Flight Safety Information - July 20, 2023 No. 139 In This Issue : Incident: El Al B738 at Larnaca on Jul 18th 2023, burst tyre on landing : Incident: American A320 at Charlotte on Jul 18th 2023, suspected bird strike : Congress Looks to Improve Air Travel Through F.A.A. Reauthorization : BEYOND AUTOMATION: HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS TRANSFORMING AVIATION : House rejects adding flights at Congress’ pet airport : Airlines Dole Out Free Wi-Fi in Exchange For Your Loyalty : Vertical Aerospace achieves successful electric flight with full-scale aircraft : FAA Proposes Rule to Enhance Safety and Performance of Light Sport Aircraft : LIGHT SPORT ENVELOPE EXPANSION PROPOSED AT LAST : National pilot shortage is impacting Hawaii travel : This new factory will turn CO2 into sustainable jet fuel Incident: El Al B738 at Larnaca on Jul 18th 2023, burst tyre on landing An El AL Boeing 737-800, registration 4X-EKR performing flight LY-5133 from Tel Aviv (Israel) to Larnaca (Cyprus), landed on Larnaca's runway 22 but burst a tyre. The aircraft was unable to vacate the runway, about 30 minutes after landing the aircraft was towed to the apron. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 6 hours, then departed for the return flight and reached Tel Aviv with a delay of about 5 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=50bf7742&opt=0 Incident: American A320 at Charlotte on Jul 18th 2023, suspected bird strike An American Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N680AW performing flight AA-648 from Charlotte,NC to Indianapolis,IN (USA), was climbing out of Charlotte's runway 18L when the crew stopped the climb at 6000 feet reporting they suspected a bird strike. The aircraft returned to Charlotte for a safe landing on runway 18L about 13 minutes after departure. The flight is now estimated to be postponed to the next day and to arrive in Indianapolis with a delay of 13:15 hours. The aircraft is still on the ground in Charlotte about 7 hours after landing back. The airline reported a possible mechanical issue, maintenance found no evidence of a bird strike. Passengers on another flight reported their crew announced they were delayed due to another aircraft in emergency after a bird strike. https://avherald.com/h?article=50bf44d6&opt=0 Congress Looks to Improve Air Travel Through F.A.A. Reauthorization The House cleared away a number of potential sticking points that threatened to hold up the bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. Congress is working to overhaul air travel at a time of growing dysfunction and disruption in the system, as lawmakers haggle over a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for the next half-decade and make a number of changes that could affect passengers. The House is set on Thursday to pass its version of the legislation, which would evaluate airlines’ refunds and reimbursement obligations to passengers, enhance protections for passengers with disabilities, address an air traffic controller shortage, bolster aviation safety, unlock funding to modernize airport infrastructure, invest in upgrades to the agency’s technology and more. A number of sticking points had threatened to hold up a final agreement, including disputes over proposed changes to a pilot training rule and an increase to the pilot retirement age. Republicans and the airline industry largely oppose new regulations of the industry intended to strengthen consumer protections. And Washington-area representatives have said they would block the measure if it allowed for more long-distance flights in and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, just outside the capital. But the House dispensed with some of the major potential obstacles on Wednesday night. It narrowly rejected, 229 to 205, a bipartisan proposal to add seven new round-trip flights to Reagan National Airport, potentially smoothing the road to final passage. The House approved a bipartisan amendment that would maintain the current standards for pilot training, blocking a proposed change that had been supported by Representative Sam Graves, the Missouri Republican who leads the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but that faced staunch opposition in the Senate. The battles had threatened to muck up Congress’s opportunity to try to improve air travel for consumers amid thousands of recent flight delays or cancellations, an uptick in near collisions on runways, a strained air traffic controller work force and a surge in travel coming out of the coronavirus pandemic. And disruptions are only expected to worsen as climate change leads to more extreme weather that grounds flights. “To be very blunt, the major obstacle to improving service is the industry’s lobbying,” Senator Richard Blumenthal said, referring to airlines. Credit...Kenny Holston/The New York Times The Senate Commerce Committee plans to consider its version of the bill this month, and the two sides then must reconcile their competing proposals by the end of September, when the current authorization expires. The Senate’s bill includes a number of consumer protections that airlines have denounced as overly burdensome and said would make air travel more expensive and less accessible. Those measures are also likely to face resistance from the Republican-led House. Republicans have argued that deregulation of airlines has strengthened competition between carriers and improved the customer experience, and that new regulations would stifle competition. “This legislation addresses many of the concerns we hear from the flying public every day,” Representative Garret Graves, Republican of Louisiana and chairman of the Transportation Committee’s aviation subcommittee, said on the House floor on Wednesday. But he expressed concern in an interview that the Senate’s proposed consumer protections would be too wide-ranging and imprecise. “We’ve got to make sure that the solutions are being put in the right places, meaning you can’t blame the airlines for air traffic control, you can’t blame T.S.A. for airlines,” he said, referring to the Transportation Security Administration. Democrats have accused the airline industry of resisting needed regulations. “To be very blunt, the major obstacle to improving service is the industry’s lobbying,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who along with Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts led a group of Democratic senators in introducing a “passengers’ bill of rights” bill this year. Among other measures, their legislation would bar airlines from charging “unreasonable or disproportionate” fees for services like checked bags and seat selection, and mandate that airlines compensate passengers denied boarding because of an oversold flight and refund baggage fees in the case of lost luggage. How Times reporters cover politics. Times journalists may vote, but they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. That includes participating in rallies and donating money to a candidate or cause. The industry, Mr. Blumenthal said, “has dollars and lawyers and lobbyists that enable it to block effective reform, including a bill of rights for passengers.” Marli Collier, a spokeswoman for Airlines for America, which represents major airlines, said in a statement that “it is in the interest of all U.S. airlines to provide a positive flight experience for all passengers.” She said the group’s members “abide by” and “frequently exceed” the Transportation Department’s regulations protecting consumers. The F.A.A. bill has also become a magnet for dozens of narrower disputes, including regional fights that have defied the usual political alliances in Congress. One was the battle to defend the decades-old federal rule dictating the number of long-distance round-trip flights out of Reagan National Airport, which sits just across the Potomac River from the Capitol and is the airport of choice for many members of Congress. Dozens of lawmakers, including some who could benefit from a more convenient commute to Washington if the so-called slot perimeter rule is changed, have pushed to increase the number of long-distance flights out of the airport, arguing that the change would increase competition and lower prices. Washington-area lawmakers whose constituents would be most affected by the change counter that the airport is already over capacity. The rule has “limited access and increased costs” for people looking to visit Washington, Representative Burgess Owens, the Utah Republican who offered the provision to add flights, said on Wednesday. But Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, had warned that any change to the rule would be “guaranteed to delay” the bill. Regional and policy battles have threatened to muck up Congress’s opportunity to try to improve air travel for consumers.Credit...Tom Brenner for The New York Times Congress is also at odds over raising the mandatory pilot retirement age from 65 to 67, a change sought by Representative Troy Nehls, Republican of Texas, whose brother is an airline pilot about to turn 65, and championed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The offices of Mr. Nehls and Mr. McCarthy did not respond to a request for comment. Proponents argue that the increase would help stem a tide of retirements draining an already-stretched pilot work force. Opponents in both parties, which include unions and the Biden administration, argue the change would not bolster the work force, but would affect safety, cause legal woes and pose logistical challenges because pilots older than 65 are barred from flying internationally. The Senate bill has also been hamstrung for weeks over changes by Senators John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, and Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent, to a rule dictating the amount and type of flight time pilots must accrue to fly commercially. The House’s vote on Wednesday to maintain the current standards struck down a provision in the bill that would have allowed certain pilots to count more hours of simulated flight toward the requirements. “Our job as elected leaders is to protect public safety and to help ensure that no other family suffers the heartbreak of losing a loved one to an avoidable air tragedy,” Representative Nick Langworthy, the New York Republican who offered the amendment, said on the House floor on Wednesday. The pilot training rule was instituted after a plane crashed near Buffalo in 2009, killing everyone aboard. Sam Graves, the Transportation Committee chairman, who is himself a commercially certified pilot, had argued that simulators offer prospective pilots more opportunities to train in scenarios they could not easily replicate in real life. Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and the chairwoman of the aviation subcommittee, has insisted on maintaining the training standards and introduced a bill on Tuesday to strengthen and protect the rule. “This is my red line. We cannot decrease flying hours at the risk of public safety,” Ms. Duckworth, a former Army helicopter pilot, told reporters. “I am not going to be complicit in efforts to lower the real-world flight hours requirements that protect the flying public, in the middle of an aviation safety crisis. And I will not budge on that.” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/20/us/politics/faa-air-travel-planes-congress.html BEYOND AUTOMATION: HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS TRANSFORMING AVIATION More than a century after the invention of the autopilot, aerospace engineers are still working to bring more automated processes into aircraft cockpits to enhance safety, increase efficiency, and reduce pilot workload. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), autopilot technology has evolved from simple devices that maintain an aircraft’s altitude and heading to fully autonomous flight control systems capable of performing gate-to-gate operations without any human input. One way or another, almost every aerospace and defense company is looking to exploit the potential for AI to improve their aircraft and other systems. This ubiquitous and rapidly morphing technology sphere has sparked extensive discussions at major international aerospace events recently, such as this year's Paris Airshow and the annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition. In May, EASA released its new AI Roadmap 2.0, which is intended to advance "the human-centric approach to integrating artificial intelligence in aviation. The updated document incorporates progress achieved in the field since the publication of the air safety agency's first roadmap was published in February 2020, drawing on AI use