WINGS www.wingsmagazine.com
The Experience Engine Pratt & Whitney’s PT6 E-Series
Inside the F-35 Lightning II
Lockheed Martin outlines its Future Fighter contender
Involuntary Separation
When your flight department shuts down
JAN FEB 2020 CANADA’S NATIONAL AVIATION MAGAZINE
唀匀㨀 䄀氀戀愀渀礀Ⰰ 䄀氀攀砀愀渀搀爀椀愀Ⰰ 䄀甀猀琀椀渀Ⰰ 䈀甀爀戀愀渀欀Ⰰ 䐀愀氀氀愀猀Ⰰ 䜀甀氀昀瀀漀爀琀⼀䈀椀氀漀砀椀Ⰰ 䠀漀甀猀琀漀渀Ⰰ 䤀渀搀椀愀渀愀瀀漀氀椀猀Ⰰ 䰀愀欀攀 䌀栀愀爀氀攀猀Ⰰ 䴀攀搀昀漀爀搀Ⰰ 䴀漀猀攀猀 䰀愀欀攀Ⰰ 伀爀氀愀渀搀漀Ⰰ 刀椀挀栀洀漀渀搀Ⰰ 刀椀瘀攀爀猀椀搀攀Ⰰ 刀漀洀攀Ⰰ 匀愀渀 䄀渀琀漀渀椀漀Ⰰ 匀琀⸀ 䰀漀甀椀猀Ⰰ 匀琀攀渀渀椀猀Ⰰ 匀礀爀愀挀甀猀攀Ⰰ 吀愀氀氀愀栀愀猀猀攀攀Ⰰ 吀漀瀀攀欀愀Ⰰ 吀甀挀猀漀渀Ⰰ 嘀椀挀琀漀爀瘀椀氀氀攀Ⰰ 圀栀椀琀攀 倀氀愀椀渀猀Ⰰ 夀甀洀愀 䌀愀渀愀搀愀㨀 吀漀爀漀渀琀漀Ⰰ 嘀愀渀挀漀甀瘀攀爀Ⰰ 䌀愀氀最愀爀礀 䌀栀椀渀愀㨀 䈀攀椀樀椀渀最 䌀漀氀漀洀戀椀愀㨀 䌀愀爀琀愀最攀渀愀 倀甀攀爀琀漀 刀椀挀漀㨀 匀愀渀 䨀甀愀渀
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
UPFRONT 6 Leading edge
Scaling artificial intelligence airside
8 On the fly
Bombardier Global assembly, Gulfstream G700, and more
14 Position Report
Adventure is worthwhile, acting on it is a challenge
16 Air Traffic
Underwater egress training with the RCAF
18 Alternate Approach
Potential of supersonic commercial aircraft
BACK C1 Careers in Aviation Guide 2020 42 Marketplace 44 On final
Raising the bar on Air Taxi safety
From top: NASA’s X-59 QueSST experiment aircraft pushes the envelope for supersonic air travel. P.18. A tour of Lockheed Martin’s production facility reveals F-35 power. P.26.
The PT6E-67XP engine features an Electronic Propeller and Engine Control System including Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) – a worldwide first in this market segment.
FEATURES 20 THE EXPERIENCE ENGINE
Innovations of the PT6 E-Series engine developed by Pratt & Whitney Canada for general aviation BY JON ROBINSON
24 FLIGHT SHAME, TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE IN AVIATION
How fuel consumption in global aviation is changing and where controlling CO2 emissions might lead BY JAN DITZEN AND ERKAL ERSOY
26 INSIDE THE F-35 LIGHTNING II
Lockheed Martin opens up its production facility to illustrate progress of its fifth-generation fighter BY DEAN BLACK
PHOTOS: NASA (TOP); LOCKHEED MARTIN
30 INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION
How pilots can protect their careers and find new opportunities when a flight department shuts down BY ERIKA ARMSTRONG
32 OUT OF THIS WORLD ROTORCRAFT
Two NASA missions, including a 2020 launch with the Mars Rover, will test the limits of drone exploration
COVER PHOTO: PT6E-67XP ENGINE, PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA
WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
BY JON ROBINSON
January/February 2020 | WINGS
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JAN FEB 2020 CANADA’S NATIONAL AVIATION MAGAZINE
The Experience Engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6 E Series
Inside the Lightning IIF-35
Lockheed Marti its Future Fight n outlines er contender
Involuntary Seperation
When your flight department shuts down
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AVIATION THIS WEEK Looking to catch up on the latest hot news from around aviation and aerospace? Check out Aviation This Week, a live digital version of the top news stories affecting a variety of key markets. It's quick, essential information you need to know! WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
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EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE THE FIRST DUAL-CHANNEL INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC PROPELLER AND ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM IN GENERAL AVIATION LEARN MORE AT PWC.CA
19-0987 / 12-2019
LEADING
EDGE
By Jon Robinson |
Employing AI airside
British Airways’ scales innovation via customer-facing investment plan
I
5 6
devices in use at Heathrow, with a vehicle ready to go on each one of its Terminal 5 short-haul stands. British Airways is the first and only airline to use the remote-control Mototok tugs, which replace traditional diesel tugs. The airline’s team of pushback operators wear a wireless headset to keep in direct contact with the pilots on board the aircraft while an aircraft is pushed out to the runway. British Airways’ £6.5 billion customerfacing investment is primarily comprised of the delivery of 73 new aircraft (A350s and 787s), but clearly the airline has become a leader in the application and scaling of AI innovation. In November 2019, research group
TOP DATA BURSTS… in this issue 1. Bombardier’s new Toronto facility will encompass 1 million square feet (P. 8) 2. De Havilland secures commitments for up to 37 Dash 8-400. (P. 10) 3. Aerion see potential sales of 30 supersonic aircraft per year. (P. 18) 4. PT6 E-Series allows for a 43 per cent increase in TBO intervals. (P. 20) 5. TSB finds air taxi sector represents 62 per cent of all commercial fatalities in Canada. (P. 14)
WINGS | January/February 2020
Accenture released a global study called AI: Built to Scale involving the survey of 1,500 C-suite executives from organizations across 16 industries. The study found that 84 per cent of C-suite executives believe they must leverage AI to achieve their growth objectives, but 76 per cent report they struggle with how to scale. The study also found that companies strategically scaling AI report nearly three times the return from such investments compared to companies pursuing siloed proof of concepts. In December 2019, Accenture Canada then released research that shows Canadian companies with a calibrated strategy toward technology adoption, and a clear vision for what their companies’ future systems should look like, are growing revenue at 2.5 times the rate of companies that are struggling to scale innovation. To illustrative this point, Accenture shared the example of a company with $13.2 billion in revenue in 2015. The report itself is based on a global survey of more than 8,300 organizations across 20 countries, including 313 companies in Canada. The research found that between 2015 and 2018, a laggard in Canada would have surrendered $5.2 billion in annual revenue and would potentially miss out on 43 per cent – US$29 billion – in revenue gains by 2023 if it does not change its enterprise technology approach. | W
AI is employed to compare live footage of complex turnarounds to the schedule
WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO: BRITISH AIRWAYS
n the newest phase of its £6.5 billion customer-facing investment, British Airways in mid-November introduced what it describes as advanced neural networks to its airside operation at Heathrow Terminal 5. The artificial intelligence (AI), driven by a series of cameras, is helping its employees ensure flights depart safely and on time. This is one of several world-first technology investments made by the airline under its five-year investment plan, which is arguably commercial aviation’s shining example of scaling innovation to drive airside operations. Currently, when customers disembark an aircraft, British Airways’ ground staff manually check and record the details of 18 different activities that need to be completed before the plane can depart for its next flight. Now, using a network of cameras set up around the aircraft stand (currently four cameras on three stands), AI provided by start-up Assaia is employed to compare live footage of the complex turnaround process with the proposed schedule. If the Assaia technology detects any issues that could put the aircraft at risk of a delay, an alert is sent to the manager in charge of the turn within seconds via a smartwatch. British Airways operates up to 800 flights a day to and from Heathrow, with 145,000 customers travelling through its home hub every day. In what it describes as another world first, British Airways began trialling driverless baggage vehicle, which follows its ongoing use of remote-control Mototok pushback vehicles. In August 2019, the airline’s Mototok vehicles reached 100,000 departures in mid-August after two years of manoeuvring the airline’s 140- shorthaul fleet out to the runway for take-off. British Airways now has 25 Mototok
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ON THE FLY For late-breaking news and exclusive web content, please visit us at: www.wingsmagazine.com
THE LEAD BUSINESS AVIATION COMMERCIAL AIRPORTS MRO
THE LEAD
FRASER, PRESS AND MELOUL-WECHSLER AMONG CANADA’S MOST POWERFUL WOMEN The Women’s Executive Network announced its 2019 list of Canada’s Most Powerful Women, recognizing 100 women who advocate for diversity and future leadership, including three aviation leaders: Teara Fraser, CEO, Iskwew Air; Cathy Press, CEO, Chinook Helicopters; and Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, senior VP, people, culture and communications, Air Canada. Fraser, who is Métis, was named in the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) Trailblazers and Trendsetters Award Category, which recognizes women who have broken new ground with landmark achievements, forged pathways for future generations, and made a great contribution to Canadian society. Press was named in the Industry Sector and Trades category which recognizes women who have made significant contributions to
Teara Fraser, CEO, Iskwew Air. 8
WINGS | January/February 2020
the advancement of women through their inspiring work and advocacy in underrepresented sectors. Meloul-Wechsler has been a member of Air Canada’s executive team since 2013. She has oversight for all human resources and culture change initiatives across the company, labour relations, customer service training as well as internal and external communications. She is also Air Canada’s Champion of Official Languages and has oversight over the Air Canada Foundation, as well as Air Canada’s CSR Reporting.
BUSINESS AVIATION
BOMBARDIER TO RELOCATE GLOBAL FINAL ASSEMBLY TO TORONTO PEARSON Bombardier reached a long-term lease agreement with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority to build a new Global Manufacturing Centre at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Production activities for the facility, which includes final assembly operations for all of Bombardier’s Global business jets, including its flagship Global 7500, are set to begin in 2023. The new facility at Toronto Pearson in Mississauga will be located approximately 20 km from Bombardier’s current Global aircraft final assembly site at Downsview. Bombardier in June 2018 completed the sale of its Downsview property to the Public Sector Pension Investment Board
Bombardier expects to begin production at its 1-million-square-foot Global Manufacturing Centre at Toronto Pearson in 2023.
for approximately US$635 million. That deal included conditions for Bombardier to operate from Downsview for a period of up to three years, with two optional oneyear extension periods. Bombardier explains its new Toronto facility will encompass 1 million square feet, set on 41.2 acres, and employ thousands of highly skilled workers. In addition to holding enough capacity to build up to 100 aircraft per year, the new operation will also include a hangar space for preflight activities. Mississauga’s aerospace cluster is described as the largest in Canada with more than 345 aerospace companies employing approximately 28,000 people. In late November, Bombardier also reached a definitive agreement to sell significant components of its aerostructures business to Spirit AeroSystems Holding Inc., based in Wichita, Kansas.
SKYSERVICE EXPANDS TO MUSKOKA Skyservice Business Aviation Inc. continued its expansion as one Canada’s leading providers of business-aviation services with the purchase of the Muskoka Aircraft Center Hangar facility and Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) in Gravenhurst, Ontario. The 60,000-square-foot hangar at Muskoka Airport provides Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services, complementing Skyservice’s current presence in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. Skyservice was also scheduled to open a second facility at Toronto Pearson airport by the end of 2019. Skyservice explains its new Muskoka facility will focus on providing maintenance services on regional, commercial and corporate aircraft. In March 2019, Porter Airlines began flying a summer schedule to Muskoka Airport, operating twice weekly on Thursdays and Mondays from WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOS: ROB KRUYT, ISKWEWAIR; BOMBARDIER
8 8 9 12 12
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The Muskoka Airport (CYQA), a Transport Canada-certified facility, is operated by the District Municipality of Muskoka. The airport operates 24 hours a day all year round as a Canada Customs Airport of Entry. Its main runway is 6,000 feet long, 150 feet wide and was fully reconstructed in 2015. Skyservice explains the airport is rated for use by all business class jets and most narrow-bodied commercial airliners.
GULFSTREAM INTRODUCES G700
PHOTOS: GULFSTREAM; AVMAX
Gulfstream Aerospace in late October introduced its new flagship G700 business jet on the eve of the 2019 National Business Aviation Association Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas. Company president Mark Burns revealed a full-scale mockup of the G700 and showed a video of the aircraft taxiing under its own power at Gulfstream headquarters in Savannah. The G700 flight-test fleet will incorporate five traditional test aircraft and one fully outfitted production test aircraft. Manufacturing for all test aircraft is underway. Gulfstream anticipates G700 customer deliveries in 2022. Gulfstream states the aircraft boasts the tallest, widest and longest cabin in the industry with leading range and speed capabilities. It can fly 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 kilometers) at Mach 0.85 or 6,400 nm (11,853 km) at Mach 0.90. The aircraft, which features newly designed Gulfstream winglets, is powered by allnew, high-thrust Rolls-Royce Pearl 700
The Gulfstream G700 can fly 7,500 nautical miles at Mach 0.85.
engines. The all-new cabin on the G700 can hold up to five living areas, as well as an extra-large ultragalley with a passenger lounge or crew compartment; a six-place dining or conference room; and a master suite with shower. The aircraft cabin features 20 panoramic oval windows, described as the largest in the industry, as well as the industry’s lowest cabin altitude, 100 per cent fresh air and what the company describes as a whisper-quiet cabin.
COMMERCIAL
AVMAX TAKES DELIVERY OF TWIN OTTERS Avmax Group of Calgary, Alberta, in late November took delivery of two new Viking Series 400 Twin Otters. The aircraft are configured for corporate shuttle operations in support of oil-and-gas operations in the Republic of Chad. With delivery of these two Series 400 aircraft, Avmax Group becomes the first operator of the
Viking Twin Otter in the West African country. The Twin Otters will be used for a CNPCIC contract in Chad, which will fly personnel between N’Djamena and their bases in the south. The aircraft were scheduled to begin flying to fulfill the contract on January 1, 2020. Established in 1976, Avmax locations include its headquarters in Calgary, Vancouver and Winnipeg, Great Falls and Jacksonville (U.S.), Nairobi (Kenya) and N’Djamena (Chad). Avmax offers aircraft leasing, airline operations, avionics, component repairs, engineering, MRO, paint and spare services.
CANADA’S AVIATION HALL OF FAME, 2020 INDUCTEES Four individuals and one organization will be recognized for contributions made to Canadian aviation on June 4 at Sunwest Aviation’s hangar at Calgary International Airport. The Royal Canadian Air Force Red Knight program will become only the 24th organization inducted when it
Avmax’s two new Viking Series 400 Twin Otters are scheduled to enter service by January 1, 2020, in the Republic of Chad. WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
January/February 2020 | WINGS
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AIRBUS CELEBRATES 100TH A220 AIRCRAFT Airbus in late November celebrated the 100th A220 produced for a customer during a ceremony at the aircraft program’s headquarters in Mirabel, Quebec. The
10 WINGS | January/February 2020
A220 Family is assembled at Airbus’ main final assembly Line in Mirabel and also at a second line in Mobile, Alabama, which began operations in August 2019. The world’s first A220, formerly called the C Series, was delivered in June 2016 to A220-100 launch operator SWISS. airBaltic became the A220-300 launch operator when the Latvian airline received an A220-300 three years ago. airBaltic has since re-ordered A220-300 aircraft twice – bringing its firm order to 50 aircraft as Europe’s current largest A220 customer. The airline now operates a fleet of 20 A220-300 aircraft, running the longest flight of an A220 – a 6.5-hour flight from Riga to Abu Dhabi. Airbus states the A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market, leveraging Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation PW1500G geared turbofan engines. Close to 100 A220s are in operation with six operators on four continents. At the end of October 2019, the aircraft had received 530 firm orders from over 20 customers.
