Category Archives: general aviation

Pilot turned author to hold book signing at Watermark Books on Saturday

April 19, 20132:54 p.m.

Wichita native Philip Donlay learned to fly at Riverside airport and earned his private pilot’s license at 17.

He then flew charter flights for Yingling Aviation, freight for Great Western Airlines and corporate jets for a Fortune 500 company. He was based in Wichita.

After more than 30 years as a professional pilot, Donlay was diagnosed with a medical condition that forced him to give up flying.

So he turned to another passion, writing.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, Donlay will hold a book signing at Watermark Books for his third novel, Zero Separation, an aviation thriller.

A fourth novel is scheduled for release next year.

Donlay now divides his time between Minneapolis and the San Juan Islands.

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under airlines, airports, general aviation | Comments

Cessna: First Corvalis TTx production flight test a success

March 7, 20136:43 a.m.

Cessna Aircraft announced that the company completed the first production flight of its TTx, formerly called the Corvalis TTx, on Saturday.

The company is in the midst of dropping the Corvalis name, a Cessna spokesman said.

The single-engine composite airplane took off from Cessna’s Independence facility.

The pilot took the airplane to 17,000 feet and to a speed of 245 mph.

“The TTx performed exceptionally well,” Brian Steele, Cessna’s business leader for the airplane, said in a statement.”The TTx is a nimble, top of the line airplane. It’s the world’s fastest fixed gear, single engine piston aircraft in production.”

Cessna announced last year that it had begun production of the TTx, an upgraded Corvalis TT.

During its development, test pilots made 275 flights and logged 339 hours in the air, Cessna said.

The plane can reach a top speed of 270 mph and has an operating ceiling of 25,000 feet. It can cross the country with one stop.

Cessna halted production of the carbon-fiber composite Corvalis, formerly called the Columbia, in late 2010 after problems were found at the company’s Chihuahua, Mexico, facility, which builds the fuselage components and wings.

The entire environmental system in Mexico, key to working with composite materials, had to be redone.

Now, the humidity, air pressure and temperature are controlled through use of a continuous monitoring system, company officials have said.

Assembly of the upgraded Corvalis – the $734,000 Corvalis TTx – restarted in October.

 

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Cessna, general aviation | Comments

AOPA’s president and CEO Craig Fuller to retire

March 4, 201310:08 a.m.

Craig Fuller, president and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, said he will retire from the pilot organization later this year.

Fuller, 62, plans to stay in the position while the Board of Trustees conducts a national search for a new president and a replacement is named, AOPA said.

Fuller took office in January 2009.

“Craig has been a highly effective champion for the general aviation community, in large part because he has been a cohesive figure with a big-picture perspective,” said Ed Bolen, National Business Aviation Association president and CEO, in a statement. “He has always understood that by working together and leveraging our strengths, a group as large and diverse as the (general aviation) community can accomplish great things.”

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under associations, aviation industry, general aviation | Comments

Report: Pope Benedict XVI is a helicopter pilot

Feb. 26, 20131:30 p.m.

Pope Benedict XVI departure from his papal duties will gain media attention from around the world, but one fact about him remains little known.

The Pope is a helicopter pilot.

The Pope has a pilot’s license for the papal helicopter and even likes to fly from the Vatican to the papal summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, according to the Catholic News Agency’s “Fun Facts” section. But he does not have a driver’s license and never learned to drive a car.

 

 

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aviation industry, general aviation | Comments

Air Force light air support contract now expected next week

Feb. 22, 20139:43 a.m.

An Air Force decision on who will be awarded a light air support contract is now expected sometime next week, Beechcraft spokeswoman Nicole Alexander said.

The company had expected a decision on Friday, but has been told there has been a slight delay.

The contract for 20 aircraft for the Afghan air force is expected to total about $350 million.

There are two bidders. Wichita-based Beechcraft Corp., formerly Hawker Beechcraft, has proposed its AT-6 attack aircraft, a version of its T-6 trainer, for the project. Sierra Nevada Corp., meanwhile, has partnered with Brazil-based Embraer to offer its Super Tucano.

The planes are to provide the Afghan National Army Air Corp. with a fixed-wing strike capability. They are to be delivered over five years.

The effort to secure a contract has taken nearly three years and has been fraught with delays and legal challenges.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aviation industry, Beechcraft Corp., Defense, general aviation | Comments

Wichita aviation on display at Aero India

Feb. 6, 201310:51 a.m.

Wichita planemakers are showcasing aircraft in India this week at the Aero India biennial aerospace show, which runs Wednesday through Sunday.

Hawker Beechcraft is displaying its Beechcraft King Air 350i turboprop, while Cessna Aircraft is showcasing its Caravan turboprop and Citation jets.

“India is expected to be amongst the world’s fastest growing economies in 2013 and stands to benefit hugely from a national expansion of business aviation, both for domestic and international travel,” Bill Harris, Cessna vice president of sales in Asia and the Asia Pacific, said in a statement. “Cessna is optimistic that legislative and regulatory reforms this year will remove several barriers to India’s aircraft market development.”

