Gulfstream GV Reaches Impressive Milestone

Gulfstream recently announced the GV has collectively surpassed 1 million flight hours after nearly 15 years since the aircraft began service. During that time the ultra-long range aircraft has completed 450,000 take-offs and landings. “This milestone reflects the safety, performance and reliability of these aircraft,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. Currently, the GV remains an extremely reliable aircraft with an NBAA 99.82% dispatch reliability rate, which is a percentage comparing landings to delays and cancelations. In simpler terms, the GV flies nearly 100% of all missions that it is scheduled for. Peace of mind, reliability and world-class luxury. It is everything a private flyer wants out of an aircraft and is always a top choice for long-haul flights.

Whether your travel plans are for business or pleasure, the GV can become a flying office for more than a dozen colleagues or an aerial living room for your family vacation. Whatever the case may be, the GV will transport you and twelve passengers more than 7100 miles at speeds of up to 530 miles per hour. Magellan Jets is honored to represent a fleet of GVs for our client’s needs. Prior to every flight on every aircraft, we utilize a third-party auditor to examine the aircraft’s background and insurance policies in addition to the flight crew’s credentials and flying records. By doing this, our clients are ensured that they are travelling aboard the safest aircraft piloted by the most experienced crew. Uncompromised safety, unparalleled access and world-class service await you here at Magellan Jets. Call us today and let your voyage begin! 

FAA Announces New Pilot Duty Rule; Exception of Cargo Carriers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On December 21 in Washington, D.C., the FAA announced a new, more stringent rule on pilot flight duty and rest requirements for passenger carriers operating under Part 121. When Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo nearly three years ago, attention was cast upon the working conditions of regional airline pilots. This led to the stricter rule which requires pilots to have a minimum of 10 hours of rest before each flight duty period, which is an increase of two hours over previous rules. Additionally, the final rule limits the number of hours a pilot can fly weekly and monthly. Lastly, it extends the length of consecutive hours off in a seven-day period from 24 to 30. Before each and every mission, the pilot needs to sign off on a form saying that they are stable and capable of safely flying the aircraft. If the pilot is ever too fatigued to fly, it is their responsibility to let the carrier know.

The only exception to this new regulation is all-cargo carriers. The reason which was given stated that “their compliance costs significantly exceed the quantified societal benefits.” FAA officials have disclosed that the projected cost for cargo operations is $306 million (with one fatal all-cargo accident costing anywhere between $20 and $32 million). This exception has caused an uproar from flight safety organizations who have challenged the FAA with a petition to review this rule in the U.S. Court of Appeals.

5 Steps to Get a New Charter Jet in the Air

NextGen Breaks Ground In Egg Harbor Township

More than 100 people gathered inside an Atlantic City International Airport hangar Monday afternoon to celebrate the groundbreaking for a new aviation research and technology park down the road.

Gordon Dahl, one of the project organizers and president of the South Jersey Economic Development District, called the research park "a mammoth undertaking" that will lead to the "next generation" of building up southern New Jersey's economy for decades to come.

The Next Generation Aviation Research and Technology Park calls for creating seven buildings totalling 408,000 square feet of offices, laboratories and research facilities. The park will focus on developing new computer equipment that will transform the country's air-traffic control program into a satellite-based system.

If completed, the complex will likely create 2,000 engineering and other high-paying technology jobs, and their research will help improve air safety and travel.

Several other politicians, government and business officials spoke for an hour and a half extolling the benefits of the project. They then used bronze shovels to overturn a pile of mulch. The event symbolically launched the start of road building, electricity and sewer work for the proposed aviation research complex, which will be built on a 55-acre lot by Amelia Earhart Boulevard and Delilah Road. The ceremony also featured tours of a Bombardier Global 5000 business jet and a U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter.

The research facility is a collaborative project between the Federal Aviation Administration's William J. Hughes Technical Center, the South Jersey Economic Development District and The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, with support from several state and county officials and agencies.

To fully develop the new research complex, the project will require aviation-related businesses to become tenants at the complex and about $300 million in private investments to develop all of the buildings, Dahl said in a prior interview with The Press of Atlantic City. The park currently has about $13.3 million in public funds and bank financing for support infrastructure and development of part of the first building.

Jerry Zaro, chief of the state Office of Economic Growth, said building the new research complex by the FAA's Technical Center and the Atlantic City International Airport represents an amazing economic and technological opportunity.

"We believe this three-corner piece can be to aviation what Houston is to NASA," Zaro said. "So, folks, the message here today is, 'New Jersey is alive and well and open for business.'"

