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Magazine Issue

Business & Commercial Aviation, January 2017

VOL. 113 NO. 1 December 21, 2016

Viewpoint

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Viewpoint: Business Aviation in the New Year

Jan 04, 2017
For the business aviation community, at once both a broad but thin and rarefied sliver of society and the body politic, the way forward is rife with questions, opportunities and concerns.

Readers' Feedback

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Reader's Feedback (January 2017)

Dec 21, 2016
BCA readers share their opinions on articles we published.

Intelligence

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Flirtey Begins Autonomous Pizza Delivery

Dec 21, 2016
Flirtey, a start-up drone operation, has begun trials of autonomous pizza delivery, flying to customers' homes from a store north of Auckland, New Zealand. The commercial trials follow a demonstration delivery in August. Currently available to select customers, the two companies plan to launch pizza-by-drone deliveries at increasing scale in the near future. “We are moving closer and closer to widespread store-to-door drone delivery,” Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny says.” “To conduct these deliveries in an urban environment ...
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GAMA Delivers Disappointing Data

Dec 21, 2016
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association says new aircraft deliveries for the first three quarters of 2016 were down 3.5% from the same period in the previous year, with 1,504 units shipped compared to 1,558 units in 2015. Helicopter shipments were even worse—down 16% to 615 units compared to 732 units in the same period in 2015. Combined airplane and rotorcraft billings were $15.9 billion year-to-date in 2016 compared to last year's $19.1 billion, a contraction of 16.5%.
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Wheels Up Going To Havana

Dec 21, 2016
Wheels Up, the membership-based aviation company, is now offering flights to and from Havana on its fleet of King Air 350i turboprops and Citation Excel/XLS turbofans. It has also launched an on-the-ground booking assistance program in Cuba for its 3,500+ members, and provides trips through any of the 18 U.S. airports approved by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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Jet-A, Avgas Per Gallon Fuel Prices—December 2016

Dec 21, 2016
Jet-A and avgas per-gallon fuel prices—December 2016
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Quest Signs Major Fleet Order In Japan

Dec 21, 2016
Quest Aircraft has signed a major fleet order with a sister subsidiary in Japan for up to 20 Kodiak aircraft. The 10-seat aircraft single-engine turboprop will be used for a new membership-based private travel service that was launched in November. The order is Quest’s largest commercial fleet order to date. “We are very excited to have completed such a large order for the Kodiak,” said Nick Newby, Quest senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer service.
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Rolls-Royce Delivers 7,000th Engine

Dec 21, 2016
Rolls-Royce delivered the 7,000th engine made at its plant outside Berlin. The engine, a BR710, was being shipped to Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Georgia. The site, which began production in 1995, employs more than 2,300 worker who produce the Tay 611-8C and V2500 engines in addition to the BR700 series, which power the G550 and 650 as well as the Bombardier Global 5000 and 6000. The engine maker reports more than 4,000 BR700s have been delivered to date. Later this year the German facility will begin assembly of the Trent XWB turbofan, which powers the Airbus A350.
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Air Charter Safety Symposium March 7-8

Dec 21, 2016
The Air Charter Safety Foundation's annual safety symposium for charter and business aircraft operators is set for March 7-8 at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Training Center in Ashburn, Virginia. Speakers will include BCA Contributor James Albright, NTSB Member Robert Sumwalt, and Tom Huff, Gulfstream’s Aviation Safety Officer, among others. Subjects to be covered include intentional non-compliance, runway incursions and excursions and a review of the GIV rejected takeoff accident in Bedford, Massachusetts, in May 2014.
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FAA Seeking Bids For Remote ATC Tower At FNL

Dec 21, 2016
The FAA is seeking bids to build a remote air traffic control tower at Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL), a business and general aviation facility about 50 sm north of Denver. The airport was formerly known as the Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport. In a request for information issued Nov.
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FAA Receives More Than 30,000 Aircraft Registrations Due To UAS Rule

