The AOPA's Expo '97, to be held on October 23-25 in Orlando, entices pilots to view over 425 general aviation exhibits. General session topics will be diverse: flying GPS approaches safely, ATC and you, aircraft taxes, cockpit communication, using airborne radar and dealing with stress through humor. Other seminars include: untangling confusing regulations, flying techniques unique to different regions, weather seminars, reducing the cost of flying and analyzing aviation safety.
Sino Swearingen's one and only flying SJ30-2 is now in flight tests powered by Williams Rolls FJ44-2A turbofans in place of the -1A. The 2,300-pound-thrust -2A, certificated in July, is the engine that will equip production versions of the SJ30-2, which is scheduled for certification in late 1998. The -2A also will power Raytheon's Premier I business jet.
Construction is underway of Million Air Pontiac at Oakland International County Airport. The new FBO, being developed by airport resident Corporate Air Management, will incorporate an executive terminal and two hangars. Completion is expected in January 1998. (810) 666-3343.
Gulf Coast Avionics is premiering its own line of flashlights for pilots--from pocket to flightcase size. The flashlights are made of unbreakable high-impact polycarbonate resin to resist damage, and they all feature a molded-in shirt clip for easy access and portability. Price: $13.75 to $16.95, depending on the size and model. Gulf Coast Avionics, 4243 N. Westshore Blvd., Tampa, Fla. 33614. (813) 879-9714; fax: (813) 875-4514.
Boeing will increase the green price of its BBJ business jet to $33.5 million in early 1998. The current base price is $32 million in 1995 dollars. Boeing estimates completion will bring the cost up to $40 million. Meanwhile, the IFR-equipped price of the VisionAire Vantage single-engine business jet escalated from $1.65 million to $1.74 million.
This Web site was designed as a source for listing FBOs, hangars, airport real estate and other airport property that are for sale or lease. Municipalities can list RFPs and listings can include photographs, site plans, floor plans and other graphical details.
An FBO customer service training program is available from the National Air Transportation Association in Alexandria, Va. The audio-visual package costs $99 for NATA members and $149 for non-members
Johannesburg's National Airways Corp.'s plans to start its ``Jet.Time'' fractional ownership program in the second quarter of this year with four new Hawker 800XPs and four King Air B200s failed to materialize (October 1996, page 20). By late summer, Jet.Time had not signed up any customers. Only one of the aircraft ordered was delivered, but it was sold in its entirety to a single owner.
As Airbus Industrie and Boeing Business Jets face off for a share of the ultra-long-range executive transport market, one of the central competitive issues is certain to be cockpit automation. The Airbus 319CJ and its siblings are undeniably the world's most automated transport aircraft, and that, says Airbus Industrie, is a distinct advantage. High degrees of automation translate into reduced manufacturing and life cycle costs and increased safety.
Gulfstream V Serial Number 502, the aircraft in which B/CA flew around the world in mid April (June, page 66), set a key record in late summer. The G-V became the first business jet to fly nonstop from New York (Teterboro Airport) to Tokyo, a distance of 6,113 nm. The aircraft flew at 0.80 Mach and at altitudes up to FL 510. Fuel burn was 38,050 pounds. Time en route was 13.4 hours.
A new section on security recommendations has been added to ACPI's Web site. Additionally, ACPI newsletters are now available on the group's Internet address.
The company has appointed three new managers: Kenneth A. Townsend is the new director of the domestic oil and gas division, Virgil Russell is director of operations and retired U.S. Marine Colonel R.J. Wallace is director of maintenance.
Avcon Industries, which in 1996 received FAA certification of an empennage fin retrofit designed to improve the handling characteristics of Learjet 35s and 36s (June 1996, page 17), has developed a modification that allows up to 750 pounds of additional fuel in the tip tanks. The Newton, Kan. company says the additional fuel should extend the range of 35s and 36s to more than 2,100 and 2,800 nm, respectively.
Smith System Engineering of Surrey, England has developed a light-aircraft collision avoidance system that uses solar cell devices fitted to the wings and tail to detect automatically the strobe lights of nearby aircraft and provide a warning to the pilot. Smith says the system works at a range of at least one kilometer in day or night.
On October 1, numerous changes to tax laws, rules and procedures took effect under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. Virtually all aspects of the aviation tax structure are addressed in the Act. A guidebook that explains the myriad changes is available from the National Air Transportation Association. The Aviation Industry Guide to the Taxpayer Relief Act is available free of charge to NATA members and for $50 to non-members. Phone (800) 808-6282.
Mesa Air Group says it will park aircraft operated out of its Denver United Express hub if the senior partner does not increase the pro-rates it pays for connecting passengers. The carrier says in its second-quarter SEC 10-Q filing that its Denver operations ``have been incurring substantial operating losses and negative cash flows. The Denver system is unprofitable because of a substantial increase in operating costs at the new Denver International Airport combined with an approximate 20-percent decrease in the average connecting fare received from UAL,'' Mesa stated.
National Civil Aviation Review Commission now turns its attention to safety issues, including the FAA's delegated authority program and FAA inspector training and staffing. In mid September, the Commission's draft recommendations on FAA funding were given to the DOT for comments. They are scheduled to be finalized and submitted to Congress late this month. The Commission calls for continuing the fuel tax on GA and also applying that tax to on-demand operations. User fees would apply to the scheds, and aviation revenues would only be used for aviation purposes.
