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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 1799.PDF
BUSINESS AVIATION NOISE GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC Van Nuys asks court to enforce Stage 2 ruling Californian airport accuses Pacific Jet in row over breach of business jet restrictions California's Van Nuys Airport has launched its first legal action under a controversial rule restricting oper ations of Stage 2 business jets. The lawsuit accuses charter company Pacific Jet of violating a non-addi tion rule designed to prevent oper ators based at the airport from adding Stage 2 aircraft. While Stage 2 airliners are banned in the USA, Stage 2 business jets under 34,000kg (75,0001b) gross weight can continue to fly, but more airports are seeking ways to ban or restrict their operation. The US National Business Aviation Assoc iation is appealing against a Stage 2 ban at Florida's Naples Municipal Airport and is trying to stave off Congressional action that would allow Wyoming's Jackson Hole Airport to ban Stage 2 business jets. Aviation groups challenged Van Nuys' non-addition rule, but lost in 2001 and the regulation took effect in January last year. The rule pre vents local operators adding Stage 2 jets to their fleets by prohibiting aircraft that are not grandfathered from being based at the airport for more than 30 days in a calendar year. To be grandfathered, a Stage 2 business jet had to be based at Van Nuys for 90 days or more in 1999. The lawsuit accuses Pacific Jet of repeated violations of the non- addition rule by basing four non- grandfathered Gulfstream lis and a Learjet 28 at Van Nuys for a total of 967 days in 2002. The airport is seeking a three-year ban on the operator and more than $3 million in fines. "Pacific Jet has continued to violate the rule on Stage 2 jets," says the Los Angeles city attorney's office. "We settled one incident with a fine, but they have contin ued to violate the ordinance." ' Pacific Jet, which is a subtenant of major Van Nuys leaseholder J+D Air, says it filed a court complaint against the airport in late June, accusing the city of wrongfully attempting to terminate its ten ancy. The company says it will con test any move to ban it from oper ating at Van Nuys. CONTRACT Garrett lands Gulfstream hushkit deal Garrett Aviation Services has been designated the preferred installer of Quiet Technology Aerospace's (QTA) Stage 3 hushkit for the Gulfstream II and III. Intallations will be performed at Garrett's Islip, Long Island, and Los Angeles, California, modifica tion centres. Jet Aviation is auth orised to install the hushkits at its Teterboro, New Jersey, and West Palm Beach, Florida, locations. QTA says sales of its $1.65 million hushkit have risen since the Iraq war ended. Nine aircraft have been modified and orders taken for five conversions. The Opa Locka, Florida-based com pany received supplemental type certification for the hushkit in Jan uary, on the Gil, GIB, GII-SP and Gill. Approval on the tiptank- equipped Gil was due last week. FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP OurPlane unveils Executive project North American fractional-owner ship company OurPlane has intro duced its turbine-powered aircraft programme, aimed at small busi nesses. Under the new Executive programme, a Beech King Air C90B will be based in San Carlos, California, and Cessna Citation Ultra in Toronto, Canada, begin ning in September. London, Ontario-based Our Plane plans to have five aircraft in its Executive programme by the end of 2004, and to order Cessna Citation Mustang or Eclipse 500 personal jets, says president Graham Casson. "We're leaning towards the Mustang," he says. "By the end of 2003 we will place orders for either or both." The programme is based on OurPlane's general aviation scheme, which offers shared ownership of piston singles and differs signifi cantly from traditional fractional models. OurPlane does not provide pilots or guarantee availability, air craft are based at specific locations, and customers buy an exclusive use licence and do not hold title to the OurPlane is considering an Eclipse 500 order for the Executive programme aircraft. These factors allow Our Plane to offer lower costs, says Cas son (Flight International, 17-23 June). Under the Executive programme, aircraft will be shared between six owners who will each be permitted a minimum of 75h flying a year. This will allow more than the 95% availability averaged under the gen eral aviation programme. Owners can fly more, but will pay a pre mium for hours used above the "benchmark" set for their share. OurPlane will not provide crews, but will refer customers to pre- screened pilots available for hire. The Executive programme is aimed at businesses deterred by the costs of other entry-level fractional schemes, Casson says. Compared with CitationShares' Citation Bravo programme, he says, a 200h a year share in OurPlane's Citation Ultra costs 20% less to buy and the monthly management fee is 40% lower. Hourly rates are similar when crew costs are factored in, Casson says. DEVELOPMENT Rebirth set for Extra Flugzeugbau Extra Flugzeugbau is expected to emerge from insolvency by the end of the month as talks between the administrator and the new owner draw to a close. The Dusseldorf, Germany- based company, which will assume a new trading name with the Extra prefix remaining, says its priority is to resume flight test ing of its EA-500 single-engined turboprop. "Testing was put on hold at the end of January when the company fell into insolvency. We want to get back on track and certificate the aircraft as soon as possible," it says. Ground testing of the 450shp (335kW) Rolls-Royce 250-pow- ered EA-500, a business aircraft derivative of the EA-400 six-seat piston, is complete and German certification is expected by early next year. Production of the two-seat, aerobatic EA-300 has continued under administration. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15-21JULY 2003 21
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