Tag Archives: SAF

744 DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit

Aviation News

California, New Jersey Join Suit to Block JetBlue-Spirit Merger

The Attorneys General of California, Maryland, New Jersey, and North Carolina joined the civil antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. Those states now join Massachusetts, New York, and the District of Columbia. The civil antitrust lawsuit seeks to block JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines. The 42-page amended complaint says:

JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit would eliminate the largest and fastest-growing ultra-low-cost carrier in the United States. Spirit’s ultra-low-cost business model has increased competition and brought low fares to hundreds of routes across the country, making it possible for more Americans—particularly the most cost conscious—to travel. JetBlue competes hard against Spirit, and views it as a serious competitive threat. But instead of continuing that competition, JetBlue now proposes an acquisition that Spirit describes as “a high cost, high-fare airline buying a low-cost, low-fare airline.”

If the acquisition is approved, JetBlue plans to abandon Spirit’s business model, remove seats from Spirit’s planes, and charge Spirit’s customers higher prices. JetBlue’s plan would eliminate the unique competition that Spirit provides—and about half of all ultra-low-cost airline seats in the industry—and leave tens of millions of travelers to face higher fares and fewer options.

The DOJ’s suit is scheduled to go to trial in a Massachusetts courtroom on October 16, 2023.

Delta flight aborts takeoff as another aircraft crosses runway

Delta flight DL-1482 was cleared for takeoff from New Orleans runway 11 when ATC canceled the clearance and the A321-200 (N342DN) screeched to a halt. The FAA says the Learjet did not cross the “hold short line,” but the controller canceled the takeoff clearance out of an abundance of caution. The Aviation Herald reports the crew rejected takeoff at high speed (about 125 knots over ground) and stopped about 1500 meters/4920 feet down the runway. The Tower explained another aircraft had crossed the hold short line of the runway.

Shell cancels sustainable aviation fuel and base oil plant projects in Singapore

Shell announced in 2021 that it was planning a biofuel project in Singapore to produce 550,000 tonnes of SAF per year for major Asian hubs like Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN). Shell had planned to make their final investment decision by early 2023. Now the company says the market demand in that region will not support the investment.

Delta Rebooks Passengers On Lyft When There’s No Airline Seats Available

Some Delta Air Lines passengers arriving in Detroit found that strong thunderstorms in the area prevented them from flying to nearby final destinations. Delta stepped in and rebooked some passengers on Lyft. Lyft has been a Delta partner for six years.

FAA Warns of Air Traffic Controller Shortage Ahead of Summer Travel Season

The New York airspace is so congested that the FAA has asked airlines to make operational changes. For the peak summer travel season, the FAA would like to see larger planes and fewer flights. Consumer demand is forecasted to be seven percent higher during the summer than last year. The FAA says if nothing changes, we can expect 45 percent more delays. Staffing at air traffic control centers averages 81 percent of what’s needed. Staffing at the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) is only 54 percent of the need.

Career Advice

An Electrical Engineering student with an interest in aviation asked us about career opportunities, how to fund pilot instruction, and general advice. We provide our thoughts and strategies. Mentioned:

Australia News Desk

Australia’s newest airline, Bonza, continues with the rollout of its new route network with the opening this week of its base in Melbourne, Victoria. The opening comes as figures show they’ve sold over 100,000 seats since commencing operation two months ago. Will the strategy of offering budget fares for Melburnians to access the warmer weather of Queensland and points north be sustainable in the medium to long term? And will other airlines move to match their destinations and pricing? Business is business, after all. We’ll continue to watch with interest.

Bonza hits 100k bookings as it launches Sunshine Coast-Cairns route

Qantas meantime have ventured into the sustainability stakes from another angle – biofuels. Partnering with Queensland-based biofuel manufacturer LanzaJet & JetZero Australia, the airline will aim to jointly fund the construction of a facility to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

The proposed facility will utilise LanzaJet’s alcohol-to-jet technology to produce up to 100 million litres of SAF per year. Construction is expected to start in 2024.

