The AvioNG Integrated Flight Management System is now available for all Eclipse twin jets. Eclipse Aerospace in Albuquerque, N.M. provides engineering, service and support for the fleet of 260 Eclipse jets. AvioNG glass-panel cockpits supplied by IS&S are installed in over 160 Eclipse Jet aircraft.
To a business traveler, few objects are as beautiful as the company jet. Travelers boarding high-end business aircraft may take a few fleeting seconds to regard its exquisite exterior, but they will spend long hours in the cabin. And that’s why the interiors of these airplanes are getting deserved extra attention of late.
A November FAA exemption allows volunteer pilots for three charities to receive reimbursement for fuel used in the transport of patients, wounded warriors, and veterans. Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic, Airlift Hope and Mercy Medical Airlift are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that utilize volunteer pilots to fly patients to distant, specialized medical facilities for treatment. Under the FAA exemption given to these three volunteer pilot organizations (VPOs), only individuals flying missions under their charge are able to accept reimbursement for fuel costs.
Seattle-based Aviation Partners Inc. (API) has introduced a new Hawker 800 blended winglet that incorporates the company’s scimitar-tip technology. The scimitar tip is a new aerodynamic shape that provides an additional 0.5% of drag reduction in long-range cruise. In addition, API says the scimitar provides “a striking new aesthetic.”
Jet Aviation and Landmark Aviation have made donations to Able Flight Inc., a national non-profit organization that provides flight training scholarships to people with disabilities. The awards, which will fund scholarships for 2011, were presented to Charles Stites, executive director of Able Flight, Oct. 20 at NBAA.
All the accidents mentioned in “When the Very Best Fall” involved airplanes that are safe to stall and spin in the hands of a pilot properly trained for such machines. Therein lies the problem. You can lecture all day and practice stalls and spins in a T-37, but if I put you in a flat spin in a Pitts or Sukhoi without proper understanding of what that turning propeller is doing to the airplane, you will spin all the way to the ground no matter what you do to the flight controls.
I was sitting at a well-appointed dining table, gazing out upon Times Square, the Empire State Building, lower Manhattan and the harbor beyond from my perch 50 stories above it all and wondering about Frank Perdue and his chicken feet.
Steve Hansen, National Air Traffic Controllers Association Safety Committee chairman and veteran Albuquerque Center air traffic controller, won the Air Traffic Control Association’s (ATCA) Air Traffic Control Specialist of the Year award. The award, presented at ATCA’s 55th Annual Conference and Exposition in National Harbor, Md., is presented to an individual civilian air traffic control specialist who has performed in an exemplary or extraordinary manner in support of ATC during the previous year.
Political pundits can find an infinite number of ways to slice and dice election results to pinpoint key voting blocs that led to election or rejection of a particular candidate. But those pundits would be hard-pressed to find a more successful group of candidates than those who share membership in the Senate and House General Aviation Caucuses.
Gulfstream is not just staying put, but expanding in Savannah. The company announced a $500 million, seven-year expansion plan that will add about 1,000 employees a 15% increase over the current Savannah employment level of approximately 5,500 employees. “With our own sales trends and market forecasts suggesting an upturn over the next decade, we want to ensure Gulfstream is well-positioned to meet the demand in terms of products and services,” said Gulfstream President Joe Lombardo, “We are already beginning to see signs of a modest recovery.
Avro Business Jets (ABJ) has launched the third of five planned business aircraft versions of the Avro RJ/BAe 146 regional jet. ABJ is targeting the VIP, corporate and corporate shuttle markets, but company vice president Stewart Cordner points out that the donor RJ series airframes — with their voluminous cabin area, near-short takeoff and landing performance and ability to operate from unimproved runways — offer a range of possibilities.
This past April, the FAA began to consider special issuance of medical certificates to pilots with mild-to-moderate depression who have been treated for at least 12 months on one of four antidepressant medications: fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro).
Nextant Aerospace of Richmond Heights, Ohio, has secured its first fleet order for the 400XT, a 40-aircraft, $150 million purchase by Cleveland-based fractional provider Flight Options. The upgraded Beechjet 400A/XP airplanes, which will be delivered over the next five years, include Nextant’s power-by-the-hour engine and tip-to-tail aircraft maintenance warranty. Eight of the aircraft are to be delivered to Flight Options in 2011 following FAA certification of the upgraded Beechjet.
