The Gulfstream G350, FAA certified in November, has received validation by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), enabling operators to register the business jet in any of the 25 European Union countries. The first G350 is scheduled to enter service this fall.
Business Aviation
News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.
October 31, 2006 - 10:40am
Until Bombardier develops a fix and it is FAA approved, operators of about 255 U.S.-registered Learjet 23s through 25s will be required to disable the thrust reversers. In a proposed AD, the FAA says it has two reports of the reverser accumulators failing, which also caused loss of hydraulic power. The failures were caused by fatigue cracking, according to the agency.
October 31, 2006 - 10:36am
Cessna received certification for its Citation Sovereign from both the European Aviation Safety Agency and the JAA, enabling the twinjet to be certified and registered in 25 nations adhering to EASA regulations and the 10 countries still following JAA procedures. Cessna also claimed the Sovereign received the first-ever EASA type certification data sheet for noise. The Sovereign received FAA certification in June last year.
October 31, 2006 - 10:33am
All six General Dynamics Service Centers have joined General Electric’s CF34 service center network. General Dynamics service facilities are located in Las Vegas; Minneapolis; Dallas; Appleton, Wis.; Westfield, Mass.; and West Palm Beach, Fla. The CF34 powers Challengers.
October 31, 2006 - 10:00am
In its first-quarter earnings report, Textron said that of the 55 Citations its Cessna division delivered (compared with 33 in the first quarter last year), 50 percent were the CJ3, XLS and Sovereign–all new within the last year. Textron said that during the quarter, Cessna booked orders for 73 Citations, better than it expected.
October 31, 2006 - 9:49am
The Cessna Citation Mustang prototype made its first flight from McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita on April 23 at 10:26 a.m. CDT. Test pilots Scotty Jergenson and Dave Bonifield flew the very light jet (VLJ) on a 2.5-hour mission, climbing to 11,000 feet, where the airplane underwent various stability and control tests, including cycling of the landing gear, flaps and speed brakes. The flight concluded at 12:47 p.m.
October 31, 2006 - 9:45am
Riding the wave created by the success of its 50-seat regional jet program (now on the wane as the regional airlines evolve toward larger aircraft), Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has set its sights on becoming a major player in the business aviation market to bolster its move into building larger regional airliners (the 170 and 190 lines).
October 31, 2006 - 4:48am
Although the NTSB has not yet determined a probable cause for the February 2 Challenger 600 accident at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport, it has released a number of factual reports. Apparently, the Platinum Jet Management crew failed to perform weight-and-balance calculations properly and delayed its use of the thrust reversers when the jet failed to take off.
October 31, 2006 - 4:36am
Rudy’s Inflight Catering is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its White Plains, N.Y. kitchen with an expansion of the facilities. According to Joe Celentano, who with his brother John owns and manages Rudy’s, “We are about to add a 900-sq-ft refrigerator to supplement the operation.” The facility, on the grounds of Westchester County Airport, has also extended its hours and is now serving clients 24/7/365.
October 30, 2006 - 12:03pm
The Avanti II won EASA certification in October, and delivery of the first new-version aircraft was scheduled for shortly after the Dubai Air Show (November 20 to 24) to an unidentified Swiss customer.
