Cessna offered early retirement to employees 55 years of age and over who are not involved in aircraft production. According to a company spokeswoman, Cessna does not have a target number for the voluntary retirements, but rather is seeking to decrease indirect costs, overall. Voluntary retirees had until April 12 to apply.
Conklin & de Decker released their 2013 State Tax Guide for General Aviation. The Guide contains the latest taxes and fees imposed on general in all fifty states and it addresses the sales and use taxes applicable to aircraft sales, ownership, leases, parts and labor. The Guide also provides subscribers continuous updates throughout the years by simply downloading the latest changes, as they occur, from the Conklin & de Decker webite.
Are you nuts? iPad airplanes!?! (“Who's Up Front?” February 2013, page 9) That would be a terrorist's dream and a national security nightmare (I assume you've heard of computer hackers). Having logged over 14,000 hr. in military fighters, airline jumbos and corporate jets, it's a fact that a computer will never replace a pilot, his judgment, his experience and his ability to adjust to a changing environment and emergencies in a passenger-carrying aircraft. I hope you live long enough to be the first volunteer on the maiden flight.
House lawmakers have drafted a bill to preserve funding slated to be cut from the contract air traffic control tower program. Reps. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) and Richard Hudson (R- N.C.) on April 10 introduced a bill, H.R.1432, the Air Traffic Control Tower Funding Restoration Act, designed to continue funding for the program. The bill would use unobligated funds within the current FAA budget to pay for the program.
The Texas Department of Transportation said it plans to fund all 13 FAA contract air traffic control towers in the state if they are closed by the FAA as part of budget cuts from sequestration.
Bombardier Aerospace is extending the basic warranty on its Challenger 605 aircraft from three years or 3,000 hr. to five years or 5,000 hr. The new warranty is standard on all aircraft delivered beginning this month. The basic warranty covers systems and components coverage. The primary structure warranty remains at 10 years or 10,000 hr., the engine warranty is still five years or 2,500 hr. and the avionics warranty remains unchanged at five years with no hour limitations.
Evergreen Apple Nigeria (EAN) has been selected by Avjet routing, the Sharjah, United Arab Emirates-based business aviation services company to serve as its preferred ground handler in Nigeria with principal services being provided at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. All private and business aviation traffic from Avjet Routing passing through Lagos will be handled exclusively by EAN Ltd.
Continental Motors is extending the TBO of its Gold Standard factory-produced engines manufactured after February this year by as much as 400 hr. the company announced April 9. In 2012, Continental Motors introduced its Gold Standard factory rebuilt and new engines. The company says most engines, s.n. 1006000 and higher incorporate improvements in technology and manufacturing processes that have allowed a 200-hr. increase over the existing TBO. Aircraft owners that fly 40 hr. per month will receive a TBO extension up to 400 hr.
Pilatus Business Aircraft won an FAA STC to install the Garmin G600 avionics system in all pre-NG PC-12 aircraft produced between 1994 and 2008. Developed in concert with Garmin, the G600 New Perspective avionics system for the PC-12 pairs both the PFD and the MFD in a single 10-in.-wide flat-panel LCD. The installation incorporates the functionality of the PC-12's angle-of-attack information on the G600 PFD. The G600 New Perspective system includes the L3 Trilogy Electronic Standby Instrument System, making the PC-12's panel all-glass.
Crane Aerospace & Electronics has received an STC for Crane's SmartStem Wireless Tire Pressure System for Learjet 40 and 45 aircraft. To fit an aircraft with SmartStem technology, the existing tire inflation valve stem is replaced with a SmartStem tire pressure sensor, which, in addition to serving as the inflation valve, contains special electronics.
Universal Avionics completed the required testing to successfully approve its Radio Control Unit (RCU) for helicopter installation. The RCU is a mature product, and has been installed in 28 fixed-wing aircraft platforms. The unit is approved for helicopter-specific vibration profiles that include the Sikorsky S-76A, S-76C, S-61L, S-61N, UH-60L; Bell 212, 412, 412EP, 412CF; Eurocopter EC145, Dauphin NI, N3 and AS332 helicopters.
