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.
False Replies Unsynchronized with Interrogator Transmission (FRUIT), a by-product of 1090 MHz frequency congestion, now is a small problem, but in the next decade ADS-B will increase potential FRUIT by several orders of magnitude because of its heavy reliance on 1090ES Mode S data links. One of the prime causes is the growing number of aircraft equipped with TCAS, a system that shares the same frequency as transponders and SSRs. Some TSO-C74c Mode A/C transponders also contribute to the problem because of detuned sensitivity.
This December, if the planets align properly and the members of the ASTM International concur, it will become legal to operate a business jet on a blend of conventional Jet-A and low-emissions biofuels refined from weeds, soybeans, tallow or algae.
Managers from the former Spirit Aviation have joined with Michael Binder of Altitude Aviation to launch Dreamline Aviation, which won its FAR Part 135 charter certification June 10. The company, headquartered in Hermosa Beach, Calif., will operate aircraft from bases in Van Nuys, Santa Ana and the Bay Area. Mark Schmaltz, the company’s president and CEO, is the founder and former president of Spirit Aviation.
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.
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.
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.
I want to compliment you on a super Viewpoint (“Studebaker Time,” June 2010, page 11). Having already collected a few years of Social Security and having traveled at Mach 2.5, I can only imagine that your comments may have ruffled a few of the feathers in the “spin doctor” community. If BP can spend $50 million on PR, maybe the Gulfstream engineers should be trying to design a stealth business aircraft so no one could tell who made the big boom. Keep those cogent editorials coming.
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.
Viking Air is building a network of strategic partnerships with industry specialists to provide factory-certified service and warranty repairs on items such as main and nose landing gear and rotable components. Team JAS of Jacksonville, Fla., and Universal Avionique Inc. of Miami are the first factory-endorsed component centers for its Twin Otter Series 400 and legacy de Havilland Canada aircraft support network.
Jeppesen Flight Tracking now allows viewing of aircraft position reports with JetPlan.com and JetPlanner applications. As aircraft position data are gathered from several “global sources,” the new capability provides worldwide IFR flight tracking for business as well as airline and military aviation.
A new fuel specification or amendment to an existing one begins with a comprehensive research report submitted as an argument for consideration to members of ASTM International (formerly, the American Society for Testing and Materials), who subsequently vote for or against its inclusion in the appropriate spec. The ASTM technical body reviews the research report to determine if it is technically sound and provides reasonable substantiation for the approval of the fuel under consideration.
The FAA opened a NextGen Integration and Evaluation Capability (NIEC) display facility at its William J. Hughes Technical Center at Atlantic City International Airport, June 7. The NIEC is a research platform where scientists will use simulation to explore, integrate and evaluate NextGen concepts, including area navigation (RNAV), trajectory-based operations, flying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace system, and more.
AOPA President Craig Fuller announced May 24 the intention to merge the association’s two 501(c)(3) charitable organizations — the AOPA Foundation and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation — into a single entity known as the AOPA Foundation. Bruce Landsberg, present president of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation, will lead the new AOPA Foundation as president.
EAA’s gathering, July 26 through August 1 in Oshkosh, Wis., is expected to reflect an improving economy, drawing more than a half million attendees, 10,000 airplanes and 700+ exhibitors, association spokesman Dick Knapinski said. Show goers will see permanent improvements at the AirVenture site: more paved roads, new bike paths and expanded facilities in the warbirds area, sponsored by Scott’s Miracle Grow.
Hawker Beechcraft appointed Metrojet Hong Kong as an authorized service center in late May to support Hawker 900/800/700 business jets in China and the Pacific Rim. Founded in 1995, Metrojet provides engine and airframe service, avionics line maintenance, routine inspections, interior and exterior cleaning and detailing, and scheduled base inspections. Metrojet operates a 24/7 AOG hotline and has a staff of more than 90 maintenance professionals. Metrojet is a certified repair station with approvals from the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department and the FAA.
Signature Flight Support and Aviapartner Executive have opened an FBO facility in a new general aviation terminal at Nice Cote d’Azur Airport in France. The facility includes a VIP lounge, a pilots’ lounge with entertainment systems and flat-screen televisions, WSI weather and business center services. Signature and Aviapartner provide ground handling, flight planning, crew accommodations coordination, crew transportation and catering services. Customs and immigration services also are housed in the general aviation terminal.
No organic fuel discovered so far is as “dense” with hydrocarbons as petroleum, which is why it has represented the fuel of choice in internal combustion engines for more than a century. While biofuels come close to replicating the characteristics of petroleum, the one area where they fall short is density.
On the European front, London Executive Aviation CEO Patrick Margetson-Rushmore says he’s optimistic that European business aviation traffic will continue to increase this year. “For us, the year is going well so far. One glance at our order book shows that the European business aviation industry is beginning to recover,” he notes. “We’re realistic, of course. The industry recovery will be gradual rather than dramatic.”
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.
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.
At press time, Blackhawk Modifications’ Cessna Caravan engine upgrade was in the final stages of flight testing, and officials at the Waco, Texas, re-engining specialist were anticipating basic FAA certification of the single-engine turboprop modification by the end this month. EASA approval was expected by the end of September. The upgrade, which involves replacing the existing 675-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A with an 850-shp PT6A-42A, will offer the following benefits:
