Archive

Tag Archives: aviation news

Amelia Earhart Flight Recreation Planned for Next Year

August 1, 2013
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

amelia earhartEveryone knows the name of Amelia Earhart, the famous aviation pioneer who was the first female pilot to make a solo flight across the Atlantic in 1932.

Her famed disappearance in 1937 as she approached Howland Island, during a round-the-world flight has remained the subject of much discussion and fascination over the years.

Her namesake, Denver traffic reporter, Amelia Rose Earhart is planning to recreate the flight next year in a Pilatus PC-12NG.  She has been a pilot since 2004 and expects her flight to last for 100 hours with 14 stops along the way.

Rose Earhart hopes her epic flight will motivate teenage girls to think about aviation careers.  Her ‘Fly with Amelia’ foundation, a non-profit organization based in Colorado provides flight scholarships for young women aged 16-18 and a range of opportunities for young people in aviation.

Amelia’s co-pilot will be Patrick Carter and the pair plan to set off in June next year.

BAOA Suggest APIS to Combat Security Concerns in India

July 31, 2013
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

It has been suggested by BAOA that to implementation of APIS could help to alleviate the security concerns raised in India.

Due to these heightened security concerns, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs has blocked temporary landing permits (TLPs) for the crews of foreign business jets of non-scheduled operators (NSOPs).  They will now require mandatory employment visa’s from them to work upon flights within the country after arrival and the possibility of advance passenger information system (APIS).

The movement has placed severe restrictions upon business aviation within India and may be as much as 60% of the entire movement of 24,000 general aviation aircraft on a monthly basis recorded last year that will be affected by the regulatory changes.

Previous TLP’s were issued through the Bureau of Immigration for up to 72 hours for NSOPs foreign registered aircraft flight crew.

Mr Rajesh Bali, Secretary of the Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) is concerned that business and tourism industries will be hit by the changes and recommended to the Government that they mandate APIS for NSOPs which will enable the MHA to ‘Scrutinise personally any passenger or crew flying in on business jets, as it happens in the case of scheduled airlines.’

APIS is currently mandatory for US flights, both national and international and gives the DHS the opportunity to highlight possible high risk passengers and crew before the flight even touches down.

While the issue of TLPs is suspended, airports in major destinations, such as Delhi and Mumbai are losing vital revenue in fees from business aviation.

The BAOA has suggested that if MHA will move to implement a system where crew would be issued a 3-5 year visa as is the regulation in the US, that it continue to issue TLPs until a permanent decision can be made.

Digital APIS offers reliable and secure delivery of Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Records, including that of the aircraft crew.  APIS solutions are offered by business aviation communications providers for border security.

ARINC AQP ACARS over Iridium Approved for FLYHT

July 30, 2013
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd has announced that it has been given approval for the use of AFIRS 228 to send ACARS over Iridium messages over the ARINC network as a result of ARINC’s GLOBALink /Iridium phase 3 AQP tests.

Iridium satellite network provides global reach for messaging and has been used by FLYHT for nearly 10 years rather than traditional VHF radio.  HFDL, part of ARINC’s GLOBALink, fills in the gaps as far as coverage is concerned, with 15 stations that offer truly global coverage for ACARS and other critical data messaging, including remote polar regions.

ARINC is one of only two organizations that are approved to route ACARS protocol; the industry-standard for communication of critical ground and ground-air messaging for over 50 years.

“This is a key milestone for the Company and its customers. To successfully pass the AQP testing on the first attempt is not the industry norm. We are thrilled that the certification program for FLYHT’s products is proceeding as smoothly as planned, which is the result of the highly skilled and dedicated team that FLYHT has assembled,” said Bill Tempany, President and CEO of FLYHT.  “The certification of the AFIRS 228 opens an expanded market to major carriers requiring the AOI capability for FANS or CPDLC compliance for FLYHT. These approvals underpin an aggressive marketing push, which is well underway.”

Sleepy Year for Salina Regional Aviation Refuelling

July 20, 2013
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

Doug Livergood, GM of Flower Aviation at Salina Regional Airport said today that although he believes that, due to its location in the virtual centre of the nation, Salina is a great location for landing and refuelling aircraft, but activity in general and business aviation is proving slow to recover from the recession.

Regrettably, Mr Livergood had to lay off a member of his team earlier this month, as business is so slow; he admits that he has ‘had guys falling asleep.’

Over the first six months of 2013, fuel sales are down by 30% for Flower Aviation, one of two fixed base operators at Salina Airport; the other, America Jet are down in the region of 37% for the same period.

