EBACE, like all other major industry events, is the perfect opportunity to inspire idea-sharing and create synchronicities. We at UAS wanted to bring different experts together to share their visions and hopes for the future, to give their companies a platform, and to support their ambitions to bring our industry forward. Therefore, we created The Forward Discussion and invited diverse experts to join us at our booth and discuss some of the most prominent trends in business aviation. Our second panel centered on sustainability and posed the question: How can we create a sustainable future for business aviation?
We welcomed some of the industry’s outstanding sustainability experts and invited them to share their insight and expertise as panelists and discuss how sustainability initiatives are transforming the future of business aviation. They were Melanie Price, Head of Innovation and Design at F/LIST, a company that manufacturers high-end interiors for business and private jets using sustainable materials; Daniel Coetzer, CEO of Titan Aviation Fuels, and Nancy BeSales, COO of 4Air, a company that helps operators identify their aviation goals and achieve them by mitigating their carbon footprint.
Achieving carbon neutrality
Aviation is aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and although sustainable aviation fuels are slowly becoming an option for operators, carbon offsetting is a popular choice right now, according to panelists. Let’s be clear that carbon offsetting isn’t just greenwashing, rather it’s a bridge that will get us to a more sustainable industry. The panelists explained the process, and it’s strict and tightly controlled. Firstly, all claims must be verified and validated as understanding the impact is at the heart of the exercise. Then, environmental auditors examine the claims and issue their findings to a public registry. This chain of accountability means dubious offset programs are hopefully a thing of the past. There are many areas that operators and service providers are contributing to their carbon footprint including the production of CO2 emission, their water consumption, electricity usage, transport, and logistical considerations, and how they handle their waste. The entire supply chain is considered. However, it’s not only about mitigating emissions through offsetting, but also about investing in fantastic sustainability projects. Aviators are also constantly seeking better carbon neutral and conservation programs to invest in. Our panelists spoke about tree planting to actually create the material used in production, team-building projects in nature conservation, and rhino orphanages, as diverse examples.
Ensuring constant innovation
The panel also discussed the opportunities for greener products and a carbon-friendly supply chain, and their insight was fascinating—there is undoubtedly a world of opportunities. Considering materials used in manufacturing, removing harmful components from said materials, and cutting down on the waste and environmental cost of their creation is something that F/LIST has dedicated an entire team of R&D specialists to. There are so many new material options for cabin design that include both up-cycled materials and bio-based products. Material with vegan components already being used in the fashion industry is now being introduced to aviation. The C02 impact is being monitored by continuously assessing how much energy is being used and how things are being transported, etc. It would be difficult to listen to this discussion and not be convinced that aviation is without a doubt, the most innovative industry in the world.
You be the judge— listen to the discussion on our YouTube channel by clicking here.
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2022’s first business aviation gathering, the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference gets underway at the San Diego Convention Center from April 5-7.
The UAS team will be exhibiting onsite, meeting delegates, and offering expertise on the best customized international trip support solutions to meet operators’ unique needs.
The team will also be sharing its knowledge and experience in two presentations taking place during the event.
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Mitch Launius
Instructor Pilot for 30 West IP
Mitch is the CEO of 30 West IP where he is also an instructor providing pilot training on international procedures. With an illustrious career of over 34 years in the cockpit, Mitch has acquired over 13,000 hours of flight time flying worldwide, with over 9,000 hours of this in Challenger and Gulfstream aircraft. He is an experienced safety officer and was also an IS-BAO project manager for a fortune 500 flight department. He has presented on Safety and Operations topics at the NBAA International Operators Conference and the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention and is currently on the NBAA International Operators Committee and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Lead. Mitch is also a member of an FAA working group on General Aviation International Authorizations and Tabletop Exercises (GIATE). He was recently selected to represent IBAC as a member of the ICAO Personal Training and Licensing Panel (PTLP) and was also recently named as a 2020 recipient of the NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award for his contribution to the business aviation community.
Henry ‘Duke’ LeDuc
Director Of Operations, Americas, UAS International Trip Support
Duke has been a dearly respected member of UAS Americas team and the UAS global family for more than five years. A safety-oriented, FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he oversees all of the operations of the elite UAS Operations Team. With twenty-five years of experience in aviation overall with more than fifteen years of experience in international flight planning and VVIP trip coordination, he is responsible for the development of the dispatch training program and involved in the strategic development of UAS Americas. With a myriad of rich aviation experience behind him, he has extensive experience in worldwide operations with both corporate and charter environments, including seven years as Operations/Dispatch Manager in an industry-leading, Fortune 500, IS-BAO Stage III Certified corporate flight department. Duke is frequently asked shares his knowledge at major industry events and is currently serving on the NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) Planning Committee.
Dudley King
President and Founder, FlightBridge
Dudley is the Founder and President of FlightBridge, which he established in 2011 and has been focused on technology solutions for the private aviation industry since 2006. Since he graduated from Dartmouth in 1988, he has worked with an array of companies listed anywhere from VentureWire to the Fortune 100. A rare blend of executive, entrepreneur, and consultant, Dudley’s executive roles have included acting CIO positions for several companies and tech advisory services to CEOs trying to rebuild their technology organizations or looking for an external, professional point of view. Highly skilled at deeply understanding his customer’s business challenges and drawing from a long and varied experience in information technology services, Dudley excels at designing technology solutions to solve their problems.
Dr. Paulo Alves
Global Medical Director, Aviation Health, Medaire
Paulo has extensive experience in medical advisory in the aviation industry. As a cardiologist, he provides technical guidance and analysis for MedAire’s MedLink medical advisory service and is MedAire’s liaison with civil aviation regulators and industry associations. Paulo worked with Varig Brazilian Airlines for 23 years, 10 of which were spent as General Medical Manager. A member of the MedAire Medical Advisory Board, Paulo is also President of the Ibero-American Aerospace Medical Association, a member of the International Academy of Aerospace Medicine, a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee, a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and a Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. Throughout his illustrious career, Paulo has held industry leadership roles including Chairperson of the AsMA’s Air Transport Medicine Committee, President of the Airlines Medical Directors Association, President of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and was a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group from 2002 to 2006.
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