WestJet today returned the first of its 737 MAX airliners to passenger service with the departure of WS115 from Calgary to Vancouver. With the second 737 MAX flight, WS122, from Vancouver to Calgary departing at noon PT.
 
On board the first flight were 71 guests including Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO, Chris Burley, WestJet Board Chair and Chris Rauenbusch, President, CUPE Local 4070 and a member of WestJet's Inflight team. The aircraft was piloted by Captain David Colquhoun, WestJet Master Executive Council Chair, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Captain Scott Wilson, Vice President WestJet Operations.
 
"The return of WestJet's MAX aircraft to the fleet marks an operational milestone after 22 months of intense review," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "WestJet's preparation, training processes, due diligence and safety above all philosophy drives our confidence in welcoming guests on board our MAX aircraft."
 
Captain David Colquhoun, WestJet Master Executive Council Chair, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said, "For nearly two years, ALPA has been working tirelessly with Transport Canada, international regulators, and airline management on reviewing the MAX and the revised pilot training requirements needed to safely return this aircraft to service. No one knows better than airline pilots what is needed to be adequately prepared and trained to manage the handling qualities of this renewed aircraft. Today, as we usher the safe return of the MAX in Canada, ALPA will continue to provide its expertise and voice of safety in future discussions."

SAKOR Technologies Inc., known for its high-performance dynamometer systems, announced that it recently provided a dynamometer test system to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. for use in testing starters/alternators for military remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) of the Predator class and larger. The system features a 58 horsepower AccuDyne AC 4 quadrant motoring dynamometer and other subsystems configured for starter/generator testing and is automated by SAKOR’s DynoLAB test automation controller.

The SAKOR test system will be used by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for testing the motor that starts the RPA turbines. Once under turbine power, this motor then turns into a generator that produces electricity for flight controls and sensor suite onboard the RPA. 

The AccuDyne four-quadrant dynamometer is capable of full bi-directional braking or driving the device under test. It can also provide full rated torque at stall (zero RPM). The dynamometer has been configured with 58 Hp bi-directional motoring and absorbing; line-regenerative power absorption; and a maximum speed of 12,600 rpm. The system is equipped with a heavy-duty test bench; vertical rack enclosure; and a four-phase power analyzer configured to measure the DC input and three-phase AC voltage, current and power output from the DUT motor controller (inverter). SAKOR also provided on-site installation supervision, commissioning, and training services.

The system is automated by SAKOR’s DynoLAB test automation controller, a powerful system that enables test engineers and/or technicians to design and implement complex test procedures without the need to learn a programming language. Operators can quickly configure and run tests using the easy to use, menu driven interface. 

“We are proud to be involved with the effort to provide our military with the most advanced equipment in the world,” said Randal Beattie, president of SAKOR. “RPAs are at the forefront of modern technology and this test equipment will help ensure it remains state of the art far into the future.”

​Sensenich has been awarded a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for its carbon ground adjustable pitch STOL propeller on Piper Super Cub Aircraft.

This STC allows installation on PA-18 “150” aircraft with Lycoming O-360 series engines, with future STCs planned for Lycoming O-320 powered Super Cubs and certain popular training aircraft.

“Our experimental customers have been raving about this propeller for several years, and now we can offer the same step up in performance to our certified customers,” says Sensenich President Donald Rowell. 

Rowell continued, "This propeller’s quick and sure pitch adjustment gives the customer the option of maximum performance no matter what the flight profile may be."

Extensive testing required during the certification project in Alaska showed improved take-off, climb and cruise performance compared to what’s considered the industry standard fixed-pitch STOL propeller. When pitched for the same climb rpm as the standard propeller, climb rate was increased by 140ft/min, cruise speed was identical, and full-throttle level flight (FTLF) speed increased by 7 mph. When re-pitched to match the industry standard propeller's climb rate, cruise speed was increased by 8 mph and FTLF speed increased by 18 mph.

