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Magazine Issue

Business & Commercial Aviation, November 2015

Viewpoint

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Clear Communication Crucial for Crews — and Regulators

Oct 26, 2015
The news that Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger will be a main speaker at the NBAA Convention later this month brought me such pleasant anticipation that I can grudgingly forgive the event planners for choosing, again, to hold it in Las Vegas, arguably America’s most venal city.

Reader's Feedback

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Reader's Feedback (November 2015)

Oct 26, 2015
Readers share opinions on FAA enforcement, twin takeoff performance, safe aircraft refueling.

Intelligence

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Billion-Dollar Baby: GE Sells Finance Unit to Global Jet Capital

Oct 26, 2015
One of the modest news announcements at last year’s NBAA Convention was that of the creation of Global Jet Capital, a business jet leasing and lending organization. Backed by three global investment firms — Franklin Square Capital Partners with Blackstone advising, AE Industrial Partners and The Carlyle Group — and overseen by business aviation veterans Shawn Vick and Bill Boisture, the future looked promising. When looking back from the 2015 NBAA Convention, set for November 17-19 in Las Vegas, that promise will have been fully realized. And thensome.
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Looking for a Home: Aerion Looks to U.S.

Oct 24, 2015
Aerion is looking for a home and an engine, but is satisfied it has found the right partner in Airbus. That was the message Brian Barents, the company’s co-chairman, delivered to those gathered by a Wichita Aero Club luncheon recently. He told the Sept. 21 audience that his Reno, Nevada-based company has hired a firm to help it select a site for assembling the 1.5 Mach AS2 supersonic business jet.
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2,500th Caravan Delivered

Oct 26, 2015
Textron Aviation has delivered its 2,500th Cessna Caravan. Accepting the keys to the single engine utility turboprop at ceremonies in Wichita in late September was Jim Rowe, head of Bering Air of Nome, Alaska. The carrier is taking delivery of eight Grand Caravan EX aircraft this year, and retiring an equal number. The aircraft is powered a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 rated at 867 shp. Bering’s Caravans operate around the Arctic Circle, hauling people and supplies in temperatures as low as -60F.
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AW189 Gets Icing Certification

Oct 24, 2015
AGUSTAWESTLAND HAS CERTIFIED ITS Limited Ice Protection System (LIPS) on its AW189 super-medium, twin-engine helicopter. But the clearances, announced by the company Sept. 29, will not allow helicopter operator Bristow from beginning search and rescue duties in the U.K. with the aircraft until a full ice protection system (FIPS) is introduced, which AgustaWestland hopes to certify next year.
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Piper M500 Goes to First Polish Customer

Oct 26, 2015
Piper Aircraft is delivering its first Piper M500 single-engine turboprop to a customer in Poland.
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Daher Appoints Exec Aero As TBM Service Center

Oct 26, 2015
Daher has appointed Exec Aero at Orlando Executive Airport as the TBM service center serving TBM aircraft customers based in Central Florida and visitors to the area.
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FSI To Add Two Caravan Simulators In Wichita Center

Oct 26, 2015
FlightSafety International said it is adding two Cessna Caravan Level D qualified simulators at its Wichita East Learning Center.
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Wheels Up Funding Spurs Growth

Oct 26, 2015
Wheels Up, a membership-based private aviation company, has completed a round of funding that will allow it to establish a base for operations in Europe and enhance the company's technology platform, the company said. With the funding, Wheels Up's valuation is now greater than $500 million.
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FAA Will Test UAV Detection System

Oct 27, 2015
The FAA will evaluate technology to detect unmanned aircraft near airports under a Pathfinder program with developer CACI International.
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Used-Aircraft Sales Rebound; MRO Expansion

Oct 26, 2015
The recent rebound in used-aircraft sales and generally positive flight-activity figures from major markets bodes well for business-jet aftermarket providers, according to the recently released Aviation Week Intelligence Network Business Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast.
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Agrarflug Helilift Is New Bell Service Center

Oct 26, 2015
Bell Helicopter has added Agrarflug Helilift, located in Ahren, Germany, to its network of authorized customer service facilities. Agrarflug Helilift has more than 40 helicopters in its fleet and provides charter services, aircraft maintenance, pilot training and maintenance training. The newly authorized company will provide field maintenance services for the Bell Helicopter 204, 205, 206A/B, 206L, and 212 model aircraft. It will also offer customization and refurbishment services.
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Astra Signs With NAS

