Cessna firmed up its agreement with Avic's China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company (Caiga) to produce Caravans in China and opened the possibility to jointly design and develop new utility turboprop models there in the future. Cessna's newly signed joint-venture contract with Caiga builds on an initial agreement that the two entities announced in May.
Jet Aviation Basel re-delivered a Boeing 737-900 BBJ to its Middle East owner in November 2012. The aircraft was inducted last year for major completions, including the first EASA-certified installation of Honeywell's OVATION Select Cabin Management System (CMS) on a BBJ 3.
NetJets took delivery of its first “Signature Series” Global 6000, marking the beginning of a new large-cabin fleet that could include hundreds of Global and Challenger aircraft. The aircraft will help expand NetJets' fleet, and also replace Gulfstreams and Dassault business jets that have traditionally filled the large-cabin role. With the delivery, Bombardier officially joins the NetJets fleet. While NetJets operated Learjets early on, Bombardier has delivered its fractional-bound aircraft primarily to its own operation, Flexjet.
While it's bad enough to discover someone is using your ID and credit when you're at home, it's far worse to make that discovery while you're off on a trip, a long way from home.
Piper Aircraft is pledging to maintain an employment base of at least 650 workers under an amended agreement with the state of Florida that will enable the company to keep incentive money it received as part of its original contract with the state. Piper in 2008 agreed to keep the company in Vero Beach, Fla., after the Florida had provided an incentive package of up to $32 million based on certain investment and workforce guarantees that included the creation of new jobs and maintaining the workforce. Piper had received an initial payment of $6.6 million from the state.
Embraer Executive Jets has enlarged the authorization scope of ExecuJet Middle East as an Embraer Authorized Service Center (EASC). The service center, located at Dubai International Airport, is now authorized for line maintenance on the ultra-large Lineage 1000 and for base maintenance on the Phenom 300 light jet. ExecuJet Middle East was first appointed an EASC in October 2010.
Bombardier celebrated its addition to the NetJets fleet on the heels of announcing another landmark order — a potential $7.8 billion, 142-aircraft deal from Swiss-based VistaJet. That contract includes firm orders for a mix of 56 Global business jets valued at $3.1 billion, making it the largest single firm order that Bombardier has received for its business jet line to date. The NetJets and VistaJet orders will help push total new business jet sales for the year well past the 200 mark, says Steve Ridolfi, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft.
The email chimes and there it is, notification of another planned international trip. Some of the destinations provided are familiar, while others are not. You pull out your checklist and mentally tap into the international knowledge base you've assembled from experience. For some, that base may be modest, and for others perhaps a bit dated. Regardless, the trip will launch and the tips that follow are intended to help ensure it proceeds seamlessly and on schedule.
A U.S. bankruptcy court cleared Hawker Beechcraft to sell off its remaining inventory of Hawker 4000 business jets. The approval, Dec. 11, by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, comes after the court earlier had rejected Hawker Beechcraft's request to expedite the inventory sale without meeting certain notice requirements under bankruptcy rules.
Landmark Aviation will acquire First Aviation Services at Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey, marking a return to the acquisition trail a little more than month after it came under new ownership. The acquisition was expected to close by year-end 2012. Landmark did not reveal terms of the agreement, but a spokeswoman says purchase details likely will be revealed once the acquisition closes. The acquisition will give Landmark a major base at the nation's busiest general aviation airport. First Aviation has 120,000 sq. ft. of hangar space and 480,000 sq. ft.
Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc., has expanded its EU-ETS Emissions Reporting Portal to provide easy access for business aviation operators purchasing carbon credits. “To minimize confusion dealing with new, complicated processes and procedures, we've selected a carbon brokerage firm and provided easy access to its trading platform via our reporting portal and extended our 24/7 support to include consultation for trading and submitting emission allowances to member states,” according to Adam Hartley, supervisor, Global Regulatory Services at Universal.
Airbus Corporate Jet Centre launched its new website showing the wide range of services dedicated to its customers. Its design is based on an “haute couture” spirit and offers a panorama of ACJC's values. It also includes a career space targeted for aeronautical experts and listings of available positions. It's designed for most browsers and will be optimized for viewing on smart phones and tablets.
