Gulfstream confident on Middle East business jet market

Gulfstream, the American business jet maker, remains bullish on the UAE and Saudi Arabian markets as demand from Egypt slows down.

“The Middle East has always been a good market for Gulfstream. We have very good brand recognition in the Middle East in particular,” said Trevor Esling, the regional senior vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“We have a fleet of about 100 aircraft in the area. Saudi and the UAE are our two biggest markets. This is because of the concentration of people, industry, and commodities – oil, in this particular case.”

However, Egypt, which was once an important market for Gulfstream, has taken a big hit because of its economic struggles.

“Egypt was also a strong market. A big driver of our products is confidence in the market,” he said.

“Obviously, now it is much more difficult to make a decision from a business perspective and invest in products like ours if you have an uncertainty of how the economy will look.”

With a presence in the Middle East that goes back 30 to 40 years ago, Gulfstream targets wealthy individuals, companies, heads of state and militaries.

The company, which is publicly listed in the United States, reported US$8.1 billion in revenues last year, up 17.4 per cent from 2012.

“The Middle East was a good market for us last year, and the same is continuing for us in 2014,” said Mr Esling.

Gulfstream’s biggest markets are China and Russia, but the Middle Eastwas a “significant” one, according to Mr Esling.

Mr Esling added that part of the region’s significance is that it did not suffer “as much” during the global financial crisis of 2008.

“It’s still a commodity-driven economy, although this is changing here in Abu Dhabi and other places, where there is investment other than the oil industry. This helped significantly after 2008,” he said.

Gulfstream’s flagship, the G650 aircraft, is a best-seller in the region. The twin-engined business jet became available in 2008.

“It can fly from the Middle East to New York, which you can’t do in an executive-configured Airbus A319. That’s really the main difference. You trade cabin size for range and speed,” said Mr Esling.

Mr Esling describes the business jet product as “a necessity for some businesses” rather than a luxury.

“We don’t call our product a luxury, but it is used by businesses to save time and save money,” Mr Esling said. “For the most part it is a business tool.”

Source: http://www.thenational.ae

Business-Jet Makers Predict Sales Rebound: NetJets U.S. Flying Rose 9% in 2013 Versus 2014

The Wall Street Journal

By  Doug Cameron

Jan. 22, 2014 5:38 p.m. ET

Two of the world's largest makers of business jets on Wednesday forecast that new models would help drive double-digit sales gains this year, though they don't expect an immediate recovery in a market that is halved from its peak in 2008.

Executives from General Dynamics Corp., owner of Gulfstream Inc., and Cessna parent Textron Inc.  on Wednesday stopped short of calling a bottom to the five-year slide in jet sales, though pointed to solid demand and a declining inventory of used aircraft.

Business-jet makers have been battling the twin challenges of tight corporate travel budgets over the past five years and the negative perception of private-plane ownership created by some U.S. lawmakers during the financial crisis.

"I see signs of a bottoming out," said Jordan Hansell, chief executive of Columbus, Oh.-based NetJets Inc., which sells fliers part ownership in a fleet of more than 700 planes. The unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. placed $17.6 billion in orders for new jets in anticipation of a recovery.

Mr. Hansell said its U.S. flying rose 9% to just shy of 335,000 hours last year, with gains in sales to individuals, small and medium-size businesses and large corporations.

Another sign of the recovery is traffic at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, one of the world's largest for corporate aviation, where business is on track to return to 2008 levels. Aircraft movements were up 5% through the end of November from a year earlier, having fallen in four of the six previous years.

Global corporate jet shipments peaked at 1,315 in 2008, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, a U.S.-based trade group. Deliveries had fallen to 672 by 2012, and were down 2.1% through the end of November last year, the latest data available.

Gulfstream—the world's largest business-jet manufacturer by sales—had its strongest quarterly performance in two years in the final three months of 2013, and forecasts revenue to rise 11% this year. The company, which specializes in large and midsize jets seating up to eight passengers and four crew that can fly from the U.S. to Asia, expects to deliver 158 jets this year compared with 139 in 2013.

"Gulfstream is the primary growth engine for both [company] earnings and revenue," said General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic on a post-earnings call Wednesday.

Textron, which is more focused on the "light" jet segment that has suffered the largest sales declines, expects its revenue to climb 19% this year as it rolls out more new models. The company received approval last month from regulators to start delivering its Citation M2 and Citation Sovereign+ jets, and is awaiting clearance for the Citation 10 aircraft.

Gulfstream, Bombardier Inc. and Embraer SA are also rolling out new aircraft, some of them kitted out with more advanced entertainment and communications systems than existing models, as well as cabins that are quieter and more humid.

"What we're seeing—in the U.S. and Europe—is an appetite for these newer planes," said Mr. Hansell.

Textron shares closed up 5.3% at $38 on what analysts viewed as a more bullish outlook for the Cessna business.

"The dynamic is [that] new products matter a lot," said Textron Chief Executive Scott Donnelly on a post-earnings call.

Source:  http://online.wsj.com

Jamestown Regional Airport (KJMS), North Dakota: Feds question decision to switch airline provider

JAMESTOWN, N.D. - The Jamestown Airport Authority may have to send a delegation to Washington, D.C., later this month to answer questions about the bid from SkyWest Airlines to provide commercial passenger service to the airport.

The Airport Authority approved Wednesday covering the expenses of sending Chairman Jim Boyd, Jamestown Regional Airport Manager Matt Leitner and Mayor Katie Andersen to Washington toward the end of January. Boyd said he and Leitner had a conference call with members of Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s, D-N.D., office about the bids submitted by SkyWest Airlines and Great Lakes Airlines to provide passenger service to Jamestown Regional Airport starting April 1.

An airline provides passenger service to Jamestown Regional Airport under the Federal Aviation Administration’s Essential Air Service program. Under the EAS program the airline receives a subsidy to cover the expense of providing passenger service to small airports around the country. Airports in the EAS program seek bids every two years, and interested airlines bid to provide passenger service.

The bids are advertised, reviewed and awarded by the United States Department of Transportation for the FAA. Boyd said DOT officials have some concerns about the SkyWest Airlines bid.

Great Lakes Airlines, which currently provides service to Jamestown Regional Airport, submitted a bid to continue providing service to JRA with three roundtrip flights daily from Devils Lake/Jamestown to Minneapolis, using 19-seat turboprop airplanes. According to Leitner, this bid meets the DOT’s minimum bid requirement for turboprop airplanes.

The SkyWest Airlines bid is a one flight daily roundtrip from Denver to Jamestown using a 50-seat jet airplane. The DOT minimum bid for a 50-seat jet airplane service to Jamestown is two daily flights.

