In response to high demand, jetAVIVA is expanding its Jet Familiarization Training program to include pre-type rating training in the Cessna Citation Mustang. The JFT program is built to allow pilots to achieve four primary goals: become a safe jet pilot; gain experience in a very light jet; excel during type rating training and (if applicable) help determine which VLF is right for each customer. The training is offernd in three packages: basic, intermediate and advanced, providing 10.5, 25 and 45 hours of flight time, respectively.
*Bombardier, Waterview, Texas, announced the appointment of Brad Tolbard as director, business development, Bombardier Service Center Network. He will be responsible for the network's strategy regarding the interiors market.
In past stories, we've polled schedulers and dispatchers to compile lists of trips you've found challenging, coupling the results with this advice: Tap the talents and experience of a good flight support provider when you're heading off the beaten track. So it seems only logical to survey the leading providers' experts for their perspective. While there is a good deal of agreement between operators and service providers on many destinations, the opinions of the providers offer some surprises -- or at least differences.
*CRS Jet Spares, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., announced that Kirk Meissner is the new sales representative for Oklahoma and Ron Holt will support Illinois and South Carolina.
When a flight crew member decides to leave one department for a position elsewhere, the departure puts quite a few things in motion simultaneously and possibly quickly, depending on the amount of notice given.
The rising inventory of used business jets "portends a major deterioration in the new aircraft market quite soon," a JPMorgan market analysis warned Sept 4. "Let there be no doubt the used market is rapidly falling apart, which should lead to a deteriorating market for new aircraft in short order," the report said. It noted that used aircraft inventories were at the highest level since September 2003, "representing the seventh monthly increase in a row" and that 19 of 23 tracked models had higher inventories, including Gulfstream.
Delta AirElite Business Jets says it is the first charter operator of a 2008 Dassault Falcon 7X aircraft in the United States. The 6,000-nm airplane was added to the company's charter fleet in September and is based in the Rocky Mountain region. In addition to the 7X, Delta AirElite, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, said it has added several other aircraft to its fleet since the beginning of the year, including its second Gulfstream G550, fourth Bombardier Learjet 45 and a Cessna Citation CJ2+.
Australian accident investigators say the failure of an oxygen bottle caused the fuselage rupture of a Qantas Boeing 747-400 on July 25. Significantly, the highly regarded Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has no idea how the failure can be prevented from happening again -- particularly since the bottle fell into the sea and thus cannot be examined. "There's nothing at this stage that the ATSB can identify that could have been done to prevent this," said investigator Julian Walsh. "We don't really know why the bottle failed.
According to European Business Aviation Association President Brian Humphries, the most common navigation error committed by business aviation operators -- especially those visiting the U.K. and the Continent from North America -- is "level busts," or missing the assigned altitude either because of sloppy flying or misunderstanding of the region's admittedly confusing transition altitude system.
Making the transition as quickly as possible to the NextGen air traffic control system is one of several recommendations made in a new energy task force report by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). NextGen will greatly enhance operating efficiency and safety, while reducing delays and unnecessary energy consumption, said the Sept. 3 report. The report also called for expanding exploration and development of U.S.
I agree entirely, although a component failure in a recip can often lead to fire. Sometimes the best option, as you know, is simply to get the airplane onto the ground under control.
In the August issue, the captions on page 53 (bottom right photo) and page 54 (center photo) incorrectly identify the FBO from which Dayjet passengers check in and depart. The correct FBO at Boca Raton is Avitat Boca Raton.
Hawker Beechcraft recently reported increased orders, improved sales and higher earnings during the three months ending June 29, compared to the same period in 2007. Net bookings for the period totaled $1.7 billion, up $327.6 million from the same period in 2007, and the order backlog reached $7.4 billion, a record. Net sales for the quarter were $1 billion. During the quarter, the company delivered 50 jets, 50 turboprops and 29 piston aircraft.
Clinton, Mo.-based Aviation Fabricators recently received an STC for installation of one-, two- and three-place side-facing divans in the Cessna 441. The company - which specializes in cabin seating solutions, components and upgrades for cabin-class aircraft - says the divans will enable operators "to customize their aircraft by utilizing unused space, increasing capacity and giving their cabin the look of a much larger aircraft." For pricing and other information, visit www.avfab.com/cessna_divan.htm or call (660) 885-8317.
Textron's Lycoming Engines announced the expected November FAA certification of its 210-hp, four-cylinder IO-390 gas-fueled piston engine, intended to replace the 200-hp IO-360 in light aircraft. The IO-390 has almost the same external dimensions as the less-powerful four-cylinder Lycoming and about the same net weight. The first application will be an IO-390-A1A6 retrofit for the Cessna CE-177 Cardinal.
Rapco Fleet Support, Inc. (RFS) of Hartland, Wis., has been granted Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) by the FAA for the company's replacement brake components for Sabreliner 40 and 60 series aircraft equipped with ABSC (Goodyear) brakes. RFS brake parts now can be used on all Sabre 40s and 60s to replace the original equipment on a part-for-part basis without restriction.
In the August Operations Planning Guide, the total variable cost numbers for the Dassault Falcon 900B should read $3,600.22; for the Bombardier Challenger, $3,195.16; for the Gulfstream G300, $3,224.67; for the Falcon 900C, $3,176.81; and for the GIV-SP, $4,210.15.
Northern Air, Grand Rapids, Mich., announced that Karla Suwyn has joined the marketing department as a marketing specialist; Craig Douglass is a new staff accountant; and Melodie Hickel was named as a customer service representative.
AVIATION PROPONENTS have long noted that people are much more likely to be involved in an accident when traveling in an automobile than while flying on an airplane. But if you're having a real bad day -- and the emergency responders who show up to extricate you from a smashed automobile think your injuries necessitate priority transport in an emergency medical services (EMS) helicopter -- your chances of being in a second accident are considerably higher than they should be.
The standard Honeywell Primus Apex avionics package features three, eight-by-10-inch Barco AMLCD displays, with an optional fourth screen installed as the copilot's PFD. The system uses hub-and-spoke architecture, with a 12-slot Primus Epic modular avionics unit installed below the center aisle floor panel near the entry door being the hub. The standard package includes dual digital multi-mode radio systems and a single digital air data computer/attitude heading reference system (ADAHRS), along with a three-axis autopilot.
While "Are You Ready to Go Paperless?" was intended to educate readers about the convenience and importance of electronic record-keeping, and was not an evaluation of any one company or product, I do understand your irritation at its failure to mention Logbook Organizer. We planned to publish a box with the article, also composed by Mike Gamauf, that contained a list of available electronic maintenance management systems, and of course LBO was among them.
Pratt & Whitney's PurePower family of next-generation engines for airliners and business jets are expected to offer double-digit improvements in fuel burn, emissions, engine noise and operating costs. Cessna has selected the PurePower PW810C to power the Citation Columbus business jet, scheduled to enter service in 2014. The PurePower PW1000G (formerly known as the Geared Turbofan engine), was selected for the Mitsubishi and the Bombardier CSeries regional jets. Both aircraft are scheduled to enter service in 2013.
As of this summer, NetJets-Europe was carrying 1,100 pilots and 100 flight attendants drawn from 26 nationalities on its crew roster. Currently, the ratio of pilots to the 140-plus aircraft in the fleet is five to one.
