Bombardier's Learjet 75 reached another milestone with power applied to the first production aircraft's electrical systems on the Wichita production line the week of Aug. 21, as the aircraft progresses toward its 2013 entry-into-service. The Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 test aircraft are continuing their development work as the program moves forward.
Most maintenance managers long for the days when they were technicians on the hangar floor. Sure, there were blazing hot summers, freezing cold winters, cramped compartments and impossible tasks; but the thing we miss the most is ability to concentrate on one task at a time. As soon as you step into a management role, you instantly become a multitasker. There never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done, with the same attention to detail of the most basic maintenance task.
Nextant Aerospace established an Asian foothold with the sale of 10 of its Nextant 400XT remanufactured business jets to Asia Pacific Jets and the formation of a distributor partnership with that company. The Asia Pacific Jets order calls for the aircraft to be delivered over three years, with the first two delivered by year-end. Singapore-based Asia Pacific provides medical evacuation and corporate charter services.
FAA is urging the general aviation community to participate in its 34th annual General Aviation and Part 135 Survey for 2011. The survey, available online at www.aviationsurvey.org, provides information to track GA fleet activity, including number of hours flown and reasons for flight. The agency notes the data helps determine funding for infrastructure and service needs, and assesses the impact of regulatory changes and measures safety. The survey also is used to calculate accident rates.
Avioserv San Diego Inc., Dallas, hired Kevin F. Kelly as vice president, engine sourcing and Shane Stringfellow as manager, technical operations. AWAS, Dublin, announced that Richard Sinclair was appointed vice president of sales for the Asia-Pacific region, reporting to Jon O'Connell, managing director, Asia-Pacific sales. He will be based in the company's Singapore office. Bell Helicopter, Fort Worth, announced that Raymond Leduc has joined the company as vice president, value streams at its Mirabel, Quebec, facility.
Cessna has increased the range expectation of its new midsize Citation Latitude from 2,300 nm to 2,500 nm. The Latitude was originally announced in 2011 with an expected range of 2,000 nm, but Cessna engineers responding to customer input pushed the range figure first to 2,300 nm and most recently to 2,500 nm. “As we talked with more customers, getting to 2,500 nm was imperative,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, International Sales, South America. Priced at $14.9 million in 2011 dollars, the Latitude is scheduled for its first flight in mid-2014.
The used aircraft market is continuing to strengthen as the numbers of available aircraft shrink across the board, according a JetNet report on July activity. The percentage of the business jet fleet for sale dropped to 13.5% in July, a near low since the market plummeted in 2008, welcome news for business aircraft makers who have been waiting for the oversupply of used aircraft to dry up and spur demand for new aircraft. The 13.5% is a slight improvement over July 2011 — when it was 13.7% — but it marks a consistent downward trend.
Rockwell Collins' Airshow 3-D moving map is now available for download in the Apple iTunes App Store. The iPad app delivers an interactive way for business jet passengers to view the world around them and stay informed during their journey. Existing Airshow 4000 or Venue HD cabin management system users can take advantage of the new app for passengers' iPads.
Aerodynamically clear F-28 has radically rigid-in-line three-blade rotor with elastometric bearings in the hub. Power goes from engine to main-rotor gearbox via a belt drive with controlled idler. Priced at under $30,000.
European business aviation traffic continued its downward trend in July, as the region grapples with the lingering effects of the economic downturn and casts a wary eye toward global anxieties and other concerns. According to the July 2012 Business Aviation Traffic Tracker, published by the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), business aviation traffic throughout the European Union slipped 4% from July 2011 figures. That decline also contributed to a 2.6% drop in year-to-date traffic numbers compared with 2011 figures.
Hawker Beechcraft is beginning avionics installation on its first customer-bound Hawker 400XPR, jump-starting the upgrade program that had been slowed by the company's ongoing financial struggles.
Nextant Aerospace has delivered its 16th 400XT business jet to a private buyer in the Czech Republic, the first to be registered in the European Union. The aircraft will be managed by Czech Republic-based Time Air, a provider of charter, aircraft acquisition and management services.
