Transport Canada has issued a certificate of airworthiness for the first Global 5000 jet to be operated by the German Federal Ministry of Defense (FMOD). In December 2007, Germany selected the Global 5000 jet as a key component of their plan for the modernization of the FMOD’s Special Mission Wing. Four Global 5000 jets, to be completed at Bombardier’s Global Completion Center in Montréal, will be operated by the German FMOD’s Special Mission Wing for VIP transport and medevac flights.
The Antares DLR-H2 debuted last week at the ILA Berlin Air Show as the world’s first manned aircraft to take off using only power from onboard fuel cells. Based on a Lange Aviation Antares 20E sailplane, the aircraft was developed at the DLR Institute for Technical Thermodynamics to demonstrate new standards in high-efficiency, zero-emissions energy conversion that are possible thanks to the progress in fuel cell technology.
U.K.-based helicopter charter and management company PremiAir has become a member of Avinode, a B2B platform to buy and sell charter flights. PremiAir has placed its executive VIP helicopter charter fleet — Sikorsky S76 and Eurocopter Twin Squirrels — into the system, making it Avinode’s largest rotor-wing client. The Avinode system currently processes up to 75,000 charter requests monthly. It includes data for about 90% of Europe’s charter fleet, listing some 3,500 aircraft in total. Charter X’s database adds a further 15,000 aircraft from as many as 116 countries.
Satellite Beach, Fla.-based communications provider Satcom Direct has added graphical weather to its FlightDeck Freedom service for aircraft equipped with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS). Aircraft using Pro Line 21 include the Bombardier Challenger 300 and 605; the Cessna Citation CJ1+, CJ2+, CJ3, CJ4, Encore+ and XLS+; the Gulfstream G150; and the Hawker Beechcraft Hawker 750, 800XP, 850XP and 900XP.
Elbit Systems and Grob Aircraft AG have joined forces to develop a new tandem cockpit version of the side-by-side seating Grob G120TP turboprop trainer that was on display at the ILA Berlin Air Show. “One aircraft in two seating configurations will be a true paradigm shift in the global training concept (resulting in) new standards in cost and training efficiency without having to compromise quality,” note the partners. The G 120TP features an Elbit three-screen avionics suite with a high level of mission simulation and capability for visual tactical training.
A senior Transportation Security Administration official is hoping to take a new look at a stringent security plan governing business aircraft flights into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and make changes that might facilitate more access. “I have an open goal of increasing flights into DCA,” Brian Delauter, the general manager of TSA’s General Aviation branch, last week told attendees of the National Air Transportation Association’s Air Charter Summit.
Gulfstream Aerospace has secured type certificate validation from the United Arab Emirates for its G550 and G500 business jets. The approval enables operators to register those aircraft in the UAE. Gulfstream received similar approval for the G450 in March 2008. “Gulfstream’s presence in the Middle East has grown dramatically, nearly doubling to more than 100 [aircraft] in five years,” says Larry Flynn, Gulfstream senior vice president, marketing and sales.
BOMBARDIER Regional Jet 100 and 440 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2010-0482; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-225-AD] – This proposed AD would require operators to revise the first flight of the day check of the stall protection system to detect degradation of the stick pusher function. It also would introduce a new repetitive maintenance task to limit exposure to dormant failure of the stick pusher capstan shaft. This proposal, which resulted from an MCAI originated by Transport Canada, was prompted by several stick pusher capstan shaft failures.
Lufthansa Technik’s VIP & Executive Jet Solutions division in Hamburg, Germany has delivered the 10th Airbus A318 Elite since the start of the completion program in 2006. The aircraft was delivered to Swiss business jet operator Comlux. Another A318 Elite is currently running through a VIP completion at Lufthansa Technik’s U.S. subsidiary BizJet International in Tulsa, Okla.
Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) has begun taking orders for Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) upgrades on King Aircraft 200/300 aircraft equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. Also on the King Air C90GTi, the WAAS installation enables Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approach and use of RNAV routes. HBS is working on the upgrade for Premier IA and Hawker 400XP/Beechjet 400A aircraft, and those installations are expected to begin by the third quarter.
THOMAS LEVERTON was appointed chief executive of Omniflight Helicopters. Leverton previously served as chief operating officer for TXU Energy, an electric market retailer in Texas. Leverton oversaw operations, marketing, sales and technology. He also has served as chief development officer for FedEx and held roles with Bain & Company and Johnson & Johnson.
