Market Intelligence: -General Aviation

Royal Aeronautical Society Announces New President

The Royal Aeronautical Society is pleased to announce that Kerissa Khan MRAeS has taken over as President of the Society at its AGM on 4 May 2023. The AGM also elected David Chinn as President-Elect.

The President provides leadership of the Council and of the Society in pursuit of its objectives. They uphold the values, and reputation of the Society as well as the interests of the members. The President is an ambassador of the Society representing it at key engagements, influencing the global standing of the Society in furthering the advancement of aeronautical art, science and engineering.

“We are entering an exciting new era for aerospace, aviation and space innovation. We are the transformation generation pioneering novel ways to fly. This pioneering spirit is the foundation that the Royal Aeronautical Society has been built upon, bringing together the best innovators, disrupters, researchers and inventors who dared to make flight possible. The Royal Aeronautical Society has been leading the way since 1866, at the heart of the community that empowered the first flight by the Wright Brothers and the invention of the jet engine by Sir Frank Whittle, sparking the first and second aviation revolutions respectively. It is an honour and a privilege as President to stand on the shoulders of giants to convene and lead this global community at the forefront of the third revolution in flight. Once again, we will dare to make flight possible – sustainable, accessible and inclusive flight that addresses the challenges we all face today,” said Kerissa Khan MRAeS, President of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

“Kerissa’s appointment as President of the Royal Aeronautical Society is a testament to her hard work, determination, and dedication to the industry. Innovate UK is proud to support Kerissa as she undertakes this important role, and we hope that this appointment will inspire more female leaders in the field,” said Indro Mukerjee, CEO Innovate UK.

“We’re delighted to have Kerissa serve as President of the Royal Aeronautical Society.  Her appointment recognises her experience across the breadth of our Society’s branches, boards, committees, Council and Trustees.  Kerissa’s background in aeronautical engineering, and her role inspiring the future generations of our industries align very closely with the Society’s objectives.  We’re looking forward to working with her,” said David Edwards FRAeS, Chief Executive, RAeS.

The President’s Biography

Kerissa Khan MRAeS serves on the Board of Trustees as the RAeS President.

Kerissa was educated at Naparima Girls’ High School in Trinidad and Tobago. She graduated from the University of Glasgow with a Master of Engineering degree with Honours in Aeronautical Engineering (2012).

Kerissa is a technical expert in complex and integrated aerospace systems and a thought-leader in sustainable future aviation. She leads innovation for the £300M Future Flight Challenge at UK Research and Innovation, creating the future aviation system for the third aviation revolution. She is a member of the UK Trade Organisation for Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space Advanced Air Mobility Group. She has published the Future Flight 2030 vision and strategy for zero-carbon air mobility and Future Flight social science research forward strategy, in addition to socio-economic and market outlook studies for novel aviation solutions. She has also shaped the UK Transport Vision 2050.

Kerissa has been recognised in the 2022 Power Book, the definitive guide to the most influential people in the eVTOL industry for her leadership in future air mobility markets.

Previous roles include research, design and development of world-leading aerospace systems for a wide range of military, commercial and business aircraft, including the Airbus A320, A321, A330, A350, Boeing 787, Bombardier Global 7500, Tornado and Eurofighter jets. She was in charge of programme management of the Aerospace Growth Partnership Strategy Group, which is responsible for developing the UK aerospace industrial strategy. She also led UK corporate affairs for Safran, the French international high-technology group operating in the aerospace, defence and space markets.

Kerissa is a founding signatory of the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter and Women in Defence Charter. In 2016, she became the youngest RAeS Council member, first woman to chair the Gloucester and Cheltenham branch (established in 1930), youngest member of the Learned Society Board and co-created the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Her portrait has been exhibited at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum in recognition of her achievements as an awarded Engineering Hero, Inspirational Woman in STEM and industry trailblazer empowering future generations.

Source: Royal Aeronautical Society Press Release
Photo Credit: Royal Aeronautical Society

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Flight School Association of North America Engages Top Government Affairs Firm

The Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) has been on the Hill in DC for a few years. Before COVID arrived, the organization had begun planning for an increased presence with the elected branch of Congress. Then came COVID and plans shifted toward helping flight schools remain viable since they were deemed essential service.

FSANA is now working with the Vogel Group based in Washington, D.C., with additional offices in Florida and Tennessee. The Vogel Group is one of the top government affairs firms in Washington, D.C.

Lead by Alex Vogel who is a pilot and deeply engaged with the Hill in multiple client markets. Leading the FSANA government affairs committee is chairman Joel Davidson, Chief Executive Officer of Aeroguard Flight Training Center. Assistant committee Chairs are David Morse, CAE Phoenix Aviation Academy, Center Leader and Chris Erlanson, President of Tennessee Flight Training. The FSANA government affairs committee will be reaching out to FSANA members going forward on a myriad of topics in the flight training space.

