Latest from Gordon Gilbert
Accidents
Hawker in Midair Had Seat Belt Failure
As the Raytheon Hawker 800XP that on August 28 collided with a sailplane in Nevada prepared to land, one of the jet’s passengers cinched up his seat belt a
Aircraft
Piper To Put Substance, at Last, To Years of Talk
Piper Aircraft will reveal details of its next-generation aircraft, widely believed to be a single-engine very light jet, during the NBAA Convention next m
Charter & Fractional
NetJets Europe To Nest 24 Falcon 7Xs
NetJets Europe has placed a “historic” $1.1 billion order for 24 Dassault Falcon 7Xs scheduled for delivery between the first quarter of 2008 through 2014.
FBOs
Bidding To Reopen for a Third FBO at Hanscom
Boston Hanscom Field may yet get a third FBO to compete against Jet Aviation and Signature Flight Support.
Airports
Chicago Settles with FAA over Meigs Destruction
The City of Chicago settled FAA enforcement action that arose after it bulldozed Meigs Field’s runway on March 30, 2003.
Engines
Falcon 50 Engine Upgrade Expected By Year-end
Premier Aircraft of East Alton, Ill., continues to work with Honeywell on an engine upgrade program for the Falcon 50.
Study: VLJ Market Worth $2.5 Billion through 2011
The market for very light jets (VLJs) will be worth $2.52 billion over the next five years, according to a new
Aircraft
Embraer's Bizjets Selling Phenomenally Well
Embraer today revealed the firm order backlog and production schedule for its business jets–the Phenom 100 and 300, Legacy 600 and Lineage 1000.
Aircraft
SJ30 Light Jet Shows Long Legs
Sino Swearingen's SJ30 (nee SJ30-2) production-conforming test aircraft (S/N 5) with two pilots aboard this weekend established several speed and range rec
Avionics
Verizon Airfone Going Out of Service
Verizon Airfone notified customers on July 7 it has "determined to exit the air-to-ground business" and will shut down Airfone on December 4.
Avionics
Gulfstream First Planemaker To Offer SVS
Gulfstream formally launched a synthetic vision system (SVS) development program yesterday at the Farnborough Air Show with avionics maker Honeywell.
Charter & Fractional
Sixty-minute Manifest Notification Proposed
In a proposed rule issued Friday, the U.S.
Aircraft
Diamond Raises D-Jet's Price
The good news is that the single-engine Diamond D-Jet is getting a parachute recovery system from St.
Executive Shakeup at Jet Aviation
Theo Staub, president and COO of Jet Aviation North America, and Colin Bond, CFO of the Jet Aviation Group, "have decided to leave the company," according
Aircraft
Gulfstream Headed for a Record Year
Gulfstream delivered 54 business jets in the first half of this year versus 41 in the first half of last year, according to figures released yesterday by p
Aircraft
Cessna's Jet Sales and Deliveries Climb
The first half of this year saw considerably improved sales and deliveries of Citations compared with the first half of last year, according to second-quar
ATC
NTSB Has 'Serious Concern' With ATC Alerts
Based on a study of 11 accidents that occurred between December 2002 and February this year involving primarily general aviation aircraft, the NTSB express
Airports
Voters Reject Bi-Coastal Airport Plans
Two non-binding referendums on opposite coasts of the U.S.
Eclipse Wins First Round in Aviace Suit
A federal judge in Albuquerque, N.M., Friday denied Aviace’s plea for preliminary injunction against Eclipse Aviation as part of the Swiss firm’s lawsuit a
ExcelAire and Honeywell Respond to Lawsuits
At press time, two lawsuits had been filed in the aftermath of the September 29 midair collision over the Amazon jungle.
Rotorcraft
Second BA609 Tiltrotor Prototype Now Flying
The second prototype of the Bell/Agusta BA609 tiltrotor (S/N 60002) logged its first flight on November 9 at AgustaWestland’s facility in Cameri, Italy.
Regulations and Government
Thousands Ask FAA To Abolish Age 60 Rule
On November 23 the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will adopt an amendment to increase the age limit for airline pilots to 65, provided an
ATC
Nav Canada Launches ADS-B Program
By 2009, Nav Canada plans to install ADS-B ground stations around Hudson Bay, which straddles high-latitude flight paths between Asia, North America and Eu
Airports
Orlando Gets New Runway Incursion Warning System
The FAA recently added new Safety Logic runway incursion alerting technology to its ASDE-X airport surveillance equipment at Orlando International Airport
Regulations and Government
Drug Testing Rule Guidance in the Works
The FAA recently hosted representatives from key industry organizations, including the
Airlines’ Loss Not Necessarily Bizav’s Gain
Into an increasingly acrimonious atmosphere in which the airlines perceive business aviation as competition for high-end travelers comes a study suggesting
Aircraft
Honda Gives Green Light for HondaJet
Honda announced this morning at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., that it will “enter the HondaJet into the growing very light jet market.” According to pro
Airports
Two-pronged Attack on Stage 2 Under Way at VNY
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is busy trying to figure out how to hasten the phaseout of Stage 2 business jets at Van Nuys Airport (VNY).
