PAUL CLASS was appointed senior vice president of charter sales for Solairus Aviation. Class has more than two decades of charter industry experience, including serving as vice president of charter sales at TAG Aviation for nearly 10 years. He also served on the National Air Transportation Association’s Air Charter Committee.
Embraer has scheduled five Embraer Executive Operators Conferences (EEOCs) this month and next in Jakarta, Bangalore, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Los Cabos, Mexico. The EEOCs cover various aircraft of the executive jet programs, including Legacys, Phenoms and Lineage, based on the regional customer base. Embraer also will demonstrate its fly-by-wire technology incorporated in the Legacy 500 and 450.
The aviation industry today hailed a significant development on climate change issues made at a meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN specialised agency for aviation. After two weeks of tense negotiations, following many years of discussions, delegates representing 191 countries have agreed a resolution charting the way forward for tackling aviation's climate change impact.
The first production version of the updated Citation Sovereign has rolled off the production line in Wichita. The first of six new Cessna aircraft expected to hit the market this year.
Flight Display Systems Glare Shield Camera is a high-definition, 1080p camera that mounts in the cockpit and provide passengers with an opportunity to observe taxi, takeoff and landing. Specifications include: standard 28 volt power; digital signal processor; removable ¼ - 20 mounting bracket and capable of low-light and glare shield applications. (Product Part Number: FS600CAM-3) Flight Display Systems Alpharetta, Ga. www.flightdisplay.com
FltPlan.com has completely redesigned its website. The updated design features all of the same tools such as weather/notams, airports and FBOs, area fuel prices, nearby airport, quick-trip information, digital charts, and aircraft tracing in a more organized and easily accessible presentation. This is the first major redesign of FltPlan.com since the company started 14 years ago. FltPlan.com Southbury, Conn.
Pan Am International Flight Academy launched its new pilot training website — PanAmAcademy.com/Pilot-Training. The site details the training courses and programs, training location and aircraft, accommodations, student resources, and an application process for enrollment. The company recently re-entered Ab Initio training after a 5-year hiatus with the acquisition for the former Airline Career Academy (ACA) earlier this year. Pan Am International Flight Academy Miami, Fla.
Jeppesen has introduced CrewAlert Pro, a new iPad app designed to assist crews with preventing and mitigating fatigue. The app helps crews and safety professionals comply with ICAO guidelines including predictive capabilities for fatigue avoidance and awareness and proactive fatigue data collection. The CrewAlert Pro iOS app is available through the Apple App Store for $29.99. Jeppesen Englewood, Colo. www.jeppesen.com
Gulfstream Aerospace launched 24-Hour Support, an iPhone- and iPad-compatible application that provides customers with access the company's worldwide product support network. It is a comprehensive source for direct access to Gulfstream Technical Operations, 19 company-owened and authorized service centers, 13 authorized warranty facilities, 43 field service reps, spare part sales, and other key contacts. The app includes phone and fax number, email addressed, location information and operating hours. The app can be downloaded free from the Apple App Store.
The new south terminal at San Francisco is a substantial addition to the main terminal and represents a major stage of growth. Ten airlines will occupy the $14 million facility when it is fully operational. A ground speed indicator under development for several years is now being marketed by NARCO. Weighing 1.7 lb. and fitting into a standard 3 1/8-in. hole, the indicator costs $395 and attaches to any NARCO DME.
Bennett E. Taber (Manager, Bay Area Operations Dreamline Aviation LLC San Carlos, Calif. )
I enjoyed “Flying Among Robots” (September 2013, page 26), especially since I just had one zip by me the other day on its way to check out the Rim Fire. But I wanted to point out an error in syntax that one often finds when the author is not familiar with all things nautical: When speaking of a vessel, military or civilian, the vessel type should precede the vessel name, thus: The aircraft carrier Ford, not the Ford aircraft carrier;
“Truly Earning That Fourth Stripe” (February 2013, page 45) hits the nail on the head with what is required to be a commander of an aircraft. Many copilots who can fly an aircraft very well and think they should be in the left seat, yet display none of the other qualities you mention. I would agree that flying the aircraft is a given; that's the minimum we expect from them and only about 10% of the job in the changing world of business aviation.
