There are nearly 6,900 turbojet and turbofan business aircraft that are 30 or more years old — more than double the figure of just five years ago — and this number grows every year, according to JetNet LLC, an aviation market intelligence firm based in Utica, N.Y. And a sizable chunk of these geriatric jets, such as Cessna Citation 500s, Dassault Falcon 10/20 and Learjet 35/36 models, are pushing 40. At some point, old aircraft no longer will be viable.
During one of my six-month sim checks, my cockpit partner, a former U.S. Marine Corps A-4 pilot, was tasked with recovering from a nose-high unusual attitude. He did a nice smooth job of keeping the angle of attack (AOA) comfortably within control margins, but that wasn't good enough for the instructor. Rather, he leaned in and said, “As the only jet aerobatic trained pilot in this sim (he'd done aerobatics in the T-37 and T-38, both U.S.
American Eurocopter has delivered its 200th AS350 helicopter manufactured in the U.S. The AS350 B3e, was delivered to the Texas Department of Public Safety in April and entered service Sept. 20. Globally, there are more than 3,300 AS350 helicopters operating in all markets and missions. The first AS350 helicopter in the U.S. was delivered in 1978, and there are now 783 AStars in the U.S.
Blackhawk Modifications is completing flight tests aimed at winning an STC for Cessna 208 Caravan utility aircraft to install the same XP42A Upgrade Package that has boosted the performance of Cessna 208B Caravan since June 2011. According to Blackhawk President and CEO Jim Allmon, two Caravan customers already have signed for the new upgrade package. Blackhawk began accepting pre-certification orders and offered a number of special pricing packages. FAA STC certification is expected during the fourth quarter of 2012.
Business Jet Center has added a 61,505-sq.-ft. hangar to its facilities at Oakland International Airport in California. The structure, which previously served as a cargo handling facility, is undergoing a $5 million renovation and will bring the company's total designated business and general aviation hangar space at OAK to over 155,000 sq. ft. The hangar features 28-ft.-tall doors able to accommodate multiple large aircraft including the Gulfstream G650.
SoCal Jets, based at California's Van Nuys Airport, has expanded its services to include complete avionics service and support. The avionics team offers troubleshooting and maintenance, including pitot/static checks, RVSM certification and ELT inspections to installations and repair. The company's 18,000-sq.-ft. facility also offers sheet-metal work, major inspections and import/export services, among other services. The company is also an authorized Aircell dealer in Mexico.
Preferential Treatment? by Chris Coombs, Ore., (Readers' Feedback, October, page 11) demands a comment. Yes, there are a few older pilots that should not be flying, the same as there are a few younger pilots that should not be flying. There are also a lot of highly experienced older pilots that are damn good flyers, the same as there are a lot of younger pilots that are good pilots. I can't help wondering which category Mr. Coombs is in. Portland, Ore.
In the third quarter of 2012, Embraer delivered 27 jets to the commercial aviation market and 13 to executive aviation. Deliveries year to date, at the end of September, total 83 commercial and 46 executive jets, seven more than for the same period of 2011.
Sept. 15 — About 0023 CDT, a Cirrus SR22 (N436KS) was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Willard, Mo. The pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. The aircraft was registered to and operated by JL2 LLC as a personal flight operating on an IFR flight plan. The flight originated from Lee's Summit Municipal Airport (LXT) about 2340 on Sept. 14, with the intended destination of Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF), Springfield, Mo.
Business aviation is playing a key role in helping with the economic recovery in Europe, a new study finds, saying that each passenger flown on a business aviation flight generates the same gross domestic product as nine business passengers on a scheduled flight. The European Business Aviation Association retained Oxford Economics to conduct the study to determine the value of business aviation in Europe. The study finds that contrary to popular belief, business jets and turboprops in Europe are primarily used for business purposes rather than by wealthy individuals.
While the business aviation community has struggled in one of the deepest, most prolonged downturns in the industry's history, its membership has become truly global. As the traditional North American market collapsed in 2008, business jet makers set their sites on new, developing economies. By 2010, 60% of Gulfstream's orders came from international customers, and this year Cessna reached accords to build business jets in China.
As BCA was going to press, a pilot we know with considerable oceanic crossing experience in his logbook offered the following general checklist for keeping your operation gross navigation error (GNE) free. Pay attention to these points, and you have a pretty good chance of staying out of trouble.
