PrivatAir is expected to soon announce that it will operate a third scheduled all-first-class service to the United States for another major airline. The equipment will be either A319LR or BBJ/BBJ2. PrivatAir currently operates transatlantic services for Lufthansa from Munich and Dusseldorf and for Swiss International Airlines (now part of Lufthansa) from Zurich. For the Swiss service, PrivatAir uses a 56-seat Boeing 737-800 with extra tanks installed by PATS. Load factors are averaging 80 percent, says the company.
The May Purchase Planning Handbook was outstanding, as usual. The inclusion of a couple of new-generation very light jets in the Business Airplane tables and in the Emerging Aircraft report, in conjunction with Bill Garvey's Viewpoint (``Manufactured in _____,'' page 7), once again illustrates that there may be, indeed, ``nothing new under the sun.
J. Robert Duncan, chairman of Duncan Aviation, received the Flight Safety Foundation Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award for his outstanding contributions to business aviation. Duncan has focused on developing innovation, employee empowerment and exceptional customer service in the company, said FSF President and CEO Stuart Matthews.
Eight years ago, Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Albuquerque-based Eclipse Aviation, made the biggest gamble in light jet aviation since Bill Lear introduced the Learjet 23 in 1963. Raburn bet that folks would buy hundreds, if not thousands, of twin turbofan aircraft if they could be sold for less than $1 million. Best known outside aviation circles as a high-tech industry entrepreneur, Raburn is a strong believer in price elasticity, a concept he claims is often ignored in general aviation.
Although his company no longer flies S58Ts, Frank Carson is still an innovator when it comes to helicopters. Carson's company has one of the largest fleets of commercial S61s, which does everything from heli-logging, to firefighting and construction. Always willing to find new ways to improve productivity and performance, Carson has developed new high-tech, high-performance main- and tail-rotor blades for his S61 workhorses. He has also developed a high-performance 1,000-gallon external water tank to attack wildfires.
ARINC and Jeppesen have teamed to offer an integrated electronic flight bag (EFB) system that combines the former's eFlightDeck technology with the latter's EFB software. ARINC will provide the airborne data communications and document-view technology as well as EFB integration and hardware support. Jeppesen will provide its software, data and applications such as digital terminal charts, en route moving map and airport moving map technologies. The companies said the system will be scalable and have an open platform to host future functionality.
At June's Paris Air Show, Raytheon unveiled a ground-based missile defense system that it says could be deployed at airports for $25 million per system. The system, called Vigilant Eagle, uses a high-power amplifier-transmitter to emit electromagnetic waves ``to disrupt the missile and deflect it away from the aircraft,'' Raytheon said.
Zero Gravity Corp. (ZERO-G), the first and only FAA-approved provider of weightless flight, has been contracted to conduct two research flights in mid-September for NASA's Reduced Gravity Program. The contract marks the first time NASA has outsourced parabolic research and training flights to a commercial provider.
General aviation advocates have become increasingly concerned that Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) will draft a measure for the fiscal 2006 transportation appropriations bill that would impose limits on flights at Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey. The Weekly of Business Aviation reported that Rothman, a member of the transportation appropriations subcommittee, has included Teterboro restrictions in past appropriations bills, including one reinforcing a ban on the Boeing Business Jet at the airport.
When it comes to selecting a paint shop, time and price are key concerns, but past performance, work quality, quotation accuracy and compliance with environmental regulations are also important. And be concerned with other factors as well -- for example, a fast turnaround may not be a plus. As Mike Manclark, CEO of Leading Edge Aviation Services, Inc., noted, ``Surface preparation and good application of primer are important for a good paint job. It takes time to carefully prepare the airplane. Anything that is left on the surface will show up later.''
More than a month after federal officials said they were ready to release an Interim Final Rule detailing the conditions under which business aircraft will be permitted to resume operations into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), the rule still had not been published as we went to press. The May 25 announcement by then-TSA Administrator David Stone and FAA Administrator Marion Blakey was viewed by the aviation community as a breakthrough after nearly four years of lobbying to get DCA reopened to business and charter aircraft.
The House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee has called for increasing FAA funding levels despite the Bush administration's request for nearly $900 million in cuts. The committee recommended a $14.427 billion fiscal 2006 budget, some $877 million more than the fiscal 2005 budget and up $1.74 billion from what the administration had sought for the agency. The fiscal 2006 transportation appropriations bill includes $8 million more than requested for aviation safety and certification inspectors, $4 million of which would be dedicated to the certification staff.
