True to its word, Bombardier is maintaining its commitment to the all-composite Learjet 85. Since announcing in September 2008 it was dropping composite-expert Grob from the program, Bombardier has brought the project completely in-house — transferring detail design, structural certification, prototype manufacture and initial production from the German firm to its own plants and even starting from scratch with a different composite lay-up process.
With only the Pacific Ocean portion to be completed, Inmarsat finally moved its third I-4 satellite into its assigned permanent geosynchronous station, thereby establishing exclusive broadband mobile communications coverage around the world. The final move completed a complex ballet of satellite movements as the three newest generation satellites entered service in stages without interruption to voice and data traffic as well as safety of flight services.
Even single-person operations can benefit from an SMS, according to NBAA Vice President Doug Carr. “What [the SMS] does is put a basic process in place so that operational safety is not dependant on a single person — everyone becomes part of the safety program,” Carr, who oversees safety, security and regulatory issues at the NBAA, told Business & Commercial Aviation.
Business aircraft activity continued to decline in January, down 22.2 percent from December 2008, according to statistics from Aviation Research Group/US. ARG/US estimated flight activity dropped an average of 3.58 percent per month for the last 12 months, with total flight activity declining 19.07 percent year over year. In general, a combination of economic factors and unfavorable media coverage of the business aviation industry have negatively impacted overall flight activity, ARG/US said. Benet Wilson
In March, the FAA reassured Eclipse EA500 operators, at least for the time being, that it is not grounding the aircraft in the wake of Eclipse Aviation’s Chapter 7 (liquidation) bankruptcy. All Eclipse operations including certification, production, service centers, training centers and dealers are shut down. Initially it was thought that ETIRC Aviation, Eclipse Aviation’s largest shareholder, would bring the OEM out of bankruptcy and restart operations, but it is evidently unable to come up with necessary financing — sparking creditors to demand liquidation.
During the five days of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (Jan. 28-Feb. 1), ExecuJet says it handled a record number of jet movements carrying VIPs into and out of Zurich. The company reported an 8-percent increase over 2008’s event, with much of that in the heavy jet category. Slot restrictions proved no problem for the company as it planned ahead for runway slots and pre-arranged parking at nearby Dübendorf military airfield.
Canada is currently the only country in the world that requires noncommercial operators of turbine-powered aircraft to be certificated and periodically audited for safety compliance. Further distinguishing the Private Operator Certificate program is the fact that the Canadian DOT (or “Transport Canada”) has deeded its administration entirely over to the Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) as a means of saving the government money and resources.
The Feb. 16 crash near Lock Haven, Pa., of the prototype Piper Aztec that claimed the life of test pilot Robert Piggott occurred after the tail parted from the aircraft during a high-speed dive during FAA certification testing. Piper reports it has fixed the problem generating the flutter that caused the failure and expects deliveries to begin in August. Bell Helicopter received the largest commercial North American order in its history when Autair Helicopter Services of Montreal signed for 12 Bell 47G-2 Troopers.
— At 0810 CST, a twin-engine Cessna 421C (N345JB) was substantially damaged during a forced landing following the loss of power in both engines. The airline transport pilot and two passengers on board sustained minor injuries during the emergency landing. The airplane departed Colonel James Jabara Airport (AAO), Wichita, at approximately 0808 with the intended destination of Millard Airport (MLE), Omaha, Neb. It was VFR.According to the pilot, they had landed the night before with 100 gallons of fuel on board.
— At approximately 1420 CST, a Robinson R22 (N226AP), piloted by a commercial-certificated flight instructor, and a North American T-6G (N51KT), piloted by a commercial pilot, collided in midair over Weiser Air Park, Houston. It was VFR at the time of the accident. The R22 was on an instructional flight and the T-6G was on a sightseeing flight. Both flights were being conducted without flight plans. The flight instructor and student pilot aboard the R22 sustained minor injuries, and the pilot and passenger aboard the T-6G were not injured.
