Shortcomings in FAA’s program to delegate certification activities are hampering the agency’s oversight of aircraft manufacturers, the U.S. Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has found. FAA needs to provide better guidance and take a more active role steering participants in its Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program, Jeffrey Guzzetti, assistant inspector general for aviation and special programs, says in testimony for a recent House aviation subcommittee hearing on aviation safety.
The European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS), which has been relabeled as a “System” is a far-reaching program involving government fees, industry emissions caps and trading of emissions credits. Its stated goal is to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere by 20% by 2020. When initiated in 2005, the program targeted fixed-in-place European emitters such as power generation facilities, oil refineries, pulp plants and such. Then in 2009, the ETS was extended to aviation.
West Star Aviation recently received FAA supplemental type certification to enable Wi-Fi on Pro Line 4 and Pro Line 21 equipped Falcon 2000 and 2000EX aircraft. West Star's facility in East Alton, Ill., completed the work, which included certifications for interface to Iridium and Inmarsat satcom systems. The True North Chorus was used for Iridium data via Wi-Fi, while the Inmarsat interface was provided via the EMS CNX-200 and Honeywell HD-710 SwiftBroadband pipe.
Cessna has begun to see a rebound in the market in 2012, with first-quarter orders outpacing the first three quarters of 2011 combined, but soft pricing is still hurting the company's bottom line, says Scott Donnelly, chairman and CEO of Cessna parent Textron. Cessna delivered 38 Citations in the first quarter, up from 31 in the first quarter of 2011, and Donnelly says, “We continue to see improvement in customer activity.
FlightSafety International is renewing its offer of free recurrent training for pilots and maintenance techs that have lost their jobs since the start of the year. When the company first offered free training for former customers in 2009, hundreds of out-of-work professionals took advantage of it. “We are pleased and proud to have helped our customers through the Proficiency Protection program in the past. We now offer it again during 2012,” said Bruce Whitman, president and CEO, who noted FlightSafety is the only training provider to offer this type of program.
Hawker Beechcraft, posting heavy losses last year, expects to decide on a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing or other means to restructure its heavy debt load in the next few weeks. In 2011 sales dropped to $2.4 billion in 2011 from $2.8 billion in 2010. Hawker Beechcraft posted a $481.8 million operating loss last year, compared with $173.9 million in 2010. Its worst operating loss in recent history, however, was the $712 million deficit in 2009. The net loss for 2011 reached $632.8 million—more than twice that for 2010. The 2009 net loss was $451.6 million.
Bombardier delivered the first Global 6000 aircraft equipped with the Vision Flight Deck to Wideworld Services, just weeks after the first Vision Flight Deck-equipped aircraft, a Global 5000, entered service with Formula 1 race champion Niki Lauda.
Bombardier has opened a new office in Shanghai. Albert Li, general manager and head of Bombardier Aerospace China, and Andy Solem, vice president, sales, China and North Asia, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, will be based in the new office, which will house Commercial Aircraft teams. Bombardier also expects to base support personnel for Learjet, Challenger and Global business jet operators in the location.
Saab is looking at further acquisitions in the air traffic management (ATM) sector to maintain the market position it built up with last year's acquisition of Sensis, CEO Hakan Bushke says. With the ATM industry going through consolidation, Bushke says more deals would be necessary to maintain Sensis's position. Saab is attracted to the sector because the pace of growth in ATM is strong. The ATM business also provides useful access to other potential customers.
Honeywell has signed an agreement with Inmarsat to provide global in-flight connectivity services to business, commercial and government aviation customers. The services will be provided through London-based Inmarsat's Global Xpress network, the first Ka-band constellation designed to provide global inflight broadband to the aeronautical, maritime and land-mobile markets. Honeywell estimates the deal to be worth $2.8 billion in hardware sales and aftermarket services to aircraft manufacturers, airlines and government entities over the next 20 years.
