While the National Business Aviation Association is almost always identified with issues affecting the operation of turbine-powered business aircraft, more than 1,000 of its member companies operate piston-engine light planes to support their business travel.
Whoa. Wait a minute. Stop the presses! Wasn’t unleaded automobile gasoline (so-called “pump gas”) approved for use in some engine/airframe combinations years ago, at least for the smaller piston engines, e.g., the Lycoming O-360 installed in thousands of Cessna 172s and other light planes?
A small population of large (“heavy”) transport and vintage aircraft powered by commensurately large air-cooled radial and liquid-cooled inline piston engines remains active in the U.S. and abroad that cannot be operated on any fuel other than 100/115-octane leaded aviation gasoline.
As 2014 drew to an end, a lawsuit against a group of California FBOs and fuel distributors filed three years earlier by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) over sale of leaded avgas was settled through an agreement preventing what could have resulted in grounding almost all piston-powered aviation in the state.
Airbus Corporate Jet Center, Toulouse, France, announced that Vincent Tchengang, formerly Airbus regional sales director covering airlines in Africa and the Indian Ocean, has joined the Airbus Corporate Jet Center (ACJC) as its new head of services sales. He will manage a team of sales directors dedicated to VIP services marketing worldwide, covering cabins, airframes and engines, and will be personally responsible for sales in Africa, Australia, Eastern Europe and South Asia.
1. AOPA Offers Program on Forced Landing Survival Skills The AOPA has released a new video and printed guide to help pilots and passengers survive conditions following an aircraft forced landing. The program, “Survive: Beyond the Forced Landing,” covers best practices for general aviation flights that result in off-airport landings. It also reviews survival communications, preferred gear and offers advice for detection from rescuers. The video and 16-page guide cover the importance of flight plans and flight following, among other topics.
Robert Breiling, head of the half-century-old Boca Raton, Florida, safety consulting firm that bears his name, just shakes his head when he reviews the causes of recent accidents and incidents. It’s the same story, different day.
Fan Jet Falcon orders now number 40 according to Pan Am Business Jets Division. First production model flew on New Year’s Day and has accumulated some 15 hr. at this time. Pan Am will receive two demonstrators plus four customer airplanes in May. FAA certification is also scheduled for May.
Eight Phoenix-area airports are expected to feel the impact of Super Bowl XLIX. Textron Aviation has agreed to buy the assets of the UTC Aerospace Systems facility in Wichita.
Visual cues are a pilot’s most-important sensory input. Since good eyesight is essential for safe operation of an aircraft, pilots must demonstrate adequate visual performance at every aeromedical exam.
Business aircraft departures in Europe last year were down 0.5% compared to 2013, according to an analysis of departures by WingX Advance. Business aircraft flying in the United States in December 2014 was up for the 13th month in a row, according to TraqPak data released by Argus International.
I recently sat in a room full of aviation professionals and, unbelievably, heard the comment that “the so-called oxygen bottle is really compressed air, just like scuba divers use.” While I sat there with my mouth open, more than a few in the room nodded agreement. They may not be the only folks thinking this to be true.
Lower oil prices could benefit business aviation while complicating the commercial aviation market, according to an aviation consultant. Plus, NetJets has attracted more than 1000 applications for open pilot positions.
Teterboro Airport was the airport searched the most in December 2014 for charter departures and arrivals, according to an analysis of Air Charter Guide Worldwide Trip Builder data.
FACC AG has received approval of the first article parts and the go-ahead for series production of bypass ducts for Pratt & Whitney Canada PurePower PW814 and Pw815 engines.
Russia’s Rostec and Rosneft state corporations have agreed on a strategic partnership with Italy’s Finmeccanica to build the AW189 super-medium helicopter in the Russian Federation.
Challenger 605 operators are pragmatic realists. They say there are other large-cabin aircraft with fine French bloodlines, plus sporty performers from Savannah and rugged heavyweights from Brazil, but no other business jet can top the Bombardier Challenger 605 for its blend of cost effectiveness, low operating costs and cabin comfort, plus dispatch reliability and everyday utility.
Do you allow your passengers to use portable electronic devices (PEDs) below 10,000 ft.? Should you? Try these two scenarios on for size: Scenario One: You are about to depart on an FAR Part 91 trip with the person who signs your paycheck. “Mr. Big is working on a very important spreadsheet,” you hear from the cabin crew. “He insists we take off right away, but he will not be putting his computer away.”
N856JT, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-25, crashed into wooded terrain near Owasso, Oklahoma, on Nov. 10, 2013, about 1546 CST. Investigators collaborated on a meticulous analysis of this accident.
What are the driving factors that affect the value of a business aircraft, such as the Gulfstream G550? Using a G550 with an in-service and Certificate of Airworthiness date of 2007, a microeconomic review shows what impacts value for this aircraft.
Big things are happening at the Penton Business Aviation Network. As the clouds of the recession are finally lifting (no kidding this time), and once again business aviation is on the upturn, I must invoke the name of one of my favorite 1980s classics, “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades!” “ B&CA is doing what?!”
Nothing has a greater impact on flight operations safety than hiring and retaining the best people. That’s why top-notch airlines, military organizations and business aircraft operations go to great efforts to evaluate personal integrity, professional attitude, willingness to embrace team effort and coolness under pressure during the hiring process. The objective, even in single-pilot aircraft operations, is to identify pilots who view themselves as team players as well as leaders.
A portable electronic device (PED) is a lightweight, electrically or battery-powered piece of equipment. These devices are typically consumer electronic devices capable of communications and data processing, such as a tablet, e-reader or handheld computer games. Please note that mobile phones are not considered PEDs in this context and thus may be used only when the boarding door is open and during taxi to the gate after landing.
