For the first time in a long time the general aviation planemakers have good news to report and one of their standouts had been a staggering not all that long ago. According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, 458 aircraft were delivered during the first three months of the year, representing total billings of $4.6 billion. Compared to the same quarter in 2012, those represent increases of nearly 10% and 32%, respectively. “We are very pleased to see a shift to the positive for GA airplanes,” says GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce.
Customers also are ordering satcom phones, external cameras, HD video display systems, moving maps, LED lighting and flat-screen monitors, all controlled from a single position.
Federal Aviation Regulation 91.211 requires a single pilot when above FL 350 and one of two pilots in the cockpit when above FL 410 to wear and use an oxygen mask as a precaution against incapacitation in the event of a rapid or explosive decompression event. It's a rule that's routinely ignored by scores of business aircraft pilots, based upon recent confidential interviews conducted by BCA.
Cessna has begun providing AOG maintenance for Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft in Europe, building on the service that the Wichita airframer recently rolled out in the U.S. Cessna's Citation Service Center in Zurich will perform the unscheduled AOG maintenance, providing services Caravans throughout the region. The Zurich center's Mobile Service Unit, one of three Cessna has in Europe, will be certified on the Caravan, along with Citation aircraft.
Thank you for your insight regarding unpredictable and violent winds that can exist in the mountains (“Handling High Terrain Airports,” April 2013, page 46). My daughter and I encountered an event during summer 2010 while flying just west of Estes Park, Colorado. The sky was clear and nearly calm when we experienced a downdraft that exceeded 6,000 fpm. We were 3,000 ft. above the mountaintops when we entered the descending wind pattern and within 20 sec. were forced to commit to a mountainside landing.
I have finally caught up with my reading assignment — just finished the April issue of BCA. As usual you, and your team, have assembled an informative and inspiring magazine. A joy! Your “Quick Read” (Viewpoint, page 7) launched my delight. Who else, but you, could concatenate a swap meet, a Gulfstream G650, an entrepreneur's juggernaut and Lucky's book? I realized how you do it . . . so effortlessly, so smoothly month-after-month. I paraphrase you: “Turns out young Garvey is a pilot and a poet . . .”
Aircraft Electronics Association, Lee's Summit, Mo., has appointed Kevin Bruce, who is the director of airworthiness and quality for Diamond Aircraft, as the new regulatory consultant for Canada.
Executive AirShare is continuing its rapid expansion coming off its third consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2012. The regional fractional ownership program called 2012 its most successful year yet, increasing its shareowners to more than 140 and adding 36 more members in equity charter, lease and management programs, including Launch, Launch Premium and EMBark 32. The company has gone from 75 shareowners in 2009 to more than 130 by the end of 2012.
ViaSat Inc. and the L-3 Platform Integration Division (L-3 PID) have signed a memorandum of agreement to provide private transport-class aircraft with inflight connectivity services. Under the agreement, the companies will collaborate on a complete broadband satellite communication system for airline-size aircraft that are custom-fit for use by heads of state and “VVIP” customers.
Universal Avionics announced its new FlightAssure Extended Warranty Program at the recent Annual Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) Convention in Las Vegas. FlightAssure removes the uncertainty and guesswork from a customer's avionics maintenance, downtime and overall cost. The program was designed to help customers budget the cost of component repairs by extending the avionics' protection plan.
Argus Pros and its sister company, Prism, have released the 2012 edition of their Safety Management Systems (SMS) Audit results. The audit result report was launched in 2008 and has grown to incorporate and compare the findings from over 300 audit events. The main object of this comprehensive report is to highlight the recurring problem areas found in SMS implementation and execution.
As part of the global refurbishment program announced in 2012, Jet Aviation Geneva is the first company facility to be transformed with a fresh new corporate look and feel. The newly refurbished Geneva FBO is nearly twice the size of the original, adding 313 sq. meters for a total of 648 sq. meters. The main floor of the FBO now offers a new reception area and three new customer lounges.
An Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is a reporting program that allows employees of participating air carriers and repair station certificate holders to identify and report safety issues to management and to the FAA for resolution, without fear that the FAA will use reports accepted under the program to take legal enforcement action against them, or that companies will use such information to take disciplinary action.