Boyd said another potential problem with the SkyWest bid is the airline would require a higher subsidy from the federal government because its airplane would be traveling a greater distance.

On Jan. 6 the Airport Authority recommended the SkyWest Airlines bid to the DOT. The Airport Authority’s commercial air service committee, made up of Boyd, Vice Chairman Jeff Wilhelm and member Brent Harris, solicited letters of support for the SkyWest bid from local government, business and community groups.

Boyd said he hopes the state’s congressional representatives, including Heitkamp, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., will be able to answer questions from DOT officials about the SkyWest bid.

“We may not need to go,” he said.

Leitner said service from Great Lakes Airlines continues to be a problem, as the airline has announced it will be eliminating weekend flights starting in February. The airline will continue to offer two flights daily Monday through Friday, but will not have any flights on Saturdays and only one late-night flight coming in on Sundays.

Great Lakes Airlines continues to have problems getting full flight crews for its flights due to changes in FAA requirements for co-pilots. In July the FAA increased the minimum number of flight hours a co-pilot must have in order to be part of a flight crew for a passenger flight from 250 hours to 1,500 hours. The change has put qualified co-pilots in high demand for all airlines.

Source: http://www.prairiebizmag.com

Immigration and Customs Enforcement sold drug smugglers doomed jet

A Tampa-based Immigrations and Customs Enforcement undercover operation sold a Gulfstream II turbojet — which crashed in Mexico seven years ago with nearly four tons of cocaine onboard — to suspected drug smugglers in Clearwater shortly before the mishap. That’s according to federal documents in an ongoing drug case involving some of the people in the 2007 aircraft sale.

That jet took off from the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport — where it was sold — on Sept. 16, 2007. Eight days later, it crashed in the Yucatan Peninsula with 3.7 tons of cocaine onboard.

The sale of that jet to the ICE undercover operation known as Mayan Jaguar was brokered by a former race car driver named Don Whittington, now the owner of a Fort Lauderdale charter jet company called World Jet Inc. In 1987, Whittington pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. He is currently being investigated for possibly using a Colorado hot springs resort, registered to the same address as World Jet, to launder the proceeds of aircraft used for drug smuggling — including the Gulfstream, according to a search warrant affidavit for Whittington’s emails.

The affidavit, now sealed, was obtained by the Durango Herald last fall. It was left unsealed accidently and sealed after the paper obtained it to protect sources and tactics, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Denver.

Carissa Cutrell, a spokeswoman for ICE in Tampa, confirmed the existence of Mayan Jaguar as a drug interdiction effort in the mid-2000s but had no details about the operation.

Whittington brokered the sale of the Gulfstream from SA Holdings LLC to a Coconut Creek-based company called Donna Blue Aircraft, which turned out to be an ICE front company, according to the search warrant affidavit. Donna Blue Aircraft then sold the jet to two pilots who “have long been targets of DEA investigations for the trafficking of cocaine from South America to Central America and Mexico,” according to the affidavit. One of those pilots, Gregory Dean Smith, “currently works as a contract pilot for Don Whittington and World Jet, Inc.,” according to the affidavit.

World Jet’s office was raided in November, according to the DEA, after a yearlong investigation “revealed that Don Whittington sold and leased multiple jet aircraft to purchasing agents of Venezuelan, Colombian, African and Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations,” the affidavit states.

The proceeds from those sales were invested in a Western Colorado spa, investigators say in the search warrant affidavit.

The sale of the Gulfstream, another jet at St. Pete-Clearwater and other planes from the area have long been the subject of scrutiny by international investigators and government officials.

Mexican authorities who issued an arrest warrant for a top financier of the Sinaloa drug cartel uncovered the connection between the cartel and the purchase of two jets, according to Mexican authorities.

The investigations reached the attention of high-level officials in the U.S. and Mexican governments concerned with the nexus between smuggling and terror groups, according to a State Department cable leaked by Wikileaks.

“In the area of money laundering, the USG (U.S. government) developed strong working relationships with the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) and its companion unit in the Mexican Treasury (Hacienda) in combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and narcotics trafficking,” according to the cable, from the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela to the State Department. “In one case in late 2007, Mexican police worked with U.S. authorities to identify and arrest the alleged finance head for the Sinaloa drug cartel, targeting a ring that bought airplanes with laundered money to smuggle drugs.”

Another plane sold from St. Petersburg — a Cessna Conquest II — was part of an FBI investigation into international money laundering and drug smuggling, according to an FBI affidavit. The Cessna was sold as part of “a complex international money laundering scheme” to purchase airplanes for drug smuggling, according to an affidavit by FBI agent Michael Hoenigman. It was purchased from St. Petersburg-based Skyway Aircraft, FBI and FAA records state. It was to be used in transporting cocaine from Venezuela to Africa, according to the affidavit. That investigation was separate from any DEA investigations, the DEA has said.

Attorney Hunter Chamberlain, representing Larry Peters, who sold the Cessna, said Peters “doesn’t know anything” about the airplane being used by drug smugglers, Chamberlin said in a 2008 Tribune interview. “This is a guy who has a very small company. Whatever happens to these airplanes after Mr. Peters sells them, they enter the stream of commerce and that’s the last Larry Peters will see of the airplane.”

In an interview, Peters said he sold another plane that was seized by Guatemalan authorities after being used for smuggling.

Peters also has connections to the man whose company sold the plane that later crashed in Mexico. Through Atlantic Alcohol, a St. Petersburg-based company that tried to import ethanol from Brazil, Peters was a business partner of Joao Malago, who sold the Gulfstream II, according to Malago in a previous interview with the Tribune.

Both Malago and Peters have denied any connection to drug smugglers, and while Malago has been contacted by law enforcement, Peters was not.

In a 2007 Tribune interview, Malago, a Brazilian businessman who purchased the Gulfstream II in August 2007 for his Donna Blue Aircraft company, said he sold the 32-year-old twin-engine jet to a Fort Lauderdale-based pilot named Clyde O’Connor on Sept. 16. He emailed the Tribune an Aircraft Acceptance form he said contains O’Connor’s signature and that of a second man, Gregory Smith.

Malago, who bought the plane with partner Eduardo Dias Guimaraes, said he chose St. Pete-Clearwater “because I have a close friend who has a hangar, so the plane was just waiting for delivery.”

In telephone and email interviews from Brazil, Malago in 2007 said he sold the jet to O’Connor for $2 million. O’Connor and Smith, along with a pilot hired by Malago, flew the plane to Fort Lauderdale. Malago said O’Connor was going to use the plane to fly charters in Mexico.

