The Kalmbach portfolio is highly synergistic with Firecrown. 

Firecrown proudly stands as one of the leading transportation media providers, serving the aviation, boating, and logistics industries with renowned brands such as FLYING, Boating, Yachting, Salt Water Sportsman and FreightWaves. 

The acquisition includes Trains, Model Railroader, Classic Toy Trains, Classic Trains, Garden Railways, and Trains.com, the space enthusiast brand Astronomy, as well as FineScale Modeler, Kalmbach Books, and its digital e-commerce stores. 

The rail titles fit perfectly in the Firecrown portfolio and the breadth of experience of our staff. 

Trains.com is the world’s most trafficked railroad news and entertainment website, and the print magazines in its portfolio are the most read in the category. In recent years, Trains.com has built an extensive video portfolio, tailoring content around the love of trains and model railroading. 

Kalmbach has deep ties in the railroad community, having published magazines and books about railroads and model trains for over 90 years. There isn’t a deeper connection in the rail enthusiast community than the one that Kalmbach built. The Firecrown staff will work diligently to continue and build on that connection moving forward.

Additionally, the rail and aviation communities have a great deal in common. Besides the obvious—both being transportation modes and having similarities in business models—the enthusiast audience is vast in both categories. We believe that “railfans” and “avgeeks” are kindred spirits. 

With the acquisition, Firecrown plans to invest significantly in Trains’ business editorial coverage, increasing the cadence and depth of coverage of the rail industry. FreightWaves, one of Firecrown’s brands, provides a playbook to help achieve this. 

There will be a substantial increase in daily update videos, news content and analysis, virtual events, and business analysis for the rail industry, modeled after the FreightWaves media brand’s success covering the logistics industry. 

Firecrown also becomes the new owner of Astronomy, the largest magazine serving the space community. Published for over 50 years, Astronomy has become the go-to source for amateur and professional astronomers. 

Firecrown plans to retain all of the editorial and content resources of the former Kalmbach Media brands and open a new office in Wisconsin to accommodate the teams currently working on them. 

“We are excited to have found a new home for these storied and well-respected brands,” said Dan Hickey, CEO of Kalmbach Media. “While these are always difficult decisions, it is great to know that their stewardship moving forward will be under the guidance of a company and leader dedicated and passionate about their continued growth and expansion.” 

An Exciting Time for ‘Astronomy’ 

The emphasis on space exploration has created massive interest in all things space. This is expected to increase as private companies and government agencies accelerate the second “space race.” 

Amateur astronomy is also experiencing a renaissance as new digital telescopes come to market. Telescope and astrophotography manufacturers are introducing smart telescopes that make the hobby more accessible and enjoyable than ever. 

These new technologies have enabled even the most inexperienced astronomers to take photos of deep-space objects such as nebulas, galaxies and clusters—all with a button on an app. 

More impressively, these digital telescopes built for amateurs rival and often exceed the capabilities of professional telescopes, which can cost 100 times more. This is the Instagram generation’s answer to astronomy. 

Astronomy may seem like an outlier to Firecrown’s portfolio, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The aviation and space communities have a substantial overlap. 

Pilots and aviation enthusiasts are often drawn to the cosmos, dreaming of space flight and exploration. Firecrown plans to broaden Astronomy’s coverage of space exploration and anticipates significant collaboration between the FLYING and Astronomy editorial teams. 

Over the past three years, FLYING has rapidly expanded its editorial coverage of space flight and exploration with great success. 

Some of the most trafficked stories on FLYINGMag.com are about space exploration and missions. This is a huge opportunity to make space a core focus of our portfolio. 

E-commerce 

Kalmbach has expanded beyond media to include e-commerce in the past few years. It has two media properties, one focused on railroad hobbyists and the other on the astronomy community. As part of this transaction, Firecrown is acquiring both. 

Firecrown plans to expand the product lineup at Kalmbach’s hobby store (which will be rebranded) to include a greater selection of railroad-fan merchandise. 

Firecrown has even bigger plans for the astronomy e-commerce operation, MyScienceShop.com.

This past February, Firecrown acquired the largest e-commerce store for NASA collectibles, the Space Store. The plan is to merge MyScienceShop into the SpaceStore, creating a “space enthusiast superstore.” 

The product lineup of the two e-commerce stores is very different. 

MyScienceShop has focused on products that enable space enthusiasts to explore and express their curiosity about the science and love of space. In contrast, the Space Store provides high-quality collectibles for the NASA and space mission community. By merging two properties and products into a single entity, the Space Store will have the largest selection of space-focused products anywhere in the universe. 