The challenges facing the operators are put down to many factors, such as the loss of long-term clients who no longer own business jets, market competition from both national and international FBO’s, clients not ‘topping-up’ but only refuelling with essential fuel and, of course, the drop in the number of cross-country flights.

Tim Rogers, Airport Authority Executive Director commented, “The physical impact is significant for the airport authority and the FBOs, and merits attention that the airport authority board staff are giving it.”

In a bid to attract more visitors to the Airport, events are being scheduled, such as ‘Wings of Freedom’ which brought World War II aircraft, and Jaded Thunder; a military event that saw more than 500 visitors.  Later this year, America Jet has arranged a fly-in of T33 American trainer jets – America Jet currently hold the contract for military fuelling.

“We want to maintain the effort to attract and schedule military aviation unit training, civilian aircraft associations, and atmospheric and climate research missions, which all provide fuel sales opportunities for the FBO’s,” said Mr Rogers.

Charlotte Airport New Director Wants ‘No Disruption’

July 19, 2013
Business Aviation News Introduction
Leave a comment

Following the recent dramas at North Carolina’s Charlotte Airport, the new interim director, Brent Cagle want the focus of operations to be ‘no disruption.’

While legal issues are resolved, City Leader, Ron Carlee has said that they would never consider any other person to run the airport after the removal of the previous director, Jerry Orr.

Mr Cagle has told airport employees to focus upon their individual jobs to ensure business as usual at the busy airport and not to become embroiled in the public battle over control between city and state leaders.

Cagle said, “Our priority during this time of transition is to focus on no disruption and maintaining business as usual at CLT.”

Since the start of the wrangle, the North Carolina General Assembly issued a law to create a new Airport Authority that would, in effect, take over the airport from Charlotte City.  Within minutes, the City’s attorneys were asking a judge to stop the law in its tracks.

This has resulted in the City, State and the new Airport Authority having to prepare to ‘do battle’ in the courts to decide who will take control of the airport operations.

In the meantime, Mr Cagle is determined to ensure that airport operations run as smoothly as possible, with a focus upon the stability of the airport during the legal and political turmoil.

Head of ARINC Pledges Largest Ever Donation to Annapolis Medical Centre

July 19, 2013
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

John Belcher, Head of Aerospace Technology Company, ARINC, and his wife Cathy, have pledged the largest bequest ever to the Anne Arundel Medical Center, Annapolis.

The couple will give the first $1 million to the hospital, where Mr Belcher is a member of the board of trustees, over the next few years.  The hospital plans to rename the Health Science Pavillion after the couple in honor of their generous gift.  The remainder of the bequest has been written into the couple’s estate and will be donated upon liquidation after their deaths.  It is believed that the donation could be in excess of $10 million, depending upon the value of the estate at that time.

The hospital will also found ‘The John & Cathy Belcher Society’, which will recognise people who bequeath gifts of $100,000 or more in the future.

Mr Belcher chaired the hospitals Care Like No other campaign, which funded the Health Sciences Pavillion.  He joined ARINC in 1997, was appointed CEO in 2002 and also named Chairman in 2004.  With over 30 years of aviation, IT and the defense industries experience, Mr Belcher was more than qualified to head the industry-leading aviation communication company.

ARINC Inc were the founders of ACARS messaging and provide innovative solutions to the needs of commercial and business aircraft.  They furnish the industry with messaging solutions for aircraft and airport operations, continuing with the respected reputation they have gained over the past eight decades.

South Korean Jeju International Airport to Implement ARINC vMUSE

July 18, 2013
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

ARINC vMUSEJeju International Airport has followed South Korea’s other major airports in its choice to use ARINC’s vMUSE technology to improve and optimize operations as the number of passengers grows each year.

The industry-leading provider develops and delivers innovative aviation solutions that can assist airports and airlines with cost management and increasing operational flexibility with vMUSE common-use technology.

Jeju International Airport will benefit from maximized use of facility space with the vMUSE platform and will be able to access off-site servers with any device, which will in turn reduce the necessity for hardware and support requirements.

This new contract will mean that ARINC now provides its vMUSE technology for all South Korea’s International airports, allowing for interoperability and connectivity between the airports and the airlines that operate from them.  This will lead to further operational cost reductions with the allowance for host sharing between the airports.

“Our biggest problem currently is a lack of check-in counters to accommodate the number of airlines that fly through the airport. ARINC’s vMUSE will enable carriers to directly log into their Departure Control System at any counter over any device. The sharing of counter facilities will improve terminal operations, and allow both airlines and airports to welcome more airlines and passengers,” said a representative of the Airlines Operators Committee of Jeju (AOC-CJU).

