Business & Commercial Aviation

Asia Pacific Jets has ordered 10 Nextant 400XT business jets to be delivered over three years, with the first two delivered by the end of this year. Singapore-based Asia Pacific provides medical evacuation and corporate charter services. The company will also become Nextant's sales agent in Asia and has partnered with Hong Kong-based AirMed Asia, a subsidiary of medical transportation specialist AirMed International, to establish a new operating base for that company in Singapore.

Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support (GCS) announced its Technical Publications and Customer Support Directories are available in the Apple App Store. The Technical Publications app is available for use with an IPad and requires the user to visit www.hawkerbeechcraft.com to create a user ID and password. The GCS Directory application is compatible with the iPhone and does not require login credentials. In addition to downloadable flight manuals, the Technical Publications app will include maintenance manuals for current production and supported aircraft.

When your airplane is over the high seas far from a suitable alternate and something breaks especially at night or in bad weather—the elements grow to seem immeasurably large and hostile.

Gulfstream Aerospace has enrolled more than 140 aircraft in its Flight Operations Risk Management Service (FORMS) program, providing operators access to data that has been proven to reduce hazards in airline operations and is now migrating to business aviation. FORMS, Gulfstream's Flight Operations Quality/Assurance/Flight Data Management (FOQA/FDM) program, is modeled after airline programs that have become widely used to analyze operational data and improve flight training.

Modern aircraft cabins, equipped with sophisticated arrays of electronics designed to keep passengers comfortable, entertained and in touch, are wonders to behold. But keeping all of today's cabin components in harmony requires an integrated, easy-to-use control hub.

Anticipating STC approval, Hawker Beechcraft factory-owned service centers are scheduling Blackhawk engine upgrades for King Air 200s equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. The installation will replace the original Pratt & Whitney PT6A-41 or -42 engines with factory-new PT6A-52 engines. Blackhawk Modifications expects certification of the engine upgrade on Pro Line 21-equipped aircraft in the fourth quarter of this year. Pro Line 21-equipped King Air 200s require a separate STC to modify the engine instrument displays.

GKN Aerospace has won a contract from Triumph Aerostructures to design, build and supply composite winglets and ailerons for the Bombardier Global 7000 and Global 8000 ultra-long-range business jets. The ailerons will be developed and manufactured at GKN Aerospace's Munich wing structures operation, with the winglets work conducted by the GKN team on the Isle of Wight, U.K.

“The most important thing with international procedures for contingencies is an equal understanding between the pilot and the controller on the actions the former is required to take,” Chris Dalton, ICAO's chief of air traffic management and a former oceanic controller, told BCA. “The pilot must have an understanding of what the controller wants him to do, otherwise the controller can't maintain separation and keep the airspace safe.”

Robert Clare, Director of Sales for Universal Avionics, announced that Universal will open a new European satellite sales office in London, U.K. to support the region's growing avionics sales activity there. The office is slated to open in September. The London office joins Universal's other European office in Basel, Switzerland, which opened in 2004. The Basel office currently oversees all sales in Europe.

Sennheiser has launched the S1 Passive, a high-performance GA headset that offers pilots both excellent passive noise attenuation and optimum wearing comfort. The full-size headset was developed for pilots who want noise attenuation but do not want to use an active headset. It is also equipped with Sennheiser's ActiveGard feature that protects the pilot's hearing against extreme volume peaks that can occur during radio communications. If a signal above 110 dB is received, ActiveGard compresses the sound and everything remains clearly intelligible at a healthy volume.

NATA is reaching into the airline industry for a successor to longtime President James Coyne, announcing July 24 that Thomas Hendricks will take the helm as of Sept. 1. Hendricks was senior vice president, safety security and operations of Airlines for America, responsible for technical and operational functions, as well as advocacy and policy positions on flight operations, safety, engineering, air traffic management and security.

Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings has launched a new website to assist aircraft coatings specifiers, influencers and users. The site allows users to easily navigate or directly search via their specific market niche (general, business, commercial or military aviation markets) and/or product systems (interior, exterior coatings, primers, fillers, etc.). One highlight of the website is its detailed products and systems section that includes information specific to SKYscapes, the company's new basecoast/clearcoat exterior paint system.

