Technology

Hobbyists and business owners have long been ready to capitalize on the opportunity unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), aka drones, provide for both fun and commercial activities. The multitude of possible applications for UAS permits have been on hold pending Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) action regarding the rules and regulations for unmanned aircraft. With potential applications running the gamut from delivering packages to innovating the forestry and farming industries, the noise around drones and what they could do to improve human lives is staggering.

Will FAA rules stymie commercial drones?

But the FAA’s recently released first draft of its Small UAS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking leaves would-be commercial and private drone operators wondering whether they’ll ever be able to fly their drones legally. The list of limitations includes:

• Drones must fly within the operator’s line of sight at all times.
• Drones may not fly over people.
• Drones may not operate at night.
• Drones may not fly higher than 500 feet above the ground.
• Drones may not fly faster than 100 miles per hour.

The rules are part of a multi-phased approach to integrate drones within the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS). Federal officials envision allowing drones to perform duties such as aerial photography, crop monitoring, and inspection of cell towers, bridges, and other tall structures — but the limitations are making many proposed applications impossible. Among the list of disappointed companies is Amazon, which wanted to use drones to create a faster delivery system and has threatened to move its operations to drone-friendly nations if the restrictions are not lifted.

Hobbyist drones proliferate

In the meantime, hobbyist drone operations have escalated as drones appear for sale online and in some stores. As hobbyist drone usage increases, so have incidents of lost drones, called “flyaways.” The Washington Post reports that since 2009, public agencies have reported 23 accidents and 236 unsafe incidents with civilian-piloted drones.

Along with concerns about drones’ safety have come concerns over privacy, which have been far more pressing in the court of public opinion and have caused some people to register their properties as No Fly Zones. As drone laws continue to take shape, the upcoming months will reveal the fate for many commercial drone dreams when the FAA makes final rulings.

There’s a mobile app for just about anything you want to do: from checking the weather to ordering takeout to tracking your health — and now, even for booking a private jet flight.

The latest trend in charter flights is to book them through various smartphone apps. Inspired by the popular ride-sharing service Uber, the idea has now branched into private aircraft.

Just as Uber made getting a ride easier, a range of private jet apps is doing the same thing. Apps such as JetSmarter, FlightTime, and BLADE allow you to book a flight to your destination with a few taps on your smartphone.

The process of connecting with a private jet charter is quite simple: users plug in their travel dates, departure location, and destination and view available flights. From there, they can compare prices, view specs, and even see images of the aircraft.

Why use a charter-booking app?

One of the most important benefits of using an app to book a charter flight is sheer speed. The entire process of locating and booking a flight can take just a few minutes, and many private jet services can take off within an hour of booking.

Another benefit is cost savings. In eliminating the broker, the apps enable customers to save significant money on air charters. Many of the apps let time- and money-conscious users take advantage of “empty leg” deals — booking empty seats on private jets that are returning to private airports or heading to popular destinations half-full.

Bringing private jets to the masses

The success of these apps has surprised many in the bizjet industry, including the creators of the apps themselves. The apps are bringing private flights to a wider population than just business executives and the wealthy, and they’re helping to maximize jet owners’ ROI by reducing seat vacancies.

Even as wealthy families are paying as much as $500,000 for a private flight — all booked through their iPhone — flight-booking apps are making charter jet travel almost a commodity by offering much lower-priced seats to customers. Such apps could have a significant impact on the market for private jet travel.

In general, people resist the idea of pilotless commercial and private flights — even though a good portion of today’s aircraft controls are already automated. Disasters like the failed landing of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 and other recent accidents demonstrate that sometimes pilots believe in their flight control systems so completely that they lose track of where they are.

Is it time to lose human pilots altogether? The current debate swirls around whether flights should transition to full automation or if too much automation is a simply a fresh disaster waiting to happen.

Pilotless flight pros and cons
You might be surprised to learn that many in the airline industry think passengers would be safer with fewer pilots. Some of the strongest arguments for pilotless flights include:

• Cost reductions — With fewer pilots, airlines could save on salaries, simulator training, healthcare, and layover costs. Reducing the flight crews on aircraft would save airlines loads of money and also potentially lower ticket prices for passengers.
• Passenger protections — On a pilotless flight, a terrorist has no one to threaten nor the ability to hijack a plane midflight. Disasters like the 9/11 plane hijackings could not occur, and passengers would arguably be safer.

