The National Transportation Safety Board is citing blade failure as the cause of the crash of a remotely piloted Joby Aviation electric aircraft in 2022. According to the NTSB’s final report, the accident, which took place on February 16, happened during the second test flight of the day for the JAS4-2, the first of two second-generation preproduction prototypes.

Since JAS4-2, an uncrewed experimental aircraft designated N542AJ, was involved in flight testing, it was being observed from a manned chase airplane.

The flight began about 09:42 PST with a normal vertical takeoff, transition to wing-borne flight, and climb up to 11,000 feet msl. The remote pilot in command (PIC) put the aircraft into a descent, with the unit reaching a maximum dive speed of 181 knots. As the aircraft passed through 8,900 feet the propeller from propulsion station 3 located on the right inboard wing experienced oscillations in rpm and motor vibrations.

Per the NTSB report, “after reaching a maximum dive speed of 181 knots indicated airspeed (kias) at an altitude of approximately 8,900 feet, a propeller blade on propulsion station 3 experienced a bending failure near the root of the blade which culminated in the release of the propeller blade.” 

The released blade impacted the propeller on propulsion station 4—located on the right wing outboard—which subsequently resulted in a release of the impacted blade. 

The result was a cascading effect, with the other propeller blade failures and separations from the propulsion motors, resulting in loss of aircraft control. The aircraft rolled to the left then entered an inverted dive, and crashed in an uninhabited area near Jolon, California. There were no injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed.

“Experimental flight test programs are intentionally designed to determine the limits of aircraft performance and, in doing so, provide critical insight and learnings that support the safe operation of aircraft as well as inform final design elements,” Joby said in a statement to FLYING. “Since the accident, we’ve incorporated a range of improvements to our design and testing methodologies, many of which were already planned, and our second preproduction prototype aircraft has flown nearly 25,000 miles, including more than 100 flights flown by a pilot on board as well as exhibition flights in New York City.”

The company added it will continue to work with the FAA to resolve any safety issues before type certification. It will also share any relevant findings with other electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturers.

According to information recorded by Joby during the test flight, “the variable pitch actuator for station 3 was commanding a typical cruise pitch when the blade release occurred, whereas video evidence indicated a steeper pitch on some blades immediately before the initial blade release.”

The company went on to state that accelerometer data for station 3 “showed a rapid growth in vibration after reaching the accident flights test condition before the initial blade release.” There was also an oscillation present for station 3 at the time, and examination of Joby’s prior flight test data revealed “consistent asymmetric behavior between station 2 and station 3, despite identical mirrored designs.” 

About the Pilot

The remote PIC was 62 years old and held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine and multiengine land along with ratings for helicopter and glider in addition to unmanned aerial systems (UAS). At the time of the event, the PIC had a total of  2,965 hours total time, with 43 hours flying the JAS4-2.

About the Aircraft

The aircraft was all-electric, fly-by-wire, and capable of vertical takeoff and landing. The design has space for five occupants, pilot, and four passengers, though it could be piloted remotely. The design’s maximum gross takeoff weight was 4,200 pounds. 

The aircraft was configured with six tilting propellers directly driven by six dual-powered electric motors with power supplied by four battery packs. The six electric propulsion unit (EPU) stations are identified numerically based on location as station 1 (outboard left wing), station 2 (inboard left wing), station 3 (inboard right wing), station 4 (outboard right wing), station 5 (left tail), and station 6 (right tail). Each of the six variable pitch propeller assemblies were equipped with five blades and actuated by a single variable pitch actuator driving a mechanical pitch change mechanism.

Joby conducted a frame-by-frame review of GoPro video captured during the test flight to help the NTSB reach a conclusion as to the cause of the crash.

The accident did not slow down Joby, as last week the FAA accepted its propulsion system certification plan. According to company officials, this is a “critical step” toward type certification of its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi.

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The FAA bill initially passed the House in July, but the agency’s existing authorization has since been extended twice because of debates in the Senate ranging from aviation to global politics. December was a particularly chaotic time with senators using their valuable pre-holiday time to talk about border security and aid to Ukraine and Israel. They hoped to debate the list of FAA-related items over the past two weeks. However, the Boeing 737 Max 9 midair door plug incident and concerns over the FAA’s diversity and inclusion hiring plans have dominated the media and absorbed attention. Discussions around the FAA bill are now expected to take place in February. 

The overall aim of the bill is to help improve aviation technologies and the workforce by improving FAA efficiency and operations, growing the aviation workforce, upholding America’s gold standard in safety, and encouraging aviation innovation. More specifically, there has been debate around several key issues, including raising the mandatory pilot retirement age from 65 to 67 and increasing the simulator hours a pilot can log as part of the 1,500 hours needed to become an airline transport pilot. In November, Senator John Thune (R-S.D) put forth a compromise proposal to increase loggable simulator hours from 100 to 150.

As part of the National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA), made up of American leaders in the pilot training space, I believe that good will come from raising the simulator hours. 

The simulators of 2024 are not a 1990s DOS-run PC flight simulators with a joystick. The latest advanced simulators often contain an exact replica of a specific aircraft with the same avionics and controls you will find in a real airplane. This enables pilots to practice a whole range of skills, from teamwork and communication to aircraft systems and actual stick and rudder flying, if needed. Moreover, advancements in recent simulator technology, particularly in computer software and graphics, have pushed the immersion and data collection to a whole new level. The advanced data-driven training systems enable pilots and instructors to receive real-time insights and standardized evaluations for continuous pilot training improvement. This is important because efficient and economical performance evaluation is critical to the aviation industry.

These simulations promote the use of critical and evaluative thinking. Events in newer high-fidelity simulators enable students to enthusiastically contemplate the implications of a given scenario. This is vital, especially in recreating and practicing emergency procedures and scenarios, which you don’t want to do in the aircraft. Furthermore, scientific studies, including high-level, peer-reviewed journal articles on human factors, have shown that adding in unpredictability and variability into simulator training sessions improves pilot responses. It requires the pilot to apply the practiced skills and reinforces learning.