The 100th A220 produced sits on the ramp outside of its main assembly line in Mirabel, Quebec, branded with both Airbus and Bombardier signage based on its CSeries origins.
CAE TRAINING AGREEMENTS CAE and Sunwing Airlines reached an extension to their exclusive training agreement. The new deal adds five more years to the partnership, which now reaches into 2030. CAE instructors will continue to train Sunwing Airlines’ pilots on the Boeing 737NG aircraft platform
WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO: AIRBUS
receives the Belt of Orion Award of Excellence. Leveraging a Canadair CT-133 and later CT-114 Tutors, Red Knight flew more than 600 air show appearances between 1958 and 1969. Individuals being inducted in the 2020 class, bringing the total number of members to 242, include: Joseph Randell, president and CEO of Chorus; Clifford MacKay McEwen, who flew in WWI before taking command of 6 (RCAF) Group in WWII; aviation historian Shirley Render; and Bjarni Tryggvason whose aviation career spans from the Air Cadets to University of Western Ontario and from the National Research Council to the Canadian Space Agency.
PHOTO: CAE
at training centres throughout its network, including CAE Montreal and CAE Toronto. CAE has been providing pilot training solutions for Sunwing Airlines on 737NG platforms since 2006 and will now be training its pilots on a Boeing 737 MAX FFS in Toronto. In related news, CAE, Jazz Aviation and Seneca College have teamed up to develop a cadet pilot training program called Jazz Approach. Cadets will receive a letter of employment from Jazz upon selection into the program, which is being led by CAE, allowing for a direct path to join the airline as first officers conditional upon successful completion of the program. The parties involved in the program have signed a five-year partnership agreement with the first cohort of approximately six student set to begin training in April 2020. Cadets will receive integrated Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) training over 18 months at Seneca’s School of Aviation and CAE will provide CRJ200 type ratings at CAE Toronto.
WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM WG_diamondair_half-June-Bas.indd 1
To support its pilot-training agreement with Sunwing Airlines, CAE will deploy a new 7000XR Series Boeing 737 MAX full-flight simulator to CAE Toronto by the end of 2019.
DE HAVILLAND DASH-8 ORDERS De Havilland Aircraft of Canada announced a series of advancements in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, following its presence at the 2019 Dubai Airshow, which ran for a week in late November at Al Maktoum International Airport. De Havilland Canada was
launched in June this year after parent company Longview Aviation purchased the Dash 8 program from Bombardier. During the Dubai Airshow, De Havilland announced total commitments for up to 37 Dash 8-400 aircraft. This includes a firm order for three aircraft from Nigeriabased Elin Group; a conditional order from ACIA Aero for three 400s; a Letter of Intent (LOI) for 20 aircraft signed by Palma Holding; an LOI for up to six Dash 400s with the Republic of Ghana; and a third LOI to purchase five Dash 8-400 aircraft signed by Aurora, a Russian regional airline. De Havilland also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Palma Capital and Export Development Canada regarding procurement and leasing, as well as sales-leaseback opportunities, for the Middle East and Africa. De Havilland also added two Authorized Service Facilities in the region to its network, including Falcon Aviation in Abu Dhabi and Mediterranean Aviation in Malta.
January/February 2020 | WINGS
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2019-06-12 8:54 AM
ON THE
FLY
UNITED ORDERS 50 A321XLR AIRCRAFT
BOEING DEBUTS 737 MAX 10 Boeing on November 22 debuted the first 737 MAX 10 at its factory in Renton, Washington, with thousands of employees on hand. During a ceremony, Boeing recognized the effort by employees in completing production of the newest member of the 737 MAX family.” The 737 MAX 10, the largest variant of the MAX family, can seat up to 230 passengers. Boeing states the airplane will offer the lowest seat-mile cost of any single-aisle airplane ever produced. The airplane will now undergo system checks and engine runs prior to first flight next year, an effort being led by 737 chief pilot Jennifer Henderson.
The 737 MAX 10 currently has more than 550 orders and commitments from more than 20 customers around the globe. 12 WINGS | January/February 2020
The A321XLR narrow-body airliner is rated for a range of up to 4,700 nm.
AIRPORTS
FLINT NAMED CEO OF TORONTO PEARSON Deborah Flint has been appointed president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which oversees the operations of Toronto Pearson International Airport, YYZ – Canada’s largest with commercial passenger traffic of 49.5 million in 2018. Flint will begin her new role in April 2020 following more than four years as CEO of Los Angeles World Airports (LAX). Born in Canada, Flint has served in a range of executive roles in the aviation industry for 24 years. She will succeed current GTAA CEO Howard Eng, who is scheduled to retire in March 2020 after leading Toronto Pearson from 2012 – overseeing a period of record passenger growth at YYZ. In her role at LAX, which operates both Los Angeles International and Van Nuys (general aviation) airports, Flint was instrumental in the US$14 billion modernization of its terminals and a US$480 million airport rail project known as BART. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers and oversaw the transport of two million tonnes of cargo in 2018. In addition to being the 4th busiest passenger airport in the world, it is the only U.S. airport to serve as a hub for four U.S. legacy carriers (Alaska Airlines, American, Delta and United). It is considered to be one of two North American mega-hub airports, with Toronto Pearson focused on joining the ranks by the end of 2019. With 163 international routes, Toronto Pearson is North America’s most internationally connected airport.
BILLY BISHOP CONVERTING FERRY TO ELECTRIC POWER PortsToronto, owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, plans
to convert the airport’s Marilyn Bell I passenger and vehicle ferry to full electric-power. The operation states this would create the first 100 per cent electric lithium-ion powered ferry in service in Canada. Airports. PortsToronto anticipates the retrofit will be complete by the end of 2020. The organization also plans to leverage Bullfrog Power’s renewable electricity program as part of its approach. The conversion of the airport ferry to electric-power will cost approximately $2.9 million, which will be paid in full by PortsToronto through the Airport Improvement Fee.
MRO
KF AEROSPACE OPENS NEW HANGAR AT YHM KF Aerospace in late November opened the doors on its first wide-body aircraft hangar located at Hamilton International Airport, YHM, welcoming in Air Transat aircraft to what is now its largest hangar at 75,000 square feet. The hangar measures 285-feet wide by 265-feet deep with a 65-foot high ceiling, giving KF the ability to induct most wide-body aircraft. The hangar expands KF’s YHM base to six concurrent lines of narrow body aircraft maintenance, or up to three widebody aircraft. The company explains this expansion significantly increases its ability to support growth with domestic and international airline customers. The new building was completed in less than eight months and serves as the centerpiece of KF’s $40 million investment into Hamilton expansion projects, which also includes new shops facilities and a state-ofthe-art aviation campus for the Mohawk College Aerospace Training Hub. KF began hiring earlier this year in preparation for the hangar opening and has already welcomed an additional 60 staff. With 200 currently at the base, KF is planning to grow to more than 400 staff in Hamilton by 2022. | W WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOS: BOEING; AIRBUS
United Airlines in early December placed a firm order for 50 Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which the carrier relates to phasing out of older models and launching an expansion of transatlantic routes from key U.S. hubs in Newark/New York and Washington D.C. United expects to take delivery of the its A321XLR in 2024 and to begin international service with the aircraft in 2025. Airbus describes the A321XLR as the next evolutionary step in the A320neo/ A321neo family of aircraft, meeting requirements for increased range and payload in a single-aisle aircraft. The A321XLR has a maximum takeoff weight of 101 metric tonnes, while takeoff, climb, and flight performance changes little from the A321neo. At the end of October 2019, the A320neo Family had accumulated more than 7,000 firm orders from over 110 customers worldwide.
POSITION
REPORT
By Reneta Johnson |
Adventure is worthwhile
Focusing on the journey and activities of developing international business
I
14 WINGS | January/February 2020
did not do it, you would not have a business? Based on your business model and industry, you should identify what are your core activities. Remember every company is different, even if they are producing very similar products. Therefore, I suggest you reassess what you do best. In my opinion, core activities should not only be mastered but also performed in-house, enabling you to control your Intellectual Property, cost, time and client relationships. Any entrepreneur and business leader should have a good understanding of the key activities of their business. It’s not a matter of skill set, but a matter of priority and focus for how you spend resources. Therefore, I recommend only the essential and core activities should be focused on. Do not try to do it all. Do not get distracted with low value-added activities or lost in areas that lie outside of your expertise. There are certain advantages to keeping some roles as part of a hybrid team with strong in-house specialists and external expert consultants or coaches. A combination of internal know-how with outof-the-box thinking, wealth of knowledge and divergent ideas is irresistible and very helpful. Do not fall into the you-know-itall trap, in order to please a client, because eventually the truth will reveal itself. Be humble, coachable and resourceful. As the
One of Amelia Earhart’s bestknown quotes, Adventure is worthwhile in itself, applauds the decision to act. entrepreneurial journey. You are becoming an international entrepreneur. Without hesitation, the exercise of planning, preparing and becoming an international entrepreneur has positive global effect that contributes to better communities, families, friendships, cities and countries. International commerce, if following proper ethics, makes the world a better place by providing new employment opportunities and domestic economic growth. The first four ingredients of the international journey should form the foundation of your plan, including Customer, Value Proposition, Benefits and Risks. But you should also consider your preparation in terms of Activities, Resources, Partners. You might love or hate Hollywood but there is no doubt you can find a movie that matches your taste for entertainment and also you can learn a lot for approximately two hours. One of the first movies in which Jason Statham played a leading role in The Transporter includes the statement: “Victory Loves Preparation”. International trade also adores preparation. When thinking about your business, ask yourself what is so critical that if you
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PHOTO: BETTMANN ARCHIVE
n your international trade toolbox you must not only walk in your customers shoes, as the famous saying goes, you must also first learn to walk in your own shoes. This is quite often overlooked. By truly understanding who you are and the primary mandate of your organization – why you do what you do – you will be able to offer much better products and services; and, as a result, you will also have more and happier clients. Because being alert, understanding and focusing on every single step of the journey is critical for your international business success. Plan, prepare and act on three levels: Before you engage with your customers; during their journey with you; and after you deliver your product. This will benefit you and your customer to get the most out of the journey, which is good for your business in terms of developing future business. As Amelia Earhart once famously said, “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” But how do you make that decision to act: Observe and ask a lot of questions with formal and informal discussions; prepare by creating scenarios and simulations; test it, go and do it by yourself; test it with your customer; and follow-up by asking for candid feedback. Stay engaged and keep the dialogue open. For example, you can also add to the journey by engaging in peer-topeer groups, colloquium sessions, lunch and learns, round tables, dinners or events. There are two journeys, not just one. You should understand both of them very carefully. The Customer Journey – What the customer actually does and experiences while they are receiving value and you are delivering it. The Product/Service Journey – In addition to the journey that the customer undertakes, the journey of your product and service is also very important. One more key thought with regard to your global business journey: Every organization that goes into a new market is a start-up. You are on an entrepreneurial journey if your operation began one month ago or if you are a 100-year-old multinational corporation. When reaching into new regions with your products, you should adapt the mindset and best practices of a new organization and understand you are on an
saying goes, recognize when you do not know what you do not know. I also think you should recognize and make the most of talent. Consider and tap into the talent of your team and network. Let’s look into SpaceX, a noticeably different organization when compared to its technological peers. While the majority of aerospace companies have global supply chains, SpaceX keeps the majority of its manufacturing internal. This way, they not only have a much smaller supply chain to manage, they have better control over their design, as well as production and quality. If such investments can be made to build an internal supply chain around your core products, this can significantly improve costs and time savings. By outsourcing as little as possible of their core activities, SpaceX stays true to its DNA as inventors and true disruptors of the aerospace industry. If you do outsource, you must make sure to protect yourself so you are not lied to and taken advantage of. The best hands-on advice I can offer is: Look for references from your network, do independent market research, start small and test. Never just blindly trust, always check and check again. With time working together, you will learn who to trust and who
to remove from your network. Consult, but always remember you are the final decision maker; and stick to those decisions. Do not look back nor regret. However, again, you should not spread yourself too thin and perform all of the activities, which is why consultants are often needed for smallersized operations. Keep your specialization focused on what you love and what you are best at. Use common sense. Consider your industry and business model in order to decide what to keep in-house, what to outsource, and what to perform as a hybrid model. This will help not only you, but also be clear for your clients, suppliers and partners. Remember: A confused mind does not buy. This is especially true when operating and selling products to companies with similar industry activities, who understand your business. Reflect if you should develop and maintain separate brands or use identical brands such as Virgin Group. In another example, if you manufacture medical products you should usually engage a logistics company to distribute them and an agency to do marketing for your company and products. Remember sales are the lifeblood of your business. Your activities fulfill the promise you make when you close a sale. Provide an
exceptional experience and ability to produce and deliver the final product. Your international trade project must be top priority for you and your team. To see it succeed, I recommend allocating your resources as best possible to leadership and talent, finance, and assets. The blunt truth is, that at the very minimum, if you cannot spend at least one hour per day on your project, do not even start it. In terms of partners, remember business is a team sport. No one should do business alone. International business is even more of a team sport. Partners are extremely important. You need a lot of knowledge to perform your activities and resources to make the things happen. I am often sad and shocked when companies go to a new market and behave as if they are walking in a park. They think everyone is waiting for them. There is always hungry competition. You need to have a plan and solid preparation. You have to build relationships before you engage in commerce. As Joyce Carol Oates notes, “It’s where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we are.” | W Reneta Johnson is the author of Go Global in 365 Days. She can be reached at reneta@ inttradia.com.
