President Obama Gives BizAv A Black Eye, BARR Becomes Focus Of
A Major Lobbying Effort
The Obama administration rode roughshod over business aviation
this year, holding up corporate aircraft, and jets in
particular, as the very symbol of those it thinks do not pay
enough in taxes ... and the industry spent a great deal of the
year working to tell the story of its successes in helping
businesses grow and prosper.
While some small jet projects were placed on the shelves, a
bright spot for the entry-level end of the BizAv spectrum was
Eclipse, which announced it would re-enter production. Here,
then, are the top business aviation stories from 2011.
January
Transport Canada
granted approval to allow Gulfstream G450 and
G350 aircraft to operate at their maximum cruise altitude of 45,000
feet. Transport Canada normally restricts flight to 41,000 feet or
below, unless special conditions have been met to ensure against
rapid depressurization of the aircraft cabin.
Civil aviation authorities have certified the use of
Synthetic Vision Technology in Embraer’s
Phenom 300 executive jet. The FAA, EASA, and the Brazilian National
Civil Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de
Aviação Civil – ANAC) have all issued
certifications for using Garmin’s Synthetic Vision Technology
(SVT) aboard the Phenom 300. Embraer says that makes the aircraft
the first in the light jet category to offer this advanced cockpit
feature.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. test pilots and flight-test engineers
made business-aviation history when they flew the Gulfstream G650
flight-test aircraft for the first time using only an electrically
powered,
fly-by-wire backup flight-control actuation
system. Gulfstream's Serial Number (S/N) 6001 flew for
a total of 3 hours and 33 minutes on Dec. 21, 2010.
The Florida Aviation Trades Association (FATA) has issued an
open letter to newly-elected Governor Rick Scott (pictured), who
announced he was making good on a campaign promise and putting the state's two airplanes up for
sale. The Beech King Air 350 and Cessna Citation Bravo
were expected to bring about $6 million on the open market, and
save the state $2.5 million per year in ongoing costs, according to
the Governor, a long-time business executive. He said that he would
use his personal jet to transport him around the state, and not
bill the taxpayers for its use.
As NTSB Prelims go, this one is a little on the unusual side...
and could have gone a lot worse than circumstances permitted.
However; a medical helo flight went awry when its pilot suffered a
scenario in which he suddenly
lost the use of his right arm.
Randy Rowles, Vice President Business Development and NVG
Training Programs was the first individual to receive the new
Master CFI-Helicopter (MCFI-H) accreditation
introduced by Master Instructors LLC of Longmont, Colorado. The
achievement was noted in a news release Monday from Night Flight
Concepts.
The NBAA welcomed a bipartisan letter signed by 116 members of
the U.S. House of Representatives urging President Obama to
keep user fees out of the administration's
fiscal year 2012 budget.
An internal memo released by Bell Helicopter's Mirabel, Canada
division said the company's 'Project X' has been
re-named 'Magellan', and will result in a new
helicopter. Larry Roberts, Senior Vice President for Communications
at Bell, said in the memo that "Magellan, formerly known as Project
X, represents the collaboration of a dedicated cross-functional
team of internal and external resources.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. handed down a
decision in favor of the FAA's position that the most recent
attempt by the officials with the City of Santa Monica to
ban "Category C and D" aircraft from SMO
violates terms of a grant agreement made when accepting federal
funds for the airport.
The
fifth and final Gulfstream G650 flight-test
aircraft took to the skies Jan. 24, flying for 2 hours
and 46 minutes. Serial Number (S/N) 6005 launched from the
Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at 12:07 p.m. local time
with experimental test pilots Bill Dobbs and Al Moros at the
controls and flight-test engineers Heather Burke and Nathaniel
Rutland in the cabin.
February
The deal that set everyone abuzz at NBAA2010, namely an
investment in the reinvigorated Eclipse program by industry
behemoth Sikorsky,
has been completed. The program allows Eclipse
to draw upon "the vast resources and expertise of Sikorsky," as
well as take on an undisclosed monetary interest.