To Me, This Whole Transaction Is Personal 

I love all things transportation—trucks, airplanes, boats, and trains. 

I’ve always been fascinated by how people and products move. This is really in my blood. While I grew up around trucks, I also had a deep love for trains. I’ve built my share of model railroad layouts and even had the chance to work around the rail industry—first in intermodal operations at U.S. Xpress and then through my work at FreightWaves.  

But that isn’t even the most exciting part of this whole deal. 

This transaction takes me back to when I was a young kid. My love of transportation is only matched by my passion for astronomy. The first two magazines I ever subscribed to were FLYING and Astronomy. 

Each of the Firecrown brands reflects not only my passions but the passions of each employee. We will work to give our audiences the best reporting, information and merchandise available.

The post Firecrown Media Grows Again with Addition of ‘Trains,’ ‘Astronomy’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Daher’s position demonstrates well the state of the global aerospace market.

“We are in a paradox situation—some are happy; some are not happy,” said Patrick Daher, board chair for the Daher group, in kicking off the company’s performance review for 2023 in Paris on February 7. “We are feeling the impact of the international situation, and then we are still recovering from COVID, but the COVID crisis is over for us…But some international threats—for example the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, the future elections, the situation in China—all these events have created a political instability that is really worrying for the future.”

Yet industry events such as the 2023 Paris Air Show indicate where the future lies—with caution as to the expense of making change. “As chairman [of] the Salon de Bourget in 2023 and chairman of Daher…I have the chance to see that energy transition is coming with a really high price,” said Daher. “Speaking about industry, we have really good news in terms of an increase in production.”

In 2023, Daher recorded strong deliveries of both its TBM and Kodiak series turboprops, with a total of 56 TBMs and 18 Kodiaks, for a total of 76 units. In addition, it counts more than 100 turboprops in its order book, taking it well into 2025.

READ MORE: Daher Delivers 100th TBM 960

An Industry Overview

At the same time, major Daher client and partner Airbus has never manufactured so many aircraft—a record number went out the door in December, as Daher noted in the report. That is in spite of the constant pressures brought on by inflation, provisioning difficulties, recruitment challenges, rise in wages, and lowering margins. Collectively these have led to soft pricing models that have persisted through the past couple of years.

“We have forgotten how to deal with such problems of inflation that we experienced 20 years ago,” said Daher. “It was really hard to find raw materials, and this was linked to geopolitical problems, [such] as the war in Ukraine. We were missing material. This lack of raw materials is linked to the mismanagement of the supply chain—the suppliers failed to ship what we needed to manufacture our aircraft—and to produce what our clients asked us to do.”

Another problem Daher noted has been the lack of employee candidates. “It is not easy to recruit the right profiles…The COVID crisis changed behaviors in terms of wages and employees, so it is really hard for us to hire and find talents.” This has driven companies like Daher to invest heavily in training—because like never before they have had to recruit from outside the aviation industry.

“All these factors in 2023—after COVID, we were expecting 2021 and 2022 to be difficult—but these problems arrived in 2023,” Daher said. “All of these factors resulted in our weakened profitability. We need to consider the energy transition and the decrease in carbon intensity…2023 highlighted the emergency but also the [convergence], vis-à-vis the problem of decarbonization.”

The Daher group considers government support crucial—specifically CORAC, the French council for civil aviation research—and 300 million euros per year have been earmarked by CORAC to help fund the energy transition. “Aviation industry, all research efforts, have converged, because in the past each company focused on a specific research field, but right now there is a really clear target: low-carbon, low-emission aircraft,” Daher said.

Eco-Pulse Update

For the French OEM, the convergence flies today via its hybrid-electric Eco-Pulse technology demonstrator, which uses a TBM airframe, electric motors and powertrain components form Saran, and electric power storage by Airbus in a distributed lift model (simply put) to test various components and how they interact in actual flight operations. The Eco-Pulse retains a Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprop engine, but in December made its first flight segments completely powered by the six electric motors.

“It is a major step towards decarbonization,” said Daher. “Because high voltage electricity can be a good solution…we are continuing with some hybrid tests. This is the first step…People thought I was crazy [last year] when I spoke about this target [to have a marketable product by 2027], but we are headed in that direction.” It will be a TBM or Kodiak because those are the models Daher has in its portfolio, but the company has yet to determine which will be chosen and exactly what that will look like.

