EASA has finished its initial evaluation of the Gulfstream G650 in preparation for certification. As of Jan. 25, the four Gulfstream G650 aircraft in the flight-test program had accumulated more than 2,675 flight hours over 820 flights. The aircraft is expected to enter service in the middle of this year. The G650 received a provisional type certificate from the FAA on Nov. 18, 2011, with the full FAA type certificate expected by mid-year.
The distance from Dubai to Kabul is just over 1,000 nm. That's about two and a half hours in a Hawker 400XP — more than enough time to contemplate what might be awaiting in Afghanistan's war-ravaged capital. I know the unsettling feeling, because I made the trip in August 2007 on assignment for Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Government and industry officials need to collaborate on ways to mitigate runway incursions before another disaster happens, says NTSB Commissioner Christopher Hart. “If we don't get our hands around this problem — and we don't have our hands around this — sooner or later it's going to happen again,” Hart told the Air Charter Safety Foundation's 2012 Air Charter Safety Symposium in February.
The NTSB is proposing to alter the review procedures for FAA enforcement applications and to facilitate electronic filings. An NPRM, published in the Feb. 9 Federal Register, follows a December 2010 ANPRM that covered the standard of review for emergency determinations, discovery and information exchange, and electronic filing of documents. The NPRM questioned whether the agency should change its standard position that FAA's allegations against a party are true for the purposes of a five-day review of the emergency status of a revocation.
Russian MRO provider Engineering LLC is buying Epic Aircraft, the Bend, Ore., producer of the Escape and Epic LT turboprop kit aircraft. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Epic Aircraft CEO Douglas King will retain his position under the new ownership, and Engineering LLC has assembled a board of industry executives to help manage the transition. The companies say the acquisition will position Epic for growth.
Nav Canada announced its traffic figures for February 2012 measured in weighted charging units for en route, terminal and oceanic air navigation services, in comparison to the last fiscal year. The traffic in February 2012 increased by an average of 3.6% compared to the same month in 2011.
FAA Flight Standards Deputy Director John McGraw has noted that “Congress [is] being a lot more directive and specific in the struggle to balance environmental interests and operations.” McGraw says he is unsure how the FAA is going to be able to respond to the number of rulemakings that Congress has charged the agency to undertake, and says it may take the agency some time to get through all of them.
The FADEC-equipped -3AP is one of Williams' most-advanced versions of the FJ44 turbofan family, producing 2,300 lb. of thrust for takeoff and weighing only 510 lb. Compared to earlier -3 engines, the -3AP incorporates many aerodynamic and durability improvements, plus it weighs 8% less and has 3% better specific fuel consumption. A fuel/oil heat exchanger eliminates the need for an anti-icing fuel additive.
Priester Aviation has added three new aircraft to its private jet charter fleet. The new aircraft include a Gulfstream G550, Citation CJ4 and Pilatus PC-12 NG, which will be supported by Priester's aircraft management and charter program. The 16-passenger Gulfstream G550 will be Priester's 16th large-cabin aircraft.
Eurocopter, with a 35% market share of the Indian civilian and military helicopter sector, wants to explore new areas, such as aerial and utility work, as well as emergency medical services in India and increase its market share by 2015. The leading Indian emergency medical helicopter provider has designed the EC135 and EC145 for Helicopter Medical Emergency Service (HEMS) and Disaster Management (DM) applications. “We have already started work with Indian companies, institutions, hospitals. . . .
Helicopter Association International President Matt Zuccaro is appealing to the FAA to take action to “remove people who shouldn't be in the air.” During a “Meet the Regulators” session at February's Heli-Expo in Dallas, Zuccaro noted that some companies operate at unacceptable safety levels, but their actions get the most attention and hurt the entire industry. He conceded that it may be strange for a community to ask for more enforcement, but he notes that the industry must deal with the fallout of operators flying with thin safety margins.
