Another revised schedule pushes the target date for certification of the Sino Swearingen SJ30-2 business jet to mid-2000, about six months later than the previously revised date.
Agusta's single-engine turbine helicopter, the P&WC PT6B-powered A119 Koala, won't make its originally scheduled year-end certification (May, page 104). An Agusta spokesperson in Italy told B/CA that the aircraft's ``configuration has been reviewed'' following customer comments and that tests are in progress to ``enlarge the total flight envelope,'' including increasing the maximum cruise speed to 150 knots--10 knots faster than previously targeted. Italian certification is now expected in the first half of 1999 with FAA approval to follow.
General Signal's flight department, based at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y. for 26 years, was closed on October 6 after the company's purchase this spring by SPX Corp. of Muskegon, Mich. SPX operates its own flight department in Michigan with a Citation II, and also has a Hawker 800XP on order. General Signal had sold its Hawker in June and was leasing a Beechjet. At press time, General Signal's two pilots and a mechanic had not yet found new employment.
Allison has approved the following test-cell facilities for all Model 250 engine models: ACRO Aerospace in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Dallas Airmotive in Dallas; H&S Aviation in Portsmouth, England; Keystone Engine Services in West Chester, Pa.; National Airmotive in Oakland, Calif.; and Standard Aero in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A September item (page 31) mis-characterized Standard Aero's approval.
Engine development always has been one of the biggest drivers of aircraft development. Come up with an engine that opens a new niche, and an aircraft to go with it is sure to follow. That was true with the Williams FJ-44 and the Cessna CitationJet. And now the FJ-33--a smaller, less expensive offering from Williams--may open another new market for light jets.
To the relief of many FBOs, the National Air Transportation Association has convinced 20 states to exempt aviation fuel trucks from a requirement that compels truck owners to install ticket printers by January 1, 1999. The intent of the requirement, set forth by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is to prevent defrauding the customer, particularly in the delivery of home heating oil. NATA members feel such fraud is nonexistent in aviation.
Dallas Airmotive (Dallas)--Lisa Cheyne was promoted to program manager for the AlliedSignal TPE331 and TFE731 product lines of this engine overhaul and repair facility.
In December, the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) will bestow one of aviation's highest awards--the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy--on Edward W. Stimpson, an energetic proponent of general aviation who arguably has been the industry's most effective and respected advocate in Washington, D.C. during the past 30 years.
San Francisco International Airport authorities have notified the FAA of its intention to expand by four hours the time when FAR Part 36, Stage 2 aircraft are restricted from operating at the airport. The airport wants the restricted period to be between 1900 and 0700, starting March 5, 1999. The current period is between 2300 and 0700. Comments on the proposal can be submitted to the FAA. For more details, phone the agency at (650) 794-5000.
With Boeing struggling to increase its production rate to 51 airliners a month, of which only two are Boeing Business Jets, adding winglets is a low priority. However, without winglets, the BBJ's 10th and aft-most, under-floor supplemental fuel tank will have to remain, or the aircraft will fall at least 300-nm short of its range goal of 6,200 nm. In any case, the winglets wouldn't be approved before mid 1999 (October, page 78).
Fractional ownership programs and the retirement of a significant number of first generation business jets will drive the worldwide market for new corporate aircraft sales over the next 20 years, with fractional programs alone accounting for about 36 percent of that growth, according to a Rolls-Royce forecast released during the NBAA convention.
In response to the current upsurge in business aircraft sales, Cessna Finance Corp. is realigning to facilitate expansion and to speed up the credit approval process for domestic and international activities.
Gary Schandl, manager of quality assurance for Midcoast Aviation, of Cahokia, Ill., is this year's recipient of the general aviation Aviation Technician of the Year award bestowed by the aviation industry and the FAA. A news item in the October issue (Briefing, page 54) erroneously indicated that this was a PAMA award.
