Light plane and business jet shipments increased across all categories in the second quarter of 2014, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). A total of 592 aircraft were delivered by GAMA members in the period, up 5% from the 567 shipped in the same period last year. As a result, billings inched up from $5.723 billion in second quarter 2013 to $5.739 billion in the most recent quarter.
The TBM 900 has been reviewed recently in all of the major publications. As is unfailingly the case, Fred George’s “TBM 900” pilot report (July 2014, page 36) was the most thorough, informative, accurate and unvarnished. You are the best in the business.
Textron’s Lycoming Engines report work underway on as many as 25 aircraft engine integration projects for general aviation, most of which are outside of the U.S.
“Weather-Related Loss of Control” ( Cause & Circumstance, July 2014, page 54) was a great piece! I’m so glad you referenced the NOAA/TNWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Convective Outlook. As you are aware, I’ve hawked the value of it for 35 years. First thing I look at when I get to the office each morning. It tells me everything I need to know about convective weather for the day. Editor’s note: The writer is a former B&CA editor-in-chief.
I have been reading B&CA since the dawn, and admire your work. I have flown out of Bedford, Massachusetts (BED) for well over 40 years and am exposed to the jungle drums and tribal lore. The May 31 Gulfstream GIV accident ( Intelligence, July 2014, page 16) was horrific and brings to mind our flight instructor mantra of breaking the accident chain.
A turbojet version of the Gulfstream has been proposed “on paper” by a team of Grumman engineers and marketing types. The airplane would be priced in the $2 million neighborhood.
High-performance aviation organizations set the bar for crew discipline and error prevention by using comprehensive safety management systems (SMS) that trap errors before they can develop into safety risks. The process initially starts by creating a comprehensive flight department operations manual, one that promulgates detailed standard operating procedures as well as general policies. (See “The Flight Department Ops Manual,” B&CA, July 2014, page 44.)
Business aircraft operators, law enforcement agencies and others using FAA’s Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program to preserve anonymity when airborne will lose such privacy protections as the agency transitions from secondary surveillance ATC radars to the new automatic dependent surveillance — broadcast (ADS-B) system.