AC Aviation, Inc., Janesville, Wisc., has hired Dan Morrison as director of Charter Sales and Andy Schweickert as director of Marketing. Margaret Clark has been promoted to Charter manager. Aerion, Reno, Nev., named Doug Nichols chief operating officer responsible for all operating, financial, business development and marketing activities related to the development of the supersonic business jet (SBJ). He succeeds Michael Henderson, who following his tenure as COO remains Aerion's principal scientist and a director of the company.
“Normalized access,” allowing unmanned aircraft systems (UASes) to “file and fly” anywhere in the national airspace system (NAS), will require airborne sense-and-avoid (ABSAA) in addition to GBSAA, and will take longer to achieve, says Steven Pennington, U.S. Air Force director of bases, ranges and airspace (see above item). The FAA has yet to develop a plan for full integration of UASes into the airspace system by the 2015 target date set by Congress, but “the Defense Department, with GBSAA, will get there by 2015 because we routinely fly to the same place,” he says.
Area navigation (RNAV) Required Navigation Procedure with Authorization Required (RNP AR) instrument approach and departure procedures are key components of the FAA's Next Generation air traffic management system and the European Aviation Safety Agency's Single European Sky (SESAR). Certificated U.S. air carriers, such as Southwest Airlines, along with NetJets pioneered RNP approaches as a means of gaining lower weather minimums at some of the airports they frequently use or to save fuel by flying tighter approach and departure paths.
The prototype Cessna Citation M2 made its first flight in early March. With Cessna engineering test pilot Peter Fisher at the controls, the flight lasted a little more than an hour and a half, and included tests of the avionics system, autopilot, aircraft systems and instrument approaches. The new light jet fills the gap between the Citation Mustang and the Citation CJ family. FAA FAR Part 23 certification is expected in the first half of 2013, with deliveries in the second half of 2013.
Phillips 66 Aviation has launched a mobile application for its WingPoints Rewards With Altitude program, providing pilots access to their WingPoints accounts and an airport dealer locator. The WingPoints Reward Card was launched in 2008, providing reward points for fuel purchases. The app is available at the iTunes store.
Bombardier Aerospace will open a full-scale company-owned and operated service center in Singapore in 2013. The company says the new service center will be the cornerstone of Bombardier's customer services offerings in the Asia-Pacific region. The new facility will be the second service center operated by Bombardier outside of North America, bringing the total number to ten worldwide. It will be capable of performing a variety of light to heavy maintenance tasks on all Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft.
Air tour operator Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters has incorporated the Softtech Flight & Duty TrackerT system into its operations at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, as well as Las Vegas/Boulder City. Flight & Duty TrackerT provides FAR Part 135 flight and duty tracking for small or large flight operations, including training events.
CitationAir said it will exit the fractional ownership business and focus on aircraft management and its Jet Card business. CitationAir began selling shares in 2000 and has grown into the fourth largest fractional program. It notified customers that it was suspending sales of its Jet Shares fractional program and Jet Access membership program.
In its 14th Turbine-Powered Civilian Helicopter Purchase Outlook report, released at Heli Expo, Honeywell says it expects global deliveries of new civilian-use helicopters will increase to 4,700 — 5,200 over the five-year period 2012–2016. The forecast shows slower near term economic growth prospects in key markets have added uncertainty to operator purchase plans this year, however, recent order momentum and strong purchase plans for 2012 bolster the near-term outlook.
The Flightstar Corp., Savoy, Ill., has purchased the assets of Bloomington Avionics based in Bloomington, Ill. Flightstar is transferring the Bloomington staff and its services to the Flightstar fixed-base operation at Champaign-Urbana's University of Illinois-Willard Airport (KCMI). A Class I and II avionics repair station, Bloomington has provided service and installation for more than 30 years. Flightstar, the sole FBO at KCMI, employs more than 120 people at a 10,000-sq.-ft. corporate terminal facility and 68,000-sq.-ft. maintenance facility.
The Dassault Falcon 7X fleet has accumulated more than 100,000 flight hours marking a significant milestone for the company's longest range aircraft. The first 7X was delivered in June 2007, and since that time 133 have entered service in 31 countries. The fleet leader has accumulated more than 3,500 flight hours.
