Longview Aviation Capital on Feb. 2 announced De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited will become the operating brand for the companies currently operating as Longview Aviation, Viking Air, Pacific Sky Training and De Havilland Canada. Which combined currently support more than 1,000 aerospace jobs across Canada.

“Our acquisition of the De Havilland Dash-8 program from Bombardier in 2019 united the entire De Havilland product line for the first time in decades, and we are proud to consolidate our aviation assets under the iconic De Havilland banner,” said Sherry Brydson, owner, Longview Aviation Capital.

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada has been manufacturing aircraft since 1928 and supports a current fleet of more than 3,000 aircraft in service around the globe, from the Chipmunk and Beaver to Twin Otter and Dash 8 series.

In addition to announcing the new organizational structure, De Havilland Canada has also named Brian Chafe as Chief Executive Officer of the company.

Chafe most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of the PAL Group, a diversified global aerospace company active across a range of sectors including aircraft engineering, maintenance and modification, in-service support, special missions, and search and rescue.

“De Havilland Canada’s products are unrivalled in the regional and utility turboprop segment of the industry and that is the product of its talented team of aviation professionals,” said Chafe.

Longview Aviation Capital Corp. was established in 2016 to manage a portfolio of long-term investments in the Canadian aerospace industry, including De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited; Viking Air Ltd.; Pacific Sky Aviation Ltd; Longview Aviation Asset Management Inc; and Longview Aviation Services.

(Image: De Havilland Aircraft)

By Gillian Francis, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Shootin’ the Breeze

A long-term vision for site development and economic growth is beginning to emerge for the Pincher Creek Airport.

Last week, MD council approved the preliminary draft of the long-awaited airport master plan, a document that will serve as a guide for airport development going forward.

“We should all be excited about it. It’s a great asset for the whole region,” says Troy MacCulloch, chief executive officer for the MD of Pincher Creek.

Crowsnest Pass council approved the AMP on Jan. 11, while Pincher Creek town council has yet to do so.

Located northwest of Pincher Creek, just off Highway 3, the airport currently consists of one asphalt runway over 6,000 feet long, four taxiways, two aprons for public traffic, nine aircraft hangars and a fuel facility.

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry is the primary user of the space at present, having its own independent air terminal building that it uses for wildfire response in the summer. Additionally, there are a few private plane owners with personal hangars.

The AMP suggests the airport be transformed into a hub where locals, tourists and travellers can access regular flights to a variety of locations, including possible northern destinations like Fort McMurray and Alaska.

The facility, it says, has the potential to become a stopover point for Americans looking to vacation up north and Canadians heading south to Montana.

It also lists a few business opportunities that could be capitalized on, including a flight training school with an on-site campus, an air cadet base and a wildfire training certification program.

Planning is still in its infancy and the document serves more as an economic and developmental guide than a solid strategy.

The Regional Airport Committee, the group that commissioned the document, still has to agree on the plan and it has to choose a governance structure for itself.

Once this falls into place, the RAC will start working on developing a business plan and a mission statement. The business plan, alone, could take up to three years to complete.

The RAC, consisting of representatives from Crowsnest Pass council, MD council, Cowley council and Pincher Creek town council, will meet to discuss matters further on Feb. 14.

The project does not come without its challenges. The AMP cites a study conducted by Transport Canada in 2004, which found that most airports located in catchment areas with populations under 15,000 were facing deficits and that regional population decline occurred in 82 per cent of cases where airports were having financial difficulties.

Additionally, it noted that 85 per cent of financially struggling airports were located within 250 kilometres of a national airspace system.

The Pincher Creek Airport and area fit the same characteristics.

“I know the challenges that they’re facing. I know how hard it’s going to be to bring this around and to make it a viable resource for our area,” said Coun. Dave Filipuzzi at a Crowsnest Pass council meeting.

To circumvent this, the AMP suggests the airport should market itself to audiences that larger centres wouldn’t cater to.

(Image: Wikipedia)

Bell Textron Inc.’s Autonomous Pod Transport drone successfully completed a demonstration of a ground-based Detect and Avoid flight, fulfilling an extension for its NASA Systems Integration and Operationalization program. Bell was selected for NASA’s Systems Integration and Operationalization (SIO) program back in 2018, aiming to help develop future airspace requirements for future Advanced Air Mobility vehicles, such as commercial drones and potentially autonomous eVTOL aircraft like so-called air taxis.

Bell in Sept. 2020 completed its first SIO demonstration flight with the Autonomous Pod Transport (70) aircraft, running a Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) mission with NASA in an urban environment, transitioning into and out of Class B airspace representing future commercial flights.

This newest 2022 Detect and Avoid (DAA) demonstration, explains Bell, showcased the APT’s ground radar system integration and its capabilities when navigating airspace traffic and requirements. Again, the SIO objective was to execute a BVLOS mission in complex airspace, but in the instance while utilizing DAA technology to monitor the airspace for ‘natural intruders’ using Bell’s 429 commercial helicopter and APT drone.

Bell’s QuantiFLYTM system, a new aircraft communication unit (ACU) powered by Truth Data, offering a true low-cost, lightweight, and fully automatic flight data monitoring (FDM) solution, was used on the Bell 429 to record aircraft telemetry data.