New approaches to lending have created an interesting financing dichotomy that could potentially affect every used business jet buyer, says general aviation analyst Brian Foley. During a recent interview with BCA sister publication The Weekly of Business Aviation, Foley said, “On the one hand, with 2009’s credit crisis now abated, banks are back in the game and ready to lend — or so they say. On the other hand, pre-owned aircraft brokers complain their client’s loans are often not approved. Why?”
Jet Support Services introduced two new engine programs and a new coverage enhancement to meet the growing maintenance and service requirements of its clients. The Platinum Engine Maintenance Program is designed specifically for owners and operators of large-cabin aircraft. The new program covers Rolls-Royce BR710, Tay 611-8, 611-8C and AE3007A1E engines, as well as GE-CF34-1A, 3A, 3A1, 3A2, 3B and 10E7 engines.
Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACFT), Alexandria, Va., announced that William F. Haberstock, president and CEO of Million Air Aviation, was elected vice chairman for 2011. John Grillo, president of Executive Fliteways, was selected as the new treasurer. Aircraft Technical Publishers (ATP), Brisbane, Calif., has selected William Mermelstein as the company’s new vice president of sales and marketing for compliance and safety solutions.
Who at BCA determined its readers would be interested in a story on animal cruelty simply because the abuser holds a pilot license (“A Different Kind of Ag-Cat,” October 2010, page 100)? As a reader of BCA since its inception, I was shocked that you would publish such drivel. I’ll be even more shocked if this gets published.
The 2,000th Beechcraft King Air C90 rolled out in Wichita, Hawker Beechcraft announced Nov. 11. The milestone aircraft, a King Air C90GTx, represents the latest iteration of this most successful turbine aircraft lineup in general aviation today, according to the company. It is scheduled for customer delivery later this year. The King Air 90 series entered service more than 45 years ago. The C90 represents a significant portion of King Air production, which totals more than 6,500 model 90, A90, B90 and C90 aircraft.
General aviation airplane shipments fell 14.5%, from 1,588 units in 2009 to 1,357 units in the first nine months of this year. 2010, GAMA reported. Billings for general aviation airplanes totaled $13.47 billion in the first nine months, down 2.5%. “Despite another drop in total shipments and billings, we believe that the longer-term outlook for general aviation is positive,” said Pete Bunce, GAMA’s president and CEO. Piston-powered airplane shipments totaled 634 units compared to 679 units delivered in the first nine months of 2009, a 6.6% decrease.
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor given by the United States. Eligibility is limited to those who by “gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States” distinguish themselves in heroic fashion. Bruce Whitman had served in the U.S. Air Force, but when a friend asked him to serve on the Medal of Honor Foundation, Whitman told him he didn’t consider himself qualified.
Cold and wet winter weather is in the Northern Hemisphere again. And with it comes the most insidious and potentially hazardous icing conditions of the year, if aircraft accident statistics are an accurate indicator. Cold Weather Operations is the third in BCA’s Safety and Ops series, and contains information and resources that will help you fly safely in the coming months. Link to it through www.AviationWeek.com.
Flying magazine promoted Executive Editor Robert Goyer to editor-in-chief, replacing Michael Maya Charles. Goyer joined the magazine in 1994 as associate editor and has helped transition the magazine to evolving digital platforms, magazine executives said. He is a commercial, multiengine and instrument-rated pilot. In June, Charles replaced longtime former editor J. Mac McClellan. Charles is expected to pursue his interests as an aviation writer and photographer.
AOPA fears proposed European pilot certification requirements would harm the U.S. flight training and manufacturing sectors, as well as raise trade barriers, by not accepting third-country pilot credentials. The European Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing on the flight crew licensing rules as we go to press, and subsequently vote on the packages. Under the new rules, pilots that complete flight training in the U.S.
George Tsopeis (Vice President, Aviation Services)
I really enjoyed Fred George’s blog on the Super Global (www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/business_aviation). I read all his pieces religiously in BCA and respect his position as business aviation’s oracle.
Bell Helicopter sold 32 units at the 2010 Air Medical Transport Conference including one new EMS-configured 429 to Mercy Flight of New York. In a teleconference Oct. 12 from AMTC, Bell Helicopter Textron’s Larry D. Roberts, senior vice president for commercial business, said, “[Mercy Flight is] looking to replace its current fleet, so we expect two more orders will be coming soon.” Delivery of the first unit is expected before the end of 2011. In addition, the company announced contracts for 15 Bell 407s to Air Methods and 16 of its 206L4s, signed Oct. 11, to Air Evac.