NBAA President Ed Bolen calls the slow progress on improving temporary flight restrictions “a tremendous frustration . . . The instruments put into place after 9/11 were dull, blunt-force instruments.” By now, Bolen told a panel during the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., he had hoped that those instruments would have become “precision instruments.” While the process is improving, it's slow and comes at a cost to operators.

Light-sport aircraft developer Icon Aircraft selected Cirrus Aircraft to supply a significant portion of the composite airframe for the A5 amphibious airplane. Cirrus will produce the components at its Grand Forks, N.D., plant, alongside those manufactured for the SR20 and SR22 single-piston aircraft. Icon will integrate the components at its facility in Tehachapi, Calif., where all design, final assembly, finishing and testing will occur.

Safari Air Link of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, has added a Cessna Citation Mustang 510, the first in Tanzania, to its fleet. Safari Air Fleet Director Peter Fox says the Mustang will provide more air transport services to the business sector, tourism and emergency health care in Tanzania. Safari currently operates two Cessna C206s, a C210, a C208 Caravan and a C206B Grand Caravan.

Breitling is offering its star model, the Chronomat 41 Limited, in a 2,000-piece limited series that will appeal more strongly than ever to enthusiasts of the original design, says the company. The original and generous lines of the steel case are enhanced by all-polished finishes, as are the bracelet and rotating bezel. The watch is water-resistant to 200 meters (660 ft.). Breitling www.breitling.com

TrueNorth Avionics has introduced its multilingual Stylus handset. The Stylus features a sleek design, high-definition audio and unique personalization options with many choices of finishes, inlays and themes. The TrueNorth Stylus is complemented by the MyStylus iPhone app, which brings the convenience and functionality of the Stylus to the iPhone, according to the company. The unit has been available since June and serves as a plug-in replacement for TrueNorth's current handsets.

A 43-year-old commercial pilot and four passengers were killed and a fifth serious injured on March 16, 2011, when a Beech Super King Air 200 crashed following a loss of control during takeoff from Long Beach (Calif.) Airport. Carde Equipment Sales LLC operated the airplane. At 0700, the pilot had filed an IFR flight plan to Salt Lake City — a 2-hr. flight — anticipating three passengers and a departure at 0830. VMC prevailed in the Long Beach area.

August 2010

Real Clean Aviation Products has introduced Turbine Soot Master, a carbon soot cleaner and degreaser. According to the company it is designed to effectively address carbon exhaust buildup and staining that occurs on most turboprop aircraft. The product's streak-free formula dissolves carbon, grease and oil with very little effort. Soot Master is rinse-free and does not require the use of any water. Spray it on and wipe the surface clean with a microfiber or terry cloth. View the video at www.youtube.com/RealCleanAircraft

American Eurocopter announced that California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CALSTAR), with headquarters at McClellan, Calif., will purchase up to eight EC135 helicopters. CALSTAR operates nine full-time bases in northern and central California and is the largest nonprofit air ambulance provider on the west coast. With this order, it will replace older aircraft and become an all-Eurocopter operator.

Signature Flight Support parent BBA Aviation is bracing for continued volatility in the market for the remainder of the year, but BBA CEO Simon Pryce maintains that “medium term” indicators look much stronger. Business aircraft traffic was softer than expected — remaining relatively flat — keeping a damper on services overall. Even so, the company reported growth in revenue of 3% to $1.094 billion, thanks to an 11% increase in aftermarket services and higher fuel prices.

Robert W. Poole, Jr. Director of Transportation Policy, Reason Foundation, Washington, D.C.

Embraer Executive Jets milled the first part for its mid-light Legacy 450 executive jet last week, marking the beginning of fabrication for the new aircraft. A forward fuselage component was milled from a block of aluminum alloy by a five-axis, high-performance machining center. The fully-automated milling process drew data directly from a digital mockup of the 2,300-nm-range Legacy 450. Once completed, the part was approved by a quality control process that employs laser devices for design validation and conformity with the digital mockup.

Baker Aviation's new maintenance facility at Addison Airport (KADS) has been named a certified repair station by the FAA. Baker, the only certified repair station at KADS, is a full-service private aircraft charter, management and maintenance company licensed to provide professional aviation services in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.