FLYING asked if the OEM could share any feedback—including any performance data, if possible—from those first flights. Christophe Robin, vice president of engineering for Daher’s aircraft division, provided this insight: “EcoPulse is a technology demonstrator, therefore, aircraft performance is not the goal. The EcoPulse configuration has been chosen with the strategy of increasing the level of complexity in hybridization to develop a ‘maturity picture’ for all of the technologies involved—including examining side effects such as weight penalties, as well as issues induced by HIRF (high-intensity radiated field) and lightning.”

READ MORE: We Fly: Daher TBM 960

Log’in, Shap’in, Fly’in

To support innovation efforts, Daher launched its second tech center, Log’in, in Toulouse, also geared toward decarbonization. “Out of 7 million tonnes [of carbon emissions] we realized that a big quantity is related to our clients, and we want to work on these figures [as well] in order to work on decarbonization,” said Daher.

Fly’in will be the third tech center Daher launches, in Tarbes, focused on aircraft development, “stepping up” in both technology and the drive towards net-zero emissions.

FLYING also asked Daher to expand on the current projects that have already been realized from the new technology centers and Eco-Pulse. Robin shared a portion of what the group has learned thus far, and what it expects to benefit from. 

“In addition to the aspects of EcoPulse that are linked to aircraft hybridization, another important focus is demonstrating the application of advanced composites on aircraft,” said Robin. “Under the guidance of Daher’s research and technology teams, EcoPulse is using composites for the aircraft’s winglets, engine pylons, Karman and battery fairings, as well as the air inlet—which were produced primarily with an infusion-based carbon/cork micro-sandwich. A goal of EcoPulse is to make it possible to evolve the performance and feasibility of integrating these technologies on secondary parts/components of Daher-built aircraft, while developing rapid prototyping skills used within the aviation framework.”

This is complementary to other developments underway at Daher—including projects in cooperation with partners such as CORAC (the French Council for Civil Aeronautical Research).

Pascal Laguerre, chief technology officer for Daher, provided significant insight beyond the Eco-Pulse demonstrator. “Taking a wider view for activities outside the framework of EcoPulse, Daher devotes a significant part of its overall R&D budget to thermoplastics,” said Laguerre. “This material is particularly promising in the world of aerostructures for future applications on production aircraft. It lends itself more easily to the automation of production (issue of throughput), and it is recyclable, repairable and weldable. Its mechanical properties make it possible to use less material and, overall, make structures lighter—all of which are key qualities with a view toward reducing carbon emissions. This is focused on accelerating the development of real applications in the future for the benefit of its customers, including [several more widely focused] projects.”

For example, as part of CORAC, Daher leads the largest French research project on thermoplastics in current execution, called TRAMPOLINE 2 (TheRmoplAstic coMPosites for hOrizontaL tail plaNE), as well as utilizing induction welding instead of riveting—with a weight savings of 15 percent.

Also, the investment has already borne fruit in components that will be found on the company’s current TBM product lines.

“After more than three years of R&D work, Daher succeeded in manufacturing rudder pedals in recycled high-performance thermoplastic composites from production scraps to equip the TBM, which have been certified for flight on production TBMs,” said Laguerre. “In addition to being lightweight, thermoplastics have low thermal conduction, as well as equal or better physicochemical and mechanical properties: It’s a win-win for Daher customers. And beyond the environmental benefits, the cost of these parts is significantly reduced compared to metal machining.

“In addition, Daher has obtained the first results of an R&D project called CARAC TP, carried out in collaboration with a set of academic laboratories competent in composite materials. The objective [is] to identify and characterize the thermoplastic composites best suited to aeronautical applications and compare them to thermoset materials. The project makes it possible to study materials in depth through multiple tests that go beyond the scope of qualification programs carried out in the industry: impact resistance, fire resistance, environmental aging (ozone, UV, fluids), impact of manufacturing processes on physicochemical properties, material performance, etc.”

Daher looks also outside its walls to new small businesses to help drive this innovation charge. Encouragingly, more than 300 aerospace-relevant startups took part in the Paris Air Show.

“We had 25 of these startups at the Daher stand at Le Bourget,” said Daher, noting that the company looks forward to engaging with these innovators, perhaps through acquisition or collaboration, on various projects.

WATCH: We Fly the Kodiak 900, Ready for Grand Adventures

The Takeoff 2027 Strategy

Daher reported a strengthening bottom line but noted there is room for improvement. At the press conference, Daher CEO Didier Kayat indicated the belief that Daher would become profitable based on its strategic realignment to better serve four sectors: aircraft, industry, industrial services, and logistics. The company also plans a transformation of the organizational structure by 2025, to help align and draw down any existing silos between the business functions.