Wilson Felder, director of the Technical Center, said building the research park will expand the FAA's mission to ensure the country's " air-transportation system remains second to none."

Felder noted that Atlantic County has been the site of many aviation accomplishments, from the world's first air show, which took place in Atlantic City back in 1910, and to the testing and development of the first radar and digital data-communication systems at the technical center.

The aviation research park would be a new partner in the evolution of aviation technology, Felder said, and it "will continue to serve as a powerful engine for U.S. economic growth, and of course, the park will also stimulate growth in Atlantic County and the greater South Jersey region."

Other guest speakers included Stockton College President Herman Saatkamp Jr.; U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; U.S. Rep Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd; William J. Hughes, a former U.S. representative and ambassador to Panama; Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson; and Tom Carver, executive director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

The groundbreaking also drew folks like William Cheatham, an Atlantic City toll collector.

Cheatham skipped an Atlantic City library board meeting because he wanted to find out more about Next Generation technology and the research park. He was impressed with how many jobs the project might create and he hopes the library, which just opened a new teen center, could collaborate with the organizers.

"Oh my goodness, this is wonderful," Cheatham said while wandering around the hangar. "This is what the young people need. The technology is our future."

 

- Michelle Lee

FAA Signs Deal With Air Traffic Controllers

Late last month, the FAA signed a three-year deal with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association valued at $669 million. A new contract for Natca had been a top priority of the Obama administration after years of impasse in negotiations with the union that represents about 20,000 employees.

The deal will elevate the union's influence on aviation policy and signals a growing role for public-employee unions at other federal agencies.

John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, called it "a good sign" for labor, given that it is the first major deal reached between a large employee union and a federal agency since Mr. Obama took office.

More talks between labor and government agencies are coming, Mr. Gage said, including at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Justice. Union advocates also hope to secure collective-bargaining rights for more than 40,000 employees at the Transportation Security Administration, part of the Department of Homeland Security.

"We're hoping to influence these agencies more and more," Mr. Gage said.

But critics said it is an overly generous pact that is giving the union too big a role in shaping federal policy. Rep. John Mica of Florida, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee, characterized the controllers' pact as a "huge boost" and said he has "several concerns" related to the controllers' union's role -- suggesting, for instance, that controllers might resist technological upgrades that would threaten jobs.

A Natca spokesman said that Mr. Mica's concerns are misplaced and that controllers have been among the biggest proponents of modernizing air-traffic technology.

Natca's ability to negotiate with the FAA over pay rates is unique. Most federal employee unions have their pay rates set by Congress and can bargain only over work rules.

But Natca, under the new contract, got a pay increase. The FAA says the average annual cash compensation for fully certified controllers will rise to $157,990 in 2012 from $142,101 now. The FAA estimates the average pay for fully certified controllers will rise by at least $14,906 over three years and less-experienced controllers could see an average pay boost of at least $27,358 during the three-year period.

The union says average cash compensation for fully certified controllers will decline over the next three years as higher-paid controllers retire and are replaced by lower-paid ones. The union also says the FAA has saved more than $1 billion in labor costs since it imposed pay cuts on controllers in 2006.

The new contract also contains articles that ensure greater union participation in technical and procedural changes as well as implementation of the new satellite-based air-traffic-control system, Natca says.

The head of the FAA, former Air Line Pilots Association leader Randy Babbitt, said the FAA will benefit by involving the traffic controllers more closely in shaping policies, such as redesigning the congested airspace above New York City and transitioning to the new air-traffic-control system, which could reduce delays and accommodate increased air travel in the decades ahead.

"The agreement is about a lot more than the money," said Mr. Babbitt, who has worked with both Republican and Democratic administrations. He served on an FAA advisory panel throughout George W. Bush's administration, and last year, in the wake of scandals involving Southwest Airlines Co. and AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, then-Transportation Secretary Mary Peters appointed him to an internal review team that examined the FAA's safety-oversight programs.

In recent years, Natca officials said, tension with FAA managers led many veteran controllers to retire, increasing the proportion of the less experienced in control towers. FAA's most recent data show that the number of serious errors made by controllers declined to 328 in the year ended Sept. 30 from 346 during the previous year. The number of serious runway incursions -- events where planes or other vehicles on tarmacs get too close together or nearly collide -- declined to 12 in the year ended Sept. 30 from 25 the prior year.

The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are still investigating an August midair collision between a small plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River that killed nine people.

The NTSB, a separate agency not covered by the labor pact, has criticized the "complacency" of air-traffic controllers at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport at the time of the crash. The FAA has suspended two employees there, but the agency has said their actions didn't contribute to the accident.

