A year ago, most brokers and dealers of previously owned turbine-powered business aircraft were afraid to declare that the market decline was over, even though prices were firming and interest among prospective buyers was increasing. Today, it's hard to find a naysayer among industry veterans, as values for most late-model airplanes continue to climb, demand for certain types outstrips supply, and the rising economic thermals promise to lift all but the oldest aircraft.
Embraer is reported to be seriously considering developing a light jet. The Brazilian manufacturer announced that 2004 was the most profitable year in its 35-year history. Two sources in recent weeks told our sister publication The Weekly of Business Aviation that Embraer is exploring the launch of a new light jet program -- possibly in conjunction with a partner -- to compete against aircraft such as the Eclipse 500 and the Adam Aircraft A700. At LABACE B&CA could elicit only a cryptic ``Stay tuned,'' from Embraer's Affonso.
Manufacturer, Model In some cases, the airplane manufacturer's name is abbreviated, but the company's full name and address can be found in the ``Airframe Suppliers Directory'' on page 176. The model name also is included in this group. B&CA Equipped Price Price estimates are first quarter, current year dollars for the next available delivery. Some aircraft have long lead times, thus the actual price will be higher than our published price. Note well, manufacturers may adjust prices without notification.
Kvand Aircraft Interiors of Belarus is busy converting Russian-made regional jets into VIP transports. The company, which operates from bases at Minsk, Belarus, and in Moscow, has completed 13 TU-134s and four Yak-42Ds in its six-year history and is working on another two Yak-42Ds and a TU-134. The most recent TU-134, completed in January, was sold to S Air Company, a specialist business aviation charter operator based in Moscow.
In 2004, there was a strong recovery in new and used general aviation aircraft sales, a trend that started in third quarter 2003. New aircraft billings increased nearly 20 percent and shipments jumped more than 10 percent, according to GAMA. Turboprops, the workhorses of the business aviation fleet, were especially popular, with new deliveries increasing to 321 units, an 18 percent boost. The business jet segment fared well, too, with 591 shipments, a 14-plus percent increase. Deliveries of new piston-engine aircraft increased 8 percent.
Jeppesen's Icing Forecast Map and Turbulence Forecast Map will help pilots and dispatchers plan flights that avoid areas of potentially hazardous weather. Both maps use color scales to indicate forecast areas of light, moderate and severe activity. For the U.S. maps, customers can view data for current conditions and forecast data for three-, six-, 12-, 18- and 24-hour intervals. Data for outside the United States can be in 12-, 18- or 24-hour intervals.
On April 7, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released the final rule, ``Electronic Transmission of Passenger and Crew Manifests for Vessels and Aircraft,'' amending existing regulations for transmission of crew and passenger information through the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS).
Bombardier Aerospace announced April 4 that SkyWest Airlines of St. George, Utah, has placed a firm order for 20 additional Bombardier CRJ700 regional jets to increase its CRJ700 fleet to 52 aircraft. The firm order is valued at approximately $637 million (U.S.).
Jet Aviation Engineering Services, which holds multiple FAA STCs for installation of the Bendix/King Integrated Hazard Avoidance System (IHAS 8000) in Cessna Citation 500, 550, S550 and 560 series aircraft, is offering the STC for purchase. As an option, Jet Aviation is offering a complete turnkey installation at one of its maintenance facilities.
With all due respect to the esteemed 19th-century author, poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, the world will not necessarily beat a path to your door if you build a better mousetrap. Case in point: Piaggio. The Italian company, which has been involved in aviation for nearly 90 years, has produced numerous novel and innovative aircraft designs.
AvData, Inc. of Utica, N.Y., has published the 2005 edition of its Jet & Propjet corporate directory. The 500-plus page guide lists over 27,000 aircraft, representing over 300 different models and 46 manufacturers. Data include aircraft registration marks, models and variants, owner identification, aircraft manufacturer, previous registration.
Tim Kennon, a maintenance technician with Midcoast Aviation, was awarded TechnAthlete of the Year honors in the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) Maintenance Olympics individual competition. Second place was awarded to Michael Zina of Bombardier Aerospace. Tom McGinnis of Federal Mogul Corp. took third place. Additionally, Midcoast Aviation won the maintenance gold medal for the second consecutive year at the competition, which was held during PAMA's Annual Symposium and the Aviation Industry Week show in Las Vegas in March.