Matt Keelen, Principal and Gabbi Salmon, Associate with the Vogel Group will head up the day to day work in D.C. on behalf of FSANA. Robert Rockmaker, FSANA President & CEO commented, “Adding the Vogel Group to our team is another milestone for FSANA and will pay dividends for our dedicated members who work hard to provide the best flight training in the world.”

Source: FSANA Announcement

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Vmo Aircraft Leasing and H55 to Collaborate on Developing Leasing Programs for Electric Aircraft

Vmo Aircraft Leasing (“Vmo”) and H55, an innovator in the field of electric propulsion technology for aviation, announced against the backdrop of the Revolution.Aero Dublin 2023 conference their commitment to working together to develop leasing solutions for new clean aviation products.

As part of the envisaged collaboration, teams from both companies are engaged in providing leasing programs targeted to support the nascent market for financing electric aircraft, battery storage energy and management systems.  

Vmo and H55 share the same vision: reducing the air transport industry’s environmental footprint and enabling it to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Vmo provides liquidity and fleet solutions to airlines, lessors and OEMs, with the goal of increasing operational and capital efficiency. H55 is uniquely positioned with its product and service offerings, combining propulsion, energy storage and management, controls, and integration services. With H55’s 20 years of experience in electric aviation (well advanced in terms of reaching certification) and Vmo’s decades of expertise in aircraft leasing, this partnership brings together complementary competencies and has all the right prerequisites for accelerating the adoption of clean aviation technologies.

“Technology and innovation are rapidly changing the aviation industry’s landscape, with emission-free aircraft designs on track to revolutionize airline fleets. With the giant addressable market, lessors will play a key role in financing electric and hybrid-electric aircraft,” said Robert Brown, Executive Chairman of Vmo Aircraft Leasing. “We’re thrilled to be at the forefront of this exciting industry development. Working together with H55 to explore bespoke leasing models will enable us to pursue fast-growing business opportunities in the burgeoning field of clean aviation technologies and bolster our leadership position with regards to sustainability.”

Commenting on the collaboration, André Borschberg, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of H55, said: “As we are getting closer to commercialize clean aviation products, we believe it’s important to provide financing solutions for innovative products to facilitate the transition to sustainable aviation. A clear financial offering will make it possible to operators to fully appreciate the value they will derive from their investment. Leasing batteries with regular battery replacements, which will evolve in terms of improved performance, will move the cost of fuel to investing in technology. We believe that this is a very attractive offering, which only reinforces the economic and environmental advantages of electric aviation.”

Vmo and H55 agreed to kick off the collaboration with the involvement of several of H55’s first set of customers, which include OEMs, component manufacturers and operators who are working electrification programs for both new and existing designs.

This statement and any references to any product, process, method or service, including by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, do not constitute an express or implied endorsement, recommendation or favoring by Vmo or H55 or their respective affiliates, directors, officers or employees.

About H55 SA  

H55 is the leading provider of electric propulsion solutions and battery pack systems with the mission of enabling the aviation industry to reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. With 20 years of experience, and having built and flown 4 electric planes, breaking 14 world records in distance, altitude, and flight duration, the H55 team is able to solve and provide solutions to the complex challenges of certification and aircraft integration. H55 is the first company with a certified design and production organization for electric propulsion systems (EASA/FOCA). With global customers comprised of OEMs, component manufacturers and operators, H55’s modular systems have already proven themself in real flight conditions and are now being integrated in different types of aircraft configurations including general and regional aviation fixed wing applications, for both existing and new designs (in the CS23 and CS25 certification categories), as well as new aviation designs such as VTOLs featuring high power distributed electric propulsion systems.

About Vmo Aircraft Leasing 

Vmo Aircraft Leasing (“Vmo”) is a global commercial aircraft lessor operating through offices in Dublin, San Francisco, and Singapore. The company was launched in January 2021 by a team of aviation industry veterans and funds managed by Private Equity and Credit Groups of Ares Management Corporation.

Source: Vmo Press Release
Photo Credit: Vmo (shown as meta image)

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Boeing Announces Appointment in Global Airline Training Initiative Team

Boeing has appointed Carl Haslem as part of its Global Airline Training Initiative – Regulatory Focal who shall engage with operators and authorities to support the transition to CBTA and EBT through Boeing’s CBTA Program. Learn more about Boeing or Haslemby connecting with him through his LinkedIn profile here.

Source: Carl Haslem (Boeing)
Photo Credit: Boeing (shown as meta image)

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