– Guilford, Conn.-based private jet consultancy Guardian Jet has unveiled a Guardian 20/20 program that is designed to help corporate leaders better understand the value of their business aircraft operations.
The sudden and severe downturn that hit the business and general aviation industries forced Cessna Aircraft to lay off nearly half its work force, temporarily shut down production lines and cancel development of the Columbus Citation executive jet. In an interview at Cessna’s Wichita, Kan., headquarters, Chairman, CEO and President Jack Pelton told AVIATION WEEK Deputy Managing Editor/Business Aviation William Garvey and Senior Business Editor Joseph C. Anselmo that he is seeing signs of stabilization but cautioned that the road to recovery will be a long one.
– The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) and Boeing selected longtime general aviation advocate Edward W. Stimpson for the 2009 FSF-Boeing Aviation Safety Lifetime Achievement Award. Stimpson, the former chairman of FSF, founded and spent some 25 years leading the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. He was a driving force behind the decade-long effort to secure passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994.
After an unprecedented year of order cancellations, job losses and increases of used aircraft on the market, Honeywell Aerospace this week is presenting an 11-year forecast that is dramatically scaled back from a year earlier, but one that paints a more optimistic picture beginning in 2011. The 18th edition of the Honeywell Business Aviation Forecast predicts a market for 11,000 new business jets valued at some $200 billion from 2009 through 2019.
Oct. 20-22 – National Business Aviation Association 62nd Annual Meeting & Convention, Orlando, Fla., (202) 783-9000 or visit www.nbaa.org Nov. 4-5 – Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance Workshop, Las Vegas, Nev., Grey Owl Aviation Consultants, Inc. (204) 848-7353 or visit www.greyowl.com Nov. 4-6 – Annual Regional & Business Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference, Intercontinental Montelucia Resort & Spa, Paradise Valley, Ariz., or visit www.speednews.com
JAPAN last week signed an agreement with the FAA to participate in trials of air traffic management procedures designed to increase the efficiency of trans-Pacific flights. The agreement was formally concluded in Osaka by FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt and Ryuhei Maeda, director general of the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau. Japan becomes the fourth participant in the Asia Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE), joining the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.
DORNIER 328-100 and -300 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0616; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-070-AD; Amendment 39-16043; AD 2009-21-06] – Perform a one-time inspection of the cockpit door-locking device and the surrounding area for proper installation of the locking device, per the instructions of 328 Support Services Service Bulletin SB-328-25-485 or SB-328J-25-235 (both dated Jan. 28, 2009), as applicable.
The head of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) has made another pitch to President Barack Obama to visit Kansas to see the toll the business jet industry’s downturn has taken on workers there.
MERIDIAN AIR CHARTER, a Teterboro, N.J. aviation services company, added a Falcon 900EX EASy to its charter fleet. The Falcon is based in Denver, Colo.
The sudden and severe downturn that hit the business and general aviation industries forced Cessna Aircraft to lay off nearly half its work force, temporarily shut down production lines and cancel development of the Columbus Citation executive jet. In an interview at Cessna’s Wichita, Kan., headquarters, Chairman, CEO and President Jack Pelton told AVIATION WEEK Deputy Managing Editor/Business Aviation William Garvey and Senior Business Editor Joseph C. Anselmo that he is seeing signs of stabilization but cautioned that the road to recovery will be a long one.
– Portsmouth, N.H.-based charter management company AeroShares Charter, LLC has acquired the web site CharterAuction.com and plans to relaunch the online private jet charter service in January. CharterAuction.com, formerly owned by Jets.com, enables prospective customers to post their travel requirements and then receive bids from domestic and international private jet operators.
BALDWIN AVIATION has signed an agreement with TrainingPort.net to provide IS-BAO compliant safety management training services. The programs will include presentations on safety management by David Huntzinger, vice president of safety and security for Baldwin Aviation; fatigue management by Mark Rosekind, president and chief scientist of Alertness Solutions and National Transportation Safety Board nominee; and meteorology by Karsten Shein, climatologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center.
The sudden and severe downturn that hit the business and general aviation industries forced Cessna Aircraft to lay off nearly half its work force, temporarily shut down production lines and cancel development of the Columbus Citation executive jet. In an interview at Cessna’s Wichita, Kan., headquarters, Chairman, CEO and President Jack Pelton told AVIATION WEEK Deputy Managing Editor/Business Aviation William Garvey and Senior Business Editor Joseph C. Anselmo that he is seeing signs of stabilization but cautioned that the road to recovery will be a long one.
BUSINESS JET flight operations fell slightly in August, but appear to have rebounded in September, according to analyst reports. August flights were down less than 1 percent from July, analyst JPMorgan reported, noting that decline is counter to the typical increases that have occurred from July to August over the past decade. Flight operations “remain depressed in historical terms,” JPMorgan stated. Aviation Research Group/U.S., meanwhile, has reported a 2.7 improvement from August to September (see article on Page 174).
