Congressional staffers say the passage of a long-term FAA reauthorization bill has stayed in limbo so long because of language that would put FedEx in the same category as UPS, which would make it easier for unions to organize FedEx ground employees. The FAA has been operating under a long series of temporary budget authorizations. See Washington Watch on page 64.
Given the resources that Mexico has at its disposal, why is the republic’s level of poverty so high? To put it another way, why isn’t the middle class as large, per capita, as those in Canada or the United States?
Recently issued IRS rulings pertaining to liability for Federal Excise Taxes (FET), disallowance of accelerated depreciation deductions and tightened requirements for passive loss write-offs potentially threaten to hike costs for business aircraft operators. So warned attorney Keith Swirsky at the 13th annual Dassault Falcon Jet Aviation Professionals Conference held in May.
The world’s first turbofan jetliner, Boeing’s 707-120B, is shown on initial flight before FAA certification tests in Seattle. Four P&WA JT3D front fans and aerodynamic changes give this jet a max cruise of 610 mph (35 mph faster than present 707s), Boeing says. American will convert its present fleet of 707s to turbofans.
Citing a growing interest in single-engine turboprops, Extra Aircraft is beginning a push to sell its Extra 500 single-engine turboprop in the United States, said Errol Bader, a spokesperson for the German manufacturer, stating that the Extra 500 is particularly attractive in fiscally challenging times since it has a comfortable cabin and at its maximum cruise speed at 16,000 feet burns just 20 gallons of Jet A per hour. And considering the currency differential and other factors, he said building aircraft in the United States is a logical business strategy.
Chris Holliday (Aviation Safety Inspector, FSDO 23Rochester N.Y. )
I’m a Aviation Safety Inspector here at the Rochester, N.Y. FSDO and the helicopter POI. We recently held a helicopter safety seminar and I made a presentation on three recent helicopter accidents including the Maryland State Police accident. After reading your article (“A Medevac Ends In Disaster” May, page 79), I realize I was woefully short on details. Your article was excellent in both detail and conclusions. Thanks for your contribution to aviation safety and it is an excellent review of this accident.
Cessna Aircraft Company’ McCauley Propeller Systems division has achieved ASTM compliance for a new two-blade, fixed-pitch composite propeller for the Cessna 162 Skycatcher. “This is the first of a planned family of composite propellers we have in development, designed for a range of aircraft,” said McCauley Vice President and General Manager Peter Wilkinson, July 14. The 1L100 is a new all composite fixed-pitch propeller specifically designed for the Skycatcher’s Teledyne Continental Motors O-200D engine.
AVWest of Perth Australia has placed a firm order for four ultra long-range Global Express XRS jets, including two with the Global Vision flight deck. The total value of the order is approximately $213 million US, based on the 2010 list price for typically equipped aircraft Bombardier announced July 15. “Our clientele is increasingly traveling to overseas destinations, including Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and now is the right time to add ultra-long-range jets to our fleet,” said Tim Roberts, AVWest Principal.
If you want an illustration of why the U.S. Congress gets such low ratings in public opinion polls, look no further than what transpired just before House and Senate members left Washington for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
BCA’s second Ops & Safety website, this one covering NextGen, is up and running at AviationWeek.com. It also covers NextGen’s European cousin, SESAR. Like the thunderstorm site, there’s an “Ask the Expert” area. Our NextGen expert is Fred George, well known for his award-winning pilot reports and technical features, including in-depth avionics systems reports for BCA. Now he’s linked to the site to answer your NextGen and SESAR questions. There is a direct link to the online NextGen site at the upper left of the Bizav channel page on www.AviationWeek.com.
The FAA announced June 29 that Metron Aviation, Inc., of Dulles, Va., and Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of McLean, Va., received contracts, to perform engineering work supporting the transition to NextGen. The 10-year $1.15-billion contract awarded to Metron Aviation is one of the largest ever awarded by the FAA to a small business. The two contracts are the last of six awarded under an umbrella portfolio termed System Engineering 2020 (SE-2020).
Airport operators in the Pacific Northwest are teaming up with Boeing and Washington State University on a six-month study to explore ways of developing a regional biofuels industry that will produce jet fuel from biomass. Alaska Airlines, Oregon’s Portland International Airport and Washington state’s Seattle-Tacoma International and Spokane International will participate in the study, according to the Air Transport Associations’ e-mail news bulletin.
