Aero Friedrichshafen Draws Record Number of Exhibitors

The 27th Aero Friedrichshafen brought in a record 757 exhibitors from 40 countries and an estimated 35,000 visitors, despite the rainy weather in April. Show organizers believe the positive results were propelled by the array of investment in emerging technologies, such as electric aircraft, drones, and vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (VTOLs).

The exhibitor tally bested the then-record-setting 707 exhibitors in 2017. The April 10-to-13 show, set next to Friedrichshafen Airport in Germany, brought in names that once were not attached to a light general aviation show, such as Airbus and Boeing, as well as many new starts displaying their wares for the first time, such as AutoFlightX.

"The international trade fair not only shows the current variety of models available for general aviation but also provides an outlook on concepts of the future,” said show director Tobias Bretzel.

Roland Bosch, head of Aero Friedrichshafen, also said he was encouraged by the growth in innovation on display at the annual event and the record number of exhibitors. He praised the investment being made to bolster the industry, saying that securing investment funding can be challenging.

The show, which began more than 40 years ago with glider manufacturers, stayed true to those roots with single and double-seaters on display, from training gliders to the Super Orchidee. While German manufacturers have had a strong showing in the glider market, the exhibition also featured glider technologies from Eastern European and South African manufacturers.

Ultralights, in general, ranged from gyrocopters, gliders, and powered aircraft, beginning with a 120-kilogram (264-pound) single-seat aircraft up to aircraft in the 600-kilogram (1,323-pound) class. This comes as Europe has moved to increase the maximum takeoff weight for three-axis ultralights—or “microlights”—from 472 kilograms to 600 kilograms under the new basic regulation.

Germany was the first to implement the new weight thresholds, and on April 10 at Aero Friedrichshafen, Pipistrel became the first manufacturer to obtain EASA approval for an aircraft in the 600-kg weight class: its Virus SW 600D

Jo Konrad, the first chairman of the German ultralight flight association, was encouraged that the long-awaited threshold increase to 600 kg for ultralights was finally put in place, saying this would provide a boost to the sector, opening the market to more aircraft and, more importantly, paving the way for existing aircraft to add safety equipment.

Expanding into Bizav

On the other end of the spectrum, Aero Friedrichshafen also is placing an increased focus on business aviation with a special conference held for the first time in concert with the German Business Aviation Association on April 11.

“Business aviation is one of the main areas of general aviation, which is why it will also be a key topic at Aero Friedrichshafen,” organizers said when they announced the conference.

Topics covered the varied uses and value of business aviation, along with issue areas such as ADS-B Out and special interest areas such as fixed-wing air ambulance transport.

The show drew debuts of new business aircraft, such as the first exhibit of Daher’s recently introduced TBM 940. In addition, it showcased strong sellers such as Cirrus’s SF 50 Vision Jet, which topped 100 deliveries within the first few years of receiving certification.

E-Market

Launched 10 years ago, Aero Friedrichshafen’s e-flight expo has continued to expand with new aircraft types and propulsion systems. When the exhibition for electric aircraft was first held, the concept “still seemed futuristic,” said Aero Friedrichshafen organizers. Now, long-standing corporations and start-ups are developing a range of aircraft, including electric aircraft that can be ordered and eVTOL air taxis.

Among these was Airbus, which is exploring eVTOL and air taxi concepts. Andreas Thellman, program manager for Airbus Urban Air Mobility, outlined Airbus’s approach to conducting demonstrations and engaging in helicopter operations in São Paulo, Brazil to see how such a concept could integrate into the airspace system. The company is seeing possibilities, finding demand for trips in the city that are as short as just a few minutes. Thellman believes demand for the urban VTOL air-taxi concept will grow first in mega-cities, such as Paris.

Meanwhile, many other e-aircraft concepts were on display, including the V600 two-place technology demonstrator from German startup AutoFlightX that was on the cusp of its first flight.

The trade fair proved fruitful for Bye Aerospace, which rebranded its two- and four-seat family of electric aircraft formerly known as “Sun Flyer” to “eFlyer.” The two-seat version this year began flight trials. Bye further announced it had received letters of intent for 60 eFlyers from Norway’s OSM Aviation.

Other manufacturers unveiled new concepts, such as Flight Design, which showcased an electric version of its new F Series family of aircraft, the F2e. And Diamond noted it was testing the concept of an electric aircraft through flight trials of an electric DA40.

Meanwhile, on the VTOL front, German startup Jetcopter debuted a full-scale mockup of a five-seat vehicle that would be powered by two 500-hp piston auto engines.

