Peter Smales, a former executive director of group sales and managing director (Europe) for ExecuJet, has returned to the United Kingdom to head a new business sales and services company, Indigo Lyon, which is headquartered in Windsor, Berkshire, England. The privately owned, limited liability company will specialize in international sales of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and also be involved in spare parts brokerage, consultancy, program planning and execution management.
There has been some confusion among international operators lately concerning slot restrictions at Beijing Capital International Airport (ZBAA). Matt Pahl, assistant manager of operations for Air Routing International at Houston, cleared it up. “Earlier this year, [the CAAC] told the business aviation community that they could not support continuous operations through the day. Consequently, they have no general aviation slots available between 1100 and 1700 local, and you can obtain only one slot between 0800 and 1100, and 1700 and 2200.
There is little question that airframe icing in its various forms has led to countless accidents over the hundred or so years pilots have dealt with it, yet we probably know less about predicting and dealing with icing than with any other weather phenomenon. Therefore it demands serious operational attention.
College Park (Md.) Airport, the country’s oldest continually running airport, turns 100 on Oct. 8. The airport was created in 1909 when the Wright brothers, who had been contracted to provide training for U.S. Army officers to fly their military flyer, selected as their training field a site near College Park, home of the Maryland Agricultural College, now the University of Maryland, in College Park.
The Phenom 300’s flight deck continues Embraer’s philosophy of reducing workload by automating systems and slashing the size of checklists. Much the same as does the Phenom 100, the Phenom 300 reflects Embraer’s experience in designing airliners for a broad range of pilot experience levels. Less is more in this cockpit. Dedicated controls are installed for frequently operated systems, such as engines and airframe systems. Occasionally operated systems, such as weather radar and TCAS, have software-driven interfaces accessible through the MFD.
But there are notable differences between the Chinese and Western systems and some weak points operators need to know before heading to the PRC. “First,” Kuehnl pointed out, “they operate in metric. In terms of altimetry, usually everything is QNH at the big places, but they will default to QFE at the more remote locations. It should be standardized, as it would make life easier, since you would know what to expect. In terms of flight planning, they like you to follow airways; there are very few direct routings.
Comtran International, Inc., the Texas-based aviation company known best for its Boeing MD-80 hush kits and head-of-state aircraft completions, has received European Aviation Safety Agency certification of its Revolution Series 328, a 12-passenger VIP conversion of the Dornier 328JET. This approval will enable Comtran to sell the aircraft to operators in Europe and other regions where EASA certification is required.
Cessna has set up a new Internet site to guide operators of Citations with a takeoff weight of more than 12,566 pounds (5,700 kg) who plan to regularly fly in the European Union through the process of registering their aircraft with the EU’s aviation Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The scheme requires emission reporting in 2010 and mandatory use in 2012 of carbon allocations for all flights in EU airspace.
What does “current” mean when you are dealing with aircraft maintenance? There’s more than one definition, since the correct response depends on whether you are maintaining an aircraft under FAR Part 91, 121 or 135.
The FAA has published its NPRM amending Part 23 jet certification standards. In a nutshell, since Part 23 was written around light piston-powered aircraft, every jet certified under current Part 23 standards has required time-consuming exemptions, special certification conditions and “equivalent level of safety” findings. The FAA has put up with the situation for decades, due to the low rate of new jet certifications. But the recent high volume of jet certifications associated with with the advent of VLJs, entry level jets, light jets, etc.
Rotor-Lift Aviation of Tasmania, Australia, has purchased two helicopter flight simulators from Carlsbad, Calif.-based FLYIT Simulators. They will be installed in a mobile self-contained trailer/classroom. One is a FLYIT Professional Helicopter Simulator with six flight model capability. The other is a custom model AS355 Twin Star (also Twin Squirrel) with a full-function autopilot and dual Garmin 430Ws.
General Dynamics, Savannah, Ga., named Richard McMillion general manager of the General Dymanics Aviation Services facility at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, replacing Brian Waymire, who has returned to Gulfstream headquarters in Savannah.
The third quarter edition of Vref’s Market Leader newsletter, which noted that sales activity is up marginally in nearly every segment of the pre-owned aircraft market, asked, “Can the worst recession in history be fading in less than a year?”
Denver International Airport (DIA) is jumping on the green bandwagon with a plan to build a solar electricity system to power its fuel farm. The airport is asking the Denver City Council for approval to build the $7 million photovoltaic project. The system would sit on nine acres north of the airfield and would generate 1.6 megawatts of power, enough to provide 100 percent of the airport’s fuel farm electricity consumption.
AgustaWestland and UI International have been awarded a contract to supply the Korea National Police Agency with an eight-seat, single-engine AW119Ke enhanced Koala law enforcement helicopter.
The advisory commission for Scottsdale Airport has recommended that the facility adjust its business plan to increase the aircraft weight limit from 75,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds to support its long-term growth.
The NTSB Bar Association in Washington, D.C., has established the Joseph T. Nall Award to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to aviation and transportation safety. The first award will be presented at the group’s annual meeting in Washington, Nov. 12. The award is named after Joseph Nall, a member of the NTSB from 1986 through 1989 when he died in an aircraft accident in Caracas on official NTSB business. See NTSBbar.org.
TWC Aviation, Inc. celebrated the one-year anniversary of its move to California’s Van Nuys Airport (VNY) after outgrowing its previous headquarters at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. Since the August 2008 move, TWC (www.twcaviation.com) has added nine aircraft to its FAA Air Carrier Certificate, including a Gulfstream G550.
When Richard Santulli invented the concept of fractional ownership in 1986, he created the company we know today as NetJets. Member-owners hold title to part of an airplane, one-eighth, say, entitling them to use an airplane that’s shared with seven other people. Santulli has since stepped down as CEO of the company, but the concept of expanded utilization of resources is firmly established.
Aviation activity has contributed $5.4 billion to Iowa’s economy and supports an estimated 47,304 jobs with a payroll of $2.7 billion, according to a new report from the state DOT. The report said, “From analysis completed in this study, it is estimated that roughly 12 percent of the state’s jobs, annual payroll and gross state products are in some way linked to aviation.” Air transportation plays a crucial role in Iowa’s tourism, emergency services, agriculture and public safety, the report said.
