Business jet deliveries by Cessna Aircraft are expected to increase nearly 60 percent by the end of 2009, largely reflecting the addition of the Citation Mustang to the product line, according to a December 2005 report by Ronald J. Epstein, a research analyst at Merrill Lynch. From an estimated 240 business jet deliveries in 2005, Epstein expects healthy increases in deliveries of Cessna's lower-end models (CJ1, CJ2, Bravo, CJ3 and Encore) this year, pushing the total to 291 units.
ALTHOUGH NOT A CERTIFIED Beatlemaniac, my wife is envious of those who are. She knows all the music, the histories, muses, triumphs and tragedies of the four Liverpudlian songsters. But she never got her True Fan card punched because she came of age after the group disbanded. So, she never had the chance to scream and swoon, to weep with delirium up in the loges. And she always felt a bit cheated because of it.
TAG Aviation has agreed to crew and operate a fleet of Eclipse 500s ordered by The VLJ Flying Club, which is designed for individuals who are unwilling or unable to fly an Eclipse themselves. Club founder Rolf Illsley has ordered 10 Eclipse 500s and plans to sell quarter-shares in each to four different people. TAG would provide the pilots and be responsible for other operating requirements. Club members will pay a fee for that service and a monthly maintenance fee, plus the cost of fuel.
The NBAA has published Flight Department Essentials: Helping Your Business Take Flight, a basic resource to take the confusion out of setting up a business aviation operation and provide a framework for the safety and management processes for individuals and companies planning to use business aircraft. A CD-ROM resource, including information from many additional NBAA publications, is included with Flight Department Essentials.
The Vref Light Jet Index -- a compilation of quarterly prices recorded for the Beechjet 400A, Cessna CitationJet, Citation II, Citation V, Falcon 10, Westwind II and Learjet 31A over the past 10 years -- shows that the average value of these aircraft continues to appreciate modestly. The index has risen in seven of the last eight quarters and now stands at $2.224 million.
The Business Aviation Finance team at Merrill Lynch Capital now is offering financing for qualified customers who have business aircraft registered in Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Darby Aviation, which operates charter flights as AlphaJet International, received a $60,000 penalty from the DOT for its action in regard to Platinum Jet Management, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., company whose leased Challenger crashed on takeoff at TEB in 2005. The FAA is separately seeking some $3 million from Platinum over the incident. A DOT investigation focused on three charter management agreements that Darby signed with Platinum. In return for monthly "certificate fees," Darby placed Platinum's three leased Challengers on its FAR Part 135 certificate.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems said its Altair UAV demonstrated its ability to carry a NOAA integrated sensor to 45,000 feet and loiter for an extended period. The flights were conducted from NASA's Dryden Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif. The first flight took place in April 2005 and the last of the demonstration program was in November, all taking off from and landing at Grey Butte airfield in the Mojave Desert complex. Demonstrations included ocean and atmospheric research, climate research, marine sanctuary mapping and enforcement.
Timothy Slater, Assistant Chief Pilot (KaiserAir, Inc., Oakland, Calif.)
Thank you for yet another fantastic article -- namely the benefits of FADEC ("FADEC's Benefits Today and Tomorrow," November 2005, page 90). I appreciate the depth and breadth of reporting and the relevant sidebars that accompany David Esler's articles. It is refreshing to read something of technical merit wherein the author strives for operational and theoretical authenticity and practical application to what could well be a complex subject.
At 1545 CDT a Sikorsky S-76A lifted off from a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico with 10 passengers, heading for Sabine Pass, Texas, some 100 miles to the northwest. Some 20 minutes later while cruising at 1,500 feet and still more than 20 miles from shore, the first officer noticed the baggage compartment fire light had illuminated, but there was no master caution light and no audible tone. The captain then took over the controls as the number one engine fire light illuminated, followed by a low fuel pressure light and the chip detector light.
Learjet 45 Lima Juliet, third call. Right turn heading 270. Contact me on 1-3-2 decimal 7-2, over," the controller said impatiently. "Ah, center. Can you repeat that?" I couldn't fully comprehend what center wanted us to do. Short of breath, experiencing some hot and cold flashes, and a little dizziness, could it be the onset of a cold? It wasn't the result of too much folic the night before this mission. It was just so hard to concentrate.
