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AIR TRANSPORT

Zeroavia Sets New Benchmark with Record-breaking HTPEM System Performance

ZeroAvia | March 10, 2023 | Read time : 02:22 min

Zeroavia Sets New Benchmark with Record-breaking HTPEM

On March 09, 2023, ZeroAvia, one of the leaders in zero-emission aviation, announced it has accomplished record-breaking performance in its High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HTPEM) systems testing. The previous testing of the pressurized 20kW HTPEM stack power module at ZeroAvia's UK R&D facility discovered a record of 2.5 kW/kg specific power at the level of the cell, which will set the standard for system-level densities of 3 kW/kg or more within the next two years.

Fuel cell technology for aviation development is critical to enable accurate zero-emission commercial flight and energy-intensive applications such as sizeable fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft. Therefore, increasing the temperature and pressure within fuel cell stacks is necessary for a commercially viable product. Increased temperature and pressure enable air cooling, simplify the system, reduce cooling drag, and ultimately enable significantly more rigorous applications.

By delivering a pressurized HTPEM system, the team at ZeroAvia has made ground-breaking advances in deep technology. Additionally, innovative conductive coatings enable using aluminum bipolar plates in aggressive HTPEM environments and a novel membrane electrode assembly (MEA) technique.

ZeroAvia's proprietary technology has been developed in the past three years as part of a concentrated effort to create an in-house portfolio of critical technology for fuel cell aviation. Further R&D will deliver a fuel cell system with a specific power of over 3 kW/kg, enabling a step change in performance relative to conventional fuel cell technologies and making fuel cell propulsion commercially feasible for large aircraft. To support prime candidates for ZeroAvia's ZA2000 powertrain for 40-80 seater airplanes, a range of rotorcraft and eVTOL applications, it will be the HTPEM. This next generation of fuel cells may also be adequate to enable electric propulsion systems for single-aisle turbofan aircraft with more than 100 seats, such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.

About ZeroAvia

ZeroAvia is one of the leading zero-emission aviation focusing on hydroelectric solutions. The company, based in Hollister (California) enables scalable, sustainable aviation by replacing conventional engines with hydrogen-electric powertrains from 19-seater regional flights to more than 100-seater long-distance flights. It has already obtained experimental certificates from the CAA and FAA for its two prototype aircraft, passed momentous flight test milestones, secured a number of key partnerships with leading aircraft OEMs and global airlines, and is on track to begin commercial operations in 2025.

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Delta Eyes Major Order

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Ameriflight Becomes First Part 135 Cargo Airline to Receive Exemption to Operate Drones

