November 5, 2009

Turbulence Caused Mexican Learjet 45 Crash

Mexican Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) investigators on Tuesday said that turbulence from a Boeing 767-300 caused the Nov. 4, 2008 crash of a government Learjet 45 in Mexico City that killed Mexican Interior Secretary Juan Camillo Mourino and eight others on board, as well as six people on the ground. Both aircraft were on approach to Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airpor more

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Phenom 300’s PW535E Engine Obtains Canadian OK

Pratt & Whitney Canada yesterday received type certification from Transport Canada for its new PW535E engine for the Embraer Phenom 300 light business jet. “This is a remarkable milestone and comes 26 months after our first run of the PW535E engine,” said P&WC vice president for turbofan programs, John Wyzykowski. “The Phenom 300 program is progressing quickly toward aircraft certification a more

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FAA Explains New DUI Policy for Pilots

FAA aerospace medical certification division manager Dr. Warren Silberman explained the FAA’s new DUI (driving under the influence or while intoxicated) policy in the latest Federal Air Surgeon’s Medical Bulletin, issued on Tuesday. According to Silberman, pilots who get a DUI and had a blood-alcohol content exceeding 0.15 percent when charged or who refused to allow the police to take a sampl more

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NBAA Speaking Up on Talk of Cockpit PC Ban

NBAA is taking a proactive approach to the “possibility of legislation that would restrict laptops, electronic flight bags (EFBs), cellphones and other electronic devices in aircraft cockpits,” association vice president of safety, security and regulation Doug Carr said yesterday. On Tuesday, Senate aviation subcommittee chairman Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) announced he planned to introduce legislat more

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Bizjet Market Continues Improvement, JPMorgan Says

JPMorgan’s latest business jet monthly report, released yesterday, indicates that October was another month of modest improvement in aircraft demand and utilization. Further, pre-owned business jet inventories fell for the third straight month, “and the peak for this cycle now seems more firmly behind us, but they remain at very high absolute levels,” noted JPMorgan aerospace analyst Joseph more

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GAMA 3Q Numbers Show Deliveries, Billings Down

Airplane shipment numbers released today by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) starkly demonstrate the effect the economic downturn has had on the OEMs so far this year. During the first three quarters manufacturers delivered 615 business jets, a decline of nearly 38 percent from the 988 handed over during the same period in last year’s peak production year. The turboprop segm more

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