Gulfstream Aerospace is conducting a program of simulated flights of its flagship business jet, the G650, in its G650 Integration Test Facility (ITF) in Savannah. Project pilot Jake Howard and chief experimental pilot John O’Meara made the first flight Dec. 15, 2008. G650 program engineers and other pilots also have taken the controls in real-time simulation — beginning with the first flight.
I want to commend you for all your efforts in taking on the violent media attacks on our industry. Your Op-Ed piece in the New York Times and subsequent Viewpoints in Business & Commercial Aviation have gone a long way in educating the public of the importance, both economically and as a business tool, of corporate aviation. Kudos on a job well done. As an active member of the GAMA Communications Committee I can assure you that our organization will unite to battle the misrepresentation of our aircraft.
Once Stevens Aviation, a Beech dealer that had been one of the leading sellers of King Airs, learned that Hawker Beechcraft would take responsibility for all sales of its popular turboprop, the Greenville, S.C.-based company hired Dana Arnold, a longtime Learjet salesman, to restructure its turbine-powered marketing efforts. The company was “looking to get into the jet business in a big way,” explained Arnold, who said that Stevens is in the first year of a five-year plan that aims to eventually sell roughly as many jets as turboprops.
In mid-afternoon on Nov. 27, 2008, yachtsmen and fishermen working the French coast between Santé Marine and Saint Cyprien looked up to watch an Air New Zealand Airbus A320, D-AXLA, as it maneuvered for approach to Perpignan-Rivesaltes Airport.
— At about 1500 EST, a Piper PA-18-150 (N2424A), registered to Flightline Group, Inc., collided with a vehicle during takeoff from Ayavalla Airstrip (a private airstrip), near Tallahassee, Fla. It was VFR and there was no flight plan filed for the local flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-certificated pilot and one passenger in the airplane were not injured while the two occupants of the vehicle were killed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The RTCA Task Force on NextGen Mid-Term Implementation (NextGen TF) was launched on Feb. 10. FAA Air Traffic Organization Chief Operating Officer Hank Krakowski underscored the importance of the Task Force in providing recommendations that will support implementing operational capabilities by 2018. Task Force Chairman Randy Babbitt stressed that this is a critically important time for aviation and that the RTCA NextGen TF has the opportunity to set the course of aviation for decades.
— At approximately 1115 MST, a Cirrus SR22 (N486CD) registered to and operated by Vector Resources LLC, Denver, was substantially damaged during an attempted go-around at Bob Adams Field (SBS), Steamboat Springs, Colo. It was VFR at the time of the accident and a flight plan had been filed. The pilot and two passengers were not injured, but one passenger did receive minor injuries. The cross-country flight originated from Centennial Airport (APA), Englewood, Colo., at about 1015, and was en route to SBS. The pilot said he landed on Runway 32.
Cessna Aircraft has introduced its “No Worries” program for prospective purchasers of pre-owned Citations in an effort to assure them that their investment in a used light jet will be solid.
Daher, which recently acquired a 70-percent share in business aircraft maker Socata, has finalized an €80 million ($101 million) capital increase that will permit it to undertake a five-year €585 million capital expenditure plan. The plan includes a new plant in Nantes, France, dedicated to advanced composite aerostructures. The capital injection came through the purchase of 20 percent of Daher stock by two recently created French government investment funds.
House Homeland Security Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) sent a letter to the TSA in March, urging the agency to delay action on its proposed Large Aircraft Security Program until a new administrator is in place to review the proposal and “engage with Congress and industry stakeholders.” The chairman also questioned the costs associated with proposed third-party audits to measure LASP compliance, the development of a prohibited items list and other aspects of the proposal.
— About 1100 Alaska Standard Time, a CASA 212 twin-engine airplane (N440RA) sustained heavy damage when it collided with terrain about one-half mile west of Kotzebue Airport, Kotzebue, Alaska. The VFR cargo flight was being operated by Arctic Transportation Services, Anchorage, Alaska, when the accident occurred. The pilot and copilot were not injured. It was IFR at the airport; however a special VFR clearance had been obtained by the flight crew. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on Feb.
“Kid on a Shuttle” (March, page 48) was a terrific article! On behalf of the thousands of cancer patients we’ve helped, and the thousands more we will help in the future, thank you.
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.
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.
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.
A footnote on page 129 of the fiscal 2010 U.S. budget overview calls for “repealing some aviation excise taxes and replacing these taxes with direct user charges,” beginning in 2011. The budget did not provide specifics, but the charges would appear to raise about $7 billion, the same amount sought by the Bush administration user-fee proposal. This has drawn strong reactions from industry associations and congressional legislators.
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.
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.
Many in our industry jeered at Brazil’s imprisonment of American ExcelAire pilots after the Sept. 29, 2006, midair collision over the Amazon that killed 154. Many of the same people cheered when the U.S. Department of Justice recently announced arrests and criminal charges in connection with the Feb. 2, 2005, crash of a Challenger at Teterboro. So, why do the same people have different reactions to these two events? Is it OK for our government to arrest people after an accident, but not OK for other governments to do the same thing?
— An airline transport rated pilot was making a personal cross-country flight in a Beech 65-A90-1 (N418SP). He said when he arrived at the destination airport in Soldotna, Alaska, there was three to four inches of new snow, and that the overcast and low light condition made everything look gray. He said the VASI lights were inoperative, and the appropriate NOTAM) was issued. The pilot said he turned on the runway lights, identified what he thought was the runway surface, and lined up the runway edge lights on his left.
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.
“Jet sales are no longer in a cool-down mode. This industry has been pickled,” declared Carl Janssens, author of the Aircraft Bluebook’s Marketline newsletter. Values for virtually all jets and turboprops are declining or, at best, stable, according to the spring 2009 edition of the publication.
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.
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.
