AASI Aircraft is banking on an October 15 opening date for its manufacturing plant at California's Long Beach Airport. The firm plans to begin delivering the first of a claimed 127 orders for the Jetcruzer 500 single-engine turboprop by the end of this year. Meanwhile, AASI finalized an agreement with Designworks/USA of Newbury Park, Calif., to design the interior of the Jetcruzer 500.
At least four firms are developing diesel engines for non-turbine, high-performance light aircraft that will run on Jet A1, thereby freeing operators from dependency upon leaded high-octane avgas that is headed toward extinction early in the 21st century. The new diesels promise one-third better specific fuel consumption than current leaded gas piston engines.
Standard Aero of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is now the only 250 test-cell facility certified and successfully correlated by Allison for the 250-C40B engine models.
Fairchild Aerospace selected GE's CF34-8D turbofan to power the company's proposed 78-passenger 728JET, the first of a family of four new regional jets announced by the company at the Berlin Air Show (July, page 60). First flight of the 728JET is scheduled for early 2000.
IFR Approach Notes from Holson Resources allow you to reduce head-down time for reviewing approach plate information. Instead, jot down MDA, time to missed approach and missed approach procedure, and affix the self-stick notes (3M Post-it Notes) to the instrument panel or on the glareshield for easy viewing. Price: $3.95 for a pad of 50 two-by-two-and-seven-eighth-inch notes. Holson Resources, 13 Weatherbell Dr., Norwalk, Conn. 06851. (203) 847-8832; (203) 847-1339.
JetProp LLC of Spokane, Wash. received an STC to replace the 350-hp piston engines in Piper Malibus and Malibu Mirages with 750-shp P&WC PT6A-34 turboprops (derated to 560 shp), and install four-blade, fully reversible props, and additional fuel tanks. JetProp claims modified aircraft have a range of 1,100 nm at a max cruise speed of 270 KTAS and a 1,300 nm range at 250 KTAS. The conversion is priced at approximately $589,000 and requires about 12 weeks downtime.
The former aircraft finance business of Banc One has been acquired by United National Bank&Trust of Canton, Ohio. United Bank Aircraft Finance Group is being directed by Stephen C. Asper. The group will provide financing for new and used business aircraft, as well as for major airframe refurbishments and retrofits.
On August 19 in Wichita, Raytheon Aircraft held a roll-out ceremony for its new-generation, entry-level business jet, the Premier I (October 1995, page 50). The Williams/Rolls Royce FJ44-powered aircraft will begin flight testing soon, with certification expected in summer 1999.
The FAA denied 75 first-class medicals in 1997, according to Warren Silverman, M.D., manager of the Aeromedical Certification Division of the FAA in Oklahoma City. That represents less than one percent of the 185,894 first-class medical applications received that year. But it represents the loss of livelihood for those 75 individuals. The statistics also don't tell the story of those pilots snatched from the jaws of rejection or jeopardy due to a special issuance of a medical certificate despite a disqualifying condition.
NBAA has written to Cassandra Jordan, the FAA's representative to ICAO opposing the international organization's proposal to require aircraft on transoceanic operations or flight over remote areas to have ELTs capable of broadcasting on 406 MHz as well as 121.5 MHz. The association claims the rule would require installation of heavier and more expensive equipment, and provide only a "minimum" increase in safety.
Garrett Aviation Services is developing a fixed-price aircraft maintenance plan for in-service Dassault Falcon 20s retrofitted with AlliedSignal TFE731-5BR engines. The program will be Garrett's first for in-service aircraft. The firm already offers its "Total Aircraft Service Plan" for new Falcon 50EXs, 900Bs, 900EXs and 2000s and will eventually expand the in-service program to include all of those models. Details of the programs will be finalized this fall.
Heathrow Executive Jet Operators Association (HEJOA) lost its legal challenge to a new slot allocation procedure called "pool slots" at London's Heathrow Airport (July, page 54). Although the decision means that corporate operators may have to apply for takeoff and departure slots more than a week in advance, rather than seek ad hoc slots that are issued just prior to use, the availability of pool slots has been "quite good," said Brian Humphries, of the Shell aircraft flight department and chairman of the European Business Aviation Association.
After nearly 10 years in development, the FAA has proposed new FAR Part 66, which separates mechanics and repairmen from the catchall Part 65. Under the proposal, revised Part 65 would apply only to certification of ATC tower operators, dispatchers and parachute riggers. Part 66 would be titled "Certification: Aviation Maintenance Personnel." The changes would take effect 18 months after they become final. The comment period closes November 6.
(www.pilotslounge.com)-This "all-aviation site," features aviation job listings, an aviation message board and aircraft sales. An online store is always open, giving pilots the opportunity to purchase their pilot supplies and other aviation items with a credit card.
In celebration of B/CA's 40th anniversary, each month throughout 1998, we will present excerpts from the top features published 40 years ago. We hope you will find them interesting and fun. From the September 1958 issue: Special Theme-This issue was dubbed the Planning Guide for Business Aviation to help readers increase the effectiveness of their operations. Pilots were given the latest performance data and specs on business aircraft of the day, plus complete specifications on their radio and radar equipment.
When B/CA flew Global Express S/N 9001 all of the avionics components had been brought on line except the performance pages of the FMS (awaiting last minute flight test data) and a few autopilot modes. These items will be cleared, said Bombardier, before first customer delivery in early 1999. Honeywell was the principal avionics integrator for the Global Express and provided many components for the suite from its Primus 2000XP line.
Some observers have criticized Free Flight development for being too dependent on technologies that are already out of date and/or management and controller union philosophies that favor the status quo of ground-based air traffic control.
The mandate was issued in November 1996. Due to communications-channel congestion over the heart of Europe, all aircraft would have to transition from 25 kHz channel spacing to 8.33 kHz spacing by January 1, 1999 for flights above FL 245 generally and FL 195 in France. At press time, it appeared that deadline would slip to September or October.
Company managers are the "point people" who have to field calls from the media, the public and the company's employees in the wake of a business aircraft accident. And the response must be quick, sensitive and effective. To provide guidance for management in this type of crisis, the NBAA has produced a memorandum titled "Company Response to an Aviation Accident." It is accessible to members now on the NBAA's Web site at www.nbaa.org/member/safety/response.htm. Non-members can view the memo on the public side of the Web site (www.nbaa.org).
This hangar with a 65-foot, cantilevered canopy was commissioned by Morris Communications Corp. at Bush Field Airport in Augusta, Ga. to hold its present mix of aircraft with no wing overlap and to keep its passengers' powder dry. Kuhlke Construction Co., contractor for the 150-by-122-by-28-foot building, utilized the expertise of Butler Heavy Structures, a specialist in the design and fabrication of hangars with unusual dimensions.
