The Month In Business Aviation: July 2021
Will Certified Cessna Denalis Expand Or Divide The Market?
Credit: Textron Aviation (top)/Pilatus
When designing an all-new aircraft, a fundamental consideration is: First, select an engine. But based on hard experience, a refinement to that adage might be: Preferably, select one that is certified.
Being A Better Pilot, Part 2
Photo credit: NTSB
When I was a fledgling Boeing 707 copilot, one of my first captains would ask me why I had done something wrong, and I would come up with an answer. He would say, “Well that’s a reason. It isn’t a good reason, but it is a reason.”
Unable To Stop, Part 1: Falcon 50 Brake Malfunction
Credit: NTSB
The pilot-in-command (PIC) of a Dassault Falcon 50 that landed at Greenville, South Carolina, in September 2018 was caught completely by surprise when he applied the wheel brakes and nothing happened. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recorded him saying “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Where are the brakes—where are the brakes?”
Charter Pilots Are Tired Of Rolling Rest; Is Enforcement Coming?
Credit: GrandView Aviation
With the increase in private charter demand due to the post COVID travel surge, Part 135 pilots are flying longer days and piling on more flight hours, increasing the likelihood for fatigue. For some of these pilots, acute and chronic fatigue may reach dangerous levels.
Engine Problem Forces Historic B-29 ‘Doc’ To Miss AirVenture Oshkosh
Credit: Molly McMilin/Aviation Week
The restored B-29 Superfortress known as “Doc” has paused its tour and will miss this year’s AirVenture Oshkosh after the historic warbird experienced trouble with one of its engines.
Textron Aviation Debuts SkyCourier At AirVenture Oshkosh
Textron Aviation’s new Model 408 SkyCourier twin-turboprop made its first visit to AirVenture Oshkosh on the opening day of the show, where officials from the company and from FedEx, the aircraft’s launch customer, were on hand to speak with the media.
What The Belarus Air Piracy Incident Means For Business Aviation
Credit: Adobe Stock/olga
Consider this international operations scenario: You’re at the helm of your employer’s new ultra-long-range business jet, making Mach 0.87 at FL410 in international airspace on a gorgeous cloudless day and feeling smug at your good fortune. All the bells and whistles are performing perfectly, and the FMS has calculated that you’ll reach your destination early, whereupon the boss will clap you on the shoulder and say, “Good job, keep it up.”
Gallery: Cirrus Aircraft's Vision Center On Path For Growth
Cirrus Aircraft is expanding its Vision Center, located at the McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee. It plans to break ground on three new hangars at the end of 2021. Eventually, the Duluth, Minnesota-based company plans to build a new main facility at the campus.
Challenger Hard Landing: Weather Or Pilot?
Credit: NTSB
After a Challenger crashed on landing at a private airstrip in Texas in 2019, the NTSB conducted a limited investigation and decided the cause of the accident was wind shear. That’s an act of nature, and citing natural acts as causes tends to shift focus away from the actions of pilots. It is difficult then to take any useful lesson from the event, except to somehow avoid misfortune. However, I think there are some lessons to be learned from this accident.
Aircraft Overview: Nextant 400XT/XTi
The Nextant 400XT and 400XTi are remanufactured versions of the Beechjet 400A type, an airframe that was marketed as the Beechjet 400A and 400XP.
From questions being asked around whether the certified Cessna Denalis will expand or divide the market to whether enforcement is coming for charter pilots. Take a look at our roundup of the biggest stories in July.