Embraer has delivered the 300th Phenom jet, the latest series of milestones, which include the assembly and first flight of the first aircraft from the company's year-old U.S. facility in Melbourne Fla. Embraer recently shifted global center of gravity for its business jets from Brazil to Melbourne, where it is creating 200 engineering and technical jobs. Fifty-percent of Phenom deliveries have been to North American customers, with Latin American operators accounting for another 30%.
Feb. 12 — At about 1120 UTC, a Gulfstream GIV (N2SA), operated by Trident Aviation of Wilmington, Del., crashed at Bukavu-Kamenbe Airport (BKY), Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The domestic private flight departed Kinshasa with an intermediate stop at Goma to enplane passengers and refuel. During the landing at BKY, the airplane overran the runway, went down an embankment and came to rest in a ravine. Of the 12 persons onboard, there were four fatalities, including the pilot, copilot and two passengers.
Hawthorne Global Aviation Services in January bought ExcelAire, an aircraft management and charter firm with an FBO at MacArthur Airport on Long Island, near New York City. The purchase price was not disclosed. Steven Levesque, Hawthorne CEO, says the ExcelAire management would remain in place and that the operation has “the capacity and the capability to do a lot more.” ExcelAire currently manages 20 aircraft. The management, charter and maintenance business will continue under the ExcelAire banner. The FBO part of the business would be rebranded as Hawthorne.
Cessna Aircraft has boosted the range of its new midsize Citation Latitude to a maximum of 2,300 nm. The range increase, up from the original announced range of 2,000 nm, was driven by customer requests, the company says. “The increased range will give the aircraft more flexibility to fly a wider variety of missions and meet our customer requirements for comfort and performance,” says Trevor Esling, vice president, sales — Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. The company also secured a launch customer in Europe for the aircraft — EFO Aviation GmbH & Co.
Rockwell Collins is increasing its global regional trip support with the addition of several new European flight planning features to its Ascend Flight Manager online program. The additions enable European operators to select pre-approved Eurocontrol routes and create routes to submit for Eurocontrol validation. Rockwell Collins also is providing a message management service that monitors and alerts flight departments about any Eurocontrol message related to their flights.
Most lighting projects can be accomplished with field approvals or, rarely, an STC. Your cabin completion center can likely answer any concerns you may have about lighting projects, but to be sure, FAR Part 25.812 spells out what's required for emergency lighting, while the SAE's Aircraft Cabin Illumination Standards cover the general recommendations for cabin lighting in order to provide satisfactory illumination for. Boarding and deplaning Movement about the cabin Reading Use of lavatories
Max-Viz and Helijet of Vancouver, B.C. Canada are collaborating on the installation of the Max-Viz EVS-1500 enhanced vision system on three S-76 helicopters supporting emergency medical service operations under contract with the B.C. government.
Eurocopter revealed its evolutionary EC130-T2 that retains the EC130's external lines, but approximately 70% of the airframe has been modified. The model's more powerful Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine provides the aircraft with a higher maximum gross takeoff weight (2,500 kg for internal loads and 3,050 kg when external loads are carried) and a speed increase of up to 10 kt. At the unveiling, Eurocopter announced seven launch customers had already accounted for 105 bookings.
Development of LEDs began more than a century ago, but the first practical versions were produced in General Electric labs in the 1960s. Until 1968, visible and infrared LEDs cost on the order of $200 per unit, and thus had little practical use. In 1968, Monsanto mass-produced visible red LEDs suitable for indicators. Hewlett-Packard advanced the concept for uses in alphanumeric displays, which were integrated into HP's early handheld calculators.
Quest Aircraft received certification from Brazil's National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) for its Kodiak single turboprop utility aircraft. Seven countries have certified the Kodiak. The aircraft has received significant interest from Brazil, along with other Latin America countries. The aircraft last fall completed a demonstration tour in Brazil, the Caribbean and several Latin American countries.
Gulfstream Aerospace donated $50,000 to the Corporate Angel Network, the charitable organization that arranges free flights to treatment for cancer patients aboard corporate jets. Gulfstream was one of the first corporate flight departments to join as a CAN participant in 1982. Joe Lombardo, executive vice president, aerospace for Gulfstream parent General Dynamics, serves on the CAN board of directors.
Blue Sky Network introduced the portable HawkeyeLink Bluetooth device that enables hands-free Iridium phone calls and two-way messaging on users' smartphones in an aircraft or helicopter. After downloading the custom BSN app, HawkeyeLink uses Bluetooth technology to connect to an Android smartphone. Crew and passengers as far as 30 meters away can now use their phones over the Iridium network for communication anywhere in the air.
