Business & Commercial Aviation

The Theory: The sky is so vast and your aircraft so small, there’s almost no chance of a “midair” encounter. Of course we all know this theory is invalid and would never embrace such a blind course of aircraft avoidance. And yet so many of our actions validate the theory that we needn’t look outside our aluminum tubes to see others that might share our airspace. The classic “beak-to-beak” midair collision scenario came from the U.S. Air Force in the 1970s. It featured an F-4 Phantom II heading right at you, the closure speed was on the order of 900 kt. and you didn’t stand a chance.

These are disruptive times. New technologies are challenging and changing the ways we communicate, conduct business and socialize. Nothing is immune to the new economy, and the vanguard for general aviation change may reside in the charter segment as FAR 135 operators embrace the “shared economy” movement.

AvFab has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval for pleated window shades on Beechcraft King Air 200, B200 and B200GT aircraft. The shades replace the factory-installed polarizers and can be closed when the aircraft is parked. The shades are flame retardant, have an antibacterial coating, provide Sun protection, reflect heat and are available in several colors.

The Learjet 45 and 45XR, built from 1998 to 2012 and only the second clean-sheet Learjets since the 1963 Learjet 23, have a lot going for them

Smyrna Air Center in Smyrna, Tennessee, is now Hollingshead Aviation. Jeff Hollingshead is president of the fixed base operation.

BCA shares news of the latest products and services for the business aviation industry.

Gulfstream Aerospace's second G600 flight-test aircraft flew for the first time Feb. 24, joining the manufacturer's flight-test program. The flight lasted 4 hr. 26 min. The first G600 aircraft had its first flight Dec .17 from Savannah Hilton Head International Airport. Since then, the aircraft has flown more than 150 hr. The aircraft is undergoing flutter testing, and is expanding the flight envelope.

Pivoting to an unprecedented wave of new aircraft owners and pilots, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is now welcoming unmanned aerial vehicle pilots into the fold. “Drone pilots are seeking their place in the larger world of aviation and looking for opportunities to expand their experience,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. The association noted an FAA estimate that 1.3 million pilots will be certificated to operate drones under 14 CFR Part 107 by 2020.

With certification of its AW609 commercial tiltrotor finally in sight, Leonardo is now embarking on the next step of its tiltrotor journey. Backed by the European Union’s Clean Sky 2 aeronautical research program, the Anglo-Italian aerospace company is putting the finishing touches to the architecture it envisions will shape its next tiltrotor and potentially give Europe the lead in fast civil rotorcraft.

Gulfstream and BAE Systems set out to reintroduce the intuitiveness of mechanically coupled flight controls by integrating electronically coupled sidesticks on the G500 and G600 business jets, set for certification this year and next year, respectively. Gulfstream G500 and G600 business jets will be the first commercial FBW aircraft with active sidesticks in service. For that achievement Gulfstream and BAE Systems were awarded the Aviation Week 2017 Technology Laureate during a gala in Washington.

Robinson Helicopters is considering adopting a diesel engine for a future derivative of its R44 piston-engine light helicopter. The company is “holding strong to putting a diesel” in the R44 over the next 3-4 yr., CEO Kurt Robinson announced in a speech to the Western Museum of Flight in Hawthorne, California, late last year. The helicopter manufacturer is working with a “couple of different [engine] manufacturers,” Robinson says. “We have got to get the vibration loads right.

Airbus Helicopters Inc. saluted the U.S. Coast Guard's fleet of HH/MH-65 Dolphin patrol and search and rescue helicopters as they recently passed 1.5 million flight hours. “This is an enormous accomplishment for the U.S. Coast Guard, and for Airbus,” said Chris Emerson, president of Airbus Helicopters Inc. “We are proud of the great work the men and women of the Coast Guard perform with these aircraft. They have saved countless lives and guarded our nation’s borders and ports.”

Aircraft leasing company Milestone Aviation Group Ltd. in February announced a contract for six Leonardo AW139 and three AW169 helicopters for delivery this year and next. Milestone leased seven AW169s and 11 AW139s in 2016. The latest deal is valued at $96 million.

The Global 7000/8000 program's second flight test vehicle flew for the first time March 4, and Bombardier says the 7000 is on track to enter into service in the second half of 2018.

The third and final Pilatus PC-24 prototype, P03, took flight for the first time March 6 when it launched from Buochs airfield near the company's headquarters in Stans, Switzerland.

The FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency have granted steep approach certification for the Cessna Citation Sovereign+ and Cessna Citation Latitude.

Aaron Hilkemann, president and CEO of Duncan Aviation, Inc., discusses Duncan’s overall business and the status of ADS-B upgrades and business aviation manufacturing.

General aviation delivery trend lines decline again in 2016 as the industry’s year-long freeze continued.

In April 1967, BCA covered new aircraft, including the Beech Duke and Aerostar 320, and new equipment as well as 1966 general aviation aircraft and business jet deliveries.

Bell Helicopter has delivered its first Bell 505 Jet Ranger X to Scott Urschel, a private operator based in Chandler, Arizona, and the owner of Pylon Aviation.

BCA readers share their opinions on articles we published.

Safe Flight Instrument Corp.'s Angle of Attack Stall Protection System has been chosen by Textron Aviation for installation in its new Cessna Denali single-engine turboprop.

Northrop Grumman is proposing that the Gulfstream G550 serve as the platform for the U.S. Air Force's next Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (J-Stars).

If it’s your first transoceanic crossing, or the first in a long time, there’s much to do in preparation.

XTI Aircraft Co., a Denver-based startup aircraft manufacturer, is hoping to build a hybrid-electric ducted-fan vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) business aircraft. It recently teamed with electric propulsion specialist Bye Aerospace to develop the TriFan 600.