Business & Commercial Aviation

Delta Private Jets reports its managed aircraft fleet grew from 53 Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault, Gulfstream and Hawker aircraft to 72 in 2015, a 34% increase. As a result, David Sneed, executive vice president and COO, says the Delta Air Lines business aviation subsidiary is now “the third largest Part 135 operator in the country in terms of fleet size.” In addition, jet card sales rose 31% in 2015 when compared to 2014.

Advent Aircraft Systems has received FAA approval of its advanced-technology GPS/digital anti-skid braking system for installation on Beechcraft King Air B300 series aircraft equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line GPS 4000S or Garmin G1000/430W/530W avionics. Installation of the system, which may be ordered through Textron Aviation service centers as well as authorized King Air service facilities, involves no change to existing braking system components and requires minimal downtime.

Business aviation departures in Europe fell in January when compared to a year ago, according to WINGX Advance’s Business Aviation Monitor. European flights in January totaled 47,628, down 2,220 departures or a drop of 4.5% year-over-year. Business jet and piston flights fell 5%, while turboprop flights declined 1.5%. “This disappointing start to 2016 breaks the recovering trend in Q4 2015,” Richard Koe, WINGX Advance managing director, said in a statement.

Gama Aviation has signed a partnership agreement with business aviation training organization CAE. The partnership will meet European Aviation Safety Agency Part-FCL requirements regarding base training and will allow Gama Aviation to train candidates in up to 30 aircraft types. Before the agreement, the two companies had a relationship under which CAE provided a type rating simulator for Gama Aviation pilots.

Key Air, an Oxford, Connecticut-based aircraft management and jet charter company, has expanded to include aircraft sales. Along with the new sales group, Key Air added three new aircraft to its managed fleet of charter aircraft in January. The aircraft include a Bombardier Global 5000 Vision, Gulfstream IVSP and Learjet 45XR.

Most professional pilots earn their instrument ratings sitting behind one or more propellers, after having learned textbook definitions of maximum endurance and range speeds.

Privaira, a private air charter service, will relocate its Part 135 operation to Boca Raton Airport in Florida, which will allow it to have its own campus, office space and maintenance hangar facilities big enough to hold its midsize and large-size-cabin aircraft. Privaira is also partnering with Atlantic Aviation to support its operation at Boca Raton Airport and at its 70 other locations in its network. The relocation is planned for late February.

New York City and helicopter operators carrying thousands of tourists around Manhattan have reached a deal that would result in a 50% reduction in flights by January 2017. “The nonstop din of helicopters has been a major quality-of-life issue for New Yorkers living near heavily trafficked routes,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in announcing the Jan. 31 agreement.

Enjoying a Cold One I read your Point of Law (December 2015, page 71) about the latest duty/rest legal interpretation and I thought it was great. I’ve had the same “cold beer rule” discussion with my operators on more than one occasion. Principal Operations Inspector FAA Washington, D.C. An Excellent Decision

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

The City of Santa Monica, California, has diverted funds for SMO, its municipal airport, charged excessive and unreasonable landing fees, and denied leases on airport property, according to a new Part 16 complaint filed Feb. 5.

With the snowstorms in the Northeast U.S., JetSmarter, a mobile market for private jet flights, created free private jet flights for members from New York to and from cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago and other cities. JetSmarter has been swamped with calls from those interested in getting out of New York. It has also created for new members a promotion to any warm weather destination to fly free with a friend.

Gulfstream Aerospace has received FAA approval to install Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast In (ADS-B-In) on Gulfstream G150 and G200 aircraft, the company said. The avionics will enhance situational awareness for pilots. With the installation, operators can receive traffic and weather information from ADS-B ground stations and from nearby aircraft broadcasting their positions through ADS-B Out.

NAS-ExecuJet has expanded services at its fixed-based operation in Saudi Arabia. It has opened an additional facility in the Royal Terminal at King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh. To facilitate the expansion, NAS-ExecuJet has added ground support equipment and increased staff from 25 to 34.

While some fret that a down cycle is coming, there’s no sign of that at Gulfstream, according to the top executive at General Dynamics, its corporate parent. “We see no evidence at Gulfstream of a cyclical decline,” Phebe Novakovic, GD chairman and CEO, told analysts following release of the company’s fourth quarter report on Jan. 27.

The face-off between the scheduled carriers and business and general aviation in the ongoing fight over the privatization of ATC in the U.S. is hardly new.

BCA shares the latest products and services for the business aviation industry.

The super-midsized Hawker 4000 (nee Hawker Horizon), in production from 2008 through 2012, suffered through one of the longest and most arduous gestations of any business aircraft yet built, requiring 12 years of development work and a $1 billion-plus investment.

With the addition of some 30 aircraft based in Brazil and Mexico, Global Jet Capital has completed its acquisition of General Electric’s fixed-wing corporate aircraft financing portfolio in the Americas. While the majority of the aircraft financed by the firm are large-cabin, long-range models based in the U.S. and Canada, the company says there’s strong growth potential in international markets.

Rockwell Collins has received an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate for its Pro Line Fusion avionics upgrade for King Air 350 turboprops that were originally delivered with Pro Line II avionics. The STC was part of a joint effort with Landmark Aviation Winston-Salem and BHE & Associates. The upgrade is available through Rockwell Collins-authorized dealers. The avionics include touchscreen technology found on new King Airs, Rockwell Collins said.

Jet Aviation St. Louis has completed three installations of Future Aviation Navigation Systems in Challenger 604 aircraft. Three more installations are scheduled. The facility has received FAA approval for the Supplemental Type Certificate for the installations after teaming with Rockwell Collins. It includes the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract and Controller Data Link Communication.

Inside a hangar at South Australia’s Adelaide Airport, Cobham Aviation Services is modifying four former business jets. Cobham is integrating advanced sensor equipment and mission systems onto four Bombardier Challenger CL-604 aircraft in South Australia on behalf of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. Under a 12-year, $640 million contract, Cobham will own, operate and maintain the Challengers for AMSA from bases in Perth, Cairns and Melbourne.

In the U.S., the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) forecasts sales in 2016 of 1 million drones weighing more than 0.55 lb., up 145% from 2015 and 230% from 2014. That weight is the lower limit for registration under FAA rules introduced on Dec. 21, 2015. After seven weeks, 330,000 owners had registered an unknown number of UAVs between 0.55-55 lb., likely well short of the number in use.

Already the world’s largest FBO network, Signature Flight Support added another 62 bases to its fold on Feb. 5 when BBA Aviation, its British parent company, closed on the acquisition of Landmark Aviation from the Carlyle Group for $2.065 billion. The combined network now includes 195 locations in North America, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, all under the Signature name, and added 3,000 Landmark employees to Signature’s payroll.

Four California law enforcement agencies have taken delivery of new Airbus Helicopters H125AStars. The California Highway Patrol took delivery of its fourth and fifth H125 aircraft, part of a five-year contract to upgrade its fleet. The LA Police Department took delivery of its second H125, part of a multi-year contract to upgrade its fleet of AS350 B2. The Ontario Police Department took delivery of its first H125, an addition to its fleet of two AS350 B2s. And the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has taken delivery of two H125s.