TSA reauthorization legislation, which cleared the House homeland security subcommittee Sept. 14, calls on the agency to develop procedures that would permit business aircraft operators to fly in restricted airspace. The measure comes as business aviation advocates have appealed to the TSA to work with the community to improve access in areas where temporary flight restrictions are in place.
The FAA Air Traffic Organization could be headed for a reorganization, says FAA Managers Association President David Conley. While there has been “no vision articulated by [FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt]” for such a restructuring, it has been discussed and consultants hired, he says. “We don't think he'll revolutionize it, but will evolve it.” A decision has been made to recombine the jobs of VP-technical training with the safety group, so training will again be part of safety, he adds.
Computerized maintenance management systems have all but replaced paper for the same reason that such digital systems usually take over any task: It's all become too complicated for humans.
Innotech-Execaire Aviation Group, a division of I.M.P. Group International, has appointed Ken Moon as regional manager, Western Canada for the Aircraft Sales Division. An industry veteran with more than 32 years of experience, Moon is handling sales of new Cessna Citations, as well as brokerage of pre-owned aircraft worldwide.
August 2011 business aircraft activity was up 4.0% from July 2011, but just 0.2% up over August 2010. Aviation Research Group/US TRAQPak data indicate that FAR Part 91 activity rebounded from last month, posting a gain of 7.4%, and the Part 135 charter segment increased slightly over the previous month, up 0.5%. The fractional segment showed a slight decline in activity, down 0.6% from July. Comparing August 2011 to August 2010, TRAQPak data says the Part 91 market continues to see positive year-over-year growth, posting an increase of 4.9% from August 2010.
FuelerLinx has released a new version of its fuel planning software, with a new feature that displays an operator's own negotiated contract fuel prices on an interactive route map. The patented new feature, Axiom Fuel Planner, displays real time fuel prices at all airports in range of every stop on a flight route. “Until now, operators have never been able to see all of their contract fuel price options surrounding the stops along their route,” said FuelerLinx President Kevin Moller.
Regarding “Crew Confusion” (Cause & Circumstance, August 2011, page 58): Gee! What ever happened to teaching them to fly an airplane first, then how to program an FMS? Did that crew not know it's possible to hand fly and crank in frequencies manually?
Magellan Jets is expanding into the Chinese market with its private jet and concierge services. Magellan initially is offering a “Cultural Education” charter service designed for Chinese citizens. Magellan is partnering with OrientSKYs private jet for logistical and operational flight support.
Thirty years ago, Jim Haynes was working in finance in Washington, D.C., when an accountant friend mentioned that he was trying to settle the estate of a couple who had been killed in an automobile accident. He said it appeared that they had an interest in a business out at Leesburg (Va.) Airport. That tragedy and that piece of information would soon set Haynes off on a course of action that would cause a change in taxation and help transform a region in ways no one could have imagined.
NBAA John H. Winant Award for this year will be given to Jim Cannon, an accomplished airman, author and advocate in business aviation. The Winant Award recognizes former NBAA directors whose service to business aviation continues well beyond their tenure of NBAA's Board of Directors. Cannon has served as chairman on the local committee that has been critical in the success of the association's Atlanta-based conventions. He coauthored a forthcoming textbook about business aviation.
In the wake of the revelation Sept. 12 that President Obama's jobs plan includes a provision singling out business aviation with a proposal to lengthen tax-depreciation schedules for new business aircraft, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen noted that this reversed a long-standing IRS policy, removing a proven incentive for the purchase of business aircraft that saved thousands of jobs in the current weak economy.
NetJets has signed a long-term lease with Van Nuys, Calif.-based FBO Maguire Aviation to build a dedicated, private terminal at Van Nuys Airport, custom-designed and operated to NetJets' specifications and owner preferences. The project includes a new 10,000-sq.-ft. terminal with a conference room and business center. Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2012.
In late September, Cessna introduced the Citation M2, a less-expensive and more-capable version of the CJ1+ that's intended to be a more attractive intermediate step up in speed, range and cabin comfort that will be positioned between the Citation Mustang and the CJ2+. The new design has been in development for three years and it's slated to fly during the first half of 2012.
