Vref Publishing of Shawnee Mission, Kan. -- the company that produces Vref Aircraft Value Reference and the Market Leader newsletter -- has issued the first in a series of indices that will document composite prices for various segments of the turbine airplane market. Earlier, the company developed a similar index for single-engine, piston-powered general aviation airplanes.
Feel the need, the need for speed? George Bye, president of Denver-based Aviation Technology Group, is working to satisfy that hunger with the Javelin, which is a VLJ by weight -- ``but that's about all.''
As explained in the adjacent feature article, Congress has ``overturned'' the Sutherland Lumber court decision that protected corporate deductions in spite of the fact that executives did not pay the full cost of the flight. It will be some time before the IRS offers any guidance on the many questions raised by the new law. Nevertheless, the new law became immediately effective on Oct. 22, 2004, so companies need strategies now.
A Challenger 601 business jet crashed on Nov. 28 2004, while attempting to take off from the Montrose, Colo., Regional Airport. The airplane, N873G, was leased by Jet Alliance/Air Castle, according to the NTSB. The flight was carrying NBC executive Dick Ebersol and two of his sons. The L.A. Times reported that the airplane had been double brokered. Chuck Wyble, a spokesman for Air Castle, the company operating the Ebersol flight, described Air Castle as ``a paper company'' owned by Jet Alliance, a Millville, N.J., operator of seven jet aircraft.
Messier Services International, Paris, France, appointed Ian Longstreth vice president of sales and marketing for Messier Services America, located in Sterling, Va.
Cessna Aircraft held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 9, 2004, to celebrate the opening of its new $61 million Citation Service Center in Wichita. Touted as the ``world's largest general aviation maintenance facility,'' the Citation center comprises more than 443,000 square feet on a 124-acre tract at Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita. The center, which can service more than 100 Citations simultaneously, is as long as five and one-half football fields and comprises five hangars as well as customer lounges and offices, flight planning areas, a restaurant and gift shop.
When Eclipse Aviation founder Vern Raburn and Sam Williams parted ways over the FJ22 turbofan's inability to produce sufficient thrust to meet performance goals for the production version of the Eclipse 500, the diminutive turbofan quietly disappeared from the marketplace.
The first flicker in the dawning of the very light jet (VLJ) came in the 1980s when Dr. Sam Williams, then CEO and now chairman of small turbine-engine pioneer Williams International, introduced the 1,900-pound-thrust FJ44 turbofan. (See ``2004 Vision Awards,'' B&CA, December 2004, page 79.) That engine now powers Cessna's Citation CJ line, Raytheon's Premier I, and the still-gestating Sino Swearingen SJ30, aircraft that lowered the price threshold for entry-level business and personal jets.
CAE SimuFlite's technical training has been granted Part 147 approval by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). All aspects of the program -- including the SimuFlite facility in Dallas, the training process and the curriculum -- have been approved following a recommendation from French civil aviation authority DGAC. The Gulfstream V, Gulfstream IV and Falcon 2000 maintenance training programs are the first to achieve EASA Part 147 B1 approval and other maintenance programs offered by CAE SimuFlite are expected to follow suit shortly.
Keeping passengers safe and satisfied is business aviation's number one mission. It matters not whether the lift is provided by a company flight department, a fractional operation or an air charter outfit; the goal is the same: Get them where they need to be, on time, and make the entire process run smoothly.
A Hansa Jet HFB-320 crashed on Nov. 30, 2004, just after taking off from Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS). Killed were Tahir Cheema, a native of Pakistan, who founded the Toledo, Ohio, air taxi firm Grand Aire Express in the mid-1980s, and Eko Pinardi, 43, a pilot at Grand Aire. The aircraft went down on the shore of Howell Island, a conservation area in the Missouri River one mile west of the airport. Local reports said Cheema had flown into St.
Flight Safety Foundation, Alexandria, Va. -- The 2004 NBAA Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation was presented to Stuart Matthews, president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation. The NBAA board of directors cited his more than 50 years of aviation experience in bestowing the award.
FlightSafety International, Flushing, N.Y., made numerous personnel appointments recently. Jim Dolle is now manager of FlightSafety's Savannah Learning Center, the head of the company's ``Team Gulfstream'' training network. Scott Fera has been appointed to the new post of vice president, worldwide sales. Paul Hewett is the assistant manager for the Farnborough Learning Center, near London, to open in spring of this year, Jim Lonas is director of training of the new center, and Rudy Toerning is manager of the center.