Infosat Communications, a satellite telecommunications system specialist, was awarded a contract from the Alaska Department of the Interior to develop an automatic tracking system for aircraft using the Iridium satellite network for air-to-ground data link. Infosat is providing satellite data terminals compatible with the U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior's Web-based tracking. The terminals, which will be installed on 28 aircraft, will provide automatic inflight tracking of the aircraft through Iridium's short-burst data service.
The NBAA advises that as a result of mandates contained in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, new requirements to enter the United States will begin taking effect in late 2005. Starting Dec. 31, 2005, U.S., Canadian and Bermudan nationals will be required to have a valid passport or other secure, accepted form of documentation when entering the United States by air or sea from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central America or South America. Effective Dec.
OceanAir Taxi Aereo Ltda. was named an exclusive factory-authorized sales and service representative for Pilatus in Brazil. The seven-year-old South American aviation firm, which has a joint-venture maintenance company at Congonhas Airport in So Paulo, has been selling Bombardier business jets in Brazil since 2003. The worldwide fleet of Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprops, which numbers over 500, recently passed the one-million-hour mark of time in service.
The Transportation Department and the FAA, pushing for new ways to cover the FAA's growing budget, are bringing in senior government officials from both agencies and representatives of a number of international organizations to join the debate about funding alternatives at a two-day forum April 25-26 at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, Va. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Undersecretary for Policy Jeff Shane, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead and Sen.
Eclipse Aviation has completed inlet icing tests of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F engines that power the Eclipse 500. The company called the successful completion of the tests at the National Research Council's icing tunnel in Ottawa, Canada, an important milestone in its quest for certification in March 2006. Eclipse's flight test aircraft, N503EA, expanded the flight envelope to 25,000 feet and accumulated 15 hours in 10 flights in the first week of April and 33 total flight hours as of the end of March.
``Dream to Fly: Howard Hughes and the Flying Boat'' chronicles the history of the famous Spruce Goose and explores the truths and myths surrounding the remarkable aircraft and it's creator, Howard Hughes. The hour-long documentary, narrated by Walter Cronkite, includes interviews with flight crew, construction workers and engineers, along with rare color film and photographs.
The following NTSB information is preliminary, subject to change and may contain errors. Mar. 7 -- Upon completion of an IFR cross-country flight from Houma-Terrebonne Airport (HUM), near Houma, La., an Aero Vodochody L-39C experimental military jet trainer was substantially damaged during a landing overrun at the Shreveport Downtown Airport (DTN), near Shreveport, La. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries.
When the opportunity came to attend FlightSafety International's Bell 430 Helicopter, Initial Pilot Training Course, I was both excited and a little scared. It had been more than a decade since I flew as pilot-in-command.
When engineer Christine Ellis got the assignment to start from scratch and build one of the most complete terrain-avoidance databases ever assembled, she started by laying her hands on every geographic publication she could to find in search of elevation data sources.
U.S. business jet operators were involved in twice as many accidents in the first quarter of this year as they were during the same period in 2004, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. Business jet operators were involved in 10 accidents in the quarter ended March 31, compared with five a year ago. Five of the first-quarter accidents involved airplanes in corporate/executive use with full-time, professionally trained crews.
Robert Arnold Owner and President, Chandelle Winery, Sonoma, Calif. After World War II, Gen. Henry ``Hap'' Arnold, the five-star who headed U.S. air forces, retired to El Rancho Feliz -- loosely, ``Hap's Ranch.'' The general acquired the 40-acre farm in Northern California with some money lent him by his longtime friend Donald Douglas, who also happened to be his son Bruce's father-in-law. After his parents' deaths, Col. Bruce Arnold and his son, Robert, decided to keep the place and put it to work. That was in 1986.
Stage III Technologies, the La Jolla, Calif.-based maker of Gulfstream hush kits, was expecting to receive FAA approval by the end of April for the installation of its hush kit on the Gulfstream II, IIB and III business jets. Earlier, the company received certification of its noise-reduction product for the Gulfstream II-SP. Stage III Technologies is taking orders for the $1.75 million hush kit. Initial deliveries are expected to take place early this summer. Once the system enters full production, the price is scheduled to rise to $2 million.
