INSIDE NEWSMAKERS 2010 response to the Haiti crisis represents the • Newsmaker of the year: best in all of us,” said NBAA president and The future of Wichita pg 22 Business aviation lends CEO Ed Bolen at the association’s annual convention in October, where respond- • Volcanic eruption in Iceland spells ers from the business aviation commu- chaos in the skies above Europe pg 22 VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN ICELAND SPELLS a helping hand in Haiti nity were honored for their work. “As the • Business aviation lends a helping NEWSMAKERS CHAOS IN THE SKIES ABOVE EUROPE world began to understand the magnitude hand in Haiti pg 23 The magnitude-7.0 earthquake that In the days and weeks after the earth- of the tragedy, our industry mobilized. Many travelers have tales to tell their children about the day • SMS is coming to a ramp check in the spring of 2010 when a volcano in Iceland erupted, closing hit Haiti last January 12 affected the lives quake, an all-volunteer private air force Almost immediately, airplanes and avia- of millions, most of them poor and flew more than 800 sorties, carrying 3,800 tion expertise were volunteered, supplies near you pg 23 much of northern Europe’s airspace for the best part of a week. all of them suddenly cut off from the rest passengers and more than 1.4 million were donated, ramp and hangar space was • NTSB blames pilots for I won’t have to tell my children: they were with my wife and me Gulfstream made the big leap of the world after the country’s worst pounds of supplies, including doctors made available, fuel discounts were offered, Colgan Q400 crash pg 24 when we landed at London Heathrow, for my mother’s funeral, a away from the GI cabin cross sec- natural disaster in more than 200 years. and other first responders, food, water and charts were provided. As a result of • Learjet 60 accident sheds light on tion after 50 years with the unveil- scant three hours before the door closed on the airspace at noon Though damaged, Port-au-Prince’s and medical equipment. The main airport this remarkable outpouring of time, exper- Newsmaker of Year: under-inflated tires pg 24 ing of its new flagship, the G650, local time on April 15. Toussaint L’ouverture International in Port-au-Prince, as well as a number of tise and resources, countless lives were not in early 2008. It’s time for simi- When Eyjafjallajökull spewed millions of tons of volcanic ash Airport was still able to accept arriving temporary landing strips created around only touched but in many cases saved.” • Re-registration roll call pg 24 into the sky on April 14, the upper-level winds carried it south and The future of Wichita larly bold moves in Wichita, in the flights. Almost immediately, business the country, became a literal lifeline for A great deal of the credit for helping • John & Martha King mistakenly east, spreading chaos across a region accustomed to thick wet opinion of some observers. aircraft operators started mobilizing to survivors, while the worst of the sick and coordinate flights by business aircraft to arrested pg 26 As the center of its universe, the form of Embraer (with Honda Former Senator (R-Kan.) and clouds, storms and ice but unprepared to deal with a problem that bring desperately needed supplies and injured were evacuated to mainland U.S. Haiti goes to Care, standing for Corpo- Wichita is to the general aviation out of the starting gate and deter- now Kansas governor-elect Sam seemed to happen only in faraway places such as Indonesia. About medical workers to the heart of the dev- hospitals on many of the return flights. rate Aircraft Responding in Emergencies, • iPads take bizav cockpits airplane business what Detroit has mined to finish). Benefiting from Brownback has been Wichita’s the only thing the authorities in Europe appeared to know for sure astation in the ruined Haitian capital. “The business aviation community’s a relief group that was formed in the after- by storm pg 26 been to the car business, and in a clean-sheet start, the Brazilian voice in Washington, and last year was that volcanic ash and aero engines don’t mix, so they took the math of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to • They feel the need for speed pg 28 today’s lexicon that’s not necessar- dynamo quietly embarked early he demanded an inquiry into pos- safe route by grounding all airways traffic. Initially this was accept- airlift supplies and medical aid to New • Qantas A380 near-disaster raises ily a good thing. Everyone has their this decade on creating its own full sible illegal government subsidies ed as the prudent course of action but it soon met with growing Orleans. Because of the federal govern- serious questions pg 28 own opinions on what “Detroit” range of turbine personal and busi- of Embraer–a sure sign that the old howls of protest as the airlines absorbed the reality of lost reve- ment’s poor response to Katrina, Care means, but some of the words that ness aircraft, from VLJ to bizliner. guard in the GA airplane manu- nue and the citizenry turned restive about being stranded far and pilots were able to complete only about • Final Flights pg 30 have been leveled at the Motor City Murkier would-be rivalry from facturing business feels threatened. wide. Business aviation was powerless to provide an alternative. 100 flights in spite of offers by corpo- • Hand-offs pg 30 (mismanagement, arrogance, wrong China and its ilk is out there some- However, the enduring war between The UK authorities gave operators a few hours’ notice that they rate flight departments and private indi- products, inferior products) do not, where; the question is not if but Boeing and Airbus over the same ­intended to close their airspace at noon, so some were able to take viduals to do much more. when it will materialize. issue for the last 30 years suggests off and reposition­ their aircraft to regions farther south, away from But Care’s experience during and At the bare essentials, that this argument is interminable, the ­predicted path of the ash. Some managed to scoot into and out after Katrina meant the organization and disregarding the many insoluble and ineffective against the of the UK VFR at low level after the closure, until French officialdom was far better prepared to meet the advances in powerplant and tide of competition. shut off that avenue of avoidance. challenge of arranging relief flights to avionics technology… It’ll