Queensland biofuel refinery to turn agricultural by products into sustainable aviation fuel

The Royal Australian Air Force has returned from a successful Exercise Cope North in Guam, testing new strategies for the use of its C-17J Spartan fleet. The platform continues to evolve for the RAAF, having been reclassified in 2021 from that of a battlefield airlifter to “Light Tactical Fixed Wing Airlifter”, with impressive results to date.

Exercise Cope North wraps up

Flying with Children and Infants

After the discussion on this topic in the last episode, a listener wrote in to present a different viewpoint on any ban on “lap babies” on airlines.

Mentioned

This battery safety feature can break your Apple AirTags. Here’s how to fix it

FAA Airport Design Challenge

The Airport Design Challenge (ADC) is an interactive learning and collaboration opportunity for students in grades K-12.

Small teams of students work together to learn about their local airport and to complete development tasks in Minecraft Organized lesson plans covering topics from airport layout, pavement, lighting, structures, and innovative growth. Collaborative work between students, parents, and teachers performed in a virtual environment.
Airport Design Challenge enrollment opened on April 1, 2023.

Emil Bocek, last Czech RAF pilot during WWII, dies at 100

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, Rob Mark, David Vanderhoof, and Max Trescott.

731 Bits and Pieces 30

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

Christopher J. Chaput is the President of DG Fuels, LLC. He has over 23 years of experience as an executive, an investment banker, a restructuring advisor and investor, primarily in the aviation sector.

Christopher J. Chaput, the President of DG Fuels, LLC. — **Christopher J. Chaput**

DG Fuels is developing a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production facility at Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone, Maine, the former Loring Air Force Base. Chris explains SAF and biofuels and describes how the DG Fuels process uses waste timber products and stranded electricity to make SAF efficiently and sustainably. An existing pipeline to the coast will facilitate the transport of the SAF to Boston and New York markets.

Prior to DG Fuels, Chris was a partner in and co-founder of RPK Capital Management, investing in commercial aircraft and other aviation-related assets. Chris was a partner and head of the Structured Finance Group at the Seabury Group where he arranged secured financings of aircraft and other assets. Chris was a senior member of the advisory team that represented US Airways in its merger with America West Airlines and that restructured US Airways, Air Canada, and Northwest Airlines in bankruptcy. Prior to that he structured and executed public and private aircraft-backed secured bonds at Morgan Stanley. Early in his career, Chris was the Managing Director-Corporate Finance at Northwest Airlines.

Chris earned his B.A. from Creighton University, magna cum laude, and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he also taught Business Planning for two years as an adjunct professor.

Continuous pricing models for airlines

Dr. Uri Yerushalmi, the co-founder and chief AI officer at Fetcher. — **Dr. Uri Yerushalmi**

Dr. Uri Yerushalmi is the co-founder and chief AI officer at Fetcherr, an Israeli tech company that developed a proprietary AI-powered engine that predicts demand and enables continuous pricing for the airline industry. The company was founded in 2019 by experts rooted in deep learning, algorithmic trading, e-commerce, and the digitization of legacy architecture.

Uri explains the continuous pricing approach and how that can solve airline challenges and maximize revenue. Airlines typically employ dynamic pricing where the prices are bucketed into certain levels and change infrequently. Under a continuous pricing model, the price can be set at any level. Dynamic pricing is all that was allowed by the technology in the 80s. Now, however, deep learning and reinforcement learning technology can predict the behavior of the market by considering factors such as travel origins, destinations, number of stops, days of advance purchase, stay days, capacity (load factor), seasonality, and time of day.

Old pricing models are inefficient and utilize “middlemen” that introduce an added cost. Uri tells us that the efficiency of continuous pricing models negates the need for middlemen and creates a revenue uplift for the airlines.

Fetcherr technology is running live now with low-cost Azul Airlines. The company is onboarding a large traditional global airline and exploring advanced functionality with another major airline.

2022 I Can Hardly Remember

Our Main(e) Man Micah brings us his year-in-review piece. He originally thought 2022 was pretty quiet for him aviation-wise, but when he reflected on it Micah realized that quite a lot actually happened. 2022 was very much an #AvGeek year for Micah.

