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.
“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.”
The FAA is again operating under temporary funding, until May 31. The U.S. House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee passed a bill (H.R.1079) to give the House time to work on the four-year bill the panel passed in February (H.R.658). That bill cuts $4 billion from FAA programs and facilities and sets the spending at fiscal 2008 levels. Under the cloud of uncertainty, the FAA has stopped most travel and placed a freeze on most hiring, according to FAA Flight Standards Director John Allen.
Bell Helicopter announced at Heli-Expo that the Bell Helicopter Training Academy received EASA Training Approval for Bell 206 series, 407 and 412 helicopters. In addition to normal theory approvals, the Training Academy has been granted practical approval, making it the first training school anywhere in the world to receive practical hands-on training approval from EASA. Academy graduates can now greatly reduce the amount of on-the-job proficiency demonstrations they need to become type-certified as a mechanic under European regulations, the company said.
Rockwell Collins announced the first installation of a Pro Line 21 avionics system on a rotary-wing aircraft. A Pro Line 21 Integrated Display System (IDS) was integrated into a Sikorsky S-61 long-range helicopter. The retrofit was a collaborative effort with Toronto -based Vector Aerospace.
Led by Europe, demand for civil helicopters is showing signs of recovery, and deliveries in the 2011-15 period will be 5% higher than over the last five years, at 4,200 to 4,400 rotorcraft, projects Honeywell. A survey of more than 1,000 chief pilots and flight department managers operating 2,150 helicopters worldwide showed a 2% increase in their five-year fleet replacement and expansion plans. Although modest, this ends two years of declining demand, Honeywell says. Planned fleet utilization also increased in almost all regions.
The used aircraft market, while improving, remains a major concern, declared GAMA chairman John Rosanvallon during the association’s annual “State of the Industry” presentation.
On the first of the year, this FBO became an Avfuel dealer and will offer that vendor’s Avtrip program, with double points for all purchases through June 30.
Bombardier Aerospace has a dedicated support aircraft based in Dubai for rapid parts delivery to resolve Aircraft on Ground (AOG) situations for customers in the Middle East and Asia. The Challenger 601 PartsExpress business jet is now on alert around the clock to transport parts, technicians and test equipment from Dubai International Airport to Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft operators.
The front page story in the January/February issue of “Flightlines,” an electronic magazine for Hawker Beechcraft employees, carries the headline, “Committed to Wichita” and describes the company’s acceptance of an incentive package that ties it to the city and a minimum 4,000-person workforce for at least 10 more years.
The NBAA reiterated its strong opposition to the FAA’s plan to limit participation in the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program, saying the actions represent unwarranted invasion of privacy and a potential security risk for passengers aboard aircraft. Under the BARR program, the FAA accommodates requests of aircraft owners and operators to exclude their aircraft from ASDI and NASSI data feeds. In the notice, the FAA says, “We have tentatively determined that it is in the best interests of the U.S.
The used aircraft market, while improving, remains a major concern, declared GAMA chairman John Rosanvallon during the association’s annual “State of the Industry” presentation.
ExecuJet Aircraft Trading (Zurich, Switzerland) — Guillaume Chamoin has joined the aircraft sales arm of the ExecuJet Aviation Group, becoming the company’s second aircraft sales director in Europe. Based in Paris, he will primarily focus on Central and Eastern Europe. Before coming to ExecuJet, Chamoin spent the last seven and a half years with Bombardier and FlexJet.
FBO Million Air Houston announced in January a new general manager in the person of Robert Lee, most recently GM at Atlantic Aviation in Wheeling, Ill. He has more than 20 years of experience in aviation operations.
CitationAir’s fleet of 81 aircraft just got faster as the company added six of the fastest production business jet to its lineup. The Mach 0.92 Citation X can take customers from Los Angeles to New York in just over 4 hr., lopping a half hour off the typical time.
The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) released a report that warns that society may be dangerously over-reliant on satellite navigation systems like GPS. According to the RAE, the range of applications using the technology is now so broad that, without adequate independent backup, signal failure or interference could potentially affect not just land, sea and air navigation, but broad swaths of the global economy. LORAN advocates would likely concur.
At GAMA’s “State of the Industry” press conference in late February, GAMA Chairman John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon, reported that the global economic downturn continued to negatively impact general aviation manufacturers in 2010, but that signs of a recovery have started to emerge. “Our industry experienced another challenging year that required many manufacturers to continue to make careful decisions about production schedules, employment and product development,” said Rosanvallon.
The first approaches using Europe’s EGNOS satellite navigation system were flown into Pau Pyrénées Airport in France by a Dassault Falcon 900LX equipped with EASy II, the second generation of Dassault’s flight deck system. EGNOS augments the accuracy and integrity of the U.S. GPS satellite system to within one meter horizontally and two meters vertically, allowing LPV (Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance) approaches down to 250-ft. minimums.
Bombardier delivered the 300th Challenger 300 to an unnamed North American customer in February at Bombardier Aerospace’s headquarters in Dorval, Quebec. Customer representatives, company leaders and employees from an almost 1,000-strong Challenger workforce were on hand for the occasion.
The first international Cessna Skycatcher delivery was to Aeromil Pacific at Sunshine Coast Airport in Queensland, Australia. It will be used for sales demonstrations throughout 2011. The Skycatcher is Cessna’s entry in the light sport aircraft category. It features a Garmin G300 avionics suite and is powered by a Teledyne Continental O200D engine. Priced at $113,500, the two-seat, single-engine aircraft has a maximum speed of 118 kt. with a maximum range of 470 nm.
Robinson Helicopter Company has a backlog of 169 new orders. The company delivered 162 aircraft in 2010: 40 R22s, 112 R44s, and 10 R66 turbine helicopters.
Europe’s FBO chain expanded again with a fourth facility, this one in Valencia. Assistair sold its existing assets to ExecuJet, and all services and staff of the 22-year business are to be retained. Passengers can feel comfortable in a VIP lounge with Internet access and refreshments. Crew briefing areas provide Internet access and 24-hr. service, and Nicole Gut will manage the facility.
Today, the light jet market is awash with more than 1,200 used aircraft, most of which are fully mature products, whose qualities, support and appeal are well known. Also for sale are more than two dozen diminutive Eclipse 500 VLJs, which are far riskier investments. These have yet to mature into productive business travel assets in spite of the $1 billion spent to develop aircraft, whose fleet total now stands at 259 units.
Again profitable, NetJets ordered 50 Global business jets with options for an additional 70 aircraft. Bombardier said it was the largest business aircraft sale in the company’s history. The firm order transaction is valued at approximately $2.8 billion based on list prices. If all the options are exercised, the total value of the order will surpass $6.7 billion, also based on list prices. The firm order comprises 30 Global 5000 Vision and Global Express XRS Vision aircraft, with deliveries scheduled to begin in fourth quarter 2012.
I read “A Failed Culture of Safety” (Cause & Circumstance, February 2011, page 53) with great interest. Good article. I am sure you know the NTSB report on the Quest Diagnostics fatal crash was pulled from the Internet. Not good. I believe that our industry has a shared responsibility to operate safely for the benefit of all parties. Your observations regarding Quest Diagnostics are quite disappointing as it appears that Quest lacks a commitment to safe operations