The new Sensenich composite propeller is less than half the weight of the legacy STOL propeller – 21 pounds vs. 44 for the metal unit.

The propeller is available in diameters from 78” to 82”. The STC also covers a 12” diameter, balanced composite spinner.

This STC will be available for new build propellers starting the first quarter of 2021. Pricing for the propeller with STC documentation is $6350 FOB Plant City. Adding the spinner brings the price to $7085 (including STC docs).
 
Sensenich began making wooden propellers in the early 1930s, introduced metal propellers in the '40s, developed composite propellers in the late '90s, and continues to push boundaries in the light aircraft, unmanned, and marine propulsion markets.

​Private Aviation company Jet It, founded by industry veterans Glenn Gonzales and Vishal Hiremath in 2018, continued its rapid growth with the delivery of six new HondaJets during the final quarter of 2020. The investment is valued at over $36 million, and with the delivery of the additional six aircrafts, the young company more than doubled its fleet in 2020 and met its goal of ten aircraft in operation.

In response to market demand, Jet It has also expanded its sales and service operations to the West Coast. Along with several new West Coast owners, Jet It has onboarded top aviation sales veteran, Gino Jooyan, as Director of Sales, Western USA. Jooyan will manage and direct the Jet It business development strategy to secure new owners in the Western US.

"Gino is a servant leader with 20+ years of successful business aviation sales experience in the Western US at industry benchmarks FlexJet, Jet Aviation, and Executive Jet Management. He is a perfect fit for our culture, and we are very excited to have him formally introduce Jet It to a market that frequently inquired about our Westward expansion," says Jet It's CEO Glenn Gonzales.

Jet It has also launched sales and operations of its innovative business model in Canada. According to Gonzales, "The Canadian market has expressed a high level of demand for Jet It. The need for autonomous, efficient regional travel in Canada is very strong, as it is in the US with Jet It, or for Europeans flying with our sister company JetClub. Our growth in the States has generated awareness in Canada for so many interested in Jet It providing cost-effective private travel.  Whether from Toronto to Montreal, Calgary to Vancouver, or from remote access communities, Jet It can connect you throughout Canada and the US." 

According to Jooyan, "Jet It has been the best kept secret in private aviation, and I look forward to kicking off 2021 by delivering the ultimate customer experience with a first-class team of extraordinary pilots and operations staff, for customers in the Western US, Canada and beyond!"

For more information on Jet It or Jet It Canada visit, www.gojetit.com or www.gojetit.ca.

​The Ninety-Nines Inc, recently announced that it was pleased to congratulate Kentucky Bluegrass 99s member, Terri Donner on her being inducted into the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame.

Terri Donner, who used her ’81 Amelia Earhart Scholarship to earn her multi-engine rating and went on to a career with UPS since 1989, has been named to the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame in Lexington Kentucky.
 
In delivering the award the judges were impressed by Donner’s work in “spearheading an outstanding and innovative programme introducing hundreds of young girls to aviation through the Girl Scout Aviation Day in the Louisville area, and a life of achievements for Donner with her support for women as aviation professionals.”

​“I feel humbled and honored to be inducted in the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame,” says Terri Donner. “I’ve seen the fruits of my efforts in females starting their aviation journey. Some of the girl scouts have become pilots with regional airlines. I’m hopeful the trickle-down effect will increase the overall percentage of females seeking careers and adventures in aviation.”  
 
In 1981 she won the Amelia Earhart Scholarship for her multi-engine rating; 1987 Kentucky CFI of the Year, and in 2011 the 99s Award of Inspiration. Donner has honored her scholarship and awards from the Ninety-Nines by giving back. For over thirty years she has served as the chair for the Kentucky Bluegrass 99s Earhart Scholarship selection committee and as Treasurer.
 
In 2019 Terri Donner’s son Nick was hired by UPS and together they have worked as Captain and F/O on the A300, the only mother/son qualified crew on transport category aircraft.
 
