Business & Commercial Aviation

For many companies, the security provided by a private jet is as important as its utility. But what are the benchmarks for security? Since corporations can take tax deductions for security expenses, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) created a standard for a “bona fide business-oriented security concern” to measure against personal flights being written off as necessary for security.

The U.S. and Canadian business aircraft summer travel season has gotten off to a slow start, with both year-over-year and month-over-month operations declining in June, according to the latest data released by business aviation safety expert and industry analyst ARGUS. Business aircraft operations slowed across the board by 3.2% in June, compared with May, and by 1.3% compared with a year earlier, ARGUS reports. Operations involving all aircraft segments — from turboprops to large jets — were down month-over-month, with mid-cabin operations declining the most at 5%.

A new chapter has been added to the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. “Runway Incursion Avoidance,” in Appendix 1, provides information on which pilots will be tested and checked in the Private Pilot and Commercial Pilot Practical Test Standards, effective June 1, and also in the soon to be released CFI and ATP PTSes, which include a required Runway Incursion Avoidance task to be incorporated in pilot training and testing.

Calling the past four years an “epic correction” of the business aviation market, industry analyst Brian Foley warns that rather than waiting for an uptick, the industry should view the current situation as the “new normal” and adapt accordingly. “The pessimist in me says we'll be in something of a steady-state situation for the foreseeable future, with occasional setbacks balanced out by spots of growth,” Foley says, adding that companies that have geared for the current time — rather than waiting for an uptick — will have an edge should things pick up.

AIA says the effect of sequestration on the FAA could amount to $1 billion in cuts, which would cripple NextGen initiatives, says Richard Efford, a legal affairs chief at the Aerospace Industries Association. “AIA believes that as a result of sequestration, NextGen could lose 30-50% of its funding, not the 8% many believe,” Efford said.

Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics, with three or four CRTs, originally were installed in the Beechjet/Hawker 400. Both Nextant and Hawker Beechcraft are offering complete three- and four-screen, 8- by 10-in. Pro Line 21 cockpit upgrades that will provide much more than cosmetic improvements and new display functions.

Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company (HBDC) is putting its AT-6 light attack/armed reconnaissance aircraft into low rate initial production (LRIP) in Wichita. The company says it started low-rate production in response to “significant indications of interest around the world” for the attack variant of its PT6-powered T-6 trainer. However, the costly step could also be a move to strengthen its position in the ongoing competition with Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Embraer A-29 Super Tucano for the U.S. Air Force's Afghanistan Light Air Support (LAS) competition.

Aero Charter, St. Louis, Mo., hired Dustin Stephenson as a charter pilot. He has been a pilot for over eight years and worked as a professional pilot for six. He has experience operating 47 aircraft types.

The FCC is planning to issue a notice “shortly” that explores potential options for strengthening regulations and/or standards surrounding the use of emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) on general aviation aircraft, an FCC official told the NTSB on July 17 at a forum on general aviation search and rescue that members hope will highlight the agency's decades-long concerns about the adequacy of current search and rescue policies. The NTSB chiefly is concerned about the lack of a mandate for general aviation aircraft to install updated ELTs.

Hawker Beechcraft's proposed sale to a Chinese firm was not a complete surprise. But the fact that the smaller Superior Aviation Beijing emerged as the possible bidder instead of the larger AVIC or CAIGA leaves some industry experts wondering whether the deal will close at the $1.79 billion asking price. In announcing the sale (see above), Hawker Beechcraft Inc.

City: Lima Country: Republic of Peru Status: Peruvian capital and largest city as well as a major financial center Country visa requirement: Yes, for business. Crew members including cabin attendants require visas only if traveling within the country (i.e., on multiple flights to points in-country). Landing permit requirement: Yes Sponsor letter required: Yes, for business if bringing articles or products into the country for demo or sale

BBA Aviation, an aviation support and aftermarket services provider, announced that its Signature Flight Support subsidiary has committed to a seven-year lease extension and expansion of its downtown Orlando, Fla., corporate headquarters offices to accommodate anticipated growth. Signature Flight Support and Aircraft Service Group International (ASIG), together with their parent company BBA Aviation, collectively have more than 1,000 employees in 12 Florida cities.