be a painful regimen for par- Haiti, which benefitted from its loca- The irony for those stuck in certain regions was how clear the TIMELINE Cessna’s jets soldier on ent-company coffers, but Wichita tion just a few hours off the U.S. East- skies appeared. They looked perhaps a shade paler than cobalt,­ with a couple of cabin cross would do better to focus its ener- ern Seaboard. The relief flights also Jan. 5 A Royal Air Freight Learjet 35 but nothing you wouldn’t see in a summer haze. However, the crashes on approach to Chicago sections that date back to gies on innovating, refreshing its helped to repair the image of “lux- Executive Airport in Wheel- the original Citation of 1970 product lines and relying on good ­atmosphere was suspending tiny particles of ash that, when they urious” private jets, which had been ­encountered the hottest parts of a jet engine, would melt into a ing, Ill., killing the pilot and the and the Citation III of 1983; old American ingenuity and perse- so damaged during the financial cri- copilot; Mesa Air Group files for glassy substance and coat intricately shaped turbine components, its newest piston program, verance, which have always served STEPHEN POPE sis. Even better, business aircraft oper- Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. disrupting their ability to drive the cooler thrust-generating parts. the Skycatcher two-seat ­better than cries of “no fair.” At a time when they were being pilloried by the U.S. government and media for symbolizing the corporate excess ators will be ready to respond at a In time, ATC and airworthiness authorities and engine manufac- trainer, is made in China. While it may appear to outsiders­ that had taken the economy to the brink of collapse, business aircraft were among the first on scene to help when moment’s notice the next time they are Jan. 12 Massive earthquake hits Haiti, It was a different world when Walter and Olive Ann Beech Hawker ’s tra- that Wichita is languishing, the turers identified methods to track and measure the density of the the earth shook in Haiti, turning countless lives upside down. This is the Honeywell G450 that AIN rode to Haiti. called into action. –S.P. causing widespread damage and and the other Great Plains pioneers put Wichita, Kan. on ash and decide what was acceptable and what was not, but it was killing more than 200,000 people. the map as Air Capital of The World. Now the rest of the ditional Hawker line is built leaders of the OEMs assure us that a process that, from the perspective of airspace users, was slow to Business aviation provided an world wants to seize a bigger piece of the action. on the de Havilland DH125 they are not sitting still but are pour- cross section introduced in ing money into researching innova- take effect. A Dornier Do-228 was flown into the ash deliberately so important element of the relief effort, flying in doctors, aid I firmly believe, apply to Wichita. 1962, and its King Air series dates tive new products. Hopefully, as the that its TPE331 turboprops could later be torn down by manufac- fly to Bermuda, however, there will workers, supplies and food. “Wichita,” the generic collective for back to 1963, and 1958 if you con- economy recovers, the benefits of turer Honeywell and any damage analyzed. SMS is coming to a be no waiting time for implementing Beech, Cessna, Learjet and (even sider the venerable turboprop’s this R&D will become apparent. Europe’s authorities have assured operators they will be better pre- an SMS beginning April 1. While the Jan. 17 Former Silver State CEO Jerry though it hails from Pennsylvania Queen Air cabin cross section. Visit our Web site www.ainon pared next time the planet ruptures its crust in their backyard. –N.M. International Civil Aviation Organiza- Airola is sued for fraudulently and Florida) Piper, created and sup- The attempts by predecessor com- line.com/Boisture_Outlook/ to read ramp check near you tion’s Annex 6 Part II sets standards transferring $8.2 million out plied a huge demand for personal panies Beech and Raytheon Air- the story of how one Wichita CEO for SMS implementation for mem- of the company in the months To Europeans, volcanic eruptions that disrupt air travel were something immediately before it declared and business aircraft worldwide in craft to break those molds (with (’s Bill Boisture) that happened far away–until last April 14, when a volcano in Iceland There’s yet another safety mandate While no Advisory Circular is man- ber countries, only an individual’s the 1950s through 1970s but, in cho- the composite Starship, Premier is meeting the challenge. –N.M. blew its top, grounding air traffic for the best part of a week. headed for aviation, the Safety Manage- datory, it is a bit worrisome that AC 120- country’s SMS requirement applies bankruptcy. rus with the U.S. auto industry, for and ) have fallen short ment System, or SMS. To say that SMSs are 92A begins with the following statement: to operators flying into that country. diverse reasons in the late 1970s it of the expectations of market suc- controversial is an understatement. And to “This AC applies to both certificated Bermuda will be the first country to Feb. 21-23 Heli-Expo: AgustaWestland hit tough times from which its vol- cess that surely drove the program say that there is a lot of confusion surround- and non-certificated aviation service mandate an SMS (for Part 91 and 135 unveils A109 Grand New; Eurocopter unveils ume shipments have never recov- launches; and severe pressure to cut ing the implementation of SMSs, whether providers (and organizations) that desire aircraft with mtow of 12,500 pounds search-and-rescue EC175. ered. The industry’s output peaked costs has raised the specter of mov- they are mandatory and how they are to to develop and implement an SMS.” and higher). Other countries may soon in 1978 when it delivered almost ing manufacturing out of unionized be implemented, is also an understatement. While that offers a means for non-certi- follow, but so far the FAA has not March 4 The first ATR 42-600 makes first 18,000 aircraft. The ascendance of Wichita to Mexico or Louisiana. The FAA is clearly headed toward fied entities such as FBOs to establish an indicated whether it is going to con- flight from Toulouse, France. high-value turbine aircraft in sub- With sales of the traditional making SMSs mandatory for a variety SMS, it also appears to signal that