Gulfstream Aerospace has received FAA approval to retrofit Gulfstream IV, GIV-SP and GV cockpits with LED lamps. The LEDs perform better and are more reliable and cost-effective than the incandescent bulbs they replace, says Gulfstream. Because they have a much greater lifespan, the new LEDs reduce maintenance and material costs. Gulfstream also says the colors are richer and offer a purer color light. In addition, the LEDs operate approximately 80 deg. cooler.
Forecast International of Newtown, Conn., has joined the general industry consensus that a business aviation upturn will occur no sooner than 2012. Its new study projects that a total of 11,437 business jets, worth an estimated $217.5 billion, will be produced from 2010 through 2019. “The Market for Business Jet Aircraft” report also indicates that business jet production, which has dropped sharply since late 2008, will continue declining through 2011.
Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen Executive Airport has taken a major step toward its goal of becoming a world-class business aviation center by installing a Cat 1 ILS system on its single runway, the 10,499 ft.-long Runway 13/31. The official inauguration of the precision approach system occurred Dec. 7, but operations actually began Oct. 13. While conditions at the airport are predominantly visual, sandstorms, fog or haze periodically require instrument approaches.
Lawrence Esser makes some disturbing statements in his letter regarding “Crosswind Troubles.” He states that one should “takeoff or land with a wings level attitude in a crosswind” when operating an airplane like the Citation X with long swept wings. Since he did not elaborate on his recent new technique, there are two obvious choices.
There are primarily two kinds of business aircraft in New Zealand: turboprops and a handful of VLJs used for domestic operations between the Oceania nation’s two islands and long-range “heavy iron” for going anywhere else.
Landmark Aviation acquired DB Aviation at Waukegan Regional Airport in Illinois. Offering FBO, charter and aircraft management and maintenance services, DB Aviation supports Landmark’s growth strategy, and brings the network to 41 FBOs, with locations in the United States, Canada and Western Europe, the company said. Landmark Aviation is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Looking for help with communication skills? The FAA Human Factors Guide for Aviation Maintenance and Inspection has a whole section devoted to improving communication for technicians. Included at the website are links to Advisory Circular AC 120-72 Maintenance Resource Management Training, which addresses best practices for maintenance communication, as well as guides from the Department of Energy, which developed structured shift change communication protocols (you know, they’re the nuclear reactor guys) and the European Aviation Safety Agency.
This will be the second year in which the NBAA has scheduled the Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference together with NATA’s FBO Leadership Conference on Feb. 7-8, which will immediately precede the S&D event. As flight activity picks up, many flight departments are increasingly busy planning and staffing for the economic rebound expected in the coming two years. It’s a great opportunity to network with the FBO community and access information from the airport service perspective, such as NATA’s Safety 1st program.
Daher-Socata has developed an “Exclusive Maintenance Program” for TBM 850s that covers all scheduled maintenance costs, including annual inspections, for five years or 1,000 flight hours. The program also extends warranties for avionics and systems to five years and for the airframe to seven years.
FlightSafety International received approval from Brazil’s ANAC for its Bell 212 and Bell 412 full flight simulators. The ANAC approved FlightSafety’s Bell 430 full flight simulator in 2009. FlightSafety offers training programs and simulators for the three aircraft at its Learning Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
Eurocopter Malaysia delivered an EC145 helicopter to Sabah Air Aviation for medical airlift missions in the Sabah region, north of Borneo, the company announced Nov. 30.
Bombardier has delivered almost 300 Challenger 300 aircraft since starting deliveries in early 2004, making it by far the best-selling super-midsize business aircraft in the market. Originally named the Continental, the Challenger 300 was designed to bridge the gap in Bombardier’s product line between the 2,300-nm range, midsize Learjet 60 and the 3,900-nm range, large-cabin Challenger 604.
So you thought teenagers texting while driving were a threat? Flight department professionals may wish to take note of a new policy at a leading service chain. Atlantic Aviation is instituting a No Phone Zone policy in every venue where its employees conduct ground operations on the ramp.
