Also Noted...

Jeppesen announced today that it has completed a successful rapid decompression test of the new iPad 2. The test–similar to the one it did last year for the original iPad to obtain initial FAA authorization for the Jeppesen Mobile TC charting app–was completed to an altitude of 51,000 feet, proving the device’s integrity in the event of sudden cabin pressure loss. The Jeppesen Mobile TC iPad app is available from the App Store at no additional charge for Jeppesen e-chart subscribers.

Globalair.com expanded the capability of its aircraft buyers research tool on its website. The online comparison tool not only allows users to compare business aircraft by a specific make and model, but now permits comparisons across a specific platform. For example, instead of just side-by-side equipment lists for several Hawker 850XPs, users can now compare a specific Hawker 850XP to a Gulfstream G200 or Learjet 60XR at the same time.

The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing a cap on air-tour flights in the Grand Canyon, new routes adjacent to the Canyon and a higher minimum altitude for transition traffic. It is holding a series of public meetings on the proposed changes. The meetings will be held in Phoenix on April 6; Flagstaff, Ariz., April 7; and Henderson, Nev., April 14.

Pilatus Aircraft tapped Quilque of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as its newest sales center in South America. Established in 1997, Quilque is the aeronautical arm of Estancias y Cabaña Las Lilas (ECLL), one of Argentina’s historied farming operations. Quilque will be responsible for the sales and marketing of the PC-12 NG in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Bombardier’s 2011 Maintenance & Operations (M&O) Conference, to be held in Chicago from April 12 to 14, will include more than 20 hours of operational sessions. This includes hypoxia awareness training, as well as cabin evacuation training in a full-motion cockpit and cabin simulator. The event is open to all Bombardier operators, but seats are limited and registration is required.

The Sikorsky X2 technology demonstrator has been named the winner of the 2010 Robert Collier Trophy. The aircraft, a semi-compound helicopter with a propeller in pusher configuration, reached 250 ktas in level flight in September last year. The trophy, which recognizes the greatest achievements in aerospace in America, will be presented during a ceremony on May 5 in Arlington, Va.

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Cessna To End Citation CJ1+ Production This Summer
Cessna Aircraft confirmed to AIN that it will end production this summer for the Citation CJ1+, the light jet that directly descends from the original CitationJet, which entered service in 1993. The CitationJet was redesignated the CJ1 in 1998 when Cessna added a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 glass cockpit. In 2004, it became the CJ1+ with the addition of Fadec-equipped Williams FJ44-1AP engines and a 100-pound mtow increase. Since the CJ1+ was certified in June 2005, about 100 of the aircraft have been delivered. “As a result of reduced customer demand and as part of Cessna’s previously announced production reductions, production of the CJ1+ has been limited over the past few years,” a Cessna spokesman told AIN. “We delivered three in 2010, and we have scheduled only two for delivery this year. As a result, we are halting future CJ1+ production.” According to Cessna, the final CJ1+–S/N 701–will come off the production line in Wichita this summer and be delivered in September. Cessna “remains committed to continue to support the existing fleet.” The $5.15 million jet sits neatly between the $3.198 million Mustang and $7.044 million CJ2+, leaving a product gap in the Citation line with the CJ1+’s exit. Cessna said it would not discuss any new products that might fill this void.

FAA Withdraws Advanced Notice for SMS Proposal
The FAA withdrew an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) today, released in July 2009, that solicited public comment on potential rules requiring a safety management system (SMS) for Part 21, 119, 121, 125, 135, 141, 142, and 145 certificate holders, product manufacturers, applicants and employers. This comment period closed on Oct. 21, 2009. “The FAA is withdrawing the ANPRM because we have issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would require [Part 121] certificate holders to develop and implement an SMS,” the agency said in the withdrawal notice. But Part 135 charter operators, or the other aforementioned certificate holders, are not off the hook for SMS because of this ANPRM withdrawal–if anything, it only delays the inevitable. “The FAA may initiate additional rulemaking in the future to consider SMS for other product/service providers,” the agency noted. The comment period for the Part 121 NPRM was extended to March 7, largely at the request of non-airline alphabet groups, including NBAA, AOPA, EAA, ARSA, NATA and others. Basically, the signers of the request believe that the Part 121 SMS rule will have a significant impact on SMS rules for other types of operation and the groups wanted more time to collect data and formulate comments. In fact, the FAA has said that SMS rules for Part 135 operators would be similar to those drafted for Part 121.

