It's the middle of summer-the air conditioning packs are working overtime, passengers are impatient, line crews are sweltering. What better time to be thinking about airframe icing? Some cool-headed MIT researchers have been surveying pilots to find out how they use weather information on icing conditions and make critical decisions when flying in potential and actual icing.
Associated Air Center in Dallas is expected to be the first of several U.S. facilities to be designated by Airbus Industrie as an official completion center for the A319 Corporate Jetliner. In May, Airbus selected Jet Aviation in Switzerland and Lufthansa Technik in Germany to provide interiors for international customers (July 1998, page 20).
As "downsized" companies begin to use more contractors to perform functions they used to do themselves, the IRS has stepped up its scrutiny of contracting. At the heart of the examination is who controls the contractor and what degree of independence the contractor enjoys.
NTSB wants the FAA to designate a radio frequency at all FAR Part 139 (airline-served) airports that allows direct communications between flightcrews and emergency rescue personnel. In addition, the Safety Board recommends the FAA develop a universal set of hand signals for use between rescuers and flightcrews when radio communications are lost.
An onboard automatic weight-and-balance system (WBS) has received supplemental type certification. Developed by Trinity Airweighs, a new Arlington, Texas company, the system (electronically) converts landing-gear struts into scales, measuring real-time aircraft weight as well as center of gravity. "The WBS measures the actual weight of the aircraft and payload in real time," said developer and Trinity President Kirk Nance.
Edited by Gordon A. GilbertLinda L. Martin and Gordon A. Gilbert
"Aviation archaeology" seems to be an appropriate description of the work done by those who search for, study and identify downed or abandoned aircraft, according to a new book on the subject: Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of California: 1909-1996.
The following are target dates for emerging turbine aircraft. These dates, supplied by the airframe manufacturers, are subject to change-and frequently do-as a result of design revisions, funding, testing delays or extensions, and/or the resolution of unforeseen problems. Each month, this table will endeavor to show the most-current schedule. Manufacturer Model AASI Jetcruzer 500 Turboprop Agusta A119 Koala Single Turbine Airbus A319CJ
It came several months later than originally planned, but the Cessna Citation Excel has been delivered to its first customer, Swift Air of Phoenix, which turned around and leased it back to Cessna for use as a marketing demonstrator
Conversion of 22 more FAA towers to contract towers (CTs) is still on hold until the FAA completes a cost-comparison study ordered by the U.S. District Court. The FAA says the analysis is almost finished, and the agency will then present its findings to the court, hoping to be able to proceed with CT program expansion. A plus for the CT program is an audit report from the DOT Office of Inspector General showing that contract towers provide less costly Level I ATC services than those formerly operated by the FAA.
Regional-airline enplanements will double to nearly 126 million by 2008, according to a forecast prepared for the Regional Airline Association. "Strong industry fundamentals, including sustained increases in available seat miles, average passenger trip length and onboard load factor are all expected to fuel industry growth over the next decade," concluded AvStat Associates of Washington, D.C. and the Stanford Transportation Group (STG) of San Francisco, which prepared the forecast.
Winnipeg, Canada-based Standard Aero recently serviced its 1,000th PW100 engine (a milestone achieved in eight years) and received ISO 9001 quality management certification
A state bill that would eliminate the sales tax on aircraft purchases, repairs and replacement parts in Massachusetts has advanced to the House Ways and Means Committee. The proposed legislation, introduced by Representative Cele Hahn (R-Westfield, Mass.), applies to airplanes with an MTOW of 6,000 pounds or more. Connecticut adopted similar legislation in October 1997.
A VHF datalink air/ground communication service was proclaimed operational throughout China by ARINC's GlobaLink and its Asian partners. The service is provided to appropriately equipped and approved airliners and corporate aircraft from ground stations throughout the country, and is controlled from Beijing. Twenty-five of a planned 125 stations are now operating to deliver ATC and company message traffic (February, page 30).
The FAA House Reauthorization Bill now includes a provision drafted by Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) that would allow certain airports to deny access to scheduled public charter operations. The amendment's language buttresses the position of Colorado citizens who are agitated over the specter of scheduled passenger service at Denver's Centennial Airport (June, page 24). Gil Wolin, president of Centennial-based FBO Mayo Aviation, says the amendment would not affect FAR Part 135 charter operators.
Insurers say operators can expect to pay about the same for their liability coverage in 1999 or maybe even five or 10 percent less than they did this year. Why? Because business aviation's excellent safety record is working in favor of FAR Part 91 and Part 135 turbine aircraft operators seeking liability and hull insurance renewals. (For instance, in 1997, there were no fatal U.S. accidents involving business jets operating under Part 91.)
Of late, aviation trade associations and some of the business aircraft manufacturers have given us a number of fact-filled, eye-catching tomes for the coffee table. Now those curious about aircraft engines can get their itch scratched by adding the story of Allison engines to their libraries. Allison, the People and the Power, by Joan Zigmunt, is a pictorial history of Allison, decade by decade.
Corporate aircraft utilizing European airspace are being racked by new avionics and flight restrictions, but none seems so ominous as upcoming reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) requirements. Come November 1, 2001, vertical separation over the 31 member states of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) is scheduled to be reduced to 1,000 feet from as low as FL 290 in France to FL 410. What worries the business aviation community is not the reduction itself, but the equipment and certification requirements that go with it.
Over 200 delegates attended the Inmarsat Aeronautical Services Users Conference held in London from June 3-5. While the greater part of the content concentrated on the progress made by airliner-based Aero-H systems, there was news on the introduction of new spot-beam services-Aero-I for business aircraft and the enhanced Aero-H+ service-made available by the launch of Inmarsat-3 satellites.
Authorities for Cote D'Ivoire (the Ivory Coast) continue their investigation of why a King Air 200 chartered by the United Nations crashed on approach to Lome-Abidjan Airport. The June accident was fatal to all seven persons aboard. The aircraft (S/N BB 815), was registered as ZS-MSL (South Africa). No further information was available at press time.
David A. Wyss, Chief Economist, Standard&Poor's DRI
Corporate aviation is flying one of the longest economic booms in history. The economy is in the best condition since the 1960s, as this 90-month expansion nears the length of the 1980s upturn, the second-longest in postwar history, and takes aim at the 106-month boom of the 1960s. Despite the headwinds from Asia, the economy should break the 1960s' record in February 2000.
