The business pilot has much to examine in the decision to single-pilot a complex turbine aircraft. As turbine engines become lighter and composites become stronger and avionics become smarter, more high-performance, turbine aircraft are being marketed as ``single-pilot'' airplanes.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has published a new refueling reference manual for operators. Refueling and Quality Control Procedures for Airport Service and Support Operations provides information on fuel storage, quality control, safety training and record-keeping. The publication is priced at $60 for NATA Safety 1st participants, $75 for members and $125 for non-members. Further information is available from NATA by calling Amy Koranda at (800) 808-6282.
BFGoodrich Avionics Systems has introduced a standby attitude indicator that's designed to withstand use in high-duty cycle environments and helicopter applications. The manufacturer says the AIM 1200 improves upon the AIM 510 series, which has been discontinued. Options for the AIM 1200 include front- or rear-mount, slip indicator and a fixed roll dial. Price: $5,275 to $6,250, options additional BFGoodrich Avionics Systems 5353 52nd St., S.E. Grand Rapids, Mich. 49588-0873 Phone: (616) 949-6600
The Los Angeles City Council has voted unanimously (13-0) to impose an ordinance further restricting the operations of Stage II-compliant aircraft at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in Southern California. If approved by Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, the ``non-addition rule'' will limit the number of VNY-based Stage II aircraft to around 50 -- the number as of October 1999 -- while also limiting to 30 the number of consecutive days that transient Stage II aircraft may use the airport (with some exceptions).
Edited By Paul RichfieldPerry Bradley, in Savannah
Declaring victory in the hotly contested ultra-long-range market segment, Gulfstream in late April rolled the 100th G-V off its Savannah assembly line. Gulfstream says it has sold 154 G-Vs so far, which it estimates accounts for 69 percent of market share, excluding orders from distributors for the competing Global Express. Including those orders, Gulfstream says its share is still better than half.
Ever wonder how the price you're paying for a gallon of fuel breaks out for taxes, overhead and the FBO's profit? Are FBOs really gouging you on fuel sales? Here's what some managers of large executive FBOs told B/CA in a survey three years ago: -- ''For budget purposes, we plan on a wholesale cost of $0.64/gallon [remember, this was 1997] to which must be added $0.06 for airport fees. Selling price, exclusive of FET, CET, and sales tax, is $1.60 to $2.04/gallon. Overhead here is huge -- $1,080,000 lease expense and $850,000 labor cost.''
The Helicopter Association International has released two new videos to help operators gain greater acceptance in the community. Part of the HAI's Fly Neighborly initiative, the first video is geared to pilots and offers information on piloting techniques and procedures for noise abatement. The second video is for non-pilots and is designed to educate organizations about the positive contributions helicopters make to the community. Both videos discuss next-generation helicopter technology and replace the original Fly Neighborly video that was released in the early 1990s.
MD Helicopters has sold MD Explorers to Eng-land's West Yorkshire Police, Great Manchester Police and Specialist Aviation Services (SAS). SAS, which operates Police Aviation Services Ltd. and Medical Aviation Services Ltd., also is the manufacturer's twin-engine distributor in the United Kingdom.
According to statistics released by the Airports Council International, Washington's Dulles International Airport was the fastest growing airport of the world's top 50 airports in 1999.
ACES Systems has introduced the VIPER 4040 for vibration analysis, rotor track and balancing, and cabin noise analysis. The VIPER 4040 offers several built-in features for rotor track and balancing. With the ChartBuilder function, influence and adjustment criteria can be entered, allowing raw data acquired to be automatically translated into mechanical adjustments. For vibration analysis, the VIPER 4040 can acquire data from four sensors and analyze those data to frequency levels of up to 1.8 million rpm or 30 kHz. Price: $14,995 (base)
Westchester Air, Inc. signed a lease agreement for a corporate headquarters facility at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y. The new general aviation facility is shared with Westair, a flight school and maintenance shop. Construction on the ``T'' hangars has commenced, and the main hangar will follow in the summer.
MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) announced structural and powerplant improvement plans for the MD Explorer, MD 600 and MD 500 series aircraft. The MD Explorer will receive the new Pratt&Whitney Canada 207E engines this summer. P&WC said the engine is rated at 710 shp at takeoff and 800 shp at the 2.5-minute one-engine inoperative (OEI) rating, offering increases of 11 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively, over the PW206E engines currently in use. Maximum hover ceiling for the PW207E has not been determined; however, testing is underway.
With planned certification and initial deliveries of the Malibu Meridian only two months away, New Piper says it may begin to look at an initial public offering of stock.
Jet Aviation (Dusseldorf, Germany) -- Johannes Turzer has been named general manager for the Dusseldorf, Kassel, Saarbrucken, Han-nover, Munich and Cologne/ Bonn facilities. Klaus-Dieter Hessenmuller retired from the position due to health reasons.
President Clinton signed a three-year FAA reauthorization bill in April that will go a long way toward providing the money the agency needs to handle the massive increases in air traffic forecast over the next decade. The bill that finally passed Congress was about as good as the industry could hope for, given the anti-aviation animus of the Clinton administration and the fanatics on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees who held the entire process hostage for months.
According to GAMA, a record-breaking $2.1 billion in general aviation aircraft were shipped in the first quarter, a 12.3-percent increase over 1999. A total of 613 aircraft were delivered, including 136 jets and 78 turboprops. Jets delivered included three Boeing Business Jets, 18 Gulfstream IVSP and V models, 46 Cessna Citations, 41 Learjets, 13 Beechjets and 15 Raytheon Hawker 800XPs. Turboprop deliveries included 50 King Airs and 12 Beech 1900Ds, 22 New Piper Malibu Mirages and 16 Cessna Caravans.
ATI has introduced three new models of heavy-duty, counter-balanced mobile hydraulic cranes in 10,000-, 15,000- and 20,000-pound capacities. The cranes are self-propelled, battery operated and equipped with variable-speed drives, making it capable of speeds as slow as 10 inches per minute. The steering control handle swings 90 degrees to the left and right for turning sharp corners. The units are built of heavy-duty steel for industrial use. Price: $31,998; $35,500; $39,500 Air Technical Industries 7501 Clover Ave.
American Eagle has agreed to a Fleet Management Program (FMP) with Pratt&Whitney Canada for maintenance of the engines that power the carrier's fleet of ATR turboprops. The American Airlines subsidiary operates 78 P&WC-powered ATR-42s and -72s and has a total of 97 PW127 and PW127F installed and spare engines. The 12-year agreement is worth around $110 million, according to the engine manufacturer.
``Aviation fuel is a complex hydrocarbon mixture whose properties are absolutely specified to ensure satisfactory performance.'' The speaker is Chevron (formerly Standard Oil of California) Products Corp. aviation fuel guru Fred Barnes, explaining how we get aviation fuels from the crude oil whose volatility on world financial markets of late has been as flammable as crude's energy potential. Barnes is Chevron's manager of aviation product engineering, based at the producer/refiner's headquarters in San Francisco.
The FAA has proposed a $195,000 fine against Toledo, Ohio-based Grand Aire Express. According to the agency, Grand Aire operated a Fairchild Swearingen SA226TC on 218 flights in 1999 without conducting required testing following replacement of one of the aircraft's engines. Failure to conduct these tests rendered the aircraft unairworthy. Grand Aire Express operates on-demand cargo flights under FAR Part 135 with a mixed fleet that includes Dassault Falcon 20s, Swearingen Metros and Merlins, a DC-9 and a Cessna Citation II.
Honeywell's Hardware Product Group is opening a 384,000-square-foot parts distribution center in August at Alliance Airport in Fort Worth. The new center will distribute parts worldwide and employ 150 people initially. Honeywell is the latest in a series of aerospace companies at Alliance. Its neighbors will include Galaxy Aerospace, Bell/Agusta and Century Aerospace.
Edited by Paul RichfieldPerry Bradley, in Brussels, Belgium
European business aircraft operators describe their principal challenge in just three words: access, access, access. Crowded skies, limited numbers of reliever airports and mounting restrictions on access to the facilities that do exist are a constant challenge for operators, according to a host of speakers at the recent European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) annual meeting in Brussels.