Another argument is related to flight safety. Proponents of pilotless flights claim that pilots and copilots rely “too much” on autopilot systems and are ill-equipped to override the systems even when they believe they should.

Those against full automation have plenty of counter arguments, of course, and claim that no automation is completely foolproof. A pilot’s experienced judgment is important in ensuring the safety of the aircraft and its passengers. Case in point: Chesley Sullenberger’s skill in landing US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009.

Another argument against pilotless flights is the fact that pilots spend less time flying manually than they used to. Thus, using less automation in the cockpit may be more sensible because it will force pilots to hone their manual-flying skills. A final argument is this: Automation could add greater complexity to flight emergency response procedures, which are critical to passenger safety.

Despite the public’s resistance to the idea of traveling in a pilotless aircraft, that resistance could erode as unmanned aerial vehicles become more mainstream. Like many new technology concepts, once pilotless flying has a chance to prove itself, the public will likely accept it sooner or later.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet.
You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.

Would you pay a $10,000 deposit for a car that currently isn’t allowed on the road? What if that car could also fly? More than 100 people have already paid such a deposit in hopes of owning what could be the first viable combination car and aircraft: the Terrafugia Transition.

Carl Dietrich, the aeronautical engineer behind the successfully tested Transition, originally began working on its plans while he was a doctoral candidate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2006. Years later, the Transition has gotten closer to reaching the mass market than any previous flying-car concept.

The Transition’s development has been aided in part by the FAA’s “light-sport aircraft” (LSA) designation for planes that weigh less than 1,320 pounds and seat up to two passengers. The FAA rules have spurred product development in the LSA segment, making flying cars much more plausible than they were before the LSA regulations.

The Transition will be capable of speeds up to 70 mph on the road and 100 mph in the sky, and will run on regular unleaded gasoline rather than more expensive jet fuel. Dietrich anticipates that the aircraft vehicle will come to market within the next three years.

However, the dream of a road-to-sky vehicle may not be as glorious as it’s hyped up to be. As a very light and small aircraft, the Transition is dangerous to fly in any kind of inclement weather. The Transition also requires access to hundreds of yards of clear road in order to take off or land, presenting problems of access in cities or residential areas. Critics also say that a flying car as it exists today is likely to be neither a great car nor a great airplane, because of its limited capabilities. And with a price tag around $280,000, the Transition will not be affordable for many customers.

But for personal aviation enthusiasts, these hurdles are far from daunting. For those who believe the flying car’s time has come, the Transition marks the start of a new era.

Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet. 
You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.

The drones are coming! The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has promised to issue updated rules for unmanned aircraft by the end of the year. The FAA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NRPM) for small unmanned-aircraft operators within U.S. airspace will come none too soon for business owners in many industries, many of whom have been frustrated by the FAA’s longtime ban on commercial drone use.

Many questions surround the FAA’s upcoming rules for drones — also called (among other names) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). These rules are part of a multi-phased plan to integrate UAS into the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS) and are likely to bring a range of new challenges, opportunities, and concerns for business aviation.

First wave of commercial UAS

The FAA recently exempted six film industry operators from its commercial UAS ban. These exemptions give a ray of hope to would-be commercial UAS operators who want to use unmanned aircraft for applications such as these:

• security — for example, police uses such as crowd monitoring and surveillance;
• search and rescue;
• monitoring — for example, forestry and pollution control; and
• agriculture management — applications such as crop dusting and grow-area monitoring.

Expected challenges

A major concern with UAS operations is that it will create hazards for pilots and the public. Both military and commercial drones have crashed on the ground and in the water; collided with buildings, people, and vehicles; and even hit or nearly missed a few piloted aircraft.

Before UAS can be integrated into the NAS; the FAA, pilots, and UAS vendors and operators will have to collaborate to develop and implement protocols and technologies that enable safe UAS operations. One proposed solution is to equip drones with sense-and-avoid technology that enables them to avoid collisions. Another is to add technology that allows air traffic control to detect UAS. However, such technologies are still in the research and development stages and likely would not be available for certification until 2016 at earliest, says National Defense magazine.

