A sweeping, 14-point plan to address inflight icing issues has been adopted by the FAA and could result in an overhaul of aircraft flight-into-icing certification criteria. The plan also calls for initiatives that will lead to better icing forecasting capability, better inflight icing detection and a better understanding of how to simulate icing for certification purposes. The new plan springs from the FAA's 1996 international aircraft icing conference, which was itself an outgrowth of the October 1994 American Eagle ATR-72 accident near Roselawn, Ind.
Under Bombardier's Dependability Plus program, buyers of new Learjet 31As will receive, at no charge, AlliedSignal's MSP for one year (or 400 hours) and a three-year enrollment (up to 400 hours a year) in Bombardier's Smart Parts Plus plan. The program also guarantees buyers a trade-in value equal to 85 percent of the original purchase price.
Version 2.5 of Flight Level Corp.'s Logbook Plus includes a number of improvements such as personalized due dates, expanded search capabilities, international settings for date and monetary values, automatic backup/restore/compression, and Windows 95/97/NT compatibility. Upgrade price for registered users is $49. The full version is available for $99. For more information, visit Dallas-based Flight Level at www.flightlvl.com, or phone (214) 327-1001.
Factory construction has begun in Ames, Iowa for VisionAire Corp.'s vision--the Vantage--the first single-engine jet designed for business aviation. Completion of the plant is scheduled for mid 1998 to enable aircraft deliveries to start in the second quarter of 1999. Chesterfield, Mo.-based VisionAire originally hoped the factory would be operational in June of this year (September 1995, page 24). Yet, the delay apparently hasn't hurt interest in the aircraft: VisionAire said it is holding more than 60 orders to date, representing the first year of production.
Newman, Ga.--In a major push to attract corporate operators, the new management for Newman-Coweta County Airport--Airport Technologies, Inc.--has started several major developments, including the installation of permanent fuel storage tanks to replace trucks that are now serving as storage carriers. An upgraded AWOS also is planned. (770) 254-9406.
Delta Connection Comair's financial and traffic results have soared since it began operating Canadair Regional Jets. Although the 50-passenger aircraft cannot be credited with the total improvement, it certainly played a significant role. This chart compares results from the Cincinnati-based carrier in its fiscal year ended March 31, 1993, before it began operating regional jets, and the fiscal year ended March 31, 1997.
AAR Corp.'s acquisition of aircraft parts supplier Cooper Aviation Industries of Elk Grove Village, Ill. will expand the firm's general aviation and commuter aircraft parts distributorship lines from approximately 30 to more than 200. AAR Corp. of Wood Dale, Ill. signed an agreement to acquire Cooper in mid May.
The list of factory-approved facilities that will handle completions of Boeing Business Jets is growing. Joining K-C Aviation in Dallas and Jet Aviation in Basel, Switzerland are Garrett's The Jet Center in Van Nuys, Calif.; Associated Air Center at Love Field; Raytheon E-Systems in Waco, Texas; and Hamburg, Germany-based Lufthansa Technik.
Available now from Sabreliner Corp. is a speed brake for Model 65 Sabreliners. The brake, which is a derivative of the speed brake on other Sabreliner models, gives pilots more control of aircraft speed on landing approach in icing conditions, says the manufacturer. The company also says the Model 65 installation will permit higher power settings, resulting in increased engine bleed air for enhanced anti-icing. Price: $79,000. Sabreliner Corp., 7733 Forsyth Blvd., Ste. 1500, St. Louis, Mo., 63105. (314) 863-6880; fax: (314) 863-6887.
A Tracor Flight Systems FAR Part 36, Stage 3 hush kit for the Learjet 20 series is near certification, following over 18 months of development. The kit comprises an internal daisy nozzle, external fairing and attachment hardware, all made of Inconel alloy. Retailing at $110,000 per aircraft, the kit can be installed within five days. ``There are about 650 Learjet 20s that could use the kits, and we anticipate selling them to up to 250 operators,'' said Tracor Flight Systems' President David Lawrence.
Congress is expected to confirm Jane Garvey and George Donahue as administrator and deputy administrator, respectively, of the FAA. Garvey takes over the agency after serving as acting administrator for the Federal Highway Administration. Previously, she was director of Boston Logan Airport. Donahue is a former Rand Corp. executive who has been FAA associate administrator for research and acquisition since 1994. With the exception of the AOPA, the appointments are supported by aviation trade groups.
