Industry Remained Down, But Optimistic

Business aviation in 2010 was largely about survival. Some companies continued to lay off employees, while others announced expansions. But for those looking beyond 2010, most saw signs of recovery ... albiet still off on the horizon. Here is a sampling of the business aviation stories ANN brought you in 2010.

January

The NTSB released a transcript of the CVR from a Sikorsky S-76C++ which went down in January 2009 minutes after takeoff. No probable cause had yet been determined for the accident. 

Cobham's HeliSAS Stability Augmentation System and Autopilot received Technical Standard Order (TSO) certification from the FAA, a major milestone that approves the manufacture of HeliSAS system components. 

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) announced it had received FAA and EASA Type Certifications for the new Beechcraft King Air 350i turboprop. 

King Air 350i Turboprop

Sikorsky formally opened its new Precision Components Technology Center, launching a new path toward strategic competitive excellence beginning with the manufacture of CH-53K heavy lift helicopter components. 

Pilatus reported a record-breaking year for PC-12 deliveries. The company delivered 100 PC-12 NGs in 2009 worldwide, surpassing delivery totals for any production year since the PC-12 program began. 

Aerion planned a new series of flight tests in conjunction with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, using a NASA F-15B as a test platform. 

February

After more than a year of waiting, the Laconia Airport Authority (LAA) finally gave Tom and Mary Noonan an answer on their plans for a skydiving facility at KLCI: the answer was "no". 

Cirrus said it has nearly 430 orders for the Cirrus Jet, giving the company the impetus to move forward with its production plans. But the price tag jumped from $1.3 million to $1.72 million as the airplane is refined and upgraded.   

Cessna says it is encouraged by the stability of the general aviation market in the Asia-Pacific region.

Cessna rolled out its 300th Citation Mustang at its assembly facility in Independence, KS Thursday, less than three years after the first Mustang delivery in 2007. 

The NBAA saluted Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-3-MI) for a Congressional career marked by steadfast support for the aviation industry, including business aviation. NBAA's comments came on the heels of the Rep. Ehlers' February 10 announcement that the Congressman would retire at the conclusion of his current term in office. 

Not that it comes as any huge surprise, but GAMA made it official, announcing that 2009 worldwide shipments and billings of general aviation airplanes were down in all categories. 

The first new-production DHC-6 Series 400 Twin Otter made its initial flight from Viking's final assembly facility in Calgary, Alberta, in advance of certification by Transport Canada.

Rolls-Royce forecast a turbine helicopter market characterized by emerging near-term recovery followed by long-term growth. Over the ten year period, the company said total helicopter deliveries are predicted to be more than 16,400 units.

Sikorsky Global Helicopters sait it was seeing a resurgence of interest in its S-300C and S-300CBi helicopters, with sales activity for the beginning of 2010 showing a 50 percent increase over the same time period in 2009. 

The NTSB has issued its preliminary report on the Cessna 310 which went down in Palo Alto, CA, which killed the three persons on board. The aircraft went down in a residential area, causing widespread power outages and igniting at least two home fires. 

The 12th Turbine-Powered Civil Helicopter Purchase Outlook released by Honeywell projected flat overall deliveries of new civilian use helicopters during the five-year period 2010 - 2014 compared to the 2005 - 2009 period. 

Gulfstream announced that a second G650 completed its first flight.

March

The FAA and NTSB looked into the crash of a Schweitzer G-164B cropduster which went down February 23rd near Byron, CA, but which was not immediately reported to either agency. 

As the India Aviation 2010 show got underway at Begumpet Airport (VOHY) in Hyderabad, India, Cessna said it was encouraged by signs that the general aviation industry is growing in that country. 

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) partnered with the Ohio Regional Business Aviation Association (ORBAA) to provide each organization's members more leverage in tackling state and federal issues respectively.

US prosecutors charged two men for systematical receiving aircraft parts from Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney and then reversing payment. 

Robert Stangarone, vice president of Corporate Communications for Cessna, said at the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) Annual Conference that the industry needs to keep communicating the value and benefits of business aviation. 

In a decision issued March 4, the NTSB denied the FAA's appeal challenging a decision by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) to pay Air Trek, Inc., a Florida-based air ambulance operator, attorney fees and expenses in the amount of $120,169.35 pursuant to the Equal Access to Justice Act ("EAJA"). 

Cessna Aircraft confirmed the awarding of an FAA STC for the Citation CJ4. Deliveries were set to begin later in the year.  

