Signature Flight Support Dublin Ltd. acquired the assets of gategroup's aircraft deicing business at Dublin Airport (DUB/EIDW). This announcement follows BBA Aviation's acquisition of gategroup's deicing, washing and cabin cleaning business at London Heathrow and London Gatwick, which will be operated by Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG). Deicing services will be available to both business and general aviation as well as commercial airline customers, marking Signature's entrance into commercial ground handling services at Dublin Airport.
Safe Flight Instrument Corp. received an STC for its AutoPower (Automatic Throttle System on the Citation X. The system's advanced technology is tailored and manufactured specifically for Cessna and it is fully compatible with the existing Citation X avionics suite providing potential fuel savings for extended range.
GE Aviation has begun certification testing of its Passport engine that will power the Bombardier Global 7000 and 8000. Developed under a joint venture between GE, IHI of Japan and TechSpace Aero of Belgium, Passport is to be certified to produce 16,500 lb. thrust and meet Stage 4 noise regulations. First run occurred at GE Aviation's Peebles Testing Operation in Ohio. The engine company is planning a 4,000-hr./8,000-cycle ground test program involving eight engines and one core. Flight testing is scheduled for 2014, with certification following in 2015.
Business jets may be pummeled by pols in Washington, but they're certainly valued in Vegas. The annual National Business Aviation Association convention, set for Oct. 22-24, is now the fifth-largest trade show in the U.S. This year it will feature more than 1,000 exhibits displayed across 1 million sq. ft. of floor space, as well as the two static aircraft displays — 100 larger aircraft will gather out at Henderson Executive Airport, and another 10-15 piston singles, light turboprops and helicopters will be inside the Las Vegas Convention Center itself.
FlightSafety International, LaGuardia Airport, N.Y., promoted Christopher Weinberg to chief Information officer responsible for all aspects of FlightSafety's Information Technology programs as well as FSI's Competitive Advantage, Continuous Improvement, and Business Systems teams.
First it was Mexico denying operators overflight permits for alleged nonpayment of navigation fees. Now, it's Venezuela. Applying for overflight permits from the Venezuelan civil aviation authority Instituto Nacional de Aeronautica Civil (INAC), some international business aviation operators in the past year have been surprised when they subsequently received huge invoices for allegedly overdue navigation fees from previous trips. These can amount to tens of thousands of dollars, often charged for flights never made in Venezuelan airspace.
Rennes, France-based charter operator Voldirect SAS and Daher-Socata announced the French civil aviation authority has granted Voldirect and Air operator's Certificate (AOC) that enables the airline to fly commercial passengers on the TBM 850 in IFR conditions. The company is operating its first TBM 850 from Rennes Airport serving customers in western France. EASA is currently working on the development of its rules in order to add this type of operation.
During the second quarter of 2013, Embraer delivered 22 jetliners 29 executive jets comprising 11 Phenom 100s, 12 Phenom 300s, five Legacy 650s and one Lineage. For the first half of the year, the Brazilian manufacturer delivered 31 Phenoms and ten Legacy and Lineage models and had a firm order backlog for commercial and executive jets worth $17.1 billion, an increase of $3.8 billion over the first quarter and its highest since the third quarter of 2009.
Capt. Edward A. Sarkisian (B757/767 — United Airlines Via email )
I read Ross Detwiler's “Two Tiers of Training” (June 2013, page 40) with great interest. I agree that we must leave the technology aside and “fly the plane” with basics when in a critical phase of flight. Let's not get distracted by the technology. Use it in its proper modes, and if idiosyncrasies occur, put it aside if in a critical phase of flight. I recognize Ross's name from TEB from decades back when I flew for several charter operations there, followed by a few different corporate flight departments.
Cessna Aircraft Co., Wichita, named Kriya Shortt senior vice president Sales and will lead the company's global sales force. Tom Perry will assume the role of vice president of Sales for EMEA based in the U.K.
The National Research Council Canada (NRC) has formally launched a concentrated research effort to find and test potential replacement fuels for 100LL avgas. Such an alternative is vital to ensuring the long-term operational viability of piston-powered aircraft, says Jerzy Komorowski, general manager of the NRC's aerospace division. General aviation is a key part of Canada's transportation infrastructure, particularly in rural and northern parts of the country where it provides the main mode of air transport for people and cargo.
