McDonnell Douglas Helicopter's MD 900 Explorer returned to service June 7 following a month-long stand down. The fleet of 40 Explorers was grounded in May after an operator discovered during a post-flight inspection a broken link in the collective control system. MDH immediately recommended the grounding, and the FAA followed up with an emergency AD. By early June, MDH had completed a redesign on the link. The aircraft on which the problem was first detected was the high-time Explorer with 1,500 flight hours.
The International Civil Aviation University, which offers an aviation master's degree program through distance learning, has opened a North American regional office at Ohio's Morningstar Airport to answer inquiries and distribute course materials (April, page 34). For information, phone (937) 839-4046; fax: (937) 839-5167.
The E400, a six-place, pressurized single recip recently obtained certification in Germany, its home country. Powered by a 350-hp turbocharged Continental, the E400 is built by Extra Flugzeugbau of Hunxe. Preliminary specifications indicate the E400 will be a close competitor with Piper's Malibu Mirage, the only other pressurized single recip being marketed to the business flyer (May, page 68). FAA certification of the E400 is pending.
In a second team up with Airshow Canada, the Canadian Business Aircraft Association Annual Convention and Trade Show will transform Vancouver, British Columbia and Abbotsford on August 5-10 into a trading center and showcase for business aviation and all-sector aerospace. This year's theme of ``Business Aviation Going Global'' well describes the anticipated 500 exhibitors from 20 leading aerospace countries that are preparing to meet visitors from 80 countries for the dual event.
AvCrew (www.gate.net/ avcrew)--This site gives employers the opportunity to advertise business aviation employment positions, such as pilots, maintenance personnel, flight attendants and flight dispatchers.
Sabreliner's SabreTech unit filed suit against ValuJet for damages stemming from the crash of ValuJet Flight 592 in the Everglades in May 1996. A SabreTech spokesman said ValuJet has ``refused to accept its responsibility'' for the crash and to ``recognize its own negligence contributed to this tragedy.'' SabreTech said it removed outdated oxygen generators from three ValuJet MD-80s while the aircraft underwent maintenance. Then, ValuJet personnel re-loaded the generators on board the flight, said SabreTech.
Collins Avionics' General Aviation Division engineers visited B/CA recently to give us a preview of a basket full of new engineering and updated products including: an attitude/heading reference system (AHRS) based on a miniature solid-state digital quartz gyro (DQG); two new ADS-compliant transponders; and a lighter, smaller, better TCAS II, Change-7 software. We also got a first look at Collins' developing satcom technology discussed elsewhere in this issue (page 60).
Did you know that 36,000 of the pilots in the world--six percent of all aviators--are women? These and other statistics and facts about women in aviation are available in a free brochure from Women in Aviation, International. For a copy, contact the group at Morningstar Airport, 3647 S.R. 503 South, West Alexandria, Ohio 45381. (937) 839-4647.
Burbank Aeronautical Corp. II plans to conclude flight testing of its Boeing 707 FAR Part 36, Stage 3 hushkit and has scheduled September for FAA certification. As the three-year project nears conclusion, BAC II officials in Burbank, Calif. expect the hushkit installation to improve specific fuel burn and overall engine performance as well as reduce external noise levels (March 1993, page 22).
FAA warns pilots that laser light activity is scheduled at Dorney Park&Wild Water Kingdom in Allentown, Pa. nearly every evening through September 2. Airmen can contact Allentown International Airport tower for exact times and days at (610) 264-4539. Several injuries to the eyes of crew and passengers during previous laser light encounters are still under investigation, and the FAA is studying the matter in order to determine an acceptable laser beam power level (April, page 10).
Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque says an impetus from corporate operators could hasten the approval for business jets of a new airframe patching procedure that can be done overnight. The FAA has already approved the so-called ``Band-Aids'' for aluminum-clad airliners with hairline cracks and skin punctures. The speedy technique bonds and heat-cures thin layers of boron-fiber-reinforced epoxy film to the aluminum.
Freshly updated with facts and figures about turbine business aircraft is the `97 Jet&Propjet Corporate Directory from AvCom International. This 419-page, softcover volume lists 457 different models and model derivations, 54 manufacturers, aircraft registration and owner identification. A repeat feature this year is a list of 2,700 aircraft that have been written off or otherwise withdrawn from service. Price: $21.95. Avcom International, P.O. Box 2398, Wichita, Kan. 67201. (316) 262-1493; fax (316) 262-5333.
