Honeywell has combined its Business and Commuter Aviation Systems (BCAS) and Air Transport Systems businesses into a new unit called Commercial Aviation Systems. Mike Smith, formerly head of BCAS, is president of the new organization. The combination is a recognition of the increasingly blurred line between air transport and high-end general aviation avionics system, as underlying ATC philosophies evolve to air traffic management.
ARINC has completed deployment of the first phase of the high-frequency datalink (HFDL) ground station network, which supports the GLOBALink/ HF datalink service. The 10 stations provide nearly global coverage. GLOBALink/HF is an air/ground datalink service using HF frequencies to enable ACARS-equipped aircraft to communicate with the ground where VHF communications are not available. HFDL also allows communication above 80 degrees latitude, where satellite services provide little or no coverage.
Pratt&Whitney Canada's PW545, currently the most powerful member of the PW500 family, has a thermodynamic thrust rating of 4,500 pounds. Cessna originally needed 3,640 pounds of thrust for takeoff, but as the Excel grew in weight to 20,000 pounds MTOW during the development process, more thrust was needed. The generous thermodynamic rating allowed Pratt&Whitney to dial up thrust to 3,804 pounds for takeoff, up to an ambient temperature of ISA+13C, with no degradation in reliability.
The low cost ($3,995 and up) and simplicity of Louisville, Colo.-based AirCell, Inc.'s new cellular airborne telephones are likely to be attractive to a broad spectrum of general aviation operators. Why? Because the company has succeeded at long last in finding the Holy Grail of airborne telephony. Until early February, when AirCell convinced the FCC that its new, proprietary software would enable its cell phones to work without disrupting terrestrial cellular systems, a cellular telephone was just excess baggage once the wheels were up.
To allow time for a complete review of Salt Lake City's terminal airspace, the FAA has withdrawn a proposed rule to reconfigure three existing sub-area boundaries of Salt Lake City's Class B airspace. The agency said recent changes in ATC operational procedures and comments received on its NPRM precipitated the need to reexamine its proposal. The FAA has appointed a Capacity Enhancement Task Force of aviation users in the area to study and recommend design changes that would help modernize Salt Lake City's airspace.
NBAA's board of directors has allocated $75,000 to study possible credentialing of flight department professionals. Addressing the recent Schedulers&Dispatchers Conference in Orlando, NBAA President John Olcott said the association is examining how the professionalism of business aviation support people can be suitably recognized. Any certification offered by the NBAA would have to be supported by a formal definition of job skills and a strong educational program, Olcott emphasized, adding that the NBAA's Professional Development Program (PDP) is a starting point.
Sikorsky Aircraft expects to enter the fractional ownership field this spring after it completes the purchase of Danbury, Conn.-based Associated Aircraft Group. AAG has a fleet of six helicopters, including four Sikorsky S-76s, and operates in New York, Washington, D.C., and Houston.
The TrendCheck automated engine trend monitor and the CrossCheck engine exceedence monitor from Altair Avionics relieve maintenance personnel of the chore of recording turbine engine trends by hand. The data can be reviewed quickly on any personal computer for analyzing flight profiles to pinpoint causes of rising maintenance costs, and to preserve on-condition engine maintenance. Both monitors are engine-mounted and remain so throughout the engine's service life. The units are designed and certificated for a variety of engine models and aircraft.
Sogerma of Bordeaux, France, a subsidiary of the Aerospatiale group, obtained JAR 21 production approval from the French Civil Aviation General Management Board
Saab Aircraft Leasing completed its first year as a dedicated leasing company in 1998, emerging from its earlier manufacturing function of regional turboprops. The company said it placed 24 aircraft during the year -- 12 Saab 340s and 12 Saab 2000s valued at more than $100 million.
Hazards are inherent in operating aircraft immediately after major maintenance or extended down-times, and flightcrews must be especially vigilant during these operations. Three accidents make the point -- the loss of a Ted Smith (Aerostar) TS-600 at Marietta, Pa., on September 4, 1998; the crash of a Cessna 310R near Teterboro Airport on January 11, 1999; and the crash of a Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 near Wichita on November 4, 1998.
State officials in New York have submitted their final application to the FAA for the privatization of Stewart Airport in Newburgh, N.Y. Under the proposed plan, ownership of Stewart would be transferred from the state DOT to a New York subsidiary of National Express Group plc of the United Kingdom. That company also owns two regional U.K. airports, East Midlands and Bournemouth, both of which have achieved record passenger and cargo figures during 1997 and 1998. The proceeds of the sale will reportedly be used for a variety of aviation purposes.
