BOMBARDIER'S CHALLENGER 605 MAKES FIRST FLIGHT
Bombardier took its next-generation Challenger 605 wide-body bizjet for is first test flight last Sunday. The 03:23 flight took place as the company scheduled when launching the type in November 2005, allowing the company to mark a significant milestone toward certifying the next member of its Challenger business jet family. Clear skies prevailed when the aircraft, serial number 5701, departed the Montreal-Trudeau International Airport facility at 12:40 p.m. During the flight, the 605 climbed as high as FL410 and reached a maximum airspeed of 420 knots true. Takeoff weight was 38,734 pounds; the jet performed a step-climb to FL410. Additionally, the initial flight was used to test basic systems and assess the aircraft's handling, flight control checks and avionics. Other test-card items included engine, pressurization and environmental control systems, including performing those checks at maximum altitude. More...

GULFSTREAM GRABS CIS CERTIFICATION FOR G550, G500, G450, G350
While Bombardier was preparing to fly its Challenger 605 for the first time, Gulfstream Aerospace was engaged in obtaining certification from the former Soviet Union of its existing fleet of large-cabin business jets, including the G350, G450, G500 and G550. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) issued its own certificates to Gulfstream, enabling the four models to be registered and operated within the 11 former Soviet Republics that constitute the CIS. The action came after the CIS's Aviation Register of the Interstate Aviation Committee first validated existing FAA type certificates, then issued its own. More...

ECLIPSE WATCH: 1,000 FLIGHT HOURS REACHED; FACILITIES EXPANDED
Eclipse Aviation continues its march toward certification of the first very light jet (VLJ), and on Jan. 19 noted its test fleet has surpassed the 1,000-flight-hour mark, spread over some 750 flights. The company noted achieving its latest milestone without updating its scheduled certification date, which last month was postponed from the first calendar quarter of 2006 to the second and was blamed on component supplier delays. "Six years ago we pioneered the VLJ category with a vision to change air travel, and it's incredibly rewarding to move even closer to our goal of bringing the world's first VLJ to market this summer," said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. "We designed the Eclipse 500 to provide our customers with an unprecedented dispatch rate, and we're experiencing the benefits of this commitment firsthand as our test fleet achieves critical test points and builds hours at an astonishing rate." More...

GULFSTREAM FORMALLY REPLACES G100 WITH G150
Even as it celebrated CIS certification of is large-cabin bizjets, Gulfstream this month announced it would cease producing one of its "low-end" offerings, the G100 business jet, which began its life as the Israel Aircraft Industries Astra and evolved into the Astra SPX before adopting the Gulfstream model labeling system. The company on Jan. 13 said it is ending the mid-size cabin type's 22-year production run. In is place will be the company's newest offering, the G150, a modernized, wide-cabin version of the G100. The last G100 was manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) in Tel Aviv and was then flown to Gulfstream's Appleton, Wis., facility for interior outfitting and paint. The last aircraft is scheduled for customer delivery later this year. There are some 147 G100 or Astra derivative aircraft in service. More...

ADAM UPDATE: SECOND A500 DELIVERED, IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE
Adam Aircraft continued its efforts to fully certify and bring to market its push-pull piston twin, the A500, even as it continues developing its A700 twinjet. Most recently, the company delivered the second A500 to a customer on Dec. 29, allowing the Pennsylvania-based physician to take advantage of the now-expired bonus depreciationallowance. The second Adam A500 delivered to a customer is serial number 006, and features a cockpit equipped with a two-screen glass layout -- one multi-function display and one primary function display -- including weather radar and a terrain database. However, Adam's piston twins are still laboring under a series of restrictions imposed by the FAA when it granted type certification; the company says that, within the next 90 days, the aircraft will be outfitted with air conditioning, pressurization and an expanded CG envelope. Also, Adam Aircraft will expand the altitude envelope to support flights above 12,500 feet to 25,000 feet. These modifications will remove many of the FAA-imposed certification restriction. More...

