NTSB investigation of the TWA Flight 800 accident has prompted the formation of a study group involving the FAA, the Safety Board and the American Petroleum Institute to explore converting Jet-A fuel production to JP-5. Two aviation fuel suppliers told B/CA that the changeover "probably will help" reduce accidents due to flashpoint problems since JP-5 has a significantly higher flashpoint and is less inclined to form an explosive mixture than Jet-A. The U.S. Navy uses JP-5 aboard aircraft carriers.
Dave Quinn, catering manager for Magec Aviation in England, died in late 1997. In 1976, he founded the executive catering unit of McAlpine Aviation and spearheaded the expansion and success of the unit until his death.
The 3303 Airborne Vibration Monitoring System (AVMS) with PC-based software from Rotor Dynamics Americas collects vibration data from dynamic helicopter components and "reports" on their condition to mechanics before major damage can set in. STCed for the Bell 430, 222, 206L, 212/412, 230, and Eurocopter BK117 and BO105. Price: $30,000 to $60,000, depending upon size of the helicopter. (Laptop computer not included.) Rotor Dynamics Americas, Inc., 2506 Gravel Dr., Bldg. No. 18, Fort Worth, Texas 76118. (817) 284-9515; fax: (817) 284-4438.
In response to a proposed rewrite of FAR Part 107 airport security rules, the National Air Transportation Association presented the FAA with its own proposal: to have a separate set of rules for general aviation areas. The security concerns for GA are "safety and privacy," deterring theft and other issues not related to the FAA's responsibility to prevent crime against air-carrier passengers, said the NATA.
The RFDS has five PC-12s in its fleet and it has logged nearly 10,000 hours of flight time. Those statistics add plenty of credibility to comments from Peter Tippett, who oversees PC-12 operations for the humanitarian organization. Each aircraft is fitted with a $233,000, emergency medical service package custom-designed by Pilatus/Bucher, in place of the standard nine-passenger, utility interior.
Kelner Airways, based in St. Johns Newfoundland, acquired its PC-12 in February 1997 and the firm is fast catching the Royal Flying Doctor Service as the fleet leader. The firm is flying the airplane 200 to 350 hours per month and it reports "zero downtime" for unscheduled maintenance.
American Cabin Supply specializes in what the well-dressed cabin will wear- everything from personalized fluted plastic tumblers to nuts. Among the imprinted items available are beverage and luncheon napkins, plastic coffee mugs, gold and silver tumblers, plastic and foam beverage cups, playing cards and lap blankets. Price examples: $53 for 250 beverage napkins; $85 for 250 nine-ounce, clear plastic tumblers; and $125 for 250 plastic coffee mugs. American Cabin Supply, 390 Enterprise Dr., Nicholasville, Ky. 40356. (606) 887-1492; fax: (606) 885-7891.
Until World War II, Americans had always rested secure in the knowledge that geography was one advantage their country had in foreign wars. With two oceans serving as wide moats, it was virtually impossible for enemies of the United States to strike directly at the homeland.
The first four courses in the NBAA's new Professional Development Program (PDP) begin this month at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. and the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. The semester-long courses are designed to build skills of future flight-department managers (January 1997, page 16).
A congressional effort to make sure carriers check pilots' backgrounds became an administrative nightmare. Not much is guaranteed in life, but there is one thing you can generally count on. Every time Congress adopts legislation mandating a specific technical solution to the perceived aviation problem du jour, the industry gets it in the neck.
1958 In our first aircraft analysis, we examined the Grumman Gulfstream I (left) a few months before its first flight. The list price was $700,000, but we estimated the equipped price at $900,000. We figured the hourly operating cost at $365, based on a pilot salary of $16,000, a copilot salary of $8,000 and 27 cents per gallon for kerosene. The aircraft was certificated in June 1959.
Even in the unlikely event that neither of the National Football League teams playing in the Super Bowl reaches the end zone on January 25, there will be plenty of touchdowns in San Diego on "Super Sunday," as hundreds of business aircraft bring people to this Southern California city for the big game.
