Business aviation inflight cabin safety experts agree that the side-facing seat (couch-type or individual) is the most dangerous place for a passenger to sit, even though many executive passengers favor it. ``In an unplanned landing, there is a tendency of side-facing seat occupants to slip out of their lap belts if a shoulder harness is not used,'' said Jeff Hare, president of J. Hare Safety and Survival Systems.
Speaking of logbooks, AlliedSignal and Aircraft Technical Publishers have teamed up to offer an electronic engine and aircraft maintenance system for operators of AlliedSignal's entire line of turbofan and turboprop engines. The ATP Maintenance Director electronic maintenance logbook provides users with maintenance forecasting and SB/AD tracking tools for a single aircraft or an entire fleet. In the near future, AlliedSignal will provide the full original configurations for all 470 TFE731-20/-30/-40 engines in service.
Sorting out fact from fiction about how the ``millennium bug'' will affect aviation is an inexact science at best. However, several recent government reports have given a snapshot of the industry's Y2K preparedness.
Rep. Bud Shuster's (R-Pa.) Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21) continues to advance through the House of Representatives, although the bill, which has wide support among the aviation industry, may eventually be blocked by key legislators opposed to taking the aviation trust fund off budget. Meanwhile, at press time, Senate and House leaders had not agreed on how to continue the Airport Improvement Program before AIP funding was scheduled to run out on March 31.
The G-V's BMW/Rolls-Royce BR710-48 engines are a conservative design featuring a modest 4:1 bypass ratio, a ten-stage high-pressure, axial flow compressor with a moderate 14:1 compression ratio and a low emission, annular combustor. Two high-pressure turbine stages furnish the power for the high-pressure compressor and two more low-pressure stages power the wide-chord fan that provides most of the thrust. A deep-fluted hot/cold mixer nozzle boosts high-altitude thrust and reduces exhaust noise. A dual-channel FADEC controls all engine functions, including thrust reverse.
Approach Navigation Systems Inc. of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, has been licensed by Systems Management Inc. of Hunt Valley, Md., to produce a Canadian version of the NEXWOS automated weather observation system
The FAA is proposing a rule for the San Francisco Class B airspace area that would raise the ceiling of the airspace area from 8,000 to 10,000 feet, reconfigure several existing areas, create several new areas, and raise or lower the floors of existing areas. Comments must be received before April 30. For details, contact Joseph White at (202) 267-8783. Meanwhile, San Francisco International Airport has withdrawn its proposed restriction of Stage 2 aircraft operations.
Bombardier Aerospace has expanded its Learjet completion center in Wichita to include the Canadair Challenger 604. The first ``green'' aircraft is on site, with completion expected within 22 weeks. ``That interval will diminish as our completions team gains experience,'' says Jim Ziegler, Bombardier's business aviation services manager. The center's first customers will be the initial seven aircraft ordered for Bombardier's Flexjet fractional ownership program.
It went right down to the wire, but Bombardier walked away with its largest Canadair Regional Jet order ever -- 54 Series 200LR aircraft with options for an additional 70 from Northwest Airlines. The aircraft will be leased to Airlink partners Express Airlines I in Memphis and Mesaba Holdings in Minneapolis/St. Paul. The deal was valued at $1.3 billion.
Hartford, Conn.-based United Technologies Corp. (UTC) will acquire Sundstrand Corp. of Rockville, Ill., for $4.3 billion. UTC will combine Sundstrand with its Hamilton Standard division to form Hamilton Sundstrand. The deal is slated to close by midyear. Sixty percent of Sundstrand's business is providing aircraft equipment. Sundstrand Aerospace provides various electrical, mechanical and power systems -- from pumps to APUs -- for commercial, military and business aircraft, including the Gulfstream V and de Havilland Dash 8.
Corporate Jets Inc., the diversified aviation services company, also has broken ground on a new corporate headquarters, choosing a new site in its hometown of Pittsburgh
Approach and landing accidents (ALAs) and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) continue to take a toll globally in air carrier and business aviation operations. The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), working with volunteers from all segments of the world's aviation industry, has developed some sound ideas on reducing the chances for such mishaps in your operation.
Modern ADCs are, for the most part, remarkably reliable de-vices. At the same time, how- ever, they play an important role in the basic operation of modern turbine aircraft, and their failure modes can be both subtle and catastrophic. As you can see from these incidents, the loss of ADC information -- whether caused by equipment problems or human inattention -- can produce secondary failures that are tough to diagnose unless you are entirely familiar with ADC services on your aircraft.
The U.S. Air Force is buying another Gulfstream Aerospace C-37A, a military version of the Gulfstream V. The aircraft is to be delivered in second quarter 2000. Meanwhile, Gulfstream has sold N502GV, the G-V demonstrator that established nearly three dozen world and national records and logged 750,000 miles. By mid-February the entire G-IV fleet had amassed more than one million flight hours
British Aerospace has chosen AlliedSignal's new AS977 engine to power its proposed RJX family of 70-, 85- and 100-seat regional jets based on the BAe 146/Avro RJ. The new turbofans offer the same 7,000 pounds of thrust produced by the earlier Textron-Lycoming LF507-1F, but with lower fuel and maintenance costs. Taiwan's AIDC has agreed to provide the fan, and other partners will be recruited to supply the accessory gearbox, low-pressure turbines and other accessories. BAe predicts a market for 2,500 RJX-type aircraft, half in the U.S. market.
A new aviation service complex has been established at Addison Airport (ADS). Addison Jet Center, Addison Jet Maintenance and Addison Jet Management are all headquartered on a three-acre site on the east side of the field. The facility includes a 15,000-square-foot hangar and a 4,000-square-foot warehouse. Future plans call for construction of an additional 30,000-square-foot hangar and office facility. Phone: (972) 931-6058.
Pilots Record Service of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., has launched a business to speed up the pilot-records-exchange process between past employer and prospective employer. Although pilots cannot supply their records to a potential employer, PRS can. Pilot/customers arrange for PRS to compile a complete set of their required records from employers, the FAA and the states.
Fluorescent Interior Lamps Chicago Miniature Lamp now offers its T-5 line of fluorescent interior wash lamps for general aviation aircraft. The replacement lamps are available in warm white and cool white colors; four, six, eight and 13-watt ratings; miniature, bi-pin and pin-less bases; and six-inch, nine-inch, 12-inch and 21-inch lengths. Price: $4 to $5 each (sold in 24-pack lots) Chicago Miniature Lamp 147 Central Ave. Hackensack, N.J. 07601 Phone: (201) 489-8989; Fax: (201) 489-6911
By the middle of this month, VisionAire engineers hope to identify most of the design changes needed to resolve the weight and performance problems of the Vantage single-engine business jet (B/CA, February, page 20). Officials of the Chesterfield, Mo.-based company also have expressed optimism that they will be able to raise the estimated additional $200 million needed to bring the six-place composite aircraft to market. The Vantage's empty weight had exceeded its design target by nearly 700 pounds.
The FAA and the HAI's safety committee have released their new ``seminar in a box'' training aid, designed to help pilots improve their judgment and increase situational awareness. The seminar includes a guide, 35-mm slides, slide masters, student handouts, break-out scenarios, transparencies and a short video illustrating the consequences of situational awareness problems. The seminar is provided at no cost to HAI members, and copies will be provided to each FAA flight standards district office.
