By mid-summer, RTS Rework will begin restoring P&WC PW100 turbine gears and gear shafts. The Fort Worth company recently introduced an "insulation blanket" restoration process for PT6As and PW100s
In late May, Boeing commenced four to six weeks of winglet feasibility tests with the goals of boosting the climb, cruise and fuel economy performance of the BBJ. If all goes well, the BBJ might lose its 10th belly fuel tank and still achieve a 6,200-nm maximum range.
Pilatus Business Aircraft is now delivering its PC-12 single-engine turboprop with tiplets, instead of winglets. Fitting the aircraft with tiplets rather than the larger winglets substantially reduces the roll control force, but it results in virtually no discernible change in aerodynamic performance or empty operating weight, according to Pilatus Business Aircraft officials in Broomfield, Colo. PBA demonstration pilots have noticed a one- to two-knot increase in cruise speed of tiplet-equipped aircraft because their smaller size slightly reduces form drag.
Palm Springs and Paris, France-Signature Flight Support recently acquired FBOs at Palm Springs Regional Airport and Le Bourget Airport in Paris. At Palm Springs, Signature said it doesn't plan any "major" changes at the former Million Air FBO acquired from owner Harold Lee. Ross Knowles will remain as general manager. (800) 763-8299 or (619) 320-7704. At Le Bourget, Signature acquired the former Air Luxor FBO. Karen Acquino, general manager at Signature's FBO in Zurich, will oversee operations at Le Bourget until a permanent manager is appointed.
Auster Aviation Group of Sugar Grove, Ill. recently received its air taxi certificate and will operate with an initial charter fleet of two jet models and a turboprop
Something rather unusual occurred on the 49th flight of Israel Aircraft Industries' new super-midsize Galaxy in late May. After completing only one-sixth of the scheduled 1,000-hour development program, IAI's engineers were sufficiently satisfied with the Galaxy's performance and handling qualities that they invited B/CA to fly and evaluate the aircraft. This marked the first time that anyone outside of company or certification authorities had flown IAI's newest business jet.
Regional telephone directories-one dedicated to general and corporate aviation in Eastern and Southwestern states and one with an industry focus for Western and North Central states, Alaska and Hawaii-are now available. The Aviation Telephone/Fax Directory is divided into three sections: white pages, giving an alphabetical listing of aviation-related firms; blue pages, listing airports and FBOs by state within the region; and yellow pages, providing classified listings and ads for aviation products and services (about 1,500 listings).
Both Advisory Circular 135-12A, published in 1991, and AC 121-24A, published in 1989, list information that should be on passenger briefing cards. The Society of Automotive Engineers of Warrendale, Pa. also offers guidelines in its "Aerospace Recommended Practice ARP1384 Rev. B." Recommendations culled from these publications are: -- Briefing cards on board an aircraft should pertain only to the make and model of that particular aircraft. -- Cards should be placed so the seated passenger can see them and have easy access to them.
In one of business aviation's worst-kept secrets, CAMP Systems International has acquired Aviation Information Services of Englewood, Colo. The new entity, CAMP Systems/AIS, LLC, will combine CAMP's back-end aircraft maintenance data management services with AIS' front-end programming savvy. CAMP, in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., was itself purchased by an investment group in October 1997.
Getting the most from your increasingly more expensive avionics begins at installation. Cooling, proper grounding, environmental considerations and accessibility head the list of considerations in avionics mounting. "Your equipment will function only as good as the installation," said Jim Lauer, president of IFR Avionics at Van Nuys, Calif., and current chairman of the Aircraft Electronics Association. "It needs to be installed by a knowledgeable professional . . . [and] the FAA paperwork needs to be thoroughly checked."
Hood River, Ore.-based Advanced Navigation and Positioning Corp. received the long-delayed FAA certification of its Category I transponder-based landing system (TLS). The approval permits commissioning of TLS installations in Madras, Ore. and Watertown, Wis. as well as for Hillenbrand Industries' corporate airport in Batesville, Ind.
Corporate operators are not doing badly-for the moment-at obtaining timely departure and arrival slots at London's Heathrow Airport, thanks to their legal challenge of a new slot allocation system.
No significant rule changes resulted from the FAA's recent update of its Aviation Insurance regulation, FAR Part 198. The regulation permits the government to provide insurance for civil aircraft chartered by the military when commercial insurance cannot be obtained
Golfbag Express is marketing a white plastic, golf-bag shipping container to ease the weight, space and handling problems of carrying golf clubs on multi-leg business trips in smaller aircraft. The golf clubs are shipped via United Parcel Service 2nd Day Air to the passenger's destination of choice: golf course, home or office. Price: No charge for the containers. Customer is billed only when UPS moves the bag-$59 each way, flat rate, within the United States, including Hawaii. Golfbag Express, 222 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Ste. 2000, El Segundo, Calif. 90245.
Administrative Judge Allan Elmore of the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals has reopened the appeals case of TPI International Airways based on new charges of "fraud upon the court" on the part of government witnesses. Following a series of hearings in 1995, Elmore had ruled against the small Brunswick, Ga., cargo carrier's appeal of an Air Force contract cancellation in August 1990 at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.
An FAA program designed to transmit timely graphical, digital weather data to general aviation aircraft essentially free of charge is now in the works. The Flight Information Services program will involve the combined efforts of the agency, vendors and users to reduce weather-related accidents. Operators will need to purchase cockpit display capability. FAA data will be transmitted to aircraft through four VHF channels. Vendors will provide free basic FIS products to all properly equipped aircraft, but vendors could charge for more sophisticated service.
Ready for the asking at Wisconsin FBOs and pilot shops is the 1998 Wisconsin Aeronautical Chart produced by the state's Bureau of Aeronautics. The chart, which is available free of charge, has been completely revised and includes current airport surveyed runway lengths and landscape obstructions. Frequencies are listed for CTAF and AWOS at state airports.
The compliance date for operators using European airspace to install B-RNAV was August 1 at press time, and Eurocontrol's Alexander Hendriks proclaimed there will be no further postponements. Serious backlogs in the delivery and installation of required onboard equipment to hundreds of operators have forced two delays already (June, page 26).
Tyler Jet Completions in Tyler, Texas has been FAA approved as a certificated repair station to perform limited powerplant and accessory installations and repairs
Moshe Keret, IAI's president and CEO, is all smiles these days. We imagine he must have sighed mightily in relief when he saw the final financial performance figures for 1997. IAI's revenue was up 15 percent from 1996 to $1.7 billion. More importantly, the firm earned a modest $24.3 million profit, reversing five years of losses, including a $42 million loss in 1996. "We're now out of the recovery period and business looks very good for the first six months of 1998 and beyond. Our backlog has increased.