reg- sider SMS for these operators. sequent years helped to make up Learjet line in the doldrums, Bom- of regulated entities. On May 14, 2008, ulators could use SMS as a way of reg- The rulemaking charter explains March 12 Online charter booking portals in revenue what the collapse of the bardier is pinning its hopes for that the agency published Order VS 8000.367, ulating FBOs, maintenance shops that that “SMSs are intended to be scale- Avinode and CharterX agree to ­piston market had cost in volume. brand on the all-composite Learjet which lays out the process by which FAA aren’t Part 145 repair stations, aircraft able to match the type and criticality of merge; Cessna’s Citation CJ4 Sagging airplane shipments over 85, and Wichita’s role will be to aviation safety offices will oversee SMS cleaning providers and so on. The next the products and/or services they gov- receives FAA certification. the past two years of global eco- serve as the final assembly point for implementation for the operators and step could be a regulation requiring, for ern.” The International Business Avi- March 13 Hawker Beechcraft Premier II nomic distress have once again components made in Mexico. companies for whom they are respon- example, that regulated entities such as ation Council has developed an SMS makes first flight. focused attention on the future of There is nothing wrong with sible. On Feb. 12, 2009, the FAA issued charter operators use only FBOs that toolkit as part of its International “The Air Capital of The World.” building on what you started out a charter establishing the SMS Avia- have established an SMS. Standard for Business Aircraft Opera- March 16 Transport Canada reclaims Unlike 30 years ago, today there are with–Wichita has been a grand tion Rulemaking Advisory Committee The FAA’s first SMS notice of pro- tions (IS-BAO). Anyone can implement bizav authority for the Canadian formidable and deep-pocketed con- master at doing just that–but at to develop SMS rulemaking and imple- posed rulemaking (NPRM) was issued an SMS, and while IS-BAO includes Business Aviation Association; tenders circling Wichita’s wagons some point the world has changed mentation requirements. Last August, the on October 7 and covers airports certified an SMS, one can simply use FAA and Air Partner shuts down aircraft to wrest away serious market share and it’s perhaps better to come up FAA published Advisory Circular 120- under Part 139. The second SMS NPRM other industry-provided documents to operating division. of the lucrative turbine segment. with a fresh floor plan rather than 92A, which “provides a Framework for came out on October 29 and will make create an SMS. NBAA offers extensive Wichita now has its clear equivalent keep on remodeling and accept- Safety Management System (SMS) devel- SMS mandatory for Part 121 airlines. information on SMS on its Web site

of Detroit’s 1980s “Japan threat” in ing its inevitable compromises. FOTOLIA opment by aviation service providers.” For business aviation operators that (www.nbaa.org/admin/sms/). –M.T. Newsmakers 2010 continues on next page u

22aaAviation International News • January 2011 • www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com • January 2011 • Aviation International News 23 NEWSMAKERS Learjet 60 accident sheds light on under-inflated tires TIMELINE The 2008 fatal crash of a Learjet 60 depart- ing a South Carolina airport for a nighttime March 31 Flight Options pilots ratify cross-country flight to California spotlighted initial contract. NTSB blames pilots how under-inflated tires can have deadly conse- quences. As a result, the NTSB issued 14 safety April 6 Evektor rolls out EV-55 regulations stemming from the accident. turboprop twin. According to the NTSB, as the tires failed in for Colgan Q400 crash sequence from right to left, pieces from the dis- April 7 Solar Impulse first prototype integrating rubber damaged a squat switch in a makes first flight in Payerne, In a report adopted last February 2, during approaches in icing conditions. Switzerland. the NTSB laid the primary blame on the The NTSB’s findings led to a series wheel well and caused the airplane’s thrust re- pilots of Colgan Air Flight 3407 for the of regulatory and legislative measures versers to return to the stowed position. April 12 Bankruptcy judge approves Feb. 12, 2009 crash outside Buffalo that related to airline safety, including pas- The Van Nuys, Calif.-bound Learjet, operated China Aviation Industry General set into motion the FAA’s second-ever sage by the House of Representatives by Global Exec Aviation, was departing Columbia Aircraft’s, (also known as Avic industry-wide “Call to Action” safety of H.R. 3371, the Airline Safety and (S.C.) Metropolitan Airport shortly before midnight General Aviation) purchase of summit and efforts to enact the most Pilot Training Improvement Act, which, on Sept. 19, 2008, when it overran the departure Epic Air’s assets. sweeping changes to pilot rest- and duty- among other things, calls for a 1,500- end of Runway 11 during a rejected takeoff. April 13 FAA suspends Darby Aviation’s time regulations in decades. hour flight time minimum for Part 121 Although the captain was trying to stop Part 135 certificate. The Safety Board determined that captains. Debate continues on the extent the twin-engine jet by commanding reverse the captain of the Colgan Air Bombar- to which university-level training may thrust, forward thrust was being provided April 14 Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull vol- dier Q400 inappropriately responded serve as a substitute for flight hours. at near-takeoff power because the disabled cano erupts, closing a majority to activation of the stick shaker, which Meanwhile, the Board’s conclu- microswitch “made the aircraft think it was of Europe’s airspace. led to an aerodynamic stall from which sion that fatigue likely contributed to in the air.” The Safety Board determined that the airplane did not recover. Fifty peo- the crash led to the formation of an the inadvertent forward thrust exacerbated the April 20 British airspace reopens six days after the eruption of Ice- ple died in the crash, including one per- industry aviation rulemaking commit- severity of the accident. land’s volcano closed a majority son on the ground. tee (ARC) and the September 10 pub- The captain, the first officer and two passen- According to the NTSB, when lication of an NPRM that calls for