An article by Rhys Blakely of the Times recounts stories of luxury aircraft (at least 10 so far) impounded by Indian customs officers for failure to pay import duties.

The seized airplanes include an Airbus A-319 purchased by Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries, India’s largest private company) for his wife as a birthday gift. Mr. Abmani’s “archenemy”, Anil Ambani (they are brothers), also had an aircraft, a Global 5000 Bombardier, seized.

The article goes on to say:

“A source at one of the affected companies said: “They have declared war: officials say anyone who has bought an aircraft is fair game.”

Speculation abounds that a clamp-down on the ultra-rich may have political rewards in Delhi, where, in the run-up to elections, India’s Government is being attacked for failing to ensure that the poor benefit from the country’s economic boom.”

The first U.S.-based Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ) was delivered last month to a customer in Florida. The aircraft has a master bedroom, bathroom with shower, dining room, and a lounge area. Honeywell’s full cabin management system, which allows voice calls to be made from the aircraft’s handsets to cellphones and landlines, was also installed.

An article in the New York Times by Nicola Clark talks about Prince Walid bin Talal’s purchase of the A380, which costs $300 million and has 6,460 square feet of available space. The sale was officially announced at the Dubai AirShow after months of speculation. Talal, of Saudi Arabia, is one of the world’s richest men, and is currently the only private owner of a Boeing 747-400.

The 11th annual Safety Standdown 2007 will take place in Wichita, Kansas, on October 23-25 (register by September 22).

Bombardier’s Safety Standdown sessions combine skill-based and knowledge-based training. The Standdown is not manufacturer specific, and applies to any aircraft currently flown.

According to the web site:

“For the past 30+ years this industry has trained its pilots on checkrides and systems in near exclusivity. Human factors, while well understood, are rarely taught. Since eight out of ten accidents are caused by human failure, not equipment failure, Safety Standdown provides critical information and training, which is directly related to human performance. Safety Standdown is designed to change the way you think about safety. Additionally, this seminar provides you with tools to improve risk mitigation, department procedures ad processes, and give clear and distinct pathways for introspective analysis of your own professionalism.”

The FAA and NBAA, as well as the NTSB for the U.S. program and the EBAA for the European program, support the Safety Standdown, which is free.

Those of you with large business jets may run into issues finding (and retaining) pilots for your jets. A recent article in the Seattle P-I by James Wallace talks about an effort by Alteon (Boeing’s commercial jetliner training arm) to provide a solution to the problem.

According to the article, commercial jetliner pilots in Africa, the Philippines, China, India, and the Middle East are increasingly in demand, and subject to “poaching”.

Alteon is testing a program that can cut training time in half (which for large jets, is difficult, expensive and time-consuming) by increasing the use of simulators and decreasing actual flight time. Using traditional methods, it can take 3 years to train someone who has never flown any kind of plane, and in the U.S., for example, the FAA requires 250 flight hours.

Some details on Alteon’s program:

“About a month ago, six cadets from China started training that will land them in the right seat of a commercial jetliner in about half the time it takes today to be trained as a first officer.”

“Alteon’s cadets will spend at least 83 hours in a single-engine Diamond 40 plane. They will also spend 117 hours in simulators, first in a Diamond 40 simulator and then in the Boeing 737-800 simulator.”

“The Alteon cadets each will be required to complete 33 missions in the Boeing simulator as captain, 33 missions as first officer and 33 missions as the observer. Each training mission will last about two hours.”

Before they can receive their certificates, the cadets will still need to make a dozen takeoffs and landings in the same type of jetliner they’ll be flying.

The program has been embraced by a number of airlines and regulatory bodies, but not by the FAA.

At airliners.net, registered user “devilfish” has compiled an album of photos he’s named “All The Kings’ Birds” which displays 84 big business jets with a diverse set of owners. Everything from an Airbus A319 owned by the government of Azerbaijan to a 707 operated by Zaire is on display.

The Wall Street Journal claims that “flying mansions” are becoming more and more prevalent among the super-wealthy, and says that even double-decker planes like the 747 and even the A380 are not too much plane for executive use.

“Boeing says the majority of private buyers for new planes are from the Middle East, but that Americans, Europeans, Russians and Asians are also starting to place orders. The company says seven of its orders from private customers are for Dreamliners, and the other four are for 747-8s, the planned update to its storied jumbo jet. (Private buyers were the first in line to order versions of the 747-8, it says.) Those who order now — in other words, who have signed purchase contracts and deposited about 10% of the purchase prices — will typically get their planes in a few years. Customers for the A380 may have to wait longer still.”

The article describes some costs associated with these big planes:

“The new airships are, of course, expensive to operate. Maintenance and fuel costs are astronomical compared with those of smaller jets. A 747-400 costs about $10,500 an hour to fly. An A320, by comparison, costs around $3,000 an hour, according to consultants BACK Aviation Solutions, while a Gulfstream G550 costs about $2,300 per hour.”