Even though I understand your reasoning on the trees (Viewpoint, July 2012), which are making Runway 11/29 at HPN less than optimal, I must disagree on this one. Why? Well, it has to do with our freedoms as Americans, and our right to do what we wish with our own property.

The NTSB warns NEXRAD users that displayed information is not real-time data.

Flexjet, the fractional ownership arm of Bombardier, placed orders for three Learjet 70 aircraft for delivery in 2013. The operator announced plans to add Bombardier's newest Learjets – the 70 and 75 – to its portfolio shortly after the Canadian manufacturer unveiled them during the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition. But at the time, Flexjet did not have details of its initial plans to fold the new jets, the successor to the Learjet 40XR and 45XR, into its fleet. Flexjet says it is purchasing at least three of the 70 model for 2013.

It was the call we all dread. The car was overheating, and now there was oil on the garage floor. On the phone, the mechanic was saying terrible things: failed head gasket, engine bolts stripped, block compromised, and so on. His repair estimate exceeded the car's book value. My roadster was toast, never to roar again.

For more than a decade, Oakland, Calif.-based Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has built a practice winning lawsuits and scoring landmark settlements under its state's Proposition 65. That law, originally entitled the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, is designed “to protect California citizens and the state's drinking water sources from chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm, and to inform citizens about exposures to such chemicals.”

A JetBlue copilot injured by a laser illumination July 15 is the latest victim of a nationwide phenomenon that has grown as much as tenfold since the FAA formally began taking reports in 2005. The laser illumination injured the JetBlue first officer over Islip, N.Y., as Flight 657 was on approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport at 5,000 ft. The captain reported two green flashes, one of which “caught the first officer,” and requested medical personnel meet the flight at JetBlue's Gate 24 after landing. The FAA reported that the first officer's injury was minor.

June 24 — About 1155 EDT, a Universal Stinson 108 (N39443), operated by a private pilot, was substantially damaged while ditching in the Atlantic Ocean, following a total loss of engine power during cruise flight near Portland, Maine. The private pilot was fatally injured. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight that departed Twitchell Airport (3B5), Turner, Maine, about 1030 in VFR conditions. According to preliminary data from the FAA, the airplane was in radio and radar contact with Portland International Jetport (PWM) Approach Control. About 10 mi.

Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee are renewing a proposal to extend corporate aircraft depreciation schedules to seven years as a means to help offset the costs of a research and development tax credit. The committee Democrats introduced legislation, the Investing in American Innovation Act of 2012, to renew the 20% credit for certain research expenses, at least through the end of this year. The legislation would help pay for the credit through a two-year extension of the corporate aircraft depreciation schedule, currently at five years.

The FAA is mandating an offshore noise-abating route for helicopter traffic near Long Island, N.Y. — with exceptions for safety and weather — in an action that opponents contend will unjustifiably expand the agency's authority to become involved in aircraft noise disputes. Various groups representing helicopter and general aviation operators argue that, historically, the FAA addresses noise abatement issues that are initiated by an airport sponsor as it applies to takeoffs and landings, not the en route operation of aircraft.

ARGUS International Inc. (ARGUS) is a specialized aviation services company with global expertise whose mission is to provide the aviation marketplace with the information needed to make informed decisions and manage risk. ARGUS services include the CHEQ proprietary charter operator rating and due diligence program, TRAQPak market intelligence data and research services, and aviation consulting.

Prime-mover helicopter, the S-64, is described by Sikorsky as akin to a “tractor truck, locomotive or tugboat.” Shown in its first public flight at the Stratford plant, the S-64 carries an 8-by-10-ft. truck trailer. It has cargo fittings (hard point) for passengers, cargo pods or truck bodies and can taxi with containers attached to the airframe. Powered by two P&WA JFTD-12 turbines rated at 4,050 shp each, it has a six-ton lift capacity for 200 nm. Two are earmarked for the West German government.