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January/February 2020 | WINGS 15 2019-12-12 7:55 AM
AIR
TRAFFIC By Kendra Kincade |
RUET in Halifax
Two days of underwater egress training with the Royal Canadian Air Force
A
THE SIMULATOR I walk into the simulator and look around. It’s more of a synthetic-learning environment built around a large cement pool with a crane that dangles the body of a helicopter in the air over the middle of the pool. The lights are on, the pool is calm. It looks innocent enough. The training is designed to build egress skills one step at a time. Step one turns out to be educating us on what it would feel like if we landed in cold water. They suit us 16 WINGS | January/February 2020
in a seat watching water flood
As a reward for our hard work, we around me. spinning sideways get to jump off a 15-foot platform andI start I see the water flood into raging, tempestuous water. the pilots a second before it up and dunk us into what the instructors affectionately refer to as the hot tub – yes, a tub full of water at 4-degrees Celsius to be exact. Wondering what that feels like, ice water. It feels like freezing cold ice water. Our instructor said that this course builds transferable skills, but I think this skill must be if you want to prepare for a polar bear plunge. Once the tub activity is complete, we jump into the pool to start our egress training. They teach us how to operate the emergency breathing system (EBS), which is essentially a cylinder filled with pure air and a mouthpiece. We then lay in our instructor’s arms so he can promptly dump us upside down and backward under the water. Learning to flush and breath through your EBS upside down is a true skill – and it hurts. This pain is a prelude of what’s to come. After preparing in the pool, it’s time to go live in the helicopter. We watch, some with a little anxiety, as the helicopter lowers down to water level allowing us to climb in. I look over at the two scuba divers who will jump in the water ahead of us. They are here to watch and help us if we struggle. It makes me feel a bit better. This is how I come to find myself strapped
rushes over me. The painful burning fills my nose immediately and I am completely disorientated. Okay – what am I supposed to do? I need to follow the directions from my instructor. I wait until we stop moving, punch out the window with my elbow, place my hand on the windowsill, so that I know where to exit, unbuckle my seatbelt with the other hand, and escape! As I surface for the first time, I’m in a bit of shock – I did it. The pain in my nose and sinuses is harsh, but the thrill of completing the activity outweighs it. I look around and see everyone else popping up as well. We all survived. The scenarios get more and more intense over the two days. Mastering the EBS is important because the instructors add hazards and obstructions forcing people to stay under water longer. During the last run I’m amazed at how far we have come. I’m sitting on the helicopter again and looking around. It’s dark now and much harder to see what is going on, but I know one person is sitting on the side with a gun. Another is on his knees by the side door. The pilots in the front have to work around scenarios designed to trip them up. I look sideways and see the waves pounding in the pool below. It really looks WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO: RELYON NUTEC, KENDRA KINCADE
s I look around at the people strapped in beside me, I have one thought before I’m flipped upside down underwater – I’m not ready to die. The water rushes in around my feet, my heartbeat quickens. I take a huge breath and hold it in as the helicopter spins, driving us all underwater. I never imagined I would one day find myself in this position, but yet here I am. I have joined a group of six military members of the Royal Canadian Air Force on a RUET course. RUET stands for Rotary Wing Underwater Egress Training. RelyOn Nutec is the company that provides this extreme training, selling its simulators all over the world. We are taking our training where the company was founded – Halifax, Nova Scotia. All military members who work on a helicopter have to take the RUET course. Over the course of two days, we learn how important this training is in order to increase the likelihood of any possible survival in the event of ditching a helicopter. The training is broken up into two parts: Mornings are spent in the classroom and afternoons in the simulator. The classroom covers several lessons such as (1) hazards of overwater operations, (2) what to expect in the rollover phase, (3) importance of proper equipment, (4) how much time you may have to prepare in the event of an emergency that results in ditching, and (5) threats and survival facts. Day two focused on potential complications with getting snagged underwater, training approaches, cold water effects, and scenario briefings. All this information was strategically designed for one thing: To prepare us for what was about to come.
like we are in the ocean. It’s dark outside with booming thunder. Lighting is flashing through the sky as the rain pounds down. This time, finally, I’m excited to go under. I know it’s the last run and I’m trained enough to know exactly what to do. I see the water rush up and I’m not filled with dread. I do what I have been trained to do. Upon surfacing, I feel strong winds hit my face and the waves are crashing over me. I hear yelling. The pilots are calling to us from the front of the helicopter. I start swimming over to them, but I’m very slow in the waves. All of a sudden, I feel myself being pulled quickly to the group. As soon as I was within reach a member of our team grabbed my vest and pulled me to them. I hear “One!” yelled out through the storm, followed by, “Two! Three! Four!” – “Five!” THE WATER As a reward for all our hard work, we get to jump off a 15-foot platform into the raging, tempestuous water. From below I look up and think, easy. Then we climbed up. I watch as one team member after another jump exactly as instructed into the water – hands crossed over their chests, looking straight ahead, crossing their ankles as they jump – and swim to the raft. They are so impressive to watch. They look exactly
as you might imagine them to be – professional, strong, brave, well-trained military members of the RCAF. I’m part of this team now and I’m going to jump just like them, I think to myself as I wait for my turn, which comes all too quickly. I go to the edge and get ready to jump. I can’t. My body won’t go. My heart is pounding hard against my chest and I can feel it in my ears. I am so scared. I don’t want to do this. But I know I have to do this. I can’t walk away no matter how much I want to. I ready myself again. The instructor behind me is yelling, “We’re going down! Jump! The helicopter is going down!” I look down and see my team in the water, the wind is blowing so strong whipping water in their faces. They are hanging onto each other, waiting for me. I have to go. I try again but my body won’t do it. I actually want to cry because I’m so mad at myself. Faintly, and then louder, I hear my name being chanted from below. They are calling my name, cheering me on even while they are being thrown around by the waves. They are not inflating the raft yet; they are going to wait for me. I can’t make them wait any longer. I jump. I want to say I was as professional and looked just like they did, but that would be a lie. It was not pretty. I would describe
it as more of a flailing-around jump with arms and legs waving about, perhaps made even more distressing by the unintended scream that belted from my body. I smack into the water, swim to the team as fast as I can, and link arms with them. They waited for me. They are my team. I truly believe they would leave no man behind. Whether you like this training on not, we all agreed that it was effective, necessary, and everyone is much more likely to survive an underwater ditching. Being an honourary member of the military, I didn’t know how I would be received on this course. I didn’t know if the people on the course would welcome me or if they would think that I was in the way of their training. Now that it is complete, I want to say thank you to the brave and strong military members who became my team for two days. Thank you for looking out for me like you do for each other. By simply being yourselves, you gave me a gift to be able to experience the loyalty, dedication, teamwork and perseverance of our military. | W Kendra Kincade is the founder and director of Elevate Aviation, a non-profit dedicated to inspiring youth to pursue careers in aviation.
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January/February 2020 | WINGS 17
WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM WG_Sirius _NovDec19_CSA.indd 1
2019-09-13 2:31 PM
ALTERNATE
APPROACH By Iain Boyd |
Commercial supersonic aircraft
Technologies open up possibilities after the sonic boom, if rules can follow
F
18 WINGS | January/February 2020
efficiency. These engines also greatly reduce airport noise by accelerating a larger volume of air to a lower velocity than smaller engines. The new engines are so quiet that regulators have twice been able to decrease the amount of noise airplanes are allowed to make since Concorde stopped flying. Those standards are now much harder for supersonic aircraft to meet. That’s because supersonic aircraft can’t use the big new engines, which greatly increase the drag at high speed. That, in turn, requires more fuel to be carried aboard the plane and burned in flight, which is both heavy and expensive. Essentially, in the design of supersonic planes, a compromise has to be found between noise and efficiency. However, some recent innovations for airport noise reduction on subsonic aircraft will also yield reductions for supersonic vehicles in comparison to the Concorde’s 1960s design. These advances include the use of chevrons on jet engine nozzles to reduce jet noise by more effectively mixing the gas from the engine with the external airflow. Also, with the improved speed and accuracy of computer simulations, it’s now easier to explore new noise-reducing airframe designs. In addition to technology advances since the Concorde retired, there have also been important changes in commercial air travel patterns. Specifically, there has
NASA is working to reduce sonic booms in its X-59 program with an innovative aircraft shape. When a supersonic aircraft flies overhead, some of the shock waves may reach the ground. This is the sonic boom, which is experienced as a startling thud. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates supersonic flights in large to protect the public from this noise, but NASA is working to significantly reduce the sonic boom in its X-59 program. By careful shaping of the aircraft, the goal is to weaken the shock waves or to prevent them from reaching the ground. With flight demonstrations scheduled to begin in 2021, success in NASA’s project could remove one important barrier to supersonic flight. My father took me to see the Concorde take off in the early 1970s, and what I remember after all these years is the noise. Nowadays, I recognize that landing and takeoff noise at airports is a second barrier to supersonic aircraft. Airport noise is also regulated in the U.S. by the FAA; and the current rules require that supersonic aircraft meet the same airport noise standards as subsonic aircraft. The Concorde was so loud, however, that it had to be given an exception from those rules. The latest subsonic aircraft use very large jet engines that deliver high fuel
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PHOTO: NASA
lying faster than the speed of sound still sounds futuristic for regular people, more than 15 years after the last commercial supersonic flights ended. The planes that made those journeys, the 14 aircraft collectively known as the Concorde, flew from 1976 to 2003. It traveled three times faster than regular passenger aircraft, but the airlines that flew it couldn’t make a profit on its trips. The reason the Concorde was unprofitable was, in fact, a side effect of its speed. When the plane sped up past the speed of sound – about 760 miles per hour (mph) – it created shock waves in the air that would hit the ground with a loud and sudden thud: a sonic “boom.” It is so alarming for people on the ground that U.S. federal regulations ban all commercial aircraft from flying faster than the speed of sound over land – a model now mirrored by other aviation authorities around the world. Those rules, and the amount of fuel the plane could carry, effectively limited the Concorde to trans-Atlantic flights. Operating the plane was still so expensive that a one-way ticket between London and New York could cost more than US$5,000. And the Concorde often flew with half of its seats empty. The main benefit of supersonic travel is the reduction in flight time. A three-hour flight across the Atlantic could make a day trip possible from the U.S. to London or Paris, essentially saving one whole work day. As an aerospace engineer studying high-speed air vehicles, I believe that recent advances in technology and new trends in commercial air travel could make supersonic flight economically viable. But regulations will have to change before civilians can zip through the skies faster than sound. As an aircraft flies through the air, it creates pressure disturbance waves that travel at the speed of sound. When the aircraft itself is flying faster than sound, the disturbances are compressed together into a stronger disturbance called a shock wave. Shock wave patterns around supersonic aircraft were recently imaged in NASA experiments, using a pair of T-38s from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, flying in formation at supersonic speeds.
been a significant increase in the use of commercial business jets and their ownership by wealthy individuals. So, one promising approach to the reintroduction of supersonic commercial aircraft is to develop small business jets. This is the approach being taken by Aerion. Technology and market forces are making supersonic aircraft more acceptable and more affordable – but the relevant aviation rules haven’t changed since the Concorde era. In its Reauthorization Act of 2018, the FAA is required to review the regulations for supersonic aircraft on sonic boom and airport noise. The current U.S. administration in mid-2019 signaled that it wants to amend the rules to facilitate supersonic commercial flight. An important first step involves the FAA simplifying the process for testing supersonic aircraft. In my view, the current total ban on any flight over land at supersonic speed is far too restrictive. Aircraft flying at low supersonic speeds do not generate a significant boom. And, the NASA X-59 project may result in supersonic aircraft with much weaker booms. Rather than Calgary’s Premier FBO banning booms entirely, it would be sunwestaviation.ca better to set maximum boom levels, to 1 888 291 4566 balance the benefits of supersonic flight with the noisy detriments. In addition, I believe the current airport-noise rules, requiring supersonic aircraft be no louder than subsonic airWG_SUNWEST_JANFEB2020_CSA.indd 1 planes, impose an unreasonable burden on supersonic aircraft developers. First, as mentioned earlier, the Concorde provides a precedent for making a special case for supersonic aircraft. Second, for many years after their initial reintroduction, the total number of supersonic aircraft departing any airport will be a small fraction of all traffic. For example, a study conducted for Aerion indicated potential sales of 30 supersonic aircraft a year for 20 years in the business market. Regulations should accommodate both what supersonic aircraft technology can reasonably deliver and what airport communities will tolerate. Momentum is building through changes in technology and market needs that may bring back supersonic commercial flight, if regulations keep up. While at first it may be affordable to only a select few, the experience gained in developing and operating these aircraft will inevitably lead to new innovations that drive down ticket prices and open the opportunity to fly faster than the speed of sound to a broader section of society. | W
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2019-12-10 7:36 AM
Iain Boyd is a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. This article the article was originally published on The Conversation. WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
January/February 2020 | WINGS 19
ENGINE
PRATT AND WHITNEY’S PT6 E-SERIES
BY JON ROBINSON 20 WINGS | January/February 2020
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PHOTO: PILATUS
THE EXPER
Unveiled by Pilatus in October 2019, the PC-12 NGX is the first aircraft to leverage Pratt & Whitney’s new PT6E-67XP engine featuring dual-channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control.
RIENCE P
ratt & Whitney at NBAA in October 2019 celebrated the introduction of its new PT6 E-Series engine in conjunction with Pilatus unveiling its PC-12 NGX single-engine turboprop. This aircraft represents a third generation of the PC-12 airframe and, therefore, more than 30 years of development from a global fleet of over 1,700 aircraft with more than seven million total WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
flight hours. If those numbers are staggering for one of the most-successful turboprops on the planet, consider the PT6E67XP powering the NGX is developed from the iconic PT6 engine that first flew out of Toronto’s Downsview Park in May 1961 and has now amassed close to a half billion hours of operational flight time. Those PT6 hours are counted among a total 1.5 billion hours of Pratt & Whitney engine time since the operation’s founding
in 1925. Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), a unit of Pratt & Whitney, which is owned today by United Technologies Corp. (UTC), focuses on business, general and regional aviation, as well as helicopters and APUs. P&WC’s rich history of fostering both engine innovation and maturation is a key piece – along with UTC-owned Collins Aerospace – of the pending all-stock merger between UTC and Raytheon Company. P&WC engines – with approximately January/February 2020 | WINGS 21
65,000 in service – are being used by more than 13,900 customers, including over 1,100 airlines, in 200-plus countries and territories. One of the operation’s taglines states, “Every second, a Pratt & Whitneypowered aircraft takes off or lands somewhere in the world.” Expected to close in the first half of 2020, the UTC-Raytheon merger would create a defence-and-aerospace giant generating annual revenues of approximately US$120 billion ($158 billion in Canadian funds), according to a June 2019 Reuters report. It would presumably provide P&WC with a treasure trove of new technology insights to build its engines; and potentially an even larger research-and-development (R&D) budget. Approximately 6,000 of P&WC’s 10,000 global employees are based in Canada, including around 1,500 specialized positions at P&WC’s two primary R&D centres in Longueuil, Quebec, and Mississauga, Ontario. P&WC – ranked this year as one of Canada’s top five R&D investors by Research Infosource – has invested well over $1.3 billion from 2014 to 2019 to develop new-generation aircraft engines. The Lon-
of customer service and core engineering support. “It's not about one individual portion. It’s about how the whole value offer for each one of these stakeholders.” Kanellias has been working with the PT6 E-Series team for three years now and with P&WC’s PT6 group for 10 years, since joining the company in 2009 to help lead its helicopter engineering program. P&WC’s first PT6 dual channel FADEC on a turboshaft was applied through the PT6C helicopter engine to deliver improved fuel burn, ease of maintenance and better engine handling. Its resulting power boost enabled an Airbus H175 – a 7-tonclass, super-medium-utility helicopter – to achieve a time-to-climb record reaching 6,000 metres in six minutes and 54 seconds during pre-certification testing. “We chose to go to dual-channel that incorporated full features to have enough redundancy to control the propeller as well as the engine, so that you can continue to operate if sensors or other features went offline or started to drift – anything could happen. We monitor all of these parameters so we can trend them and under-
done here, it is really a step-change in terms of experience for the pilot, the maintainer and the owner-operator of the engine and aircraft. It changes how the pilot sees information, how the maintainer accesses information on the engine, and even how it interacts with our training manuals.” The PT6 E-Series EEC allows a pilot to start and stop the engine with the push of a button, while being protected against hot and hung starts. The integrated dualchannel electronic propeller and engine control system allows a pilot to command performance from that single lever, as the EEC constantly monitors parameters like temperature, fuel flow and torque to provide optimal power throughout all phases of flight. In essence, the system allows for changes in speed and control of the prop conditions to suit different environments. The new PT6 E-Series EEC also replaces traditional mechanical controls and linkages with the dual-channel digital electronic system. “All of that combines into a much easier flight experience for the pilot right from the start of the engine to landing and shut down. All of this is done with
MORE THAN 100 PARAMETERS ARE MONITORED TO ALLOW FOR PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ENGINE AND ITS SYSTEMS. gueuil team received a bulk of that investment to develop the PT6 E-Series engine with world-first engineering goals. This includes the PT6 E-Series’ position as the first turboprop engine in general aviation to offer a dual-channel integrated electronic propeller and engine control system, including Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). The digitized PT6 E-Series is a step-change for operators, maintainers and pilots in terms of service and pure engine advancement.
