Following recent U.S. installations, the first Canadian installation on a PC-12 Legacy with the G600 flight deck was just completed. ThrustSense has already been TCCA certified and operating in Canada as part of the PC-12 IS&S integrated NexGen cockpit. Installations can be completed by any PC-12 Service Center.

The IS&S ThrustSense Autothrottle is a full regime autothrottle from take-off roll to landing phases of flight including go-around. ThrustSense incorporates engine and speed exceedance protection and during high pilot workload prevents the airplane from getting dangerously slow or fast and protects against over-torque and over-temp enhancing the safety and capability of the PC-12 Legacy and NG. Command of the revolutionary autothrottle is housed in an easy to install Flight Instrument Standby that provides standby functionality and allows for no structural modifications to the existing throttle quadrant.

The ThrustSense Autothrottle is available as a standalone installation on the PC-12 Legacy and NG or integrated with the IS&S NextGen Flight Deck for retrofit on the PC-12 Legacy. The ThrustSense Autothrottle is also certified on the King Air platform and features certified VMCa protection against loss of control.

Source:  Innovative Solutions & Support
Associated URL: Click here to visit

The letter requests that the Treasury Department consider the unique scale and business operations of general aviation air carriers and fixed based operators (FBOs) when developing guidance on the loan and grant programs. Under the CARES Act, general aviation businesses and FBOs that are contractors to the scheduled airlines are eligible to apply for payroll support grants and loans.

However, the initial guidance issued by the Treasury Department presents challenges for general aviation businesses, as certain requirements were structured for the scheduled airlines. In their letter, NATA and NBAA requested that the secretary provide additional guidance and flexibility for the general aviation community while protecting taxpayer dollars.

The letter emphasizes the critical role of general aviation in connecting communities at thousands of airports not served by the scheduled airlines. The industry serves 5,000 airports across the nation, transporting time-sensitive equipment and medical personnel, air ambulance flights, and dozens of other critical missions as the country responds to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"NATA and our industry partners are grateful to Congress, the Treasury Department, and the agencies for working swiftly and cooperatively with us to address the needs of our members, who not only provide important services every day, but are uniquely positioned to assist in these times of great need. We are pleased they heard our request to include Part 135 and other general aviation businesses in the CARES Act," stated NATA President and CEO Timothy Obitts.

"NBAA worked hard to advocate for general aviation air carriers during the development of the CARES Act, and we are pleased that our industry has the potential to access these loan and grant programs. We encourage the Treasury Department to carefully consider the unique challenges our members face in applying for these programs as further guidance is developed," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.

The associations also expressed support for a recent order by the Department of Transportation to better define air service requirements for companies receiving assistance under the CARES Act. They also asked the Treasury department to consider that most NATA and NBAA members are not publicly traded companies, have limited liquidity, and are not required to report operating metrics as described in the initial guidance.

Source:  NBAA
Associated URL: nbaa.org

In an economic bulletin published on April 1, ACI World predicted that 38.1 percent of global passenger traffic will be lost when compared to its pre-COVID-19 forecast. This is equivalent to 3.6 billion passengers in absolute terms.

This shortfall in the number of passengers and the cancellation of flights will continue to result in reduced revenues. While the industry was expected to generate about $172 billion, ACI predicts it could lose about 44 percent or more than $76 billion by the end of this year.

"A drastic decline of such magnitude for the global airport industry represents an existential threat," ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said. "A swift, effective and equitable economic policy response from governments is needed to protect millions of jobs, protect essential operations, and give the industry the greatest chance to weather the storm and recover quickly."

A recovery may take 12-18 months to reach pre-crisis traffic levels and the industry may not record pre-COVID-19 traffic volumes again before the end of 2021, acccording to ACI's analysis.

ACI expects to see the fastest recovery in domestic passenger traffic. In the case of international passenger traffic, the recovery will take longer, as any international flight implies reciprocal permissions, while various countries will emerge from the current crisis at different times with varying pace of relaxation of the recently imposed restrictions.

Source:  Airports Council International