Hawker Beechcraft Services announced that a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) solution will be available this summer for all Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21-equipped Hawker 800XP aircraft. The upgrade is a cooperative effort between Rockwell Collins and Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC). HBC’s factory-owned aircraft service centers are now taking pre-orders and pre-scheduling aircraft for the installation.
Used business jet inventories continue to show signs of stabilization, according to the latest reports from two analysts. Inventories tracked by UBS dropped 2 percent in June after sequential increases in each of the prior 18 months; meanwhile, J.P. Morgan found inventory relatively flat. But both analysts continue to point to troubling indicators. “Despite the decline this time, available inventories are still 48 percent higher from the prior year and represent 17 percent of the installed base,” UBS said. J.P.
New Zealand-based aircraft tracking company spidertracks has launched spiderwatch, a flight following component that actively watches over every flight. The company is positioning the system as an alternative to ELTs. Spiderwatch is automatically turned on when the aircraft accelerates through 40 knots. This tells the system to “actively monitor the flight. If the spider tracking device loses power, the system loses contact with the spider, triggering text and e-mail alerts to be automatically sent to recipients designated by the user.
Honeywell’s Avionics Protection Plan offers the following: full coverage exchange and/or repair service for Honeywell-installed equipment that fails to perform under normal use and service. Customers can receive an exchange through the Exchange/ Rental Program or repair of any product by Honeywell or an authorized dealer. No-charge loaners are available while a unit is under repair at one of Honeywell’s Worldwide Support Centers. Normal air freight shipping costs both ways within North America or internationally, within the country of origin, are covered.
Proposed Rules Bombardier CL-601, CL-601-3A, CL-601-3R and CL-604 airplanes — Revise the “Airworthiness Limitations” section of the “Instructions for Continued Airworthiness” to incorporate new repetitive functional tests of the engine throttle control gearbox. Learjet 60 airplanes — Revise the “Tires Servicing” and “Tires Limitation” sections of the airplane flight manual to incorporate revised procedures for servicing tires and checking for proper tire inflation.
Rockwell Collins’ Corporate Aircraft Service Program (CASP) offers corporate aircraft operators maintenance for their avionics and cabin entertainment equipment. Rentals, exchanges, component repairs, comprehensive reliability upgrades, equipment removal and refit coverage are included. CASP also offers one consolidated annual invoice based on a forecast of annual operating hours received at the start of the annual program and covers each aircraft for an entire year.
Decades ago, as a young maintainer I could not wait to start working on real aircraft. I imagined that I would be working on sophisticated aircraft systems, changing components or, better yet, troubleshooting mysterious malfunctions and solving them with my advanced technical skill. Like most technicians, I was more than a little bit disappointed when I was handed a spray bottle with water and a piece of cloth and told to start cleaning the bugs off the cockpit windows.
There’s not another current production business aircraft that can beat the Learjet 60 in a time-to-climb contest. With a weight-to-thrust ratio of 2.55:1, you can soar from sea level to FL 410 in less than 18 minutes. It’s also fuel efficient. After level off, its Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305A engines enable the Learjet 60 to cruise at 440 KTAS with an average fuel burn of 1,300 pph.
Boeing, a member of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group, announced last month that the group has admitted five new airline members, including Alaska, its first U.S. airline member, and said the group will launch a “sustainability assessment” of halophytes, a class of plants that thrives in saltwater habitats. The group, which previously announced research projects on algae and jatropha curcus, said the initial halophyte effort will assess its lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions and socio-economic impacts.
There has been a great deal of talk about the damage that has been done to business aviation by politicians, the news media and ignorant senior executives. I don’t see it that way. Much of the “damage” was the predictable result of companies that leaned too strongly into unsustainable economic winds. When those economic winds stopped, they fell on their faces. Their companies, and their travel resources, have gone through the normal Darwinian process of the survival of the fittest.
In remarks to FAA employees at his first town-hall meeting in late June, newly appointed FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, addressing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), said, “We need to make it work. People are not going to continue to buy equipment they can’t use.” He committed to having a “substantial” NextGen plan by the end of the summer. He struck the same note in testimony, that same week, before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation.
