Business & Commercial Aviation

Engine maintenance programs offset financial exposure and improve aircraft index values. How aircraft value is impacted depends on the terms of the program. B&CA has compiled a summary of coverage available from eight different providers.

Eclipse 500 suffered bruising battles even before it finally made it to market in 2007. During its troubled gestation, engines, avionics and several systems components needed to be upgraded. It entered service as a work in progress needing flight into known icing certification, along with dozens of avionics upgrades and systems improvements.

In mid-2014, Matt Guthmiller, at age 19, became the youngest person yet to fly solo around the world. Now an engineering student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his 26,700-nm odyssey spanned 15 countries on five continents. The journey in a leased 1981 A36 Beech Bonanza, its cabin stuffed full of auxiliary fuel tanks, required 23 refueling stops. Many of those stopovers were far from the great circle route because of the relative scarcity of avgas at airports outside North America.

Government and public disdain for those using business jets is nothing new. There’s been evidence of that aplenty in recent years. But maybe Oprah, Warren Buffett and Jay Z can help set the record straight.

Lessons that have come to light during the ongoing investigation of the May 31, 2014, crash of a Gulfstream IV departing Laurence G. Hanscom Field (BED), Bedford, Mass., center on the importance of checklists, completing all checklist items according to manufacturer guidance and understanding that safety systems can fail, silently leaving the crew unprotected from casual neglect.

The first transatlantic flight by a Lear Jet was made to Frankfurt, Germany, via Gander, Keflavik and Prestwick. Starting from Wichita, the 5,577-mi. flight took 10 hr. 17 min. Average altitude was 41,000 ft. and the average ground speed was 540 mph. There were three people aboard. FAA certification has been received for the Turbo Exec 400, Riley Aeronautics Corp. conversion of the de Havilland Dove. It cruised at 250 mph TAS at 12,000 ft., with 285 TAS at 20,000 ft. Range is 2,000 mi. Both custom and airline interiors are available.

Editor’s Note: While our regular readers might think they’re seeing double, that’s not the case. The business jet specification and performance tables that follow may at first appear to be a repeat of those published last month in our May Purchase Planning Handbook, but they are not. We received quite a few changes, additions, revisions and corrections within the category after the publication deadline. Naturally, we determined to update the digital tables immediately.

The Pilatus PC-24 took off on its maiden flight on May 11 from Buochs Airport. Just under 1,800 Pilatus staff, all of whom are directly or indirectly involved in the PC-24 project, were there to applaud the business jet as it taxied for takeoff. Prototype P01, (HB-VXA), flew across central Switzerland for a total of 55 min. The twin-engine business jet took off from Runway 7 in just under 600 meters and climbed to 10,000 ft. (approximately 3000 meters) in about 3 min. where the two pilots completed a series of planned tests.

​The first production-conforming aircraft, dubbed P1, is coming together at Cirrus’ facilities in Duluth, Minnesota, where the pressure vessel built at the company’s Grand Forks, North Dakota, facility and shipped to Duluth is being bonded to the tail and other components. Meanwhile, three conforming prototypes — C0, C1 and C2 — are taking part in the FAA certification program and have accumulated more than 400 hr. flight time. A fourth aircraft, a proof-of-concept model called V1, is also flyable.

Jet-A and Avgas Per Gallon Fuel Prices May 2015

​The first production-conforming aircraft, dubbed P1, is coming together at Cirrus’ facilities in Duluth, Minnesota, where the pressure vessel built at the company’s Grand Forks, North Dakota, facility and shipped to Duluth is being bonded to the tail and other components. Meanwhile, three conforming prototypes — C0, C1 and C2 — are taking part in the FAA certification program and have accumulated more than 400 hr. flight time. A fourth aircraft, a proof-of-concept model called V1, is also flyable.

Embraer plans to move all Phenom light jet assembly to its Melbourne, Florida, facility from its plant in Brazil over the next year, the company said. The ramp up of Melbourne production will occur gradually throughout 2015 and will be completed in 2016. About 300 employees now work at Embraer’s customer center, production and customer support at the site. The move is needed as Embraer begins assembly of the prototypes of its new commercial jets, the E2 airliners.