Aug. 26 — At 1715 EDT, a Mooney M20C (N557M) registered to a private owner, experienced a total loss of engine power on initial takeoff climb from East Hampton Airport (HTO) East Hampton, N.Y. The pilot attempted to return to the airport and the airplane collided with trees. The airplane was heavily damaged due to impact and a post-crash fire. The private pilot and one passenger received serious injuries. It was VFR for this flight that departed HTO at 1714. The pilot stated he conducted a preflight inspection and no anomalies were noted.
Washington has a few catch phrases that never seem to go away, with “budget deficit,” “debt ceiling,” and “budget cuts,” among the most persistent. Even in the best of times, doomsayers bemoan tight budgets, the need to slash programs and an inability to spend new money. This year is no different, only the talks are more dire. Washington will likely be in hyperdrive after the elections.
FAA is laying the groundwork for the new “Pilot's Bill of Rights,” beginning with a new website that will facilitate access to air traffic data. The new law requires FAA to inform individuals subject to investigation that they are “entitled to access” to air traffic data, including air traffic communication tapes, radar information, air traffic controller statements, flight data; investigative reports or other air traffic information related to the investigation.
Aeropro Flight APO201, a Beechcraft King Air A100, departed from Runway 30 at Quebec/Jean Lesage International Airport at 0557 EDT on June 23, 2010, with a crew of two and five passengers. The flight lasted 68 sec., terminating in a field 1.5 mi. from the departure end of the runway. The airplane burned and all seven persons on board were killed.
Nextant Aerospace is ramping up production of its 400XT program, recently acquiring a facility to quadruple its space at Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Airport and accommodate a rate of up to 48 aircraft annually. The company expects to deliver 32 of the aircraft by year-end and has estimated that its order book approaches 70. The program has at least a year's head start on the Hawker 400XPR, which Hawker Beechcraft bills as the “only factory-direct aircraft upgrade program for the Hawker Beechjet 400 series.”
King Air B100, a limited production model built from 1976 to 1983, offers the cabin of a King Air 200, 240-kt. block speeds and rock bottom operating costs. It was developed in the early 1970s when Beech Aircraft sought out Garrett to be a second engine supplier for its turboprops to spur competition with Pratt & Whitney Canada.
A new AgustaWestland Service Center has been opened by AVIASUR in Santiago, Chile to provide maintenance and support services for AgustaWestland civil helicopter customers. The service center, located at Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Chile, officially opened Aug. 8. AgustaWestland now has 17 of its helicopters operating in Chile: 8 AW119 Koalas, 7 AW109s, one Grand and one W-3A Sokol. The first GrandNew light-twin helicopter is scheduled to be delivered to Chile later this year.
NBAA named safety expert Robert E. Breiling the recipient of the 2012 NBAA John P. “Jack” Doswell Award. The award, to be presented during NBAA's 65th Annual Meeting & Convention Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in Orlando, recognizes lifelong individual achievement on behalf of and in support of the aims, goals and objectives of business aviation.
Constant Aviation has completed the STC for the Wi-Fi system along with Aircell's Gogo Biz Inflight Internet system in Hawker series business jets. “With close to 600 Hawker 800A/XP, 850XP and 900XP aircraft based in the U.S., it made sense for us to make this STC a priority. . . . The investment made into our engineering capability has allowed us to make new STC projects and modifications a priority for our customers,” said Derek Morris, avionics modifications manager at Constant.
Hawker Beechcraft recently launched its Portuguese language website at www.pt.hawkerbeechcraft.com and from the home page of its corporate website (www.hawkerbeechcraft.com). It is the third in a series of language translations the company is making, following the improved Chinese and Spanish websites that were launched in 2011. Among the highlights are: a 360-deg. virtual flight, an aircraft comparison tool and a color selection tool where customers can browse through a variety of color samples and designs and select their own interior fabrics and exterior paint schemes.
Bell Helicopter delivered two 407GX aircraft to Helicopter Flight Services, Inc., a New York-based company offering tours, charters, aerial photography, lift work and custom projects. Helicopter Flight Services is the first to operate a Bell 407GX in a sightseeing capacity. The company also operates five Bell 407 aircraft.
Regarding “Righting the Wronged,” I hope the fact that James Inhofe is a sitting senator had nothing to do with his being allowed to keep his license after 7 hr. of remedial training following the incident. I only say this because he is 77 years old and I've seen quite a few elderly pilots who should not be flying, or at the very least not be allowed to carry passengers. Oregon
