RUSSIA EYES EASIER BIZJET RULES
The Russian government is poised to liberalize aviation regs and customs laws to make it easier for Russians to register their business aircraft in Russia. According to Russia Today, Russians spent $2.5 billion on private aircraft, almost all of them bizjets, last year but most are registered elsewhere. Government spokesman Sergey Stepashin says that’s about to change but he didn’t specify when. “The rules for small aviation are not settled in Russia. The majority of planes are registered abroad because of high customs fees. That’s why it’s now very important to change our aviation code, to make it possible to register a private business jet in Russia,” he said. Meanwhile, with the industry expanding at 30 percent a year despite the laws, western companies are filling the market gaps. More...

DAYJET ADDS THREE MORE HUBS
DayJet has expanded its reach in the Southeast with the addition of Macon, Ga., Montgomery, Ala., and North Miami/Opa Locka Airports as “DayPorts”. The expansion brings to 10 the number of hubs operated by the “per seat, on demand” service, which began flying in October. The company uses Eclipse 500 very light jets on its flights to 45 small and regional airports in five southeastern states. According to the FAA’s aircraft registry DayJet now has 28 Eclipses. In a news release the company says its numbers validate its business model. More...

LONDON-AREA AIRPORT GETS NEW BIZJET TERMINAL
Air Partner has announced plans to build an upscale $14 million terminal and FBO at Biggin Hill Airport 14 miles from downtown London. Three other London-area airports, Farnborough, Luton and London City, are at capacity for business jet traffic. “With other private-jet airports straining at the seams and turning away existing business, we have decided to consolidate our plans at Biggin Hill,” David Savile, Air Partner’s chief executive told the Sunday Times The facilities are expected to open next year. More...

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW, AIRLINES, AND THE CREDIT CRISIS
With more than $100 billion in orders booked at the Dubai airshow last year, there were no signs of recession in the business jet market, but Singapore's Air Show may tell a different tale for the airline industry. Early figures from the February 19-22 Singapore Air Show list orders at just over $10 billion -- much lower than Dubai and significantly lower than analysts predictions of $15-$20 billion. With the Asian airline industry forecasted to boom, the discrepancy has analysts searching for answers. Some are blaming the credit crisis, suggesting the global economy's impact on travel, or the airlines' difficulty in financing aircraft, may be forcing airlines to tie up more equity in aircraft purchases and to adapt their financial strategies. Those factors may lead to a lull in purchases. Other factors affecting the slower-than-expected buying frenzy may include uncertainty in China and the United States, where potential airline consolidations complicate aircraft purchase plans. More...

THE DOLLAR'S POTENTIAL IMPACT ON BOMBARDIER CSERIES
Canada's Bombardier is weighing customer interest in a planned 110- to 130-seat airliner, and considering the financial influences that could see the final assembly of the CSeries take place in America. Global economic factors that currently have the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar as near equals could lead the company to consider building a new plant in the United States, said Bombardier Aerospace President Pierre Beaudoin. The move could involve creation of as many as 2,500 jobs. First, however, Bombardier is seeking firm orders before making a formal decision to move forward with the fly-by-wire, largely composite aircraft that aims for a 20-percent increase in fuel efficiency over current, similar-capacity aircraft. With demonstrated interest, the company would expect to launch the CSeries program this year and bring the aircraft into service by 2013. ... And Bombardier may still decide to do final assembly in Quebec, wing work in Northern Ireland and other manufacturing in Mexico. Bombardier has invested $145 million to research feasibility of the SCeries and believes neither Airbus nor Boeing has expressed interest in developing similar aircraft anytime soon. More...

OSCARS TIE UP ORGAN TRANSPLANT AIRCRAFT, CORPORATE CITATION DELIVERS
As the stars and their entourages headed to Los Angeles for the Academy Awards a real-life melodrama was playing out in British Columbia and a corporate jet flew to the rescue. Officials with the B.C. Transplant Society told the Globe and Mail that last Thursday when they tried to charter a jet from any of 11 companies that normally provides the service, they were told none was available. "As a result of the Oscars going on in California, all of the [charter] jets had been spoken for," Bill Barrable, executive director of B.C. Transplant told the newspaper. "We were in a situation where we could not secure a jet in the tight time frame that we needed to." At stake were seven organs ready for harvest from a man who had died in a rural town several hundred miles from Vancouver, where seven patients were awaiting life-saving or life-enhancing transplants. So Barrable called his friend and former college mate Robert McFarlane, the CFO of Telus, a large Canadian telecommunications company, and the firm’s Citation was on the way within an hour. More...

GULF ADS-B DEPLOYMENT BY DECEMBER 2009
Acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell told delegates attending the annual HAI Heli Expo in Houston that Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) will be up and running for helicopters servicing offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico (and any other aircraft properly equipped) by the end of next year. Sturgell said the system designed by ITT is currently being evaluated and that’s the last step before oil platforms are equipped with the gear to make the ground portion of the system work. Houston Center will get responsibility for using the ADS-B information to separate traffic in the Gulf, which doesn’t have radar coverage. More...

HELICOPTER PILOT SEEKS CIRCUMNAVIGATION RECORD
A Virginia helicopter pilot will try to set a record for flying a helicopter around the world by making the 19,865 nm flight in 14 days. Scott Kasprowicz set a record for flying from New York to Los Angeles earlier this year (15:09.10 with six fuel stops) in his AgustaWestland Grand. The trip will be made in a factory-standard Grand, with no range or speed modifications. “No team has tried to set the around the world record like this before and we're excited about both the challenges and the rewards of such an attempt," Kasprowicz said. More...

RECORD CROWDS AT HELI-EXPO
Helicopter Association International says a total of 17,373 people attended Heli-Expo in Houston from Sunday to Tuesday, setting a new record and leaving the record number of exhibitors tired but happy. A total of 573 companies displayed their wares at the event and there were 65 helicopters on the showroom floor, which covered 252,700 sq. ft. But it wasn’t all about ogling the shiny stuff on the floor. Many participants left with an education and some had new jobs. More...

More coverage of Heli-Expo 2008:

Sikorsky Unveils 250-Knot Helicopter
Honeywell Says Demand to Stay Strong
Eurocopter Delivers First EC225 In U.S.
Sikorsky Launches S-434
Eurocopter Unveils New China-Built EC175

NEW HAI EXECUTIVES

HAI

Helicopter Association International announced its new board of directors at its annual Heli-Expo, which ended Tuesday. They are: Christopher Erickson, Chief Repair Station Office/Compliance, Erickson Air-Crane; Gale Wilson, President, Hillcrest Aircraft Company, Inc.; and Ardis T. Ashton Jr., Transportation Policy Manager, Bonneville Power Administration-Aircraft Services. The new members of the executive committee of the Board of Directors are Patrick Corr, Chairman; Mark Gibson, Vice Chairman; David Chevalier, Treasurer; and Art Ashton, Assistant Treasurer.

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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: DASSAULT FALCON 7X FLY-BY-WIRE BUSINESS JET
Dassault has introduced a jet that changes the playing field for business jet manufacturers, operators and pilots. That jet is the $40 million Falcon 7X. In this exclusive video, AVweb video editor Glenn Pew takes us inside the Falcon 7X. (Click through to watch.) More...

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AVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.

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