News

The FAA last week issued a 60-page order taking the city of Santa Monica, Calif., to task for what the agency has determined are discriminatory landing fees at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO). The order, which the NBAA immediately welcomed, is the latest chapter in a years-long battle between business jet operators and the […]

…the next issue of AVweb‘s BizAVflash will be e-mailed to you on Jan. 12. See you next year!

Last, but not least, aviation security continued to play a huge role during 2004, not only in how business aviation operations were conducted and in how much visibility they received but also in considering the industrys growth opportunities. On one hand, the industry should consider itself fortunate that it was not subject to more restrictions […]

Despite 2003’s being one of the industrys safest on record, 2004 ended on several sour notes. Although the NBAA noted in January there were no fatal accidents among corporate operators – its core constituency – in 2003, by the end of the year one notable corporate fatal accident had occurred, the Oct. 24 crash of […]

Regulatory changes were also in the business aviation news during 2004. Perhaps the biggest change was in how the FAA views fractional ownership operations. While the new frax rules were published in September 2003, they didnt become effective until Dec. 17, 2004. By most accounts, they have been implemented without too many challenges, perhaps because […]

Meanwhile, long-standing participants in the bizav marketplace have kept up the pace of developing new aircraft and new technologies. On one level, Gulfstream Aerospace leads the pack with the widest selection of large-cabin, long-range bizjets, especially now that its top-end products – the G350, G450 and G550 – have been certificated and will enter service […]

With all that upheaval in one segment of business aviation, what would a year be without a set of new players promising new airframes and powerplants? In late 2003, Hondas long-rumored development of a light-light jet finally became public. This year, the company announced an engine, possibly designed to power it. Still, the company has […]

Perhaps the most visible and significant change to occur in the industry during 2004 was the spring cleaning at the NBAA, in which new President and CEO Shelley Longmuir abruptly departed amid internal staff turmoil and dissatisfaction among board members, taking with her Bob Warren, the associations executive vice president and COO, who was hired […]

For business aviation, 2004 likely will be known as a year in which the industry withstood a number of challenges – internal and external – to emerge in at least as good a condition as when the year started. At the same time, other segments of the aviation industry did not fare as well; whether […]

…the next issue of AVweb‘s BizAVflash will be e-mailed to you on Dec. 29. Until then, enjoy the holidays!