StandardAero's Associated Air Center has developed a full-scale BBJ airframe mockup center for creating and testing new designs, fittings and systems for Boeing Business Jets at its large transport category, VIP aircraft completions facility in Dallas. The re-engineered facility now offers full-scale fit capabilities on the BBJ while continuing to support designs on the Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ). The airframe mockup allows AAC to reduce aircraft downtime by starting key elements of the completion process before the customer's aircraft arrives at the AAC facility.
Blackhawk Modifications, the Waco, Texas-based company that specializes in engine performance solutions for turboprops, has won an FAA STC for its powerplant enhancement package for the Cessna Caravan 208B.
Piaggio Aero and Algar Group jointly announced that Algar Aviation has become the exclusive distributor for the sales and service of the Piaggio P180 Avanti II in Brazil. Algar Aviation already represents TBM in that country.
An analog computer, the first of its kind designed specifically for airline maintenance, tests an autopilot at United Air Line's San Francisco maintenance base in 30 min. or less. Formerly, static testing of malfunctioning autopilots took up to eight hours.
Larry E. Nazimek (Lubbock, Texas ), Chicago, Ill. (Lubbock, Texas )
President Barack Obama demonizes those who fly on business jets, as though it was the ultimate in luxury. The fact of the matter is that these jets enable executives to conduct company business more expeditiously. If they use the jets for personal business (such as a trip to a resort for a weekend), or if a family member, not connected with the company, accompanies them on a business trip, the value of the trip must be reported as income for tax purposes. Some companies may even require some type of reimbursement for the cost of the flight.
Eclipse Aerospace nears Brazilian type certificate validation of the Total Eclipse jet. After making its first appearance at the Eighth Annual Latin America Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE) in August, Eclipse Aerospace plans to announce full Type Certificate Validation this month. Eclipse has been working closely with the Brazilian Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) since April 2011 to validate the U.S. FAA Eclipse Type Certificate and allow the aircraft to be registered in Brazil.
Industry billings for new general aviation aircraft plunged 22.3% to $7.3 billion in the first half of the year, reflecting the general malaise that continues to plague the market, according to GAMA. In the first six months of 2011, aircraft shipments fell to 791, down 15.5% from the 936 delivered in the first half of 2010. Aircraft shipments fell across all categories in the first six months, but the drop in business jet deliveries was the most precipitous at 26.5%, or 261 units versus 355 in 2010. Piston aircraft deliveries slid 8.7%, while turboprops were down 8.9%.
Embraer has delivered a Phenom 100 jet to Titan Aviation, headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. It is Titan's first Phenom 100 and the company will manage and operate it on behalf of a customer based in India, widening Titan's operations in that country. Titan's portfolio of Embraer managed and/or operated executive jets already includes three Legacy 600s. Two more Phenom 100s are on order for 2012 delivery.
Eclipse Aerospace Inc. (EAI) has completed a combustion liner recertification project that will enable its EA500 very light jet (VLJ) to return to its maximum certified service ceiling of 41,000 ft. EAI calls the FAA approval the last of a lengthy list of certification projects that the company has undertaken to fix problems and improve the aircraft since it bought the program out of bankruptcy in August 2009. The fixes are expected to increase the value of existing EA500s and set the stage for new production of the VLJ.
Fokker Aircraft Services (FAS) handed over a 26-seat head-of-state-configured Airbus A320 to Masterjet, based at Le Bourget. This is the first A320 with a 26-seat configuration certified by both EASA and FAA. FAS is an EASA, GCAA and FAA Part 145 maintenance facility. Located in the Netherlands, its five hangars, spanning 16,000 sq. meters, can accommodate up to four Boeing 737-series and Airbus A320-family aircraft.
There now are more than 245 TBM 850 single-engine turboprops in service and the fleet has amassed more than 120,000 flight hours. Operators say that the newest iteration of the Daher-Socata aircraft is fast, economical and well built, reliable, comfortable to fly and easy to maintain. It has block speeds on typical missions that are competitive with entry-level light jets, but it burns far less fuel.