Businesswire | June 05, 2023

Ameriflight, the nation’s largest Part 135 Cargo airline, today announced it has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate drone aircraft, making Ameriflight the first existing Part 135 Cargo airline to receive such exemption. The newly granted exemption allows Ameriflight to conduct UAS operations under its current Part 119 Air Carrier Certificate for Part 135 operations. Moreover, the company has approval to add the Matternet M2 to its fleet, enabling the launch of the first fully operational, large-scale drone operation in the United States.’ Through its partnership with Matternet, the developer of the world’s leading urban drone delivery system, Ameriflight intends to operate the Matternet M2 drone for commercial delivery, focusing on health care and e-commerce deliveries to customers located in dense urban and suburban environments across the country. Ameriflight will deploy the M2 fleet of drones using Matternet's software platform from a central remote Network Operations Center, allowing the company to safely expand its network, while maintaining the highest level of pilot operator supervision and flexibility. Ameriflight intends to operate its uncrewed aircraft as a supplement to its crewed operations, not replacing the current flying operation, aircraft, or pilots. “Adding this state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly aircraft and launching our UAS division allows us to expand our service offerings to off-airport alternative sites for time-sensitive small package needs,” said Ameriflight President and CEO Alan Rusinowitz. “Matternet’s technology is at the forefront of autonomous innovation and provides a revolutionary solution for customers. We’re looking forward to launching our first M2 flights very soon, and, as we move forward into future flight, developing additional areas of drone delivery.” Medical samples and small batch pharmaceuticals will be the initial cargo for the M2, offering a fix to the slow and unpredictable delivery times of today’s ground transportation method, resulting in increased reliability. In addition to healthcare, Matternet is expanding into e-commerce, where drone delivery can enable ultra-fast delivery of small packages. The approval to add drones to our operation positions Ameriflight, once again, at the forefront of innovation in the aviation industry. Moving forward with the future of our newly operative UAS division allows us to expand into a largely untapped delivery market with a lot of room for speed and safety logistic improvements,” said Ameriflight Owner and Chairman Jim Martell. “After having accomplished this unprecedented milestone, we are more than excited to continue our partnership with Matternet, a best-in-class developer of cutting-edge drone delivery technology. “We are thrilled to enable the nationwide deployment of our drone delivery system and to have Ameriflight, a leading cargo airline with a strong track record of reliability, safety, and performance, at our side,” said Andreas Raptopoulos, Co-Founder and CEO of Matternet. “This partnership enables us to offer our customers turnkey access to fast and reliable on-demand delivery capabilities today. This is not a test program or a future deployment concept – this is the real, scalable, and safe drone-based solution that customers are looking for.” This marks Ameriflight’s third announcement this year regarding its expansion into the drone world after having signed with Sabrewing Aircraft on the purchase of its Rhaegal-A aircraft, a 1-ton payload, medium-haul feeder uncrewed aerial vehicle, and just prior having signed with Natilus on the purchase of its Kona aircraft, a 3.8-ton payload, short-haul feeder uncrewed aerial vehicle. Ameriflight intends to use all three fleet types in tandem with its current operation. The company’s goal is to build diversified aviation services, and this fits well with that vision. About Ameriflight: Ameriflight is the nation’s largest Part 135 cargo airline. Founded in 1968, Ameriflight has grown from a small air charter and cargo service carrier to an international operator with 14 bases, 1,500 weekly departures, and 200 destinations. The company is headquartered in Dallas, TX and has more than 500 employees including over 150 pilots and over 100 aircraft. Ameriflight provides feeder services for overnight express carriers, as well as on-demand cargo charter services for customers with an array of priority shipping needs through its Expedited Supply Chain Solutions department.

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West Star Aviation Completes SmartSky STC on Dassault Falcon 2000

PRnewswire | May 10, 2023

SmartSky Networks, the leading provider of inflight air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity for business aviation, today announced that it has been granted Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) #ST04610CH from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for installation of its Flagship system on a Dassault Falcon 2000EX business jet. The work was done by hardware sales and installation partner West Star Aviation at their Grand Junction facility. Liberty Partners provided engineering support, commencing the project on Feb. 3. The aircraft arrived for service at West Star in March, with the first-of-type installation and unrelated planned maintenance completed in just over a month, followed by a return-to-service in mid-April. The FAA supplemental type certificate was granted on April 28, representing less than three months from start to finish for the entire project. "SmartSky was a great company to work with on this STC effort. The coordination between West Star, SmartSky and Liberty partners was excellent, and we are pleased to be part of enabling all Falcon 2000 series aircraft models to upgrade to SmartSky's groundbreaking new technology. Its high bandwidth and low latency performance enables continuous data transfer to and from the aircraft powering inflight use of demanding applications like livestreaming, videoconferencing and even gaming. This is the kind of performance our customers demand from their connectivity, and we look forward to installing more of the SmartSky systems," said Aaron Berg, Avionics Technical Sales Manager for West Star Aviation. SmartSky's industry leading two-way data flow was on full display upon the jet's return to service flight from Colorado to the Bahamas, where nearly 7 GB of data was used in just over three hours, with more than 3 GB of data downloaded onto the aircraft and nearly 4 GB of data uploaded off the aircraft. SmartSky is the only aviation network that offers a symmetrical, two-way data link, and in the case of this flight, a remarkable 55% of the data used was sent off the plane. The Falcon 2000 series, with nearly 450 aircraft in service, joins a growing list of aircraft types that have already been granted STCs for SmartSky's patented ATG connectivity service, making its high-performance network available to more aircraft that need secure, uninterrupted connectivity. "West Star Aviation is a fantastic partner. Their ability to provide a flawless installation, while minimizing downtime, enabled an extremely quick issuance of the STC from the FAA. We know Falcon 2000 owners, operators, pilots, and passengers are going to love having this level of connectivity on their aircraft. With this first install under their belt, we look forward to more and faster installations with West Star in the future," said Chris Buff, MRO Account Management for SmartSky Networks. Along with this STC for a Dassault-produced aircraft, SmartSky has already been awarded STCs for more than a dozen models from major manufacturers such as Textron Aviation, Gulfstream Aerospace, Bombardier, Embraer, and Dassault, with several more in progress and being scheduled. About West Star Aviation As an industry leading MRO provider, West Star is proud to have been voted the #1 Preferred MRO for ninth time from 2014-2021 and 2023 in Professional Pilot Magazine's annual PRASE Survey. West Star Aviation specializes in the repair and maintenance of airframes, engines and APUs, avionics installations and repair, major modifications, interior refurbishment, exterior paint, accessory services, and parts.In addition to its primary facilities in East Alton, IL; Grand Junction, CO; Chattanooga, TN; and Perryville, MO, West Star Aviation also maintains satellite facilities at Chicago Executive Airport in Chicago, IL; Centennial Airport in Denver, CO; Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport in Houston, TX; and Minneapolis/St.Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, MN. The company also provides complete FBO services for transient aircraft at its East Alton and Grand Junction facilities, as well as AOG/MRT services worldwide. West Star Aviation is an industry leader in technical experience and expertise while providing world-class customer services in all the organization's divisions. About SmartSky SmartSky Networks was founded to transform aviation through disruptive communications technologies, services, and tools. The network takes advantage of patented spectrum reuse, advanced beamforming technologies, and 60 MHz of spectrum for significantly enhanced connectivity. SmartSky Networks uniquely enables an "office in the sky" experience with unmatched capacity for data transmissions both to and from the aircraft. This real-time, very low latency, bidirectional data link makes SmartSky Networks the best in-flight user experience, and a key enabler for new and enhanced applications and services.

