at an altitude too low to deploy the airframe parachute, he selected a small field for a forced landing and advised the PGD control tower of his intentions. During landing, the airplane struck a fence and a utility pole. Examination of the wreckage by an FAA inspector revealed that all major components of the airplane were present at the accident site. The right wing was substantially damaged outboard of the wing root, and section outboard of the flap was completely separated. The left wing was substantially damaged aft of the spar and forward of the flap at the wing root, and along the entire chord outboard of the aileron. Fuel was present in both the left and right fuel tanks. The airplane was equipped with electronic primary and multifunction flight displays capable of recording flight and engine data. According to aircraft maintenance records, the most recent condition inspection was performed on November 8, 2018, at a total time of 552 hr., which was about 8 flight hours prior to the accident. The pilot reported approximately 2,500 hr. of total flight experience. ▶ December 4 — About 1055 EST, a Lancair LC41 (N618G) was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power Moscow, Pennsylvania. The private pilot was not injured. It was VFR for the personal flight Selected accidents and incidents in December and November 2018. The following information from the NTSB is preliminary. Compiled by Jessica A. Salerno Accidents in Brief www.bcadigital.com Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 23 engaged. He acquired the runway vi- sual references at approximately 300 ft. AGL, at which point he thumbed-off the autopilot and took over manual control for landing. The aircraft rolled out at 0723 and was met by the airport fire services after it cleared the active runway. The emergency crew informed the captain that there appeared to be no signs of fire or damage on the exterior of the aircraft. The flight crew removed their oxygen masks and noted that the smell of smoke had been reduced. The captain then asked the cabin crew for an assessment of conditions in the cabin and was told that the smell of smoke had lessened. With no obvious threat to safety, the flight crew requested taxi clearance to their parking position and disembarked their passengers normally at 0731. The Smoke The ERJ crew was not alone with smoke problems that day. The investi- gators were informed by the U.K. Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) that there had been a large number of similar reports that day, from a number of operators, regarding smoke/fumes in aircraft within U.K. airspace — at least 32 events. The AAIB stated that the smoke/ fumes were detected from between 2,000 ft. and FL 200, and that most of the aircraft either returned to land at the point of departure or expedited their existing approaches. Most crews declared either a PAN-PAN or a MAY- DAY and the majority of crews went on oxygen. The first event appears to have been around 0622 during depar- ture from Liverpool, climbing through Check, and a Detailed Visual Inspection Check. The inspection interval for both checks was every 3,750 flight hours. The last inspection was performed on the in- cident airplane’s masks on Dec. 18, 2016. The aircraft had flown 1,936 hr. since that inspection. The operator has since decided to check and clean the masks every 750 hr. The operator carried out a fleet in- spection of all ERJ 170-200 STD and ERJ 190-200 LR masks. Of the 57 masks checked, 17 were found serviceable, 36 required “cleaning to remove deposits on the surface of the lens, and four re- quired both cleaning to remove depos- its, and polishing to remove scratches to the surface of the lens.” (The operator also told the AAIU that one other flight crew had experienced smoke in the cockpit on the same day as the subject event, had donned their oxy- gen masks, and had experienced inter- mittent microphone performance with one of the oxygen masks.) The airline advised the AAIU that, “following a fleet-wide inspection, the majority of masks showed a buildup of dust, or debris, which necessitated that was operating on an IFR flight plan. The Lancair departed Wings Field Airport (LOM), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 1035, destined for Greater Binghamton Airport (BGM), Binghamton, New York. The pilot stated about 20 min. after departure the airplane shuttered. He adjusted the engine power and the airplane shook again. He advised the ATC he was having engine trouble and was given a heading to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP), Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton, Pennsylvania. The engine continued to shake, the pilot reported that there was smoke in the cockpit. About a minute later the engine lost power completely and he performed a forced landing to a field. An FAA inspector examined the airplane and noted there was substantial damage to the left wing and multiple holes in the top of the engine crankcase. The four-seat, low-wing, fixed landing gear equipped airplane was manufactured in 2004. It was powered by a Continental TSIO-550, 310-hp engine. