European air traffic management authorities are in the final stages of adopting the FAA policy on operating airliners in the vicinity of volcanic ash clouds, which could ease excessive airspace restrictions that have hobbled air travel in Europe since the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano on April 14. The EASA has been holding talks with the FAA, Transport Canada, other national authorities and aircraft operators “to achieve a breakthrough” in easing air traffic operations, an EASA official says.
Dassault Falcon delivered the first of four Falcon 7X tri-jets to Saudia Private Aviation (SPA), the business aviation unit of Saudi Arabian Airlines May 4, marking the first Falcon 7X delivery in Saudi Arabia. Two more aircraft are scheduled for delivery to SPA later this year and the final aircraft will come in 2011. SPA will use the Falcon 7X for VIP charter flights within the Middle East and around the world.
Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer’s executive vice president of executive jets, said at EBACE that he expects the firm’s market share to increase by 20 percent this year, even though total annual sales of new business jets will shrink from $17 billion in 2009 to about $14 billion in 2010. The growth primarily comes from increased production of the Phenom 100 and 300, of which Embraer expects to deliver a total of 120 this year. “We’re slowing ramping-up production of the Phenom 300. You can expect to see an important increase in the second semester this year,” Affonso said.
Nicole D. Alexander (Public Relations Representative )
In response to “Project Analysis: Hawker 4000” (April 2010, page 50), I wanted to clarify the information on its three-place divan. With a divan, the Hawker 4000 is a 10-place aircraft; three on the divan and one on the lav (if so fitted). The limitations section from the 401-590001-0035, rev 6 AFM shows 10 passengers in this configuration. The weight and balance manual shows that all three divan seats are belted and approved for taxi, takeoff, en route and landing.
Five additional simulators for Bombardier business jets will be, or are planned to be, available for training in Europe, the United States and the Middle East by early 2011. Bombardier purchased a new, CAE-built Challenger 605 full-flight simulator for its own use. Under Bombardier’s 20-year Authorized Training Provider agreement with CAE, the first full-flight simulator in Europe for Learjet 40, Learjet 40 XR, Learjet 45 and Learjet 45 XR aircraft was qualified for training in April at the CAE Burgess Hill Training Centre in the United Kingdom.
The major drawback in mixing UAVs with conventional aircraft today is the former’s questionable ability to see and avoid conflicting traffic, unionized air traffic controllers maintain.
Despite excitement and hype surrounding EBACE 2010 in Geneva, the BCA Show News staff didn’t lose sight of the global picture, reporting at the show that China’s business jet fleet is expected to grow to 300 aircraft by the end of 2011, driven by growing enthusiasm from the Chinese nouveau-riche. The China Daily newspaper stated recently that Luxury Asia Ltd. sold 15 business jets into China in 2009 and aims to sell 20 more this year.
Name Withheld (For Obvious Reasons) (Public Relations Representative )
Thanks for the great Viewpoint on DCA in the May issue (“Destination DCA, Again,” page 11). Using your bully pulpit to keep DCA in the forefront of the business aviation community’s collective conscience is a great thing. And yes, you are correct, this is not about the TSA or FAA — it’s about what the Secret Service wants. I respect their work but disagree with the blanket restrictions placed on business aircraft.
Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) is offering a major upgrade program for the popular Hawker 800XP. The so-called Hawker 800XPR package offers substantial performance improvements by replacing the aircraft’s original engines with new Honeywell TFE731-50R powerplants. Also, the twinjet’s aerodynamics will be improved through the addition of company-designed winglets. Certification of the 800XPR, which will be available exclusively through factory-owned HBS facilities, is expected later this year.
“This year is EBACE’s 10th anniversary and I wish we could celebrate this important milestone in a more positive industry environment,” lamented Charles Edelstenne, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. He noted that Dassault, like other business jet manufacturers, benefited from a “buying frenzy” from 2005 to 2008 during which it racked up 600 orders — double the number of previous all-time-best years. This situation was not sustainable.
Sikorsky Global Helicopters has introduced its first aircraft with a new state-of-the-art Emergency Medical Services interior. Sikorsky Global Helicopters is the commercial business operation of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. Sikorsky’s Engineering Division in Coatesville, Pa., teamed with Air Methods and started work on the project in May 2009.
ATA, the trade organization of the large U.S. airlines, May 10 issued a statement in response to the National Mediation Board (NMB) issuance of a voting rule change for union representation, “We continue to believe the National Mediation Board does not have legal authority to implement this rule, one that undoubtedly will lead to more labor discord. It is quite clear to us that the NMB was determined to proceed despite the proposed rule’s substantive and procedural flaws, leaving us no choice but to seek judicial review.”
