When you decided to become an aviation professional, you knew you would have to master many skills-piloting, for example, and engineering and management. But, I bet you never suspected one of those critical skills would be legislative lobbying. Well, it is, and if you avoid using that skill, you risk serious consequences.
Avidyne Corp. received TSO C113 EFIS and C110 lightning sensor system approvals for its flat-panel, multifunction flight computer, thereby paving the way for STC approvals in a wide variety of installations, including in Mooney 252s. TSO C63c weather radar interface certification is expected by the end of the summer. News of the TSO approval was welcomed by AvroTech, a manufacturer of large format, flat-panel MFDs that will use Avidyne's software.
The CFE738 engine, built under a joint program between AlliedSignal and General Electric, recently passed 100,000 hours of operation since entering service in 1995. More than 100 engines are in service
Aircraft painting companies and other aviation users of methylene chloride may be given more regulatory relief from Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules aimed at lowering exposure rates to the caustic chemical (February, page 28). OSHA is considering a petition to extend to April 10, 2000 the start-up date to install engineering and respirator controls that limit exposure. The current deadlines are August 31 for respirator controls and December 10 for engineering controls.
New from PPG Industries is a disposable, single-application rain-repellent coating kit formulated as a visibility enhancer for glass-faced aircraft windshields. PPG's Hydrophobic Coating Application Kit includes Surface Seal coating and all materials needed to clean, prime and coat the windshield in about one hour. The handle-box kit weighs less than 10 pounds. Price: $350. PPG Industries, P.O. Box 040004, Huntsville, Ala. 35804. (205) 851-7001; fax: (205) 851-8822.
There seems to be an attitude of complacency that comes with the transition from winter to summer, a feeling that now we are going to "get a break and get some payback from the harshness of winter. We can lay back a little. But summer flight operations deserve as much respect, if not more, than do winter operations.
Southeast Toyota and Florida Jet Service are the first two recipients of a new Achieving Community Excellence (ACE) awards program to recognize noise abatement efforts of operators at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. "These two companies consistently demonstrate their exceptional willingness and ability to fly quietly," said Bill Crouch, airport manager. Toyota operates four corporate jets from the airport and Florida Jet Service flies three. In total, there are 85 corporate jets based at Executive Airport.
Edward G. Tripp FIRST COMBINED NATA/PAMA SHOW GETS AN `A'
Officials of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) were confident their decision to combine their trade shows and collocate their annual member meetings was a success before they got to Kansas City, Mo. in early April. All 650 available booth spaces were sold out in advance by 400 exhibitors. Official attendance was 4,088, according to figures released by PAMA after AS3 (for Aviation Services and Suppliers SuperShow) ended.
Gulfstream's May offering of 18 million new shares will not result in a change of control at the company. Forstmann Little, which owns about 20 percent of Gulfstream's shares, will continue as the largest single shareholder. And the company's bylaws permit the board, led by Chairman Ted Forstmann, to add members and issue new shares without shareholder approval, making it difficult for a third party to gain control of the company, according to Security and Exchange Commission filings.
Honeywell's Auckland, New Zealand avionics repair shop will be approved shortly to perform Level III maintenance on the company's TCAS 2000 and Level IV service on datalink Mode S transponders.
ARINC inaugurated its GLOBALink/HF service on January 28 when ARINC declared the first HF datalink (HFDL) ground station online. The ground station, located at ARINC's communications center in San Francisco, will be part of a worldwide network to provide GLOBALink/HF service. Aircraft equipped with HFDL avionics can now send and receive standard ACARS messages when outside the range of VHF ACARS coverage. In March, a second ground station was opened at ARINC's Hawaii facility.
Century Aerospace of Albuquerque, N.M. is redesigning the cabin of its proposed single-engine business jet to accommodate an optional, private aft lavatory. Baggage capacity is reduced from 48 cubic feet to 30 cubic feet with the lav. Meanwhile, the development schedule for the Century Jet has slipped several months, with first flight now scheduled for December 1999 and certification for March 2001.
