CAE opened its new six-bay North East Training Center near Morristown, N.J. The center will provide training for the new Dassault Falcon 7X along with the Falcon 900EX EASy, Falcon 2000EX EASy, Gulfsteam IV and Sikorsky S-76. Dassault selected CAE in mid-2004 to provide entitlement training for pilots, maintenance personnel and crew of the 7X. The Falcon 7X full flight simulator installed at the new center is awaiting final certification. Training is scheduled to begin in April.
B&CA summarized the major complaints about fractional ownership arising in this report into six points and asked the industry's leaders -- NetJets, Flight Options, Flexjet and CitationShares -- to respond to them. NetJets CEO and founder Richard Santulli, generally recognized as the progenitor of the fractional ownership concept, spoke for his company. CitationShares had not responded by the time we went to press. Complaint 1:
What do you do when a customer (or worse, the chairman's mother) shows up at the airplane with her little caddy full of the local pharmacy's medical oxygen and three refills for the flight across country? It's a multiple choice question, really, so here are your options: (a) Deny boarding. (b) Ship the O2 separately as Dangerous Goods and hope she survives without the oxygen. (c) Say, "Welcome aboard, ma'am," and seat her with her oxygen. (d) Either (a) or (b) is technically and legally correct.
Aeronautical Accessories Inc., the Bristol, Tenn.-based affiliate of Bell Helicopter, has received an STC for its Hi-Visibility modification of the Bell 407 passenger and litter doors. The kit -- which includes two high-visibility passenger doors, one high-visibility litter door and one high-visibility fixed-panel window -- costs $25,000. Turn time for performing the retrofit is between two and three weeks.
The FAA recently issued a new Airworthiness Directive (AD) for all Bombardier CL-600, -601, -601-3A and -601-3R Challengers that requires operators to implement a corrosion prevention and control program (CPCP) by either accomplishing specific tasks or by revising the maintenance inspection program to include a CPCP.
While some corporate aviation managers may view fractional ownership as a potential threat to the existence of their flight departments, others have learned that it can be a useful resource in terms of providing supplemental lift.
A Cessna 414 (N400CS), operated by Flight Source LLC, was destroyed with it hit terrain at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport (JST) in Johnstown, Pa. The fight was on an IFR flight plan between Morgantown Municipal-Walter L. Bill Hart Field (MGW), Morgantown, W.Va., and Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey. This was a positioning flight operated under FAR Part 91.
Airbus has delivered the first VIP A340-600 (the longest commercial aircraft in the world) to Jet Aviation, Basel, for completion. The ultra-long-range aircraft is owned by the private business group Saad Air Ltd. and will be operated by National Air Services. Both companies are based in Saudi Arabia. Airbus says that the aircraft will seat around 80 passengers and will complement Saad's A320 Prestige. According to Airbus, "Saad Air is in negotiations to double its fleet in the near future, with a wide range of aircraft types."
COMPANIES BUY BUSINESS aircraft to build their markets on a national and international scale. Progressive communities support airports and the aircraft that use them in order to attract out-of-state companies to contribute to, and perhaps join, the local economy.
When NetJets founder Richard Santulli insisted on personally responding to B&CA's bulleted list of shareholder complaints, we used the opportunity to expand the list of questions. Herewith are those questions and his responses: B&CA: Is NetJets profitable?
For less than $2 million, you can buy an early 1990s CitationJet that carries a pilot and two to three passengers up to 1,400 miles in four hours flat. These aircraft are holding their values well in the resale market because they're reliable, easy to fly and relatively inexpensive to maintain. Cessna delivered 359 units between 1993 and 1999. In 2000, it replaced the CJ with the CJ1.
In a new alliance between FlightSafety International and Garmin International, the former will become the preferred online trainer for Garmin's panel-mounted avionics products. Initially, training will center on the G1000 system installed in increasing numbers of single- and twin-engine airplanes, not to mention light jets.