Another often overlooked benefit of simulators is teaching in one. The Roman philosopher Seneca said, “When we teach, we learn.” Scientific studies have proven this is true—teaching a topic to your student helps the teacher learn. It’s known as the “protégé effect.” NFTA board members, who include FAA Part 141/161 flight school owners and their CFIs, can attest to this. Many of us view the flight time while teaching, especially in a simulator, as superior compared to other more uneventful and repetitious methods allowed for logging flight experience. 

One can write a full-length book on this “flight training” topic, and if you did, it would be imperative to include the expertise and experience of the individuals involved in the day-to-day flight school world. This FAA bill shouldn’t be any different. It is these individuals who train the private pilots who eventually become commercial pilots who feed the airlines and other institutions. They know that time in an advanced flight simulator is highly beneficial to student pilots and instructors. They see raising the loggable simulator hours from 100 to 150 as a step in the right direction. 

Overall, now is the ideal time to modernize and update flight training in America. The pilot shortage, combined with often outdated and inefficient regulations, makes it vital that the final version of the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act allows for innovation in aircraft simulation and education. Aviation is critical to our country’s national infrastructure. This bill will provide industry and FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker with guidance on the next five years—and beyond. 

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After approving a three-month extension in September that keeps the FAA funded through December 31, the House this week passed a second elongation that will stretch the deadline out to March 8. The House signed off on an FAA reauthorization bill in July, but the legislation has stalled in the Senate as lawmakers quibble over provisions such as pilot training.

The FAA’s current authorization dates back to 2018, when the most recent reauthorization bill was passed. The agency must be reauthorized every five years or risk being cut off from federal funding, which would be the likely outcome should the government fail to approve a new bill by March 8.

“We remain committed to enacting a comprehensive, long-term FAA reauthorization bill as soon as possible,” said House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Garret Graves (R-La.), and respective ranking members Rick Larson (D-Wash.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) in a joint statement. “Such a bill is vital to ensuring the United States continues its global leadership in aviation and remains the gold standard in aviation safety.”

The lawmakers continued: “Our long-term bipartisan bill…passed the House by a wide margin nearly five months ago, but the Senate has yet to act on our bill or a bill of their own. Because of the Senate’s inaction, [this] extension is necessary to ensure the continued safe operation of our aviation system. But make no mistake—the Senate must promptly act on a long-term bill, as a series of short-term extensions hamstrings FAA operations, maintains outdated policies, and fails to provide critical policy updates for aviation safety, efficiency, innovation, and more.”

Calls for a swift, final FAA reauthorization bill—and not a series of short-term extensions—have rung out on Capitol Hill from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and even from Joe Biden administration cabinet members.

So far, those calls have gone unanswered as Washington weighs how best to address issues such as the air traffic control shortage, pilot retirement age, and the integration of new aircraft—such as electric air taxis—into the national airspace.

Earlier this month, a collective of stakeholders representing the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), and Transport Workers Union (TWU) gave their feedback at an aviation subcommittee hearing. All of them urged the Senate to act quickly.

The groups’ testimony echoed the sentiments of other industry stakeholders, 28 of which penned the FAA a letter in September. Among them were GAMA, the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA).

The letter was addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

The Senate may be making progress on at least one provision included in the proposed FAA reauthorization bill. In November, it was reported that lawmakers were nearing an agreement on relaxing airline pilot training—the legislation calls for the number of loggable simulator hours to be raised from 100 to 150.

According to Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), who serves on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, an agreement is in place that “deals with the pilot shortage, pilot supply issue and incorporates some of the best and greatest technology.”

Still, the Senate has yet to approve the bill in full, which has kept fresh funding behind bureaucratic red tape and could stymie recently appointed FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker. The good news is it will have a few more months to deliberate.

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Representatives from GAMA, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) participated in the discussion.

The panelists cited progress toward fielding a replacement for 100 Low Lead (100LL) high octane gasoline that would be suitable for fleetwide use. While an estimated 70 percent of the current piston-aircraft fleet can safely use available lower-octane lead-free fuels, the remaining 30 percent that require higher-octane fuel to operate safely fly an estimated 70 percent of the hours flown by the entire GA fleet.

• READ MORE: EPA Releases Proposed Finding on Leaded AvGas

The panelists noted that the expected EPA endangerment finding, in itself, does not constitute a ban on continued use of 100LL fuel. In fact, the group stressed the priority of retaining the right to distribute and use 100LL until and acceptable replacement is in place.

However, the panelists did acknowledge that the EPA endangerment ruling does set a “pathway” to future rulemaking related to lead emissions in aviation fuels.

There was extended discussion on the difference between the supplemental type certificate (STC) route to acceptance of a replacement unleaded fuel, and the so-called ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) route, involving a “collaborative government FAA program to test candidate fuels, generate report and data, and distribute to fuel providers” enabling the FAA to gain “industry consensus” and issue a fleetwide approval.

• READ MORE: G100UL Avgas Replacement Set to Soon Hit Pumps

The panelists were careful to assure that the FAA, as the arbiter of safe aviation operations, is the final authority on approving a replacement for 100LL; not the EPA. That said, the discussion revealed that – for the first time – regulatory standards for lead emissions in aviation fuel will be established as a result of the expected EPA endangerment finding. GAMA assured the participating journalists that there would be further briefings once the EPA endangerment finding is finalized.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.com.

The post GAMA Hosts Pre-Brief on Life After EPA’s Ruling on Leaded Aviation Fuel appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In response, Israel swiftly declared a state of war and fired back, sending its own barrage of drones toward the Gaza Strip. As of Tuesday, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Hamas had each sustained major casualties. But the victims were mostly civilians—more than 1,000 Israelis and 900 Palestinians had been killed as of Tuesday evening. Around 150 Israelis are being held hostage by Hamas gunmen.

A few years ago, those horrific figures may not have been as staggering. But with the emergence of technologies like drones, warring foes are now capable of inflicting staggering damage to precisely targeted locations.