MedAir of Phoenix and Norwegian Air Ambulance in Oslo have teamed to expand their corporate aircraft in-flight and on-ground emergency medical assistance programs
At its annual meeting in Kansas City, Mo. in April, the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association bestowed the following awards for outstanding service to the aviation community in 1997: -- Award of Excellence to Ed Hendricks of Mark Fruchter Aviation in Reading, Pa. -- Award of Excellence in Maintenance Training to Don Forman, chief of maintenance for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Mo. -- Maintenance Technician of the Year award to Thomas E. Hendershot, director of maintenance of High Winds Aviation in Broomfield, Colo.
-- Jeppesen Weather Services' (903-799-9090/www.jeppesen.com) new Advanced Weather Graphics (AWG) package enables subscribers to receive high-resolution color maps anywhere one can connect with airline communications services such as ACARS and SITA. New features of AWG include a North Pacific Surface Analysis and forecasts, a European surface analysis, and U.S. icing and turbulence analyses. -- Dimensions International (703-998-0098/www.dimen-intl.com) has released FLIGHTExplorer 2.0, the company's latest aircraft situation display package.
The long-expected break-up of Aero International (Regional) occurred with ATR and British Aerospace each going their own way. The split-up had been expected since December 1997 when AI(R) decided against proceeding with a 70-seat regional jet, a program which chafed the British partner, flush with the recent success of its own Avro quadjets. In addition, the British felt the cost structure was "too broad," one top official told B/CA. The ATR component-a partnership between Aerospatiale of France and Alenia of Italy-will be restructured into a single company.
HAS Corp.'s SFIM AFCS-85 Automatic Flight Control System for the Bell 407, now STCed, can be installed in two to three weeks of downtime. The basic two-axis system was developed for full-time operation to provide pitch and roll stability augmentation and attitude retention. Price: $135,000; $31,500 for the optional yaw-axis SAS. Other options are a flight director/navigator coupler system and stand-alone force trim system. HAS Corp., 600 E. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving, Texas 75039. (972) 556-1285; fax: (972) 556-1378.
Business aircraft operators at Centennial fear that the snowball effect of airport opposition to scheduled service could lead to further restrictions on operations. Anti-noise activists have turned up their volume. Gil Wolin, president of Mayo Aviation, a Centennial FBO, said the clamor even "threatens the airport's right to exist."
Interjet has thrown the switch on its Aviation Sales Pavilion, an advertising-supported Internet site listing more than 65,000 aviation service providers in the United States and Canada. The 110 categories of listings all are contained in a geographical database, enabling searches within a specified distance of a given location. European and Asian suppliers should be online by early summer, according to Interjet President Sam Trowe. Access is free.
Ramp construction delays moved back the opening of Executive JetPort at New Jersey's Trenton Airport to late this month. The FBO was originally to open in April (May, page 18). Also originally planned to open in April was Mercury Air Group at South Carolina's Charleston International Airport. A decision to build more hangar space pushes Mercury's opening to August (September 1997, page 26).
FAA adopted a proposal that clarifies the new rules pertaining to passenger-carrying commercial flights in single-engine airplanes. The most important clarification of the new rule, which went into effect May 4, is that although gyro instruments must have redundant sources of energy, each source need not power "all" the gyros. Also clarified: In one-pilot/autopilot operations only gyros on the pilot's panel need be working, but on flights using two pilots, gyros on both panels must be working.
Airtug's latest product is the Model 900 for moving all single nosewheel aircraft, including all Cessna aircraft, Raytheon pistons and turboprops, all Piper- aircraft, Learjet Models 25 through 36, Commanders, nosewheel helicopters and more. A Tecumseh 9-hp, electric-start engine powers the walk-behind unit, delivering a variable speed range from slow to a fast walk. A hand-operated control bar regulates speed, brak- ing and steering. The Airtug is shipped completely assembled, except for the handle. Price: $2,695. Airtug, 1023 Mullan Rd. E., Superior, Mont. 59872.
