Designers attempt to give exceptional capabilities in all areas, including price, but the laws of physics, thermodynamics and aerodynamics do not allow one aircraft to do all missions with equal efficiency. Tradeoffs, as a result, are a reality of aircraft design. The Learjet 75, for instance, is the only aircraft in the group to have a flat cabin floor, a design feature favored by many operators. But the lack of a dropped aisle also means it has 3 to 4 in. less maximum headroom along the centerline of the cabin.
International aviation insurance underwriter USAIG has introduced Performance Vector PLUS, an “individual good experience program” that returns up to 15% of premiums and more to operators who avoid losses while meeting prescribed safety standards. Customers can earn “good experience returns” when they achieve any of three safety standards during a policy year while also avoiding loss claims. Each standard met earns a 5% “good experience” return.
NBAA recently topped 10,000 Member Companies for the first time in the association's 60-plus-year history. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said that reaching that milestone “in difficult economic times” underscored the value of business aviation and his organization's advocacy. The 10,000th member is TCB Air, LLC, which operates a Beechcraft King Air C90A out of Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Mich., International Airport. Two manufacturing companies own the plane and use it for staff transport.
Some military airborne interceptor operations will come under FAA air traffic control starting Feb. 1, 1964. FAA/military officials agreed air defense activities should be conducted within the ATC system reducing midair collision hazards.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks for receiving Business & Commercial Aviation monthly. I read “Emergency Divert” (September 2013) with interest. This and also most of the articles provide us with good information. Previously I worked for Myanma Airways as senior cabin crew. In 1994, I joined Air Mandalay as traffic manager at Yangon Mingaladon Airport, and then became Sales, Ticketing and Reservation Manager at Head Office. My colleague and I started Auto Net Travels in 2000.
StandardAero launched dedicated Mobile Repair Teams (MRT) conducting on-wing hot section inspections and repairs for the P&WC PW610 and PW615 series engines that power the Eclipse 500 and Cessna Mustang. “Providing on-wing services like HIS at a location of the customer's choice assures the customer of the fastest and most efficient use of the downtime,” said Rob Cords, senior vice president, StandardAero.
Wichita-based Winglet Technology has completed the first flight of a Cessna Citation Sovereign with its patented Elliptical Winglets. The aircraft flew from Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport for just under two hours, as planned. Winglet Technology and the Cessna Service Center network said that they'll upgrade existing Sovereigns with the winglets, work that also will include a 350-lb. gross weight increase.
One advantage to flying business aircraft is that your passengers get greater throughput speeds because they're not competing for the limited in-cabin bandwidth available per passenger that can be the case on airliner aircraft. Depending on the flight department's budget, your aircraft can be equipped with the latest and greatest inflight entertainment and communications (IFEC) technology. The air carriers are catching up, however, thanks to new high bandwidth Ku- and Ka-band satcom content transmission services.
Aerostar Aircraft Corp. is flight-testing a pressurized model fitted with Pratt and Whitney Canada PW615F turbofans mounted under the wings. First flight occurred July 25 at Coeur d'Alene Airport, the company's Idaho headquarters. According to Jim Christy, Aerostar vice president, the aircraft has already achieved 380 KTAS at FL 280, and he expects an ultimate cruise in excess of 400 kt. He says the company is “proceeding with certification at the speed cash” and that outside investors are being sought. Some 500 pressurized Aerostars are in operation.
I'm a businessman first and aviation enthusiast second. The best way to comment on Nam Cho's Reader's Feedback (November 2013, page 13) view that general aviation is too expensive would be to suggest he accept being an aviation enthusiast first and businessman second.
Need to know more about aircraft accounting? From taxes to financing, operating costs and budgets, the NBAA has management guides and educational materials that can help. Visit the NBAA's website at www.nbaa.org and log in, or join the association to enjoy the wealth of information available to members.
Meridian, Teterboro, N.J., announced that Emil Iannone has been named director of Operations. Iannone returns to the company after a 13-year absence during which time he was a senior vice president with an investment banking firm in New York.
RBR Maintenance, Inc., Dallas, now has a Mobile Maintenance Service Team that can respond to aircraft operators in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico with on-site, 24/7 service. The team can provide minor inspection, AOG service and light repairs. If the aircraft must be removed for repair, RBR can prepare the aircraft for a ferry flight back to its Dallas Love Field facility. The team consists of four fully trained technicians with extensive backgrounds with the Hawker, King Air and Citation product lines. RBR Maintenance, Inc.