the of European airspace; Embraer gers were killed and two other passengers were the stick shaker activated to warn the first substantive changes to the FAA’s cuts first metal for its Legacy seriously injured when the Learjet struck air- 450 and 500 business jets. flight- and duty-time port lights, crashed through a perimeter fence, regulations since 1985. May 17 Cessna institutes rolling Central tenets of the crossed a roadway and came to rest on a berm. The NTSB investigation revealed that the air- furloughs, affecting 200 people proposal include the at the company’s Independence, craft was being operated while the main landing establishment of a sin- Kan. factory and delaying pro- gle set of regulations for gear tires were severely under-inflated because of duction of the Citation Mustang domestic, international Global Exec Aviation’s inadequate maintenance. through early August. The conduct of the two pilots flying the Colgan Q400 brought down the and unscheduled fly- June 11 Wayfarer Aviation closes its doors. airplane, the NTSB concluded, and also triggered some rule revisions. ing; a new approach to measuring a rest period flight crew of an impending aerody- that guarantees an opportunity for June 20 Midcoast Aviation announces absorption of sister company namic stall, the captain should have eight hours of sleep and varied require- Savannah Air Center. responded by pushing forward on the ments based on time of day, number control column. Instead, he pulled aft of scheduled segments, flight types, Mid-June Extra 500 turboprop single on the control column, placing the air- time zones and the likelihood that a receives FAA certification. plane into an accelerated stall. pilot can sleep under different circum- According to the report, the crew­ stances; a reduction in the flight-duty June 15 Acadia Aviation announces members’ failure to recognize the posi- time limit from 16 to 13 hours, includ- purchase agreement to acquire The fatal crash of a Learjet 60 on takeoff brought tion of the low-speed cue on their flight ing a provision that could reduce the certain assets and operations home the importance of checking tire pressures of Wayfarer Aviation. displays and their failure to adhere to limit to nine hours at night, depending regularly. All four mainwheel tires burst. sterile cockpit procedures contributed on takeoff time and number of sched- June 24 Senate confirms former FBI to the crash, as did the captain’s fail- uled segments;­ and a strict guarantee The under-inflation compromised the integrity deputy director John Pistole as ure to effectively manage the flight and of at least 30 consecutive hours per of the tires, which led to the failure of all four TSA administrator. Colgan Air’s inadequate procedures week free from all duty, compared with during the takeoff roll. for airspeed selection and management the current 24 hours. –G.P. “The accident chain started with some- July 15 Pilatus Aircraft delivers 1,000th PC-12 single-engine turboprop. thing as basic as inadequate tire inflation and ended in tragedy,” said NTSB chairman Deb- July 15 Farnborough Airshow: Boeing’s Re-registration roll call orah Hersman. “This entirely avoidable crash 787 Dreamliner makes its global should reinforce to everyone in the aviation debut; AgustaWestland launches Late last year, the FAA began requiring addresses are a particular problem, and community that no maintenance item is small. AW169 medium twin helicopter. U.S. aircraft owners to reregister their air- the FAA believes as many as 45,000 Every time an airplane takes off, lives are on the line.” July 16 Dassault’s Falcon 900LX receives craft every three years. The final rule, issued ­aircraft could be affected. FAA and EASA certification. last July, establishes specific certificate According to the agency, many orders NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt, a expiration dates over a three-year period for revoking an owner’s certificate of regis- former airline and corporate pilot, said “this July 23 Extra Aircraft announces plans all aircraft registered before Oct. 1, 2010. tration are returned as undeliverable, but accident was the perfect storm” because when to produce the dormant Extra 500 The FAA has approximately 357,000 the FAA must keep the aircraft in the the tire shrapnel disabled the microswitch, the turboprop single; Alan Klapmeier aircraft on its rolls, but nearly one- system to prevent reassignment of the Learjet 60’s systems operated as though the jet launches Kestrel Aircraft in hopes third are no longer eligible for regis- N-number to a second, active aircraft. was already airborne. of resurrecting Kestrel program. tration due to old addresses or other The ruling, which took effect in Octo- Investigators determined that the tire pres- July 26 Sikorsky’s X2 technology demon- registration errors, aircraft inactivity­ ber, could result in the cancellation of sure on the accident airplane had not been or disposal and/or revoked ­certificates. more than 100,000 aircraft registrations strator breaks rotorcraft speed checked for three weeks. By that time, pressure record, achieving 225 knots. Registered owners are required to over the next three years. Under the would have been about 140 psi, according to in- notify the FAA of these and other new system, questionable or erroneous vestigators’ estimates. The NTSB said it should u u ­registration-related changes. Incorrect Continues on page 26 have been 219 psi.  –P.L. Newsmakers 2010 continues on page 26

