“Illegal Chartering” (May 2011, page 32) made several very interesting safety points. In Europe, there are “owners” who N-register their aircraft and operate them under FAR 91 since it is often easier and cheaper than registering and operating them privately under the rules of a European CAA. These FAR 91 “owners” are sometimes affiliated with a commercial E.U. JAR-OPS 1 Air Operator under a same commercial umbrella.
Walter C. Pague passed away July 1 at the age of 95 in Middletown, Ohio. Returning from service as a Naval aviator in 1945, he was the first pilot at American Rolling Mill Company, now Armco, and founded its flight department, retiring in 1980. In 1946 he was one of the 13 founders of the Corporation Aircraft Owners Association, which evolved into today's National Business Aviation Association. Pague served on the association's board of directors from 1947 to 1964.
SimCom now offers an accellerated nine-day Eclipse 500 initial type rating course for pilots with turbine and high-altitude operating experience. The course has fewer classroom hours than the 14-day course for less-experienced pilots. Total simulator hours are the same for both programs.
Piaggio Aero, one of the oldest names in aviation, expressed faith in its future by breaking ground for a new, ultra-modern and super-efficient manufacturing plant at Villanova d'Albenga, Italy. The new plant, set to open in 2013, will manufacture parts and subassemblies for the P180 Avanti II turboprop as well as aircraft engines. If Piaggio goes ahead with its long-studied business jet, that would also be manufactured there. Meanwhile, the Avanti pusher will continue to be assembled and finished at the company's historic facility in Genoa.
St. Louis-based JetCorp Technical Services has received an STC for the installation of Aircell's Cabin Telecommunications Router (CTR) in a Bombardier Challenger 300 business jet. The CTR provides in-cabin Wi-Fi capability for the Gogo Biz Inflight Internet service, which enables passengers to use their BlackBerry, iPhone and other Wi-Fi enabled devices inflight at connectivity speeds equivalent to ground-based hotspots.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. reopened Hangar F at its Dallas Love Field location to service mid-cabin G200 and G250 aircraft. The 62,000-sq.-ft. hangar increases space by nearly 18% at the site, freeing up space to service more large-cabin jets including the G650 due for certification this year.
Twenty-two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall — the pivotal event marking the sunset of the USSR — former Soviet satellite states have emerged from the shadows to claim their place in the new Europe.
Tom Haines (Editor in Chief, Senior Vice President )
Thanks for the nice piece about John Wiley. I will surely miss him and his dry humor. We frequently compared Bonanza notes at the shows and talked shop. I first met him when I was at Professional Pilot magazine and he was still contributing there. I, as always, also enjoyed his last entry in BCA (“Baghdad Diary,” April 2011, page 42). How prophetic his closing sentence: “Life . . . is also very unpredictable.” Sad. He will be missed. Thanks for capturing his good soul so well.
With two limited free-flight “experiments” on unscheduled general aviation operations in China's airspace, otherwise rigidly controlled by the nation's military, the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) expressed its opposition to a “free-for-all in the skies.” Despite what earlier reports might have indicated, Cai Jun, head of the air traffic control department reporting to PLAAF general headquarters, quoted in an article in the People's Daily Online, said that low-altitude flight (below 1,000 meters or 3,280 ft.) restrictions for small planes will be reduced but in
ACSS (an L-3 Communication and Thales company) Phoenix, named Kimberly Murdoch vice president of operations, responsible for manufacturing repair and overhaul and integrated supply chain management. She will report to Terry Flaishans, ACSS vice president and general manager. American Helicopter Society International (AHS), Alexandria, Va., has selected Michael J. Hirschberg to be its executive director. He replaces M.E. Rhett Flater, who served the Society for 20 years.
Gulfstream Aerospace has delivered its 300th Gulfstream G550 business jet to a Taiwanese customer. Taiwan charter and aircraft management company Win Air will manage the jet. The company operates two U.S.-registered aircraft (a Gulfstream G450 and a GIV), along with its two Taiwan-registered G550s.