To this end, Daher made a quartet of additions to its executive committee in the later part of 2023. On October 1, Alain-Jory Barthe joined Daher’s Industry division as senior vice president. Then, on January 1, Cédric Eloy became the head of the Industrial Services division as senior vice president of manufacturing services, and Julie de Cevins became the group’s chief sustainability officer—a key appointment, given the group’s charge to attain net-zero goals by 2050. Finally, on February 1, Aymeric Daher became senior vice president of the Logistics division.

Daher is adapting its organization to support the four business units, with the following actions:

• To create a managerial culture that is based in what it calls the “Daher Leadership Model”—effectively empowering a cadre of 1,500 leaders within the company to act with an entrepreneurial spirit
• To anticipate challenges and innovate toward decarbonisation solutions, with Eco-Pulse among other projects
• To support the acquisitions needed for growth across the four sectors.

Acquisitions have already borne fruit for the company, including the Stuart, Florida, facility.

“The acquisition of AAA strengthened the Industrial Services division, for example,” Daher said. “We are now the leader of industrial services…We can support aircraft manufacturers in peak periods.”

If Daher can make its way through the concurrent challenges of acquisition-driven growth, corporate restructuring, price pressures, and order fulfillment, its plan for the years ahead puts it on track to form part of the global solution to decarbonization—as well as providing the aircraft the customer demands for the future.

The post Daher’s Decarbonization Plans Drive Towards Hybrid-Electric Aircraft, Composites appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The manufacturer of the Lilium Jet on Monday announced it selected U.K.-based AJW Group as the exclusive parts distributor for customers worldwide. AJW is an independent aircraft component parts, repair, and supply chain solutions provider and will help bolster Lilium’s aftermarket services business. The company is also partnered with Collins Aerospace, one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products.

Material management is a core part of Lilium’s aftermarket unit, which also covers training, digital and ground operations, and in-service support. The company expects the segment to generate recurring revenue and materially contribute to profits as its Jet becomes widespread.

“This is a very important step as we advance towards our planned entry into service in 2026 and a major milestone in the development of our strategic and comprehensive support offerings for our customers,” said Sebastien Borel, chief commercial officer of Lilium. “AJW’s proven world-class expertise in material management and exemplary warehouse and logistics services align seamlessly with our commitment to excellence.”

A strategic collaboration between Lilium and AJW will cover global material services and distribution. It includes management of spares inventory, warehousing and logistics services, and repair and asset management.

“We are driven to pioneer revolutionary products, strategically positioning the group at the forefront of transforming aviation efficiency,” said Scott Symington, chief commercial officer of AJW. “Our partnership with Lilium marks a significant stride towards realizing this vision and steering the industry towards a more sustainable aviation future.”

Lilium began production of its flagship Jet—a unique design featuring 36 electric ducted fans embedded in fixed wings—in December. Compared to air taxis from competitors such as Joby Aviation or Archer Aviation, the aircraft is geared more toward the premium segment, with a high price tag and luxurious interior.

Lilium also diverges from the competition in terms of use case. Rather than traveling within a single metro area, the seven-seat Jet is designed to ferry passengers between towns and inner cities, flying 25 to 125 sm (21 to 108 nm) routes at up to 186 mph (161 knots).

Production of the Jet comes after Lilium obtained design organization approval (DOA) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). DOA is a required step in type certification for companies developing EASA Part 21 commercial aircraft. Only a handful of eVTOL manufacturers, including Volocopter and Vertical Aerospace, have received the approval.

“In simple terms, the DOA is our license to operate and confirms that Lilium has the organization, procedures, competencies, resources, and demonstrated rigor required to design and certify aircraft according to the very highest safety standards,” said Alastair McIntosh, chief technology officer and head of design organization at Lilium, in November.

However, Lilium is looking beyond Europe, as evidenced by its global partnership with AJW. The firm is also the only eVTOL manufacturer with type certification bases from both EASA and the FAA.

In October, Lilium officially entered the U.S. market with the launch of private sales of the Lilium Jet Pioneer Edition. The Pioneer is the planned launch edition of the full-scale Jet and will debut a few years earlier. About 50 will be built and sold at a hefty price tag of $10 million each. 

According to Matthew Broffman, head of Lilium partnerships and network for the Americas, targeting wealthy, individual buyers early on is part of the firm’s long-term market strategy. The company is also selling Pioneer Edition models in the Middle East and other markets.

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The post Air Taxi Maker Lilium Adds Global Parts Management, Distribution Partner appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The air taxi marks the first such eVTOLs to enter testing with the Air Force—and it’s believed to be the first such aircraft delivered within the U.S. overall. The unit arrived last week under a cloak of secrecy ahead of the event this morning—and it has already taken to the skies above the desert base. Flight testing will be conducted by both Air Force and Joby personnel at Edwards in the coming months. A second aircraft will join this one in early 2024, according to the company.

