Trump tariff impacts on private aircraft; NYC Gateway Project to temporarily close West 30th Heliport

In this week’s VIP Seat podcast, we talk about:

NYC Heliport Pending Temporary Shutdown due to Gateway Project

West 30th Street heliport, the only heliport open 24 hours in Manhattan, may face significant closures in the future due to the $16 billion Gateway project. The project will update a 100-year-old tunnel connecting Amtrak service from New Jersey to New York. Medevac operators and companies that transport organs for transplant are ringing alarms that this closure could cause major delays for medical missions, and an alternative solution will need to be found.

Airbus wants to add a toilet to their cockpits

With the advent of autonomous flight technology, aircraft manufacturers are grappling with how to design large airliners for single-pilot operations. While it remains to be seen if passengers will be willing to fly on single-piloted aircraft, manufacturers are trying to create solutions for crew members to…relieve themselves…when they are the only crew members on the flight deck. Diapers and fluid/diet controls are not going to work, according to experts…

“The potty problem potentially arises on long haul flights operated with fewer pilots than the three or four now used. During cruise, a single pilot would be left on the flight deck alone for up to three hours while the other(s) rest. If the flying pilot gets caught short, he or she would have to wake one of the others, potentially causing a violation of crew rest mandates. Airbus apparently sees the flight deck ensuite as the answer, and the pilot potty could appear on the flight deck of a test A350 by 2027. The manufacturer says single-pilot operations could be used in freighters in the next five years.” (AvWeb)

NTSB Adds Dispatchers to Recommendations for Part 135 Operators

The NTSB has recommended Safety Management System and Flight Data Monitoring regulations for the Part 135 industry for many years, but it recently made a new recommendation after a study of 116 fatal accidents from 2010 to 2022: some operators should employ flight dispatchers. “As an industry, we cannot keep sending flight crews on trips and leave them with zero operational oversight,” said Naor, the host of The VIP Seat podcast (Aviation International News).

Trump tariffs on Mexico and Canada could have major impacts on BizAv

Pratt & Whitney engines, Bombardier business jets, Bell helicopters, CAE Training simulators are just a handful of the aviation products made in Canada that, if enacted, could be subject to Trump’s proposal of a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico - not to mention many other components and parts. “Alex Krutz, analyst with Patriot Industrial Partners, would not be surprised if aerospace components fall outside any tariffs Trump imposes on Canada or Mexico. The incoming president has shown interest in targeting products for which US companies relocated high-volume production from the USA to lower-cost sites in those countries, he notes.” (Flight Global).

Heirs of a Wright Brothers aircraft want their plane back

The family of a turn-of-the-century playboy who “supposedly” donated his Wright Model B aircraft to the Franklin Institute wants their plane back. The Model B was the Wright Brothers’ most successful aircraft model, and the Bergdoll family’s aircraft is the only confirmed original in the world. The family has many claims about the provenance of the aircraft and seeks compensation or the asset's return to the family.