Business & Commercial Aviation

Pilots operating under Part 125 are not required to receive any specific training as defined by the FARs. However, per 14 CFR 125.287(b), captains are required to meet certain experience requirements, and both pilots are required to receive an annual competency check. In addition, per 14 CFR 125.291(a), each pilot-in-command (PIC) must receive an instrument proficiency check every six months. The instrument proficiency check is generally a more comprehensive check, so Part 125 allows the pilot to substitute an instrument proficiency check for the competency check.

Jet Aviation Zurich, a fixed base operator, handled the majority of the aircraft and delegates passing through Zurich International Airport on their way to the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The provider handled 582 aircraft movements and 1,485 passengers. Jet Aviation Zurich brought in additional staff to handle the record number of delegates expected to attend the World Economic Forum, it said. It also added a number of luxury vehicles to its fleet to handle ground transportation requirements for the surge of passengers.

Chris Strand, lead pilot for Amway Corporation’s BBJ and a member of the NBAA International Operations Committee, learned a few things about fuel reserves when flying the Pacific as a navigator in Navy EP3s (the electronic warfare version of the venerable Lockheed P3, the navalized variant of the four-engine Electra turboprop).

Piper Aircraft, based in Vero Beach, Florida, has introduced the single-engine Meridian M500 with upgraded avionics and other improvements. The aircraft features the Garmin G1000 avionics with a dual 10-in. PFD, a 12-in. MFD and a GFC700 autopilot with an enhanced flight control system. The $2.26 million aircraft includes Electronic Stability Protection that helps prevent stalls, spins, steep spirals and loss-of-control conditions and discourages aircraft operation outside the flight envelope.

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will be on display at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, EBACE, in May. Organizers are dedicating a zone for unmanned aircraft system products so attendees can see them in action and take part in education sessions that will focus on the European Commission’s regulations regarding UAS, or remotely piloted aircraft systems, as they are better known in Europe. The move comes as UAS grows as part of the business aviation community worldwide.

Many of today’s pilots never had the opportunity to operate aircraft with big, radial, piston engines. These powerplants are beefy and complex and have systems to extract extra energy from heat and to deal with high heat and pressures. A water injection system, also known as anti-detonation injection, or simply ADI, is one of them. Another is an auto feathering system, designed to accelerate the feathering of a failing engine while preventing the manual feathering of the running engine. Choosing to use either or both systems creates takeoff weight restrictions.

FlightSafety International is building its fourth full-flight simulator for the G650. It will be available at FlightSafety’s Learning Center in Wilmington, Delaware, in early 2016. The new simulator will feature tightly integrated computer hardware and software across subsystems to allow for more accurate and higher fidelity simulation than found in other current and previous simulators, the FSI said.

Rated at 1,695 lb. thrust to ISA+10C, the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F is scaled-up version of the PW615F that powers the Citation Mustang with hot-section durability improvements added to withstand the rigors of the high-cycle operating environment of air-taxi operations. An automatic performance reserve feature boosts engine output to 1,777 lb. thrust in the event of engine failure on takeoff, if APR is armed prior to takeoff roll.

Cessna Aircraft rolled out its first production Citation Latitude midsize business jet at its Wichita production facility on Jan. 29. The unveiling comes three years after the all-new midsize $16.25 million business jet was introduced.

The number of civil helicopter accidents in the U.S. fell 26% last year, showing good safety progress by the industry, the International Helicopter Safety Team said. The number of accidents fell to 3.64 accidents in 2014, from 4.95 accidents in 2013, the organization said. Over the past 10 years, however, the accident rate has dropped by more than half, according to the report. From 2001-2005, the number of civil helicopter accidents averaged 7.97 per 100,000 flight hours. The number of fatal accidents has also fallen.

Selected accidents and incidents from the NTSB database.

Industry Week has chosen Cessna Aircraft’s Mexico factory as its 2014 Best Plants winner. Industry Week notes that the factory completed more than 250 continuous improvement practices, or “kaizens,” and has solved crucial problems in complex processes. Cessna has also simplified the machining process to improve cycle time and lowered required inventory levels with improved safety for the operator, it said. Cessna employs 800 people at its Mexico facility.

The Embraer Phenom 100’s Prodigy avionics package is a highly evolved and customized version of the Garmin G1000 system used in several other light turbofan aircraft, including the Cessna Citation Mustang. Embraer chose to fit the aircraft with three identical 12-in. AMLCDs having the same basic internal functionality. Any of them can assume the identity of a primary flight display or multifunction display. Using reversionary modes, this design feature allows the aircraft to be dispatched with one of the three displays inoperative.

