The first flight of General Electric’s Caravelle with GE CJ-805-23 turbofan engines took advantage of 40% more takeoff thrust than the straight jet Caravelle. The range will be up 40%.
Quest Diagnostics has medical specimen collection facilities and regional laboratories all over the country. To support that business, the company fields one of the nation’s largest FAA Part 91 operations — a fleet of 30 airplanes including 13 Beech Model 58 Barons, six Mitsubishi MU-2s, four TBM 700s, three Pilatus PC-12s, one Hawker 800XP, one Dassault Falcon 2000, one Cessna 310, and even a single Eclipse 500.
The first and second Embraer Phenom 300s to start commercial service in Europe have arrived in England at FlairJet’s London Oxford Airport facility. The new Phenom 300s will be based at Oxford Airport, joining FlairJet’s three existing Phenom 100s.
American Eurocopter’s FAA Organization Delegation Authorization (ODA) issued WAAS STCs for both the EC135 and EC145 helicopters. The STCs upgrade the IFR single- or dual-pilot configuration and are predicated on the use of either the Garmin GNS 430W or 530W in conjunction with a type-certified MEGHAS display system. With coupled vertical guidance, pilots can execute steep-angle GPS approaches.
The U.S. controllers’ union has for the first time been given a seat on the FAA’s top advisory council. Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, will serve on the FAA Management Advisory Council (MAC) along with 12 other members. Rinaldi says the event is “reflective of the inclusive management style that [Administrator Randy Babbitt] has instituted at the agency.”
Raymond A. Syms & Associates (RAS&A) is offering heliport safety compliance inspections designed to help heliport owners and operators comply the new 2011 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 418 standards. The standards now require all future and upgraded heliports to meet FAA guidance embodied in Advisory Circular 150/4390-2B Heliport Design, in addition to other fire and safety standards. The RAS&A inspections review the heliport’s regulatory compliance with NFPA standards, along with FAA, state and county guidelines.
Airports across Western Europe have been accused of serious under-investment in winter equipment and staff to cope with December’s severe weather. The European Commission (EC) is criticizing the airports over the handling of recent disruptions caused by heavy snowfall and is suggesting that it may have to set minimum service requirements for airports. In a statement issued Dec. 21, EC Transport Policy Commissioner Siim Kallas said he is “extremely concerned about the level of disruption to travel across Europe caused by severe snow.
Financial analyst JPMorgan painted a mixed picture for business aviation’s fledgling recovery in the December 2010 edition of its Business Jet Monthly report. During November, inventories of used business aircraft decreased for the first time in three months, to 11.7% of the active fleet. But demand for airplanes remains weak, and average asking prices continue to slide, says JPMorgan.
Illegal charter operations have been a top agenda item for the EBAA (European Business Aviation Association) and the organization is meeting the issue head on this year. Operating without a valid Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and failing to comply with traffic rights are key concerns for many within the business aviation community, the organization says. To help combat the practices, the EBAA has published a brochure, which provides guidance to operators and brokers.
The Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) will be held Feb. 28-March 1, 2012 in Shanghai. NBAA canceled ABACE 2009 in Hong Kong, citing a bad economy. Back then, the future for business aviation seemed dim, said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “A lot of people were saying business aviation had no future because of air space restrictions and the economy was not as good,” he recalled. But times have changed and ABACE is back on.
Rockwell Collins has acquired Computing Technologies for Aviation (CTA). The company said that the acquisition complements its current Ascend flight information offering for business aircraft operators that was announced at the NBAA convention in October 2010.
The third in a series of Aéro-Montréal’s biennial forums is scheduled for Dec. 5-6, 2011. Its focus will be on small/medium enterprise (SME) firms working in partnership with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to “develop a stronger culture of innovation.” The last International Forum on Innovation in Aerospace was held in 2009 and addressed numerous themes pertinent to aerospace clusters, how they are positioned in a global context and how to share best practices.
