Esterline CMC Electronics formed a strategic alliance with Pentastar Aviation to sell CMC’s electronic flight bag product line and Pentastar’s articulating yoke mount in both civil and military markets. Pentastar is a CMC “Platinum Dealer” and holds several STCs for CMC PilotView EFB installations. Pentastar has a patent pending for the yoke mount, which allows pilots to adjust the EFB viewing angle to personal preference.
Aviation might be in his DNA — after all, his father was a McDonnell-Douglas engineer — but that wasn’t immediately apparent. After all, rather than being drawn to the ocean of air as a teenager, he spent all his free time in or on the Ocean Pacific. An impassioned Southern California surfer, Paul Bowen spent his free hours hangin’ ten rather than doing touch and goes. The only hint of what was to follow occurred during the freewheeling parties conducted by the Jesters, a North Hollywood High social club, for which Paul served as impromptu visual documentarian.
Bombardier is claiming a civil-aviation first — the flight of a test aircraft entirely equipped with all-electric braking. The Canadian company’s strategic technology demonstrator, a Global 5000 business jet, has been fitted with Meggitt’s EBrake electric braking system. Tests including landings and high-speed braking runs evaluated the system’s normal, emergency and parking braking functionality. Electric braking combines brake-by-wire control with electric brake actuation.
Lockheed ordered the JetStar into immediate production at its Marietta, Ga., plant — without waiting any longer for the U.S. Air Force order expected eventually. Buyers can choose between two Bristol Orpheus engines, or four Pratt & Whitney JT-12s or GE J-85s.
Eastern Region Helicopter Council , Yardley, Pa., announced that Jeffery Smith has been elected chairman and president replacing David Nuss, who will become a director.
Cessna reports that it is still on course to begin deliveries of the Model 162 SkyCatcher during the second half of 2009. A mockup of the SkyCatcher was on display Nov. 6-8 during AOPA Expo at the San Jose (Calif.) McEnery Convention Center. This schedule matches the timeline announced when the light sport aircraft launched in July 2007. Major program development milestones achieved since then include prototype first flight March 8 and first flight of the first production model May 1.
PrivateSky Aviation Services, Inc. , Fort Myers, Fla., has promoted Tony Singleton to general manager, and Shelley Porter is now responsible for aircraft dispatching as well as supervising the PrivateSky Customer Service representatives.
Some repair and overhaul shops, sensing opportunity, are providing attractive package deals to turboprop owners and operators. By combining a scheduled heavy inspection with an avionics upgrade, a new interior and new paint — plus maybe an engine upgrade to boot — a shop can roll out the virtual equivalent of a new aircraft at a fraction of the factory cost.
The NTSB is scheduling a three-day hearing on Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) safety beginning Feb. 3 at the Safety Board’s Washington DC headquarters. Representatives from the FAA and the EMS community, including pilots and medical personnel and managers, will gather to discuss flight operations, aircraft, training and oversight.
Cessna achieved Organizational Delegation Authority (ODA) status from the FAA in November after a two-year development process covering FAA-approved processes, quality standards, audits and detailed process documentation that gives the company FAA-equivalent authority to approve type designs and produce and license aircraft under FAA Part 23 and Part 25.
Cash-strapped Eclipse Aviation did not meet its payroll obligations on Nov. 13, but announced that payment would resume Tuesday, Nov. 18. The manufacturer also stated that no layoffs were involved, but employees were “given the choice to continue working or go home,” until the payroll issue was resolved. As we go to press, the company expected to have its workers on the job Monday, Nov. 17. The VLJ manufacturer has been arrears with several vendors, and the missed payroll fueled speculation that a bankruptcy filing was imminent.
Four general aviation advocates lost their bids to return to the House of Representatives in the November congressional elections. Reps. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.), Nick Lampson (D-Texas), Randy Kuhl (R-N.Y.) — all members of the aviation subcommittee — and Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev.), a former subcommittee member who jumped to the House Ways and Means Committee, all lost hotly contested races. On the plus side, Reps. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), the subcommittee chair. and Thomas Petri (R-Wis.) the senior Republican on the panel, both won re-election handily.
AvFuel added Million Air of San Antonio (SAT) to its network of FBO-branded dealers. Million Air SAT completed a renovation of the facility in 2007 to expand amenities and services offered.
