Air Shows are highly anticipated aviation events in the aviation community. It was just unfortunate that some aviation organizations in some key cities around the world decided to skip this year due to the global recession.
However, I am happy to note that there are still some aviation enthusiasts who are continuing with their annual fly in, air show and business trade and here’s the schedule of events this March.
United States:
13-15 Florida : Tico Warbird Air Show
14 Arizona: MCAS Yuma Air Show
14 California: NAF El Centro Air Show
14 Alabama: Heroes Take Flight Fly-in
14 & 15 Texas: Air Fiesta 2009
21-22 Georgia: Thunder in the Valley Air Show
21-22 Florida: Florida International Air Show
21-22 Arizona: Thunder in the Desert - Luke Open House
28 California: Riverside Airshow
28 Florida: American Heroes Air Show
28-29 Florida: Tyndall Gulf Coast Salute Air Show
28-29 Florida: MacDill Air Fest
Rest of the World:
14-15 Switzerland: Heli-Weekend
21 South Africa: Polokwane Air Show
I will post the official websites later on so those interested can get more details on how to participate and how much are the fees. These air shows will benefit the aviation industry as it promotes aviation as a business tool, a hobby and a luxury.
Ever since Captain Sulley made that emergency smooth landing of the Airbus A320 over at Hudson River dubbed as the Miracle in Hudson which saved all the lives of all the passengers and crew on board, an interest on water landings, seaplane pilots and seaplanes expanded.
There are places in the world wherein seaplanes are a common thing such as in Vancouver wherein you need a seaplane for transporting cargo and people. The Seaplanes Pilots Associationor SPA is quite pleased with the attention that Captain Sulley and his Miracle at Hudson brought to them because you have to living under some cave for quite sometime if you have not heard of that awesome news early this year.
The SPA has produced a video entitled “Flying America’s Waterways”. It is all about the capabilities and limitations of seaplanes. If you are interested in owning one or building a seaplane facility, this is one great source of information about seaplanes or sea aircrafts safety, advantages, environmental effect, types and market statistics. The video comes with a booklet that explains everything in detail. If you are interested to acquire the video, it cost only $10 to SPA members and just add another $5 for non-members. However, the Deluxe Package version which comes with a 16-page booklet is available at $35 for SPA members and just add another $15 for non-members. You can find them at their official site, SPA.org.
When you are a frequent flyer using your own private jet it is just wise and practical to know the different FBO’s or fixed based operators in the area of your destination. For example, if you are in New York, one of the best FBO’s you can go to is Arcadia Aviation.
Most airports are busy especially if the city you just landed is one of the busiest. Therefore the services of an excellent FBO are highly needed.
The Arcadia Aviation boasts of a huge area of about 200,000 square feet complete with state-of-the-art hangar and business/commercial space. They have a corporate hangar with 28′ tall doors and 135′ wide door openings, just big enough to have a couple of Gulfstream 550 lined up side by side.
They also will customize the space according to the client’s specifications. They have options of offering pre-design spaces but they can also build one to accommodate the needs of each client and their aircraft.
One advantage with Arcadia Aviation is that they own its very own hangars and fuel farms and so they can stabilize expenses to within limited range and any contract you entered with them is honored at any other location if a transfer is needed.
To get the full advantages and a closer look at their premium facilities, check on to their site: Arcadia Aviation.
Speed is SJ30’s main advantage over other light jets in its category. The SJ30 can fly at a cruise speed of Mach 0.83 making it the fastest light business jet in the world today.
Emivest Aerospace Corporation is responsible in building and selling the aircraft. However, it is Edward J. Swearingen, one of the aviation pioneers who designed the SJ30 inspired by his belief many years ago that the industry needs a smaller business jet that can perform like a large business jet.
Aside from the amazing speed, the aircraft has a longer range compared to the other jets in its class. It has a jet capability of flying within a range of 2,500 nautical miles or around 2,876 miles. This kind of range can fly nonstop from Los Angeles to New York or from Dubai to Moscow.
The Emivest SJ30 great performance does not stop at the speed and range capabilities. The sea level 6-seater cabin is way up to 41,000 and that is one huge plus for people who do not want to arrive at their destination tired and cramped. This aircraft has a luxurious cabin with ample space or legroom for stretching and great space for business activities you still need to do while up there. It also has full communication connectivity such fax, phones and the much needed Internet portals.
These are certain jet capabilities and perks you do not see often on smaller jets and so for a cool $8M you can go to your destination faster and more comfortable with Emivest SJ30.
Despite the stressful economic difficulties that almost every region in the world is experiencing right now, China seemed unperturbed and unruffled. Why you asked? China’s aviation industry is totally pursuing its original goal which is making it one of the most successful and biggest in the world of aviation.
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China said that they are investing around $3 billion for three huge projects in Beijing alone that will make them one of the top players in the aviation industry globally. While everyone in Europe and North America is trying their best to keep up float during the economic recession by changing management, merging with other companies, taking huge manpower and production cuts, the Chinese is bent on taking advantage of these times to make their aviation industry bigger and better.
It is a fact that they still have a long way to go but with these funds and steel determination, it won’t be long before they are on the same competitive level as the Americans and the Europeans.
Right now, they are headhunting for experienced aviation specialists. There are plenty to choose from ever since the global recession took over the western economy.
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China said they will be building many aviation facilities from developing and building engines to aviation systems that will help them with their ultimate goal of having their very own successful aerospace industry.
Today, we look back on one great innovation in aviation. The power of supersonic speed was made possible by Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde back in March 2, 1969 in cooperation from an Anglo-French treaty.
