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.
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.
There's been a lot of e-chatter lately concerning the place of pilots in aviation's future. The sentiments expressed celebrate the good old days when pilots, not engineers, were in charge and when the men at the controls were rugged individualists. In following these messages, it seems the fabled Pan American China Clippers were flown by pilots with “the right stuff.”
The first production model of the new Citation Sovereign has begun flight tests about six months after unveiling the upgraded aircraft. The aircraft is expected to reach market in the third quarter, a few months ahead of the Citation X upgraded variant, even though that aircraft was announced two years earlier. The flight lasted about 2 1/2 hr., and involved testing the new avionics package and autothrottles, autopilot, engine systems, aircraft systems and instrument approaches. Cessna has logged over 1,300 hr. in three flight-test aircraft.
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.
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 . . .”
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.
Jet Aviation's six U.S. FBO facilities — Boston/Bedford, Mass.; Dallas and Houston, Texas; St. Louis, Mo.; Palm Beach, Fla., and Teterboro, N.J. — have joined Paragon Aviation Group's network of independent FBOs nationwide. The new partnership increased the total number of connections available to support customer requirements to 23 locations in North America.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
Garmin has an updated version of the Garmin Pilot app for the iPad and iPhone that incorporates Garmin's dynamic navigation maps. With the new dynamic maps, pilots can now choose between track-up or north-up moving map orientation. They will also have the option of track-up orientation on static sectionals on en route charts. Enhancements to Garmin Pilot's cloud computing technology enable seamless connectivity and information sharing between all Garmin Pilot-enabled devices.
Qatar Executive, a division of Qatar Airways, has received approvals from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority to conduct base maintenance services for Bombardier Challenger 604, 605 and Global series aircraft. The business jet subsidiary can now perform heavy maintenance checks at its 6,400-sq.- meter hangar at Doha International Airport. Their licensed engineers and technicians can also be dispatched throughout the region to resolve AOG issues. The Maintenance Service Center operates 24/7. Qatar Executive Doha International Airport
Millennium International has expanded its service offerings to include Honeywell Primus avionics suite support. The move bolsters Millennium's support for Embraer ERJ 135/145 aircraft. Based near Kansas City, Millennium provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for commercial, military and rotor-wing aircraft.
House lawmakers are pushing for a dramatic overhaul of certification regulations for small aircraft. Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) and Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) have introduced the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 that essentially calls for rewriting FAR Part 23 with the intention of halving certification costs while more than doubling safety. The rewrite has strong support from the highest levels of FAA and a number of international aviation authorities.
Gulfstream enhanced its Field and Airborne Support Teams (FAST) replacing two Gulfstream G100s with two G150s. A G100 serves as a backup. Other enhancements include adding a third shift of two pilots and naming a new chief pilot, Tenille Cromwell. Gulfstream FAST has made more than 3,400 mission flights and surpassed 10,000 flight hours. The team uses more than 20 vehicles throughout the U.S. and Europe, including a pair of specially outfitted rapid response trucks.
Think the unthinkable. Consider the grimmest of scenarios. Contemplate a crash. What's your contingency plan for handling an accident or a ditching with survivors on board? Could you execute it, if necessary? Have you ever thought about it?
