Quick Takes – NorthAmerican/Eclipse, Adam Aircraft, Cessna

North American Jet Expanding North American Jet took three new Eclipse 500s recently, expanding its fleet to six managed aircraft. It was the first operation to complete a commercial flight with the Eclipse and the first to receive FAA approval to operate very light jets. The company expects to have 15...

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North American Jet Expanding
North American Jet took three new Eclipse 500s recently, expanding its fleet to six managed aircraft. It was the first operation to complete a commercial flight with the Eclipse and the first to receive FAA approval to operate very light jets. The company expects to have 15 Eclipse 500s by the end of the year to realize plans to expand in the Midwest and East. Plans also call for a Boca Raton, Fla. facility as well as a $10 million project to establish a VLJ Center of Excellence at Chicago Executive Airport. Along with ExpressJet and Linear Air, North American is one of the founding charter companies of the Virgin Charter program launched last year and is included on its website for Midwest charters.

Adam to Rise Again
After its Chapter 7 bankruptcy and recent acquisition by AAI, Adam Aircraft hopes to re-open its business shortly with 50 employees. Related Story It hopes to expand to 160 employee within 90 days, far cry from the 500 jobs lost just prior to its bankruptcy filing. Certification for the Adam 700 is now slated for 2009.

Cessna Rolls Out First Production Citation XLS+
Employees at Cessna Aircraft Company celebrated the roll out of the first production Citation XLS+ on April 25 in Wichita. The XLS+ is the latest version of the company calls the world's best-selling business jet model.
The first production unit goes to paint and interiors, while two flight test aircraft continue to work toward type certification. Federal Aviation Administration certification is expected by mid year, with deliveries starting before the end of 2008.
The upgrade to the mid-size Excel/XLS will feature the fully integrated Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite and electronically controlled (FADEC) engines from Pratt & Whitney Canada. Exterior and interior restyling is also integrated into the new model, most prominently the extended contour of the nose and expanded seat widths, both introduced to more closely resemble Cessna's Citation X and Citation Sovereign models.
The Citation XLS+ will travel as fast as 440 knots, have a range of more than 1,800 nautical miles and land on runways as short as 3,180 feet at its maximum landing weight, 2,700 feet at its typical landing weight.
The XLS+ is priced at $11.595 million. The family of Excel/XLS aircraft comprises nearly 650 planes with an accumulated total of more than 1.4 million flight hours. The original Citation Excel was delivered in May 1998, followed by the Citation XLS in July 2004. The 500th Excel/XLS was delivered in June 2006, making the Excel/XLS the best-selling aircraft of all business jet models since its introduction.

Cessna Caravan Does Not Require Part 139 Airport
In response to a question concerning the applicability of CFR Part 139 at airports served by the Cessna 208 Caravan, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said an airport served by this aircraft in passenger carrying operations would not need to be certificated under Part 139 because the aircraft designed for nine passengers or less, excluding pilot seats.
The question arose, said the FAA, because the Cessna 208B Caravan is certificated as a single pilot aircraft, and in non-revenue service, the second pilot seat may be occupied by a passenger, making it a 10-passenger aircraft. However, when used in scheduled passenger-carrying operations, 14 CFR Section 135.113 prohibits passengers from occupying the second pilot seat when an aircraft is configured with eight or more passenger seats (excluding the 2 pilot seats).
While scheduled operations with 10-or-more passengers requires Part 139 airports, as long as the aircraft is operated with only nine passengers seats, it does not apply. The guidance recently issues by the FAA was intended to clarify the status of this aircraft, and the applicability of 14 CFR part 139 to airports that are served by the Cessna 208B Caravan in scheduled commercial operations.