Dec 21, 2016
In the little more than two months since releasing its Part 107 Small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) rule on Aug. 29, the FAA had received more than 30,000 new aircraft registrations from commercial operators and more than 22,500 remote pilot applications. Jay Merkle, the FAA’s Director of Systems Integration and Requirements Analysis, said more than 10,000 of the applicants for the remote pilot license had passed the test. The Part 107 rule takes the place of what was previously an onerous Certificate of Authorization process for each operation.
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SatCom Direct Completes TrueNorth Avionics Acquisition

Dec 21, 2016
Satcom Direct last month completed the acquisition of TrueNorth Avionics, a manufacturer of cabin communications systems, thereby expanding its service offering to VIP aircraft operators. Ottawa-based TrueNorth, which designs, develops and manufactures satcom systems, TrueNorth becomes a business unit within the Satcom Direct family of companies focused on avionics development.
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New York’s Westchester County Applies For Privatization Of HPN

Dec 21, 2016
New York's Westchester County has applied to the FAA to privatize its county-owned airport, marking the third time since 2000 that the Empire State or one of its counties has attempted such a spinoff under the federal agency’s troubled Airport Privatization Pilot Program (APPP). A preliminary application filed in November names Empire State Airport Holdings as the private company that would operate the Westchester County Airport under a 40-year lease, with the transfer taking place as early as March 2017.
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King Air 350 Gets Performance Boost

Dec 21, 2016
Beechcraft is promoting improved performance on its King Air 350HW and 350ER models by offering a more powerful version of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engines and an increased gross weight option. The improvements are FAA and EASA certified and available as factory options on new aircraft.
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Elliott Completes Seventh G5000 Retrofit

Dec 21, 2016
Elliott Aviation has completed its seventh retrofit of a Garmin G5000 in a Beechjet 400A/Hawker 400XP. It was completed in a 1999 Beechjet 400A. Five of the upgrades were done at its Moline, Illinois facility and two at its Des Moines shop. The company says the retrofit can increase the useful load of the aircraft by 200+ lb. The program involves replacing all existing avionics including the autopilot with three 12 in landscape LCD displays that provide synthetic vision, electronic charts, WAAS/LPV, XM weather, engine indication and MFD range rings.
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Poland Buys Two Gulfstream 550s For VIP Transport

Dec 21, 2016
The Polish Ministry of National Defense has signed a contract to buy two Gulfstream 550 aircraft for VIP transport, with delivery in 2017,
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Statoil Ceases Operation Of Airbus H225/EC225 Helicopters

Dec 21, 2016
Norwegian oil and gas company Statoil has announced it will cease operating the Airbus H225/EC225 for offshore operations even if regulators clear the aircraft for such use. The decision comes after the April 30 loss of a Statoil-chartered H225 operated by CHC crashed as it was returning from an offshore platform, killing all 13 persons aboard. Unions say oil workers no longer had faith in the helicopter. The company says it will henceforth use the Sikorsky S-92 for its heavy helicopter requirements.
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Signature’s London Luton FBO Ready For Business

Dec 21, 2016
Signature Flight Support's new state-of-the art FBO at London Luton Airport is open for business. The facility comprises a 4,500 sq. meters (48,000 sq. ft.) hangar, which became operational in 2014 and is capable of housing two BBJ or ACJ-sized aircraft, and a 7,000 sq. meters (75,000 sq. ft.) parking ramp with a dedicated ground service facility in addition to the legacy apron and a covered arrivals area. The new 1,572 sq. meters (17,000 sq.
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CAE And Abu Dhabi Aviation Expand Operations

Dec 21, 2016
CAE and Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) are expanding their commercial, business, and helicopter aviation training agreement to include the sale of two full-flight simulators (FFS) as well as CAE instructor-led training and courseware. The agreement centers on ADA’s new, eight-bay training center in Abu Dhabi.
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Flying Colours Completes Router Installations