FAA has signed a memorandum of agreement which would release Kansas City from its obligations under the improvement program grants program for Richards-Gabaur Airport, permitting the city to close the facility. Kansas City wants to convert the busy general aviation airfield into a rail and truck freight yard. For years, the city has been trying to close the airport, including a failed attempt to get it shut down by Congress (November 1997, page 17). The AOPA has asked the DOT to investigate the FAA's action.
Terrain resolution is measured in navigational units of arc minutes and arc seconds. At the equator, one arc minute of latitude or longitude is equivalent to one nautical mile, approximately 6,080 feet or 1.852 kilometers. An arc second is 1/60 of an arc minute, or approximately 100 feet, four inches.
British Airways' largest affiliate, British Regional Airlines Group, continues to expand as it takes delivery of more Embraer RJ-145s. But the carrier also recently reported a loss of $886,500 for the first half after just going public in June. BRAG's shares dove 52 percent on the news.
On January 1, the well-Imown names of Aeroleasing and Aviation Methods, Inc. will disappear when their operations become known as TAG Aviation. The former Aeroleasing, acquired by TAG in May, is a Geneva-based firm that owns 20 aircraft it uses in charter operation. The former AiMI, which TAG acquired in January, is an aircraft sales and management firm based in San Francisco, and operates 55 aircraft. The new TAG Aviation also includes a 99-year lease to operate London's Famborough Airport.
The Lancair Columbia 300 received FAA certification in October, paving the way for production to start in the first quarter of 1999. The Columbia 300 is a four-place, fixed-gear single, powered by a 310-hp Continental IO-550N. According to preliminary performance figures, the Columbia 300 is the fastest of the normally aspirated piston singles. Lancair officials in Bend, Ore. said the company has 252 orders for the $245,000 (B/CA-equipped) aircraft.
France's Regional Airlines, European launch customer for the Embraer RJ-145, has announced a $150 million contract for five additional 50-seaters and five 37-seat ERJ-135s. President Jean-Paul Dubreuil said the addition of the 135s will enable the carrier to reduce operating costs on routes that require jet speeds but that are too thin to support 50-seaters, such as Toulouse-Dusseldorf. They will represent a savings of $5 million per year, he added.
Executive Jet's order backlog for its NetJets fractional ownership program surpassed the $7 billion mark at the NBAA convention, where the company announced new orders for the Boeing BBJ, the new Cessna Sovereign, and the Gulfstream IVSP and V. The BBJ order is for nine aircraft with 16 options. Quarter shares will sell for $11.2 million, and the monthly and hourly fees will be $64,000 and S3,400, respectively.
When the AOPA is mentioned in Washington, you'll occasionally hear some mutter ed complaints from other aviation groups about its modus operandi. AOPA issues too many press releases touting its accomplishments, one critic will say. The AOPA jumps into the middle of battles other organizations are already fighting, another will complain. AOPA acts like it's the exclusive represeniative of everything that flies, another will beef.
The anticipated fall opening of Raytheon Aircraft Services' FBO at Atlantic City International Airport isn't going to happen. A company spokesperson said the new facility, instead, will be rolling out the red carpet in early 1999 due to construction delays. The adjusted target date is about two years later than originally estimated (July 1996, page 24).
An increasing number of noise complaints from area residents has prompted the management of Boeing Field to reissue a brochure containing voluntary noise abatement procedures for VFR operations. The brochure also highlights noise-sensitive areas and shows preferred routes to and from the airport to avoid residential areas. Copies of ``Boeing Field Voluntary Noise Abatement Procedures for VFR'' are available from the airport's noise abatement office. Phone: (206) 296-7437; e-mail: [email protected].
Thrane&Thrane has selected Tucson-based Universal Avionics Systems Corp. to be the exclusive marketing agent for the Danish company's TT-5000 Aero I satcom system. The TT-5000 can simultaneously support three voice, fax and modem data channels, and can accommodate up to four handsets and two phone/fax modem ports. Total system weight is less than 35 pounds. Uninstalled price: $120,000. Aero I is designed for light to medium-size jets.