Citation CJ4

The NTSB released a probable cause report in a medical helicopter accident which killed four people in October, 2008. The board found that the probable cause was the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the 734-foot-tall lighted tower during the visual night flight. 

FAA Associate Administrator for Safety Peggy Gilligan and Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) President James K. Coyne testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation at a hearing titled "FAA's Oversight of On-Demand Aircraft Operators." 

Gulfstream announced that a second large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G250 completed its first flight.

April

International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Airline Division, Teamsters Local 1108 and Flight Options, LLC, a Cleveland-based provider of luxury business jet fractional ownership and jet card programs, announced that the pilots had ratified a first labor agreement. 

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Randall Dunn ruled that the assets of Epic Air will be divided between a Chinese company who bid on the company and builders who have projects underway for the kit-built LT turboprops. 

The NTSB determined that a chartered business jet crashed at a South Carolina airport because of the operator's inadequate maintenance of the airplane's tires and the decision by the captain to attempt a high-speed rejected takeoff, which went against standard operating procedures and training.

The NTSB released its preliminary report in the crash of a medical helicopter which went down in the early morning hours of March 25th near Brownsville, TN. The pilot and two medical personnel were injured fatally as a result of the accident. 

An FAA NPRM published in the Federal Register would require that the elevators in all Cessna Citation X airplanes be replaced, superseding an existing AD which calls only for the inspection of the elevator assemblies.

In a Safety Alert For Operators (SAFO) published by the FAA , the agency recommended that flight crews should be provided with a written policy emphasizing that either pilot may make a go-around callout, and that the response to a go-around callout is an immediate missed approach. 

The FAA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would revise the applicability for function and reliability flight testing to include all turbine-powered airplanes weighing 6,000 pounds or less. 

Eclipse Aerospace displayed the first EASA certified EA500 aircraft at the EBACE air show in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Eclipse EA500

May

Rolls-Royce received type and production certification from the FAA for the AE 3007A2, the latest member in the AE 3007 engine series, which powers Embraer’s new large executive jet - the Legacy 650. 

The Gulfstream G650 flew at its proposed Mmo of 0.925 for the first time on Sunday, May 2.

Dassault's Falcon 900LX entered the last phases of the flight test and certification program while completions on the first two customer aircraft have begun. 

Dassault 900LX

The Full Ice Protection System (FIPS) for the AW139 medium twin helicopter received FAA certification, AgustaWestland announced Wednesday. 

MidAmerican Energy Holdings company says the State of Nebraska should not have denied a $1.1 million dollar tax refund for the purchase of an airplane in 2004, and filed suit to force the state to cough up the cash. 

The FAA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD), prompted by several reports of cracking in a tail gearbox (TGB) control lever, part number (P/N) 350A33-1058-03, including an accident involving an AS350B2 helicopter. 

Purdue University's College of Technology began offering an online master's degree with an aviation concentration beginning this fall.

Sikorsky's X2 Technology demonstrator achieved a speed of 181 knots in a test flight Monday at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, FL.

Sikorsky X2

A helicopter accident in Boxboro, MA, fatally injured  57-year-old Mike Wheeler of Watertown, NY, an FAA Helicopter Designated Examiner. 

June

Two employees of CareFlight, a Grand Prairie, TX-based medical air services company, were killed when the Bell 222U helicopter they were flying reportedly lost its main rotor during a post-maintenance flight. The aircraft went down near Midlothian, TX about 1415 local time. 

Yet another lawsuit has figured out how to circumvent the Product Liability reforms that were supposed to provide some sense of relief from legal actions against products with significant histrories... like the Bell 47. 

Hilton Head Island in South Carolina has a local ordinance against aerial advertising, which it passed in 1993. At the time, city leaders saw the banners towed behind airplanes in the same way as any other sign, which are strictly regulated.

The NTSB issued three recommendations directed specifically at the Air Care Alliance which could have ramifications for any organization offering charitable flights.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) General Civil Aviation Authority has given Gulfstream Type Certificate Validation (TCV) for the Gulfstream G550 and G500. The approvals allow operators to register the business jets in the Emirates.

The NTSB has issued a preliminary report in an accident involving a Bell 222U helicopter owned and operated by CareFlite of Grand Prairie, TX. The report indicates that the aircraft broke up while on a post-maintenance flight at about 600 feet AGL.

The creation of an aviation biofuel production facility in Brazil will be evaluated by EADS, Eurocopter and BioCombustibles del Chubut under terms of a cooperative agreement signed at the ILA Berlin Air Show.