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on March 7, 2018. At that time, he reported a total flight experience of 1,430 hr. At 1054, the weather conditions reported at AVP, about 6 mi. west of the accident site included, wind from 320 deg. at 13 kt., visibility 10 sm, few clouds at 3,000 ft., broken at 3,900 ft., temperature 1C, dew point -7C, and an altimeter setting of 30.11 in. of mercury. The wreckage was retained for further examination. ▶ November 29 — About 1421 EST, a Piper PA-30 airplane (N7751Y) impacted terrain following a loss of control shortly after takeoff from the Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ), Marion, Indiana. The airline transport pilot, who was the sole occupant, was killed and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual as an FAR Part 91 personal flight. It was VFR and there was no flight plan filed. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. According to witness information, the airplane departed Runway 22, climbed to about 500 ft. AGL, and began a left turn. During the left turn, the airplane “nose dived” in a downward spiral toward the terrain. The airplane crashed and a post- impact fire ensued. According to local authorities and witness information, the pilot, who was also an airframe and powerplant mechanic, had been troubleshooting an unspecified problem with the left engine. One witness described the accident flight as “test flight.” The airplane wreckage was located in a soft and wet harvested soybean field about 1/4 mi. south of MZZ. Post- accident examination of the airplane showed the fuselage, empennage and inboard sections of both wings were consumed by post-impact fire. The left engine and propeller assembly remained Accidents in Brief Cause & Circumstance 24 Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 www.bcadigital.com by Ophelia.” Satellite imagery from EUMETSAT verified this theory. The Irish investigators pointed out that ICAO standards and recommenda- tions for SIGMETs list thunderstorms, cyclones, severe turbulence, severe ic- ing, severe mountain waves, dust or sand storms, and volcanic ash — but there is no requirement to include the presence of large quantities of smoke in the atmosphere. Subsequently, the Irish AAIU recommended that ICAO include heavy atmospheric smoke in its SIGMET standards. Oxygen Mask Smoke Shields Following the event, an AAIU techni- cal team examined the subject ERJ’s masks. Visibility through the lenses of both pilots’ masks was found to be se- verely restricted by scratches on the outer surface and an obscuring layer on the inner surface. (The copilot’s mask microphone tested operational using the aircraft’s intercom.) The Maintenance Planning Docu- ment (MPD) issued by Embraer calls for two mask checks: an Operational FL 130; the aircraft returned to land. There were clusters of affected aircraft in the Channel Islands, Liverpool, Man- chester and, later in the day, at London. It turned out that up to 8,000 wild- fires were burning between Oct. 13 and 18 across northern Portugal and north- western Spain. Hurricane Ophelia was passing by offshore, fanning the fires and pushing the smoke northward along with its own path. Ireland’s weather service said later that “the sheer scale of the wildfires in that area meant that the air quickly be- came highly concentrated with dense smoke. With this being the source area for the air mass over Dublin at 0700z and the strong winds dragging this air quickly northward, it is perhaps un- surprising that the smoke was dense enough to register in the cockpits of commercial aircraft flying at the time.” “As a result,” said the Irish air safety investigators, “it is clear that the detec- tion of smoke on numerous commercial aircraft on that date can be attributed to the rapid advection of air laden with particulates from Iberian wildfires northward over Ireland and the U.K. cleaning of the lenses. The inspection did not identify any specific cause of the contamination, and it was considered just time-related insofar as the buildup was concerned.” The manufacturer of the oxygen mask told the AAIU that the mask lenses were affected by “blooming.” This is a condition in which additives in the lens base material (polymer) have migrated and collected on the surface of the lens, thereby causing a reduc- tion in visual clarity. The effect had been reported by other operators, and the manufacturer issued information and training videos for proper clean- ing methods to mitigate the problem. “For new production masks built from October 2017, we have implemented an ultrasonic cleaning for the lenses dur- ing our production process. This step is intended to eliminate the blooming,” said the manufacturer. Probable Cause The AAIU found the probable cause of this incident was the “smell of smoke in the aircraft, necessitating the donning of oxygen masks by the flight crew, which compromised crew performance due to communications difficulties and obstructed visibility through the mask lenses.” Contributing causes were: (1) Smoke from wildfires on the Ibe- rian Peninsula drawn toward Ireland and the U.K. (2) Lack of a formal method to no- tify flight crew of such atmospheric conditions. (3) Propensity of the surface of oxygen mask lenses to suffer “blooming.” (4) Inspection frequency insufficient to detect blooming and environmental contamination on the surface of mask lenses. The AAIU recommended that ICAO