A business jet belonging to the family of deposed Tunisian
President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was
seized by French officials near Paris. The
move was part of the EU's effort to freeze the assets of Ben Ali
and his wife after being ousted in a popular revolt.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Indonesia
certified Embraer's Phenom 100 and 300, making
Indonesia the first Asia-Pacific country to have the Phenom 300
light jet certified and increases the list of the Phenom 100
certificates to 21 agencies, worldwide.
The FAA
certified Embraer's Legacy 650 large executive
jet, following previous certifications from Brazil's ANAC (National
Civil Aviation Agency) and the European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA).
March
Speaking to a major aviation policy forum in Washington, DC
Monday, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen (pictured) said
aviation would be key to defining America's
leadership in an increasingly global economy, and
outlined five priorities to ensure the industry's continued
success.
The Piaggio P180 Avanti II was
certified by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority
(CASA). The company made the announcement at Avalon
2011, the Australian International Air Show. The company said that
it would begin sales of the aircraft in the country with first
deliveries expected in 2011.
EC145 T2
A comprehensive
evolution of Eurocopter’s helicopter product
line was announced at the Heli-Expo 2011 exposition,
providing enhanced operating capabilities, improved mission
effectiveness and increased efficiency across four families in the
company’s light, medium and heavy rotary-wing aircraft
categories. The company also
unveiled its EC145 T2 – an evolved
version of the popular twin-engine EC145 that incorporates new
Arriel 2E engines, along with the company’s Fenestron
shrouded tail rotor, upgraded main and tail rotor gear boxes, an
innovative new digital avionics suite and a 4-axis autopilot.
Sikorsky said that the FAA has approved the
expansion of the S-92A helicopter’s operating
envelope to execute Category A vertical takeoffs and
landings from ground-level helipads. To receive this certification,
a helicopter must, among other requirements, be able to continue
operating safely in the event of a single engine failure, either by
landing or continuing to fly to safety from the helipad.
The FAA issued a mandatory safety directive which limited
operation of the Eclipse jet to
no higher than FL300. The move is prompted by
engine surges caused by carbon buildup which increases along with
altitude. The Eclipse was originally certified to FL410, but the
carbon buildup at high altitudes caused th FAA to limit the
airplanes maximum ceiling to FL370 in 2008.
The AIA said it was very concerned that a new rule proposed by
the Transportation Department would constitute an
unnecessary and undesirable invasion of
privacy, hampering the mobility of citizens and
companies.
The FAA partnered with HAI and the International Helicopter
Safety Team (IHST) in developing safety briefing material
tailored to helicopter operations.
The Sikorsky X2 Technology demonstrator team was named the
winner of the 2010 Robert J. Collier Trophy,
awarded annually to recognize the greatest achievements in
aeronautics or astronautics in America. It is the 100th Collier
Trophy to be awarded since the inception of the prize.
The first FAA-conforming HondaJet light business jet achieved a
maximum speed of 425 KTAS (489 mph) at 30,000
ft. and a maximum Mach number of 0.72 above 30,000 ft. This
achievement surpassed the company's performance commitment of 420
KTAS for the production HondaJet.
Legislation filed with the House Rules Committee included
language to
preserve the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR)
program. At the request of U.S. Representatives Sam
Graves (R-6-MO) and Leonard Boswell (D-3-IA), the language has been
included by Rep. John Mica (R-7-FL), Chairman of the House
Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, in the
manager's amendment to the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of
2011 (H.R. 658), which was filed with the Rules Committee.
April
Gulfstream G650
A Gulfstream
G650 test aircraft was lost in what appears to
have been a takeoff accident. The four people listed as being
onboard were killed in an accident that took place at approximately
0930 MT, in Roswell, NM. Crewed by two test pilots and two flight
test engineers, reports indicate that the aircraft suffered some
mode of failure of takeoff, whereupon the aircraft's gear collapsed
and a fire ensued, consuming the stricken aircraft. Two days later,
the NTSB investigator in charge of the probe into the accident
involving one of the G650 test aircraft gave an initial report
Monday at the Roswell Airport where the accident occurred. Tom
Latson said that the investigators have found a
wingtip scrape about 5,000 feet from the end of the
runway. The plane came to rest about 3,000 feet from
that spot.