Aircraft-specific training expenses are shown per-pilot and maintenance technician. The figures are average costs based on quotes from aircraft training suppliers. Pilot Initial: This is a per-pilot estimate for initial aircraft-specific training cost, includes a type rating where appropriate and includes crew resource management training. Maintenance Initial: This estimated cost is per-technician and includes initial maintenance training on an aircraft model.
The following abbreviations are used throughout the tables: “NA” means not available; “—”indicates the performance is not applicable; “NP” signifies that the specific performance is not possible.
You awake in the hotel room, turn on The Weather Channel and see red- and orange-colored warning areas promising thunderstorms on your return flight. A last check of the WSI weather screen when leaving the FBO shows the line of CBs growing in size and intensity, directly on your route home. Throughout the flight you keep adjusting the weather radar to pick your way around the cells.
The FAA has issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) on safely extinguishing fires caused by disposable lithium and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, as found in personal electronic devices carried by both aircraft crew and passengers. The SAFO also stresses the need to cool the batteries to prevent thermal runaway and re-ignition. A link to related FAA training videos is also provided in the SAFO. The NBAA has a copy of the SAFO on its Web site www.nbaa.org.
Aircraft are grouped into six categories reflecting similarity of aircraft size, mission and operations. In general, Category 1 aircraft are turboprops and very light jets, 10,000 pounds or less; Category 2 are light jets less than 20,000 pounds max gross weight; Categories 3 and 4 are jets over 20,000 pounds max gross weight; Category 5 are heavy jets; and Category 6 are ultra-long-range jets.
CharterMatrix LLC has introduced AirplaneManager.com, a Web application that provides aircraft charter companies and corporate flight departments with a low-cost flight scheduling option, according to the vendor. The scheduling software provides air charter quoting, aircraft and pilot tracking, and invoicing. AirplaneManger.com offers a real-time quoting application that can be placed onto an air charter company’s Web site, allowing customers to quickly estimate their trip price.
Dassault Falcon Jet celebrated a major milestone with the July delivery of its 2000th Falcon, a 2000LX, at the Bordeaux-Merignac facility. Since the first delivery of the Falcon Mystere 20 in 1965, the Falcon fleet has logged more than 14 million flight hours, and 17 different versions of the Falcon aircraft have been designed, produced and delivered in 67 countries. The 2000th was delivered to Koc Holding. Based in Istanbul, the company is Turkey’s largest and a leader in both domestic and international markets and ranks among the top 50 companies in Europe.
Jake Cartwright believes that an elimination of depreciation and laying on of more government taxing mechanisms could be the death knell for what he calls the “marginal” aircraft owner.
Rolls-Royce has received European certification for the BR700-725A1-12 turbofan that will power the Gulfstream G650 business jet. The European Aviation Safety Agency granted approval on June 23. First flight of the G650 is planned for later this year. The 16,100-pound-thrust engine features a 50-inch fan and 24 titanium blades.
U.S. and European researchers believe an environmentally acceptable small supersonic aircraft is technically feasible, but say regulatory hurdles remain the major barrier to the return of supersonic travel. At a Paris conference in late June to present results from the European High Speed Aircraft program, researchers said small business jets could meet stringent noise, emission and sonic boom constraints and pave the way for a next-generation larger supersonic transport (SST).
Corporate Angel Network received a $50,000 gift from Hawker Beechcraft in continuing support of the charity’s efforts arranging free flights to and from treatment centers for cancer patients using empty seats in business aircraft. “Corporate aircraft owners help Corporate Angel Network brighten the lives of those touched by cancer,” said W.W. (Bill) Boisture Jr., Hawker Beechcraft’s chairman and CEO.
Greenwich AeroGroup, Greenwich, Conn., named Jim Ziegler president and CEO. Prior to joining Greenwich AeroGroup he was the chief operating officer of Jet Aviation, responsible for all North American operations.
The 100th Paris Air Show opened June 15 and closed June 21. A complete rundown of the show is posted on a special Web site linked to the free AviationWeek.com site. You can read each issue of the Aviation Week Paris Air Show Daily. There are multiple blogs by Aviation Week people and guest bloggers. Photos, videos, podcasts and more available through www.aviationweek.com. All things aeronautical are represented at this show. Go to the Web site and look for yourself.
