Sunday, May 20th, 2012

Have you been holding on to your private jet since 2008, waiting to see prices rise again? If so, it may be time to get that beauty in shape for potential buyers. Finally, indicators point to the beginning of a seller’s market in the pre-owned private jet industry. JetNet reports these trends for business jet [...]

You took your time, shopped around and found the perfect aircraft. It’s a sweet little Cessna, with soft leather interior and custom cabinetry. You locked in a great interest rate, and the seller is motivated. Nothing but blue skies ahead, right? Not so fast. One of the most critical — and complicated — steps in [...]

Remember that Jerry Seinfeld joke years ago about “making up time” on an airplane? The captain apologizes for the late start, but he is sure they will make up time en route and land on time. Jerry wonders why jets don’t go as fast as possible all of the time. (This isn’t that clip, but [...]

In 2008, the economic downturn created a perfect but devastating storm for the private jet industry. Corporate aircraft owners sold off their jets to free up cash while potential buyers abandoned new and pre-owned aircraft orders in droves. The result was a market saturated with unwanted aircraft inventory, very little demand and a gloomy outlook [...]

ADS-B, a surveillance technology for tracking aircraft as part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, makes flying significantly safer for the aviation community. The FAA website features videos that explain how ADS-B technology provides pilots with information about weather and the location of other aircraft while simultaneously broadcasting their location to other aircraft and [...]

I don’t know any Jackie Chan jokes, but I’m sure they are out there, much like the popular Chuck Norris jokes. For instance, Chuck Norris doesn’t hunt, he waits. Chuck Norris’ calendar goes straight from March 31 to April 2 because nobody makes a fool out of Chuck Norris. Anyway, I digress. Today we’re talking [...]

Lithium batteries, found in laptops and cellphones, have been known to spontaneously overheat and catch fire, creating potentially life-threatening situations during flight. As personal electronic device (PED) use has become commonplace for business air travel, equipping your aircraft with a firebag system is an essential safety precaution. In the event of a lithium battery fire, [...]

On Feb. 6, the U.S. Senate passed a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bill that will expedite moving the nation’s air-traffic control system from radar to global positioning system (GPS)-based technology. The House passed the bill the previous week, and now it moves to the White House for signing. Among other things, the bill sets aside [...]

There are numerous ways to compare commercial versus private air travel. When mealtime rolls around, there’s really no question about which option is going to taste better. Thanks to the rise in demand for private air travel, the availability of on-board catering options has exploded. Expanded menu selections and higher quality food provide dining experiences [...]

As usual, many things are happening in the aviation world. Take a minute to catch up on some of the biggest stories of the week. Super Bowl XLVI Flying to Indianapolis on Sunday will be challenging indeed. The FAA expects a record number of private flights in the area that day, and three temporary towers [...]