It’s the first Joby aircraft built on the company’s Pilot Production Line in Marina, California—-where it began its first conforming production, though it plans to take expanded manufacturing elsewhere in the country.

• READ MORE: Joby Passes on California, Picks Ohio for First Scaled eVTOL Manufacturing

The eVTOL will be used to both train pilots and ground personnel on the aircraft’s operations and capabilities, which will include logistics and other missions. The testing will be conducted in a purpose-built facility on the base produced by the Air Force for the project.

“We’re proud to join the ranks of revolutionary aircraft that first demonstrated their capabilities at Edwards Air Force Base, including the first American jet fighter, the first supersonic aircraft, and many others that have pushed the boundaries of aviation technology,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby. “The longstanding support of the DOD and NASA has been critical to the rapid development of electric aviation and eVTOL aircraft, and demonstrates how successful public-private partnerships can bring new technology to life at speed. Their work will have profound implications for continued American leadership in both commercial and defense aerospace technology.”

The operational experience will come in handy as Joby works quickly towards its planned entry into commercial service that it proposes will begin in 2025.

Agility Prime

The delivery marks an important milestone in the agreement between Joby and the Air Force, an engagement that began in 2016 with the Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit. Joby gained critical funding as well as access to testing facilities early in its development process.

NASA will also join the partnership under the auspices of it AFWERX program, and the agency will provide NASA pilots, researchers, and key equipment as it develops its own fluency in the advanced air mobility space.

“NASA’s participation in the Joby and AFWERX project will provide our researchers with hands-on experience with a representative eVTOL vehicle, concentrated on how these types of aircraft could fit into the national airspace for everyday use, that will inform NASA’s effort in supporting the entire eVTOL industry,” said NASA research pilot Wayne Ringelberg in a statement. “The research will include a focus on handling qualities evaluation tools, autonomy, and airspace integration, which is all needed research to push the industry forward.”

The Joby air taxi fits neatly into the Agility Prime mission, though it is far from the only AAM manufacturer to participate. Beta Technologies, Jump Aero, and Archer Aviation each have contracts related to AFWERX thus far. But by being the first to show up with a flying eVTOL ready to move forward, Joby takes a key position in the game.

“Agility Prime’s stated objective in 2020 was to work towards an operational capability for transformative vertical lift in the DoD by 2023,” said Colonel Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force, in a press release. “The arrival of Joby’s aircraft at Edwards AFB is an important step towards achieving this objective.”

Said Major Phillip Woodhull, director, emerging technologies integrated test force, in the same release: “The delivery of this first eVTOL aircraft is the start of a new chapter in Edwards’ rich aerospace history. This partners private industry with the 412th Test Wing’s world-renowned test management execution. We are excited to agilely test, experiment with, and evaluate this new technology for potential future national defense applications.”

The post Joby Presents First eVTOL to Air Force Ahead of Schedule appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Rather, Eve will leverage DHL’s expertise to revamp its own supply chain as part of an agreement to design a concept for “eVTOL support” services. The two signed a memorandum of understanding to study the demands and supply chain characteristics of Eve’s operations, including the delivery of batteries, spare parts, and supplies, and the disposal of used materials.

Eve is calling in the big guns here. With DHL’s massive collection of warehousing and distribution locations, transportation assets, and treasure trove of logistical insights, the eVTOL maker hopes to plot its future operations with best practices for supplying operators and service centers—particularly when it comes to the lithium-ion batteries that power its aircraft.

“DHL’s expertise in this field in the aeronautical market and dozens of other industries, coupled with the innovation mindset of both companies, will be vital to ensure the safe and agile operation of eVTOLs,” said Luiz Mauad, vice president of services and operations solutions at Eve. “In addition to offering high-performance logistics, our premise is to reduce the environmental impact of the supply chain in line with our purpose of offering more sustainable products and services.”

The joint study will review modes of transport, delivery frequency, potential sites for staging advanced inventory, infrastructure requirements, and the required logistics partners for Eve’s service. That includes the distribution of parts and materials needed for maintenance and repairs, as well as supply chain management for vertiport resupply.

Given the importance of battery availability to eVTOL operations, that piece of Eve’s supply chain is expected to get the most love. With this in mind, DHL—which handles batteries for customers across several industries—would appear to be an ideal fit.

