The number of private pilot certificates and instrument ratings issued in the first quarter increased significantly over the same period in 1997, according to figures compiled by GA Team 2000. The group says the first quarter showed a 48.2 percent increase in new private pilots with 6,450 certificates issued. The 5,353 instrument ratings issued represent an 84.4 percent increase over the same period in 1997.
An attendee to the recent Society of Automotive Engineer's "Advances in Air Safety" conference, held in Daytona Beach recently, might have been surprised to discover that this was the first time the SAE had ever convened a conference devoted entirely to air safety. By the end of the three-day event, however, one could conclude that those assembled here were well versed in safety issues..
Sun Aircraft Services at Lugano-Agno Airport on the Switzerland/Italy border says it will concentrate maintenance activities in the business jet field, as a result, in part, of handing over 50 percent of the firm to Swiss Aircraft and Systems Co. Swiss Aircraft will use its stake in Sun Aircraft to "become more active in the non-military market," said officials. Today, only a quarter of its business comes from the civil field.
Universal Weather and WSI supply the weather portion of the FAA-funded Flight 2000 datalink demonstration program which is designed to demonstrate the role of datalink in the redesign of the national airspace system. Both weather vendors have supplied Avidyne with software to display weather graphics on Avidyne's MFDs. Instead of referring to the program's original year 2000 implementation goal, however, that program has slipped and is now hoping to have 2,000 GA aircraft equipped with datalink avionics sometime in the next decade.
Learjet 45 post-delivery certification items (and their scheduled completion dates) include thrust reverser approval and UNS-1C takeoff performance computations (this month), APU approval (July), Phase II Honeywell Primus 1000 software (August) and upgraded nosewheel steering (September). Enhanced GPWS certification also is planned. And, according to sources, Keith Products of Dallas will pursue an STC for vapor-cycle air conditioning in the second quarter of 1999. Notably, the Model 45 is the first Learjet to be fitted with an air-cycle machine as standard equipment.
Ron Wright joined this prospective manufacturer of light single engine aircraft as vice president of operations. Previously, he was employed as a vice president at Mooney Aircraft.
Aircraft Parts International recently opened an airframe and engine parts distribution center in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Coupled with API's Memphis operation, the new facility will provide 24-hour, seven-day a week service. Nester Baranitsky is general manager of the Canadian store. Phone: (888) 322-8281 or (403) 250-9383.
A Litton Industries claim that Honeywell deliberately infringed on Litton ring laser gyro inertial navigation equipment patents was returned to district court by the U.S. Court of Appeals for further consideration. The case began in 1990. The first verdict, a $2.1 billion damage award to Litton, came down in 1993, and the case has been in the courts ever since (November 1996, page 24).
One year ago, B/CA launched its latest and most comprehensive financial analysis of how companies that operate business aircraft compare to those that do not. Using financial data collected by Compustat, which is part of The McGraw-Hill Companies' well-known Standard&Poor's group, and aircraft fleet information provided by AvData, B/CA discovered once again that most successful American companies fly business aircraft and that operators, more often than not, financially outperform non-operators.
Wolfsberg Aircraft of Gent, Belgium is designing a utility light twin "as a replacement for Islanders and Aztecs." The company hopes to begin flight testing the 6,000-pound, fixed-gear Raven 257 in May 1999 and receive JAR/FAR Part 23 certification in October 2000. Powered by two, 300-hp Continentals, the Raven 257 is expected to list for $695,000. The aircraft is configured like the old Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, with a high wing, large aft clamshell door and twin tailbooms extending aft from the wing-mounted engines.
Representatives of business aircraft operators based at Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, N.Y. gathered on April 16 to receive the airport's "Spirit of Noise Abatement" awards for 1995, 1996 and 1997. Twenty-six companies were recognized for 100 percent compliance with HPN's voluntary-restraint-from-flying program (night curfew) and the high-range-noise-event program. Texaco, Philip Morris and U.S. Tobacco achieved the "lowest average sound levels" among based operators in 1995, 1996 and 1997, respectively.