Business aviation flights in Europe saw a big decline in January, marked by fewer flights in Western Europe and a continued free-fall in activity in Russia and the Ukraine, according to a report by WingX Advance. Overall, there were 49,929 business aviation flights in Europe in January, a decline of 5.8% compared to January 2013. “This fall takes last year’s tepid recovery well off course,” the report said. Activity last month was at a similar level to that of January 2009. Flight activity fell 4% in Western Europe.

A notable “low noise” technological success was achieved with the non-conventional NOTAR anti-torque design. The NOTAR, short for “no tail rotor”, design blows high-pressure air out of vents along the tail boom, producing torque-countering thrust via the Coanda effect. Originally developed by McDonnell Douglas, the system is installed on MD Helicopters’ MD520N, MD600N and MD Explorer models.

Spending on private jet charter activities increased 15% in 2014 over 2013, according to New Flight Charters. The average amount spent per charter rose from $14,841 in 2013 to $17,068 in 2014, it said. The average includes all charter activity and aircraft types, from piston aircraft through heavy and long-range private jets. Midsize jet activity increased 18.8% year over year and heavy jet activity nearly doubled, the company said. The data is from more than 750 U.S.

Strap into a CJ1+ and you’ll feel as comfortable as when you slip on your favorite shoes. The third-generation CitationJet, built from mid-2005 to late 2010, has FADEC-equipped engines with slightly more thrust, increased operating weights and an upgraded interior compared to the CJ1. It also has a completely integrated Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics package, including full-feature FMS-3000, and more standard equipment.

Pilatus appoints Russian aviation company Nesterov Aviation as its PC-12 sales and service center for Russia. Nesterov has offices in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Pilatus calls Nesterov the “perfect partner” that can offer customized support to PC-12 owners in Russia. Nesterov Aviation will begin preparations this year for a maintenance center in the northwestern part of Russia to further expand its operations across the country.

Everyone recognizes noise, but giving measure to it has resulted in a kind of acoustical polyglot, with different scientific camps employing a variety of systems. Even the FAA is confounded by the divisions. In its report on non-military helicopter noise, the agency noted, “there are multiple noise metrics utilized to assess noise (EPNL, ASEL, DNL, etc.). However, civil helicopter annoyance assessments utilize the same acoustic methodology adopted for airplanes with no distinction for the helicopter’s unique noise character.

Landmark Aviation has acquired the assets of Island City Flying Service, a fixed base operator at Key West International Airport. The expansion into the Key West market complements Landmark’s south Florida locations, the company said. Landmark began operations in the former Island City Flying Service facility on Feb. 1. The FBO’s services include a lounge, flight planning areas, hangars and an executive conference room. Customs and immigration services are also available, it said.

Transition to pure jet for the business aviation pilot will not be a road paved with affable, easy-going examiners. “The agency is very concerned over . . . business pilots making the transition to jet equipment in wholesale quantities . . .” FAA Administrator Halaby said.

An old Washington hand — he was legislative director for then Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and a member of the Defense Science Board — Adcock also worked on government affairs for Daimler-Benz.

TriState Careflight, which offers critical care transport services, is teaming with Baldwin Safety and Compliance, based in Hilton Head, South Carolina, to enhance and grow its safety management system. TriState offers services in Arizona, New Mexico. Colorado and Nevada. TriState, based in Bullhead City, Arizona, operates 27 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft and employs 380 people. TriState’s collaboration with Baldwin underscores its commitment to the most efficient and safest emergency medical service organization possible, the company said.

Area residents have formed the Los Angeles Area Helicopter Noise Coalition, which is seeking to improve their quality of life by reducing helicopter noise in their communities, without compromising safety. Their website claims a commitment “to partnering with local neighborhoods and working with appropriate government agencies, helicopter pilots and operators, and other entities to enhance the environmental quality of our neighborhoods today and for future generations.”

Bombardier has unveiled plans to raise new financing as Pierre Beaudoin steps down to be replaced as president and CEO by outsider Alaine Bellemare, the former head of United Technologies Corp.’s (UTC) Propulsion & Aerospace business. The moves are intended to reassure investors who are increasingly concerned that Bombardier will run out of cash as it funds development of the delayed CSeries narrowbody aircraft, and upcoming Global 7000/8000 large business jets while sales of its regional airliners remain under pressure.