Nextant Aerospace has delivered its 16th 400XT business jet to a private buyer in the Czech Republic, the first to be registered in the European Union. The aircraft will be managed by Czech Republic-based Time Air, a provider of charter, aircraft acquisition and management services.
Aug. 26 — At 1715 EDT, a Mooney M20C (N557M) registered to a private owner, experienced a total loss of engine power on initial takeoff climb from East Hampton Airport (HTO) East Hampton, N.Y. The pilot attempted to return to the airport and the airplane collided with trees. The airplane was heavily damaged due to impact and a post-crash fire. The private pilot and one passenger received serious injuries. It was VFR for this flight that departed HTO at 1714. The pilot stated he conducted a preflight inspection and no anomalies were noted.
Washington has a few catch phrases that never seem to go away, with “budget deficit,” “debt ceiling,” and “budget cuts,” among the most persistent. Even in the best of times, doomsayers bemoan tight budgets, the need to slash programs and an inability to spend new money. This year is no different, only the talks are more dire. Washington will likely be in hyperdrive after the elections.
FAA is laying the groundwork for the new “Pilot's Bill of Rights,” beginning with a new website that will facilitate access to air traffic data. The new law requires FAA to inform individuals subject to investigation that they are “entitled to access” to air traffic data, including air traffic communication tapes, radar information, air traffic controller statements, flight data; investigative reports or other air traffic information related to the investigation.
Aeropro Flight APO201, a Beechcraft King Air A100, departed from Runway 30 at Quebec/Jean Lesage International Airport at 0557 EDT on June 23, 2010, with a crew of two and five passengers. The flight lasted 68 sec., terminating in a field 1.5 mi. from the departure end of the runway. The airplane burned and all seven persons on board were killed.
Nextant Aerospace is ramping up production of its 400XT program, recently acquiring a facility to quadruple its space at Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Airport and accommodate a rate of up to 48 aircraft annually. The company expects to deliver 32 of the aircraft by year-end and has estimated that its order book approaches 70. The program has at least a year's head start on the Hawker 400XPR, which Hawker Beechcraft bills as the “only factory-direct aircraft upgrade program for the Hawker Beechjet 400 series.”
King Air B100, a limited production model built from 1976 to 1983, offers the cabin of a King Air 200, 240-kt. block speeds and rock bottom operating costs. It was developed in the early 1970s when Beech Aircraft sought out Garrett to be a second engine supplier for its turboprops to spur competition with Pratt & Whitney Canada.
“Honeywell's inertial reference systems navigate only in true but display magnetic headings to pilots,” Jerry Norton reminded readers. “However, at 72.5 deg. N, they are programmed to switch to true course.” A retired avmanager at Honeywell, Norton logged considerable time piloting a Gulfstream in avionics trials in the high latitudes. Above 80 deg. N, “just like going across the Pacific,” he observed, “there are not a lot of alternates, just Barrow, Deadhorse, and Spitsbergen Island.” Norton continues to fly as a free-lance contract pilot.
The first civil jet to fly on 100% biofuel meeting petroleum jet fuel specifications will be a Falcon 20 jet owned by the National Research Council of Canada. Tests to date have typically used a 50-50 blend of biofuel and regular kerosene jet fuel. The ReadiJet fuel, derived from mustard oilseeds, is made by Applied Research Associates (ARA) and Chevron Lummus Global (CLG). The two companies announced the tests at the ILA Berlin Air Show, where they exhibited in the Alternative Aviation Fuels Pavilion. The fuel was made under contract to the U.S.
While reading “Gearing Up for the Go-Around” (September 2012, page 40) it dawned on me that pilots are probably (and by a wide margin) the most scrutinized and regulated group of professionals in the world. In principle I am not against this, but too much regulation and excessive monitoring can be extremely nefarious and counter-productive. I will probably be crucified for what I'm going to say right now, but I'll say it anyway.
National Air Transportation Association's new President and CEO Tom Hendricks , who officially stepped into his new role Sept. 1 after serving as senior vice president, safety, security and operations for Airlines for America, has emphasized the importance of the aviation associations of all industry segments working together to educate the public and Washington about “how critically dependent we all are on aviation. We need to make sure they don't take aviation for granted.