The NTSB has taken action to correct a regulatory subsection that became effective on March 8, 2010. The NTSB determined that a final rule which requires reports of certain runway incursions, failed to specify that one paragraph (49 CFR 830.5(a)(12)) applies only to fixed-wing aircraft operating at public-use airports on land.

July

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu (D-LA) released the Small Business Jobs Act on Tuesday, a bill they say will help small businesses access capital, stimulate investment in small businesses and promote entrepreneurship – all of which will help small business create jobs.

The third and final Gulfstream G250 test aircraft joined the flight-test program. During the 2 hour, 56 minute flight, the aircraft reached a maximum speed of 250 knots and a top altitude of 20,000 feet.  

Jersey City Ward B Councilman David Donnelly petitioned the FAA to cancel the approval of a new heliport in Kearney, NJ. The Councilman says the noise from low-flying helicopters over his district would be "not merely a nuisance, it will be frightening."

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen repeated the business aviation community's support for Congressional proposals to renew accelerated, or "bonus," depreciation for investments in strategic business assets, including aircraft in Congressional testimony.

A Gulfstream G450 business jet established a city-pair speed record between Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Dassault Falcon received certification from both the FAA and EASA for the newest member of the Falcon family of business jets, the 4,750 nm Falcon 900LX.

The FAA has granted Garmin International an STC for the G1000 integrated flight deck in the Cessna CitationJet (Model 525, serial numbers 0001-0359).

Maine Governor John E. Baldacci and Kestrel Aircraft Company (KAC) confirmed to ANN, the selection of Brunswick Landing, at the soon to be decommissioned Naval Air Station Brunswick (NASB), as their home to develop, certify and manufacture their composite turboprop aircraft, the Kestrel.

The NBAA said it welcomes the decision by TSA officials to eliminate a historically unpredictable and burdensome process for companies using business aviation to obtain international waivers for flights into the U.S.

AOPA President and CEO Craig L. Fuller and NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen unveiled the six forums that will be presented as the Light Business Airplane Conference at both the NBAA Annual Meeting and Convention October 19-21 in Atlanta and the AOPA Aviation Summit November 11-13 in Long Beach, CA.

August

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation announced that Garmin's Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) and other associated avionics improvements will be included as standard equipment on its piston-engine Beechcraft Baron and Bonanza aircraft.

Embraer celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first flight of the Ipanema crop duster, which took place on July 31st, 1970.

Embraer Ipanema

A Hawker Beechcraft model 390 (Premier IA) business jet, N6JR, registered to and operated by Roush Fenway Racing, LLC, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during landing to runway 18R at Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH), Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

A DeHavilland floatplane went down in Alaska in IFR conditions. On board were a reported 9 people including retired Republican Senator Ted Stevens and former NASA Boss Sean O'Keefe (now CEO of EADS North America).

Embraer's Phenom 100 entry level executive jet has received certification from the FAA, EASA, and the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (Agencia Nacional de Aviacao Civil - ANAC) to use Garmin's Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT).

Rolls-Royce received type certification from the Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the latest member of the AE 3007 engine series, the AE 3007A2.

Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton delivered the keynote address September 2 during the second annual convention of the Citation Jet Pilots owner and pilot association.

The preliminary report on the Alaska accident which fatally injured former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and 4 others was been released by the NTSB.

Gulfstream announced that a Gulfstream G650 reached Mach 0.995 as part of its 1,800-hour flight-test program.

September

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue (R-GA) was announced as a keynote speaker for the Opening General Session at NBAA's 63rd Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2010) in Atlanta, GA, and will be recognized with the 2010 American Spirit Award.

Gulfstream's Flight Operations department has reduced the time it takes to receive a reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) Letter of Authorization (LOA) from two weeks to just a few days, according to the FAA.

The FAA issued an Emergency AD for several models of Bell Helicopters prompted by a main rotor hydraulic servo actuator (servo actuator) malfunction and a subsequent investigation that revealed the output piston rod assembly (piston rod) had fractured at the threaded end because of stress corrosion cracking.

The FAA awarded Level D certification for the Eclipse EA500 full motion simulators located in Orlando, FL.

Roush Fenway Racing owner Jack Roush has made his way back to the cockpit after his accident at AirVenture in Oshkosh this summer, having flown twice ... albeit with a co-pilot ... since his Beech Premier Jet went down on approach at Wittman Field.

It's faster than any helicopter has flown before, if the record stands. Sikorsky says its X2 Technology demonstrator successfully achieved a speed of 250 knots true air speed in level flight at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center.