The fire-related survival aspects in the loss of a Beechcraft King Air 100 (C-GXRX) on Oct. 27, 2011, especially concerned TSB investigators. Spilled jet fuel burned after ignition during the crash sequence. However, arcing electrical elements kept the fire going even after the engines had stopped. A fire was concentrated on the right wing and in the areas where the aircraft's electrical-system wiring was routed.
The first Cessna CE680A Citation Latitude prototype is slated to fly in first quarter 2014, according to Scott Ernest, company CEO and president. Developed as a derivative of the Citation CE680 Sovereign, the Latitude is the first Citation in three decades to have a fuselage diameter larger than that of the Citation III. It offers passengers 6.0 ft. of headroom with a flat floor and 6.4 ft. of cabin width. It will be able to depart a 4,030-ft. sea-level runway, and fly five passengers 2,500 nm and cruise as fast as 440 KTAS.
Strong growth and renewed confidence in the market for Beechcraft aircraft will allow the Wichita planemaker to bump up its prices in 2014. Boosted by rising orders in several key sectors — and the added lift from its recent $1.4 billion order from Wheels Up — Beechcraft says that a pricing increase is now not a matter of if, but when. “We have exceeded market forecasts, and even our own plans, on deliveries so far this year and we are headed into the fourth quarter with an excellent tailwind,” says Shawn Vick, Beechcraft's executive vice president, sales and marketing.
Nov. 1— At 1742 CDT, a Beech C90 (N269JG) crashed 4 mi. southeast of the Springdale Municipal Airport, Springdale, Ark. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The C90 was registered to J&G Aviation, LLC, and operated by the pilot, both of Camden, Ark., as a personal flight. The flight originated from Pine Bluff, Ark., about 1700 and was operating VFR with no flight plan.
In a new strategic alliance with Houston-based Starbase Jet, China's largest business jet operator, Deer Jet, is shifting seven of its aircraft to the U.S. to fly in the charter market there. The U.S.-registered jets will be operated by Starbase Jet and will be available for hire, with a particular emphasis on serving Chinese customers traveling within the United States. “The U.S. is China's most important business aviation market,” says Deer Jet chairman Xu Xin, “and this new venture is an investment in our expansion there.”
A Beechcraft King Air 100 piloted by a well-experienced captain crashed on Oct. 27, 2011, about a half mile short of Runway 26L at Vancouver International Airport. Observers said the airplane simply spun out on short final from a position 300 ft. above the ground. Both pilots were killed and all seven passengers were seriously injured by the impact and subsequent fire.
Cessna Aircraft recently confirmed the Mach 0.935 speed of its new Citation X in high-speed certification flights with the FAA, taking a key step toward reclaiming the fastest business jet title. Cessna says it has now completed all testing requirements to validate the Mach 0.935 speed. The original X reigned as the fastest business jet with a top speed of Mach 0.92 until Gulfstream's Mach 0.925 G650 reached market last year.
Cessna Aircraft reports “a landmark deal that will see Citation Mustangs being flown for charter services in China for the first time.” The Yunnan Ruifeng General Aviation Company is buying two of the light jets, Cessna says, and will offer connections to high-altitude airports — approximately 13,000 ft. (4,000 meters) above sea level. The first delivery is scheduled for December, and the second slated for 2014. “This deal proves again the growing demand in the Chinese business aviation market,” said Kevin Wu, Cessna regional sales VP for greater China.
San Antonio-based Gore Design Completions has won an international competition to complete two Boeing 787 head-of-state aircraft. “Winning this contract against tough international competition shows that GDC is truly a world leader in head-of-state and VIP aircraft completions,” said GDC general partner Mohammed Alzeer. “We are on track to deliver an industry record of four aircraft this year,” Alzeer added — three widebody Airbus A340s and one BBJ3. GDC is adding ERP (enterprise resource planning) and Catia software, he said.
How can you protect yourself or your employer from the fate of Avantair's program participants? Begin with due diligence. “The structure of Avantair was very unusual in terms of their customer contracts and their capacity to deal with the situation they ultimately wound up in,” said Mike Riegel, president of Aviation IQ, a California-based consultancy. “Their contracts do not guarantee liquidity. All the major providers do. So this is obviously something to look at when considering a provider, especially one that is also operating a charter card program.”
