Aircraft Trends Archives

What’s Trending in Light Sport Aircraft from LAMA – the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association

Light Sport Aircraft in the News

Could your LSA aircraft caddy soon be toting heavier planes? As the industry approaches its 15th birthday, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) and its partner the U.S. Ultralight Association (USUA) have been pushing to improve opportunities for the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) manufacturing industry and individuals who own and operate light sport aircraft. What’s on the agenda?

Four Core Goals

After 4-years of effort, LAMA narrowed down its long list of industry suggestions to four goals in efforts to advance the industry. These were presented to high-level Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) executives, and ALL will be included in the FAA’s upcoming regulation plans:

1. Allowing special Light-Sport Aircraft to perform aerial work in addition to towing and flight instruction.

2. Introducing the safety and performance benefits provided by single-lever adjustable propellers.

3. Permitting electric propulsion and instruction in aircraft designed for such motors.

4. Solving issues surrounding modern gyroplanes, in that they may only be built as kits, making commercial training impossible.

In addition, the FAA also agreed to look into increasing the gross weight of LSA.

Changes on the Horizon

Though LAMA is hopeful, it’s important to emphasize each of these items is on the FAA’s list for eventual rule making. Eventual being the operative word. Rulemaking could take 3-years and the time it takes for them to go into effect could be far longer, assuming no changes of course.

In the meantime, LAMA has proposed a plan to get the FAA the data they need to speed the process. This will also provide opportunities under controlled circumstances for pilots to gain more rapid access to these new opportunities.

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A Look Ahead into 2019 at Trends Shaping the Aviation Industry

2019 Aviation Trends

While the aircraft caddy from DJ Products offers superior performance across a variety of conditions, not every aspect of the aviation industry is that consistent. Each year brings innovations and challenges, and how you respond can profoundly affect your business.

What’s ahead for the next twelve months? Here’s a look at the trends expected to shape the aviation industry in 2019.

Air Traffic Will Double

In a trend that’s continued since the 1970s, air traffic is projected to double by 2035. Reasons behind this trend are twofold:

1. Emerging markets and urbanization cause a shift in economic power, resulting in more people traveling by air.

2. Privatization and deregulation combine to drive air travel costs down.

Major Capacity Shortages

The downside of more air traffic is that it’s not supported by the current infrastructure. Plans are underway to increase facilities, but all regions are still expected to have capacity shortages of up to 50 percent only five years from now.

Green Initiatives

The global agreement known as CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) hits a crucial deadline in 2020, at which time aviation emission levels are required to stabilize. By 2050, emissions must be reduced to approximately 50 percent of 2005 levels.

Focus on Punctuality

As a means of reducing congestion and increasing customer satisfaction, airlines are implementing new performance measures with an emphasis on scheduling.

Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM)

More than two dozen major European airports have implemented A-CDM to facilitate real-time information sharing.

Meet the Future with the Aircraft Caddy from DJ Products

As speed and efficiency become increasingly more important in the aviation industry, our aircraft caddy will help you keep pace. Contact us to learn more about our full line of aircraft tugs.

Could Carbon Neutral Air Travel be the Next Big Step?

Carbon neutral air travel is on the horizon. Using groundbreaking ‘ionic wind’ technology, the world’s first-ever ‘solid state’ plane has successfully flown over 60 meters without the aid of moving parts or a propulsion system, lending credence to the potential for heavier-than-air flight without jets or propellers. Might it be paired up with your aircraft caddy in the not-too-distant future?

Space Age

Using a powerful electric field to generate charged nitrogen ions, and then expelling them from the back of the aircraft to generate thrust, this latest aircraft invention was inspired during MIT Aeronautics Professor Steven Barrett’s childhood. A big fan of Star Trek, Barrett envisioned a future with silently-flying aircraft, operating with no moving parts such as propellers, turbines, or jets.

Ahead of Its Time

Investigating the physics that might make such flights possible, he came across the concept of ionic wind, which was initially investigated in the 1920s. It didn’t make much of a splash at the time, with researchers concluding it wouldn’t work for airplanes.

However, Barrett wasn’t deterred. He and a team of graduates worked to improve their understanding of how it might be possible to produce ionic winds efficiently, and how those winds might be applicable to propelling an aircraft.

Inspired

The battery-powered, nearly silent miniature prototype that resulted from their research led to the creation of a propulsion system with a thrust-to-power ratio comparable to that of conventional jet engines. Though the technology is in its infancy, the successful flight of the amazingly thin, light-weight aircraft could pave the way for highly-efficient, non-polluting air travel. Future tests will seek to scale-up the plane’s size and range.

