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.
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.
Empire Aviation Group, a Dubai-based aviation services company, has added an Embraer Legacy 650 executive jet to its managed fleet based in Oman. The aircraft is being managed on behalf of the owner and longtime client, and will operate only from Oman, where Empire already manages three other business jets. Empire completed the full technical inspection, delivery and induction process of the Brazilian-made super mid-size business jet. The Legacy 650 offers three cabin zones with wireless inflight connectivity and Apple TV to enhance the passenger experience.
Proposed tax rule changes recently issued by the Texas state comptroller go beyond the plain meaning of the tax code in Texas, and seek to impose significant new burdens on aircraft owners and operators, the NBAA says. The rules would “significantly change the standards for creating aircraft ownership and operating structures [and] under the proposal, a new rule might determine when operators could qualify for the ‘sale or resale’ exemption through aircraft leasing,” according to the association.
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.
Lower oil prices could give a boost to small general aviation aircraft, small and midsize business aircraft, fractional ownership companies and service providers if they are sustained, an aviation consultant says. On the flip side, cheaper oil may negatively impact the commercial aviation market. The lower end of the general aviation market, including piston aircraft and small and midsize business jets, could benefit from lower fuel prices and an improving economy, said Brian Foley of Brian Foley Associates, based in Sparta, N.J.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is becoming frustrated over the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) slow deliberations regarding an FAA recommendation — strongly endorsed by AOPA — to forgo the needs for a 3rd Class Medical certificate for private pilots. There is no such requirement for aviators operating under the Sport Pilot rule. In a Jan.
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?
Development of Bombardier’s top-of-the-line Global 7000 and 8000 business jets seeing significant advances with flight testing of its all-new GE Passport engine now well underway. The engine maker planned to put the new powerplant through water ingestion and fan blade certification tests about now, just weeks after first flight, which occurred Dec. 30.
Bombardier announced Jan. 15 that it is pausing its long-delayed Learjet 85 jet program because of weak market demand for the aircraft and a downward revision in the company’s market forecast. As a result, Bombardier will reduce its workforce by about 1,000 employees in Wichita and Queretaro, Mexico. The move reflects continued weakness in the light aircraft category, the company said. With continued delays, analysts had questioned the program’s fate.
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.
They say that Murphy does not discriminate. Ask any maintenance manager and they will swear that he has a special affinity for airplanes. If there can be a worst-possible location for the aircraft to break down, that is where it will happen. It is bad enough to break down at home, at least you have some comfort knowing your staff and support structure is in place and you can pay your full attention to the problem. Now, put the airplane half a world away in a remote location and that same problem magnifies in complexity and aggravation by a factor of 10 (or more).