consider the inclusion, as appropriate, in its SIGMET requirements the provi- sion of information to flight crews on the presence of smoke in the atmosphere from ground fires. The investigators also recommended that the FAA review the FARs relating to preflight inspection of flight-crew oxygen equipment, to ensure that they address the use of stowed oxygen masks. WhatÕs to Be Done? With all that said, it might be a good prac- tice to drag your goggle-equipped oxy- gen mask out of its box once in a while to check it over. Indeed, that check might become part of your checklist someday. After all, as stated in Part 121 (Operating Requirements: Domestic, Flag and Sup- plemental Operations), Section 121.333, Supplemental Oxygen, Paragraph (c), Use of Oxygen Masks by Flight Crew- members, Sub-paragraph (4): “Before the takeoff of a flight, each flight crewmember shall personally pre- flight his oxygen equipment to ensure that the oxygen mask is functioning, fitted properly and connected to appropriate supply terminals, and that the oxygen sup- ply and pressure are adequate for use.” When asked about this reg, according to the AAIU, the FAA said that the regu- lation “may potentially mean that prior to each flight a flight crewmember would physically inspect a mask, by placing it on their face to check fit and function. Thus, by default, visibility through integrated goggles, if fitted, would also be checked.” Seems like a good idea. BCA partially attached to the airframe. One propeller blade showed no damage, and one propeller blade was straight and bent aft. The right engine remained partially attached to the airframe, and the right propeller assembly was separated from the engine, aft of the crankshaft flange. One blade was twisted and bent forward, and one blade was twisted and bent aft. ▶ November 26 — About 1950 MST, a Mooney M20C airplane (N113TA) impacted terrain about 1/3-mi. south of the Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF), Santa Fe, New Mexico. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post-impact fire. The airplane was registered to Nelson Flying Service and operated by the pilot as a Part 91 positioning flight. Night VFR conditions prevailed. There was no flight plan filed for the flight that originated from the Phoenix Goodyear Airport (GYR), Goodyear, Arizona about 1500 and was destined for the Colorado Plains Airport (AKO), Akron, Colorado. A friend reported that the pilot had recently purchased the airplane and was planning to relocate it to AKO in order to have an annual inspection completed. Employees of the Lux Air Jet Center at GYR reported that the pilot had completed some maintenance on the airplane during the preceding few weeks. However, they had not provided any maintenance services to the pilot and, to their knowledge, there had been no other third-party maintenance work done on the airplane. The airplane was fueled about one month before the accident flight at the request of the pilot. A witness stated that he observed the airplane twice shortly before the accident. Initially, he heard the airplane but did not see it. He was only able to locate it from the ambient lighting surrounding the airport because there were “no lights whatsoever on the airplane.” The airplane appeared to be on an “abbreviated” left downwind for Runway 20 at SAF. In both instances, the airplane turned and crossed over the approach end of the runway before he lost sight of it. His perception was that the pilot was not trying to land at that time, rather he may have been trying to attract the attention of the tower controller. The airplane appeared to be in a “clean” configuration, with the landing gear and wing flaps retracted. The engine sounded as if it was at a “medium” power setting and he did not suspect any issues with the engine. Shortly after losing sight of the airplane the second time, he heard sirens related to the emergency response to the accident. The airplane impacted a shallow ravine south of the airport. The fuselage and empennage were consumed by a post-impact fire. The wings were located in position relative to the fuselage and exhibited leading-edge crushing damage along the entire span of both wings. The inboard portions of the wings were damaged by the post-impact fire. The engine and propeller were located with the wreckage. At 1953, the recorded weather conditions at SAF included a clear sky and wind from 360 deg. at 4 kt. Sunset occurred at 1652 on the day of the accident, with civil twilight ending at 1719. The moon set at 1015 and did not rise again until 2034. BCA www.bcadigital.com Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 25 “Sometimes paranoia’s just having all the facts.” — William S. Burroughs Let me admit up front that I am par- anoid about all things aviation. For some reason, I have no problem making assumptions and trusting others when away from airplanes, but the minute aviation is involved, I turn into another person. I know all of this because there are pilots who don’t have the same level of mistrust and are only too eager to let me know that I have a serious trust problem. As far as I can see, we pilots fit into two groups. Half of us are compelled to double-check things that have already been checked. We need to see technol- ogy safeguards