I want to commend you for all your efforts in taking on the violent media attacks on our industry. Your Op-Ed piece in the New York Times and subsequent Viewpoints in Business & Commercial Aviation have gone a long way in educating the public of the importance, both economically and as a business tool, of corporate aviation. Kudos on a job well done. As an active member of the GAMA Communications Committee I can assure you that our organization will unite to battle the misrepresentation of our aircraft.
Once Stevens Aviation, a Beech dealer that had been one of the leading sellers of King Airs, learned that Hawker Beechcraft would take responsibility for all sales of its popular turboprop, the Greenville, S.C.-based company hired Dana Arnold, a longtime Learjet salesman, to restructure its turbine-powered marketing efforts. The company was “looking to get into the jet business in a big way,” explained Arnold, who said that Stevens is in the first year of a five-year plan that aims to eventually sell roughly as many jets as turboprops.
In mid-afternoon on Nov. 27, 2008, yachtsmen and fishermen working the French coast between Santé Marine and Saint Cyprien looked up to watch an Air New Zealand Airbus A320, D-AXLA, as it maneuvered for approach to Perpignan-Rivesaltes Airport.
February’s Viewpoint (page 7) is an excellent comparison of two views between Michael Boyd and Avi Weiss and is a demonstration of good journalism. Boyd points out that corporate airplanes are seen by some to be symbols of evil. It seems an examination of conscience might be in order to determine the reasons for such public perceptions.
The RTCA Task Force on NextGen Mid-Term Implementation (NextGen TF) was launched on Feb. 10. FAA Air Traffic Organization Chief Operating Officer Hank Krakowski underscored the importance of the Task Force in providing recommendations that will support implementing operational capabilities by 2018. Task Force Chairman Randy Babbitt stressed that this is a critically important time for aviation and that the RTCA NextGen TF has the opportunity to set the course of aviation for decades.
— At approximately 1115 MST, a Cirrus SR22 (N486CD) registered to and operated by Vector Resources LLC, Denver, was substantially damaged during an attempted go-around at Bob Adams Field (SBS), Steamboat Springs, Colo. It was VFR at the time of the accident and a flight plan had been filed. The pilot and two passengers were not injured, but one passenger did receive minor injuries. The cross-country flight originated from Centennial Airport (APA), Englewood, Colo., at about 1015, and was en route to SBS. The pilot said he landed on Runway 32.
Cessna Aircraft has introduced its “No Worries” program for prospective purchasers of pre-owned Citations in an effort to assure them that their investment in a used light jet will be solid.
Daher, which recently acquired a 70-percent share in business aircraft maker Socata, has finalized an €80 million ($101 million) capital increase that will permit it to undertake a five-year €585 million capital expenditure plan. The plan includes a new plant in Nantes, France, dedicated to advanced composite aerostructures. The capital injection came through the purchase of 20 percent of Daher stock by two recently created French government investment funds.
House Homeland Security Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) sent a letter to the TSA in March, urging the agency to delay action on its proposed Large Aircraft Security Program until a new administrator is in place to review the proposal and “engage with Congress and industry stakeholders.” The chairman also questioned the costs associated with proposed third-party audits to measure LASP compliance, the development of a prohibited items list and other aspects of the proposal.
— About 1100 Alaska Standard Time, a CASA 212 twin-engine airplane (N440RA) sustained heavy damage when it collided with terrain about one-half mile west of Kotzebue Airport, Kotzebue, Alaska. The VFR cargo flight was being operated by Arctic Transportation Services, Anchorage, Alaska, when the accident occurred. The pilot and copilot were not injured. It was IFR at the airport; however a special VFR clearance had been obtained by the flight crew. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on Feb.
An informational Web site that has provided airport information since 1995, GlobalAir.com has now added a graphic winds aloft forecast to its weather information. The winds forecast is depicted as winds aloft and as surface wind, with selectable times and altitudes.
The U.S. NTSB is assisting Canada’s Transportation Safety Board with the investigation of the March 12 crash of a helicopter in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. At 8:25 a.m. EDT, a Sikorsky S-92A heavy-lift helicopter (Canadian registry C-GZCH), operated by Cougar Helicopters, ditched in the North Atlantic about 31 miles east of St. Johns, Newfoundland, with 18 crew and passengers aboard.
