General Business Aviation News

Odyssey Aerospace Components has a new President. If you are not familiar with them, they are a VIP cabinetry company that does high-end work for Boeing, Gulfstream and Bombardier interiors. So who is the new president of the cabinetry company? Trey Bryson is his name and has a heavy background in this field.

Now at Odyssey what is he responsible for for overseeing all programs and meeting the company’s customer-centric vision and goals.

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I just posted about that in the HBC

I just posted about that in the HBC News thread...

A little something on API

Looks like something in the area of comfort for the pilots of the business jet industry. News coming out of the 2012 NBAA is that Sogerma who was at booth 5431 at the NBAA is attempting to break into the business jet market with a new concept for cockpit seats.

The new concept seats possesses an electrical mechanism that allows the operator to customize the position of the seat, with adjustable height, recline and lateral movement settings. So basically there are looking to target mid to large size business jets with the new concept that is yet to find a buyer. You may find similar seats in the cockpits of many Airbus models on the commercial side of the business.

Flying Colours Corp, the Canada-based completions company, seems to have won a maintainence contract for a Saudi business jet. The jet is a Challenger 604 which would be by Bombardier. The aircraft is scheduled to arrive in the first quarter of 2013.

Remember that New Hampshire man who crashed his Cessna 310 on New Year’s Day in 2011? Well he has pleaded guilty for his crime, guilty for manslaughter because he killed his daughter in the process. Thing is, he avoided serving jail-time by pleading guilty to the manslaughter but has had his pilot's certificate made null-and-void permanently.

TAG Farnborough...The UK's only and dedicated business aviation hub, TAG Farnborough airport, has banned all jet aircraft that do not meet ICAO Chapter 4 noise standards. Tough for those who have very loud business jets.

It seems as though as business jet sales from mainstay markets in the U.S and Western Europe will continue to be flat. However, in the so-called BRIC countries demand is expected to continue apace. Countries like Brazil, India, Russia and China will see continued growth in this region as forecasted over the next five years or so.

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Not sure you can call this a business jet but it could as well be one. One that you built yourself! This is exactly that, it's a self-built light aircraft by Dennis Butler.

Having studied the plans, Butler set himself an extra level of challenge before he ordered a single part or piece of material. The original three-seat Cozy was cramped, so Butler decided to enlarge the design by 10-percent in all directions.

This is the result...

Business-jet aviation in the Middle Eastern region is set to double again by 2018. The trend is expected to continue if the previous trends are anything to go by. During 2002 to 2006, approximately 106 business jet deliveries took place. Look forward to the period 2006-2011, that number jumped to 246.

Saudia Arabia currently accounts for 21% of the business turbine fleet in the Middle East.
The U.A.E follows with 17% of the fleet.

HongKong Jet looking to spread its wings

HongJong Jet is an offshoot of Hainan Airlines and is becoming a strong business aviation company. The company mainly operates in Hong Kong but it also runs aircraft in sectors of Asia.

The group's long-time established business-jet operator, Deerjet, could have gone ahead with expanding the brand internationally however, it plans on sticking to its mission of growing in mainland China. Eventually they will be able to emphasis and impart the expertise in China.

The Blame-Game continues...

Rizon Jet is throwing blame at Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority for creating unfair competition. Rizon Jet is a Qatar-based charter operator and chief executive Capt Hassan Al-Mousawi says the authority is "creating obstacles" to its "progress to grow and excel" as an independent company at Doha International airport. However, where the CEO's problem really stands is that Qatar Airways, the flag-carrier airline of Qatar, has a business/charter arm as well, Qatar Executive. So with them even operating the airport and having advantages in ground handling and so on it helps put alot of pressure on Rizon Jet. Furthermore, Al-Mousawi's also claims that even though being granted an operating certificate in 2009 as the country's only independent aviation company - the authority has banned Rizon from permitting third parties from using its VIP terminal at Doha International. "This explicitly violates the initial approval of -the prime minister-, granted in February 2009," he says.

Nextant looking to market hard in Europe

Nextant Aerospace is looking to ramp-up its efforts in marketing its new Nextant 400XT light business-jet in Europe. With EASA certification coming on stream for the light cabin business jet just late last year, what better time than now to push the product. Netant President, Sean McGeough remains optimistic about the success of the new bird. "Many of these owners," McGeough says, "are looking to replace their aircraft with new types that are more fuel-efficient and offer better value for money. That is where the 400XT comes in."

EASA looking towards Flight Time Limitations for Business Aviation.

The European Aviation Safety Agency is looking at Flight Time Limitation for business jet aviation. By Q2 2014, the EASA expects to have a proposed rule on FLTs and final ruling about two years later.

Chinese business-jet fleet swell by 40% in 2012

If there was any doubt that the Chinese business-jet market hasn't been growing then that notion has to be cast out. The Chinese overall business-jet fleet grew by 40-percent in 2012. 36 aircraft were delivered by Gulfstream to that region of which 22 were G550s and 14, G450s. Canadian airframer Bombardier had 31 deliveries to the region, 22 of them being Challenger models and 9 being the big Global Express type models. Things are going decent for the top-end of these airframer's ranges but the bottom end, the smaller aircraft seem not to be selling as much.

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Crop sprayers and helicopters help general aviation/business aviation growth in 2012

If crop sprayers and helicopters helped general and business aviation growth in 2012 then that isn't a good look overall. Well according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association this is what happened. Fixed-wing deliveries rose by 0.6% compared to 2011 figures largely due to a swell in demand for turboprop-powered crop-sprayers, such as Thrush Aircraft and Air Tractor models, according to the GAMA. They also say that Rotorcraft (helicopters) deliveries, jumped some 21.5% to 1,044 deliveries.

Shanghai Hawker Pacific gets Part 145 certification

Shanghai Hawker PacificBusiness Aviation Service Center has recieved Part 145 certification from the FAA -basically as an overseas repair station-. According to General Manager for SHPBASC Carey Matthews, “this certification marks the culmination of a sustained and persistent effort by the company to provide a strong foundation for business aviation in China. There are a number of N-registered aircraft that are based in Asia -that- are regular clients of our facility...”