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Magazine Issue

Business & Commercial Aviation, May 2016

Viewpoint

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Viewpoint: It’s Time for the Next Great Thing in Business Aviation

Apr 29, 2016
It seems to me the time is ripe for business aviation’s next great idea. Supersonic travel? By-the-seat charter? Uber aviation? Drones? I’ve not a clue. However, it is likely to have two characteristics — it will increase aircraft utilization, and worry those who fail to see the opportunity.

Readers' Feedback

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Reader's Feedback (May 2016)

Apr 26, 2016
NTSB Decision Puzzling I just finished reading “Icing and Failed Equipment” (Cause & Circumstance, April 2016) and while I seldom disagree with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as their investigation depth is second to none, in this case I have to say that their probable cause decision is puzzling.

Intelligence

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FAA Selects Two Aviation Fuels for Further Testing

Apr 26, 2016
The FAA has selected two unleaded aviation fuels for further testing as it works to develop an acceptable lead-free “drop-in” replacement for 100LL avgas. The new fuel formations for Phase 2 testing are from Shell and Swift Fuels. The test data will help the companies acquire an ASTM International Production Specification for the fuels. It also will eventually allow the FAA to authorize the existing general aviation fleet to use the unleaded replacement. Testing will begin this summer and conclude in 2018.
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Bombardier Receives 20-Airplane Challenger Order

Apr 26, 2016
April 1st, Bombardier announced it had received a firm order for 20 Challenger 350 jets, but declined to identify the buyer “for competitive reasons.” Based on the 2016 list prices for standard-equipped aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately US$534 million. David Coleal, president, Bombardier Business Aircraft, noted the popular model’s lead in the super midsize class, adding, “It’s simply one of the best business jets in the market.”
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Bell Signs LOI With Indonesia’s PT Whitesky Aviation

Apr 26, 2016
In early April, Bell Helicopter signed a letter of intent (LOI) with PT Whitesky Aviation of Indonesia for 30 Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters. The aircraft will be used for air taxi operations throughout the nation which is made up of more than 14,000 islands.
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Executive AirShare Moving Kansas City Headquarters

Apr 26, 2016
Executive AirShare is moving its headquarters to a 10,000-sq.-ft. facility in Lenexa, Kansas, to accommodate growing flight operations, sales, accounting and executive teams, the company said. Executive AirShare’s aircraft, pilots and maintenance teams for Executive AirShare and its subsidiary Executive Flight Services, an aircraft management and charter company, will continue to operate out of the Atlantic Aviation’s fixed base operations at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City. They employ nearly 200 workers, including 96 pilots.
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BBA Aviation Sheds Six FBOs

Apr 26, 2016
BBA Aviation, the biggest U.S. operator of business jet service facilities, has sold six fixed base operations for $190 million to affiliates of KSL Capital Partners, a private equity firm. The sale allows BBA Aviation to satisfy U.S. Department of Justice requirements for regulatory approval of the acquisition of its U.S. competitor, Landmark Aviation. BBA will use the proceeds from the sale of the FBOs to repay debt. In September 2015, BBA announced the deal to buy Landmark from the Carlyle Group for $2.1 billion, which doubles its size.
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Aircraft Maintenance Is Key Industry For U.S. Economy

Apr 26, 2016
According to the 2016 Global Fleet & MRO Market Assessment released at a Capitol Hill briefing by the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, the U.S. civil aviation maintenance industry — often an unseen part of the aviation industry — employs more than 270,000 people and generates $43.1 billion in economic activity. The March event was part of ARSA’s annual Legislative Day and headlined by House Aviation Subcommittee member Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.).
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FAA Forecast Predicts GA Will Increase Over Next Two Decades

Apr 27, 2016
A new forecast by the FAA predicts that the number of turboprops, business jets and rotorcraft in the active general aviation fleet will increase over the next two decades, although the largest segment of the fleet, fixed-wing piston aircraft, is expected to shrink. The agency said the long-term outlook for general aviation is favorable, though the active fleet should increase by just 0.2% per year from 2015 to 2036.
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Seven Million UAS Predicted By 2030