The early days of the conflict have raised many questions. How did Hamas—a small terrorist cell with limited resources—manage to launch an assault on one of the wealthiest nations in the world? What do Israel’s air defense capabilities look like? And how could the tide of battle shift with the introduction of drones from foreign actors?

These are complex questions, but we did our best to provide answers.

What Are Hamas’ Drone Capabilities?

Hamas so far has deployed a variety of drones to varying degrees of success. But the terrorist group likely received outside help from Iran and others.

“The IDF naturally has far more sophisticated drones and surveillance than Hamas does,” Professor Audrey Kurth Cronin, director of Carnegie Mellon’s Institute for Security and Technology, told FLYING. “But this shocking, horrible attack demonstrated that we must look more broadly in the war between Hamas and Israel.”

DroneSec, a drone adversary intelligence firm that provides counter-drone technology to governments and militaries worldwide, analyzed publicly available photo and video of the Saturday morning attacks, which Hamas refers to as “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm/Flood.”

In a report viewed by FLYING, DroneSec cited a video showing the camera view of a Hamas drone dropping munitions on an Israeli Merkava-4 tank. Later in the video, a different view appears to depict icons used by China’s DJI, the largest drone manufacturer in the world. DroneSec said the aircraft was “likely” a DJI quadcopter, which is also being deployed by Russia against Ukraine.

DroneSec also analyzed videos that showed drones hitting an ambulance, a communications tower, the Israeli border fence and its defenses (such as a machine gun turret), and IDF soldiers. But the strikes also targeted defenseless villages, killing hundreds of Israeli civilians.

Hamas reportedly used 35 Zouavi suicide drones in the invasion, and the Israeli government reported more than 2,200 incoming rockets on Saturday morning alone. That’s nearly quadruple the previous single-day record of 670 in 2021.

The terrorist group’s Zouavi drones fly long distances before exploding on impact and resemble toy airplanes…as well as drones produced by Iran and Russia, a group of current and former Western and Middle Eastern intelligence officials told the Washington Post. 

The models contain Farsi terms in their blueprints and are almost identical to those used by the Houthis, an Iran-backed terrorist group in Yemen, said Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Washington Institute’s Military and Security Studies Program.

Professor Michael J. Armstrong, associate professor of operations research at Brock University in Ontario, agreed that the fixed-wing suicide drones resembled those produced by Iran. But Armstrong told FLYING there do not appear to be enough of these models to pose “more than a nuisance” for Israel.

Hamas also sent some militants across the border on powered hang gliders, whose lightweight construction may have helped them avoid radar detection. Once in Israel, fighters attacked the Re’im military base, which housed a high concentration of drone and surveillance operators. The base was overtaken and later regained. But the attack neutralized many of Israel’s counter-drone capabilities Saturday morning.

Officials told the Washington Post that Saturday’s attack “bore hallmarks of Iranian support,” and Iran was likely heavily involved in training Hamas hang gliders. They also accused Iran of providing military training, logistics support, and tens of millions of dollars for weapons.

Officials noted Saturday’s attack was more complex than any previous Hamas air operation. They suspected it would be impossible without considerable outside help, adding that the group may have been planning the invasion as early as mid-2022 with Iran’s support.

Iranian officials denied responsibility but celebrated the attacks in statements shared to the media. On Monday, an unnamed senior defense official said the Department of Defense has “no specifics” to corroborate the report.

Per a 2020 U.S. State Department report, Iran sends about $100 million per year to Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas. The group’s leader said in an interview last year that it had received $70 million but did not specify over what timespan.

Several officials told the Post that Iran provided “technical help” to manufacture over 4,000 rockets and drones for Hamas, many of which were deployed Saturday. They said at least some militants had received training in advanced military tactics, including at camps in neighboring Lebanon, where another Iran-backed terrorist cell, Hezbollah, is based. 

Hezbollah on Sunday fired missiles and shells at an Israeli military post along the Lebanese border, a potential warning shot to deter outside involvement from the U.S. and other Israeli allies.

The Houthis may also get involved in the conflict: A spokesperson for the group on Monday told Newsweek it plans to support Hamas. The Houthis are believed to have access to a “vast arsenal of drones and missiles,” including Iranian-made loitering munitions that have been used by Russia to decimate Ukraine, Newsweek reported.

How is Israel Countering Hamas Drones?

The IDF made headlines in 2021 when it completed construction on a $1 billion barrier along the Israel-Gaza border, and security technology was Israel’s top-funded sector last year. However, the country’s physical borders and counter-drone systems were overwhelmed by hordes of enemy drones.

In addition to the barrier, Israel prevents attacks using the Iron Dome, a short-range, anti-artillery system developed by Israeli firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Each Iron Dome is designed to defend a 60-square-mile populated area, firing interceptors at projectiles that pose a threat. There are 10 spread throughout the country.

The IDF claimed the system successfully intercepted 97 percent of the targets it engaged during a summer 2022 confrontation in which the Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired rockets into Israel. The country’s military also relies on the Iron Beam, a high-energy laser interception system also developed by Rafael.

But both Iron Dome and Iron Beam have one vulnerability: drone swarms. The systems are susceptible to vast numbers of aircraft and were likely overwhelmed by the onslaught of Hamas drones, but only because the terrorist cell’s offensive was multifaceted.

According to Cronin, Israel would “easily” have won a “drone-on-drone contest.” But Hamas’ combination of attacks from the air, land, and sea was too much for its defenses to handle. She said the terrorist cell also optimized its use of drone technology to get the most out of scarce, less advanced resources, comparing it to Russia’s use of small, cheap DJI drones.

“Directly comparing the drones of each side is a bit like comparing rifles on each side,” Cronin said. “The U.S. M-16 was far superior to the AK-47, yet that did not yield a U.S. victory in the Vietnam War, for example. The role of IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan is another case. What matters here is the accessibility of the technology (even in more primitive forms), and how well it is used.”

