Business Aviation Innovations To Watch In 2022

Technology companies including Jettly, JetASAP and Blade Urban Air Mobility have introduced mobile apps designed to make private jet travel more accessible and affordable. Travelers can search networks of charter operators to request quotes and book flights online. Blade’s platform enables users to book by the seat on scheduled or charter flights or crowdsource trips by helicopter, seaplane or jet.

When Bombardier’s Challenger 3500 super-midsize jet enters service in the second half of 2022, its cabin will feature sustainable furnishing materials including upcycled wool and polyester. Following the example set by its Global 7500 sibling, the 3500 will be the first business jet in its segment with an Environmental Product Declaration­—an independent verification of its life-cycle environmental impact.

Signifying a growing trend among fixed-based operators (FBO), Sun Air Jets runs a full-service FBO at Camarillo Airport and says it is one of the first FBOs in the Signature Select network to offer sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Southern California. Aviation sustainability company 4AIR has launched a map of SAF locations serving business aviation in the U.S. and Europe.

Clay Lacy Aviation and Eviation, developer of the Alice nine-passenger electric regional aircraft, have partnered to provide electric charging locations at Clay Lacy FBOs when the Alice enters service in 2024. Clay Lacy has already installed electric vehicle charging stations at Van Nuys Airport in California, as have Western Jet Aviation, Jet Aviation, Signature Flight Support and Aeroplex/Aerolease.

Canada’s Harbour Air is working with electric engine developer MagniX and battery pack supplier H55 to convert the De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver to all-electric propulsion. Latin American on-demand charter booking platform Flapper has agreed to purchase 20 electric engines from MagniX to convert Cessna Caravans to zero-emission propulsion. Under Europe’s Mahepa project, led by Slovenia’s Pipistrel Vertical Solutions, partners have flown a modified hybrid-electric Pipistrel Panthera and a twin-fuselage Hy4 equipped with a hybrid-electric propulsion system using hydrogen fuel cells.

Gogo Business Aviation is revamping its ground infrastructure of 250 cellular towers to provide a 5G air-to-ground connectivity network for aircraft operating in the contiguous U.S. by the second half of 2022. Gogo has partnered with Duncan Aviation to install the system on 30 aircraft models.

Following an auction of C-band spectrum to telecommunications companies by the Federal Communications Commission in February, pressure mounted on the FCC and FAA to resolve concerns over potential interference of new 5G networks with radar altimeters operating between 4200 and 4400 MHz. FreeFlight Systems expected to certify its new RA-5500/6500 Terrain Series radar altimeters, designed to mitigate 5G interference, by the end of 2021.

Honeywell Aerospace unveiled the fifth-generation Anthem flight deck, designed with connectivity, autonomy and an intuitive touch interface as core tenets. The first applications of Anthem will be on the seven-seat Lilium Jet and five-seat Vertical Aerospace VA-X4 vertical-takeoff-and-landing air taxis. Honeywell also reported interest from other general and business aviation aircraft manufacturers.

Los Angeles-based startup Skyryse is flight-testing the FlightOS automation system on the Robinson R66 light turbine helicopter and working with the FAA on supplemental type certification of the modification. In October, Skyryse raised $200 million in Series B venture capital funding and signed partnerships with five fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft manufacturers, including Robinson.

With the blockbuster announcement in November that Viasat plans to acquire Inmarsat, legacy players in mobile satellite communications have signaled that they will join forces to compete with new low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations.

Bombardier and FBO network operator Signature Flight Support have expanded their cooperation to include maintenance support and access to sustainable aviation fuel. Under a new memorandum of understanding, Bombardier is positioning more parts, people and mobile response team vehicles at Signature Flight Support locations. The partnership pairs one of the largest business aviation fleets with one of the largest FBO networks.