Can a 1,200-hour Certificated Flight Instructor with no large aircraft experience or jet time be developed to assume the role of an instructor in heavy jet equipment? This was the question Airbus Industrie chief pilot and flight training director Captain Larry Rockliff asked as he faced an acute shortage of qualified instructors for the Airbus training center in Miami.
GAIN 3 conference panelists outlined techniques that can foster the development of safety programs and organizational safety cultures where none currently exist. Presentations also included descriptions of safety programs in place or under development at air carriers, airframe and avionics OEMs, the U.S. Navy, airline pilot organizations, and government agencies and research facilities. Some kernels of truth gleaned from the conference that may be of use to business aviation flight departments include:
The venerable Hawker 800XP isn't the fastest or the highest flying midsize business aircraft. It doesn't have the most range or the best fuel economy. It can't boast the shortest takeoff distances or the most sporting climb performance. Why, then, does it continue to be the best-selling midsize business aircraft?
Several branches of Big Brother watch personal use. The IRS, ever-vigilant to ensure that fun remains taxable, wields fringe benefit and entertainment facility rules against anyone who smiles about a trip in the corporate jet. The Securities and Exchange Commission feels confident that the Bible-Belt sensitivities of the Beardstown Ladies Club would be offended if shareholders heard about that trip to Aspen.
A Bombardier-operated Learjet 45 was heavily damaged during a so-called splash test for a new nosewheel tire when it veered off the runway at NASA's Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., struck a parked truck, flipped over and caught fire. The crew of three escaped with minor injuries. The accident occurred after the aircraft landed and rolled through a purposely built-up puddle of water. Prior to the accident, the crew had successfully completed 10 passes through the test pool, according to the NTSB.
Up until now, Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft was lagging the business aviation industry with its one-year airframe warranty for the PC-12 single-engine turboprop (January, page 68). The firm has more than made up for its tardiness. At the NBAA convention in October, the company announced it was introducing a seven-year warranty on the airframe.
Tom Sponsler, 53, former director of operations for Business Jet Solutions (previously known as AMR Worldwide Flight Operations), died October 24 in Tucson of an apparent heart attack. His business aviation affiliation began at Jet Fleet Corp., where he was a Learjet and Citation instructor. This was followed by a stint at Frontier Airlines before working for 10 years at SimuFlite Training International in FAR Part 135 training compliance.
Bombardier Aircraft and GE Capital Services, the new parent firm of SimuFlite Training International, signed an agreement under which SimuFlite will assist the manufacturer in providing factory-authorized Learjet training. Four full-flight simulators (two Learjet 45s, a 31A and a 60) are scheduled to be operating by May 2000 and will be located in SimuFlite's planned building expansion at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (November, page 16). Separately, Bombardier has set up a contract pilot program for operators of the Challenger and Global Express.
Gulfstream Aerospace has launched a three-phase program aimed at enhancing the performance, avionics and systems of the G-IVSP. Proposed aerodynamic enhancements, such as winglets adapted from the G-V, redesigned intake scoops and exhaust outlets, and minor aerodynamic fixes, should boost the eight-passenger range by at least 200 nm. Current eight-passenger range is 4,100 nm. In addition, the improved version will get the G-V's SPZ-8500 avionics package and some of its airframe systems. Primus Epic CDS flat-panel displays may be part of the new avionics package.
An operational error resulting in an ``inadequate altitude margin'' has the NTSB concerned that the FAA is not properly reviewing charts used by ATC to ensure that they comply with FAR Part 91.177 minimum instrument altitude requirements (1,000 feet over non-mountainous terrain and 2,000 feet over mountainous terrain). The Safety Board also says the FAA isn't requiring ``explicit agreements'' between the agency's Flight Standards and ATC services for the approval of charted MIAs that do not comply with Part 91.177.