One of India’s pressing needs is to improve its intra-state air links, Harris said.

Hawker Beechcraft director of sales in India Todd Hattaway said the company sees a growing demand for its aircraft used in special mission applications throughout the country.

More than 20 King Airs are registered to state or federal government organizations in India, the company said. The majority provide VIP transportation for interstate and cross-country travel.

Eighty-two percent of new turboprop business aircraft delivered in India from 2002 to 2011 were King Air products; 83 percent of the total fleet of registered business turboprops in the country are King Airs, the company said.

Bombardier Aerospace is also in India with its Challenger 605 and Global 6000 jets.

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Beechcraft Corp., Bombardier Learjet, Cessna, general aviation | Comments

Hawker Beechcraft runs King Air promotion as it prepares to emerge from bankruptcy

Jan. 16, 201310:14 a.m.

Hawker Beechcraft wants to gain momentum for 2013 as it prepares to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy a smaller, restructured company, it said.

Customers who buy and take delivery of a King Air 250 or King Air 350i by Feb. 28 will receive credit for a Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics upgrade at no cost, the company said in a press release.

The primary and multi-function touch-screen flight displays come with synthetic vision and a graphical flight management system.

Hawker Beechcraft filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 3.

It plans to emerge from the restructuring a smaller company focused on King Air and Beechcraft products and its military and aftermarket business.

A hearing seeking confirmation from the bankruptcy judge of the company’s restructuring plan is scheduled for Jan. 31.

Hawker Beechcraft is planning to emerge from bankruptcy in the second half of February.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Beechcraft Corp., general aviation | Comments Off

Business and trade groups urge Congress to extend “bonus depreciation”

Dec. 7, 20126:33 a.m.

The National Business Aviation Association is joining dozens of organizations urging Congress to extend accelerated or “bonus” depreciation on a variety of capital equipment used in business, including airplanes.

The action speeds up depreciation schedules allowing businesses to depreciate 50 percent of the cost in the first year.

Bonus depreciation is set to expire at the end of this year.

“It is imperative that we continue the 50 percent bonus depreciation…for 2013 and beyond,” the trade groups said in a letter to leaders of both houses of Congress. “This will provide some certainty to U.S. businesses to allow them to continue to make capital investments, which in turn will create more jobs and help ward off a possible recession in 2013.”

The amount of money businesses invested in new equipment and software was stagnant in the third quarter of 2012 for the first time in three years, NBAA said.

“Businesses need to invest in major assets to help keep America’s economy on the right track,” NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said in a statement.

The letter is signed by representatives of airlines, builders, contractors, railroads, equipment, communication and other industries.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under associations, aviation industry, general aviation | Comments Off

Embraer’s first U.S.-built Phenom 300 makes first flight

Dec. 7, 20125:55 a.m.

Embraer’s first U.S.-assembled Phenom 300 light business jet took its maiden flight this week.

The aircraft was assembled at Embraer’s Melbourne, Fla. plant and will be used by the Brazil-based company as a flight demonstrator.

Embraer officials hail the flight as a milestone for its 23-month-old U.S. production facility.

“The reduction in production time to half of what it took for the first Phenom 100 means the processes we put in place for production have now matured,” Phil Krull, managing director of the site, said in a statement.

The plant is on schedule to produce eight planes per month as it ramps up to full production in the coming months, Krull said.

Embraer opened the facility in February 2011. In December 2011, it opened a 58,000-square-foot customer center at the site.

Last month, it began construction on a $26 million, 67,000 square-foot engineering and technical center. Completion is expected in mid-2014.

The $50 million investment in the site, along with investments in manufacturing elsewhere, reflects Embraer’s commitment to business aviation, the company said.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, Embraer, general aviation | Comments Off

Results mixed for a key indicator of business jet sales

Nov. 28, 20126:12 a.m.

The North American market for business jets is improving, although weakness remains in some key indicators of new business jet sales, according to a new report by UBS Investment Research.

“We continue to believe that the largest bizjet market, North America, is improving, driven by replacement demand postponed during the downturn,” according to the report by UBS analyst David Strauss.

Business jet cycles – takeoffs and landings – were 2 percent higher in October than a year ago and better than in September, which experienced a decline, the report said.

Strauss estimates that cycles are up 24 percent from early 2009, which was the trough, although they’re still down 18 percent from a peak in mid-2007.

Among the six major business jet manufacturers, Dassault was the only one to see cycle improvement in October. Bombardier, Cessna Aircraft, Hawker Beechcraft and Embraer saw declines, while Gulfstream cycles were relatively flat, the report said.

Takeoffs and landings of long-range aircraft dropped 3 percent in October, while short- and mid-range aircraft cycles were down 2 percent each.

Analysts, manufacturers and others watch a variety of indicators, which include the number of takeoffs and landings, to predict demand for business jets.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Beechcraft Corp., Bombardier Learjet, Cessna, general aviation | Comments Off