While it may be wrong thinking, passengers often equate the interior condition of an aircraft with the overall condition of the machine and its systems along with those who operate, manage and maintain them. Worn or stained carpeting, tarnished plating and the usual wear and tear that you might find acceptable may be viewed quite differently by your primary customer.
Since fire in flight can easily be a catastrophic event, flammability protection is a major concern for aircraft safety. Every piece of an aircraft's interior furnishings needs to meet or exceed regulations, down to the smallest trash bin.
The NTSB has reached out to the pilot community urging to be aware of the dangers slowly progressing cataracts can present for some piloting activities — especially night operations.
For as little as $2 million, you can buy a used Cessna Citation CJ1+ that can fly four passengers nearly 1,200 nm and land with 100-nm NBAA IFR reserves. That’s farther than some new light jets costing more than double the price. Cessna Aircraft delivered just over 100 of these entry-level light jets between late 2005 and early 2011, before the one-two Sunday punch of the Great Recession and arrival of the Embraer Phenom 100 knocked it out of production.
Airway user charge hearings by the House Ways and Means Committee called on short notice in late August caught general aviation groups by surprise although such action had been anticipated for several months. Swearingen’s Merlin II No. One has been delivered to Newark, New Jersey, Air Sales, which will distribute the new twin turbines. Production plans call for an ultimate three units per month rate; at least eight are in now process.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
Garmin International has broken ground on a four-year, $200 million expansion at its Olathe, Kansas, campus, beginning with an additional 720,000 sq. ft. of space for product manufacturing and distribution center. It is expected to take two years to complete. A second phase will include the renovation of Garmin’s existing warehouse and manufacturing space into a state-of-the-art research and development facility and office space. This phase will take an additional two years to complete, the company says. The full project will near completion in late 2020.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
Bombardier Aerospace's first Global 7000 ultra-long-range business jet has been registered on Transport Canada's Canadian Civil Aircraft Register. The aircraft was registered August 29. The company is concentrating on preparations for first flight, planned to take place this year. “We’re focused on flying as soon as possible,” said Bombardier spokesman Mark Masluch, who declined to give further details.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
In yet another indication that business and general aviation has yet to fully recover from the great recession of 2008, Textron Aviation is offering voluntary retirements to its employees as a way to cut costs and is also closing its service centers in Wilmington, Delaware, and at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta. Employees received a letter about the early retirement option on Sept. 8 and until Sept. 22 to apply.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
Business aviation flight activity was positive during the first half of this year, with activity up in five of the six months compared to the same period a year ago, according to Argus International TraqPak data. April was the only month to post a decrease over 2015 flight activity, with a 0.6% decline. Flight activity is expected to rise 3.4% in August, September and October when compared to the same period in 2015, TraqPak analysts predict.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
CNN has launched its first unit using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for newsgathering, called CNN Aerial Imaging and Reporting (CNN AIR). With two full-time UAS operators, the unit will use tethered and free-flying small UAS to integrate drone imagery into reporting for CNN news services, Turner Broadcasting System and parent company Time Warner. Since 2015, CNN has been developing uses of UAS for newsgathering in partnership with the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
European business aircraft brokers and operators have been the victims of cyberattacks in increasing numbers, said London-based BACA, the Air Charter Association. It appears a “sophisticated criminal community” is targeting the business aviation sector and has hacked into broker and operator internal communication systems to gain access to bank accounts and trading information, BACA said. Attacks have taken place throughout the UK and Europe, it said. The rise in attacks was reported during the 438th meeting of the BACA Council, it said.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
The Quest Kodiak recently received type certification in Chile, its 23rd such approval. The company reports several additional certifications are imminent.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
A Comlux ACJ319 has been retrofitted with sharklets, becoming the first Airbus Corporate Jet to undergo the replacement process—and the first of any version of the A319. The work was conducted by TAP Maintenance and Engineering and managed by Airbus Corporate Jets. The manufacturer says the extended winglets can produce fuel savings of as much as 4%, and thus a corresponding improvement in range.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
TrueNorth Avionics has introduced Simphone Pro, its latest cabin communications system, with a special upgrade program for legacy Simphone installations. The company says upgrading requires no more than pulling out the old system and plugging in the new. The upgraded unit is a 4MCU offering Wi-Fi, high-fidelity telephony, with a full-featured VoIP PBX, enterprise email and seamless connectivity for smartphones and other personal electronic devices. The system is available with and without dual Iridium voice and data channels.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
Bombardier Aerospace says it plans to periodically pause completions work in Montreal on the Global 5000 and 6000 next year and will furlough employees during those periods.