O’Connor, Smith and Whittington did not return phone calls. Malago could not be reached for comment for this story.

Mayan Jaguar was likely a “win” for the government, said Robert Mazur, who spent five years undercover infiltrating the criminal hierarchy of Colombia’s drug cartels. His book, “The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside The Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel,” and the movie it inspired chronicle how drug money is laundered.

“If the name of game is to be able to take $2 million in cash out of the bad guys, give them a plane and let them use it so whatever they try to bring back into the country is seized, that is good,” said Mazur, president of Chase & Associates Inc., a Tampa-based forensic investigative services company, speaking in general terms because he has no direct knowledge of Mayan Jaguar. “Anytime you do anything to facilitate crime, whether selling planes, or laundering money for them, it really needs to be a strategically thought-out plan so that your collection of evidence far outweighs the facilitation of criminal activity.”

Source:   http://tbo.com

Business-Jet Outlook Is Scaled Back: Full Recovery for Deliveries Likely Remains a Decade Away

By  Jon Ostrower

The Wall Street Journal 

Oct. 20, 2013 10:05 p.m. ET

 
LAS VEGAS—Manufacturing of new business jets isn't likely to recover to pre-recession levels for at least another decade, according to a closely watched new forecast that trimmed the number of aircraft deliveries over the next 10 years by about 8% from the year-earlier projection.

The annual forecast from Honeywell International Inc. estimates global deliveries of as many as 9,250 new business jets from 2013 to 2022, down from the "nearly 10,000" guidance provided in 2012.

Deliveries of new business jets halved from their 2008 peak of 1,315 to 672 last year, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, an industry trade group. Deliveries have fallen for four straight years, with the business staging a slow and uneven recovery from the aftermath of the financial crisis that reduced the order backlogs of many smaller manufacturers, forcing some to cut production or exit the market.

Honeywell makes products including cabin electronics, navigation systems and jet engines for corporate aircraft. Its forecast comes on the eve of the industry's largest trade show, the National Business Aviation Association annual convention that starts here on Monday.

While fewer deliveries are forecast over the next decade, Honeywell said the business-jet market is valued at $250 billion, some 2% to 3% higher than its forecast last year.

That growth is driven by the increasing share deliveries of the largest long-range jets from plane makers such as Bombardier Inc. and Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., a unit of General Dynamics Corp.  Some 80% of the dollar value and 60% of the units will come from jets that cost about $25 million each and up, Honeywell said.

While commercial-jetliner deliveries are rising to new records, the number for new business aircraft is expected to decline to a range of 600 to 625 this year.

Rob Wilson, president of Honeywell's business and general-aviation unit, said he expects manufacturers to return to their 2008 sales peak by 2016 with about $22 billion in deliveries, spurred by the introduction of new, larger models. However, the annual volume of aircraft deliveries isn't expected to return to 2008 levels any time in the next decade, Mr. Wilson said.

The tough conditions in the market were underscored on Friday by Cessna Aircraft Co. The Textron Inc. unit posted a $23 million third-quarter loss amid fewer deliveries of smaller jets. Cessna revenue fell 24% from a year earlier to $593 million.

Cessna and its rivals face competition from each other and heavily discounted used aircraft, many of them nearly new.

Scott Donnelly, Textron's chief executive, said during a conference call to discuss the results that its own used jets still pose "significant competition" to Cessna. He added that while the number for sale continues to drop, "the pace of that is not as fast as we'd like."

Honeywell also measures future acquisition plans to forecast demand regionally. Mr. Wilson said jet-buying plans of operators in Brazil, Russia, India and China—future drivers of industry growth—"reflect a slight tempering of enthusiasm compared to a year ago," with reduced acquisition plans for the next five years.

However, Honeywell said operators in North America—which accounts for more than half of projected global demand—have experienced a slight uptick in buying plans, anticipating a mid-decade acceleration "affirming the region's indisputable importance to the industry's future."

Source:   http://online.wsj.com

Gulfstream overtakes Bombardier in value of business aircraft shipped in Q2

MONTREAL -- A surge in business aircraft shipments helped Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. to overtake Bombardier as the world's leading business jet manufacturer in terms of value in the second quarter, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

The U.S.-based manufacturer shipped 36 aircraft worth US$1.83 billion in the quarter, compared to 45 planes valued at US$1.59 billion for Bombardier. The value of Gulfstream's shipments doubled from a year earlier when it delivered 21 aircraft. Bombardier shipped one less aircraft this year but the value of planes delivered increased by US$274 million or nearly 18 percent.

Halfway through the year, the value of Gulfstream's aircraft shipments was 7.5 per cent greater than its Canadian rival.

Bombardier shipped 14 Global 5000/600, 11 Challenger 605, 16 Challenger 300 and four Learjet 60XR during the quarter. Gulfstream delivered 30 of its 450/550/650 planes and six smaller 150/280 aircraft.

Overall, the industry association said total worldwide airplane shipments rose 8.9 per cent in the first half of 2013 as billings of various smaller aircraft reached US$10.4 billion, up 26.4 percent from the prior year. It marked the first time that six-month revenues surpassed US$10 billion since 2008.

Shipments of single, twin and piston-engine airplanes increased, but industry business jet deliveries decreased 4.1 percent to 283 planes, from 295 a year ago.

"We are encouraged to see a strong increase in billings this quarter, but the mixed results in shipments -- and the differences in performance among sectors -- demonstrate that general aviation airplane manufacturers still face some strong headwinds as the global economy recovers," stated association president Pete Bunce.

Montreal-based Bombardier shipped 179 aircraft valued at US$5.8 billion in 2012, compared to 94 aircraft valued at US$4.1 billion by Gulfstream.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca

Gulfstream Beijing earns maintenance OKs

A joint maintenance management agreement among civil aviation authorities will allow Gulfstream Beijing to service its aircraft registered in Hong Kong and Macau — the two special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China — as well as China proper, the company announced Monday.

The approval was granted through an agreement among the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong and the Civil Aviation Authority of Macau SAR.

Under the agreement, Gulfstream Beijing can perform maintenance and upgrades on airframes, avionics, power plants and interiors on Gulfstream G550, G450 and G200 aircraft registered in Hong Kong and Macau. Gulfstream earned approval last year to work on those models registered in China.

“The joint maintenance approval is welcome news for many of our Hong Kong and Macau operators who travel frequently to Beijing and nearby cities,” said Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream Product Support.

“As Gulfstream Beijing grows, our goal is to add authorizations to give our customers more options for maintenance,” Burns said.

