Sikorsky's LifePort received a subcontract from L-3 Platform Integration in support of a Boeing 747-8 head-of-state completion project. LifePort will equip the upper deck of the aircraft with customized cabinets, partitions and a lavatory.
ACI Jet Centers began assessing a five cent fuel surcharge in July to offset costs of ongoing Proposition 65 litigation by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) over the sale and distribution of leaded aviation gasoline in California. ACI joins other fuel providers, including Signature Flight Support facilities, which have assessed the fuel surcharge. In addition, NATA also has appealed to members to fight the lawsuit filed against avgas providers last fall.
After filing for bankruptcy protection, Hawker Beechcraft is currently in a 45-day period of court-authorized “exclusive negotiations” with a Chinese company, Superior Aviation Beijing Co., 40% privately owned and 60% backed by the city of Beijing. HBC formally sought court clearance to begin the negotiations after receiving a $1.79 billion proposal from the Chinese firm for all but the defense business. Despite concerns expressed by the machinists union, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of N.Y. approved the company's motion July 17.
Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland (a Finmeccanica company) signed an agreement at the Farnborough International Airshow to jointly develop an all-new 2.5-metric-ton class single-engine helicopter. The agreement was signed by Bruno Spagnolini, CEO of AgustaWestland, and Russian Helicopters CEO Dmitry Petrov. The overall program will be shared on a 50/50 basis, with the new helicopter being designed for a wide range of applications worldwide.
Country: Federative Republic of Brazil Status: Brazil's largest city and financial center Country visa requirement: Yes, for passengers who are U.S. citizens; however, not required for flight crews traveling aboard the aircraft, excluding cabin attendants (who must have visas). Landing permit requirement: Yes Sponsor letter required: No
June 24 — About 1155 EDT, a Universal Stinson 108 (N39443), operated by a private pilot, was substantially damaged while ditching in the Atlantic Ocean, following a total loss of engine power during cruise flight near Portland, Maine. The private pilot was fatally injured. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight that departed Twitchell Airport (3B5), Turner, Maine, about 1030 in VFR conditions. According to preliminary data from the FAA, the airplane was in radio and radar contact with Portland International Jetport (PWM) Approach Control. About 10 mi.
Transport and environmental ministers from several countries opposed to the EU's emissions trading system (ETS) will gather in Washington July 31-Aug. 1 for closed-door meetings on political strategies to challenge the bloc's carbon-trading system. The U.S. State and Transportation departments invited ministers and diplomats from up to 16 countries, several sources tell Aviation Week. Besides the U.S., countries that may participate include China, Russia, India and Brazil. The EU and its 27 member states have not been invited to the Washington meeting.
I have been a subscriber to BCA for a relatively short time, but I have been greatly impressed with the depth and quantity of the very fine articles — all researched and written extremely well. I never cease to be pleasantly surprised at just how jam-packed each issue is with information I need, one article after the next. This is just a short note to say “Well done!” Pass it along to your staff and writers. They are making you look very, very good!
Holland's ECA Program B.V. has finished the initial design review for an Airbus narrow-body VVIP jet conversion. The fractionally-owned aircraft fleet, configured for 19 passengers, will consist of three A319 aircraft and four A320 jets. The A320 is to be used for regional flights of less than 8 hr. and the A319 for intercontinental flights. The service will be operated by a new entity, operating under Dutch certification and regulations. The aircraft will operate globally with the main focus being Russia and the Middle Eastern markets.
Calling the past four years an “epic correction” of the business aviation market, industry analyst Brian Foley warns that rather than waiting for an uptick, the industry should view the current situation as the “new normal” and adapt accordingly. “The pessimist in me says we'll be in something of a steady-state situation for the foreseeable future, with occasional setbacks balanced out by spots of growth,” Foley says, adding that companies that have geared for the current time — rather than waiting for an uptick — will have an edge should things pick up.
The fractional aircraft ownership jet fleet, while not yet returning to growth, has held steady this year, down by only a few jets from 2011, according data released by J.P.Morgan. The fleet count dipped by one jet to 766 in May, and that compares with 770 by the end of 2011. But 101 jets had dropped out of the fleet in 2011, “with each month contributing to the decline except December,” J.P.Morgan says. Overall, the fleet has declined in 33 of the past 41 months since the January 2009 peak of 960 business jets.