Wake turbulence from a Boeing 757 may have claimed another general aviation aircraft and its pilot, the sole occupant. A Beech Baron, N28B, that crashed April 23 during a night VMC approach to Ohio's Port Columbus International Airport was following a Boeing 757 by about three to four miles for several minutes immediately before the accident.
Sabreliner's SabreTech division said it "vigorously" disputes FAA allegations of hazardous materials violations in connection with the 1996 crash of ValuJet Flight 592 near Miami (July 1997, page 20). The FAA has proposed a $2.25 million fine against SabreTech-the largest fine ever proposed by the agency for hazardous materials violations. Kenneth P. Quinn, a SabreTech attorney, said the FAA's action is "neither necessary nor justified. . . .
Boeing hopes to decide by the end of this month whether to acquire the long-range auxiliary fuel tank business of PATS, Inc. Columbia, Md.-based PATS recently opened a facility in Georgetown, Del. to handle its contract with Boeing to provide aux fuel tanks for the Boeing Business Jet. PATS has been making aux tanks for years and tanks make up about 80 percent of its business, but a spokesperson said the company is willing to sell the business to Boeing in order to focus on expanding its other products, including airstairs, oxygen systems and APUs.
The third edition of the Lee Group's airline-ticket-size booklet, A Personal Safety Guide for International Travelers is now off the press. Among the subjects covered for business travelers are pre-departure planning, luggage security, handling personal threats, political unrest, avoiding disruptive incidents, hotel security and driving abroad. Price: $5.00 per copy, with discounts available for volume orders. The Lee Group, 14401 Hubbard Lake Rd., Hubbard Lake, Mich. 49747. (517) 727-2013; fax: (517) 727-3007.
The DOT has finally dribbled out a few Chicago O'Hare "exemption slots" to two regional-jet operators and one wannabe to provide service from "under-served" communities. The slots were 32 to 16 in favor of United surrogates over those of American.
After making modifica-tions to suit helicopters, BFGoodrich Avionics Systems received certification of its GH-3000 Electronic Standby Instrument System. The company refined the inertial sensing elements and the attitude determining algorithms of the GH-3000 to give the helicopter pilot "accurate attitude, airspeed and altitude information" in a high-vibration environment. Price: $49,750 for an all-up system including an air data computer. BFGoodrich Avionics Systems, 5353 52nd St. SE, Grand Rapids, Mich. 49588. (616) 949-6600; fax: (616) 285-4224.
An addition to Garmin's hand-held GPS receiver line is the Garmin GPS 92, an enhancement of its GPS 90. The company has built in a 12-parallel-channel receiver and a "beefed up" Jeppesen database to give it a power and performance boost. The position page includes a 12-hour time clock and trip odometer. TracBack is a new feature permitting users to retrace their course along their established track log. Garmin International, 1200 E. 151st St., Olathe, Kan. 66062. (913) 397-8200; fax: (913) 397-8282.
A bill to goad the FAA to require TCAS II on large cargo aircraft fizzled in committee, but Representative William Lipinski (D-Ill.), the bill's sponsor, is working to get the legislation into the FAA reauthorization bill. The House Subcommittee on Aviation is expected to pore over the FAA reauthorization bill this month (December 1997, page 18).
Trajen Flight Services, hitherto a military contract fueler, has opened its first FBO at the new Mather Airport in Sacramento, Calif. (Intelligence, April, page 26). The marriage between the Bryan, Texas-headquartered Trajen and the Sacramento County Department of Airports is being touted as a successful example of former military base conversion. Mather Airport was Mather Air Force Base, a former SAC B-52 aerie.
Denver's Centennial Airport, the second busiest U.S. GA airport, could face the loss of federal AIP funds for what "appears to be unjust discrimination," according to the FAA. By August the agency is expected to retaliate against the Centennial Airport board's denial to allow scheduled passenger service. The ban, primarily the result of noise concerns, has been upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court. Bill Payne, head of the Centennial Airport Business Association, commented, "The airport needs to be accessible to everybody who plays by the rules," including scheds.
