Monthly Newsletter

RACCA

October

2020 Newsletter

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New Member: Xwing Joins RACCA

After unveiling the world’s first fully autonomous flight on Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in August, Xwing joined RACCA. The company is working on a STC to convert 208B Grand Caravans into optionally piloted aircraft, remotely operated from the ground.

Designed for regional air cargo service, Xwing’s Cessna 208B Grand Caravan successfully completed full missions autonomously from take-off to landing flights. It has also been maturing Detect and Avoid capability and recently completed NASA’s UAS in the NAS program in partnership with Bell.

The company has been operating in stealth mode for the last four years as it honed its technology that targets the under-500-mile market. It is open to new commercial partnerships and eventually licensing opportunities. Read more

AMC Virtual Meeting

With FlightSafety International Director Keith McGann at the helm as Acting Chair of RACCA’s 15-member Associate Member Council, the group met virtually to discuss the Spring Conference and make recommendations for issues to be brought to the attention of the board of directors at its October 22 Zoom meeting. McGann is filling in for the late Terry Hibler until a new chair can be elected at the spring meeting.

“Cargo has been one of the few bright spots,” RACCA President Stan Bernstein reported. “All our members are operating at close to capacity. There was a conference call recently to discuss Covid vaccine distribution which could start as early as this month. A number of our members will be involved. Unfortunately, the distribution will coincide with the Christmas rush which will put additional strain on our carriers.”

With the help of Bernstein, the two briefed the council on the planned April 20-22, 2021 RACCA Spring Conference, saying it is scheduled for the Scottsdale Hilton Resorts and Villas and hotel registration will be available on December 15. The hotel has agreed to maintain the $179 room rate set for the 2020 conference.

The hotel, they reported, has completely renovated its rooms and, to the pleasure of many AMC members, has installed a more robust WiFi system. The program remains much the same as this year’s cancelled meeting with maintenance and operational programs and an aircraft static show possibly featuring the new SkyCourier prototype. The display is scheduled for Scottsdale Airport with SkyQuest International President and Founder Greg Melang coordinating the effort as well as transport to/from the hotel. The formal opening of the display will replace a post-lunch breakout session to ensure everyone has the opportunity to go. Otherwise viewing will be appointment during the conference.

RACCA is continuing to work with the Aviation Technical Education Council on speaking at the conference, as they were scheduled to do this year.

To ease congestion during on-site registration, that registration will rise to $299 to encourage pre-registration at $259. Most sponsorships are taken but a few remain with Stan as the point person. RACCA is also looking for newsletter sponsors at $250 per issue. Table-top costs are up $25 to $675 to reflect the higher demand RACCA has experienced as well as to recognize the loss of revenue during 2020.

The Golf and Queen Creek tours have been rescheduled for spring conference. In addition, the scholarship fund is doing well with four scholarships at $2500 each to be awarded. Stan recognized Training Boom for its generous $5000 donation.

Growing Support for National Center for the Advancement of Aviation

Bi-partisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. House October 6, calling for the much-needed National Center for the Advancement of Aviation. The Act – HR 8532 – creates an independent facility for the collaboration of commercial, general aviation military aviation sectors to address the mounting workforce challenges facing the industry, according to an AOPA press release.

The creation of such an independent center was addressed by RACCA President Stan Bernstein during the FAA’s Workforce Symposium in 2019. The bill “would help develop and deploy pilots, aerospace engineers, unmanned aircraft systems operators, aviation maintenance technicians, and others,” said AOPA. “The center would provide resources to curriculum developers working to integrate science, technology, engineering, and math, leveraging knowledge and expertise among industry sectors. The center would also serve as a central repository for economic and safety data research. In addition, the NCAA would enable greater opportunities for apprenticeships, and help military veterans and others transition to well-paying technical jobs in the aviation industry.” Read more.

NASA Cargo Survey Ready for Distribution

LMI, in conjunction with their partners Crown Consulting, Georgia Tech, and GRA, is leading a study on the future of autonomous air cargo operations for NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). The LMI team recognizes the importance of input from Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association members in gathering the data needed to help NASA ARMD adequately prepare for technological advancements in air cargo operations.

To that end, the LMI team will be reaching via email with the survey on October 13 to solicit your input in the form a brief survey. The data provided to the LMI team in the survey will be confidential. Survey input will not be shared with NASA directly, but will be summarized and analyzed by the LMI team. The survey will serve as an initial data point and the LMI team may follow-up afterwards for a more in-depth interview if you give them permission to do so.

This is your chance to shape government policymaking in an area that is important to your business. We encourage you to complete the survey and engage with the LMI team as they gather data for their report to NASA. Read more.

