Business & Commercial Aviation

Jet-A And Avgas Per-Gallon Fuel Prices September 2016

Airway user charge hearings by the House Ways and Means Committee called on short notice in late August caught general aviation groups by surprise although such action had been anticipated for several months. Swearingen’s Merlin II No. One has been delivered to Newark, New Jersey, Air Sales, which will distribute the new twin turbines. Production plans call for an ultimate three units per month rate; at least eight are in now process.

For as little as $2 million, you can buy a used Cessna Citation CJ1+ that can fly four passengers nearly 1,200 nm and land with 100-nm NBAA IFR reserves. That’s farther than some new light jets costing more than double the price. Cessna Aircraft delivered just over 100 of these entry-level light jets between late 2005 and early 2011, before the one-two Sunday punch of the Great Recession and arrival of the Embraer Phenom 100 knocked it out of production.

The NTSB has reached out to the pilot community urging to be aware of the dangers slowly progressing cataracts can present for some piloting activities — especially night operations.

News of promotions, appointments and honors involving professionals within the business aviation community.

Selected accidents and incidents in August/September 2016. The following NTSB information is preliminary.

Since fire in flight can easily be a catastrophic event, flammability protection is a major concern for aircraft safety. Every piece of an aircraft's interior furnishings needs to meet or exceed regulations, down to the smallest trash bin.

While it may be wrong thinking, passengers often equate the interior condition of an aircraft with the overall condition of the machine and its systems along with those who operate, manage and maintain them. Worn or stained carpeting, tarnished plating and the usual wear and tear that you might find acceptable may be viewed quite differently by your primary customer.

BCA readers share their opinions on articles we published.

South Carolina’s innovative way to survey airports.

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

Rockwell Collins has received authorization to sell satellite connectivity services in Brazil, the company said. The license, authorized by Anatel, gives Rockwell Collins the ability to sign distribution and service agreements with companies and customers operating in Brazil, the company said. Rockwell Collins is a reseller for Inmarsat and Iridium satellite services.

Gulfstream Aerospace has developed the first phase of a mobile application to help Gulfstream operators streamline flight operations, the company says. The Performance iPad app, a companion to Gulfstream’s PlaneBook electronic suite of flight crew information, allows Gulfstream G650 or G650ER flight crews to calculate performance data for takeoffs and landings, replacing paper charts and manual calculations.

Icon Aircraft is shifting production of major components for its A5 sport amphibian from subcontractor Cirrus Design to its own 300,000-sq.-ft. facility in Tijuana, Mexico, that will be up and running by November.

A Comlux ACJ319 has been retrofitted with sharklets, becoming the first Airbus Corporate Jet to undergo the replacement process—and the first of any version of the A319. The work was conducted by TAP Maintenance and Engineering and managed by Airbus Corporate Jets. The manufacturer says the extended winglets can produce fuel savings of as much as 4%, and thus a corresponding improvement in range.

TrueNorth Avionics has introduced Simphone Pro, its latest cabin communications system, with a special upgrade program for legacy Simphone installations. The company says upgrading requires no more than pulling out the old system and plugging in the new. The upgraded unit is a 4MCU offering Wi-Fi, high-fidelity telephony, with a full-featured VoIP PBX, enterprise email and seamless connectivity for smartphones and other personal electronic devices. The system is available with and without dual Iridium voice and data channels.

Bombardier celebrated 40 years of operations in Tucson, Arizona, where it occupies nearly 1 million sq. ft. of hangar space. The Tucson Air Center is the largest of Bombardier’s nine service centers and employs more than 900 engineers, technicians and staff. The site opened in 1976 at the Tucson International Airport, where it is one of the largest tenants. The facility provides services for Learjet, Challenger and Global business aircraft and CRJ Series regional jets and Q400 turboprops.

Business aviation flight activity was positive during the first half of this year, with activity up in five of the six months compared to the same period a year ago, according to Argus International TraqPak data. April was the only month to post a decrease over 2015 flight activity, with a 0.6% decline. Flight activity is expected to rise 3.4% in August, September and October when compared to the same period in 2015, TraqPak analysts predict.

European business aircraft brokers and operators have been the victims of cyberattacks in increasing numbers, said London-based BACA, the Air Charter Association. It appears a “sophisticated criminal community” is targeting the business aviation sector and has hacked into broker and operator internal communication systems to gain access to bank accounts and trading information, BACA said. Attacks have taken place throughout the UK and Europe, it said. The rise in attacks was reported during the 438th meeting of the BACA Council, it said.

Platinum Air Center has opened at Jack Edwards Airport in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The new FBO, owned by Arve and Emily Henricksen, is temporarily operating out of a 3,500-sq.-ft. modular complex. Construction of a $5 million facility and hangar, to be located adjacent to the modular facility, will begin in early 2017 with plans for completion by mid-2019. Plans include a 44,000-sq.-ft. FBO containing a 140 x 160-ft. hangar with 28-ft.-high doors.

There's a new campaign underway to fully restore the Burgess-Wright Model F Aircraft that landed on the White House lawn a century ago and put it on permanent display at Reagan National Airport’s Historic Terminal A. Designed by the Wright Brothers and manufactured under license by Starling Burgess, the Model F landed on the South Lawn of the White House on July 14, 1911.

Bombardier Aerospace's first Global 7000 ultra-long-range business jet has been registered on Transport Canada's Canadian Civil Aircraft Register. The aircraft was registered August 29. The company is concentrating on preparations for first flight, planned to take place this year. “We’re focused on flying as soon as possible,” said Bombardier spokesman Mark Masluch, who declined to give further details.

After years of criticism for foot-dragging, the FAA on Aug. 29 instituted Part 107, which regulates unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). And industry has expressed satisfaction with the rules which enable routine commercial drone operations. The so-called Small UAS Rule, “represents a low and reasonable barrier to entry,” says Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs at DJI, by far the largest maker of small drones, which by definition weigh less than 55 lb.

Russia's TsAGI aerohydrodynamic research institute has completed initial wind tunnel tests of an agricultural unmanned aircraft developed by Tatarstan's Aviaresheniya design bureau. The tests at airspeeds up to 72 kph (45 mph) were conducted in TsAGI’s full-scale wind tunnel in Moscow. The vertical-takeoff-and-landing UAV has two lifting propellers mounted side-by-wide within an open framework. What appear to be vanes under the two-blade props likely provide flight control.

The Quest Kodiak recently received type certification in Chile, its 23rd such approval. The company reports several additional certifications are imminent.