The all-composite Learjet 85, arguably the most ambitious of Bombardier's several business jet development programs, is incorporating new processes and moving lots of dirt as it advances steadily toward first flight. Once certified and in service, the new model will be the largest, farthest ranging and fastest ever to bear the Learjet marque, and it will be the first FAR Part 25 business jet with a fuselage and wings fashioned mostly from composite material.
Eurocopter Kazakhstan, a joint venture of Eurocopter and state-owned Kazakhstan Engineering, has received its first EC145 light utility helicopter kits and expects to complete assembly by the middle of this month, says EADS Kazakhstan General Director Silvere Delaunay. The Kazakhstan government has placed firm orders for 14 EC145s from a letter of intent for up to 45 EC145s and 20 EC725 multirole helicopters. Of the 14 orders placed, 10 helicopters are destined for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, while the remaining four will go to the Ministry of Defense.
DART Helicopter Services has expanded its office in Hawkesbury, Ontario, consolidating all Canadian divisions under one roof. Before the construction of the new office, the sales, marketing, customer support, engineering, accounting and manufacturing teams were not co-located. The 9,500-sq.-ft. office expansion allows the functions to come under one roof next to the manufacturing facility.
A new FAA order provides guidance for Aircraft Certification Service personnel to accomplish certain agency responsibilities. HAI Rotor News reports that new guidelines include the evaluation and approval of production activities of manufacturers and their suppliers producing products or articles in accordance with Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). The guidance details procedures for the evaluation and issuance of Production Certificates, Parts Manufacturer Approval and Technical Standard Order authorization.
Embraer Executive Jets has created two new iPad apps — eTechPubs and Customer Support and Services Guide — which provide customer convenience in accessing all technical and customer support information. eTechPubs offers real-time information and should ease the workload of maintenance technicians. The information is updated wirelessly and customers with a valid tech manual revision service can use the eTechPubs app to dowload all technical manuals to a single iPad for free.
China Daily reports that the country is planning to open airspace beginning next year and implement reforms over the next 10. The country reportedly is launching pilot projects in northeastern, southern central regions and seven pilot cities to open airspace below 1,000 meters to general aviation flights. Airspace restrictions, however, have been problematic for existing operators.
Yes, Virginia, Scandinavia is part of Europe, and two of the countries featured here — Denmark and Sweden — are members of the European Union. What that means, if you're headed to either of those countries, is that your flight will come under the EU's notorious Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and taxed from point of origin to destination (i.e., not entry into EU airspace).
Aircraft flight manuals are full of precision airport performance data and numbers obtained by aviation industry's most skilled and experienced test pilots.
While business aviation indicators appear stronger — deliveries up, the used aircraft market improving and the North America market ticking up — JP Morgan analyst Joseph Nadol cautioned in September that deliveries are could flatten during the remainder of the year and recovery is “not yet imminent.” Excluding Airbus and Boeing, business jet deliveries rose 11% through the first half of this year. But several market forces may stunt that growth, including a falloff in Hawker Beechcraft deliveries as the Wichita OEM remains in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The DOT Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is calling on the FAA to improve management of a program that requires airports to assess potential wildlife aircraft strikes. “The FAA has not developed robust inspection practices, and its inspectors do not have the technical expertise to effectively oversee the program,” the report says of the FAA's Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Program.
The NTSB, citing a dozen incidents since 1993 involving large-aircraft wingtip collisions during taxiing, is urging the FAA and EASA to mandate anti-collision aids such as cameras that enable pilots to see their aircraft's wingtips from the flight deck without opening a cockpit window. The NTSB does not say which aircraft models need such systems, although it mentions Boeing's 747, 757, 767 and 777; McDonnell Douglas widebodies; and the Airbus A380 as likely candidates.
“Righting the Wronged” (Washington Watch, September 2012, page 65) reminded me of a similar flight I had in October 2008 in a Cessna P-210. Departing Olive Branch, Miss., the weather en route to Dalhart, Texas, my first fuel stop, required an instrument flight plan, which was filed and accepted. Flight Service gave me the weather information as well as the NOTAMs available for Olive Branch and Dalhart.
Airport groups are calling on the FAA to improve a draft Advisory Circular (AC) on airport safety management systems (SMS). The FAA released the draft circular at the end of June as a continuation of a 2010 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), however, wants the agency to convene an informal industry working group to improve the draft AC to provide “clear, practical guidance to airport operators regarding how to establish an airport SMS program and utilize the program to enhance airport safety proactively.”
Embraer's Phenom 100 executive jet has won a Validation of Type Certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). “Embraer has been strengthening its market position in China's executive aviation market over the past few years,” said Guan Dongyuan, president of Embraer China. “CAAC's certificate for the Phenom 100 is great news for Embraer and prospective customers.” The Phenom 100 accommodates up to eight occupants. Its range of 1,178 nm (2,182 km), with NBAA IFR fuel reserves, makes the aircraft capable of flying nonstop from Beijing to Tokyo.
Aiming to improve the consistency of the FAA's certification and approval processes, a government-industry committee tasked with drafting recommendations has received input from aviation groups to help meet its year-end deadline. The committee offered an online survey to stakeholders ending Sept. 25. The four-year FAA reauthorization signed into law in February mandated the creation of the Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to examine differing regulatory interpretations practiced by the FAA's various Flight Standards District Offices and Aircraft Certification Offices.
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.
Gulfstream Aerospace has received a Type Certificate for the large-cabin, ultra-long-range G550 from the South African Civil Aviation Authority. The approval allows operators to register the aircraft in South Africa. The G550 fleet has accrued more than 650,000 flight hours and made more than 242,000 landings. At its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.85, the G550 will fly Cape Town to London in 12 hr.
Piper Aircraft appointed BAYMAP Aviation, Ankara, as its dealer for new aircraft in Turkey. BAYMAP is a subsidiary of Korfez Aerial Survey and Engineering Ltd. Co., which is active in Turkey, Libya, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia.
Once a conch-wannabe living in Coconut Grove, I recently returned to the Sunshine State at the invitation of Embraer Executive Jets, which was showing off its new $52 million digs at Melbourne Airport. The Phenom maker has reason to strut; the sparkling campus is brand new, carefully considered, nicely executed and, well, a phenom.
Banyan has recently launched a mobile website to make it easier for their customers while they are traveling. Everything an operators needs from customer support to maintenance and avionics upgrades and services is now available. Enter www.banyanair.com into your phone's browser. Banyan has also received an STC from the FAA for the installation of the Honeywell Aspire 200LG Satcom system on Gulfstream GII, GIII and GIV aircraft.
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.
Gogo was granted a subordinate license from Industry Canada for Canada's air-to-ground radio frequency spectrum that enables Gogo to provide aircraft inflight connectivity over Canada. Gogo will operate on the same frequency over Canada as it does in the U.S., providing a seamless transition across borders. It also will service business aircraft currently using Aircell's Gogo Biz service. Aircell is a Gogo company.
U.S. lawmakers will have to address privacy issues raised by the use of UAVs in domestic airspace, a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report says. “The prospect of drone use inside the United States raises far-reaching issues concerning the extent of government surveillance authority, the value of privacy in the digital age, and the role of Congress in reconciling these issues,” says the report, “Drones in Domestic Surveillance Operations: Fourth Amendment Implications and Legislative Responses,” released Sept. 6.
