by Joy Finnegan | Apr 6, 2022 | Flight Ops IT
Flight Training Management software provider FlightLogger announced the close of its growth equity recapitalization with Arcadea Group, the only permanent-capital growth equity investor in software companies globally.
The transaction will see FlightLogger’s Founder, Kenneth Jeppesen, maintain a material equity stake and continue in his role as CEO, leading the business through accelerated growth, innovation, and geographic expansion.
“Flight schools – from ab initio, to type rating, and everything in between – are increasingly demanding a modern, cloud-native solution to help administer their business, a clear departure from the legacy vendors that exist in this market,” said Kenneth Jeppesen, CEO. “The demand for our products and services has never been stronger. Having been pursued by many investors and acquirors, Arcadea was the obvious choice given their expertise in investing and operating businesses like mine, and given their long-term approach to growth that no other firm seems to offer in the market.”
Paul Yancich, managing director & co-founder of Arcadea Group, said, “We engaged with every vendor in this market in our search for the right partner. FlightLogger is the clear leader in Europe, Asia, Oceania, and, increasingly, North America. The feedback from both potential and current customers was resoundingly positive.” He went on to say, “It’s notable that FlightLogger’s founder and core team have direct aviation experience– customers get not just the best products on the market, but a team that lives and breathes their industry. We see this as being highly correlated with great products in vertical markets.”
“We’re thrilled to be joining forces with FlightLogger’s founder in this transaction,” said Daniel Eisen, managing director & co-founder of Arcadea Group. He added, “The business is a perfect fit for Arcadea as a bootstrapped, highly efficient software business that wasn’t interested in selling out to the volume aggregators, PE’s, or the strategics of the world. We look forward to partnering with and supporting Kenneth and the team in decades to come.”
FlightLogger CEO Jeppesen said being able to maintain a long-term approach was a crucial factor in partnering with Arcadea, “While other private-equity-owned players in the North American market are optimizing for a quick asset flip to yet another financial owner in the very short-term, FlightLogger customers can rest assured that the company will pursue a long-term, healthy vision that puts the customers – not financial buyers – first.”
FlightLogger will continue to be based in Denmark but will see global expansion of the team to support significant demand from a variety of international markets.
by Joy Finnegan | Apr 5, 2022 | Avionics, Connectivity, Flight Ops IT
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration today dedicated the newly commissioned and environmentally sustainable air traffic control tower at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
“Aviation is an invaluable part of our American life and our national economy. The new, taller control tower will enable the airport to continue to expand its flight operations to grow alongside the vibrant Charlotte economy,” said FAA Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims.
The 370-foot-tall air traffic control tower has an 850-square-foot tower cab that provides air traffic controllers a bird’s-eye view of the airfield. At the base, a 42,000-square-foot building houses an expanded terminal radar approach control (TRACON) that handles flights departing and arriving into the Charlotte airspace. Both are designed to accommodate current and future operations.
“The commissioning of the new air traffic control tower by the Federal Aviation Administration is a testament to the importance of Charlotte in the National Airspace System,” said CLT Chief Executive Officer Haley Gentry. “The tower is equipped with the latest state-of-the art NextGen technology to keep up with the current and future demand of our growing airfield. This modern infrastructure is another display of the strong partnership we have at CLT and we are grateful to the FAA for this investment to make air traffic more efficient.”
The new Charlotte tower is the second-tallest tower in the nation after the 398-foot-tall tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The existing tower was commissioned in 1979. The facility’s operational growth, new air traffic control technology and the airport’s addition of new runways and taxiways made the height and size of the old tower obsolete.
A total of 179 FAA employees work at the Charlotte tower and TRACON – 136 in air traffic services and 43 in technical operations. Technical Operations employees install and maintain air traffic control equipment. The tower became operational in late February 2022. The estimated final cost of the project is approximately $94 million.
by Joy Finnegan | Apr 2, 2022 | Connectivity, Flight Ops IT
The United Arab Emirates’ has developed one of the most seamless air travel experiences through its comprehensive aviation infrastructure and use of innovative technologies. Through strategic planning, world-class safety measures and the use of state-of-the-art technology, the airports in the nation are set to return soon to full capacity, with the EXPO 2020 contributing to continued traffic into 2022. As an industry leader in ATC systems, Thales’ innovative technological solutions will further enhance the country’s safety record, capacity and efficiency of air navigation services.
