Thank you for writing, for your interest and for your comments. In my career, this is the first story that ever wrote itself. And I'm sorry that it did, because it's a tragedy.
As much as I enjoyed reading Bob Searles' "For the Record" in the March B&CA (page 48), there was one business jet round-the-world record missing -- one near and dear to the heart of every pilot/golfer out there (not too many of those, are there?). Thirty-one years ago, a red, white and blue Learjet Model 36, N200Y, named "Freedom's Way USA" launched at 1024 MST on May 17, 1976, from Combs Gates at the old Denver Stapleton Airport in quest of the medium jet round-the-world speed record.
FlightSafety International's Citation Mustang simulator in Wichita was recently granted FAA Level D and European Aviation Safety Agency interim Level C approval. Pilot training for Cessna's newest and lightest jet is under way at FlightSafety's Citation learning center in Wichita. Full EASA Level D certification is anticipated for later this year and FlightSafety plans to begin Mustang training at its Farnborough center outside London in the fourth quarter.
Brian Humphries, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) CEO, who took on the job in a part-time capacity, is to step down after holding the position for three years and become its part-time president. The Brussels-based association, which has become a major influence in European business aviation policy-making and is the co-sponsor of the annual EBACE convention, is looking for a high-profile, full-time successor to be based in Brussels, Belgium. Humphries will continue to serve as CEO until the post is filled.
The DOT released the final requirements for Washington, D.C.-area businesses to seek reimbursement for lost income stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. DOT, which proposed the requirements in October, agreed to provide more time for businesses to submit an application and made other changes to the application process at the request of aviation groups. The final rule, published in the April 9 Federal Register, provides businesses 60 days from the rule's May 9, 2007 effective date to submit their application for reparations.
Accidents involving U.S. business turbine aircraft were up slightly in the first quarter of 2007, but the number of fatalities decreased, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. There were 19 accidents in the first three months, including five which resulted in 11 fatalities. During the same period in 2006, there were 16 accidents involving business turbine operators, with five of them claiming 15 lives.
UQM Technologies, a developer of alternative energy technologies, recently announced that one of its propulsion systems will drive a single-seat demonstrator airplane powered by a fuel cell and lightweight batteries as part of planned experimental flight tests this year by Boeing Research and Technology -- Europe (BR&TE) and industry partners. Flight tests will take place in Spain to demonstrate for the first time that a manned airplane can maintain straight and level flight with fuel cells as the only power source. The demonstrator aircraft is a Dimona motor glider.
Viking Air Limited confirmed April 9 that it would restart production of the 19-passenger DHC-6 Twin Otter. The company met its goals of sufficient firm orders; further investment by its majority shareholder, Westerkirk Capital; board approval; and the existence of a federal program that could provide repayable financial assistance for R&D to update the aircraft for operation in the 21st century.
Embraer has delivered its 100th Legacy corporate jet. It goes to ABS Jets of Prague, Czech Republic, the third acquired by ABS and the fourth on the Czech civil aircraft register. Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer's executive vice president Executive Jets, says the Legacy now accounts for 13.6 percent of the super-midsize market, a figure achieved in five years. So far the Legacy has been sold to 19 countries with 27 orders in 2006. Embraer's projected sales for 2007 and 2008 are in the region of 25 to 30 aircraft per year.
CAE Executive Vice President Simulation Products Marc Parent told B&CA that the company's new 5000 Series simulator line -- currently the 5200 and 5400 -- is designed to complement CAE's 7000 Series, with the 5000 Series applicable to initial and recurrent training for aircraft ranging from narrow-body airliners through VLJs. Parent stated that CAE would offer the simulators to third-party flight training organizations, airlines and airframe manufacturers as well as equipping its own training facilities.
AgustaWestland has been awarded a contract add-on by the Japan National Police Agency (JNPA) to supply five AW109 Power law enforcement helicopters as part of an ongoing program to modernize the police helicopter fleet. This contract follows ones for three helicopters each in 2003 and 2005 for operation by local police agencies, while four additional AW109 Powers were ordered in 2006 by the JNPA. Four AW109 Powers have been delivered to Japanese police agencies so far this year.
