Business & Commercial Aviation

A privacy watchdog organization has filed suit against the FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee, charging that the industry-government group has failed to release records and make subcommittee and task group meetings open to the public.

Congress recently clarified that aircraft management fees should not be subject to Federal Excise Tax, nor should flights operated by the aircraft owner. However, there are still many gray areas for business flight operations.

The FAA is investing $17 billion to move the National Airspace System through a massive modernization effort known as NextGen that ultimately will impact almost all aircraft movements.

Textron Aviation has halted production of its Cessna Turbo Skyhawk JT-A, which was certified by the FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency just last year.

Bombardier Business Aircraft has launched an online recurrent training course for Challenger 605 and 650 business jet pilots.

Workhorse Group, a maker of electric pickups and vans, has joined the small, but growing, rank of companies flight-testing full-size electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, with the first flight of its hybrid-electric multirotor SureFly April 30 near its Cincinnati headquarters.

Citation VII, the second-generation Citation CE650, built from 1992 to 2000, made up for dozens of shortcomings found in the original model.

Deer Jet has been awarded Overseas Repair Station recognition by the FAA, allowing it to perform maintenance on N-registered aircraft at its facilities in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Piper Aircraft delivered 34 aircraft during the first quarter of 2018, as compared to 25 aircraft a year earlier.

Gulfstream Aerospace reported delivering 26 business jets during the first quarter, down from 30 a year earlier. The total comprised 19 large-cabin and seven mid-cabin aircraft, compared to 23 large-cabin and seven mid-cabin jets in 2017.

News of business aviation promotions, appointments and honors.

Ranked the fifth busiest business aviation airport in the UK, London Oxford Airport retains its top spot for business aviation movements. According to Eurocontrol data published in March, London Stansted leads the "most recovered" airports with 35% growth and London Oxford is second with an overall 32% growth.

A long-time seaplane pilot and Seaplane Pilots Association volunteer with experience in a wide variety of aviation businesses, McCaughey was appointed executive director of the Winter Haven, Florida-based association in 2011.

Collingwood Regional Airport, a single paved runway facility close by Ontario’s Georgian Bay, is up for sale or lease. The town of Collingwood is soliciting offers for the 392-acre airport, which is 90 mi. north of Toronto.

Business Jet Center at Dallas Love Field is returning to the Paragon Network. It is the only award-winning FBO at Love Field and continues to place at the top of operator surveys.

Business aviation product and service previews.

The Jetex Global FBO Network is charged up over electric aircraft, so much so that it has joined U.S. startup Wright Electric to develop charging stations for its 30 FBOs.

"It’s obvious that the airlines are trying to avoid a direct confrontation with general aviation for fear that it will sully their public image."

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on May 9-10 revealed the local, state and tribal governments that her department has selected to participate in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Integration Pilot Program (IPP) to test small drone applications within their jurisdictions.

Clay Lacy Aviation has opened a 65,000-sq.-ft. aircraft maintenance facility at Waterbury Oxford Airport in Oxford, Connecticut.

National Distillers' Gulfstream II became the first corporate jet to fly the Atlantic Ocean nonstop from Teterboro, New Jersey,to Gatwick, England. Time en route for the 3,045-nm flight was 6 hr. and 55 min.

Berry Aviation in San Marcos, Texas, has begun a $2.7 million expansion of its headquarters, breaking ground on a 31,000-sq.-ft. facility at San Marcos Regional Airport.

Readers comment on recent stories and events.

Weston Aviation, a UK- and Ireland-based business aviation and FBO specialist, has achieved continuous growth since its opening in 2011 at Humberside International Airport.

The Indonesian Air Force recently took delivery of an additional six Grob Aerospace G 120TP turboprop trainers, increasing its fleet of the German-made aircraft to 30.