TopSky – ATC is a resilient system with multiple layers of redundancy that is able to continue operations without a reduction in capability. The solution complies with the highest national and international standards, and is aligned with DAEP and DANS’ requirements at the world’s busiest airport, as well as with ICAO’s Aviation System Block Upgrades (ASBU) roadmap. With an easily adaptable system configuration, TopSky – ATC is ready to support and enable restructuring of the UAE’s airspace.
DANS’s new Thales Air Traffic Management (ATM) system will also offer ‘Approach Services’ for the Northern Emirates allowing the optimisation of traffic flows for increased capacity and safety while also reducing fuel burn for airlines.
DANS’s air traffic controllers will be able to monitor real-time data updates safely and efficiently, contributing to data sharing for collaborative decision-making. The Thales system also makes it easier for controllers to handle fluctuations in traffic volume, changing weather, and all types of situations that can influence air traffic control decisions at any time.
“With the ongoing series of strategic expansions and development projects through the DAEP, Dubai International Airport is exponentially growing its passengers and cargo handling capacity, number of plane movements and the network of connected destinations. The partnership with Thales will strengthen our technological efficiency and fortify further our resilience to manage the Air Traffic Management, the most critical airport operations,” said Eng. Suzanne AlEnany, CEO, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects.
Christophe Salomon, EVP Land & Air Systems, Thales added: “With over 45 years of operations within the UAE, Thales has been a longstanding partner of the country committed to providing the most advanced technological solutions, in line with the leadership’s vision and country’s ambitions. With this new contract we are expanding our trusted partnership to the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects and Dubai Air Navigation Services. We take pride in working hand in hand with our customers to deliver systems that addresses their specific needs. Together, we are shaping the future of air travel and building a greener tomorrow.”
by Joy Finnegan | Apr 1, 2022 | Avionics, Connectivity, Flight Ops IT
GE Aviation recently achieved 400 million flight hours and 37 years of on time delivery of their navigation database to airlines globally.
GE’s navigation database (NDB) provides worldwide coverage and access to more than 18,000 airports. Each NDB is customized for the customer and allows the ability to include their own tailored terminal procedures and company routes from a GE navigation database and test them against FMS flight planning and predictions software. GE’s experts provide 24 hour per day, seven days a week customer service.
“We are grateful to have the dedicated team, technology and experience to enable us to produce and make 150,000 navigation database deliveries to our airline customers,” said Jeremy Barbour, general manager, Connected Aircraft for GE Aviation. “This support of our flight management system portfolio provides a range of compatibility and functionality for an airline’s navigation data requirements.”
GE Aviation offers a variety of tools, data products and services in support of its flight management systems, and with a wide range of compatibility and functionality designed to meet the many navigational data needs of the airline community. One such tool is GE’s NDB Explorer which enables an interactive view into the content of the navigation data through browse, search and compare functionality, and even allows customers to view NDB content graphically.
GE has long-standing partnerships with leading global data-service providers. These partnerships and supporting processes have been in operation for decades and ensure that deliveries are on time and compliant with relevant international quality standards. GE also works closely with the data-service provider to explore opportunities to enhance data-service offerings and deliver increased value to the airlines.
GE’s flight management system (FMS) assists military and airline flight crew in managing and optimizing a flight from takeoff to landing. Included in GE’s FMS advancements are the TrueCourse FMS and Connected FMS providing connectivity and new software architecture allowing FMS functions to be developed as modular components for ease of update.
GE continues to make advancements in its flight management technology to help customers and operators stay ahead of the technology and below the cost curve. With GE’s Connected FMS, operators will be able to achieve even greater gains for their fleet through applications that take advantage of on-board high bandwidth connectivity and electronic data exchange.