Apr 27, 2016
Five years ago, the FAA forecast the number of small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operating in U.S. airspace would grow to 25,000 by 2020 and 30,000 by 2030. In its latest forecast, the agency revised that number somewhat. Now it expects sales of some 7 million small hobby and commercial drones a year by 2020. At the same time, the FAA has released is latest update on UAS sightings by pilots, controllers and the public. The 583 reports submitted between Aug.
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Cessna Makes AOA Standard 172 Equipment

Apr 27, 2016
Cessna Aircraft announced that it is now making Safe Flight’s angle-of-attack system standard equipment on all Cessna Skyhawk 172 aircraft and optional on its Skylane 182 and Turbo Stationair 206.
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Clay Lacy Aviation Partners With SmartSky

Apr 27, 2016
Clay Lacy Aviation has partnered with SmartSky Networks to offer hardware sales, certification and installation of the SmartSky 4G network on Gulfstream G200, GIV-SP and GV aircraft. SmartSky’s technology delivers a secure signal that locks onto each aircraft in the network, the company said. Passengers will be able to stream, chat, call, game and video conference. Visit: http://smartskynetworks.com/earlybird2016/
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Cessna: Silvercrest Delay No Impact On Hemisphere Program

Apr 27, 2016
Safran’s nearly three-year delay in development and certification of the Silvercrest engine has slowed Dassault’s Falcon 5X considerably, but Cessna says it’s had no impact on its Hemispheres program. The new engine has been in the running to power Textron Aviation’s newest Citation. But in a statement, a spokeswoman says while it has not yet announced an engine provider, the Hemisphere program is on schedule, with first flight expected in 2019.
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Asian Sky Group: China Business Aviation Potential Still High

Apr 27, 2016
The potential mainland Chinese business aircraft market is perhaps six times as large as the current fleet, research based on the buying and chartering capacity of the country’s rich people suggests. Already, 1,420 people in mainland China have the potential to own business aircraft, according to estimates gathered by luxury publisher and rich-list compiler Hurun Report and Minsheng Financial Leasing. The purchasing potential of those people is 1,750 aircraft, the companies say. In addition, 9,000 Chinese mainlanders could charter business aircraft.
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Business Aviation Advocate Susan Sheets Dies At 63

Apr 27, 2016
Susan Sheets Brogan, who served for 20 years as president of the National Aircraft Resale Association and as a business aviation advocate in Washington, died April 7 after a short battle with cancer. She was 63. Brogan worked in collaboration with the National Business Aviation Association and other Washington trade groups to advance the interests of aircraft owners and pilots. A proud private pilot and a former French and Latin teacher, she began her aviation career in 1980 with French aircraft manufacturer Aerospatiale, now Airbus Helicopters.
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Duncan Launches New Feature To myDuncan

Apr 27, 2016
Duncan Aviation has launched an electric logbook feature to myDuncan, a web-based project management system. The feature allows customers to view logbook entries in real-time and categorized by airframe or engine and communicate with inspectors through the system. Duncan, introduced in 2006, allows customers to monitor the progress of maintenance or upgrades through email alerts, job status reports and updates with hour and cost estimates.
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Gulfstream Brazil Services First Argentina-Registered Aircraft

Apr 27, 2016
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.’s service center in Sorocaba, Brazil, has performed maintenance on its first Argentina-registered aircraft, a large-cabin Gulfstream business jet. Gulfstream Brazil was awarded maintenance authorization approval from Argentina’s Administracion Nacional de Aviacion Civil in August. Last year, Gulfstream Brazil performed work on 92 aircraft.
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Falcon 8X Moves Closer To Certification By Midyear

Apr 27, 2016
​Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 8X ultra-long-range business jet is entering the final stages of its flight test and certification program as the company prepares for initial delivery. FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification of the trijet is expected by midyear, with entry-into-service by late summer, Dassault said. Three aircraft are in the flight test program, have flown more than 650 hr. in 325 flights and have nearly completed all certification test requirements. In the meantime, production and support activities are ramping up.
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Tecnam Rolls Out New P2012 Traveller Piston Twin