Aviation industry and White House officials objected to the House passage of a bill, H.R.1, that calls for implementing a number of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, including a mandate for screening of all air cargo aboard passenger aircraft. The House passed the bill 299 to 128 as part of the Democrats' "First 100 Hours" pledge. The bill would require that 35 percent of cargo carried on passenger aircraft be screened this year, 65 percent in fiscal 2008 and 100 percent by the end of fiscal 2009.
Brazil's aeronautical and civil aviation regulators, buoyed by the success of the emergency air traffic control plan implemented over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, plan to recycle the plan to avoid flight cancellations and delays during the upcoming Carnival holiday. Carnival Week, Feb. 15-20, traditionally generates the year's heaviest air traffic. As part of the plan, the agencies will monitor flight and airport operations airline schedules and reservations, and will also take stock of the number and condition of aircraft on standby to avoid cancellations.
Thank you for "The Pilot Mechanic," December 2006, page 44. It's nice to see an article that pays respect and shows the value of a nearly invisible minority. I'm proud to be one of the few. Thanks again for the excellent article.
(Hounslow, Middlesex, United Kingdom) -- Giles Latchford has been appointed head of aviation for this financing company. Latchford will be responsible for expanding the firm's financing business for light aircraft, helicopters and business jets. He has more than 11 years of aviation experience, including establishing and running a commercial aircraft leasing company that specialized in regional jets.
A final rule released by the EPA exempts airport fuel trucks from onerous spill prevention requirements and clears up some other concerns with the 2002 Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations. The rule also extends the operator compliance deadline for SPCC plans until July 1, 2009. "From all signs, [the EPA] has done almost everything we asked them to do," said Eric Byer, NATA vice president of government and industry affairs.
-Raytheon 1900 airplanes -- Conduct repetitive inspections of the forward, vertical and aft flanges of both the left and right wing rear spar lower caps for cracks. Repair any cracks found, and report the inspection results to Raytheon. -Hartzell and McCauley propellers -- For propellers serviced by Oxford Aviation Services Limited (CSE Aviation) in the United Kingdom between September 1998 and October 2003, inspect the propeller blades and other critical propeller parts for wear and mechanical damage.
I just read Kent Jackson's December 2006 Point of Law ("Pilots with Wrenches," page 88). His points are very good, but I have a question that deals with some of the more current helicopters. Many newer four-blade helicopters have a blade-folding system that consists of an expandable bolt that can be removed and the blade can be folded next to the other. Of course the blade can be moved back into place and the expandable bolt reinstalled and secured with a safety latch. Can this be done by the pilot?
A Frontier A319 passed within 50 feet of another aircraft while executing a missed approach at Denver Airport on Jan. 5. The Frontier aircraft had broken out of cloud on approach when the crew sighted a Key Lime Air Swearingen Metroliner on the runway.
The Arabian Horse Association organizes its show competitions along the lines of traditional riding styles that are typical of most breed associations. So Kevin Hendrickson's 19-year-old daughter Stephanie could compete in hunter or Western and ride English or Western saddle along with the rider garb typical of either one. Instead, Stephanie competes in both. And wins.
AmSafe Aviation, the Phoenix-based maker of restraint products, hopes to win certification in March of a safety belt with an integrated inflatable airbag for use in the Pilatus PC-12. The first application will be for a military customer, but the system is expected to be used by general aviation operators as well.
The business aviation editors at AVIATION WEEK, of which B&CA is a proud member, have begun a new blog for the community on a revamped and renamed website -- www.aviationweek.com. The blog, Business Aviation Now, is dedicated to business aviation in all its forms.
Landmark Aviation has received an STC for the installation of the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated display system (IDS) in a Dassault Falcon 50. Gary Bosemer, avionics and airframe sales manager for Landmark Aviation, said, "This system integrates additional information on the flight deck in large-format, flat-panel displays that offer numerous operational enhancements, such as graphical weather, electronic charts and maps, and flight management system overlays."