ARSA Releases State-By-State Aviation Maintenance Sector Pandemic Study

Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) surveyed members to determine pandemic-related economic disruptions on repair stations in the ten states that employ the most aviation maintenance workers (CA, TX, FL, GA, WA, AZ, OK, CT, OH, KS). Repair stations in those ten states collectively employ more than half the industry’s U.S. workforce (193,857 nationwide as of March 9, 2020) and generate $16.706 billion in annual economic activity, more than half the American industry’s annual total ($27.188 billion). For results click here.

FAA Grants Further Extension on Crew Exemptions

The Agency extended its crewmember relief SFARs for those needing to meet training, testing and checking requirements, medicals, knowledge tests, general procedures for completing a practical test, renewal requirements for inspectors, flight instructors and pilot schools and requirements for mechanics, parachute riggers and UAS operations. SFAR 118-2 grants certificate holders who licenses expire between October 2020 and January 2021 a two-month grace period to complete their requirements.

Pandemic Relief Scales Back in Latest SFAR Amendment

The full text is here.

FAA Updates

Part 23 Consensus Standards Accepted by FAA

With excitement rising about the Cessna SkyCourier, which will be certificated to the new Part 23 standards and delivered to FedEx, the FAA accepted a series of standards developed by ASTM International, the international standards setting body.

The agency recounted 35 new and revised standards in its Notice of Availability (NOA) more than two years after it released the first of the new performance-based standards for Part 23 aircraft. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association noted the move covers simplified load criteria, fuel and energy storage and delivery, safety assessment systems. They also address measuring the indirect effects of lightening and methods to address high-intensity radiated field (HIRF) Read more.

Choose Aerospace Begins New Aviation Tech Curriculum Development

Choose Aerospace is soliciting bids from potential partners for the development of standard aviation technical curricula designed to expand aviation career and technical training and associated career pathways.

The effort focuses on a high school student audience and development of curricula that aligns with the general portion of the FAA ACS. The final product will give high schools the opportunity to adopt aviation technical curricula without the high costs generally associated with those types of programs; and, for AMTS, it will create new enrollment streams of students that have already taken the general portion of the airframe and powerplant curriculum. Deadline is December 1. Read more.

EHang Tests Heavy-Lift EVTOL

A dedicated unmanned logistics version of EHand 216L electric VTOL aircraft, adding its offering to that of several others targeting the cargo space, including Volocopter’s VoloDrone heavy-lift cargo aircraft. Both have payloads of 440 pounds. Read more.

ARSA Weighs in on Pilot, AMT Grant Programs

ARSA and seven allied organizations f iled comments Sept. 23 in response to the recent Federal Register notice regarding the FAA’s implementation of the new aviation workforce development grant program.

The group stated FAA missed one of the key goals of the grant program, which is to facilitate collaboration between schools, government, aviation companies and/or labor organizations and called for the creation of formal stakeholder body to help guide FAA’s activities in this area. It pointed out the law requires grant applications be submitted jointly to encourage a collective approach to closing the skills gap. Read more.

Third SkyCourier Prototype Takes to the Air

Textron’s Cessna announced a third aircraft joined the SkyCourier test program upon making its maiden flight on September 30. The flight lasted 90 minutes reaching 210 ktas and 15,000 feet. The aircraft will be used for avionics, flammable fluids and cold/hot weather testing. As of September the program has accumulated 150 hours of testing. Read more.

FAA Advises RACCA on Covid SAFO & CDC Toolkit

The FAA has updated its SAFO, COVID-19: Updated Interim Occupational Health and Safety Guidance for Air Carriers and Crews. The SAFO contains minor updates, corrections and specifically, adds references to the CDC Coronavirus Symptoms webpage. There are also changes in the Carrier Health Monitoring and Notification sections.

Additionally, the CDC published a communications toolkit for air carriers and crewmembers.

ATR Launches New Website on Regional Connectivity

Designed to create an engaging user-journey for visitors, the website will showcase the people, innovation and values that feed into the creation of the market-leading ATR aircraft family.

With regional connectivity increasingly essential, the modern platform will host enriched content that tells the stories from ATR’s fleet of 200 operators and the communities that they serve around the world.

Covid Vaccine Distribution Gains Increasing Coverage

With the complex storage and transportation requirements needed for the first batch of Covid vaccines, logistics companies are gearing up for the task which could come as early as this month.

Cowen Research stated the distribution timeline is optimistic and expects full approval in the first half of ’21 with inoculation capacity gearing up the rest of that year and into 2022, although it acknowledges fourth quarter preliminary approval is possible. It sees the biggest roadblock as manufacturing capacity leading to a phased rollout and protracted inoculation timeline.

Are Cargo Companies ready to distribute Covid Vaccines?

The Covid vaccine distribution challenge facing supply chains

Logistics, Shipping Complexity Key to Vaccine

Military assets poised for COVID vaccine distribution