Digitizing the iconic PT6
The PT6 E-Series engine was engineered to provide pilots with a more intuitive way of flying with precise, single-lever control – eliminating the typically complicated multi-lever operation of turboprops – and to also provide maintainers with rich data for predictive analysis of the engine and system operation, ultimately leading to longer maintenance intervals. Operators, as a result of these PT6E-improved pilot and maintainer conditions, will inherently realize cost savings. “We looked at it as raising the bar on engine performance control systems, data intelligence and service solutions and wrapping everything together as one,” says Nick Kanellias, VP of marketing for general aviation at P&WC, whose team oversees the PT6 E-Series program in terms 22 WINGS | January/February 2020
stand what’s going on all of the time,” says Kanellias. “If you’re going to meet the [goal of ] no rigging, no mechanical backup, no backup period, you need to make sure your electronics are fully redundant and that’s why we used two independent controls.” P&WC also has a track record with PT6 electronic controll, primarily with integration on trainer aircraft, as well as with some earlier engines and a previous prop control. “We asked what more can we do to enhance reliability and make sure [PT6E held] the exacting standards of a PT6, which is focused on reliability, safety, and the ultimate value of customers feeling comfortable when getting into an aircraft with our engines,” says Kanellias. “We hold that kind of vision in high regard. When we created this concept, it was about a customer experience... The PT6 E-Series engine is actually about an experience series – it also happens to be electronic.” P&WC early on in PT6 E-Series development committed to building a new Electronic Engine Control (EEC) , a continuation of the company’s tradition of evolving the PT6 for future needs. “We have had a vision for doing an electronic control for a while now. It had to meet our standards for this market segment. We can’t just take an electronic control from somewhere else and put it into this segment,” says Kanellias. “When you can consider what we’ve
two independent control systems… achieving it was not easy, but the vision was about changing that experience and how people perceive an electronic control.” Among the 100-plus engine parameters being monitored by the PT6 E-Series to optimize flight are several sensors allowing the PC-12 NGX to run a new propeller low speed mode. “You set a condition and the engine just drives towards that condition. It doesn’t matter what the prop speed is; and that’s fully integrated in how the powerplant works,” says Kanellias. “The pilot doesn’t need to think about these things. They can focus on flying… the engine will interact with the aircraft seamlessly to accomplish it. That was part of the vision we had at the beginning – how do you make things easier for everyone.” Kanellias admits the team was not expecting the amount of positive reaction to the PT6 E-Series’ ability to drop the speed down while maintaining the same amount of performance – “It gives people options they never thought they had before.” When Pilatus unveiled the PC-12 NGX, the Swiss aircraft maker pointed to how the propeller low speed mode results in a significant reduction in cabin noise for greater passenger comfort. “You need to be able to provide the right power required throughout the envelope and that is something that took a while; to make sure that we WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
The PT6E-67XP turboprop engine from Pratt & Whitney Canada features an electronic propeller and engine control system including Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) – a worldwide first in this market segment.
could do it seamlessly, especially with the enabled auto-throttle,” says Kanellias. The new turbine design of the PT6E67XP engine model powering the PC-12 NGX aircraft allows for quicker climb, greater speed (based on greater thermal energy), and a 10 per cent increase in power (at sea level) when compared to the PT6A67P engine model deployed in the current PC-12 NG airframe. The new PC-12 NGX, rated to achieve a maximum cruise speed of 290 KTAS (537 kilometres per hour) is described by Pilatus as the most-advanced, single-engine turboprop ever. Equipped with features like Prist-free fuel operation and Honeywell’s Advanced Cockpit Environment System, the PC-12 NGX holds a 2020 base price of US$4.39 million, with typically equipped executive-configured aircraft priced at US$5.37 million.
PHOTO: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA
Leveraging the PT6 E-Series
The digitization of the PT6 E-Series also provides new conditions for how an operator considers the total cost of aircraft ownership based on engine performance. The new Pratt & Whitney Eagle Service Plan (ESP) has been designed so that owners can benefit from a reduction of at least 15 per cent in hourly engine operating costs, when compared to ESP Gold for PT6Apowered PC-12 NG aircraft. Once the aircraft lands, all of the engine flight data is wirelessly downloaded if an operator has committed to ESP or CAMP Engine Health Monitoring. The significant reduction in hourly engine costs is largely based on providing both operators and maintainers with new insights into the performance and health of the engine. ESP allows for advanced planning of any maintenance needs, but customers can also maximize their operations to reduce costs, flying when they need to and for longer periods. This new data insight is specifically leveraged through on-wing availability provided by the PT6 E-Series’ 600-hour scheduled WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
maintenance interval, which has been increased from 300 hours. The PT6 E-Series also holds what P&WC rates as a 43 per cent longer Time Between Overhaul intervals, which increases to 5,000 hours, as well as a reduction of scheduled maintenance on the engine by 40 per cent. “We tailored the engine to include much more coverage under the new PT6 E-Series ESP plan; and raised the bar there as well by leveraging the capabilities of the engine,” says Kanellias, noting a key facet of the new ESP provides more proactive peak oil analysis that digs into the details of what’s going on inside the engine. “With the ESeries engine being unique and offering unique details and information, we wanted to complement it with an ESP program… demonstrating that we stand behind a lot of what we have designed here; and taking advantage of it. That’s where we project lower operating costing in using this engine.” P&WC has created an mobile app to interact with the engine on the ground and understand what’s going on regardless of location, which is another unique and new advantage for both pilots and maintainers to leverage. “You will be able to access key performance data directly from the engine on a phone which can be used to do some of the troubleshooting. You will have access to this information and that is the difference here,” says Kanellias. “You will land wherever you need to be, but as long as you have a phone with a signal, you can always be connected to the engine.” Customers who enroll in ESP can leverage P&WC’s internal predictive analytics team – dedicated engineers and data analysts – to provide personalized, proactive recommendations to maximize time on wing and to reduce operating costs. “We can take the information and, with our proactive service teams, constantly monitor for changes and trends on any kind of drifts to be able to quickly get back to the customer to address things before they
even know that they have issues. That’s also a significance difference for the maintainer. They will get information on the fly from the engine.” The ESP package – sold through the Pilatus dealer – allows owners and operators to apply their standard operating procedures directly to the aircraft. “They can optimize their operations of aircraft and engine, because we have enough flexibility here so that they can program the system to accomplish it,” says Kanellias. With no minimum flying-hour thresholds, the PT6 E-Series ESP also includes foreign object damage repair and environmental protection, as well as overhaul, scheduled line maintenance, fuel nozzle refurbishment, unscheduled hot section inspection, basic unscheduled repair and accessory repair, among others. Kanellias emphasizes how the ESP reinforces P&WC’s vision for the PT6 E-Series to make the flying experience simple all around. From a pure engineering perspective of this vision, he explains there have been more than 120 innovations within the PT6 turboprop family that have been leveraged for the new engine from turbine materials and aerodynamic features to gearbox and decompressor design. The PT6 E-Series borrows from both the recent PT6-67P development and the historic, 400-million-plus hours of PT6 operation. “The PT6 market is very personal. There are so many owner-operators who use it for their business, their livelihood, their families,” says Kanellias, noting the vast range of PT6 operators, but emphasizing the potential for the digitized PT6 E-Series to impact business aviation. “The engine support, reliability, and the technology and innovation, allows us to do more with their aircraft. If I can lead the team to support customers in achieving more based on their aircraft and engine choices, that’s my goal and mission. We’ve been introducing innovations for over 50 years now that are very reliable. It’s a key part of what we do.” | W January/February 2020 | WINGS 23
FLIGHT SHAME, CL HOW THE CONSUMPTION OF AVIATION FUEL HAS CHANGED AND EMERGING TRENDS
BY JAN DITZEN AND ERKAL ERSOY
F
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Global oil consumption by fuel type. Consumption measured in million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe) on the left axis, and share of aviation in global oil consumption on the right axis.
Changes in aviation fuel consumption by country and region as a percentage of global consumption.
aviation can be much larger, depending on where in the atmosphere NOx are emitted. So our approach only gives a conservative estimate of the emissions from aviation. The top chart above shows global oil consumption, measured in million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe). Over the past 30 years oil consumption has risen continuously, amounting to a 50 per cent increase since 1990. Over the same period consumption of aviation fuel almost doubled from 185 mtoe to 343 mtoe. Compared to other means of transportation, such as road and rail, aviation accounts for a relatively small but growing percentage of oil consumption. In 2018, aviation was a major driver of the 1.2 per cent global increase in oil consumption. A large share of aviation fuels are consumed in developed countries. In 2018 the
U.S. accounted for more than 20 per cent of aviation fuel consumption. In the same year, half of all aviation fuel consumption took place in OECD countries – a club of mostly developed countries which represent about 15 per cent of world population. Meanwhile, China, Russia and nonOECD countries in Europe and Asia, which account for almost 60 per cent of world population, consumed 32 per cent of all aviation fuels. Given that the populations of these countries are forecast to grow, we can expect air travel passenger numbers to increase. In fact, the International Air Transport Association estimates that China will replace the U.S. as the biggest aviation market by the mid-2020s. To put things into perspective, if China, Russia, non-OECD Europe and the rest of Asia were to fly as much as the OECD WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
IMAGES: JAN DITZEN
lygskam – the Swedish word for flight shame – describes a phenomenon that has taken off around the world, as travellers face growing pressure to reduce their carbon emissions by switching to alternative modes of transport. Climate activists have denounced air travel, settling for boats, trains or, at a pinch, paying to offset the carbon emissions from their flights. Celebrities face criticism for flying by private jet – and Germany’s Green Party has even put forward plans to ban domestic flights within the country. Yet according to our calculations based on the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2019 (which we both contributed to), CO2 emissions from aviation fuels account for a mere three per cent of global CO2 emissions and eight per cent of worldwide oil consumption. This may not sound like much, but in the past 30 years, aviation fuel consumption has almost doubled, consistently contributing to the growth in global oil consumption. To see whether the efforts of individuals to cut down on air travel can make a meaningful difference to global emissions, we took a closer look at how fuel consumption by the aviation industry has changed over time, and what trends are set to take hold in the future. A common way of estimating CO2 emissions for individual passengers is to take the aircraft type and distance travelled into account. This is the method used by carbon offsetting organization atmosfair, and the International Civil Aviation Organization’s carbon footprint calculator. By contrast, our approach to quantifying CO2 emissions from flights involves looking at the consumption of aviation fuel. This eliminates the need to rely on estimates of passenger numbers, aircraft type and how full or empty planes are, and can easily be compared to other means of transportation. An important caveat is that our method ignores the effects of condensation trails or nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted by planes. Including these in the estimates is challenging because their effects only last for a matter of minutes, hours or days. But research suggests that the warming effects of
LIMATE CHANGE countries, total aviation fuel consumption would almost triple from its current level of 343 mtoe to about 935 mtoe. It would further increase to 1,560 mtoe, if the entire world flew as much as OECD countries. This amounts to more than the current global consumption of gasoline and diesel. It’s worth noting that consumption is normally attributed to the country that represents the point of sale: For example, if a Norwegian plane refuels in Iceland en route to the U.S., this counts as Icelandic consumption and emissions. This matters because any attempts by individual countries to tax aviation fuel would be unlikely to succeed, since planes would simply go out of their way to refuel in low-tax countries, meaning a transnational policy is required. Since 2000, the number of air passengers has almost tripled, reaching a new high of 4.3 billion in 2018. The main driver of growth is budget airlines, which offer primarily short- and medium-haul flights in the American and European markets. It’s not all bad, though. As shown in the
WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM WG_Manitoba Aviation_Janfeb20_CSA.indd 1
lower left chart, the amount of fuel required per passenger has decreased steadily over the years, although the rate seems to have slowed after 2010, despite the introduction of more fuel-efficient planes. The IPCC estimates that 18 per cent of CO2 emissions from planes can be saved, if air traffic control management and other operational procedures become more efficient. Based on current information it still seems the increase in passenger numbers is likely to outstrip the increase in fuel efficiency, leading to an increase in overall fuel consumption. Low-carbon sustainable aviation fuels can reduce CO2 emissions, although only six airports in the world (Bergen, Brisbane, Los Angeles, Oslo, San Francisco and Stockholm) offer them on a regular basis. The International Energy Agency estimates that, in 2018, sustainable aviation fuels only accounted for 0.1 per cent of aviation fuel production. In 2018, passenger planes emitted around 960m tonnes of CO2, representing
8.5 per cent of emissions from oil products and less than three per cent of CO2 from all fossil fuels – leaving other oil products and coal as the main sources of emissions. But the fact remains that alternative means of travel, especially trains, have a much better carbon footprint than flying. The London North Eastern Railway estimates that it takes about 17kg of CO2 per passenger to travel from Edinburgh to London, which equates to heating an average UK home for two days. Atmosfair estimates the same journey by plane would produce 145kg of CO2 – equivalent to heating a home for 22 days. In wealthy nations across the Western world, where people can choose to take alternative transport over short and medium distances at little to no extra cost, “flyskam” may well have its place. But when it comes to tackling climate change, flying less is a small piece in a big puzzle. | W This article the article was originally published on The Conversation.
January/February 2020 | WINGS 25 2019-12-10 8:17 AM
As a true fifth-generation fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-35 is a key Canadian Future Fighter contender, particularly with the country’s early 1997 participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program.
INSIDE THE F-35 LIGH
BY DEAN BLACK
O
n July 23, 2019, Canada released the formal Request for Proposals to eligible fighter aircraft suppliers. Suppliers now have until early 2020 to submit their proposals. As we go to press, there appears to be three contenders for Canada’s Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP): Boeing (Super Hornet); Lockheed Martin (F-35 Lightning II) and Saab (Gripen). A target date of March 31, 2020, has been set for phase three of the FFCP to conclude, before moving on to phase four (Implementation and Contract Award) in 2022. Aircraft deliveries are to begin in 2025, and the aircraft chosen is anticipated to be in operation through 2060. What is Canada seeking? Canada’s defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, (SSE) outlines, “In order to counter today’s
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evolving threat environment, and remain highly interoperable with its allies and key operational partners, Canada will procure a fighter capability of 88 jets to replace the aging CF-18 fleet.” Key elements of this statement seem to be: an evolving threat; highly interoperable; and an aging fleet. The SSE policy cites advanced fighters, anti-access area denial (A2AD) surfaceto-air missile systems and evolving cyber threats as constituting aspects of the “evolving environment” within which the Canadian Armed Forces is expected to operate. Specific attributes of a future fighter include being “capable, upgradeable, resilient and interoperable with our allies and partners to ensure Canada continues to meet its NORAD and NATO commitments in the future.” The mission set envisaged for Canada’s future fighter involves enforcing Canada’s sovereignty, enabling continental security, and contributing to international peace and stability. Controlling Canada’s vast airspace is paramount, “while maintaining an ability to simultaneously contribute to international operations, conduct pilot training, and to allow for maintenance and repair.” Acquisition of a future fighter is to include “associated equipment, weapons, and
sustainment set-up and services to ensure an uninterrupted Canadian Fighter capability that leverages Canadian industry capabilities and contributes to economic growth and jobs.” Throughout this important process, and beyond, “Canada will continue to engage with stakeholders on advancing industrial and technological benefits for companies in Canada, and promoting innovation, ensuring best value and supporting Canada’s defence priorities.” In summary, “Canada will seek, through negotiations, commitments from industry that align with the Value Proposition (VP) strategic objectives.” What are these Value Proposition strategic objectives?