Representatives from the aviation training community, universities involved in flight training, FBOs and small FAR Part 135 operators are invited to gather January 20 and 21 at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. for a GA safety workshop. Participants will explore ways to improve safety through research on training. Attendees will discuss their training needs and problems. Researchers from U.S. universities will respond to the concerns and will recommend which issues are amenable to research. For details, phone NASA's Rebecca Chute at (650) 604-0771.
Boeing Business Jets and Aviation Partners are investigating modifying the BBJ with winglets, with the goal of increasing range by four to seven percent. However, Boeing engineers are said to be cool to the idea. "There is a tremendous resistance toward vendor modifications on Boeing aircraft," said a Boeing spokesperson. "Even though we have been working with Aviation Partners, [Boeing] could shut it off at any time." Aviation Partners is the Seattle company known for its winglet mod on G-IIs.
Pilatus is making most of its sales of the PC-12 to owner/operators who tell us they are impressed with the aircraft's range, payload, cabin volume and cargo door. But along with the big-airplane attributes come some big-airplane operating realities like parts costs and systems complexity.
A recent Wall Street Journal article titled "As Air Fares Soar, More Companies Cancel Trips" described a survey of U.S. firms and how they are reducing business travel because of increasingly expensive air fares. Firms are resorting to a host of alternatives, from the increased use of corporate aircraft to drastic measures like requiring salespeople to phone rather than visit prospects, and asking staff to rely more on e-mail and tele/video conferences to conduct business.
The National Civil Aviation Review Commission completed its eight-month study of the U.S. aviation system and issued a final report that drew a mixed reaction from general aviation trade groups.
Efforts to establish fractional ownership programs with pre-owned aircraft and for regional geographic coverage continue. Two of the latest efforts are Executive AirShares from Executive Aircraft Services in Scottsdale, Ariz. and Business Jet Co-Ownership offered by ExecAire in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. Executive AirShares will sell shares in previously owned "mid-range, medium cabin" aircraft for use by owners throughout the Southwest. ExecAire hopes to sell shares in five Gulfstreams and "additional smaller jet aircraft" that the company currently operates.
At the recent World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva, U.S. delegates narrowly averted a proposal from Inmarsat to allow satellite-based mobile communications services to share a radio spectrum reserved for GPS use. Global Positioning System proponents worry that sharing the frequency band might cause interference with GPS signal reception. The proposal was deferred until the 1999 WRC to allow for more technical studies of the issue.
New York Center's Oceanic Control can now use satellite-based telephone service (satvoice) to call aircraft, but only when other means are not available and communication is required for distress or urgency situations. Aircraft must be logged onto the Atlantic Ocean Region West satellite while operating in the New York flight identification region in order for ATC to initiate calls.
Aviation authorities in Europe are taking the opposite view of Australia regarding single-engine aircraft operations. Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority intends to proceed with legislation that will permit single-engine, commercial passenger flights in IFR and at night. On the other hand, the JAA is planning to include a rule in its JAR-OPS scheduled for implementation in April that will ban commercial passenger flights at night in single-engine aircraft.
The Flight Safety Foundation, itself in the safety audit business, says that routine FAR compliance inspections should be conducted by independent auditors, leaving FAA personnel to deal with more-urgent safety issues. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey's initial response: "It's worth exploring." While safety audits have long been an accepted practice in aviation, they are not without their detractors and controversy. Meanwhile, the General Accounting Office suggests that the "team" approach to assessing compliance is more effective than visits by individual FAA inspectors.
Twenty-four Falcon 2000s will join the NetJets fractional ownership program, with the first aircraft being delivered in the fourth quarter, under a recent deal between Executive Jet and Dassault Falcon Jet. One-eighth shares will cost about $2.7 million, carry a monthly management fee of approximately $14,800 and entitle the owner to 100 hours of flight time at an occupant hourly fee of about $2,150. The addition of the Falcon 2000s brings NetJets' order book up to 220 aircraft of nine different models.
