Qatar Exec Ups Gulfstream Orders with 18-aircraft Deal

Qatar Airways this week confirmed an order valued at $1 billion for 18 Gulfstream aircraft during a White House ceremony witnessed by Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, and President Donald Trump. The orders were announced as the leaders jointly vowed to further cooperation between the two nations.

The latest deal, previously announced by Gulfstream parent General Dynamics as from an “undisclosed” customer, follows orders made in 2015 from Qatar Executive for up to 30 Gulfstream jets, deliveries of which Qatar Executive executive v-p Ettore Rodaro told AIN in May would be completed in 2022. Qatar Executive is the business jet subsidiary of Qatar Airways. Gulfstream said the latest deal represents a new order.

No timeline on the delivery sequence for the new orders was given. “The order, worth over $1 billion, is for 14 Gulfstream G650ERs and four Gulfstream G500s, and will add to Qatar Executive’s growing fleet that currently includes six G650ER and four G500 aircraft,” Qatar Airways said yesterday.

“Qatar Airways is very pleased to confirm this landmark deal with Gulfstream,” Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker, said. “Our corporate jet division, Qatar Executive, goes from strength to strength and this commitment to new orders will allow us to offer our bespoke luxury service to even more passengers.”

AINsight: Owner Personal Liability for Illegal Charter Ops

It’s an unfortunate reality that private aircraft accidents occur all too often and cause fatalities, personal injuries, and significant property damage. Families who experience these losses usually hire lawyers to seek compensation from aircraft limited liability companies (LLCs), members, owners, operators, manufacturers, and others. 

Many aircraft owners believe that, if an LLC holds title to their aircraft, the LLC will protect the owners from personal liability arising from any accident. This belief extends to any accident that occurs during an illegal charter operation. However, their belief may be wrong.

Illegal charters come in many forms. Some examples include: a Part 135 operator does not comply with the FARs’ safety standards; a Part 91 operator enters into multiple timesharing or leasing arrangements that constitute disguised, sham charter operations that should be operated as Part 135; or an often misunderstood or ignored infraction under Part 91 where members provide cash for flight operations in flight department companies. 

Aircraft owners and operators can significantly mitigate risks by asking knowledgeable aviation counsel to conduct a compliance checkup. Aviation counsel can confirm that the LLC structure and operations comply with the FARs or, if not, restructure the LLC and/or operations to bring them into compliance. 

Illegal charter operators and flight department companies should promptly change course to comply with Part 91, Part 119 and Part 135. The idea is simple: Get certified for charter operations and play by the rules. 

NTSB: Crew Noted Engine Problem Before King Air Crash

A crew member mentioned a problem with the left engine seconds before that pilot's Beechcraft King Air 350i crashed at the Dallas-area Addison Airport, according to the NTSB's preliminary report on the June 30 accident that claimed the lives of eight passengers and two crew members.

The aircraft (N534FF), registered to EE Operations, was slated for a Part 91 trip to Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg, Florida, and according to the report, the crew and passengers arrived about an hour and a half before the flight. The turboprop twin’s tanks were topped off and the luggage was loaded in the aft baggage compartment. A witness to the accident stated that the airplane “seemed more quiet than normal” on takeoff, and sounded like it did not have enough power to take off. After it lifted off, the King Air drifted to the left and then rolled left, with one security camera catching it completely inverted before it crashed into a hangar. While some fragments were found inside and on the roof of the hangar, the main wreckage came to rest outside the hangar against a brick wall.

The aircraft was equipped with an L3 FA2100 cockpit voice recorder, which was recovered with two hours of useable audio, including the accident flight. A crew member mentioned the engine problem eight seconds before the end of the recording. Three aural bank angle alerts were heard five seconds later.

Russian Mi-38 Completes High/Hot, IFR Testing

Russian Helicopters has completed a series of Mil Mi-38 high/hot and IFR test flights designed to expand the aircraft’s approved flight envelope. The helicopter made more than 50 flights in the Southern Russian city of Astrakhan, confirming its ability to operate at ambient temperatures of up to 113 degrees F. High-altitude tests at Mount Elbrus (15,554 feet) validated the Mi-38's ability to fly at altitudes of up to 9,843 feet mean sea level. Another 50 IFR flights were made. Test results were delivered to the Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsiya to make additions to the helicopter type certificate.

"Considering there's high interest in the helicopter from both Russian and foreign customers, we're trying to test and document its capabilities to the maximum. In particular, we are planning to test a new surveillance system and certify new hardened main rotor blades [which will also be used in Mi-171A2] in the near future," said Andrey Boginsky, director general of Russian Helicopters.

The Mi-38 features Russian-made high-performance TV7-117V engines, an integrated digital flight deck, a crash-resistant fuel system, and additional landing gear support for soft ground and snow landings. The $17 million Mi-38 gained civil certification in 2015. Deliveries of a militarized version began last year. The aircraft can carry up to 30 passengers or 11,000 pounds of cargo.  