Oct 26, 2015
Astra, an African flight support company, has signed ground handling agreements with National Aviation Services at Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
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Spike Supersonic Bizjet in Development

Oct 26, 2015
Spike Aerospace is developing the supersonic Spike S-512 with a maximum cruise speed of Mach 1.8 and capability of taking 18 passengers from Los Angeles to Tokyo in 6 hr. at Mach 1.6.
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Red Aviation Acquires DFW Instrument

Oct 26, 2015
Red Aviation, Georgetown, Texas, has acquired DFW Instrument in Addison, Texas. Founded in 2001, Red Aviation provides parts and services. DFW Instrument provides repairs of flight-critical instrument and equipment repairs to the business aircraft industry.
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Testing Continues for Universal Avionics PFD

Oct 26, 2015
Universal Avionics in Tucson, Arizona, has completed its second ground-testing round for software changes to support the integration of EFI 890H Advanced Flight Displays in the AS332 Super Puma helicopter, the company said.
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OneJet Fleet Expansion

Oct 26, 2015
OneJet will select an aircraft capable of carrying seven or eight passengers update 1,000 mi. in the fourth quarter and has selected SkyWorks Capital for help in structuring and closing the transaction.
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Jet Aviation Gets FAA STC for Challengers

Oct 26, 2015
Jet Aviation St. Louis has received FAA approval for the Supplemental Type Certificate for installation of its Future Airspace Navigation System for the Bombardier Challenger 604.
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Flexjet, Flight Options Now Single Carrier

Oct 26, 2015
Flexjet and its sister company, Flight Options, will be recognized as a single carrier within its parent company, Directional Aviation, the National Mediation Board ruled on Sept. 30.
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Rockwell Collins FANS 1/A Upgrade Gets FAA STC

Oct 26, 2015
Rockwell Collins received an FAA supplemental type certificate for Future Airspace Navigation Systems (FANS) 1/A upgrade for Pro Line 4 avionics-equipped Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft. With FANS 1/A, Challenger 604 aircraft operators will have access to preferred wind-efficient transatlantic routes to save both time and fuel.
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European Business Aviation Operations Stagnate

Oct 26, 2015
Business-aviation activity remains stagnant in Europe, as a few key markets show modest improvement while Italy and Turkey join already struggling Russia on the list of countries where departures are down.
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Management Services Clarified by Brown-Portman Bill

Oct 26, 2015
Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) have introduced legislation to clarify that aircraft management services are not subject to federal air transportation taxes.
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New Design Studio at Pentastar

Oct 26, 2015
Pentastar Aviation is adding a new aircraft interior design studio at the company’s site at Oakland County International Airport.

Fast Five

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Fast Five: Questions for David Rimmer

Oct 26, 2015
JFI has grabbed attention for flights into Cuba. An important market?

Operations

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Assessing Africa’s Aviation Infrastructure

Oct 26, 2015
Operating in the interior of Africa can be challenging, but the continent’s aviation infrastructure is slowly catching up with the 21st century.
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‘The Next Big Development’

Oct 26, 2015
As Wynand Meyer, director of UAS International Trip Support’s Africa division in Johannesburg puts it, “Africa is the next big development,” as it’s the last continent still fresh for modernization of its infrastructure — mainstream as well as aviation.
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IFALPA in Africa

Oct 26, 2015
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) claims to represent more than 100,000 pilots among nearly 100 member associations and unions, 16 of which are based in Africa.
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Operations In Africa Put Pressure On Pilots

Oct 26, 2015
Former Naval aviator John Koon spent his last tour on active duty assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana, where he flew the American ambassador throughout West and Central Africa in a Beech C12 (King Air 200) where he had plenty of opportunities to assess the quality of ATC and competence of controllers.

Update

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Pilatus Designs The PC-24 To Do Everything

Oct 26, 2015
Pilatus Aircraft's first jet will be able to operate from short, unimproved landing strips and will feature a large cargo door, providing flexibility to operators.
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The Good Stewards of Stans

Oct 26, 2015
Headquarters and production buildings are largely heated with renewable energy produced by locally grown and waste timber that is converted into gas in a complex process at a wood gasification plant.
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Tough Airplanes for Tough Environments

Oct 26, 2015
Pilatus has been building rugged, versatile aircraft since 1939, and today nearly 3,000 aircraft are in service throughout the world.
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Peopling Pilatus

Oct 26, 2015
How does a company that designs and manufactures specialized, turbine-powered aircraft deep within the Swiss Alps recruit a workforce with the skills necessary to compete on the world stage?