Quest Aircraft Co. said it is increasing the production rate for the its Kodiak turboprop. A recapitalization earlier this year plus new investor funding enabled the company to expand and invest in key areas, including production increases at its Sandpoint, Idaho facility. Quest began customer deliveries of the Kodiak in late 2007, and it has since been deployed in more than 10 countries around the world in a variety of applications. Kodiaks are in service with charter operators, small businesses, personal owners, skydiving operations, U.S.
Rockwell Collins has received an STC to retrofit Pro Line 4-equipped Falcon 2000 and Falcon 2000EX aircraft with the Pro Line 21 avionics suite. The upgrade replaces the legacy CRT displays with LCD displays. Some 250 Falcon 2000 and 2000EX aircraft are eligible for the Pro Line 21 retrofit.
Abu Dhabi Airports Company signed a lease with Jet Aviation authorizing it to provide aviation services at Al Bateen Executive Airport later this year. Under the deal, Jet Aviation becomes Al Bateen's first independent maintenance, repair and overhaul provider.
More than 15 years ago, the FAA chartered a human factors team to look into the causes of a spate of accidents that involved crews trying to function within highly automated cockpits that had been introduced by a new generation of aircraft. The Flight Safety Foundation published the results of that initiative in 1996 and noted in the report that one key issue centered on the disconnect between pilots and the airplane, often expressed by crew members as “Why did it do that?” or “What is it doing now?”
Your tribute to my friend John Wiley in the April issue of BCA was very moving. Well done. And it's so hard to believe that his story in that issue was his last work.
Landmark Aviation will take over the operation and management of the West FBO at Tampa (Fla.) International Airport from the current tenant, Signature Flight Support, on Oct. 8. The agreement with the Tampa Airport Authority is for 20 years with a five-year renewal option if Landmark constructs a minimum 30,000-sq.-ft. hangar facility during the initial 20-year term. Under the agreement, Landmark will provide Signature's current Tampa employees with employment opportunities. In addition, Landmark is required to make a one-time payment of $2,569,500 on or before Oct.
The Air France 447 tragedy might have been avoided if the flight crew had a display of critical and rudimentary aerodynamic performance data. That is angle of attack (AoA), the geometric angle between the mean chord of the wing and the relative airflow.
Eurocopter was to debut its X3 hybrid helicopter at the 2011 Paris Air Show as we went to press. Lutz Bertling, Eurocopter president and CEO says, “The X3 is an excellent example of how we are preparing for the future . . .
FinServe Aviation Insurance, a European business aviation insurance broker, has developed a new insurance program — FinServe European Business Aviation Placement (F-EBAP) — that is designed to cover a broader range of risks associated with owning and operating business aircraft in Europe. “Most policies are very limited, covering the aircraft only,” says FinServe CEO Guy Broddin.
There are plenty of choices in today's pre-owned light jet market and plenty of trade-offs in cabin comfort, performance and direct operating cost. The Beechjet 400/400A has one of the roomiest cabins in its class, rivaling those of Phenom 300 or Learjet 40XR, although it's about two feet shorter in length. It will climb directly to FL 410, or higher, and cruise at 440 KIAS, assuming standard-day conditions. And most aircraft in the resale market are priced at $1.2-$1.8 million, an attractive value.
Santa Monica, Calif., announced June 2 that it has finally dropped its long fight to ban large business jets from flying into Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO). The handwriting was already on the wall for the airport after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected the city's petition to overrule a finding back in January by the FAA that the ban was illegal.
Development of new products always involves a decided end point at which the design will be frozen; once that point is reached, changes become more costly to make. Engineers therefore use a convenient tiered system to determine where the end point of a program will be. NASA and the Department of Defense, the government agencies aside from the FAA most closely involved in the aerospace sciences, provide a ready-made scale called the Technology Readiness Level to measure the maturity of a new technology.
Erik Eliel's “Getting Radar Right” (April 2011, page 54) is one of the best “Met” pieces I have read in a while. The writing style is excellent as well as the knowledge you have imparted to me. Please, keep them coming! Boeing 737 Captain, US Airways Aviation Management Systems Inc.
Greenpoint Technologies and Aviation Technical Services (ATS) have signed agreements for two Boeing Business Jet aircraft completions. Installation will be performed at ATS' facility at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., which is located adjacent to Boeing's 777 and 747-8 production lines.