Armstrong said it is “ironic” Israel was caught off-guard by Hamas drones, which are smaller and less sophisticated than those deployed by the IDF. On previous occasions, the military sighted and shot down simple recon drones, but “this the first one where Hamas has made effective combat use of them,” he said.

However, with Hamas’ capabilities now known, Armstrong suggested the tides of battle could shift.

“Now that the initial surprise attack is over, I think drones will be more useful for Israel than for Hamas,” he said. “Israel can use theirs for spotting targets for real-time strikes, to leverage its huge firepower advantage. Conversely, with the surprise gone, any casualties Hamas might inflict using explosives dropped by drones will be minor compared to those from its rockets.”

What Support Can the U.S. Provide?

Outside of a statement from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announcing the movement of U.S. forces, the Department of Defense has largely been tight-lipped about what its support for Israel may look like.

According to Austin, the Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) will move into the Eastern Mediterranean to conduct air and maritime operations in the region. Four Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers will also be deployed. The Air Force, meanwhile, augmented its F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.

Though the U.S. is also supporting Ukrainian forces in Eastern Europe and working to deter a military buildup in China, Austin did not seem to have concern that U.S. forces might be spread thin.

“The U.S. maintains ready forces globally to further reinforce this deterrence posture if required,” Austin said. “In addition, the U.S. government will be rapidly providing the IDF with additional equipment and resources, including munitions. The first security assistance will begin moving today and arriving in the coming days.”

In a background briefing, an unnamed senior defense official could offer few details on the DOD’s strategy moving forward, but echoed the Defense Secretary’s comments.

“At this point in time, we have the resources, authorities, and funding to continue our support to Israel within, of course, the Memorandum of Understanding for security assistance,” the official told members of the media.

“We are able to continue our support both to Ukraine, Israel, and maintain our own global readiness,” they added.

The official pointed to a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Israel, signed in 2018, as the basis for U.S. shipments of vehicles, equipment, and munitions. Under that agreement, the U.S. in 2023 allocated $25 million toward “US-Israeli anti-drone cooperation,” per a Congressional Research Study delivered to U.S. lawmakers earlier this year.

The report also highlighted a recent defense spending bill, which modified the agreement to include “directed energy capabilities.” It raised the cap on U.S. annual contributions from $25 million to $40 million—suggesting greater U.S. support moving forward—and extended the program’s authorization through 2026.

The change would appear to echo the senior defense official’s pledge to provide “the highest level of security assistance and missile defense funding to Israel ever in the history of our bilateral relationship.”

The fear, however, is that other groups with Iranian drone technology—which has proven effective in both Israel and Ukraine—will enter the fray in support of Hamas. The official said the DOD is monitoring the Middle East for any actors that might escalate tensions, mentioning Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraq by name. The U.S.’s watchful eye on these groups suggests it could adjust its support as the conflict evolves, but Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Monday said the U.S. does not plan to put boots on the ground.

In short, Israel’s air defenses were unprepared for a barrage of small, cheap drones, and the involvement of Iran and other terrorist groups was likely underestimated. But with Hamas’ and its supporters’ capabilities now out in the open, the IDF, with the support of the U.S. and its allies, has a path to gain the upper hand.

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The post Deadly Siege Marks Hamas’ Effective Use of Combat Drone Swarm appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The aircraft was owned by Northwest Seaplanes and the flight operated by West Isle Air, a Part 135 operation. The aircraft was en route between Friday Harbor Seaplane Base (W33) and Renton Municipal Airport (KRNT) at the time of the accident. It was the pilot’s second flight of the day, and the accident occurred approximately 18 minutes into it.

According to the 59-page NTSB report, the ADS-B data indicates the aircraft was at an altitude between 600 and 1,000 feet msl, and the groundspeed was between 115 and 135 knots.

• READ MORE: Coast Guard Releases Names of Floatplane Accident Victims

The aircraft was over Mutiny Bay approximately 34 miles northwest of Seattle at an altitude of about 1,000 feet when, according to ADS-B, the groundspeed decreased to 111 knots and the aircraft pitched up 8 degrees. However, according to witnesses and surveillance video, the aircraft appeared to be in level flight then suddenly pitched down, plunging into the water nose first. Investigators estimated the rate of descent to be in excess of 9,500 feet per minute. The impact was so violent that the aircraft was heavily fragmented, and the pilot and all nine passengers were killed.

The woman’s body was recovered from the water by citizens who witnessed the event. The bulk of the fuselage sank into 200 feet of water. Several government agencies, including the Coast Guard, NTSB, and U.S. Navy, spent several days searching for the wreckage. Because of strong currents and murky water, the recovery of the wreckage and the remains of the occupants took the better part of a month. Crews were able to recover approximately 85 percent of the aircraft pulled from the ocean floor.

• READ MORE: 1 Dead, 9 Missing in Floatplane Accident Near Seattle

The postaccident investigation revealed the actuator to the elevator, which controls the pitch of the airplane, had become disconnected from a control linkage. According to the NTSB, this “would have made it impossible for the pilot to control the airplane’s pitch.” Based on the evidence presented, the agency concluded that the flight control failure happened before the crash, not as a result of it.

Close inspection of the wreckage revealed the lower barrel of the actuator that attaches the cable for the elevator had separated. The threads that screw the two parts together were found intact. However, a single wire lock ring used to secure the two parts together was missing.

• READ MORE: NTSB Releases New Details in Fatal DHC-3 Accident That Killed 10

The NTSB found that if a lock ring is not present to secure the actuator barrel and the clamp nut together, they can become separated, and the actuator would not be able to control the position of the horizontal stabilizer, resulting in a loss of airplane pitch control.

“The probable cause of this accident was the in-flight unthreading of the clamp nut from the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator barrel due to a missing lock ring, which resulted in the horizontal stabilizer moving to an extreme trailing-edge-down position rendering the airplane’s pitch uncontrollable,” the NTSB report stated.

Emergency Action

Based on this finding, on October 26, 2022, the NTSB issued an urgent recommendation to the FAA and Transport Canada to require all operators of DHC-3 airplanes to conduct an immediate inspection of the aft flight control system.