GE Aviation’s flight management software provides increased situational awareness and operation efficiencies on more than 14,000 aircraft including Airbus A320/330/340/A330 MRTT, Boeing 737 (all variants), P-8, E-6B, USAF E-4, C-130J, LM-100J and KC-46. GE certified their first flight management system in 1984.
by Joy Finnegan | Mar 25, 2022 | Connectivity, Flight Ops IT
Cebu Pacific Air has selected SITA to support its digital transformation agenda leveraging SITA’s renowned AIRCOM Cockpit Services integrated with Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) satellite network service. The combined solutions will enhance cockpit communications while delivering greater operational efficiencies on the airline’s new Airbus A330neos.
SITA’s 2021 Air Transport IT Insights reveal that digitalization is a top priority for the air transport industry’s recovery from COVID-19. The leading low-cost carrier in the Philippines, Cebu Pacific is one of many airlines embarking on a digital transformation agenda, including modernizing its fleet with features that allow for real-time updates to support better decision-making around weather and flight planning.
Through its AIRCOM Cockpit Services portfolio, SITA has integrated Inmarsat’s cutting-edge SB-S satellite network service, making Cebu Pacific the first airline to leverage the benefits of both services on its new fleet. It is also the first time SB-S has been delivered factory-fitted on an Airbus aircraft bringing more sophisticated, secure, and reliable voice and data communications to the flight deck. IP connectivity, quicker data transmission with faster broadband speeds and coverage, will deliver several operational benefits for the airline.
Bringing modern satellite technology into the cockpit will enable airlines like Cebu Pacific to maximize the benefit of innovative inflight optimization and safety applications. For example, pilots will be able to gain real-time updates for flight optimization tools like SITA’s OptiFlight and graphical weather applications like SITA’s eWAS Pilot. The real-time data provided by applications like these will provide enhanced decision-making, helping pilots to adapt, avoid weather hazards and delays, enhance comfort and safety onboard, and deliver fuel and operational cost savings.
Javier Massot, Chief Operations Adviser, Cebu Pacific Air, said: “We turned to SITA given their expertise in the aircraft domain to help us navigate the challenges and complexities of the aircraft communications landscape, and prepare us for that future. Having high-speed connectivity and greater capacity is essential to access more advanced digital applications that support decision-making onboard. It will enable our pilots and operational staff to access information in real-time and deliver a better service for our passengers.”
Sumesh Patel, President of Asia Pacific, SITA, said: “We are delighted to offer the latest advances in technology to support the industry’s transition to a more digitalized cockpit. As the specialists in this field, SITA is dedicated to delivering the crucial, industry-certified services airlines rely upon to run their daily operations. Cebu Pacific is the first airline to take advantage of these capabilities to boost safety and deliver greater operational efficiencies on their new fleet.”
The combined AIRCOM Cockpit Services and SB-S solutions will be made available to more aircraft types, beyond Airbus single-aisle A320neos and wide-aisle A330neos, to enable more airlines to leverage the benefits.
by Joy Finnegan | Mar 15, 2022 | Flight Ops IT
MITRE announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has renewed its contract to operate the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). The nine-year contract runs through 2030 and reflects an evolving and expanded mission for CAASD.
MITRE has provided support to the FAA for more than 60 years and began operating its FFRDC in 1990. CAASD provides the FAA advice and technical expertise to improve the safety, security, and efficiency of the National Airspace System. CAASD also works with international civil aviation authorities to enhance overall aviation safety.
“We are pleased to continue serving as the FAA’s mission partner and FFRDC operator,” said Jason Providakes, MITRE president and CEO. “We are proud of our decades-long record of delivering impact to the FAA, and we are honored to continue this important partnership. Aviation and transportation are an essential part of our nation’s critical infrastructure, and MITRE is committed to delivering the full depth of our technical capabilities to ensure the resiliency of the global transportation system.”
Gregg Leone, MITRE vice president and CAASD director, added: “Today, CAASD develops strategies, concepts, and technology applications to enable the FAA to make operational changes to continuously improve the capacity and effectiveness of the safest airspace system in the world. Our expanded mission will focus on defining the systems and operations of the future to achieve global harmonization and next-level safety. This new contract allows us to expand our work across the entire domain of transportation, from surface to space.”
As an, FFRDC, CAASD is free from organizational conflicts of interest and well-positioned to help with coordination and integration among federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies, as well as private sector and non-governmental organizations.
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