THERE ARE BOUND TO BE flight department managers who, after examining the new requirements for flying into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), won't even think about bringing their Washington-bound passengers into the close-in airport when that becomes possible this fall.
Thirty years ago, the flood of oil money into Saudi Arabia inspired the kingdom's leaders to modernize its overburdened and outdated infrastructure. Soon a broad, well-funded building program -- the most ambitious in the country's history -- was in full swing. The plan included road building, port improvement, new housing, offices, hotels, the works.
A Saudi-owned ACJ was discretely shown to the press by Airbus, at a remote Geneva Airport location during EBACE. The aircraft was not Saudi registered. The 21-seater has a range of 9,300 km, and endurance of around 10+15, thanks to three extra fuel tanks under floor. It was originally fitted with four tanks but the owners decided they needed extra baggage space more than the greater range. The cabin has a nine-seat salon forward, a fully enclosed bedroom and walk-in shower. To the rear of the cabin there is another 12-seat luxury salon.
Harrods Aviation's Embraer Legacy corporate jet sales are expected to be 100 percent above the company's first-year predictions, says Managing Director Steve Grimes. Since taking on Embraer's U.K. and Ireland sales and distributorship in late 2004, Harrods has taken orders for three, $22.45 million Legacy corporate jets. The first G-registered aircraft was delivered to the U.K. in May. Two to three more are to be delivered before year-end, says Grimes.
Air Chef has formed a partnership with J/R Catering of Oakland, Calif., to provide inflight catering and concierge services to the business aviation community in the San Francisco Bay Area. The partnership serves area airports, including Oakland International (OAK), San Francisco International (SFO), San Jose International (SJC), Hayward Executive (HWD), Concord Buchanan Field (CCR), San Carlos (SQL) and Palo Alto (PAO). Customers can speak directly with the Bay Area culinary team 24/7 at (800) 247-2433. Online ordering will be available by the end of the summer.
The Eclipse's PW610F engines are FADEC-equipped for easy operation and rugged for low operating cost. At entry-into-service in 2006, they'll have a 1,750 HSI midlife inspection interval and a 3,500-hour TBO. Projected overall cost is about $150,000 per engine, according to Eclipse officials.
The first students at FlightSafety International's new $250 million, 95,000-square-foot, Farnborough Flight Training Center are due to arrive on July 18. This first group will ``fly'' aboard the company's Citation Bravo simulator. ``Five of the 14 simulators are standing up now,'' said Rudy Toering, the center's manager and managing director of FSI's European marketing.
Good Viewpoint in the May issue (page 7), but I didn't realize Sir Tim Berners-Lee was an American! Mike Taylor United Kingdom Sir Berners-Lee is justifiably recognized as a founder of the World Wide Web, but the Internet is an American invention, as stated in the article.
The pilot of a Cessna Caravan 208B made an emergency landing in a Texas field after the aircraft's engine failed. The June 7 flight originated from Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport (AMA) and was bound for Addison, Texas. A preliminary NTSB report said the 7,500-hour ATP heard an unusual whining/hissing noise from the engine when the aircraft was climbing through 6,000 feet msl and as the airplane climbed through 8,000 feet, ``the noise got louder and the inlet turbine temperature gauge was fluctuating.
Elliott Aviation has received an FAA STC to install Honeywell's Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS), along with windshear alerting, in Citation Ultras and Excels. RAAS offers a significant safety enhancement to Honeywell's Mark VII EGPWS and can be added to existing or new installations. It provides improved situational awareness to help prevent runway incursions. The System utilizes GPS data, in addition to EGPWS runway database information, to monitor the aircraft's position on the runway and taxiways.
Dallas Airmotive, Dallas, named Cristiano Piroli regional sales manager for Brazil. Prior to joining Dallas Airmotive, Piroli spent more than five years working as a maintenance supervisor, engine shop chief engineer and sales manager for Lider Taxi Aero SA and Lider Signature SA.
I was a bit surprised by ``Zap! A Disquieting Beam of Light'' (February, page 64), which covered lasers in the cockpit. The advice was, if it occurred, see your local ophthalmologist. I would instead recommend that should such a rare incident occur, see any available eye care provider, optometrist or ophthalmologist, the sooner the better. Mario Jilbert Craig Via e-mail
