Market Intelligence: North America

Training Aircraft Manufacturer, Cirrus Aircraft, Releases Service Advisory on the Transition to Unleaded Fuel and Use of Non-Cirrus Approved Fuel in SR Series Aircraft

Cirrus Aircraft released a serviced advisory on June 18, 2024 with a subject “Transition to Unleaded Fuel and Use of Non-Cirrus Approved Fuel in SR Series Aircraft.”

See Cirrus’ advisory below:

“Cirrus is dedicated to proactively addressing the evolving landscape of sustainability regulations, particularly the shift away from leaded aviation fuels. We continue to actively support industry efforts to develop, evaluate, and advance new fuels while supporting a safe industry transition to a future unleaded fuel environment.

These efforts include working directly with industry associations and all stakeholders including AOPA, GAMA, the FAA, and the FAA-Industry EAGLE program through the PAFI certification program. As of June 2024, EAGLE is actively pursuing three potentially viable alternatives/replacements for 100LL: GAMI G100UL, LyondellBasell/VP Racing UL100E, and Swift 100R. Cirrus is dedicated to supporting all major fuel companies in their pursuit to bring alternative high-octane fuels to market.

As part of our proactive participation in the unleaded fuel initiative, Cirrus has been collaborating with potential fuel producers conducting materials compatibility and on-aircraft fuel performance testing for over a decade.

Cirrus is engaged in a comprehensive testing and evaluation program of the GAMI G100UL fuel. Working in coordination with GAMI, our key powerplant partners (Continental and Lycoming), and the FAA during this process, the goal is to ensure operational safety of both the powerplant and airframe fuel systems. While some aspects of the initial Cirrus testing of the GAMI G100UL fuel are encouraging, other areas, including materials compatibility, remain inconclusive. At this time, Cirrus does not approve the use of GAMI G100UL fuel in Cirrus SR Series airplanes. Additionally, Cirrus currently does not warrant or represent in any way an operator’s use of the GAMI G100UL fuel in SR Series airplanes.

Per Continental and Lycoming, only approved fuels may be used for an engine to be covered by warranty. As the GAMI G100UL fuel is a non-approved fuel per Continental and Lycoming, engines known to have run this fuel may not be covered by the current OEM engine warranty. For specific details, please refer to the respective Continental and Lycoming engine warranty documents.

Shell recently announced that 100VLL will be shipping to airports in Europe beginning in April 2024. Cirrus confirms this fuel can be used in all Cirrus SR Series airplanes as it complies with the ASTM D910 standard specification for leaded aviation gasoline. Please refer to FAA SAIB NE-11-55 “Grade 100VLL Aviation Gasoline,” for additional details.

The continued safe operation of all Cirrus aircraft around the world remains our top priority. As progress continues, we will provide updates as soon as they are available. We look forward to ensuring a safe and smooth transition to unleaded fuel for all Cirrus SR Series owners.”

Source: Cirrus

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Global Pilot Training Solution Provider L3Harris Commercial Aviation Hosts Japanese Airline at US Flight Training Base in June 2024

Global pilot training group and full flight simulator manufacturer L3Harris Commercial Aviation hosted representatives from its airline partner, All Nippon Airways, at its Sanford, Florida Airline Academy in June 2024.

“We have enjoyed productive discussions and planning sessions focused on the future of the commercial airline training we provide to their cadets. We are excited to see the partnership between L3Harris Commercial Aviation and All Nippon Airways grow!” shared Heather Rice, Global Academy Sales and Marketing Strategy Manager at L3Harris Commercial Aviation.

L3Harris Technologies announced in February 2023 its selection by Japan’s largest airline, All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd., to train its next generation of pilots. The agreement builds on a decades-long pilot training and simulator relationship between L3Harris and one of ANA’s subsidiaries, Peach Aviation. That training relationship then expanded as L3Harris provides pilot training for All Nippon Airways and its group airlines.

“This agreement shows the confidence ANA has in the quality of L3Harris’ training capabilities,” said David Coward, Vice President and General Manager, Airline Academy, L3Harris in February 2023. “The ANA Group already entrusts us to train its pilots for Peach Aviation and now we will play an even more important role in preparing pilots for its flagship carrier.”

Beginning in March 2023, the initial group of All Nippon Airlines students will attend the 60-week, single-engine and multi-engine flight training and ground school in England before returning to Japan to complete their Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau license.

“L3Harris has a history for producing highly skilled future pilots,” said Takeshi Yamagishi, Vice President, ANA Flight Operations Center Quality Planning. “By using its quality locations and training facilities we can ensure we are well prepared for future growth.”