A video on how to troubleshoot small aircraft charging and electrical systems has been produced by Lamar Technology. The tape guides the viewer through a step-by-step process for solving problems like dead battery, over- and under-voltage indications, overvoltage trips and belt malfunction. Basic electrical theory also is covered. Price: $39.95 Lamar Technology Corp. 3102 100th St. S.W., Bldg. E Everett, Wash. 98204 Phone: (425) 355-6400 Fax: (425) 353-3938
H+S Aviation Ltd., of Portsmouth, England, has launched the H+S Engine Accessory Business with a sole focus on engine accessory support for repairs and overhauls
Aircraft Technical Publishers has released the fifth in a series of CD-ROM regulatory libraries, this one designed for engine and component repair shops. The library, called ``U.S. Aviation Regulatory Library for Engine and Component Shops,'' combines large- and small-engine, appliance and propeller publications with ATP Navigator software.
Edited By Robert A. SearlesArnold Lewis CCAIR, Mesa to Merge
CCAIR, the Charlotte, N.C.-based US Airways Express carrier, has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with Mesa Air Group. The carrier will operate as a wholly owned Mesa subsidiary. The $53 million deal is expected to be completed by mid-May. Mesa, which also operates as a US Airways Express carrier in the East, will pay $4.35 per share, a reduction from $5.40 per share announced in the letter of intent issued in August.
Altair Corp., maker of engine trend monitors, signed a distribution and development pact with AlliedSignal, and announced that its automated data acquisition system has been qualified on the Raytheon 1900 aircraft
Raytheon Aircraft has launched a new electronic maintenance documentation system called Raytheon Electronic Publication System (REPS) to help support operators of its business aircraft. The REPS documentation, which has been published initially for the Hawker 800 and 800XP business jets, allows operators to view maintenance documents electronically. Interactive hyperlinks allow customers to easily obtain parts and maintenance information. LinkOne, which was developed by the Mincom software company, serves as the platform for REPS.
Continental Express has taken delivery of 36 Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets -- dubbed the ExpressJet -- during the past two years and will receive its 50th in September. The aircraft overwhelmingly have been thrown into growth markets with a few replacing Continental jets in low-load-factor markets.
Photograph: Honeywel/Racal MCS-3000 system. Not so long ago, you could settle into the confines of an aircraft seat and know you were beyond the reach of the rest of the world for a few hours. For some that was a perk, but for others it became a nuisance -- and so the airborne telephone was born. Over the last two decades, telephones in the cockpits and cabins of business aircraft from Bonanzas to Boeings have become commonplace.
Teledyne Controls' new Cellular Phone Interface adds ground cellular phone capability, for incoming and outgoing calls, to the MagnaStar C-2000 and C-750 inflight phone systems. A weight-on-wheels feature disables phone operation once the aircraft is airborne. The CPI weighs 2.8 pounds and requires 28 VDC input. Price: $13,035, including CPI, CPI cable assembly, CPI connector kit, antenna and analog interface unit Teledyne Controls 22522 29th Dr. S.E., Ste. 201 Bothell, Wash. 98021
The young pilot called in sick after coming down with a bad cold that had been going around. He had visited his doctor, who prescribed some antibiotics and cold medicine. The next day, after another pilot called in sick with a bad cold, a dispatcher called the young pilot to see if there was any improvement in his condition.
After operating a flight department for more than 55 years, Square D has closed its in-house aviation operation and plans to sign up with a fractional ownership plan. The Palatine, Ill.-based maker of equipment for the electrical power industry has laid off all 10 of its aviation employees and is selling its two aircraft, a Cessna Citation VII and Dassault Falcon 2000. In 1998, Square D's flight department logged approximately 1,200 hours and received a 55-year safety award from the NBAA.
Acknowledging the importance of information technology to the job of scheduling and dispatching, the NBAA made the subject one of its high priorities at its 10th NBAA Schedulers&Dispatchers Conference in Orlando. ``The first thing I do when I get to work is check in on my computer,'' said outgoing S&D chairperson Lucille Fisher, scheduler for Quality Resources flight operations in Cleveland. ``Today, you can't do this job without computer skills.''