Inspire a safer, more efficient future with an aircraft caddy from DJProducts. Contact account rep Kari Koznick today.

Are Flying Cars Coming to Your Local Field in the Future?

Will your aircraft caddy soon be toting flying cars? The Kitty Hawk Flyer is touted as the future of the flying car industry. Tested atop Lake Las Vegas amidst journalist fervor, the California-based company put on quite a show.

Potential Use within Urban Communities

The 254-pound Kitty Hawk Flyer, classified as an FAA Part-103 ultralight aircraft, requires no pilot’s license. With just 12 moving parts, including 10 propellers and 2 cockpit controls, the recreational vehicle is a cinch to operate. The Flyer sports no altimeters, fuel indicators, gauges, or computer read outs. With a carbon fiber body that resembles an oversized drone bedecked with pontoons, it’s as simple as they come.

Easier to Operate than a Video Game System

The Flyer’s flexibility and ease-of-use put it front-and-center as a likely predecessor to the much anticipated flying car. Brittney Miculka, flight training manager for Kitty Hawk, said she could teach someone the basics of flying it in about 20-minutes. However, new pilots typically undergo a 90-minute training session that includes training in a simulator, as well as additional training on how to escape the vehicle in the unlikely event it overturns in the water.

Early Testing with Clipped Wings

Kitty Hawk is under extensive restrictions in its early testing phase at Lake Las Vegas, facing a 6-mph top speed, 10-foot height restriction, and low wind tolerance. However, this didn’t seem to diminish the excitement of the company, its investors, and the plethora of journalists who traveled from as far away as England, Germany, and Japan to see it in action. Kitty Hawk officials have yet to release cost and availability information, but the future awaits…

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Fun Facts: Forbes’ Amazing Facts About Private Jets

The United States Comprises 49.7 Percent of the World’s Private Jet Market

The mention of private jets usually conjures up images of celebrities, wealth and glamour. While those qualities are certainly part of it, the business aviation industry makes a valuable contribution to the country’s economy, employing 1.2 million people and generating a whopping $150 billion each year.

Here are some other fascinating and little-known facts about private jets as revealed by Forbes:

• The United States comprises 49.7 percent of the world’s private jet market, more than double the number of Europe at 20.8 percent.

• Average hourly charter rates range from $1,674 for a Citation Mustang to $8,640 for a Gulfstream 550.

• Van Nuys (CA) Airport, the busiest general aviation airport in the world, is the site of more than 259,000 takeoffs and landings each year. Teterboro in New Jersey is the top domestic airport for international travel, while Vnukovo in Russia is number one in Europe.

• Not surprisingly, the Super Bowl generates the most single-event private jet travel.

• Nearly all private jets pale in comparison to the most expensive model in the world, the Airbus A380 owned by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud. Splashy features such as a two-car garage, a stable for horses and camels, and a rotating prayer room drove the estimated cost to more than $500 million.

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Electric Aircraft – the Newest Trend in Aviation

What’s new for aircraft power sources?

Ground vehicles are not the only form of transportation making strides in eco-friendly technology. Before long, your aircraft tugs may be pulling electric planes and helicopters in and out of hangars.

What’s New in Alternative Power Sources for Aircraft?

Rapidly developing technology is advancing a number of potential green alternatives to traditional fuel-dependent aircraft. Options in development include super capacitors that may be able to partially or completely replace batteries, along with range extenders such as fuel cells and multiple energy harvesting.

Electric power is finding its way into all levels of aircraft, ranging from gliders and sailplanes up to helicopters and airliners. Hybrid vehicles feature electric nose wheel drives that turn aircraft into electric-powered vehicles on the ground.

Benefits of Electric Aircraft

• Electric aircraft are quieter, enabling near-silent take-off and landing of feeder aircraft.

• Electricity burns cleaner, reducing air and ground pollution.

• Dependence on foreign oil sources is greatly reduced.

• Aircraft contribute less to global warming.

• Aircraft safety is greatly improved. For example, electric backup could allow a helicopter to complete a controlled landing in the event of a system failure.

• Leisure aircraft can be completely powered by solar cells in hangars.

• The aircraft industry has expanded and modernized, creating additional applications for new electrical components and systems.

Electric-Powered Aircraft Tugs: Another Eco-Friendly Solution

Battery powered electric aircraft tugs from DJ Products are powerful enough to handle vehicles up to 35,000 pounds, but they are easy enough for one person to maneuver. Visit our website and use our convenient online chat feature to get assistance from one of our helpful sales engineers.

Tag: Aircraft Trends