cases involving aerospace companies, research centers, and academics. According to EASA, the new roadmap, "provides a comprehensive plan for the safe and trustworthy integration of AIN in aviation, with a focus on safety, security, AI assurance, human factors and ethical considerations." In May, the organization also published a new report on research it commissioned into machine learning application approval, which highlights approaches to evaluating and certifying AI-based systems. But AI isn’t only changing the way airplanes fly—it’s transforming nearly every aspect of aviation on the ground, too. As AI and machine-learning technology have matured in recent years, the aviation industry has explored ways to capitalize on it by making processes more efficient and often safer. For example, aircraft manufacturers and service technicians can use AI software and robots, including language learning models like ChatGPT, to streamline assembly and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) processes. Airlines and other operators can also use AI for fleet optimization, flight planning, and ground operations. Engineers developing aircraft can use AI tools to facilitate and speed up the design and certification of products before they even hit the market. AI isn’t just the way of the future. The aviation industry already has used at least some primitive form of AI technology for years, particularly for manufacturing and MRO. Traditional AI relies on human programmers to define rules and algorithms for pattern-matching and decision-making processes, and it can analyze large datasets much faster than humans. For example, MRO providers might use AI to analyze data from the various sensors onboard an aircraft to predict potential maintenance needs before they arise. GENERATIVE AI IS CHANGING THE GAME Although the aerospace industry already widely uses AI for various applications, it has only just begun to make an impact. In the coming years, new applications will begin to emerge as companies find ways to take advantage of generative AI—models like ChatGPT that use machine learning and deep neural networks to generate outputs not predefined by human programmers. “AI is already helping both manufacturing and repair and maintenance users to work with robots much better,” Rishi Ranjan, founder and CEO of GridRaster, told AIN. GridRaster is a software company that specializes in “extended reality” technologies, like augmented reality and virtual reality, that employ AI and spatial mapping software. It provides such tools for the aerospace and automotive industries and works with several top U.S. defense contractors. According to Ranjan, the U.S. Department of Defense and its top contractors already use traditional AI tools, but generative AI has the potential to make a much bigger impact on defense applications, as well as on the wider aviation industry. “We strongly believe that generative AI will really start helping scale these things to the much bigger aerospace industry in the next two to 10 years,” he said. ChatGPT and other language-learning AI models like it generally are adept at disseminating an astronomical amount of information to yield relevant and—mostly—accurate output almost instantly. It can tell one how to build and certify an airplane, provide tips for improving the aerodynamics of an airframe, and even generate maintenance schedules for specific aircraft. But the greatest value of generative AI models like ChatGPT will come when aerospace companies begin to verticalize the technology, integrating it with their own intellectual property for internal use, Ranjan said. While ChatGPT and other generative AI models can access all the information publicly available on the internet, they don’t have access to companies’ valuable, private intellectual property. Giving AI access to that highly protected information would open up a world of new use cases for AI across the industry. “For the real use, what will happen is that companies will have to pay for an AI model like ChatGPT and start training it—whether ChatGPT enables that or someone will come up with a solution—so that you can take this massively large learning model and now start training it with proprietary data,” Ranjan said. “That will be true for pretty much every enterprise where IT is very important.” AI MAKES FASTER, BETTER DIGITAL TWINS While ChatGPT is a language-learning model that only outputs text, generative AI can also create images and 3D models. In aerospace, that can be particularly useful for generating digital twins. Aircraft developers and MRO providers alike nowadays often rely on sophisticated virtual models known as digital twins to simulate products, like aircraft and their various subsystems, in a digital environment. Engineers can leverage digital twins to speed product development timelines by reducing the need to physically build and test things, thereby minimizing costs. MRO technicians use digital twins for predictive maintenance and to detect anomalies by comparing real-world sensor data to the data generated by digital twins. While digital twins can help to save time and resources, they’re also expensive and time-consuming to create. But generative AI will soon make the process of building digital twins much faster. “Traditional AI is still very manual, and a digital twin is an extremely manual process to build,” Ranjan said. “Large AI models like ChatGPT, once you can verticalize these for the aerospace industry, can remove a lot of that manual work. They can look at text data and image data and start helping you create a digital twin for these automatically.” According to Ranjan, generative AI will soon allow companies to build digital twins for just a small fraction of what it costs today. For every $1 spent on building a digital twin with traditional methods, “in another three to four years you're looking at like 10 cents,” he said. “In another 10 years, it might be one cent. “Now these expensive solutions will start getting into the hands of more users,” Ranjan added, noting that he expects just about every aerospace company to be using some form of internal generative AI technology within two to three years. WILL AI TAKE OUR JOBS? As with just about any other industry, the impact that AI will have on the job market is not yet clear. Robots have already taken over some tasks that humans