BLR Aerospace, the Everett, Wash.-based developer of airframe aerodynamic enhancements, expects to receive FAA certification of winglets for King Air 90s early next year. Priced at $45,000, the airfoils will be installed at BLR’s network of dealers (which include many Hawker Beechcraft Services authorized locations), according to Dave Marone, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing.
Industrial Investors, the Russian firm that bought the assets of bankrupt Adam Aircraft, has cut its monthly support from $6 million to $1 million because of the impact of the near-collapse of Russian capital markets that resulted in substantial margin calls, according to a highly placed source at AAI Acquisition. Rather than risk total collapse of AAI Acquisition, Jack Braly, president and CEO, announced a “strategic realignment” on Oct. 28 to keep the VLJ maker solvent.
For a total investment of about $3 million to $4 million, you can buy and equip a late model Beech King Air B200 so that it cruises faster, plus just as high and just as far as a $5.2 million 2009 Beech King Air B200GT. The rejuvenated King Air B200 can depart at its MTOW, climb directly to FL 350 in 26 minutes and cruise at 297 KTAS while burning 590 pph. Compared to a new King Air B200GT, that’s one minute quicker to FL 350 and 15 knots faster once level at that altitude.
Since Aviation Partners certificated its first winglet mod for the Gulfstream II in the early 1990s, the drag reducing devices have proliferated in both business and commercial aviation applications as a cost-effective way to increase efficiency in older aircraft designs by as much as 5 percent.
The FAA noted a major milestone in the shift from ground-based to satellite-based navigation. The number of published WAAS-based Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (LPV) approach procedures has surpassed the number of Category-1 ILS approach procedures. The tipping point came during September, the agency said. For the past 60 years, Category-I ILS has been used at airports throughout the National Airspace System (NAS) to guide aircraft to as low as 200 feet above touchdown.
Industrial Investors’ economic woes (see related item on page 13) will have repercussions beyond AAI Acquisition and Adam 700 development. The Russian firm also planned to buy Piper Aircraft, providing a much-needed cash infusion into the PiperJet development program. That investment now has been put on hold, according to AAI Acquisition insiders. Without a large-scale cash infusion from outside investors, it’s unlikely that Piper will be able to sustain its jet development program.
During the course of this, Business & Commercial Aviation’s 50th anniversary year, we’ve published quite a lot of information pertaining to business aviation during our first, 1958. For those readers who have been noting the historical factoids, we’d like to reward you with BCA 50th Anniversary picture frames, as long as supplies last. To obtain yours, provide answers to the questions below and e-mail them, along with your address (and any comments that come to mind) to: [email protected].
While an overhaul facility like Stevens or Yingling may do the math when marketing its upgrades, Rockwell Collins applies a calculus to the determination of whether to proceed with an STC for Pro Line 21 packages. Because the company develops and holds ownership to all STCs in order to ensure performance of its products, this is no trivial exercise. John Peterson, the company’s manager of aftermarket marketing for business and regional systems, describes it this way:
General Dynamics completed its approximately $2.18 billion acquisition of Zurich-based Jet Aviation Nov.5 from Dreamliner Lux S.a.r.l., a company controlled by the Permira Funds. The companies announced plans for the acquisition in August. The transaction gives General Dynamics a worldwide business-jet support flight-support services presence. Jet Aviation is one of the world’s leading business-aviation services companies. Approximately 5,600 Jet Aviation employees operate 25 airport facilities throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North and South America.
XOJET , San Carlos, Calif., announced that Holly Nelson has joined the company as senior vice president, finance and controller; Jerry Joondeph is senior vice president and general counsel; Jim Prebil is senior vice president and chief information officer; and Theodore Botimer is senior vice president, systems.
While airlines are facing challenges in India, the market for luxury business jets is thriving, says a Falcon Jet official. “The business jet market in India is booming,” said J.P.H.P Chabriol, senior vice president-Dassault Aviation in an introduction to the company’s aerospace activities. Until recently, India had about a dozen of the Falcon family with the Tata group as its main customer. The company has now received 24 more Falcon orders. The business jet is now a business tool as opposed to a corporate status symbol, says a KPMG report.
— A Piper PA-24-260, N8820P, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain while being vectored for an instrument approach to Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (CHO), Charlottesville, Va. Night VFR prevailed at the destination airport at the planned arrival time, and the pilot had filed an IFR flight plan. According to the FAA and Lockheed Martin Services (LMS) information, about 1633 the pilot telephoned LMS in order to obtain a weather briefing and file a flight plan.