Dec 21, 2016
Flying Colours Corp. has completed its first two installations of the Satcom Direct Router. The first was part of a Global 5000 cabin refurbishment package. The second was part of a new Global 5000 completion project for a private Middle Eastern owner. The aircraft is expected to return to Flying Colours in early 2017 for installation of a supplemental SD Wi-Fi hub to augment the performance of the existing SDR. It is the first time Flying Colours will have fitted the complete suite of SD router options into an aircraft.
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Constant Develops ADS-B ‘Solution’ For Citation X

Dec 21, 2016
Constant Aviation has developed a ADS-B equipment solution for the Cessna Citation X. Constant Aviation, based in Cleveland, completed its first ADS-B upgrade on a Citation X, the company said. Its “solution” to meet the Jan. 1, 2020, mandate to equip differs from the manufacturer’s in that it does not require LPV capability as a prerequisite, which lowers the cost, the company said. If the work to upgrade is done concurrently with scheduled maintenance, the cost and downtime can be lower in many cases, it said.
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UBS: Business Jet Shipments Down In Q3, Off 36% From Peak

Dec 21, 2016
Increased business jet deliveries in North America and Western Europe during the third quarter helped offset declining shipments to emerging market regions, along with China and Latin America, according to a recent UBS market research report. Global business jet deliveries fell 5% during the third quarter compared to a year ago. Deliveries to North American customers rose 9%, while deliveries increased 13% in Western Europe during the quarter.
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Gulfstream Selects Quintus Flexform Press For Mexico Facility

Dec 21, 2016
Quintus Technologies has been selected by Gulfstream Aerospace to provide a high-pressure fluid cell press. The Flexform press will go to Gulfstream's Mexicali, Mexico, facility, which produces wiring harnesses, sheet metal components, subassemblies and machine parts, Quintus said. “The Flexform process requires only one rigid tool half; the other tool half is a flexible rubber diaphragm under uniform hydrostatic pressure,” the company says.
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Bombardier Global 7000 FTV2 Now Under Canadian Registry

Dec 21, 2016
Bombardier's second Global 7000 flight test vehicle is now under Canadian registry. MSN 70002 was registered Nov. 22 with tail number C-GBLB. The registry comes less than three weeks after the first flight of the first Global 7000 test aircraft. The aircraft flew for the first time Nov. 4 in Toronto. The aircraft is now in Wichita for flight testing, which is progressing, the company said. Bombardier is not projecting first flight or other milestones for the second aircraft or for its other Global 7000 flight-test vehicles, a spokeswoman said.
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Sky Harbor Completes First Phase Of Modernization Project

Dec 21, 2016
The first phase of a three-part modernization of Terminal 3 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was completed Dec. 6. It includes a new atrium and museum gallery. Targeted for completion by early 2019, Phase 2 of the project will create a 15-gate south concourse with new food and retail areas. Phase 3, to be completed in 2020, will involve the demolition and construction of a new north concourse.
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Van Nuys Airport Adds $2 Billion To Local Economy

Dec 21, 2016
A new report, commissioned by the Los Angeles World Airports, has found that the Van Nuys Airport contributes $2 billion to the local economy and supports more than 10,000 jobs. Van Nuys Airport tenants are in the midst of capital improvement projects valued at $43.4 million. The study is a “success story about how airport businesses . . . can join together on issues that rise above individual tenant concerns to create positive change, jobs and economic growth,” said Curt Castagna, Van Nuys Airport president.
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Airbus C295W Wins Canada’s S&R Competition

Dec 21, 2016
Canada has selected the Airbus C295W twin turboprop as winner of its fixed-wing search and rescue competition, fully 12 years after the government originally called for a modern platform to replace six 40-year-old de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo turboprops. The $2.4 billion (Canadian) deal involves 16 aircraft and five years of in-service support, as well as an option for 15 years of additional service, which would raise the total value to $4.7 billion.
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Aviation Companies May Re-Think A Move To Mexico

Dec 21, 2016
Even before taking office, President-elect Donald Trump is shaking up the business world, taking credit for keeping UTC jobs in Indiana that might have gone to Mexico. “Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences,” Trump says. The parent company of Pratt & Whitney may have been motivated to stay to remain in a Trump administration’s good graces.
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Jet Aviation Begins Golden Anniversary Year With New Logo And Branding Initiative