24aaAviation International News • January 2011 • www.ainonline.com NEWSMAKERS iPads take bizav cockpits by storm TIMELINE Apple’s ground-breaking iPad tablet computer has July 27 Car-racing promoter Jack Roush rapidly found its way into business aircraft cockpits and injured in crash of the Hawker the device is even displacing more traditional electron- he was ic flight bags (EFBs). Last month, one flight department piloting during the AirVenture listed its two EFBs for sale on the NBAA Air Mail forum; show at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. John & Martha King the seller admitted that the EFBs were being replaced by iPads, which are a legal way to display IFR charts for July 31 Carl Hirschmann, former Jet Part 91 operators. Aviation CEO, dies in Zurich, mistakenly arrested What special sauce does the iPad contain that makes Switzerland, after a brief battle with cancer. The lack of an established law registration number is for the Kings’ it so compelling for pilots? The surging popularity of enforcement procedure for aircraft 172 and not the stolen two-seater. the device may owe more to Apple’s design philosophy than any other factor. Apple stands out among personal Aug. 4 SkyWest reveals plans to resulted in a frightening experience Epic detained the same Cessna acquire ExpressJet. for John and Martha King on August 172 a year-and-a-half ago during its computer makers for focusing on making products 28. The Kings, founders of the popular delivery flight as a new airplane. John Aug. 9 Former Senator Ted Stevens pilot training King Schools, landed their King wonders why Epic doesn’t have dies in Alaska floatplane crash. Cessna 172 (N50545) at Santa Barbara a system to remove stolen aircraft and Municipal Airport unaware that it car- check them against the FAA registry. Aug. 12 Gulfstream’s G650 reaches Mach ried the retired N-number of a Cessna “The police had weapons drawn and 0.995 during flutter testing. 150 that had been stolen eight years ago. pointed at us,’ John King told AIN. “We Upon landing, the FAA controller were ordered to shut down the engine and Aug. 13 Frank Robinson retires from his company, Robinson Helicopters. directed the Kings to taxi to a remote exit the aircraft.” When the Kings com- area on the airport where four Santa plied, the officers handcuffed them and Aug. 18 Ruag Aerospace Do-228 NG Barbara Police Department cars waited. placed them in separate patrol cars. “Do receives EASA certification. As they taxied in, the officers proceeded not argue, don’t complain, don’t explain, to initiate a felony warrant stop, a com- just do what you’re told. I didn’t want to Aug. 28 John and Martha King, founders mon procedure used for stopping a car screw this up and get shot,” he said. of King Schools, were arrested thought to be occupied by felons. John King doesn’t fault the Santa KIRBY J. HARRISON when the Cessna 172 they were Barbara Police Department but The iPad is legal tender in the cockpits of Part 91 aircraft flying was mistakenly identified feels using a high-risk vehicle for inexpensively and clearly showing charts and a as an aircraft that was stolen traffic stop was an inappropri- whole basket of other information. eight years ago.

ate procedure for the situation. that are tightly integrated, with software and hardware Sept. 8  400XT “If the aircraft did have some- ­designed to work closely together to maximize battery life completes first flight. one wanted by the law, just see- and usability. This explains why Apple keeps such a tight ing the group of police cars Sept. 15 Sikorsky X2 technology dem- rein on its App Store, the only legitimate source of “apps” gathered on the airport runway onstrator achieves its goal of Two upstanding aviation citizens met with this surprise area would be enough for them (applications or software) for the iPad. (There is an entire 250 knots. reception after landing in what local police had been ecosystem of unsanctioned apps for “jail broken” iPhones told, in an agency bungle, was a stolen airplane. to abort the landing and keep going. It makes more sense to and iPads, but that’s another story.) Sept. 19 Gulfstream marks 25th anniver- The police were acting on a noti- let them taxi in, shut down and then Pilots are using the iPad for preflight weather and sary of GIV’s first flight. fication by the El Paso Intelligence make the arrest,” King said. flight planning with apps such as Foreflight Mobile 3 Sept. 21 Cessna announces readjusting Center (Epic), which tracks stolen Since the incident the Kings have HD and Hilton Software’s WingX. Both also offer mov- of Citation deliveries and the ing-map capability (and WingX own-ship position on aircraft. Epic did not know the stolen developed two law enforcement check- layoff of 700 more employees. aircraft N-number had been retired lists for dealing with aircraft inter- ­approach charts), but this works only with the iPad 3G, and reissued to the Cessna 172. How- ception on an airport: “Strategies for not the Wi-Fi-only version. Airguide’s iEFB offers full IFR Sept. 24 Hawker Beechcraft announces ever, the multiagency organization, Being Prepared” and “Special Law and VFR en route high and low and terminal charts for layoff of another 350 workers. led by the Drug Enforcement Admin- Enforcement Officer Checklist.” The the U.S. and Caribbean, including Alaska and Hawaii. istration, didn’t cross check against Santa Barbara Police Department has ­Airguide will also soon offer a $299 external Waas-ca- Sept. 27 Eurocopter reveals X3 com- the FAA registration database as made them its official procedure for pable GPS receiver for the iPad, which should be much pound helo demonstrator. required. The database indicates the similar situations. –D.A.L. better than the built-in five-channel GPS in the iPad 3G. Oct. 5 David Neeleman, founder of Jeppesen was an early adopter in the iPad game, JetBlue Airways and Brazilian with its Mobile TC iPad app, offering full JeppView airline Azul, purchases majority no changes on their certificates can Re-registration IFR worldwide terminal charts in a simple, intu- stake in JetSuite, a Los Angeles- complete the process online. For those itive and uncluttered interface. Best of all, Mobile based charter operation. with changes to submit, filing the appli- roll call TC costs nothing if the user has a subscription to cation within the assigned window will Sept. 15 Cessna production line workers uContinued from page 24 JeppView. Another compelling solution is the enable the new registration certificate to are forced by default to accept iPhone/iPad logbook app by Coradine Aviation aircraft registrations are expected to arrive before the previous one expires. a new contract. drop from the current 36.5 percent to While owners have a 90-day win- Systems. Coradine’s LogTen Pro (iPhone, iPad approximately 5.7 percent. dow to submit their applications and and Macintosh) is an amazingly comprehensive Sept. 27 President Obama signs the bo- Along with establishing clear rules the $5 registration fee, industry experts ­pilot logbook program. Users can customize Log- nus depreciation bill into law. for canceling N-number assignments are advising them to submit their docu- Ten Pro to match regulatory flight time logging Sept. 30 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries when a registration expires or oth- mentation