Kenn Ricci is further cementing his status as a business aviation mogul with the acquisition of the Flexjet fractional aircraft operation from Bombardier. The $185 million deal, announced Sept. 5, includes a commitment to place orders and options for up to 245 Bombardier business aircraft valued at $5.2 billion. The sale, subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions, is expected to close by year's end. Directional Aviation Capital, the entity acquiring Flexjet, is headed by Ricci, an attorney and former charter pilot who founded Flight Options in 1998.
FlightSafety International has installed a Level D Citation XLS+ simulator with a Collins Pro Line 21 suite at its Orlando, Fla., training center. The facility now provides training for the full Citation XL series. Meanwhile,the company added Citation CJ2+ training with a dedicated simulator at its San Antonio, Tex., center, along with a new Level D Cessna Caravan simulator equipped with Garmin G600 suite at its Cessna Learning Center in Wichita.
JETS, part of Germany's 328 Group, is now an authorized Service Center for Dassault Aviation. They will undertake line maintenance on the Falcon 900 and 2000 at its expanding London Biggin Hill MRO facility and also support the company's European network. The company employs around 30 licensed engineers at Biggin and is actively recruiting for more to complement its MRO activity at Bournemouth Airport.
Executive AirShare has added three Cessna Citation CJ2+ aircraft to its fleet to complement its existing Embraer and Beechcraft products. All three are 2009 models year or newer with each having less than 800 hr. of flight time. “The CJ2+ offers the range, speed and seating our owners desire and is the aircraft we need to provide the comprehensive air service our customers expect,” said Keith Plumb, president and COO Executive AirShare.
Unloved and abandoned by its creator, the outcast Hawker 4000 is being embraced by Talon Air. The Farmingdale, N.Y.-based aircraft management and charter operator, now has nine of the super-midsize twins on its FAR Part 135 certificate making its fleet the largest by far. Paul St.
Jet Aviation Flight Services has added its first Gulfstream G650 onto its U.S. Part 135 air carrier certificate. It will be managed by the Van Nuys office. The G650 charter aircraft seats up to 13 passengers, sleeps five and includes a crew rest area. With a range of about 7,000 nm, its suitable for trips from Van Nuys to Madrid, Melbourne and Johannesburg.
Landmark Aviation's Aircraft Management & Charter division has been approved to operate to and from Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA). Landmark will now be able to provide both corporate aircraft management and FAR Part 135-non-scheduled air carrier services.
Moscow-based ViraZH is buying 79 Cessna 172s for use at various flight schools throughout western Russia. The aircraft, which feature a Garmin G1000 panel, are to be delivered by the third quarter of 2014. The order follows a purchase of 11 Skyhawks by the training company in 2011 and makes ViraZH's one of the largest fleets of the Cessna model in the world. The Skyhawk is the most populous single-engine aircraft in production.
The first Legacy 650 business jet assembled in China under a joint venture by Embraer and Aviation Industry Corporate of China (AVIC) took flight in late August. Guan Dongyuan, senior vice president of Embraer and president of Embraer China said the 2.5-hr. flight was “an important milestone not only in the Embraer-AVIC partnership, but also in the history of the Chinese executive aviation industry, as the jet is also the first large executive jet assembled by a joint venture in China.” Delivery of the aircraft is expected by year's end.
China's Avicopter will build cabins for the Sikorsky S-76D as a second-source supplier of the executive/transport helicopter. The work will be done by Avicopter's Changhe factory at Jingdezhen, which previously made eight cabins for the S-76C++. Czech supplier Aero Vodochody also makes S-76D fuselages. Avicopter will deliver its first cabins in 2016, according to the schedule. The cabins — fuselages forward of the tail booms — will be delivered to Sikorsky fully fitted with equipment.
