Head-up display manufacturers are designing enhanced vision systems allowing aircraft to land safely in Category III weather on a Category I runway in conditions down to 700 feet RVR. For example, Gulfstream Aerospace plans to obtain EVS certification with a GEC-Marconi/Honeywell HUD/EVS and an all-weather window infrared sensor from Kollsman on a G-V. Meanwhile, Flight Visions, together with a sensor manufacturer, is preparing to offer EVS capabilities for its HUD products.
AAI Corp.'s weather systems unit, the prime federal contractor for the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), was purchased by All Weather, Inc., a company established by the ASOS management team, and investment bankers Ridge Capital and North Star Capital. Of the more than 900 ASOS installations, 411 have been commissioned by the FAA or the NWS at U.S. airports, says the company. The company will remain headquartered in Hunt Valley, Md.
The Wide Area Augmentation System is designed to enhance GPS performance by calculating and transmitting a correction to GPS position error. WAAS will use an array of up to 48 ground reference stations, which, like local differential systems, monitor GPS signals and compare their known location to their GPS-derived position. The reference stations feed their position data to wide area master stations that determine the integrity of the information and correct for position error.
Mid-Continent Instrument Co.'s Slim-Line Pro (MD41-1000) series GPS annunciator control units are designed to dovetail with the new approach-certificated GPS receivers. To do the job, these instruments combine navigation source switching to the pilot's primary course deviation indicator or HSI with key GPS selection and annunciation functions. The two-part, one-pound system includes a 2.75-inch-wide and 3.2-inch-deep panel-mount display and selector unit. A separate, remote-mount relay switching unit (also shown) provides up to 24 independent relay poles.
FBOs want to please their customers. But the customers--the business aviation flightcrews and their supporting organizations, the flight departments--must take some responsibility for communicating their needs to the FBOs. In this age of flight phones, datalink services--not to mention cell phones, faxes and e-mail--there is little excuse for not calling ahead and specifying one's needs.
Sikorsky recently obtained FAR Part 29 Category A certification for its S76C+ and S-76B. The certification means that should an engine fail during the initial climb, the aircraft can land or continue climbing (depending on its proximity to the takeoff decision point).
One of the enduring themes of literature is the arrival of an unassuming hero who unexpectedly confronts the forces of evil and ultimately triumphs over them. One of the earliest examples is the biblical account of David and Goliath in which the fearsome Philistine warrior is felled by a simple stone propelled by David's sling. Thousands of similar stories have captured the imagination of generations of readers and moviegoers because the theme of the underdog beating the bad guys is so compelling.
The results are in, and the winner is the state of Tennessee, thanks to the tremendous, positive impact of general aviation, according to a recent study. Tennessee's Department of Aeronautics has produced ``Tennessee Means Business,'' a 12-minute videotape trumpeting the fact that GA generates $3 billion for the state and is responsible for 49,000 jobs every year.
In May 1998, Cessna will replace the standard 600-shp Caravan 208 with the Caravan 675 powered by the same 675-shp P&WC PT6A-114A in the Grand Caravan. Claimed performance improvements are: rate of climb, from 1,050 fpm to 1,225 fpm; 50-foot obstacle takeoff distance, from 2,210 feet to 2,000 feet; max cruise at 10,000 feet and 20,000 feet, from 184 knots to 188 knots and from 176 knots to 181 knots, respectively.
Continental Express in late September moved its entire ground operation at Houston (now George Bush) Intercontinental Airport into a newly renovated Terminal B from Terminal C. The additional space will allow COEx flight operations to be increased by more than 25 percent over the next five years. The carrier currently operates 46 takeoffs and landings at IAH.
Bob Kunkel, director of the Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics, was elected chairman of this organization representing state government aviation agencies.