The sudden and severe downturn that hit the business and general aviation industries forced Cessna Aircraft to lay off nearly half its work force, temporarily shut down production lines and cancel development of the Columbus Citation executive jet. In an interview at Cessna’s Wichita, Kan., headquarters, Chairman, CEO and President Jack Pelton told AVIATION WEEK Deputy Managing Editor/Business Aviation William Garvey and Senior Business Editor Joseph C. Anselmo that he is seeing signs of stabilization but cautioned that the road to recovery will be a long one.
HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND T-62T-46C12 auxiliary power units [Docket No. FAA-2009-0247; Directorate Identifier 2009-NE-07-AD; Amendment 39-16040; AD 2009-21-03] – Upgrade the software in the full-authority digital engine controller (FADEC) from software version 02.01.000 to version 03.00.000. This AD was prompted by reports of auxiliary power unit (APU) compartment explosions due to overfueling of the APU at low revolutions-per-minute during the start sequence. FAA estimates that this directive will affect 59 APUs installed on Bombardier DHC-8-400 airplanes on the U.S.
AVFUEL CORPORATION added Pentastar Aviation at Oakland County International Airport in Michigan to its network of Avfuel-branded dealers. Pentastar will participate in the Avfuel AVTRIP fuel rewards and Contract Fuel programs. The Oakland County fixed-base operation provides a range of executive terminal services, including 24-hour concierge availability. The airport also has U.S. Customs on site. Pentastar Aviation’s fixed-base operation at Van Nuys Airport in California also is an Avfuel-branded dealer.
SAAB 2000 airplanes [Docket No. FAA-2009-0909; Directorate Identifier 2009-NM-172-AD; Amendment 39-16045; AD 2007-23-05 R1] – This AD, which resulted from an MCAI originated by the European Aviation Safety Agency, is intended to clarify the requirements of an earlier directive (AD 2007-23-05) to prevent ignition sources within the aircraft’s fuel system.
The sudden and severe downturn that hit the business and general aviation industries forced Cessna Aircraft to lay off nearly half its work force, temporarily shut down production lines and cancel development of the Columbus Citation executive jet. In an interview at Cessna’s Wichita, Kan., headquarters, Chairman, CEO and President Jack Pelton told AVIATION WEEK Deputy Managing Editor/Business Aviation William Garvey and Senior Business Editor Joseph C. Anselmo that he is seeing signs of stabilization but cautioned that the road to recovery will be a long one.
The sudden and severe downturn that hit the business and general aviation industries forced Cessna Aircraft to lay off nearly half its work force, temporarily shut down production lines and cancel development of the Columbus Citation executive jet. In an interview at Cessna’s Wichita, Kan., headquarters, Chairman, CEO and President Jack Pelton told AVIATION WEEK Deputy Managing Editor/Business Aviation William Garvey and Senior Business Editor Joseph C. Anselmo that he is seeing signs of stabilization but cautioned that the road to recovery will be a long one.
LIMOLINK INTERNATIONAL, a global supplier of chauffeur ground transportation to the aviation industry, has donated chauffeured limousine services valued at more than $25,000 to the Corporate Angel Network (CAN). LimoLink began patient transfers for CAN in April with the transport of a patient from Brooklyn, N.Y. to Teterboro, N.J. on a corporate flight. CAN arranges free transportation to treatment for cancer patients using empty seats on corporate aircraft.
EMBRAER CAE TRAINING SERVICES (ECTS) recently achieved certification from both the European Aviation Safety Agency and FAA for two Phenom 100 full-flight simulators. The simulators are based in Dallas and Burgess Hill, U.K. ECTS was established in November 2007 as a joint venture between Embraer and CAE to provide Phenom 100 and 300 pilot and ground crew training.
HONEYWELL won FAA technical design and production approval for its latest Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) for helicopters. FAA recently released certification standards for Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems, and Honeywell’s Mark XXI and XXII Helicopter EGPWS are the first to receive approval that meets the new standards from FAA.
JDA AVIATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS (JDA) has developed a web-based Part 135 certification support program that is designed to simplify and lower the costs associated with obtaining a Part 135 certificate. The program, 135Pro, also is designed to assist corporate operators considering charter options for their aircraft. The program includes support of the JDA 135 team. Former longtime senior FAA official Tom Stuckey is overseeing the 135Pro project. For more information, visit JDA’s Web site at www.jdasolutions.aero.
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION will present its Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership to the Civil Air Patrol during this week’s Annual Meeting and Convention in Orlando, Fla. The award will recognize the Civil Air Patrol’s disaster relief efforts. A civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, the nonprofit organization uses general aviation aircraft for rescue missions.