The FAA issued an STC to Eclipse Aerospace for an
Integrated Flight Management System (IFMS) for
the Eclipse Twin-Engine Jet. The IFMS system was developed by
Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc. specifically for
integration in the advanced cockpit of the Eclipse Twin-Engine Jet.
Eclipse Aerospace, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides
engineering, service, and support for the fleet of 260 Eclipse
twin-engine jets.
Representatives from Sikorsky Aircraft and the Lindbergh
Electric Aircraft Prize (LEAP) organization announced
details of a joint initiative that continues
the historic relationship between the Sikorsky and Lindbergh
namesakes, during a news conference Thursday at the AERO
Friedrichshafen air show in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Cessna observed the
20th anniversary of the maiden flight of the CitationJet
prototype. On April 29, 1991, pilots Bob Leonard and
Bob Carnahan took off from Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport, reached
an altitude of 10,000 feet and checked handling and trim
characteristics, engine response and more.
May
The NTSB Tuesday released identical recommendations concerning
some model Eurocotpers to the FAA and EASA. The board said the two
bodies should
require Eurocopter to revise its aircraft maintenance
manual for all helicopters equipped with part number
355A11-0020 and/or 355A11-0030 main rotor blades to include, as
part of the daily flight-related check, specific visual inspections
of the trailing edge of the blades, upper and lower skin surfaces
for cracks and surface deterioration and/or disfiguration.
Connecticut will continue to be an important location for business
aviation, as the state's legislature passed a budget that
did not contain the potentially devastating tax increases
for aviation that were proposed in earlier versions.
The final budget, Senate Bill 1239 has been transmitted to Governor
Dannel Malloy (pictured) for his signature. NBAA members, as well
as the Connecticut Legislative Aviation Caucus and the Connecticut
Business Aviation Group all strongly opposed the new taxes.
The NBAA joined with other general aviation operator groups
Friday in a letter urging Congress to complete reauthorization
legislation for the FAA that also would
maintain the current FAA Block Aircraft Registration
Request (BARR) program. NBAA joined with the AOPA and
EAA in signing the letter which points out that together the groups
"represent nearly all of the general aviation aircraft operators in
the United States - including thousands who participate in the BARR
program for legitimate privacy, security and competitive
reasons."
The pilots who were involved in a collision between the Embraer
Legacy jet they were flying and a Gol B737-800 in 2006 were
sentenced by a Brazilian judge to a prison
term of four years and four months. The judge then commuted the
sentence to Community Service to be performed in the United States.
Joseph Lepore and Jan Paul Paladino had been flying the Legacy over
the Amazon rain forest when the accident occurred.
Eurocopter’s X3 hybrid helicopter demonstrator has
surpassed its original speed target of 220
kts, demonstrating the compound aircraft’s performance,
capabilities and maturity. The X3’s speed milestone was
reached during stable, level flight – with the hybrid
demonstrator maintaining a true airspeed of 232 kts for several
minutes.
Newly-elected conservatives in the Canadian federal government
declined Diamond Aircraft Industries' request for a
35-million-dollar loan to recall furloughed
workers and resume the D-Jet program. The immediate effect will be
the continued furlough of about 200 workers laid off at the end of
March.
With the first five aircraft completed and another ten in final
assembly, Viking Air Limited of Sidney, BC, Canada received
Transport Canada
final “Production” approval for
the manufacture of the Series 400 Twin Otter.
The EASA issued an
emergency AD grounding the Falcon 7X fleet
worldwide due to a problem with pitch trim. The document states
that "no person may operate an aircraft to which an AD applies,
except in accordance with the requirements of that AD unless
otherwise specified by the Agency ... or agreed with the Authority
of the State of Registry."
Gulfstream
resumed the G650 flight-test program,
following a temporary suspension of flying after an April 2
accident. The first flight since the accident took place May 28,
with Serial Number 6001 flying for 1 hour and 39 minutes. The crew
included senior experimental test pilots Jake Howard and Tom Horne
and Flight Test Engineer Bill Osborne.