The NTSB noted that when the airplane’s design was certificated by the FAA in 1952, there was no requirement for a secondary locking device to secure flight control linkages. However, in 1996, regulations were amended to require newly designed aircraft to have a secondary locking device “if the loss [of the first device] would preclude the continued safe flight and landing.”

There was no requirement for retrofitting existing airplanes with a similar safety feature, and as such the accident airplane had only a single locking device.

Recommendations

As a result of the investigation, the NTSB recommended the FAA and Transport Canada require operators of DHC-3 airplanes to install a secondary retention feature to prevent a single point of failure in the flight control system. Additional recommendations were made to both agencies as well as to the current type certificate holder, Viking Air.

“The Mutiny Bay accident is an incredibly painful reminder that a single point of failure can lead to catastrophe in our skies,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “To adequately protect safety, we must build in the necessary redundancies across the entire aviation system. We’re calling on the Federal Aviation Administration and [its] Canadian counterparts to eliminate the safety vulnerability identified by NTSB investigators, so this kind of tragedy never happens again.”

The NTSB’s 59-page final report can be found at NTSB.gov.

The post NTSB Cites Critical Flight Control Failure in Fatal Floatplane Accident appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Over the weekend, Mahomes-endorsed Airshare closed a deal to acquire rival Wheels Up’s private aircraft management business. The move more than quadruples Airshare’s own managed fleet—comprising Cessna Citations, Bombardier Globals, Embraer Legacies and Praetors, and other models—with the addition of 90 airframes.

The transaction leaves Wheels Up with around 215 aircraft, including 75 Beechcraft King Airs, 61 light jets, and 52 super midsize jets capable of making transcontinental flights. According to Private Jet Card Comparisons, Wheels Up prior to the deal was the fourth-largest fractional and charter provider in the U.S. based on flight hours. Airshare ranked 11th.

In addition to the aircraft, the Overland Park, Kansas-based company will inherit 300 personnel from Wheels Up’s private management business. John Owen, CEO of Airshare, told FLYING the move will double or even triple the company’s headcount.

Billing itself as a private aviation services provider, Airshare offers third-party aircraft management in addition to fractional ownership, jet card, and charter services. Already, it manages King Air, Citation Excel, and Citation X models that make up the bulk of Wheels Up’s fleet, many of which were included in the transaction. The company also manages light and large-cabin jets such as the Embraer Phenom 300 and Bombardier Global 5000.

Owen sat down with FLYING to discuss more details of the deal.

Expanding Options

Airshare began exploring aircraft management in 2008 with the launch of its Executive Flight Services offering, which along with the firm’s fractional business was later rebranded under the Airshare umbrella. According to Owen, a deal such as the one with Wheels Up was a long time coming.

“We had been looking at acquisitions in the aircraft management space for really the last few years but hadn’t come across anything that made sense to go all the way through with,” Owen told FLYING. “We were approached by a representative with Wheels Up earlier this year and asked if we had any interest in pursuing their particular aircraft management business. So that’s how it all started.”

Owen said Airshare considered a few smaller deals but landed on Wheels Up because it “instantly gives us a coast-to-coast footprint for aircraft management.” Coast-to-coast coverage has been on the firm’s radar for a while now, and the acquisition will support its plans to offer fractional and jet card services nationally. It added those services to the Florida market in May and will soon set its sights on the Northeast.

Of course, the quadrupling of its managed fleet will be of major benefit to Airshare. On the fractional side, it operates a total of 22 Embraer Phenoms and Bombardier Challengers. But the managed business covers aircraft from Phenoms and Challengers to Citations, Gulfstreams, Legacies, and Globals, several of which will be added through the transaction. The company will even get its hands on a few new models.

“With the acquisition of this particular aircraft management business, there’s a lot of [the above aircraft].” Owen said. “There’ll also be some Dassaults and some other planes. So it’s a lot of what we’ve dealt with in the past, but there’s also some new types in there as well.”

Owen is particularly excited about the addition of Wheels Up support teams, which he views as a crucial piece of the puzzle. Not only will it more than double the company’s aircraft management staff, but it will allow Wheels Up customers to work with the same representatives they’re used to—as if the deal never happened.

“We are not just absorbing the aircraft… We are taking the aircraft, the aircraft management teams, the maintenance teams, and the various accounting and administrative staff teams all along with it,” said Owen. “So, those owners that were under the Wheels Up umbrella will see zero changes day one after the acquisition, because they’ll be working with the exact same teams they have been the entire time.”

The Airshare CEO emphasized that the new managed aircraft will complement—rather than supplement—its fractional services. The two businesses are stand-alone, he said, since customers who bought into the fractional program did so with Phenoms and Challengers in mind, not the models covered by the management service.

Rarely—on 2 to 3 percent of trips, by Owen’s estimate—Airshare will “off-fleet” flights using primarily managed aircraft, providing a slight bonus to customers. But the real benefit, he said, is the potential for coastal expansion and the addition of support teams to assist both new and legacy clients.

The deal does not necessarily mean Airshare will place greater emphasis on aircraft management. Rather, the intent is to expand options for customers, many of whom jump back and forth between the firm’s services. For example, Owen estimated about half of Airshare’s managed aircraft are owned by previous fractional customers.

“I think the core of our business is private aviation services,” he said. “It isn’t fractional, it isn’t managed, it isn’t charter, and it isn’t jet cards. It’s really…having a wide swath of private aviation services that fit your particular needs at a particular time.”

Looking ahead, Airshare is confident in the demand for its managed services. The company keeps an eye on pricing and utilization data and regularly consults with customers to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the private aviation sector. Owen pointed to a healthy lead time of two years for new aircraft as an indicator of a well-oiled supply chain.

The Airshare boss also hinted that the company could one day add electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) and other emerging aircraft types to its fleet. That won’t happen in the near future, but the novel designs are on the firm’s radar.

“It’s definitely something that’s intriguing that we’re watching very closely,” Owen said. “We’re just kind of trying to figure out who’s going to survive that space. What exactly is going to come out of that space? But I think it makes a lot of sense, and I think a lot of people can use it.”