FlightSafety International will build a Training Center in Wichita, Kan., dedicated to support the new MX Advantage maintenance training program developed in conjunction with Cessna. The 65,000-square-foot Maintenance Training Center will be located adjacent to Cessna’s facility. Construction is scheduled to begin this year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.
Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF), Alexandria, Va., announced the selection of John Grillo, president of Executive Fliteway, and Jim Segrave, president of Segrave Aviation Inc., to the ACSF Executive Committee.
CAE announced a contract with corporate jet operator Hangar8 for pilot training services on eight aircraft models: Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier Challenger, Cessna Citation, Dassault Falcon and Embraer. The Hawker training will be conducted at Emirates-CAE Flight Training (ECFT) in Dubai, UAE; training on other aircraft types will occur at Burgess Hill, U.K., near London and CAE SimuFlite in Dallas.
On Aug. 1, 1999, a 1968 Cherokee Six crashed shortly after takeoff from an airport in Ohio, killing the pilot and three passengers and seriously injuring a fourth passenger. The NTSB version of the crash is straightforward. The airplane had landed to refuel and once its main tanks were filled, the five people got back on board. After takeoff, the Piper appeared to have a hard time climbing out and was “hanging on the prop.”
London Oxford Airport increased its visiting jet movements, year on year by 31.6 percent and saw its overall business aviation movements increase 12 percent from April 2009 to March 2010. Jet fuel sales at its oxfordjet business aviation facility during the period were up 47 percent. The airport is now handling an average of 20 business aircraft movements a day. “This will equate to approximately 6,000 business aviation movements a year, assuming continuation of the current rate — an achievement we are very pleased with,” commented Managing Director Steve Jones.
Early in my aviation career I was eager for adventure. So, after six weeks of battling bugs and weeds with an AGtruck out of Hardistry, Alberta, I headed north — way, way north to Yellowknife, in Canada's Northwest Territories. For those unfamiliar with the geography, Yellowknife is a town of 20,000 hearty souls planted beside icy Great Slave Lake in the wide-open plains 1,000 nm east and 1,000 nm north of Anchorage, Alaska, and Grand Forks, N.D., respectively. It's pretty much the last paved place south of the Arctic Circle.
Hawker Beechcraft Corp. has launched the Select Pre-Owned Program, which is designed to limit the cost of operation for buyers of qualifying used turbine-powered aircraft during the first year or initial 150 hours of service. The Select Pre-Owned Program covers all scheduled and unscheduled airframe, engine and avionics maintenance, including parts and labor. The plan also includes initial flight-crew training at FlightSafety International, as well as the first-year subscription to the computerized maintenance-tracking program.
Are airplane pilots destined for the same fate as flight navigators and engineers? Will they be replaced by lines of code, electrons and data-linked commands from faceless controllers beyond the horizon? However unlikely that scenario, the trend is worth noting. As is being demonstrated daily in thousands of operations around the world, the black boxes on a growing number of aircraft are so “smart,” they obviate the need to have a human operator on board to complete a given mission.
T he Phenom 100, Embraer’s first purpose-built business aircraft, is winning strong endorsements from operators, in spite of experiencing its share of entry-into-service snags. Operators laud its ramp presence, cabin comfort, baggage capacity, fuel efficiency and cockpit layout. They appreciate its modern, clean-sheet design, jetliner DNA, 12-month/600-hour maintenance intervals and its low price tag.
Many of us remember how difficult it was to get that first job. With the ink still wet on our A&P license, we thought we had a magic ticket to a good paying job. Unfortunately, while your license got you in the door, experience was what every employer wanted, even if you had a military background. Almost every employer wants civil aircraft experience on its particular model.
Regarding “A Medevac Ends in Disaster” (Cause & Circumstance, May 2010, page 79), I have a theory that most helicopter pilots received their basic training in the U.S. Army or one of the military flight schools. In those schools the mindset is “the mission, the mission, the mission.” At their age, they are “going to live forever” and the mission — that is, to deliver the weapon, rescue the wounded, deliver the freight under fire, etc. — must be accomplished at all costs.
While the most recent of the studies cited in “Double Standards” is several years old, the problems delineated continue to this very moment. We have received credible reports about federal public aircraft being routinely operated past mandatory inspection and overhaul limits; outside weight, altitude and temperature limitations; into known icing condition without anti-ice or de-icing equipment; and being fitted with non-approved transparencies and automotive-grade ball bearings in prop governors.
Russia’s Avia Group is about to start construction on a new business aviation terminal at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO). The 2,700 square-meter facility, dubbed Terminal A, is expected to open within the next 12 months.