originally performed in the aerospace industry, and new autonomous airplanes will reduce the demand for commercial pilots. However, AI has the potential to create jobs that didn’t exist before. Those new roles might involve maintaining AI systems for both aircraft and ground operations, developing algorithms, and ensuring that AI gets used ethically and responsibly. According to Ranjan, aircraft manufacturers and technicians don’t need to worry about robots taking their jobs. Rather, he believes that AI will change the way they work. “The human in the loop is always going to be there,” he said. That’s because AI, while good at pattern recognition and making predictions, will never improve on human perception, he explained. “If you want the best efficiency in aerospace, because of the high [amount of] intellectual property and very large knowledge base that is needed to operate these things, it will always be a complementary relationship” between machines and human staff," he said. https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-13/beyond-automation-how-artificial-intelligence-transforming-aviation House rejects adding flights at Congress’ pet airport The airlines and their allies in Congress have fought for months over the issue, with Delta arguing that Reagan National is underused, and United countering the airport is already among the nation’s busiest. The House on Wednesday evening voted not to expand flights at the airport closest to the U.S. Capitol building, a fight that has featured dueling op-eds from warring airlines, each with bipartisan lawmakers in both chambers aligned with their side. The provision, which would have expanded flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport by 14 per day, is a win for United Airlines, American Airlines and lawmakers local to the Washington, D.C. area that opposed the flights — and a loss for Delta Air Lines and its aligned Western lawmakers that had sought the expansions. The airlines and their allies in Congress have fought for months over the issue, with Delta arguing that Reagan National is underutilized, and United countering that the airport is already among the top 10 busiest in the country and can’t handle more traffic. A recent FAA memo said the airport is prone to delays and noted that an increase of 20 daily round trip flights would increase delays by 25 percent. Ahead of the vote, House Transportation Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) said “clearly this is an issue that evokes passion on both sides” and noted that congressional leaders from both parties let their members vote their conscience. Larsen noted that “there’s a lot of overpromising taking place about which cities are going to be served by this deal.” Despite the lure of a larger number of more convenient flights home to their districts, the effort ultimately lost in the House, with lawmakers voting 205-229 against adding any additional flights to a major aviation policy bill under consideration. However, Wednesday evening’s vote isn’t the final word on the matter. The bill, which would reauthorize the FAA, has yet to see action in the Senate. Ultimately lawmakers from both chambers will meet to hash out their differences before a final version can be sent to President Joe Biden, and there’s no guarantee the flights won’t be added in the Senate, or during final negotiations. The House is poised to vote on the underlying bill on Thursday, and the measure is expected to pass. The FAA’s current authority expires on Sept. 30, giving Congress a tight deadline for action. Democrats win on pilot training A separate bipartisan effort by three Western New York-area lawmakers who sought to keep an existing requirement that commercial airline pilots have at least 1,500 hours of flight time also succeeded, 243-191. That amendment would strike language in the underlying bill allowing 150 additional hours of simulator time to count toward the 1,500 hours if completed in a full-flight simulator, which had been agreed to weeks ago by the bipartisan leadership of the House Transportation Committee. Regional airlines have argued that the rule must be softened to counteract pilot workforce issues their carriers are experiencing. But the families of those lost aboard Colgan Air Flight 3407, which crashed near Buffalo, N.Y. in 2009 and spurred the 1,500-hour rule in the first place, have opposed any changes, as have lawmakers in the area that offered the amendment. Ultimately, the status quo prevailed. Earlier Wednesday, Langworthy said on the House floor that he was “on the ground at the crash site” and sought to preserve “the integrity” of the 1,500 hour rule “in the face of efforts to lower pilot training standards.” But House Transportation Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.), a pilot with a commercial rating, rebuffed Langworthy, saying “you can simulate anything.” A flight over the same pilot training rule has also engulfed the Senate Commerce Committee, preventing the Senate from moving ahead with its FAA bill, S. 1939 (118). A group of Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, oppose changing pilot training rules. But Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) have sought an amendment that would allow for alternate forms of pilot training to count toward the 1,500 hour requirement. Sinema’s support presents an obstacle, since if all Republicans on the committee join her, the amendment would have enough votes to pass, against the leadership’s wishes. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/19/house-dca-airport-flights-00107200 Airlines Dole Out Free Wi-Fi in Exchange For Your Loyalty Airlines are moving towards offering free Wi-Fi, but that doesn't mean they aren't trying to make money off you. Airlines can’t avoid Wi-Fi anymore: Travelers expect it, and they’re basing their flight choices on its quality and price. It’s been a long way to this point. Boeing saw little success with its Connexion by Boeing service, launched in April 2000 and shelved in 2006. Now, big-name carriers have a reasonably fast Wi-Fi offering, including: Delta and United in the U.S., Air France/KLM and Lufthansa in Europe and Emirates, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines in Asia. Early on, connectivity was lumpy and mostly unreliable whilst flying over water. However, with the emergence of behemoths such as those created by the acquisition of Inmarsat by Viasat, and the emergence of faster technology, such as the Ka-band, it has also become more steady, and the coverage area has increased. For instance, airlines that sign up for Panasonic’s inflight offerings have global coverage now. The approach towards pricing for inflight Wi-Fi has changed as much as the speed. Over the initial years, airlines used advertising or sponsorship deals to make the Wi-Fi free, such as tying up with a content streaming service like Prime Video or Apple TV+. Another approach, which never became too popular, was selling data packages. The problem was customers could not predict how much data they would consume on a given flight. This pricing model still exists on many carriers but should be on its way out soon. JetBluebecame the first U.S. airline back in 2013 to offer free Wi-Fi to all passengers using its Fly-Fi offering. And this status quo did not change much for a long time until recently. More recent Wi-Fi access models offer services such as iMessage and WhatsApp for free but apply flat pricing for full connectivity. Buy for as low as $8-$10 for a single flight (Alaska Air, United and Southwest) or a subscription plan for the month, for instance, $50 on American Airlines for one device. International carriers such as Qatar Airways offer their Super Wi-Fi package for the flight duration for $8 when pre-purchased and $10 on board. Carriers such as T-Mobile are rolling up Wi-Fi on most American full-service carriers as a part of their postpaid plans. Free Wi-Fi, though, has been a gradual shift in the world of inflight internet as more stable connectivity solutions come online. And loyalty programmes have become the bridge between offering Wi-Fi and not charging for it. There are two primary ways this is structured, and the lookout depends on the airline. Some airlines are using the carrot of free Wi-Fi to enable more sign-ups to their loyalty programmes. Ultimately, once a passenger becomes a member of the loyalty programme, the airline can engage with them in some form of a future transaction again, such as another trip or a credit card, or a sale of miles and so on. For instance, Singapore Airlines extended free unlimited Wi-Fi service to all travelers in all cabin classes, including Premium Economy Class and Economy Class, from July 1, 2023. However, the free unlimited wifi for Economy/Premium Economy customers is offered only when they sign up for KrisFlyer, the loyalty program of SIA. Delta rolled out free (full) Wi-Fi capabilities to SkyMiles members this year, enabled on their mainline domestic fleet. Delta intends to roll this out on international and regional aircraft by the end of 2024. Those who don’t want to enroll, can continue to pay to get access on board Delta aircraft. Commenting on the move, a Delta spokesperson said, “Our vision at Delta has long been to deliver our customers a connected experience at 30,000 feet that feels similar to their experience on the ground. Requiring Delta SkyMiles Membership for free Wi-Fi access allows us to offer a personalized, unique and elevated experience different from what customers might find on other airlines with similar programs.” Some airlines are looking at complimentary Wi-Fi as a reward for being a frequent flyer. For instance, Emirates offered unlimited free Wi-Fi to its premium cabin customers and its Platinum and Gold Tier members of the Skywards programme in 2017. In January 2023, Emirates enhanced its Wi-Fi offering on board to offer all Emirates Skywards members in every class of travel some form of free connectivity. All Skywards members are now enabled to receive free app messaging services throughout the flight. Platinum members are still offered full Wi-Fi regardless of their cabin of service, while other elite members are provided full Wi-Fi when flying business class. Per some numbers released by Emirates in May, the airline sees 450,000 users per month on average. In a comment to Skift, Patrick Brannelly, SVP Retail, IFE & Connectivity at Emirates, said, “Reaching for a credit card and entering details is a huge inhibitor to making any purchase inflight. Offering free connectivity based on authenticating via FFP sign-up saw about 30% more customers use the service every day. “ Inmarsat seems to concur. In a report titled “Disrupting the airline market: Free passenger Wi-Fi”, Inmarsat mentions that over the 15 years that inflight Wi-Fi has existed, the market has consistently suggested that passenger access should be instant, seamless and, above all, free to hit the 30% take-up threshold. As Andrew Lewis said long ago, “If you’re not paying for something, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold.” This holds true for complimentary in-flight Wi-Fi as well. You might not be paying for the internet access in money. Still, you might be paying for it in terms of attention towards advertisements or attracting marketing emails in your inbox later, enabling the airline to monetise you. Hope more airlines crack the code sooner than later and are able to offer complimentary Wi-Fi on board. https://skift.com/2023/07/19/airlines-dole-out-free-wi-fi-in-exchange-for-your-loyalty/ Vertical Aerospace achieves successful electric flight with full-scale aircraft Vertical Aerospace has successfully flown its full-scale electric aircraft and taken to the skies, marking a major moment for the move to zero emissions aviation. The flight took place at the historic Cotswold Airport in Kemble, United Kingdom. July 2023 - 2 The VX4 eVTOL aircraft has lifted, hovered, flown and landed, all by the thrust of the aircraft’s propulsion system and powered only by Vertical’s proprietary battery packs. This included the aircraft reaching its target thrustborne speed of 40knots (just over 40 miles per hour or 70 kilometres per hour). Vertical next intends to put a pilot in the aircraft as it progresses its flight test programme to include crewed flight missions. Vertical’s chief test pilot, Justin Paines, said: “The aircraft was remarkably easy to fly. It was rock-solid in stability and provided precise control even in demanding flight conditions such as hovering close to the ground. July 2023 “The aircraft leapt into a stable hover at lower RPM [revolutions per minute] than expected, taking advantage of the ground effect cushion. Battery temperatures