SyberJet, the latest iteration of the SJ30, a light jet project that was seemingly in a permanently stalled condition since its launch back in the 1980s, was planning a grand opening ceremony May 1 at its new completions and delivery center in Cedar City, Utah. Plans call for completing the development and certification of a new SyberVision avionics suite for the already certificated aircraft and ramping up the SJ30 production line in Cedar City into next year.
Aircell received EASA approvals to install inflight connectivity and entertainment systems aboard Bombardier Challenger 300 business jets. The supplemental type certificates cover the Aviator 300 and UCS 5000 systems. The UCS 5000 approval was the first from Europe since Aircell introduced the system in October. Aircell says a number of other certifications for the system are in the works. The company entered the European market in 2002, and the region has become the company’s second-largest market.
Welcome to the May 2014 edition of Business & Commercial Aviation featuring this year’s Purchase Planning Handbook! We know from reader feedback that the annual handbook stays on their desks and within easy reach year-round. That's because the data contained within helps underpin important decisions on major investments involving aircraft and their equipage. And recognizing the importance of that simple fact, our knowledgeable editors work hard to make sure the information is complete, accurate and up-to-date.
Bombardier handed over the first Mexico-bound Global 6000 to Aero Angeles S.A. de C.V. The delivery comes as Bombardier anticipates growth in the Latin America market, forecasting 2,300 business jet deliveries to the region over the next 20 years. The company sees an uptick driven by economic growth, globalization and an increase in the number of billionaires in the region.
Bombardier’s revolutionary, composite Airframe — Learjet 85 — completed its first flight on April, 9, 2014. The event is a critical milestone for the midsize jet development program that was launched in October 2007, signifying that the development program is getting back on track after more than a year of technical problems. Composite construction process control has been particularly challenging. When certified, the Learjet 85 will become business aviation’s first primarily composite airplane.
Without the extra service and empathy that makes the difference between a good operation and a prideful one, you may wake up one morning on the outside looking in, hoisted by your own petard” – J. Sheldon “Torch” Lewis, Greenhouse Patter
It is my custom when receiving my copy of B&CA to first turn to your interesting editorials. However, with the March issue I must admit that did not happen. Prior to the editorial page my attention was distracted by the photograph of a Luscombe. Having learned to fly in a Luscombe, and as a your flight instructor in the early 1950s, taught a number of people to fly in a Luscombe, I must confess that I have a soft spot in my heart for that airplane.
Associated Air Center secured an STC covering installation of Wi-Fi systems for the Satcom Direct Router (SDR) on Boeing 737-300, -400, -500, -600, -700, -800, -900 and -900 ER series aircraft. The dual-band SDR can manage multiple satcom systems, including Swift64, SwiftBroadband, Ku band, Ka band and X band. The SDR also has a 3G cellular capability while the aircraft is on the ground. The system integrates with a number of existing platforms manufactured by Cobham, Thrane & Thrane, Honeywell and Rockwell Collins.
I have been a loyal reader of B&CA since joining Ford Motor Company’s Aviation Department in 1969. For years I bundled the issues and stored them in my attic. I wish that I had them today, those 45 years of corporate aviation history.
“Crossover speed” is a term that came to the fore after the loss of a USAir Boeing 737 on Sept. 8, 1994, near Aliquippa, Pa., while maneuvering to land at Pittsburgh International Airport. The NTSB determined probable cause of the accident to be a loss of control resulting from the movement of the rudder surface to its blowdown limit. The rudder most likely deflected in the opposite direction to that commanded by the pilot as a result of a jam in the main rudder power control unit. The aircraft was destroyed and all 132 people aboard perished.
FlightSafety International, La Guardia Airport, Flushing, N.Y., appointed Christopher Adams senior director, business development and marketing, government. He will pursue new business opportunities for government and military training services and flight simulation equipment worldwide. He joined the company in 1998 as marketing manager for FSI’s Wilmington, Del., facility.
Misuse of the rudder on American Airlines Flight 587 departing John F. Kennedy International Airport on Nov. 12, 2001, killed all 260 people aboard the Airbus A300 and five people on the ground in Belle Harbor, N.Y. The NTSB noted the pilot applied four full alternating rudder inputs, and after the fourth input, aerodynamic forces on the vertical stabilizer were roughly twice its ultimate design load.
