In this week's Washington Outlook: Those preparing to broaden access to space want relief from broadband spectrum rules, an easier path to launches and help keeping low Earth orbit safe.
The Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) has launched a new chapter in the Philippines to support members and the industry in the region. Airports in the Philippines are congested, and business and general aviation must share limited slots with commercial airlines, the association said. The energy, mineral and tourism industries need a dedicated airport with full service fixed-base operators (FBO) and complete maintenance facilities at international standards.
NASA is preparing to test a redesigned lithium-ion battery module for its first electric propulsion demonstrator, the X-57 Maxwell, as it moves toward a maiden flight planned for early in 2018.
Flight activity by business aircraft during the third quarter rose to its highest level since the economic downturn of 2008, according to Jet Support Services (JSSI).
Gulfstream Aerospace delivered 30 aircraft during the third quarter, up by one from a year ago, and is on track to deliver about 120 aircraft this year, the company said during a conference call with analysts Oct. 25.
Illegal charter operations are a growing problem in the industry, and more must be done to address that, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) said during an FAA General Aviation Safety Summit.
Unfortunately, only two-thirds of the rebates offered by the FAA during its year-long automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) rebate program were reserved before the program’s end in September, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said Oct. 24 at the General Aviation Safety Summit.
Jet Support Services (JSSI) has released its latest Business Aviation Index for the third quarter of 2017. According to the index, which tracks utilisation of approximately 2,000 business aircraft worldwide, average flight hours have reached levels not seen since the economic downturn of 2008.
Air Culinaire Worldwide and Universal Private Transportation have announced a fusion of technologies with aviation services provider RocketRoute Marketplace.
ONE Aviation, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has cut its work force as it phases out production of the Eclipse 550 very light jet to transition to the development of the Eclipse 700, known as Project Canada, the company said.
CenTex Aerospace is offering increased gross weight conversions to the King Air 350 turboprop with a new Supplemental Type Certificate. Final approval is expected in December.
High personal wealth and a growing recognition within Chinese government and industry of the value of business aviation are galvanizing a slowly growing based business jet population in China and Hong Kong.
Chinese aviation infrastructure — especially air traffic control — is not set up to accommodate the ad hoc, non-scheduled movement that is key to business aviation.
Hong Kong is a world unto itself, classified since the U.K. turned it back to China as a Special Administrative Region. At least in terms of aviation, China regards Hong Kong as a foreign country and handles all flights from there as international arrivals, and all that they entail.
China's ambitious plan to create a general aviation infrastructure includes promises to build a network of 2,000 small airports throughout the country by 2030.
As with any international destination, getting the most out of a trip into Chinese airspace—and not winding up sideways with the aviation authorities—demands thorough advance planning.
The envelope from the FAA looks innocent enough, but upon opening it, the subject line — “Letter of Investigation” — strikes hard. What do you do first? The right thing is to talk to a qualified lawyer.
Despite the act that created its independence, the NTSB is very much a part of the Department of Transportation and in many ways not all that distant from its sister agency, the FAA.