Raytheon Aircraft has a number of enhancements for the Hawker 400XP, two of which are available in kit form to operators of aircraft already delivered. A separate oxygen gauge and refill port that is accessible through a single panel can now be installed through a kit, available from Raytheon. The new port is designed to improved turnaround times. Previously, maintenance technicians had to remove a nose panel to access the oxygen system.
Whether your favorite warbird is a B-17, a Corsair or a P-38, there's a Timex Chronograph for you. Exclusively from Wright Bros. Collection, these Aviator Chronographs by Timex offer the same great looks as chronographs costing much more. These battery-operated watches feature a digital display, split-time chronograph, alarm, second time zone, Indiglo nightlight, calendar, compass directional ring and a water-resistant leather strap. The watches are water-resistant to 50 meters.
A dip in the scuba-diving ear problem pool turns up a variety of methods that eustachian-challenged pilots could potentially adopt to help equalize pressure on the middle ear, a few of which are described below in condensed form (and are not meant to be prescriptive). The procedures were compiled by Edmond Kay, a medical doctor, scuba diver and the diving medical officer for the University of Washington.
Cessna Aircraft Co. celebrated on Dec. 1 the delivery of its first Citation CJ3, the third new Citation model to enter service in 2004. Earlier Cessna certified and delivered the first Citation XLS and Citation Sovereign.
Pacific Coast Avionics, the avionics supplier and installer located at Aurora State Airport just south of Portland, Ore., recently completed a panel upgrade of a corporate-owned Cessna Citation. The modified Citation's integrated cockpit now provides multiple charting options for VFR, IFR and terrain awareness, all of which are displayed on a UPS Aviation Technologies' Apollo MX-20 multifunction color display. In addition, the installation includes a Goodrich WX-500 Stormscope interfaced to the MX-20.
A new generation of rescue helicopters -- The U.S. Air Force expects to release a draft request for proposals for the Personnel Recovery Vehicle (PRV) this month and a final RFP in May or June. The selection of a prime contractor should be made by year-end. Competitors are expected to include the Bell-Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor, the EADS North America-Northrop Grumman NH-90 helicopter, the Lockheed Martin-AgustaWestland-Bell Textron US101 helicopter and the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter.
The FAA will test solar-powered LED taxiway edge lights at Cross Keys Airport in Gloucester County, N.J. Visual guidance specialists from the FAA's Airport Safety Technology Section at the William J. Hughes Technical Center will install 90 blue light-emitting diode lights along the taxiway edge at Cross Keys, which is 14 miles southeast of Philadelphia. The lights will not be installed along the runway edge. They charge during daylight and illuminate automatically from dusk until dawn. These are the same lights used by U.S. armed forces in the Middle East.
Legend has it that the revelation by Italian anatomist Bartolomeo Eustachi in 1564 that humans come equipped with a tube connecting their ear canals to their throats gave a certain famous novelist the idea for the perfect murder almost 40 years later. The writer of course was William Shakespeare, and the dirty deed was the murder of King Hamlet by none other than his brother, Claudius, who had designs on the good king's wife and kingdom.
Proposed Rules Bombardier CL-604 airplanes -- Inspect for corrosion and replace the side-brace fitting shafts of the main landing gear with new improved shafts. Also, replace the nut, washer and cotter pin of the side-brace fitting shafts with new parts.
This year, $45,000 in scholarships will be awarded in two types of programs at the NBAA's annual S&D Conference in Reno. One program provides a cash award to be applied to professional development or education. Sponsors include ExxonMobil Avitat, Signature Flight Support, Universal Weather and Aviation, ChevronTexaco, Atlantic Aviation and Air BP Aviation Services.
Pelican Products' new 1510 case has been approved by the FAA as a legal carry-on for airline passengers. The wheeled case is equipped with side , front and extension handles. Padlock protectors provide added strength and extra security against cutting and theft. The new case also includes standard Pelican features like the waterproof and dustproof neoprene o-ring seal, automatic purge valve with Gore-Tex membrane, and easy-open double throw latches.
J. Mesinger Corporate Jet Sales, a Boulder, Colo.-based aircraft sales and acquisition firm, recently posted on the company's Web site, www.jetsales.com, a guide to aircraft acquisition.