Currently, UAS operators are not required to receive safety training. The growing numbers of untrained drone operators will increase the odds of accidents unless operators receive some standardized level of education and training.

Expected opportunities

Drones represent a huge opportunity for many industries, including aviation. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) reports that the UAS technology industry is expected to grow from its current $13 billion by more than tenfold in the next decade. Companies can expect to expand their service offerings by providing UAS to do jobs that are too difficult or too dangerous for piloted flights, or for work that is more easily done at lower altitudes. Such activities include crop dusting, remote-area search and rescue, aerial photography and videography, power line and pipeline inspection, oil and gas flare stack inspection, and many others.

Although it may be some time before U.S. airspace is fully ready to accommodate UAS, commercial drones are on their way. For the business aviation industry, it’s time to learn about this opportunity, study the FAA rulings, and get ready.

Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet. 
You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.

Forty years ago, the future of supersonic transport (SST) aircraft looked bright. In the 1960s and early 1970s, England, France, the Soviet Union, and the U.S. were excited to develop passenger planes that could cruise at speeds over Mach 1. Although the last commercial SST flight was 11 years ago, aerospace researchers today are exploring the feasibility of developing a new generation of SST aircraft.

SST aircraft of the past

Despite the initial enthusiasm about SSTs, only one — the Anglo-French Concorde — had any commercial success. When the Concorde flew its first transatlantic flight from Washington D.C. to Paris’ Orly Airport in just 3 hours and 32 minutes in September 1973, people around the world cheered. Of course, the Concorde wasn’t the first commercial supersonic aircraft. That honor belongs to Tupolev Tu-144, which was built in the Soviet Union and nicknamed Concordeski. Its first flight was in December 1968, but it was quickly retired after it crashed at the 1973 Paris Air Show. Like Concordeski, Concorde also crashed once, in 2000.

Notwithstanding Concorde’s promising start, interest in supersonic air travel waned because of its high costs and low ticket demand, environmental and safety concerns, and strict aviation regulations that limited where SST aircraft could fly. Concorde flew its last flight in October 2003 and was retired.

SSTs — The next generation?

With the deck stacked heavily against SST technology, research and development ground to a halt for a number of years. However, interest in SST development is resurging, and companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Aerion, Spike Aerospace, and university research teams are looking into supersonic again. At Aviation 2014, an annual event of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, NASA presented its most recent work on new technology that may revive civilian supersonic travel within the next 15 years.

One problem that’s stalling supersonic technology is the need to reduce sonic booms — the shock waves caused by the aircraft flying at speeds faster than sound. Other barriers include high-altitude emissions, fuel efficiency, and public distaste for noise surrounding airports. Some of these issues are a matter for engineering teams, some a matter of public attitudes, and others require change to government regulations. Given these obstacles, it may still be a while before we’ll be able to cross the Atlantic in one hour.

Whether or not you agree that the world needs a new civilian SST aircraft, the idea certainly sparks some significant levels of excitement in the commercial and business aviation world. We’ll be keeping an eye on the prospects as they develop.

Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet. 
You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.

The public perceives business and private aviation as a major producer of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change — and that’s true. Aviation is responsible for 2% of all human-induced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and 12% of CO2 emissions from all transport sources, per the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). That’s still far less than the road transport sector, however, which generates 74% of CO2 emissions, per ATAG.

Even so, the aviation industry recognizes its part in generating CO2 and is taking a more proactive role in reducing GHG emissions. The industry is taking a multipronged approach to addressing climate change through a number of initiatives, including collaboration and focus on alternative fuels.

Collaboration on climate change
At the United Nations Climate Summit in September, aviation industry representatives stated their commitment to climate action and the partnership between the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and aviation industry groups.

In addition, at the 38th ICAO Assembly in September 2013, ICAO Member States committed to jointly developing a global market-based measure for aviation emissions that will take effect in 2020. This commitment provides evidence that the aviation industry is taking climate change seriously.

And the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has a “four pillars” plan for meeting emissions reduction and fuel-efficiency targets. The EBAA has committed to making progress in technology, infrastructure and operational improvements, alternative fuels, and market-based measures in an effort to meet its environmental pledge to reach business aviation green targets.

