Business & Commercial Aviation

While BCA was refused an interview with an FAA small UAS manager, the administration did respond to a slate of questions.

Modesto, California, resident Tom Davis’s background includes 25 years as a scientific programmer during which he developed software apps and performed software engineering for high-speed computer systems. Having been raised on a farm in California’s Central Valley, he also was familiar with mechanized agriculture. And since his father had been an air traffic controller and flight instructor, this spawned an interest in aviation.

Appointments, promotions and honors in the business aviation community.

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

Phoenix Air has a history of adapting business aircraft to unusual applications to service government contracts.

A bill for third-class medical reform for pilots is gaining momentum. On Dec. 9, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has passed S. 571, known as the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2. It will now go to the full Senate for consideration. The bill has strong support in the Senate, with 70 co-sponsors, and in the House, where it has 151 co-sponsors, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Since it was introduced in the House and Senate in February, the bill has undergone some major modifications to address concerns by Congress and others.

Selected Accidents and Incidents in November 2015. The following NTSB information is preliminary.

In January 1966, the FAA was working on plan to set up complete backup emergency power for 100 key airports. Plus, the first production pressurized single-engine aircraft — Mooney Aircraft's Mark 22 "Mustang" — was scheduled to deliver in March 1967.

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.

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

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

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%.

Rockwell Collins CEO and President Kelly Ortberg was elected to the additional role of Chairman of the Board. Ortberg was appointed president of Rockwell Collins in September 2012 and was elected CEO in July 2013. Under his leadership, the company successfully completed the acquisition of ARINC, won a number of key commercial and government programs, effectively managed through the challenges of sequestration, and ultimately, returned to growth after several years of challenging market dynamics.

The Bombardier Challenger 650 has been awarded certification by Transport Canada (TC) and customer deliveries will begin before year end. “This latest milestone is terrific news and starts a new chapter in our Challenger family story,” said Paul Sislian, Bombardier Business Aircraft.

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.

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.

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.

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.