More than 200 Gulfstream aircraft are based in the Asia-Pacific region, including nearly 50 in Hong Kong and Macau.

The Gulfstream Beijing service center is a joint venture between Gulfstream and Hainan Airlines Group subsidiaries Hainan Aviation Technik and Beijing Capital Airlines Co. Ltd.

Gulfstream Beijing is located at Beijing Capital International Airport. The facility features about 82,000 square feet of hangar space and 22,000 square feet of offices and back shops.

Source:   http://savannahnow.com

Gulfstream takes the long view with latest luxury jet

 

(CNN) -- It's the billionaires' equivalent of lining up all night for the new iPhone. Multinational corporations and the ultra-rich are racing to get their hands on a Gulfstream 650, the newest and most envy-inducing private jet on the market. Order one tomorrow, plunk down $65M and you'll see your plane in 2017.

 Gulfstream says over 200 have been ordered so far and it's strictly first come, first serve. Industry insiders believe Disney, Nike and Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone are among the current customers.

"There's not any jumping ahead of anyone," says Gulfstream's Regional Vice President for International Sales, Roger Sperry, but he admits it isn't for lack of effort. "They try all the time," he says.

The appeal of the G650 -- that can carry up to 18 people -- comes down to size, speed and range. With a top speed of Mach 0.925 -- close to the speed of sound -- it is faster than any other civilian aircraft in use. The range of up to 7,000 nautical miles means passengers could fly from London to Buenos Aires without refueling (a headache for the jet-setting, long-range business crowd).

The new plane has been a boon for Gulfstream after the financial crisis put a squeeze on the business jet industry.

"Given how difficult the market has been since 2008 to have something the market is fighting to get, instead of fighting to sell, is pretty good," says Paul Sheridan from aviation consultancy Ascend.

The G650 is positioned to appeal to the growing Chinese market, where customers prefer bigger, more expensive planes. Wang Jianlin, chairman of the Wanda Group and one of China's richest men, told Fortune magazine he wants to add one to his fleet. Earlier this year the company flew one to Shanghai for the Asian Business Aviation Conference, a key event for meeting Chinese customers.

The G650 is not the only option for those seeking a long-range, large business jet. Both Boeing and Airbus produce private planes with a long range and luxury options, basically modified versions of their commercial planes. One Airbus customer has even bought an A380 super-jumbo for private use.

"We can do features which the Chinese market particularly appreciates, such as a large round table which is the focus of Asian life. We can do Karaoke bars," says David Velupillai of Airbus.

Analysts say those planes just don't appeal to the status conscious the way the Gulfstream does, with its signature large, oval windows and sleek exterior. "They just don't look as good. I think that counts for something," says Sheridan.

Gulfstream have added a number of bells and whistles to the new jets, including lower cabin pressure, which the company say reduces fatigue on long-range flights, and the ability to use your iPhone to control cabin features including window shades, temperature, lighting and displays.

But it's not easy being the belle of the ball. One thing it does is stirs up the competition. Canadian aviation company Bombardier is launching the Global 7000 in 2016 and Global 8000 in 2017. Both promise an even longer range than the G650; the Global 8000 will be able to fly from New York to Hong Kong non-stop.

The rush to make wealthy business travelers dreams a reality is just beginning.

Story and Video:  http://edition.cnn.com

SG Private Wealth Advisors To Market Gulfstream V N765SG

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., July 3, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- SG Private Wealth Advisors announced today that it was selected to market the Gulfstream V private jet N765SG for sale and to advise on the acquisition and financing of a Gulfstream G550.

"We are truly excited for the opportunity to be involved in yet another aircraft transaction, especially given that N765SG was operated and maintained in an immaculate condition," said Dovi Frances, co-founder of SG Private Wealth Advisors.

"Last year, SG Private Wealth Advisors introduced a new platform for aircraft sales and acquisitions that presented aircraft owners with an alternative to the standard commission-based transaction. SG Private Wealth Advisors markets each specialty-asset we represent in a unique and creative fashion; we do not charge commission based fees and we do not hold an inventory of aircrafts for sale. These qualities makes our firm an impartial advocate for our clients; we only have their best interest in mind."

About the Gulfstream V
The Gulfstream V was the world's first private jet in the ultra long-range category. Described as 'the Ferrari of private jets', it is capable of flying anywhere in the world with comfort and speed: nonstop flights from California to China or from New York to England. The Gulfstream V is equipped with Rolls-Royce BR710-48 engines, each capable of handling 14,750 pounds of thrust. The aircraft has a range of 6,230 miles, can climb to an altitude of 37,000 feet in under twenty minutes, has a ceiling of 51,000 feet, and can maintain a long-range cruise speed of 459 knots.

About SG Private Wealth Advisors

SG Private Wealth Advisors is a Multi-family office founded by billionaire Sergey Grishin and entrepreneur Dovi Frances to provide advisory services to domestic and international high net-worth clients. The firm offers clients the benefits of a family office without the burden associated with owning and such a costly operation. SG Private Wealth Advisors services include: private banking, asset management, alternative investments, insurance, specialty assets and operations.

SOURCE SG Private Wealth Advisors

http://www.marketwatch.com

‘Jetgate’ jet made three previous visits to Bermuda

Published Jun 6, 2013 at 8:00 am (Updated Jun 6, 2013 at 9:33 pm)

By Ayo Johnson

The private jet used to transport the Premier and two of his Ministers to a Washington DC meeting had been here three times before the now infamous trip, The Royal Gazette can confirm.

And it would have cost more than $40,000 to charter.

The Gulfstream 200 — first came here this year on February 16 arriving at 1.46pm but left the same day after just under an hour at LF Wade International Airport, according to a flight tracker service.

It was to return five days later — on February 21 at 9.45am, and leaving on the same day at 2.33pm. On March 11, the jet landed shortly before 10am and left at noon.

Nine days later it returned to Bermuda and picked up the Premier, the Attorney General and the Minister of Tourism.

Government insists that that trip — from March 20 to March 22 — represented their first and only meeting with the investor group.

All flights originated in Washington DC.

The Royal Gazette understands that the G200 — one of just 250 of its kind built between 1997 and 2011 — is a family-owned jet. When not in use by its owners, it is available for charter.

A quote obtained from the charter company which handles the jet noted that it would cost $43,178.93 to fly three people from Bermuda to Washington DC on March 20 next year, returning on March 22.

The plane can accommodate up to eight people.

Government has been harshly criticised for what has been dubbed “jetgate” by the Opposition Progressive Labour Party following revelations that the three Ministers went on a paid trip on the private jet to attend a five-hour meeting in Washington DC.

The trio stayed two nights — also at the expense of the investors.