Alternative fuels
On another environmental front, the aviation industry has identified alternatives to 100 low-lead (100LL) jet fuels, such as biofuels and unleaded avgas. According to the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), approximately 167,000 general aviation (GA) aircraft in the United States use 100LL. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced in September that it will begin testing four unleaded aviation fuels for piston-engine GA aircraft.

In tandem with the U.N. Climate Summit, Finland’s largest airline, Finnair, powered an eco-friendly flight from Helsinki to New York purely with biofuel.

The NBAA is a key player in many of these eco-initiatives. In addition to those mentioned, the NBAA provides information for GA operators about the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which is the cornerstone of the EU GHG emissions-reduction policy and the largest international system for trading GHG emission allowances.

Climate change is a vast problem, and the efforts of the aviation industry alone won’t be enough to eliminate the majority of GHG emissions. But these initiatives are an important and necessary part of mitigating climate change, and their momentum shows that aviation is more aware of its environmental impact than ever. Each effort, small and large, makes an environmental difference and helps move the industry closer to sustainability.

The U.S. uses 21 billion gallons of aviation fuel each year. Up in the air, nothing but liquid fuel will work. There is simply no electricity, battery, or compressed natural gas that works as well at flight altitudes. But as we reported last year, biofuels offer an alternative to standard jet fuel that could help reduce bizav’s carbon footprint.

Biofuels derived from organic sources, such as plants and algae, are expected to reduce carbon emissions by as much as 80% over standard petroleum-based fuels — and sooner than we might expect. New developments have made progress over the past year from three unique, and unexpected, sources.

Corn

Not entirely new in the biofuel market, corn is broken into starch, then sugar, and then converted to ethanol. The process has been used to create fuel for automobiles, and it continues to be refined so the percentage of ethanol extracted is exceptionally high.

Although corn continues to show promise of being a viable renewable fuel, it is not without controversy. Some worry that large-scale growth of corn for biofuel could affect the prices of food and animal feed. In response, some innovators are looking toward crops that are not tied to the global food supply.

Agave

Long recognized as a sugar alternative and a crop from which tequila is made, agave has some advantages over corn and sugar cane that may boost its development as a renewable fuel. In fact, Byogy Renewables has formed a strategic partnership with AusAgave Australia to develop low-cost sugars that are ideal for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals.

Agave’s advantages over other plant-based sugar sources include low water demand, low environmental impact, and low consumer demand. AusAgave has pushed agave yields a long way and has succeeded in producing more substantial biomass per acre than sugarcane, with twice the sugar content.

Tobacco

Boeing recently partnered with South African Airways (SAA) to make jet fuel from nicotine-free tobacco plants. The hybrid tobacco plant is called Solaris and will be produced by alternative jet fuel maker SkyNRG, which currently supplies biofuel to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for flights between New York and Amsterdam.

Test farming is currently underway in South Africa, and Boeing and SAA expect fuel production to begin in the next few years. The hybrid tobacco could result in a two-for-one win, as existing South Africa farms that currently lie idle as a result of the decline of tobacco consumption could become profitable again. SAA’s participation guarantees a ready and waiting customer for the tobacco jet fuel, which is an attractive feature for the business model.

With so many exciting major projects underway, the aviation industry is closer than ever to finding a sustainable fuel source. These efforts could curtail the airline industry’s carbon emissions — which account for 2% of the global emissions today — and make a big difference in air quality.

Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet. You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.

You’re ready to relax after a business meeting in Hong Kong’s Central district, or perhaps you’re heading for a vacation in the lush islands of French Polynesia. Wherever you are in the world, exploring is more enjoyable when you can speak a bit of the local language. Even if your foreign-language skills are rusty, you can instantly improve them with the30-Language Talking Translator from Hammacher Schlemmer.

The 30-Language Talking Translator is a smartphone-sized device that gives you access to over 210,000 phrases and 1.8 million words in 24 European languages, three Asian languages, English, Arabic, and Hindi. To use the translator, simply flip it open and type your search keyword or phrase to translate on the physical QWERTY keyboard. You can either view the translation on 3 3/4-inch backlit LCD screen or hear it pronounced through the device’s built-in speaker. The translator maintains a history of searched terms and lets you create a favorites list for commonly used phrases.

The 30-Language Talking Translator runs on two (included) AAA batteries and is priced at $249.95. For travelers, it’s a handy gadget that opens up a world of communication.

Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet.
You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at+1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.