No one knows when the aircraft markets will turn around, but Fletcher Aldredge, publisher of Vref’s Market Leader newsletter, speculates in the first-quarter edition of his publication that the recovery might not begin until “well into 2010.” “The rosiest forecasts say that prices will bottom out and actually show some upward movement before the end of 2009,” noted Aldredge, but he calls that scenario “unlikely.” Aircraft values still are dropping, although the pace of the decline has slowed from that of fourth quarter 2008.
Cessna said March 12 that it has gained several international certifications for various Citation models. The Citation Mustang gained certification in China and the U.K. Isle of Mann. The Citation XLS+ received EASA certification, and the Citation X has been certified in Nigeria. “The entry into service for the Citation Mustang has been nothing short of phenomenal, and interest from the market continues to grow,” said Roger Whyte, senior vice president, sales and marketing for Cessna.
As a strong advocate of corporate aviation and a corporate pilot of 30 years, I fully agree with Michael Boyd’s opinion in the February Viewpoint. A few days ago President Obama flew Marine One to Andrews Air Force Base to board Air Force One to fly somewhere en route to Williamsburg, Va., which was 115 miles from the White House. The logic of using a 747 for this mundane trip escapes me. The flights by the auto execs pale in comparison.
The mayor and city council of Wichita have invited President Barack Obama to their town to see firsthand the important role played by general aviation in the local economy, according to the March 11 issue of Aviation eBrief. “It would be a national economic tragedy if this essential business fundamental was lost amid the sensational news coverage of ill-advised corporate-jet travel by a tiny percentage of corporate America,” says a resolution passed by the council.
The NTSB has recommended adoption of SMSes in two accident investigation reports, the Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 Bombardier RJ crash at Jefferson City, Mo., on Oct. 14, 2004, and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) Cessna 310R crash at Orlando on July 10, 2007.
Last year, Raisbeck Engineering chalked up the best annual sales numbers in its history. In fact, November and December 2008 were Raisbeck’s best-ever sales months, according to James D. Raisbeck, the firm’s founder and chairman. January 2009 sales were on a par with January 2008 revenues, but February 2009 sales jumped 11 percent over results from February 2008. March 2009 sales are “holding their own,” Raisbeck said. “Every Raisbeck system, across the board, is selling well,” he added.
On the night of March 20, 2003, a U.S. Marine helicopter pilot named James Cox took off from Kuwait on a mission to destroy three border posts inside Iraq. Flying lead in a flight of four AH-1W Supercobras — known as “Snakes” to members of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269 — he was soon experiencing visibility of less than a half mile.
The Aero Club of New England announced that Rudy Frasca, founder and CEO of Frasca International, is the 2009 recipient of the Godfrey L. Cabot Award. Frasca will receive the award in recognition of his lifelong, innovative developments in flight simulation that have enhanced world aviation by safety through training. In 1958, he built his first flight simulator in his garage and founded Frasca Aviation, later Frasca International. Today there are over 2,000 Frasca flight-training devices in 70 countries, training pilots worldwide.
NATA wants the nation’s most important business flyer to stop using private aviation “as a political punching bag” and linking corporate aviation to corporate greed. In a letter to President Obama, NATA President James Coyne says statements and actions by the administration and Congress “since you were elected have been . . . unintentionally catastrophic.” In asking Obama to promote business aviation, he notes: “you’re not the only president in America who needs to fly.”
Marshall Business Aviation and Cessna Aircraft unveiled a new 50,000-square-foot maintenance facility and executive travel center at Marshall Airport Cambridge in the U.K. in December 2008. The location offers a private airport with easy access to London and Cambridge with no slot restrictions or restrictions to ramp access.
The U.S. NTSB is assisting Canada’s Transportation Safety Board with the investigation of the March 12 crash of a helicopter in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. At 8:25 a.m. EDT, a Sikorsky S-92A heavy-lift helicopter (Canadian registry C-GZCH), operated by Cougar Helicopters, ditched in the North Atlantic about 31 miles east of St. Johns, Newfoundland, with 18 crew and passengers aboard.