The relatively large size of long-range, widebody airliners affords operators the flexibility of providing various types of crew rest areas. The FAA’s crew duty and rest NPRM recognizes that different types of onboard crew rest areas afford different sleep opportunities on long-range aircraft. Even so, the FAA proposes to limit credit for sleep opportunity based upon the quality of the rest facility, recognizing that a private room at a ground layover point provides the best quality crew rest.
Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) in Chester, U.K., continues to meet key milestones on its first Hawker 800XPR upgrade program, and the company expects to achieve FAA certification early this year, with European Aviation Safety Agency approval to follow shortly afterward.
A new generation of purpose-built, ultra-long-range business aircraft from Gulfstream and Bombardier will start to arrive in less than two years, ones that will be able to fly eight passengers at least 7,000 nm. Fifteen-hour missions from New York to Mumbai, Atlanta to Taipei, or Dubai to San Francisco could become routine.
Eurocopter South East Asia (ESEA) has opened a new 8,200-sq.-meter (88,264 sq. ft.) facility at Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore that provides double the hangar space and 25% more office space than ESEA’s previous operation at Loyang Way near Changi Airport. The Seletar hangar accommodates 24 helicopters and is certified to perform modifications and repairs for interiors, avionics, structures and electrical systems. Scientists and engineers at EADS Innovation Works will also work there on rotorcraft research and development.
China Eastern Airlines Executive Air, a unit of the Chinese air carrier, is expected to soon launch business jet operations. The business aviation operator currently owns a Hawker 800, but hopes to expand the fleet to three business jets this year and then eventually to seven. The operation was established in 1995 as a ground handler in Shanghai, and has since provided services for more than 5,000 VIP, cargo, charter, air ambulance and other business jet flights.
Nav Canada has announced plans for a new series of flight trials aimed at reducing emissions and cutting fuel consumption in the busy transatlantic corridor. The project, titled Europe-North America Go ADS-B for a Greener Environment (ENGAGE), will involve the use of satellite-based surveillance to increase flight efficiency on North Atlantic routes. Trial flights are scheduled to begin in February and continue through the spring. Also involved are Air France and the U.K.’s National Air Traffic Services.
The FAA’s revised Flightcrew Member Duty and Rest Requirements NPRM, released in mid-September 2010, stirred up plenty of discussion regarding the need to update statutory requirements for consecutive duty periods, flight duty limits and rest periods in relation to time of day, circadian rhythms and actual sleep opportunities, among other factors.
Daher-Socata is planning a 100th Anniversary Special Edition TBM 850 this year as part of the celebration of the company’s centennial of continuous airplane production that began in 1911 with its predecessor company — Aeroplanes Morane-Saulnier. The Special Edition version will include a number of new features, including a program that lowers scheduled maintenance costs for five years or 1,000 hr.
ACSS (L-3 Communications and Thales Co.), Phoenix, announced that Terry Flaishans has been named vice president and general manager, reporting to Kris Ganase, president of L-3 Aviation Products. Air Charter Safety Foundation, Alexandria, Va., announced that Skyservice Business Aviation, Quebec, is the first international operator to be added to the ACSF Audit Standard (IAS) Registry. Angel MedFlight, Scottsdale, Ariz., promoted Rastislav “Rusty” Valko to COO, responsible for overseeing company-wide operations.
Airbus has set up Airbus ProSky as a dedicated subsidiary to manage its engagement with air traffic management activities. This is the latest step the aircraft maker has taken to strengthen its voice in ATM activities. The company also signed an agreement with Boeing to help ensure that U.S. and European ATM modernization activities — NextGen and SESAR — also reflect the view of aircraft makers. Airbus officials also are coordinating with air navigation service providers on route optimization.
The NTSB recently took a first step that could provide FAA certificate holders a better chance of receiving a fair shake if they run afoul of FAA safety inspectors. In an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) published just before Christmas, the NTSB said it is considering a change in the rules under which the agency’s administrative law judges adjudicate appeals of “emergency” certificate suspensions or revocations by the FAA.
