Business & Commercial Aviation

Dassault launched the Falcon 2000 program in 1989 as a large cabin aircraft that would have double-club seating, 3,000 nm range and operating costs nearly as inexpensive as midsize jets.

Red Aviation, Georgetown, Texas, has acquired DFW Instrument in Addison, Texas. Founded in 2001, Red Aviation provides parts and services. DFW Instrument provides repairs of flight-critical instrument and equipment repairs to the business aircraft industry.

The FAA will abolish 950 jobs by June 30 without a single “layoff,” adhering to a cost-saving mandate from President Johnson. Annual FAA turnover is about 8% , which means 3,200 jobs will be vacated this year, not all of them to be filled.

JFI has grabbed attention for flights into Cuba. An important market?

Headquarters and production buildings are largely heated with renewable energy produced by locally grown and waste timber that is converted into gas in a complex process at a wood gasification plant.

Former Naval aviator John Koon spent his last tour on active duty assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana, where he flew the American ambassador throughout West and Central Africa in a Beech C12 (King Air 200) where he had plenty of opportunities to assess the quality of ATC and competence of controllers.

FlightSafety International said it is adding two Cessna Caravan Level D qualified simulators at its Wichita East Learning Center.

Jet Aviation St. Louis has received FAA approval for the Supplemental Type Certificate for installation of its Future Airspace Navigation System for the Bombardier Challenger 604.

Bell Helicopter has added Agrarflug Helilift, located in Ahren, Germany, to its network of authorized customer service facilities. Agrarflug Helilift has more than 40 helicopters in its fleet and provides charter services, aircraft maintenance, pilot training and maintenance training. The newly authorized company will provide field maintenance services for the Bell Helicopter 204, 205, 206A/B, 206L, and 212 model aircraft. It will also offer customization and refurbishment services.

Textron Aviation has delivered its 2,500th Cessna Caravan. Accepting the keys to the single engine utility turboprop at ceremonies in Wichita in late September was Jim Rowe, head of Bering Air of Nome, Alaska. The carrier is taking delivery of eight Grand Caravan EX aircraft this year, and retiring an equal number. The aircraft is powered a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 rated at 867 shp. Bering’s Caravans operate around the Arctic Circle, hauling people and supplies in temperatures as low as -60F.

As Wynand Meyer, director of UAS International Trip Support’s Africa division in Johannesburg puts it, “Africa is the next big development,” as it’s the last continent still fresh for modernization of its infrastructure — mainstream as well as aviation.

Embraer is introducing the E2VS, short for Embraer Enhanced Vision System, a two-part package that includes Rockwell Collins’ HGS-3500 compact head-up guidance systems and its new triple-band EVS-3000 enhanced vision sensor. E2VS could be a breakthrough for business aviation.

Universal Avionics in Tucson, Arizona, has completed its second ground-testing round for software changes to support the integration of EFI 890H Advanced Flight Displays in the AS332 Super Puma helicopter, the company said.

Pilatus has been building rugged, versatile aircraft since 1939, and today nearly 3,000 aircraft are in service throughout the world.

The news that Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger will be a main speaker at the NBAA Convention later this month brought me such pleasant anticipation that I can grudgingly forgive the event planners for choosing, again, to hold it in Las Vegas, arguably America’s most venal city.

Rockwell Collins received an FAA supplemental type certificate for Future Airspace Navigation Systems (FANS) 1/A upgrade for Pro Line 4 avionics-equipped Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft. With FANS 1/A, Challenger 604 aircraft operators will have access to preferred wind-efficient transatlantic routes to save both time and fuel.

AAR, Wood Dale, Illinois, announced that Steven B. Harrison has been appointed president of AAR Airlift, which is headquartered in Palm Bay, Florida, and has operations worldwide.

OneJet will select an aircraft capable of carrying seven or eight passengers update 1,000 mi. in the fourth quarter and has selected SkyWorks Capital for help in structuring and closing the transaction.

Daher has appointed Exec Aero at Orlando Executive Airport as the TBM service center serving TBM aircraft customers based in Central Florida and visitors to the area.

Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) have introduced legislation to clarify that aircraft management services are not subject to federal air transportation taxes.

Spike Aerospace is developing the supersonic Spike S-512 with a maximum cruise speed of Mach 1.8 and capability of taking 18 passengers from Los Angeles to Tokyo in 6 hr. at Mach 1.6.

Flexjet and its sister company, Flight Options, will be recognized as a single carrier within its parent company, Directional Aviation, the National Mediation Board ruled on Sept. 30.

Astra, an African flight support company, has signed ground handling agreements with National Aviation Services at Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Pentastar Aviation is adding a new aircraft interior design studio at the company’s site at Oakland County International Airport.

Wheels Up, a membership-based private aviation company, has completed a round of funding that will allow it to establish a base for operations in Europe and enhance the company's technology platform, the company said. With the funding, Wheels Up's valuation is now greater than $500 million.