Nov. 6 — At about 1900 EST, Delta Air Lines Flight 241, a Boeing MD-88 (N908DE), experienced a loss of power in the left engine, a P&W JT8D-219, shortly after takeoff from the Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (ATL), Atlanta. The pilots shut down the engine and the airplane returned to ATL without further incident. After landing, the examination of the airplane revealed a portion of the lower engine cowl was missing and there was a hole in the fan duct.
Business jet charter, management and maintenance services company, TAG Aviation, has started a new advisory service for business aircraft operators who must comply with the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS). TAG ETS Solutions offers operators turnkey compliance and carbon credit purchase support, or customized help for those who have already begun the process only to become stalled by its complexity. The new offering draws on TAG's experience complying with the EU-ETS for its owned business aircraft as well as for its managed fleet.
Signature Flight Support has signed an agreement to make National Car Rental the preferred rental car partner for its global network. Member of National's Emerald Club loyalty program can now earn Signature TailWins rewards for their rental car purchases. The points are awarded for every dollar spent on rental time and mileage. Signature has recently formed an exclusive partnership with CLEAR, the U.S. leader in secure biometric identification. All Signature stakeholders will benefit from the timesaving opportunities of a CLEAR membership.
Bombardier's Challenger 601-3A/ER has 3,200 nm range at Mach 0.80, a cabin with a commodious cross section, comfortable seating for eight to nine passengers and inflight access to a large aft baggage compartment. As such, it's a $4 million widebody aircraft that's well suited to flying U.S. transcontinental missions.
ARINC Direct has a partnership with FlightAware to provide enhanced live flight- tracking information as a further evolution to its suite of business aviation services. ARINC Direct customers will be able to benefit from access to FlightAware's live Web-based flight tracking and fleet maps, including worldwide en route navigation data, and many other maps and overlays. Messaging the aircraft, worldwide position and flight plan display, arrival and departure information, flight history and airport delay information are also included.
The FCC is urging the FAA to ease rules governing the inflight use of portable electronic devices (PEDs). The agencies share jurisdiction when it comes to PEDs. The FAA regulates their use before takeoff, while the FCC assumes oversight during flight. The FAA, however, has taken the lead on a six-month study examining current aircraft operator policies and procedures regarding PEDs. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski expresses support for the review in a letter to FAA acting Administrator Michael Huerta.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy believes FAA has significantly understated the costs associated with its proposed changes in the Part 145 rewrite and is suggesting that the agency conduct a supplemental regulatory analysis that includes less costly alternatives. The SBA Office of Advocacy hosted a meeting in December on FAA's Part 145 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), that expressed industry groups' concerns that FAA's proposal omits a number of costs in its cost-benefit analysis.
Sikorsky's Associated Aircraft Group (AAG), the East Coast's largest executive Sikorsky S-76 helicopter services provider, has been granted access into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) by the TSA under the DCA Access Security Program (DASSAP). As an approved operator, AAG is required to submit to advanced security procedures and background checks for all crewmembers. Passengers and baggage undergo TSA security screening at any DCA gateway airport. An approved law enforcement officer is required to be on board during flight into and out of DCA.
Bell Helicopter announced that National Grid Electricity Transmission Plc has purchased the first Bell 429 to be operated in Great Britain. The aircraft will be used for power line inspection and maintenance. National Grid formally accepted the Bell 429 in Mirabel, Canada, at Bell Helicopter's commercial manufacturing facility. Final delivery will take place upon completion at Bell Helicopter's facility in Prague.
Hawker Beechcraft on Nov. 15 petitioned the court to be released from certain warranty and support obligations for the Hawker 4000 and Premier business jet lines. That petition has drawn a handful of formal objections, but a few of the companies objecting have withdrawn their initial protests. In its response as we go to press, Hawker Beechcraft says that the move is “critical to the transformation” of its business. The company said it understood the difficult effects of its decisions on customers and anticipated some opposition.
