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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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
Carson Helicopter Services, the Perkasie, Pa.-based rotorcraft operator, has won an FAA STC for installation of a Sagem Avionics integrated cockpit display system in its Sikorsky S-61 helicopter. Vector Aerospace of Langley, British Columbia, Canada, installed the glass panel into the twin-engine, medium rotorcraft.
Blackhawk Modifications, the Waco, Texas-based provider of engine upgrades for turbine-powered business aircraft, has earned European approval of its Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A engine installation in the Cessna Conquest I. Blackhawk officials say they already have upgraded 16 percent of the worldwide Conquest I fleet, and the European certification is expected to further increase the number of Cessna turboprop operators who will opt for the powerplant retrofit.
Is Air Force One the only accepted business aircraft? Is President Obama the only man with an important job? The shortsightedness of blaming all that is wrong with the financial ethics, markets and human greed on an effective, safe and job-creating industry is a sincere disappointment to all in the aviation business (Viewpoint, March, page 6).
India, a place of breathtaking beauty, opulent in resources and a center of spirituality, is also scarred by wrenching squalor and periodic eruptions of bloody violence. It was the crown jewel of the British Empire and since gaining its independence in 1947, has emerged as a formidable entity on the world stage. The latter occurred by design as leaders within this, the world’s largest democracy, invested heavily in education and technology.
Sierra Industries has delivered its 50th Williams International FJ44-powered Cessna Citation since the Uvalde, Texas-based company won its original FJ44 Eagle II STC to upgrade the light jet’s engines in 2002. The 50th aircraft delivered by Sierra Industries was a Sierra Stallion SP, which features FJ44-2A engines that can be installed in either a Cessna Citation 500 or 501SP.
Era Systems Corp. has been on a winning streak with awards to team to install ADS-B-based surface surveillance systems at Estonia’s Tallinn Airport and three airports in Turkey: Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, Antalya Airport and Esenboga International Airport in Ankara. The efforts will center on Era’s surface surveillance technology featuring its MSS surveillance system and Squid vehicle tracking units.” In addition, Era has been selected by Airports Fiji Ltd.
The NBAA has a great resource for hangar safety compliance that includes OSHA checklists and guidance for developing an effective safety program — www.nbaa.org/ops/safety/hangar. In addition to safety resources, the NBAA offers guidance for developing your procedures manual and implementing effective management programs.
Two safety experts interviewed by Business & Commercial Aviation for this report provided some operational examples that can be addressed by safety management systems. Ray Rohr, director, regulatory affairs, International Business Aviation Council — “The example I like to use is fatigue. You can put down hard hours to fly, which might work for the airlines but not charter; however, with an SMS, you can have performance-based rules that provide a safety objective and a process for the operator to meet it.
Gulfstream Aerospace has delivered more than 65 G150 airplanes since its entry into service in late 2005, establishing the new model as a strong contender in the midsize business jet class. Operators say that it delivers a nearly unbeatable blend of price and operating economics, runway and cruise performance, cabin comfort and reliability.
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.
Michael Garvey, son of the editor of this magazine, flies a helicopter for the U.S. Coast Guard out of a base in Alaska and knows all about operations in low visibility. NVGs are a routine part of his life, and the USCG has extensive experience with the devices.
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.
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.
