Safe Flight Instrument and Bombardier have obtained an STC for a limited authority auto-throttle system for the Challenger 604. The lack of ATS on the 604 has been a shortcoming, considering that its heavy-iron class rivals, the Gulfstream IVSP and Dassault Falcon Jet 900EX, both have auto-throttle systems. On the 604, the ATS is a stand-alone system that is not integrated with the FMS or a full performance management computer. The Safe Flight ATS is designed to be used only with the autopilot engaged.
Owners and operators of more than 150 Citations have volunteered their aircraft to be part of the fifth Special Olympics airlift organized by Cessna Aircraft. Airlift director Marilyn Richwine estimates that 300 Citations will be needed to transport some 2,000 athletes to the game site in and about Raleigh-Durham, N.C., on June 25, and then home on July 5. Call (316) 941-7810 for information about volunteering your aircraft for the airlift.
I'm really not a big fan of sports metaphors--or sports in general, for that matter. And even though I'm a transplant to the New York area, I found myself rooting for the Yankees this fall. It hard not to like the team because they had accomplished so much on their way to the best-ever record in the American League.
A new player in the Gulfstream hush--kit business emerged at October's NBAA Convention in Las Vegas, claiming to have a ``really quiet'' solution for converting the Rolls-Royce Spey 511 turbofan to FAR Part 36, Stage 3 compliance.
Flint, Mich., recently asked the DOT for slot exemptions at Washington (Reagan) National Airport (DCA) for two daily roundtrips with 50-seat ERJ-145s operated by US Airways Express Chautauqua Airlines. This is endemic to what is happening in the air transportation industry today. It combines a desire of ``underserved'' communities for air service to major slot-controlled airports and the emergence of the so-called ``regional jet'' as a primary means of providing that service.
Jeppesen and Air BP have teamed to offer flight departments one-source international trip-planning and discount fueling. Corporate flight departments that use the services will receive fuel from Air BP at worldwide locations ``without the expense of the middleman, along with priority handling,'' said Jack Hezlep, Jeppesen's manager of corporate flight services. ``Fuel-cost savings will amount to five cents a gallon and more.'' Air BP Sterling Card customers can charge Jeppesen's international flight services on the card as well.
National Air Transportation Association (Alexandria, Va.)--Charlie Priester, president and CEO of Priester Aviation in Wheeling, Ill., steps up to chairman of the board for this FBO trade group.
Raytheon Aircraft Services recently opened a satellite facility at McCarran International Airport. Located within the Eagle Executive FBO, the center provides routine line maintenance for all Raytheon aircraft as well as other select models. The facility is open 0800 to 1630 Monday through Friday with staff available during off hours. Phone: (702) 597-9963.
Both the NBAA and the AOPA had record attendance at their respective annual meetings. The NBAA reports a total of 32,665 registrants at its convention held October 19-21 in Las Vegas, beating out l997's tally of 26,043 at the association's 50th anniversary convention in Dallas. The 968 NBAA exhibitors represents an 18.7-percent increase over last year's 815. The AOPA's Expo, held in Palm Springs, Calif., on October 23-25, also broke records at 9,720 registrants, surpassing 1997 attendance by 20 percent, and attracting 433 exhibitors.
Tangible progress has been made toward developing an effective industry-wide accident/incident information sharing system, although participation from the general aviation community in GAIN remains insignificant. In early November, representatives of commercial aviation met in Long Beach, Calif., to participate in the third GAIN (Global Aviation Information Network) World Conference. Launched in 1996 by the FAA, GAIN originally was conceived as an international computerized clearinghouse of air safety information.
In preparation for a January 28, 1999 deadline when official four-digit ICAO designators must be used, the FAA is requesting operators to start using them when filling in the ``Aircraft Type'' space on the flight plan. For most turbine and other GA aircraft, the approved identifiers either do not change, or the new code is a logical symbol. Others, however, will take getting used to. For example, a King Air F90 is BE9T; a Falcon 2000 is F2TH; and a Piper PA31T is PAY1.
Bell Helicopter (Fort Worth)--The company has announced two promotions: John R. Murphey, formerly executive vice president, to president and P.D. Shabay, previously executive vice president of operations, to executive vice president and COO.
NBAA says that all providers of aircraft flight-tracking displays have agreed to work with the association to block aircraft identification data at an operator's request. The NBAA is developing a procedure so that non-members can obtain the association's help to block data; but that is three to four months away, according to an NBAA official. Until then, non-members must work with display providers directly (October, page 42).
Rifton Aviation Services plans to open one of the largest and most unusual-looking business aviation facilities in the Northeast. The complex is to be built on a 22-acre plot at the so-called Golden Triangle (the intersection of the two main runways) at Newburgh, N.Y.'s Stewart International Airport. Final approval is pending the outcome of negotiations between Rifton and state officials. Possibly delaying that outcome is the fact that the state-owned airport currently is going through a privatization management process.
Representatives from the FAA and the National Air Transportation Association have started a dialogue that could lead to relaxing FAR Part 135 weather reporting and runway requirements for air taxi operators. Specifically, the NATA wants the FAA to change the rule that currently requires a weather reporting facility at the destination airport in order for an IFR flight to land. Also, the trade group says the 60-percent runway rule is obsolete.
By year-end, the FlexJet fractional ownership program for Bombardier's Dallas-based Business Jet Solutions is scheduled to have three FlexJet aircraft based in Europe--a Learjet 31A, Learjet 50 and a Challenger 604. In North America, FlexJet operates the second-largest Learjet 60 fleet and the third-largest Learjet 31A fleet. In 1999, it will add two Global Express aircraft. Business Jet Solutions is considering a long-term lease or possibly an FAR Part 135-like air charter structure to get around European tax deductibility issues.
The Universal 60, a single-output charger that can service up to two aircraft batteries in series, is the first member of Christie Electric Corp.'s new ProEase family of aircraft battery chargers. The Universal 60 can perform four battery-servicing functions--constant potential charge, constant current charge, dual charge and constant current discharge--and allows self-calibration of current and volts. Price: $5,895. Christie Electric Corp., 18120 S. Broadway, Gardena, Calif. 90428. (310) 715-1402; fax: (310) 618-8368.
Certification and initial deliveries of the Advanced Aerodynamics&Structures Inc. Jetcruzer 500 single-engine turboprop probably won't occur until the second half of 1999, six months later than the company has been publicizing. Up through October, AASI continued to insist that certification and initial deliveries of the six-passenger pusher would occur by year-end (September, page 20). But delays (due to weather) in the construction of a production facility and new corporate headquarters made the original timetable questionable.
Executive Wings and McCauley Propeller have teamed to introduce the five-blade Blackmac propeller upgrade for the King Air B100. McCauley clams the conversion benefits are a cabin-noise reduction of seven to nine dB, increased rates of climb and a state-of-the-art deice system. Available exclusively from Executive Wings. Price: $54,995 exchange. Executive Wings, 2480 Airfield Dr. W., Lakeland, Fla. 33811. (941) 648-1648; fax: (941) 644-0757.
Executive Jet Management, the charter arm of EJA, received FAA authority to operate to Europe, Hawaii and to the island nations in the Central East Pacific Composite Airspace System .
The Brazilian government asked the World Trade Organization in early November to seek Canadian withdrawal of some six export-subsidy schemes it says violate the WTO's Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.
Russian certification has been awarded to the following Cessna aircraft: CitationJet, Bravo, Ultra, Citation VII, and Caravans 208 and 208B. Certification of the Citation X is expected before year-end .
