WHILE YOU APPRECIATE the advantages of a business aircraft, as an officer or owner of a company using business aviation your principal responsibility is returning value to shareholders. Even if you own the company and are rated to fly its aircraft, it is a safe bet that your role first and foremost is that of entrepreneur, not aviator. Yet as a user of business aviation, you have an important part to play in safety.
The 100-seat Embraer 190 airliner has been certified by the Brazilian certification authority, Centro Tecnico Aeroespacial (CTA). The company said CTA certification was followed by FAA type certification, paving the way for deliveries to begin to launch-customer JetBlue. The certification program used five pre-series EMB 190 jets, flying approximately 1,800 test flight hours, and involved the production of more than 970 reports and thousands of development and supporting documents. An additional 140 tests were conducted in laboratories and ground test simulators.
GlobalJet Corp. has added a Gulfstream IV to its charter and managed fleet. While GlobalJet is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., the GIV is based in Van Nuys, Calif., and has undergone recent interior and exterior refurbishment. The company reports both the aircraft and crew are Wyvern and ARG/US approved. For more information, call (480) 563-4711.
Now in completion, the 100th Piaggio Avanti will go to a U.S. customer. Completion is being done at Stevens Aviation in Greenville, S.C. The first Avanti production model flew in May 1990, and was certified in October 1990. The speedy turboprop can fly more than 1,700 nm at up to 395 KTAS and cruise at 41,000 feet, according to the company.
In addition to rescuing those in peril, protecting the environment, and guarding ocean borders, the U.S. Coast Guard is charged with finding and interdicting drug smugglers on the open sea. In years past, drug runners in high-speed, ``go-fast'' boats would often outrun the service's surface vessels and ignore halt orders from its helicopters since they were unarmed. Frustrated by such defiance and the steady incoming flood of drugs, the service created a special drug-busting squadron that operates A109E Power helicopters, notable for both their speed and teeth.
It's perhaps a cruel irony that this is one of the best times in recent years to fly a private aircraft to Europe -- but one of the worst in terms of cost.
Boeing Business Jets received its first order from the People's Republic of China, the company announced in September. Boeing did not reveal the identity of the operator at the customer's request. ``We are absolutely thrilled and confident that this order will be the first of many in the growing China market for VIP airplanes,'' said Steven Hill, BBJ president. ``The order brings us closer to our 100th sales order, which we hope to achieve before the end of the year.'' With this order, the total number of BBJs ordered since the program's inception in 1996 is 98.
Thielert Aircraft Engines GmbH is the latest non-U.S. manufacturer to join GAMA. Based in Lichtenstein, Germany, the company builds piston engines for cars and aircraft. Its aviation product line includes the Centurion family of diesel engines that burn jet fuel. The Centurion 1.7 is certified for retrofit installation on the Cessna 172 and Piper PA-28, and is the standard powerplant on the Diamond DA-40 and DA-42 Twin Star. Frank Thielert, owner, president and CEO, will sit on GAMA's board of directors. Thielert is GAMA's 55th member company.
Transportation fatalities in the United States decreased slightly in 2004, according to preliminary figures released Sept. 9 by the NTSB. Deaths from transportation accidents in the United States in 2004 totaled 44,870, down from 45,158 fatalities in 2003. ``Although it is always gratifying to see transportation fatalities decline,'' NTSB Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker said, ``the yearly toll, especially on our highways, continues to be unacceptable.
The Ground Lock is designed to prevent unauthorized use of aircraft by isolating the main aircraft battery from the electrical system. The lock components are custom manufactured by Medeco, a leader in the high security lock industry, and can be keyed to match existing Medeco locks. The insulator is made from high-tech Delrin. The Ground Lock complies with the TSA's ``Security Guidelines for General Aviation Airports'' Information Publication A-001.
The Vref Large Jet Index -- a compilation of quarterly prices recorded for the 1990 Challenger 601-3A, 1990 Falcon 50, 1990 Falcon 900 and 1990 Gulfstream IV over the past 10 years -- shows that the average value of these heavy-iron business jets continues to rebound sharply.
Seven aviation trade associations have asked the FAA to delay implementation of a new regulation regarding thermal and acoustic insulation materials because critics say the rule is being interpreted so broadly that it would adversely impact virtually every FAR Part 25 aircraft used in Part 91 and 135 operations.
