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| AVflash! China's Growth Spurt | back to top |  |
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Aviation Recession Hits China?
The bizjet sector is the bright spot for Chinese civil aviation but (relatively) tough times are ahead as China continues to cope with lessened demand for its products. Reporting from the Beijing International Business Aviation Show, China Daily reported that a senior government official was praising the importance of business aviation to the overall industry. "The growth of business aviation is faster than that of other civil aviation sectors, including passenger and freight transport," said Li Jiaxiang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Companies interviewed by the newspaper said they expect the growth of their businesses to be cut in half in the coming year but they're still expecting upwards of 20 percent growth. The regulatory structure needed to accommodate meaningful growth, particularly for more grassroots aviation, is lagging, however.
At the same event, the newspaper reported that low-altitude airspace reform is at least three years away in some areas and won't be adopted country-wide until 2020. Airspace in China is tightly controlled by the military and non-scheduled civil aviation activity is a time-consuming bureaucratic exercise. It was previously reported that airspace liberalization for privately owned aircraft was imminent and the comments at the convention by Du Qiang, deputy secretary of the National Air Management Traffic Committee appear to signal a delay in that initiative. |
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| Going Where the Lawmakers Are | back to top | |
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AOPA, NBAA At RNC, DNC
AOPA and NBAA (no mention of EAA) have taken the unprecedented step of setting up at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions to press issues of concern to general aviation. The Hill, covered the joint schmoozefest at the Liberty in Charlotte on Tuesday. Among those attending were senior Democratic congressmen and senators along with delegates. There was socialization and some networking going on and it appears the spirit of political conventioneering was upheld. The party with the Dems came a week after a similar event in Tampa with aviation-minded delegates attending the Republican convention.
In Tampa, the groups hosted a similar cross section of delegates and politicians and in each case the receptions were promoted with ads reminding politicians (some of the most avid users of GA) that they're fighting to protect the freedom of flight. AOPA announced the parties in July and invited delegates to sign up online to take part. |
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| G280 Marks Certification | back to top | |
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Gulfstream G280 FAA Certified
Gulfstream's super-midsize G280 has been certified by the FAA, the company announced on Monday. The G280 can fly up to 3,600 nm and take off from a 4,750-foot runway, an improvement of 1,300 feet compared to the aircraft it replaces, the G200. With a new transonic wing design and new fuel-efficient Honeywell engines, the G280 is faster than the G200, with a top speed of Mach 0.85, and it burns less fuel. The airplane also is now certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel. The first delivery will be made to a U.S. customer before the end of the year, the company said. The jet sells for about $25 million.
The cockpit features the PlaneView280TM avionics panel, based on Rockwell Collins ProLine Fusion avionics, with three 15-inch screens. The system "is designed to improve situational awareness and safety through its highly interactive controls and interfaces as well as its advanced graphics and synoptics," said Pres Henne, Gulfstream's senior vice president for engineering. The cabin also has been redesigned with new seats, a larger lavatory and more galley space. AVweb's editorial director Paul Bertorelli spoke with Henne about the G280 (at first designated the G250) when it was introduced at NBAA in 2008; click here for that podcast. |
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| Signs of Life in the Aftermarket | back to top | |
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Used Bizjet Market Slightly Better
The used business aircraft market isn't much better but the numbers are headed in the right direction, according to the most recent report from JetNet (PDF). The company's annual review of activity in the used market from July of 2011 to July of 2012 shows 13.5 percent of the world fleet of business jets (a total of 2,521 aircraft) was for sale in July of this year. That's a hair less than the 13.7 percent available in July of 2011. There were, however, 7.7 percent more sales and even though it takes an average of 377 days to sell a bizjet, that's six fewer days than a year ago.
Things were a little more turbulent in the turboprop and helicopter worlds. The number of turboprops for sale dropped by 1.1 percent but the number of aircraft sold during the year (767) was actually down by 2.5 percent, perhaps suggesting some sellers are simply taking their aircraft off the market. The same trend appears for both turbine and piston helicopters. The number of turbine helicopters for sale dropped by .4 percent but the number of actual sales dropped by 10.7 percent. Piston sales dropped by 12.2 percent. |
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| A Moment to Chime in Helps FAAST | back to top | |
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FAA Seeks GA Survey Input
The FAA Safety Team is asking aircraft owners and operators in the general aviation community to participate in an online survey about how they use their aircraft. The annual survey is the only source of information on the activities of the GA fleet, including number of hours flown and the reasons people fly, according to the FAASTeam website. FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta encouraged aircraft users to respond. "By taking the time to participate in the FAA's GA survey, owners and operators share valuable data that help the entire GA community," he said. The survey is available online.
Data collected from the survey help determine funding for infrastructure and service needs, assess the impact of regulatory changes, and measure aviation safety, according to the FAASTeam. The survey is also used to prepare safety statistics and calculate the rate of accidents among GA aircraft. Responses are private, the FAA says, and the information will be used only for statistical purposes. Owners who did not fly their aircraft in 2011, have sold it, or are awaiting repairs should also respond to the survey. The survey closes on Nov. 30. |
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| Opinion & Commentary | back to top | |
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AVweb Insider Blog: No Time? No Kidding
Cost is a big reason that many owners have reduced their flying hours. But so is lack of time. No surprise there, either, says Paul Bertorelli on the AVweb Insider blog. You probably don't know anyone who's working fewer hours than they did a decade ago, and neither do we. Modern life puts so many demands on the 24-hour day that flying gets bumped to the bottom of the to-do list. Plus, some additional thoughts on the passing of Neil Armstrong.
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| Who's Where | back to top | |
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Changes at Yingling Aviation
Lonnie Vaughn is the new President of Yingling Aviation, and Andrew Nichols is the new VP of Finance.
Moving Up at Continental
Stephen Ginger is the new Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Continental Motors, and Keith Chatten is now Associate VP of Engineering.
Bullis Promoted at Universal
John Bullis has been appointed Regional Sales Manager for northern Europe by Universal Avionics. He's been with the company since 1998.
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| The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! | back to top | |
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AVweb's Newstips Address ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 255,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
Who's Where? You Tell UsGet a promotion or a new job? Your colleagues want to know about it, and AVwebBiz can get the word out. Drop us a line about the staff appointment, with a nice recent photo, and we'll do our best to include it in our new section, "Who's Where." The items will be permanently archived on AVweb for future reference, too. |
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| Names Behind the News | back to top | |
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Meet the AVwebBiz Team
AVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.
The AVwebBiz team is:
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