The Month In Business Aviation: April 2021
April 30, 2021![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2021-04/us_airways_express_newark_ntsb_1.png?itok=OWmClzbP)
It Was Supposed To Extend
Credit: NTSB
When a design is supposed to be bulletproof and a procedure is supposed to work every time, and it doesn’t, you start off thinking the crew didn’t execute the emergency procedure properly. However, first impressions are not always right. Good investigators proceed carefully, step by step, to get to the truth. A regional airline gear-up landing I helped to investigate in 2013 is an example.
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When Should I Flare?
Credit: James Albright
I’ve heard this off and on over the years: “Hold your aimpoint steady in the windshield and once you lose sight of it, flare.” Of course, that makes no sense. If you hold the aimpoint stationary you will not lose sight of it until the wheels touch well short of it. So, how do you know when to flare?
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Flight Tests Beckon For GE Catalyst Turboprop
Credit: GE Aviation
The Catalyst turboprop, GE Aviation’s new small-engine program, is entering the homestretch toward flight testing, certification and initial installation on Textron Aviation’s Cessna Denali turboprop single.
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Aircraft Overview: Citation Sovereign
The Citation Sovereign and Sovereign+ are a pair of super-midsize-category business jets that represent the two commercial designations for Textron Aviation’s model 680 type. Explore the latest in-service fleet data, Aircraft Bluebook historical values, past pilot reports and more.
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Are We Going To Lose Our Airports?
Credit: Adobe Stock/dangdumrong
On Oct. 29, 2012, a 13-ft. storm surge from Superstorm Sandy flooded large portions of Teterboro Airport (KTEB). In addition to submerging significant portions of the runways and taxiways, several buildings and extensive amounts of electrical infrastructure also sustained damage.
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Opinion: Can Bombardier Go It Alone In Business Aviation?
Credit: Bombardier
Twenty years ago, Bombardier was on top of the world. It was the leading producer of regional jets—the fastest-selling category of jetliners. The rest of its portfolio of turboprops, business jets and trains was also strong. It was a Canadian business icon.
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A Unique Sun 'n Fun Presence
How this year's Sun 'n Fun is different than usual.
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Do Multi-Function Displays Disengage Pilot Brains?
Credit: Adobe Stock/denisismagilov
While we are focusing on the problem of not disengaging automatic systems and flying the airplane, we may be failing to ask a more significant question. That is: Why aren’t we disengaging those systems completely, or, why have we still lost situational awareness when those systems have been disengaged and we think we’re flying manually?
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Choosing To Take A Risk
Credit: NTSB
It’s hard to understand why a pilot chooses to take a risk he has been warned against taking. It’s even harder to understand when that pilot is a chief pilot, charged with training and checking other pilots and with supporting the safety practices of a company safety management program.
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Webinar: Technology For Cleaner Corporate Cabins
Watch the webinar to hear the panel answer these questions and more: What are options to further boost the health and safety of passengers in corporate aircraft through cabin air systems to antimicrobial material in upholstery and what are the life cycles of these systems and what maintenance is required after installation?
This month the market asked some big questions - are we going to lose our airports, can Bombardier go it alone in business aviation and do multi-function displays disengage pilot brains? Take a look at our roundup of the biggest stories in April.