360 Aviation Solution has a free app for the iPad that serves as a Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT). The app works in English and Spanish and is in the form of a questionnaire, which helps the operator determine a risk factor for each individual flight. Once the operator has answered 41 simple “yes or no” questions, the app produces a PDF that can be stored, printed or emailed. The company says its FRAT complies with IS-BAO/SMS requirements.
From October through March few pilots turn on their aircraft radars when flying in the northern latitudes. What a shame, and what a waste of safety potential. Operators have a lot of money invested in airborne radar, so why give it a free ride five months of the year when its safety potential in winter flying, as well as in summer, is immense? From vertical gyro failures or altimeter errors to errant GPS, airborne radar is the most reliable backup device and arbitrator on your panel.
During the Oct. 3 debate between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, the president once again took a swipe at business jet owners, and the reference brought an immediate objection from the NBAA. On the subject of taxes, Obama said, “Why wouldn't we eliminate tax breaks for corporate jets?
ETS Aviation has formed a carbon trading partnership with CF Partners (U.K.) LLP, a London commodities trading house that specializes in the trading of carbon emissions credits. ETS Aviation's “Carbon Exchanger” will provide airlines and aviation operators with access to the carbon market regardless of their size or the volume of credits they are looking to trade. www.etsaviation.com
Robinson Helicopter received FAA certification for the R66 Turbine Police Helicopter. The R66 Police model is specially configured for law enforcement and meets the latest FAA crashworthiness regulations. The turnkey R66 Police comes standard with FAA-approved technology including the FLIR Ultra 8000 thermal imaging camera, a 10-in. fold-down color monitor, the new Spectrolab SX-7 searchlight with 30-million candlepower and a dual audio controller.
Board Member Robert Sumwalt, a former airline pilot, concurred with the basic findings of the NTSB in its report on American Airlines Flight 2263 but urged the Safety Board to take a more practical look at training and to dig deeper in its investigations into the “why” of pilot reactions to abnormal situations. What follows is extracted from his concurrence.
Eurocopter Kazakhstan, a joint venture of Eurocopter and state-owned Kazakhstan Engineering, has received its first EC145 light utility helicopter kits and expects to complete assembly by the middle of this month, says EADS Kazakhstan General Director Silvere Delaunay. The Kazakhstan government has placed firm orders for 14 EC145s from a letter of intent for up to 45 EC145s and 20 EC725 multirole helicopters. Of the 14 orders placed, 10 helicopters are destined for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, while the remaining four will go to the Ministry of Defense.
Embraer's new Legacy 500 is undergoing final validation tests of the fly-by-wire flight control system of the midsize business jet, and is hoping to finally obtain clearance for the aircraft's first flight within weeks. Software issues with the fly-by-wire system have pushed back first flight by almost a year. But the system is fully installed, and executives are optimistic that those issues are well behind them. Once it resolved the fly-by-wire issues, Embraer had hoped to have the first prototype flying by the end of September—but that schedule has slipped.
Aerospace Education Corporation hosted its 4th Biennial Aviation and Aerospace Career Fair on October 4th and 5th at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY. The goal of the event was to educate middle and high school students about careers in aviation and aerospace and was attended by almost 2,500 people, who were able to meet with 30 exhibitors, speak with the pilots and technicians at over 10 aircraft on static display and listen to a presentation by NASA Astronaut Daniel Burbank about his time in space.
Jet Source announced the addition of an Embraer Phenom 100 corporate jet to its charter fleet, based at the Jet Source FBO at McClellan-Palomar Airport (CRQ) in Carlsbad, Calif. “The Phenom 100 is proving itself to be . . . ideally suited for those quick trips to San Francisco, Phoenix or more exotic locations like Cabo San Lucas in Mexico,” says Ian Ewing, vice president of business development for Jet Source.
Thrush is shipping its newly certified 510G agricultural aircraft, the first application for GE's H80 turboprop engine. Certification followed a two-year development program with both GE and Albany, Ga.-based Thrush Aircraft and comes just a few weeks after Thrush obtained type inspection authorization from FAA. GE obtained certification for the H80 engine, earlier this year. Thrush has built 11 of the H80-powered 510G aircraft and has begun initial deliveries both within the U.S. and to Latin American nations.