Source:  http://www.royalgazette.com

Macon, Georgia: Company faces $83,160 in OSHA fines

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said a Macon company exposed workers to levels of a dangerous chemical eight times higher than allowed -- and it’s not the first time.

Two of the three violations alleged against Aerospace Defense Coatings of Georgia are repeat violations, said the agency. OSHA is seeking $83,160 in fines, according to citations issued Tuesday. The company coats and paints metals.

The citations claim the company’s work areas were unsafe. OSHA claims that break room dining tables were also left covered with dangerous levels of hexavalent chromium, the same chemical featured in the movie “Erin Brockovich.”

A company official promised to get a message to President and CEO Thomas Scott, who did not return the phone call.

In a statement, Nadira Janack, assistant area director for OSHA, said that “Aerospace Defense Coatings of Georgia was previously cited for the same violations and has failed to take action to protect workers from the hazards associated with hexavalent chromium exposure. Management needs to take immediate action to eliminate these hazards from the workplace.”

According to the citations, Aerospace Defense Coatings didn’t leave a place for employees to change their clothes to use protective gear. That spread contamination, with hexavalent chromium found on the steering wheel and interior door handle of an employee’s car. The fine in that citation, termed a willful violation, is proposed at $61,600.

The citations also include two alleged repeat violations, with proposed fines of $10,780 each. Over eight hours, one employee was allegedly exposed to average levels of hexavalent chromium at 41 micrograms per cubic meter, far above the federal limit of 5. The other citation comes from breakroom tables, where levels were found as high as 0.3565 micrograms, a level the agency says is too dirty.

The complaints stem from an October 2012 inspection, said Michael D’Aquino, an OSHA spokesman in Atlanta.

In 2011, OSHA agreed to reduce fines to about $168,000 after finding employees had been exposed to as many as 50 times the legal limits. The agency had proposed fines of $300,000 for 19 violations it called serious, repeated or willful.

OSHA says exposure to chromium can cause respiratory damage, lung cancer, skin rashes and chrome ulcers.

The company’s web site includes praise from Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. and Cessna Aircraft Co. The company said it’s also approved to serve hundreds of other companies including Delta Airlines, the Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin and NASA.

The company has 15 business days to comply, discuss or appeal the citations.

Read more here: http://www.macon.com

Beautiful Plane - By Brenda Grundt: Wawa Municipal Airport, Ontario -Canada (Photo Gallery and Video)

 

The flight crew were very happy with the hospitality and care shown to them by Wawa Airport staff, and said that it is a delight to fly in and out of our airport. They hope to come back.  -Brenda Grundt 
~

Wawa aviation fans had a treat on Monday morning when a Gulfstream G550 landed at the Wawa Municipal Airport. This is a $58 million dollar aircraft, with a maximum speed of Mach 0.885 – that’s more than 585 miles per hour (941 km/hr). This is said to be the gold standard in business aviation, so it is appros that this aircraft belongs to Barrick Gold Corporation, the world's largest gold producer.  

They were in Wawa to visit at their mine in Marathon, Ontario. From Barrick's website "The Hemlo property consists of David Bell, an underground mine, and Williams, an underground and open pit mine, located approximately 350 kilometers east of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Williams and David Bell mines share milling, processing and tailings facilities where ores from the two mines are co-mingled and fed to a standard grind, leach and carbon-in-pulp extraction mill. In 2012, Hemlo produced 206,000 ounces of gold at total cash costs of $978 per ounce. Hemlo’s proven and probable mineral reserves as of December 31, 2012 were 1.2 million ounces of gold."

One might ask why did they land in Wawa, and not Marathon. Simply put, Marathon's runway length is 3933/3735 feet versus 4429/3740 feet at Wawa. This aircraft needs 2,770 feet to land, and Wawa's runway length offered a little bit more room. That being said, the pilot did call to confirm weather at the airport and conditions before departing for Wawa. Even the wingspan of the Gulfstream could have caused problems. Our runway is 98' wide and the wingspan of the Gulfstream is 93.6 ft.   

Wawa-news had the opportunity to peek inside the cabin, wow! Travelling in this would be very, very comfortable. I didn't presume to sit in one of the plush, leather seats, but I can imagine falling asleep in one of them. In fact, the flight attendant told me that often times the passengers will do just that, fall asleep in the chairs - before she has a chance to make them up into small beds. She has a cosy, leather chair in a small cabin just beside the galley. This plane is equipped with a galley, coffee machine, stove, microwave, and fridge for travelling comfort.

But not only are the passengers spoilt, the pilots are also well looked after. A first for me to see, was the heads up display. The cockpit has all kinds of new features, and very interesting a 3D weather radar display. Too soon, though, the passengers arrived at the airport, and I took my leave of this beautiful plane. A few minutes later, after a pre-flight check, the plane began to taxi to the runway, taxiing down to the far end, then reving it's engines, Rolls-Royce's at that, took off and headed to it's next destination.

Story, Photos, Video:   http://www.wawa-news.com

A bargain: General Dynamics spends $264,517 for personal use of Gulfstream aircraft by CEO

Ever wonder how much companies spend shuttling CEOs around on private jets? In the case of General Dynamics Corp., it was $264,517 during 2012.

If that seems like a bargain, it is. General Dynamics has a distinct advantage over some other companies: easy access to airplanes, because subsidiary Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. manufactures them.

Personal use of company aircraft is solely for the chairman and CEO, which was Jay Johnson in 2012, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Use of the aircraft was necessary “to help ensure Mr. Johnson’s security and accessibility,” according to the filing. The $264,517 cost went toward fuel costs, trip-related maintenance expenses, landing fees, trip-related hangar and parking fees, onboard catering expenses and crew expenses.

Read more here:   http://www.bizjournals.com

Spirit AeroSystems lays off 'small number' of workers at Tulsa plant

Aircraft component maker Spirit AeroSystems is laying off an undisclosed number of workers at its Tulsa manufacturing facility, the company confirmed Friday.

Wichita-based Spirit would not confirm how many employees were being let go. Company spokesman Mark Walker would only say Spirit issued "a small number" of layoff notices to employees Friday.

"Spirit AeroSystems routinely looks for opportunities for efficiency gains and cost reductions in response to financial and performance challenges as reported in our 2012 full-year earnings report," Walker wrote in an email. "To meet our challenges, we are focused on changing the cost model for how we do business in order to bring even more value to our aerospace design/build capabilities."

Spirit employs nearly 3,000 people in Oklahoma, about 2,700 of them at its facility at Tulsa International Airport.

Spirit is a major manufacturer for airplane builders such as Boeing Co., Airbus SAS and Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., making fuselages, wings, pylons, nacelles and other structural parts.

