Dan Rice, chairman of Transystems, says mishaps are preventable results of human error that can diminish productivity, balloon operating costs and, in the most extreme, jeopardize lives.
The price for admission into today's FAA-run ATC system is a tax schedule that varies by category of activity. The airlines pay through a combination of taxes—the Passenger Facility Tax, per-takeoff fee and a 4.3 cents/gal. fuel tax. General aviation is divided between turbine and piston, with the former taxed 21.9 cents/gal. and the latter assessed 19.5 cents/gal. of avgas.
During an ATC privatization attempt 13 years ago, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association staunchly opposed the move. In the current campaign, it seems the union has changed its stance to support a privatized system.
Ed Bolen believes total control of the ATC system is the force majeure behind the airlines' long-held wish to create and dominate an air traffic control corporation supported by user fees. For several decades, some of the big airlines have tried to seize control of the ATC system and the revenues that fund it, the NBAA president and CEO told BCA. "We believe that they want to use that control for their exclusive benefit."
For as little as $10 million, you can buy a Legacy 650, an aircraft that can fly eight passengers from London to New York, Beijing to Moscow, Singapore to Sydney or Sao Paulo to Miami.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
Piper Aircraft has received a type certificate for its single-engine M600 from Transport Canada, so the company now can deliver the aircraft to the Canadian market.
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.
Three recent government reports—one commissioned by the architects for FAA change and two by the stalwarts of the status quo—will fuel battles over ATC privatization efforts.
The pilot shortage is real and growing and that means the professional pilot force is “out there,” doing the job at hand. It would be tragic if the best and brightest of those were too busy flying to mentor the next generation.
In the world of business aviation, getting there safely and efficiently is the product of many partnerships, most notably those of schedulers, dispatchers and pilots.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
With more than 400 letters of intent in hand for its new Model 505 Jet Ranger X, Bell Helicopter is working fast to convert those into purchase orders, after the five-seater was awarded type certification by Transport Canada in late December.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
It looks like the gap in Embraer's business jet lineup—an entry in the ultra-long-range category—will not be filled any time soon. Speaking to an editorial roundtable of Aviation Week Network editors in Washington in December, Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, president and CEO of the Brazilian aircraft maker, said a recent assessment of the marketplace revealed that the Legacy 450 and 500 “can cover 98.5% of the business jet missions in the world.
This year's NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference, Feb. 7-10 in Fort Worth, is expected to draw more than 2,800 schedulers, dispatchers, pilots and exhibitors.
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.