RAYTHEON MISSES HAWKER 4000 CERTIFICATION DATE
Amid all the talk of manufacturers meeting or beating their announced new-aircraft certification dates comes Raytheon, which has delayed its plans for the Hawker 4000, formerly the Hawker Horizon. So far, however, launch customer NetJets doesn't seem too worried, especially since the delay is a minor one sought by the manufacturer. The delay's source? Raytheon wants to install a lightning protection system on the second of its two certification prototypes before beginning the final phase of testing. The protection system is already installed on the first prototype of the $18.9 million bizjet. According to published reports, Raytheon does not believe the delay will affect delivery schedules. The airframer expects FAA certification in February. More...

ROCKWELL COLLINS PRO LINE 21 IDS EXPANDS OFFERINGS WITH LATEST TSO
Rockwell Collins last week said it had received Technical Standard Order (TSO) approval from the FAA for its Pro Line 21 Integrated Display System (IDS), clearing the way for the systems to be installed on aircraft equipped with Rockwell Collins AP-105 and APS-65 autopilot systems. In addition to the AP-105 and APS-65 autopilots, Pro Line 21 IDS also interfaces with the APS-85, APS-80, and SPZ-500 autopilots. According to the company, the Pro Line 21 IDS offers operators an avionics upgrade path without the full expense normally associated with major retrofits. More...

CHARTERAUCTION CHANGES NAME TO JETS INTERNATIONAL
CharterAuction.com Inc., one of the country's fastest-growing charter brokers, on Monday announced it was changing its name to "Jets International" and filed a "doing business as" (DBA) form to begin marketing under the new name. The company also said its Web site would change to www.jets.com. CharterAuction, err, Jets International -- which does not own or operate aircraft -- will continue to provide what it calls luxury private jet charter services, its exclusive Titanium Membership program and its proprietary online auction. The company's name change highlights the growing charter brokerage services category, in which local aircraft operators increasingly use the national and international marketing ability of brokers to reach new customers and fill empty legs. More...

CHARTERX NETWORK EXPANDS, HANDLES ONE MILLIONTH REQUEST
Meanwhile, if one needs more proof that the charter broker industry is growing faster than SpaceShipOne can climb, CharterX will announce today that 25 new operators have joined its Internet-based service. "It’s an exciting time in the air charter industry. As new aircraft enter the fray, new buyers and sellers join the market, and the overall business is maturing such that being connected is vitally important," said Jim Betlyon, CharterX president. CharterX, which says it processes more than 2,000 flight requests each day, is designed to deliver current availability data on more than 1,500 business jets across the country and stores information on more than 1,500 empty legs on any given day. Since the launch, the system has handled more than one million air charter requests. More...

SENTIENT JET BECOMES OFFICIAL PRIVATE JET PARTNER OF PGA TOUR
Golf and business jets go hand in hand. If you have any doubts, hang around the GA airports serving any major golf tournament -- the facilities serving Augusta, Ga., in early April each year come to mind. Realizing this, and hoping to market its services to businesspeople who may never have thought of using a private aircraft for their transportation, charter broker Sentient Jet this month announced its has become the “Official Private Aviation/Jet Provider of the PGA Tour” through a four-year marketing partnership. As part of the relationship, Sentient Jet will provide PGA Tour members with a variety of benefits tailored to fit the unique demands of a professional golfer’s travel schedule. These include a special offer to join the program, flexible billing options and guaranteed jet availability on short notice for tournament cut days. More...

FLIGHT OPTIONS NAMES RAY BENNETT VICE PRESIDENT, SALES
Flight Options, a Raytheon subsidiary and one of the nation's top fractional operators, this week announced it has named Ray Bennett as its vice president of sales. Bennett has served as the regional sales director for the company's southeast territory since June 2003. Prior to joining Flight Options, he held sales leadership roles with both NetJets and Raytheon Travel Air. A licensed pilot, Bennett has more than 1,500 hours of flight time. He is a graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University with a degree in business administration and communication. He and his family will be relocating to Cleveland, where he will report to Jim Dauterman, head of sales, marketing and contracts. More...

WATCH YOUR INBOX...
...the next issue of AVweb's BizAVflash will be e-mailed to you on Feb. 8. More...

AVwebBiz is a twice-monthly 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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