Banyan Air Service and VisionSafe have entered into an agreement, naming Banyan an Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS) Sales and Service Center for the Southeast United States. EVAS is an FAA tested and certified system available for all turboprop and jet aircraft that displaces smoke enabling pilots to see the flight path and instruments during an emergency.
I would like to thank you for “Post-emergency Procedures in Oceanic Airspace” (September 2012), an excellent story. Jetflite is doing a couple of North Atlantic crossings per year. So, it's not so routine for us as it is for the scheduled carriers. Of course we are doing in-house training to be current in the NAT area. I feel that your article would be very useful for recurrent training. Training Manager
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller ( D-W.Va.) plans to retire at the end of his term next year, concluding a more than 30-year career in the Senate. An outspoken proponent of NextGen, Rockefeller has had both spirited debates with and praise for the business aviation industry. He has strongly believed that business aviation operators should pay more into the national air transportation system, but was willing to compromise his position on a need for aviation user fees to ensure that long-term FAA reauthorization legislation would pass the Senate.
Tom Myers Director, Marketing Aircell Broomfield, Colo. ( )
I really enjoyed “The Alabama Bet” in December. How cool is that about your son? Congrats, Pop! Also loved the words about Al Ueltschi, the man we called A-L-U. When I was with the ad agency years ago, FlightSafety was our client.
Meridian Air Charter, headquartered at Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey, will base a 9-passenger Citation XLS at Hayward Executive Airport (HWD) in Hayward, Calif. Meridian operates twenty-one managed aircraft based nationally from New York to California. Meridian Air Charter recently opened sales offices at San Jose International Airport (SJC) and Sonoma County Airport (STS) in California.
The youngest member of the Aero Commander family, christened Grand Commander, is already the biggest of the clan. Six feet, 2 in. longer than current models, the big twin almost doubles baggage room and will accommodate nine passengers and two crew in separate compartments. It offers performance similar to that of the Commander 680F. It is now in the process of certification, with first deliveries scheduled for April 1963.
Eclipse Aerospace remains on track to bring new Eclipse 550 very light jets to market in July, Chairman and CEO Mason Holland says. The company in June restarted the production line that had been shuttered for nearly 4 yr. Eclipse executives, who bought the program out of bankruptcy in August 2009, have maintained that they have had the resources to resume production, but first wanted to realign the supplier team and wait for the market to improve before building new aircraft. The company has remained cautious, as orders and the market slowly improve.
Cessna is beginning delivery of its more powerful Grand Caravan EX following the receipt of FAA type certification. The Caravan, which sports the new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 engine, is the first of as many as six new or follow-on aircraft that Cessna expects to bring to market this year. The Caravan has long been considered a workhorse with close to 2,200 delivered, but has been criticized for being underpowered.
Skyvision Xtreme, LLC released its Generation 2 (G2) Portable, a fully transportable ADS-B transceiver system for use with iOS, Android and Windows devices with Wi-Fi capability. It features a sleek new enclosure made of highly durable plastic, which decreases the weight from over 11 lb. to 7 lb. Customers can purchase the G2 Portable with an optional battery backup that notifies users of power loss or interruption. The system includes the Xtreme Vision display software to provide 3-D Synthetic Traffic display (patent pending) with 360-deg.
Rectrix Commercial Aviation Services (RECAS) acquired Westfield, Mass.-based AirFlyte. “An important factor in our decision to make this acquisition was the agreement of Gary [Potts] to stay on as president of AirFlyte,” says RECAS President and CEO Richard Cawley. AirFlyte is a FAR Part 145-certified repair station. RECAS is a holding company with four operating divisions: Rectrix Aviation, Rectrix FBO JetCenters, Rectrix Aircraft Maintenance and Rectrix Business Solutions.
Hawker Beechcraft is furloughing about 240 workers on its T-6/AT-6 production line as it winds down the most recent Joint Primary Aircraft Training Systems (JPATS) contract. The company is in negotiations for Lots 19 and 20, Hawker Beechcraft says. “To allow this negotiation process to be completed and synchronize output to customer demand, the company is initiating a rolling furlough on its T-6/AT-6 production line in Wichita,” the company says in a statement.