A month ago Spirit reported that revenue and earnings were up during the fourth quarter compared with the previous year, though full-year earnings were down.

The company expects to sell $5.8 billion to $6 billion worth of products this year, up nearly 10 percent over 2012, according to financial projections released in February. However, Spirit did say it was hoping to increase productivity to be more profitable.

The company was formed in 2005 as a spinoff from Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Spirit has been a major player in Boeing projects and builds fuselages for the new 787 Dreamliner as well as Boeing 737s.

Walker said the cutbacks are not related to problems with the Boeing 787, which has been grounded worldwide since January due to battery issues.

"The decision to realign the number of employees working on Tulsa programs is part of our process focused on changing the cost structure for doing business," Walker wrote. "Realignment is required to ensure the Tulsa site remains strong and is able to add value to our aerospace design/build capabilities."

Spirit occupies the former Air Force Plant No. 3 at the airport. In November, Tulsa County voters rejected a $386.88 million sales-tax package to fund upgrades for the industrial area's three major tenants, including the American Airlines maintenance base and school bus maker IC of Oklahoma LLC.

At that time, Spirit officials said the company had a total payroll in Oklahoma of about $180 million a year.

Source:  http://www.tulsaworld.com

Georgia House OKs tax break for Gulfstream

A state tax break primarily for the benefit of Savannah, Ga.-based Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. sailed through the Georgia House of Representatives Tuesday.

Lawmakers voted 169-3 to extend a sales tax exemption on the purchase of airplane parts and equipment until June 2015.

Gulfstream’s Savannah plant produces luxury aircraft for customers from around the country. The legislation would apply to parts and equipment used in the repair or maintenance in Georgia of aircraft not registered in this state.

“It’s very narrowly tailored in both scope and size,” said Rep. Alex Atwood, R-Brunswick, the bill’s chief sponsor.

Read more here:  http://www.bizjournals.com

Manufacturers in race to meet need for speed

For an industry that sells itself on shaving off time spent in transit, speed is a big deal. The top speed race between old Cessna and rival US aircraft-maker Gulfstream has been settled, but velocity addicts are still awaiting deliveries of the fast jet set.

Cessna’s Citation Ten, which keeps the speed crown currently held by its predecessor Citation X model with a maximum cruise speed increased to Mach 0.935, is on track for certification and deliveries in the second half of 2013, the Kansas company says.

Gulfstream’s speedy G650 ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range business jet received its type certificate last month from US aviation regulators, and first deliveries will go to customers before the end of this year. The Georgia-based company has orders for more than 200 of the $64.5m aircraft, with 17 completions expected before January.

The G650 had threatened Cessna with its top speed of Mach 0.925 until the Kansas company hit back. Gulfstream claims instead the title of most advanced flight deck in general aviation, including fly-by-wire controls, visibility-enhancing systems and advanced weather radar.

Ironically, given the focus on safety features, the US National Transportation Safety Board this month increased its criticism of the circumstances that led to a fatal crash during G650 testing at Roswell, New Mexico, in April 2011, citing pressure to keep to a certification schedule. The aircraft-maker says it has, since the accident, “redoubled its efforts to strengthen the safety culture in flight-test and throughout the company”.

The safety benefits from improved navigation, control and vision systems have already cut accident rates across aviation by huge margins – and further improvements are on offer.

Such benefits are also on offer further down the speed chain. I sampled the Honeywell SmartView Synthetic Vision System piloting a rather slower Pilatus PC-12 – maximum cruise speed about 280 knots – around the mountains of Switzerland this year and the improvements in situational awareness were startling. The system made normally challenging steep approaches to tiny strips deep in the Swiss valleys easy, and even simple things, such as super-imposing range lines on to the computer-generated topography displayed to the pilot, took a great deal of guesswork out of flying.

Looking east

Cessna, the world’s largest maker of business jets by volume, could be excused for being a touch more confident than this time last year. The NetJets order in June for up to 150 midsize Citation Latitudes – 25 firm and 125 options – marks a return to ordering products from the Kansas-based company, after a previous big order from NetJets went to Brazilian rival Embraer for its Phenom light jets.

The Latitude is expected to make its first flight in 2014, with certification and first deliveries in 2015. Brad Thress, senior vice-president of the business jets division, says its range of 2,500 nautical miles will be key to its popularity.

The Citation Longitude, with a range of 4,000 nautical miles, is expected also to win interest from newer markets where range is highly prized.

Lower down in the size stakes, the Citation M2, bigger brother of the light jet Mustang, is expected to be certified in the first half of 2013, with deliveries due in the second half of the same year. Cessna says global interest is strong, particularly in markets in Europe and Asia.

Cessna is also pursuing opportunities in China, which it forecasts as being in the top 10 of business jet markets within 13 years. It is on its way to producing the Sovereign and Latitude jets for sale in China, as well as the turboprop Grand Caravan.

Hawker Beechcraft’s Chinese adventure, which ended this month when its planned deal with Superior Aviation Beijing collapsed, shows that China’s promise can be limited. Richard Aboulafia, vice-president for analysis at the Teal Group aerospace consultancy, says co-building does not guarantee market access, and is skeptical about emerging nations’ ability to transform the sector’s fortunes.

But with the US market still waiting for a sight of the approach lights that herald a tidy recovery, failing to look east would be a mistake.

Source:  http://www.ft.com

Honeywell Green Jet Fuel(TM) Powers Gulfstream Flights To NBAA

Five aircraft fly together for the first time using renewable jet fuel to National Business Aviation Association convention

DES PLAINES, Ill., Oct. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced today that Honeywell Green Jet Fuel(TM) produced using Honeywell's UOP Renewable Jet Fuel process powered demonstration flights by Gulfstream Aerospace to this year's National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention.

Five Gulfstream aircraft traveled on October 27 and 28 from Gulfstream's headquarters in Savannah, Ga., to Orlando, Fla., for the NBAA convention, the world's largest civil aviation tradeshow.

Both engines of the aircraft were powered by a 50/50 blend of Honeywell Green Jet Fuel and petroleum-derived jet fuel. The renewable fuel was made with natural oils from camelina, an inedible plant that grows in conditions where other food crops cannot. This marked the first time Gulfstream's entire fleet has flown on renewable jet fuel.

"Honeywell Green Jet Fuel has been proven repeatedly throughout the aviation community as an alternative fuel source that not only meets strict flight specifications, but also offers significant emissions reductions," said Jim Rekoske, vice president and general manager of Honeywell's UOP Renewable Energy and Chemicals business unit. "We are pleased that Gulfstream chose to incorporate Honeywell Green Jet Fuel into its companywide sustainability initiative."

