It’s ironic that 25 years ago BCA editor Arnold Lewis called a young corporate pilot — me — in his first corporate gig for an article on flight department budgets. I went back and read the article in the August 1984 issue and was amazed at how uninformed I really was.
Pilatus Aviation, to ride out the downturn in business aviation and avoid layoffs, decided, beginning in September, to cut work hours at its Stans, Switzerland, facility and scale back PC-12 output. The decision cut across the company and resulted in a 15-percent workforce reduction, affecting 350 employees. The move has become necessary because of the rate of cancellations for the PC-12NG as well as a lack of orders for training aircraft, the company said. CEO Oscar J. Schwenk says he sees the measure as a short-term step.
The Phenom 300 is fitted with two 3,360-pound-thrust, FADEC-equipped PW535E engines that provide competitive takeoff field performance and the capability to climb directly to FL 450 at MTOW. The engine is a close relative of the PW535 fitted to the Citation Encore/Encore+, so it has been well proven in line service.
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?”
Frasca International is the first to achieve FAA Level 7 qualification of a flight training device (FTD), the company announced in September. The AS 350B2 FTD is installed at FlightSafety’s Helicopter Learning Center in Tucson. Level 7, which is essentially equivalent to Level D full flight simulator certification, is the highest level of qualification for FTDs.
As NASA prepares to shut down and raze wind tunnels used to test aircraft and space capsules for nearly eight decades, some are questioning whether the space agency is abdicating its role in the development of aeronautics, according to Aviation eBrief. The pending demolition is the latest in a series at Langley Research Center, Va., one of three NASA facilities with wind tunnels. At its height, notes the Hampton, Va. Daily Press, Langley had more than 50.
“If we knew what we were doing, we wouldn’t call it research, would we?” — Albert Einstein Vicki Cox, senior vice president and supervisor of the FAA’s NextGen program, likes to cite the iconic physicist’s famous quote when discussing the challenges implicit in bringing her agency’s ambitious ATC automation plan to reality.
Sierra Industries (Uvalde, Texas) — Cecil Sloan, a 30-year industry veteran, has joined the sales and marketing staff of this company, which specializes in Citation performance-enhancing modifications. Sloan is a maintenance technician with marketing and customer service expertise developed while at Duncan Aviation, West Star Aviation and Garrett Aviation Services.
When times are rough, some run for the hills, while others see opportunity. Though the current state of the economy seems like 50-grit sandpaper, the bright side of the current downturn is that we are in a buyer’s market for aircraft. Flight departments that are looking to acquire an aircraft have a perfect window of opportunity. Perhaps it is time to try a different type — more cabin, range and speed, or cockpit glass? Although some new aircraft have seen a price reduction, the real bargains are for used aircraft.
Blackhawk Modifications revealed its engine retrofit for the Grand Caravan at this year’s Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture. The upgrade includes an 850-shp, 3,600-hour TBO Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A engine and new 100-inch four-blade Hartzell propeller. Blackhawk says the $550,000 XP42A upgrade kit will increase climb rate by 73 percent and enable the aircraft to cruise at 198 KTAS with a cargo pod installed. The kit also includes twin Frakes exhaust stacks, a new carbon composite cowling and Shading DigiLog engine gauges.
Sales figures developed by AMSTAT and distributed by the National Aircraft Resale Association indicate that the market for previously owned, turbine-powered business airplanes improved during the second quarter, raising hopes that the industry has already experienced the worst of the current downturn.
A misplaced decimal was the cause of a number of errors on page 65 of the 2009 Operations Planning Guide On the 300-nm mission costs for the Piaggio Avanti II the 0+53 Flight Time was mistakenly converted to 8.833 hours, not the correct 0.8833 hours. This error caused a tenfold error in the Direct Cost and the Per-Mile Cost. The Direct Cost should have been $630.49 and the Per-Mile Cost should have been $2.10
The FAA has ordered four King Air C90GTi turboprops, with an option for two more, to support its Flight Standards Flight Program. Deliveries will take place over the next two years. The Flight Standards Flight Program provides proficiency and currency flights for more than 600 Aviation Safety Operations Inspectors (ASIs). Flight Standards aircraft can also be pressed into service to support disaster relief operations and emergency response operations within the FAA.
Steve Zeller (PresidentSouthbrook Technologies, Inc.Alpharetta, GA)
Keep hammering on your message in the July Viewpoint (“A Matter of Perception,” page 9). Our industry has done a generally lousy job of selling business flying, even dating back to my old days at Garrett AirResearch. The main reason we build and fly these airplanes is to make money and we best not let anyone forget it.
Hawker Beechcraft will replace its King Air C90GTi turboprop twin with the C90GTx in early 2010, the company announced at the EAA AirVenture. The new C90GTx has nearly double the payload with full fuel — 737 pounds vs. 385 pounds on the GTi — carrying four passengers over 1,000 miles with IFR reserves — 200 nm more than the GTi.
The Dassault Falcon 7X has been FAA approved for steep approaches with glide paths up to six degrees, allowing U.S.-based Falcon 7X operators to fly into London City Airport (LCY) and Lugano Switzerland (LUG) as well as other airports requiring approach slopes steeper than three degrees. Dassault notes that with its 5,950-nm range, the Falcon 7X can fly from New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, São Paulo, Cape Town or Tokyo nonstop, landing on LCY’s 4,327-foot runway with eight passengers and NBAA IFR fuel reserves.
William Baldwin knows how and when to compromise. As a kid who grew up riding motorcycles and competing in motocross, the 46-year-old director of aviation for Bedford, Mass. investment firm J. W Childs Associates found that when he began his career he had less and less time for his bikes.
The city of São Jose dos Campos in Brazil will be the site of a new service center for Embraer. The 19,380-square-foot center (17,440 square feet for aircraft and 1,940 square feet for administration) will be located at the company’s headquarters and offer Embraer executive jet owners a dedicated maintenance facility. Embraer will offer scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for Phenom and Legacy aircraft as well as remote assistance for aircraft that cannot go to the center.
Cessna Aircraft, Wichita, has named Brad Thress vice president, customer service, reporting to Mark Paolucci, senior vice president, customer service. Tracy Robinson was appointed vice president, quality and is responsible for directing all quality programs at Cessna.
