The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) is creating a company to provide liability insurance to repair stations. The association said 20 of its members have agreed to help launch the Aviation Alliance Insurance Risk Retention Group (AAIRG) and hopes the new company will be operational in the second half of this year. ARSA will limit participation in AAIRG to association members. AAIRG members will pay an up-front capitalization fee, projected at about 30 percent of a member's current annual insurance premium, and will have a stake in the new company.
Raytheon Aircraft recently handed over the first new Hawker 850XP to C&S Wholesale Grocers. The delivery followed certification in February. The Hawker 850XP is a follow-on to the Hawker 800XPi with Raytheon-designed winglets. The winglets boost range by 100 nm and decrease the aircraft's climb time by 8 percent.
Luxury charter operator Comlux Aviation of Zurich, Switzerland, has ordered three Airbus A318 Elites, and options for three more, with cabin completion by Lufthansa Technik of Hamburg. All three aircraft, which are to be powered by CFM56-5B9/P engines, are due to be operational by the end of 2007. Comlux's 18-seat Elites cost $45 million apiece, including interiors. Comlux CEO Ettore Rodaro says he is confident he'll exercise his three options as well.
Intelligence | 15 ?228-137? Piaggio Jet to Be a Ferrari in the Sky? ?228-137? Chinese Enlighten Business Aviation Attitude ?228-137? ARSA Files for Relief From Non-Certificated Vendor Drug Testing, FAA Delays Implementation ?228-137? Turbine Aircraft Accidents Drop ?228-137? Chinese Enlighten Business Aviation Attitude ?228-137? FERAS Goes Through Hundred Barrier ?228-137? Kohlman Systems Research Wins Duncan RVSM Support Contract ?228-137? Raytheon Delivers First Hawker 850XP
The Bombardier Learjet 60XR flew for the first time from Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids on April 3. The new aircraft had flown into CID, Rockwell Collins' home airport, as something else and emerged a Learjet 60XR, featuring a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite. System operations were exercised during multiple approaches. The three-man crew, which included Capt.
Almost everyone loves to receive awards, and all the admiration, congratulations and smiles that are attendant to them. Today almost every kind of collective endeavor -- be it movie making, soccer playing or car selling -- has a shiny something that goes to the activity's best practitioner. Awards not only make the recipients feel good by recognizing excellence, they can be used to spur a particular type of activity as well.
The Air Transport Association recruited former FAA executive Sharon L. Pinkerton as vice president for government affairs, reporting directly to ATA President and CEO James May. As assistant administrator for aviation policy, planning and environment at the FAA, Pinkerton was heavily involved in developing reauthorization and funding proposals. The ATA is advocating adoption of a user-fee system to fund the Airport and Airway Trust Fund that would shift more of the FAA cost burden to general aviation.
When an organization has an aircraft accident, it is inevitable that upper management will focus on the aviation unit to avoid a recurrence. I know of a Twin Otter belonging to a large government agency that landed hard on a canted nosewheel and quickly departed the runway, plowing through bushes and a fence before coming to a halt. Both the aircraft and airman's ego suffered substantial damage in the mishap. The cause of the accident was determined to be the pilot's failure to perform the "before landing" checklist.
Corporate Aircraft of Fresno, Calif., recently delivered its first RVSM retrofit of a Cessna 441 Conquest II originally equipped with a Cessna 1000 autopilot. The package features Thommen digital altimeters. The company now is working with AeroMech of Everett, Wash., on winning FAA approval of similar STCed packages for Cessna twin turboprops that were originally outfitted with Sperry SPZ-500 and Collins APS-65 autopilots. All these Cessna 441 RVSM solutions offered by Corporate Aircraft cost less than $100,000 installed.
What a difference 12 years has made in the evolution of the Pilatus PC-12. The newest Series 10, FAA type certified in December 2005 as the PC-12/47, has a 10,450-pound (4,700 kilogram) MTOW that enables operators to fill the tanks and fly seven passengers 1,450 nm, arriving with NBAA IFR reserves. That's a considerable upgrade in capability. When we first flew the Pilatus PC-12 several years ago, we were impressed with its roominess, cabin comfort and short-field characteristics.
Flight Options has selected Aerospace Products International's Electronic Supply Program (ESP) to manage the recertification cycle and associated logistics of its life raft and survival equipment inventories. The fractional aircraft program, which operates some 200 aircraft including the world's largest fleet of 400A business jets, also will have access to API's inventory of Beechcraft spare parts.