A fully equipped Nextant Aerospace 400XT aircraft flew for the first time at Cuyahoga County Airport in Ohio. The flight was the first ever for a Williams FJ44-3AP equipped Beechjet 400A. 

Eclipse Aerospace confirmed the completion of an enhanced windshield application for the dissipation of precipitation static on windshields, and aircraft design changes for operation up to 41,000 feet.

Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture announced late last week that the company plans to lay off 350 salaried employees, citing continued sluggishness in the economy.

Eurocopter began test flights of the X3 demonstrator for its innovative High-speed, long-range Hybrid Helicopter (H3) concept, which combines vertical takeoff and landing capabilities with cruise speeds of more than 220 kts.

October

A  Gulfstream G450 business jet recently established a city-pair speed record between Savannah, GA and São Paulo, completing the 3,922-nautical-mile flight in less than nine hours.

The FAA has proposed broad new rules for helicopter operators, including air ambulances, which, if finalized, would require stricter flight rules and procedures, improved communications and training, and additional on-board safety equipment.

The 300th Gulfstream G550 aircraft recently rolled out of Gulfstream's manufacturing facility in Savannah, GA.

Gulfstream G550

The FAA granted a type certificate (TC) to Hartzell Propeller for its new advanced-composite ASC-II 4-bladed propeller.

Piper Aircraft has taken parts of the PiperJet back to the drawing board, and it has come away with an airplane with a much larger round fuselage design that gives customers an even more spacious cabin to complement already efficient acquisition and operating costs.

Honda Aircraft Company said that ground testing is underway on its first conforming HondaJet flight test aircraft, and static structural stress testing in progress on its second conforming aircraft. Assembly is also underway on the third conforming flight test aircraft.

Preliminary results from flight testing done in conjunction with NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center were released at the NBAA convention in Atlanta by Aerion Corporation, which is working on what would be the world's first Supersonic Business Jet.

A groundbreaking ruling by the FAA means good news for volunteer pilots engaged in charitable flying who will now be able to operate under an FAA exemption allowing them to receive reimbursement for fuel used in the transport of patients, wounded warriors, and veterans.

Three years and eight months after Robinson Helicopter publicly announced plans to develop a five-place turbine helicopter, the FAA presented Frank Robinson with Type Certificate No. R00015LA for the much-anticipated R66.

Robinson R66

November

The FAA certified Gulfstream's large-cabin aircraft to the Stage 4 noise standard, the jet-maker announced Wednesday. The certification applies to the Gulfstream G550, G500, G450, G350, GV, GIV-SP and GIV. 

At this year's NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue renewed his support for all of general aviation, including business aviation, by once again declaring an Aviation Appreciation Month in Georgia.

General Motors executives have again started using chartered bizjets for travel between meetings, an expense apparently approved by the Obama administration early in 2009. GM's expense policy allows the automaker to rent corporate jets if its internal process deems that it is appropriate.

Embraer's new large Legacy 650 executive jet demonstrator completed a nonstop flight from Dubai (UAE) to London's Farnborough Airport. The aircraft covered an equivalent still-air distance of 3,500 nautical miles in 8 hours.

Embraer Legacy 650

Gulfstream said that it will expand its Savannah facilities through a $500-million, seven-year plan to ensure that the company is well-positioned to meet future demand for business-jet aircraft and support services.

The first Piper PA-46 Matrix equipped with Avidyne's Entegra Release 9 integrated flight deck was delivered by the avionics company.

A helicopter accident in Louisiana in 2009 which fatally injured eight people was caused by a red-tailed hawk striking the windshield of a Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopter. The NTSB probable cause report indicates that the impact caused both throttles to be pushed to flight idle, and the crew did not have sufficient time to react and recover before impacting terrain.

December

Two aviation companies which transport workers to and from offshore oil rigs say a new Louisiana law requiring personal ELTs for passengers is intrusive, and attempts to supersede FARs.

Final assembly production of the S-76D helicopter has commenced at Sikorsky Global Helicopters' manufacturing facility, marking a significant milestone in delivering the next generation of the popular S-76 helicopter.

U.S. aviation safety auditing company and a subsidiary of Lufthansa have have entered into a strategic partnership to introduce a common safety standard to the European business aviation market.

GE's new H80 turboprop engine has completed its first flight on the Thrush 510G aerial applicator, which flew in Albany, Georgia.

Eurocopter’s X3 high-speed hybrid helicopter demonstrator, which first flew September 6, 2010, has reached the program’s Step 1 speed objective ... attaining a true airspeed of 180 kts in level flight at a reduced level of engine power.

Embraer X3

FMI: www.aero-news.net