All Nippon Airlines ranks in the top 15 airlines worldwide by annual revenue. L3Harris’ has supplied All Nippon Airlines with flight training devices since the 1980s, with the first pilot training agreements signed between the two in 2018.

Source: Heather Rice (L3Harris Commercial Aviation)
Photo Credit: Heather Rice (L3Harris Commercial Aviation)

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MR Flight Simulator Solution Provider, Loft Dynamics, Taps Experienced Aviation Executive Ray Lamas to Accelerate North American Growth

Loft Dynamics, the global leader in qualified virtual reality (VR) flight simulation training devices, has appointed Ray Lamas, a 20-year aviation veteran, as the North American Vice President. Lamas, who has extensive experience as an aviator and executive, including several years leading Global Customer Training for Bell, will facilitate Loft Dynamics’ rapid North American growth. The growth is expected to accelerate in 2024 as more customers receive simulators and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducts its qualification process. Lamas will help to facilitate this growth by driving strategy and securing new partnerships across the continent.

Lamas is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who spent over a decade flying jets in the Navy, where he developed a thorough appreciation for the necessity of effective aircrew training. As the leader of Bell’s Global Customer Training segment, Lamas served customers across the rotorcraft industry in the United States and worldwide. Lamas also engaged with regulators in multiple jurisdictions on the role of flight simulation in improving pilot training—invaluable experience at a time when high-quality simulators have never been more critical to addressing the growing pilot shortage.

“I am thrilled to join the Loft Dynamics team and introduce their industry-leading technology to even more operators in North America,” Lamas said. “VR is the future of flight training, and it will help us improve safety and scale the pilot pipeline like never before. Loft Dynamics simulators offer a level of realism and immersion that can’t be matched by any other training platform. This technology is groundbreaking and will completely transform the possibilities in flight training—for airlines, flight schools, law enforcement agencies, air medical services, eVTOLs, fixed-wing aircraft and more.”

Lamas’s decades of experience with flight training and his strategy and leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies like Maxar Technologies and AECOM make him well-positioned to oversee Loft Dynamics’ North American expansion.

“Ray is an established leader in the aviation and training industry and will be a vital asset as we expand globally and scale our North American sales, service, and support framework,” said Fabi Riesen, founder and CEO of Loft Dynamics. “We have already established a strong presence in the United States and Canada: our new headquarters and flight simulation hub in Santa Monica and a growing list of North American customers, including Airbus Helicopters, the Los Angeles Police Department, the FAA, Marshall University, Blackcomb Canada, and Colorado Highland Helicopters. Lamas will undoubtedly help us increase that presence even more.”

Loft Dynamics’ geographic expansion will accompany a growing list of applications. The company is developing simulators for eVTOLs and fixed-wing aircraft, which will increase the number of pilots and operators with access to the most advanced and immersive simulators available. Loft Dynamics continues to innovate in the helicopter industry, most recently by achieving regulatory approval of the first VR flight simulator for helicopter sling load operations (HESLO).

“Loft Dynamics has the technology to dramatically improve the accessibility and effectiveness of pilot training for operators across the aviation industry and to increase safety by making training possible for every standard operating procedure (SOP) used in aviation,” Lamas commented. “I could not be more excited to join a team leading the way into a new era of flight training and safety.”

About Loft Dynamics

Loft Dynamics AG is the global leader in qualified virtual reality flight training devices. Equipped with a 3D high-resolution panoramic view, dynamic six-degrees-of-motion platform, and full-scale replica cockpit with a unique pose tracking system, our revolutionary VR simulators provide an immersive, realistic, customizable, and risk-free training experience. By offering a training solution 10 times smaller and significantly more cost-effective than legacy simulators, we enhance training accessibility and scalability, empowering highly skilled pilots to meet global demand. As the world’s first and only qualified VR flight simulation training device (FSTD), achieving FTD Level 3 qualification from EASA, we serve leading manufacturers, airlines, operators, schools, and organizations worldwide. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, and Santa Monica, California, our team comprises passionate engineers, developers, and aviation experts.

