Delta Private Jets turned in a record 2014 in revenue and fleet growth, and is growing in all its business units, the aircraft charter, aircraft management and jet card company said. The company, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, recently added six aircraft to its managed aircraft fleet, including two Citation CJ2s, a Citation CJ3, a Learjet 75, a Citation X and a Hawker 4000. The additions bring the company’s managed fleet to 64 aircraft. Jet card sales were up 17% last year.
There was a time when cars would disintegrate before wearing out. The mild steel body panels would go from the striking die to chassis with little or no surface treatment. Paint and primer were the main defenses against rust, and if you lived in the cold and salty northern climes, body rot was almost guaranteed. Eventually consumer dissatisfaction took hold and the automakers determined that it would be in their long-term self-interest to build cars that did not dissolve into piles of red dust.
Quest Aircraft Co., based in Sandpoint, Idaho, delivered 30 Kodiak turboprop aircraft last year and launched several product enhancements and upgrades. Deliveries last year were up from 28 Kodiaks delivered in 2013 and 15 shipped in 2012, according to data from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. “ We continue to increase our production and deliveries of the Kodiak as the market rebounds and demand for a versatile product like the Kodiak grows,” Sam Hill, Quest Aircraft CEO, said. The company signed an agreement on Feb.
The third prototype of the AgustaWestland AW609 commercial tiltrotor is set to fly in May, paving the way for deicing tests of the aircraft at year-end. Engineers are currently assembling the aircraft in Italy, where shakedown flights will be conducted before it is dismantled and sent to Philadelphia in preparation for testing of the aircraft’s deicing system in Minnesota toward year-end.
Aerial Views I recently read Kent Jackson’s “Unmanned Unknowns” (Point of Law, October 2014, page 92). I thought the article was informative but had a definite slant to it. The FAA already has rules for remote-controlled (R/C) aircraft, so why hint that rules are needed? Was the goal to cause confusion, and maybe create the “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” view when it comes to violating civilian privacy?
NetJets Europe flew the first Phenom 300 into London City Airport after receiving certification to operate the light aircraft from the airport, it said. NetJets is the largest private operator at the airport, with 50% of all traffic, according to NetJets. It connected to 374 destinations around the globe from London. More than 53% of its European customer base comes from the London finance sector, it said. Last year, 41% of its new business in Europe was generated in the financial industry.
Looking for more advice on corrosion control? FAA Advisory Circular AC 43-4A — [Large AC] Corrosion Control for Aircraft is a good place to start (or restart) learning about protecting your aircraft from corrosion. Like most Advisory material, it is a bit dated, but it still provides good information. Go the the FAA website: http:// www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/ and either enter he AC number or search for corrosion.
Keystone Holdings has signed an agreement with Universal Weather and Aviation to acquire Air Service Hawaii, an FBO with six locations in Hawaii. Under the deal, Air Service Hawaii will retain its branding and identity. The acquisition also includes a long-term preferred FBO/handler agreement with Universal to provide Universal’s customer base with quality service when they visit Hawaii.
While the sound of spinning rotors may mean lifesaving, safety or profit to members of the rotary-wing community, to most in the general population, the sound is just noise. Too often, unwelcome noise. And that’s a problem for everyone.
The Guimbal Cabri G2, a French-designed, piston-engine light helicopter, has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Cabri — designed by former Airbus Helicopters engineer Bruno Guimbal — was awarded the certification on Feb. 3 after a 16-month program which included a study of the aircraft’s operations documentation and flight tests, the company said. It comes eight years after the helicopter was granted certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency in December 2007.
At the 2014 NBAA International Operators Conference Robin Leach and Pat Dunn delivered the South Pacific presentation which included a list of common mistakes made by business aviation flight crews flying the SoPac routes. Here is an abridged version: Not updating ETAs when early or late by at more than three minutes. Not reporting reaching new assigned flight level when cleared to change. (Until verification is received, ATC blocks off intermediate flight levels.)
World Fuel Services, based in Miami, has added four FBOs to its network.YU Lounge at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis in the Caribbean; Jet Center Curacao at Hato International Airport in Willemstad, Curacao; and Ecuacentair at Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, Equador have signed with the company’s network. With the additions, the Air Elite Network has 37 locations worldwide.
