After the hugely embarrassing two-week partial shutdown of the FAA, lawmakers are turning their attention to negotiations on a long-term reauthorization bill—something the agency has not had since 2007. However, that does not mean posturing on the Hill is being replaced with “Come, let us reason together.” Lawmakers return to town after the Sept. 5 Labor Day holiday with less than two weeks to agree to a long-term bill, pass the 22nd extension of the Airport and Airways Trust Fund authority or hit replay on the shutdown drama.
“Time For Change” (AW&ST July 12/25, p. 50) presents a truss-braced wing design as a potential option in the field of research for fuel-burn reduction.
Lockheed Martin's Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads) is facing an existential threat on Capitol Hill. Senators are actively trying to end funding for the system and renegotiate the U.S. agreement to develop the missile with Italy and Germany. Rather than simply push back on the cuts, Lockheed Martin is making a run at the competition, arguing it will cost the government more in the long term to sustain Raytheon's Patriot missile system than to opt for Meads.
India is expected to pick two finalists among the MiG- 35, Dassault Rafale, EADS Eurofighter, Gripen, Boeing F/A-18 and Lockheed Martin F-16. A commercial bidding process will follow, with final selection expected by the end of 2011.
Few details about the merger are being disclosed, but if approved, it will create a company with more than 40,000 employees and operations to 115 destinations in 23 countries. The combined entity will be named LATAM Airlines Group, although the two companies will operate as separate brands.
Inmarsat's decision to go with Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) for its Global Xpress deal marks a major step forward for the aerospace giant's goal to return in force to the commercial satellite business.The company will attempt to raise commercial satellite sales to 30% of the company’s space business within five years, up from 10% now.
Bahrain-based MENA Aerospace Enterprises' MAE Aircraft Management division has been awarded a certificate of registration for compliance with IS-BAO (International Standards for Business Aircraft Operations).
First, thanks for the great article about shady charters. You have opened up cans of worms for many people, no doubt. Our Part 91 company has registered its two aircraft as a LLC company. Before I go to our corporate legal guys with the issues raised in your article, can you suggest any reference literature addressing that?
Sean Tucker is an extremely talented performer whose air show routine leaves literally no room for error. (Fast Five, June 2011, page 26) But having lost six colleagues to aviation and witnessed the deaths of two air show performers on separate occasions, I don't attend air shows anymore featuring radical acts like Mr. Tucker's. I fail to see the purpose of such radical flying. Will Mr.
Aviation Research Group/US reported that June U.S. flight activity showed a slight increase over May activity. ARGUS TRAQPak data indicate that June business aircraft activity was up 0.4% over May. By operational categories, the FAR Part 135 and Part 91 segments both posted a positive month, up 1.6% and 0.2%, respectively. The fractional segment was the only operational category to drop, down 1.5% from April. By aircraft category, only turboprops managed to stay positive from the previous month, up 4.2%.
I was disturbed to see that “Illegal Charter” cited Nick Sabatini [former FAA associate administrator for Aviation Safety] and Jim Ballough [former FAA director Flight Standards Service] as industry experts. Their testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee [in 2008, regarding FAA's Customer Service Initiative] was an affront to all of the hard working FAA personnel who had to work for them and an embarrassment to the FAA as a whole.
China's Minsheng Bank to buy 50 Gulfstream and 20 Embraer business jets. Minsheng's website said a non-binding MOU was signed June 28, covering Gulfstream G650, G550, G450 and the newly renamed G280 (see below) jets. The bank signed a similar agreement with Embraer for 20 unspecified executive jets July 19. It's notable that Embraer is in the process of gaining approval to convert its ERJ135 China production facility to the manufacture of Legacy 600 and 650 super midsize business jets. Minsheng Financial Leasing Co. Ltd.
In your June edition we printed a RUAG ad with wrong information (page 14). “In reference to RUAG's advertisement that appeared in the June issue of Business & Commercial Aviation magazine, RUAG would like to clarify that RUAG is not an official OEM partner and/or approved major service center for Twin Otter. RUAG holds a EASA Part 145 base and line maintenance approval with respect to Twin Otter DHC-6 Series. RUAG regrets any confusion and inconvenience caused to its customers and partners.”
Dassault Falcon recently received certification for the Falcon 900LX from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC). The 900LX joins the rest of the Falcon 900 family already certified in China. The Falcon 7X and the Falcon 2000 family are also CAAC-certified. The first Falcon 900LX will be delivered in China by year-end.
President Barack Obama reopened barely healed wounds and drew an outcry of protests from the general aviation community and elected officials when he pushed for increased taxes on millionaires, billionaires and corporate aircraft users, saying their tax breaks could compromise health, education and safety programs.
Flight Options, the second-largest fractional jet operator in the U.S., has obtained a three-year, $167 million financing package with Brazil's Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES) to finance the purchase of Embraer Phenom 300s. This first-of-its-kind loan agreement between BNDES and a fractional jet operator will be guaranteed by the Brazilian Ministry of Finance, advised by the Brazilian Export Credit Insurance Agency (SBCE). In 2007, Flight Options placed an order for 100 of the light jets, plus an option to purchase 50 more.
The first production Dassault Falcon 900LX equipped with the new EASy II cockpit was scheduled to be delivered in July, and now operators of existing Falcon 900 aircraft equipped with the EASy cockpit can upgrade to the EASy II standard via a Service Bulletin. Dassault has developed a training course for EASy II in conjunction with CAE SimuFlite, and the course has been approved by the FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.K.'s Civil Aviation Authority so flight crews can begin to familiarize themselves with the state-of-the-art flight deck.
Everett, Wash.-based BLR Aerospace has received Direccíon General de Aeronáutica Civil approval for its King Air 90 winglets. Now Mexican operators of the twin-turboprop aircraft can install the performance enhancing modification on their airplanes. Earlier, the FAA, the European Aviation Safety Agency and the ANAC (the aviation authority for Brazil) approved the airfoils.
I have been a charter operator here in South Florida since 1999, flying everything from single engine piston aircraft to business jets under Part 135. You identified the problem accurately, but there are two aspects you have overlooked.
Cessna in June marked 15 years since opening its manufacturing facility in Independence, Kan., where the company has produced nearly 9,500 single-engine pistons and more than 350 Citation Mustang business jets. Work at the Cessna Independence facility includes assembly, paint, installation of interiors and delivery of seven single-engine piston aircraft models — the 172R Skyhawk, 172S Skyhawk SP, 182T Skylane, T182T Turbo Skylane, 206H Stationair, T206H Turbo Stationair and the Corvalis TTX — as well as the Citation Mustang entry-level business jet.
Hawker Beechcraft will open a new maintenance facility at New Castle Airport in Wilmington, Del. The facility, expected to open in second quarter 2012, will be a full-service repair and overhaul operation offering airframe, engines, avionics and mobile service support for the company's entire product line, from the single-engine Bonanza to the super-midsize Hawker 4000.
I've been in the business aviation world for over 37 years and greatly look forward to the arrival of my BCA magazine monthly. The May edition is my favorite for obvious reasons. So, I was 'just slightly' disappointed this year when I flipped back to the avionics section and 'lo and behold' it was missing. Perhaps that field is expanding so rapidly you thought it best not to include it. Aviation Manager
I have read Ross Detwiler's articles for years and particularly enjoyed his “Aviation Computers Part II” (June 2011, page 58). It was a very informative and enjoyable article, as my company is currently bringing iPads on line.