to the FAA as soon as possi- ­requirements for any country and publish reports and backup data in a variety of formats. and Mitsubishi Aircraft launch erwise ends, the new rule will also ble in that period to give the agency time production of the Mitsubishi The iPad isn’t just another computer; it is tre- provide up-to-date information on to process it and address any errors. Regional Jet. aircraft ownership to law enforcement The rolling registration process will mendously useful, allowing pilots to check weather, and other government agencies, as continue for the next three years, until file flight plans, view and edit documents (Apple’s Oct. 5 Garmin announces G1000 avion- well as manufacturers, which rely on all aircraft have been reprocessed. For iBooks app is a simple place to store documents ics retrofit program for the King the accuracy of the FAA database. aircraft registered or reregistered after like the Aeronautical Information Manual) and tap Air 300 and 350. Owners are permitted to reregis- last October 1, the expiration date will into company data. Tablets based on the Android ter their aircraft only within a spe- be three years from the last day of the operating system are coming, but the iPad took a Oct. 6 French air charter operator Blue Line forced into liquidation after cific 90-day window determined by the month when registration occurred huge lead and will likely be the first choice for soft- amassing debts of $52 million. month in which the original registra- and will be printed on the new regis- ware developers who see opportunities galore to tion certificate was issued. Owners with tration certificate. –P. L . serve the aviation market. –M.T. Newsmakers 2010 continues on page 28 u

26aaAviation International News • January 2011 • www.ainonline.com

NEWSMAKERS TIMELINE Qantas A380 near-disaster raises serious questions Oct. 19-21 NBAA Convention: Bombardier unveils Global 7000 and 8000 The November 27 departure of Qantas Flight QF31 from jets; NetJets orders 50 Embraer Sydney marked the end of the airline’s 23-day suspension Phenom 300s with options of A380 service after an uncontained engine failure forced for an additional 75; Cessna unveils Citation Ten; Garmin They feel the need one of its six Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered superjum- launches G5000 cockpit; bos to make an emergency landing at Singapore’s Changi Piper launches PiperJet Altaire; for serious speed International Airport. Although a second Qantas A380 en- Embraer’s Legacy 650 receives tered service that same day, the airline continued to exhib- Brazilian and EU certification; it an abundance of caution as it delayed the deployment of Gulfstream unveils G650 cabin; G650 and Sikorsky push boundaries its remaining A380s, perhaps into the new year. Sikorsky announces “sub- Given the extent of the damage done to the A380 when stantial minority investment in In August, Gulfstream’s new “The aerospace industry today Eclipse Aerospace”; Hawker its Number 2 engine disintegrated during the November 4 G650 nudged the “sound bar- has a new horizon,” said Sikorsky Beechcraft rebrands Premier rier” at Mach 0.995 as part of president Jeffrey Pino. “The X2 light jet as the Hawker 200 and its certification test program. technology demonstrator con- introduces the King Air 200GT. Senior experimental test pilot tinues to prove its potential as a Tom Horne described the big game-changer.” Oct. 20 Emivest files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. twinjet as “easy to control pre- Sikorsky attributes the high cisely at those speeds. The air- speeds achieved to the con- Oct. 25 Robinson Helicopter receives plane response has matched the tra-rotating coaxial main rotor FAA type and production expectations of our engineers design, a pusher prop aft and certificates for its R66 turbine and we’ve easily been able to fly attention to aerodynamics. With single. the test conditions.” a conventional helicopter design, The G650’s maximum cruise speed is limited primarily by loss The airworthiness of Airbus’s double-decker came Nov. 4 NetJets announces acquisition under scrutiny when multiple systems failures followed of Marquis Jet; U.S. government speed is projected at Mach 0.925. of and asymmetry of lift when the uncontained failure of a Qantas A380’s Trent 900. At a “slow” Mach 0.85, the airplane the blades are retreating (moving permits GM to use charter jets for IPO roadshow; production will have a maximum range of 7,000 backwards relative to the helicop- flight from Singapore to Sydney, any hesitation to rush its Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Superjet nm, allowing New York to Beijing ter’s direction of flight). The com- flagship jets back into the air would seem understandable. makes first flight; Qantas nonstop. On October 18, Horne pany believes that this design will In fact, a December 2 recommendation from the Austra- Airbus A380 bound for Sydney and a crew of five took the G650 lead to still higher speeds. lian Transport and Safety Bureau to re-inspect the Trent experiences an uncontained on a closed circuit over the Atlan- Sikorsky notes that the technol- 900s for a misaligned oil pipe counter-boring–a condition engine failure soon after take- tic Ocean and logged 5,000 nm at an ogy demonstrates a helicopter can that could lead to fatigue cracking, oil leakage and an en- off from Singapore; Gulfstream average speed of Mach 0.90. cruise comfortably at 250 knots gine fire–served to validate Qantas’s apprehension. International Airlines files for Chapter 11 restructuring. A day later, a preliminary factual report published by the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau confirmed suspi- Nov. 9 Avicopter AC311 light single- cions of far more damage to the A380 and a much more pre- engine helicopter makes carious emergency landing in Singapore than first thought. first flight. According to the report, sections of the intermediate pressure (IP) turbine disc penetrated the leading edge of Nov. 12 Hawker Beechcraft announces suspension of 400XP production the left wing inboard of the Number 2 engine, resulting in “to realign supply with demand.” damage to the leading-edge structure, the front wing spar and the upper surface of the wing. Another piece of turbine Nov. 15 Platinum Jet chief pilot and disc penetrated the left wing-to-fuselage fairing, resulting in cofounder Michael Brass- damage to several system