In August, the FAA is scheduled to approve or disapprove proposed noise abatement plans for Hulman Regional Airport in Terre Haute, Ind. and New Hampshire's Manchester Airport. The programs were submitted under FAR Part 150 and the public can comment. For more information, phone (847) 294-7538 or (781) 238-7600.
Photograph: Fairchild Dornier 328 in PB Air livery of Asian Aerospace '98 It is transition time for the regional airline industry and its airframe suppliers. Yes, the transition to regional jets continues in earnest. A number of turboprops have been taken out of production or will be by the end of the century. And sharing affiliations have been won and lost during the past year. There is one more regional jet on the drawing board since this time a year ago and two in the wings, while one has been withdrawn from contention.
Photograph: IAI Galaxy The business aircraft industry soared through its fourth consecutive year of growth in 1997. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported that industry sales of U.S.-manufactured airplanes alone reached $4.7 billion, a whopping 51-percent increase compared to 1996. Just as impressively, shipments of U.S.-made general aviation airplanes reached 1,569 units, which is the highest number of deliveries since 1985.
Crossair, the independently managed subsidiary of Swissair, has posted a 1997 net profit after employee profit-sharing of $29 million, up 88 percent over the previous year's $15.5 million. Employees took home an additional $10.1 million in profit sharing.
Congress approved an amendment to a highway bill that will postpone a tax increase on the sale of certain kerosenes, including jet fuel, to at least July 1, 2000. The current deadline was July 1 of this year. A provision in a 1997 tax law would subject currently tax-exempt kerosenes to the 24.4 cents per gallon highway fuel tax (December 1997, page 24). The two-year delay gives the aviation industry the opportunity to continue to fight for repeal of the tax entirely.
After an extensive period of development, including months of consultation and debate between the FAA and industry, the agency is about to release a new advisory circular on "Detecting and Reporting Suspected Unapproved Parts." B/CA has obtained an advance copy from the FAA, and it should be officially released soon. Advisory Circular 21-29B will replace AC 21-29A of the same title.
FAA will start evaluating wake vortex characteristics as part of the type certification process of new transport aircraft designs, according to a recent agency policy notice. The move is an attempt to more accurately define an aircraft's weight classification when it comes to specifying minimum aircraft separation standards. The NTSB has expressed concern that the current breakdown of weight classifications may be inappropriate.
The integrated avionics suites found in modern business aircraft come in a variety of sizes-mostly industry-standard boxes. Deciding which to choose depends on the aircraft and the complexity of the avionics installed. The large-format display tubes found in the integrated cockpit systems of high-end aircraft are replacing many electromechanical instruments. Standard-size cutouts for Collins Pro Line 4 display tubes are 7.0 by 6.0 inches or 7.25 by 7.25 inches.
Two years after the international satellite operation known as Inmarsat revealed plans to reorganize from a quasi-government operation to a private company, the organization says it hopes to culminate the process early in 1999 (May 1997, page 20). One major goal of the restructuring is to eliminate perceived intergovernmental organization privileges not available to competing companies.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines will offer Canadair Regional Jet service to four additional cities this summer. The aircraft will operate from Atlanta to Newburgh, N.Y.; Louisville, Ky.; Charleston, W.Va.; and Fayetteville, N.C. In addition, the Delta Connection carrier will expand existing jet service from Atlanta to Asheville, N.C.; Roanoke, Va.; and Gainesville and Panama City, Fla., during the summer.
At its annual meeting in Kansas City, Mo. in April, the National Air Transportation Association bestowed the following awards for outstanding service to the aviation community in 1997: -- Excellence in Pilot Training to Phil Poyner of Nassau Flyers; -- William A. Ong Memorial Award to Paul E. Sanderson of Jeppesen Sanderson; -- Aviation Journalism to Inside FAA, an independent, non-government newsletter; -- General Aviation Service Technician to Jim Carr of Midcoast Aviation;
Czech Republic-based manufacturer LET is seeking corporate buyers as well as commuter airlines for its LET-420, now that it has received FAR Part 23 certification. The LET-420 is an updated version of the 19-passenger, twin-turboprop circa 1970s LET-410. Powered by Walter M601 engines and equipped with U.S. avionics, the LET-420 has been in development for seven years, and originally was scheduled to receive certification in 1995 (December 1995, page 22). Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based AeroTec USA is the sales and service source for North American customers.
The Saab 1072 was probably a bit ahead of its time when it appeared on the Linkoping drawing boards in 1969. But the irony is that the Swedish manufacturer did not keep the concept of the 38- to 40-seat regional jet alive and today is phasing its turboprops out of production with nothing on the boards to follow.
National Airmotive Corp. is reducing the work force at its Oakland facility and relocating its Allison 250 repair work to the company's facility in Long Beach, Calif. The Long Beach operation also works on P&WC PT6 engines. A slowdown in Allison T-56 work prompted the downsizing at Oakland, according to First Aviation Services, National Airmotive Corporation's parent firm.
Northern Executive Aviation at England's Manchester Airport will be moving to another site on the airport in July to make way for the construction of a runway. The FBO will be based in a new building providing storage for the firm's four Learjet 35s, as well as meeting rooms and rest facilities for passengers and crew. According to Northern Executive's Managing Director David Antrobus, the new site offers direct ramp access for cars meeting aircraft and quick routing to freeways.
B/CA editors compiled and published the prototype Purchase Planning Handbook in 1960-a generation and a half ago. In those days you could buy a top-line Bonanza for $25,300. Today, a modestly equipped Bonanza will ring the bell at $505,646. The biggest "business" airplanes listed in 1960 were members of Douglas Aircraft Co.'s DC-8 series, ranging in price from $5 million to $6 million. Honors in 1998 go to Boeing's 757-200 priced at $67 million.
The FAA is cracking down on cargo hazards and, through press releases, has been creating a media event virtually every time it issues a significant violation. Hazardous materials regulations apply across the board, be it commercial or corporate operations. The payoff of this piece of wisdom from the DOT is the safety of your aircraft and protection of your aviation department budget. A recent case in point is a classic "fortunately/unfortunately" story:
Raytheon introduced a program designed to sell an entire aircraft plus an eighth of another for under $4.7 million to a single customer in one fell swoop. SmartFlight, as the program is known, provides a buyer with a new King Air B200 and a one-eighth share in a new Beechjet 400A for $4.65 million, about $420,000 less than the combined price of the aircraft if sold separately.
In the interest of providing the most complete overview of used business turbine sales activity, AvData, Inc. is changing the format of its monthly report to a twelve-month moving average. This will help avoid some of the time delays in sales reporting, especially on the international front, as well as leaving out some of the "spikes" that can take place when the trends are viewed on a monthly basis. The most recent twelve-month period (April 1997 to March 1998), along with the same twelve-month period one year ago (April 1996 to March 1997), is presented.
Future transport aircraft designs will have to undergo additional testing in order to meet damage-tolerance criteria. The new requirement, an amendment to FAR Part 25, involves a demonstration using full-scale fatigue test evidence that widespread multiple-site damage will not occur within the design life of the aircraft. The Part 25 amendment also revises the inspection thresholds based on fatigue crack growth.
An experimental onboard sensor was able to provide eight to 10 seconds warning of clear air turbulence during recent flight tests over the Rocky Mountains. The sensor, mounted in a Lockheed Electra operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., shoots an infrared laser beam several miles ahead of the aircraft. Dust particles and aerosols, characterizing turbulent air motions ahead, are picked up by the laser beam and reflected back to the aircraft.