“The Ninety-Nines was created by the women fliers who in 1929 recognized the need for support and camaraderie, the need to encourage other females to consider aviation for both, as a career and for the fun of flying.  Terri Donner exemplifies the roles we can play in encouraging young females to look towards the sky for their future”, exclaimed Corbi Bulluck, President of the Ninety-Nines.
 
The Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame has recognized forty-nine Kentuckians to date. Honoring WASPs and warriors, executives and designers, instructors, astronauts and spies.

Donner is part of the 25th Enshrinement class into the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame. Due to the interruptions caused by COVID public health restrictions, a formal induction ceremony will be held at the Aviation Museum of Kentucky in Lexington in the autumn 2021, on a date to be determined.

LED lighting company Aveo Engineering proudly announces the first FAA NORSEE (Non Required Safety Enhancing Equipment) approvals, for several of their Veolite interior sanitizing products. Known as Veolite, this new line provides a superior method of sanitizing aircraft interiors by using specific ultraviolet (UV) light wavelengths to destroy viruses, germs, molds, and other pathogens with over 99% efficacy.

Aveo's CabinPure light array, (weatherproof) CabinPure Tuff, and SafeSpace activation controller have been approved, and add a better method of sanitizing aircraft passenger areas, lavatories, galleys, and flight decks. These three new Veolite™ products are now approved for fixed mounting within the aircraft, providing a quick and thorough method of interior sanitization when the aircraft is between flights. These UV lights destroy the DNA of pathogens in under 3 seconds, and, for protection from the intense UV light, the SafeSpace controller ensures that no disinfection cycle can occur unless the interior is unoccupied.

Other Veolite sanitization solutions include a portable, battery-powered system that also is effective in eliminating all pathogens within a matter of seconds. Known as V2D2 OnePass, this hand held wand requires a minimum of operator familiarization and PPE, and is inexpensive to obtain and operate. These portable systems use rechargeable batteries that provide 2 to 5 hours of use, depending on the length of the disinfection period desired.

​The Red Deer Regional Airport is proud to welcome their newest aviation business to Central Alberta, the Canadian Aviation College.

The Canadian Aviation College is a designated training institution who currently operate from their main college in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, and are happily transitioning a secondary location to the Red Deer Regional Airport. This transition into Central Alberta with both single and twin-engine aircraft will allow students and instructors from the college to take advantage of the diverse landscapes of the region, while utilizing the consistent winter weather of Alberta.

As a student-oriented aviation training facility, the team at Canadian Aviation College focus on empowering their students to graduate with a higher level of experience and be better suited for employment in Canada. International students who graduate from their Commercial Pilot Program are also eligible for post-graduation work permits in select countries. The economic impact of students within Central Alberta is immense.

Students with the Canadian Aviation College will live within Central Alberta as they complete their studies, and this number of students will continue to grow year after year. These students are able to contribute to the local economy by eating meals, visiting sites, and contributing to daily activities and transportation. This addition to our local economy is vital in times such as these.

“Students are a huge economic driver for Central Alberta, and we are so happy to see upwards of 100 students here with the Canadian Aviation College as we look to the future”, says Graham Ingham, CEO of the Red Deer Regional Airport. “The Airport has continued to remain busy throughout 2020, with essential service business and VIP traffic, and this addition of the airport’s third aviation school is a fantastic benefit to that economic impact.”

The future of flight in Canada took a major step forward today with the launch of the Vancouver-based Canadian Advanced Air Mobility Consortium (CAAM), a multi-stakeholder group that will streamline research, development and commercial operations in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector, globally recognized as the next frontier of commercial aviation. 

AAM involves the use of zero-emission, electric or hydrogen fuel cells, and vertical takeoff aircraft to provide transportation, emergency and supply chain services for urban and rural communities. 

