Delta Private Jets increased its managed fleet by six more aircraft: a Hawker 800XP, Learjet 60, Citation X, Citation Excel, Challenger 300 and Challenger 601-3R.
Rolls-Royce recently celebrated the rollout of its 2,000th BR710 engine. The powerplant was manufactured at the company's Dahlewitz, Germany, plant. The engine, which has thrust ratings between 14,750 lb. and 15,500 lb., powers Bombardier Global and Gulfstream G500/550 models. The BR710 was certified in 1996.
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.
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.
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.
“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.”
Cessna established a Citation service facility in Prague, located at sister company Bell Helicopter's service facility at Prague Ruzyne International Airport. Cessna and Bell are Textron companies. Certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency in February, the center has begun performing scheduled and unscheduled maintenance operations.
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.
Ian Becker (Boys Town, Neb. ), San Diego, Calif. (Boys Town, Neb. )
The arrival of BCA every month is a highlight in my life, and the February issue is another stellar example of this. Viewpoint has a way of segueing from an interesting tidbit, or familial tale, into a serious deliberation concerning general aviation. It never fails to spike my sinews and provide a good old-fashioned jolt! And it inspired me to share an idea.
American Eurocopter announced that the Ontario, Calif., Police Department has ordered its third AS350 B2. The aircraft, which will enter service in late spring, will primarily be used for aerial patrol and special operations surveillance. The Air Support Unit averages around 1,000 hr. per year on each of its two current AS350 B2s, with 70-80% of flights flown at night.
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.”
Decades ago, I was responsible for providing technical support for several out-of-production aircraft models. I had to maintain the manuals for each type and had a full bookcase to care for. The oldest model came out in the late 1940s and its entire manual fit snugly into a three-ring binder. As the aircraft progressed in time, the manuals became larger. The latest model aircraft (1970s vintage) took up about half the shelf space. Volumes of maintenance data, vendor manuals, parts lists and overhaul instructions were in constant need of updating and revision.
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.
Cleveland-based Constant Aviation has completed its first STC'd installation of a Wi-Fi system, along with Aircell's Gogo Biz Inflight Internet, in a Gulfstream IV. The company also is completing its STC for installation of Aircell's Gogo Biz Inflight and Wi-Fi in the Cessna Citation X, Hawker 800A/XP, Beechjet and Embraer Phenom 300.
Bell/AgustaWestland BA609A Tiltrotor With robust sales of the AW139 helping the AgustaWestland division of Finmeccanica claim 29% of the $4.16 billion global helicopter market as measured by 2010 deliveries — that's second only to Eurocopter — the status of the AB609A tiltrotor joint venture with Bell Helicopter Textron has seemed only to grow murkier.
Having raised four children, you'd think I'd be much more vigilant about saying “Yes” too easily simply because its contingent obligation seems so removed in time. After all, “You promised!” is one of the most potent tools in a child's weapons locker.
The European Aviation Safety Agency certified Honeywell's TPE331-12JR turboprop engine on the Cessna Caravan. Honeywell claims that with the TPE331-12JR conversion, Caravan operators experience up to 40% more power than with the production engine. They also save as much as $40 per hour in operating costs due to longer maintenance intervals, fewer life cycle-limited parts and better fuel efficiency when compared to the standard OEM engine. The engine also passes Germany's stringent maximum fly-over noise level of 78 dBA.
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.
Whatever your motivation it is clear that your intent in reporting on David Sokol's resignation (AWIN, March 31) was to besmirch his character. There is not one iota of evidence suggesting insider trading by Sokol; get your facts straight prior to launching a tirade. While you may be building a résumé that will have your considered for employment by NBC, the New York Times or CNN, reporting honestly and fairly would serve mankind far better than your guttersniping.
I read with some distress “Backdoor Rulemaking” (Washington Watch, April 2011, page 61). The purely economic arguments made in the column did nothing to diminish the need for hard time duty limits for all crews. Multiple studies have shown the extreme danger of fatigue in air operations; some have even scientifically equated a 17-hr. day to being legally drunk (0.05% BAC).
HondaJet certification flight testing confirmed that the light business jet exceeds the maximum speed promised to customers, says Honda Aircraft. The first FAA-conforming prototype has achieved 425 KTAS at 30,000 ft. and a maximum Mach number of 0.72 above that altitude. The performance commitment for the production HondaJet is 420 kt., the Greensboro, N.C.-based company says.
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.
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.
Aero Dynamix Inc., Euless, Texas, named Tonka Hufford operations manager, project development. He most recently was president of RSG Aviation. Aero Law Group, Bellevue, Wash., has added Paul Lambert to its team of lawyers responsible for clients in sales, leasing, financing and the exchange of business and commercial aircraft.