Dassault Drops Falcon DX Models
Speaking at Dassault’s annual press conference today, CEO Charles Edelstenne revealed that the company has ceased production of two slow-selling business jet models–the Falcon 2000DX and 900DX. Another company official explained to AIN that their production rate–only a handful per year–was not justified from a business perspective. Therefore, remaining in production are the Falcon 2000LX, the Falcon 900LX and the Falcon 7X. Meanwhile, development of Dassault’s new super-midsize jet–dubbed the SMS for the time being–is in full swing, as the “plateau” concurrent engineering program now regroups 300 design engineers at company headquarters near Paris. Edelstenne kept mum about the selected suppliers, although Canada-based Héroux-Devtek made it official late last year that it will provide the landing gear. The new aircraft’s entry into service is slated for 2016. On the commercial front, the order backlog for Falcon business jets stood at 145 as of the end of last year. Although fewer cancellations were recorded, last year’s sales efforts ended with a net negative tally of nine orders. About 70 Falcons will be delivered this year, down from a record 95 last year. Edelstenne appeared cautiously optimistic about 2011 sales prospects.

Bizjets in Demand as Exodus from Japan Begins
As the situation in Japan worsens following last week’s triple disaster of a 9.0 earthquake, a tsunami and the steadily deteriorating status of a major nuclear power plant, the U.S. State Department has warned Americans in the country to consider leaving. Through its embassy in Tokyo, the department announced today that it will be arranging for charter flights to evacuate U.S. citizens to “safe haven” locations in Asia, where they will be able to book flights back home. Since the crisis began last Friday, some companies have sent corporate aircraft to Japan to extract executives and workers, and private jet providers have received thousands of inquiries from people eager to escape. “We probably do something in Japan once a month or so,” said Ben Schusterman, president of Los Angeles-based private charter broker ElJet Aviation Services. “We’ve had 25 to 30 inquiries over the past week.” Amid the growing demand for lift out of Japan, Schusterman has noted a spike in the region’s charter prices. “I would say probably 30 percent above normal,” he told AIN. “It’s expensive to charter in Asia to start with, way more expensive than the U.S., but their prices have definitely increased and they are not even being shy about it.”

GA Industry Says FAA Must Meet Certification Requests
Cessna Aircraft chairman, president and CEO Jack Pelton told a congressional panel yesterday that the general aviation industry is concerned the FAA will not have sufficient funding to grant new approvals for aircraft and aircraft parts, which could cripple President Obama’s national export initiative. Testifying before the House subcommittee on commerce, manufacturing and trade, Pelton said the GA industry is “concerned that the FAA will be unable to meet certification requests by manufacturers in the U.S. unless the FAA is provided adequate resources and implements new processes and procedures to streamline the certification process.” In his State of the Union Address in January, Obama reiterated his goal of doubling U.S. exports by 2014 as a way of creating jobs in the U.S. through the promotion of exports. But according to Pelton, “We believe [the FAA] will not be able to keep up with the demand by manufacturers and this will severely diminish the competitiveness of the U.S. industry and its ability to bring new products to the global market and create jobs in the economy.” He told the lawmakers that in 2010, general aviation accounted for more than $5 billion in exports.

Lift Helicopter Crashes into LA Missile Plant
A Heli-Flite Sikorsky S-58ET crashed into a Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems missile guidance warehouse Sunday morning in El Segundo, Calif., seriously injuring the pilot and igniting a four-alarm fire that damaged two floors of one of the buildings in the complex that houses infrared radar systems and missile guidance components. The helicopter was removing an air conditioning unit from the building’s roof when witnesses said it appeared to lose directional stability and plunged into a patio area alongside the building. Workers on the scene pulled the injured pilot from the burning helicopter before the conflagration escalated. Firefighters had the fire under control within 40 minutes. The pilot is recovering from injuries sustained in the crash and remains hospitalized. Heli-Flite, dba Aris Helicopters, is based in Riverside, Calif., and offers helicopters for construction/heavy lifting, firefighting and charter work, among other roles. The company is also an FAA-certified repair station for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

ISTAT Becoming America’s Air Show (Sans Aircraft) This week’s International Society of Transport Aircraft Traders (ISTAT) conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., drew some 1,300 attendees–a new record... More...

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