Bell utilized radar systems to monitor the complex airspace within the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) and to track manned and unmanned aircraft systems. (Photo: Bell Textron)

“We are excited to demonstrate the effectiveness of ground-based monitoring solutions as part of UAS infrastructure,” said Matt Holvey, director, Intelligent Systems, Bell. “Radar monitoring, whether airborne or ground-based, may become an important part of drone delivery, air taxi services and other aspects of the ever-expanding AAM ecosystem.”

In addition, Microsoft provided AirSim, a simulation tool for training Autonomous systems, which gave Bell a Digital Twin environment to model the NASA SIO Extension flight in the virtual world before flying through the corridor. This allowed the team to conduct simulated real-world tests of the APT aircraft across a broad range of scenarios without any safety risks and at a fraction of the cost and time needed.

(Photo: Bell Textron)

KADEX Aero Supply has made available, through a newly approved Supplement Type Certificate, the HYPERION II LED Wing Tip Light Assembly for Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft. Developed by KAD Aerospace, the manufacturing arm of KADEX Aero Supply, this STC approval was granted after extensive prototyping and DO-160 EMI, and Photometric testing was completed.

KADEX explains the wing tip light assembly is produced from proven TSO Approved components and a robust bracketry system, allowing the HYPERION II to meet the needs of 350 operators worldwide. Following on the heels of the HYPERION I series LED for the King Air C90/200/300 and 1900s, KADEX explains the HYPERION II LED allows for a plug-and-play Installation into the 350 Wing Tip, as well as removal of the high voltage power supplies.

“KADEX is very excited to bring this long-awaited upgrade to the King Air 350,” said Ken Blow, Vice President, KADEX. “Months of development and careful component selection, have culminated in something we are really proud of. This LED makes for trouble-free operation with safety enhancements that can only come from the latest LED Technology.”

Combined with the previously approved ORION 500 Tail Nav/Strobe, the King Air HYPERION II 350 LED Lights are available through KADEX at both company locations in Peterborough, Ontario, and Calgary, Alberta.

(Photo: Kadex)

— Text provided by COPA

COPA signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with the Aerial Evolution Association of Canada (AEAC) to conduct joint activities for fostering the development and safe integration of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), commonly known as drones, in Canadian airspace.

With over 15,000 members, the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) represents Canada’s largest aviation association. In spring 2021, COPA expanded its mandate to include RPAS operators and has since launched new programs, scholarship opportunities, and training dedicated to supporting RPAS pilots to enhance their skills and to operate safely.

Aerial Evolution Association of Canada (AEAC) is a Canadian-registered not-for-profit association, founded in 2003 as the national industry association representing entrepreneurs, businesses, students, academia, industry, and government organizations working in the aerial and RPAS sector.

The MOU will facilitate efforts by both COPA and AEAC to achieve mutual goals and leverage resources for sharing information and for planning, developing, and implementing RPAS services that positively impact the aviation sector.

“We are excited to take this important step with AEAC which provides an opportunity to leverage the resources, strengths and talent of both associations,” said Christine Gervais, President and CEO of COPA. “The scope of RPAS operations in Canada continues to evolve at a rapid rate, and this partnership reinforces our two association’s shared commitment to safety and protecting all pilots’ freedom to fly.”

“This new national agreement is expected to unlock strategic opportunities for collaboration between our two associations,” says Michael Cohen, Chair of the Board of Directors, Aerial Evolution Association of Canada. “Under the terms of the MOU, COPA and AEAC will work together to share best practices and introduce new and important resources to the growing remotely piloted aircraft community.”

(Photo: Ben Burger, Adobe Stock)

Rolls-Royce on Jan. 20 announced its all-electric Spirit of Innovation aircraft is officially the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft, having set two new world records which have now been independently confirmed through the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) – the World Air Sports Federation, which controls and certifies world aeronautical and astronautical records.

The all-electric aircraft world speed record was set back on November 16, 2021, at 15:45 (GMT), when the Spirit of Innovation aircraft reached a top speed of 555.9 km/h (345.4 mph) over three kilometres, smashing the existing record by 213.04 km/h (132mph) set by the Siemens eAircraft powered Extra 330 LE Aerobatic aircraft in 2017.

In further runs at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down experimental aircraft testing site, the Rolls-Royce aircraft achieved 532.1km/h (330 mph) over 15 kilometres – 292.8km/h (182 mph) faster than the previous record. Both records have now been officially verified by FIA.

Rolls-Royce explains the Spirit of Innovation, which is part of the UK Government-backed ACCEL or ‘Accelerating the Electrification of Flight’ project, also clocked up a maximum top speed of 623 km/h (387.4mph) making it the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle.

The aircraft was propelled on its record breaking runs by 400kW (500+hp) electric powertrain and what Rolls-Royce describes as the most power-dense propulsion battery pack ever assembled in aerospace. The company is working with aviation energy storage start-up Electroflight and automotive powertrain supplier YASA on this part of the project.

“Achieving the all-electric world-speed record is a fantastic achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls-Royce,” said Warren East, CEO, Rolls-Royce. “I would like to thank our partners and especially aviation start-up Electroflight, for their collaboration in achieving this pioneering breakthrough.

“The advanced battery and propulsion technology developed for this program has exciting applications for the Advanced Air Mobility market,” continued East. “This is another milestone that will help make ‘jet zero’ a reality and supports our ambitions to deliver the technology breakthroughs society needs to decarbonise transport across air, land and sea.”

Half of the ACCEL project’s funding is provided by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK.

(Photo: Rolls-Royce)