JetBrokers Europe, the European arm of Chesterfield, Mo.-based JetBrokers Inc., enjoyed its best month of pre-owned aircraft sales activity in July. In addition to sales of smaller aircraft, the Farnborough, England, company's sales team completed transactions in July for two midsize jets — a 2008 Cessna Citation Sovereign and a 2004 Cessna Citation X. Both aircraft were sold to private owners based overseas.
Piper Aircraft is planning to lock down the design on its new single-jet Altaire in the fourth quarter, a final step before the first conforming test article flies next year. Executive Vice President Randy Groom says the project's critical design review is “imminent,” and that no real surprises have cropped up and no significant changes have been necessary since the company revamped the design a year ago.
Garmin unveiled a new series of portable navigation devices, the aera 796 and aera 795. The 796 will become Garmin's flagship portable aviation product, incorporating features of the GPSMAP 696, while also adding new capabilities such as a touch-screen user interface, pilot-selectable screen orientation and 3D Vision. The units are designed to move toward a paperless cockpit with a digital document viewer, scratch pad and pre-loaded geo-referenced AeroNav IFR and VFR enroute charts. The 795 incorporates the same features as the 796, but is not XM capable.
I don't want to sound picayune, but the caption on page 46 of the July BCA about Budapest's international airport has the name “Franz List,” which is misspelled. It should be “Franz Liszt.” The name is, however, spelled correctly on page 47. Liszt (1811-1886) was Hungary's most famous composer and the airport was re-named in his honor for this, his bicentenary year. Kiepura Aviation Corp.
A delay in setting a fuel-efficiency metric to measure aircraft CO2 emissions could open the door for environmental groups to push for stricter standards. An International Civil Aviation Organization working group has sent rival metric proposals to a steering group that meets in September, and is now targeting 2015 instead of 2013 as the date for completing a standard.
Cessna is offering Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) upgrades for the Citation Ultra and Citation Encore. The STCed installation, which covers all Ultras and Encores serial number 260 through 750, includes dual Universal UNS-1Espw flight management systems certified for fully coupled WAAS LPV (localizer performance with vertical guidance) approaches.
Hundreds of workers, officials, and aviation enthusiasts gathered Aug. 17 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a general aviation (GA) rally. The event, held at the Rockwell Collins Flight Operations Center, was organized by GAMA in partnership with Rockwell Collins and Goodrich Corp., both GA manufacturers with Iowa operations. Sen. Charles Grassley (R) and Reps. Tom Latham (R), Leonard Boswell (D), Steve King (R) and Bruce Braley (D) recognized general aviation's impact on the state of Iowa as each spoke to the crowd.
Thank you for “Hypocrite-in-Chief.” I only wish this message could be wider spread in all media. I wrote a letter to our local paper, The Cincinnati Enquirer, which was published. Limited to 100 words or less I needed to be brief but shared much of your content. I am a 35-year veteran of general/corporate aviation. I have seen how an aircraft used for business grows a company and creates jobs.
The first production Gulfstream G280, s.n. 2004, is having its interior installed at the company's Dallas center and is to be certified and delivered later this year. The midsize aircraft is manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries in Tel Aviv. The first three aircraft are involved in certification flight testing and have accumulated 1,500 flight hours to date. Originally designated the G250, Gulfstream renamed the aircraft in July in deference to sensibilities in the important Chinese market, where the number 280 is perceived there as more auspicious.
It is not often that the NTSB issues a probable cause of “undetermined,” but such is the case with the loss of a Learjet 35A and its two-pilot crew on Jan. 5, 2010. The twinjet, configured for cargo operations, was maneuvering on a circle to Runway 34 at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) at 1327 local time when it stalled and crashed into the Des Plaines River some 1.3 mi. short of the threshold.
The partial FAA shutdown ended Aug. 5 when the U.S. Senate adopted the House-passed version of a temporary FAA reauthorization bill by unanimous consent. The two-week FAA shutdown was estimated to cost the government $400 million in lost excise taxes and halted numerous construction projects. About 4,000 FAA workers and as many as 70,000 construction workers were affected. Trust fund paid positions were not. But that reauthorization, itself, will expire Sept.