ARINC are delighted to be working with Jeju and AOC-CJU.  Mr Michael DiGeorge, ARINC MD of Asia Pacific said, “South Korea is one of our strongest and most important markets in the Asia Pacific region. Being a trusted partner to all the major international airports in the country is indeed a rare honour and re-affirms our reputation as a leader in the aviation industry.”

Bookajet Signals Business Aviation Growth

July 16, 2013
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

business aviation Bookajet

Bookajet, leading supplier of executive jets to celebrities has announced the first signs of growth in business aviation since the beginning of the recession.  This growth is a welcome move for the business aviation industry and is likened to the property sector by the MD of Bookajet, Mr Jonathan Clements, who adds, “We are pleased to say we are starting to come out of what has been a very flat and challenging time in Europe.”

It appears that charter demand in business aviation is on the increase and the arrival of new additional aircraft to the fleet has meant the creation of new jobs in the UK.

Bookajet was established in business aviation in 2003 and has bases throughout Europe, in Italy, France, the Netherlands and in Russia that deal with the charter of private jets; overseeing more than 40 aircraft, management and sales.

The newest addition to the fleet is the Gulfstream 4, a luxury executive private jet capable of long-range flight.

Private and business aviation is a steadily growing sector and is competitive, with more and more emphasis placed upon comfort and connectivity.  It is critical that business aviation stays ahead of the game in terms of affordability, maintaining high standards and allowing passengers the same levels of business availability in the air that they have on the ground.

Communications providers must remain cost-effective while offering a range of services that are combined to keep the cabin as efficiently connected as the flight deck to maintain serviceability in this competitive sector of business aviation.

TAG Aviation Move Towards UK’s First Paperless Flight Deck with iPad Flight Planning App

July 15, 2013
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

TAG Aviation Use iPad Flight Planning AppUK operator, TAG Aviation has said that it plans to replace the traditional flight bag with the use of iPads and an iPad flight planning app, making them the first UK business aviation operator to move toward the paperless cockpit.

A surprising difference is made to the weight of the aircraft and subsequent fuel consumption with the heavy flight bags on board, as minute calculations are made during the flight planning process.  The innovation of the iPad flight planning app reduces not only the paper consumption, but also the fuel costs making it an all-round winner for business aviation if you add the benefit of streamlined efficiency on the flight deck.

“The introduction of paperless technology will ensure that pilots have up-to-date, essential information at their fingertips.  Flights manuals, manufacturer’s documents and aeronautical flight charts can be updated at the touch of a button instead of the time-consuming and wasteful process of manually updating hard copies,” said Russ Allchorne, Vice President of Flight Operations Europe at TAG Aviation (UK). “At TAG Aviation, we are committed to identifying ways to pioneer standards in flight operations and wider business aviation practices to improve efficiency, safety and our environmental footprint.”

Many communications providers now offer the iPad flight planning app with the aim of reducing costs while maintaining effective and efficient flight management.  ARINC Direct, industry-leading business aviation solutions provider are able to incorporate the iPad flight planning app into their tailored communications and flight support services for business jets.

Passenger Demand Grows for In-Flight Wifi in the Social Media Explosion

July 5, 2013
Business Aviation News
Leave a comment

in-flight wifiIt looks like the days of turning off our mobile devices on aircraft could one day be behind us as the demand grows for passenger in-flight wifi connectivity.  Many passengers now want to tweet their journey or update Facebook statuses as they fly, posting photos of the clouds, their meals or cities from the air.  Social networking, as we all know, is huge and in-flight wifi is a necessary fuel for that fire.

Recent surveys show that a quarter of British holidaying passengers out of 5,000 believe that free in-flight wifi is not only necessary, but a human right, according to HolidayExtras, although it is also recorded that 84% of these passengers are unwilling to pay the current high rates charged for in-flight wifi.

Now that the US FAA declared the use of the new models of mobile phones and device safe to use in ‘airplane mode,’ the floodgates are open in terms of demand for cheaper, faster in-flight wifi connectivity and this leaves many airlines thinking about the possibilities for revenue versus the inevitable costs involved with upgrades to their existing equipment.

Within the next few years, Inmarsat, the British satellite communications network, will be launching three new satellites, which will give global connectivity possibilities and could spell faster and cheaper in-flight wifi, but, until then, with only four commercial airlines currently offering free in-flight wifi, competition is slim and the cost implications for the passenger still high.

While business passengers enjoy the versatility of in-flight wifi, it looks to be a while before the demand is met for the average holidaymaker.