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, our Main(e) Man Micah, and Brian Coleman.

725 Airshow Crash

3 Replies

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:41:15 — 46.4MB)

An airshow crash involving two warbirds, Flight MH17 convictions, A350 carryon weight, GA airplane shipments, A-10s and B-1Bs as attack aircraft, an airport closure impacts seaplanes, G700 on a world tour, and a sustainable jet fuel plant.

Aviation News

Dallas air show crash: Two World War Two planes collide in mid-air

A P-63 Kingcobra fighter and a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress collided at a commemorative air show near Dallas. The P-63 pilot and all five occupants aboard the B-17 died.

Video: Early Analysis: Wings Over Dallas Midair Collision WWII Airshow November 12, 2022

3 convicted in 2014 downing of Malaysian jet over Ukraine

Malaysian Flight MH17 from Amsterdam was headed to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over Ukraine with a Russian surface-to-air missile. All 283 passengers and 15 crew aboard the 777-200ER perished. The investigation by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) determined that the plane had been downed by a missile launched from pro-Russian separatist-controlled territory in Ukraine. Specifically, the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Federation. A Dutch court has now convicted two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian.

Spanish Court Orders Flag Carrier Iberia to Limit Hand Luggage On Airbus A350 Because Overhead Lockers Are So Big

Airbus has been offering larger overhead luggage bins as new equipment and as a retrofit. The so-called “XL Bins” on the A350 are truly huge. Airbus says the compartments on the A350 can accommodate five full-size carry-on suitcases. The cantilevered bins are designed to hold a maximum of 30-45 kg (66-99 pounds) and fold up into the ceiling.

Iberia flight attendants thought that lifting that weight for as many as 112 bins on the A350-900 was too much to ask, and filed a lawsuit. They asked for the XL Bins to be replaced with smaller bins, or ban Iberia from expecting them to close the XL Bins. The judge dismissed those demands and ordered the airline to start weighing passenger carry-on luggage and make sure that Iberia’s own weight allowance was being adhered to.

U.S. Air Force wants to use A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft along with B-1B Lancer supersonic bombers to destroy enemy air defense systems

ADM-160 MALD (Miniature Air Launched Decoy) drones will be used as decoys with electronic warfare systems instead of warheads. Mounted on the A-10, the decoys should improve the survivability of the attack aircraft. U.S. Air Force exercises on Guam have been using the B-1B Lancer paired with the A-10.

Twitchell Airport property in Turner under contract to be sold

Twitchell Airport is the last privately owned and commercially operated airport in Maine. It’s been operating for 76 years. The land owners are selling the 145 acres that the airport and seaplane facilities share, reportedly to build a self-storage facility. Twitchell is the only seaplane base providing fuel between its location and Rhode Island, about 200 miles.

Gulfstream Unveils Newest Business Jet Model G700 In Nigeria

Gulfstream Aerospace is taking two G700 aircraft on a world tour that includes major events and private showings in 20 cities. These are fully outfitted G700 production test aircraft.

Elon Musk has reportedly added a new $78 million jet to his growing fleet of private planes.

This will replace his Gulfstream G650ER. Musk currently owns four jets, including three Gulfstream and one Dassault.

Company hopes to produce sustainable jet fuel at Loring Air Force Base

The former Loring Air Force Base was a large cold-war era base in far northeastern Maine. It was used by the U.S. Air Force’s Strategic Air Command. In 1994, the base was closed and then redeveloped into an industrial and aviation park called the Loring Commerce Centre. The airfield became Loring International Airport. Now DG Fuels LLC (DGF) plans to lease 1,240 acres from the Loring Development Authority and produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel. (SAF). Press release: DG Fuels Signs Key Maine Land Agreement.

Mentioned

Plane Talking UK Podcast

Grand Dames of Aviation

Charity auctions off AN-225 “Mriya” debris pieces to raise funds for Ukrainian Soldiers

Video: ONBOARD Emirates New A380 FIRST CLASS *It ONLY Cost $___*

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, Rob Mark, and Micah.