Gulfstream G150, G280, G450, G550 and G650 aircraft participated in the flights. Previously, Gulfstream's G450 was the only Gulfstream aircraft flown using renewable jet fuel.

Each gallon of camelina-based Honeywell Green Jet Fuel burned instead of petroleum reduces the net carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 68 percent. Depending on the feedstock, Honeywell Green Jet Fuel can offer a 65 to 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to petroleum-based fuels.

When used as part of a 50 percent blend with petroleum-based jet fuel, Honeywell Green Jet Fuel is a drop-in replacement for petroleum-based jet fuel that requires no changes to aircraft technology and meets all critical specifications for flight.

Honeywell's UOP Renewable Jet Fuel Process technology was originally developed in 2007 under a contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to produce renewable military jet fuel for the U.S. military. The process technology is fully compatible with existing hydroprocessing technology commonly used in today's refineries to produce transportation fuels.

In addition to using Honeywell Green Jet Fuel, Gulfstream's aircraft feature a wide range of Honeywell Aerospace technology that improves energy efficiency and the environmental footprint. Honeywell's Flight Management Systems (FMS) aboard Gulfstream's large-cabin aircraft enable the most efficient use of airspace in all phases of flight. The HTF7250 propulsion system installed on the Gulfstream G280 super mid-sized aircraft features the latest SABER1 combustion technology, which reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by 25 percent.

In 2011, a Honeywell-operated Gulfstream G450 became the first aircraft to fly from North America to Europe with a 50/50 blend of Honeywell Green Jet Fuel and petroleum-based jet fuel, powering one of the aircraft's Rolls-Royce engines. It was also the first business jet to be powered by a biofuel.

UOP LLC, headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois, USA, is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, process plants, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. UOP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc. and is part of Honeywell's Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group. For more information, go to www.uop.com .

Honeywell ( www.honeywell.com ) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com .

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are also subject to risks and uncertainties, which can affect our performance in both the near- and long-term. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Honeywell

Gulfstream G650, Gulfstream Aerospace, N652GD: Accident occurred April 02, 2011 in Roswell, New Mexico

http://www.gulfstream.com

NTSB Identification: DCA11MA076
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, April 02, 2011 in Roswell, NM
Aircraft: GULFSTREAM GVI, registration: N652GD
Injuries: 4 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On April 2, 2011, about 0934 mountain daylight time, a Gulfstream GVI (G650) airplane, N652GD, was substantially damaged after impact with terrain during takeoff at Roswell International Air Center Airport (ROW), Roswell, New Mexico. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a company flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The two flight crewmembers and the two technical crewmembers were fatally injured. The flight had originated from ROW about 0700 for a local area flight.

The airplane was operating under a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Experimental Certificate of Airworthiness and was performing a take off with a simulated engine failure to determine take-off distance requirements at minimum flap setting.

Wingtip scrape marks beginning on the runway approximately 5,300 feet from the end of the runway lead toward the final resting spot about 3,800 feet from the first marks on the runway. Witnesses close to the scene saw the airplane sliding on the ground with sparks and smoke coming from the bottom of the wing, and described the airplane being fully involved in fire while still moving across the ground. The airplane struck several obstructions and came to rest upright about 200 feet from the base of the airport control tower. Several airport rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) units responded quickly and fought the fire.

 Opinion/Editorial

SavannahNow/Savannah Morning News
Gulfstream crash: The right approach
Posted: October 12, 2012 - 12:02am

FEDERAL SAFETY officials scolded Gulfstream’s management this week for actions they say contributed to last year’s crash of a new business jet that killed four company employees.

American businesses have a responsibility to protect their workers from harm. That’s a major challenge in some endeavors, such as testing expensive new aircraft in a highly competitive industry.

But it’s important to know what the limits are and to respect them, as opposed to pushing them too far. That’s when people can get hurt.

In the case of the fatal Gulfstream accident on April 2, 2011, experts with the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that Gulfstream officials failed to properly evaluate warning signs from previous test flights of the company’s ultra-high-speed G650 business jet.

That’s the new $64 million aircraft, manufactured in Savannah, that received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration in September last year. The company said it expects to deliver its first G650s to customers later this year.

Deborah Hersman, NTSB chairwoman, chided Gulfstream’s management for decisions it made during the flight testing process and prior to the crash of the G650 during takeoff trials in New Mexico.

Killed in the accident were all four Gulfstream employees on board: experimental test pilots Kent Crenshaw and Vivan Ragusa and technical specialists David McCollum and Reece Ollenburg.

“Two prior close calls should have prompted a yellow flag, but instead of slowing down to analyze what had happened, the program continued full speed ahead,” Ms. Hersman said in her opening comments.

“In this investigation, we saw an aggressive flight test schedule and pressure to get the aircraft certified,” she said. “Assumptions and errors were made, but they were neither reviewed nor evaluated when review data was collected.”

That’s troubling. While mistakes happen and people make incorrect assumptions when pushing new aircraft to the limit, it’s important to look back and not rush things too quickly, especially when lives are on the line.

To its credit, Gulstream has taken full responsibility for the accident. Even better, according to Ms. Hersman, the company recognized that many changes needed to be made in its testing process. It has started to implement them, including the appointment of an aviation safety official who reports directly to the firm’s president.

“Safety is Gulfstream’s first priority,” the company said in a prepared statement Wednesday. “Since this accident, we have redoubled our efforts to strengthen the safety culture in flight test and throughout the rest of the company. We are committed to continuous safety improvement.”

That’s not just good business. It’s responsible management from one of this area’s largest, most valued and community-minded employers.

Improving safety is easier said than done in this line of work. Testing new aircraft involves pushing the envelope. It’s inherently risky. The test pilot’s job is to find the limits of an aircraft’s performance. At the same time, it’s the company’s job not to push their test pilots too hard in the competitive desire to bring a new product to market against fierce rivals.

Ms. Hersman is correct. She said no one can change what happened in New Mexico last year. “But we owe it to the four flight test professionals who lost their lives to make sure we learn from it,” she added.

Exactly. The NTSB is taking the right approach here, and so is Gulfstream, The entire aircraft industry should pay attention and become better educated.

Source:   http://savannahnow.com

If you live in Wheeling, the world suddenly got a whole lot quieter. For everyone else, a sad day...