The Purchase Planning Handbook (May 2011) listed an incorrect takeoff field length for the Embraer Legacy 600. The correct distance for TOFL (5,000-ft. elev. @ 25C) is 7,604 ft.
MENA Aerospace Enterprises' avionics division, SA MENA Avionics, has been selected by Flight Display Systems to sell, install and support its systems. Flight Display Systems manufactures inflight entertainment products and cabin management systems, including moving maps, high-definition LCD monitors, monitor mounts, iPod docks, Blu-ray/DVD players, flight view cameras and iPad mounts. MENA Avionics is a full-service avionics repair station based at Bahrain International Airport and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Fresh off its July fiasco, when interminable political squabbling led to temporary unemployment for tens of thousands of FAA employees and construction workers assigned to FAA-funded projects, Congress returns to Washington this month faced with the same issue that led to the shutdown: the need to pass long-term legislation to authorize the FAA's operation.
Original equipment demand showed signs of perking up in the second quarter, says an August report from J.P. Morgan. “Updates from business jet OEMs were generally encouraging, though mixed signals persist,” according to the August Business Jet Update. The gap between the healthier high end and the still sluggish lower end remained in place, with the strongest numbers coming from Gulfstream, with an estimated 1.5x book-to-bill, writes analyst Joseph Nadol.
Air Methods has ordered four more AS350 B3s. Its Eurocopter-only fleet now includes more than 240 helicopters, not including those of its recently acquired Omniflight.
The Cessna 441 Conquest II's blend of over 300 kt. cruise speeds and top-notch fuel efficiency is stimulating buyer interest. In the past three years, the increasing price of jet fuel and the pressure to “go green” are causing some would-be used light jet buyers to reconsider high-performance turboprops instead. Cessna built 362 units from 1977 through 1986 and more than 300 aircraft remain in service. Midlife aircraft in good condition now command $1 million to $1.9 million.
Hawker Beechcraft Corp.'s Global Customer Support organization has built a comprehensive bundle of services for global government mission programs to support its Hawker and Beechcraft products as they operate in the field. This support includes a service center in Baghdad, maintaining six Iraqi Air Force King Air turboprops with 12 full-time technicians, as well as opportunities to become the service provider for future and existing T-6 and AT-6 international programs.
Could anyone alive — especially those of us in aviation — ever forget the morning of Sept. 11, 2001? That day, when al-Qaida highjackers converted jetliners into cruise missiles and killed more than 3,000 people, altered aviation forever.
“Illegal Chartering” (May 2011, page 32) brings to light the problems that we have in the industry with the regulation. Imagine trying to apply these regs on another form of transportation.
Jet Professionals has opened a new branch office at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The office will provide aviation staffing services to the Middle East market. “Our Al Bateen presence allows us to better serve and support our Middle East customers and to handle this market's current and anticipated growth,” says Hani Farag, managing director of Jet Professionals Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia. The company is working with its affiliate company in the Americas to provide universal staffing and support services.
Aircell, Broomfield, Colo., appointed industry veteran Dennis Hildreth manager, OEM sales. He is responsible for managing the company's relationships with business aircraft manufacturers. Avantair Inc., Clearwater, Fla., announced that Stephen Wagman has joined the company as executive vice president, finance and operations. Aviation Research Group/US, Cincinnati, named Mark Wulber to the ARGUS PROS (Partners and Resources for Operational Safety) team as the director of audit programs for business aviation.
The 2011 EAA AirVenture wrapped up with a 1.3% increase in attendance to 541,000. The event, held July 25-31, drew more than 10,000 aircraft to Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. — 2,522 show planes and 803 exhibitors. Registered international attendees numbered 2,098 from 68 nations. The 2012 AirVenture will be held July 23-29.
American Eurocopter has shipped the first EC155 bound for the University of Michigan's Survival Flight program to Metro Aviation, a helicopter completions specialist based in Shreveport, La. The aircraft is the first of three EC155s to be delivered this year. It is scheduled to be completed in October, after which it will be put into service at U-M and will be the first EMS-configured EC155 in service in the U.S.
