February is Black History Month and to celebrate the amazing contributions African American aviators have made to aviation history, we wanted to celebrate some influential black pilots in history.
Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman (Jan. 26, 1892–Apr. 30, 1926) was the first black female pilot and the first African American to hold an international pilot license’s license. Coleman learned to fly in France in a Nieuport Type 82 biplane. Upon returning to the U.S., she quickly realized that to make a living as a civil aviator, she would have to become a stunt flier. So she launched a successful career in exhibition flying.
Eugene Jacques Bullard
Eugene Bullard (Oct. 9, 1895–Oct. 12, 1961) was the first black American military pilot and one of just two black combat pilots in World War I (the other being Ahmet Ali Çelikten). As a teenager, Bullard stowed away on a ship bound for Scotland to escape the racial discrimination in America, but at the outbreak of World War I, enlisted in the 1st Regiment of the Foreign Legion, since volunteers from overseas were allowed to serve in French colonial troops.
Tuskegee Airmen
The first African-American military aviators in the United States armed forces, the Tuskegee Airman, were subject to the Jim Crow laws during World War II as the American military was still racially segregated. All black military pilots trained in the U.S. received their training at Moton Field and the Tuskegee Army Air Field near Tuskegee, Alabama, where they got their name. The budding pilot program received a big publicity boost when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited in March 1941 and flew with the black chief civilian instructor, C. Alfred “Chief” Anderson. After landing, she cheerfully pronounced, “Well you can fly, all right.”
War accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen include:
- 112 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air, another 150 on the ground, 148 damaged
- 950 rail cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles destroyed
- 1 destroyer put out of action, 40 boats and barges destroyed
Out of the 992 pilots trained in Tuskegee from 1941-1946, 355 were deployed overseas and 84 lost their lives to combat or accidents.
Currently African Americans make up just over 2% of commercial airline pilots in the U.S. and the number of black female pilots is less than 1%. FedEx is among the leaders in employing female pilots — with over 300 — but has only one African American female pilot.
This month, let’s celebrate all the African American pilots who have changed aviation history, and continue to do to this day!
After an eight-month delay in engine certification, Honda Aircraft’s first jet is back on track for release.
The company recently announced that the jet’s GE Honda Aero HF120 engine is certified and it has received the FAA-issued Type Inspection Authorization (TIA). The certification process, which will ensure that the jet meets certain type design requirements before it is available for purchase, is almost complete.
Over the past few years, HondaJet flight test engineers have flown hundreds of hours in certification to test the aircraft, and the jet looks to be meeting promised levels of performance.
The jet carries six passengers and costs about $4.5 million. Upon certification, this light jet will be the fastest in its segment by about 15 knots and have a top cruising speed of 420 knots.
The HondaJet has a variety of other innovative features:
- A unique over-the-wing engine mount configuration that dramatically improves performance and fuel efficiency by reducing drag
- Two GE Honda HG120 turbofan jet engines, which are highly fuel-efficient
- A sophisticated ergonic flight deck with Honda-customized Garmin® G3000 next-generation avionics and 14-inch landscape-formatted displays and dual touch-screen controllers
- Nonstop flight for up to 1,180 nautical miles (for reference, it is 2,127 nautical miles from NYC to Los Angeles.)
There is just one final step necessary in the certification: FAA pilots must perform onboard flight testing.
And that’s not all the news for Honda Aircraft: Their customer service facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport (KGSO) in Greensboro, N.C., also recently received FAA Part 145 approval.
Honda Aircraft expects to begin delivering the first HondaJets in early 2015.
Aviation may seem like an industry that’s too large and too specific for the latest e-commerce techniques to work, but don’t ignore these technologies when you’re trying to sell an aircraft; they could help you more than you think!
Aircraft sales are typically business-to-business transactions, and B2B buyers make their decisions based on some predictable factors:
- 50% of B2B buyers regularly use social media/peer reviews to make buying decisions.
- 78% of B2B buyers go directly to vendors’ websites.
While these may seem to be the actions related solely to new jet buying, these tendencies also carry over into jet resale.
Smart jet brokers are leveraging all of the latest technologies to create a relationship between the buyer and the broker. Your jet is unique — maintenance information, recent upgrades, and distinctive features can all be lost in traditional listings that set it alongside thousands of other aircraft. Tech-savvy buyers can easily miss out on seeing what makes your jet special — or seeing your jet at all.
When selling, take advantage of today’s most advantageous avenues for enticing buyers:
- Blog posts and articles — If people see the seller as a trusted resource for industry news and information, they will also trust that source to recommend the right aircraft.
- Google+ and Facebook — According to a study by Gallup, users of these sites tend to be young, affluent, and educated — the target audience for jet sales.
- Email Newsletters — Specific analytics and click reports now let brokers follow up with people who demonstrated interest in certain types of aircraft, even if they didn’t get in touch.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) — Getting the right eyes on the jets you are selling is ultimately the key to getting the sale. SEO can help tie your listings to relevant keywords and search terms, bringing the buyers you’re looking for to your website.
While implementing all these high-tech selling techniques can be intimidating, the power of that technology can often mean a faster aircraft sale. Partnering with a broker who leverages all these technologies and more (like L&L International) can give your aircraft the best representation and promotion.
Traditionally, China has not made private jet flight easy for its citizens. China remains a country where the military controls 80% of the airspace, and there are formidable obstacles to obtaining a private jet license. Even the approval for a three-hour trip on a private jet takes at least two weeks to obtain — and it’s never a guarantee.
On top of all this, China has a significant lack of facilities where small planes can take off, land, and refuel, and there are few low-altitude aviation maps available. This means hopping on a private plane to see the other side of the country generally remains a dream — even for the country’s wealthiest people.
Recent shifts, however, indicate that China is preparing to open its airspace to private pilots. More and more people have begun to buy private aircraft and apply for flight certifications for business and recreational purposes. China recently eased the requirements for trainee pilots by changing the standards for theoretical exams, flight tests, and even the physical conditions for flight students.
More importantly, a little-noticed guideline issued in 2010 by the China State Council and Central Military Commission will likely lift the ceiling for low-flying aircraft by 2020.
Business jet manufacturers are hoping to cash in on the demand for smaller planes in China and have begun making plans, if not deliveries:
- Bombardier reports the sale of 100 business jets and indicates deliveries between 2013 and 2032 will be around 2,420.
- Dassault has sold 30 jets in China and has 20 scheduled for delivery in 2014-2015.
- U.S.-based Gulfstream reported that China accounts for about 6% of its worldwide delivery of 2,150 jets.
- Cessna has already started delivering its Grand Caravan EX jet, which is manufactured in China.
“There is a beautiful potential in this market,” says Beijing-based Jean Michel Jacob, senior VP of international sales with France’s Dassault Falcon.
Keep an eye on what is sure to be a rapidly growing and changing industry over the upcoming years.
