Whether inadvertent or intended, illegal charter hurts everyone in an industry that is always trying to raise the safety bar. So claims Dennis Keith, president and founder of Jet Solutions, a Dallas-based charter operator with nearly 200 aircraft on its operating certificate.
The Max-Viz EVS-1500 dual field of view (optical zoom) infrared Enhanced Vision System (EVS) has been approved for installation on Gulfstream III, IV and V series aircraft via an amended STC.
Looking for guidance on the use of electronic manuals? Advisory Circular AC 120-78 — Acceptance and Use of Electronic Signatures, Electronic Recordkeeping Systems and Electronic Manuals — provides guidance on the acceptability of electronic maintenance manuals, including inspection procedures, quality operations and training manuals. The AC also provides guidance on the acceptance and use of electronic signatures, and electronic recordkeeping systems.
The business aircraft industry again flew through stormy skies in 2010. Compared to 2009, 12.3% fewer new turbofan aircraft were delivered, new turboprop shipments declined another 17.7% and there was a 7.7% drop in new piston aircraft deliveries, according to GAMA.
Falcon 50EX operators with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics can now upgrade to Pro Line 21 via an STC from Rockwell Collins. The Falcon 50EX Pro Line 21 retrofit features four large, configurable 10-by8-in. LCDs and Rockwell Collins' Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS). With IFIS, pilots will have access to high-resolution electronic charts, XM graphical weather (including but not limited to NEXRAD), lightning data, satellite images, winds aloft data and enhanced navigation maps.
The FAA Civil Aerospace Medicine Institute (CAMI) has released a report of the first systematic investigation of how modern Web-based weather products are actually used by general aviation pilots. A data-gathering emulation of 18 pages of the National Weather Service website was written by CAMI's W.R. Knecht to present two similar, challenging weather scenarios to 50 GA pilots in a simulated cross-country VFR flight. Each pilot made two flights, separated by several months.
Piper Aircraft is expecting to complete renovations this summer to accommodate production of its Altaire business jet as work continues on the first of four conforming test articles, the company says. Piper updated the status of its first jet offering, the $2.6 million single-engine Altaire, noting that it has selected all “Tier 1” vendors, including tooling specialist Hampson/Global Tooling Services, which has tooling designers on site at the Piper facility. The airframe maker says the Altaire production facility will be ready to manufacture aircraft next year.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Namibia has become the 69th organization worldwide and the seventh in Africa to join the International Council of Aircraft Owners and Pilot Associations (IAOPA). The IAOPA notes that general aviation is particularly important in Namibia, which is one of the least densely populated countries in the world, with 2.1 million people and a size that is a little more than half that of Alaska.
FAA Flight Standards Director John Allen calls concerns over potential GPS jamming “a very, very big issue right now.” The FAA is working with the Federal Communications Commission on the potential ramifications of the recent conditional approval for LightSquared to provide terrestrial broadband services using frequencies reserved for mobile satellite communication. The agency “is all over this,” he says, adding, “They're in the middle of a food fight right now.”
The following description of the hotline is posted on the NATA website (www.nata.aero): “Effective immediately, any employee or agent of a Part 135 on-demand certificate holder can call a special toll-free hotline, (888) 759-3581 or (888) SKY-FLT1, to file a report of suspected illegal commercial flights, where an aircraft operator without an FAR Part 135 certificate is accepting compensation for transportation in violation of both FAA and Department of Transportation regulations.
Falcon Aviation Services, an Abu Dhabi-based charter operator, has added an Embraer Lineage 1000 to its fleet, joining the existing fleet of Gulfstream G450 and Embraer Legacy 600 aircraft.
“Guardedly optimistic” is how JP Morgan analyst Joseph Nadol describes a recovery in new business jet demand this year, but warns that the path is a winding one and data points are mixed. “In March, for example, used inventory ticked up for the first time since October. The increase was slight, but a further decline would have inspired more confidence,” he writes. “Likewise, pricing was more or less flat after increasing in January and February. Most models saw price increases, however, and we still see a trend toward firming prices.”
ARGUS reports that March flight activity shows significant increase over the previous month. TRAQPak data indicate March business aircraft activity was up 17.2% over February. Looking at operational categories, the FAR Part 91 market segment saw the biggest month-over-month increase at 18.6%. The fractional segment came in second, up 17.0%, and the Part 135 market was positive as well at 15.0%. Comparing March 2011 to March 2010, activity increased 4.7%. The Part 91 and fractional markets both saw activity increase at 9.5% and 5.7%, respectively.
The Gulfstream V is one of the highest performance large-cabin business aircraft on the pre-owned market. Between 1997 and 2002, the Savannah firm built 194 units before replacing it with the GV-SP, commercially known as the G550.
I was interested to read “No Hiding” from William C. Kontes (Readers' Feedback, February 2011, page 9). Of course, you can't hide a Falcon 900LX behind a Grumman Tiger, but when you compare its size to a Gulfstream G450, there is a big difference in length, span and weight for similar performance. That's optimization over maximization, an improvement from a younger design.
Thrane & Thrane's Aviator 200 SwiftBroadband system with Wi-Fi has received a European Aviation Safety Agency STC for installation in Cessna Citation CJ1 and CJ2 jets. The system was integrated and tested aboard a Cessna CJ1 by RUAG Aerospace Services GmbH in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Thrane & Thrane's Aviator 200 is a compact, lightweight system that offers reliable, affordable connectivity to provide users with a range of voice and data services.
Malaysian offshore operator Weststar Aviation Services has taken delivery of the last three of the nine AgustaWestland AW139s it ordered, primarily for supporting offshore oil and gas operations in the country. The three were delivered to Kuala Lumpur's Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport via an Antonov AN124 freighter. Six AW139s will be based at Kertih, with the remaining three at Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Pengkalan Chepa. Weststar, reputedly the fourth biggest AW139 offshore operator in the world, provides helicopter services to oil and gas companies.
Embraer signed a preliminary agreement with AVIC (Aviation Industry Corp. of China) for their Chinese joint venture company, Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry Co. (HEAI), to set up a Legacy 600/650 production line in China. The preliminary deal calls for output at the joint venture to shift from 50-seat ERJ-145 regional jets to Legacy 600/650 business jets, which are derived from the ERJ-135/145 family. As we go to press, Embraer says it expects to finalize the details of the new arrangement with AVIC and “execute the relevant documentation” within weeks.
Signature Flight Support has launched a new maintenance brand. Signature TECHNICAir consolidates all Signature-owned maintenance facilities under one unified brand covering the former Executive Beechcraft locations at Kansas City Downtown Airport, Spirit of St. Louis Airport, New Century AirCenter Airport (Olathe, Kan.) and Signature locations at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass.; St. Paul (Minn.) Downtown Airport; and the newly acquired Yellowstone Jetcenter in Bozeman, Mont.
Private operators posing as commercial charter providers in Europe, North America, and the Middle East are soliciting money from the “ignorant public” and, certificated operators claim, are endangering their passengers while creating unfair competition for the legitimate, rules-abiding members of the industry.
Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) said at a recent corporate jet finance conference, that it has seen the overall cost of aircraft financing decrease throughout the past 24 months compared to prices seen during the economic downturn.
I began reading the April issue of BCA at 0630 yesterday as usual with your Viewpoint column (“Fleeting Permanence,” page 9). After seeing that John Wiley and I shared the same birth year (something that is happening with troubling frequency), I went straight to page 42 and read “Baghdad Diary.” A great story, but an even better insight into the problems our country faces today.