“Initiatives like this are part of our ESG mission, and we are contributing all our knowledge and experience to make this another great successful project developed by the Brazilian aerospace industry, with benefits for major cities around the world,” said Mauricio Almeida, vice president of the automotive, technology, and consumer sectors at DHL Supply Chain.

Like other eVTOL companies, Eve, which is targeting entry into service in 2026, will need a strong supply chain backbone to keep its aircraft and operations humming.

In the São Paulo-based firm’s case, picking a partner with a global footprint such as DHL should serve it well. Eve currently has a backlog of some 2,850 orders for its aircraft, which it asserts is the largest in the industry—and according to SMG Consulting, the claim holds weight.

Already, Eve has agreements to fly in Brazil, Latin America, France, Scandinavia, India, Kenya, Dubai, Australia, and the Asia-Pacific region. It’s also looking to launch in San Francisco with investor United and in South Florida with partner Blade Air Mobility. Each region will require its own pipeline for parts and services.

Eve’s Outlook

Eve’s four-passenger eVTOL will at first be flown by a pilot, but the hope is to one day switch to a self-flying design that could carry six travelers. The aircraft is powered by eight vertical lift rotors—which do not tilt or rotate during flight, unlike rivals Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation—and fixed wings for cruise. It’s expected to have a 60 sm (52 nm) range.

The company claims the design will produce 90 percent less noise than equivalent helicopters as well as 90 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions compared to cars.

The eVTOL will rely on the firm’s proprietary Urban Air Traffic Management (ATM) software to integrate operations into low-level airspace. An initial prototype was completed in May, and the firm already has several agreements in place to integrate the system into vertiports.

In addition to the DHL partnership, Eve has a collaboration with Porsche Consulting to develop a global eVTOL manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics macro strategy. So far, the two have studied advanced manufacturing and industrialization concepts.

According to SMG Consulting’s most recent Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Reality Index, which ranks AAM companies based on their progress toward mass-producing and delivering a certified aircraft, Eve sits somewhere in the middle of the industry. It ranked ninth, ahead of competitors Lilium and Vertical Aerospace but trailing the likes of Joby, Archer, Volocopter, and Boeing subsidiary Wisk Aero.

However, all of those companies (with the exception of Vertical) plan to enter service sooner and have stronger cash positions than Eve. The company’s greatest strength is instead its massive backlog of orders. According to SMG, it has nearly double the orders of the next-highest AAM company (Vertical) and dwarfs most competitors.

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The post Eve Air Mobility Partners with DHL on eVTOL Supply Chain Services appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The relationship keys off of the use of the Kodiak by the Bridger Aerospace Group [NASDAQ: BAER], a longtime operator of the model and founding member of UAFA. The association is a newly-created advocacy group that will focus on the specialized needs of the aerial firefighting community.

“The UAFA’s goals are fully aligned with those of Daher: enhancing the safety, operability, and effectiveness of aircraft, especially in such challenging and unforgiving missions as combating wildfires,” said Paul Carelli, director of Kodiak flight operations and special missions, in a statement. “We intend to be an active UAFA member, bringing our expertise as a multi-role aircraft manufacturer, while also benefitting from the feedback of those who are on the front lines of aerial firefighting.”

Kodiak Special Missions

We spoke with Carelli at EAA AirVenture 2022—when Daher debuted the Kodiak 900—about the 100 series and its proven success in special missions. “I’ve taken the mantle on special missions for both aircraft,” he said, “and, I can tell you, being a former military guy, seeing what these can provide in reliability and safety, [their] speed, and loiter[ing capabilities]—and how all of those characteristics are key to providing consistent surveillance or public safety—[they are] great aircraft for that. 

“We have Bridger Aerospace in Bridger, Montana, doing outstanding work with Kodiaks,” Carelli continued. “They do fire attack; they were busy all last summer—as you know we had that tremendous fire season last year—but they flew two of their Kodiaks for 800 hours without a single maintenance gripe. We’re really proud of that, and we’re proud of Bridger Aerospace, too.” 

“We appreciate Daher’s proactivity in joining UAFA, and look forward to benefitting from its aircraft manufacturer’s perspective as the association develops a strong and coordinated voice for the entire aerial firefighting community,” said Tim Sheehy, CEO of Bridger Aerospace and UAFA board member.

As Carelli indicated, special missions ops for the Kodiak go beyond aerial firefighting to include intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), aerial mapping, air ambulance transportation, parachute operations, resource analysis, wildlife management/anti-poaching, disaster/humanitarian relief, and training. Throughout the U.S., several state and federal agencies operate Kodiaks in support of wildland fire missions, in addition to those operated by private contractors.