in action under various circumstances to learn to start to re- lax. We hear about another pilot’s mis- fortune and immediately think, “That could have been me!” And the other half? They are the ones not caring a whit until they are bitten by a mistake and have to resort to the lamest excuse of them all: “There are those who have and those who will.” Some of these mountains disguised as mole hills seem to be of such a ran- dom (or rare) occurrence that you are tempted to dismiss them as “one of those things.” When someone more paranoid than you suggests a technique to avoid recurrence, your first reaction may be to dismiss the whole idea. “It will never happen again” may morph into “it hardly ever happens.” Then one day, if you are the one bitten, it will sud- denly hit you: “That was a pretty good idea after all.” So, here are a few examples of my paranoia and case studies where a lit- tle of that condition would have saved lives, or at the very least, would have spared the aircraft from significant damage. But good paranoia extends beyond specific case studies and tech- niques. If you learn to harness your inner paranoid pilot, you too can spot opportunities to prevent the next big mistake from biting you or your peers. Paranoid About Fuel In all my years of flying I have only twice felt unsure about having enough fuel to make it to Point B after thinking I had enough when leaving Point A. The first time was in an Air Force T-37B leaving McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey for what used to be Loring Air Force Base, Maine. Air traffic control held us down at 6,000 ft. as our hungry J69 engines devoured what little fuel we had at twice our planned rate. The second time was in an Air Force Boeing 707 flying from Honolulu to Anchorage, Alaska (PANC). At the proverbial equal time point, one of our largest fuel tanks started to vent into the aft cabin and out the tail of the airplane. In the first case, I was clearly an idiot for not declaring an emergency and reversing course. In the second, I was a victim of circumstance. We landed safely both times, but the lesson was Paranoid Pilots Club A few techniques from a charter member BY JAMES ALBRIGHT james@code7700.com Safety 26 Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 www.bcadigital.com A pilot’s last chance inspection before engine start. JAMES ALBRIGHT www.bcadigital.com Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 27 and how much you need to complete the flight at any point while aloft. You should have an idea of how much fuel your airplane burns per hour on average. You may need to adjust the burn rate with the passing hours, but you should come up with a simple met- ric that can be easily memorized and applied. If the rule of thumb is too com- plicated, it is more likely to be forgotten or applied incorrectly. In the Boeing 747-200s that I used to fly, we tended to burn an average of 26,000 lb. of fuel per hour. If we were flying a 5-hr. leg, for example, we needed at least 130,000 lb. This is fuel loading with the accuracy of a sledge- hammer, but it is good enough to real- ize that 100,000 lb. of fuel in the tanks isn’t enough. In my current aircraft, a Gulfstream G450, I plan on 4,000 lb. the first hour, 3,500 lb. the second, and 3,000 lb. from then on. Once again, I would never plan my fuel loads with such a crude estimate, but it helps me apply a reasonableness check. I once fell into a common trap of those who fly the same trip, over and over. I was used to arriving at Teter- boro Airport, New Jersey (KTEB), and asking for the minimum amount of fuel to waive handling fees. For my aircraft at our favorite FBO, that meant 560 gal., more than enough to make it home to Hanscom Field, Bed- ford, Massachusetts (KBED). One day we broke the pattern with a second leg to Mexico City. As the fuel truck driver gave me the “I’m done, are we done?” thumbs up, I looked at the fuel gauges and realized 10,000 lb. of total complete the flight to Portugal, they elected to divert to Lajes. Since there was no external sign of a fuel loss from the wings, the crew con- tinued to believe the warnings were false. It appears that the fuel leaking from the right engine was vaporizing into the engine’s exhaust, unseen from the cabin. About 150 mi. from Lajes, the right engine flamed out, followed by the left engine when they still had 65 nm to go. The captain very ably glided the airplane to the runway, flew a 360-deg. turn to lose altitude, and crossed the threshold at 200 kt. The aircraft came to a stop 7,600 ft. down the 10,000-ft. runway. There were a few minor and serious injuries, but no fatalities. The captain received the Air Line Pilots Association Superior Airman- ship Award the next year. I agree that his airmanship following the loss of both engines was indeed superior. But I think his poor airmanship prior to the fuel imbalance caused the event in the first place. Had the crew referred to their fuel imbalance procedure, they would have been led to the fuel leak checklist. That checklist would have had them shut down the right engine and stopped the fuel leak. You may think that I am guilty of “Monday morning quarterbacking,” but those are the facts as presented by the ac- cident board. Putting the question of blame aside, I think a