Recently I was again reminded that time is passing and that different lives can be lived, well, unevenly. The confirmation arrived in an email my brother sent to all family members announcing that, after 28 years on the job, he’s retiring. He’s not the first of the seven siblings to punch out, but he’s the youngest by far.
The FAA in June gave its first approval for commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems (UASes) over land, clearing energy giant BP to operate the AeroVironment Puma AE, a UAS that is 4.5 ft. long with a 9-ft. wingspan, to conduct surveys over Alaska’s North Slope. The agency had previously approved certificates for use of UASes to conduct aerial surveillance over Arctic waters, but this latest certificate of waiver enables BP to use the Puma to survey pipelines, roads and equipment at Prudhoe Bay.
We might not think about it until we have to land at one, but as business jet captain Katha House pointed out, there are a few airports around the globe that are situated below sea level. “Thermal Airport [KTRM] in the Mojave Desert is 115 ft. below sea level,” she said, “and your altimeter will read zero on the approach, and you’ll still be flying! There’s one in Egypt that’s 436 ft. below sea level, and Bar Yehuda Airport [LLMZ] at Masada in Israel is -1,240 ft., the lowest in the world.”
Most major industry sectors flew fewer hours worldwide in the first quarter, a decline that Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI) attributes to the harsh winter. JSSI, which has developed a Business Aviation Index to track global flight hours by industry, found that overall, business aircraft flew 2% fewer hours globally. The manufacturing segment marked the most significant drop, down 15%, followed by construction and health care, down 12% and 11%, respectively.
C ruising at 325 kt. at FL 310 may seem leisurely by very-light-jet standards, but when that’s combined with a 20 min., 15 sec. climb to maximum cruise altitude, the TBM 900 can meet or beat the trip times of the Eclipse 550 and Cessna Citation Mustang on most missions.
Ease into a large chair in any one of the Challenger 850’s three roomy cabin sections and you’d be hard-pressed to tell you’re not in a Global 6000. The cabin has the same 6.0-ft. height and 8.1-ft. width as Bombardier’s current flagship. The 1993-2004 Canadair Special Edition and 1995-2011 Challenger 850 are the two main commercial designations for 50-seat CRJs that Canadair and Bombardier delivered green for custom conversion into business aircraft.
Line Operations Safety Audits (LOSA), Aviation Action Safety Programs (ASAP) and Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) programs complement each other. All provide useful data for an operator’s safety management system (SMS).
Aviation Management Systems (AMS), Portsmouth, N.H., announced that Jeffrey J. Troccolo has joined the company as senior vice president. He will be based in Connecticut.
Air Culinaire Worldwide, a Universal Weather and Aviation company, is now operating an inflight kitchen at Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC). The kitchen is located within the Atlantic Aviation FBO and is the only inflight kitchen based on the field. The new facility is the fourth kitchen based in California (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Van Nuys). Air Culinaire Tampa, Fla. (813) 449-6000 www.airculinaireworldwide.com
Dart Aerospace, Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada, named Rick Golob as director of Aftermarket Support and Services responsible for aligning and managing Dart’s repair and overhaul network.
Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Ga., named John Liotta, director of Product Support Sales for the East Coast of the U.S. He is responsible for maintenance sales to Gulfstream operators and reports to Mike West, vice president, Product Support and New Business Development. Tony Swift is the company’s first field service representative in Africa and will be based in South Africa.
Universal Avionics, Tucson, Ariz., announced the Corey Wilkinson has been appointed to the newly created position of sales manager for the Latin America sales region. He will be responsible for developing the business aviation market for the company in Latin American, including Mexico. He will be based in St. Louis, Mo.
Cabin Innovations, Lewisville, Texas, named Gary Stephens Engineering manager. He will be responsible for leading the engineering team and advancing the design and development capabilities for VIP galleys and interiors.