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BUSINESS AVIATION

Universal Avionics Enhances Vision System Services for Dassault FalconEye

Universal Avionics | March 14, 2023

Universal Avionics, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems company, has recently announced the addition of repair services for the Dassault FalconEye product line at its Part 145 Repair Station in Tucson, Arizona. The added repair facility offers improved customer support and enables rapid turn times on Enhanced Vision Systems. Universal Avionics' global services on enhanced vision systems are supplemented by the advanced system's established repair capabilities. In addition, customers in North America will now have access to comprehensive local support for these cutting-edge technologies as Dassault continues to ramp up the production of its aircraft with FalconEye. The FalconEye Combined Vision System (CVS) utilizes a sophisticated database-driven terrain mapping synthetic and multi-sensor camera inputs to provide pilots with enhanced situational awareness through a heads-up display. These cutting-edge technologies facilitate safer approaches during inclement weather and challenging terrain conditions. With FalconEye, you can approach each mission with greater confidence and assurance. Chief Executive Officer at Universal Avionics, Dror Yahav, said, "The FalconEye camera is one of the most sophisticated electrical-optical systems available for commercial aviation. The implementation of repair services in North America for Dassault FalconEye guarantees customers will have first-rate service of the system." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About Universal Avionics Founded in 1981, Universal Avionics, an Elbit Systems Company, is one of the top manufacturers of innovative avionics systems with forward fit and retrofit solutions currently installed on over 35,000 airplanes and helicopters. The company ensures the safety of pilots and passengers around the world. It offers solutions for navigation, electronic display, terrain awareness, recorders, and enhanced flight vision systems. It is based in Tucson, Arizona, guides pilots and their passengers worldwide and provides solutions for the industry's most extensive diversification of aircraft types.

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Ameriflight Becomes First Part 135 Cargo Airline to Receive Exemption to Operate Drones