Air-traffic controllers and the FAA have had rocky relations for nearly 30 years. President Ronald Reagan's decision in 1981 to fire striking air-traffic controllers jolted labor relations in the public and private sectors for years.

Relations between the union and the FAA were strained again during the latter years of President George W. Bush's administration. In 2006, the FAA imposed some pay cuts and more stringent work rules after negotiations on a new contract hit an impasse.

By Christopher Conkey

IS-BAO receives official endorsement from EU

IS-BAO, the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, has received been received official recognition as an industry standard for business aircraft operations in Europe. The approval, announced last week, by the European Union's standard body, should facilitate recognition of IS-BAO in the upcoming EASA Implementing Rules. 

IS-BAO was developed and is overseen by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) in Montreal, Canada.

According to IBAC and the European Business Aviation Assn., business aircraft operators should be able to use IS-BAO registration in their declaration to EU civil aviation authorities as the means they use to meet the regulatory requirements. It is also anticipated that national regulatory authorities will take into account IS-BAO registration in their regulatory oversight of business aviation operators engaged in commercial operations.

Brian Humphries, EBAA President and CEO, said, "The ISBAO was developed as a professional safety code of practice for business aviation operators and we encourage those operators to move forward with IS-BAO implementation so that they will be ready for the upcoming EASA Implementing Rules".

Because a Safety Management System (SMS) will be required of all commercial operations and operators of complex motor-powered aircraft engaged in noncommercial operations within the EU, the IS-BAO includes an SMS Toolkit that can be used by operators to develop their own SMS.

- William Garvey Aviation Week

Airlines, travelers prepare for more stringent ID rules

 Feds want more info at booking to compare to terrorist watch lists

The Transportation Security Administration wants to know more about who's boarding commercial flights in the United States.

Beginning Saturday, the federal agency will begin collecting additional data from airline passengers at booking time, including full name, date of birth and gender. That data must match whatever is on the form of government-issued identification -- driver's licenses and passports are the most common -- that a passenger uses to check in and board the flight.

The new requirement will affect all airline bookings made beginning Saturday and is just the first phase of a larger program called Secure Flight. That program's goal is to vet 100 percent of airline passengers through the TSA's watch lists by next year. TSA's goal is to vet 100 percent of passengers on all domestic commercial flights by early next year, and all passengers on all international commercial flights by the end of 2010.

The agency, known best for its takeover of the airport security screening process following the Sept. 11 attacks, is touting the program as a better way to keep dangerous travelers from boarding planes, while preventing confusion for passengers with names similar to people on the government's "No Fly" and "Selectee" lists. Those lists bar some would-be fliers and mark others for "enhanced screenings" at airport security checkpoints.

Extra information helps

Because the government will have access to additional pieces of identifying information, the TSA says it will be better able to distinguish between, for example, a 25-year-old John A. Doe who is OK to fly and a 37-year-old John Z. Doe who is not. In addition to the data required of passengers, fliers who have had difficulty with watch list confusion can include a "redress" number. Those are issued to cleared passengers who have been stopped or delayed before because of similar names or other confusion. "By enhancing and streamlining the watch list matching process, the Secure Flight program makes travel safer and easier for millions of Americans," Gale Rossides, the TSA's acting administrator, said in a statement.

The Secure Flight program was born out of a Department of Homeland Security directive issued in 2006 that required the TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to start working together to implement a system to make sure airline passengers have been cleared.

Aside from the additional information collected by the airline, Secure Flight will mean a closer relationship between those airlines serving the United States and the TSA. The new requirements call for passengers to provide the information to airlines when they book flights. The information, in turn, is sent to the Secure Flight system, which matches up names with watch lists, and determines whether the matches are legitimate or errors.Secure Flight then sends information back to the airlines, separating passengers into those who are cleared to fly, those who aren't and those who will be subjected to enhanced screening. Initially, Secure Flight requires passenger information to match up exactly with what's on the ID, so if a passenger's license says "Richard," for example, a ticket shouldn't be booked under "Dick."

Matching up names

"During this phase of the Secure Flight program, passengers are encouraged to book their reservations using their name as it appears on the government-issues ID they will use while traveling," Rossides said. Most airlines say they're implementing procedures to help passengers comply with the regulation so they're not delayed or denied boarding. Airlines have been preparing for the new requirements for months. Delta Air Lines Inc., the world's largest airline, which operates its second-largest hub at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, will roll out revamped online pages that will allow passengers booking tickets via the Internet to submit the required information beginning Saturday, said company spokeswoman Susan Elliott. Additionally, the airline will allow fee-free name changes on tickets, so names on reservations will match up with the documents passengers use to check in and clear security checkpoints.

By: Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News