Value for Canada Commenting on possible elements of the value proposition seems possible, mindful of the most basic description of a value proposition as something that helps us avoid pain while also securing some sort of gain. The strategic objectives, on the other hand, are more difficult to ascertain. Exploring these ideas is helpful, when it comes to evaluating the (present) three contenders for the FFCP. A February 2014 article on Canada’s Defence Procurement Strategy (DPS) WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO: LOCKHEED MARTIN
LOCKHEED MARTIN OPENS UP ITS F-35 PRODUCTION FACILITY TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON ITS FIFTH GENERATION FIGHTER PROGRAM
An F-35 Lightning II makes its way past an F-16 heading to the runway at Luke Air Force base in Glendale, Arizona.
PHOTO: DEAN BLACK
HTNING II seems helpful. According to the DPS there are three primary elements: “The Industrial and Technological Benefits program (ITB) to improve economic returns to Canada from defence purchases; a defence exports strategy; and new institutions and processes to improve governance and streamline defence acquisitions. Prime contractors on major Crown projects need to provide the government with detailed industrial plans on how their bid will benefit Canada’s economy in terms of exports, R&D, supply chain development for small- and medium-sized Canadian companies and defence sector growth. These value propositions to Canada will be rated and weighted in bid evaluations. Since the Guide’s release, we have seen nascent value propositions being applied.” Further review of SSE provides more clues: Gains include advanced capabilities; maintaining an advantage over potential adversaries; and keeping pace with our Allies. These are some of the gains that flow from another: Namely, “fully leveraging defence innovation and technology.” The SSE also seems to stipulate the importance of “streamlined and flexible procurement arrangements”. This latest one speaks to a major pain the Department of National WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
Defence has been struggling with, of late; specifically, an inability to spend as much as $2 billion in capital funds, each year for the past few years. The SSE also stresses the “unpredictable and complex” nature of the security environment. In response, the RCAF is in need of solutions which “integrate Command and Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and operational and long-term target setting and support within a Five Eyes environment.” In early November, a Canadian media contingent traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, and to Phoenix, Arizona. The purpose of the visit was to learn from the F-35 Lightning II manufacturer the status of their 5th generation fighter program. The visit also provided an opportunity to speak to F-35 operators within the United States Air Force at Luke Air Force Base, home to an important flight training facility. In late August of this year, Valerie Insinna of the New York Times Magazine, wrote, “The first batch [of F-35s] cost US$241.2 million per plane. In June of this year, Lockheed and the Pentagon announced the price of the F-35A [would soon] drop to the US$80 million [level].” During the media visit to Ft Worth,
a briefing by Lockheed Martin officials confirmed Insinna’s discussion point, revealing the cost of an F-35 has indeed fallen to US$77.9 million. There are many reasons for this positive outcome, some to be expected, others to be praised even more so. In terms of the expected, Walter Kiechel III writes in his book, The Lords of Strategy, “…as early as 1925, manufacturers of aircraft had begun to observe that the amount of labour that went into making an aircraft declined predictably as the number of planes manufactured increased. Typically, the fourth plane took only 80 per cent of the labour required to make the second, the eighth only 80 per cent of what had gone into the fourth.” More than 455 F-35 Lightning II aircraft have now been delivered to 20 bases, 13 customers and nine nations, around the world . Eight services, including the USAF, US Navy and the United States Marine Corp (USMC), have declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC), with over 230,000 flying hours amassed on the airframes thus far. The number of pilots trained now exceeds 955, while more than 8,475 maintenance personnel are now qualified on the F-35 program. It is to be noted that the USAF, the United States Marine Corps, the January/February 2020 | WINGS 27
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sustainment attributes are one of those things you cannot really see. The F-35 also holds unique design characteristics not seen on previous fighter aircraft. For example, the canopy is unusual in that it is hinged at the front, not the rear. Doing so provided a lighter moment-arm, meaning the motor can be smaller, and this means the motor lasts longer. Since the canopy opens toward the front, it does not have to be removed when removal of the ejection seat is needed. These and other non-traditional designs have cut significant sustainment hours traditionally much higher on the F-35s predecessors. For example, removing a rear-opening canopy, so as to remove the ejection seat, typically takes more than three hours on other aircraft. Another example of a unique time-saving design involves the use of pneumatics. Traditional aircraft have used explosive shells to aid in dropping armaments and fuel tanks, etc. However, since the F-35 uses pneumatics (air pressure) all the maintenance-personnel-hours required to clean up (brush parts) explosive shell remnants on aircraft parts are a thing of
MORE THAN 20 CANADIAN FIRMS PROVIDE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE LIGHTNING II, BUT THE NUMBER OF DOMESTIC FIRMS CONTRIBUTING TO THE F-35 IS MUCH HIGHER. the past. Additionally, the vast majority of Line-replacement units (LRUs) – as many as 95 per cent - are 1st-tier removable. No longer is there any need to remove 1st- and 2nd- tier LRU boxes to get at the 3rd- tier boxes in behind all the others. This save an enormous amount of time. Furthermore, 86 per cent of the boxes are hidden behind Low Observability (LO) panels that do not require restoration, afterwards. When it comes to LO restoration, on the F-35, those trained for this critical work have declared the aircraft is much less demanding when it comes to the LO restoration needs experienced with the F-117, B-2 and the F-22. Lockheed Martin leaders readily quip that the LO shop at Eglin Air Force Base has the best volleyball team on the base. During the visit to Luke AFB, our media representatives saw first-hand the F-35/USAF sustainment tool known as Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) being put to good use. The ALIS is at the heart of the F-35s promising reduced maintenance demands. The ALIS is referred to as a “sustainment tool” which is engineered alongside the F-35 offering efficiencies and greater cost effectiveness. High fidelity information about the F-35
F-35 Fielding Status NAS Lemoore: 27 Korea: 10
Edwards: 23 Japan: 17
MCAS Yuma: 30 Iwakuni MCAS: 16
Luke AFB: 92 Australia: 8
Delivery Ops Developmental Test Jets
fleet is tracked within ALIS to help reduce operations and maintenance costs and increase aircraft availability. “ALIS turns data from many sources into actionable information, enabling pilots, maintainers and military leaders to make proactive decisions to keep jets flying.” A review of fuel tank checks is a case-inpoint. On the F-15 and the F-16 up to six maintenance personnel were required to conduct routine checks on the fuel tanks and valves. With the F-35 only one technician is needed. The engine need not run, as the technician can perform all of the checks using one laptop and one button. With strict reference to aircraft maintenance labour tasks, maintenance technician numbers may be reduced from ten to three personnel per aircraft. Such a reduction makes no consideration of operating conditions and mission-objectives, lest anyone think to reduce personnel numbers without carefully considering other factors unique to your own air force.
Maintenance developments In addition to learning more about the F-35 in operations, our media visit participants learned about some very innovative maintenance developments: B.O.L.T.; and L.I.T.T. The BOLT program combines maintenance-specific Air Force specialty codes, essentially job descriptions, into two career tracks. Maintainers in the air vehicle track are crew chiefs, fuels and low observable technicians. Airmen in the mission systems track focus on avionics, weapons and egress. This training allows a single Airman to perform multiple inspections WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
IMAGE: LOCKHEED MARTIN
United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Israeli Air Force all have also flown into combat with the F-35. Expansion of the F-35 to more than 30 bases is underway, with more than 860 aircraft expected to be delivered by 2022. More importantly, the network of users and supply locations is growing quickly, which bodes well for current and future users of the aircraft, mindful of the fact the security environment can require them to operate their fleet anywhere the need arises. As utilization of the F-35 expands, around the world, so to do sources of expertise, maintenance, sustainment and supplies. This unified endeavour – nine nations and growing – from a sustainment perspective raises the possibility of improved networking at falling costs. As more aircraft reach the line, and as more hours are put on the growing number of airframes, Lockheed Martin’s maintenance and sustainability experience is growing seemingly in leaps and bounds. This part of the manufacturer’s program is also reaping dividends. Condition-based maintenance is a user-focused capability built-in to the system, to allow the user greater control over when to take an airframe off the line before break down can be expected. Air Forces understand unscheduled maintenance is what drives manpower demands; consequently, the condition-based maintenance capability helps air forces better manage manpower much more effectively, when it comes to fighter aircraft maintenance. Canadian contributions to the manufacture of the F-35 are numerous. More than 20 Canadian firms are providing key elements of the Lightning II, but the number of domestic firms contributing to the F-35 is much higher. For example, Magellan Aerospace supplies parts for the horizontal tail, and other parts for the armaments bay. Canadian expertise in composite parts, locking mechanisms, lighting, circuit boards, navigation aids, electronic warfare capabilities and engine health monitoring systems contributes to the F-35’s growing capabilities. Current projections see US$80 million at most for each jet, an 80 per cent and higher mission capable rate and up to US$25,000 operating expense per flight hour, as a goal by 2025. Canada’s F-35 “Program of Record” involves 88 aircraft, 110-plus Canadian companies contributing to the manufacturing process; thousands of jobs and more than US$1.5 billion in contracts over the life of the entire F-35 program. Canada has extended the EBA or economics benefits agreement, as an important framework to consider by those crafting a value proposition for the FFCP. Sustainment is designed right into the airframe, but, as with some of F-35’s remarkable operational capabilities, these
2
Total: 455+
Nellis AFB: 32
As of 04 November 2019 United Kingdom: 15
Norway: 12
Burlington: 2
Hill AFB: 74
F-35A F-35B F-35C
Nerthelands: 1
PAX DT ONLY: 8
Italy: 12 MCAS Beaufort: 31
Fort Worth: 35
Israel: 18 Eglin AFB: 26
F-35 Fielding Status as of November 2019, with more than 455 F-35 variants already delivered into service.
and do the associated work required in areas where they are qualified. They don’t have to wait for qualified Airmen from other specialties to complete inspections or any required fixes on the aircraft. “The BOLT Airmen who are here with us offer widespread benefit. They will allow us to deploy the same aircraft with a smaller number of Airmen than we would at home station,” said Col. Michael Miles, 388th Maintenance Group commander. “This is a new way to train our Airmen to be more operationally focused and that ties directly to the primary mission sets of the F-35A.” The goal of the BOLT program is less down time, more productivity and a smaller maintenance footprint required for each jet. Reducing the size of the maintenance force allows commanders more combat flexibility for quickly deploying a small number of aircraft to a remote airfield with fewer Airmen. Secondly, we also learned about a 2018 Luke Air Force Base initiative to increase F-35A Lightning II maintenance efficiency through the creation of a team of unified maintenance specialties called Lightning Integrated Technicians, which has expanded. Maintainers from independent career fields, including crew chiefs, avionics, weapons and low-observable technicians, who operate separately in traditional maintenance, were integrated into a single coordinated team using cross utilization training and shared work procedures. Senior enlisted members initially created a 1,225-task Career Field Education Training WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
Plan, consisting of all core tasks derived from the four included career fields. Leadership has consolidated these tasks to a 258-task CFETP and a total job listing of approximately 900 core maintenance procedures that the LIT members should be able to perform. In the past, sections performed career-specific tasks with minimal coordination with other sections, however, LIT team members work consistently on the same jet, making it easier for them to track and plan all maintenance performed. “One of the biggest challenges pilots face is continuity of operations. Whether it’s a stable turn pattern, predictably reliable aircraft, or upcoming training phases – our success depends on the trust that our maintainers deliver safe and operational aircraft,” said Lt. Col. Peter Lee, 62nd Fighter Squadron commander. “The LIT concept has helped our maintainers see the continuity of the jet they’re assigned to not just as a dedicated crew chief, but as a team responsible for that jet.” In terms of flying the F-35, the aircraft’s break from the traditional fighter capabilities was evident in the discourse offered by pilots who have amassed hundreds of flying hours. To understand the significant differences between the 5th generation F-35, and its 4th (and older) generation counterparts, we were encouraged to consider the impact of low observability technology, on tactics, and the benefits of all the various intelligence-surveillancereconnaissance (ISR) sensors and other equipment all built right into the airframe.
The F-35 Lightning II employs “noseto-tail” low observability (LO) processes and technology. Embedding antennas into the skin, for example, is the kind of design feature that makes it quite a challenge for even other 5th generation fighters to detect the F-35. Additionally, the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar early types of which introduced with some 4th generation aircraft, is a significant capability of the F-35. This capability is comparable to Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACs) capabilities offered by other aircraft, previously, but in the F-35 the AESA radar does not present a “radar return” to the pilot, as did previous generation (2nd and 3rd) generation fighters. Instead, “…on the F-35 targets are presented to the pilot, who then places the cursor over top of the presented target(s) and the display reveals how many of and which sensors are contributing to that presentation, not just from that particular pilot’s aircraft but from all the other networked assets to which the pilot’s aircraft is linked.” From a defense perspective, the ability to deploy a low-observable, networked sensor output-capable, 5th generation fighter like the F-35 is itself a significant deterrence. It messes with the enemy commander’s efforts to develop strategy and tactics, because the situation is much less clear to that commander than would otherwise be the case. It forces the enemy to honour the likelihood you are there, even though you are undetectable. It forces the enemy commander to accept you probably already know what they are planning, thinking and capable of, all the while you have done so without showing yourself, and without revealing who might be with you. These are the elements of an evolving operational effectiveness that may be drawn from use of the F-35. In the mid1980s, deployments to NATO’s north flank with the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land) (AMF(L)) involved commanders who believed the best deterrence came not from hiding assets under camouflage nets, or deep in the forests of northern Norway. No; instead, commanders demanded deterrence come from flying all our flags, dismantling camouflage nets and parking all our assets out in the open, for the enemy to see. Today, the security environment is significantly different, far more complex. The essential requirement to work through strategist John Boyd’s Observe-Orient-Decide-Act loop faster than the enemy can, in the field, benefits from remaining undetected, for as long as possible. Stealth, from nose-to-tail lowobservability, is the key. | W Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret’d) Dean Black is Executive Director of RCAF Association and Publisher of Revue Airforce Magazine. January/February 2020 | WINGS 29
It is rare for a pilot to begin and end their career with one operation, making it imperative to prepare for change even as demand is at an all-time high.
