Houston-based American Jet International has launched a fractional ownership program, offering up to five shares per aircraft in refurbished Learjet 25s, 35s and 55s. Called American Jet Shares, the net after-tax cost for a five-year ownership share is approximately $1,600 per flying hour, said AJI President Roger Woolsey. If an owner decides to sell after the five-year period, Woolsey says AJI will help with the sale for a "small fee." AJI has been a charter operator since 1991.
Bombardier anticipates Transport Canada certification of the Global Express this month, with FAA/JAA approvals to follow. Transport Canada certification had been targeted for June. Maximum range has dropped back to 6,500 nm from 6,700 nm while weight-reduction and SFC-improvement work continue (January 1997, page 18). Four aircraft are currently undergoing completions and the first customer aircraft is expected to be operational by year-end. Between 16 and 20 green aircraft will be delivered this year.
With the recent closing of Runway 1/19, the authority for Kentucky's Louisville International Airport is asking operators to pay particular attention to the noise mitigation procedures outlined in the airport's FAR Part 150 program. Among these is a request for business aircraft operators to use NBAA "close in" noise abatement procedures taking off to the east, west and north, and "standard" noise abatement procedures taking off to the south. It is unlikely that a night curfew will be imposed.
The NASA folks who run the Aviation Safety Reporting System lately have received a number of reports concerning a small patch of very important airspace-Prohibited Area P-56-that lies over the White House. Some arrival and departure procedures for nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport may bring pilots very close to and possibly into P-56 if they do not follow assigned routings precisely. Here's an ASRS report from a business aircraft copilot:
While not necessarily associated with avionics life extension, proper grounding certainly has a bearing on how well your aviation electronics operate. According to retired Gulfstream avionics expert George Lewison, who's pretty much seen it all, "even a good grounding system can develop corrosion between the bonding parts and create 'noise' problems. That is, the actual bonding of airframe parts can create noise in areas where corrosion might form." Lewison cited two examples.
This jet charter and management company, based at Centennial Airport, made two changes in staf-fing: Cody Diekroeger is now chief pilot, and Brent Moldowan is the company's new manager of customer service.
FAA says it has been meeting the 30-day turnaround requirement over the last several months to requests by air taxi operators for pilot records, but that's not what air taxis are reporting, according to the National Air Transportation Association. The trade group says that despite the agency's contention that it's meeting the 30-day turnaround, members requests for records remain "plagued by delays as long as six to 16 weeks."
Jet Aviation in Switzerland and Lufthansa Technik in Germany have been selected to provide interiors for the Airbus A319CJ corporate jet. Airbus has designated six different cabin layouts, ranging from 10 to 39 seats and weighing 8,500 pounds to 10,700 pounds. Outfitting cost would start at about $4 million and typical installation time would be four to six months, said Airbus officials. The company plans to designate outfitters in North America. Scheduled for certification in May 1999, the A319CJ would have a range of up to 6,300 nm.
The basic infrastructure for the GPS Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is now in place, and testing is ongoing. Installation of the last of 25 ground reference stations was completed in early June, and two master stations that send a correction signal into space for rebroadcast also are in place at FAA facilities in Leesburg, Va. and Palmdale, Calif. A signal in space will be available beginning this December, and the FAA says it will publish its first 50 WAAS precision approach procedures in July 1999.
This spring-steel D-Cell Flashlight Mount from Sporty's Pilot Shop secures plastic or steel-bodied flashlights in the aircraft or in the hangar. The mount includes pre-drilled mounting holes and is available in black or white. Price: $1.95; $1.75 each for three or more. Sporty's Pilot Shop, Clermont County Airport, Batavia, Ohio 45103. (513) 735-9100; fax: (513) 735-9200
The Mini-TAN Lubricant Testing Kit from Royal Lubricants allows operators to give their aircraft turbine lubricants and/or hydraulic fluids a checkup. This kit will detect undesirable acidic components, viscosity changes, metal corrosion and carbon deposits. The test requires a sample of less than one ounce of fluid and is conducted in small, 40-milliliter test vials that can be reused or safely discarded. Starter kit price: $500, with a yield of about 60 tests. Distributed through Aviall. Royal Lubricants, P.O. Box 518, East Hanover, N.J. 07936.
The new HP Heartstream Automatic External Defibrillator Trainer trains flightcrew members in the use of the HP Heartstream ForeRunner AED without a warm-bodied presenter. The trainer comes with five different pre-recorded scripts, each focusing on a different aspect of an emergency resuscitation attempt. Appropriate for use in small- and large-group training sessions, the unit is powered by six C-cell batteries, for a minimum of 50 hours of use. Price: $395. Heartstream Operation, 2401 Fourth Ave., Ste. 300, Seattle, Wash. 98121. (206) 664-7745; fax: (206) 664-2000.
An FAR Part 150 noise-compatibility program has been submitted to the FAA for Texas' Amarillo International Airport. The FAA is scheduled to approve or disapprove the submission by October 27. For further information, contact the FAA in Fort Worth at (817) 222-5608.
Flush with the success of its new ERJ-145 50-seater, Embraer in May rolled out the 37-passenger derivative ERJ-135 to the tune of 73 firm orders and 122 options and an enthusiastic boost from Continental CEO Gordon Bethune. Continental has placed 25 of those firm orders with 50 options for the aircraft, which has 90-percent commonality with the 145, for which it has 50 firm orders and 150 options.
Pilots are another step closer to having up-to-the-minute, graphical weather displays in their cockpits, thanks in part to an NASA/DoD/industry initiative. NASA chose proposals from eight industry teams to develop Aviation Weather Information AWIN systems for commercial and general aviation aircraft.
A predicament in which Gulfstream Aerospace is delivering green aircraft faster than the company's facilities can complete them may force the company to select two or three outside completions centers on an interim basis to help reduce the backlog of unfinished G-IVSPs and G-Vs. For example, of 43 G-Vs delivered at press time, Gulfstream says 23 were in, or waiting to start, the completions process at one of three company facilities. Except for "unique situations," customers of new aircraft are under contract with Gulfstream for completion services.
People who know what to do before an emergency arises are most likely to react quickly and do whatever is necessary to save their lives, and it increases their chances of survival in an accident," said Dan Johnson, Ph.D., a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers' Cabin Safety S-9 Subcommittee. Johnson added, "There is considerable evidence to support this assertion, evidence based on actual accident reports as well as on experimental studies," he added.
Airport tenants and operators would be stuck for the increased cost of aircraft deicing under possible new rules being considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to prevent pollution from aircraft deicing. The EPA is conducting a preliminary study and data gathering, including looking at alternative and innovative deicing practices. Comments on the EPA's notice are due July 27. Phone (202) 260-7150 for details.
Joe Vreeman has been appointed vice president of customer support for this regional aircraft manufacturer's customer support organization. Craig Fahning joined the company as president of corporate aircraft sales.
