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.
— 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.
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.
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.”
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.
Dassault Falcon has conducted its first live Internet seminar for Falcon operators. The company announced March 6 that the “E-Forum” will be an ongoing series of live Internet-based seminars to exchange information and best practices with and among Falcon operators. Thirty-two Falcon 7X customers from the United States, France, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland and the U.K. took part in the first session.
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.
The United States and Ireland inked an agreement to create a customs pre-clearance gateway at Shannon, and Universal Aviation is welcoming the advent of servicing business traffic that prefers to obtain clearance before hopping the Atlantic, thereby proceeding direct to their destinations. The company now awaits Department of Homeland Security determination of exactly what kinds of procedures will be required. Shannon operates around the clock and has always been a popular stopping point for tech support and fuel.
Flexjet is mulling entering joint ventures and partnerships to expand service to Mexico, Canada and Europe, according to President Fred Reid, but no final decisions have been made. “We also hope to finally set course on our fleet diversification,” he added.
Learjet Model 55, 55B and 55C airplanes — Inspect the installation of the forward light assembly in the aft lavatory to determine the location of the terminal connector. Also, inspect for damage to the light assembly terminals, wires and oxygen lines. Inspect to determine if the cable nipple is installed over the light assembly terminal and take corrective actions, if necessary. Pilatus PC-12/47E airplanes — Revise several operational procedures in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook to address anomalies in the aircraft’s primary flight displays.
The U.S. Federal Reserve’s San Francisco district office revised its outlook for the commercial and business aerospace industries. In its latest report the Fed noted “reductions in airline capacity have weakened the outlook for new orders going forward, and orders for small corporate jets have dropped significantly of late.” The San Francisco office added that despite this downturn “aerospace manufacturers continued to produce commercial aircraft at a brisk clip.”
Want King Air 200GT cruise speed plus VLJ fuel efficiency for the price of a late model Bonanza? The Mitsubishi MU-2B short-body series may be the only aircraft that fills these three requirements. It’s one of the best buys in a used aircraft market chock-full of bargains. Eight models were produced from 1967 through 1981, including the first-generation MU-2B, D, DP, F, K and M, plus the second-generation P and MU-2B-40 Solitaire.
Hawker Beechcraft CEO Jim Schuster, in a March 4 conference call with analysts, said the company will “keep our research and development plans intact” this year despite the recession, aiming to come out on the other side with desirable new products. Schuster said Hawker invested $110.2 million in R&D in 2008. The company has a $7.6 billion backlog and is working with customers individually to work out financing in a tight credit market. “We’ll get through,” Schuster stated.
April 1-4: Aircraft Electronics Association 52nd Annual Convention & Trade Show, Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Dallas. (816) 373-6565. www.aea.net/convention April 21-23: Flight Safety Foundation and NBAA 54th Annual Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS), Hilton Walt Disney World, Orlando. www.flightsafety.org or nbaa.org April 21-26: Sun ’n Fun 35th Annual Fly-in, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Lakeland, Fla. (863) 644-2431. www.sun-n-fun.org
Moline, Ill.-based Elliott Aviation has added an Astra 1125SP jet aircraft to its charter certificate. The aircraft is based at Forest City, Iowa (FXY). Elliott Aviation operates a fleet of 15 jet and turboprop aircraft at its four full-service locations: its headquarters at Quad Cities International Airport (MLI) in Moline, Ill.; Epply Airfield (OMA) at Omaha, Neb.; Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Iowa; and Flying Cloud Regional Airport (FCM) in Eden Prairie, Minn.
Price indices recently released by Vref Publishing — the Shawnee Mission, Kan.-based business aircraft market research firm — reflect how precipitously values for older, previously owned, turbine-powered business aircraft have declined in recent months. First quarter 2009 composite prices for benchmark used business turboprops and the three classes of used corporate jets have declined roughly 20 percent during the last year, the forecaster said.
ExecuJet announced in January a plan to expand in Mexico with services to Latin America and the Caribbean and two new aircraft under charter management — a Global Express and Falcon 900B. The company has already been operating a fleet of Pilatus PC-12s, a Falcon 7X, a CL300 and a DA2000, but will now have two bases at Del Norte and Mariano Escobedo International in Monterrey.
Dassault Falcon announced Feb.25 that the Falcon 7X recently received approval for arrivals and departures at London City Airport (LCY) in London, England and can now link the heart of one of the world’s largest financial centers nonstop with the United States, Europe and the Middle East. “Flying into London City was a goal from the early development of the Falcon 7X program,” said John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon.
