A JetBlue copilot injured by a laser illumination July 15 is the latest victim of a nationwide phenomenon that has grown as much as tenfold since the FAA formally began taking reports in 2005. The laser illumination injured the JetBlue first officer over Islip, N.Y., as Flight 657 was on approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport at 5,000 ft. The captain reported two green flashes, one of which “caught the first officer,” and requested medical personnel meet the flight at JetBlue's Gate 24 after landing. The FAA reported that the first officer's injury was minor.
Piaggio is teaming with Saab to develop a maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) based on a highly modified version of its P.180 Avanti II business turboprop. At Farnborough July 10, Piaggio Aero announced that it signed a contract with Abu Dhabi Autonomous System Investments, a subsidiary of Tawazun, covering the development of the aircraft and the construction of two prototypes. The first is to fly in 2014. The MPA platform will have a bigger wing than a standard P.180, a greater takeoff weight and more fuel capacity.
Prime-mover helicopter, the S-64, is described by Sikorsky as akin to a “tractor truck, locomotive or tugboat.” Shown in its first public flight at the Stratford plant, the S-64 carries an 8-by-10-ft. truck trailer. It has cargo fittings (hard point) for passengers, cargo pods or truck bodies and can taxi with containers attached to the airframe. Powered by two P&WA JFTD-12 turbines rated at 4,050 shp each, it has a six-ton lift capacity for 200 nm. Two are earmarked for the West German government.
Baker Aviation Maintenance purchased AeroMech LLC. As part of the agreement, Baker will now operate at two locations: Meacham International Airport (KFTW) in Forth Worth and Addison Airport (ADS) in Dallas. Originally a mobile maintenance company, AeroMech was best known for its aircraft inspection/repair work and product knowledge gained over a 28-year span. Baker will retain all AeroMech employees.
Cessna Aircraft has introduced another Mobile Service Unit (MSU) based at the Atlantic Aviation FBO at Birmingham International Airport in Alabama. MSUs provide on-site technical expertise and immediate support for over 6,000 Cessna Citation jets in operation worldwide. There are now 18 MSUs in the U.S., with 22 in service overall covering the U.S., Canada and Europe.
ARGUS International Inc. (ARGUS) is a specialized aviation services company with global expertise whose mission is to provide the aviation marketplace with the information needed to make informed decisions and manage risk. ARGUS services include the CHEQ proprietary charter operator rating and due diligence program, TRAQPak market intelligence data and research services, and aviation consulting.
Effective Oct. 1, 2012, pilots must use FAA MedXPress to complete an electronic application for an Airman Medical Certificate. One of the significant enhancements will establish a tracking program so that pilots and AMEs can query the system electronically and determine the status of applications. Future enhancements will transition air traffic control specialists (ATCSs) to MedXPress.
For many companies, the security provided by a private jet is as important as its utility. But what are the benchmarks for security? Since corporations can take tax deductions for security expenses, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) created a standard for a “bona fide business-oriented security concern” to measure against personal flights being written off as necessary for security.
There's a hot competition between Nextant Aerospace and Hawker Beechcraft to determine which firm can retrofit the largest number of Beechjet 400A and Hawker 400XP light jets with Williams International FJ44 turbofans to make them fly faster and farther, quieter and more economically. At stake: The two firms together might reap as much as $9-10 billion in sales revenues, assuming the retrofits attract one third of the combined fleet of nearly 590 aircraft.
Flexjet, the fractional ownership arm of Bombardier, placed orders for three Learjet 70 aircraft for delivery in 2013. The operator announced plans to add Bombardier's newest Learjets – the 70 and 75 – to its portfolio shortly after the Canadian manufacturer unveiled them during the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition. But at the time, Flexjet did not have details of its initial plans to fold the new jets, the successor to the Learjet 40XR and 45XR, into its fleet. Flexjet says it is purchasing at least three of the 70 model for 2013.