June
One of Goodyear's blimps operating in Germany suffered fires in
both engines, and the
pilot of the airship was fatally injured in
the accident, but three journalists who had been taking aerial
photographs of a local music festival were able to jump to
safety.
Having more than its share of trials and tribulations, ANN was
pleased to confirm that the Diamond D-Jet is
getting back on track. Following layoffs and
other reluctant steps taken to maximize cash flow while searching
for enough funding to complete the program, it now appears that the
D-Jet program can throttle up once again.
The owners of The National Test Pilot School and Flight
Research, both based at Mojave Airport (KMHV) in California,
pleaded guilty to income tax fraud in U.S.
District Court in Fresno, CA. Sean and Nadia Roberts have operated
what they say is the only civilian test pilot school in the world.
They pleaded guilty to filing false income tax returns and
defrauding the government of over $700,000 in taxes.
In a news conference Wednesday, President Obama seemed to
distance himself from the NLRB's position on where Boeing should
build Dreamliners, but a line about
tax breaks for "Jet Owners" drew an immediate,
strident response from the NBAA.
The Aviation Trade associations have rapidly responded ... and
in a very negative way ... to remarks made by President Obama
during a news conference Wednesday in which he proposed
ending accelerated depreciation for business
aircraft, and took what many viewed as a swipe at the
industry by referring to tax breaks for "corporate jet owners."
July
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen sent a
strongly worded letter to President Barak
Obama expressing dismay at the disparaging remarks
about business aviation made by the president in a June 29 press
conference, and vowing to oppose any White House policy that harms
the industry. AEA, AIA Also responded, saying the President's
remarks during his White House news conference are "
damaging to the industry."
Embraer Executive Jets facility in Melbourne, FL welcomed the
fuselage and wing parts of the first Phenom 100 entry level jet to
be
assembled in the United States on June 10. The
arrival of the fuselage confirms that the Company remains on target
for the production of the first Embraer aircraft scheduled to be
delivered to its customer before the end of 2011.
The NBAA welcomed a letter sent by 33 lawmakers in the U.S.
House of Representatives to Department of Transportation (DOT)
Secretary Ray LaHood on Wednesday, expressing "serious concerns"
with the government's proposal to
severely curtail the Block Aircraft Registration Request
(BARR) program.
In an open letter to the membership of NBAA, president and CEO
Ed Bolen urged the organization's members to contact their members
of Congress to let them know they
oppose any increase in aviation user fees.
The closed 405 freeway in California turned into an
opportunity to make some money. For instance,
Adventure Helicopter Tours offered a "Car-mageddon Helicopter Tour
Package" to give those willing to pay for the ride a birds-eye view
of the empty freeway, as well as the expected chaos as all those
cars tried to find alternate routes to their destinations.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.'s X2 Technology demonstrator
flew for the last time. In an early morning
demonstration flight conducted from the company's new Sikorsky
Innovations Center within its Development Flight Center, the X2
Technology demonstrator gave invited guests one last look at its
technology in flight before officially being retired and
transitioning to its first application, the S-97 Raider
helicopter.
Gulfstream announced that it has
renamed the super midsized Gulfstream G250
aircraft. The business jet is now called the Gulfstream G280. As
demand for Gulfstream business jets grows around the world, the
move was prompted by the company’s sensitivity to the varied
cultures of its international customer base.
The NBAA praised the bipartisan leadership of the House
Transportation Committee for introducing legislation
prohibiting U.S. participation in a
European-led Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that would impose new
fees on U.S. aircraft flying into and out of the European
Union.
Eclipse Aerospace announced FAA approval for all Eclipse Jets to
return to a maximum certified service ceiling of 41,000
feet upon the installation of the recently recertified
engine combustion liners. Eclipse and Pratt & Whitney Canada
(P&WC) have both been strongly committed to resolving this
issue which previously resulted in carbon buildup on the static
vane on a limited number of P&WC PW610F engines.
During Monday's Cirrus Aircraft news conference at AirVenture,
President and CEO Brent Wouters announced, while responding to a
question, that the
Cirrus SF50 Jet had to be moved to Williams
International HQ until the engine is certified to be owned, and
controlled by, China.
