Digital monitoring systems that can record various parameters of aircraft operation in flight, covering engines, systems and the airframe, for maintenance purposes, trending or emergency response are becoming de rigueur in business aviation.
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.
On Sept. 3, 2010, a Boeing 747-400 cargo jet departed Dubai International Airport bound for Cologne, Germany. About 20 min. later, the crew made an emergency call indicating that there was a fire onboard. They returned to Dubai, donning oxygen masks and smoke hoods. Smoke entered the cockpit and eventually the crew was overwhelmed. The aircraft crashed south of the runway, killing both pilots. It was carrying a shipment of rechargeable lithium batteries.
Elrey Jeppesen would be hard pressed to recognize the company he founded in 1934. The United Air Lines pilot began taking notes as he flew his routes, and soon other pilots were borrowing them. Jeppesen quit his airline job to launch the charting operation full time, and the company grew to become the dominant private navigational data provider to the world. In 1961, it became part of the Times-Mirror companies, and in 2000, the company was acquired by Boeing.
Aircraft batteries have come a long way since they were first introduced in the 1920s. Early maintenance technicians were skeptical of carrying the wet-cell, lead-acid devices on board. They would vent sulfuric acid and hydrogen gas and required frequent servicing to add water and electrolyte and check the charge state. Most batteries were used for auxiliary power systems and emergency backup; few aircraft had the luxury of a battery-powered start. In the 1930s, as aircraft grew larger so did the need for reliable battery-powered starting.
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.
Jeppesen has been experimenting with nothing less than a complete overhaul of how flight information is presented, with the assumption that some form of digital access and display device will serve as the platform and that aircraft will be connected electronically to a dispatch operation or its equivalent. Another tacit assumption is that NextGen and the implementation of ADS-B will be paralleling the Jeppesen development effort.
United Rotorcraft Solutions refurbished two Eurocopter EC135s for Air Methods. The renovation included a complete reupholster of the interior; sanding, repairing and repainting the exterior; and performing major inspections and clearing discrepancies. The work on both helicopters was completed on schedule.
I was working on my second cup of coffee that Tuesday morning at 800 Independence, and reviewing some paperwork, when the phone rang. My wife, Lenore, was all business: “Go to the TV! Oh my God! It's unbelievable.”
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.
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.
When asked recently about the state of his used aircraft business, John Newton said Cessna's deliveries of previously owned Citations are 300% ahead of last year, and the order rate “is pretty consistent. I am feeling pretty good.”
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.
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.
Oliver Stone, a long-time broker with Texas-based Business Air International, is now the managing director of London-based Colibri Aircraft Ltd., a new firm that is offering aircraft acquisition, resale and asset consultation services. “My work was always based on being overseas, especially in London, so this takes advantage of being in the same time zone as a number of people who buy and sell aircraft,” said Stone recently.
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.
Flying Colours Corp., the Ontario, Canada-based interior completions specialist, says it is experiencing increased demand for midsize business jet refurbishments. Since the beginning of the first quarter, the firm has seen “a steady growth in orders,” particularly from Bombardier Challenger 300 and 604, Dassault Falcon 900 and Hawker 800 operators.
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.
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.
Recent research reports published by corporate aviation information provider JETNET and J.P. Morgan's aerospace and defense analysts say there are some positive signs in the pre-owned aircraft market, but that a broad-based recovery has yet to take hold. In releasing first-half results for the pre-owned business jet, business turboprop and helicopter markets, Utica, N.Y.-based JETNET called 2011 a “year of correction.”
Flexjet has launched a Learjet 85 fractional jet ownership sales program. Flexjet, a division of Bombardier, will be the first customer for its parent's largest Learjet. The aircraft is the first FAR Part 25 certified business jet with fuselage and wing built primarily from carbon composites and it incorporates highly advanced aerodynamics and structural engineering. Delivery is expected in 2013, the company said. Flexjet is offering guaranteed access and availability to its fractional ownership program fleet of aircraft.
All manufacturers of auxiliary power units (APUs) make other aircraft components as well. Honeywell makes propulsion engines, among other things, Hamilton Sundstrand is just one small part of United Technologies, and Goodrich makes landing gear, nacelles and a whole catalog of system components. APUs provide electrical power, compressed air and, in some cases, hydraulic power, mostly while the airplane is parked and has no external power sources. APUs may also be capable of starting in flight to provide backup power when necessary.
Business aircraft activity in July was down 3% from the previous month, with Part 91 and 135 segments dropping 5.8% and 0.7% respectively, according to Argus “TraQPAk” data. The fractional segment, however, was up 2.6% over June. The number of flights fell across all aircraft categories, says Argus. Small-cabin aircraft posted the smallest decline, down 1.2%, followed by turboprops, down 2.8%, midsize cabin aircraft, down 3.9%, and large-cabin aircraft, down 5.4%.
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.
