``General aviation is an expanding universe, with prices moving away from each other at a high rate of speed. Old is moving away from new [and] pristine is moving away from rough,'' said Fletcher Aldredge in the most recent edition of his quarterly newsletter, Market Leader.
Gulfstream Aerospace has received an FAA STC for the installation of its new ultra-high-speed Broad Band Multi-Link (BBML) data system in G450 and G350 business jets. The first installation of the system on a customer G450 was to be completed in June.
The Embraer 170 will not be fitted with a ventral speed-brake to attain steep approach certification to London City Airport (LCY). ``It was noisy and added 100 kilograms to the aircraft,'' said Luis Carlos Affonso, the father of the company's jet family. Instead, the Brazilian manufacturer says it will make the 70-seat aircraft compliant by using existing aircraft controls, deploying full flaps and using existing speed brakes to produce the adequate drag to keep speed and approach in the green.
FlightWorks, Inc., Kennesaw, Ga., announced the appointment of Len Beauchemin as vice president of technical services. Previously, he worked as the aviation services manager for technical support at Eastman Kodak Co. in Rochester, N.Y. Additionally, Greg Kinsella was named Mid-Atlantic regional sales manager. He joined FlightWorks from Rolls-Royce in Chantilly, Va. Meanwhile, Mark Nelson was appointed quality control manager, and Mark Richardson was named director of customer service.
The FAA issued full type certification to Cessna's Model 525 Citation CJ1+ on June 17. Certification was awarded in just over 200 flights and 400 flight hours, spanning 11 months. According to Cessna, the Citation CJ1+ offers more performance, new integrated avionics, enhanced cabin features and expanded standard equipment over the CJ1. The newest Citation is powered by the new Williams FJ44-1AP with dual-channel FADEC. At 41,000 feet, the aircraft can travel more than 20 knots faster than the CJ1.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., has announced the initial results of an internal study that includes new flight symbology developed by the company to assist helicopter pilots landing in brownout conditions or other degraded visual environments (DVE). Sikorsky test pilots and company engineers who served overseas as pilots flew approaches in a fixed-base simulator with a special effects model that simulates realistic brownout conditions. Improved control at touchdown was noted as well as the pilot's ability to maintain awareness of lateral drift at low speeds.
BUSINESS AVIATION IS THE sign of a well-managed company. It is a form of transportation that maximizes the productivity of a firm's two most important assets -- people and time. Yet many companies, particularly those with public ownership, are reluctant to say much about their flight activities, instead preferring to take a very low profile whenever there are issues involving the use of company aircraft.
Rockwell Collins won a contract to provide its Pro Line 21 avionics to upgrade the U.S. Navy's fleet of 55 T-44A training aircraft. ARINC, the purchasing and installation agency for the program, awarded the contract. L-3 Communications is the prime contractor. The Pro Line upgrade for the Navy King Airs will include two 10-by-eight-inch, high-resolution LCDs with the FMS-3000 flight management system that will provide flight planning and navigation capabilities.
ARINC's Asia Pacific division will establish a joint venture with China's Aviation Data Communication Corp. (ADCC) to develop new products and services for the aviation market. The joint venture plans to take advantage of ARINC's expertise in airline communications and airport IT with ADCC's experience in application development. One project the joint venture is expected to undertake is airport tarmac management services, monitoring and managing aircraft on the ground.
UltraJet of Cleveland has announced a rewards program for its Private Jet Card customers. Cardholders are eligible for Round-trip Rewards when they travel on an UltraJet aircraft and return to the city of origin, the same or next day. The reward offers 20 percent free additional flight time that can be used for future travel. The jet card program supplies 25 hours of flight time in the UltraJet fleet of business aircraft with a one-time, pre-payment.
Garrett/Piedmont Hawthorne/Associated, Tempe, Ariz., appointed Roger E. Wolfe as executive vice president of operations. Wolfe, a 25-year industry veteran, most recently worked as general manager and vice president for Honeywell Airframe Systems.
Not since it was bombed and strafed in the Battle of Britain has there been so much excitement at Biggin Hill. Columbia Pictures is using the airfield to shoot scenes for the movie ``The Da Vinci Code.'' Anxious to use real locations from the best-selling book, movie director Ron Howard (of ``Apollo 13'' fame) checked out the corporate and general aviation airfield's suitability to portray itself a couple of months ago. Scheduled for release in summer 2006, the movie will star Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Alfred Molina and Sir Ian McKellen.
PATTERNED BEHAVIOR IS a natural part of living; once a thing is learned, repeating the action saves time and helps assure a good outcome. However, when the pattern is flawed, the outcome can be unwelcome -- even deadly. The following accidents all share similarities. The pattern may not be obvious at first, but will become abundantly clear.