Eurocopter is the latest aircraft manufacturer to invest in a Chinese joint venture anticipating that the Peoples Liberation Army will lighten prohibitive airspace restrictions that has put a damper on general aviation development. But noting it expects those restrictions to ease, Eurocopter last week signed a partnership with the Tianjin Free Trade Zone (TFTZ) to set up a China Completion Center in Tianjin to assemble and customize the company's AS350 family of light helicopters.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.'s Gulfstream G650 received full FAA type certification Sept. 7, just days after the company's G280 was certified by U.S. and Israeli authorities (see below). Gulfstream expects to deliver the first fully outfitted, ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range G650 business jets to customers before year-end. Gulfstream received provisional type certification in November 2011 for the G650 and delivered the first 12 green aircraft by the end of that year, fulfilling a promise the aircraft manufacturer had made to customers and the financial community.
The deadline for the FAA to start a pilot project to build six UAV test sites around the U.S. has passed, putting bidders around the country on hold. The FAA has said it would choose the six sites by the end of the calendar year, but the selection process may be held up by the presidential campaign, lest privacy concerns surrounding the use of UAVs become an issue.
Most maintenance managers long for the days when they were technicians on the hangar floor. Sure, there were blazing hot summers, freezing cold winters, cramped compartments and impossible tasks; but the thing we miss the most is ability to concentrate on one task at a time. As soon as you step into a management role, you instantly become a multitasker. There never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done, with the same attention to detail of the most basic maintenance task.
Nextant Aerospace established an Asian foothold with the sale of 10 of its Nextant 400XT remanufactured business jets to Asia Pacific Jets and the formation of a distributor partnership with that company. The Asia Pacific Jets order calls for the aircraft to be delivered over three years, with the first two delivered by year-end. Singapore-based Asia Pacific provides medical evacuation and corporate charter services.
FAA is urging the general aviation community to participate in its 34th annual General Aviation and Part 135 Survey for 2011. The survey, available online at www.aviationsurvey.org, provides information to track GA fleet activity, including number of hours flown and reasons for flight. The agency notes the data helps determine funding for infrastructure and service needs, and assesses the impact of regulatory changes and measures safety. The survey also is used to calculate accident rates.
Cessna has increased the range expectation of its new midsize Citation Latitude from 2,300 nm to 2,500 nm. The Latitude was originally announced in 2011 with an expected range of 2,000 nm, but Cessna engineers responding to customer input pushed the range figure first to 2,300 nm and most recently to 2,500 nm. “As we talked with more customers, getting to 2,500 nm was imperative,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, International Sales, South America. Priced at $14.9 million in 2011 dollars, the Latitude is scheduled for its first flight in mid-2014.
Windy City Charter is rebranding as Ventis Aviation. The company's home offices, leadership and air carrier certificate remain unchanged. Ventis also announced the addition of a Beechcraft King Air 350 to its charter fleet at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) in Wheeling, Ill. Ventis' charter fleet includes a Hawker 700 based in Grand Junction, Colo., and a Beechcraft Baron based at Chicago Executive Airport.
Embraer is adding a Phenom 300 production line at its Melbourne, Fla. Plant. Assembly is set to launch with many of the major components, including the fuselage and wing, already on site in Melbourne, Embraer executives told BCA. The first aircraft is expected to be completed and delivered in early 2013. The Melbourne site is producing Phenoms at a rate of two a month, and plans call to build that up to a mix of eight Phenom 100s and 300s per month.
Littleton, Colo.-based Jettech obtained FAA supplemental type certification (STC) for installation of Garmin's touchscreen GTN 650/750 GPS/NAV/COM on Cessna Citation 500 series aircraft. The STC covers Models 500, 501, 550, 551, S550 and 560 business jets and includes the installation of Garmin GTX 33's transponders, remote GMA35 audio panels, and GA35/37 antennas. In addition, the company says the STC facilitates WAAS approvals.
Argus TRAQPak data indicates that August 2012 business aircraft flight activity increased from July 2012 at 5.7% overall. The results by operational category were all positive from the previous month, led by Part 91 flight activity posting a 6.6% month-over-month increase. Part 135 charter activity was up 4.3%. Fractional activity was up 5.1% over July. Comparing August 2012 to August 2011, TRAQPak recorded a modest increase of 2.0% in overall aircraft activity. Results by operational category were once again led by Part 91 sector activity up 2.7%.
