Honeywell has introduced a new Integrated Primary Flight Display (IPFD), and Gulfstream business jets are the first platform offered (plans for other business jet platforms are in the works).

From the web site -

“Innovative features that IPFD will bring to the cockpit:

• Flight Path Marker based PFD―HUD symbology that helps with the aircraft energy management and eases navigation

• Conformal terrain ―Displays exactly where you are going by looking at the Flight Path Marker
• Color coded terrain ―Similar to how it is conventionally displayed on a map
• Water texturing and color saturation ―Clearly distinguishes the water from the sky
• EGPWS warnings and cautions overlaid on the terrain
• Range rings ―Show distance
• Obstacles
• Runways markings ―Centerline, runway numbering and distance remaining markers
• Unusual attitude declutter with fade-in ―When the aircraft is in an usual attitude the terrain is gradually faded away to allow the pilot to concentrate on the task of returning to steady and level flight”

According to Russ Niles, AVWeb (free registration required), the Aero Toy Store has been name a “Factory Authorized Representative” for the supersonic business jet (from Aerion):

“The company, which has sales offices and FBOs for high-end business jets in Fort Lauderdale and Montreal and a sales center in Las Vegas, said in a news release that it already has 12 orders for the Mach 1.6 aircraft, which won’t be available for at least six years. Aero Toy Store CEO Morris Shirazi said he thinks the SSBJ is the next big thing for business aviation. ‘Interest from our customers in this new generation private jet already has been extremely strong and we’ve only just begun to introduce this revolutionary aircraft to a fragment of the market,’ said Shirazi. ‘It is my belief the Supersonic Business Jet is poised to become the new standard for corporate executive and private individual travel across the global arena.’”

ExecuJet, also a seller for the manufacturer, has announced 4 sales in India and 1 in Pakistan, as well as other orders in Europe and the Middle East.

The cost of the plane is $80 million, and it has a range in excess of 4,000 nautical miles. With a top speed of 1.6 Mach, a trip from London to New York would take just a bit more than 4 hours.

Dominic O’Connell, of the Sunday Times, says you’ll soon have another place to park your jet in London. Air Partner is set to build a new terminal and hangar at Biggin Hill airport which will rival the private jet facilities available at Farnborough. Farnborough is currently only allowed 28,000 flights per year, with stricter limits on weekends. Biggin Hill is located 14 miles south of London.

According to the article:

“Biggin Hill is licensed for 125,000 flights a year, with no weekend limits. ‘With other private-jet airports straining at the seams and turning away existing business, we have decided to consolidate our plans at Biggin Hill,’ said David Savile, Air Partner’s chief executive. The new facilities are expected to open next year.”

If you have plans to travel to Russian, and you need medical assistance while there, be sure to ask about the new hospital in Moscow. The hospital can handle up to 50 VIP patients, and it hopes to attract both wealthy Russians and Westerners, since most hospitals in Russia use outdated equipment from the 1970s.

Roman Abramovich’s company, Millhouse LLC, acted as the project investor. Roman has his own private Boeing 767-33A/ER, which replaced a smaller Boeing 737-7CG BBJ.

According to a press release issued in January, Conklin & deDecker have announced their 2008 Life Cycle Cost budgeting software. The application requires Excel 97 or later, but will run on either a Mac or a PC, and helps break down the complete cost of ownership for private jets of all shapes and sizes:

LIFE CYCLE COST provides extensive ownership and operating cost data for more than 300 jets, turboprops, helicopters and piston aircraft. Newly added aircraft in this 2008 edition include the Sierra Industries’ Citation models FJ44 Stallion, Eagle II, Super II, and Super SII, the Pilatus PC-12 Next Generation, the Agusta Westland AW119Ke helicopter, and the Cessna 172 Turbo Diesel.

The pricing scheme for the software is based on the data you’re after. It’s $695 for the jets database, $550 for turboprobs and helicopters, and $400 for pistons. You can also select an individual aircraft for $225.

Privateairdaily.com has posted an article by Gary I. Horowitz, of the law firm Wiley Rein LLP where he covers the recent changes in tax law regarding personal use of the corporate jet.

Previously, a corporate executive using the company’s aircraft for personal-entertainment purposes would need to declare the use as income at SIFL or charter rates and the company could deduct all costs associated with these trips, including direct operating costs along with interest maintenance and insurance. Not any more.