Nav Canada has decided it can manage the airspace ``efficiently and effectively'' with fewer centers. By March 1998, the agency expects to have completed a study to determine the optimum number of ATC center facilities. But before any changes are made, Nav Canada says, ``We will conduct extensive safety and technical studies and ensure the appropriate safety measures are in place.''
A Head-Up Display for midsize business aircraft is being considered by GEC- Marconi/Honeywell. The HUD would be a derivative of the Model 2020--recently certificated on the G-IVSP--incorporating a smaller overhead mounting. A prototype is slated to be ready in early 1998.
Scheduled carriers operating turbine aircraft of 10 or more passenger seats must complete another list of specified equipment requirements in their ongoing transition to complying with FAR Part 121 (January 1996, page 15). Some of those equipment upgrades include: lavatory fire protection in aircraft up to 30 passenger seats, landing gear aural warning in aircraft up to 19 seats, emergency-exit handle illumination in aircraft up to 19 seats, protective breathing equipment in aircraft up to 30 seats and passenger flotation means in aircraft up to 30 seats.
Tulsa, Okla.-based BizJet will install Tracor Flight Systems hush kits that decrease sideline noise of GE CJ610-powered Learjets to 95 dB, allowing Learjet 23s, 24s and 25s to meet FAR Part 36, Stage 3, the company says. Also being offered is an upgrade that makes the CJ610 inlet more resistant to the stresses of drastic temperature change and vibration, Bizjet says.
Standard training for crews of new Global Express and Challenger 604 aircraft now includes physiology training from the University of North Dakota. The two-day course addresses hypoxia, use of supplemental oxygen, vertigo and spatial disorientation. The course includes two simulated flights in the altitude chamber at the UND Aerospace facilities in Grand Forks, N.D.
Engineers at GE Aircraft Engines are discussing updated versions of the CF34 turbofan engine to power the next versions of the Canadair Challenger 604 and 50-passenger Regional Jet. The new engine, to be called the CF34-3C, is expected to feature reduced fuel consumption, greater thrust for takeoff and climb, and lower maintenance costs. Meanwhile, GE and Garrett Aviation are proposing to replace the Rolls-Royce Speys on the Gulfstream II and III with the new 14,000-pound-thrust CF34-8C1 turbofans.
Innotech Aviation will open its 70,000-square-foot aircraft service complex in Montreal in December. The expansion will allow the company to perform a full range of maintenance, refueling and refurbishing services. Separately, Innotech and Airpro of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, are collaborating to offer business aircraft interior refurbs, coupled with repair and maintenance at Innotech's Vancouver location. Also, Innotech Vancouver has been designated an authorized Falcon Jet service center.
Post-FAA certification tasks for the Learjet 45 include approval for flight into known icing conditions, thrust-reverser operation and APU operation. Icing approval should be complete when initial customer deliveries begin later this month. JAA certification is slated for December. After a six-aircraft, 24-month, 2,200-plus-hour test program, the Learjet 45 earned its FAA type certification in September.
By the end of this year, NASA plans to offer free of charge a slide presentation on ``Alertness Management in Flight Operations.'' The presentation in-cludes 54 35-millimeter slides and a script that flight departments can use for education and training of pilots, managers, schedulers and dispatchers, and flight attendants. The script can be used as is or as a jumping off point for specific policies and guidelines on fatigue countermeasures for an individual operation. To order, phone (415) 604-6647 or fax (415) 604-2177.
Pilots in favor of keeping Loran-C navigation service beyond 2000 should submit their comments to Booz Allen&Hamilton of McClean, Va. via fax to (703) 917-3023 or e-mail to [email protected] before December 15. An earlier item on this subject carried the incorrect contact numbers (October, page 18).
The new managers of Rolla National Airport say they have resolved long-time problems of service quality and fuel prices. They claim to have improved customer service, and promise fast turnarounds and the lowest fuel prices within 100 nm. There are no ramp fees, the pilot lounge has been remodeled and the airfield is served by two rental car companies. (513) 299-4498.