PROFESSIONAL PILOTS WHEN YOUR FLIGHT DEPARTMENT SHUTS DOWN
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BY ERIKA ARMSTRONG ilots learn early in their careers how to handle engine shutdowns, but there is no checklist for when your flight department shuts down. It’s rare to see a pilot begin and end their career with one company, especially in business aviation, so the odds are that you will have an unexpected change; or you will need to look for another flight department to find the right fit. Business aviation will always be sensitive to economic conditions. When the economy’s roller-coaster ride spends too much time on the downhill side, flight departments are often the first expense on the chopping block. Even though flight departments can be more cost effective, if it’s publicly traded or there are board members involved, it’s often appearances that matter. No matter what the economic conditions 30 WINGS | January/February 2020
are, there will always be companies simultaneously thriving and failing. When one flight department shuts down, another will be open. As of October 2019, there were 220,000 aircraft registered in the U.S. and 99,880 commercial pilots. In Canada, just over 36,700 aircraft were registered in 2018. There’s a good chance that someone you know has or will work for a flight department that either restructures or shuts down. Ask a thousand pilots how to handle a layoff and you’ll get a thousand unique answers. Generally, how you handle the layoff is based on how much notice you have before the layoff. One of the best examples I can give is my own. I had been flying (and working all positions in the office) for a Part 135 operator for six years. Captain on Citation 500 series and King Airs (90, 100,
200) flying air ambulance, hazmat cargo, and on-demand charter/passenger operations. Because we all flew air ambulance and night cargo runs in between charter flights, the schedule was chaotic and often dangerous – 0200 wakeup calls were the norm in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard. I got a call out of the blue from a newer competitor at another nearby airport. They had their aircraft on a 135 certificate but were also trying out fractional ownership. They
AT FIRST, I LOVED GETTING PAID TO JUST SIT AND WAIT FOR A FLIGHT, BUT THEN SEVEN DAYS WOULD GO BY WITHOUT A TRIP. needed a captain on their Citation CE500 and first officer on their Falcon 20. Both aircraft were old, but the pay was okay, and the schedule looked fantastic. The bonus was that I didn’t
have to work in the office. Easy, straight forward schedule, and I wouldn’t have to hop between seven different aircraft models, just two. I wasn’t looking, but it felt like this might be the reason to change jobs. They sent me to sim training on the Falcon (training contract required) and I was current on the Citation, so I was ready to go. During the first few months, I flew one or two trips per week. I thought I’d found the perfect flight department! At first, I loved getting paid to just sit and wait for the next flight. But then seven days would go by without a trip. Then – the call: Could I come in and clean the aircraft? Inside and out? Oh, and the lobby and lobby restrooms need cleaning. I said, “Sure, no problem.” Then another call came next week: Could I come in and help with the phones, scheduling, and paperwork. Sure, I was more than willing, but I knew what was happening. The few flights I had in between office duties included dealing with maintenance issues and MELs WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION
that had been written up numerous times offer on their Citation and have decided to but signed off as “could not duplicate” sell it. It’s going to Florida and the buyer when in fact, the issues were obvious and already has a crew ready to go.” continuous. They were short two mechanOkay, where are the hidden cameras, ics and the one they had just earned his this has got to be a joke? I hadn’t even A&P, but he also had a low salary. One of flown one trip and I was getting laid off! the owners dropped out of the deal and I had left on good terms with all my prethe other owners could barely handle the vious employers, but I would not go back. expenses. I could feel negative energy and Instead, I sent my resume to the airlines. desperation on the management level I sent one in to Northwest Airlines (now which trickled down to other pilots; and Delta) and they pulled my resume to see 008once that Executive first summary domino falls, the rest follow. if I’d be interested in flying their Part 121 Less than a year at this new job and I supplemental aircraft (B727-200s) at knew the department was doomed. They Champion Air? Umm, yes! were competing with other flight departI had not intended on leaving business ments that had newer, faster equipment, a aviation and I don’t think I would have if much better marketing budget, and own- not for the long string of uncertainty, but POTENTIAL ersLONG who’d TERM been inGROWTH business aviation for a lot looking back I’m thankful that I was forced FORthan OURthis INDUSTRY IS CONFIRMED longer new startup flight depart- to try it. I made captain by the time I was ment. I could see the writing on the wall, so 30 years old. The irony is that Northwest • The commercial aviation Industry has been resilient I decided to beshocks, proactive the since folded into Delta in 2008 and everyone in 2000. to external traffiand c hasbrushed grown x2.4 cobwebs off my resume. the Champion Air division was laid off. I • Traffi forecast the next 15 years. At thisc point in to mydouble career, Iinhad a netcame back to the business aviation world work. I knew people and it’s the most this is where I’ll stay. • Our forecast confirms a 4.3% average traffiand c growth important job security tool you can have. Every situation is unique, but the thread p.a. over the next 20 years. I started asking around and I got an offer of stress and uncertainty binds situations for 39,210 passenger and freight together. aircraft Pilots often will see signs of hardjust• aDemand few weeks after sending out resumes. over the next 20 years. I was offered a Citation 550 captain slot for ship in the flight department, including: a Part 135for ataircraft KMSPreplacement, (they had seven air- for•growth. Maintenance and write-ups being deand 64% • 36% planes but were adamant that pilots only ferred and not repaired; More than Just 14,200 will be replaced with fly •one type). oneaircraft airplane! Woohoo. • Pilots asked to do other jobs. Noth~38,360 passenger aircraft and 850 new build ing freighters. I jumped at the chance. Because they flew wrong with helping, but when they International, I had completed aren’t filling positions because they’re • The S segment willjust represent 76% oflong deliveries. sim training and “in the pool” survival using you, be wary; • The M and L segments will represent 24% training when I got one of those calls. • Downsizing of support staff; of demand in units. When I heard the voice of the flight • Less utilization of the aircraft; FLEET IN EXPECTED department manager, I grabbed pen and • Plans for upgrades ofSERVICE items like avionics, of deliveries, • Asia-Pacifi c will account for 42% TO jobs MOREare THAN DOUBLE withbecause airlines inI North America and getting Europe together paper thought I was interiors, paint postponed; OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS 36%my of the passenger and freight aircraft assigned first trip details. Instead, I deliveries. • Part 91 aircraft being moved to a Part Source: Airbus 2019 heard, cannotis tell you to how sorry 135 certificate; Notes: Passenger aircraft • The“Erika? servicesImarket forecast deliver a cumulative (≥100seats), Jet Freight Aircraft I amUS$4.9 about this. You might want to take a • leadership; trillion over the next 20 years; see theChange servicesof executive (>10 tonnes) | Rounded figures deepchapter breath.for The owners contracts; or more details.just got a fantastic • Company loses to nearest 10
50,000
Number of aircraft
47,680
45,000 40,000 35,000 25,000
30,000
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25,000
39,210
20,000 15,000
ILLUSTRATION: AIRBUS
10,000
Replacement
8,470
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22,680
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• Merging companies that already have a flight department. Ask any Business Aviation pilot how they landed their job and you’ll hear fascinating stories about being in the right place at the right time. Melissa Washburn had been with one flight department for 19 years flying King Airs (C90B, 350s) and Phenom 300s. “I had an inkling for over a year, but we kept hanging on to hope. Leading up to the layoff, morale was going downhill. When you’ve been transporting the same executives in your airplanes for almost two decades, they become like family.” When asked about the days after the layoff, Melissa explains, “Where you live affects how you look for another job. The 20-year new deliveries options I had were limited and I seriously entertained the airlines, which would’ve 29,720 (76%) allowed me to stay where I was... I decided my heart was never with the airlines and 5,370 (14%) I just couldn’t change those feelings, so I continued down the path of corporate... 4,120 (10%) I had to move 4 1/2 hours away from my home and husband to find work; and it took a year and a half to find. From the time I applied, to getting through my type rating, it was a four-month process. Nothing happens fast with any large company. This has been a huge exercise in patience.” If you think you might be in line for the aircraft units chopping block, here are some things to remember: • Never burn a bridge. The aviation industry is a small world and reputations are remembered; • The first officer you have today might be the chief pilot you interview with tomorrow; • Many business aviation jobs are attained through word of mouth. Keep your network healthy and attend those pilot geek gatherings. You don’t realize how important they are until you remember meeting a few 0perations directors and chief pilots; • Hire an aviation resume pro. Aviation is unique in what hiring managers look for on a resume; • Be flexible. Take what you can get to keep you flying, current, and employed; • Reach out. You’ll be surprised how many other pilots will help you if you ask; • Don’t be reactive, be proactive. If you have an inkling that the department might shut down, embrace the idea and be ready; The most important thing to remember is that opportunities are placed in front of you all of the time in aviation, even in times of crisis. Getting through an emergency is what pilots do. | W
S M L
39,210
Erika Armstrong is Director of Instructional Design for Advanced Aircrew The 2019 Global Market Forecast from Airbus, released in September, illustrates growth in the global fleet Academy. Erika@aircrewacademy.com. Beginning 2019
2038
New deliveries
out to 2038 is the primary driving force behind the growing demand for pilots. WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
January/February 2020 | WINGS 31
mid-February 2019 started aero-braking procedures to reposition its MAVEN spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars, in preparation for the arrival of the 2020 Rover. MAVEN is designed to study Mars’ atmosphere from above and the Mars Helicopter demonstrator is preparing to operate within the atmosphere. Determining the viability of planetary exploration by rotorcraft only hints at the importance of the Mars 2020 Rover mission, which aims to search for the potential of life on Mars.”
The Mars Helicopter is comprised of more than 1,500 individual pieces.
OUT OF THIS WORLD ROTORCRAFT
TWO NASA MISSIONS, INCLUDING A 2020 LAUNCH, WILL TEST THE LIMITS OF DRONE EXPLORATION BY JON ROBINSON
I
n July 2019, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration selected a new mission to send a multirotor aircraft called Dragonfly to Saturn’s moon Titan as part of its New Frontiers program, which sets priorities for solar system exploration. New Frontiers already includes the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt; Juno to Jupiter; and OSIRIS-REx to the asteroid Bennu. Dragonfly is expected to launch in 32 WINGS | January/February 2020
2026 and arrive at Titan in 2034. This marks the agency’s second planned rotorcraft mission, including its Mars Helicopter test vehicle that will be part of the Mars 2020 Rover mission, scheduled to launch in July 2020 – arriving at the Red Plant in February 2021 under the current timeline. This is an optimum – cost-saving – launch window based on the relative positions of Mars and Earth, perhaps best illustrated by the fact that NASA in
The highest point of MAVEN’s elliptical orbit, according to NASA, will be reduced from 6,200 to 4,500 kilometres above the planet’s surface to serve as a data-relay satellite for the Mars 2020 Rover mission. This increases potential coverage of the rover’s landing site, Jezero Crater, with orbits of Mars increasing to 6.8 per Earth day versus 5.3 previously. Described by NASA as an atmosphere-sniffing spacecraft, MAVEN – Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, built and operated by Lockheed Martin – will continue its primary mission to study Martian climate evolution. Based on geological features, such as riverbeds and other obvious liquid-driven erosion, scientists believe Mars has lost 99 per cent of its atmosphere due to planetary shifts and solar wind. “Getting our helicopter into an extremely thin atmosphere is only part of the challenge,” said Teddy Tzanetos, test conductor for the Mars Helicopter. “To truly simulate flying on Mars we have to take away twothirds of Earth’s gravity, because Mars’ gravity is that much weaker.” The Mars Helicopter, which will be stowed in the belly pan of the Mars Rover, weighs approximately 1.8 kilograms (four pounds) with a fuselage that NASA describes as about the size of a softball. It employs twin, counter-rotating blades rotating at almost 3,000 rpm, a rate that is about 10 times faster than a helicopter on Earth in order to bite into the Martian atmosphere. Dragonfly, however, will be able to take advantage of Titan’s thick atmosphere as the first multirotor to fly on another plant. It is expected to be equipped with eight rotors, allowing it to fly like a large drone, and powered by plutonium-238, a radioactive material – not the type used in nuclear weapons or reactors – that produces alpha particles. Used for NASA’s deep-space exploration vehicles, these ionizing particles, which can be shielded by material as thin as a piece of paper, are used to turn heat into voltage.
Looking for life The second-largest moon in our solar system, Titan has a nitrogen-based atmosphere like Earth, but it is approximately four times as thick. It’s clouds – and rain WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO: NASA/JPL-CALTECH
Preparing for 2020 arrival
of firsts,” said Bridenstine. “The idea of a helicopter flying the skies of another planet is thrilling. The Mars Helicopter holds much promise for our future science, discovery and exploration missions to Mars.”
Dragonfly is expected to fly more than 175 kilometers – double the distance travelled by all of the Mars rovers.
– are primarily comprised of methane, as other organics form in Titan’s atmosphere and fall like light snow. This environment leads to complex organics and lakes of liquid hydrocarbon (including a subsurface ocean), energy and water similar to elements that may have sparked life on Earth. NASA describes Titan as an analogue to the very early Earth, hoping the moon – larger than planet Mercury – can provide clues to how life may have arisen on our planet. During its 2.7-year baseline mission, NASA explains Dragonfly will explore diverse environments from organic dunes to the floor of an impact crater where liquid water and complex organic materials key to life once existed together for possibly tens of thousands of years.
Dragonfly flights Dragonfly will explore this region in short flights, building up to what NASA describes as a series of longer, leapfrog flights of up to eight kilometers, with the ability to take samples from compelling areas along its route. NASA explains Dragonfly will finally reach Selk impact crater, where there is evidence of past liquid water, organics and energy, which together make up the recipe for life. “With the Dragonfly mission, NASA will once again do what no one else can do,” said NASA 34 WINGS | January/February 2020
DRAGONFLY WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF 13 YEARS' OF WORTH OF CASSINI DATA TO CHOOSE A CALM WEATHER PERIOD AND SAFE LANDING SITE AT SHANGRI-LA. Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “Visiting this mysterious ocean world could revolutionize what we know about life in the universe. This cutting-edge mission would have been unthinkable even just a few years ago, but we’re now ready for Dragonfly’s amazing flight.” The Dragonfly team will take advantage of 13 years’ worth of Cassini data – from the historic, now ended Saturn mission (1997 to 2017) – to choose a calm weather period to land, in addition to a safe initial landing site at the equatorial Shangri-La dune fields. “Titan is unlike any other place in the solar system, and Dragonfly is like no other mission,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science. “It’s remarkable to think of this rotorcraft flying miles and miles across the organic sand dunes of Saturn’s largest moon, exploring the processes that shape this extraordinary environment.” The Mars Helicopter will be deployed a few months after landing on Mars as the rover finds a suitable location to place it on the ground. NASA explains the rover then will be driven away from the helicopter
to a safe distance and begin to relay commands. Its batteries will then be charged, tests performed, and controllers on Earth will command the first flight on another planet. NASA is planning for a 30day flight test campaign with up to five flights of incrementally farther distances, up to a few hundred metres and durations as long as 90 seconds. On its first flight, NASA explains the helicopter will make a vertical climb to about three metres, where it will hover for approximately 30 seconds. The helicopter will need to survive and function in cold temperatures, including what NASA pegs as nights reaching as low as minus 90 degrees Celsius (minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit). The Mars Helicopter contains a heating mechanism to keep it warm during Martian nights, in addition solar cells to charge its lithium-ion batteries. To put the planned helicopter demonstration into perspective, NASA explains a helicopter on the Martian surface is already at the Earth equivalent of 30,480 metres in altitude – with the altitude record for a helicopter flying on Earth at about 12,192 metres. “NASA has a proud history
In late August 2019, engineers attached the Mars Helicopter to the belly of the Mars 2020 rover at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. NASA explains the helicopter was connected, along with the Mars Helicopter Delivery System, to a plate on the rover’s belly that includes a cover to shield the helicopter from debris during entry, descent and landing. NASA considers the Mars Helicopter as a high-risk, highreward demonstration, which will not impact the overall mission. If the helicopter does take flight as, future Mars missions could enlist second-generation helicopters to add an aerial dimension to their explorations. “Our job is to prove that autonomous, controlled flight can be executed in the extremely thin Martian atmosphere,” said JPL’s MiMi Aung, the Mars Helicopter project manager. “Since our helicopter is designed as a flight test of experimental technology, it carries no science instruments. But if we prove powered flight on Mars can work, we look forward to the day when Mars helicopters can play an important role in future explorations of the Red Planet.” Along with investigating difficult-to-reach destinations such as cliffs, caves and deep craters, NASA explains such helicopters could carry small instruments or act as scouts for human and robotic explorers. The agency intends to establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon through its Artemis lunar exploration plans, using the Moon as a stepping stone to putting humans on Mars. “With this joining of two great spacecraft, I can say definitively that all the pieces are in place for a historic mission of exploration,” said Zurbuchen.| W WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
ILLUSTRATION: JOHNS HOPKINS APL
Helicopter attachment
#195
The official publication of the Canadian Business Aviation Association
NEWS BRIEF CEO’S CORNER
Bringing Our 2020 Vision to Life With our engaged board firmly behind our actions, and input from members across the country, here’s what you can expect from the CBAA in the coming year as we continue to fulfill our mission to promote and simplify business aviation.