N55RG Gulfstream II serial number 1, first flew as Prototype on Oct 2nd 1966, registered to R.W. Galvin CEO Motorola on Sept 28 1970

Aircraft has been donated to the New Carolinas Avition Museum (home of Miracle in the Hudson Airbus).  Aircraft last flew Sept 9, 2012.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/runway27r/3494608871/sizes/o/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2011/10/13/bob-galvin-the-man-who-built-motorola-dies-at-89/  Bob Galvin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Galvin   Wikipedia

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N55RG/history/20120909/1430Z/KPWK/KCLT

http://www.carolinasaviation.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolinas_Aviation_Museum

as posted on pprune by 'bethpagejet'

"If you live in Wheeling, the world suddenly got a whole lot quieter. For everyone else, a sad day..."

Hat tip to Rob "Biz Jets"  - Thank you for sharing!

Gulfstream G650 receives FAA certification: First ultra-long-range aircraft to be delivered soon to customer

http://www.gulfstream.com/news/releases/2012/gulfstream-g650-receives-type-certificate.htm

http://www.gulfstream.com/news/releases/2012/_images/g650_tc.jpg

 http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4124/5087135066_c8a6b807b9_o.jpg

Died in a flight test accident at Roswell, NM April 2nd 2011.

Kent Rex Crenshaw 1947-2011  http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/savannah/obituary.aspx?n=kent-rex-crenshaw&pid=150001908#fbLoggedOut

Reece Emil Ollenburg 1962-2011  http://www.funeralhomemasoncity.com/sitemaker/sites/HoganB1/obit.cgi?user=350248Ollenburg

David Ellis McCollum 1963-2011  http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/04/flight_test_engineer_david_ell.html

Vivan Leroy Rangusa 1959-2011  http://obit.jacksonvillememorygardens.com/obitdisplay.html?task=Print&id=916436

EDITORIAL: Crash investigation: Nothing to hide 
Posted: June 18, 2012 - 7:17pm | Updated: June 19, 2012 - 12:11am 

THE WAR of words between federal investigators and Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. over last year’s fatal crash of a test aircraft in New Mexico is troubling on several levels.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Gulfstream must consider themselves teammates, not adversaries. There’s nothing to hide — and no reason to hide anything either.

Four crew members died when a G650 aircraft crashed April 2, 2011. Both the government and Gulfstream owe it to the families and to the public to work together in the ongoing investigation of this accident, which saddened many in the this community where these aircraft are built.

Anything less is unacceptable. And, quite frankly, senseless.

On May 21, Gulfstream went on record and admitted the buck for this tragedy stops on the company’s desk. In a submission placed last week on the NTSB’s public docket, the company indicated that it “accepts full responsibility for the accident.” 

That’s pretty clear. Unfortunately, an exchange of letters that occurred several months prior to May 21, between Gulfstream President Larry Flynn and NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman, left the impression that the relationship between the two organizations had devolved into a backroom feud, not a willing partnership. This makes no sense given the NTSB’s mission and Gulfstream’s reputation.

The NTSB is an independent arm of the federal government that has no regulatory or enforcement powers. Its focus is soley on improving safety — a mission the public has supported since 1967, when the board was created to investigate all civil aviation accidents in the United States.

Indeed, Congress took special care to help the NTSB root out all the facts following any crash. The board’s analysis of factual information and its determination of probable cause cannot be entered as evidence in a court of law, according to the board’s Web site. There’s no reason to lawyer up, redact names and other information and become combative.

In some ways, dealing with the board’s investigators is like talking with priests in confessionals. Information that’s obtained through this process can’t be used in potential lawsuits — a hugely important restriction, given today’s litigious world. 

Likewise, Gulfstream is a leading corporate citizen in Savannah and the entire state. Its management and employees have earned a well-deserved reputation for their many positive economic and civic contributions to the community and the region. 

So what happened? Why did Mr. Flynn feel the need to send a letter to the NTSB chairman on March 31, 2012, as well as an earlier one on Feb. 22, 2012? Those letters triggered a written response on April 4, 2012 — almost a year to the date after the fatal crash — from Ms. Hersman. She fired back with a list of concerns raised by NTSB investigators and managers, including stonewalling and the loss of evidence.

For example, it was reported that a key piece of evidence related to the NTSB investigation — the computer hard drive that contained accident-related telemetry data — was missing. Investigators routinely comb through hard drives to mine data that may be important. But in this case, according to the FBI, the hard drive likely had been “inadvertently discarded in the trash” by a Gulfstream employee charged with its safekeeping. That’s mind-boggling. How could such a thing have happened in a presumably controlled enviroment after a fatal crash?

It’s possible to conclude from the letters between Gulfstream and the NTSB that the company may be concerned about the public release of proprietry information during or after the investigative process.
That’s no small matter.

The G650 is Gulfstream’s ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range business aircraft. It has a $58 million base price. The market for these high-end products is extremely competitive. If secrets get out, it could mean lost sales and jobs.

Mr. Flynn obviously tried to reassure the NTSB chairman in his March 30 letter, stating that “Gulfstream has fully supported the NTSB investigation, has behaved with the highest ethical standards and has at all times made the safety of its flight test and flight operations its highest priority.” 

But it’s equally clear, given the response from the NTSB chairman just four days later, that concerns remained. “Litigous behavior frustrates the party process and degrades working relationships,” Ms. Hersman wrote. “We expect all parties to work with us toward our mutual goals of fully understanding the circumstances of the accident and improving safety.”

Two months have elapsed since those words were written. That’s plenty of time for the war of words to have ended — and for Gulfstream and the NTSB to be on the same page, not on different planets.

Job One is to cooperate. Job Two is to figure out what happened in Roswell so that it never happens again.

http://savannahnow.com/opinion/2012-06-18/editorial-crash-investigation-nothing-hide#.UEpw14b3u71

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.'s ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650 business-jet aircraft received a type certificate today from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The certification verifies the airworthiness of the aircraft's design. Gulfstream expects to deliver the first fully outfitted G650 business jets to customers before year end. The company has received more than 200 orders for the aircraft.

"The G650 is a superlative aircraft with the most technologically advanced flight deck in business aviation and the largest, most comfortable cabin in its class. In short, the G650 speaks to all that is good about business aviation: safety, security, flexibility, comfort, and capability," said Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. "We designed the G650 with significant input from our Advanced Technology Customer Advisory Team, and we're extremely proud of what our entire organization has accomplished with this aircraft."

"The G650 sets the new world standard for business-jet performance, range, speed and comfort," said Jay L. Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of Gulfstream's parent corporation, General Dynamics.  "The Gulfstream team has done an outstanding job in designing and manufacturing what is already the envy of the global market and is sure to become a milestone aircraft in aviation history."

Read Saturday's Savannah Morning News and return to savannahnow.com for the complete story.