Dec 21, 2016
To help mark and celebrate its half-century in business, Jet Aviation has adopted a new logo, a stand-alone, circular monogram with the word JET to replace the deer head with which it has long been identified. “We wanted the new logo and branding initiative to visually reflect the strength and stability of our trusted brand name as we turn to face and welcome future opportunities,” explained Heinz Aebi, Jet’s senior vice president of Group Marketing and Communications.
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Fourth Bell 407 Begins Upgrades At AeroBrigham

Dec 21, 2016
AeroBrigham, based in Decatur, Texas, has taken delivery of a Bell 407 configured for medical mission flights. It is the fourth aircraft on which the company has completed paint, interior, avionics and airframe improvements and performed maintenance and component overhauls. The work was done for Survival Flight, a Part 135 air medical transport provider. AeroBrigham will begin work on another 407 for Survival Flight before year-end.
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StandardAero Wins Global Broadband STCs

Dec 21, 2016
StandardAero is offering global high-speed broadband connectivity for the business aviation market for Falcon aircraft. Working with Honeywell’s new JetWave Ka-band system, the cabin completion and MRO facility has completed an STC for the Falcon 900B, C and EX series, as well as for the Falcon 50 series. The new system was first fitted for a Falcon 900EX operator. Documentation has also been submitted for European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) validation.
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Astronics Named A Cessna Denali Supplier

Dec 21, 2016
Astronics Corp. has been selected as a supplier for Textron Aviation's new Cessna Denali single-engine turboprop. Astronics will supply an aircraft power system that features Astronics’ Corepower Induction Starter Generator System and Corepower Electronic Circuit Breaker Unit and the 28-Volt DC Empower In-Seat Power Supply. The Empower in-seat power systems allow passengers to simultaneously use and charge multiple personal electronic devices in the air. The Denali’s first flight is expected in 2018.
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West Star Earns STC For FANS Data Link Communications

Dec 21, 2016
West Star Aviation has received a supplemental type certificate for the installation of a Future Air Navigation System (FANS) Controller Pilot Data Link Communications application on Dassault Falcon 900B aircraft. The application updates and supplements current communications equipment and allows direct exchange of text-based messages between the controller and pilot and improves communication capabilities in areas that usually require third-party HF communication relay such as oceanic and en route airspace.
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Global Jet Capital Survey Optimistic About Middle East Market

Dec 21, 2016
Business aviation professionals say they are optimistic about the Middle East private jet market, a new survey shows. In research from Global Jet Capital, a provider of financing for corporate aircraft, 59% of 200 business aviation professionals surveyed said the Middle East private jet market is currently attractive for finance companies, while 15% say it is unattractive. Over the next three years, 41% of those surveyed said they expect the market to become more attractive, while 13% said they believe it will become less appealing.
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Embraer’s Pellegrini Sees New Business Model For Business Aviation

Dec 21, 2016
Marco Tulio Pellegrini, CEO of Embraer Executive Jets, believes that for business aviation to break free of its nearly decade-long slump it needs to change the way it operates. Accordingly, Embraer is proposing a business model in which leasing companies buy business aircraft to lease to charter companies that then operate scheduled point-to-point services between cities with high business-passenger traffic.
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GI Aviation To Launch PC-12NG Flights In Gulf Region

Dec 21, 2016
GI Aviation has earned an air operator's certificate from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority to enable the start of commercial flights with its fleet of Pilatus PC-12NG aircraft in the Gulf region. GI Aviation has been working to begin new entry-level service for business aviation in the region, which has been dominated by larger business jets. GI Aviation worked with Hendell Aviation in Finland to help it obtain the air operator’s certificate.

Fast Five

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Questions for David Sneed

Dec 21, 2016
Questions for David Sneed, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Delta Private Jets.

Operators Survey

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Operators Survey: Cessna Citation Mustang

Dec 21, 2016
The Citation Mustang, introduced at the 2002 NBAA Convention by then-Cessna Chairman and CEO Russ Meyer, was marketed as a sure-thing alternative to the new class of very light jets (VLJs) that were all the rage at the turn of the 21st century.

