The first two Hawker Beechcraft Hawker 400XP aircraft to operate on a charter certificate in the U.K. have been placed into service, the Wichita plane maker says. The aircraft are in operation with SaxonAir, a Norwich-based private jet charter company, which added the Hawker 400XP to its air operators certificate. SaxonAir purchased a Hawker 400XP, which is based at its Norwich International Airport headquarters, and is managing a second, which is positioned at Edinburgh Airport in Scotland.
Garmin is developing a new electronic stability and cockpit safety technology for general aviation that previously was only associated with fly-by-wire systems. The Garmin Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) system helps the pilot maintain the aircraft in a flight-stable condition, as well as helping to prevent loss of control should the pilot become distracted, disoriented or incapacitated during flight, the company says.
EMS Aviation in Atlanta has begun taking orders for the Forté AirMail system, which provides an in-flight Wi-Fi email capability. EMS Forté AirMail is an Iridium-based system that enables pilots and passengers to send and receive e-mail at any altitude using Wi-Fi devices, including BlackBerrys, iPhone smartphones and Wi-Fi enabled personal digital assistants. Located in the cabin, the Forté AirMail Wi-Fi device passes e-mail through the EMS Aviation/Sky Connect Iridium transceiver and supports up to four simultaneously connected handheld devices.
General aviation safety numbers are “not where I or FAA would like them to be,” FAA Administrator Randy Babbit said Wednesday. Speaking at last week’s Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture, he noted that there have been 120 fatal GA crashes in the first half of 2010. A recent mishap involved NASCAR team owner Jack Roush at the EAA gathering on Tuesday. Although Roush and a passenger were both able to walk away, Roush suffered serious injuries while attempting to land his Beech Premier 1 light jet.
Bombardier Aerospace has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to cooperate on research and development initiatives. The MOU outlines the framework for collaboration on the development of aircraft technologies, including research that helps achieve the goal of neutral carbon growth in 2020 and 50% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2050.
The Experimental Aircraft Association last week formally introduced its next president, longtime member and aviation enthusiast Rod Hightower, on the opening day of the association’s week-long AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. Hightower will succeed Tom Poberezny effective Sept. 7, and Poberezny will remain active with the organization as chairman. Hightower will be only the third president to steer EAA, and will be the first outside the Poberezny family to take the reigns. Tom Poberezny’s father, Paul Poberezny, founded the association in 1953.
Abu Dhabi-based business jet operator Royal Jet and Saudi-based Arabasco have renewed a year-long partnership that has the former operating under the latter’s aircraft operators certificate at hubs in Jeddah and Riyadh. Royal Jet will provide crew, a full operations team and all the necessary supporting logistics. The Saudi market is the largest and most mature private jet market in the region and offers Royal Jet significant opportunities for growth, says John Morgan, Royal Jet’s vice president-commercial.
West Star Aviation has expanded its services at its Grand Junction, Colo., facility to offer Type IV de-icing. Type IV de-icing is used to prevent ice from recurring after initial de-icing with Type I. This enables a longer holdover time. West Star is a certified de-icing station and is equipped with two de-icing trucks.
The state of Kansas has pledged $27 million in bond financing to assist with Bombardier Aerospace’s facilities expansion plans to accommodate final assembly and finishing work of the Learjet 85 in Wichita, Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson (D) and Bombardier Business Aircraft President Steve Ridolfi announced Friday.
DASSAULT Falcon 10; Fan Jet Falcon C, D, E, F and G; Falcon 20-C5, -D5, -E5 and -F5; Falcon 200; Falcon 2000 and 2000EX; Falcon 50; and Falcon 900 and 900EX airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0864; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-202-AD] – This revised proposed rule would require operators to periodically inspect for overpressure tightness on both pressurization-regulating valves. If any leaks were found, operators would need to replace the affected valve with a serviceable unit before further flight.
Cessna last month has delivered four aircraft – a Citation Mustang and three 208 Caravans – to customers in the People’s Republic of China. Two of the Caravans were financed by the leasing division of AVIC, China’s primary aviation organization. Twenty-four Citations are based in China, representing nearly 35% of the total business jet fleet in the nation (excluding Hong Kong and Macau). The Mustang, the first of its type to be delivered to China, was delivered to Deng Bin, who also owns a Citation CJ1+. Shanghai HaoHai General Aviation Co.
PIPER AIRCRAFT PA-32R-301T and PA-46-350P airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0122; Directorate Identifier 2009-CE-067-AD; Amendment 39-16338; AD 2010-13-07] – This corrected AD requires operators to replace certain V-band exhaust couplings with improved-design couplings. This directive, which resulted from reports that spot-welded, V-band exhaust couplings are failing, was issued to prevent failure of the coupling, which could cause the exhaust pipe to detach from the turbocharger.