Cause & Circumstance

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Cause & Circumstance: Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness

Nov 23, 2015
For helicopter pilots, operating in crosswinds near the ground with high power can be problematic. Mistakes in handling either situation can be fatal.

Accidents in Brief

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Accidents in Brief

Oct 24, 2015
Selected Accidents and Incidents in August and September 2015. The following NTSB information is preliminary.

Safety

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How Pilots Intuitively Make Critical Decisions

Oct 24, 2015
Making timely and correct decisions is an important part of many jobs, but few professions require this skill at the level of a pilot flying a large, transport category airplane.
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How to Recover from Tailplane Icing

Nov 27, 2015
Successfully coping with tailplane icing requires an understanding of the aerodynamics of your aircraft and how the wing and tailplane work together.

Management

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Global Rules of the Road

Oct 26, 2015
Knowing something about the International Civil Aviation Organization is important for all pilots, even those who never fly outside their home country.
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Q&A With Kurt Edwards, Director General, IBAC

Oct 26, 2015
Appointed to IBAC’s top post in September 2012, Kurt Edwards previously served in high-level positions with the International Affairs and Environmental offices of the FAA. He also led the FAA’s outreach efforts while based in Brussels and Paris.
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Q&A With Stephen Creamer

Oct 26, 2015
Recently appointed to his ICAO position in Montreal, Creamer was director of the FAA’s Europe, Africa and Middle East regional office, located in the U.S. Embassy in Brussels.

Pilot Report Dassault Falcon 8X

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Pilot Report: Dassault Falcon 8X

Oct 29, 2015
We flew the first flight test aircraft to evaluate the progress of the program, to gauge how well Dassault is meeting the trijet’s stated weight, performance and cabin comfort goals and to sample its handling qualities.
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Easy III Epic Cockpit

Oct 27, 2015
The Falcon 8X flight deck features a growth version of the Falcon 7X’s EASy II system, powered by Honeywell Primus Epic avionics with four, 14-in., portrait configuration flat-panel displays.
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Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307D Turbofans

Oct 26, 2015
The Falcon 8X’s engines are growth versions of the Falcon 7X’s 6,405-lb.-thrust PW307A powerplants, flat rated up to ISA+18.4C.

Flight Evaluation

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E2VS Displays Potential as Breakthrough Product

Oct 26, 2015
Embraer is introducing the E2VS, short for Embraer Enhanced Vision System, a two-part package that includes Rockwell Collins’ HGS-3500 compact head-up guidance systems and its new triple-band EVS-3000 enhanced vision sensor. E2VS could be a breakthrough for business aviation.

On Duty

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News of promotions, appointments (November 2015)

Oct 26, 2015
AAR, Wood Dale, Illinois, announced that Steven B. Harrison has been appointed president of AAR Airlift, which is headquartered in Palm Bay, Florida, and has operations worldwide.

Point of Law

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FAA Enforcement Policy Could Improve Relationship with Operators

Oct 26, 2015
The FAA’s new Compliance Philosophy does not contain the phrase “promote and foster aviation.” There are, of course, a few troubling aspects, particularly the accepted belief that “policy” has the force and effect of regulation. But if the FAA succeeds in implementing this philosophy, the sometimes-strained relationship between agency and operators will improve, and safety will continue to improve.

20/Twenty

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Falcon 2000 Classic: Cabin Comfort at Super-Midsize Prices

Oct 26, 2015
Dassault launched the Falcon 2000 program in 1989 as a large cabin aircraft that would have double-club seating, 3,000 nm range and operating costs nearly as inexpensive as midsize jets.

50 Years Ago

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50 Years Ago November 1965 News

Oct 26, 2015
The FAA will abolish 950 jobs by June 30 without a single “layoff,” adhering to a cost-saving mandate from President Johnson. Annual FAA turnover is about 8% , which means 3,200 jobs will be vacated this year, not all of them to be filled.