Now, under the American Jobs Creation Act (don’t ask) of 2004, when executives, directors or certain part-owners of a company use their firm’s aircraft for entertainment purposes, the company can take a tax deduction on the costs relating to those trips in an amount no greater than the amount imputed as passenger income. So if an executive is imputed with $10,000 in income and the company previously wrote off $50,000 in related direct operating and fixed costs, the company just lost $40,000 in tax deductions.

Flight Options, based in Ohio, has been in business for 10 years, and offers a variety of services, including fractional ownership, leasing, and private aircraft management.

The list of the top destinations was pulled together using company flight data, and the company says it provides “a compelling snapshot of current business travel trends”:

“1. New York City, NY: The perennial leader easily eclipses its next nearest rival, with more than double the number of “legs” flown.

2. Los Angeles, CA: Private jet travel is a valuable asset for those looking to “close the deal” in Los Angeles. The film industry gets the ink, but the City of Angels is actually the largest manufacturing center in the West, one of the world’s busiest ports, a major financial and banking center, and the largest retail market in the United States.

3. Chicago, IL: The Windy City doesn’t always offer ideal airport weather conditions, but it does offer an ideal business climate, and takes the third spot in the rankings.

4. Houston, TX: Oil is still king, and is driving private air traffic to this Texas city in record numbers.

5. Washington, DC: Law firms, lobbyists and corporate events provide a steady stream of air traffic to the nation’s capital.

6. Dallas, TX: The “Big D” might just stand for “delays” if business travelers depended solely on commercial air travel here. Private jet owners bypass these headaches in Dallas.

7. Atlanta, GA: Still the “Real Thing,” this southern powerhouse continues to draw business travelers who make Atlanta their home-base, in addition to those flying in for corporate meetings. Bio-tech and pharmaceuticals represent a growing share of the market here.

8. San Francisco, CA: The City by the Bay is a magnet for the high-tech, bio-tech, banking and financial sectors, ensuring its place in the top ten.

9. Minneapolis, MN: The Twin Cities may seem a surprising entry in the top ten, but shouldn’t be they are home to 16 of the Fortune 500 largest U.S. corporations and the area’s diverse economic base includes electronics and medical products manufacturing, in addition to centers for high technology, music, and graphic arts.

10. Philadelphia, PA: From pharmaceuticals to the financial sector, the City of Brotherly Love remains a key mid-Atlantic destination for business travelers.”

Aircell’s new Internet service will allow passengers and crew on private aircraft to use their own 802.11b/g-equipped devices to check email, browse the Web, and connect with the office at DSL-like speeds.

“Because it will use commercially available technology and an air-to-ground (vs. satellite) link, hardware requirements are minimal and costs will be relatively low. Initial service coverage will include the entire continental U.S., expanding later to the rest of North America, including Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.”

Available only as a plug-in option to Aircell Axxess equipment.

Of course I posted yesterday about a much more opulent flight option, but if you’re looking to spend only half as much—right around $30,000 per trip—then you should probably follow Francis Smookler’s lead with chartered flights from Halcyon Jets.

According to Forbes:

That’s Francis L. Smookler’s plan. He’s going to spend his bonus crossing the globe in a chartered Lear 45 from Halcyon Jets.

He travels for business every two weeks, and on a Halcyon charter flight, he gets the benefits of traveling solo– privacy and a fully catered, fully staffed aircraft–without having to maintain a personal jet.

Of course, if you’ve already got your own jet, there are plenty of other ideas in the article.

Which is certainly what The Age thinks.

According to their story, Abercrombie and Kent is flying a collection of deep-pocketed Americans around on a world tour in a private chartered jet—a 757-200. If you need inspiration for doing luxury interiors, check out what this thing sports:

The plane, on loan with its pilots and cabin crew from Icelandic Air, can carry 230 economy passengers, but Abercrombie and Kent have gutted it and replaced the sardine configuration with one more appropriate for such an expensive trip.

Fifty-two leather seats with enough leg room for everyone are separated by small mahogany tray tables. There are plain cloth economy seats on the plane, but they are reserved for cabin crew.

There is also, at the back of the plane, a four-table lounge area where guests can eat dinner or drink French champagne and expensive brandies as the world slips by beneath them.

The 25-day trip costs only $77,750 dollars. Sign me up! Now where did I leave my wallet…