Constant Aviation LLC, Cleveland, announced that Jay Randall has been named regional sales manger for the Great Lakes region, responsible for selling the Constant Aviation services that include maintenance, avionics, interior modifications/refurbishments and parts. Dassault Falcon, Teterboro, N.J., promoted Antoine Ajarrista to senior vice president and general manager of its Little Rock Completion Center in Arkansas. He replaced Frederic Lherm, who was named senior vice president of Industrial Operations for Dassault Aviation in St. Cloud, France.
FAA has issued a technical correction returning 61.57(d), which explains when a complete instrument proficiency check (IPC) is required for individuals serving as pilot in command (PIC), to its original form. A PIC is instrument-current for six months following the completion of recent experience requirements. After that, the pilot has an additional six months to regain currency without a full IPC. If currency is not established in this period, a full IPC is required.
Breitling produced a special timepiece — the Naval Centennial Limited Edition Airwolf — as part of the company's year-long salute to naval aviation. Five hundred pieces were produced. The first piece traveled with Cmdr. Mark Kelly on the space shuttle Endeavour in May 2011 during his and the shuttle's last flight before retirement. The Airwolf is being sold at Breitling's flagship Manhattan (New York) boutique and through its network of authorized retailers. Breitling www.breitling.com Price: $4,500 (retail)
Cessna's Citation Ten prototype made its first flight Jan. 17. The flight lasted more than 2 hr. and included tests of stability and control, handling qualities, functional operations including the autopilot and autothrottle system, engine operability and avionics before landing at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport (ICT) where Cessna's main manufacturing facility is located. Michael Voigt, Cessna's engineering test pilot flew the Ten prototype. “All systems functioned as expected including the Garmin G5000 avionics system.
Business aviation's recent post-9/11 “record” day at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) has encouraged the general aviation community that changes implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are finally gaining some traction. Signature Flight Support, which runs the sole fixed base operation at DCA, reported that operations topped 30 in a single day, the most since before 9/11.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, this page of the magazine was in the capable hands of Arnold M. Lewis, Jr., a very good reporter who had been hired away from the Wichita Eagle newspaper to edit The Weekly of Business Aviation newsletter and write for Business & Commercial Aviation.
Looking for an opportunity to expand your knowledge of business aviation and network with decision makers and key influencers in aviation maintenance? The annual NBAA MMC will be held in Nashville, Tenn., on May 1-3, 2012, and if you manage the maintenance function for your department, this is the place to be. Learn more about issues that address their aircraft and equipment maintenance needs.
EBAA says that the European Union has agreed to raise the threshold for smaller emitters from 10 to 25,000 tons of CO2, (a metric ton is 1,000 kg or 2,205 lb.), but was disappointed that regulators didn't go further. “This threshold certainly does not [exempt] smaller aircraft from EU ETS, but simply enables operators to benefit from a simplified monitoring and reporting procedure,” the association says.
In 25 years, the parsing of whole aircraft into fractional shares subsequently sold through five-year management contracts featuring guaranteed accessibility and high-quality service levels grew from the company that introduced the concept — mathematician and leasing expert Richard Santulli's NetJets — into a major aviation industry comprising multiple providers collectively fielding more than a thousand business jets and turboprops.
“Operators Survey: Dassault Falcon 7X” (March 2011, page 46) mentions fly-by-wire controls being offered by other manufacturers. Which other purpose-built corporate jets currently offer full FBW? As for the airplane, we were fortunate in that we have a later airplane with Load 10, enhanced brakes, higher crosswind limits, etc. installed prior to initial delivery, and we have had no problems other than a faulty radar altimeter, which we replaced.
Spidertracks launched its Spider S3 Lite designed specifically for recreational pilots. The more affordable system still offers the reliability and accuracy of the company's commercial Spiders, according the James McCarthy, spidertracks operations managers. The new S3 Lite combines with Aviator (online tracking for recreational flights) allowing the user to share experiences with friends and family, and to compare notes with other pilots. spidertracks www. spidertracks.com Price: $495
Michael Toscano President and CEO, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Alexandria, Va. After earning an engineering degree at the University of Rhode Island in 1976, Toscano began a 30-plus-year career with the Department of Defense that included serving as coordinator of the DOD's joint robotics program, advising on the Roles of Unmanned Vehicles, and managing R&D for Nuclear Security of weapons systems, personnel and facilities. He joined AUVSI as it chief executive in October 2008.
