The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a series of clarifications, eagerly awaited by FBOs, to the agency’s Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) final rule released in December 2006 and pushed back the compliance deadline for newer facilities until Nov. 20, 2009. The deadline extension applies to facilities built after Aug. 16, 2002, and the EPA noted that facilities built before that date must already have an SPCC plan in place.
Cessna recently achieved type certification for the Citation Mustang from Transport Canada and the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau, opening the way for deliveries to begin in both countries. As of December the Mustang fleet totaled 130 aircraft and had accumulated more than 19,000 flight hours, with the high-time aircraft logging more than 500 hours. The Mustang is now certified in 51 countries. The six-place jet has a top speed of 340 knots (630 kph), a range of 1,150 nm (2,130 km) with IFR reserves and a service ceiling of 41,000 feet (12,497 meters).
On Dec. 8, 2008, Ken Allison’s chain of seven Million Air FBOs announced a switch to Odyssey Aviation, joining with the Nassau, Bahamas, FBO of that name to form a network of eight “FSPs” — flight support partners. No change of ownership or management is involved, said Allison and Steven Kelly, partners in the new enterprise.
The FAA is requiring slot reservations between 0600 and 2259 EST daily for all non-scheduled arrivals and departures at JFK and Newark International airports — even though general aviation is not a factor in congestion at JFK or EWR, according to the NBAA.
A new heliport in Los Angeles to serve both trauma patients and corporate clients was dedicated Dec. 4. The Robert F. Maguire Heliport is situated at 240 West Venice atop the 15-story Grand Avenue Garage, which is owned by Maguire Investments. The new heliport will accommodate EMS helicopters and corporate operators, including rotorcraft flown by Maguire Aviation.
The NTSB is scheduling a three-day hearing on Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) safety beginning Feb. 3 at the Safety Board’s Washington, D.C., headquarters. Representatives from the FAA and the EMS community, including pilots and medical personnel and managers, will gather to discuss flight operations, aircraft, training and oversight.
Despite vocal opposition from general aviation pilots, the FAA announced Dec. 15 that the new permanent Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA), a 30 nm radius from the DCA VORTAC, from the surface to 18,000 feet msl will go into effect in February, replacing the D.C. ADIZ. About 22,000 pilots wrote to the FAA opposing the rule. “It’s extremely disappointing that the ADIZ — something that was hastily implemented as a temporary measure — has become federal regulation,” said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive vice president of government affairs.
Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L, L-1 and L-3 helicopters — Until the tailboom is replaced with a new, airworthy tailboom, inspect for cracks and corrosion of the tailboom skin in the areas around the nutplates and tailboom drive-shaft cover retention.
London City Airport (LCY) recently granted authorization for Embraer Legacy 600s operated by Excelaire, a Long Island, N.Y.-based charter company, to fly in and out of the close-in facility, which is a favorite with business travelers since it is near London’s financial centers — 14 minutes to Canary Wharf, and 22 minutes to the City. The airport’s 5.5-degree approach angle, as compared to 3.0 to 3.5 degrees at most commercial airports, is required for local noise abatement and obstacle clearance.
Scheduled jet service is now under way between New York and Florida. National Airlines is flying Boeing 707s leased from Pan American on twice daily flights. The jetliners are flown by National pilots, but bear Pan Am markings; Pan Am is not approved to fly domestically.
The NTSB wants the FAA to require operators to activate deice boots as soon as any airplane so equipped enters icing conditions. It noted that there’s “a widely held, but incorrect, belief that activation of deice boots be delayed rather than started immediately upon entering icing conditions.”
The U.S. Air Force recently awarded Hawker Beechcraft Corp. a contract for 23 special mission Beechcraft King Air 350ERs (for extended range). The contract is worth an estimated $171 million. Deliveries will take place this year. Destined for special intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, the aircraft will be modified with military required equipment. The King Air 350ER can provide over eight hours of endurance and has the flexibility to loiter low and slow or cruise at 300 knots and 35,000 feet.
Reader Plates LLC now offers downloadable FAA/NACO terminal approach procedures formatted for exceptional readability and ease of use on electronic book readers. With Reader Plates a pilot can carry every FAA/NACO arrival, departure and approach plate for every airport in the United States in a portable electronic book reader for $299. The plates are specifically formatted for use on the Sony PRS-505, which provides a high-resolution sunlight-readable screen.
