Within days of the Meridian mishap, the fourth production Cirrus SR-20 landed in a cornfield near Chicago after an apparent engine malfunction. Palwaukee-based Windy City Flyers Club, which bills itself as the ``home of the world's only rentable Cirrus SR-20'' operates the aircraft. Both the pilot and passenger were uninjured and the aircraft sustained only minor damage. Cirrus officials say engine manufacturer Teledyne Continental will examine the engine to help determine the cause of the crash.
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Capable of using ACARS, an air-to-ground radiotelephone link, satcom telephone and/or ARINC 741 satcom ACARS, UniLink will provide Super FMS with Controller to Pilot Data-Link Communications (CPDLC) for the 21st century CNS ATM system. UASC recently achieved Inmarsat approval for the Thrane and Thrane $40,000 Aero-M and $110,000 Aero-I satcom systems, the latter being capable of CPDLC. Either system can be used to uplink weather text and graphics, as well.
Global Express operators will have the option of installing a BAe Systems (formerly GEC-Marconi) HUD2020 Visual Guidance System by September, according to Kevin Hoffman, chairman of Aerospace Concepts, a completion weight-reduction and consulting firm based in Montreal. The BAe Systems Head-Up Display (HUD) is offered as an alternative to the Sextant Avionique Head-up Flight Display System (HFDS), now Bombardier's factory-standard HUD option for the Global Express.
Saying the deal probably ``wouldn't have gotten done'' if Gulfstream pushed him to do it ``the old-fashioned way,'' billionaire Mark Cuban purchased a Gulfstream V on the Internet. The broadcast.com founder says he researched on the manufacturer's Web site and then arranged a demo flight and negotiated the purchase via e-mail. It is believed to be the largest purchase made on the Internet.
Imagine a flight where a controller issues an altitude clearance, you read back what you thought you heard, and the controller does not correct your readback. A few minutes later, the controller angrily restates the altitude clearance, gives a turn to your traffic, and gives you a phone number to call on the ground.
Edited by Paul RichfieldBy Paul Richfield Aboard American 1099/1435
Photograph: FAA Administrator Jane Garvey aboard an American Airlines MD-80 on New Year's Eve. Fireworks at the Golden Gate Bridge welcomed FAA Administrator Jane Garvey to San Francisco just after midnight on January 1, concluding her high-profile ``Y2K flight'' across America on board an American Airlines aircraft.
Sales of civilian helicopters are expected to remain flat or decrease slightly over the next decade, according to a study by the Washington, D.C.-based Transportation Research Board. Turbine helicopter deliveries may match the 1998 levels again in 2005, although the market for pistons probably will remain flat, the group says. Although new helicopter deliveries will be stagnant, the civil helicopter fleet is expected to increase somewhat, due to older helicopters remaining in service.
Flight-testing of a new, graphical real-time weather information service began aboard a Federal Express MD-11 en route from Newark to Memphis. NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia is spearheading the research project -- known as Aviation Weather Information (AWIN) -- with assistance from Rockwell Collins, Honeywell, Litton/WSI, the FAA, U.S. Air Force, component-maker Penny and Giles and other organizations. AWIN relies on proven technology including Microsoft Windows NT software, a laptop computer and a network server using standard communications protocols.
While claiming aviation contributes a small proportion of man-made CO2 emissions, the Association of European Airlines (AEA) and the European Association of Aerospace Industries (AECMA) have agreed to joint efforts at reducing CO2 emission from aircraft. Among the methods the groups will pursue: improving fuel efficiency, researching technologies for new generation aircraft and pursuit of a ``global plan'' for reducing the toxic emissions through ICAO.
Priester Aviation is adding three aircraft to its charter fleet: a Cessna Citation VII and a Raytheon Hawker 700 and 400-731. The Hawkers are scheduled to replace Priester's two Dassault Falcon 20s.
Keystone Helicopter and Turbomecca Engine ended negotiations for the sale of Keystone's engine division in West Chester, Pa. Keystone continues to be a Turbomecca Service Center.
Although unrelated to the 60-day trial issue, an FAA decision in early January to boost certification requirements for some WAAS software means the system will initially only be capable of providing approaches down to 400 feet and three-quarters of a mile visibility, short of the CAT I capability that has been promised.
Corporate aviation has always had an image problem. Especially in the early days of business flying, the man on the street found it difficult to identify with travelers who were zipping around the country ensconced in the spacious, luxurious cabins of private aircraft. But what if a popular figure, a seemingly regular guy whom the masses trusted implicitly, urged everyone to fly and regularly reminded the public that aviation was the best thing since sliced bread?
Planning to take delivery of a Boeing Business Jet, Airbus 319CJ or any other airliner-size business aircraft? If you're a U.S. operator, most likely you'll be prohibited from carrying any passengers or cargo until you first obtain an FAR Part 125 operating certificate or a Part 125 deviation authorization from the local Flight Standards District Office.
New York City is pursuing its plans to privatize La Guardia and Kennedy airports. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey currently manages the facilities under the terms of a lease set to expire in 2015. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has repeatedly complained about Port Authority operation of the facilities, saying ``we're losing passengers, we're losing business and we're losing prestige because of the Port Authority's management.'' The authority also operates Teterboro and Newark Airports in New Jersey.
NASA has created a new Web site for its Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). The new site provides downloadable reporting forms, current and past issues of ASRS publications, ASRS immunity policies, and other aviation safety reports and links. In conjunction with the FAA, the ASRS collects and analyzes air safety information from aviation operations personnel. Information is submitted voluntarily and the identity of participants remains confidential. The address for the new site is http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov.
The GPS Wide Area Augmentation System is experiencing more delays, and it now appears that commissioning will take place at year-end, approximately three months later than the most recent schedule. A ``system glitch'' during a 60-day test run caused the delay. Although not Y2K related, the problem appeared over the New Year's weekend, and related to algorithms that govern communication between WAAS ground stations and the geostationary satellite that broadcasts WAAS corrections.
The FAA and U.S. Department of Agriculture have published a new manual to help manage wildlife hazards at airports. According to the FAA, aircraft-wildlife collisions cost $300 million, resulting in 500,000 hours of aircraft down time. The new book provides operators with plans for wildlife hazard risk assessments, employee training and management plans required to deal with the dangers. In an agreement with the FAA, the USDA's Wildlife Services office will provide assistance to local airports that have wildlife hazards.
