February's Viewpoint (“Who's Up Front?” page 9) was very good, as usual. I am 62. I have been an A&P since 1975 and pretty much worked since then for a certain business jet OEM with headquarters in Teterboro. I was always puzzled by the 65 and out rule for the guys up front. Maybe it's me, but I'm not disappointed to retire early. To steal a phrase from an old baseball player, “Them fancy jets been good to me, man.” Our industry will be in need of wrenches as well as pilots. It's anyone's guess how it will work out.
Zenith Jet's recently released 10-yr. forecast, says total business aircraft deliveries for the 2013-2022 forecast period are projected to be 9,400 units representing $253 billion in revenues based on 2012 pricing. The company made several interesting points: It sees the emergence of another high-end category above, but not replacing, the current Ultra-Long-Range (ULR) segment with its own distinct customer buying preferences and requirements.
The purpose of a business aircraft, by definition, is to move company personnel solely to further the interests of the company. On occasion, however, a dependent of one of the passengers will likely be invited to accompany that passenger. Whenever this happens, the company employee is deemed to have incurred personal use of the seat aboard the aircraft that is occupied by their family member.
Pres Henne, who led the design of the Collier Trophy-winning Gulfstream GV and G550 and oversaw development of the new G650, is set to retire from the business-jet manufacturer on March 31. Henne joined Gulfstream in 1994 from McDonnell Douglas (MDC), where he began his career in 1969. At MDC, Henne was responsible for the aerodynamic design of the C-17 wing, and was later vice president and general manager of the MD-90 program. At Gulfstream, he has overseen the introduction of six products and advances such as enhanced and synthetic vision displays.
Despite high hopes for a growing Indian business aviation market, importing business aircraft into India has become more difficult because of increased bureaucracy, a business aviation advocacy group says. Along with the usual monthly aircraft acquisition committee meeting, India's civil aviation minister is now said to be scrutinizing every application personally. Rohit Kapur, president of the Business Aviation Operators Association of India (BAOA), says this has been going on for about five or six months and the backlog has reached around 40 aircraft.
The eighth generation of the S-76 line is powered by newly developed, twin dual-channel FADEC-controlled Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S engines, each producing 1,077 shp. These give the S-76D 14% more takeoff power and an 8% better fuel burn rate than the 922-shp Turbomeca Arriel 2S2 engines that power the S-76C++. They also take the S-76 full cycle in its choice of engines.
For the first time, Embraer expects to deliver more executive jets than airline aircraft. Overall Embraer looks to deliver 195-215 aircraft this year, roughly matching the 205 deliveries for 2012 reported in January. But the company expects commercial aircraft deliveries to decline from the 106 delivered in 2012 to 90-95 aircraft, down 10-15%. However, the company says large executive jet deliveries could jump as much as 36% over the 22 recorded in 2012, falling in the range of 25-30 deliveries in 2013.
Used business aircraft transactions reached a record 2,240 in 2012, according to industry analyst Jetnet. The previous record was 2,181, set in 2007. Used market transactions had plunged after the 2007 record, reaching a low point of 1,539 in 2009. But at the same time, business jet prices continued to slide — falling another 0.3% in all of 2012.
L-3 Aviation Products is preparing to increase its presence in India. L-3 plans to add more capability and collaborate on the manufacture, delivery and support of products in India for domestic and international aviation markets, while developing a foundation for a long-term support and services center in the region. L-3 Aviation Products is a major provider of commercial and military avionics.
The new Thales TopDeck avionics suite developed Sikorsky's S-76D is designed to function much as a computer, with the pilot simply calling up a menu, moving a curser to the desired position and hitting “execute.” It is also designed to provide the pilot access to a massive array of capabilities in flight with no more effort than pushing a maximum of two buttons.
A U.K. helicopter operator has received EASA approval that would allow it to begin flying air ambulance operations using night vision goggles (NVG), with pilots using the goggles to make landings into unlighted sites near accident scenes. Until now, air ambulances in the U.K. were allowed to operate only during daylight, with nighttime operations limited to landings on lighted helipads. The rules particularly limited operations in the winter months, forcing emergency services to rely on ground vehicles to reach patients in remote areas.
Congratulations to Features Editor David Esler on the excellent article “NOTAMs in Transition” (January 2013, page 24). I am operations manager in the Frankfurt office of the European AIS Database (EAD), a Eurocontrol service that deals inter alia with 1,000 to 2,500 NOTAMs/SNOWTAMs/ASHTAMs daily. I also have worked on several publications with the intent of harmonizing NOTAM procedures and to make them more user friendly. One of the most popular papers is the “OPADD” (Operating Procedures for AIS Dynamic Data), of which I was one of the authors.
Rarely has aviation history witnessed an era when so many large business jet engines have been simultaneously in development and battling for market share.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has added Aircraft flight Coordinator Training to its online training programming. The AFCT is a certificate program that provides core flight coordinator knowledge with an emphasis on safety and technical expertise to assist crews with in-depth planning.
Rockwell Collins launched the latest enhancements to its Flight Manager website, which is an integral part of the company's Ascent flight information solution. The new features include dynamic graphical flight tracking and an electronic Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) for FAR Part 91 operators. The flight tracker uses a Google Maps platform to provide Rockwell Collins data link subscribers with a worldwide view of their aircraft's position in flight, as well as the flight path of completed and upcoming flights.
Pratt & Whitney engineers maintain that the United Technologies division bet the company on its geared turbofan (GTF) departure from conventional engine design because it promotes better optimization of shaft speeds and allows the fan to turn at lower rpm to reduce noise.
AgustaWestland announced that the fourth prototype of the new generation light intermediate AW169 helicopter successfully completed its maiden flight at AgustaWestland's Vergiate plant in Italy Feb. 7. The company says the AW169 program is on schedule to achieve civil certification in 2014. The first three AW169 prototypes have flown more than 150 flight hours to date. The fourth prototype, built in just 71 days, is in production configuration.
Lawmakers reintroduced bills in the U.S. House and Senate to establish flight paths and minimum altitudes for helicopter operations in Los Angeles County. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Feb. 4 introduced a bill in the House, while Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) are pushing similar legislation in the Senate.
Jan. 22 — About 1925 EST, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR20 (N140PG) operated by Epic Blue was heavily damaged after it deployed its Cirrus Airplane Parachute System (CAPS) while on approach to Danbury Municipal Airport (DXR), Danbury, Conn. The flight instructor, a private pilot, and a passenger were not injured. It was VFR and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Groton-New London Airport (GON), Groton, Conn.
Corporate Angel Network has transported its 42,000th patient. The flight carried one-year-old cancer patient Alexander Hopper home to the Denver area after he received treatment for Retinoblastoma at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City. The milestone flight was operated by Ball Corporation, a CAN participating company since 1985. The charity arranges about 250 patient flights each month.
Six years ago when the plethora of new 10K business jet engines was emerging, one of the contenders was Rolls-Royce's RB282, at the time destined for a super-midsize aircraft proposed by Dassault Aviation and identified only as “SMS.”
SkyVector launched it World FBO Directory on the company online chart viewer. Pilots can view and use worldwide aeronautical charts, graphical weather depictions and flight planning tools. The FBO Directory integrates into SkyVector's mapping interface displaying real-time fuel prices on the charts in relevant currencies and units of measure. Users can filter for FBO features and facilities including participation in fuel card programs or amenities offered.