The very first Concorde flew from Toulouse, France for about 27 minutes by test flight pilot Andre Turcat at 10,000 ft high and with a speed of just 300 miles per hour. They did not test the supersonic speed that time although if they flew the Concorde on its usual speed, it can reach 1,300 miles per hour.
It lessened the air travel time making it half of the usual time ordinary airliners can such as the seven hours and a half flight from London to New York was quickly changed to 3 hours and 30 minutes. It had a huge impact on business and time management for the jet setters.
The Concorde has long been retired due to low revenues resulting from a plane crash and the effects of the 9/11 attacks. There were businessmen who wanted to buy it out but there were some problems like Airbus refused to give maintenance services for the aircraft anymore.
It continues to be an icon to the aviation industry. Whenever, they speak of supersonic speed, they always refer to it as Concorde, not as “the Concorde” or “a Concorde”. It became synonymous in describing that kind of speed even if the fastest ever produced for a passenger airline was Tupolev Tu-144.
Was it only a few days ago that it has been reported that Eclipse creditors fast forwarded the whole process of legal financial arrangements from reorganization to liquidation since the funds that were expected from a sale did not push through? Everyone was quite disappointed that all the innovations that it contributed to the aviation industry will just go to waste.
Now, it seems that there is a new company which announced their intention of bidding for the Eclipse assets. They call themselves the “New Eclipse Acquisition LLC. A Wichita aircraft electro mechanical assembly company CEO, Phil Friedman said that he and his group studied Eclipse for a whole year and have developed a business plan from working hand in hand with Eclipse former head honcho Peter Reed to make Eclipse work again.
He plans to re-employ the staff and crew and make aircrafts again. This time he said with better management and planning, his goal is to create 100 aircrafts per year and with a target price of around $2.4 million a piece.
This new announcement gives a glimmer of hope to those former employees and those Eclipse owners. The whole industry is anticipating the return of Eclipse to the aviation market.
When Viking Air announced back in 2006 at the Farnborough Air Show that they were planning to produced a Series 400 of the legendary de Havilland Twin Otter, a lot of aviation enthusiasts were excited but everyone thought that it would be just a refurbished, converted, overhauled Twin Otter.
However on October of 2008, it was an all new Twin Otterthat was presented during its First Flight technical demonstration.
Viking Air has so much respect for the old Twin Otter that they decided to create a new one. It may just be a marketing ploy or just a play on the words that are being used to describe the Series 400 but if you are going to look at the features it is really quite something new but nevertheless it can also be called an upgraded version of Twin Otter.
Everything was upgraded starting from the machines used since they installed a more powerful one such as the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34/35. They modernize the electrical system and used better materials for the aircraft structure like the doors and many more.
Why is it a huge deal? It is because the Twin Otter is still the best aircraft for extreme weather conditions and can be use for short takeoffs and landings. Just look at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and British Antarctic Survey Team. Those two groups used the Twin Otter to do their research on the icing conditions. Another testament of its enduring power and dependability is when there was a patient in critical condition that needed to be transported, it was only the Twin Otter that was chosen to do the errand for a pick up on a -60 degrees weather condition at the South Pole.
Watch this video as the Twin Otter Series 400 was part of the national celebration of Canada’s 100 Years of Flight. Click here.
Viking Air will start delivering the Series 400 this summer with a price tag of around $3.925M.
Let us do the private aviation recession style which means look into private aircrafts that are smaller or just the perfect size for your aviation needs. You need not sell your jets but you can do trade it with another one.
If you need a six-seater jet, take a chance with Piper Matrix. It has a roomier cabin which will provide the passengers enough space to stretch their legs and not be cramped up. It has a feel of a larger aircraft but in a smaller jet price. It is not as expensive at the Piper Malibu so some aviation enthusiasts might think it is with lesser quality and features.
Piper Matrix makes the whole flying quite comfortable that even those who are so used to bigger planes will not complain. Another thing that is quite different with Matrix is that it is lighter because the pressurization system was removed. Since it is lighter, additional fuel for a flying hour can be included.
At first, when it came out, the reaction was not as positive but when veteran pilots were able to fly it, just by the positive feedback that plane had, it became an option for aircraft owners and pilots.
It cost less than a million dollars and that says a lot for brand new jets. This one is more or less around $820,000. If you think of trading in or buying a new one, this Piper Matrixmight just work for you and your business.
The aviation business industry is stepping up their PR campaign. At first, we saw the Cessna’s huge ads now we see Hawker Beechcraft with their Starbucks ad promoting the use of private jets in the business.
The private aviation industry suffered a lot after the Big 3 automakers went to Congress to ask for some bail out money. The people from the Hill were appalled by the use of private jets by these three auto giants while they beg for help. The media did not let up. They continued bashing the use of private jets and in the end build up a negative view on the use of private aviation. It has been labeled as lavish luxury items instead of an efficient business tool.
If you get to see the Starbucks ad that Hawker Beechcraft released, it gives an explanation that private jets are not only a luxury item. It is also a productive business tool that does not only create jobs for so many but it increases business productivity as well.
Hawker Beechcraft is saying that companies only need to right-size their aircraft but never to disregard the use of it completely.
True, there are several aircraft choices out there. Find the right size for your needs. It can be called excess luxury if you have more than what you need. Always be reminded that there are some things in our lives that are conveniently at our own disposal at the time we need them the most because of the use of these private jets.
While it is a fact that flying a private jet is a luxury but it can also be a much needed business tool to get productive results. Hawker Beechcraft said that if only the Big 3 automakers just flew in to the Capitol using King Air 350, the Congress would not have not commented on it. Size really do matter.
Photo Credit: Beige Alert