Businesswire | June 05, 2023

Ameriflight, the nation’s largest Part 135 Cargo airline, today announced it has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate drone aircraft, making Ameriflight the first existing Part 135 Cargo airline to receive such exemption. The newly granted exemption allows Ameriflight to conduct UAS operations under its current Part 119 Air Carrier Certificate for Part 135 operations. Moreover, the company has approval to add the Matternet M2 to its fleet, enabling the launch of the first fully operational, large-scale drone operation in the United States.’ Through its partnership with Matternet, the developer of the world’s leading urban drone delivery system, Ameriflight intends to operate the Matternet M2 drone for commercial delivery, focusing on health care and e-commerce deliveries to customers located in dense urban and suburban environments across the country. Ameriflight will deploy the M2 fleet of drones using Matternet's software platform from a central remote Network Operations Center, allowing the company to safely expand its network, while maintaining the highest level of pilot operator supervision and flexibility. Ameriflight intends to operate its uncrewed aircraft as a supplement to its crewed operations, not replacing the current flying operation, aircraft, or pilots. “Adding this state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly aircraft and launching our UAS division allows us to expand our service offerings to off-airport alternative sites for time-sensitive small package needs,” said Ameriflight President and CEO Alan Rusinowitz. “Matternet’s technology is at the forefront of autonomous innovation and provides a revolutionary solution for customers. We’re looking forward to launching our first M2 flights very soon, and, as we move forward into future flight, developing additional areas of drone delivery.” Medical samples and small batch pharmaceuticals will be the initial cargo for the M2, offering a fix to the slow and unpredictable delivery times of today’s ground transportation method, resulting in increased reliability. In addition to healthcare, Matternet is expanding into e-commerce, where drone delivery can enable ultra-fast delivery of small packages. The approval to add drones to our operation positions Ameriflight, once again, at the forefront of innovation in the aviation industry. Moving forward with the future of our newly operative UAS division allows us to expand into a largely untapped delivery market with a lot of room for speed and safety logistic improvements,” said Ameriflight Owner and Chairman Jim Martell. “After having accomplished this unprecedented milestone, we are more than excited to continue our partnership with Matternet, a best-in-class developer of cutting-edge drone delivery technology. “We are thrilled to enable the nationwide deployment of our drone delivery system and to have Ameriflight, a leading cargo airline with a strong track record of reliability, safety, and performance, at our side,” said Andreas Raptopoulos, Co-Founder and CEO of Matternet. “This partnership enables us to offer our customers turnkey access to fast and reliable on-demand delivery capabilities today. This is not a test program or a future deployment concept – this is the real, scalable, and safe drone-based solution that customers are looking for.” This marks Ameriflight’s third announcement this year regarding its expansion into the drone world after having signed with Sabrewing Aircraft on the purchase of its Rhaegal-A aircraft, a 1-ton payload, medium-haul feeder uncrewed aerial vehicle, and just prior having signed with Natilus on the purchase of its Kona aircraft, a 3.8-ton payload, short-haul feeder uncrewed aerial vehicle. Ameriflight intends to use all three fleet types in tandem with its current operation. The company’s goal is to build diversified aviation services, and this fits well with that vision. About Ameriflight: Ameriflight is the nation’s largest Part 135 cargo airline. Founded in 1968, Ameriflight has grown from a small air charter and cargo service carrier to an international operator with 14 bases, 1,500 weekly departures, and 200 destinations. The company is headquartered in Dallas, TX and has more than 500 employees including over 150 pilots and over 100 aircraft. Ameriflight provides feeder services for overnight express carriers, as well as on-demand cargo charter services for customers with an array of priority shipping needs through its Expedited Supply Chain Solutions department.

