Business Aviation

In May 1967, BCA reported on new controlling ownership of Lear Jet, Cessna’s Tandem Twin Super Skymaster and certification of the first Riley Turbo Heron owned by ... a former publisher of BCA.

News of promotions, appointments and honors involving professionals within the business aviation community.

Questions for Brandon Mitchener, CEO of the European Business Aviation Association.

Firing an employee is one of the most unpleasant of all managerial tasks. It is emotionally draining, and there is an additional administrative burden involved to ensure that laws and company policies are followed in the process. Review the issues at play from the perspective of a director of maintenance.

Arguably, among the most challenging and potentially hazardous missions a pilot undertakes are post-maintenance test flights.

Selected Accidents and Incidents in March 2017. The following NTSB information is preliminary.

It’s up to the business aviation community to help pilots truly grasp the impact of their aeronautical decision-making.

Much of flying is an act of faith. You are placing your trust in those who designed and built the aircraft, in those who maintain it and in those who trained you to defy gravity for a living.

The 505 Jet Ranger X meets Bell’s targets and is an able successor to the iconic Model 206. And with a base of about $1.2 million, the 505 should prove to be a popular competitor in the entry-level, light-turbine helicopter market — a market its predecessor helped create.

If business aviation is to grow in the new economy, it has to be expanded to a larger demographic of users beyond blue-chip flight departments and high-net-worth individuals.

We are not talking about Brexit, although it looks like there will be be lots of change for the British to embrace when the UK abandons the European Union.

The flow of relatively young, high-time business jets exiting the fleets of fractional ownership companies could allow whole ownership for first-time buyers while supporting a vigorous charter business that could nearly cover the cost of ownership.

The ongoing fight over the privatization of the U.S. air traffic control system, an idea Cessna Chairman Emeritus Russ Meyer last year characterized as “a disaster for general aviation,” has produced some curious, possibly concerning, signs within the opposition.

BCA readers share their opinions on articles we published.

Business jet operators are flying more than 4.3 million missions per year, the highest since 2009 and even more than in 2008 prior to the Great Recession.

A startup with backing from Boeing and JetBlue Airways is designing a hybrid-electric regional aircraft that could enter service in the early 2020s. Zunum Aero aims to revitalize regional air transport by offering dramatically lower operating costs with an aircraft that can compete with highway travel and high-speed rail to provide fast, low-cost door-to-door service. The Kirkland, Washington-based company is planning a family of 10-50-seat aircraft, beginning early in the next decade.

Daher has another upgraded version of its PT6-powered TBM 900 series. The new TBM 910 features a Garmin G1000 NXi flight deck, new cabin seat shapes and additional fittings. Deliveries will begin after certification, which is expected shortly.

Quest Aircraft's Kodiak 100 has received certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The award raises the total number of countries in which the utility single-engine turboprop is certified to more than 50. The award will allow European operators with large payloads to access many more airstrips and locations that would previously have proven difficult, said Quest CEO Rob Wells.

Compare Jet-A and avgas fuel prices by region based on a survey conducted in April 2017 by Aviation Research Group/U.S. Inc. and an analysis of the lowest fuel prices reported by FBOs on acukwik.com.

Embraer has delivered its 400th Phenom 300. The aircraft was delivered to Daniel Randolph, CEO of EliteJets.com, a startup charter company based in Naples, Florida, whose fleet includes four Phenom 300s and one Legacy 500.

The Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) has launched a career and technical education workforce development initiative with high schools and colleges in the U.S. The program provides teacher credentialing and course materials. According to the company, students successfully completing the program are eligible to take an exam leading to Small UAS Safety Certification, which demonstrates expertise as a professional remote pilot, making them qualified for careers in the fast-growing drone industry. By 2020, the FAA estimates there could be as many as 2.3 million licensed UAS pilots.

The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) has identified "psychological drivers of noncompliance" behind pilots' poor adherence to go-around policies. The finding has spurred a revamping of the safety advocate's long-held stable approach criteria and guidance for when a go-around is prudent. The work is part of the FSF's Go-Around Decision-Making and Execution Project.

A years-long effort to rewrite European aircraft certification standards for many types of light aircraft is finished and the European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) new CS-23 takes effect Aug. 15. In general, the new rules are in harmony with the FAA's new Part 23 regulations, which were published in December. Both regulations shift from design-specific requirements to consensus-based standards in helping determine compliance and airworthiness.

The Pilatus PC-12 NG has been approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency for commercial operations in Europe. The decision means the single-engine turboprop can be operated commercially at night and under instrument flight rules across all 32 EASA member states.

Continental Motors has delivered its 5,000th CD-100 Series engine. The company, which is based in Mobile, Alabama, has produced the engine for 15 years, and the series Jet A-fueled piston engines have surpassed 5.25 million flight hours.