A battery-powered Cessna 172 trainer? George Bye told BCA in November that the technology already exists to produce just such an aircraft and, accordingly, the training market is a primary target for his avgas-less aspirations. The founder and CEO of Bye Energy Inc., a “clean energy solutions integrator for general aviation,” says his company will have a battery-powered C172N flying out of Denver’s Centennial Airport by spring. Cessna is assisting in the project.
These graphs are designed to illustrate the performance of the Dassault Falcon 900LX under a variety of range, payload, speed and density altitude conditions. Dassault Falcon Jet’s sales engineers provided the data for the Range/Payload Profile. Data for the specific range chart were extracted from the Dassault Falcon 900LX Performance Manual.
Congratulations for your excellent article on spins (“When the Very Best Fall,” October 2010, page 46). As an experimental test pilot, I was involved in about 15 development and certification spin test campaigns on normal and acrobatic category aircraft.
Operators of Cessna Citation Xs soon will be able to install Safe Flight’s AutoPower system on their airplanes. The automatic throttle system will be offered for retrofit on in-service airplanes, as well as on new-production aircraft, through the Cessna Service Center in Wichita. Development hardware has been qualified and delivered by Safe Flight, and first flight of an installed system was to take place by the end of 2010. Supplemental type certification is anticipated shortly.
TAG Aviation is moving into the Chinese market as a joint venture partner with China First Mandarin Group (CFMG). The preliminary agreement was announced at the Middle East Business Aviation show in Dubai. CFMG’s First Mandarin Business Aviation unit holds both a Chinese Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and Part 145 maintenance authority. The AOC is said to be the only private aviation AOC in China, with all others held by airlines. The Shenyang-based company owns and charters eight aircraft, primarily Bombardier Challengers, and manages others for private owners.
Bombardier is eyeing emerging markets such as Russia, China and India for large business jet sales. “These are long-range airplanes for international corporations and wealthy individuals who travel globally,” said Pierre Beaudoin, president and CEO of Bombardier. In this fiscal year to date, 75% of Bombardier orders have come from outside the United States, reports Aviation eBrief.
Increasing airport interest in solar technology has prompted the FAA to issue technical guidance on the use of solar power in the airfield environment. The guidance provides a checklist for uses such as hot water systems and cites the experience of three airports — Denver, Fresno Yosemite and Albuquerque. Some 15 U.S. airports use solar technology.
JetSelect Aviation based in Columbus, Ohio has been certified as compliant with the Industry Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) by the International Business Aviation Council. JetSelect offers on-demand aircraft charter, management and maintenance services.
I happened to see your blog post on NBAA scheduling another ABACE event in China in 2012. The NBAA did a commendable job of “spinning” the reason for the ABACE show cancellation in 2009. However, the reality would appear to be somewhat different (and more plausible). I suspect that the NBAA apparently bowed out (at the last minute) because of its own “bottom-line” concerns . . . nothing to do with the OEMs.
U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.) was confirmed by vote of the House Republican Conference Dec. 8 to serve as chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the 112th Congress. The committee has broad jurisdiction over the nation’s highways, aviation system, transit, rail transportation, pipelines, the Coast Guard, maritime transportation, water resources, economic development, public buildings and emergency management.
Dassault Aviation and Aviation Partners Inc., have an agreement that allows the French firm to fit new Falcon 900EX EASy aircraft on its production line with API winglets, thereby transforming them into Falcon 900LX models. Meanwhile, API has the rights to the retrofit market. The Seattle company expects to have STC approval for fitting the same blended winglets to older Falcon 900 aircraft, including existing Falcon 900EX EASy models, by the first quarter of this year.
Much angst has been expressed by business aircraft operators in recent months about whether a Nov. 18, 2010, international target date for adoption of Safety Management System (SMS) requirements would complicate or prevent flights of U.S. registered business aircraft to other nations. Some flight department managers expressed concern that operators who do not have an SMS in place could see their aircraft denied entry to certain countries or detained by foreign aviation authorities. At least in the short term, those worries appear to be overblown.