Arrow Pointing Down for Wheels Up?

The deal for Wheels Up’s private management business was initially revealed in August, when it announced it was seeking emergency funding in the form of a bridge investment from Delta Air Lines.

Later that month, Delta, Knighthead Capital Management, and Certares Management—which owns luxury travel agency Internova Travel Group—invested $500 million in the company to keep it afloat. But the bailout came at the expense of a 95 percent stake in the firm, placing its ownership largely in Delta’s hands.

Coincidentally, Delta once owned Wheels Up’s management business in full. It sold its Private Jets unit to its new subsidiary in 2020, retaining ownership of one-fifth of the business.

Wheels Up last year became the largest Part 135 operator in the U.S., with more than 1,500 owned, leased, managed, and partner aircraft in service. But since going public in July 2021, the company has lost money each quarter and contended with cost cutting, layoffs, and reports of cash flow woes.

Those rumors reached a fever pitch in May, precipitating the resignation of founder and CEO Kenny Dichter. Former chief financial officer Todd Smith took his place as interim CEO before the firm announced George Mattson, a Delta board member, as the permanent successor.

Mattson will reportedly shelve Wheels Up’s vision of an Airbnb-type marketplace to focus on existing services. In June, the company transitioned to a slimmed-down, more populated, capped rate primary service area, part of an emphasis on cost cutting and streamlined operations. Moving forward, it will also integrate its sales and marketing activities more tightly with Delta.

According to Doug Gollan, editor-in-chief of Private Jet Card Comparisons, Wheels Up remains one of a handful of providers offering cut prices for continental flights that are $10,000 to $25,000 cheaper than the competition. The company’s King Airs also continue to be viewed as a cost-effective option for short flights.

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The post Airshare Quadruples Fleet in Deal for Wheels Up Private Management Business appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The agency is investigating some 4,800 former military pilots, who told it they were healthy enough to fly but “might have submitted incorrect or false information about certain medical conditions that qualify for Veterans Administration benefits as part of their most recent FAA medical application.”

The FAA probe, which began around a year ago, discovered that just less than 1 percent of the nation’s more than 600,000 certified pilots could be concealing medical information that would otherwise ground them. 

So far, it has closed about half of those cases and temporarily suspended some 60 pilots who “posed a clear danger to aviation safety.” In most closed cases, pilots have been ordered to correct their records and undergo new aeromedical examinations to restore their medical certificates.

Prior to a June blog post, the FAA had largely hidden the investigation from the public. According to The Washington Post, former Office of Aerospace Medicine (OAM) staffers contracted to review the cases were even told the nature of their work was secret.

“The FAA’s medical staff completed a preliminary review of all of the cases to identify pilots who might have disqualifying medical conditions,” the agency said in the June blog post, which it indicated to FLYING serves as its statement on the investigation. “The FAA identified approximately 60 pilots in this group and notified them that they must cease flying while our staff works with them to reconcile their records.”

The agency noted around 1,250 pilots under scrutiny no longer hold a valid medical certificate, which is not required for those operating light sport aircraft, light twins or singles under BasicMed, or for glider operations. However, the majority of pilots with open cases are being permitted to conduct business as usual.

Sources told The Post that about 600 cases involve veterans certificated to fly for Part 121 passenger operations. But most are commercial pilots who fly for Part 121 cargo, Part 135 charter, or air tour operators.

The Post found that the FAA’s OAM last year allocated $3.6 million to hire former staffers to reexamine the medical records in question. Officials said some pilots failed to disclose their VA benefits because FAA-affiliated physicians advised against it.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs opened its own investigation in 2019, suspecting that some of its members were exaggerating or outright lying about their medical conditions to receive benefits. The VA inspector general’s office cross-checked disability benefits records with an FAA database of veterans certificated as civilian pilots. It uncovered the approximately 4,800 cases with inconsistencies, referring them to the FAA in June 2021.

“I attach great importance to the function of our inspector general, and there is a process there that’s being worked through,” Denis McDonough, secretary of Veterans Affairs, told FLYING. “We continue to stay in touch with him on this.”

The following summer, the FAA began notifying former military pilots their records were under scrutiny.

The number of pilots suspected of falsifying medical information and the FAA’s lack of forthcomingness raise concerns about the transparency of the process. At the same time, the conversation has scrutinized the flaws in the aviation regulator’s medical examination process, which many pilots say incentivizes them to obscure their conditions or disabilities.

“Pilots have been and continue to be frustrated by the FAA’s seeming lack of interest in improving its medical application forms, especially after calls to make it easier to understand, as detailed in [The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA)] 2019 comments to the FAA,” an AOPA spokesperson told FLYING.

How the FAA Evaluates Pilots

In the U.S. the FAA requires pilots who exercise the privileges of certain categories of airman certificate—specifically a commercial or airline transport pilot qualification—to hold a standard medical certificate of the class appropriate to the operation.

The first step in the process is to take an exam with an aviation medical examiner—somewhat similar to a general physical at a doctor’s office. Prospective pilots must also report all health professional visits from the past three years and disclose any physical or psychological conditions and medications. Certain conditions, such as bipolar disorder, epilepsy, or substance abuse, are considered automatic disqualifiers.

Others, like depression or anxiety, are considered treatable, requiring the pilot to participate in reporting or monitoring programs to obtain a certificate, under certain conditions. These are assessed on a case-by-case basis. However, the FAA only recognizes four mental health medications—Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, and Celexa, all for depression—as safe for flying, in general terms, though they must be reported and monitored. The rest are considered unapproved and could be cause for denial.

• Read More: Why Pilots Don’t Want to Talk About Mental Health—and Why They Should 

Pilots must pass the required FAA medical exams every six months to five years, depending on pilot’s age and the class of medical certificate sought. But these can be more cursory, often taking less than an hour and relying heavily on self reporting for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, which can be difficult to detect. FAA physicians are also not required to examine records of previous doctor’s visits or those outside the aviation system.