Era Systems Corp. has been on a winning streak with awards to team to install ADS-B-based surface surveillance systems at Estonia’s Tallinn Airport and three airports in Turkey: Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, Antalya Airport and Esenboga International Airport in Ankara. The efforts will center on Era’s surface surveillance technology featuring its MSS surveillance system and Squid vehicle tracking units.” In addition, Era has been selected by Airports Fiji Ltd.
The NBAA has a great resource for hangar safety compliance that includes OSHA checklists and guidance for developing an effective safety program — www.nbaa.org/ops/safety/hangar. In addition to safety resources, the NBAA offers guidance for developing your procedures manual and implementing effective management programs.
Two safety experts interviewed by Business & Commercial Aviation for this report provided some operational examples that can be addressed by safety management systems. Ray Rohr, director, regulatory affairs, International Business Aviation Council — “The example I like to use is fatigue. You can put down hard hours to fly, which might work for the airlines but not charter; however, with an SMS, you can have performance-based rules that provide a safety objective and a process for the operator to meet it.
Gulfstream Aerospace has delivered more than 65 G150 airplanes since its entry into service in late 2005, establishing the new model as a strong contender in the midsize business jet class. Operators say that it delivers a nearly unbeatable blend of price and operating economics, runway and cruise performance, cabin comfort and reliability.
Sikorsky announced that Polish operator Aircom SP Z.O.O. is the launch customer for the first commercial S-434 helicopter, a four-blade, more-powerful upgrade version of the S-333 single-turbine rotorcraft. Aircom plans to take delivery of its S-434 in 2011.
With only the Pacific Ocean portion to be completed, Inmarsat finally moved its third I-4 satellite into its assigned permanent geosynchronous station, thereby establishing exclusive broadband mobile communications coverage around the world. The final move completed a complex ballet of satellite movements as the three newest generation satellites entered service in stages without interruption to voice and data traffic as well as safety of flight services.
Michael Garvey, son of the editor of this magazine, flies a helicopter for the U.S. Coast Guard out of a base in Alaska and knows all about operations in low visibility. NVGs are a routine part of his life, and the USCG has extensive experience with the devices.
A footnote on page 129 of the fiscal 2010 U.S. budget overview calls for “repealing some aviation excise taxes and replacing these taxes with direct user charges,” beginning in 2011. The budget did not provide specifics, but the charges would appear to raise about $7 billion, the same amount sought by the Bush administration user-fee proposal. This has drawn strong reactions from industry associations and congressional legislators.
In March, the FAA reassured Eclipse EA500 operators, at least for the time being, that it is not grounding the aircraft in the wake of Eclipse Aviation’s Chapter 7 (liquidation) bankruptcy. All Eclipse operations including certification, production, service centers, training centers and dealers are shut down. Initially it was thought that ETIRC Aviation, Eclipse Aviation’s largest shareholder, would bring the OEM out of bankruptcy and restart operations, but it is evidently unable to come up with necessary financing — sparking creditors to demand liquidation.
Canada is currently the only country in the world that requires noncommercial operators of turbine-powered aircraft to be certificated and periodically audited for safety compliance. Further distinguishing the Private Operator Certificate program is the fact that the Canadian DOT (or “Transport Canada”) has deeded its administration entirely over to the Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) as a means of saving the government money and resources.
True to its word, Bombardier is maintaining its commitment to the all-composite Learjet 85. Since announcing in September 2008 it was dropping composite-expert Grob from the program, Bombardier has brought the project completely in-house — transferring detail design, structural certification, prototype manufacture and initial production from the German firm to its own plants and even starting from scratch with a different composite lay-up process.
“Jet sales are no longer in a cool-down mode. This industry has been pickled,” declared Carl Janssens, author of the Aircraft Bluebook’s Marketline newsletter. Values for virtually all jets and turboprops are declining or, at best, stable, according to the spring 2009 edition of the publication.
