Photograph: Skyhopper's biggest lease interest so far is in a Sikorsky S-76B. The United Kingdom's first fractional ownership and lease program dedicated to helicopters is underway. Based at Wycombe Air Park, near Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Skyhopper took over Virgin Helicopters in August 1998 and currently is offering two Sikorsky S-76s and one Bell 430 with another expected soon. Skyhopper is the launch partner for the Bell 430 in the United Kingdom and British certification should follow in about a year.
Jet Support Services (JSSI) of Chicago has introduced the ``Tip-to-Tail Guaranteed Hourly Cost Maintenance'' program for new and in-service Raytheon King Air C90 and B200 aircraft.
Photograph: Tommy Thomason Tommy Thomason, Sikorsky's new civil programs chief, is bullish on the company's quest to become a force in the civil helicopter market. In an interview with B/CA editors, Thomason said airport congestion and slot restrictions will create new demand for large, passenger-carrying helicopters, with Sikorsky's new S-92 Helibus leading the way. ``S-92 will resurrect intra-city passenger helicopter operations,'' he said.
Wayfarer Aviation says it is the first Northeastern-based U.S. FAR Part 135 operator to complete FAA certification for commercial operation of a Gulfstream V. Based in Portsmouth, N.H., Wayfarer's G-V ``already has charter bookings scheduled for travel to three continents,'' the company says. TAG Aviation Group recently bought White Plains, N.Y.-based Wayfarer from the Rockefeller family; the combined company operates 125 aircraft at 50 locations. TAG Aviation's U.S. subsidiary will manage Wayfarer.
Twin Lakes Aviation was chosen to operate the new FBO at the nearly one-year-old Davidson County Airport (EXX) in North Carolina. The new terminal is open, and 20 of 60 planned T-hangars have been completed. A ``corporate section'' with its own hangar is under construction, and two or three additional hangars are planned.
Bombardier Aerospace has announced a 25-percent production rate increase for the CRJ 100 and 200 series aircraft, scheduled to take effect in summer 2000. The increase, Bombardier's sixth since commencing production of the aircraft in 1992, will raise factory output from 7.5 aircraft per month to 9.5 aircraft per month. Bombardier says the increase is a result of continued strong demand and will result in the creation of over 600 new jobs. Almost 500 CRJs are on backlog, including 250 firm orders and 248 options and conditional orders.
State of Oregon Economic Development Department has named aircraft towing vehicle manufacturer Lektro 1999 Oregon Exporter of the Year. Lektro manufactures towbarless electric towing vehicles for turbine and jet aircraft.
The majority of NBAA members who responded to a recent survey say that fractional ownership operations are commercial and, thus, should be covered by FAR Part 135 instead of the less-restrictive Part 91 rules. Their response is contrary to the association's previously stated policy that fractionals should remain under Part 91 in order to prevent new regulatory pressure on all Part 91 operators. Of the 1,000 members who responded to the much-anticipated poll, 63 percent favor moving fractional operations to Part 135.
Dassault's Falcon 900C business jet has received FAA certification, two months after receiving French certification. The new aircraft is a follow-on to the Falcon 900B, and is equipped with the same Honeywell Primus 2000 avionics package offered on the long-range Falcon 900EX. Other items standard on the 900C include the Dual Laseref Inertial Reference System, EGPWS and turbulence -detection radar. The aircraft also has a dual-channel Cat II-approved autopilot, dual FMSes and Collins radios with flat-panel RTUs.
Ogden Corp. says it plans to sell its aviation and entertainment divisions in a bid to ensure a ``solid operating platform'' for its energy business, which owns powerplants and related infrastructure. R. Richard Ablon has resigned as the company's chairman and CEO, to be replaced by Scott G. Macklin as president and CEO, and George L. Farr as non-executive chairman of the board. In announcing the move, Ogden said its third quarter earnings will be ``substantially below'' analysts' estimates.
As good a measure as any of the progress of the Raytheon Premier I is that program managers, engineers and pilots associated with the flight test program see their foremost challenge as meeting their aggressive schedule. With just over 400 hours of test flying to date, two prototypes have confirmed that the airplane will meet its performance guarantees.