• Read More: Daher Unveils FAA-Certified Kodiak 900

The Kodiak family features both the 8-to-10-seat 100 series—which features the Garmin G1000NXi, is off-airport/unimproved-strip capable, and comes in an amphibious version—and the stretched 900 model, with increased passenger and cargo space, plus a cruise speed increase north of 210 ktas. More than 320 Kodiaks have been delivered around the world to date.

Daher Advances Sustainable Infrastructure

Daher—parent company to the Aircraft Division producing both the TBM and Kodiak models—launched 2023 with a celebration of its 160 years in business, and its Take Off 2027 initiative to outline the next five years in its growth and transformation into a global supply and logistics player.

The roadmap includes twin goals of reducing the company’s carbon footprint along with improving customer satisfaction. To that end, Daher announced Monday that it had installed the first PUR-XTL biofuel tank at its Corlog logistics hub in Cornebarrieu, near Toulouse, France.

The “green” fuel, made from waste residual oils and greases, will be used in the company’s ground vehicles to reduce emissions by up to 90 percent. Daher uses the hub to facilitate transport and warehousing of various products, including aircraft sub-assemblies to various assembly lines in the region for its contracts with Airbus.

• Read More: Daher Weaves Sustainability Into Kodiak 900 and TBM 960

From a statement released by Daher, it gave the following example: “The route used by Daher to transport engines and aircraft components from Toulouse to Airbus production plants in Hamburg, Germany, accounts for 60 percent of the 3.5 million kilometers traveled annually by the Daher truck fleet.” Road transportation remains one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions in the supply chain, with an average of 25 to 35 liters of diesel used per 100 kilometers driven, depending on the load carried and other factors. 

Biofuels are not generally available at service stations along trucking routes, so Daher decided to make the investment of €50,000 to install a 30,000-liter tank at the Cornebarrieu facility.

Julie de Cevins, senior vice president of programs and nuclear/projects business units at Daher, said, “The progressive introduction of PUR-XTL biofuel to power our entire fleet of vehicles reflects our determination to decarbonize our logistics activities, in just the same way as the projects now underway at our Log’In innovation technical center, which focuses on developing tomorrow’s logistics. Driving innovation for decarbonization is one of the five priorities of our new Take Off 2027 strategic plan. This initiative will significantly reduce our transportation-generated CO₂ emissions, at the same time as helping our customers to reduce their carbon footprints.” 

Arnaud Joerger, head of transportation at Daher, added, “Using this biofuel reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 90 percent, and NOx emissions by 65 percent without any need to modify or convert our trucks. It’s not only a significant environmental gain for the group, but also a matter of pride for our drivers in the knowledge that they’re driving such clean vehicles.” 

Etienne Valtel, CEO at Altens, producer of the fuel, said, “We’re delighted to have this opportunity of helping Daher to decarbonize its fleet. Approved at European level, our PUR-XTL fuel means that Daher can drive green in France right now, and will soon be able to extend that into Germany. This agreement reflects our ambition to accelerate transportation industry decarbonization by offering a range of application-specific alternative fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

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Airspace restrictions from the economic war between the West and Russia over the invasion of Ukraine is adding logistical complexity and cost for the air cargo sector and passenger airlines still coping with COVID-related ups and downs in business activity. The conflict is also driving up the price of fuel, which represents a quarter or more of airlines’ cost base.

The European Union, Canada, the U.K., and Baltic and Nordic states in recent days have barred all Russian-owned, -registered and -controlled aircraft from overflights of their territories. The U.S. is also responding with its own airspace restrictions to go into effect on Wednesday. Russia has responded, banning three dozen airlines from its airspace.

• READ MORE: Russian Airlines, Aircraft Now Banned In U.S. Airspace

The new rules will require carriers to take more circuitous routes to avoid airspace around Russia, as well as Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova, to avoid the possibility of accidental missile strikes.

Why This Matters

Routes over Russia between Asia and Europe are optimal for many airlines in terms of the shortest flying time and fuel consumption. Swinging north, or more likely, south through the Middle East and up into Southern Europe will be less efficient but can be executed by many carriers without too much difficulty, according to air logistics professionals.

“It by no means shuts down an air corridor between Asia and Europe. It just gets a little more complicated to fly it,” said Neel Jones Shah, a former cargo chief at Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) who now heads global airfreight for Flexport, a fast-rising freight forwarder headquartered in San Francisco.

Airlines Respond

Some airlines are canceling flights because of the additional transit times while they figure out how to adjust to the new circumstances. 

