Air France Flight AF2184 departed Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) at 0653 on March 24, 2012, bound for Tunis-Carthage International Airport (TUN). The captain was the pilot flying (PF) and the copilot was the pilot monitoring (PM). Departure, climb and cruise phases for the Airbus A319 were routine and without incident. However, the arrival at Tunis almost ended tragically due to a hurried descent, a runway change, poor planning and a lack of basic CRM.
Business jet apartheid remained the dominant theme in 2013, as it has for the last five years since the world economy struggles to recover from its deepest downturn in eight decades. Most long-range, large-cabin business aircraft manufacturers flourished while most light and midsize jet makers floundered. Total jet deliveries stabilized at 678, essentially in line with deliveries a decade ago, according to GAMA statistics.
China’s unique combination of prosperity and geography has resulted in an aircraft market that continues to focus on heavy iron that can connect China to any other spot on the planet non-stop. And, to the great relief of aircraft manufacturers, this market prefers to buy new aircraft.
As if the decision to buy an aircraft was not challenging enough, the next million-dollar question (sometimes quite literally) is where to register the thing. Offshore, or “island” aircraft registries offer owners an extensive list of options and perks from possible tax savings to catch-phrase tail “numbers,” which we’ll delineate here.
Daniel Herr, an aviation attorney based in Murray Hill, N.J., advises clients on the advantages and limitations of fractional ownership. (He can be accessed at http://www.FractionalLaw.com) B&CA asked him how Avantair managed to survive the economic downturn of 2008, only to plunge into the financial problems that led to its internal breakdown and ultimately to bankruptcy.
William Quinn, president of Aviation Management Systems in Portsmouth, N.H., has long consulted on fractional ownership issues and helped place clients into the Avantair program as shareowners when the program was solvent. When the company brought in retired FAA upper-level managers to help sort out its problems, “we were concerned but didn’t know how serious the situation was and where it would end up,” Quinn told B&CA.
In a Nov. 13, 2012, email, Avantair President and founder Steve Santo attempted to reassure the troubled fractional ownership program’s 600-plus shareholders that the company was being proactive when it voluntarily grounded its fleet of 56 Piaggio P180 Avanti turboprops the previous month.
Blackhawk Modifications, Inc., of Waco, Texas and Wipaire, Inc., of South St. Paul, Minn., received FAA approval of the Blackhawk XP42A engine upgrade for operators of Cessna Models 208 and 208A Caravans on Wipline floats. Approval enables operators of these aircraft to install a new 850- hp P&W PT6A-42A turboprop engine in place of the standard 600-hp PT6A-114 or the 675-hp PT6A-114A installed in these two models.
Executive AirShare, Kansas City, Mo., promoted Daniel Ireson to assistant chief pilot. He is based at Fort Worth Meacham Airport and Love Field in Dallas and reports to Chief Pilot Alex Franz.
National Business Aviation Association, Washington, elected Jim Schwertner to the board of directors. He is president and CEO of Schwertner Farms, Inc.
Gulfstream Aerospace and Jet Aviation, which comprise General Dynamics' aerospace group, posted significant gains in 2013 and entered 2014 with strong bookings. For the year the group posted $8.18 billion in revenue and $1.41 billion in earnings. In the year, Gulfstream delivered 139 green aircraft, or 18 more than in 2012. Of those total deliveries, 110 were large-cabin models with the balance mid-cabin. Additionally, for the year, deliveries of fully outfitted (completed) aircraft were up to 144, compared with 94 in 2012.
Recent high-profile aircraft accidents, most notably the Asiana 214 crash at San Francisco in July 2013, have air safety mavens asking tough questions about the state of flight crews' stick, rudder and energy management skills. Periodic refresher training most often focuses on instrument and night proficiency, systems knowledge and the perfunctory engine failure scenarios. But most refresher training only pays token attention to basic VFR piloting.
"Boosting DCA" (Washington Watch, February 2014, page 59) is the first article regarding Reagan Washington National Airport that hasn't totally ignored the fact that access to DCA is still severely limited. I've been getting very tired of aviation publications extolling TSA's superb efforts at relaxing the guidelines at DCA every time a new gateway airport is added. You are right on in acknowledging that there has been progress, but we are a long way from where we should be.
After three consecutive quarterly losses, late 2013 certifications of its new Sovereign+ and M2 helped Cessna Aircraft finish the year with a $33 million fourth-quarter profit — $10 million better than the same quarter in 2012 — and position the company for a 19% growth in revenues in 2014. However, the Wichita planemaker posted an overall $48 million loss on the year, down from the $82 million profit in 2012. Revenues slid from $3.11 billion in 2012 to $2.78 billion in 2013.
Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc. (IS&S) received an FAA STC for its Autothrottle System and Standby Display Unit incorporated into its Integrated Flight Management System (IFMS). The IS&S-developed autothrottle allows a pilot to control the power setting of the aircraft's engines by setting a desired flight characteristic rather than manually controlling fuel flow.
At the dawn of aviation, among the toughest challenges confronting its pioneers was controlling the aircraft. Otto Lilienthal steered his gliders by shifting his weight and upsetting the balance between the center of lift and gravity. The Wright brothers refined the control in all three axes through a combination of wing warping and coordinated movements of the elevator and rudder using pulleys and cables. As aircraft grew faster and larger, so did the forces necessary to maintain control.
RUAG has delivered the first Dornier 228-212 to the Venezuelan government at the end of January. This is the first of 10 Dornier 228s in passenger configuration ordered by that government and includes spare parts, ground equipment and training. The Dornier fleet will improve travel between remote areas and regional hubs, and will give residents in hard to reach areas greater access to medical care and government support.
