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| One Less Hoop for (Some) Medical Certifications | back to top |  |
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FAA Eases Process For Some Medical Exemptions
The FAA has expanded the list of medical conditions that can be evaluated by an aviation medical examiner instead of requiring a special issuance and an FAA review, EAA reported last week. Under a new FAA policy, applicants with arthritis, glaucoma, hypertension, pre-diabetes and several other common conditions are eligible for the simplified process. Further diagnoses are expected to be announced in the coming months, EAA said. Dr. Greg Pinnell of the EAA Aeromedical Advisory Council will explain the changes in an online webinar scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. Central Time. The webinar is free to all; you need not be an EAA member. The video will be archived on EAA's site for later viewing. Meanwhile, the leaders of both EAA and AOPA have said recently that a proposal last year to the FAA that would have eliminated the third-class medical requirement for many private pilots has stalled.
As AVweb reported last week, EAA chairman Jack Pelton said the outlook is "pessimistic" for the exemption to get passed, but he will continue working to change the third-class requirements. Later in the week, AOPA President Craig Fuller also said support for the exemption is flagging. "High-level FAA staffers told us the exemption was not a priority for the agency," he said. More than 16,000 pilots and organizations have filed comments online about the proposal. |
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| BizAv Converges on Shanghai | back to top | |
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U.S. Companies Explore Asian Markets At ABACE
The airplane industry is eager to push into emerging markets, and that's evident this week with robust attendance at the Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, taking place in Shanghai Tuesday through Thursday. Organizers said they had registered a record 6,284 people to attend the event, with more than 180 exhibitors on site and 34 aircraft on static display. "The record numbers signify the excitement surrounding business aviation in the region," said NBAA in a statement. Cessna officials announced at the show on Monday they expect to be ready to start building jets and turboprops in China by the end of this year, though it may take longer for the government to approve the start of operations.
Cessna said they are "making excellent progress" toward beginning operations in China to assemble Citation XLS+ business jets in joint ventures with CAIGA. "The construction of facilities is complete and we expect tooling and equipment to be in place in Shijiazhuang by June and in Zhuhai before the end of the year," Cessna spokesman William Schultz said at ABACE. Cessna is also working with AVIC on plans to build Cessna Caravan utility turboprops in China. The aircraft from both operations are intended to be sold in the Chinese market. The joint ventures are also expected to develop customer support capabilities to meet aftermarket needs in China, Cessna said. |
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| Continental's Engine Innovations | back to top | |
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Continental Extends TBOs, Certifies Diesel
For years, we've heard that the technology exists to extend engine TBOs beyond the normal 2000-hour recommendation and now Continental has done just that. It recently announced that it will extend the TBOs on many of its popular engines by 200 hours and, for frequently flown engines, by 400 hours. According to the company's Bill Ross, who we interviewed at Sun 'n Fun, this might not immediately mean much to Part 91 operators who aren't required to adhere to published TBOs, but for for-hire operators who are, the cost savings amount to as much as a 20 percent of the overhaul price, a substantial savings.
So how'd they do it? In this podcast, Continental's Ross told us that improvements in technology have allowed the company to achieve tighter and more consistent parts tolerances and that coupled with statistically proven results from engines in service convinced the FAA to approve the higher TBOs, effective immediately. Moreover, no special trend monitoring is necessary during the extended TBO period. As for the 400-hour extensions on engines flown 40 hours a month, Ross said that research on representative engines conclusively showed that they experience less wear when flown frequently, something owners and operators have seen in the field for years. The specifics of the extended TBO program can be found in Continental's Service Letter 98-9 (PDF).
The longer TBOs will apply only to engines manufactured during 2012 and beyond, including new production and rebuilt engines built to new quality standards Continental has established. "Each year we move more toward the digital age with very sophisticated CNC machinery that's able to streamline processes and improve quality," Ross said. Continental also revealed that it has certified its TD300 turbo-diesel engine, although the news of it was kept low key. Continental bought its basic diesel technology from the French company SMA, but has pursued its own developmental path to improve and certify it. Ross said Continental also has a launch customer for the engine but he declined to name it. We're told to expect more information at AirVenture.
Podcast: Continental TBOs ExtendedFile Size 6.3 MB / Running Time 7:40
Thanks to new manufacturing technology and a long track record, the FAA has agreed that many Continental engines can safely go up to 2,400 hours before overhaul. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli spoke with Continental's Bill Ross about this and the certification of its new diesel.
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| Cessna Gains in Race for Speed Title | back to top | |
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First Production Citation X Rolled Out
Cessna has rolled out the first production aircraft of the newest version of the Citation X and in doing so plans to reclaim the title of fastest civilian aircraft in the world. The aircraft was announced at NBAA 2010 not long after Gulfstream laid claim to the title for its G650, but Cessna said the Mach 0.935 top speed of its new jet is fastest. "Speed is the reason for flight. It was true for Clyde Cessna in 1927, and it's true today," said Scott Ernest, Cessna CEO. "The Citation X is the perfect aircraft for customers wanting to move faster, be more efficient and get where they need to be more quickly than ever before."