Executive AirShare has announced it fractional pricing structure for the Phenom 100, which will enter service in the second quarter. Shares will range from $299,500 for a one-sixteenth share to $1.118 million for a quarter share. Quarter-share owners are entitled to use the Phenom a total of 80 days and 200 flight hours per year. One-sixteenth owners can use the aircraft for 20 days and 50 flight hours per year. Executive Airshare holds firm orders for 44 Embraer Phenom 100 aircraft, with deliveries slated to begin in March, and options on 12 additional aircraft.
It’s a tough time to try to sell a business aircraft, perhaps the most difficult resale market since the 2001 to 2004 slump. And most analysts believe the resale market will get worse before it improves, perhaps sinking to levels not seen since the early 1980s. The rollercoaster ride will continue for an uncertain period of time because dealers aren’t confident enough in market demand to start building inventory at wholesale prices. Without such a wholesale price floor, it’s tough to establish profit margins and thus retail prices.
Air taxi operators come and go, often without the sort of media coverage that typified DayJet’s coverage. IndigoFlyer, a charter operator founded in 2001 and based in McClellan, Calif., says it launched a PSOD air taxi service in August 2007 using Cirrus SR22s. Its service area is the mid-California area defined by the following airports: Sacramento McClellan, Mather in Rancho Cordova, Sacramento Executive, San Jose International, Palo Alto, Reid-Hillview in San Jose and San Carlos in San Mateo.
Numbers published in the fourth quarter 2008 edition of the Aircraft Bluebook Price Digest provide sobering evidence of how the economic crisis has brought down aircraft values during the past several months. The Aircraft Bluebook Price Digest’s Marketline newsletter declared, “The end of the third quarter of 2008 brought havoc and chaos to our national and global economies. Corporate aircraft sales could not dodge the violence of the economic meltdown. In the wake of economic failure, the aircraft market is searching for stability.”
The AOPA recently filed formal comments in response to an EPA notice concerning greenhouse gas emissions, pointing out that piston-powered aircraft account for approximately one-tenth of 1 percent of total emissions. The AOPA added that the figure could fall further as technological changes make general aviation increasingly environmentally friendly.
Designed for use on commercial or business aircraft cabin and cockpit surfaces, Sherwin-Williams’ JetFlex Interior Aircraft Finish applies easily to plastic, metal and composite surfaces. The fast-drying finish is available in two technologies — a solvent-based polyurethane enamel and a water-reducible polyurethane dispersion coating. The product meets the performance criteria set forth in Boeing Material Specification BMS 10-83D Type II and Type III, including the requirements for flammability, yellowing resistance and smoke stain resistance.
The FAA is building a permanent Air Traffic Control System Command Center on a large campus of FAA facilities near Warrenton, Va., that already houses the Potomac TRACON. Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell said at the December groundbreaking ceremony that, “It only makes sense, considering we already have everything we need here: a strong infrastructure, security and technical support.” The new 63,000-square-foot facility will replace the existing command center near Dulles International Airport when its lease expires in 2011.
In spite of Eclipse Aviation’s difficulties, most operators remain enthusiastic about the Eclipse 500’s qualities. Almost all the operators we contacted took delivery of their aircraft before the May 2008 price increase to $2.15 million went into effect. Virtually all of them bought their aircraft for $837,500 to $1.6 million, plus inflation adjustments and options. Not unexpectedly, most of them said that acquisition price topped their list of favorite features.
That’s Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game to you and me, but to Jaime Kourmoulis, director of human resources at AirMed, it’s a doorway to virtual world of incredible vistas, warriors, witches, monsters, weapons and spells. If you’re one of the thousands of people around the world who play Warhammer, one of the newer online multiplayer games out there of the dozens available, you may run into a sorceress “toon” name Khloe (yep, that’s with a K) of the guild Midnight Sun who’s been moving up there into the higher levels. That would be Jaime.
American Eurocopter delivered an EC145 to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) at a Dec. 5 ceremony — the first EC145 for the department whose fleet already includes 13 Eurocopter AS350 AStars. Powered by two Turbomeca ARRIEL engines, the Texas DPS multi-mission EC145 features a MEGHAS glass cockpit with digital autopilot for both single- or dual-pilot missions. The avionics integration and completion were performed by Metro Aviation, which also operates a variety of Eurocopter helicopters including the EC145.
