Wayfarer Aviation had a near death experience in June, signing a letter of intent to sell the assets of the charter and management company to Arcadia Aviation on the very day they were scheduled to shut down. Wayfarer management alerted clients on June 8 that they would have to close their doors June 11 if they could not find a buyer. The agreement with Arcadia, a New York-based aircraft charter and management firm includes bridge financing to permit the company to remain operating in the interim.
Bombardier’s Flexjet fractional ownership operation remained profitable in the first quarter, says Bombardier President and CEO Pierre Beaudoin. He believes operating a simpler fleet has helped Flexjet, adding that the unit can be more efficient than mixed-fleet competitors. At the same time, Beaudoin says the company is seeing increases in fractional and jet card sales.
A third ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650 has joined the flight test program for the company’s new flagship model, accumulating 10 hours of flight time as of June 3, Gulfstream announced. This test aircraft is thoroughly instrumented to measure aerodynamic loads and ice-protection system performance. The aircraft is the primary test bed for the G650’s avionics, including the latest version of Gulfstream’s PlaneView cockpit and a new technology advanced backup instrument display that doubles as a multifunction control panel.
Attempting to divine the future price of fuel is like trying to outguess the stock market. You can lose your shirt in the bargain. Some airlines practice fuel hedging by contracting to pay a future price in an effort to lock in fuel cost for financial planning purposes. Southwest Airlines has been most open about the practice, which has been widely reported.
Air Transport Association President Jim May said new FAA rules requiring the installation and use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance — Broadcast (ADS-B) equipment and the considerable expense that the requirements would impose on carriers “must be based on a solid business case.” The regulation calls for operators to upgrade to ADS-B on all aircraft flying in A, B and C airspace and above 10,000 feet within 10 years.
“Wanna Trade” (June 2010, page 41) and “The Future is (Almost) Here” (page 63) were interesting articles about managing aviation greenhouse gas emissions. The latter, on NextGen, talked about potentially saving 50 to 60 gallons of fuel and as much as 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide per arrival. Burning Jet-A produces lots of byproducts (heat, water vapor, CO, CO2, etc.). Exactly what is produced and in what percentages depends on the efficiency of the engines.
Bombardier Aerospace has received an STC, in conjunction with Honeywell, to install Primus Elite DU-875 Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) upgrades in Global 5000, Global Express and Global Express XRS aircraft.
On April 26, the FAA issued an Information for Operators (InFO 10003) advisory which stresses that use of personal electronic devices (PEDs) for activities unrelated to flight duties constitutes a safety risk.
The deadly loss-of-control accident of a Colgan Air Bombardier DHC-8-400 on Feb. 12, 2009, during a night instrument approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport again makes it clear that cockpit distractions during critical phases of flight represent a substantial risk to aviation safety. Both pilots, two flight attendants, 45 passengers and one person on the ground were killed when the Continental Connections Flight 3407 slammed into a residential neighborhood five miles short of the airport.
Concerned about a recent spate of incidents in which airline pilots failed to activate the Pilot Controlled Lighting (PCL) systems at uncontrolled airports, the FAA has issued SAFO 10008, which recommends that manuals and training programs be reviewed for clarity regarding PCLs. The agency says flight crews need to demonstrate knowledge and proficiency during training and checking events in the use of the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) and PCL systems. Although aimed at airlines, the SAFO also applies to general aviation operations.
Hard on the heels of Delta Air Lines’ launch of its airline-to-jet Delta AirElite fusion, British Airways and CitationAir in mid-July announced PrivateConnect, a new service enabling BA customers to fly on a private jet to begin a journey or to complete one. For a simple per-hour rate, customers have access to CitationAir’s entire fleet, which numbers around 80 aircraft. The service is available to BA’s Executive Club, to those who have flown BA within the previous year and to holders of corporate accounts.
Hawker Beechcraft has developed a new maintenance and training program for its used turbine aircraft customers covering the first year or 150 operating hours after purchase. The Hawker Beechcraft Select Pre-Owned Program covers all scheduled and unscheduled airframe, engine and avionics maintenance as well as initial flight-crew training at FlightSafety International and a first-year subscription to a computerized maintenance tracking program.
Garmin Ltd. received approval June 4 from the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands to change the place of incorporation of its group holding company from the Cayman Islands to Switzerland. Garmin expected to complete the transaction prior to the opening of the NASDAQ market on June 28. Its shares will be listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “GRMN,” its current trading symbol.
Women in Aviation, International received a bequest of approximately $203,000 from the estate of Arlene Elliott, who passed away in January. This is the single, largest bequest ever received by WAI. With her husband, Herb, Arlene Elliott founded Elliott Aviation in 1936, which today has more than 250 employees in seven states. Mrs. Elliott was inducted into WAI’s Pioneer Hall of Fame in 1999.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. received Type Certificate Validation from the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority for the Gulfstream G550 and G500, the company announced June 9. The approvals allow operators to register the business jets in the Emirates. The two aircraft join the large-cabin, long-range G450, which was approved for UAE certification in March 2008.
The FAA is disbanding the RTCA ATM Advisory Committee (ATMAC) as the first step to forming a new panel that will represent a broader cross section of the industry. The agency sent a letter to the RTCA on May 28, requesting that the ATMAC be wound up with its June 3 meeting to be its last.
Brian Delauter, head of the TSA’s General Aviation branch, said TSA leaders plan to meet with stakeholders to discuss possibilities for changing the security procedures into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to make it more accessible to business aviation operators. Speaking at the NATA’s Air Charter Summit June 9, Delauter acknowledged that the current security plan — the DCA Access Standard Security Program (DASSP) — is too onerous for most operators to practically use DCA. “I have an open goal of increasing flights into DCA,” he says.
According to a NASA study, distractions and interruptions while taxiing to the active are legion and have caused numerous flight crews to improperly configure their aircraft for takeoff. The study demonstrates that these events are more frequent than previously thought, because often the flight crews recover before something terrible happens. Consider the following:
The Lancair ES-P is a four-passenger homebuilt aircraft with some differences: To begin with, it’s pressurized. And its 350-hp Teledyne Continental TSIO-550 with twin turbochargers provides a true cruise airspeed of about 270 knots. No, that’s not a typo. It does 270 knots — that’s King Air speed from a little airplane with fixed gear. And Jay Taylor is building one.
I am disappointed with Patrick Veillette’s “Double Standard” (June 2010, page 53), a misleading article about public safety operations, which is more remarkable by what it does not say than what it does. It is noteworthy that most of the data the author cites are 10 to more than 20 years old, and create a false picture of the current state of public safety aviation. From January 1999 through December 2008, law enforcement helicopter accidents went down by 80 percent.
ExxonMobil Aviation has expanded its Avitat network as Chevron Texaco contracts its branded avfuel business. Five new Jet Aviation Avitats are located in Dubai, UAE; Dusseldorf, Germany; Geneva; London Biggin Hill; and Zurich. Jet Aviation currently operates four FBOs under the ExxonMobil Aviation Avitat brand in North America at Bedford, Mass.; Dallas; Palm Beach, Fla.; and Teterboro, N.J. The addition of the Jet Aviation FBOs increases the Avitat network to nearly 50 locations worldwide.
The Iridium 9555 satellite handset has a new firmware release that allows users to plug in to a computer running Windows XP, Vista and 7 or Mac OS 10.4 or later. The handset connects to the computer through a standard Mini-USB cable. The phone also has “enhanced” short-message-service (SMS, or “texting”) performance, providing up to 1,000 characters in length instead of 160. As with all Iridium satellite service coverage is 100 percent of the globe.
