Business & Commercial Aviation

Well Done

The future of the “paused” Learjet 85 project and of Learjet overall is unclear

Professional pilots can be perfectionists regarding preflight planning, cockpit resource management and adherence to SOPs. So, why is it that a large percentage of them aren’t equally fastidious about what’s in the fuel tanks of their aircraft?

Cleveland, Ohio-based Nextant Aerospace has opened a resale division with its first aircraft, a 2012 Nextant 400XT. Plus, Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare discusses the Learjet 85 and his priority for business aircraft. And the EPA’s proposed finding that aircraft emissions contribute to climate change and endanger public health launches a process to set a regulatory standard — being developed by ICAO — for aircraft carbon dioxide emissions.

At the 2015 Aerospace Media Awards dinner held June 14 in Paris, B&CA Senior Editor Fred George was honored with the Best Business Aviation Award for his February cover story: "Bombardier Learjet 85 – The Window of Opportunity Slams Shut."

You knew it was coming — oh, yes, you did — the impending deadline to purchase and install Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast avionics in your aircraft to retain access to U.S. controlled airspace after Jan. 1, 2020. The same cutoff applies to ADS-C, or “Contract,” equipage, necessary for operation in oceanic airspace and requiring flight crew training and, unlike ADS-B, an FAA Letter of Authorization, as well. Five years may seem like a lot of time …

As pilots we learn to deal with crosswind landings almost from Day One of our training. Chances are this was in a primary flight trainer that weighed less than your car and was accomplished with what some call the “wing low” method, something more properly called a sideslip. This could very well be a valid technique for the airplane you are flying now but probably isn’t.

Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, N.J., was the most popular business aviation airport in May 2015, according to an analysis of acukwik.com traffic. Paris Le Bourget Airport and Doha-Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, were the only airports outside North America to crack the top 10.

During May 2015, Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, N.J., was the most popular business aviation airport among U.S., Canada and Mexico airports, according to an analysis of acukwik.com traffic from that period.

Dassault Aviation expects the Falcon 5X to make its first flight this summer. Plus, analysts say the company is revamping the super midsize Cessna Citation Longitude in advance of its expected debut later this year. NetJets' CEO chairman and CEO resigned, and two executives who recently left NetJets are returning to the company. Business Jet Center's new Love Field hangar can accommodate Gulfstream 650s or Global Expresses.

Dassault's newest Falcon jet, the 5X, rolled out in front of customers and press in Merignac, France, today.

Momentum is building as Aerion Corp. moves forward with its three-engine AS2 supersonic business jet. Plus, a proposed rule that would eliminate costly and redundant requirements for Part 91 operators to submit a separate maintenance program for equipment required to fly in reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) airspace.

In May 2015, Teterboro Airport was the top airport for air charter customers and brokers, according to an analysis of trips requested through the Air Charter Guide Worldwide Trip Builder.

Engine maintenance programs offset financial exposure and improve aircraft index values. How aircraft value is impacted depends on the terms of the program. B&CA has compiled a summary of coverage available from eight different providers.

Eclipse 500 suffered bruising battles even before it finally made it to market in 2007. During its troubled gestation, engines, avionics and several systems components needed to be upgraded. It entered service as a work in progress needing flight into known icing certification, along with dozens of avionics upgrades and systems improvements.

In mid-2014, Matt Guthmiller, at age 19, became the youngest person yet to fly solo around the world. Now an engineering student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his 26,700-nm odyssey spanned 15 countries on five continents. The journey in a leased 1981 A36 Beech Bonanza, its cabin stuffed full of auxiliary fuel tanks, required 23 refueling stops. Many of those stopovers were far from the great circle route because of the relative scarcity of avgas at airports outside North America.

Government and public disdain for those using business jets is nothing new. There’s been evidence of that aplenty in recent years. But maybe Oprah, Warren Buffett and Jay Z can help set the record straight.

Lessons that have come to light during the ongoing investigation of the May 31, 2014, crash of a Gulfstream IV departing Laurence G. Hanscom Field (BED), Bedford, Mass., center on the importance of checklists, completing all checklist items according to manufacturer guidance and understanding that safety systems can fail, silently leaving the crew unprotected from casual neglect.

Jet-A and Avgas Per Gallon Fuel Prices May 2015

The FAA has proposed a $150,000 civil penalty against Ameriflight, based in Burbank, California, for allegedly operating a Beech BE-99 when it was not in compliance with FAA regulations. The FAA alleges that the pilot noted in the aircraft’s maintenance log on Jan. 8, 2010, that water was leaking through a gap in the windshield above the copilot’s visor. The same day, a mechanic “patch sealed” the windshield by applying sealant over the gap , and the company returned the aircraft to service.

On Aug. 18, 2014, Gulfstream issued a reminder to all Gulfstream flight crews of the importance of proper preflight checks of the flight control systems. This letter circulated as the company and NTSB investigators explored the potential failure modes of the GIV gust lock system. The notice — in part — follows:

Shell Aviation has expanded its refueling network in Germany and is now the exclusive supplier at Saarbrucken Airport in Germany. Shell will provide Jet A1 and Avgas 100LL, and implement its Aviation Center of Excellence program, which focuses on efficient operations and high safety standards, using state-of-the-art equipment and marketing support through the Shell brand. Customers will have access to electronic invoicing and dedicated account managers.

Editor’s Note: While our regular readers might think they’re seeing double, that’s not the case. The business jet specification and performance tables that follow may at first appear to be a repeat of those published last month in our May Purchase Planning Handbook, but they are not. We received quite a few changes, additions, revisions and corrections within the category after the publication deadline. Naturally, we determined to update the digital tables immediately.

Com panies involved in newsgathering, agriculture and rail transport have partnered with the FAA in the hope of extending operations of small unmanned aircraft beyond the limits outlined in proposed rules unveiled in January. CNN, PrecisionHawk and BNSF Railway have committed significant resources to the FAA’s Pathfinder program, Administrator Michael Huerta announced in Atlanta on May 6 at the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s Unmanned Systems 2015 convention.

The information below includes items from the GIV Airplane Flight Manual and the NTSB investigators’ comments. Gust Lock The Before Starting Engines checklist contained within the AFM, Section 2 — Normal Procedures included the item: (70) Gust Lock — AS REQUIRED The Starting Engines checklist included the item: (4) Gust Lock — OFF