695 Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:08 — 30.3MB)

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and how it is being made available, how you can save on airline tickets, an F-35 shoots down a drone, and the eighth anniversary of the loss of flight MH370.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Richard Thacker, Atlantic Aviation — Richard Thacker

Richard Thacker is the Director of Strategy and Operations at Atlantic Aviation. Rich has been with Atlantic for more than 30 years and has been a leading voice for the company, and broadly in the aviation industry on increasing sustainability through education and outreach.

Atlantic operates one of the largest FBO networks in the U.S. and they provide a full suite of services to the private aviation sector. We asked Rich to come on the show and talk about sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) because Atlantic is making it available at some airports.

SAF is jet fuel and no change is required to the aircraft or ground support infrastructure. It can be freely co-mingled with JET-A. Rich explains why now is the time for sustainable aviation fuel. We look at sources, availability, and the cost of SAF.

There are two main producers of SAF at this time: Neste and World Energy. Most SAF comes from Neste, a supplier of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, through Avfuel. (See Neste’s role in sustainable aviation and Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Now Offering Neste MY SAF). World Fuel Services gets SAF through an agreement with World Energy.

Atlantic is providing SAF at its Aspen and Los Angeles locations but has plans for wider distribution. Rich notes that since SAF availability is primarily on the coast, road transportation is required to reach inland airports. For its Aspen facility, Atlantic uses renewable diesel in the tanker trucks since burning fossil fuel to deliver sustainable aviation fuel wouldn’t make sense.

Rich explains the “Book and Claim” process for purchasing fuel where SAF isn’t available. “Green credits” are purchased equal to the SAF premium and the SAF is consumed where it is available.

Atlantic is taking other measures to reduce carbon footprint, including switching to LED lighting and electrifying ground support equipment. For more on the classification of emissions, see the article What are scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions?

Scott’s Cheap Flights

Brian Coleman interviewed Scott Keyes, the founder and chief flight expert from Scott’s Cheap Flights, a service that notifies subscribers about great airline deals from their home airport. We learn how a hobby turned into a business and Scott provides some good context for the current state of airline fares. Free and paid membership options are available.

Scott’s Cheap Flights serves nearly 2 million members and has a distributed team of more than fifty travel aficionados. Scott authored a bestselling book divulging some of the secrets used to find amazing deals for members, Take More Vacations: How to Search Better, Book Better Cheaper, and Travel the World.

Through April 30, 2022, Scott is offering Airplane Geeks listeners a 25% discount on a Premium membership. Use the discount code GEEKS.

Israeli News Desk

Eyal relates that an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman released an announcement on March 1, 2022, about a shootdown of two Iranian UAVs in June 2021 carrying weapons destined for HAMAS. The interception and shootdown had been made by an Israeli F-35A, the first operational and actual kill for the F-35 family worldwide.

MH370

Rob Coates marks the eighth anniversary of the disappearance of flight MH 370. As of this date, the plane has still not been located.

American Helicopter Museum

Airplane Geeks listeners can enjoy a one-year individual membership at a 50% discount. For $25.00 (normally $50.00) you get:

Unlimited admission to the Museum for one year.
Two One-Day Guest Passes.
Admission to FamilyFest and SantaFest.
Invitations to Member Receptions.
10% discount on gift shop purchases.

The offer is good through May 31, 2022, at this link.

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, Rob Mark, Max Trescott, and Brian Coleman, with contributions from Eyal Shay and Rob Coates.

682 Organ Transplant Flights

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:30:55 — 41.6MB)

In this episode, we speak with the Founder and CEO of ParaFlight and OrganFlights about life-saving organ transplant flights. There’s a lot more to this than you might think, and it’s a conversation you’ll want to hear.

In the news, sustainable aviation fuel for British Airways, Captain Sully heads to ICAO, gender-neutral NOTAMs that also apply to drones, the Beech Denali first flight, commercial aviation and spreading viruses, and in-flight relief devices. In the Australia Desk, we hear about the history of the F/A-18 A and B Hornets in RAAF service.