The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), which took effect in January, is discriminatory toward business aviation and still needs substantial work to be viable, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) says. On Jan. 9 the association aired a number of concerns it has with the scheme, which has drawn nearly universal opposition from commercial and business aviation leaders outside of Europe.
Last year I pointed out that throughout Fred George's excellent article, “Crew Scheduling and the New Generation of Ultra-Long-Range Jets” (February 2011, page 38), the word “berth” was misspelled as “birth” and the mention of “two-birth bunk beds” made me wonder if this was a flying maternity ward. Ah, the revenge of the spell checker. But just to show that I read all magazines carefully, I think this excerpt from another publication definitely outclasses the berth/birth situation. To wit:
U.S.-registered business jets and turboprops suffered 57 accidents — 13 of which were fatal — in 2011. Up from the 48 accidents (including seven fatal) in 2010, according to the latest information released by safety expert Robert E. Breiling Associates. FAA's latest statistics show business aircraft flight operations have increased 3.95% from December 2010-November 2011 over the same time period a year earlier.
ExecuJet Aviation Group is capitalizing on the slow recovery to expand its network exponentially, the company says. Founded in 2001 at Zurich, the services provider grew its network by nearly 200% in 2011 with the addition of 10 FBOs. The additions increased ExecuJet's chain to 16 bases worldwide.
Daher-Scoata continues to investigate the possibility of using the SPn utility jet, initially developed by Grob before that company filed for insolvency, as the baseline for a second product offering. Two prototypes — one in flying condition — remain at the Socata facility in Tarbes. A decision on whether to launch a twin-jet program derived from the SPn is likely this year.
On July 8, 2009, five people gathered at Collin County Regional Airport (TKI) in McKinney, Texas, for a planned corporate flight to Tampa, Fla., International Airport (TPA), 800 nm to the east. Among the voyagers was the company pilot. A 33-year-old former mechanic, he held a commercial license and instrument rating and at that point had logged some 2,000 hr. of flight time.
There is one thing all maintenance managers never have enough of — time. Not enough hours in the day to address all of the necessary tasks involved with running a maintenance operation. Your world revolves around the aircraft and the flight schedule. Break an aircraft and your workday becomes a chaotic vortex of activity. The only consistency comes in the form of perpetual change. But you handle it like you do, every day with competence and flexibility.
Sporty's has introduced the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit course that has 2 hr. of in-depth video content including Garmin's complete Cockpit Reference Guide, two G1000 Training Course Outlines (student and instructor versions), G1000 simulator software for download and a review quiz. The app is divided into 16 individual video segments for quick review and the quiz provides instant feedback on your score and the ability to review missed questions. It's available for the iPhone/iPad. Sporty's Pilot Shop www.sportys.com Price: $79.99
German airline Lufthansa wrapped up a six-month biofuel test, but will not take testing further unless the fuel was more widely produced. The pilot project “has had a positive result from which we want to continue to work,” the airline's official in charge of the project, Joachim Buse, said. But he indicated that the airline would not introduce the use of the biofuel. “The objective is to arrive at a price (for fuel) on the basis of which we can work,” he said in a telephone conference.
Dec. 26, 2011 — At 0554 EDT, a Bell 206B (N5016M) operated by SK Logistics, d.b.a. SK Jets, collided with terrain while maneuvering near Green Cove Springs, Fla. The pilot and two passengers (a doctor and a medical technician) were fatally injured. The on-demand air taxi flight was en route to Shands Cair Heliport (63FL), Gainesville, Fla. There was no flight plan filed for the flight that originated from Mayo Clinic Heliport (6FL1) in Jacksonville, Fla., at about 0537.
FAA anticipates small UAVs will be a fast-growing segment in the commercial market, according to an agency fact sheet. Industry may be ready to sell UAVs for civilian use within the U.S., but that does not mean the machinery of government is prepared to regulate them. FAA is trying to ensure safety of the vehicles, which can be difficult for larger aircraft to see. But the process has been slow and already delayed.
After a review of the latest round of tests of the GPS interference potential of LightSquared's proposed wireless network, the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee has found “both LightSquared's original and modified [plans] would cause harmful interference to many GPS receivers.” Further, FAA analysis concludes that LightSquared's proposals are not compatible with several GPS-dependent aircraft safety-of-flight systems, says a Jan. 13 letter to the U.S.
