Fairchild Dornier is closing in on its target date of early 1998 for the first flight of the 328JET regional/corporate shuttle aircraft. A corporate configured 328JET can accommodate up to 19 passengers and will carry a price of $11.9 million. The aircraft will be powered by two Pratt&Whitney Canada PW306B turbofans, flat-rated at 6,050 pounds of thrust for takeoff up to ISA+20C.
John H. Shaffer, 78, of Frederick, Md., FAA administrator under President Richard Nixon from 1969 until 1973, died September 14 after a lingering illness. Shaffer was serving as corporate vice president of customer requirements for TRW when he was tapped for the top FAA post. Previously, he flew 46 combat missions during World War II and later directed the Air Force B-50 and B-47 aircraft programs. He was widely regarded as a friend of the aviation community.
Elliott Aviation and Rosemount Aerospace are jointly marketing a new STCed Advisory Ice Detection System for King Airs. System components include a sensor with a short, metal, heated probe that is mounted on the nose of the aircraft. Inside the cockpit, the far left light on an annunciator unit will illuminate to alert flightcrew members to the presence of ice. (The other two lights on the panel are a push-to-test light and a system fail light.) Kit price: $9,700. Elliott Aviation, Quad-City Airport, P.O. Box 100, Moline, Ill. 61266.
Wood Dale, Ill.-based AAR Corp. has purchased ATR International of Clearwater, Fla. ATR supplies fasteners, composite parts and interior furnishings for large business jets.
The TU Series utility tractors from Eagle Industrial Truck Manufacturing are both cargo vehicles and towing tractors. With an 8,000-pound deck capacity, TU tractors can change roles on the ramp from cargo/ baggage transfer carriers to concession trucks or fresh water and lavatory service equipment. Decks are available in standard sizes from 50 inches wide by various lengths up to 88 inches. The TU Series can tow wheeled auxiliary equipment such as baggage trailers, GPUs and deicers.
This month, Sabreliner Corp. opens a newly-built aircraft storage and maintenance hangar that the St. Louis-based company says will increase operations by approximately 25 percent. (573) 543-2212.
NTSB investigators believe the Scenic Airlines Cessna Caravan that crashed in Colorado in October impacted the ground after a ``severe vertical descent in a flat attitude.'' The pilot and the eight Interior Department employees aboard were killed. The single-engine turboprop was producing power at the time of the crash, the Safety Board said.
Edited By GORDON A. GILBERTLinda L. Martin/Kerry Lynch
Now before U.S. senators is the final report from the National Civil Aviation Review Commission (NCARC), the product of a caldron of conflicting views on future funding sources for the FAA. The NCARC's proposal, drafted by a 21-member group with one lone member representing the general aviation community (Linda Barker, part-owner of a Sioux Falls, S.D. FBO), drew most- ly praise from GA trade organizations. The provisions, first given to the DOT for its review in September, are:
A new modification from Midcoast Aviation for all corporate jets that have pocket doors is an interior pneumatic door that closes off areas of the cabin at the push of a button. The open/close mechanism is powered by low-pressure compressed air released through a cylinder installed within the door system. Price: Depends upon type of aircraft and existing equipment. Midcoast Aviation, St. Louis Downtown-Parks Airport, #8 Archview Dr., Cahokia, Ill. 62206. (618) 337-2100; fax: (618) 332-3676.
If you are a Citation operator, expect to hear from Cessna headquarters about volunteering your aircraft and pilots for the company's Special Olympics airlift, June 26 through July 4, 1999 in Raleigh, N.C. This will be the fourth airlift organized by Cessna. In the last one, in 1995, 215 Citations carried 1,600 athletes to Hartford, Conn.
General aviation operations at California's Long Beach Airport have grown 11 percent in the past five years while maintaining a good relationship with its neighbors and users, thanks to the General Aviation Noise Committee. GANC's members include operators, aircraft owners and aviation businesses. The alliance is considered a model program.
Falcon 900 operators will have another choice for simulator training at SimuFlite International--but not for two years. SimuFlite said it plans to acquire a Falcon 900B/EX simulator equipped with a HUD, obtain FAA Level D approval and start classes in fall 1999. Separately, SimuFlite has introduced a ``Human Factors in Aircraft Maintenance'' course, which can be scheduled at SimuFlite or at a customer's location. This course will be taught by Grey Owl Aviation Consultants, a Canada-based firm.
Anyone using the most basic handheld GPS understands the incredible capability of the Global Positioning System. Accuracy with the raw signal is at least 100 meters, and typically it is much better. The benefits are not known only to aviators. Indeed, aviation is a minority user of GPS, with an estimated 150,000 airborne GPS receivers compared to some three million units now in use worldwide.
``From Nobody to Somebody'' is the title of a chapter in Yeager, the interesting autobiography of Chuck Yeager. Autobiography, by definition, is a misnomer in Yeager's case because in my Funk and Wagnall's, ``autobiography'' is defined as ``the story of one's own life written by oneself.'' An author named Leo Janus performed the ghostwriting for General Yeager, who is not Ernest Hemingway.
Reader inquiry prompted us to do further research into the idea of tankering small quantities of mogas at the fuel farm to ward off temptation to use avgas in ground vehicles (August, page 33). To recap, Valley Oil of Salem, Ore. had offered two suggestions: installing a small mogas tank on your premises or using one of the small mogas tanks that mount in the back of a pickup truck. We now have more advice to tender.
Subscribers to Resource One can access maintenance manuals, service bulletins, warranty application and claim forms, STC packages (for sale), FARs and advisory circulars.
VisionAire has signed a letter of agreement with SimCom Training Centers to provide initial customer training in the Vantage single-engine business jet. Orlando-based SimCom will provide an FAA Level 6, flight training device with a wide view, wraparound visual system. VisionAire will include initial training for one pilot and one mechanic in the aircraft's $1.75-million purchase price.
Spinneybeck has introduced its Alaska Collection of full-grain leathers with a pearlized finish for aircraft interior refurbishments (as well as completions). Alaska upholstery, which is available in 21 ``ice-age'' shades, is fabricated by applying finely crushed mother-of-pearl to the leather's surface. The material also goes through a ``retannage'' proc-ess for increased suppleness and a smooth grain. Price: $10.50 to $12.95 per square foot, depending upon quantity ordered. Spinneybeck, 105 Wooster St., New York, N.Y. 10012. (212) 343-4111; fax: (212) 343-4177.
Securaplane has developed its XL245 sealed lead-acid emergency battery system for Falcon aircraft--including the F-900, F-900EX, F-2000 and F-50EX--as a direct replacement for the SAFT NiCd-based pack. Also, the company supplies a built-in charger and battery-testing equipment for checking the battery while it is installed aboard the aircraft. List price: $2,795. Securaplane, 3830 E. 44th St., Tucson, Ariz. 85713. (520) 745-6655; fax: (520) 748-0850.
U.S. Customs Service clearances are now available at New York's Binghamton Regional Airport. The new Customs office is open from 1030 to 1530 Monday through Friday, with Customs officials on call at any time. Phone (607) 763-4294. With two hours notice, Customs clearances also can be set up at the airport's FBO, Miller Aviation. Phone (800) 288-4228.
