Business Jet Sales Continue To Grow In A Tight Economy

As major airlines are trying to cut costs to deal with high fuel prices, sales of business jets are booming.

The San Jose Mercury News reports a study indicates that the number of business jets being built will double in the next ten years.It is more than just the price of airline air travel making the difference to businesses that lease or buy jets. The choice is also a matter of convenience.

Business jets bypass the annoyances of lost baggage and intrusive security checks.

Fuel costs are hitting jet-charter companies just as hard as big airlines and raising rates, but customers are still willing to pay more for a business jet to avoid the unpleasantness of flying a big airline.

Source: The San Jose Mercury News

“Liberty Belle” B-17 Flying Fortress Crosses Atlantic Ocean For July 4th

Photo by Alton K. Marsh

The APOA Pilot Blog reports on the the “Liberty Belle”, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress that is crossing the Atlantic Ocean and set to land on the Fourth of July in England.

According to the story, the Liberty Belle will arrive on the Fourth in Duxford, Englnad, performing a flyby above an cemetery where 300,000 Americans who died in World War II are buried.

You can track the flight on the Liberty Foundation's offical homepage.

There are more photos of the Liberty Belle on the Liberty Foundation's Flickr account and more photos of WWII aircraft.

Source: AOPA Pilot Blog and The Liberty Foundation

Eclipse 500 Receives Flight Into Known Icing Certification

© Eclipse Aviation Corporation, 2008

Eclipse Aviation, manufacturer of the world's first very light jet (VLJ), recently announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI) certification for the Eclipse 500. With this certification, the Eclipse 500 can now operate in conditions in which ice is known to be present.

© Eclipse Aviation Corporation, 2008

"This certification process is one of the most difficult things to put a new model of aircraft through," said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. "We've worked through this process for some time, flying the Eclipse 500 in the precise natural icing conditions that the FAA requires. We tested the aircraft in some of the most severe weather conditions we could find, wherever we could find it. By receiving the FAA certification, we proved that the aircraft can withstand known icing conditions in a real-world operating environment with no structural changes required of the airframe," said Raburn.

Source: Eclipse Aviation

Brazilian Aircraft Builder Embraer Achieves New Success In The Global Market

The Miami Herald reports on the rise of Brazilian aircraft builder Embraer and the opening of their new U.S. headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Embraer is now number three among commercial aircraft builders in the world, behind Boeing and Airbus, and recently announced plans to build a $50 million dollar assembly plant in Florida for light and executive jets.

After overcoming financial problems in the 1990s, business is booming for Embraer with over four years worth of orders for commercial and executive jets to fill. The Miami Herald article explores how Embraer managed to overcome obstacles to find succcess and what challenges the company faces from global competitors.

Source: The Miami Herald

Cessna Seeks To Go Green By Establishing Environmental Strategy Council

Cessna's homepage reports on the announcement by Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton of the establishment of the Cessna Environmental Strategy Council.

According to Cessna, the council will assess the company’s impact on the environment and formalize initiatives to minimize that impact. The council is comprised of representatives from every part of the company.

“This is an important part of our long-term strategy,” Pelton said. “We are looking at boosting our efforts in recycling – both personal and industrial – conserving energy, aircraft operations and aircraft design,” he said.

The council is looking at how the company interfaces with the environment, with the goal of developing an action plan to lessen Cessna’s impact on the environment. The effort will also reach out to Cessna’s employees, encouraging them to embrace an environment-friendly approach to their everyday lives.

Pelton said Cessna is coordinating with industry and government groups, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Business Aviation Association.

Cessna already is thinking green in a number of ways: recycling materials such as aluminum and paper, designing lighter airplanes to complete the same mission and working with suppliers – especially engine makers – to develop more efficient systems.

Source: Cessna

Hawker 4000 Receives FAA Approval To Begin Customer Deliveries

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation recently announced Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certification for the new flagship Hawker 4000 super-midsize business jet, allowing the company to begin delivering this revolutionary aircraft to customers this month.

The Hawker 4000 features innovative composite construction and considered one of the world’s most advanced business jets . HBC concurrently received the FAA production certificate for the Hawker 4000.

“This is a historic step forward for Hawker Beechcraft, as our hard work and dedication on the Hawker 4000 program has resulted in the most luxurious, most innovative and most advanced super-midsize business jet in the world.” said Jim Schuster, HBC chairman and CEO. “We’ve put a tremendous amount of effort into the Hawker 4000 and are eager to fulfill our substantial backlog of worldwide customer orders.”

Source: Hawker Beechcraft

Gulfstream Celebrates Roll-Out Of 200th Gulfstream G550/G500

Gulfstream Aerospace recently announced the roll out the 200th Gulfstream G550/G500 at its manufacturing plant in Savannah.

“The roll-out of this aircraft represents a significant milestone,” said Joe Lombardo, president, Gulfstream. “In less than five years, our work force has assembled 200 aircraft of the G550/G500 family. This roll-out reflects the hard work, dedication, and innovation of Gulfstream’s employees, as well as the popularity of the aircraft in the business-aviation industry.”

The G550/G500 was officially introduced on Sept. 9, 2002, in Orlando, Fla. In a first for Gulfstream, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the Type and Production certificates for the G550 on the same day, Aug. 14, 2003.

Source: Gulfstream Aerospace