Avcon Industries of Newton, Kan., is pursuing supplemental type certification of RVSM packages for Learjet 35s and 36s equipped with Collins APS-80 and JET FC-200 and FC-350 autopilots. The Avcon RVSM packages are to feature Kollsman air-data computers and Thommen repeaters.
I look forward to B&CA arriving at the office each month. I always read Ross Detwiler's articles first. I particularly liked "Going Global in a Global" (March 2006, page 64). As a longtime C-5 guy I knew of Ross from the 105th at Stewart and I've always liked his writing. He has added a lot to the magazine and I'd encourage you to let him keep writing - he obviously has a passion for what he does.
Kohlman Systems Research won a contract to support Duncan Aviation's RVSM certification program for three Norwegian Air Force Falcon 20s. Kohlman will be responsible for flight tests to ensure air data and autopilot systems are RVSM-compliant as well as to generate the required static source error correction. Kohlman will develop the approval data package that includes the flight test report, compliance report, initial and continued airworthiness report, and airplane flight manual supplement.
It was around noon on a clear Wednesday in western New York when a Ted Smith Aerostar 601P and a Piper PA-46-310 Malibu began their approaches to Chautauqua County Airport, an uncontrolled field on the shore of Lake Erie in Dunkirk. Inbound from West Chester, Pa., an ATP on the controls and two passengers aboard, the Malibu touched down on Runway 6 while the Aerostar, with a solo private pilot at the yoke and arriving from nearby Jamestown, N.Y., alighted on Runway 15.
After about an hour and a half of flying from Twin Falls, Idaho, the crew of a Learjet 35A was cleared for the VOR/DME RNAV (GPS-A) approach into Truckee-Tahoe Airport, an uncontrolled field nearly 5,900 feet up in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains where they were to fetch some charter passengers.
The fledgling Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) held its annual general meeting and membership drive in Singapore amidst optimism from local business jet operators and manufacturers. A spokesman from each of the nine Asia-Pacific countries represented gave a brief report on business aviation in their locale.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has officially released the equivalent of FAR Part 135 operating standards and CCAR 135 is now in the rule book. This is expected to further encourage growth in both business and regional aviation. Asia Business Aviation Association President Jason Liao says that Hainan Airlines' business jet subsidiary, Deerjet, will be operating its five Hawker 800XPs under Part 135 and its managed Beechcraft Premier Is under CCAR Part 91.
Reading George Larson's article regarding NetJets and the Teamsters ("The Teamsters' Fractionalized Air Corp," April, page 78), it is obvious that AFL-CIO unions such as the Teamsters haven't learned a thing from the airline industry. NetJets operates in a deregulated, free-market environment just as the airlines have been doing post deregulation, and are therefore subject to the same competitive pressures.
Phil Michel, the veteran Cessna Aircraft marketing executive who announced plans in 2005 to retire in April of this year, will remain with the Wichita aircraft manufacturer for an indeterminate period. Steve Fushelberger, who was named in September to succeed Michel as vice president of marketing, left Cessna in mid-March for personal reasons. Michel told The Weekly of Business Aviation he plans to remain on board until a permanent successor is identified, hired and a transition is completed.
Following the collapse of nine months of negotiations between the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association the parties declared a stalemate and the FAA sent its pay proposal to Congress for review. Unless Congress intercedes within 60 days, the FAA will be able to impose its contract terms on the union.
Pilots visiting this year's Berlin Air Show on May 16-21 can fly into the ILA site at Schonefeld or the neighboring airfield of Schonhagen, where they would be shuttled to the show. The organizers say that despite increased air traffic, VFR and IFR slots are still available for operations into Schonefeld, but to avoid unnecessary delays VFR traffic is advised to use Schonhagen. A total of 1,475 light aircraft and business jets flew to the event in 2004 and a few even touched down at historic Tempelhof Airport.
Now it's easy to add full GPS navigation and hands-free calling capabilities to your mobile smartphone with Garmin's Mobile 20 -- a Bluetooth-enabled wireless GPS navigation system. Mobile 20 supports Nokia, Windows Mobile and Treo smartphones, and its integrated phone mount, the GPS 20SM, with a built-in GPS receiver and Bluetooth-enabled speaker and microphone, accommodates nearly any size. The Mobile 20's smart features include:
I just read William Garvey's April Viewpoint ("Revenge Effects," page 7). His comments are right on concerning a reaction to something that is not only not available yet, but probably won't materialize to the degree that the "political know-it-alls" think that it will.
