Fresh from January’s acquisition of the former Jet Aviation facility at London Biggin Hill, the 328 Group has developed a new dedicated business jet arm known as JETS. Under the 328 brand sits 328 Support Services GmbH, the type certificate holder for all Dornier Do 328 aircraft, plus 328 Design GmbH. The JETS brand covers a range of VIP and business aircraft support services in Germany and the U.K. The Biggin Hill buy also means that JETS now has the group’s first-ever fixed-base operation (FBO).
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated a lawsuit combining claims by airports groups and local communities against the FAA over continuation of the contract air traffic control tower program, as the groups seek a permanent legislative fix.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and Experimental Aircraft Association are concerned that FAA’s plan to charge the EAA for air traffic controller expenses during AirVenture in late July is another step for the agency to seek new revenue flows to offset its costs.
Pilatus Aircraft Ltd finally unveiled the PC-24 on May 21, outlining a single-pilot, clean-sheet turbofan aircraft that will offer the short, soft-field versatility of the PC-12, the cabin volume of a midsize aircraft and the cruise speed of a light jet. The aircraft, the first Pilatus jet in decades, will be priced at $8.9 million in 2017 U.S. dollars, and its closest direct competitor will be the Embraer Phenom 300.
Sheltair is working with international travelers transiting through its Ronkonkoma, N.Y., fixed-base operation to prepare for new Customs services coming to Long Island MacArthur Airport (KISP). These include Global Entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that permits expedited clearance for pre-approved travelers entering the U.S. In addition, the airport is building a new CBP facility and is expected to be able to accept non-U.S. citizen general aviation international arrivals soon.
Beechcraft is upping its product development spending by 300% as the company studies potential for a new single-engine turboprop, derivative diesel variants of its Beechcraft Bonanza and Baron aircraft and upgrades and/or derivatives of its King Air and other models, says Shawn Vick, president of Beechcraft International Services Co.
Honda Aircraft has begun flying its fifth conforming HondaJet aircraft, but its certification is likely still more than a year away. GE Honda pushed back certification of the HF120 engine that will power the HondaJet until later this year, which means most certification flight trials cannot begin until that point. Honda Aircraft continues to fly the aircraft, and President and CEO Michimasa Fujino says some of the work accomplished will count toward certification, but most of the certification flights will begin after engine certification.
ExcelAire received approval to operate its fleet of Embraer Legacy 600 business jets into London City Airport (LCY). ExcelAire has five Legacy 600s in its fleet. The approval requires special certification and training for London City operations.
ROBINSON R22, R22 Alpha, R22 Beta, and R22 Mariner helicopters [Docket No. FAA-2013-0380; Directorate Identifier 2012-SW-067-AD] – proposes to require for helicopters with certain fuel shutoff valves installed, replacing the fuel shutoff valve with a newer design fuel shutoff valve. This proposed AD is prompted by three accidents that occurred because the fuel shutoff valve was inadvertently moved to the “off” position.
European officials, who joined European Business Aviation Association and National Business Aviation Association leaders to kick off the 13th annual European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition on May 21, are underscoring the need to work together to shape the future of the air traffic control system and ensure that business aviation has fair and equitable treatment.
PIPER Model PA-18 and PA-19 aircraft [Docket No. FAA-2012-0756; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-012-AD] – withdraws a proposal that would have required either moving all toggle-style magnet switches located on the left cabin panel, adjacent to the front seat, away from this position; or replacing these switches with FAA-approved, non-keyed, rotary-style switches. Since issuance of the NPRM, the FAA has re-evaluated this airworthiness concern and determined that an unsafe condition does not exist that would warrant AD action.
Beechcraft, competing head-on with Nextant Aerospace with its “XPR” factory upgrade of the Beechjet 400, is planning to reissue a customer letter warning that major modifications to Hawker or Beechcraft aircraft that are not factory authorized will not be factory supported. The company originally stated the position in a customer communication in 2011, and Christi Tannahill, senior vice president of Global Customer Support for Beechcraft, says the company wanted to clarify its position because it has received customer inquiries about this support.
With wildfires forecast to increase this year, the long-running saga of efforts to modernize the U.S. fleet of large firefighting aircraft has taken another turn: The latest attempt to place more modern airtankers under contract has been hit by another protest from a losing bidder. This marks the second time that a contract protest has delayed modernization of the fleet, and lawmakers are pressuring the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to override the protest and get new aircraft into service.
Bombardier's new Challenger 350 will have 20% taller cabin windows, more standard cabin equipment, a modular galley and a Lufthansa Technik high-definition cabin management system that offers touch-screen controls.
A year after Jet Aviation’s completions woes had “blemished” an otherwise strong financial performance at parent company General Dynamics (GD), Jet Aviation President Dan Clare says the business has put new systems and processes in place and that customers have been happy with the results.
Qatar Executive has secured regulatory approvals to provide base maintenance services for Bombardier Challenger 604 and 605s jets and for Bombardier Global aircraft at its 6,400-sq.-meter hangar facility at Doha International Airport.
Oskar Schwenk, chairman of Pilatus Aircraft, during this week’s European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Geneva unveiled the PC-24, a clean-sheet turbofan aircraft that will offer the short, soft-field versatility of the PC-12, the cabin volume of a midsize aircraft and the cruise speed of a light jet.
Lagos-based Evergreen Apple Nigeria (EAN), the first fully integrated FBO, maintenance and hangar facility for business jets to open at Murtala Mohammed Airport, announced at EBACE 2013 that it has signed a representation agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace (a General Dynamics Company).
NetJets is helping to launch Bombardier’s newest aircraft—the Challenger 350—with a firm order for 75 aircraft and options for 125, with a total list value of $5.4 billion. On May 20 Steve Ridolfi, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft, and Jordan Hansell, chairman and CEO of NetJets, took the wraps off the $25.9 million Challenger 350, an enhanced version of the class-leading Challenger 300 that first flew on March 2. It is due to enter service with NetJets, fitted with the fractional operator’s custom Signature Series interior, in May 2014.
Tony Fernandes’ new premium carrier Caterham Jet has contracted Canadian aircraft modification and interior company Flying Colours to retrofit its Bombardier CRJ200s with 16-seat aircraft. Flying Colours says “it is now a third of the way through an extensive schedule, which will see eight CRJ200 regional airliners converted into a sixteen-seat executive shuttle configuration for an undisclosed client.”