Just had to comment on “What Does the Boss Think About You?” (November 2012). I missed it until reading “Reader's Feedback” in the December issue and the reader's comments on it. I, too, think it is a great piece of work, but from a little different perspective. The letter writer's comments I see as straight up right from the muscle/business end with the truth and facts of the matter; you asked for it, and he delivered. Although what good it did to print it is another matter. Sometimes the truth should not be printed if it does no good.
General aviation groups welcomed the confirmation of Michael Huerta as the next FAA administrator, saying permanent leadership at the agency's helm is particularly important as FAA must tackle key environmental, certification and NextGen issues while operating under the threat of substantial budget cuts. Confirmation of Huerta, who has been serving as acting administrator for more than a year, came during an unusual New Year's Day session in the Senate. President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Huerta in March.
Sterling Partners, a Chicago-based private equity company, acquired an established aviation-maintenance college and plans to build partnerships with airlines, aircraft manufacturers and MRO providers, enhance the school's Tulsa, Okla., campus and open new campuses. “We're particularly excited about the opportunity to develop deeper partnerships with the industry,” says Jason Rosenberg, a principal with Sterling Partners.
Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF), Alexandria, Va., announced that Averitt Air of Nashville, Tenn., is the newest charter operator to join the ACSF. Averitt Air is a subsidiary of Averitt Express, a leading freight transportation and supply chain services provider. They specialize in aircraft maintenance, management, charter services, sales and acquisitions, and consulting.
The National Business Aviation Association announced the introduction of a new digital edition of Business Aviation Insider, the organization's official member magazine. Starting with the January/February 2013 issue, all NBAA member employees will have access to all digital issues in additional to the traditional option for printed subscriptions. The digital edition can be used on a desktop computer or almost any mobile device, and has added functionality, including the ability to embed audio, video, slide shows and other multimedia features. It is free to members.
Universal Avionics announced that the company will open a new satellite office in Signapore, scheduled to be opened in first quarter this year. This new office will further support Universal's customer base in areas including Thailand, Japan and Australia, where numerous flight deck retrofit projects are in progress. Additionally, it will be a dedicated sales and support base with local representatives that can provide fast onsite assistance for customers and partners in the region. Universal Avionics Systems Corp. Tucson, Ariz.
Four minutes after taking off from Singapore's Changi Airport on Nov. 4, 2010, the flight crew of Qantas Airways Flight 32, an Airbus A380, heard two loud explosions from the left inboard engine while passing through 7,000 ft. overhead Batam Island in North Indonesia. At that point, a “black swan event” began to develop.
Cessna has successfully completed certification flight tests for FAA Supplemental Type Certification of Safe Flight Instrument Corporation's AutoPower automatic throttle system for the Cessna Citation X. As we go to press, the STC is expected to be issued. Following the FAA certification flight, Cessna engineering test pilot U.J. Pesonen stated “That's an impressive auto-throttle system.
Soloy Aviation Solutions is now a Cobham/S-TEC dealer. Cobham Commercial Systems, Integrated Systems (formerly S-TEC Corp.) is a leader in analog and digital autopilot systems. Soloy is authorized for autopilot, display and HeliSAS systems in Cobham's line of avionics products.
In November 2007, TAG Holding of Geneva stunned the business aviation community when it agreed to pay the FAA a then-record settlement of $10 million to end an enforcement action. A month earlier, the FAA had issued an emergency suspension of AMI Jet Charter, one of the largest and most reputable charter and management firms in the U.S. at the time. TAG Holding had held a 49% stake in the outfit for which TAG Aviation USA had acted as the broker. The FAA asserted that TAG actually controlled the certificate holder, in violation of federal regulations.
Garmin has received the FAA's TSO authorization and AML STC approval for the GDL 88 series, its dual-link ADS-B solution for certified aircraft. With these certifications, the GDL 88 is approved for installation on most Part 23 fixed-wing aircraft and is available immediately. The unit provides a simple ADS-B rule-compliant solution for aircraft operating in the U.S. and below 18,000 ft. It also brings the added benefit of access to advanced traffic information and subscription-free weather for aircraft flying at any altitude, the company says.
The Republic of South Africa's government, the continent's southernmost nation has been open for business, both regionally and internationally, and trade has been deemed “vital.”
Hawker Beechcraft is seeking court approval for a “distress termination” of two of its three pension plans, calling the move critical for the completion of its reorganization and emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Wichita airframer had reached an agreement with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to continue its pension plan covering hourly workers but ending plans covering salaried workers (salaried plan) and nonunion workers in the customer support segment (base plan).