HNA Group operator Capital Helicopter cleared a major hurdle by securing authorization to run air taxi services. With China gradually opening its low-altitude airspace to civilian use, the Beijing-based company is aiming at a broad range of rotary wing operations across the country, with capital of 300 million yuan ($48 million). The company says that, with initial bases at Beijing Badaling and Shanghai Gaodong airports, it has been flying tourism, medical evacuation and mineral survey services since beginning operations last year.
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation announced its Beechcraft King Air 250, has achieved EASA certification. The King Air 250 received FAA certification in June 2011, followed by type certification from the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) in November. The King Air 250's new features include composite winglets that improve efficiency in all phases of flight, composite propellers that provide new aerodynamic technology and lighter weight, and engine induction modifications that contribute to increased performance.
I would like to hand “Second-Grade Math” (Washington Watch, April 2012) to every Jet A customer that walks through the door of my FBO. I would also like to be able to forward it to Montana legislators. The repeal of the “fuel fraud” measure should be the aviation industry's top priority.
“Made in China” (March 2012) was one of the best I've read and Bradley Perrett clearly has a better 'handle' on 'China-think' than some of the other aviation writers I've seen who would rather 'wing-it” (excuse the pun). Aviatrade Inc. has been in China since 2005 (www.aviatradeasia.cn) and I read everything . . . aviation mags, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, etc . . . plus, I get a healthy dose of Confucian-thinking from our “native” marketing director in Shenzhen.
The Big Year. It comes to every institution (think America, 1776), every company (think Apple, the world's most valuable corporation, 2012), and every family. And 2012 seems to qualify as a big one in my house.
Airbus received its first order from a customer in Japan for an Airbus Corporate Jet. The customer ordered an ACJ318. Airbus says the sale is particularly significant because the number of corporate aircraft is still proportionately small in Japan. But the manufacturer believes the opening of the first dedicated business terminal in Tokyo, Premier Gate Narita, will help to pave the way for more business jets.
March 30 — About 1730 Alaska Daylight Time, a ski-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane (N7276D) sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees and snow-covered terrain following a loss of control while landing, about 26 mi. south of Sleetmute, Alaska. The airplane was flying VFR with no flight plan when the accident occurred. The uncertificated pilot and the one passenger died in the crash. The flight originated at Sleetmute Airport at an unknown time.
Used business jet metrics continued to improve in February with the number of sales transactions increasing 7.6% and the average time on the market declining by 82 days to 346 days, according to business jet market analyst JetNet. Business jet asking prices also inched up 3% (to $4.053 million) and the overall number of business jets for sale as a percentage of the fleet dropped 0.5% to 13.9%. The percentage of fleets for sale has declined across the board. But not all metrics were nearly as positive for business turboprops and helicopters.
The FAA has removed the requirement for individuals granted Special Issuance of a Medical Certificate to have their Letter of Authorization in their possession or readily accessible while exercising pilot privileges. This rule, which goes into effect July 20, 2012, does not change the long-standing FAA operational requirements under 14 CFR section 61.3 regarding FAA certificates that must be carried while exercising pilot privileges, including FAA medical certificates.
“The Human Side of Ethiopian 409” (Cause & Circumstance, March 2012) was riveting. The step-by-step detail of how the man/machine interface was completely behind the events. The lack of effective CRM was also apparent. One of several bottom line lessons here is to use the autopilot when taking off in IMC, especially with storms in the area. So many errors! President FlightLogix LLC
Pilatus Aircraft named Air Charter Services PVT Ltd. (ACSPL) in India as a PC-12 sales and service center. ACSPL will be responsible for PC-12 sales in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma and Thailand. In addition to sales, the New Delhi-based facility will provide PC-12 maintenance and warranty work. ACSPL Director Semoun Jolly currently owns three PC-12s.
The FAA selected Rockwell Collins' Head-up Guidance Systems with synthetic and enhanced vision to support its NextGen implementation and applied research efforts. The technology is being installed on the Boeing 737 flight simulator in the FAA's Flight Operations Simulation Laboratory in Oklahoma City to study how operators can safely achieve benefits such as lower landing minima by using head-up displays with synthetic and enhanced vision during different phases of flight in low visibility conditions.