While FAA has pushed the issue of flight and duty time recommendations to the forefront, the agency made a “conscious effort to take on Part 121 first and then 135 later on,” James Ballough, FAA special assistant to the associate administrator for aviation safety, told the National Air Transportation Association Air Charter Summit last week. But, he promises, “We’ll get to that.” But the agency is still struggling to move on Part 121.
Boeing subsidiary Insitu has provided FAA with a ScanEagle system for research to help develop recommendations for integrating unmanned aircraft into the national airspace. The system, including two ScanEagle small unmanned aircraft, has been delivered to FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, N.J., under a cooperative research and development agreement signed by Insitu.
The Department of Transportation this fall is planning to release a long-awaited notice of proposed rulemaking to regulate charter brokers, a key agency official told the National Air Transportation Association Air Charter Summit last week. Dayton Lehman, DOT’s deputy assistant general counsel in the Office of Aviation, says the NPRM will be “quite expansive,” seeking a substantial amount of input on a proper direction for regulating charter brokers.
LEARJET 60 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0495; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-049-AD; Amendment 39-16316; AD 2010-11-11] – Revise the “Tire Servicing” section of the Airplane Maintenance Manual and revise the “Tires Limitation” section of the Airplane Flight Manual to incorporate revised procedures for servicing tires and checking for proper tire inflation.
Garmin International has received an FAA supplemental type certificate for installation of its G500H flight display in Bell 206 and 407 helicopters. The all-glass avionics system, which was designed specifically for helicopter applications, uses the best features of Garmin’s G600 and G500, which were developed for fixed-wing aircraft.
Gulfstream has delivered the first of several business jets to China’s Minsheng Financial Leasing Co. Ltd. The Gulfstream G450 will be used for corporate transport, while future Gulfstreams will support the company’s aviation leasing operation. Larry Flynn, Gulfstream’s senior vice president of marketing and sales, said, “We see Minsheng as an important partner in our effort to expand our presence in Asia.” Gulfstream sold its first large-cabin aircraft in China in early 2008. Today, the company supports more than 35 aircraft in China, Hong Kong and Macau.
While business aviation is designed to deliver efficiency to its customers, the on-demand charter market as a whole remains inefficient, says a new report by online marketer PrivateFly.com. Almost 100% of respondents to a PrivateFly.com survey recognized that the Internet was beginning to make the industry more efficient, but the wider results indicate that more needs to be done to improve efficiency.
SIKORSKY S-92A helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2010-0060; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-06-AD; Amendment 39-16282; AD 2010-10-03] – Replace the main gearbox filter bowl assembly with a two-piece bowl assembly and replace the existing mounting studs. Also, inspect the main gearbox lube system filters, housing, housing threads and the lock-ring counterbore, repairing or replacing them as necessary, per the instructions of Sikorsky Alert Service Bulletin No. 92-63-022A (dated Dec. 18, 2009).
Business travelers can determine the cost of commercial versus private aviation with a new free calculator designed by Boca Raton, Fla.-based Paramount Business Jets.
Gulfstream has received two key approvals that will enable its aircraft to take advantage of NextGen operational capabilities. The Savanna, Ga., airframer secured FAA clearance for its large-cabin business jets to fly Required Navigational Performance-Special Aircraft and Aircrew Authorization Required (RNP-SAAAR) approaches to a minimum of 0.1 nm. In addition, FAA approved Gulfstream’s flight operations department to use the Future Air Navigation System (FANS) 1/A data link on its G450 aircraft.
TURBOMECA Arriel 2B and 2B1 engines [Docket No. FAA-2007-28077; Directorate Identifier 2007-NE-20-AD] – This proposed AD would revise an existing directive (AD 2007-0109) by allowing an operator to terminate borescope inspections of the high-pressure (HP) turbine blades if the operator incorporates the optional Turbomeca TU166 modification. This proposed AD, which resulted from an MCAI issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is designed to prevent an uncommanded inflight engine shutdown, which could result in an emergency autorotation landing or an accident.
Dassault has won FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency approval of the autobrake function on the Falcon 2000EX EASy, 2000DX and 2000LX. Specially designed for short runways, the feature adds greater safety margins by reducing landing distances by as much as 150 feet on normal approaches and 300 feet on steep approaches. The autobrake will be included on production aircraft and will be available as a retrofit for 2000EX aircraft at any Dassault Aircraft Services facility.
