N234MM, a retired Gulfstream I owned by the Walt Disney Co. and formerly used as personal transport for Walt Disney himself, will be a featured attraction at this year’s D23 Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center next door to Disneyland in September, the company announced yesterday. The twin-turboprop was purchased in 1964 by Disney to fly him and his staff back and forth from California to New York to oversee the company’s installations at the 1964 World’s Fair and later to Florida for the design and construction of Disney World. Initially referred to as “Two-Three-Four Metro-Metro” by air traffic controllers, the latter was soon replaced with “Mickey-Mouse,” giving the aircraft the nickname “The Mouse.”
The aircraft served Disney for 28 years. Its final flight occurred on Oct. 8, 1992, when it was flown to Disney World, landed on a road inside company property, and was put on display in the backlot area of the Disney MGM (now Disney Hollywood) Studios theme park.
For most of its life, the 15-passenger aircraft carried a somewhat non-descript paint job consisting of a wide orange stripe along the windows. A video released by the company shows it wearing that scheme once again. A company spokesman would not disclose if the GI, which still carries active FAA registration, is being returned to flight status, but said more information will be released closer to the event.
As companies increasingly lift restrictions on travel via business aircraft amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the time seems right to reconsider aircraft use policies. Business aircraft not only consistently save travel time over the airlines, but they can also provide passengers with a healthy and safe environment—a huge concern during the pandemic.
In writing an aircraft use policy, a company can expect to balance the perceived benefits of using business aircraft with the company’s associated business, cultural, legal, and financial circumstances.
Normally, certain directors and C-suite or other top management executives get the nod to fly on the company aircraft. But the policy can, and perhaps should, include upcoming executives, in part as a tool to attract, mentor, and retain them in a hot job market. The proximity to senior leadership on board may allow the newer talent to demonstrate their value and feel valued by company leaders.
Each aircraft use policy is unique and should evolve with, and anticipate the evolution of, the company’s business and aircraft fleet. As the future appears on the horizon, companies perhaps should now consider broadening the list of individuals who will be permitted to use the company jet in recognition that business aircraft are tools that can help lift the fortunes of all company stakeholders.
After holding off on a proposed endangerment finding on piston-aircraft emissions from leaded fuel for most of the past decade, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week laid out a timeline for such action, saying a proposal could be released this year with a final finding in 2023. A determination that emissions from leaded fuel contribute to air pollution that endangers public health and welfare lays the groundwork for an outright ban on leaded aviation fuel.
For years, environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth have pushed the EPA to issue an endangerment finding. The agency had initially planned on 2018 for such a finding as the general aviation community in concert with the FAA had collaborated on a Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative (PAFI) that had targeted the development of a new unleaded standard.
The PAFI program still has not arrived at such a standard for a drop-in replacement fuel, but the FAA has signed off on a list of approved aircraft models for 100-octane unleaded avgas developed by General Aviation Modifications Inc. (GAMI).
Meanwhile, environmental groups have ramped back up on their push for an endangerment finding, last year sending a renewed call to the EPA. The agency responded this week that it has collected necessary data on aircraft lead emissions and has “completed these analyses.”
It appears increasingly unlikely that significant disruptions to the U.S. national airspace will be avoidable starting January 19 when wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon begin activating their 5G C-band service. Yesterday, the FAA published nearly 1,500 notams restricting certain types of aircraft operations at airports and heliports where 5G radio altimeter interference could be an issue.
The notams prompted the Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA) to note, “The notams prohibit aircraft from operating in poor weather conditions at more than 90 airports with passenger service, and even more airports with all-cargo service, across the nation—severely impacting operations across the entire aviation system. The operational guidance issued by the FAA to mitigate the wireless industry’s poorly thought-out deployment of 5G will ensure our pilots maintain a high level of safety. However, flight cancellations and operational disruptions will be a reality as we work to clean up the mess made by the [Federal Communications Commission].”
Fortunately, the FAA is also providing some limited regulatory relief. Yesterday, HAI director of government relations John Shea said the FAA had granted a partial exemption to the requirement for functioning radio altimeters aboard helicopter air ambulances, allowing an alternative means of compliance that will include the use of night-vision goggles in combination with an external searchlight and communication with ground crew.
