The FAA presented Embraer Executive Jets with a production certificate to assemble the Phenom 300 at its Melbourne, Fla. facility yesterday. Embraer has delivered three U.S.-assembled Phenom 300s since the first one came off the line in March. The Phenom 300s are assembled on the same production line as Phenom 100s, which have been coming off the line at the Florida plant since December 2011. Embraer’s light jets are now being assembled in Florida at a rate of three aircraft per month, less than half of the full capacity of eight a month.
Business Aviation » Business Aviation Aircraft
News and issues relating to business, aircraft, primarily turbine-engine powered airplanes and helicopters.
May 16, 2013 - 3:10pm
A Gulfstream G650 set a city-pair speed record last month on a flight between Shanghai and Newark, N.J., flying the 6,855-nm route in 13 hours and 32 minutes, the Savannah, Ga.-based aircraft manufacturer announced yesterday. The jet took off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on April 18 carrying five passengers and four crewmembers. ATC restrictions kept the G650 below FL310 for the first hour before it was cleared to climb to its normal cruising altitude of FL410 to FL510.
May 14, 2013 - 3:10pm
The first production iteration of the Bombardier Learjet 75 will make its debut next week at EBACE, one year after the company announced the Learjet 70 and 75–upgraded versions of the Learjet 40 and 45, respectively–at EBACE 2012. “This debut of the Learjet 75 marks another exciting year of innovation and we look forward to delivering the first one in the fourth quarter,” said Bombardier Business Aircraft president Steve Ridolfi. The Canadian aircraft manufacturer will also have a Challenger 300, Challenger 605 and Global 6000 on display alongside the new Learjet.
May 9, 2013 - 3:50pm
Honda Aircraft has extended by another year its target for obtaining certification for the HondaJet, to the end of next year, according to a company spokesman. “We are targeting HondaJet certification by the end of 2014, based on the engine testing and certification schedule,” he said. The jet’s GE Honda Aero HF120 engine is now scheduled to receive certification in fourth quarter 2013. No further details were available at press time, but Honda Aircraft plans to provide more information at an EBACE press conference on May 20.
May 9, 2013 - 3:25pm
In a Service Bulletin issued May 3, winglet manufacturer Aviation Partners (API) instructed operators with winglet-equipped 800-series Hawkers modified by STC#ST01411SE to reduce maximum permissible altitude to 34,000 feet. “Several instances of aileron/wing oscillations have been reported on the Hawker 800 [series],” the company said. “Aviation Partners and the FAA consider this Service Bulletin to be a safety-related limitation until a design change to preclude the oscillations is developed and FAA approved.”
May 9, 2013 - 3:20pm
The wing and fuselage of the first production Citation M2 were mated this week at Cessna Aircraft’s facility in Wichita. Certification of the M2, an upgraded Citation CJ1 with Garmin G3000 avionics and more powerful Williams FJ44 engines, is expected later this year. Now that the wing mate is completed, the engine installation phase has started and will be followed by functional testing of the aircraft systems, including avionics, hydraulics and flight controls.
May 4, 2013 - 3:25am
The first quarter proved a mixed bag for Bell and Cessna, according to numbers released last month by parent company Textron.
Bell delivered 40 commercial helicopters in the first quarter, compared with 30 during the same period last year. Sales were also strong, with signing of orders for 50 new commercial helicopters, including an agreement with Air Medical Group to deliver 30 helicopters over the next several years.
May 4, 2013 - 12:10am
Cessna has begun manufacturing engineering test articles of the Citation Latitude and expects first flight in next year’s first quarter. “We’ve moved from engineering, analysis and modeling to cutting metal and driving rivets,” said Terry Shriner, business leader for the Latitude. “The team is always energized when we see an airplane begin to take shape for the first time.” These first airframes are being built using tooling intended for production, and the tooling and assembly procedures will be refined to prepare for line production, which begins next year.
May 4, 2013 - 12:10am
Cessna has begun manufacturing engineering test articles of the Citation Latitude and expects first flight in next year’s first quarter. “We’ve moved from engineering, analysis and modeling to cutting metal and driving rivets,” said Terry Shriner, business leader for the Latitude. “The team is always energized when we see an airplane begin to take shape for the first time.” These first airframes are being built using tooling intended for production, and the tooling and assembly procedures will be refined to prepare for line production, which begins next year.
May 2, 2013 - 3:45pm
Embraer Executive Jets delivered the first of up to 125 “Signature Series” Phenom 300s to NetJets during a ceremony yesterday at the aircraft manufacturer’s Phenom assembly facility in Melbourne, Fla. In October 2010 NetJets placed a firm order for 50 of the specially outfitted light jets, with options for 75 more. Including all options, the order is worth more than $1 billion.
