Business & Commercial Aviation

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

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.

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 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.

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.

XTI Aircraft Vice Chairman and former Sikorsky President Jeff Pino along with Nick Tramontano were killed Feb. 5 when their P-51 Mustang Pino was piloting crashed near Pinal County, Arizona. Pino, 61, headed Sikorsky from 2006 to 2012. More recently he was vice chairman of XTI, a firm developing the TriFan 600, a high-speed vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for the corporate market. A retired Master Army Aviator who served in the service as well as the Reserve and National Guard for 26 years, Pino had been one of the helicopter industry’s stalwarts.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jet Aviation Zurich has signed an agreement with Lufthansa Group to provide high-volume fuel uplifts through docked dispenser fueling. Jet Aviation successfully fueled its first Lufthansa Group aircraft with dispenser fueling on Jan. 1. As part of the agreement, Jet Aviation Zurich bought two new dispenser trucks and hired five new truck operators, bringing its fueling team to 18. It sent three refueling operators to Frankfurt for dispenser training.

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

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.

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.

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.

Gogo added nearly 1,100 aircraft to its installed fleet in 2015. That is a record number of installations for the Chicago-based company. “Gogo’s operational capabilities are second to none,” Gogo President and CEO Michael Small said. “Whether that’s navigating the regulatory environment, installing equipment on a wide range of fleet types or servicing those aircraft wherever they might fly around the globe, we’ve built an organization around operational excellence that’s unmatched in our industry.

Bristow has invested in a drone inspection company as it diversifes away from an oil and gas industry that finds itself in a slump over low prices. The Houston-based firm is investing $4.2 million in U.K.-based Sky Futures, which provides unmanned air vehicles to support inspections of oil and gas facilities onshore and offshore. The investment comes as Bristow sees its revenues from oil and gas support continue to drop as energy companies reduce levels of exploration and the number of personnel working offshore.

Cirrus Aircraft has released its first interactive in flight training manual, —the Interactive Flight Operations Manual — a multi-touch iBook for use on the iPhone, iPad and Apple computer platforms. It will give pilots personalized mobile access to Cirrus SR20, SR22 and SR22T flight procedures, standards and techniques, and complements the airframer’s “Cirrus Approach” online learning program.

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.

Several Gulfstream Aerospace service centers have received approved maintenance organization designations from various civil aviation authorities, which increases maintenance and repair options for customers. Qatar granted AMO status to its Savannah, Georgia, and Luton, England, centers. Savannah’s center also received approval from the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department to provide maintenance on HKAR-registered G650/650ER aircraft. It also was authorized by Brazil’s Agencia Nacional de Aviacao Civil for G650/650ER, G280 and G150 jets.

Textron Aviation has completed the expanded certification of its U.S. company-owned service centers that support Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker aircraft, the company said. All 14 service centers in North America have received the expanded certifications, which allow them to service all brands. The company also expanded its mobile service fleet to more than 60 vehicles in North America and Europe, and placed a third dedicated support aircraft in service, including its first in Europe, to transport technicians and parts to a customer’s location.

Airbus Corporate Jet Center (ACJC) has delivered a major Airbus ACJ319 refurbishment for the Ivory Coast government, with everything from dual-broadband Internet connectivity to a master stateroom. The Internet uses an Inmarsat connection to provide all 19 passengers with 1.2 Mbps of data transfer speed. The interior features a crew-rest zone, forward passenger section, dining area, office with sofa and seats, and a master suite with lavatory. The job included a 10-year C check, fuselage modification and two new Satcom antennas installed by ACJC.

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.