Universal Avionics Systems Corp. and Air Training International Ltd. (ATI) are partnering to provide Future Air Navigation System (FANS) operational training for the UniLink UL-800/801 Airborne Datalink System. “ATI's experts are skilled in providing a tailored curriculum that will be of exceptional benefit to FANS operators,” said Dan Reida, Universal's vice president of Sales, Marketing and Support. Upcoming mandates have prompted increased interest in Universals UniLink among operators in regions affected, specifically in the North Atlantic.
The passenger cabin with its various elements including seating, tables, lights, control and connectivity systems, flooring, galleys and lavatories, is certainly one of the most important spaces on any business aircraft, and it grows more integrated and complicated every year.
CB VATAmerica has launched the European Aviation Fuel Tax Advisor app for the iPad, iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The new app is part of the company's continued efforts to help business aircraft operators eliminate European VAT and excise taxes on fuel. Users can select the country of fuel uplift (all EU countries, plus Norway and Switzerland), the operator's home country, operator type, amount of fuel and the fuel cost in local currency.
Falcon 2000LX isn't a model designation, according to the FAA and EASA type certificate data sheets. It's actually a Falcon 2000EX with two key modifications that were approved in April 2009. Mod M2846 reinforces the outboard wing structure and installs API winglets. Mod M3229 installs more robust slats that can handle the increased wing-bending moments associated with the aero loads imposed by the winglets.
The EU is “not wedded” to its emissions trading system (ETS) and would be willing to begin negotiating a global deal to reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions, but it will retain its much-maligned ETS while an agreement is worked out. During a sometimes contentious ETS panel discussion at the Singapore air show Aviation Leadership Summit Feb. 13, Matthew Baldwin, director general for mobility and transport (DG-MOVE) for the European Commission, spent much of his time defending ETS and the EU's motives in extending the cap-and-trade scheme to aviation as of Jan. 1.
The FAA has approved data link air traffic control communications over the global high-frequency data link (HFDL) network of ARINC Inc. The technology is know as FOH, an acronym for FANS Future Air Navigation System) 1/A over HDFL. The decision means that aircraft already using HDFL for long distance operational communications will eventually be capable of using the ARINC service to communicate with controllers as well.
President Barack Obama signed the long-term FAA reauthorization bill Feb. 14, after the Senate approved the bill 75-20 on Feb. 6, ending a nearly 5-yr. stalemate that led to 23 short-term extensions of FAA's operating authority. Though the long-term bill was widely expected to pass the Senate by the necessary 60-vote margin, it wasn't a complete slam dunk. Labor unions lobbied against the bill in its final weeks, objecting to a House-Senate agreement over a labor rules issue. The bill passed in the House by a 248-169 margin on Feb. 3.
Bell Helicopter unveiled its Model 525 Relentless at Heli Expo in Dallas. The largest helicopter ever developed by Bell, it bears a family resemblance to the Bell 429 but weighs in at more than 19,000 lb. Bell Helicopter President John Garrison says the company is “on a mission” to revitalize its commercial product line. A customer advisory panel helped Bell finalize the design. Equipped with the Garmin 5000 avionics system, the 525 has a BAE Systems-developed fly-by-wire flight control system.
Hawker Beechcraft, Inc. replaced CEO Bill Boisture with turnaround specialist Robert S. “Steve” Miller. Boisture remains chairman of Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) the operating subsidiary of Hawker Beechcraft, Inc. Miller is currently chairman of the board of insurance giant AIG and is a director of Symantec Corporation. In an interview with BCA Miller said his experience in helping companies deal with difficult market conditions would benefit HBC after a three-year-old downturn that devastated sales and backlogs of small and medium-sized business jets.
Fractional operator Flight Options recently donated 10 hr. of jet flight time to the Corporate Angel Network (CAN), which arranges free flights to treatment for cancer patients using the empty seats on corporate jets. Founded 30 years ago, CAN has 5,380 participating corporations, which have flown nearly 40,000 cancer patients to and from treatment. The organization flies about 250 patients monthly.
Mary “has been at DCA for decades” Miller (BBA Aviation/Signature Flight Support )
Thanks for the great article, “DCA's Slow, Steady Comeback” (February 2012). You have stayed interested in the complexities of operating our DCA location, as well as what lies ahead. For that, I am very grateful. BBA Aviation/Signature Flight Support Washington, D.C .
