Following a delay of more than a year, Qatar Executive has started taking delivery of the Gulfstream G700 and aims to introduce seven of the recently FAA- and EASA-certified twinjets into its fleet this year. The first two Rolls-Royce Pearl 700-powered business jets arrived in Doha earlier this month, with a third landing in the Qatari capital today, and a fourth now completing its acceptance process.

The private charter subsidiary of Qatar Airways Group became the international launch customer for the G700 in October 2019, with an order for 10 of the new ultra-long-range business jets.

Qatar Executive will begin G700 commercial service in June, Qatar Airways Group CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said in Doha during a May 22 unveiling event of the company’s first two G700s—MSN 87009 (with the tail number A7-CHA) and MSN 87012 (A7-CHB).  

The fly-by-wire G700s are an addition to Qatar Executives’s fleet, which comprises 15 Gulfstream G650ERs, two Bombardier Global 5000s, and a pair of Airbus ACJ319s. “The G650s are still new aircraft and we will continue flying them for the next two to three years,” Al-Meer said. “Maybe at a later stage, we will consider upgrading the G650 to either G800 or maybe another order of G700.”

Several studies have identified the use of erroneous takeoff parameters as a safety issue. All pilots are vulnerable because the problem is not specific to any one aircraft type, region, or operator. Using erroneous takeoff parameters can result in early rotation causing a tail strike, collision with obstacles in the departure path, loss of control after takeoff, or a runway overrun.

Several recent incidents and accidents have involved intersection takeoffs, where pilots either take off from the wrong intersection or make errors while calculating takeoff performance parameters.

In 2007, the French BEA and Civil Aviation Authority commissioned a study entitled, “Use of Erroneous Parameters at Takeoff.” The study followed two serious tail-strike incidents at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and examined several other accidents and incidents around the world.

These events, as explained, “generally involved new-generation aircraft and had causal factors that included undetected crew errors, of varying degrees of significance, when they entered takeoff parameters.” The study does list many common errors such as weight and balance entry errors, incorrect V-speeds, incorrect flaps/slat and thrust settings, and a departure from a runway intersection, wrong intersection, or even a wrong runway.

These errors related to takeoff data were identified as “frequent” but are generally detected by the application of SOPs or by personal methods such as mental calculations.

May 24 marks Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Day, which celebrates the 1868 birthday of Charles Taylor, the Wright Brothers’ mechanic and the man who built the engine used to power the Wright Flyer.

Known as the father of aviation maintenance, Taylor gained notoriety in 2008 with a congressional resolution in his honor.

While the “holiday” perhaps doesn’t glean much attention among the general public, the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) cites the importance of celebrating the commitment, integrity, and skill of every aircraft mechanic and those who honor and support them. “This is Taylor’s legacy and our shared responsibility,” said ARSA.

Duncan Aviation celebrates AMT Day every year, typically with snacks and treats at its various locations and work shifts. At Duncan's Lincoln, Nebraska headquarters, the company is hosting an ice cream truck, and similar treats are available at the Provo, Utah and Battle Creek, Michigan locations. "It’s a pretty big deal and we try to celebrate it every year with something," said Duncan Aviation marketing communications manager Lori Johnson.

“No matter how you celebrate AMT Day, it’s a small bit of well-deserved recognition," said ARSA. “Thank you for your hard work, dedication, and support. The world can’t fly without you.”

Hydrographics is a cost-effective and growing trend in both private and commercial aviation, allowing owners to reimagine their aircraft interiors in ways not previously available in wood veneer or paint.

Dassault Aviation has opened a nearly 40,000-sq-ft (3,600-sq-m) service center in Brazil at São Paulo Catarina International Executive Airport (SBJH). The complex replaces the company’s Sorocaba MRO, which opened in 2009.

The service center in Catarina can accommodate up to five Falcons simultaneously and is large enough to handle the 10X, which will be the largest business aircraft in Dassault’s lineup when it enters service in 2027.

According to the company, the facility has already earned Part 145 approvals from Brazil’s ANAC, the FAA, and EASA, as well as from aviation authorities in Argentina, Bermuda, and Uruguay. It is authorized to perform line maintenance and major inspections on Falcon 50, 900, and 2000 series jets, as well as Falcon 7Xs and 8Xs.

In addition, the facility can carry out engine line maintenance on the CFE738, Honeywell TFE731, and Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A, PW307D, and PW308C. It can also conduct non-destructive testing procedures, including penetrant and eddy current tests, and its battery shop can repair, replace, or recharge main and emergency batteries.

Catarina will also support an AOG go-team trained to provide rapid mobile response throughout South America and stock the necessary parts and tools to get Falcons flying again with minimal delay.

Online private charter marketplace JetASAP is reporting mixed results on charter pricing with turboprop billable flight hours increasing, and super midsize and heavy jets sliding last month.

According to JetASAP, the average billable flight hour last month for turboprops increased by 5%, to $4,610, and remained flat at $8,626 for midsize jets from March. However, the average billable flight hours dipped by 2% month-over-month for light jets, to $6,895; -4% for super midsize jets, to $9,525; and -2% for heavy jets, to $12,991. For heavy jets, that showing represents a 12% drop since February.

"We are seeing more heavy jet operators getting aggressive with their pricing, and the majority of their quotes received by our members falling between a low hourly rate of $8,231 to an average rate of $12,991 per billable flight hour," said JetASAP founder and CEO Lisa Sayer.

JetASAP also provided samples of some real-time quotes through its app, such as a flight between Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Teterboro, New Jersey, in a Cessna Citation CJ3 for $15,000 or a Citation Excel for for $13,840. A trip between Teterboro and Las Vegas was quoted at $34,500 in a Citation X and $35,490 in a Citation Sovereign+, while a flight between Teterboro and London would cost $69,000 in a Gulfstream IV-SP, $81,000 in a GV, or $85,000 in a Bombardier Global Express.

The number of avionics shops signing up as dealers for SpaceX Starlink satcom installations is rapidly growing—as is the number of aircraft equipped with Starlink systems. A Bombardier Global XRS operated by Skystream Jet was the first charter jet to offer Starlink connectivity to its passengers, according to the company.

Supplemental type certificates (STCs) developed by Nextant Aerospace are available for the Global XRS and 6000 and Gulfstream GV, G450, G550, and G650. Other models are expected to receive approval by the end of the year, including the rest of the Global family, Challenger 300/350, GIV, and Embraer and Dassault Falcon models. A King Air 200/300 STC is available from AeroMech.

Starlink’s low-earth-orbit satellite network provides download speeds of more than 200 Mbps and uploads of 25-plus Mbps. The system weighs about 48 pounds and includes an electronically steered antenna mounted on top of the fuselage, a Starlink router, and a power supply. Retail price is $150,000, and two plans are available: global 20 GB for $2,000 per month (plus $100/GB additional) and global unlimited for $10,000 per month.

Recent additions to the Starlink dealer family include Elevate Aviation Group’s Elevate MRO division, based in Salt Lake City, and Dallas Love Field-based Business Jet. West Star Aviation said it has completed several Starlink installations and has “many more already scheduled.”