simple technique can help you avoid a similar fate to this and other fuel shortage problems. All that is re- quired is a ballpark estimate of how much fuel you need to start a flight, the same: You need to worry about hav- ing enough gas from the moment the fuel truck arrives until the engines are shut down at your destination. The captain of Air Transat Flight 236 back on Aug. 24, 2001, could have benefited from this kind of paranoia. While he is looked upon as a hero in some aviation circles, there is no es- caping the conclusion of the Portugal Aircraft Accident Board: He failed to recognize a fuel leak situation and turned his Airbus into a glider. The flight was scheduled to fly from Toronto-Pearson International Air- port, Canada (CYYZ) to Lisboa-Portela de Sacavém Airport, Portugal (LPPT). The aircraft was loaded with 47.9 met- ric tons of fuel, including a 5.5-metric ton-reserve. But the crew ran out of gas and flew a flawless dead stick land- ing into Lajes Airport, Azores (LPLA). This story is filled with complica- tions, as these stories often are. It be- gan with a right engine change a week prior to the incident flight, but the new engine was slightly modified and called for a post-modification hydraulic pump. Evidence indicates that since the new type of pump wasn’t available, a screw- driver or other blunt instrument was used to wedge the existing pump’s hy- draulic lines into place with just barely adequate clearance from adjacent fuel lines. But these lines tend to flex once pressurized and they contacted and started to fatigue prematurely. About 4 hr. after takeoff, passing 30 deg. west longitude, the fuel line finally fractured. The aircraft’s warning system noti- fied the crew that they had a fuel im- balance, with the left wing becoming too heavy. The crew ran the fuel imbal- ance checklist from memory by open- ing the crossflow valve, turning off the fuel pumps on the right side, and allow- ing the heavy left wing to feed the light right wing. Although they realized their total fuel was dropping below flight plan predictions, they did not consider the possibility of a fuel leak. Once the total fuel fell below that required to Air Transat 236’s cracked fuel pipe PORTUGAL ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION FINAL REPORT ROLAND WINKLER Gulfstream G450 N667HS Safety 28 Business & Commercial Aviation | February 2019 www.bcadigital.com remove the forgotten pins. There are many “don’t forget the pins” techniques, often employed by pilots who have forgotten theirs and are determined not to repeat. My tech- nique is about as simple as most but requires the ritualization of a few extra steps. Our aircraft came with a metal storage block used to keep the pins neatly organized that many pilots could dismiss as an odd piece of bling with a strange notch cut into it. But there is an ingenious purpose behind the notch because in some Gulfstream aircraft it is designed to fit between the cockpit’s gustlock and flap handles. If installed activated. The nose landing gear re- tracted, causing the nose to fall on to the pavement. Since the main landing gear had a higher proportion of weight and a different mechanical downlock system, the mains remained extended. The aircraft was damaged significantly. Even on an aircraft with a more con- ventional downlock system, pilots for- getting the gear pins prior to takeoff can suffer major embarrassment if the aircraft is too heavy to return for land- ing without spending hours burning holes in the sky to reduce weight. At the very least, pilots lose significant “pilot style points” when having to return to fuel wasn’t enough to fly the 5-hr. trip ahead. The technique can be extended to hourly checkpoints during flight. We of- ten do this during oceanic flights when comparing total fuel to our master doc- uments. Of course, we have more divert options when flying domestically, but the technique is equally valid. Flying from coast-to-coast in the U.S. with 3 hr. to go, an airplane that burns 3,000 lb. an hour with only 6,000 lb. on board will probably come up short Paranoid About Gear Pins When I was a new hire in a Gulfstream GV flight department, I retained my practice of always showing the other pilot the gear pins after I had pulled them. We had three pilots in the flight department and I was junior in senior- ity. The other two pilots said it was un- necessary to show the gear pins as “we” would never forget them. They allowed me to continue my practice but refused to join in. This went on for two years un- til they departed one day with the gear pins installed. To their credit, they ran the proper checklists, landed, pulled the pins, and continued. You cannot pull the pins on a GV- series aircraft after attempting to raise the gear handle without running a checklist to reset the electronic gear selector valve. The gear handle on this airplane is nothing more than an elec- trical switch connected to a black box that controls the hydraulics. If the pro- cess is interrupted by forgotten gear pins, a checklist is needed to bring ev- erything back in sync with the gear han- dle. It is definitely counterintuitive to any pilot used to a conventional landing gear system. But not every GV-series crew is sufficiently paranoid about this. On April 11, 2017, t