Bell helicopter operators who qualify for their second year as customers in USAIG's ``preferred policy'' insurance program may get a double bonus. Not only are they eligible for reduced insurance premiums, but under the insurance company's new Safety Bucks plan, they could receive as much as $30,000 to apply toward their annual training costs.
The National Air Transportation Association says the ``majority'' of piston-engine aircraft could be grounded by the proposed Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada.
A hangar with enough room to accommodate up to three large Bombardier aircraft simultaneously is part of the expanded Bombardier Flight Test Center in Wichita that opened on February 22. Aircraft currently using the facility are the Learjet 45, scheduled for certification in June, and the Global Express, set to obtain certification in early 1988.
A forerunner of the NBAA's 50th anniversary celebrations--to start in Dallas at the annual convention from September 23-25--is the 1997 Business Aviation Fact Book, published in March. The NBAA's celebratory activities for its 50th year will run from this year's annual meeting through the 1998 convention, October 19-21 in Las Vegas.
Sabreliner Corp. (St. Louis)--Bob D. Hanks joined the company as president of its new engine division, Premier Turbines, which overhauls, repairs and restores business jet and helicopter engines.
A plan to build a floating, mobile heliport on London's Thames River has been effectively sunk by Britain's Court of Appeal. The proposers of the scheme, Thames Heliport Plc., wanted to establish a heliport on a converted barge that could be positioned at any one of 22 sites. By using GPS to maintain position of the barge rather than having to attach it to the river bed or bank, Thames Heliport hoped to bypass needing permission from a planning commission. But the Court ruled that permission might be needed.
A new landing fee of $2.99 per 1,000 pounds maximum landing weight greets users of the reopened Meigs Field near downtown Chicago. The airport reopened earlier this year with Signature Flight Support providing interim FBO services. The city was scheduled to issue a request for proposals in March for a permanent FBO. Also, control tower operating hours were expected to be expanded from between 0600 and 2200 to 0600 and 2400 local.
Not all operators support the FAA's proposal to allow single-engine aircraft to carry passengers for hire under FAR Part 135 (B/CA, January, page 13). One of the largest groups asking the FAA to withdraw the proposal is the Air Line Pilots Association. ALPA says the rule would ``expose the traveling public to an unnecessary risk.'' Cessna and Raytheon also have reservations about the proposal (B/CA, March, page 15). However, a majority of operators and the NTSB support it.
The 50EX's panel and console are radically different from those of the Falcon 50, but they only hint of the changes made to the avionics package. A Collins Pro Line 4 integrated avionics package, featuring four 7.25-inch EFIS tubes, forms the heart of the new system.
West Star Aviation (Grand Junction, Colo.)--Two staff changes were announced by this aircraft maintenance and modification facility: Joe Kendrick was promoted to director of customer service, and Greg Laabs joined the staff as director of aircraft maintenance.
An agreement forged between Sundstrand Aerospace and Garrett Aviation Services raises the total number of authorized Sundstrand APU Service Centers in the United States by five. Heavy maintenance on APUs will be directed by Garrett's Islip, N.Y. facility. Routine APU maintenance will be available at the four other Garrett sites.
AlliedSignal Aerospace (Torrance, Calif.)--Jim Close has been appointed as president of AlliedSignal Aerospace Canada, as well as vice president and general manager of the Power Management and Generation Systems business of Aerospace Equipment Systems.
AlliedSignal has shipped a software modification to known operators of the company's GNS-XL and GNS-XLS FMSes (B/CA, November 1995, page 58). The mod is expected to lift an AD effective on March 18 that prohibits the systems from being used for non-precision approaches. The AD was issued after flight and bench tests confirmed that the units had a software malfunction that could cause erroneous information.
Jett Aire, which opened new corporate jet FBO facilities last summer at Sanford Airport in Orlando, Fla. (B/CA, September 1996, page 38), is continuing to expand. In the short term, the company has earmarked $8 million to build a third hangar. Over the long term, ``we plan to invest $50 million to $100 million over the next five years to expand the facility,'' said general manager Paul Schweitzer.
FlightSafety International's newest Challenger 601-3A/3R full-flight simulator has received FAA Level D certification. The device launches training activities at the FSI/Bombardier Business Aircraft Training Center at Tucson International Airport.
Standard Aero, a Winnipeg, Canada-based company, expanded its engine overhaul and repair services with the opening of a P&WC PT6A maintenance operation in Europe. The PT6A work will be collocated with the company's existing PW100 facility in Tilburg, Netherlands. The facility will provide PT6A power section and gas generator repairs, hot-section inspections, and parts support as well as field technical support.
Eurocopter is now flight testing the AS 350-B3, the successor to the -B2. The new helicopter, which will be powered by a single, electronically-controlled, 847-shp Arriel 2B, will offer more power, greater payload capability, higher cruise speed and better hot-and-high performance than its predecessor. French certification is scheduled for November.
A recently published notice proposes to reshape the Phoenix Class B Airspace by altering the lateral boundaries of several areas, creating new areas and raising and/or lowering the floors of several existing areas. Meanwhile, the FAA has asked for user comments on reshaping the Washington-Baltimore Class B Airspace by, among other things, lowering the floors of several areas.
Operators of BO-105C and -105S helicopters could be hit with a $14,317-per-aircraft parts bill on top of a 14-hour labor requirement, if the FAA enacts a proposed AD calling for replacing the voltage regulator and modifying the cockpit switch panel. The proposal is based on a single report of a BO-105 that experienced a generator over-voltage incident. The FAA estimates that 100 aircraft of U.S. registry would be affected. Comments on the proposal are due April 14. For more information, contact the FAA's Lance Gant in Fort Worth at (817) 222-5114.
