Business & Commercial Aviation

1. Sierra Improves Citation Entry Step Designed with improvements in functionality and appearance over the original factory step, the SkyStep improves safety and utility at a competitive price. Some features include: enclosed back and sides; three evenly spaced steps instead of two; first step is closer to the ground; pneumatic cylinders softly deploy the door. The SkyStep is applicable to a wide variety of classic Citation aircraft. Price: $15,500 installed Sierra Industries Uvalde, Texas

Beijing General Aviation Co. has begun construction of a 46,000-sq.-meter production facility for its P750 single-engine turboprop aircraft. The plant, located in the Changzhou National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone’s Aviation Industrial Park, is expected to be capable of building 70 aircraft per year. The company says the aircraft is aimed at addressing the growing aviation market in China. It is a multipurpose design that can take off and land in short distances and operate in unimproved airstrips.

Embraer Executive Jets has delivered its 300th Phenom 300 light business jet to an undisclosed U.S. customer at the company’s Melbourne, Florida, complex. The Phenom 300, which was first delivered six years ago, is in operation in 28 countries and has accumulated more than 250,000 flight hours. The aircraft has a 57% market share in the light business jet category, the company said.

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Board of Directors has made Jack Pelton, the EAA Chairman and de facto CEO, the full time boss by officially adding the CEO title and responsibilities to his position. The former Cessna CEO has led EAA since October 2012. The CEO is a paid position, although Pelton will continue as EAA’s volunteer chairman of the Board while he is CEO. He will maintain residences in Oshkosh and his hometown of Wichita, Kansas.

For helicopter pilots, operating in crosswinds near the ground with high power can be problematic. Mistakes in handling either situation can be fatal.

BCA senior editor Fred George belted into the left seat of Falcon 8X No. 1 to evaluate the new aircraft's general flying qualities.

Flying Colours Corp. has been issued a FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for ADS-B Out for Bombardier Challenger 600-2B16 (604 and 605) airframes. The first aircraft to be fitted with the system, a Bombardier Challenger 605, was completed in September. A second installation is underway on a Bombardier Challenger 300. The STC will be submitted for validation by Transport Canada and Europe’s European Aviation Safety Agency this year.

Dassault Falcon Service has begun work on a new maintenance facility in Bordeaux-Merignac in order to expand its Falcon overhaul capability. The hangar will cover 7,200 sq. meters and will be able to accommodate up to six Falcon 7X, 8X or 5X aircraft. It will complement the company’s maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities at Le Bourget Airport near Paris. The new facility is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2016, in time to handle the ramp-up in C checks on Falcon 7X aircraft.

The U.S. Transportation Department plans to finalize what will likely be an emergency rule by mid-December requiring owners past, present and future of recreational UAVs to register the devices with the FAA. The rule will be based in large part on the work of a new task force of government and industry participants that was to provide the FAA recommendations for procedures and policies for a national registration database by Nov. 20. The action comes in advance of the holiday season in which the FAA says there could be a million new UAVs given as gifts.

Meridian Jet Center, has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization to repair and inspect the Gulfstream G200. The rating also includes the legacy manufacturer and model, formerly known as Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Galaxy. “The addition of this popular Gulfstream model allows us to better serve both new and existing customers. Our highly trained technicians now have the ability to support our customers with a wider range of offerings.

Aerion has begun the search for a site for final assembly and testing of its $120 million AS2 supersonic jet. Last month, it hired a large site-selection firm to aid in finding a location. One place it will consider will be sites near the ocean or coastline. Since the jet will fly faster than the speed of sound, it will be advantageous to be near the ocean or coast for flight-testing, said Aerion Co-Chairman Brian Barents. Shipment of large assemblies will require a deep seaport, he said. Barents has said that it is looking to the U.S. to produce the jet.

Talon Air has completed its new FBO complex at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York, on Long Island. The complex extends Talon Air’s existing services and adds additional amenities, including conference rooms, lounges, a flight planning center, helicopter transfer service and a FAA-approved Part 145 Maintenance Service Center. It features two 29,976 sq. ft. hangars, 35,3436 sq. ft. of guest and office space, maintenance facilities and more than 3 acres of ramp space. It also includes a 90,000-gal. fuel farm with two 30,000-gal.

Setouchi Trading Asia Pacific named Sydney, Australia-based Utility Air as its exclusive Kodiak sales representative for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the South Pacific Islands. “I am proud that Utility Air has been selected to distribute the Kodiak in the Pacific,” said Stephen Pembro, Managing Director of Utility Air.

Air Charter Guide, the worldwide guide for on-demand charter services and part of the Aviation Week Network, has combined forces with FlyEasy, the technology-based platform for empty leg charter flights and jet charter data, to offer a streamlined feed for empty legs.

In October, BCA’s editors hosted a two-day gathering of sales engineers representing nearly a dozen makes of business aircraft in downtown Los Angeles to review procedures, definitions, and applicability when producing the specifications and performance figures for the listed, in-production aircraft presented in the magazine's annual Purchase Planning Handbook.

Teterboro Airport was the most searched business aviation airport around the world on acukwik.com in October 2015, according to an analysis of site traffic. Outside of North America, Paris Le Bourget Airport, Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, London Luton Airport and Jebel Ali Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai were popular.

Teterboro Airport was the most searched North American business aviation airport on acukwik.com in October 2015, according to an analysis of site traffic. And three Texas airports ranked among the top 10.

We flew the first flight test aircraft to evaluate the progress of the program, to gauge how well Dassault is meeting the trijet’s stated weight, performance and cabin comfort goals and to sample its handling qualities.

David Rimmer, President of JFI Jets, discusses the acquisition of ACP Jets in Florida.

The Falcon 8X flight deck features a growth version of the Falcon 7X’s EASy II system, powered by Honeywell Primus Epic avionics with four, 14-in., portrait configuration flat-panel displays.

The FAA will evaluate technology to detect unmanned aircraft near airports under a Pathfinder program with developer CACI International.

In the 12 months from Sept. 1, 2014, through Aug. 31, 2015, more business aviation flights departed from the Southeastern United States — the FAA's Southern region — than any other U.S. region, ARGUS International Inc. says. Comparing the regional, state and city data reveals a number of conclusions. For example, Teterboro Airport accounts for 71 percent of business aviation departures in the state of New Jersey.

The FAA’s new Compliance Philosophy does not contain the phrase “promote and foster aviation.” There are, of course, a few troubling aspects, particularly the accepted belief that “policy” has the force and effect of regulation. But if the FAA succeeds in implementing this philosophy, the sometimes-strained relationship between agency and operators will improve, and safety will continue to improve.

Tables show results of a price survey of U.S. fuel suppliers performed in October 2015 at over 200 fixed base operators located within the 48 contiguous United States.

Business-aviation activity remains stagnant in Europe, as a few key markets show modest improvement while Italy and Turkey join already struggling Russia on the list of countries where departures are down.