and state-of-charge remained well within predictions for the duration of flights.” Vertical is also building its second prototype aircraft, which will feature even more advanced technology from its top-tier global suppliers, and is targeting a certified aircraft by the end of 2026. https://verticalmag.com/press-releases/vertical-aerospace-achieves-successful-electric-flight-with-full-scale-aircraft/ FAA Proposes Rule to Enhance Safety and Performance of Light Sport Aircraft WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is planning to enhance the safety and performance of Light Sport Aircraft operations. The proposed Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rule would put performance safety standards around larger aircraft that innovators are building by expanding the definition of Light Sport Aircraft. "This rule will encourage manufactures to make Light Sport Aircraft operations safer, more versatile and accessible while maintaining rigorous safety standards," said Acting FAA Associate Administrator for Safety David Boulter. Under the proposal, the aircraft’s weight limit is based on its stall speed. By permitting higher stall speeds, the proposal would bring within the Light Sport Aircraft regulatory framework aircraft weighing as much as 3,000 pounds. This more than doubles the weight of aircraft under the current definition of Light Sport of 1,320 pounds, allowing larger and stronger aircraft to qualify as Light Sport. The proposal would also expand the type of aircraft sport pilots can operate and allows them to use their aircraft for a wider range of operations such as some aerial work. Although sport pilots could operate aircraft designed with up to four seats, they would remain limited to operating with only one passenger. The public has 90 days to comment on the proposed rule once it is published in the Federal Register. The FAA will publish a final rule and respond to comments after the comment period closes. https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-proposes-rule-enhance-safety-and-performance-light-sport-aircraft LIGHT SPORT ENVELOPE EXPANSION PROPOSED AT LAST The FAA released a long-awaited rulemaking proposal to do away with light sport aircraft weight limits and other restrictions on pilots who fly them, though sport pilots will still be limited to only one passenger at a time. The rulemaking proposal released for public inspection July 19 is the product of a yearslong effort to modernize aircraft certification. The FAA invited collaboration with pilots and industry on the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates (MOSAIC) initiative, an effort to overhaul the current rules established in 2004 and enable certification of new technologies that lead to safer and more capable aircraft. AOPA pushed hard to expand the light sport aircraft definition, relax most current operating limitations, and allow certain operations for hire heretofore reserved for certified aircraft. The FAA scheduled the rule's publication for July 24 in the Federal Register, which will start a 90-day public comment period. The rulemaking proposal extends to more than 300 pages, with effects on experimental amateur-built aircraft and restricted category aircraft. It also proposes changes to right-of-way rules around Class G airports to eliminate present distinctions among various types of “powered” aircraft currently referenced in FAR 91.113. AOPA is analyzing the details of this first major overhaul of aircraft certification rules in two decades and will provide comment. “Modernizing the light sport category for the thousands of our members that fly these aircraft is something we’ve been long pushing for, and it just makes sense,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “We’re pleased to see the FAA take this first step to help modernize the general aviation fleet and provide more options for pilots.” At first glance, there is much to like. The agency eliminated any weight restriction and instead applied limitations to performance-based criteria: • Increase the airplane stall speed to 54 knots. • Increase the maximum speed to 250 knots calibrated airspeed. • Allow controllable-pitch propellers. • Allow retractable landing gear. The increase in stall speed will enable increased aircraft weights for more robust airframes, installation of safety enhancing equipment, higher fuel capacity, and more seating capacity. The change also will allow airplane designs up to about 3,000 pounds to be included in this rulemaking. The FAA also proposes allowing sport pilots to fly four-seat aircraft, but the current limitation of one passenger remains unchanged: “To enable the design and manufacture of light-sport category aircraft that are safe to fly with increased capacity and ability, this proposal would apply new design and manufacturing requirements,” the FAA wrote. “This would allow growth and innovation within performance-based safety parameters. This proposal also expands aircraft that sport pilots can operate. Under this proposal, sport pilots could operate airplanes designed with up to four seats, even though they would remain limited to operating with only one passenger.” Pilots operating under sport pilot limitations will be able to do so while meeting all sport pilot requirements, to include a valid driver’s license as long as the most recent medical was not denied and any special issuance medical has not been withdrawn. Sport pilots will also be able to take advantage of controllable-pitch propellers, retractable landing gear, and night VFR operations with appropriate training and endorsements under the proposal. The agency also agreed with AOPA's request to allow sport pilots flying light sport aircraft to perform certain commercial operations, such as product demonstrations for engines or other modifications. These privileges would also extend to experimental aircraft that have flown at least 50 hours, provided that the applicant has established an inspection and maintenance program. The agency noted that, since the 2004 rule, light sport aircraft “have shown a lower accident rate than experimental amateur-built airplanes. The FAA considers that the successful safety record of light-sport category aircraft validates certification requirements established in the 2004 final rule and provides support for expanding the scope of certification