Read More

DEFENSE AND SPACE

West Star Aviation Completes SmartSky STC on Dassault Falcon 2000

PRnewswire | May 10, 2023

SmartSky Networks, the leading provider of inflight air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity for business aviation, today announced that it has been granted Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) #ST04610CH from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for installation of its Flagship system on a Dassault Falcon 2000EX business jet. The work was done by hardware sales and installation partner West Star Aviation at their Grand Junction facility. Liberty Partners provided engineering support, commencing the project on Feb. 3. The aircraft arrived for service at West Star in March, with the first-of-type installation and unrelated planned maintenance completed in just over a month, followed by a return-to-service in mid-April. The FAA supplemental type certificate was granted on April 28, representing less than three months from start to finish for the entire project. "SmartSky was a great company to work with on this STC effort. The coordination between West Star, SmartSky and Liberty partners was excellent, and we are pleased to be part of enabling all Falcon 2000 series aircraft models to upgrade to SmartSky's groundbreaking new technology. Its high bandwidth and low latency performance enables continuous data transfer to and from the aircraft powering inflight use of demanding applications like livestreaming, videoconferencing and even gaming. This is the kind of performance our customers demand from their connectivity, and we look forward to installing more of the SmartSky systems," said Aaron Berg, Avionics Technical Sales Manager for West Star Aviation. SmartSky's industry leading two-way data flow was on full display upon the jet's return to service flight from Colorado to the Bahamas, where nearly 7 GB of data was used in just over three hours, with more than 3 GB of data downloaded onto the aircraft and nearly 4 GB of data uploaded off the aircraft. SmartSky is the only aviation network that offers a symmetrical, two-way data link, and in the case of this flight, a remarkable 55% of the data used was sent off the plane. The Falcon 2000 series, with nearly 450 aircraft in service, joins a growing list of aircraft types that have already been granted STCs for SmartSky's patented ATG connectivity service, making its high-performance network available to more aircraft that need secure, uninterrupted connectivity. "West Star Aviation is a fantastic partner. Their ability to provide a flawless installation, while minimizing downtime, enabled an extremely quick issuance of the STC from the FAA. We know Falcon 2000 owners, operators, pilots, and passengers are going to love having this level of connectivity on their aircraft. With this first install under their belt, we look forward to more and faster installations with West Star in the future," said Chris Buff, MRO Account Management for SmartSky Networks. Along with this STC for a Dassault-produced aircraft, SmartSky has already been awarded STCs for more than a dozen models from major manufacturers such as Textron Aviation, Gulfstream Aerospace, Bombardier, Embraer, and Dassault, with several more in progress and being scheduled. About West Star Aviation As an industry leading MRO provider, West Star is proud to have been voted the #1 Preferred MRO for ninth time from 2014-2021 and 2023 in Professional Pilot Magazine's annual PRASE Survey. West Star Aviation specializes in the repair and maintenance of airframes, engines and APUs, avionics installations and repair, major modifications, interior refurbishment, exterior paint, accessory services, and parts.In addition to its primary facilities in East Alton, IL; Grand Junction, CO; Chattanooga, TN; and Perryville, MO, West Star Aviation also maintains satellite facilities at Chicago Executive Airport in Chicago, IL; Centennial Airport in Denver, CO; Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport in Houston, TX; and Minneapolis/St.Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, MN. The company also provides complete FBO services for transient aircraft at its East Alton and Grand Junction facilities, as well as AOG/MRT services worldwide. West Star Aviation is an industry leader in technical experience and expertise while providing world-class customer services in all the organization's divisions. About SmartSky SmartSky Networks was founded to transform aviation through disruptive communications technologies, services, and tools. The network takes advantage of patented spectrum reuse, advanced beamforming technologies, and 60 MHz of spectrum for significantly enhanced connectivity. SmartSky Networks uniquely enables an "office in the sky" experience with unmatched capacity for data transmissions both to and from the aircraft. This real-time, very low latency, bidirectional data link makes SmartSky Networks the best in-flight user experience, and a key enabler for new and enhanced applications and services.

Read More

BUSINESS AVIATION

Universal Avionics Enhances Vision System Services for Dassault FalconEye

Universal Avionics | March 14, 2023

Universal Avionics, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems company, has recently announced the addition of repair services for the Dassault FalconEye product line at its Part 145 Repair Station in Tucson, Arizona. The added repair facility offers improved customer support and enables rapid turn times on Enhanced Vision Systems. Universal Avionics' global services on enhanced vision systems are supplemented by the advanced system's established repair capabilities. In addition, customers in North America will now have access to comprehensive local support for these cutting-edge technologies as Dassault continues to ramp up the production of its aircraft with FalconEye. The FalconEye Combined Vision System (CVS) utilizes a sophisticated database-driven terrain mapping synthetic and multi-sensor camera inputs to provide pilots with enhanced situational awareness through a heads-up display. These cutting-edge technologies facilitate safer approaches during inclement weather and challenging terrain conditions. With FalconEye, you can approach each mission with greater confidence and assurance. Chief Executive Officer at Universal Avionics, Dror Yahav, said, "The FalconEye camera is one of the most sophisticated electrical-optical systems available for commercial aviation. The implementation of repair services in North America for Dassault FalconEye guarantees customers will have first-rate service of the system." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About Universal Avionics Founded in 1981, Universal Avionics, an Elbit Systems Company, is one of the top manufacturers of innovative avionics systems with forward fit and retrofit solutions currently installed on over 35,000 airplanes and helicopters. The company ensures the safety of pilots and passengers around the world. It offers solutions for navigation, electronic display, terrain awareness, recorders, and enhanced flight vision systems. It is based in Tucson, Arizona, guides pilots and their passengers worldwide and provides solutions for the industry's most extensive diversification of aircraft types.

Read More

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