A new general aviation airport in Davidson County, N.C., located about halfway between Charlotte and Greensboro, is poring over FBO proposals in hopes of finding the right company to provide the usual services and also to manage the county's leased and public facilities. A 5,000-foot runway is slated to open for operations this month, and the bulk of the construction project is expected to wrap up in April 1999. Other construction on the airfield includes a corporate aircraft area and a terminal building.
HeliFlite Shares, a new Dallas-based firm, has ordered two Bell 430 twin-turbine helicopters for delivery in the first half of February 1999 and optioned up to eight more for the company's start-up helicopter fractional ownership program. The aircraft initially will serve their owners on a regional basis in Texas and California, typically within a 250-nm radius, say HeliFlite officials.
With the bulk of certification flight testing completed and with the expectation of receiving Israeli and FAA certification later this month, Galaxy Aerospace has finalized its projected performance numbers for the IAI Galaxy business jet. At press time, the prototype fleet had completed more than 200 flights and 650 test hours toward a certification target of 850 hours.
Your designated safety officer will be better accepted by flight department colleagues, and more effective, if he or she is trained and knowledgeable. Fortunately, thorough training courses are available that will prepare members of flight departments who are being assigned full- or part-time responsibility for safety, and will help them build ``from scratch'' programs. They will learn the techniques and language of risk management and accident prevention. Three aviation education programs are specifically tailored for the task:
VFR certification of the twin-turbine Eurocopter EC-155, essentially a stretched Dauphin, is on schedule for late in the fourth quarter. An American Eurocopter spokesperson in Grand Prairie, Texas, told B/CA that Category A and two-pilot IFR approval are slated for first quarter 1999. One-pilot IFR and four-axis autopilot certification is targeted for fourth quarter 1999.
In preparation for the implementation of RVSM in the Pacific, the FAA has set up the Pacific Approvals Registry and Monitoring Organization (PARMO) to collect altitude excursion incident reports from operators. PARMO is requesting that operators report deviations of 300 feet or more, including those caused by TCAS alerts, turbulence and contingency events. Reports may be submitted by fax to PARMO at the FAA's Technical Center in Atlantic City, N.J., at (609) 485-5117. For more information, visit www.faa.gov/ats/ato/rvsm1.htm.
Carefully scrutinizing the level of safety in your flight department, to smoke out the good and the faulty, will yield positive results--the correction of safety problems and renewed dedication to risk management.
A larger Mercury Air Center at Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport is under construction. Focal point of the FBO will be an art deco style terminal building to ``reflect the area's strong ties to the motion picture and television industries.'' The terminal will have a ``state-of-the-art'' conference room and business center. For flightcrews, a pilot's lounge, game room with pool table, snooze room and showers will be available. Included in the construction are three hangars capable of accommodating aircraft up to Global Express/Gulfstream V size.
ACR Electronics has designed its compact, easy-to-grip Satellite 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon in an automatically deployable, Category I unit ($1,899.95) or manually deployable, Category II unit ($1,449.95). Dimensions of the Satellite 406 are 9.0 by 4.8 by 3.5 inches, and it weighs 2.2 pounds. Both units are available in a special Class 1 low-temperature range (-40C/-40F) version. The EPIRB's lithium battery has a five-year replacement life. ACR Electronics, Inc., 5757 Ravenswood Rd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33312.
Available now to flight departments is Mechtronix' Ascent Full-Flight Trainer for advanced recurrent training in generic or type-specific turboprops and jets. Features include complete cockpit configuration with audio system, dual pilot and copilot instrumentation, autopilot and flight director, with options for EFIS and an NMS. This FTD has a visual system displayed on a 150-degree wraparound screen, and an active force feel for primary flight controls. Price: approximately $300,000, depending on configuration and customer's training needs.
Raisbeck Commercial Air Group has sent a letter to all known DC-9 operators to assess their interest in retrofitting a $1 million kit that will bring their aircraft into compliance with FAR Part 36, Stage 3. Seattle-based Raisbeck says it has completed the preliminary design of a non-engine hush kit--similar to the company's hush kits for Boeing 727s--which will have no adverse performance changes and no increase in empty operating weight.
