Esterline CMC Electronics (CMC) has been awarded contracts by Pilatus Aircraft to supply its latest generation CMA-9000 Flight Management System, SparrowHawk HUD sub-system as well as its Up Front Control Panel for fleets of PC-21 turboprop training aircraft selected by two international customers. The CMA-9000 and SparrowHawk have been selected by all current PC-21 fleet operators.
Rockwell Collins' 1964 Sabreliner 50 flight test aircraft has a new home — the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Ore. The museum houses the Howard Hughes H-4 Hercules “Spruce Goose.” Rockwell Collins acquired the Sabreliner, N50CR, in 1976 and used it to test some of its most significant commercial and military avionics development programs. The aircraft was flown about 8,000 hr. with more than 5,000 landings.
Dubai, UAE-based Jetex Flight Support opened a new flight-planning lounge at London Oxford Airport that was scheduled to be operational in mid-February. Jetex is taking over one of the FBO's crew lounges and rebranding it as the “Jetex Lounge” with new furnishings, signage, aeronautical charts and pictures, and world time-zone clocks. Jetex-supplied computers will link directly to their flight-planning systems while also hosting generic flight-planning software packages for crews to do stand-alone assessments of route options.
Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. announced its new Web-based flight scheduling software solution, Universal Flight Scheduling Software, providing complete remote access and full functionality in an easy-to-learn and use application. The software works for FAR Part 91 and Part 135 operators, and is designed to allow users to remotely access preflight, post-flight, database, reporting, tools and other functions, as they would from their office desktops, on any Web-enabled mobile device. It was designed based on feedback from schedulers and dispatchers.
Aero Charter Inc., Chesterfield, Mo., has hired Peter Purcell to serve as King Air and Beechjet captain. Purcell has 14 yr. of aviation experience, including eight as a corporate pilot. Airports Council International-North America, Washington, named George Kelemen senior vice president of government and political affairs. He will be ACI-NA's chief lobbyist, managing the Government Affairs department.
Any public company operating a business aircraft must decide early on how the costs of running the corporate aviation department will be borne. These costs may be allocated internally, or the department may be treated as a service and its costs absorbed by the company as a whole.
Duncan Aviation has partnered with Flightcraft to open an avionics installation and repair facility at Portland International Airport (PDX) in Portland, Ore. Located on the international airport at 7777 N.E. Airport Way, the shop is the newest in Duncan Aviation's list of 30 facilities located throughout the United States.
Eurocopter's consolidated order intake in 2012 totaled 469 net bookings, representing a value of 5.4 billion euros and marking the company's third consecutive yearly increase since 2010. Sales were paced by the Ecureuil/Fennec/EC130 family with 249 orders and the EC135/EC145 families with 144. The Super Puma family remained strong last year, backed by significant bookings from the oil and gas sector — including a framework contract for 16 EC225s with the Milestone Aviation Group leasing company, and a first contract for the new AS332C1e from Starlite Aviation.
On Jan. 30, 2013, an F3 category tornado with 137- to 179-kt. winds ripped through Adairsville, Ga., leveling five dozen structures, damaging almost 100 others and killing one person. This 900-yd.-wide twister reportedly sustained average 140-kt. winds for more than 20 mi. before dissipating. It crossed Interstate 75, flung vehicles into the air and damaged or destroyed entire neighborhoods.
EPIC announced the release of the iGo EPIC app at the recent NBAA S&D Conference in San Antonio. The app offers easy search functionality and fuel pricing for FBOs within the EPIC FBO Network. For EPIC cardholders there is an added convenience of getting account specific pricing by FBO location and quick access to Bravo Rewards information and account login.
Daher-Socata announced Feb. 7 that the worldwide TBM 700 and TBM 850 fleet has passed the one million flight-hour milestone. With a total fleet of 620 high-speed, single-engine turboprops, the overall fleet flies an average of 120,000 hr. annually. Daher-Socata' claims its TBM 850 is the world's fastest single turboprop aircraft, with a maximum cruising speed of 320 KTAS at FL 260 (in ISA conditions).
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.
Cockpit Apps, maker of the flight log app iLOG, launched it newest product — iFuel, a simple to use app allowing pilots to determine when to tanker fuel using an iPhone or iPad. Available through iTunes, the app helps take the guesswork out of tankering decisions by taking into account fuel prices at each destination, burn rate for the specific aircraft and ramp fees. It also will calculate fuel prices if ramp fees are waived. According to the company, operators can expect to save several thousand dollars by using the app depending on the flight profile.
In response to growing demand in Asia, Jet Aviation Singapore is building a maintenance hangar adjacent to its current FBO and maintenance operation in Seletar Aerospace Park. The hangars will be integrated and incorporate two stories of office space in addition to new battery, tire, upholstery and workworking shops, including two paint spray booths. The new hangar will have an arched roof tall enough to accommodate Boeing BBJ and Airbus ACJ aircraft.
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.
NBAA advises that as of Feb. 7, ICAO rules require aircraft flying to Europe be equipped with Controller-Pilot Datalink Communications (CPDLC) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract (ADS-C) systems in order to access two preferred routes in the North Atlantic Organized Track System (NAT OTS). The association observes that only a fraction of business aircraft are equipped for the new requirement.
The NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention will now be called the Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (BACE). “NBAA's largest U.S. show has been referred to as an 'annual meeting' [since its 1947 inception], but in recent decades, it has grown in size and importance to be much more than just a meeting, and this change reflects that reality,” says NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. At the same time, Bolen says the change strengthens the brand for all NBAA-related shows. While the U.S.
Most FBOs should experience steady growth in business in the range of 4-6% in 2013, said John Enticknap a principal of Aviation Business Strategies Group (ABSG), at the 2013 NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference. “The FBO industry has not fully recovered from the economic downturn over the past several years,” Enticknap said. “Yes, 2012 was a better year than 2011, but there has been a modest shakeout of FBOs who had been operating marginally.
Gulfstream obtained EASA certification for the G280 on Feb. 7, following U.S. FAA and Israel Civil Aviation Authority type certification Aug. 30. Gulfstream delivered the first G280 to a U.S.-based customer Nov. 13.
While not yet officially Beechcraft Corp. as we go to press, the newly forming company that is emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection already has received a rating on expected new debt. Moody's Investor Service assigned a B1 corporate family rating to Beechcraft Holdings, LLC on a proposed $375 million term loan that will be used as part of its financing to exit from Chapter 11. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on Feb. 1 confirmed Hawker Beechcraft's reorganization plan, clearing the way for the company to emerge from bankruptcy.
General aviation advocates are working to help regrow membership in the General Aviation caucuses in the U.S. House and Senate. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen recently issued an “action call” urging his members to appeal to their local lawmakers to join the caucuses. “The caucuses will be vital in the coming year, as those serving in the 113th Congress face a policy environment that could have repercussions for general aviation,” Bolen tells members.
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.
Dubai World Central (DWC) has signed an MOU with Aircraft Support Industries (ASI), the Australian firm that specializes in developing aircraft maintenance facilities, systems and equipment, to jointly provide clients with build-to-suit and related services in the design, development and construction of aircraft hangar and maintenance facilities at DWC's Aviation District.
I enjoyed reading your tribute to Al Ueltschi (“The Alabama Bet,” Viewpoint, December 2012, page 9). It brought back quite a few memories. My family owned the FBO at KSUA (St. Lucie Skyways) from 1949 through 1980. During the 1950s Al flew in a lot with Juan Trippe's B23. Frequently, I flew with them back and forth to Long Island to visit some relatives there. Being only five or six years old at the time I was not used to some of Al's vocabulary!