The new aircraft is a little longer than the Citation Ten that it supplants and also has a little more range at 3,242 nm, giving it a comfortable New York-London range. It can fly at 51,000 feet. The Citation X cockpit has a Garmin G5000 suite with three 14-inch displays and four touch-screen controllers. Two test articles have accumulated 675 hours of flight time and certification is expected later this year. |
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| New Ways to Get Your Hands on an Aircraft, Part I | back to top | |
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Tecnam: New Programs For Affordable Access
Like every other aircraft manufacturer, Tecnam has heard complaints about the high cost of new airplanes and its Tecnam North America arm has developed new programs to attack the problem. According to Tecnam North America's Phil Solomon, one new program would offer an affordable five-year lease on the company's basic-priced Echo Classic Light light sport aircraft. Solomon said the lease would be available "to pretty much anyone who wants it" for $15,000 down and $499 a month, plus $15 an hour for reserves. One unique feature of the lease for pilots 65 years or older, Solomon told us at Sun 'n Fun last week, is that should the lessee become incapacitated, the lease can be terminated instantly with no further liability.
Tecnam's second program is aimed at the opposite end of the market—pilots who have been trained in the U.S. or elsewhere and need a means of building hours as economically as possible. "The idea is basically to offer chunks of time building time, 100, 200 or maybe 300 hours at a very competitive rate, starting at $59 an hour dry, plus fuel," Solomon said. What's unique about this offering, he explains, is that for the period you book the airplane, you essentially own it and you can use it for long trips, daily flights or whatever you wish to fly off the time. "So you get six weeks when you're the person using that airplane," Solomon says. The block-time arrangement also uses the Echo Classic Light, a basic light sport that is nonetheless well equipped with a glass panel and ADS-B.
Solomon says Tecnam has heard from flight schools in a number of countries looking for some sort of hybrid arrangement involving basic training in the home country and additional training for time building in the U.S. "People love coming to the States because it's so easy to fly over here," Solomon told us.
Podcast: Tecnam Trying to Make Flying More AffordableFile Size 6.7 MB / Running Time 8:12
With cost the biggest barrier to flying, Tecnam North America has come up with a couple of different ways to make it more affordable. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli spoke with Tecnam's Phil Solomon.
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| New Ways to Get Your Hands on an Aircraft, Part II | back to top | |
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DiamondShare: Blunting the Cost of Sole Ownership
With new aircraft prices closer to the million dollar mark than not, many would-be owners pass on purchases not because they can't afford it, but because they can't justify the large investment for minimal yearly usage. At least that's the theory behind DiamondShare, an innovative marketing plan developed by Diamond dealer John Armstrong. He told us in a podcast interview last week at Sun 'n Fun that these days, serious owners tend to fly about 100 hours a year, a tiny percentage of the total hours the aircraft is available during the year. "The biggest hurdle for a lot of folks is they don't feel comfortable being able to justify the investment for the 100 hours. If you do the calculation, 100 hours is 1.1 percent of all hours and 2.2 percent of daylight hours. Well, 2.2 percent utilization for a sizeable investment doesn't make sense in certain cases," Armstrong said in an interview at Sun 'n Fun last week.
DiamondShare is a different take on the partnership idea, but Armstrong doesn't like to use the word partner. "We never use the word partnership, because it's not an equity partnership," he explains. So what is this thing exactly? Essentially, it's a sole owner arrangement with up to three "members" who pay a certain amount for access to the airplane. They pay a fixed fee for a capped number of hours. The program provides support, including specialized insurance and a scheduling web site. The owner sets all the policies for aircraft usage, but DiamondShare provides a turnkey program to stitch it all together. For the owner, that includes all expenses paid the first year except gas and taxes and setting up an LLC to manage the airplane. DiamondShare administrates the program through an agency relationship with individual Diamond dealers. According to Armstrong, other types of aircraft can be put into the DiamondShare program.
Podcast: DiamondShare Tackles Aircraft PracticalityFile Size 6.4 MB / Running Time 7:49
It can be hard for a business to justify spending upwards of $1 million for an aircraft that only flies 100 hours a year, but a new program helps spread those costs among multiple users. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli spoke with DiamondShare's John Armstrong about innovative approach.
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| Opinion & Commentary | back to top | |
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AVweb Insider Blog: Sun 'n Fun 2013 -- Drifting
With Sun 'n Fun 2013 now history, what was the mood of the show? To Paul Bertorelli, it reflected the industry in general: drifting along with no particular impressive direction. Show attendees said as much. But that doesn't mean some companies aren't trying -- and suceeding -- in making flying an airplane more accessible.
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| Who's Where | back to top | |
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Whites Buy Kansas Aircraft Corporation
Dianne and Tim White have purchased Kansas Aircraft Corporation from Michele Stauffer. The Whites both formerly worked at Cessna, where Tim was VP of sales for the Americas and Dianne was VP of corporate communications. Stauffer will remain active in the business.
Higby VP at StandardAero
Rob Higby is the new VP of Sales and Marketing for StandardAero's airlines and fleets business. He was formerly VP of worldwide airline sales for GE Aviation.
Rynkiewicz Joins GAMA
Mary Lynn J. Rynkiewicz is the General Aviation Manufacturers Association's new director of communications. She was formerly at the NextGen Institute.
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. |
| 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. |
| 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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