Ing. Jan Rusin (Slovakia ), HEMS Pilot (Slovakia )
I am a regular reader of Cause & Circumstance and I would like to thank you for the excellent review of the helicopter accident in “A Disastrous Save“ (June 2012, page 52). I look forward to any new reports, particularly involving helicopter investigations. Slovakia
Bell Helicopter unveiled a third-generation tiltrotor, the V-280 Valor as a candidate for the Joint Multi-Role/Future Vertical Lift Technology Demonstrator (JMR/TD), at the 2013 Army Aviation Association of America Forum and Exposition in Fort Worth, Texas. At the show, Bell officials said that the new design may also be a strong candidate for commercial applications, although the version presented has a very “Army-centric” feature set.
Bell Helicopter obtained its 17th international approval of a 500-lb. weight increase for the Bell 429. The Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the latest aviation authority to approve the increase, which boosts the helicopter's maximum gross weight to 7,500 lb. The approval validates the original Transport Canada OK. The hike provides operators increased payload, giving them the option of either carrying more fuel for increased range or carrying more passengers and equipment for specific mission requirements.
When the office phone rings, I grab it (my secretary left to fetch a Cobb salad for lunch one day in 1997 and has yet to return) and brace just a bit since there's no telling what will follow. Most frequently, it's the executive editor reminding me gently about something I've failed to do; or a writer looking for guidance, deadline relief or payment; maybe some PR person looking for ink; or it could be one of those maddening robo calls telling me not to worry, my credit is fine, but. . . .
Baker Aviation has a new limited time introductory offer for Hawker inspections. The $18,500 special rate includes 12-, 24- or 48-month inspection programs, excluding structural codes and squawks, which will be billed separately at an hourly rate. Contact Joe Wehrle at (972) 248-0457 or email [email protected]. Baker Aviation 4700 Glenn Curtiss Addison, Texas 75001 [email protected]
Many of us have been ingrained with the idea that whenever an approach or landing starts going awry, the right thing to do is to go around. But the fact is that sometimes that's not the safest action.
Breitling's new Bentley Light Body Midnight Carbon watch is issued in a 1,000 piece worldwide limited edition. Beneath its all-black exterior is a light and sturdy titanium chassis featuring a highly resistant carbon-based coating. The dashboard-style dial displays two exclusive Breitling technical features highlighted by red-trimmed indications. The “30-second chronograph” system with its central hand sweeping around the dial in half a minute instead of the customary 60 seconds, provides highly accurate 1/8th of a second readings.
Pilatus Aircraft ended 2012 with its lowest sales total in at least five years, but a series of contracts for its military, trainer and special mission aircraft propelled the company to its strongest year ever in order intake and positions the Swiss OEM for growth. The company reported 2012 at 593 million CHF ($625 million U.S.), down from 781 million CHF a year earlier and 688 million CHF in 2010. At the same time, though, orders totaled 2.67 billion CHF on the year, more than six times the 416 million CHF taken in during 2011.
A key regional lender sees the Chinese business aviation market beginning to evolve. ICBC Financial Leasing has approached business jet leasing, not as a form of equipment financing, but rather as part of its service to its wealthiest clients. Those clients have opted for the largest, long-range models, rather for prestige, instead of mission suitability.
Dassault Falcon will hold a series of Regional Maintenance & Operations (M&O) seminars in 2013. Six seminars have already taken place. The remaining seminars are planned for: May 2 in Dallas; May 14 in Toronto; May 16 in Mahwah, N.J.; May 22 in Toluca, Mexico; and June 12 in Sao Paul, Brazil. These seminars provide Falcon operators an opportunity to communicate directly with Dassault's specialists, engineering teams and pilots on a variety of topics.
Growing demand for convenient alternatives to Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports has turned Chicago-Romeoville (KLOT) into a bona fide reliever, as the FBO there doubles the size of its corporate aircraft storage and maintenance facility this month.
Nick Nelson (Interlaken Capital Aviation Services Inc. )
Thanks for all the great ideas in “Tips on Scheduling International Trips” (January 2013, page 38). It was packed with info that's helped me quite a bit as I transition from a fractional jet company dispatcher to FAR Part 91 flight coordinator. Over the past few months I've come to learn that Part 91 ops are a whole different animal and information like this really helps out “rookies” like me. I'm looking forward to future articles. Interlaken Capital Aviation Services Inc.
EPIC Aviation has chosen to partner with NATA Safety 1st to provide training to its branded FBOs. EPIC and UVair FBO Network locations will receive comprehensive training in an easy to administer, self-paced and self-directed online platform. All locations will have access to the full range of NATA Safety 1st training products at special network pricing, including the Professional Line Service Training and the new Supervisor Online training program, which is FAA approved to meet the requirements of 14 CFR Part 139.321.