Daher-Socata celebrated its
historic 100th anniversary with several
notable exhibits at EAA AirVenture 2011. The company known today as
Daher-Socata is descended from the Aeroplane Morane-Saulnier
company, founded in 1911. Part of the celebration was the
presentation of a replica of the Morane-Saulnier Type L, an iconic
design representative of those early years.
August
As Congress and the White House finalized a package to raise the
nation's debt ceiling, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said
industry mobilization was important for keeping the bill
free of proposals targeting industry –
and that sustained vigilance would be needed as debt-ceiling
developments continue to unfold.
The FAA granted approval and supplemental type certification of
the
Hawker 800XPR powered by the Honeywell
TFE731-50R engines, according to a news release from Hawker
Beechcraft Global Customer Support (GCS).
September
Diamond said that their single-engine jet development
program
resumed flight testing of their D-JET
prototypes, following their temporary grounding after a funding
shortfall and significant employee furloughs in March, 2011.
EASA
modified an emergency AD that had grounded
most Dassault Falcon 7X airplanes. The revision outlined the steps
required to restore the full original certified flight envelope of
the airplane. In May 2011, a Dassault Aviation Falcon 7X airplane
experienced an uncontrolled pitch trim runaway during descent.
A private experimenter working in France took on an assignment
from a French company called Solution F to design,
build and fly the world's first untethered electric
helicopter ... and got the whole thing done in about
12 months. Pascal Chretien's first flight in his original design
happened August 12.
Cessna officially
launched the Citation M2, a new light business
jet that 'fills the gap between the Citation Mustang and the
Citation CJ family.'
The FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin
(SAIB) saying that jet fuel made from hydroprocessed fatty acid
esters and fatty acids (HEFA) or Fischer Tropsch (FT) synthetic
blending components that meets the requirements of ASTM
International Standard D7566
is acceptable for use on aircraft and engines
certificated for operation with D1655 Jet A or Jet A-1 jet fuel,
provided that it is re-identified as D1655 fuel.
October
One person was fatally injured in an accident in which
a Bell 206B went down in New York's East
River. NYPD divers recovered the body of a woman from
the aircraft in about 50 feet of water. Three passengers and the
pilot were pulled from the water shortly after the accident. The
two women were in critical condition, and all were
hospitalized.
The FAA
certified the Nextant Aerospace 400XT
aircraft. The first retail deliveries of the planes
will begin in October 2011, part of a 40-plane order from Flight
Options, the nation’s second-largest fractional jet
company.
Eurocopter
successfully tested a hybrid helicopter that
combines a turboshaft internal combustion engine with an electric
motor, using the supplemental electric system to increase
maneuverability of a single-engine helicopter during an
autorotation landing - which is performed by helicopters in the
event of a main engine failure.
At a news conference during the NBAA conference in Las Vegas,
China Business Aviation Group Chairman and CEO Jason Liao tried to
convey a sense of the accelerating growth of aviation in China,
claiming it is on track to displace the US as the
world's largest business aviation market by
about 2018.
A 65-year-old man delivering a Cessna 310 to Hawaii was
forced to ditch the airplane in the Pacific
Ocean 13 miles short of the coast of Hilo on Friday when he ran out
of fuel.
Mason Holland, CEO and chairman of Eclipse Aerospace announced
at the NBAA Convention in Las Vegas that the company has
re-opened the order book for new airplanes,
and will soon begin production of the the Eclipse 550, the new
twin-engine jet model in the Eclipse Jet family.
For the second time in 14 days, Cessna Aircraft Company
introduced a new airplane. Plans for the new
Citation Latitude mid-size business jet were unveiled at the start
of the 64th NBAA Annual Meeting and Convention. Just two weeks
earlier, the company launched the Citation M2 light business
jet.
SuperJet International CEO Carlo Logli announced that a
VIP version of the Sukhoi Superjet 100
regional airliner has found a launch customer, and it's none other
than Comlux The Aviation Group.
The FAA granted
certification to Bell Helicopter's new 407GX,
the latest version of the popular Bell 407. Transport Canada
certified the aircraft earlier this year.