During a small gathering of aviation business leaders in Teterboro, N.J., in March, National Air Transportation Association (NATA) President Tom Hendricks asked the attendees to state their top concerns. FlightSafety International Chairman, CEO and President Bruce Whitman was among the first to answer: FAA's recent training interpretation. It is giving FlightSafety all sorts of problems, he told the group. Heads nodded in agreement. The FAR Part 135 operators at the gathering knew firsthand the problems that the interpretation was causing.
Piaggio Aero is already planning to open an authorized service center (ASC) in China, even though it has just two Piaggio Avanti II turboprops in the country. The ASC will be set up as a joint venture with Chinese distributor CAEA (Beijing) Aviation Investment Co. Ltd., at the Zhuhai operating base of CAE's Free Sky Aviation, which makes the aircraft available to private members. Li Xuefeng, president of CAEA, says the ASC will begin to provide services to customers as early as this year.
April 26 — About 1835 CDT, a Beech G36 (N222GL) experienced a loss of engine power and performed an emergency landing near Hoxie, Kan. The airplane was registered to and operated by Garmin International Inc., Olathe, Kan., as a business flight. It was VFR for the flight, which operated on an IFR flight plan. The flight originated from Centennial Airport (APA), Englewood, Colo., about 1605 MDT, and was en route to New Century AirCenter Airport (JCI), Olathe, Kan. According to a statement provided by the pilot, while flying at 11,000 ft.
Bell Helicopter is finalizing the design of its new Bell 525, a medium-lift helicopter that is due for first flight in 2014. The U.S. helicopter maker has completed much of the detailed design, says Bell Helicopter's chief engineer on the 525 program, David King. The helicopter's flight control computer and avionics system have already been released and are now undergoing integrated systems testing, he adds. Bell Helicopter is synonymous with smaller helicopters and until now has lacked an aircraft large enough to compete in market segments requiring larger helicopters.
“Each event is different,” Jeff Gardlin of the FAA's Transport Airplane Directorate observed concerning what can be learned from successful evacuations from stricken aircraft.
Long known for its high-performance single-engine civil and military turboprops, Pilatus Aircraft is entering an entirely new segment with the PC-24, its largest civil aircraft yet and powered by twin Williams FJ44-4A turbofans. Unveiled at the European Business Aircraft Convention and Exposition in Geneva in May, the pressurized aircraft has a cabin larger than the PC-12, but like that single will be able to operate from unimproved strips. With a 3435 lbst takeoff rating, the FJ44 engines are expected to deliver a cruise speed in excess of 400 kt.
Keystone Aviation was named a dealer for Quest Aircraft's Kodiak single-turboprop aircraft for Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Northern California. The addition marks the fourth manufacturer that Keystone represents. Others include Piper, EADS Socata and HondaJet. Quest, meanwhile, continues to expand its reach as it remains on pace to deliver its 100th aircraft by early fall. Originally designed for mission and humanitarian work, the Kodiak has been delivered for a range of uses, including personal use, FAR Part 135 and government operations.
Freshly free of bankruptcy constraints, Beechcraft exhibited surprising strength in the first quarter, delivering a total of 56 civilian aircraft, plus nine military trainers. Beechcraft Chairman & CEO Bill Boisture attributes his company's positive performance to a restoration of customer confidence in the brand — “They're no longer worried about whether we'll be here or not,” he says — rather than “sea state change” indicating an improved market overall.
Piper Aircraft handed over eight single-engine Piper Archer TX training airplanes to Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). Delivery of the aircraft follows the FAA's approval last month of the new Garmin G1000 avionics suite aboard the trainer. FIT is the launch customer for the G1000-equipped Archer, and has options for up to 16 more aircraft — either for the Archers or twin-engine Seminoles.
Feb. 8 — Approximately 1245 CST, a North American Medore SNJ-4 (N2269U) was substantially damaged during a forced landing south of Garden City, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual as a VFR ferry flight. The flight departed San Antonio and was en route to Midland, Texas.
