The Global Positioning System still was in its infancy in the mid-1980s, when Gary Burrell and Min Kao recognized its commercial potential for aviation, land mobile, marine, automotive and recreational uses, among other new markets. AlliedSignal, Burrell's and Kao's employer at the time, didn't share that vision, so the two left the firm to start their own company focused on developing a broad range of GPS navigation products.
Corporate Angel Network (CAN), was presented with a $50,000 check during a ceremony held at the Wings Club's 65th annual Dinner-Dance at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. The award is in recognition of CAN's 25 years of public service to cancer patients by arranging more than 27,000 free flights to treatment in the empty seats of business jets. "While I'm the one accepting this recognition on behalf of CAN, I'd like to recognize CAN's staff and board members," said CAN Chairman Randall Greene, who is also chairman and CEO of Safe Flight Instrument Corp.
Give the average American kid something like a used Honda Civic for graduation, and he will immediately begin to pour all of his pay from his part-time job into converting what had been a normal, comfortable, conservatively styled car into a full-blown road rocket with a towel-bar spoiler, an exhaust spigot the size of a coffee can and a flame paint job. It's what kids do, and it's become a $27 billion industry, complete with an annual convention.
The Helicopter Foundation International (HFI), a Helicopter Association International affiliated organization, is now offering more information at the click of a mouse. The newly remodeled Web site - www.helicopterfoundation.org - brings all the resources needed to keep helicopter enthusiasts up-to-date on the foundation's latest endeavors. Founded in 1983, the HFI is dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of the helicopter industry, as well as educating both present and future generations.
SAS has decided to permanently ground its 27 Bombardier Q400s following a third landing accident in a matter of weeks. "Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably, and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft," SAS CEO Mats Jansson said in a statement.
The first new Embraer's Lineage 1000 ultra-large executive jet arrived at PATS Aircraft Completions in Georgetown, Del. Nov. 16. The aircraft is being outfitted with a customer-selected interior designed by Priestman Goode. The Lineage 1000, derived from the Embraer 190 airliner, made its first flight Oct. 26 at Embraer's Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, facility. PATS will integrate the total interior using materials and systems from its parent deCrane Aerospace, including seating, furniture, wood veneer, IFE systems, cabin management systems and more.
Jet Aviation Basel recently received letters of intent to complete interiors for two Airbus A340s, four Boeing BBJs and three B787 aircraft. The completions work will continue through 2014. The latest contracts come as Jet Aviation began construction on a new 9,600-square-meter hangar to accommodate widebody aircraft with long wingspans and very tall tails. The new hangar will be completed in the first half of next year. Jet noted that the large aircraft contracts come in addition to the more than 20 Falcon jets that Jet Aviation Basel completes annually for Dassault.
Readers have frequently asked us if we had one, overall favorite airplane. That's a tough call, but the Pilatus PC-12 ranks near the top of the list. This versatile single-engine turboprop has a slightly larger cabin than a Beech King Air B200, cruise speeds of a King Air C90GT, cabin sound levels that rival those of some turbofan aircraft and impressive short-field performance.
Raytheon plans to sell Flight Options LLC, its wholly owned fractional aircraft ownership provider, to a Miami-based private equity firm, H.I.G. Capital. The decision to sell Flight Options comes as the Cleveland-based unit posted an operating loss of $96 million in the third quarter of this year, compared with a $10 million loss in third quarter 2006. Raytheon said it "initiated a process to dispose of" the fractional aircraft operation in the third quarter and reached a definitive agreement with H.I.G. on Oct. 15. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen appealed to senior Internal Revenue Service officials to revise proposed requirements for limits on aircraft deductions when senior executives use company aircraft for entertainment purposes. Bolen testified in late October during a public hearing the IRS held to discuss a proposal the agency released in June that would rewrite the tax code to incorporate measures limiting certain business aircraft deductions that Congress adopted in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004.
Anchorage-based Aero Twin's owner, Tony Cestnik, needed better performance for his Cessna 208 Caravan, especially when it was fitted with amphib floats, so he decided to swap out its 600-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114 for a new 850-hp Honeywell TPE331-12JR, a well-proven powerplant used on the CASA 212 Series 400. Aero Twin received the STC for the kit last summer for the basic aircraft, but not the 208B stretched . The conversion also is applicable to serial number 277 and later aircraft originally powered by the 675-shp -114A engines.