Apr 27, 2016
Italy’s Tecnam has rolled out the P2012 Traveller, a piston twin aimed at meeting demand for a new small airliner to replace types such as the Cessna 402Cs operated by Cape Air. Capua-based Tecnam says Cape Air will be the launch customer for the new model, but adds that details of the Nantucket, Massachusetts airline’s commitment are confidential until the first flight, expected this summer. According to Tecnam, Cape Air has been involved in joint development of the 11-seat aircraft and members of its leadership team were present at the roll-out on April 1.
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Bombardier’s WAVE Gets STC

Apr 27, 2016
Bombardier Business Aircraft’s Bombardier WAVE (Wireless Access Virtually Everywhere) has been awarded a supplemental type certificate from Transport Canada. Bombardier WAVE is a high-speed Ka-band Wi-Fi service for Global 5000 and Global 6000 aircraft. Certification follows extensive flight hours and rigorous testing aboard Global business jets, the company said. The equipment allows passengers to stage a video conference, browse the Internet or stream online shows.
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JetSuite Adds To Its Charter Fleet

Apr 27, 2016
Light jet charter operator JetSuite is adding 10 Embraer ERJ 135LR aircraft to its fleet of Embraer Phenom 100 and Cessna Citation CJ3 jets.The first of the 30-seat ERJ 135s has been delivered by Embraer, with the rest to follow by mid-2017. The aircraft will be available for booking, with charter flights beginning this month. The new jets can be chartered for $8,000 per hour plus sales tax, which equates to less than $300 hourly per seat for 30 passengers.
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Blackhawk Authorizes Wipaire As Dealer

Apr 27, 2016
Blackhawk Modifications in Waco, Texas, has appointed Wipaire’s Leesburg, Florida, facility as an authorized dealer and installation center for Blackhawk XP series engine upgrades. The facility recently completed the installation of Blackhawk’s newly FAA-certified engine upgrade, the 867-shp PT6A-140 engine upgrade for the Cessna Caravan.
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CAN Launches Its 50,000th Flight

Apr 27, 2016
On April 14, the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) launched its 50,000th flight, carrying one-year-old cancer patient Baron Yerbe and his parents back to Atlanta after receiving his treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. Diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer, at three months of age, the little boy has been undergoing treatment available only at Sloan Kettering. The flight, conducted by NCR, flew from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey to Cobb County International Airport - McCollum Field.
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Emerald Aerospace Open For Business In Wichita

Apr 27, 2016
Nearly two years after the last E-4B flew from Boeing’s Wichita, Kansas facility — along with Boeing — a new large aircraft completions center has opened inside the former Boeing hangar. Emerald Aerospace is leasing two of three large hangar bays where Boeing employees once performed modification and maintenance on commercial and military aircraft, including E-4Bs and VC-25s, or Air Force One — all military versions of the civilian 747. And as it grows, Emerald intends to lease the third hangar bay.
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FAA Approves FANS 1/A+ Upgrades For GIV-SP Aircraft

Apr 28, 2016
Gulfstream Aerospace has won FAA approval to install mandated avionics upgrades, called Future Air Navigation System (FANS) 1/A+, on Gulfstream GIV-SP aircraft. FANS 1/A+ uses automation and satellite-based technology to improve aviation communication, surveillance and traffic management. The active fleet of GIV-SP aircraft totals 325. “Like our solution for GV aircraft, this system was developed by Gulfstream and Honeywell to fully integrate the GIV-SP flight deck,” says Derek Zimmerman, Gulfstream Product Support president.
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Carter Looking For Partners

Apr 27, 2016
​Carter Aviation Technologies, LLC wants to build a larger, twin-turbofan version of its slowed rotor/compound helicopter, which it believes can break the rotorcraft world records for speed, range, and altitude.
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New Pricing Plans From Gogo

Apr 27, 2016
Gogo Inc. has rolled out new hourly pricing plans for turboprop and light jet operators, which the company says will make connectivity affordable and predicable for all aircraft operators. The new service plans start at $39 per hour and do not require the purchase of block hours have no minimum monthly fee. After paying for the first hour, customers then pay only for what they use and incur fees only when the service is being used.
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CPDLC-Capable Airports Growing