A bill in that would extend bonus depreciation for businesses that purchase general aviation aircraft in 2010 was introduced in June by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). “Bonus depreciation is a powerful incentive to purchase a GA aircraft and is proven to increase sales during difficult economic conditions,” said Pete Bunce, GAMA’s president and CEO. Bonus depreciation allows a business to deduct an additional 50 percent of the depreciable value in the first year instead of spreading it out over five years.
Canadian certification of the Honeywell Primus Apex integrated avionics system in the reborn Twin Otter has been signed. This will be the second OEM forward fit installation of the system. Built by Viking Air, headquartered at Victoria, B.C., International Airport, the newly manufactured Twin Otter Series 400 features more than 400 modifications to the original DHC-6, the foremost being the Apex flight deck and installation of twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprops.
Matthew Huff expects the next few months, a traditionally slow season in the previously owned aircraft business, to be quiet this year as well. “Our forecast is that the summer is going to be rather slow,” he predicted. The vice president of inventory control for O’Gara Aviation, the Atlanta-based aircraft acquisition and sales company, noted that the market showed “a noticeable improvement in late winter through mid-spring.”
Not that long ago, it was a challenge to operate a business jet in Mexico. There were few FBOs, ground support was sporadic — at outlying airports, nonexistent — and getting anything seemed to take forever. Even in the few cases where handling agents were available, permits and authorizations had to be walked through multiple offices by flight crews.
Cessna Aircraft has unveiled a program to reduce lead times required for interior refurbishments of classic Citations. Under the new RightNow Interiors program, Cessna’s Citation Service Centers will stock pre-selected, certified interior design materials, eliminating long-lead times — which typically can run eight to 12 weeks — necessary to order materials for interior refurbishments of the light jets.
For decades, FAR Part 135 charter operators have used their aviation expertise to manage aircraft for companies that own jets for their own use. The now-common practice of placing these managed corporate aircraft on a charter company's operations specifications for charter by third parties evolved from that initial management service.
Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS), the aftermarket division of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., acquired privately owned LifePort, Inc., a Washington aircraft accessories manufacturer that specializes in air medical systems, lightweight armor, interior furnishings and galley equipment for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. The acquisition establishes accessories as a new business segment for SAS. LifePort will operate as “LifePort, a Sikorsky Aerospace Services Company,” retaining its current executive management team.
June 19 — At 0227 MST, a Beech A36 (N155FT) collided with terrain approximately eight miles north-northeast of Seligman, Ariz. The commercial pilot, who was also the registered owner of the airplane, was killed and the airplane was substantially damaged. It was VFR at the time and no flight plan was filed. An Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued on June 19. The wreckage was located at 1030 MST on June 23. According to a family member of the pilot, he had departed from Los Alamos, N.M., about 1930, and flew to Santa Fe, where he bought fuel.
FAA Military Airport Program funding will go to Stewart International Airport in New York and Sacramento, Calif.’s Mather Field to perform conversion work related to their shift from military to civilian facilities. Stewart, operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, will receive a year’s funding to replace electrical cable in the former Air Force airfield power circuit to meet modern civil design standards.
Asking prices for previously owned business jets increased slightly, and inventories of used in-production jets continued to decline slowly in June, dropping below the 12-percent level for the first time since October 2008, said financial analyst JP Morgan in its July Business Jet Monthly report.
Piper Aircraft selected DeCrane Aerospace and Propel Designs to help incorporate improvements for PiperJet’s cabin interior. DeCrane Aerospace in Wichita, Kan., will provide engineering and interior “soft goods,” including carpeting, headliners and interior panels. Propel Designs, of Seattle, will oversee overall design, the styling for the flight deck and improvements to the passenger cabin. The selection of the interior specialists follows a number of meetings with PiperJet buyers, notes Randy Groom, Piper executive vice president.
ExecuJet Mexico has opened a new office at Toluca Airport. ExecuJet Mexico also has offices in Monterrey’s Mariano Escobedo and Del Norte International airports. The company offers aircraft management, charter, sales and maintenance services.
U.K.-based aviation services company PremiAir has taken over the management of a fleet of Learjet business jets and has acquired a new private jet operating and maintenance base at London’s Biggin Hill Airport from Gold Group International. PremiAir sister company von Essen Aviation will take ownership of the Learjet 45 fleet, while PremiAir takes over the former Gold operation.