On the night of Dec. 20, 1995, American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757 carrying 151 passengers and eight crewmembers, crashed on a 9,800-ft. mountaintop while attempting a straight-in approach to Runway 19 at Alfonso Bonilla Aragon International Airport at Cali, Colombia. Only five passengers survived the accident, one of whom died later in hospital.
In May, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker heartened hundreds of people gathered in a hangar in Appleton by saying he was proud “to celebrate and promote general aviation. The economic impact created by general aviation is strong, and it plays such an important role in providing the transportation needs of individuals and businesses across the globe.”
Nineteen years after being awarded certification of its single-engine PC-12, Pilatus Aircraft planned to deliver the 1,200th unit. The delivery ceremony was set for Aug. 7 in Portsmouth, N.H., where Thomas Bosshard, president and CEO of Pilatus Business Aircraft will hand the keys to George Antoniadis, his counterpart at PlaneSense, Inc. The fractional ownership provider's fleet will then expand to 49 of the Swiss-made turboprops, the world's largest civilian fleet of PC-12s.
Tarrant County, Tex., College is taking over Bell Helicopter's former military programs facility at Fort Worth Alliance Airport. The college plans to use the 161,000-sq.-ft. facility for an expansion of its successful aircraft maintenance programs, which are currently offered at the college's Northwest Campus. The college plans to occupy the facility in June 2014.
Constant Aviation, the Cleveland-based maintenance firm, has won a supplemental type certificate for installation of the SwiftBroadband Aviator 200 system in an Embraer Phenom 300. The Aviator 200 is a smaller and lighter Wi-Fi product used to provide global Internet access on small to midsize business aircraft. Separately, Constant Aviation recently completed the installation of Rockwell Collins' Ascend informational management server on three new Bombardier Challenger 605s.
Raisbeck Engineering has earned Brazilian certification of its new swept-blade turbofan propellers for Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft. The higher-thrust props, which Seattle-based Raisbeck developed in cooperation with propeller manufacturer Hartzell, markedly improve takeoff performance without increasing cabin noise levels. Raisbeck says the new props especially enhance operations to and from higher-altitude airports on hot days and permit operators to carry greater payloads and fuel for more range.
Honeywell is partnering with Dubai-based Jetex to expand the global reach of its flight support services. Jetex will resell from Honeywell's Global Data Center Flight Support Services to customers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Jetex will provide international trip planning across multiple regions and after-trip concierge service to Honeywell customers. The agreement will enable end-to-end international flight services for operators globally. The joint services are expected to be available in the fourth quarter.
Sherwin-William Aerospace Coatings introduced a new Chrome Hazard Free Epoxy Primer (CM0483790) that is a high-performance, two-component, corrosion inhibitive epoxy primer. It provides outstanding sandability and provides Skydrol resistance in addition to excellent adhesion to treated substrates. This is one of the most flexible of chrome hazard free primers introduced by the company. Submittted for AMS 3095 certification, the new primer meets all VOC regulations that require a 2.9 lb./gal. (350g/L) VOC primer in aircraft maintenance painting settings.
Renovations of the Jet Centre at London City Airport (LCY) are now complete and a Border Force officer installed thereby supporting the facility's pledge to whisk business aircraft passengers from plane to car within 60 seconds. The airport-owned FBO now features an improved reception area, large passenger lounge, private meeting room, ground floor crew rest area and security screening area, as well as the border checking station.
Diehl Aerosystems reports that two of its business units have been awarded Bombardier contracts for cabin interior products for Global 7000 and Global 8000 business aircraft. The work package covers cabin peripheries — including the baggage compartments — with high-end surface treatments and optimized acoustic behavior (Diehl Aircabin). The company is to provide all-LED cabin mood lighting. The contracts are a major success for Diehl in business jets, as they are “the first combined approach with both cabin interiors and cabin lighting products” in the segment.
BlackJet's app is available now in the iTunes App store. Members can book a seat on a private jet from their smartphone in seconds, according to BlackJet. The company's technology enables instant private jet seat booking and real time confirmations. The seat service is currently available in San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles and South Florida, with service to Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston and Dallas, with Seattle coming soon. You must be a BlackJet member to use the service.
Honeywell and Astro-Med have signed a long-term agreement to make the Astro-Med ToughWriter 5 cockpit printer available for Primus Epic and other Honeywell business aviation and regional air transport cockpits. The compact, 7.3-in.-deep printer is more than 5-lb. lighter than current non-Honeywell printers installed in Primus Epic cockpits.