Piloting

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Piloting: Cockpit Comforts

Jan 25, 2017
The biggest challenge for any business aircraft manufacturer is determining how much space and comfort plus amenities to dedicate to the crew and passengers. For ultra-long-range business jets, these factors are magnified by the amount of time these aircraft spend aloft.
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The Hot Seat

Dec 21, 2016
According to business office chair-maker Herman-Miller, a chair should breathe, which is to say its surface materials should provide comfort and allow conduction of heat and dispersion of moisture away from the surface of the sitter's skin. Also, a seat should have a neutral effect on body-surface temperatures, so that thermal comfort is not posture dependent. It does this by allowing the flow of air to the body and water vapor away.

DOM Notebook

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Earning The Aircraft Electronics Technician Certificate

Dec 21, 2016
As a maintenance manager, you need to ensure your troops receive the training and education to address the demands of high technology aircraft.

Pilot Report

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Pilot Report: Embraer’s New Eyes

Dec 21, 2016
Embraer Legacy 500 is the company's first aircraft to have the certified version of the Embraer Enhanced Vision System.

Safety

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Safety: Normalization Of Deviance

Dec 21, 2016
Most pilots have probably heard the story from Greek mythology about Icarus, the ancient aviator who flew too close to the sun and came crashing down into the sea. Since it was Daedalus, his father, who designed and constructed those wings of bird feathers tied with string and wax, it can be said that not only was he the original aeronautical engineer, but he included a maximum cruise altitude in his design specifications. Fly too high, he warned his son, and the wax used to fasten the feathers would melt.

Cause & Circumstance

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An Improvised Approach And Wrong Setting Lead To Tragedy

Dec 21, 2016
Cessna Citation crash in Germany: Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation determines that the cause was the pilot-in-command’s decision to conduct the VFR approach “even though he was aware of the prevailing instrument weather condition at the airport."

Accidents in Brief

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Accidents In Brief

Dec 21, 2016
Selected accidents and incidents in November and December 2016. The following NTSB information is preliminary.

Training

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Advanced Airmanship Training

Jan 19, 2017
Take some time to put together a plan that offers the opportunity for you and your flight team to gain additional knowledge and continue to grow your operation’s safety culture.
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NTSB And FAA Training Resources

Dec 21, 2016
The NTSB report on the Learjet 60 rejected takeoff (RTO) accident in Columbia, South Carolina, noted the following: “In 1990, the NTSB issued a special investigation report (SIR), “Runway Overruns Following High-Speed Rejected Takeoffs,” that examined high-speed RTOs involving commercial jet aircraft. The SIR reviewed three studies, which included data from the NTSB, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Boeing, related to the causes and outcomes of RTOs. The SIR found that tire failures led to more high-speed RTOs than engine-related anomalies.”

Personal Perspective

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Make It Safe, Not Difficult

Dec 21, 2016
The Federalist Papers No. 62, published in 1788, James Madison warned, "It will be of little avail to the people, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood." I suspect this founding father would be flummoxed by today's federals, especially if he decided to go flying.

20/Twenty

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Used Aircraft Report: Beech King Air B100

Jan 30, 2017
The Beech King Air B100 is a versatile big-cabin turboprop for operators on a tight budget.

On Duty

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News Of Promotions, Appointments And Honors (January 2017)

Dec 21, 2016
News of promotions, appointments and honors involving professionals within the business aviation community.
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Awards And Honors (January 2017)

Dec 21, 2016
News of promotions, appointments and honors involving professionals within the business aviation community.

Products & Services Previews

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BCA Business Aviation Products And Service Previews

Dec 21, 2016
BCA shares news of the latest products and services for the business aviation industry.

BCA 50 Years Ago

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Business & Commercial Aviation News From January 1967

Dec 21, 2016
BCA: We are too shortsighted to realize that the fewer accidents we have, the more people will fly and the more airplanes we will sell in the long run.