Nav Canada and Iridium are partnering on a project that will bring Iridium satellite-based air traffic surveillance to areas of the globe with no coverage, starting with crucial North Atlantic routes. The two companies are forming a joint venture called Aireon, which will provide surveillance data from a new constellation of satellites being launched by Iridium Communications. ADS-B receivers will be a hosted payload on Iridium's NEXT communications satellites. Desch says Iridium has invested about $3 billion in the constellation of 66 satellites. Harris Corp.
Dassault has approval from the FAA for steep approaches on all Falcon 900 EASy and Falcon 2000 EASy series aircraft. Both models had already received steep approach certification from EASA. With the most recent approvals, the entire current production Falcon fleet is now certified for steep approaches, which permits aircraft to operate at restricted airports with approach angles of up to 6 deg.
A new Bombardier Flight Deck iPad app for Challenger and Learjets provides an electronic flight manual that can automatically receive updates from Bombardier. Updates to all Bombardier flight manual revisions, including temporary revisions, are received and implemented at the push of a button. The system uses advanced encryption technology and provides the necessary FAA, EASA and Transport Canada audit trail for paperless operations.
Nextant Aerospace announced a new manufacturing facility for the Nextant 400XT, FAA-certified remanufactured business jet. The newly acquired facility at Cleveland's Cuyahoga County Airport will accommodate an annual production rate of 48 aircraft, and will quadruple Nextant's production area and office space footprint. The facility features a large production hangar which can handle six aircraft simultaneously, a second hangar for aircraft delivery and completions and a third that will house an advanced aircraft painting operation.
The GAMA Board of Directors approved Air Tractor as its newest member, bringing the association's membership to 77. Air Tractor got its start as the Snow Aeronautical Company in 1951. In 1958, Leland Snow moved the production facilities to Olney, Texas, where Air Tractor is headquartered today. With over 2,700 aircraft flying, Air Tractor manufactures an extensive line of agriculture aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney piston or turbine engines. Air Tractor aircraft can be found working over fields and forests across the U.S.
Former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt is expected to continue an aviation consulting career following the May 10 dismissal of drunk driving charges that led to his resignation from the agency in December 2011. A district court judge in Virginia dismissed the charges, ruling that the police had stopped him without sufficient reason. Babbitt said he plans to remain in aviation as a consultant.
The FAA's multi-year process to clean up the civil aircraft registry last year by requiring all aircraft to re-register on a rolling schedule is now in effect. When the program was announced, the agency warned it would cancel registrations for any aircraft whose owner did not respond. The HAI discovered, “they weren't kidding.” Rotor News reported that HAI's Finance and Leasing Committee found some 300 helicopters with cancelled registrations. If any of those 300 is in active use, it's now illegal to fly them until they have been re-registered.
Live long and prosper. That well could be Cessna's new marketing mantra for its next generation flagship, the Citation Longitude. Unveiled last month at EBACE in Geneva, the Longitude will become the largest cabin, longest range Citation in the product lineup, with certification and initial deliveries targeted for fourth quarter 2017.
As the Eclipse 550 readies for production, PZL Mielec has signed on to produce airframe components for Eclipse Aerospace, Inc. Major components include the fuselage, empennage and wings for the Eclipse 550 jet. PZL Mielec would manufacture the components in Poland and ship them to Eclipse's facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., for final assembly and delivery to customers once Eclipse officially starts production. PZL Mielec is an affiliate of Sikorsky Aircraft, which is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.
GE Aviation has continued expanding its service network for business and general aviation engines, with 28 service centers for M601 and H80 turboprop engines and five service centers for CF34-3 engines. GE has named 13 M601 and H80 Authorized Service Centers worldwide. Two CF34 Authorized Service Centers are in place: Bombardier and Jet Aviation St. Louis. Under these agreements, Bombardier's five wholly owned business aircraft service centers in the United States are included.
In the first quarter, Gulfstream saw 60% of new bookings come from the U.S. “That breaks a trend,” says company President Larry Flynn, noting that last year it was only 30%. “The U.S. is coming back strong,” he notes, with the pick up that began in the last quarter of 2011 appearing to last.
