Volume 3, Number 17 — October 12, 2005

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The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded Business News Coverage At AVweb's Business NewsWire.

"DUDE, WHERE'S MY BIZJET?"
It's not the same as the strange case of the missing 727 from a couple of years ago, but it's not the same as stealing a Cessna for a joy ride, either. "It" is last weekend's apparent theft of a Cessna Citation VII, which went missing from the St. Augustine (Fla.) Airport (SGJ) sometime Saturday and mysteriously materialized a few hundred miles away at the Gwinnett County Airport/Briscoe Field (LVL) in Lawrenceville, Ga., Sunday morning, according to The Associated Press. Published reports say the jet -- which is operated by Pinnacle Air Jet Charter -- landed at SGJ at about 10:40 a.m. local time Saturday. According to the AP, the jet's crew parked the Citation on the ramp, turned loose their passengers and waited for an outbound flight assignment. It was a lengthy wait -- the crew first realized their jet was missing on Monday morning. By Monday, the Citation had already been parked at LVL for at least a day -- since the tower at LVL is closed overnight, local authorities believe the Citation landed before 6:30 a.m. Sunday. The pool of likely suspects can't be that large, of course -- how many Citation VII-qualified pilots were there in the St. Augustine area last Saturday? More...

'TIS THE SEASON: ICING WARNINGS ABOUND ...
Last Thursday’s fatal crash of a Cessna Caravan 208B as it tried to return to the Winnipeg (Canada) International Airport has highlighted not only the type’s problematic history with airframe icing but also the onset of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter season. In last week’s crash, Nancy Chase-Allan, 49, apparently was attempting to return to the airport after encountering conditions the single-engine turboprop could not handle. According to the Brandon, Manitoba, Sun newspaper, Chase-Allen radioed controllers at the airport, “I need an immediate back to the field … I’m icing up to the point where, uh, I need to come back.” The aircraft, operated by Morningstar Air Express as a FedEx feeder flight, crashed shortly thereafter as the pilot complied with vectors back to the airport. Cessna’s Caravan series has recently seen heightened government and industry scrutiny of both its icing certification and behavior when confronted with winter weather. More...

... LET’S BE CAREFUL OUT THERE ...
Perhaps with one eye on the calendar and another on last season’s icing-related accidents involving high-end general aviation aircraft, three aviation trade groups this week published a joint letter announcing a safety-awareness program designed to mitigate the risk of incidents related to ice contamination. The letter to business aviation operators and FBOs highlights the “extra measures operators should take when operating in a winter climate.” The letter also provides references to online resources containing detailed guidance and comprehensive educational tools for icing operations. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and National Air Transportation Association (NATA) jointly developed the letter and the program it announces. More...

... NO MATTER WHAT YOU FLY
When considering the Caravan, many industry observers believe many of the type’s problems can be traced to pilots who may be flying an aircraft approved for flight in known icing for the first time. After perhaps years of dealing with icing conditions from the left seat of an airplane armed only with a heated pitot tube, pilots see the big turbine, deicing boots and other equipment installed on the Caravan and consider themselves suddenly immune. But in-flight icing conditions can affect even the most capable aircraft, as Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) noted earlier this year when it issued its final report involving two similar incidents at the Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport on Dec. 7, 2002. In both incidents, Airbus A321-211 aircraft operated by Air Canada in scheduled passenger operations were involved, disproving the theory that larger aircraft are immune to airframe icing considerations. More...

CESSNA'S CITATION CJ2+ GETS FAA PAPERS
If you’ve been awaiting delivery of your very own Citation CJ2+, you may not have much longer until you get the keys. That’s because Cessna last week said the FAA has granted type certification to the newest member of the manufacturer’s lineup, which was first announced less than a year ago, at the National Business Aviation Association’s annual convention. The Model 525A Citation CJ2+ -- a growth model of the CJ2 -- was certified after slightly more than 80 flights and 190 flight hours. When compared to its predecessor, the "plus" model offers an increased maximum payload of 300 pounds over the CJ2, which the company says enables operation in a weight environment of "single pilot plus 1,800 pounds." "Receiving certification on the CJ2+ speaks clearly to the very important and ongoing partnership between our customers and our employees," said Jack J. Pelton, Cessna’s chairman, president and CEO.More...

KING AIR 350 BULKS UP
Raytheon late last month said it had obtained Commuter category certification of a heavier Beechcraft King Air 350. The new model features a host of airframe modifications, including heavyweight landing gear, designed to allow operations at a maximum gross takeoff weight of 16,500 pounds, an increase of 1,500 pounds over a standard Beechcraft King Air 350. Once a set of nacelle-mounted fuel tanks is certified, the bulked-up model will be dubbed the King Air 350ER. Aimed at the special mission market, the new version will have the ability to fly a short-range positioning leg of 100 nm, perform a low-altitude surveillance mission for up to eight hours and return to its base, landing with more than 45 minutes of fuel on board. Certification of the King Air 350ER is still slated for the summer of 2006. More...

THIS CZECH MAY BE CARRYING THE MAIL
If Czech Republic airframer Evektor-Aerotechnik has its way, its newly proposed EV-55 twin turboprop may soon make a dent in the corporate/utility/training markets. Late last month, Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) announced that the EV-55 will be powered by two PT6A-21 engines of 550 shp apiece, giving the to-be-certified twin a cruise speed of 220 knots at 10,000 feet. The PWC announcement -- Evektor-Aerotechnik hasn’t formally commented on its plans, although the company has a detailed Web site covering the model -- included reference to completion of the first EV-55 prototype being scheduled for mid-2007, with type certification to FAR Part 23 to follow by the end of 2008. If you've heard of Evektor-Aerotechnik, you're not alone: the company is a leading European manufacturer of Light Sport (in the U.S.), JAR-VLA (in Europe) and so-called "microlight" aircraft. More...

EMBRAER SELECTS BMW TO DESIGN BIZJET INTERIORS
Embraer last week announced it had chosen BMW Group DesignworksUSA to design the interior of its recently launched Very Light Jet and Light Jet. The Brazil-based airframer said BMW Group DesignworksUSA delivered "a design solution that creates a feeling of serenity upon entering our aircraft through a simple and elegant first impression." Amenities incorporated into the designs include a private lavatory and a refreshment center, an executive table, and entertainment and communications at the passengers' fingertips, according to Embraer. "In close collaboration with the customer and BMW Group DesignworksUSA, the final design solution reflects customer requirements, melding function and style," said Luís Carlos Affonso, Embraer Senior Vice-President, Executive Aviation. More...

CESSNA, RAYTHEON SHUFFLE MEDIA, MARKETING, SALES STAFFS
Wichita's Cessna and Raytheon recently announced a series of changes in the lineups in their respective media and sales departments. Cessna led off the festivities when it named long-time AVweb friend Steve Fushelberger as its new vice president of marketing, effective Sept. 26, 2005. He will report to Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Roger Whyte. On the 26th, Raytheon said it tapped Mike Turner to become senior manager, media relations, which will involve developing and managing Raytheon Aircraft Company’s media strategy for local, trade, national, business and international media. Then, last week, Cessna named three vice presidents in its Citation sales organization: Mike Luethye, vice president, national sales west; Gordon Vieth, vice president, national sales east; and Trevor Esling, vice president, international sales. The three will continue to report to Mark Paolucci, vice president of Citation sales. More...

WATCH YOUR INBOX ...
...the next issue of AVweb's BizAVflash will be e-mailed to you on Oct. 26. See you then... More...