In early December 1997, ICAO endorsed 128 recommendations intended to solve "deficiencies" in Africa's ATC system. Among the recommendations: mandatory use of airborne collision avoidance systems, early introduction of GPS, a standardized means for reporting ATC incidents and deficiencies, and pooling of search and rescue resources. To achieve these objectives, ICAO says user charges should be used to support civil aviation activities only and that "well-structured and financially independent" civil aviation authorities must remedy the lack of financial resources.
In the beginning-circa 1954-I was flying Lockheed products for a glass container company in upstate New York. I met, and immediately liked, Lois Henry, a pint-size dynamo who was publishing Skyways, the official magazine of the NBAA.
National Air Transportation Association (Alexandria, Va.)-Ric Peri came aboard as manager of technical services for this advocacy group for air taxi and FBOs.
As the United States continues to move toward a GPS-based navigation infrastructure, concerns about vulnerability of the space-based signals are mounting. The U.S. Air Force Research Lab at Eglin AFB, Fla. plans to buy eight jammers from a Russian company that exhibited units at the Moscow Air Show in 1997 to assess how the jammers work and to arrive at countermeasures. The FAA also says it is aware of vulnerability issues, and the agency has offered to brief Congress on the issues behind closed doors.
Eurocontrol will postpone B-RNAV avionics requirements until at least April 23, a three-month delay from the original deadline. B-RNAV, which yields more-precise lateral navigation accuracy, will be mandatory to operate in European airspace (May 1997, page 17). The system is not yet fully operational, and more time is needed to equip aircraft.
It's "business as usual" for now at International Aviation Services, Ltd., the Fort Worth Meacham Field-based corporate aircraft refurbishing and outfitting firm that in 1996 took over the hangars from former Page Avjet (April 1996, page 24). IASL has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings since October 1997. According to Brian Ward, IASL's vice president of sales, the company's 182 full-time employees are accepting new work as well as continuing current projects. A bankruptcy court currently is considering bids from prospective buyers-at least three U.S.
Professional Flight Tracking Services (www.thetrip.com/ pro)- Two products are offered: real-time tracking of IFR traffic within the United States and a compilation of current and previous landing activity by aircraft type, air- port, arrival time and tail number.
To be sure, airline and business aviation accident rates have plateaued at comfortably low levels, but the world's aviation safety experts, in and out of government, are worried. In fact, they say, improvements must be made to these already low rates as we move into the next century. The problem is that the numbers of airline and business aviation operations are increasing greatly, and it follows that the absolute numbers of aircraft accidents will increase to intolerable levels in lock step with increases in the number of operations.
Heli 1997/98 lists a total of 27,308 civil rotary-wing aircraft in 159 countries by registration number. Information on each helicopter includes make/model, year of manufacture, owner/operator, operating base, previous registration and constrution number. The fleet section includes all operators with eight or more helicopters Price: $31.95. BUCHair USA Inc., P.O. Box 75055, New York, N.Y. 11375. (718) 263-8748; fax: (718) 275-6190.
Flight testing is now under way on the Bell 427 light-twin turbine helicopter, and work continues toward certificating the Bell 430 medium-twin for single-pilot IFR by February. The 427, being developed jointly with South Korea's Samsung Aerospace, will have a gross weight of 6,000 pounds, be powered by two P&WC PW206Ds and have a four-blade composite rotor. FAA certification is planned for early 1999 (April 1996, page 30).
Following up on its December 1996 proposal to create an aviation regulatory agency that will require compliance by all JAA member-nations, the European Commission will seek a mandate by June to prepare a revised JAA Convention agenda that would create the European Aviation Safety Authority (January 1997, page 13). Individual nations then would be asked to delegate all their existing agencies to the new organization.
Top officials of the Flight Safety Foundation and the FAA offered a look at priorities among safety initiatives at the FSF's 50th annual international air safety seminar this winter in Washington, D.C.
Until practical airborne detectors for clear air turbulence are developed (are potential developers listening?), the FAA urges operators to use these "Rules of Thumb" included in a new advisory circular on CAT. If jet stream turbulence is encountered with direct tailwinds or headwinds, consider changing altitude or course since these turbulent areas are elongated with the wind and are shallow and narrow.
Banyan Air Services in Fort Lauderdale received FAA certification to perform hot-section inspections, gearbox overhauls and other maintenance on AlliedSignal TPE331 turbine engines.
Oxaero (Oxford Airport, United Kingdom)-Alex Durand is the new managing director of this air charter and air broker specialist, succeeding Jeremy Cookewho continues as a director of the company.
First Heli-Network (www.first-heli-etwork.co.uk)-This site features information on this U.K. company's shared helicopter ownership program that's been in the formative stages for more than a year. At press time, FHN had placed "conditional" orders for two Bell JetRangers but had not completed signing up customers for the two-aircraft deal.
Canadian Marconi's CMA-2200 Aero-I satcom antenna system is available for operators using Inmarsat's Aero-I satcom service for business jets and regional airlines. Approved by Inmarsat, this new top-mounted antenna is based on the same proprietary technology and architecture as the widely used Aero-H CMA-2102. Price: Approximately $25,000. Canadian Marconi, 415 Legget Dr., Kanata, Ontario K2K 2B2 Canada. (613) 592-7403; fax: (613) 592-7417.
The French government's proposal to merge Aerospatiale with Falcon Jet manufacturer Dassault Aviation is "increasingly unlikely," according to a spokesperson for Dassault (February 1997, page 14). Serge Dassault, leader of the company that bears his name, has long been against such an arrangement and has made a decision, for the time being, to remain independent and "appears to be able to remain so," said the spokesperson.
If aviation's contribution to the global level of greenhouse gasses was gathered and measured together as if it were the entire output of a nation, aviation would rank about seventh or eighth on the list of the world's largest sources, according to Sandy Webb, ARINC's director of aviation environmental programs. Aviation contributes about 2.5 to 3.0 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emission.
Pilots can save their mission preferences on disk and can load their flight plans directly into business aircraft equipped with advanced Collins avionics, thanks to new software from Delta Technology International of Eau Claire, Wis. Destination Direct Windows-based flight-planning software allows operators to store weather information, automatic routing, fuel burn/performance statistics, weight/balance calculations and more on a personal or laptop computer. The software, priced at $399, is available by calling (715) 832-7799.
Galaxy Aerospace Corp., the sales and support arm for Israel Aircraft Industries business jets, has named Sabreliner Corp.'s Midcoast Aviation an authorized service center for Astras and Westwinds. Midcoast's facilities are in St. Louis and Little Rock, Ark.