Apr 27, 2016
The number of airports with Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) technology is growing rapidly and initial results of the digital service are impressive. Universal Avionics’ Cessna Citation VII, outfitted with the company’s Future Air Navigation System (FANS) 1/A+ system, recently tested the new CPDLC capability at Kentucky’s Louisville International Airport-Standiford Field (SDF).
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Hoover Statue Unveiled At Hazy Museum

Apr 27, 2016
Gen. J. R. Jack Dailey, director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, took the wraps off a larger than life-size bronze statue of R. A. “Bob” Hoover at a private reception at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on April 2, 2016. “Bob Hoover has been an eye witness to the history of aviation. He’s the only pilot ever to taxi his (Aero Commander Shrike) airplane into this hangar. And that’s a record we intend to let stand forever,” Dailey said.
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Jet-A And Avgas Per Gallon Fuel Prices April 2016

Apr 28, 2016
Jet-A and Avgas Per Gallon Fuel Prices April 2016

Fast Five

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Fast Five: Questions for Rhett Ross

Apr 27, 2016
Five questions for Rhett Ross, president and CEO of Continental Motors Group Ltd., Mobile, Alabama, and his answers.

Innovation

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Swiss Aeronautical Innovations, Part 1

Apr 27, 2016
From legendary STOL aircraft linking remote communities to a round-the-world quest in a flying machine powered on nothing but the sun’s rays, the innovations of Swiss engineers, pilots and explorers have done much to improve our collective quality of life on this planet.
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World’s Highest Helicopter Rescue

Apr 27, 2016
Since 1968, Air Zermatt has been rescuing stranded mountaineers from alpine peaks and out of crevasses near the Matterhorn. The extreme conditions of these rescues required innovative solutions that Air Zermatt rescue service has developed and refined.
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Jetman

Apr 29, 2016
If you haven’t yet seen the video of Yves Rossy and Vince Reffet flying formation alongside an Emirates Airbus A380 at 4,000 ft. over Dubai on Oct. 13, 2015, stop reading this now and go immediately to here. This extraordinary aerial ballet will make your day.

Safety

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Aviation’s Safety Data Dump

Apr 27, 2016
More data have been generated, collected and processed by the human race in the last 36 months than during the previous 3,000 years. Further, every day of every month the worldwide flood of information on every conceivable subject increases exponentially.
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What ASIAS Has Wrought

Apr 27, 2016
The FAA’s Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) program, operated under contract by the Mitre Corp. and launched in 2007 to aggregate and disseminate data from FOQA, ASAP, ATSAP programs and other sources, has so far yielded 19 safety enhancements (SEs) from data contributed by airlines.
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And the Grandparent of Safety Reporting Systems

Apr 29, 2016
Today’s FOQA and ASAP voluntary reporting programs owe their origins to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) operated on behalf of the FAA by NASA. The ASRS was conceived by the FAA and NTSB in the wake of the TWA Flight 514 CFIT accident in Virginia while on approach to Dulles International Airport in 1974 with the loss of all 92 souls on board.
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Air Charter Safety Foundation: Dealing With The Quantifiable

Apr 27, 2016
The Air Charter Safety Foundation is a partisan of using data to make aviation safer. ACSF was spawned by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) in 2007 to enhance safety in business and general aviation charter operations. One of its first accomplishments was to develop a common safety audit standard for the air charter industry.

Cause & Circumstance

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Multiple Failures Put Learjet 35A into the Atlantic

Apr 27, 2016
This month we’ll take a quick look at the loss of a Learjet 35A (XA-USD) fatal to all four occupants on Nov. 19, 2013, when it crashed into the sea off the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, coast just 3 min. or so after takeoff.

Accidents in Brief

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Accidents In Brief

Apr 27, 2016
Selected accidents and incidents in March 2016. The following NTSB information is preliminary.