If there is a government agency within the loop encircling Washington, D.C. that does more foot-dragging than the FAA, I have yet to learn of it. There are still equipment containers nestling in ATC bins marked ``CAA,'' which was replaced by the FAA nearly 40 years ago. The agency has designated vast sums--in the billions--to modernize the increasing flow of air traffic, to precious little avail.
Operators soon will be able to choose an A109 Power with either 640-shp P&WC or 670-shp Turbomeca engines. First flight of the twin-turbine helicopter with Turbomeca Arrius 2K1 engines is scheduled for January 1998, with certification set for summer 1998. The aircraft received certification with PW206C engines in late 1996 (October 1996, page 16).
Eurocopter, China National Helicopter and China Aero Technology Import&Export Co. will jointly develop rotor systems for new helicopters in the 4,500- to 5,500-pound weight class being developed by Aviation Industries of China. Joint programs between Eurocopter and the Chinese aviation industry go back 25 years and include the new EC120 turbine helicopter.
Despite the FAA claim that it is responding to correctly filled out requests for pilot records well within the required 30 days, the National Air Transportation Association disagrees. NATA maintains that delays in FAA response time are the main reason why the current Pilot Records Improvement Act ``cannot be imposed on on-demand operators.'' The association said companies have reported that the agency takes up to 10 weeks to provide pilot records.
Garrett Aviation (Phoenix)--Vincent J. Ambrosia was appointed the new airframe administrator for the company's Long Island, N.Y. maintenance center, and Brendon Docherty was appointed avionics sales manager for the Springfield, Ill. facility.
Just in time for operators looking to gear up for European B-RNAV operations, Trimble is introducing its new ``Plus'' product line of GPS receivers. The systems, which support IFR and B-RNAV, are the panel mount 2000 Approach Plus (shown, $4,895), the panel mount 2101 Approach Plus ($6,995) and the dzus mount 2101 I/O Plus ($11,500). Plus-line enhancements are: 12 channels, simplified course reversal procedures, in-flight data card swapping and autopilot roll steering interface. All the units can sequence up to 40 flight plans with 40 waypoints each.
Farmingdale, N.Y.--A new corporate aviation facility has opened at Republic Airport. Northeastern Aviation Corp. offers corporate tenants aircraft and office space in a newly-built, $2.5-million, 23,000-square-foot hangar/office complex. Services will include charter, aircraft management and maintenance. (718) 961-4600.
Jeppesen will provide a worldwide terrain database for a ground collision avoidance system (GCAS) that France's Dassault Electronique is developing and that is scheduled to be available in 1998. The announcement follows by several months a parting of the ways between DE and Collins Avionics. In 1995, the two companies agreed to co-develop GCAS and introduce it this year (November 1996, page 24).
Woodland Aviation (Woodland, Calif.)--Jay Felts was appointed maintenance manager for this authorized Raytheon Aircraft Aviation Center for northern California and northern Nevada.
Kollsman, Inc. (Merrimack, N.H.)--William Sheldon Buttrill is the new president and CEO for this provider of electronic, training and avionics systems.
In a stroke of spending that Raytheon has never seen for its Hawkers, Executive Jet, Inc. has placed an order for 20 new Hawker 800XPs. The $210-million purchase comes at Executive Jet's 10-year anniversary of providing NetJets, a shared aircraft ownership program.
Just released from Goodyear for pilots, aircraft maintenance and ground-support personnel is a video series entitled, ``Tire Flight Plans,'' showing how to get maximum aircraft tire performance. The first of the two, 15-minute VHS tapes demonstrates correct procedures for selecting, mounting and inflating aircraft tires. The second tape reviews operating conditions, tire inspections and demounting. Viewers can learn how to choose the right tires for aircraft and runway conditions, when to remove a tire from service and how to conduct a complete wheel assembly inspection.
Accidents will happen. However, if improving air safety remains our highest goal, then we must learn from our collective mistakes. During the past three decades, the NTSB has helped aviation refine the equipment, techniques and procedures that have made flying the safest mode of transportation.