BBA Aviation, an aviation support and aftermarket services provider, announced that its Signature Flight Support subsidiary has committed to a seven-year lease extension and expansion of its downtown Orlando, Fla., corporate headquarters offices to accommodate anticipated growth. Signature Flight Support and Aircraft Service Group International (ASIG), together with their parent company BBA Aviation, collectively have more than 1,000 employees in 12 Florida cities.
The FAA formally reopened the comment period for a joint AOPA/EAA petition to permit certain operations without the pilot holding a third-class medical. The comment period, which originally closed July 2, will stay open until Sept. 14. The AOPA and EAA say the public needs the extra time to fully provide substantive comments, the FAA says. The petition, formally submitted in March, requested the exemption for pilots to fly fixed-gear aircraft of 180 hp or less, with four seats or fewer and up to one passenger in day VFR conditions for recreational purposes.
Hawker Beechcraft used July's Farnborough Airshow to gauge the market for an ISR-configured Baron G58. The company displayed a model of its Beechcraft Baron airframe outfitted with mockups of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) sensors, including an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera and data link, at its chalet during the airshow. The aircraft's basic surveillance package includes an EO/IR camera package with a 9-in. or 10-in.
View Operating Planning Guide Charts Aircraft operating costs are presented in a format that separates the data into seven separate areas: Mission Costs, Variable Costs, Fixed Annual Costs, Periodic Costs, Personnel Costs, Training Costs and Facilities Costs.
For more than a decade, Oakland, Calif.-based Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has built a practice winning lawsuits and scoring landmark settlements under its state's Proposition 65. That law, originally entitled the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, is designed “to protect California citizens and the state's drinking water sources from chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm, and to inform citizens about exposures to such chemicals.”
The trijet Mystère Falcon 50EX ranks near the top of all legacy midsize business aircraft as it was the last and most capable midsize jet built by Dassault. It's certainly one of the nicest handling business jets yet built, regardless of size or price, clearly an aeronautical blueblood and distinguished graduate of its maker's famous finishing school in Bordeaux.
City: Lima Country: Republic of Peru Status: Peruvian capital and largest city as well as a major financial center Country visa requirement: Yes, for business. Crew members including cabin attendants require visas only if traveling within the country (i.e., on multiple flights to points in-country). Landing permit requirement: Yes Sponsor letter required: Yes, for business if bringing articles or products into the country for demo or sale
If Brazil's economy is the powerhouse of South America, then São Paulo is its spark plug: The city alone accounts for more than 13% of Brazil's gross domestic product, leads Latin American cities in GDP, and is 10th by GDP among all the world's cities. And by population — just under 20 million — São Paulo also ranks as the largest city in the entire Southern Hemisphere. No wonder this 458-year-old settlement's motto is “I am not led, I lead.”
The U.S. Senate has passed the Pilot's Bill of Rights sponsored by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and a bipartisan group of 65 cosponsors. The legislation contains a number of provisions that would make the FAA and NTSB appeals process more transparent, including NTSB review of FAA enforcement actions and provide for federal district courts to review appeals from the NTSB. The provision requires that the FAA undertake a NOTAM improvement program and a mandatory GAO review of the airman medical certification process. The measure now goes to the House of Representatives.
Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company (HBDC) is putting its AT-6 light attack/armed reconnaissance aircraft into low rate initial production (LRIP) in Wichita. The company says it started low-rate production in response to “significant indications of interest around the world” for the attack variant of its PT6-powered T-6 trainer. However, the costly step could also be a move to strengthen its position in the ongoing competition with Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Embraer A-29 Super Tucano for the U.S. Air Force's Afghanistan Light Air Support (LAS) competition.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. brokerage Southern Cross Aviation has opened new offices in London, England, headed by Duncan Potter, and São Paulo, Brazil, headed by Rafael Branco Peres. Southern Cross will create a new website to be launched in early September announcing the addition of management services.