A mixture of new and proven technology is being exploited in business jet refurbs and completions. Starting from a bare cabin and proceeding with a generic interior installation, here's a sampling of what's de rigueur today and, in some cases, what to look out for in terms of potential problems. Shells and Soundproofing Packages
The GAMA board of directors elected Cirrus Chairman and CEO Alan Klapmeier as chairman of the association's board for 2008. Jeppesen President Mark Van Tine was named the new vice chairman. GAMA also added two new members - Aero Mach Labs in Wichita and Jet Aviation in Zurich, Switzerland. Aero Mach produces various powerplant and electronic instruments, gyro-operated instruments and fuel management systems. In addition to its completions and maintenance work, Jet Aviation has an engineering division that develops FAA STCs for modifications and alterations to aircraft.
FlightSafety International, La Guardia Airport, N.Y., has promoted Pete Nily to manager of the Long Beach, Calif., Learning Center. He replaces Chip White, who has been named manager of the Columbus, Ohio, Learning Center. Charlie Harvich has been promoted to manager of the Gulfstream Maintenance Training Center in Savannah, Ga. Chuck Gallagher has been named executive director, regulatory compliance, replacing Mike Lee, who is now vice president, courseware and maintenance training business development.
*Cessna Citation 525 airplanes -- Disable the cockpit-mounted pilot relief tube and inspect the lower wing skin structure, forward wing spar, lower fuselage skin, fairings and the external fairing frames for corrosion. Repair any damage found, and apply a corrosion inhibitive sealant to the fuselage fairings before reinstalling.
A Piper 601P (N717SB) was substantially damaged during a ditching in a lake about seven miles east of Penn Yan, N.Y., after both engines lost power during normal cruise. The accident happened at about 1327 EDT, approximately 17 minutes after the airplane departed Rochester Airport in Rochester, N.Y. According to the FAA safety inspector, the airplane was refueled in Rochester for the continuation of the cross-country flight. After departure, the pilot reported climbing to 5,000 feet, where both engines began to run rough.
I enjoy your occasional articles on the fractional industry. The fall Flexjet newsletter highlights an owner who established an LLC with a couple of his friends to purchase a fractional share. If, as seems likely, the aviation activities of the LLC are not incidental to some non-aviation operating business, the LLC is a commercial operator and in violation of the FARs - and in violation of Flexjet's standard contractual terms.
As my B&CA colleagues will tell you, meeting deadlines is not my strong suit. My best-laid plans to finish a story on time can be derailed by a variety of small, yet usually unforeseen developments. Therefore, I empathize with the program managers at Airbus and Boeing, who no doubt are chagrined that their brand-new airplanes are behind schedule.
The second Phenom 100 flew for the first time on Sept. 26 from Embraer's facility at São José dos Campos, Brazil. The Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F-powered, four-passenger VLJ is being used to test systems functioning, inflight thrust determination and flutter. Eventually, four aircraft will be involved in the Phenom 100 flight test program.
The AOPA, which has strongly supported the overall concept for the NextGen ATC system, said it plans to thoroughly examine the 100-page proposal, but said the FAA still needed to answer a number of technical questions. The association noted that the proposal would enable the FAA to move away from its aging ground radar and that the money this saves should be considered in calculating future aviation fuel taxes. GAMA agreed, adding technical specifications still need to be set in concrete before manufacturers are comfortable with a full-scale ramp-up of ADS-B equipment.
Although some observers privately wonder how long strong sales of previously owned aircraft can continue, many pundits believe the current market still has legs. Optimists hang their hats on several key facts.
I n the late 1980s, Russ Meyer Jr., then chairman of Cessna Aircraft, got tired of listening to all the "Slotation" and birdstrike-from-the-rear jokes about the company's popular Citation series. He pretty much put an end to them at the 1990 NBAA Convention, when he announced that Cessna would build the Citation X, at 0.92 Mach, the world's fastest business jet.
The FAA recently accepted delivery of the En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) system ahead of schedule. The next phase of operational testing will be primarily conducted by the FAA at its Atlantic City, N.J. technical center. The FAA stressed ERAM acceptance was achieved within budget and timeline, a notable accomplishment considering earlier concerns by the DOT inspector general that the program was a high risk for timetable slips due to its scale and complexity.
Jet Professionals, the aviation staffing division of Jet Aviation, has created crewAdvantage, a new comprehensive crew benefits program that plans to offer health and welfare benefits, significant training discounts with a simplified training booking process, and client and candidate referral bonuses, available only to Jet Professionals crewmembers. To qualify for crewAdvantage, all participants will first need to meet Jet Professionals' strict requirements to ensure only the safest and best-qualified crewmembers take part in the program.