Milt Hobbs, Director Cablevision Flight Operations (Via e-mail)
David Esler's "And Now We Are One" (November 2005, page 52) was well written and covers many of the issues that flight department personnel face when involved with a merger situation. It is not in any way an enjoyable situation for all involved but I think Esler captured many of the issues in a fair way.
Uvex Protégé safety eyewear weighs in at 27.5 grams, less than one ounce. A secure, wraparound brow expands to accommodate a wide range of users, while Uvex's proprietary Floating Lens technology increases flexibility for a better fit. Soft temple tips and nose pad provide added comfort and ensure a secure fit.
As the demand for ever larger and more capable aircraft grew during the early years of World War II, designers recognized that flight control loading was a barrier to operating airplanes of increased size and speed. Pilots needed a system that would provide them with extra muscle to move the control surfaces, while simultaneously maintaining natural stick "feel" and forces. The answer turned out to be hydraulics -- movement by means of liquid under pressure.
Safe Flight Instrument Corp. announced that its enhanced automatic throttle system, dubbed AutoPower is now available on the Bombardier Challenger 850 business jet and corporate shuttle. The company pioneered automatic throttle technology more than 45 years ago. AutoPower will be offered to new aircraft owners as a production option through Bombardier or as a retrofit for existing Challenger 850 owners/operators through any licensed Bombardier maintenance facility or qualified service center.
Elliott Aviation recently completed total refurbishments of a Citation III and Falcon 10, and the Midwestern company is offering these packages to other operators of these aircraft who want to prolong the useful life and enhance the resale value of their airplanes.
BUSINESS AVIATION OFTEN is the whipping boy for corporate excess. Populist members of Congress and investigative reporters delight in amplifying activities by corporate leaders who use their company aircraft for trips that appear, at least on the surface, to be junkets. Consider an article entitled "JetGreen: The CEO's Private Golf Shuttle," that appeared in the Oct. 1, 2005, Wall Street Journal. It resurfaced in mid-November when Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.) referred to the feature during his successful attempt to amend the Tax Reconciliation bill (S.2020).
Sporty's has updated its best-selling "Flying the Garmin G1000" DVD with a new section on XM WX Satellite Weather. In this section, Richard Collins demonstrates how the G1000 integrates data-link weather technology by presenting XM weather information. Pilots will see how NEXRAD images, text weather, winds aloft, graphic airmets, TFRs, cloud tops and more are displayed on the high-resolution glass panel. "Flying the Garmin G1000" incorporates real-world flying footage and shows the system in operation during a GPS approach.
Officials of Spirit Wing Aviation, developers of the Williams International FJ44-2C-powered Learjet 25, said they now anticipate receiving FAA certification of their SpiritLear by midsummer 2006.
With the U.K. Department for Transport (DfT) considering banning ``N''- registered and U.K. Overseas Territories-registered aircraft from being permanently based in the United Kingdom, a new player has entered the field. The Isle of Man, a small, U.K. Dependent, Island State and tax haven located in the Irish Sea, is planning a new off-shore aircraft register. ``Everything has to be confirmed by the U.K. DfT, but the U.K. government has given broad agreement in principle for us to create an autonomous civil aircraft register under U.K.
Dr. Sam B. Williams, Chairman (Williams International, Walled Lake, Mich.)
I was certainly well impressed by David Esler's article on dual-channel FADEC controls (November, page 90). I can't think of anyone else who could have written such an in-depth article.
Infinity Aviation Group, White Plains, N.Y., has announced the promotion of Greg Lison to the position of general manager of its Nashua, N.H., facility. Pat Sullivan has been named director of maintenance. In addition, Infinity has added three aircraft to its managed aircraft fleet and they will be available for charter out of the New York area through Director of Charter Sales Ron Muller, in the White Plains office.
S-TEC, a Meggitt company based in Mineral Wells, Texas, has received FAA certification of its installation of the MAGIC electronic flight instrument system (EFIS), electronic instrument display system (EIDS) and the MAGIC 2100 digital flight control system in the Cheyenne II. This enables operators of the twin-engine turboprop to replace their original flight-control system and upgrade their instrument panels to a modern glass cockpit.
Bombardier Aerospace has contracted with Lufthansa Technik for the German firm to complete up to 17 Challenger 850 business jets over the next three years. The agreement builds upon the alliance the two companies announced during the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in May, when Bombardier named Lufthansa a preferred completion center for the 850. Lufthansa Technik will complete the aircraft at its facility in Hamburg, Germany.
