November 2009

Western Petroleum adds five FBOs

By Matt Thurber

Five Maine FBOs have become new Western Petroleum customers, although they will continue to sell ExxonMobil branded fuel. The five FBOs were previously serviced directly by ExxonMobil, according to Western Petroleum, which will also provide additional marketing services to the FBOs. The FBOs are Northeast Air in Portland, City of Bangor Airport, Presque Isle General Aviation, Downeast Air in Rockl more

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Denver International powers up solar fuel farm

By Matt Thurber

Denver International Airport is planning to power its fuel-storage and -distribution system with a new 1.6-megawatt solar power system. The system is designed to provide 100 percent of the power needed by the fuel farm and should be operating by the end of this year. The photovoltaic panels will be installed on nine acres north of the airport.

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Enterprise Jet Center appoints new leader

By Matt Thurber

Enterprise Jet Center at Houston’s Hobby Airport appointed Bobby Courtney as president and CEO. An Avfuel dealer, Enterprise resident and CEO. An Avfuel dealer, Enterprise is the only FBO with a canopy at Hobby Airport and offers full maintenance services and aircraft cleaning by subsidiary Hobby Skyclean. Courtney previously ran JetDirect Aviation’s Dallas Love Field FBO and Midwest Aviation more

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Signature tripples Avtrip points

By Matt Thurber

Through the end of the year, customers at participating Signature Flight Support and Executive Beechcraft FBOs in the U.S. will receive triple Avfuel Avtrip rewards points. The Top Off promotion, said vice president of sales Joe Gibney, “is aimed at encouraging customers to purchase more gallons, specifically by giving them an incentive to top off when their planned fuel order is close to their more

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Pilot suspects static electricity in Citation X pitot failures

By Vladimir Karnozov

Static electricity may cause pitot static probes to fail, according to a Cessna Citation X owner-pilot who survived a simultaneous failure of all three pitots during a flight earlier this year. Kirill Minovalov, a Russian entrepreneur and private pilot, was flying in stormy weather conditions when the incident happened; he managed to land safely at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport.

Minoval more

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Flight Display hits the Big Leagues

By Kirby J. Harrison

Flight Display Systems, launched in 1999 from the basement of now-president David Gray, began simply with its first product–a moving-map display.
Some 4,500 product sales later, the Alpharetta, Ga.-based cabin electronics specialist now has more than 100 products currently in stock, including its new Ellipse phased-array satellite direct television small enough for a single-engine turbopr more

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International water-guard rolls out with G650

By Kirby J. Harrison

When Gulfstream’s G650 rolled out on September 29, it was with the first of International Water-Guard’s new IWG-A6 water treatment units installed. The system will be standard on all production G650s and is IWG’s newest and most advanced product, “protecting pass more

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Gulfstreams, Falcons await cockpit upgrades

By Stephen Pope

Honeywell is about to release two long-awaited avionics software upgrades, the first for Gulfstreams flying with the PlaneView cockpit and the other for Dassault Falcons equipped with the EASy flight deck, both of which are based on the avionics maker’s Primus Epic integrated avionics system.

In the large-cabin Gulfstreams, the software enhancement package is known as Certification Fo more

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Trans-Exec claims global connection first

By Kirby J. Harrison

Trans-Exec Private Jets, a charter operator based in Van Nuys, Calif., claims to be “the first private jet company to have installed advanced, global in-flight, high-speed wireless Internet service.” The system is the eNfusion System 6 package from EMS Satcom and, according to Trans-Exec, it provides service worldwide “over land or water.” It allows Trans-Exec passengers to access e-mail a more

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BAE, Quest launch air management system

By Kirby J. Harrison

The issue of “toxic cabin air” is becoming a significant concern. BAE Systems, with Quest International UK, recently launched a new “active air management system.” BAE Systems will be introducing AirManager in its own BAe 146/Avro RJ airliners (a type of airplane that has been singled out for scrutiny by cabin environment activists),
and will also make the system available to buyers more

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