There's nothing like a hanging in the morning to clear a man's thoughts,'' Samuel Johnson allegedly once said. An icing-related crash on takeoff can be just as fatal, but unlike a scheduled execution, there's a whole lot more that you can do to prevent it. For example, if the pilots of the Challenger 601 departing from Montrose, Colo., in November 2004 had known how potentially deadly a small amount of ice accumulation could be, they might not only have cleared their thoughts, but also their airplane's fuselage, wings and tail prior to takeoff.
Canadian helicopter operator CHC Helicopter Corp. was granted ``an irrevocable option to acquire an equity position'' in Brazilian Helicopter Services (BHS), CHC said. CHC also said it will provide operational expertise on safety management systems, maintenance procedures, technical support and flight standards. Heli-One, the helicopter support company that CHC launched early this year, will provide helicopter leasing services and access to its worldwide fleet of aircraft and power-by-the-hour maintenance support.
Airservices Australia has issued a request for proposals for up to 1,500 ADS-B systems for general aviation aircraft. The government-owned corporation wants avionics companies to develop a system costing about half the price of current products. The RFP is the latest step in Australia's push to provide ADS-B nationwide in 2006. If a large percentage of aircraft operating in the country are capable of transmitting ADS-B data, Airservices may be able to dispense with 11 secondary surveillance radars that otherwise must be replaced in 2009 at a cost of nearly $40 million.
When new Lakefront opens up, hopefully very soon, Million Air will be moving a triple-wide trailer in to replace the lost FBO. ``It will not be as luxurious, but it will fully functional. We are looking forward to being part of the rebuilding process,'' said Sandy Nelson, vice president of marketing and customer relations for Houston- based Million Air/ Interlink International. With multiple FBOs in the area, the company's primary concern is its employees. ``The FBO in Mobile, Ala., suffered minor damage and was without power for a few days, but is now up and running.
Executive Jet Management is now certified to operate scheduled passenger service as a commuter air carrier. EJM filed for the approval in early March, outlining plans to operate business jets in scheduled passenger service on routes between Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. The company has not said which aircraft it intends to use, listing some 80 aircraft that it operates through dry lease agreements for DOT fitness application purposes.
The FAA announced that it will not require the use of approved child restraints in aircraft, but will allow their use on a strictly voluntary basis. NTSB Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker expressed his official disappointment, since the NTSB recommended in 1995 that infants and small children under age 2 be restrained on airliners in a manner appropriate to their size. The recommendation has been on the Board's list of ``Most Wanted'' safety improvements since 1999.
The noble aim of Europe's proposed ``Single Sky'' is a sole air traffic management system independent of national boundaries. ``There would be no French airspace, no Italian airspace, and so forth,'' EBAA CEO Brian Humphries explained. ``Only ATM providers to that airspace.''
LightSPEED's Mach 1 in-the-ear headset offers up to 40 dB of passive hearing protection. The magnesium alloy headset weighs in at around one ounce and is equipped with a featherweight gooseneck boom and noise-canceling electret mic. Specially designed earplugs comfortably block noise before it has an opportunity to enter the ear canal, and miniature high-fidelity speakers inside the plug deliver crisp, clear voice and stereo music.
Eclipse Aviation will develop a program to prepare students for entry-level aviation manufacturing positions in partnership with Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell and Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute (TVI). Classes for the new program will begin Oct. 3 at TVI and cover assembly and installation techniques, tool usage, blueprint reading, and theory of flight and safety.
Hainan Airlines will establish an authorized Raytheon Aircraft Co. service center in Haikou City, China, dedicated to servicing and maintaining Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft. It will have full maintenance capabilities and a factory-trained maintenance team that can perform all maintenance on Beechcraft Premier I and Hawker 800XP aircraft. RAC said it is the first and only original equipment manufacturer to establish an in-country authorized service center in mainland China.
After World War II, navy pilot and mechanic Guy Hill Sr. came home to Georgia to put his skills to use. After working on small planes and performing stunts on weekends, he took $10,000, half of which was borrowed from his mother, and bought an FBO at Charlie Brown Field from a mill owner who'd wearied of the enterprise. Hill nurtured his operation to prominence. Several of his children worked there part time, but Guy Jr., an aviation advocate and his only boy, signed on full time in 1988 and stayed. Guy Sr. died in 2004 but had installed his son as CEO years before.