Some have called it a ``science project'' and have little faith in the outcome. Others worry the United States is too late, or has too little commitment to it. Others believe there is still time, but that the United States must proceed with a sense of urgency. And, others say it must succeed, because it's all the United States has. ``If we don't do this,'' says Ron Swanda, senior vice president of operations for GAMA, ``in 2025, we will probably be able to watch men walk on Mars, but we probably won't be able to fly to Chicago.''
Grob Aerospace officially launched its twin-turbofan SPn Utility Jet at June's Paris Air Show. The SPn, short for exponential possibilities to the nth degree, is no VLJ. It will offer a super-light-jet-size cabin with double club seating. Known internally as project G180, the aircraft will feature Grob's signature all-composite construction; twin 2,800-pound-thrust, FADEC-equipped Williams International FJ44-3A turbofans; and four-display Honeywell avionics that look a lot like APEX.
Sporty's Quick Release Chart Protectors not only protect approach plates from damage, they also make them easier to use. Engineered for the cockpit, the Chart Protectors are plastic sleeves with specially designed, reinforced slits so a pilot can remove or replace the approach plate without having to open the binder rings. The Quick Release Chart Protectors make it easy to put a single chart in a yoke-mounted clip or on a knee board. Available in both FAA and Jeppesen chart sizes. Price:$0.89 each; 50 chart protectors, $35
CJ Systems Aviation Group announced the renewals of multi-year contracts for air medical services with TraumaOne Flight Service in Jacksonville, and LifeFlight Eagle in Kansas City, Mo. TraumaOne Flight Service has been a CJ Systems customer since 1989, during which time the program has expanded its service area to include northern Florida and southern Georgia. TraumaOne Flight Services is an extension of the Level 1 trauma program at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center in Jacksonville.
We had just leveled off at FL 510, en route from Tucson to New Orleans, when Robert Agostino, head of Bombardier's Wichita Flight Operations, said, ``Turn around and smile for the camera.'' Admittedly, the aircraft was light, but few light jets can rival the Learjet 31/31A for climb performance, high-altitude cruise speed or overall fuel efficiency. In addition, Learjet 31 and 31A aircraft are excellent airport performers and offer docile handling characteristics that rival those of far, far slower Citation 500/550 aircraft.
Geneva Air Park is the name to be given to the proposed $28 million business aviation hangar development at Geneva International Airport. The site is next door to Geneva's C3 business aviation terminal and will offer 113,000 square feet of hangarage (holding up to two Boeing 747-size aircraft). Owner Charles Aufranc is also project coordinator until planning permission is gained, which is expected this fall. Clearing and rebuilding should start in January 2006. The existing hangars on the site belong to Geneva Airport, and are owned by the Swiss government.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) granted Irfan Azeem, an assistant professor of engineering physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, its most prestigious award for new faculty members, the Faculty Early Career Development Award. The grant recognizes and supports the early career activities of teacher-scholars who are most likely to become academic leaders of the 21st century.
The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) of Alexandria, Va., offers the proceedings of the 50th annual Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS) -- presented by the FSF with the NBAA on April 26-28, in Orlando, published on compact disc. The proceedings comprise 18 papers prepared by international aviation safety specialists for the CASS.
Forecast International's predictions are more optimistic than Honeywell Aerospace's forecast, which estimated a market for 8,300 business jets valued at $131 billion from 2004 through 2014. But the Honeywell forecast does not include models such as the Eclipse, which has a backlog of well over 2,000 airplanes.
The Strategic Research Institute (SRI) plans to hold its 10th annual Corporate Aircraft Transaction & Fractional Ownership Interests Conference on July 11 and 12 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. As usual, this forum will bring together an array of industry experts to discuss issues affecting business aviation today. The two-day meeting also is designed to provide attendees with the tools and information needed to provide greater insights into the corporate jet acquisition and financing process. This year's topics include:
In late April, B&CA was invited to be the first publication to fly the newly Transport Canada-certificated Bombardier Enhanced Vision System (BEVS). It was installed aboard a Global 5000, which along with a Global Express XRS, was one of the two test aircraft used for system development and certification.
The German administrator for insolvent AvCraft Aerospace GmbH, Dr. Martin Prager, says he is still in talks with potential buyers to keep the Dornier 328JET in production. However, 155 of the 345 jobs at Oberpfaffenhofen have been eliminated in the restructuring of operations. Prager was hopeful that he might find a buyer by June, to meet his own deadline. ``An investor is just as likely to come from the industrial sector as the private equity sector,'' said Prager. The collapse of AvCraft was due to a series of ``unfortunate circumstances,'' according to Prager.