Government lobbying CBAA will take a big step forward to elevate our relationship with politicians to both inform them of the importance of business aviation to Canada and to identify our political advocates. These advocates are members of Parliament and the Senate who will support government actions that promote business aviation and champion our sector within their respective caucuses. We have already begun to engage and have been in touch with the Minister of Transport and the opposition parties’ transport critics to alert them to critical issues and seek a meeting at the earliest possible opportunity. Sharing the good news Our communications won’t stop at Parliament Hill. We have put into place a larger strategy that will promote the value of business aviation to corporate leaders, media and other external influencers. An updated Economic Impact Study, a document reporting on our positive actions on the
Leave the campsite better than when you found it
environment, and other tools will help us bring our positions to the forefront. Members communications We are committed to continuing to improve our communications with members. 2020 will see steady improvements to our social media presence, website and members forum, as well as a new outreach through our regional chapters and increases in the availability of French communication. We will also be continuing popular new comms launched in 2019, including the Flight Ops Leadership webinars and podcasts. CBAA 2020 Our annual convention and exhibit – and Canada’s largest business aviation event – is taking place at the new state-of-the-art Skyservice FBO at YYZ, June 16 – 18. Planning is already well
underway. Featuring a roster of extraordinary speakers who will motivate, educate and inspire, CBAA 2020 will offer sessions on newly emerging issues such as SAF/carbon emissions and cybersecurity as well as operational briefings and workshops and critical updates from Transport Canada, Nav Canada, and others. Delegations and exemptions Business aviation operators can now speed up their regulatory approval processes using our new MEL delegation. These efficiencies should increase with additional delegates and exemptions coming down the pike over the next year. Find out more These are just the highlights of what CBAA plans on delivering in 2020. Find out more at www.cbaa-acaa.ca.
Everyday, our aim at CBAA is to ensure that we are doing things to move the association forward: in other words, to leave the campsite better than we found it. That is a task that has been enthusiastically adopted by the CBAA team, board, regional chapter leaders and volunteers. Thanks to them, we have been on an upward trajectory, initiating new and more relevant actions and programs, with more to come. But even more than that, it is our members who have made the biggest difference. They have been actively engaged –participating in the Flight Operations Leadership webinar, supporting our grassroots letter writing campaigns, attending regional chapter meetings in record-breaking numbers and much more. I would like to thank each and every one of our members – you have helped amplify our
continued on page 2 CBAA-ACAA News Brief
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CBAA 2019 Annual Report
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Welcome New Members
1 Rideau Street, Suite 700 Ottawa, ON K1N 8S7 Tel: (613) 236-5611 • Fax: (613) 236-2361 Email: lberndt@cbaa.ca • Website: www.cbaa-acaa.ca
STAFF MEMBERS President & CEO Anthony Norejko, 613.236.5611 ext. 238, anorejko@cbaa.ca Executive Assistant and Director of Administration Aime O’Connor, 613.236.5611 ext. 228, aoconnor@cbaa.ca Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs Merlin Preuss, 613.883.7738, mpreuss@cbaa.ca Membership and Communication Services Manager Lindsay Berndt, 613.236.5611 ext. 221, lberndt@cbaa.ca Industry & Public Relations Debra Ward, 613.274.0619 dward@cbaa.ca Events Coordinator Lise Hodgson, 613.854.4686, lhodgson@cbaa.ca
Finance accounting@cbaa.ca 613.236.5611 ext. 222
BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair • Peter Bing Director Aviation Operations Chief Pilot Sobeys Inc. Vice Chair • James Elian President & Chief Operating Officer AirSprint Past Chair • Rod Barnard Director Aviation and Travel Services and Chief Pilot Kal Aviation Group Secretary • Aime O’Connor Executive Assistant to the President & CEO and Director of Administration CBAA
CEO’S CORNER continued from page 1 voice and achieve success. But that’s not the end of the story. In fact, it is just the beginning. Building from where we are today, together we can really make meaningful change that empowers our industry. This edition of our News Brief shares our plans for the 2020 as well as reflects back on what we achieved in 2019. I encourage you will take a few minutes to read it over, and to reflect on the progress we have made and will continue to make. Membership renewals have gone out. If you have already renewed, thank you! If not, please take a few minutes to review what we have done to enhance membership value and boost business aviation’s standing with decisionmakers. If you are not yet a member of the CBAA, there is no better time to join than
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CBAA-ACAA News Brief
right now. With a new government in place, we need to demonstrate strength in numbers and a united front if business aviation is to move forward. And with new and ongoing membership programs that simplify your operations, CBAA does more than promote the value of business aviation to external audiences – we actively support your own business goals. If you have any questions about our work, or your membership, please reach out to me directly at anorejko@cbaa. ca. I would be pleased to have the opportunity to discuss member value and our vision for our future with you personally. The CBAA is the engine that drives positive change, but our power comes from you: the greater the lift, the higher we will soar.
Treasurer • Scott Harrold Director Business Development Skyaviation International and EVO Jet Services
BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE Jean-Christophe Gallagher • Vice President and General Manager - Customer Experience Bombardier Business Aircraft Gary Wood • Director – Corporate Sales & Marketing Flying Colours Lisa Clarke • Regional Sales Manager FlightSafety Canada Ltd. Ehsan Monfared • Partner YYZlaw Jacqueline Bailey • VP InflightSterling/ICFS Aviation Group Paul Carter • Director of Maintenance Levaero Aviation Ivano Mosca • CPA, CMA Vice-President Finance and Administration Innotech-Execaire Aviation Group Ian Darnley • Director of Business Development Sunwest Aviation Ltd. David Arbon • Aircraft Maintenance Manager/DOM Canadian Utilities Ltd.
www.cbaa-acaa.ca
CBAA CBAA 2019 2019 Annual Annual Report Report
President’ President’ss Message Message Amplifying our Voice: How Amplifying our Voice: How Amplifying ourhelped Voice:us How our members our members helped us our members helped us achieve success achieve achieve success success
It is our privilege to It is our privilege to It is privilege to It is our ouron privilege to report and celebrate report on and celebrate report on and celebrate report on and celebrate CBAA’s achievements CBAA’s achievements CBAA’s achievements CBAA’s achievements of the past year. I am of the past year. I am of the past year. am of the past year. am proud to say that IIthis proud to say that this proud to say that this proud to say that this is a better organization is a better organization is a is a better better organization than it wasorganization 12 months than it was 12 months than it was 12 months than it was 12 mission months ago. Our new ago. Our new mission ago. Our new mission ago. Our new mission statement, “In everything we do, the CBAA statement, “In everything we do, the CBAA statement, everything we do, statement, “In everything wesimplifying do, the the CBAA CBAA will focus on“In promoting and will focus on promoting and simplifying will focus on promoting and simplifying will focus on promoting and simplifying business aviation” focused our efforts on business aviation” focused our efforts on business aviation” our efforts business aviation” focused ourimproving efforts on on implementing new focused programs, implementing new programs, improving implementing new programs, improving implementing new programs, improving our current offerings and ensuring that we our current offerings and ensuring that we our current offerings and ensuring that our current offerings and ensuring that we became more relevant and essential to we our became more relevant and essential to our became more relevant and essential to our became more relevant and essential to our members and industry. members and industry. members members and and industry. industry. Our first step was to listen and respond to Our first step was to listen and respond to Our was to respond Our first first step step wasinput to listen listen and respond to members. Using and and insights fromto members. Using input and insights from members. Using and from members. Using input inputLeadership and insights insightswebinars from our Flight Operations our Flight Operations Leadership webinars our Operations webinars our Flight Flight Operations Leadership webinars and enhanced regionalLeadership chapter meetings, and enhanced regional chapter meetings, and enhanced regional chapter meetings, andadded enhanced chapter meetings, we valueregional to membership with new we added value to membership with new we value membership with we added addedlike value to2019 membership with new new offerings, theto Compensation offerings, like the 2019 Compensation offerings, like the offerings, likedelegation the 2019 2019 Compensation Compensation Survey, MEL and enhanced Survey, MEL delegation and enhanced Survey, and Survey, MEL MEL delegation delegation and enhanced enhanced communications. We significantly improved communications. We significantly improved communications. We improved communications. We significantly significantly improved our engagement using social media and our engagement using social media and our engagement using social media and our engagement using social and online tools like LinkedIn and media developed online tools like LinkedIn and developed online tools like LinkedIn and developed online like LinkedIn and developed a moretools responsive and useful website. a more responsive and useful website. a and useful a more more responsive andrelationship useful website. website. We alsoresponsive improved our with We also improved our relationship with We our with We also also improved improved our relationship relationship with government, participating at Aviation government, participating at Aviation government, participating at Aviation government, participating at aAviation Day on the Hill and building strong Day on the Hill and building a strong Day building a Day on on the the Hill Hill and buildingCanada. a strong strongAnd relationship withand Transport relationship with Transport Canada. And relationship with Transport Canada. relationship with Transport Canada. And And there is much more to come. there is much more to come. there there is is much much more more to to come. come. The CBAA’s strength is in its membership. The CBAA’s strength is in its membership. The CBAA’s strength is The are CBAA’s strength is in in its membership. We deeply grateful toits allmembership. our volunteers We are deeply grateful to all our volunteers We are deeply grateful to all volunteers We are deeply grateful to all our our chapter volunteers including our board of directors, including our board of directors, chapter including our board of directors, chapter includingconvention our board committees of directors, and chapter leaders, most leaders, convention committees and most leaders, committees leaders, convention convention committees and most especially to the many members and whomost all especially to the many members who all especially to many members all especially to the thetheir many members who all took time from schedules towho share took time from their schedules to share took time from their schedules to share took time from and theirinspire schedules to share their expertise the Ottawa their expertise and inspire the Ottawa their inspire Ottawa their expertise expertise and inspire the Ottawa team to greaterand efforts. Anythe success we’ve team to greater efforts. Any success we’ve team to greater efforts. Any success team to greater efforts.with Anyyou. success we’ve we’ve achieved lies squarely achieved lies squarely with you. achieved lies squarely with you. achieved lies squarely with you. Thank you for a great year. Here is looking Thank you for a great year. Here is looking Thank for year. looking Thank you you for a a great great year. Here Hereinis is2020! looking ahead to greater achievements ahead to greater achievements in 2020! ahead ahead to to greater greater achievements achievements in in 2020! 2020! Anthony Norejko Anthony Norejko Anthony Anthony Norejko Norejko President and CEO President and CEO President President and and CEO CEO
Promoting Promoting Business Business Aviation Aviation
Influencing public opinion and Influencing public opinion and Influencing public opinion and government policy by engaging government policy by engaging government policy by engaging the media, government and the media, government the media, government and and business leaders business business leaders leaders
In the past year, we: In the past year, we: In In the the past past year, year, we: we: Partnered with other aviation associations to meet with over Partnered with other aviation associations to meet with over Partnered other associations to with Partnered with otherataviation aviation associations to meet meet with over overDay 40 politicalwith leaders a special lobbying event, at Aviation 40 political leaders at a special lobbying event, at Aviation Day 40 political leaders at a special lobbying event, at Aviation Day 40 political leaders at a special lobbying event, at Aviation Day on the Hill on the Hill on on the the Hill Hill Activated our members to engage in grassroots letter writing Activated our members to engage in grassroots letter writing Activated to in letter writing Activated our our members to engage engage in grassroots grassroots letter writing campaigns to members local politicians and business leaders regarding campaigns to local politicians and business leaders regarding campaigns to local politicians and business leaders regarding campaigns to localand politicians and at business leaders regarding political platforms restrictions airports. political platforms platforms and restrictions restrictions at airports. airports. political political platforms and and restrictions at at airports. Received significant coverage in mainstream and aviation media Received significant coverage in mainstream and aviation media Received significant coverage in aviation media Received significant coverage in mainstream mainstream and aviation media on important issues such as access to airport and de-icing services, on important issues such as access to airport de-icing services, on important issues such as access to airport de-icing services, on important issues access to airportthat de-icing services, compensation levels,such andas authored articles appeared in, compensation levels, and authored articles that appeared in, compensation levels, and authored that appeared compensation levels, and authored articles thatmagazines. appeared in, in, Business in Calgary and Business in articles Edmonton Business in Calgary and Business in Edmonton magazines. Business Business in in Calgary Calgary and and Business Business in in Edmonton Edmonton magazines. magazines. Presented a major submission to the Treasury Board of Canada Presented a submission Presented a major major submission to to the the Treasury Treasury Board Board of of Canada Canada Presented a major submission to the Treasury Board of Canada on regulatory modernization. on regulatory modernization. on regulatory modernization. on regulatory modernization.
êê ê êê ê êê ê êê ê
Contributing to a greener future Contributing Contributing to to a a greener greener future future In 2019, the CBAA and Canada’s business aviation community In 2019, the CBAA and Canada’s business aviation community In and business community In 2019, 2019, the the CBAA and Canada’s Canada’s business aviation aviation community continued toCBAA contribute to an international movement to respond continued to contribute to an international movement to respond continued to contribute to an international movement to continued to contribute to an international movement to respond respond to climate change. Working with the international BA community, to climate change. Working with the international BA community, to climate change. Working with the international BA community, to climate change. Working with the international BA community, the federal government and OEM partners, we: the federal government and OEM partners, we: the the federal federal government government and and OEM OEM partners, partners, we: we: Pushed for the availability and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels Pushed for the availability and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels Pushed for and of Fuels Pushedwhich for the the availability and use usecarbon of Sustainable Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), canavailability reduce aviation’s lifecycleAviation emissions by (SAF), which can reduce aviation’s carbon lifecycle emissions by (SAF), which can reduce aviation’s carbon lifecycle emissions by (SAF), which can reduce aviation’s carbon lifecycle emissions by up to 80 percent. up to 80 percent. up up to to 80 80 percent. percent.
êê ê
CBAA-ACAA News Brief
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ê Worked with our community to fulfill the goals of the
Business Aviation Commitment to Climate Change, to reduce CO2 emissions by 50% relative to 2005.
ê Participated in workshops and information sessions to
ensure that affected business aviation operations are prepared to comply with international and Canadian market-based measures such as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) among others.
Building strength through partnerships and alliances The CBAA continued to with allies and partners, both informally and formally, to ensure that business aviation is fairly represented and heard. For example:
ê CBAA continued to ensure that the needs of non-
commercial (business and general aviation) were managed appropriately by Nav Canada as a Nav Canada Advisory Committee member, and with a representative on the Nav Canada board of directors.
ê With a strong working relationship with our sister
organization in the U.S., the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, as well as board seats on the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and the Canadian Council for Aviation and Aerospace (CCAA), we helped ensure that business aviation was represented with a strong and effective voice.
ê We influenced decision making and outcomes at
operational and policy levels as a participant on active working groups at Transport Canada and the CBSA as well as with a number of airport authorities and Nav Canada.
Simplifying Business Aviation
Dynamic communications to activate members and engage the public
A significant component of CBAA’s work in 2019 was to expand and improve our communications to better inform, educate and engage members and stakeholders with accurate, up-to-date and essential information. We accomplished this with:
ê Greater use of non-traditional communications, such
as podcasts and webinars. For example, our first Flight Operations Leadership webinar drew 70 participants whose input fed directly into our advocacy priorities and action plans.
ê The creation of an improved and more informative website
ê The accelerated use of LinkedIn and other
social media to share interactive and compelling information. CBAA’s #1 engagement on LinkedIn site attracts more followers and comments than any other Canadian or US aviation association site!