for light-sport category aircraft and operations.” The noise limits would be broadly applied. “To provide flexibility and reduce burdens of compliance with these noise limits, the FAA is proposing options for compliance: conventional noise testing per [P]art 36 or means of compliance via FAA-approved, industry consensus standards,” the agency wrote. “The FAA intends for these expansions to increase safety by encouraging aircraft owners, who may be deciding between an experimental aircraft or a light-sport category aircraft, to choose aircraft higher on the safety continuum and, therefore, meet higher aircraft certification requirements,” the agency wrote. “This rule would amend aircraft, pilot, maintenance, and operational requirements to increase both the safety and performance of these aircraft while mitigating risk. The FAA recognizes that this is a balancing act—where the risk is increased due to greater capability in one area, mitigations may be required from the other areas.” The FAA has lagged behind the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, its European counterpart, in the modernization of aviation regulation. Europe long since cleared the way for a generation of sleek, speedy aircraft such as the JMB VL3 AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Dave Hirschman flew and wrote about in the January 2022 issue. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2023/july/19/light-sport-envelope-expansion-proposed-at-last National pilot shortage is impacting Hawaii travel HONOLULU (KHON2) — A national pilot shortage is here, according to aviation analysts, and it is starting to impact Hawaii. Local airlines are looking to hire pilots but whether the Islands have enough resources to train them could be in question. Congress raised the required commercial pilot retirement age in 2007 from 60 to 65 years old. A former Aloha Airlines captain said that was a good move but a bad sign. “At 60, we weren’t even eligible for Social Security yet,” said former commercial airline captain John Riddel, “So, I think that was one of the first indicators that there was a impending shortage coming.” Aviation analysts point out that raising it again is not a solution. “And they can’t indefinetly keep raising that number because at some point in your sixties, your cognitive function does get impaired somewhat,” said aviation analyst Peter Forman. Both Forman and Riddel told KHON2 that the number of Hawaii’s designated pilot examiners — the people who test potential pilots — is low. Voluntourism: Hawaiʻi’s more innovative approach to tourism “The designated examiners very often tend to be airline pilots or people of that nature,” Forman said, “So, they do it as a par-time business and there’s only so much time they can devote to it. It’s certainly possible to have more, but the problem is finding the right people to do it because you don’t want somebody who is too lenient doing the job.” “So, that’s one of the disadvantages here right now in our state, unfortunately, is that the flight schools are really running short on resources to be able to rain people,” Riddel said. Hawaiian Airlines said they are looking to hire 75 more pilots by the end of 2023, and more in 2024. Riddel also pointed to United, Delta and Frontier airlines — who all created their own training centers on the mainland. https://www.khon2.com/local-news/national-pilot-shortage-is-impacting-hawaii-travel/ This new factory will turn CO2 into sustainable jet fuel Startup Twelve broke ground on a commercial-scale facility in Washington state, which it says will be the first in the country to make sustainable aviation fuel from CO2. Nearly two years ago, the startup Twelve made its first batch of lower-emissions jet fuel at its lab in Berkeley, California. Using electricity, water and carbon dioxide, the company set out to make a synthetic fuel that could replace fossil-based kerosene and, ideally, reduce the outsize greenhouse gas emissions that come from flying airplanes. Now, Twelve is ramping up to make significantly higher volumes of its “E-Jet” fuel. Last week, the eight-year-old startup broke ground on a commercial-scale facility in Moses Lake, Washington, on the site of a former sugar-beet mill. Once up and running by mid-2024, the facility will be the first of its kind in the country to make alternative jet fuel from CO2 and grid power. Alaska Airlines, Microsoft and Shopify have agreed to buy millions of dollars’ worth of E-Jet from the new plant. Twelve expects to churn out some 40,000 gallons of fuel per year before quickly expanding its production — potentially by as much as tenfold within the first year of operation, Ram Ramprasad, the company’s chief commercial officer, told Canary Media. “This is just our first step,” he said of the facility. “Part of our scale-up plan is to repeat this [process] very quickly and build much bigger facilities…up and down the middle of the country.” Twelve claims its alternative fuel can cut life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 percent compared to petroleum-based kerosene. Burning E-Jet in engines will still emit CO2. But the goal is that by “recycling” CO2 — from the waste streams of ethanol refineries, pulp and paper mills, or directly from the sky — the company can keep more of the planet-warming gas from entering the atmosphere. The groundbreaking event, which was attended by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), arrives at a pivotal moment for the global aviation industry. Airlines are under increasing pressure to decarbonize the tens of thousands of commercial aircraft that carry the world’s passengers and cargo. In 2022, aviation accounted for 2 percent of global energy-related CO2 emissions, growing faster in recent decades than rail, cargo shipping or road transportation, according to the International Energy Agency. Emissions from air travel are projected to keep soaring as more planes and more passengers hit the skies. In the United States, during the run-up to the Fourth of July holiday, the Transportation Security Administration said it screened nearly 2.9 million flyers on June 30, marking the busiest day ever in the agency’s history. Replacing fossil kerosene, which is responsible for the bulk of aviation’s emissions, is an especially difficult task. Companies are making strides to develop battery-powered planes and