Pilots say the current framework incentivizes them to conceal information. According to research by Dr. William Hoffman, a neurology resident and aeromedical researcher for the U.S. Air Force, the bulk (56 percent) of 3,765 pilots surveyed reported healthcare avoidance because they feared losing their medical certification.

Often, pilots limit what they report because it can take months to receive FAA waivers to fly with certain conditions, jeopardizing their careers. Some argue the agency does not adequately communicate what’s required of them, and many say it’s an open secret that the majority lie on medical examination forms. But not everyone is sympathetic.

Accusations Leveled Against Vets—and the FAA

Some have placed more blame on the veterans than the FAA. Per The Post, many agency physicians and former officials said some veterans minimize their health conditions with the FAA to continue flying. But at the same time, they talk them up to the VA to maximize their benefits.

“One of the agencies has been fooled,” said Louis Celli, former executive director of the American Legion, one of the largest veterans’ associations in the U.S.

According to the VA and FAA probes, many pilots gave the agencies conflicting information. He and other sources cited by The Post contend veterans are intentionally gaming the system. But are the discrepancies truly nefarious, or are they a case of simple miscommunication?

The Airline Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) argues the latter. Earlier this year, it urged amnesty for veterans caught up in the investigation, citing past cases in which the FAA awarded leniency to pilots who corrected their applications. It also claimed the agency’s communication and education on medical examinations and reporting is insufficient, causing veterans to make inadvertent errors.

“The volume of FAA inquiries to airmen about VA disability benefits is evidence of a systemic problem, one that has led too many pilots to make inadvertent mistakes or misunderstand FAA medical application requirements,” said AOPA president Mark Baker. “Airmen need a clear pathway to correct their FAA medical records and an understanding of what will happen when they do.”

Some pilots allege the agency is discriminating against veterans because it has access to their disability records through the VA. Rick Mangini, a former Army pilot cited in The Post report, said the FAA notified him in May he was grounded for failing to disclose his sleep apnea. However, he said he checked the box on his application indicating he receives VA benefits for a condition but was unaware he had to specify. He felt he was singled out.

“If they’re going to shine a light on veterans, they need to shine a light everywhere,” said Mangini, characterizing the agency’s actions as “the definition of harassment.”

The AOPA spokesperson added, “Unfortunately, the FAA has not published direction to the impacted pilot population on how these pilots can provide additional medical information to the FAA or how the agency will respond to this information.”

“Pilots must wait to see if they receive a letter from the FAA,” they continued. “Each case is different, so AOPA’s medical certification team has been helping pilots understand the medical certification process and possible outcomes based on similar cases.”

The association said it also works with pilots covered by its legal services plan to help them better understand the legal implications of possible mistakes on applications.

In short, many veterans believe they are being unfairly prosecuted for mistakes on their medical applications or for concealing diagnoses such as mild depression, which have little to no impact on their performance but pose a major roadblock to their FAA permissions. It’s an issue that has plagued the industry for decades.

A Long-Standing Problem

The FAA has known about the problems with its medical examination process for more than two decades. But the agency has so far done little to address it.

A 2002 investigation, called Operation Safe Pilot, uncovered a scam involving some 3,200 Northern California pilots, who were collecting Social Security disability benefits but telling the FAA they were fit to fly. Many worked as commercial pilots. The U.S. attorney’s office in San Francisco prosecuted 45 of these cases, winning convictions or guilty pleas in all of them.

The investigation provided evidence that the issue is not limited to veterans and raised concerns about the scale of the problem. But despite calls for greater scrutiny, the FAA said it lacked the money and resources to implement data-sharing programs between itself and agencies like Social Security or the VA. 

In 2008, it began requiring pilots to disclose whether they receive government disability benefits. But it wasn’t until 2018 that it began sharing pilot medical records with the VA, leading to a handful of additional prosecutions of Northern California pilots.

U.S. passenger airlines have not had a fatal accident since 2009. However, a handful of fatal and near-fatal incidents involving former military pilots signal the need for a reassessment of FAA procedures. It’s unclear whether the agency will improve communication regarding medical examinations or expand its data-sharing program with the VA and other federal agencies in the wake of its investigation.

At the same time, improvement in mental health support for pilots would take away much of the incentive for pilots to leave critical medical conditions undisclosed.

The post FAA Suspects Nearly 5,000 Pilots Concealing Medical Issues to Keep Flying appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Per a press release viewed by FLYING, the New York City-based company, which last week sought and received $15 million in emergency funding from the airline, will cede 95 percent ownership in exchange for a $500 million capital infusion from Delta, Knighthead Capital Management, Certares Management, and others.

The raise will save Wheels Up—plus the 11,639 active members who would have become unsecured creditors—from bankruptcy, which it said Monday it was considering as a “strategic alternative.” But the company’s survival, and potentially that of the industry, will come at the cost of equity.

“If a brand as important as Wheels Up were to fail, it would have had trickle-down impacts across private aviation,” Lance Tweden, vice president of membership for private aviation firm Jet Agency, told FLYING. “Wheels Up’s failure would have caused concern and anxiety among customers, whether they are with Wheels Up or not.”

The nonbinding agreement comprises a $400 million term loan (including $150 million from Delta) coupled to a $100 million liquidity facility from the airline. Delta and other investors will in turn receive newly issued Wheels Up Class A common stock representing the lion’s share of the company.

Ironically, Delta once owned Wheels Up’s private jet management business in full—it sold its Private Jets unit to the startup in 2020 in exchange for a 20 percent stake. The business changed hands again last week, when Wheels Up sold it to Airshare for an undisclosed fee.

“The partnership will create new opportunities for Wheels Up to drive strategic, operational, and financial improvements for its customers in the months and years ahead,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “Delta’s unmatched expertise in premium travel, customer loyalty, corporate sales, operational reliability, and aircraft maintenance, combined with Certares’ and Knighthead’s experience and global reach, are expected to speed Wheels Up on its path to profitability.”

