Corporate Angel Network’s 49,000th and 49,001st cancer patients departed Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Oct. 27 for Angleton, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Aboard the flight operated by The Dow Chemical Co. were 54-year-old prostate cancer patient Richard Gremillion Jr., and his 74-year-old father, Richard Sr., who is being treated for the same condition. “After successful surgery in 2011, a recurrence appeared in January 2015,” said Richard Jr. “Chemo started in June and required frequent trips.
Sentient Jet president and CEO Andrew Collins joined the private aviation company in 2004. Founded in 1999 and privately held by Directional Aviation Capital, the jet card company has grown to more than 5,000 cardholders. That’s up from 4,000 to 4,500 last year. It is on track to capture $224 million in sales this year, a 15% increase over a year ago. Before being named president, Collins served as VP of revenue management for the company.
Gogo Business Aviation rolls into NBAA 2015 as it begins delivery of 650 Gogo inflight entertainment and connectivity systems to fractional giant NetJets.
At today’s Opening General Session, Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III will talk about the critical roles played by leadership, teamwork, training, vigilance, and preparedness in his successful emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549, an A320, in the Hudson River, resulting in all 155 people on board being saved.
JetFuelX’s free information technology fuel management tool for turbine aircraft owners and corporate flight departments is gaining widespread acceptance, having signed up its 2,000 th aircraft this fall.
Lektro, which is now celebrating its 70th year in business, is introducing a hybrid electric tug capable of running on electricity only or with a fuel-versatile diesel engine for use where there is limited or no charging infrastructure.
Canada-based precision engineering company MSB Design is showcasing its Hi-Lo conference tables here at NBAA. The tables were specifically designed for the Gulfstream G500 and G600 and will be offered as an initial specification option.
Jack Pelton has a new job. And this one, unlike his volunteer position as EAA chairman, comes with a salary. The Experimental Aircraft Association’s board of directors tapped him to become CEO at its Nov. 6 meeting, a position he will assume in addition to the duties he has had as chairman since October 2012. “The search committee didn’t want another change in leadership” after the turmoil EAA experienced in October 2012 when the board axed Rod Hightower.
Over the next 10 years, Honeywell Aerospace is forecasting demand for up to 9,200 new business jet deliveries at a value of $270 billion, a decline of 3% to 5% in value over its 2014 forecast.
General Electric is launching a family of advanced turboprop (ATP) engines following its selection by Textron to power the company’s newly disclosed next-generation single-engine turboprop aircraft.
In addition to swept props, Raisbeck’s King Air offerings include aft body strakes, enhanced leading edges, high flotation landing gear doors, and a ram air recovery system.
Lufthansa Technik has been selected by Royal Jet to complete two Boeing 737-700 BBJ VIP aircraft as the Abu Dhabi-based private charter company expands its fleet.
The business-aviation market will continue to track upward over the next five years, although billings may decrease or remain flat, according to market analysts.
Activity has picked up at Inairvation as it wins supersonic business jet designer Aerion as its first customer for integrated cabins, and names three partners to offer complete integrated cabin retrofits for Bombardier Global Express/5000/6000 aircraft.
Wheels Up predicts a 50% boost in revenue next year and an 80% increase in revenue flight hours. The company has been in operation only for 837 days, "really proving that anything can happen in America."
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America is launching two new safety-focused programs in the first quarter of 2016 – the next version of the MU-2 icing video and certification of a new angle-of-attack system for the turboprop twin.
Is there a new Gulfstream in the works, even as the company works full speed ahead to bring the 500 and 600 to fruition? Yes, says Jetcraft, a leading consultancy in international business aircraft sales, marketing and ownership strategies. It describes a void in a market segment where Gulfstream previously offered the G350 (a scaled-down Gulfstream 450) that likely points to an incoming new model.
Commuter Air Technology is taking orders – and offering show discounts – for its new CAT 350ME, a maximum-endurance King Air that can travel coast-to-coast or across the Atlantic nonstop with enhanced payload capabilities to boot.
A new Hartzell Propeller five-blade, carbon-fiber, swept-tip prop will maximize performance of the 1,300-strong Pilatus PC-12 fleet and provide the foundation for a more far-reaching upgrade announced on the eve of this year’s show.
Aerion Corporation has added new sales strength and some of the partners its needs to make its AS2, and hence supersonic business aviation, a commercial reality.
While Western observers believe the Chinese market for business aviation has all but collapsed under the weight of the government’s anti-corruption campaign, there is another side to the picture: Flying activity there might be at record levels.