2016 Purchase Planning Handbook

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2016 Avionics

Apr 27, 2016
In a flat market for new aircraft, the best place for avionics makers is to focus their resources on the aftermarket, and indeed that’s what we’re seeing — witness the panel upgrade competition between Sandel, Garmin, Universal, Avidyne and others. Prices for some avionics, such as transponders and thunderstorm detectors, have tumbled or risen only marginally, while cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorders (FDRs) are up dramatically.
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Purchase Planning Handbook: 2016 Business Airplanes

Apr 28, 2016
The new business aircraft market continued to fly into troubled skies in 2015, with piston engine aircraft deliveries dropping 6.5%, turboprops down 7.6%, and turbofan aircraft shipments flat at 1.6% growth, compared to 2014, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association
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How To Use The Airplane Charts In BCA's Purchase Planning Handbook

Apr 28, 2016
For an aircraft to be listed in the Purchase Planning Handbook, a production conforming article must have flown by May 1 of this year. The dimensions, weights and performance characteristics of each model listed are representative of the current production aircraft being built or for which a type certificate application has been filed. The basic operating weights we publish should be representative of actual production turboprop and turbofan aircraft because we ask manufacturers to supply us with the average weights of the last 10 commercial aircraft that have been delivered.
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Business Aircraft Specifications

Apr 28, 2016
The BCA Purchase Planning Handbook includes specifications for single-engine piston, multiengine piston, single-engine turboprops, multiengine turboprops and jets. Jets are separated by weight class with a separate category for ultralong-range jets.

Operations

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Strategies for Avoiding Airport Departure Obstacles

May 18, 2016
There are at least three strategies for dealing with airport departure obstacles, each valid in its own way but each with limitations that must be understood to maximize safety margins.
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International Ops Alerts

Apr 27, 2016
The Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympic Games — dubbed “Rio 2016” — are scheduled to begin Aug. 5 and extend through Aug. 21. The 2016 Paralympics will run from Sept. 7 to Sept. 18 in the same locale.

Bluebook Marketline

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Gulfstream G200: Current Pre-Owned Aircraft Market Status

Apr 28, 2016
Aircraft Bluebook At-a-Glance has reviewed the current market status of the Gulfstream G200 business jet. Research for this study was obtained in part from Aircraft Bluebook, Aircraft Bluebook’s Historical Value Reference, the FAA’s registry website and various trade services.

Point of Law

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Point of Law: FAR Part 91 Maintenance Programs

Apr 28, 2016
There are two maintenance questions that are posed to me again and again: First, “Are Mandatory Service Bulletins really mandatory?” and its counterpart: “When the manufacturer updates the maintenance program, do I have to comply with the changes?”

20/Twenty

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Used Aircraft Report: Embraer Phenom 300

Apr 28, 2016
Six years ago, the $7 million Embraer Phenom 300 entered service, instantly redefining the value proposition in the light-jet segment. Excluding its shorter lavatory, the dimensions of the main passenger seating area compare favorably with the Learjet 70, including maximum height because of Phenom 300’s 4-in. dropped aisle. Its 66-cu.-ft. aft baggage compartment is the largest in the light-jet class and there is another 10 cu. ft. of luggage storage split between the nose compartment and lavatory. Its runway performance is closely matched to Citation CJ4.

On Duty

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News Of Promotions, Appointments And Honors (May 2016)

Apr 28, 2016
News of promotions, appointments and honors involving professionals within the business aviation community.

50 Years Ago

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Business & Commercial Aviation News from May 1966

Apr 28, 2016
Pan Am orders 25 Boeing 747s for $525 million. The company plans to introduce the 490-passenger Boeing 747 in late 1969. Modified Aero Commanders: Extensive restyling and modifying of Aero commander aircraft are offered now by BACC. Modifications include stylized nacelle fairing, and landing gears doors. Soon to be available will be exhaust system for reduced cabin noise and pilot front entrance door. Kits are available.

Pilatus PC-12 NG Pilot Report

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Pilot Report: Pilatus PC-12 NG

Apr 27, 2016
There’s no mistaking a 2016 Pilatus PC-12 NG from earlier versions of the aircraft. The third iteration of this 22-year-old model sports a five-blade Hartzell prop with scimitar shaped blades made of black carbon fiber. It is more efficient at converting torque into thrust in all phases of flight than the aluminum Hartzell four-blade prop it replaces.