Long Island-based ExcelAire has added a 13-seat GIV-SP to its fleet — bringing its total of Gulfstream aircraft to 10. ExcelAire says it now has one of the largest fleets of locally based Gulfstream jets in the New York metropolitan area. “With the additional GIV-SP, we extend our dominance in the heavy jet category,” said David Rimmer, ExcelAire executive vice president. “The GIV-SP jet also complements our existing fleet of executive aircraft, providing customers with a range of jets for their travels.”
Tony Robinson (Partner, Flightline), Opa-Locka, FL (Director, Regulatory Affairs)
I want to commend you on “Expansion Team” (Viewpoint, April, page 7). I doubt if you remember me, but we spoke almost three years ago about an FBO that two partners and I were starting here at the Opa-Locka Airport in Miami. Our company, Opa-Locka Flightline, happens to be one of, if not the only, full-service African-American owned and operated FBO in the United States. We go to great lengths to show the general aviation community that professionalism, customer service and reasonable fuel prices should be the measure of an FBO and not the ethnicity of the owners.
You and your team are doing a good job of supporting the value of private aircraft travel for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of corporate operations. Inadvertently, however, this message is sometimes diluted and ammunition is given to our opponents. For example, early in the Gulfstream G150 Operators Survey (April, page 30) the article mentions that you can on a hot day fly from Aspen to Westchester with four passengers. Now there are very few reasons to be in Aspen on business, so Mexico City would have been a better choice.
Lufthansa and its partners have started to bring their combined massive resources to bear on the business aviation market. Even though their fleet is far from immense (two Citation CJ3s, two Citation XLS+s and three CJ1s) their influence likely will be, says BCA Show News Editor-in-Chief John Morris. Lufthansa Private Jet’s CJ3s and XLS+s are operated by Swiss PrivateAviation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Swiss International Air Lines, which is itself owned by Lufthansa.
Stanley Proto has introduced a Classic Screwdriver line that takes the look and feel of this industrial workhorse, but updates it with advanced material and features. The handle has a new four-side fluted design made from impact-resistant extruded acetate. Handle diameters have been increased; shanks come in round and square varieties; blade and tip are available with slotted, Phillips, cabinet or Torx tips. This new product launch includes 59 individual screwdrivers and 10 sets. Stanley-Proto 2195 East View Pkwy. Conyers, GA 30014
Embraer delivered the first Lineage 1000 executive jet, derived from the Embraer 190 airliner, to Aamer Abdul Jalil Al Fahim, of Abu Dhabi, UAE. Prestige Jet, also of Abu Dhabi, will manage the aircraft on his behalf. The new aircraft joined Embraer’s Phenom 100 and 300 on the EBACE static display line, May 12-14 in Geneva.
“Super Sunday Surprise” (Viewpoint, March, page 6) was informative and very well written. While not the focus of your work, there is one other important function being served daily by all kinds of corporate and private aircraft not specifically mentioned in the article. That is what I call “using my aircraft to do good things” — or charitable/compassionate flying.
Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI) has launched its new Web site that presents up-to-the-minute information on JSSI’s critical was created to speak directly to all JSSI customers including aircraft owners, maintenance professionals management companies, brokers and dealers, and aircraft lenders and lessors. The site offers straightforward descriptions of programs and how they can help the operators, according to the company. JSSI www.jetsupport.com
The Environmental Protection Agency will delay changes it published in fall 2008 to clarify Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) requirements deadlines “Amendments” that the agency said were designed to encourage greater compliance with the regulations. Under SPCC rules, owners and operators of fuel storage facilities built before Aug. 16, 2002, must have a plan in place to meet spill prevention and cleanup requirements. Owners and operators of facilities built after that date have had until July 1, 2009, to develop their plans.
Airmark International, the independent Learjet parts distributor, has teamed with Sabreliner Corp. to install Airmark-provided windshields in Learjet 24, 24D, 25, 28, 29, 35 and 36 aircraft.
Near LBL, [the crew] saw a patch of blue sky to the right front and painted nothing [on radar] in front of them. The encounter occurred when a large buildup appeared in front of the airplane with less than two seconds notice.” The NTSB report goes on to say “the airplane experienced airspeed excursions from about 275 knots to 225 knots with an altitude loss of 500 feet. During the encounter, the airplane also experienced small hail. Other aircraft in the area reported no conditions greater than light turbulence.”
Avidyne Corp. and Jeppesen announced that Avidyne’s CMax Electronic Approach Chart software, including Jeppesen’s worldwide coverage of airport diagrams, is now standard on all new EX500 multi-function displays (MFDs). Avidyne will also enable current EX500 and EX5000MFD customers to upgrade for a fraction of the previous cost for the CMax option. The new service includes 6,004 locations, 5,695 of which are geo-referenced charts, meaning the Avidyne displays will overlay the flight plan and aircraft position directly on the chart.