Source: Loft Dynamics
Photo Credit: Loft Dynamics

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Global Pilot Training Solution Provider, CAE, Shares FY24 Recap Video

CAE shares the following FY24’s remarkable achievements through the video below:

  • CAE’s SkyAlyne joint venture awarded largest contract in CAE’s history for Canada’s Future Aircrew Training Program (FAct)
  • Inauguration of 1st US West Coast business aviation training centre in Nevada
  • Announcing Vienna as the location for business aviation training centre in Central Europe
  • Announcing full-flight simulator and pilot training program to commence at Singapore CAE Flight Training Centre
  • Agreement for Integration of Flight Operations Solutions Software at Air India
  • Awarded subcontract for U.S. Army Flight School Training Support Services
  • Awarded Bell’s contract to support U.S. Army Future Long Range Assault Aircraft Program
  • CAE awarded rapid prototype, enhancing mission readiness of U.S. Army
  • First Falcon 6X training completed at CAE Burgess Hill
  • Boeing and CAE to collaborate on pilot training to enhance aviation safety
  • Release of CAE Aviation Talent Forecast
  • Adding USAF Rotary-Wing, Introductory Training at CAE Dothan Training Centre
  • CAE to support US Army high altitude platform training with Bombardier Global 6000/6500
  • Long-term agreement with Akasa Air for Boeing 737MAX pilot training
  • CAE GmbH delivers NH90 Full Mission Training Centre to the German Navy
  • Embraer and CAE to double Phenom 300 pilot training capacity
  • SkyWest set to deploy CAE’s next-generation Flight Operations Solutions

Source: CAE
Photo Credit: CAE

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Global Pilot Training Solution Provider, CAE, Inaugurates Savannah, Georgia Training Center for Gulfstream Pilots and Maintenance Technicians

CAE inaugurated its first Gulfstream-dedicated business aviation training center, which will be a key component to training more pilots and maintenance technicians over the coming decades. Located near Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. headquarters in Savannah, the new center has a capacity for up to four full-flight simulators (FFS). The first, a Gulfstream G550 FFS, began operating last January, and the second, a Gulfstream G280 FFS, will be ready for training in July. The maintenance training program, which will include state-of-the-art virtual reality, will be offered on Gulfstream G280, G650, and G500/G600 business jets. The Savannah facility is CAE’s fifth business aviation training center in the United States.

“Savannah has been home to Gulfstream’s worldwide headquarters for more than 50 years,” said Mark Burns, President, Gulfstream. “I am confident that CAE will reap the same great benefits we’ve received from this welcoming community and, of course, the incredible workforce we have here.”

“The inauguration of the CAE Savannah training center is a significant milestone in terms of the advanced training and customer experience we offer to Gulfstream operators, making it more convenient than ever for their pilots and maintenance technicians to train with CAE,” said Marc Parent, CAE’s President and CEO. “CAE Savannah is a showcase for innovation. Virtual reality, for example, will be used in both the theoretical and practical elements of our maintenance training program. CAE Rise™ will also be used on all simulators, empowering instructors with technology that delivers insights and data to enrich simulator training for pilots.”

CAE Rise™ uses Metrics-Based Insights (MBI) and telemetry data to show instructors objective data during live training, allowing them to focus on evaluating soft skills. The technology, which CAE has developed for both civilian and military pilot training, also provides analytics to proactively detect, and ultimately address, emerging safety trends.

The Savannah Training Center represents another significant milestone in the growth of CAE’s business aviation training network and its commitment to helping to meet the global requirement for an additional 32,000 business aviation pilots* and 74,000 business aircraft maintenance technicians by 2032. CAE now has five centers dedicated to business aviation training in the U.S. in New Jersey, Nevada, Texas, Florida, Georgia, as well as its center in Montreal, to round out its North American presence.

About CAE Civil Aviation Training
CAE – Civil Aviation elevates and advances human performance by providing holistic and immersive training solutions for professionals in business and commercial aviation. Whether for pilots, maintenance technicians, cabin crew or air traffic controllers, we help keep aircraft in the skies with exceptionally trained professionals ready to take on any challenge safely. We operate 70+ facilities on five continents, training over 135,000 business and commercial professionals annually.

About CAE
At CAE, we equip people in critical roles with the expertise and solutions to create a safer world. As a technology company, we digitalize the physical world, deploying software-based simulation training and critical operations support solutions. Above all else, we empower pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians, airlines, business aviation operators, and defence and security forces to perform at their best every day and when the stakes are the highest. Around the globe, we’re everywhere customers need us to be with approximately 13,000 employees in more than 240 sites and training locations in over 40 countries. CAE represents more than 75 years of industry firsts—the highest-fidelity flight and mission simulators as well as training programs powered by digital technologies. We embed sustainability in everything we do. Today and tomorrow, we’ll make sure our customers are ready for the moments that matter.

Source: CAE
Photo Credit: CAE

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