Jet Aviation is managing the FBO at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas, and has plans to add new hangars and remodel the interior. The Nassau facility features 305,000 sq. ft. of ramp space and includes on-site Customs and Immigration, concierge service, 20,000 sq. ft. of hangar space. It also plans to repave and expand the ramp and add new tenant hangars.
This month we are looking at another recent approach stall accident involving a large airplane with a highly experienced pilot serving as PIC. The NTSB says the FAA’s oversight of the operating company — Fresh Air Inc. — was lax, the operation of the airplane was sloppy and the crew coordination was poor. Training records were haphazard and de facto SOPs did not comply with the aircraft flight manual (AFM).
Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter of Dwight D. Eisenhower, was in Wichita on Jan. 26 for the unveiling of a new logo and the official launch of the new name of Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. T he airport is now the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, named after the 34th U.S. president. “We were thrilled that she (Mary Eisenhower) came” for the event, said Victor White, director of airports. The new logo and name comes as the airport is constructing a new, state-of-the-art terminal building in Wichita.
The Oceanic Division of Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center extends from the U.S. West Coast to 130 deg. E longitude and from 05 deg. South latitude to just above 56 deg. N latitude, covering a staggering 18.7 million sq. mi. of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Business aviation flight activity turned in its best year since 2008 last year, according to ARGUS TraqPak data. Flight activity last year increased 2% overall from 2013, it said. The largest single year-over-year increase was recorded by small business jets flown by fractional companies. Activity increased 23.6% last year in that category over 2013, ARGUS said. Activity in large cabin jets flown under Part 135 had the second largest gain at 9.4%. Turboprop activity by fractional companies experienced the biggest drop, with flights last year down 29.8%.
Duncan Aviation released its recently updated Straight Talk book on the NextGen initiative Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). The debate is over, and the January 2020 deadline gets closer every day. To find out what you need to know to make sure your aircraft is in compliance with the FAA’s mandate, go to: www.duncanaviation.aero/straighttalk/adsb/index.php . The updated book is free.
Pilots operating under Part 125 are not required to receive any specific training as defined by the FARs. However, per 14 CFR 125.287(b), captains are required to meet certain experience requirements, and both pilots are required to receive an annual competency check. In addition, per 14 CFR 125.291(a), each pilot-in-command (PIC) must receive an instrument proficiency check every six months. The instrument proficiency check is generally a more comprehensive check, so Part 125 allows the pilot to substitute an instrument proficiency check for the competency check.
Jet Aviation Zurich, a fixed base operator, handled the majority of the aircraft and delegates passing through Zurich International Airport on their way to the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The provider handled 582 aircraft movements and 1,485 passengers. Jet Aviation Zurich brought in additional staff to handle the record number of delegates expected to attend the World Economic Forum, it said. It also added a number of luxury vehicles to its fleet to handle ground transportation requirements for the surge of passengers.
Chris Strand, lead pilot for Amway Corporation’s BBJ and a member of the NBAA International Operations Committee, learned a few things about fuel reserves when flying the Pacific as a navigator in Navy EP3s (the electronic warfare version of the venerable Lockheed P3, the navalized variant of the four-engine Electra turboprop).
Piper Aircraft, based in Vero Beach, Florida, has introduced the single-engine Meridian M500 with upgraded avionics and other improvements. The aircraft features the Garmin G1000 avionics with a dual 10-in. PFD, a 12-in. MFD and a GFC700 autopilot with an enhanced flight control system. The $2.26 million aircraft includes Electronic Stability Protection that helps prevent stalls, spins, steep spirals and loss-of-control conditions and discourages aircraft operation outside the flight envelope.
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will be on display at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, EBACE, in May. Organizers are dedicating a zone for unmanned aircraft system products so attendees can see them in action and take part in education sessions that will focus on the European Commission’s regulations regarding UAS, or remotely piloted aircraft systems, as they are better known in Europe. The move comes as UAS grows as part of the business aviation community worldwide.
Many of today’s pilots never had the opportunity to operate aircraft with big, radial, piston engines. These powerplants are beefy and complex and have systems to extract extra energy from heat and to deal with high heat and pressures. A water injection system, also known as anti-detonation injection, or simply ADI, is one of them. Another is an auto feathering system, designed to accelerate the feathering of a failing engine while preventing the manual feathering of the running engine. Choosing to use either or both systems creates takeoff weight restrictions.