components, the fuselage struc- ington and his brother, Paul ture and electrical wiring. Debris also struck the left wing’s Brassington, a vice president In the quest for rotary-wing speed, Sikorsky’s X2 research ship uses co-axial contra-rotating lower surface, which caused a fuel leak from the Number 2 and cofounder of the company, rotor blades in lieu of tilting rotors or wings. The experimental vehicle achieved its target speed are convicted of “conspiracy of 250 knots last September, and had already broken the world helicopter speed record. engine feed tank and left wing inner tank. to commit continuous will- The damage to the wiring affected the operation of the ful violations of regulatory With certification anticipated while retaining such desirable attri- hydraulic system, landing gear and flight controls. The requirements for the operation this year, the G650 will replace butes as excellent low-speed han- pilots were also unable to pump fuel out of the rear tank, of commercial charter air- Cessna’s Mach 0.92 Citation X dling, efficient hovering and a creating a potential c-g imbalance as the A380 landed at craft” relating to the February as the world’s fastest business seamless and simple transition to Changi International Airport. Meanwhile, they had to con- 2005 Platinum Jet crash at jet–a turn of events Cessna has high speed. tend with the lack of reverse thrust from the Number 2 Teterboro Airport. vowed to reverse with its upcom- The X2 program began in 2005 engine, inoperative leading-edge slats, limited aileron and Nov. 18 Schweizer family sues ing Citation Ten. with a full funding commitment by spoiler control, lack of anti-skid braking in the wing land- Sikorsky, claiming that Meanwhile, Sikorsky’s X2, still Sikorsky and has progressed steadily. ing gear and limited nosewheel steering. in the development phase, set a The first flight was in August 2008 at Sikorsky reneged on the Landing some 50 tons overweight, the airplane needed new speed record for helicop- Sikorsky’s Schweizer Aircraft divi- terms of its 2004 purchase all but 500 feet of Changi International’s 13,123-foot run- of Schweizer. ters on September 15. The sleek sion in Horseheads, N.Y. way to roll to a safe stop. co-axial-rotor helicopter reached The previous helicopter speed The drama didn’t end there, however, as the Number Nov. 19 The Embraer Legacy 600 259 knots true airspeed in a shal- record of 216.52 knots was set by a involved in the midair with 1 engine continued to run and the left body landing-gear low dive at the Sikorsky Develop- Westland Lynx in 1986. The hybrid a Gol 737 on Sept. 29, 2006, brake temperature rose to more than 900 degrees. Emer- ment Flight Center in West Palm Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey is a verti- arrived at Cleveland Hopkins Beach, Fla. cal and short-runway tilt-rotor air- gency crews finally managed to drown the engine with International Airport after a At the controls was Kevin craft with a max operating speed firefighting foam two hours and seven minutes after the ferry flight from Brazil; Bredenbeck, Sikorsky’s director of of 274 knots. –K.J.H. airplane landed. a Cessna Citation crashes at flight operations and chief pilot. The extensive loss of function has raised questions Birmingham Airport in Bredenbeck said the helicopter is about the adequacy of the A380’s systems redundancy, the UK, injuring the pilot and copilot. performing well and meeting the prompting examination of the superjumbo’s vulnerabili- expectations of performance and ty to catastrophic damage in the event of an uncontained progressing with every test flight. engine failure. –G.P. Newsmakers 2010 continues on page 30 u

28aaAviation International News • January 2011 • www.ainonline.com NEWSMAKERS Hand-offs John Pistole, former deputy director of the FBI, was sworn in as the Transportation Security Administration’s fifth admin- istrator in July. He oversees management of a 60,000-strong workforce, the security operations of more than 450 federal- ized airports throughout the U.S., the Federal Air Marshal Service and the security for highways, railroads, ports, mass transit systems and pipelines. After the resignation of Kip Final Flights Hawley when the Obama Administration took office in Janu- ary 2009, the TSA was run by an acting administrator. –P.L.

Arlene Elliott, cofounder Former NBAA treasurer and improvements at more than 3,000 *********** Mark Rosekind and Earl Weener were sworn in as mem- of Elliott Aviation, died Janu- vice chairman David Sheehan, 75, GA airports. In addition, Baker es- bers of the NTSB on June 30, bringing the investigative body ary 17 at her home in Naples, died on January 4 in Santa Rosa, tablished AOPA’s political action to its full five-person complement for the first time since Pres- Fla. She was 91. She cofound- N.M. Sheehan was a member of committee, successfully fought a ident Obama took office in January 2009. With the seating of ed Elliott Flying Service with her Mobil Oil’s flight department for proposed annual tax on GA aircraft Weener, the Board now has three pilot members. Rosekind is an internationally recognized fatigue expert and Weener husband, Herb Elliott, in 1936. 31 years, retiring in 1996 as gen- and helped convince members of has dedicated his entire career to aviation safety, including 15 Arlene served as the primary fi- eral manager of corporate aviation. Congress to change the product li- years with Boeing. –P.L. nancial officer for Elliott Avia- He then took a position as CEO of ability laws that adversely affected *********** tion for much of her career and Singapore-based charter provider general aviation manufacturers. Piaggio Aero announced in February that John Bingham was the treasurer on the com- Global Aviation. Sheehan was also would succeed the retiring Tom Appleton as president and pany’s board of directors. She a past board member of the Flight Carl Hirschmann CEO of Piaggio America, the company’s U.S. subsidiary. promoted general aviation and, Safety Foundation. Bingham was executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Piaggio America. Bingham previously served according to Elliott Aviation, is Former Sen. Ted Stevens (R- as vice president of Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars widely credited with persuad- before joining the general aviation industry as executive Alaska) and four others were killed ing banks to finance purchas- vice