Finnair said it is canceling passenger and cargo-only flights to Seoul, South Korea; Tokyo; and Shanghai and Guangzhou, China, through Sunday. Flights to Hong Kong are canceled until the end of March. The airline continues to operate flights to Thailand (from Helsinki and Stockholm), Singapore and Delhi using alternative routes that lengthen flight time by about an hour. 

The company said it is withdrawing its financial guidance for the first quarter and demand expectations for the first half of 2022 because of the negative impact the Russian airspace closure could have on air traffic between Europe and Asia. 

“Bypassing the Russian airspace lengthens flight times to Asia considerably and, thus, the operation of most of our passenger and cargo flights to Asia is not economically sustainable or competitive,” Finnair CEO Topi Manner said in a statement.

Virgin Atlantic said avoiding Russia would add 15 to 60 minutes on flights between the U.K. and India and Pakistan, according to the BBC.

United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) had continued to fly over Russian airspace from Newark, New Jersey, and San Francisco to India, while its U.S. peers have diverted to other routes, Bloomberg reported. That will likely end with the U.S. ban on Russian use of American airspace.

Kazakhstan has increased in popularity as a stopover point in recent days. Reuters said flights to Almaty airport have tripled as airlines look for economical detours between Europe and Asia.

Jones Shah predicted most freighters will take the southern track, noting that the Middle East is a good place to refuel and that airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other locations have plenty of capacity to take more flights.

Middle Eastern carriers such as Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Saudia, and Turkish Airlines could pick up market share out of China, where they already operate about 20 to 25 flights per week, Seko Logistics said in a customer notice.

If Russia hits back following the closure of U.S. airspace to its operators, the polar routes most effective for reaching Asia will be off limits to American aircraft. That would force them to fly a slightly more southerly route, adding 30 to 45 minutes of flight time, Jones Shah said.

“It’s not that big a deal. It’s manageable,” he said.

The war has sent the price of oil above $100 per barrel, and the extra fuel burned on less direct routes will come at a higher price. The price of jet fuel increased 3.8 percent to $111.13 per barrel for the week that ended Friday and is up nearly 60 percent in the past year, according to the International Air Transport Association. 

Many logistics companies and carriers have suspended shipments to and from Russia because of increased export technology controls, denied Russian entities, and banking restrictions. 

Freighter Shortfall

The Ukraine war is also reducing cargo capacity at a time when the supply of air transport is still struggling to catch up from pandemic-related cutbacks by passenger airlines, which historically provide about 50 percent of available cargo space in the holds below the passenger cabin.

The primary losers are shippers with heavyweight and outsize cargo that don’t fit well in regular cargo jets. Ukraine-based Antonov Airlines is continuing some operations with five AN-124 super-jumbo jets, but two of the aircraft plus a smaller freighter were not able to escape before hostilities erupted. And the company’s behemoth AN-225, which was undergoing repairs, was reportedly destroyed last weekend. 

Western companies also have lost access to Russian cargo specialist Volga-Dnepr, which operates a dozen AN-124s and five Ilyushin-76 freighters, and its Boeing 747-dominated subsidiary AirBridgeCargo because of airspace and banking sanctions against Russian companies.

The large airlifters were increasingly busy hauling general cargoes during the pandemic because of the overall shortfall in transport capacity and because Volga-Dnepr and Antonov Airlines offered below-market rates in many cases.

The deficit of ultra-large freighters could be a boon for Airbus, which has launched a new airline using special supersize jets designed to carry huge aircraft sections that will now be available for commercial charter. The Beluga transporters have the largest interior cross sections of any transport aircraft in the world.

Airfreight rates are starting to rise again because of the loss of available aircraft, along with the possibility of more flight suspensions. The capacity squeeze at the moment is modest because COVID restrictions have tamped down factory production in China and the expected shipment surge following the Lunar New Year holiday, but conditions are expected to become more challenging in the coming weeks as demand rises, air cargo experts say.

Chicago-based Seko Logistics predicted air cargo rates will be 30 percent to 50 percent higher this month than in February.

Airlines could conversely be the beneficiary of cargo diversion from China-Europe freight rail users because the lines go through southern Russia and Siberia. The mode has seen significant growth in the past year because of persistent ocean shipping congestion and air delays. Flexport has stopped booking freight on transcontinental rail because of the transport uncertainty, CEO Ryan Peterson said on Twitter.

For passenger airlines, the conflict is another impediment to completing their recovery from the financial tailspin caused by the pandemic and diminished travel. Carriers report that bookings are significantly growing and they are returning many aircraft to international service for the summer season, but uncertainty created by the Ukraine war has clouded the positive outlook.

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