A Gulfstream G280 recently set an unconfirmed city-pair speed record from Paris to White Plains, N.Y., making the flight in 7 hr., 40 min. NAA record certification is pending. The G280, took off from Paris Le Bourget Airport on May 17 and flew nonstop to Westchester County Airport at an average speed of Mach 0.80 against an average 32-kt. headwind. At maximum takeoff weight, the aircraft climbed to 43,000 ft. in 22 min.
Satcom Direct opened a new domestic office in Savannah, Ga. located in the general aviation area of Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Suite 101E of the Sheltair Aviation Services building. The facility includes a business office and a satellite testing and integration lab. Customers who visit the location have access to Satcom Direct's avionics and testing lab, training facility and support services.
Rockwell Collins has opened its Berlin Ascend flight information solutions office in the General Aviation Terminal area at the new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport, which will provide flight support services for European business aircraft operators. Specific enhancements to the Ascend flight planning tools have been introduced to support European operations including Eurocontrol Central Flight Management Unite (CFMU) routes and validation.
The bottom in used business jet pricing “remains elusive,” says JPMorgan analyst Joseph Nadol. Average asking price fell 0.9% last month, with heavy jets down 1.5% and light jets down 0.3%. This brought May to “a new low for the cycle,” Nadol says. But medium jet prices inched up 0.6%. And, with soft prices, inventory continues to shrink, down 10 bps in May. Used inventory of in-production models is now 10.6%, down from 11.1% in February, Nadol says.
Bombardier is the final manufacturer of large-cabin, long-range business jets to upgrade its flagship aircraft with large-format, flat-panel avionics, but based upon our recent demo flight, the wait was well worth the results. The Vision Flight Deck provides strong incentives for operators of older Globals with early 1990s vintage avionics to upgrade to the Global 6000's 21st century cockpit technology.
I'm a tad behind in my reading and just now finished “Studebaker Time,” the Viewpoint in my June 2010 BCA. As always, excellent. I have but one complaint . . . Where were you when I needed you?
The NBAA website contains a useful primer on the Twelve-Five Standard Security Program. Here is an excerpt providing a concise history of the security protocol:
The FAA's Flight Standard Service is hoping to have guidance in place by October that would change the approach that inspectors take toward addressing minor compliance issues. Flight Standards Director John Allen said earlier this year that the agency's officials were “trying to change a culture within the Flight Standards Service” to encourage inspectors to work out minor issues with operators before immediately jumping to enforcement action.
Belize Belize is the only Central American country that was not solely a Spanish colony, with Spain and Great Britain disputing rule over the territory in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1854, it officially became the colony of British Honduras, and remained so until it achieved independence in 1981 and became Belize. (The independence process was inhibited by a border dispute with Guatemala, which continues toward a so-far unscheduled referendum in both states to determine whether to refer the conflict to the International Court of Justice at The Hague.)
Africa's first full-motion helicopter flight simulator has been commissioned by Eurocopter in South Africa. The simulator, designed to train pilots and flight engineers operating Super Puma and similarly compatible civil and military helicopters including the South African Air Force's (SAAF) Oryx , is located at the SimAero training center adjacent to the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
Despite a sluggish start that will hold down deliveries at least through this year, Bombardier Aerospace expects the business jet market to accelerate over the next 10 years with the value of unit shipments nearly doubling through 2021 and then tripling over the subsequent 10 years. Bombardier is forecasting a market for 24,000 business jets valued at $648 billion through 2031. By 2031, business jet manufacturers are expected to be shipping 1,500 units annually, Bombardier says.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has opened a full-service multimedia center at its Product Support headquarters to enhance and increase communication with operations. The center includes a broadcast studio, control room and equipment room allowing Gulfstream to produce live streamed webcasts, videos and recorded broadcasts. The content produced in the multimedia center will be distributed on myGulfstream.com, the company's secure customer website, and will also appear on gulfstream.com.
