Business & Commercial Aviation

The enduring innovation of Universal Avionics products is closely tied to its core characteristics of designed by pilots, and built by pilots for pilots.

According to Honeywell, there are 700 HTF7000-powered aircraft in service with 1,400 engines that have collectively logged more than 2.6 million hours.

While Honeywell Aerospace's forward view is firmly fixed on the super-midsize business jet market, the Phoenix-based OEM continues to produce its stable of smaller turbine engines.

The first prototype of the $2 million Gulfstream II business jet took off Oct. 2 from Grumman's Bethpage, New York, airfield. It flew for 52 min. at 200 kt. and landed at the company's Peconic River Airport in Calverton, New York. Learn what else was news in November 1966.

If you are interested in stepping up to a long-range, large-cabin G500, it could be a real bargain.

Flight departments must walk a narrow path to satisfy all regulatory requirements.

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

As winter approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, pilots turn their thoughts to braking action performance and procedures.

Selected accidents and incidents in September/October 2016. The following NTSB information is preliminary.

R. A. “Bob” Hoover, called the “greatest stick-and-rudder pilot who ever lived” by Lt. Gen. James Doolittle, USAF (Ret.), died peacefully of heart and kidney failure early Oct. 25, 2016, at Torrance Hospital, near his home in Palos Verdes, Calif. He was a favorite performer at air shows around the world, thrilling his audiences with his precision aerobatic maneuvers in the North American Aircraft P-51 Mustang and Aero Commander Shrike.

Jet-A And Avgas Per-Gallon Fuel Prices October 2016

The number of general aviation aircraft in China will total 10,000 in 2020, according to a new research report called "Development and Market of General Aviation in China 2015-2020." The figure comprises 7,500 fixed-wing aircraft, 2,000 helicopters and 500 other aircraft. The industry compound growth rate will total 30%, and the market size will hit $225 billion, the report predicts.

The National Business Aviation Association's annual compensation survey of members shows all Part 91 flight department positions enjoyed an increase in average salaries in 2016.

Meanwhile, days earlier Cessna delivered a Citation M2 to Helitrip Charter, which is leasing it to Catreus Ltd. a British charter operator.

Bombardier WAVE (Wireless Access Virtually Everywhere) Ka-band high-speed internet is now available for Global business aircraft at all Bombardier Service Centers, the company said. Bombardier was awarded a supplemental type certificate for installation on all Bombardier Global 5000 and Global 600 aircraft and previous Global aircraft as a retrofit, the company said. A Global 5000 aircraft was the first customer aircraft to feature a retrofit installation of the Bombardier WAVE at Bombardier's Singapore Service Center.

On-demand private jet charter operator XOJET and JetSmarter, a private jet mobile marketplace charter consolidator, have formed a partnership, saying it signals the continued evolution of private access.

Dassault Aviation delivered its first Falcon 8Xon Oct. 5 to longtime Falcon operator Amjet Executive, marking the entry into service of the company's new top-of-the-line, ultra-long- range flagship. The delivery occurred at Dassault’s Bordeaux-Merignac facility. The 6,450 nm (11,945 km) Falcon received its EASA and FAA certification in June and, Dassault noted, is entering service precisely on schedule, two years after it was first announced.

Robert Sumwalt from the National Transportation Safety Board has won Bombardier's 2016 Safety Standdown Award, which was presented at the event held Sept. 27-29 in Wichita.

Gogo is overhauling its ground-based connectivity system over the U.S. and Canada to bring inflight speeds in line with its satellite-based offering.

TRU Simulation + Training has entered the second phase of expansion for its Pilot Training Center in Lutz, Florida. It is enlarging its facility by 30,000 sq. ft. to accommodate four additional flight simulators in order to diversify its training programs. TRU Simulation is a Textron Aviation company headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Citing slower business jet engine aftermarket shipments and defense and space business declines, Honeywell International said early last month it expected to report up to 2% lower core organic sales for the third quarter of 2016.

Embraer is cutting 1,463 employees from its workforce in Brazil as it moves to reduce costs in the midst of a challenging market. The departing workers represent 99.5% of those who applied for a Voluntary Dismissal Program, the company reported.

The consolidation of Europe's business aircraft charter operations continues apace. The most recent pairing is the takeover of UK's Blink by Wijet of France, to create a single fleet of 15 Citation Mustang light jets.

Daher recently completed its 800th TBM single-engine turboprop, a TMB 930 that rolled off the assembly line at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport in France.

Blackhawk Modifications has announced details of its new engine upgrade for the King Air 350. Blackhawk is developing the STC to permit installation and operation of the Pratt & Whitney 1,200-shp PT6A-67A to replace the 1,050-shp PT6A-60A.