Business & Commercial Aviation

When television viewers saw news coverage of American medical professionals infected with Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever arriving in the U.S. for treatment, it’s doubtful many of them knew that the aircraft bringing them back from Africa were specially modified, commercially operated Gulfstream business jets.

Moving to the left seat for the first time is a huge deal, and there are things you need to understand if you are to make the move gracefully.

Business aviation departures in Europe declined 2.5% in November, to 56,200 departures, when compared to a year ago, according to WINGX’s Business Aviation Monitor.

The subject of what constitutes a small drone commercial operation can’t be broached without relating the story of “FAA v. Raphael Pirker.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Bombardier opened its high-tech Global 7000 assembly facility in Toronto to press scrutiny Nov. 3, inviting on board inspection of its first flight test vehicle, but sharing little information about the flight test schedule, the order book or the follow on Global 8000. David Coleal, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft, said the company, whose liquidity has come into question, had “enough resources and capital to get the program done” and that the 7000 would enter service in the second half of 2018.

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.

Manage the background processes and optimize the data flow.

Slow-onset hypoxia is a looming threat that has killed many times. Fortunately there are preventative measures and in an airplane with more than one pilot, the cure is quick and easy.

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 number of used business jets for sale rose 2% year-over-year, the first monthly increase since January 2010, according to a new report from the Jefferies Group. Inventory as a percent of the active fleet, however, is flat year-over-year. The survey found that 1,943 used business aircraft are on the market, or 9.4% of the total active fleet. The number is up from 1,915 in September and higher than the year’s low in January, when 1,817 aircraft were up for sale, according to the report.

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.

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%.

Appointments, promotions and honors in the business aviation community.