With two years of operations under its belt, Raytheon's Travel Air fractional ownership program expects to sign its 400th owner by the end of the year, and has a five-year plan that will expand its fleet to more than 200 aircraft. To support the growth, the company has ordered 27 Hawker Horizons and 49 Premier I light jets. The Premier I will enter service in early 2001, and the Horizon will enter service in early 2002. The current fleet totals approximately 50 aircraft, including 800XPs, Beechjets and King Air 200s.
Pioneering test pilot Ralph M. (Bud) Francis has died after an extended illness at the age of 61. At the time of his death, Francis was working on the development of the Sino Swearingen SJ30-2 light business jet. He joined the airframe manufacturer as chief pilot after a 32-year career at Beech Aircraft where he helped develop some of its most popular and successful business and general aviation aircraft. Among the aircraft Francis worked on at Beech: the Beechjet 400A, all models of the King Air, Beech 99 and 1900, Bonanza and Baron.
Raytheon Aircraft says customer demand has led it to increase the annual production rates of its Premier I and Hawker Horizon business jets. The company plans to build 60 Premier I's per year, up from 48 as originally planned, while Horizon production will jump from 24 to 36. The ramp-up is made possible, Raytheon says, by the addition of two Cincinnati Machine Viper fiber replacement machines used to build the composite fuselages of both aircraft types. Raytheon claims 200 orders for the Premier I, and 150 orders for the Horizon.
Staying focused on the problem at hand is always important, but often not easy. Years ago, an aviator whose wisdom I admired greatly told me the key to success in piloting an airplane was ``paying attention to the right thing at the right time.'' I don't think I appreciated then the awesome truth in that simple phrase. Airplane accidents, I had supposed, must have their origins in circumstances more complex than someone's simple moments of inattention or misdirected attention.
A Senate ``field hearing'' held in Kalispell, Mont., heard operator comments regarding the effect of the FAA's decision to enforce flight-and duty-time regulations. According to Robert Palmersheim of Billings, Mont.-based Lynch Flying Service, the rules were designed for scheduled carriers and ``would not work'' in the FAR Part 135 industry. ``You can't require airline-type scheduling in an on-demand environment,'' he said.
The economy is rolling into its longest expansion ever, and there's no end in sight. Unemployment is extraordinarily low, and the stock market is robust. It's hard to imagine that the business environment could be any better. At the same time, many workers say they're overtaxed, working longer hours than ever before, and still have some trepidation about their future.
Atlantic Aviation (Wilmington, Del.) -- This FBO chain announced four staff changes at its Teterboro facility: Larry Dean as regional sales manager, Barbara Briccola as marketing manager of flight support, Paul Cecala as vice president of charter sales and Pearl L. Bacchus as charter sales representative.
Development of Sukhoi's proposed S-21 supersonic business jet (SSBJ) is not likely to proceed without a large external investment, according to sources at the recent International Aviation and Space Salon held at Zhukovsky airport near Moscow. The company previously said it had ``frozen'' the S-21's design, and could fly a prototype by 2002. According to Mikhail Simonov, Sukhoi's general designer, profits from military sales could fund the first Sukhoi SSBJ.
This new Web site, designed specifically for pilots, offers access to hundreds of weather products, including forecasts for more than 55,000 locations worldwide. The site also provides area forecasts, route weather briefings, visible and infrared satellite images and AIRMETs, NOTAMs, PIREPs and SIGMETs. In addition, the site has separate pages dedicated to severe weather and hurricanes.
Aerospace Concepts, Inc. (Newport Beach, Calif.) -- Kevin W. Hoffman, a founding partner, has recently joined this aerospace company as vice president and chief operating officer. He was previously employed with Bombardier Aerospace as Global Express product director.
Formally, there is no such thing as business aviation in Russia. You won't find any reference to it in legislation or in the Air Code. But corporate transportation, charter operations and private flying are a reality here. It is true that the industry is tiny. With its four large airports, Moscow is by no means the number one business aviation hub in Russia. Still, only up to 200 business flights are made from here monthly. So, all experts agree there is more room for business aviation in Russia. Nobody can tell how big this room is, anyway.
