Business & Commercial Aviation

RAI Jets has partnered with Chicagoland Aviation to expand into the Chicago area. RAI is a Sturgis, Michigan, private charter aviation company. It will provide an alternative to commercial airline travel between Kalamazoo and Chicago. RAI Jets is experiencing the rising trend for charter jet service, it said.

Japan has drop tested a low-sonic boom supersonic aircraft in a repeat of an earlier test that ended in deliberate destruction of the model after it veered off course. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) says the “supersonic experimental airplane successfully flew over the boom measurement system” in the restaged D-Send 2 test in July at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden.JAXA says the test is the first supersonic flight of an experimental aircraft using low-boom design techniques to reduce both front and rear shock waves.

Pilatus Aircraft has appointed Pilatus Centre Southern Africa as its authorized PC-6 sales and service center for sub-Saharan Africa. The distributor will be responsible for all future sales and maintenance activities of the Pilatus Porter PC-6 within the territory. Pilatus Centre Southern Africa is an independent partner of Pilatus and serves as the sales and service center for the PC-12 in the same region.

Jeffrey Krantz was charged and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Hartford, Connecticut, to wire fraud for his role in the sale of counterfeit aircraft parts.

Redesign of the wing is the major driver behind a two-year delay in entry into service of the Bombardier Global 7000 long-range, large-cabin business aircraft, to the second half of 2018, says CEO Alain Bellemare.

Commercial aviation’s first touch screen primary flight displays have received FAA certification as standard equipment on Beechcraft King Airs

Swift Fuels said that its 94 MON, or motor-octane-number, aviation gasoline will be available in select regions in the U.S. and Canada. The unleaded fuel is FAA certified and meets ASTM standards for aviation gasoline, the company said. An estimated 40% of the nation’s aircraft fleet will be able to use the fuel. Many piston-engine aircraft requiring a minimum octane rating at or below 94 MON are eligible to buy the appropriate supplemental type certificates to use the fuel, the company said. However, it will not replace 100LL sold at airports for high-performance aircraft.

Wade Eyerly launches Beacon, an all-you-can fly membership carrier that takes customers from the Westchester County Airport, outside New York City to Boston Logan, beginning with nine roundtrips per day.

The best way to stay clear of the FAA’s sights is to fly perfectly. If that doesn’t work, we need to be ready to document our transgressions with what some have come to call a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. And if that fails, it may be time to get legal help. After all, we are talking about your livelihood.

In the aviation lexicon, two of the most-despised words are “leaks” and “cracks.”

A crew’s ability to recognize and prevent the onset of an upset and to recover should one occur are key factors behind FlightSafety International’s new Upset Prevention & Recovery Training (UPRT) course now offered at its Savannah, Georgia, learning center.

FlightSafety International has introduced simulator-based upset training on a Gulfstream 550 simulator at its Savannah, Georgia, training center that allows pilots to safely practice maneuvers outside of an aircraft's normal flight envelope.

Simulator training is essential, but it alone simply isn’t sufficient to provide flight crews with all the skills and knowledge needed to assure the highest safety margins.

Selling a used jet “As Is, Where Is, With All Faults” is an age-old practice. It is the plain English version of caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware. The tradition in aviation is that the seller allows the buyer to inspect the airplane prior to purchase. The buyer pays for the inspection. The seller pays to repair the airworthiness discrepancies found. The shop “returns the aircraft to service” and the buyer flies it home.

Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, N.J., was the most popular business aviation airport in July 2015, according to an analysis of acukwik.com flight planning traffic. Paris Le Bourget Airport in France placed second.

Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, N.J., was the most researched business aviation airport in North America during July 2015, according to an analysis of acukwik.com flight planning activity. All of the top five most popular North American airports for the month were in the United States.

In our business of flying, “The Perfect” is very much still the enemy of “The Good,” especially when it comes to attaining dependable, economically feasible and broadly available all-weather operations equipage.

Moscow's Vnukovo Airport was the most popular departure and arrival airport for charter travel in July 2015, according to an analysis of Air Charter Guide Worldwide Trip Builder searches executed during that month. Pamplona/Noain Airport in Spain was the second most queried destination during July. Teterboro Airport ranked behind Vnukovo on both the departure and arrival lists.

Compare Jet-A and avgas fuel prices by region based on a survey conducted in August 2015 by Aviation Research Group/U.S. Inc. and an analysis of the lowest fuel prices reported by FBOs on acukwik.com.

Several factors could have led to the Bearskin Lake Air Service Flight 311 accident in 2013, including crew confusion over the engines’ negative torque sensing systems.

Organizers of the Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (LABACE) have high expectations for this year’s show in the country’s bustling business center of São Paulo. Plus, the New York City Council has introduced legislation targeting the city’s helicopter-tourism industry for increased regulation.

What was once a quirky annual meeting of pilots who owned garage-built flying kites, odd-duck antiques and très outre experimentals has now morphed into a mainstream aviation event enjoyed by both aviators and non-pilots.

Bombardier's redesign of the Global 7000 wing is a major driver in the aircraft's delay. Embraer recorded lower revenue and earnings in the second quarter of 2015 amid lower commercial jet deliveries but higher business jet shipments. The market for Gulfstream Aerospace business jets has been boosted by demand from S&P 500 companies seeking to replace their fleets, officials said. Textron Aviation delivered 36 new Citation jets and 30 King Air turboprops during the second quarter of this year, compared to 36 Citations and 34 King Airs during the same time a year ago.

While we’re unlikely to see another tidal wave of vets eager to acquire wings, there is an undeniable, widespread enthusiasm for flight, albeit of another kind.

Michael J. Silvestro, CEO of Flexjet and Flight Options, discusses how the two organizations have been integrating since the acquisition of Flexjet as well as the plans for new aircraft on order.