hydrogen-fueled jets. (Not far from Twelve’s site in Moses Lake, the startup Universal Hydrogen is test-flying a 40-passenger plane.) But both batteries and hydrogen are expected to serve mainly commuter and regional flights. That’s because neither solution packs nearly as much energy by volume as kerosene, making it harder to travel longer distances or carry heavier loads. “Ultimately, you still have this whole section of the aviation industry that will rely on liquid fuels and still rely on kerosene,” said Ian Hayton, a lead analyst at Cleantech Group, a research and consulting firm. “So then you start thinking, ‘How do I make my kerosene in a different way so it has lower emissions?’” Startups like Twelve and global fuel conglomerates alike are all racing to produce “sustainable aviation fuel” that can be blended with, and eventually be fully substituted for, fossil kerosene in existing jet engines — but they have a long way to go. Last year, major U.S. airlines consumed some 17.5 billion gallons of jet fuel. Less than 0.1 percent of the total, or 15.8 million gallons, was so-called SAF. The Biden administration wants to increase that paltry supply to 3 billion gallons of SAF per year by 2030. The effort has received a crucial funding boost under the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides tax credits to alternative fuel producers and nearly $300 million in R&D grants. More SAF, hold the fat For fuel producers, the challenge isn’t just to make greater volumes of SAF but to produce it in completely new ways. Nearly all of the nation’s existing SAF supply comes from processing animal fats and used cooking oil, feedstocks that are in relatively scarce supply and are raising concerns of unintended knock-on climate risks. Illinois-based LanzaJet, a spinoff of LanzaTech, is making synthetic jet fuel from “waste-based” ethanol derived from municipal solid waste, agricultural residues and biomass. The company is currently building what it says is the world’s first “ethanol-based alcohol-to-jet” SAF production plant in Georgia, slated to be completed later this year. At full capacity, the Freedom Pines Fuels facility is expected to produce 10 million gallons of aviation fuel and renewable diesel per year. Another firm, New York–based Air Company, recently signed a $65 million deal with the U.S. Department of Defense to capture CO2 on military bases and turn it into jet fuel. The startup’s process involves combining CO2 and hydrogen in a chemical reactor to produce paraffins — colorless, oily liquids — for sustainable aviation fuel. Twelve uses another method to turn CO2 and hydrogen into juice for jet engines. To start, the company procures “waste” CO2 from industrial facilities. Twelve has developed its own electrochemical reactor to split carbon dioxide molecules into carbon monoxide using electricity. Engineers then use a separate electrolyzer to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The resulting mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen is known as “syngas.” Finally, the team deploys a multistep reaction called the Fischer-Tropsch process to convert the gas into a liquid — one that’s chemically identical to jet fuel made from petroleum. A small silver mechanical device Twelve's electrochemical reactor uses catalysts to transform CO2 into jet fuel. (Twelve) In August 2021, Twelve hit its first major milestone when it successfully proved its technology works during a pilot program with the U.S. Air Force. Today, the company employs more than 275 people and has raised over $200 million from venture capital firms such as DCVC, Breakout Ventures and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, as well as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. “The world’s changed a bit since we did that pilot,” Ramprasad said of the industry’s growing thirst for cleaner fuels. To produce SAF at its commercial-scale plant, Twelve will initially source CO2 from an ethanol refinery in neighboring Oregon and, later, from pulp and paper facilities in Washington, he said. The Moses Lake facility will draw power from Washington’s electric grid, over two-thirds of which is supplied by hydropower plants. The rest is a mix of fossil gas, renewables, nuclear and a small amount of coal. Trucks will carry Twelve’s earliest batches of SAF to airports, though once the plant is producing higher volumes, the company said it will send its fuel by railroad. Turbulence ahead for low-carbon fuels As the nation’s SAF supply grows from a mere drop in the bucket to a sizable share of airlines’ jet fuel use, Twelve and other producers are likely to encounter a fresh set of hurdles, said Hayton, the cleantech analyst. Many power plants and industrial facilities don’t have the infrastructure needed to capture, store, concentrate and transport the CO2 from their waste streams. Even if they did, those plants will likely generate less planet-warming gases over time as industries decarbonize and shift to renewable energy sources. For SAF producers that rely on CO2, a potential solution is to deploy “direct air capture” machines that suck the gas directly from the sky, though the technology remains expensive, energy-intensive and unproven at large scales. Companies that rely on hydrogen to make low-carbon fuels or power planes directly may also struggle to procure enough “green” supply. Making hydrogen using renewable electricity — not fossil gas, which is how most hydrogen is made today — will require a massive scale-up of wind, solar and other clean energy projects. At the same time, the growing fleet of battery-powered vehicles and a shift toward all-electric homes and buildings will boost demand for carbon-free power supplies. Ramprasad said that the availability of electricity is one of the biggest potential limitations when it comes to siting and scaling Twelve’s future SAF facilities. The company is currently eyeing locations for its next plant in the U.S. Corn Belt, where wind farms and CO2-producing ethanol facilities are still widely available. Along with improving Twelve’s technology and driving down costs, he said, “The important thing is making sure we find sites where we can get renewable power and CO2 in a scalable fashion.” https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/air-travel/this-new-factory-will-turn-co2-into-sustainable-jet-fuel Curt Lewis