Indispensable operational tools and market intelligence to empower operators CBAA significantly enhanced and increased the number of programs that directly support business aviation operations of all sizes by:
ê Producing the 2019
Compensation Survey supports the development of strong and effective HR strategies
ê Working directly with members to prepare them for
Transport Canada’s targeted inspections and Program Validation Inspections (PVI)
ê Advocating for additional exemptions – including fatigue and duty time regulations and on federal labour laws.
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CBAA-ACAA News Brief
www.cbaa-acaa.ca
ê Working with Transport Canada to offer a CBAA MEL delegation that can saveCanada operators months on their with Transport to offer a CBAA MEL ê Working approval process delegation that can save operators months on their approval process Consolidating and sharing key intelligence on new
ê issues more with one-pageon Need Consolidating and and sharing key intelligence newto ê regulations, Know briefing notes, now available in both English regulations, issues and more with one-page Need to and French. Know briefing notes, now available in both English and French.
Connecting and networking Connecting and networking to create opportunity to create opportunity
Giving back Giving back CBAA is a proud supporter of Hope Air, an organization that arranges freesupporter flights forof low-income CBAA is a proud Hope Air, Canadians an organization travelarranges to vital medical care from home.Canadians In 2019, with that free flights forfarlow-income our annual golf tournament and other activities at the travel to vital medical care far from home. In 2019, with convention, we tournament raised a record-breaking $34,093. our annual golf and other activities at the convention, we raised a record-breaking $34,093.
Working to put business aviation buyers, sellers and information together, CBAA continued tosellers improve Working to put business aviation buyers, and its networking, marketing and educational events. information together, CBAA continued to improve Wenetworking, sincerely thank the many exhibitors its marketing andsponsors, educational events. and speakers who added tremendous value to our We sincerely thank the many sponsors, exhibitors 2019speakers offerings. and who added tremendous value to our 2019 offerings. CBAA 2019 in Calgary featured 65 exhibitions, 15 aircraft and drew over 700 delegates, including a CBAA 2019 in Calgary featured 65 exhibitions, 15 significant of business aviationincluding operators aircraft andnumber drew over 700 delegates, a and executives.number We are of hoping for an even bigger bang significant business aviation operators and when we land YYZ at the for new FBO executives. Weinare hoping anSkyservice even bigger bang June 2020! when 16-18, we land in YYZ at the new Skyservice FBO
Supporting our future leaders Supporting our future leaders
one of the with mostthe successful years. Thanks to the partnered Ontario in Aerospace Council, was NBAA to thesuccessful nine industry members who one of and the most in years. Thanks to joined the us at our booth. NBAA and to the nine industry members who joined us at our booth. Striking a perfect balance between information briefingsaand networking, attendance at CBAA’s Striking perfect balance between information chapter meetings grew in every region briefings and networking, attendance at compared CBAA’s with previous years,grew with in even more exciting chapter meetings every region compared opportunities coming down themore pikeexciting in 2020. with previous years, with even
CBAA thanks our sponsors and congratulates the sponsors recipientsand of its CBAA thanks our shared $10,000 Schedulers congratulates the recipientsand of its Dispatchers scholarship, Spencer shared $10,000 Schedulers and Kuglin of Chartright Air and Tiffany Dispatchers scholarship, Spencer Brassard of Skyplan Services Inc., Kuglin of Chartright Air and Tiffany as well asofJason Buma, Alberta Brassard Skyplan Services Inc., winner Webster as well of as the Jason Buma,Memorial Alberta Trophy of forthe Amateur Pilots who received a $1500 bursary winner Webster Memorial to complete his education fromreceived the CBAA. Trophy for Amateur Pilots who a $1500 bursary
ê ê
16-18, 2020! The CBAA Canadian Pavilion at NBAA-BACE, ê June the Ontario Aerospace Council, was The CBAAwith Canadian Pavilion at NBAA-BACE, ê partnered
ê ê
opportunities coming down the pike in 2020.
to complete his education from the CBAA.
Honouring outstanding Honouring outstanding achievement achievement CBAA Honorary Lifetime Member: Gordon Berturelli CBAA Honorary Lifetime Member: Gordon Berturelli Safety Award for over 1500 hours of incident free flight: Safety Award for over 1500 hours of incident free flight: Corporate: Aurora Jet Partners Corporate: Aurora Jet Partners Pilots: Aurora’s Bill Fisher, Brad Pridmore, Trevor Frieser, Kris Loitz and Scott SpurrellBrad Pridmore, Trevor Frieser, Pilots: Aurora’s Bill Fisher, Kris Loitz and Scott Spurrell Hope Air Philanthropist Award: Wings Magazine and Skies Magazine. Hope Air Philanthropist Award: Wings Magazine and Skies Magazine. CBAA-ACAA News Brief
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MEMBERSHIP
Welcome New Members KiPcreating
KiPcreating transforms concepts into stunning visuals using cutting-edge 3D visualization and virtual reality. With 17 years in the aviation industry, they have been part of the industry’s digital disruption, bringing 3D and virtual reality to trade shows all over the world, showing aviation companies how virtual visualization can change the way they do business. KiPcreating aims at going beyond the traditional still image; they offer businesses immersive environments and 3D panoramas that convey a real feeling of depth and interactivity. In the process, KiPcreating had the opportunity to work with Fortune 100 aviation companies like Boeing and Embraer as well as some of the leading design firms around the globe.
Jetcraft
Jetcraft is the international leader in aircraft sales, marketing and ownership strategies, managing and maintaining over 20 regional offices globally. The company’s unparalleled success over more than 55 years in business aviation has earned it a world-class reputation, along with an exceptional customer base, a wide network of connections and one of the largest inventories within the industry. Jetcraft’s services include: aircraft sales, marketing, listing services, acquisitions, trades, consulting, and ownership strategies.
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CBAA-ACAA News Brief
www.cbaa-acaa.ca
ATAC’S 2020 VISION ATAC has submitted a briefing document to the Transport Minister which highlights important next steps in critical aviation issues requiring his attention. We have asked to meet with him at his earliest convenience to review these issues and explain industry’s concerns. Here are some of the key ones. SEVERE LABOUR SHORTAGE IN AVIATION Canada’s aviation industry is facing an unprecedented labour shortage that threatens to disrupt essential passenger and cargo service across Canada, particularly in remote and northern regions. Canada must immediately work with industry to increase its capacity to train aviation professionals in order to meet domestic demand and compete in the global market. This requires instructors, as well as facilities and equipment. The cost of training and the absence of financing are the greatest deterrents to attracting people to a career in aviation. Making financing available would bring more people into aviation and give policymakers a tool to incentivize people into jobs where they are most needed, such as flight instruction and medevac operations. ATAC is proposing to create a government backed student loan program for pilots. A relatively small investment by government would result in a nationwide student loan program. ATAC estimates that less than $5 million per year, over a 10-year program, would be sufficient to train 600 new pilots a year. We also hope to involve the government in a collaborative effort to find and implement viable solutions to the critical shortage in maintenance personnel which is just as important a threat to our industry.
CAPITAL INVESTMENT INCENTIVES
of many questions and comments identifying errors and lack of clarity in the new regulations.
Another critical need is for capital investment, or tax incentives, for flight schools to buy new training aircraft and simulators. Newer aircraft are often quieter and more fuel-efficient than older aircraft. They are also similar to the modern transport aircraft that student pilots will be expected to operate when they join the workforce.
Unfortunately, the guidance material is not yet correct nor complete. The promised Fatigue Risk Management System needed for adequate operational flexibility is not ready nor does it look like it will be in place in time to meet the current unrealistic deadline of December 2020.
A government program of matching spending on eligible purchases including aircraft and simulators would almost immediately increase capacity to train new pilots by enabling flight schools to make these critical investments. NORTHERN AIR OPERATIONS Canada lags behind most countries in terms of affordability of travel to remote destinations, particularly in the north, where climate change is already happening and has a significant impact on our ability to maintain runway services and the type of aircraft that service these communities. Resources must be invested by the Federal Government to ensure that air service, often the only lifeline available, can continue to be delivered consistently and safely as the user pay model is not suited for a small population in such a large geographic area. The aviation industry has been and is being challenged by several pieces of new legislation which, in combination, will have a cascading impact on Canadian airlines and will limit efforts to control costs of air travel in the north. PILOT FLIGHT AND DUTY TIME AND FATIGUE RISK MANAGEMENT Immediately following the publication of new Flight Crew Fatigue Management regulations, ATAC initiated steps to assist our members with understanding and implementing the new regulatory requirements. In support of this, ATAC supplied Transport Canada with a list
Air Transport Association of Canada 1505 - 222 Queen Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5V9 Phone: (613) 233-7727 • Fax: (613) 230-8648 Website: www.atac.ca
Industry continues to strongly advocate for Transport Canada to grant an additional two years for the development by the Department of the required guidance material and for implementation by CAR 705 operators including the option of using a Fatigue Risk Management System. AVIATION SAFETY ENHANCEMENT Canada has gained an excellent reputation on the aviation world stage by innovating in aviation safety through the development and implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS). With much useful and enlightening experience now acquired by operators and their employees within the SMS environment, ATAC strongly suggests that Transport Canada move ahead now with the necessary regulations and staffing to implement SMS within Commuter and Air Taxi operations under CAR 704 and 703 respectively. CATSA PRIVATIZATION The objective of the Canadian Government is to privatize the current CATSA through the creation of a new Designated Screening Authority (DSA). The goal shared by industry and government is to improve the level of service. However, delivery of world class service standards requires significant investment. The government expects to receive what it considers a fair and equitable purchase price for the new DSA. Keep in mind that the travelling public has been subjected to significant air transportation security charges over the years which, by all calculations, have paid for the asset value of CATSA several times over. Should the government be determined to maintain the decision to privatize CATSA, then anything more than a $1.00 purchase price is unacceptable as it would further increase the cost of travel in Canada.
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January/February 2020 | WINGS 43 2019-12-17 1:16 PM
ON
FINAL
AIR TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ISSUE INVESTIGATION REPORT A15H0001 | 5
By Kathy Fox |
This accident rate is based on activity by all Canadian‐registered aircraft, including activity outside of Canada. Because there is no activity estimate available for air‐taxi operations specifically, it is not possible to determine an accident rate by hours flown for just this sector.
Raising the bar on Air Taxi safety
Figure 1. Number of accidents and accidentsector, rate for Canadian-registered aircraft perchallenges 100 000 hours flown TSB Safety Issue Investigation into a unique with unique from 2000 to 2017
C
anada’s aviation industry is as diverse as the country itself, and nowhere is this better illustrated than in the air-taxi sector. These smaller aircraft provide Canadians with a broad array of services: helicopters to transport patients to hospitals; floatplanes to take commuters from harbour to harbour in coastal cities or to hunting or fishing camps; and aircraft to bring workers to remote areas, and deliver food, equipment, and passengers to small communities on a daily basis. Commercial aviation overall in Canada has shown improved safety performance over the past 10 years, but air-taxi operations remain at higher risk. The air-taxi sector has more accidents, causing more fatalities, than all other sectors in commerrequire strategies, promocial aviation in Canada combined. To find Movement data are collected on all Canadian‐ and foreign‐registered tion, and education tailored civilian aircraft out why, the Transportation Safety Board operating in Canada. Based on these data, Statistics Canada estimates to the sector to change vala total of of Canada (TSB) conducted an exhaustive 6 122 671 civil aircraft movements in Canada for the year 2017. ues, attitudes,ofand behav(Movements Canadian‐ four-year study on air taxi operations in iours and create a culture registered aircraft outside of Canada are not included in this number.) The 2017 estimate Canada. where unsafe practices are than the estimate, and considered it lay between the averages for the previous After studying more than 716 occur- was pilotslightly after ahigher first pilot has2016 refused, or not unacceptable. 5 years (6 006 231) and the previous 10 years (6 217 814). rences, interviewing 125 individuals, and having scales available to prevent aircraft To help with this, the TSB issued four analyzing approximately 300 hours of re- from taking off overweight. recommendations to Transport Canada There were 195 airplane and helicopter accidents in Canada (including ones involving cordings, we determined that the answer But why would these occur in the first and industry aimed at: Eliminating the This cernumber was close to previous year’spromoting count of was partly because of the nature of the foreign‐registered place? The shortaircraft) answerinis2017. because acceptance of the unsafe practices; 11% below the 5‐year averageasofthe 219, proactive and was 17% less than the 10‐year work. Air taxi operations take place in a 196, tainwas practices have become accepted safety management and aaverage culture very different context from other sectors of of “normal” way to conduct business.accident As theserateoffor operating updating aviation regu234. This yielded a civil aviation airplanessafely; and helicopters in Canada of commercial aviation. They often have no 3.2 unsafe practices entrenched, lations to reduce identified safety gaps; and accidents perbecome 100 000more movements. set schedule and fly into remote areas in and as flights are carried out successfully tracking data so that mitigation strategies steady downward trendsafely), in accident by movements wasassessed. evident over the 18‐year uncontrolled airspace with few or no aero- A(though not necessarily the rate assocican be better 10 However, the estimates and data used calculate frombecome 2000 tojust 2017 (Figure 2).job.” dromes. Flights tend to be shorter, result- period ated risks “part of the In order to raise the bar ontosafety in airing in more takeoffs and landings. Access theLike anymovements business, air taxitooperators taxi operations, all stakeholders, together, rate by apply the entireface commercial aviation sector; it is not possible to to basic weather information, or the latest calculate competing – operating pressures, thispressures rate for just the air‐taxi sector. need to change to a culture where unsafe aircraft technology, may be limited. It is sector pressures, and safety pressures – and practices are unacceptable. At the TSB, we this unique operating context – the diver- these pressures must be managed in order plan to follow up with three main actions. sity of both operations and environment to deliver a service, stay economically vi- First, by communicating these key mes10 A Kendall’s τ correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the degree of association between year – that exposes air-taxi companies to very able, and b also stay safe. As long as those sages to stakeholder. Second, by conducting and accident rate per 100 000 movements over the 18-year period. There was a strong, negative correlation different risks. pressures stay in (τrelative balance, a flight outreach to help stakeholders understand between the variables b = -0.712, p < 0.0001), indicating a decrease in rate over time. But the larger reason for so many acci- should operate safely. But in the real world, their responsibility in creating a culture dents is more insidious, and boils down to those pressures are always shifting, push- where unsafe practices are unacceptable two things: An acceptance of unsafe prac- ing the operation toward boundaries, and and operational hazards are adequately tices and the inadequate management of toward a space that isn’t necessarily safe. managed. Third, by monitoring air-taxi acoperational hazards. Examples of the for- That doesn’t mean that the result is always cident investigations and trends and commer include: flying overweight, flying into an accident, but it almost always means a municating the results publicly. forecasted icing, not recording defects in reduced margin of safety – and an increased Together, it is our goal for everyone to the aircraft log, flying with unserviceable likelihood of an accident. raise the bar on air safety in this vital sector, equipment, “pushing the weather,” and flyGetting clients, passengers, crews, and across Canada. | W ing with inadequate fuel reserves. Exam- operators to reject unsafe practices—and ples of the latter include sub-optimal crew to speak up to prevent those practices from Kathy Fox is Chair of the Transportation pairing, dispatching a flight with a different happening—will be difficult. Doing so will Safety Board of Canada. 44 WINGS | January/February 2020
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IMAGE: TSB, SAFETY ISSUE INVESTIGATION, RAISING THE BAR ON SAFETY
The air-taxi sector has more accidents than all other aviation sectors in canada combined.
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