Guest

Sim Shain is the Founder and CEO of ParaFlight EMS and OrganFlights.com, a lifesaving organ transplant aviation company with an on-call network of jets, helicopters, and emergency transport vehicles. These provide efficient transportation of organs and transplant teams nationwide.

Sim Shain, Founder and CEO of ParaFlight and OrganFlights providing organ transplant flights. — Sim Shain

The transplant process is regulated by the Federal government in the United States, and Sim explains the large number of participants and steps involved in getting an organ from donor to recipient. We learn about the role of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the transplant centers, and organ procurement organizations.

Sim provides a lot of detail about the complexities of matching organ transportation requests to available aircraft considering such factors as the type of organ, flight length, operating room schedule, size of the team, use of a transmetics pump, power and WiFi requirements, and even pilot duty time constraints.

We learn about how Part 135 operators can use the Organ Flights app to register, add aircraft, and receive flight requests via smartphone and the PC.

Over a twenty-eight-year career, Sim has worked in the pre-hospital emergency medical space leading corporate, medical, and charity flights and missions, specializing in organ transplants. He began his career working as a 911 medic and flight medic, and he continues to fly patients and organs around the world. He volunteers for local first aid squads and is a nationally certified paramedic, medical escort, and flight medic.

To learn more, visit OrganFlights.com and explore these other resources:

Aviation News

Airline signs historic deal to use recycled cooking oil to fuel its planes

British Airways signed a multi-year contract with Phillips 66 Limited to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) beginning next year. Phillips becomes the first company to produce SAF at a commercial scale in the U.K. The SAF will be produced at the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery in North Lincolnshire from sustainable waste feedstock. BA and Phillips 66 say SAF can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by over 80 percent compared to traditional jet fuel.

Sully Named To ICAO

Capt. Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ICAO was established in 1944 by the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention. Originally composed of 54 nations, now the Organization is funded and directed by 193 national governments.

Name change signifies a bigger mission for NOTAMs

The meaning of the acronym NOTAM has changed from “Notice to Airmen” to the gender-neutral “Notice to Air Missions.” The new acronym now easily applies to un-crewed flights of free balloons and drones.

Beech Denali Makes First Flight

The first flight of the Beechcraft Denali turboprop lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes, reaching an altitude of 15,600 feet and a top speed of 180 knots. The clean-sheet design uses the new 1,300-shp GE Aviation Catalyst engine.

How 2 Flights to Europe May Have Spurred Spread of New Variant

If air travel represents an opportunity for virus transmission, what does it mean for airlines and airports?

Air Force To Issue Pilots New In-Flight Relief Devices

A new in-flight bladder relief device is available for U.S. Air Force pilots. The Omni Gen. 3 Skydrate for men is hands-free and automatically collects urine at 2.25 LPM, “keeping the user dry and on-mission.” The Air Force hopes these devices will reduce the number of pilots who intentionally dehydrate before missions.

Australia News Desk

Steve and Grant are joined by aviation author and historian Stewart Wilson to discuss the history of the F/A-18 A & B Hornets in RAAF service, following the type’s withdrawal from service this week.

RAAF F/A-18A Hornet A21-8 (msn 306/AF-08 – delivered 28 Aug 1986) in 75SQN markings, departs RWY16 at Shellharbour Airport (NSW) for its final public display at the Wings Over Illawarra Airshow – 28 Nov 2021. Image by Jai Balmer.

Group Captain Jason Easthope – aka “Easty” – shuts down A21-8 after the final public display of the RAAF F/A-18A Hornet at WIngs Over Illawarra, 28 Nov 2021. Image by Jai Balmer.

Mentioned

A Flock Of U.S. Military Business Jets Has Descended On Southern California

What Happens When You Drop a Cell Phone From 13,200 Feet?

JetTip Alerts for AvGeeks – This app analyzes air traffic for unusual flights.

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, and Rob Mark.