And in the area of unusual designs, a flying wing, the Horten HX-2, arrived through the air at Aero Friedrichshafen. The arrival, from Horten headquarters at Kindel Airfield near Eisenach, Germany, occurred eight decades after the Horten brothers initially designed a flying wing during World War II. Named in honor of Reimar Horten, the two-place Horten HX-2 prototype had accrued about 15 flights at the time it landed at Aero Friedrichshafen.

The tailless, fuselage-less blended wing design features a wingspan of 10 meters (32 feet), and is equipped with a rear-mounted 100-hp Rotax 912 that powers the aircraft with a pusher propeller.

Near the manned aviation area of the e-flight-expo was the AERODrones/UAS Expo special exhibition. Aero Friedrichshafen focused on various applications and issues such as drone-driving licenses, including hosting a special section for police use. A Flight Zone for Unmanned Aerial Systems will be staged and for the first time, and Aero Friedrichshafen will host a closed trade event for police departments.

As for more conventional aircraft, most the major and smaller manufacturers displayed their wares. Diamond Aircraft revealed plans to bring the DA50 single to market next year with a 300-hp Continental CD-300 jet-A-burning engine and retractable landing gear.

Along with the electric version, Flight Design unveiled an entirely new family of piston singles, the F series, including F2 and F4 (two- and four-seat versions).

Piper Aircraft detailed plans for its recently introduced Piper Pilot 100 and 100i basic trainers and said the strong response may prompt it to open the order book sooner than expected and produce earlier than expected.

Smaller and newer manufacturers appeared to make announcements, such as Sonaca Aircraft, which last year received EASA approval and handed over its first aircraft, the Sonaca 200 single-engine light trainer. This year, the company rolled out a second version, the Sonaca 200 Trainer Pro, with Garmin glass avionics.

On the aerobatic front, XtremeAir announced it was reaching into the recreational sport-flying market with a new XA42 “Gold” version of its XA42 model and expressed hopes to bring in a new generation of flyers with its XA22 trainer under development.

But Aero Friedrichshafen was host to many more products than just aircraft. Visitors were able to learn about advancements and changes in propulsion, including electric and hybrid systems along with sustainable fuel and power2liquid, in the Engine Area.

Avionics

ADS-B was a strong area of interest in the Avionics Avenue, but many other products were on display, including navigation and collision-warning devices, and flight planning apps, along with a Headset Test Area.

The European Aviation Safety Agency formally awarded approval for Garmin’s retrofit GFC 500 autopilot on the second day of Aero Friedrichshafen 2019. The EASA nod follows U.S. FAA supplemental type certification more than a year ago and covers a range of Beechcraft, Cessna, Grumman, Piper, and Mooney light aircraft.

This approval was the culmination of a multi-year effort involving Garmin, EASA, and the FAA to find a certification basis to bring safety equipment to the market sooner, said Trevor Pegrum, manager, EMEA aviation sales and marketing for Garmin, adding the sign-offs are “an example of what can be achieved with open communication and cooperation.”

Also at Aero Friedrichshafen, Garmin revealed it is conducting a datalink weather broadcast demonstration program using a ground-based Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) based at Friedrichshafen Airport (EDNY). While it is already available in the U.S., Garmin is hoping to demonstrate the value of the technology in Germany and possibly other areas of Europe.

The station broadcasts weather information to aircraft equipped with certain Garmin ADS-B In products and displays the data on Garmin avionics and portables. The weather information is being offered for free during the trial period.

Along with the various forms of flight and aircraft products, Aero Friedrichshafen turned its attention to pilot recruitment with the continuation of its Be a Pilot program that enables visitors interested in flight training to meet with training representatives.

Other issues were covered, such as the need for reliable general aviation data in Europe. General aviation leaders announced the reopening of a survey to operators to gather more complete data on general aviation aircraft and operations in Europe. Kyle Martin, director of European regulatory affairs at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), and Michael Erb, senior v-p of the International Council of Aircraft Owners and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) Europe, stressed the importance of gathering data to establish a baseline for safety regulation. “We don’t know how many aircraft are airworthy and flying in Europe,” Martin said, noting that EASA comprises 32 countries and data from many of those is hard to obtain.

EASA representatives were visible throughout the show, and Dominique Roland, head of general aviation and remotely piloted aircraft systems for EASA, noted plans for his agency to launch the EASA GA Safety Award. This will be presented to the winner of a contest seeking the most safety-beneficial smartphone/tablet application for GA pilots.

In all, more than 200 lectures, conferences, and workshops were planned with industry, association, and government leaders on hand to discuss key issues.