Business & Commercial Aviation

Global Jet Capital announced that it has completed approximately 90% of its acquisition of GE’s fixed-wing Corporate Aircraft financing portfolio in the Americas.

We share 17 stories hand-picked by our staff. These articles are our favorites from BCA's last 12 months and deserve another read.

Doug King, CEO of Epic Aircraft, discusses his pursuit for FAA certification of an improved LT model, designated the E1000.

Teterboro Airport was the business aviation airport searched the most worldwide on acukwik.com in November 2015, according to an analysis of AC-U-KWIK site traffic. The top airport outside the United States was the second most searched airport overall: Paris Le Bourget Airport.

In the not-too-distant future, it will be possible to fly anywhere over the planet in an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast environment affording benefits equally to flight crews, operators and air traffic controllers.

Air Charter Guide Worldwide Trip Builder users requested quotes for flights to Los Angeles International Airport more than any other airport in November 2015, according to an analysis of aircharterguide.com data. Two airports in Las Vegas were in the top five list of requested departure airports.

The chatter within the inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) industry is increasingly about the “passenger experience” — broadly meaning the gestalt of interaction between the passenger and the flight, from booking, to the terminal experience, to the cabin environment.

On BCA Digest's first birthday, we are pleased to unveil a new mobile-responsive newsletter design. Thank you for reading during the past year. We hope you enjoy the improved reading experience on your phones and tablets.

Ranging from an article about making sure the pavement under your aircraft can support it to our Gulfstream G550 Operators Survey, these 10 BCA stories posted on our Facebook page received the most likes of all the stories posted in the last 12 months.

Bell Helicopter has signed a deal with Air Medical Group Holdings for the sale of eight Bell 206L-4 helicopters to be used in emergency medical services. It will be operated by Air Evac Lifeteam, an O’Fallon, Missouri-based subsidiary. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2016. Air Evac Lifeteam operates more than 130 Bell 206Ls in its fleet.

The founder of Raisbeck Engineering discusses how the former Air Force mechanic grew his company into the leading provider of business aircraft modifications.

Continued technical troubles with the Silvercrest engine in development at Safran’s Snecma motors division will further delay certification of the new powerplant by 12-18 months, and Dassault is not happy. The engine problems mean the planemaker will not begin test flight of its new Falcon 5X business jet this year. “We have written to our partners and told them to slow production,” says Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier.

From the lavatory to the cockpit windows to the paint, keeping your aircraft clean is a tough but important job. These tips will help your maintenance team make the most of good old-fashioned elbow grease and attention to detail.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to purchase up to six AgustaWestland AW609 commercial tiltrotors for search and rescue (SAR) missions. In the agreement, which was being negotiated in November, the UAE military would help to define the aircraft’s SAR configuration. The value of the contract was not announced. The government said the aircraft had been selected because of its ability to fly faster and higher and responds faster to incidents around the country.

My bride’s family has owned a cottage in Ontario’s Muskoka Lakes region for about a centur y. Her great, great grandfather built it by hand, and we pretty much visited every summer when the kids were growing up. Our time on the lake was special, always, even when it rained for an entire week.

Doc’s Friends is the 2015 recipient of the Wichita Aero Club’s annual trophy. The organization is restoring a vintage Wichita-built B-29 Superfortress to flying condition. Volunteers have spent 18 years transforming a 65-year-old “pile of parts” into an impressive aircraft, the selection committee said. The trophy is a tribute to the thousands of men and women who built, maintained, flew and sacrificed to produce thousands of B-29s for the defense and freedom of the country. The award will be presented Jan. 23 in Wichita.

Appointments, promotions and honors in the business aviation community.

Bombardier opened its high-tech Global 7000 assembly facility in Toronto to press scrutiny Nov. 3, inviting on board inspection of its first flight test vehicle, but sharing little information about the flight test schedule, the order book or the follow on Global 8000. David Coleal, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft, said the company, whose liquidity has come into question, had “enough resources and capital to get the program done” and that the 7000 would enter service in the second half of 2018.

Manage the background processes and optimize the data flow.

The number of used business jets for sale rose 2% year-over-year, the first monthly increase since January 2010, according to a new report from the Jefferies Group. Inventory as a percent of the active fleet, however, is flat year-over-year. The survey found that 1,943 used business aircraft are on the market, or 9.4% of the total active fleet. The number is up from 1,915 in September and higher than the year’s low in January, when 1,817 aircraft were up for sale, according to the report.

Slow-onset hypoxia is a looming threat that has killed many times. Fortunately there are preventative measures and in an airplane with more than one pilot, the cure is quick and easy.

ADS-B is already established as the standard in Southeast Asia and Australasia.

Successfully coping with tailplane icing requires an understanding of the aerodynamics of your aircraft and how the wing and tailplane work together.

Avionics manufacturers Honeywell, Rockwell Collins and Garmin are expected to collectively achieve $7 billion in revenue during the 10 years from 2015 to 2024, according to a new forecast by Jetcraft. Honeywell is expected to maintain the top sales position with a 42% revenue share followed by Rockwell Collins at 39% and Garmin at 16%.

When Hawker Beechcraft fit 4,750-lb.-thrust Honeywell TFE731-50 turbofans to it, the firm put pep into the step of the Duchess de Havilland. The Hawker 900XP was the 19th, best and final iteration of the stately, but matronly 1960 de Havilland DH 125, the original midsize business jet. Produced from 2008 to 2012, 184 units were built.