Bombardier revealed its Learjet 40XR and 45XR replacements at EBACE. The six-seat Learjet 70 and 8-seat Learjet 75 are both slated to enter service in the second half 2013. The new models will feature more thrust, improved takeoff performance, faster climb to cruise altitude, better fuel efficiency and lower operating costs. They will be powered by 3,850-lb. thrust Honeywell TFE731-40BR turbofans and have Bombardier's signature Vision cockpit layout featuring Garmin G5000 avionics. The Vision flight decks will feature three, 14-in.
Great article on the IRS interpretation of the air transportation tax (Washington Watch, May 2012, page 68). No question that it is a huge overreach by IRS bureaucrats. My guess is that 90% of business aviation operators have never heard of this new ruling. Such is the value of BCA and the NBAA, otherwise we would already be priced out of the market. You do realize that you only wrote half of the article?
Rockwell Collins France is demonstrating a radar-based helicopter obstacle detection system to the French army as it talks to manufacturers about a related system to warn of rotor strikes when landing in confined spaces. Both systems use the same 13 GHz, Ku-band electronically scanned radar technology developed by the company's French operation. Other obstacle-detection systems are flying but use mechanically scanned radars or lidar sensors.
Dassault Falcon has received a Supplemental Type Certificate to install ADS-B Out on Falcon 50EX's equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics. The STC package involves replacing current transponders with upgraded units that support the new protocol, along with wiring and other related components. Installation can be carried out at any Dassault Service Center or Authorized Service Center. By itself, the upgrade takes about two weeks. But if performed in the course of a C-Check, it requires no additional downtime.
In aviation, maintainers face conflicts every day — in scheduling, resource access and prioritization, to name a few examples. Regardless, the end goal is to provide a safe and fully functioning aircraft in time for the mission. So, resolving conflicts quickly and equitably within the department is key, and the solution inevitably revolves around teamwork. The concept is easy, but the execution can be a challenge even for the best of managers.
Bell Helicopter announced at EBACE that it completed deliveries of six of its newest aircraft in Europe during the month prior. Three Bell 407GX aircraft, the first of their kind in Europe, are operating in Belgium, Denmark and, most recently, Iceland. Bell also delivered three additional Bell 429 aircraft in Russia and Ukraine.
Argus TRAQPak data indicates that April 2012 business aircraft flight activity decreased from March (which is the typical annual trend), finishing the month down 4.4%. The only month-over-month increase came in the fractional turboprop sector, up 4.8%. Reviewing activity year- over-year (April 2012 vs. April 2011) TRAQPak observed a 1.3% increase in overall aircraft activity. April saw increases in most groups, with the exception of large-cabin aircraft, which finished down 4.9%.
In today's business aviation world and that includes civil government operations such as law enforcement — strict safety management is required to balance the risks versus benefits of any tactical operation.
When an aircraft crash catches the public eye, such as the 2005 Bombardier Challenger overrun in Teterboro, N.J., the long-term ramifications can be wide-ranging and costly to the entire industry.
The Longitude will be the launch platform for the Snecma Silvercrest, a clean-sheet 8,500- to 12,000-lb.-thrust turbofan that promises 15% better specific fuel consumption than current engines in this thrust class, along with a 50% margin to CAEP/6 NOx limits and 20% margin to FAR Part 36 Stage 4 noise limits. It will be rated for takeoff up to 11,000 lb. for the Longitude.
Embraer Executive Jet's entry-level aircraft, the Phenom 100, passed another program milestone when flight hours totaled 100,000, a little over 3 yr. since it entered service in December 2008. The 100,000-hr. mark comes after the company delivered the first U.S. produced Phenom 100 to Executive AirShare in December 2011 and the certification of an optional fifth seat a month earlier.
Business jet makers are closely following Hawker Beechcraft's financial situation, and at least a few of them are saying they would be interested in picking up some or all of the company should it become available at the right terms. “We are evaluating how this thing is going to unfold,” Embraer CEO Frederico Curado told analysts during the release of the company's first-quarter results on April 27. “Maybe some of the assets could be of interest to Embraer. We just have to see how that develops.
The first prototype of the AgustaWestland AW169 4.5 ton light intermediate helicopter made its maiden flight in May at the company's Cascina Costa plant in Italy. The flight included an assessment of the helicopter's general handling and basic systems. The first prototype will be joined by two more aircraft later this year and a fourth prototype in 2013. The company says the AW169 program is on schedule to achieve basic civil certification in 2014.