EADS Socata's TBM 850 won approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia for commercial passenger and freight operations in all conditions under Approved Single-Engine Turbine-Powered Aircraft (ASETPA) rules. The TBM 850's predecessor, the TBM 700C2, won similar approval two years earlier. The TBM 850 is a speedier variant of its predecessor with a maximum cruising speed of 320 KTAS at FL 260. Priced at $2.6 million, the aircraft is equipped with a Garmin GMX 200 multifunction display (see "EADS TBM 850," in B&CA, April 2007).
*May 8-10: 52nd Annual Corporate Avia-tion Safety Seminar, Tucson. Flight Safety Foundation, (703) 739-6708. www.flightsafety.org *May 15-16: Aviation Week Business Models for VLJs and Light Jets conference, Crowne Plaza West Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Fla. www.aviation week.com/forums *May 15-17: Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA) Spring Conference, Scottsdale Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort, Scottsdale, Ariz. www.raccaonline.org
CAE has added three new flight training organizations to its CAE Global Academy, bringing the number of schools in its network to six and increasing the number of pilots that will graduate with licenses annually from over 600 to over 1,000.
The Wings Club recently elected John Slattery, managing director of RBS Aviation Capital, as its 2007-2008 president. He succeeds Joseph Leonard, chairman and CEO of AirTran Airways, as head of the organization, which is based in New York City.
Luxembourg-based fractional operator JetFly, which specializes in offering TBM 700/750 and Pilatus PC-12 fractional shares, has teamed with Avolus, a British company offering "seamless luxury transport" for its clients. Avolus will promote JetFly's fractional membership program in the United Kingdom, and Managing Director Alexis Grabar says he plans to increase JetFly's five U.K. shareholders to 20 by year-end. The linkup is expected to increase the JetFly European shareholder count from its current 65 to 100 by early 2008.
Back around 1987, Bob Parke, then a contributing editor, wrote an article for B&CA about flying from the U.S. West Coast to Hawaii in a brand new Gulfstream IV and comparing that experience with piloting an old military transport on the same route, as he had done some 30 years earlier. Recently I flew a three-day European trip in one of our Global Expresses. With a tip of the hat to Bob's memory, I thought it would be interesting to compare key components of my Global experience with a nearly identical trip I'd flown in a Gulfstream II 30 years ago.
Here's the scene: The man has had a long day, three hours behind his Washington, D.C., time zone. He's relaxing at the Mandarin Sky Bar at LAX, his glass brimful with a favorite go-go mix of vodka and high-energy Red Bull, a concoction to make one happy and jazzed. And then, for some reason, he begins to think about that, seriously. Not silly serious. Serious serious.
Britain's BBA Aviation has acquired Commercial Aircraft Products of Wichita for about $9 million over four years. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of hydraulic system components, electromechanical positioning systems and access mechanisms used on a wide range of business aviation aircraft. Its proprietary products are used by OEMs including Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier and Adam. The acquisition will be integrated into the U.S. operations of BBA Aviation's APPH, its landing gear and hydraulic systems company.
In his submission to NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System, the pilot complained that his employer "has become increasingly confrontational, condescending and oppressive toward the pilot group. . . . This kind of atmosphere is fatiguing, numbing, unhealthy and downright dangerous to work in."
DayJet has taken delivery of its first three Eclipse 500 VLJs and is conducting proving runs this month in preparation for starting service in June, DayJet founder, president and CEO Edward Iacobucci said. Iacobucci told Aviation Week editors that DayJet has found the quality of the aircraft received so far to be "very good for the first three out of the manufacturing line." He added that that the "squawk list" has been reasonable and the airworthiness squawks minimal.
Australia's Hawker Pacific has secured a strategic foothold in China, entering into a joint venture with the Shanghai Airport Authority. They will develop a full-service FBO at Shanghai's Hongquiao Airport, planned to open in April 2008, before the Beijing Olympics. Hawker Pacific will oversee the development of FBO, MRO and, later, aircraft management service offerings. The facility will be capable of handling up to 6,000 aircraft movements a year.