UK Pilots Look To Best World Record

Two British pilots have completed what they believe to be a new world record for the most countries visited by a fixed-wing aircraft in 24 hours. Mike Roberts and Nicholas Rogers are awaiting verification from the Guinness World Records that their June 25 flight to 16 countries in 24 hours tops the record of 11 countries set by James van der Hoorn and Iain Macleod in 2010.

The duo set off in their 2008 Piper Malibu at 3:30 a.m. local time from Denmark’s Roskilde Airport near Copenhagen with stops in Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, and France. 

They covered a distance of more than 1,700 miles at an average cruise speed of 165 knots. 

The pair also used the record attempt to raise awareness of the Save Wellesbourne Airfield campaign, which since 2015 has been under threat of closure by its landlords. “In doing this trip and taking in 16 countries, we wanted to demonstrate how accessible Europe can be served by general aviation aircraft—for business and leisure—and raise the awareness of the terrific standards many GA airfields offer,” said Roberts, owner of flying club and flight training school Take Flight Aviation at Wellsbourne in Warwickshire, England. 

Lone Star Flight Museum Raises $700,000 for Education

The Lone Star Flight Museum’s latest Blue Skies Gala recently raised more than $700,000 to foster STEM education programs and preserve aviation history. In its third year, the event held recently in Houston drew more than 500 attendees. Houston-based Universal Weather and Aviation was honored with the 2019 Blue Skies Company of Distinction recognition. Themed Moonstruck, the event also recognized the 50th anniversary year of the lunar landing and paid tribute to the late President George H.W. Bush, a member of the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame and a former supporter of the Lone Star Flight Museum.

“Promoting the value of STEM education is of paramount importance to the aviation community as there is an urgent need to fill the demand for future aviation professionals, which is why I actively look for opportunities to lend my hand in this area,” said co-chair and Par Avion president and founder Janine Iannarelli. “I’m thrilled to have worked with co-chairs Bette and Ralph Thomas [a Lone Star Flight Museum board member] and noted Houston philanthropist and honorary chair Margaret Alkek Williams to bring to life the vision of Moonstruck.”

The event drew support from industry businesses including Avsurance, Bombardier, Dassault Falcon Jet, Global Aviation Navigator, Gulfstream Aerospace, Jet Support Services Inc., and VistaJet.

GE, Lufthansa Systems Sync FMS with EFB

GE Aviation and Lufthansa recently demonstrated the first solution that allows synchronization of a flight plan between a GE flight management system (FMS) and Lufthansa Systems electronic flight bag (EFB) application for airlines. Airlines will be able to add this capability after installing a GE FMS software update.

While this capability has been available for many years in general aviation aircraft, this is the first time it will be available for airlines as an on-aircraft capability. It promises to reduce input errors when flight plans are manually entered into FMSs, by uploading information that has already been created in the EFB using Lufthansa Systems’ Lido Pilot Solutions app. The new capability is bi-directional and can be used to update the Lido app when changes are made in flight to the FMS flight plan. 

“Utilizing capabilities of a connected FMS is a true milestone for digital navigation in aviation, because it automates the daily manual data entry processes of pilots, which are quite prone to error, and enables the data flow between different applications,” said Bernd Jurisch, head of flight and navigation products & solutions at Lufthansa Systems. “This synchronization of valuable flight-relevant data between the FMS and pilot applications reduces pilots' workload and greatly improves their situational awareness, while also significantly mitigating errors through incorporated cross checks that are even graphically visible for the crew.”

FedEx Steps Up To Support Grieving Family

While preparing for their daughter’s memorial service this week, the parents of 18-year-old Elizabeth “Lake” Little received a surprise package from FedEx. The Starkville, Mississippi teen was performing touch-and-goes on July 6, practicing for her private pilot checkride, when her Cessna 172 crashed on a local golf course. She did not survive.

Robin Sebasco, system chief pilot for FedEx, learned from another company pilot that Little’s career ambition was to become a FedEx pilot someday.

In a letter accompanying the package, addressed to Little’s parents and two siblings, Sebasco wrote, “On behalf of the 5,000 pilots of FedEx, I would like to offer our sincere deepest sympathies in your time of grief.” The letter continued, “I wanted to reach out and let you know [Lake] was on the right track, pursuing a dream centered around the love for aviation which few people can fully understand. Her courage, determination, and persistence were the exact qualities that make the best pilots, and it is with deep regret that I learned of her accident, as her loss is a loss for all aviators.”

The package contained a set of FedEx pilot wings.

On Wednesday, Little’s parents posted on Facebook, “In addition to gaining her heavenly wings this week, she received her FedEx pilot wings as well, which was her goal-driven dream."