Business aircraft services provider Jetex has signed a joint venture agreement with Berlin-Neuhardenberg Airport (EDON) to develop an FBO on the field, which is about 44 miles east of the Berlin city center. While no timeline was given for the project, the facility will include a 16,000-sq-ft private jet terminal and conference center, along with additional parking stands to accommodate more than 20 private aircraft. MRO service will also be provided.
“Jetex’s involvement is an equally important step in the development of our airport,” said Peter Sølbeck, principal shareholder and managing director of Airport Development A/S, which has owned and operated the airport for 15 years. “Since 2007, we as a Danish company have been striving for the civil reuse of this former GDR government airport.” Open 24/7, EDON has a 7,874-foot-long, 164-foot-wide runway that can handle aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A350.
“A major factor in our success is the ability to grow our FBO network in key international gateways with significant private aviation demand,” explained Jetex founder and CEO Adel Mardini. “As the capital of Germany and a major commercial and cultural center, Berlin is a destination we have longed to get a presence in.”
Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) founder, chairman, and CEO Geoffrey S.M. Hedrick has died from complications involving a sudden illness, the company announced yesterday. “We extend our deepest sympathies to Mr. Hedrick’s wife, daughter, and loved ones. We will miss the creativity, keen intellect, and leadership Geoff has shown over the past several decades,” said IS&S vice-chair Glen Bressner.
Hedrick founded IS&S in 1988 after nearly two decades in the avionics industry. After studying to become an electrical engineer at Cornell, he briefly worked at the aviation instrument subsidiary of Bulova, according to the company. In 1971, he founded Harowe Systems as a joint venture with an aerospace hardware organization, and by 1978 that company had grown to the point that it was acquired by Smiths Industries. Hedrick continued to steer Harowe under its new ownership and eventually was named president and CEO of Smiths Industries North American Aerospace Companies.
A decade after that sale, he established Exton, Pennsylvania-based IS&S, initially developing a digital fuel quantity indicating systems. Since then, the company has branched into numerous aircraft systems surrounding flight guidance and displays for general aviation, commercial, and military aircraft. Recently, IS&S has been gaining approvals for a number of applications for its ThrustSense autothrottle.
Over the years, Hedrick amassed nearly 100 patents in the electronics, optoelectric, electromagnetic, aerospace, and contamination-control fields.
Cirrus Aircraft announced its 2022 G6 SR-series model improvements at its Cirrus CX customer experience convention in Knoxville, Tennessee, earlier this week. The updated lineup—which includes the piston single SR20, SR22 and SR22T—includes several aerodynamic features such as sleeker wing and tail surfaces that increase true airspeeds by up to nine knots. Other new features include illuminated steps, remote baggage compartment unlock capability and keyless entry, and multifunctional device charging panel with USB-A/C ports.
The company also released updates to its Cirrus IQ app, including a “maintenance minder” tab for tracking inspection events, a My Trip module logging the statistics of every flight (to be available next month), and a warranty section.
Company officials estimate delivery of more than 500 SR-series aircraft this year after an 80 percent increase in net orders in 2021. According to Cirrus president Zean Nielsen, the company now has an order backlog of approximately 700 SR-series pistons and “several hundred” SF50 Vision Jets. Approximately 39 percent of the order intake last year were from customers who were new to aviation.
Textron Aviation Special Missions has delivered a ninth cargo door, extended-range Beechcraft King Air 350CERto the U.S. Marine Corps. Designated the UC-12W, the turboprop twin is a commercial off-the-shelf multi-mission King Air that has the range and payload to provide high-priority transportation for personnel and cargo, courier flights, medical evacuation, and humanitarian aid. It is also used for multi-engine pilot training.
“The UC-12W continues a long and enduring tradition of Beechcraft King Air in the service of the Corps,” said Textron Aviation v-p of special mission sales Bob Gibbs. “Their continued faith in our products and trust in our company and our team are essential to our relationship with militaries worldwide.”
A Textron Aviation spokesman said the first two 350CERs were delivered to the Marine Corps in 2010. He added 11 total aircraft are in the program of record to procure; however, no additional 350CERs are currently on order.
Photo of the Week
A quiet evening. Corporate pilot Bob Spatola took this photo from his Dassault Falcon 2000EX EASy at FL430 over Georgia en route to home base in Ohio. He described the weather as clear skies on a “quiet evening, returning home.” Thanks for sharing, Bob!
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