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has selected GKN Aerospace to produce the wing skins for its G500 and G600 ultra-long-range business jets. In a long-term contract, GKN Aerospace will produce the upper and lower wing skins for development and production aircraft at its Wellington, Kansas, advanced machines structures facility. The skins will be constructed in a single piece, which eliminates the fasteners and joints, and lowers weight and required maintenance, GKN said.

​The FAA has proposed a $1.54 million civil penalty against Air Methods Corp., an emergency medical transport company, for allegedly operating Eurocopter EC-130 helicopters that were not in compliance with FAA regulations. The FAA alleges that Air Methods operated two helicopters on 70 flights carrying passengers for compensation or hire. The flights were over water and beyond power-off gliding distance from the shore and lacked the required flotation devices and flotation gear for each passenger.

VistaJet, based in London, added 10 new aircraft to its fleet during the first three months of 2015 to keep up with strong global demand, the company said. It also plans to add up to 10 new Bombardier Challenger 350 business jets for use in the U.S. over the next two years, the company said.

​1. Aviation Safety Advocacy Service Launched

Cirrus Aircraft is expanding its “Vision Center” in Knoxville, Tennessee, after a site search that included 15 states and 30 airport locations, the company said.

The FAA has proposed a $150,000 civil penalty against Ameriflight, based in Burbank, California, for allegedly operating a Beech BE-99 when it was not in compliance with FAA regulations. The FAA alleges that the pilot noted in the aircraft’s maintenance log on Jan. 8, 2010, that water was leaking through a gap in the windshield above the copilot’s visor. The same day, a mechanic “patch sealed” the windshield by applying sealant over the gap , and the company returned the aircraft to service.

Honeywell Aerospace has introduced a new router, the CNX-250, which will allow business aircraft to connect to a cellular network while on the ground and then transition to a satellite connection while in flight. The router will enable connection to a variety of network sources instead of connecting exclusively to a satellite communications network, Honeywell said. That will give operators and maintenance personnel the ability to stay connected while in the air or on the ground.

The Pilatus PC-24 took off on its maiden flight on May 11 from Buochs Airport. Just under 1,800 Pilatus staff, all of whom are directly or indirectly involved in the PC-24 project, were there to applaud the business jet as it taxied for takeoff. Prototype P01, (HB-VXA), flew across central Switzerland for a total of 55 min. The twin-engine business jet took off from Runway 7 in just under 600 meters and climbed to 10,000 ft. (approximately 3000 meters) in about 3 min. where the two pilots completed a series of planned tests.

Mooney International revealed its new M10 design to the U.S. market with a full-scale mockup at Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida. The M10 J and T model aircraft were unveiled in November at the Zhuhai Airshow. Mooney is in its final construction phase of a proof-of-concept flight-test aircraft scheduled to fly later this year. This follows the preliminary type certification board meeting between Mooney and the Los Angeles FAA-ACO in February.

Rapidly growing Luxaviation Group, a driving force behind the consolidation of business-aircraft management in Europe, will become the world’s second-largest operator of business jets following the acquisition of Swiss-based ExecuJet Aviation Group.

Com panies involved in newsgathering, agriculture and rail transport have partnered with the FAA in the hope of extending operations of small unmanned aircraft beyond the limits outlined in proposed rules unveiled in January. CNN, PrecisionHawk and BNSF Railway have committed significant resources to the FAA’s Pathfinder program, Administrator Michael Huerta announced in Atlanta on May 6 at the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s Unmanned Systems 2015 convention.

Airbus Helicopters has been awarded European Aviation Safety Agency certification for the utility version of its EC145 twin-engine light helicopter. The EC145, previously known as the EC145e, is essentially a civil version of the UH‑72 Lakota Light Utility Helicopter being delivered to the U.S. Army, but equipped for single-pilot day and night operations.

Aero Kinetics, based in Fort Worth, announced a partnership with FreeFlight Systems to integrate its ADS-B avionics into Aero Kinetics unmanned aircraft systems for commercial use in the National Airspace System. FreeFlight has designed a lightweight, low-power ADS-B unit, which will be an integral part of Aero Kinetic’s development of unmanned aircraft. The technology will communicate with manned aircraft and ground control stations.