Gordon Gilbert
Contributor - Accidents and Regulations

Contributor - Accidents and Regulations

Latest from Gordon Gilbert

Charter & Fractional

New Owner and New Home for Avantair

Piaggio Avanti frax operator Avantair has a new owner–Alfred Rapetti–and in the middle of next year will relocate its headquarters from Caldwell, N.J.
Aircraft

STC for Falcon 50 Engine Upgrade Delayed

Premier Aircraft of East Alton, Ill., continues to work with Honeywell on an engine upgrade program for the Falcon 50 expected to be completed in the third
Avionics

Learjet 35/36 RVSM Kits Approved

Avcon Industries’ RVSM package for Learjet 35s and 36s recently received certification and installations are under way.
Aircraft

Pilatus Ups PC-12 Performance and Price

Pilatus’ PC-12 turboprop single will receive several upgrades next year, raising the base price of the aircraft by $80,000 to $2.79 million and a typically

Bombardier Looks South of the Border

Following on the heels of several other OEMs, Bombardier Aerospace will build a component manufacturing facility in Mexico (in this case in Querétaro) that
Safety

Tank Flammability Rules Proposed

Bizliner operators would be required to incorporate technology to meet reduced levels of flammability exposure in fuel tanks, under FAA proposed rulemaking
Accidents

Citation Crash Followed Long Grounding

More details have emerged about the November 5 crash of Citation N505K following a loss of control after takeoff from Hobby Airport in Houston.
Airports

TEB Fees Set To Increase January 1

Landing fees are scheduled to increase at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport (TEB).
Safety

Runway Incursions Top NTSB List

Three serious near collisions on runways in Boston, New York and Las Vegas this year prompted the NTSB again to press for quicker action by the FAA to redu
Aircraft

‘I’ve Sold More Than You’ Department

Boeing at the NBAA Convention last month said it surpassed orders for 100 Boeing Business Jets, while Airbus Industrie announced it had reached orders for
Rotorcraft

NTSB: ‘Urgent’ Action Needed on S-76

The ongoing investigation into the August 10 fatal crash of an S-76C+ in the Baltic Sea has led the NTSB to ask the FAA to take “urgent” action on several
Maintenance and Modifications

GDAS To Support GIIs and GIIIs

Factory product support for Gulfstream IIs and GIIIs will move out from beneath the wing of Gulfstream service centers and find itself under the umbrella o
Aircraft

SJ30-2 finally earns FAA type certification

Following a nearly 20-year development program marked by financial and management challenges, technical issues and a fatal crash in 2003, San Antonio-based
Regulations and Government

User-fee fight is different this time

Business aviation interests have been victorious in their battles over the years to prevent the creation of general aviation user fees to replace the curre
Avionics

Avionics Upgrade STCed for Citation 501, Falcon 200

Rockwell Collins avionics upgrades are now available for Citation 501s, including the Williams International FJ44-powered Eagle II Citation 501s.
Aircraft

QTA maintaining GII/GIII hush kit installation pace

by Gordon GilbertQuiet Technology Aerospace (QTA) continues to install Gulfstream II and III Stage 3 hush kits at the rate of about one per month sin
Charter & Fractional

'Business as usual' at Delta AirElite?

Travelers on Delta, Northwest and other airlines operating under bankruptcy protection might face longer lines, delays and fuller and less frequent flights
Airports

Noise Program Proposed for Boise, Idaho

The FAA is reviewing a proposed noise-compatibility program for Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field, Idaho.

Rule Aims To Improve Child Restraints

The FAA has decided not to require the use of child-restraint systems (CRSs) on aircraft, much to the dislike of the NTSB, but it is amending regulations t
Aircraft

Bombardier Delivers 150th Global

Bombardier recently delivered the 150th aircraft in its Global series.

What Some Pilots and Loggers Share

Salaried pilots who fly air taxis, bush aircraft and crop dusters have the highest occupational death rate–92.4 for every 100,000 pilots–tied with the rate
Charter & Fractional

Citation Jet Card Sales Reach Capacity

One year after CitationShares introduced its Vector jet card, the fractional provider has curtailed sales so as “not to exceed the capacity to fulfill” cha
Security

Bandit at Six o’Clock Low

Northrop Grumman expected to begin last month “operational testing and evaluation” of its Guardian civil aircraft counter-manpads air defense system aboard
Charter & Fractional

Fixed-rate Charter Program Expands

Air Partner International has started offering its Jet Membership Program fixed-rate charter package throughout Europe, having launched it in the UK last y
Aircraft

Legacy Moves to a Higher Plane

Embraer’s Legacy business jet received Brazilian and FAA certification to use airports with elevations of up to 9,500 feet msl, allowing operations to Tell
Aircraft

Piaggio Set To Deliver 100th Avanti

Around the beginning of this month Avantair was expected to take delivery of another Piaggio Avanti.
Airports

NTSB: Runway Incursion System Inadequate

NTSB acting chairman Mark Rosenker said the FAA’s airport movement area safety system (AMASS) is not adequate to prevent serious runway collisions, citing
Accidents

NATA Appeals to Congress on EPA Rule

In a letter to all 535 members of Congress, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) highlighted what it calls “costly and ill-conceived provisio
Aircraft

AOPA Says FAA Wrong About MU-2

“The MU-2B turboprop does not need yet another certification review,” according to AOPA.
Training and Workforce

SIC Type Rating Compliance Extended

The FAA extended to June 6 next year the compliance deadline for the new second-in-command type rating requirements for international operations.