California Lead Ban Passed
The California legislature passed a bill banning leaded aviation fuel by 2031. After passage by the State House 59-11, the Senate confirmed it 30-8. The final bill is a compromise on the original introduced by Democratic Sen. Caroline Menjivar earlier this year. She proposed a phased approach based on demographics of neighborhoods surrounding airports starting in 2026 leading to an outright ban a year after a federal deadline set by the FAA to eliminate lead in avgas. The compromise was reached after industry groups pushed back on the 2026 phase-in citing the lack of a widely distributed high octane unleaded replacement for 100LL.
Caravan Flies Air Force Mission Autonomously
An autonomously controlled Cessna Caravan flew multiple supply missions and a total of 3900 miles in support of a major Air Force training exercise in August. The Joby/Xwing Caravan went to nine airports and did the whole thing gate to gate without the onboard safety pilot touching the controls. The plane carried components and other small cargo needed for maintenance and supply during the exercise and relieved the Air Force of the need to deploy its regular cargo fleet to do the missions. “We were pleased to continue demonstrating the capabilities of our autonomy technology during Agile Flag 24-3, where we completed dozens of fully autonomous aerial missions and showcased an ability to perform rapid resupply,” said Maxime Gariel, Autonomy Lead at Joby.
Pilot Academy Focuses On Cargo Work
Atlas Air, one of the world’s largest cargo carriers, partnered with Spartan Education Group to form the first flight school geared specifically for freight pilots. The school will take pilots from ab initio potentially to the right seat in an Atlas 747, 767 or 777 freighter. “We are recruiting students from day one who are interested in flying for Atlas, which is different from a lot of other partnerships,” said Spartan spokesman Dan Bergman. Atlas won’t pay the costs of training for students or guarantee them interviews but it will give them orientation tours and contacts within the company to pursue careers with the company.
COVID BizAv Boom Subsides
The business aviation travel boom created by COVID has quieted considerably with a 15 percent drop in traffic over the last couple of years. According to a report by CNBC, private aviation is facing “waning demand and a new competitive landscape for high-end travel.” According to CNBC, “The two-year decline highlights the ongoing correction in the world of private aviation, as the surge of new jet card members and charter fliers who started traveling private for the first time during Covid pulls back. Even ultra-wealthy travelers are showing signs of spending fatigue.” Some see the turbulence as beneficial in the long run, however. “The industry is on a more sustainable long-term path. It’s not a bad thing that it’s cooled down a bit.” Travis Kuhn, Senior VP of Software at Argus, said.
Garmin Runway/Taxiway Warning System Certified
Garmin has earned certification for its runway and taxiway occupancy software and the launch customer was a Cessna Caravan with G1000 NXI panel. The Surface Indications and Alert (SURF-IA) system uses GPS and ADS-B data to alert crews of potential conflicts with traffic on runways and taxiways. “[The system] provides visual crew-alerting system (CAS) caution and warning annunciations on the pilot’s primary flight display (PFD) and highlights the runway yellow or red, depending on the level of threat, on Garmin’s Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT),” according to Garmin. The software issues updates ranging from “no immediate collision hazard” to “warning level alert” when a collision is possible within 15 seconds.
NOTAMs
The NTSB has targeted Part 135 operations for a safety investigation … Ukraine is recruiting retired F-16 pilots … Pilot groups have launched an organized campaign against single-pilot airline ops … ICON Aircraft bankruptcy sale completed … FAA approved drone beyond visual line of sight operations … Merlin tested autonomous controls on KC-135 … Papua rebels killed New Zealand helicopter pilot … Find breaking news in general aviation at AVweb.com.