Among the many benefits of these aircraft are greater manoeuverability, less need for ground infrastructure (airport runways), less aircraft noise, reduced fossil fuel consumption, lower costs, shorter travel times and improved safety.
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Initiated and created by Canadian Air Mobility and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), there are currently more than twenty partners involved in the national effort. CAAM’s key members include TransLink, Helijet International, British Columbia Institute of Technology, the University of British Columbia, Bell Textron, Iskwew Air, and many of Canada’s leading aerospace stakeholders.

“We’ve established an outstanding group of strategic members to support the design, integration, and implementation of Advanced Air Mobility in Canada,” said JR Hammond, Founder and CEO, Canadian Air Mobility and Executive Director, CAAM.

“We look forward to demonstrating the economic viability, environmental benefits and social inclusivity factors of this technology and making Canada a world leader in AAM. To that end, we welcome additional members who share our vision that AAM provides the path toward a safer, healthier, and more efficient mode of transportation.”
​
In addition to providing transportation within urban and rural areas, AAM aircraft will play a critical life-saving role in emergency response situations by enabling faster air transportation of medical supplies, blood, donor organs, or patients to and from hospitals. 

It will also improve the emergency response and assessment of natural disasters such as floods and wildfires.

Factors making the Greater Vancouver Area a promising AAM market include: a strong aviation infrastructure base; an existing scheduled helicopter service, with heliports in Vancouver and nearby Victoria and Nanaimo; numerous science and transportation research facilities; the Province of British Columbia and City of Vancouver’s commitment to the decarbonization of transportation; and the Pacific Northwest’s Cascadia corridor (Vancouver-Seattle-Portland), as one of the busiest routes for the movement of goods and people between Canada and the United States.

Among CAAM’s objectives are to create an AAM innovation hub to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) grow their technology from a low technology readiness level (TRL) to certification and commercialization, while also expanding the AAM sector’s connections to regulators, manufacturers, aviation operators, infrastructure developers, academia, industry, and governments in Canada and internationally.

“The National Research Council of Canada is proud to be a part of the Canadian Advanced Air Mobility (caam) consortium since the start,” said Dr. Ibrahim Yimer, the NRC’s Vice-President of Transportation and Manufacturing. 

“We look forward to working with our 20 partners who are lending their expertise in the Advanced Air Mobility industry to decarbonize transportation, and create more efficient ways of moving people, goods and services and support more socially connected and integrated communities.”

The future of the new era in aviation means faster medevac services, upwards of 4.2 million AAM travellers over the next 20 years, travelling between downtown Seattle and downtown Vancouver in one hour versus three, expanding connections in remote communities and more importantly, creating new jobs.

ALSIM, the global flight simulator manufacturer headquartered in France, has expanded its range of products with the launch of its brand new ALSR20, an exact replica of the Cirrus SR20.

The device reproduces the latest Cirrus SR20 specific interior cockpit and flight deck including a real Garmin GDU 1050A and GFC 700 Autopilot. The ALSR20 is further equipped with a Garmin GMA 350C – All digital Audio Panel and a Garmin GCU 479 and can simulate the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS).

As with all ALSIM simulators, the ALSR20 gathers the best of the company’s technology. The outstanding immersion is provided by the latest VFR-VS image generator and visual system with 210° screen. The instructor station is designed for instructor’s comfort and offers two large graphical touch screens to access the IOS. The IOS can also be accessed by any tablet that can access the internet. 

This new simulator joins the family of specific devices produced by AlSIM, already consisting of the AL172 (Cessna 172), AL40 and AL42 (Diamond DA40 and DA42).  

The ALSR20 is delivered with a two-year warranty and a full range of services including installation, training, maintenance and qualification support. A maintenance spare parts kit is also provided to ensure independence and maximum uptime.

The ALSR20, a Flight Training Device (FTD) Level 5, is compliant with the latest aviation standards from EASA and the FAA to TC (Transport Canada) and the CAAC.