president of Cirrus Design and managing director of August 9 when their Otter turbo- es of business aircraft, which Cirrus International. He was also named to Piaggio Aero’s prop conversion floatplane crashed allowed more entrepreneurs to board of directors. –C.E. in Alaska. Four others, including gain access to them. *********** former NASA administrator and The management team at Piper Aircraft has undergone current EADS North America chair- dramatic changes since Brunei-based Imprimis purchased Piper in 2009. Departures during the past 18 months include John Baker man Sean O’Keefe and his teenage president John Becker, CEO Kevin Gould and many vice son, were seriously injured. Ste- presidents and other executives. Manning the helm now are vens, 86, was the longest-serving Aerospace engineer August Geoffrey Berger, president and CEO (also Imprimis man- David Sheehan Republican senator in history, and aging director), and executive v-p Randy Groom, who used Bellanca died on March 16 at age during his four decades in office he to run Hawker Beechcraft product support. Groom hired 83. The son of pioneer aircraft de- Drew McEwen from Hawker Beechcraft to be sales director was a staunch supporter of GA. Dick Friel, senior v-p of mar- signer Giuseppe Bellanca, he be- for the Americas. –M.T. keting for Seattle-based winglet gan his aviation career working in *********** manufacturer Aviation Partners, his father’s factory before receiving Ending years of speculation as to when he would retire, died on January 14. He was 76. an aeronautical engineering degree Robinson Helicopter founder, president and chairman of the Arlene Elliott board Frank Robinson resigned on August 10 at the age of 80 Friel was credited with the suc- from NYU. His company devel- and promoted his son, Kurt, from vice president of product sup- cessful branding of the compa- oped the all-composite Skyrocket port to president and CEO. In 1973, Frank Robinson began Columbia Helicopters found- ny’s blended-winglet technology. II. At the time of his death, Bellan- the company with a goal of building simple low-cost helicop- er Glenn “Wes” Lematta died He also ran a marketing company, ca was working as an engineer and ters for the civilian market. Today the privately owned Cal- ifornia-based manufacturer is the world’s largest producer on Dec. 24, 2009, at age 83. After­ along with his wife Sharon, and senior designer with the Conceptu- of civilian helicopters and recently delivered its first turbine- serving in World War II, ­Lematta contributed more than $300 mil- al Design Center of the Naval War- powered machine, the R66. –C.E. used his GI bill educational ben- lion to charity. His charity endeav- fare Center at Patuxent River, Md. *********** efits for helicopter training. Le- ors included his serving as the first Sen. Ted Stevens In a homecoming of sorts, veteran AMR executive Dan matta and his brothers started auctioneer for EAA’s Gathering of Garton returned to his old leadership post at American Eagle Columbia Helicopters in 1957 Eagles charity auction at Oshkosh. in June after spending 12 years as American Airlines’ executive David Warren, inventor of the with a single used Hiller UH- Friel’s career began in 1960 when vice president of marketing. Garton, who began his career at flight data recorder, died on July 19 12B. The company evolved into he served as a copy writer for AMR in 1984 and served as American Eagle president from in Melbourne, Australia, at the age a global heavy-lift helicopter op- ­Allied Group Stores in Seattle. 1995 to 1998, engineered the regional airline’s transition from of 85. The principal research scien- four separate carriers to one and presided over the introduc- erator. Together with a southern tist at the Australian government’s tion of its first regional jet. Garton succeeds Peter Bowler, Oregon Company, Columbia pio- who announced his retirement after serving 12 years as pres- Aeronautical Research Laboratory neered the use of helicopters to ident and CEO of Eagle and 26 years at AMR. –G.P. for more than 30 years, Warren was remove logs from road-less for- involved in the investigation of the *********** ests. Lematta and his wife, Nan- Returning for his second tenure as chief executive of Franco- August Bellanca world’s first jetliner crash in 1953. cy, gave millions of dollars to Italian turboprop manufacturer ATR, Filippo Bagnato on June Three years later he unveiled the charitable causes, and Lematta 21 replaced outgoing CEO Stephane Mayer, whose three-year world’s first “black box” prototype, mandate expired in accordance with the company’s bylaws. was recognized with various in- Carl Hirschmann, former CEO which became an indispensable tool Bagnato, who served as ATR’s CEO between 2004 and 2007, dustry awards and honors. of Jet Aviation, died on July 31 af- for the succeeding three years held the position of Finmeccani- for accident investigators. ter a battle with pancreatic cancer. ca’s executive vice president of technical, industrial and com- DUELL FISHER He was 61. Hirschmann joined the mercial development. From June 2007 to the end of last May Dick Friel company–founded by his father–in he also served as the chairman of the board of ATR. –G.P. 1975 and rose to the CEO position *********** For the first time in its more than half century of existence, Former AOPA president John in the mid-1980s. He left in 1984, the 160,000-member Experimental Aircraft Association is being Baker died on March 11 at the age but returned in 2005–when the led by someone not named Poberezny. Tom Poberezny stepped of 81. During his tenure as AOPA Hirschmann family sold the com- down as president of the Oshkosh-based organization during president (1977 to 1990) Baker pany to private-equity firm Permi- the summer and named longtime EAA member Rod Hight- was involved in ensuring the eq- ra–as vice chairman of Jet Aviation ower as his successor. Poberezny retains the roll of chairman and head of EAA’s annual AirVenture fly-in. Hightower is only uitable distribution of the more Holding AG. In 2007 he became in- the third president in the history of the organization, which was than $4 billion surplus in the Avi- terim CEO until current president Glenn “Wes” Lematta David Warren founded in 1953 by Tom’s father, Paul Poberezny. –C.E. ation Trust Fund, which paid for Peter Edwards joined the company.

30aaAviation International News • January 2011 • www.ainonline.com