The European General Aviation Manufacturers Association (EGAMA) issued May 12 for the first time a set of key Facts & Figures. EGAMA is an active grouping of ASD (AeroSpace & Defence Industries Association of Europe).
CAE has received Inspection Authorization (IA) approval from the FAA for six of its e-Learning maintenance training courses. The courses currently offered to maintenance technicians over the Web include B737NG engine ground operations, advanced digital principles, human factors, maintenance diagnostic systems (MDS) and RVSM. Maintenance technicians must train a specific number of hours in order to have their IA certificate renewed. Web-based courses offer a new way to gain qualified hours, previously available through instructor-led courses.
CAE Global Academy is expanding its China presence with a pilot provisioning contract with Xiamen Airlines for approximately 70 pilots over two years. A group of Xiamen Airline cadets began training last month at CAE Global Academy, Phoenix. CAE Global Academy incorporates hands-on training throughout the curriculum through the use of the latest simulation-based technology and spending 250 hours flying an aircraft. At the end of training, the cadets will graduate with a Commercial Pilot license approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Out of the past comes Kellett Aircraft’s KD-1A, shown taking off at Turner Field, Willow Grove, Pa. First built in the early 1930s, the 225-hp autogyro is being pushed for agricultural and utility use. Southern business flying center of the future? The U.S. Navy releases Chamblee, Ga., Air Station near Atlanta. The first FBO is Executive Aviation, a Cessna distributor.
Oxford, U.K.-based PremiAir’s new fixed-wing maintenance facility has been named an authorized dealer for the Raisbeck line of performance-enhancing upgrades. PremiAir, a Hawker Beechcraft authorized service center, relocated its fixed-wing maintenance operations to new, dedicated hangar facilities at Oxford Airport in the fourth quarter of 2008. PremiAir’s Oxford facility has been approved for EASA Part 145 base maintenance on the full Beechcraft line. The $1.7 million investment in the facility includes new workshops, customer reception areas and office space.
Aircraft and Turbine Support Inc. at Tulsa International Airport has completed the bulk of a multi-million-dollar expansion project, moving into its newly minted location in January and being fully operational ever since. The FBO expects to hold its grand opening in late spring of this year. New additions and updates include a remodeled terminal, a Corporate Aviation Complex for rentable executive office space and a 22,000-square-foot storage hangar. “Our facility is spacious,” General Manager Joe Cole said, “but it’s not overwhelming.
Although the first quarter delivery figures for general aviation manufacturers overall were negative, Cirrus Design Corp. President and CEO Brent Wouters is buoyed by his company’s performance. The manufacturer of the SR20 and SR22 series of light, piston-engine aircraft said that while international sales were still in decline his U.S. business was up 2 percent from 2008 and that this year the company planned total deliveries “around the mid-300s.” He said the financial improvement resulted from a combination of cost cutting and increased sales.
PATS Aircraft Systems announced that the PATS BBJ and BBJ2 SFAR-88 Service Bulletins (SB) have been approved by the FAA as an Alternate Method of Compliance (AMOC) for AD 2008-22-01. The AD stemmed from fuel system reviews, conducted by PATS and reviewed with the FAA, that PATS auxiliary fuel tanks installed on BBJs and BBJ2s did not comply with new enhanced SFAR 88 safety requirements for preventing potential ignition sources in the auxiliary fuel system.
The FAA’s Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), first commissioned in 2003 and now fully operational, is providing large-scale benefits for operators flying WAAS-equipped aircraft. The system provides the levels of accuracy, integrity, continuity and availability needed to transform GPS from a supplemental-means navigation system into a primary- or sole-means nav system.
Piper Aircraft Co. was acquired May 7 by Imprimis Fund, which purchased 100 percent of Piper’s stock from The American Fund, which has owned the planemaker since 2003. The terms of the sale were not disclosed, but The American Fund announced that the acquisition price represented a $31 million increase over its original purchase of Piper. Imprimis is based in Singapore, but Stephen Berger, its managing partner, is a native of Philadelphia.
Nearly 10 years ago, Congress created the “Whistle-blower Protection Program” for “airline employees.” The law applies to “air carriers” so it covers FAR Parts 121 and 135 but not pilots flying under Part 91. The law prohibits “discrimination” by an air carrier against an employee with respect to compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment because the employee:
I read “Without Apology” (Viewpoint, January, page 7) with interest because of the negative spin placed on business aircraft by Congress, and of course the lapdog media with its pile-on mentality, during the hearings on the automotive industry bailout proposal. The fat, stupid cats running Detroit deserve an Oscar for sheer arrogance. However, you raise a very interesting issue once again — business aircraft as a sign of noblesse oblige.