Wisconsin has joined the growing number of states to formally recognize the importance of aviation. Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) issued a proclamation declaring last week “Wisconsin Aviation Week.” The proclamation states that 85% of new or expanded manufacturers within the state are located within 15 miles of an airport that can accommodate jet aircraft and that business aircraft improve quality of life by providing emergency medical transportation and assisting law enforcement.
Three California congressmen are seeking legislative changes to enable Bob Hope (Burbank) and Van Nuys airports in California to prohibit nighttime operations. Reps. Brad Sherman (D), Howard Berman (D) and Adam Schiff (D) last month wrote to the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee leadership that both Burbank and Van Nuys should be exempted from measures in the Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA), which prevents the airports from adopting further noise restrictions on Stage 3 aircraft.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet Series 700, 701, 702, 705 and 900 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0700; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-123-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to replace the angle of attack (AOA) transducer with a new or serviceable transducer, per the instructions of Bombardier Alert Service Bulletin A670BA-27-054, Rev. A (dated Jan. 18, 2010).
OSHKOSH, WIS. – Honda Aircraft Co. has powered up the first conforming flight test HondaJet, making possible first flight in the next few months and FAA type certification by mid-2012, followed by entry into service in the third quarter. Company officials revealed the milestone event, which occurred in May, during a briefing at last week’s Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture. The company claims to have 100-plus orders for the aircraft, a figure that has been cited for well more than a year.
A senior Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) executive has attempted to clarify recent statements and allay growing concerns of employees that massive layoffs are looming. Concerns about the company’s future surfaced after union officials reported that HBC is considering relocating substantial portions of the company from Wichita, Kan.
Business jet sales in the first half of 2010 remained sluggish for Dassault Aviation, but the company’s net orders for two Falcon aircraft still marked a significant turnaround from the net loss of 56 Falcon orders in the first six months of 2009, the company reported last week.
Dassault Falcon is providing data from its Falcon 10 business jet to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for use as an educational resource for engineering students. Dassault signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this month at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Fla., campus to collaborate on bringing engineering students and industry closer together. Embry-Riddle students will work in teams with faculty and Dassault engineers to develop new ideas and improvements for legacy aircraft such as the Falcon 10.
Pilatus Aircraft has delivered its 1,000th PC-12 single-turboprop aircraft. The aircraft recently was handed over to owner David Fountain of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Fountain, a private investor, is a three-time PC-12 owner. He purchased all three aircraft from V. Kelner Pilatus Center, a Pilatus sales and service center in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Cessna has scaled back production plans for its Citation Mustang very light jet to about 70 units this year and is monitoring the market to evaluate whether production adjustments will be necessary for its light and midsize jets, Scott Donnelly, president and chief executive of Cessna parent Textron, reported last week.
Gulf Coast Avionics has teamed with Quick Aviacao to establish a presence in Brazil. Gulf Coast will operate out of the Quick Aviacao facility in Goiania, Goias, Brazil, doing business as Gulf Coast Avionics Brasil. Jonata Berberian, who has an engineering background with Rockwell Collins, Honeywell and Garmin and is a member of the family that owns Quick Aviacao, will run the new Gulf Coast operation. Gulf Coast supplies avionics, instruments and other equipment and operates an avionics installation center at Lakeland Linder Airport in Lakeland, Fla.
Boca Raton, Fla.-based charter broker Airstream Jets (ASJ) has established a new joint venture company, Airstream Jets (Asia Pacific), as part of an effort to expand its reach into the Asia-Pacific region, the company says. ASJ teamed with Australian operators Vas Nikolovski and Sam Iliades to form the new office. Nikolovski is the founder and former director of DirectAir Charter, and Iliades is an international commercial pilot. They will be joint CEOs of the joint venture.
July 26-Aug. 1—Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh 2010, Oshkosh, (920) 426-4800 Aug. 3-5—FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute’s Cabin Safety Workshop, Monroney Aeronautical Center, Oklahoma City, www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/aeromedical/cabinsafet… Aug. 10-13—Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International & Flight International: Unmanned Systems North America 2009, Washington, (703) 845-9671, www.auvsi.org/events
The board of Piper Aircraft last week replaced CEO Kevin Gould on an interim basis with Geoffrey Berger, currently managing director of Brunei-based Imprimis Fund, which owns the Vero Beach, Fla.-based manufacturer. Piper will begin a global search for an executive to lead the company. Imprimis bought Piper Aircraft in May 2009 under the leadership of then-CEO Jim Bass, who focused on turning around the manufacturer and positioning it to find a potential buyer.
