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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
With just the Model 70/75 still in production, and the light jet market still enduring long term depression, there is open speculation as to what Bombardier might do about its Learjet division.
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
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
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
SpeedNews plans to explore the major issues facing the business aircraft industry at its 21st annual Business and General Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference Oct. 4-5 in Los Angeles.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
The National Mediation Board (NMB) on Aug. 22 dismissed challenges filed by Flexjet and Flight Options against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The allegations stemmed from the December 2015 election in which the pilots of the sibling fractional aircraft operations chose the Teamsters to represent them as a single unit, after the two companies merged under the One Sky umbrella. The NMB recognized the merger as of Sept. 30, 2015.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
The United States Aircraft Insurance Group has added two food safety online courses to its Performance Vector program. The classes were created by Jean Dible, president and founder of GA Food Safety Professionals. First is a flight attendant’s for managing inflight food service activities, and includes galley operations with onboard food preparation, presentation and food storage exceeding 12 hours. The second is a course for pilots and flight technicians who fly without flight attendants and carry limited food selections onboard.
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
Russia's TsAGI aerohydrodynamic research institute has completed initial wind tunnel tests of an agricultural unmanned aircraft developed by Tatarstan's Aviaresheniya design bureau. The tests at airspeeds up to 72 kph (45 mph) were conducted in TsAGI’s full-scale wind tunnel in Moscow. The vertical-takeoff-and-landing UAV has two lifting propellers mounted side-by-wide within an open framework. What appear to be vanes under the two-blade props likely provide flight control.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
After years of criticism for foot-dragging, the FAA on Aug. 29 instituted Part 107, which regulates unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). And industry has expressed satisfaction with the rules which enable routine commercial drone operations. The so-called Small UAS Rule, “represents a low and reasonable barrier to entry,” says Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs at DJI, by far the largest maker of small drones, which by definition weigh less than 55 lb.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
There's a new campaign underway to fully restore the Burgess-Wright Model F Aircraft that landed on the White House lawn a century ago and put it on permanent display at Reagan National Airport’s Historic Terminal A. Designed by the Wright Brothers and manufactured under license by Starling Burgess, the Model F landed on the South Lawn of the White House on July 14, 1911.
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.
