First stop on a short cross-country. The ATP crew of a Hawker 125-700 was on final approach to Runway 12R when the tower asked the crew where they intended to park on the airport. The pilots responded they were going to Millionaire, at which point the controller said they might prefer landing on Runway 17 since that was adjacent to the FBO. They agreed, and the controller cleared them to 17.
Raytheon Aircraft has received FAA approval for its souped-up Beechcraft King Air 90, the King Air C90GT. The aircraft is fitted with two 750-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135 engines that improve the aircraft's takeoff, climb and cruise performance. The new engines boost the C90GT speed by 26 knots at maximum cruise speed and reduce the time to reach its 30,000-foot certified ceiling by 50 percent when compared with the predecessor C90B. The C90GT has a maximum cruise speed of 272 knots and takes 22 minutes to reach 30,000 feet.
Capital Aviation at Oklahoma's Wiley Post Airport (PWA) now has a 2,000-square-foot full capability avionics shop. Carón Casteel, the new avionics manager, is a 26-year veteran of the avionics world, by way of Cessna Aircraft, Duncan Aviation, NE Airmotive and EAC. The shop is an authorized dealer for multiple avionics OEMs and has the technical workforce to tackle any avionics installation - including glass cockpit upgrades. Capital Aviation is a turbine aircraft refurbishment center specializing in large-cabin corporate jets.
FlightSafety International has received official European JAR STD 1A Level "D" Simulator Certification for its Dassault Falcon 900EX EASy and Falcon 2000EX EASy aircraft simulators located at the company's learning center in Teterboro, N.J. Certification of the full-flight simulators was achieved following evaluation by the La Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC) of France representing the European Joint Aviation Authorities.
Airlines should be careful of what they ask for, according to a study commissioned by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. The airline industry wants to make other airspace users, such as general and business aviation, pay for a larger share of FAA costs through user fees. But the union study, written by aviation consultant Darryl Jenkins, says that replacing the current tax system with one financed through user fees could be a "financial disaster" for carriers because it could result in the carriers paying more than they do now.
Eurocontrol says acceptance of the new 8.33 kHz comm radio channel spacing means a successful transition to the new standards is likely. The move to reduce spacing between channels above FL 195 will occur on March 15, 2007, and will require some aircraft to retrofit new radio equipment. The fact that at least 20 European states will put the recommendation into effect is "one of the most visible" signs that it has been broadly accepted by the states, Eurocontrol's 8.33 kHz program manager Peter Alty told our affiliate publication Aviation Daily.
Jetalliance is claiming a speed record for a Gulfstream G550 flight from Toluca, Mexico, to London's Luton Airport that was completed in eight hours, 24 minutes on Dec. 4, 2005. The aircraft was carrying two pilots and a flight attendant.
Sky Connect, Takoma Park, Md., has named Craig N. Moen sales manager for the Eastern United States and U.S. government customers. Jeff Taberner has been named manager of West Coast sales.
Intelligence | 13 * GAMA'S Third Quarter 2005 Numbers Up * Spectrum 33 Completes First Flight * User Fees Could Be "Financial Disaster" for Air Carriers * Citation Mustang Certification Close * Ibis Ae270 Receives EASA Certification Edited by James E. Swickard Commentary 9 | Viewpoint By William Garvey Dining Out 78 | Cause & Circumstance By William Garvey A Stymied Rescue 81 | Washington By David Collogan
THEY MADE FOR AN UNUSUAL trio: two men -- one 60 years old and the other a dozen years his senior -- and a young woman, barely more than a teenager, whose stunning features and thousand-watt smile turned heads wherever she went. They had arrived at Centennial Airport outside Denver aboard a Cessna 421 and made their way across the chilly ramp to The Perfect Landing, an airport restaurant with good food and spectacular views. It was Dec. 17, 2004.
Bombardier reports delivering more than 300 Challenger 604 aircraft in the past decade, making its "entry-level" large-cabin business jet the single best-selling model in the heavy-iron category in that time. It has certainly lived up to its name as a challenger to the status quo, and it's easy to understand its popularity. Cabin comfort means a lot in this class and no other purpose-built business jet has a wider cabin cross-section.
Emirate Air Services of Abu Dhabi has taken delivery of a VIP Britten-Norman BN-2T turbine Islander. The interior has an all-leather club four-plus-two interior designed and installed by J.H. Design of Sandown, Isle of Wight. The aircraft, which appeared on delivery at the Dubai Airshow, is for use on short duration charters into semi-prepared airstrips. BN says it is contemplating an all-new version, the BN-2C, which would have extra fuel capacity and additional windows and would incorporate many previous modifications.
AS WE BEGIN A BRIGHT NEW YEAR for business aviation, I want to take this opportunity to thank you, the readers and advertisers of B&CA, for your confidence in and support of our publication. We have been deeply committed to advancing this community for nearly half a century and we are laser focused on continuing the progress we have all made. But what's really exciting is what's still ahead, for even after 50 years, there is much to be done.
The General Aviation Handbook includes more than 650 aircraft photographs and covers every manufacturer of light and business aircraft since the end of World War II. The new 320-page third edition has been completely revised and expanded to provide coverage of the new generation of small light aircraft coming to market. Written by Rod Simpson, the book notes subtle changes between models, provides production totals and manufacturers' serial numbers, along with a wealth of related information. Price: Contact publisher Ian Allen Publishing
The TSA has created an Office of Transportation Sector Network Management that will oversee various segments of the transportation industry including general aviation, airports, airlines and cargo. Rob Rottman, who has been with the agency for several years and has been involved with many NBAA security initiatives, will assume the role as general manager for general aviation. As a result, the agency says the business aviation community should see a more efficient process for resolving general aviation security issues.
A tragedy left 15 people dead, making it one of the worst business aviation accidents ever. How did it happen? Structural failure? Wake turbulence? Erroneous instrument presentations? No. What killed the two pilots, flight attendant and their 12 passengers was the deliberate rejection of standard operating procedures by the cockpit crew. Why they made that decision is not so readily explained.
Duncan Aviation has completed the first installation of the Honeywell Epic CDS/R in a Honeywell SPZ-8000-equipped Hawker 800A. "By installing three large-format [eight-by-10-inch] displays in the Hawker and eliminating the three existing symbol generators and five displays, we can finally deliver what operators have all been asking for -- charts and satellite weather on the panel," said Gary Harpster, Duncan Aviation's avionics sales representative.
-BAC 1-11-200 and -400 airplanes -- Revise the airplane flight manual to advise the flight crew of information pertaining to safe operation of the fuel system. Also, change the FAA-approved maintenance program to include certain repetitive maintenance tasks intended to improve the safety of the fuel system.
Thomson and Thales will develop a partnership for high-value video content management and distribution solutions for inflight entertainment, as well as security and defense applications. Under the arrangement, Thomson would also acquire Thales Broadcast and Multimedia (TBM).
The 100-seat Embraer 190 airliner received Canadian certification on Dec. 5, 2005 from Transport Canada Civil Aviation, paving the way for deliveries of the Embraer 190 to begin to Air Canada, which ordered 45 aircraft. Embraer's 100-seater was certified by Brazilian and U.S. authorities in August 2005. Since then, low-cost carrier JetBlue and Copa Airlines of Panama have taken deliveries of their first units. To be approved for operation in Canada, the Embraer 190 had to meet rigorous cold weather operating requirements.
William Garvey's December 2005 Viewpoint ("A Moment Full of Promise," page 7) was very timely and full of optimism. We're on a rising wave again (or still). In any case, I was most amused by his account of JetBlue. I've always said "your best trip on a commercial airline is the best advertisement for a corporate aircraft."