Gulfstream is building a paint facility at California's Long Beach Airport that the company says will double painting capacity to 70 aircraft per year. From the left, Larry Flynn, vice president of aircraft services; James Swindells, vice president of completion services; Beverly O'Neill, mayor of Long Beach; and Ken Kelley, general manager of Gulfstream Long Beach, symbolically break ground for the paint shop.
Ever wish you had a crystal ball to see where--exactly where--your aircraft are at any time as they proceed from one point to another? Well, a computer communications network originally developed by the FAA is helping a handful of air carriers, cargo operators and, recently, a few corporate operators to keep tabs on their aircraft when they're airborne. What's more, your nexus to this network may be as close as your personal computer or fax machine.
Five new hangars for Banyan Air Service at Fort Lauderdale's Executive Airport are scheduled to be available for use in August. Under construction since the beginning of the year, the hangars are designed to accommodate Gulfstreams, Challengers and other similar-size aircraft. Currently, 900 aircraft are based at Banyan.
Kamchatka. Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula continues to grow in popularity as an alternative to Tokyo for tech stops. According to Fred Robinson of Wayfarer Aviation, though, weather updates at ``Petro'' are spotty, so depend on Anchorage Center as the authority for met and runway conditions. Approach procedures at Petro tend to be unique, too, ``so bone up ahead of time.'' Magadan is a good alternate, Robinson said.
Photograph: Heartstream's Forerunner AED Three automated external defibrillator (AED) manufacturers offer equipment designed for non-medical personnel, such as flightcrew members. The cost of the equipment is in the $3,000 to $4,000 range. Laerdal Medical Corp. of Wappingers Falls, N.Y. offers the Heartstart 911. The unit is a semi- automatic AED weighing just under nine pounds with battery and electrodes, and has a three-button operation for on/off, analyzer and shock control.
Two Raytheon Aircraft facilities have been named authorized service centers for Hawkers: Raytheon's operation at Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita and The Chester Service Center in South Wales. In the future, the Welsh FBO will expand to also service the Beechjet, the King Air family, the Hawker Horizon and the Raytheon Premier I.
Photograph: Watch for these classic airplane stamps to go on sale in July. Is there a stamp set featuring classic helicopters in our future? Sure to be a collector's item among aficionados of early aircraft is this commemorative sheet of postage stamps saluting ``20 Classic American Aircraft.'' The stamps, which will be dedicated at the U.S. Air and Trade Show in Dayton, Ohio on July 20, will be available for sale in U.S. post offices late next month. As a consultant to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) project, retired U.S. Air Force Col. Walter J.
The accident made headlines everywhere. A Boeing 757-200 operated by AeroPeru crashed into the Pacific Ocean on October 2, 1996 at 0116 local time, about 30 miles off the coast of Lima, Peru. Initial reports said the flightcrew had become ``confused'' over conflicting indications on their flight instruments. This was a scheduled passenger flight from Lima to Santiago, Chile. All 70 people on board were killed, and the airplane was destroyed.
Even though general aviation trade groups have given high marks to FAA's Part 61 revisions, most of them have committees and staff members scrutinizing the text for potential trouble spots. Upon the rules' implementation, we're bound to find out the rest of the pitfalls, notes Jacqueline Guennewig, NATA's specialist in government and industry affairs.
Bombardier Business Aircraft (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)--Jim McDonough was appointed southwest regional sales manager for Bombardier Aviation Services.
A new product from Jeppesen is an aircraft fuel tester made of clear butyrate plastic that resists cracking, breaking and yellowing, according to the company. To prevent fuel spillage and splashing, a removable splash guard attaches to the side of the tester. Other features of the unit are a magnified viewing area for closer inspection of the fuel sample and a solid bronze rod actuator to prevent breaking. Price: $12.95. Jeppesen, 55 Inverness Dr. E, Englewood. Colo. 80112. (303) 799-9090; fax: 303-784-4137.
Elliott Aviation (Moline, Ill.)--This full-service business aviation center announces two appointments: Tim McKune to instrument department manager and Lisa Pensinger as sound management system (noise control) sales manager.