Wheels Up CFO Todd Smith will continue to serve as the firm’s interim CEO, while Delta CFO Dan Janki is replacing Wheels Up chairman Ravi Thakran.

“Over the past few months, we have been intensely focused on taking clear steps to improve our product offering and our operational delivery,” said Smith. “Those actions are already showing results, and we look forward to continuing and accelerating that progress with the support of our new partners. Our continued close work with the Delta team will enable us to further integrate our digital experiences, member benefits, and our operations.”

Similar to on-demand rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft, the private aviation business has struggled to reach profitability while burning through cash. Since filing for an initial public offering in 2021, it has consistently posted quarterly net losses. In the second quarter, that net loss widened to $160 million, a 73 percent increase year over year.

Wheels Up reported $152 million in cash on hand at the end of Q2, a fraction of the $586 million it had at the end of 2022 and even the $363 million reported in Q1. In that same period, adjusted earnings before taxes, interest, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) have held relatively flat.

The company’s woes could be in part because of its string of acquisitions over the past five years. Since 2019, it has added five different charter operators—Delta’s Private Jets, Mountain Aviation, Alante Air Charter, Gama Aviation Signature, and TMC Jets. But not all fly under the same certification, which limits its ability to reallocate crews across providers.

Wheels Up has also continued to add members and maintain certain policies—like its capped hourly rate—as its competitors have pulled back due to macroeconomic conditions. That’s driven more revenue for the company but at the expense of inflated operating costs.

For example, in the case of a mechanical issue, Wheels Up guarantees a replacement aircraft to the customer free of charge. That means if the charter rate rises between the time of booking and the mechanical issue, Wheels Up has to eat that cost. The issue can be exacerbated during stretches where demand is strong, as was the case with fractional jet ownership company Jet It, which folded in May.

The COVID-19 pandemic also had an impact on Wheels Up’s ability to crew flights. But on the flip side, the business likely would not be viable today had the pandemic not driven an uptick in private jet demand.

Luckily for new majority owner Delta, that volume is expected to be sticky. An eye-popping 93 percent of customers who began flying privately during the pandemic say they have continued to do so. The question now is what Delta and the other investors will do with that demand.

With the sale of its private jet management business, Wheels Up’s fleet is largely composed of King Air turboprops, Citation Xs and XLs, and Hawker 400 light business jets. Prior to the $500 million investment, the company was reportedly looking to grow its corporate business, its fastest-growing segment responsible for about one-quarter of all sales.

Currently, Wheels Up and Delta have an exclusive partnership through which customers can receive Delta benefits with a Wheels Up membership. Part of that arrangement focuses on business charter customers, which Delta could leverage to continue building out the more lucrative area of the business. However, Wheels Up’s membership program may require an overhaul to eliminate the issues that landed the company in a cash-strapped position in the first place.

“It will be interesting to see how they change the structure of the membership program going forward,” said Tweden. “There is no way it could be status quo.”

The new management team may also shed some of Wheels Up’s previous acquisitions to build stronger synergies. And Certares, which owns Internova Travel Group—ranked as the 11th largest U.S. travel agency with more than 100,000 advisers—could open new sales channels.

“Delta will likely make a lot of these changes quickly, as another challenge will be trying to maintain [Wheels Up] members that may be just now becoming aware of the precarious place the company is in,” said Tweden. “Despite this bailout, ultimately Wheels Up did fail, so how do they win that customer confidence back?”

Whether Delta is able to restore confidence in the Wheels Up brand or not, the latter’s struggles could have wide implications for private aviation as a whole. Given its size and high profile, rivals will likely look to the company as a case study of the industry’s challenges and how (or how not) to overcome them.

The post Delta, Others Invest $500M in Wheels Up Bailout appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

We have an update on the story we brought you last week about the search for the owner of a stuffed animal found at EAA AirVenture 2023. The toy cat named “Stuffy” was returned to her owner today, 6-year-old Brayden Eveleth of Grandview, Iowa, opened the box in the back seat of his mother’s car and was reunited with the plush toy. 

Stuffy was accidentally left behind in the KidVenture zone of AirVenture late last month.

EAA volunteer Gary Sternberg posted a photograph of the plushy cat on Facebook on July 28 and the story went viral. Sternberg told FLYING that he knows these childhood attachment objects are very special to someone, so he takes a vested interest in their return to the owners.

As it turns out, this toy is extra, extra special, as it is a calming microwaveable stuffed animal. When heated, it gives off a lavender scent that is very soothing. It was also an early birthday gift to Eveleth, whose birthday fell during the AirVenture celebration.

According to Ashley Eveleth, Brayden’s mother, the family loves aviation, and Brayden was looking forward to having his birthday at the show. He decided to bring the toy with him.

“He lost Stuffy on Monday the 24th while at KidVenture,” she said. “He was building rockets and airplanes and had the toy with him, then he put it down and got up and forgot it.”

When the family realized the toy was gone, they backtracked, checking all over KidVenture and walking the path they took to their campsite. But the beloved plush cat was nowhere to be found.

“Brayden cried all afternoon,” Ashley Eveleth said. “We went to the lost and found on the main ground and left our name and number just in case someone turned it in. Brayden was devastated all week because we couldn’t find it.”

EAA members, upon hearing about the wayward toy, spread the word online. Sternberg’s and FLYING magazine’s posts about the missing toy were copied and shared.

“Come on guys! Let’s help this kitty get home!” one post read. The story and post were shared, and shared, and shared again, until contact was established and the Eveleths learned the toy had been turned in to lost and found—and become a media sensation.

Ashley said when she showed the image to Brayden he said: “‘That’s my kitty!’ He was so ecstatic, he was crying tears of joy.”

Yellow Lot Bunny

Not all lost-and-found stories have such a quick or happy ending. Last year FLYING wrote about a toy plush bunny that was found in the Yellow Lot.

FLYING has learned the keeper of the bunny—(an EAA volunteer who asked to remain anonymous )—still has it. Here’s to hoping the bunny gets back to its owner soon.

The post Stuffy the Kitty Makes It Home appeared first on FLYING Magazine.