Just days after touting its business jet project at NBAA 2011 in
Las Vegas, Piper Aircraft has announced
another turnover in top management, and a new
interim CEO whose first statement is to question whether the
Altaire development program is properly aligned with market
forecasts and company goals. Piper later announced that they are
'indefinitely suspending further development'
of the Piper Altaire business jet following a review to align the
company's business goals with the light jet market outlook,
investment strategies and overall economic forecasts.
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) announced that all of its
turbine-powered aircraft are now
approved to use biofuels. To be used in HBC
aircraft, they must meet American Society for Testing and Materials
International (ASTM) turbine fuel standards.
TSA officials told NBAA that they hope to issue
a new proposed business aircraft security
program by the end of this year. The new proposal,
which is expected to be markedly different from the Large Aircraft
Security Program (LASP) offered several years ago, will need to be
reviewed and approved by the Department of Homeland Security and
Office of Management and Budget before being published for public
comment.
The government of Turkey said it was launching a program to
develop its own light utility helicopter in
the under-12,000-pound category. The head of the program says that
they expect to have an aircraft in the air within five years.
At the request of Congressman Howard L. Berman’s (CA-28),
the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s
Aviation Subcommittee planned a roundtable to examine
helicopter flight operations in metropolitan
areas.
November
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors went on record
supporting a bill proposed by Congressman Howard Berman (D-Van
Nuys) which calls for the FAA to
designate helicopter flight paths over the
county and set minimum operational altitudes.
A helicopter accident
fatally injured Mexican Interior Minister Francisco
Blake and seven other people on board the aircraft.
The helicopter went down on a hillside south of the Mexico
City.
GAMA announced that its Board of Directors has voted to expand
the Association’s membership to
include rotorcraft manufacturers and to accept
one of the world’s leading companies, Bell Helicopter, as the
first GAMA member from this sector of general aviation
products.
Robinson Helicopter delivered R44 S/N 13217, the company’s
10,000th helicopter to come off its production
line. A celebration was held at the Torrance factory.
Company employees along with representatives from the city, the FAA
and many of Robinson’s vendors were in attendance.
Gulfstream Aerospace has received its
Provisional Type Certificate (PTC) from the FAA for the
G650. This clears the way for the company to begin
interior completions of the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range
business jet in preparation for customer deliveries in the second
quarter of 2012, as originally planned.
Aircraft Industries completed the
first flight test of the L410-UVP-E20 powered
by two of GE's H80 turboprop engines. The 40-minute flight occurred
in Kunovice in the Czech Republic.
The NTSB issued its probable cause report in the February, 2010
accident which resulted in the
fatal injury of three employees of the Tesla automobile
company and sparking fires in a residential
neighborhood.
EASA certified
the newest version of the Bell 407 ... dubbed the
407GX. The aircraft was introduced in March at the
2011 HELI-EXPO annual convention in Orlando, FL, and Bell has
received more than 60 orders for the helo, with the first aircraft
expected to deliver later this year.
December
The FAA announced that, effective immediately, general aviation
or on-demand charter aircraft owners or operators seeking to keep
their aircraft's registration number from being displayed over
public data systems during flight
no longer need to submit a Certified Security
Concern to the FAA.
Avidyne received
TSO and STC approval of the DFC90 autopilot
for Entegra-equipped Piper PA-46 Matrix and Mirage aircraft, as
well as TSO and STC approval of the DFC100 autopilot for Release 9
(R9)-equipped Piper PA-46 Matrix aircraft.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of New Zealand
released its preliminary report in a
helicopter accident in November which was shown live on New Zealand
television.
Honda Aircraft Company announced on the one-year anniversary of
flight testing of its first FAA design-conforming HondaJet
aircraft, that its
third conforming aircraft, referred to as
“F2,” joined flight test and has been conducting
extensive flight testing since its first flight on November 18,
2011.
The first prototype of the AW189 twin engine helicopter
successfully
completed its first flight. The aircraft was
launched at the Paris Air Show earlier this year and AgustaWestland
says this first prototype has made its maiden flight ahead of
schedule.