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| Flight Global: European Challenges for Eclipse 500? | back to top |  |
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Eclipse European Certification Question
According to the Flight Global story, EASA has a laundry list of deficiencies it wants addressed on the Eclipse 500, even though the FAA is allowing the aircraft to fly in commercial service in the U.S. Among the issues are the lack of certification for flight into known icing. The Avio NG integrated flight management system is still not complete; there are issues with the autopilot and autothrottles, according to Flight Global; and EASA is worried about the ability of the aircraft to descend from altitude quickly enough after a sudden decompression. They're also considering mandating a traffic alert and collision avoidance system, something Raburn has said is not practical for the aircraft. |
A major European aviation publication is speculating that Eclipse Aviation might have to build a separate line of its E500 very light jet to satisfy concerns of the European Aviation Safety Agency.
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| F1 Driver Jenson Button First in Line for a HondaJet | back to top | |
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HondaJet Launches In Europe
The announcement was Honda's debut at EBACE, and the market potential has not been lost on company executives. "Europe is one of the world's fastest growing markets for light jets, and we have a gret number of customers who have contacted us over the past two years about owning a HondaJet," said Honda Aircraft CEO Michimasa Fujino. Fujino told the crowd the prototype aircraft was unavailable for the show because it's undergoing intensive flight tests. |
One of the biggest stars on the Formula 1 racing circuit drives a Honda, and he'll soon be flying one. Jenson Button was introduced at EBACE 2008 as the first European customer for the HondaJet. A
large crowd formed at the Honda booth at the PalExpo convention center in Geneva to catch a glimpse of the popular F-1 driver, who bought two aircraft and is planning to build a new charter service.
Honda also used the occasion to announce the establishment of three HondaJet sales and service centers, which, as their U.S. counterparts do, bear a strong resemblance to car dealerships. The service
centers will be in Farnborough (a partnership with TAG), Frankfurt (Rheinland Air Service) and Madrid (Aviastec).
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| Int'l Business Aviation Council on Pilot Shortage | back to top | |
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Safety Issues Loom For BizAv
Spruston said there will be a major meeting of industry officials next week to discuss the implications of a pilot shortage that has ravaged regional airlines in some parts of the world, caused a severe shortage of instructors in some areas and is now being felt in business aviation. He said the impact of younger, less-experienced pilots in the normally top-tier positions in business jets is unknown and will be thoroughly discussed. |
Business aviation is by far the safest segment of general aviation but that doesn't mean it can't be better. And there's also a shift in personnel and operations on the horizon that might challenge
that claim, though not necessarily. At a seminar at EBACE 2008 in Geneva on Wednesday, Don Spruston, Director General of the International Business Aviation Council, told delegates that gross
navigation errors, particularly over the ocean, and runway incursions continue to be major issues for business aviation. "More than 50 percent of business aviation accidents are runway accidents,"
Spruston told a rather small crowd at the safety forum. He also said in a
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| Business Jet to Flying Hospital, in the Blink of an Eye | back to top | |
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BBJs As A Humanitarian Tool
Sweden keeps a full planeload of equipment on standby but it's only been used in a real emergency once, when it helped out in the evacuation of people injured in the tsunami that hit Southeast Asia several years ago. Although it's a potent tool to help out in emergencies, there has to be basic infrastructure in place to handle the large aircraft and that's why the system has not been employed in the recent earthquake disaster in China and the typhoon in Burma. Stein says the Swedes hold regular disaster response exercises and the system is employed in those trials.
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Boeing makes no bones about the luxury and style it offers on its large business jets but thanks to an innovative project developed in Sweden, they can be converted to lifesaving workhorses in a
matter of hours. The company has certified a modular system of stretchers and self-contained intensive-care beds that can be used in the mass evacuation of casualties from disasters. "We can convert a
standard airliner or business aircraft in less than six hours," said Boeing engineer Sven Stein. A 737-800 can carry six of the intensive-care beds and the staff needed to monitor them, along with up
to two dozen less seriously injured individuals.
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| Boeing's Flight Sim Setup | back to top | |
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At EBACE, Everyone Can Fly a 787 (Well, Sort Of)
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One of the most popular booths at EBACE 2008 has nothing directly to do with business aviation, but it's attracting crowds of people. Boeing has put up an elaborate flight simulator with controls
approximating a Boeing Business Jet and a wide screen depiction of the ILS to Nice, France. Most people who try it, like this fellow, do a pretty credible job of planting the virtual 787 on the
centerline.
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| AVweb Audio: Are You Listening? | back to top | |
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What's on the Inside Is What Really Counts — Just Ask Jet Completion Pro Jerry Gore
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| The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! | back to top | |
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Aviation Consumer: Take Our Hangar Survey
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AVweb's Newstips Address ...
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Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 200,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips
via email to | Names Behind the News | back to top | |
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Meet the AVwebBiz TeamAVwebBiz 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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