Under an agreement with Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland, SimCom International of Orlando, Florida will provide factory-authorized, non-motion simulator training for the PC-12 single-engine turboprop. The PC-12 simulator will be built with actual aircraft parts and will feature a full 180-degree, wraparound visual system, as do the company's other simulators. The unit will be FAA certificated as a Level 6 Flight Training Device and is expected to be ready for use by September in Orlando.
Bombardier will team up with two Lufthansa units to establish a maintenance and charter presence in Europe. The Canadian company has reached an agreement with Lufthansa Technik in Berlin to create a maintenance facility to service Bombardier business jet customers based in Europe and Africa. Separately, Bombardier and Lufthansa CityLine are scheduled to launch an executive jet charter service for Europe. The new operation will be based at Berlin's Schonefeld Airport.
Operators of TFE731 engines soon will be able to choose from two new fixed-cost maintenance programs from AlliedSignal. In addition to the company's basic Maintenance Service Plan, the firm will offer a Cost Assurance Program and MSP Gold. The CAP allows operators to select coverage from deductible-type protection, each with two deductible levels. MSP Gold extends a customer's basic MSP coverage to include ancillary costs, such as engine removal and reinstallation, access labor and transportation costs.
-- The static display at AirShow DownUnder `97 at Avalon Airport in Victoria, Australia, February 18-23, will feature restored ``War Birds,'' along with corporate aircraft, modern airliners and modern military jets. More than 400 exhibitors-including Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Rolls-Royce and Hawker Pacific-from 30 countries are expected to participate. Phone: +61 52 82 4400.
Bombardier's Canadair business aircraft division is among the several firms that have submitted bids to run an FBO at Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong's new international airport scheduled to open in April 1998. Canadair's involvement would be in partnership with another organization, according to company officials. Bids have flooded in since the news that a business aviation center and a second runway are planned for the airport (B/CA, August, page 30). Hong Kong is scheduled to become part of China later this year.
Spectro Oil Analysis Company, which dates back to 1976, and its sister company Jet-Care, which was developed in 1980, dovetail in some of the techniques used for trend analysis. Jet-Care is a gas-path analysis program that relies on pilot-recorded data to develop engine trends, which, like oil analysis, can be used to provide early warning of impending trouble.
This year's software upgrade will include Universal's Unilink FMS modem interface that will be capable of using VHF, radiotelephone or satcom digital communications links. The system was inspired by AlliedSignal's AFIS. Since Universal's strength is avionics development, Unilink will provide operators with an air-to-ground connection to their choice of third-party vendors of weather, ground support and flight-planning data.
VisionAire's proof-of-concept Vantage single-engine business jet has entered the flight-test phase of its development program. The aircraft, which St. Louis-based VisionAire has been developing for nearly 10 years, is being flown by (and was built by) a team from Scaled Composites in Mojave, California. First flight was on November 16, 1996. Powered by a 2,900-pounds-thrust P&WC JT15D-5 turbofan, the Vantage is slated to receive FAA certification in late 1998. Production aircraft will be built in Ames, Iowa.
Business aviation is largely responsible for the $1.3-billion economic impact that New Jersey's 48 general aviation airports have on the state, according to a video recently released by the New Jersey Division of Aeronautics. The 17-minute tape, titled ``Without General Aviation,'' notes that 78 percent of all flights into the state's non-airline airports are business related. And, 16,000 jobs, for a total payroll of $450 million, can be attributed to GA activity.
Phoenix Aviation of the Bahamas and Texaco International Aviation Sales, with the support of the FBO Resource Group, recently opened The Nassau Jet Centre. The new facility has a 14-acre concrete ramp. Its 10,000-square-foot, two-story main building includes a crew lounge and flight-planning center. Catering is available, and local golf courses and health clubs have extended their offerings to flightcrews. Twenty-four-hour security and 24-hour customs are part of the package, FBO officials say.
Atwater, CA-Trajen Flight Support has opened a full-service FBO at Castle Airport, the former U.S. Air Force base closed in September 1995. Trajen, which also has an FBO at Sacramento's Mather Airport, provides line services on a 24-hour basis. The operation also offers Exxon fuel, overnight hangaring, separate passenger and crew lounges, WSI weather and flight planning, planeside vehicle access, on-site auto rental, courtesy transportation for crews and catering. An ILS is scheduled to be operating near the beginning of this year. (209) 725-1455.
The off-again/on-again sale of bankrupt manufacturer Fokker to Korea's Samsung is off again. The Dutch firm's bankruptcy trustees said Samsung was not prepared to bear the costs of extending agreements with major suppliers for the production of new Fokker 70s and 100s.
Stevens Aviation, which had hoped to start this month selling King Air C90s retrofitted with 600-hp Orenda V-8 piston engines, will have to wait several months for certification of the engine due to problems with the crankshaft. Orenda is now hoping to complete FAA certification in the second quarter. In fall 1996, Stevens placed an order for 140 engines and planned to start taking orders for the mod in December (B/CA, September 1996, page 26). The original certification target date was December 1995.
Buyers of new Global Express and Challenger 604 aircraft now will receive MedAire medical advisory services and training programs at no extra charge. For each Challenger 604, the service includes a one-year subscription to Medlink Worldwide and injury-management training for three crewmembers. The Global Express comes with a five-year subscription to Medlink Worldwide and training for five crewmembers. Both aircraft also will come with a MedAire first aid kit with automatic refill services.
Embraer has started delivering its new 50-passenger EMB-145 to Continental Express, the first U.S. customer for the regional jetliner. The airline ordered 25 of the aircraft with an option to buy 175 more. Both the standard and extended-range versions of the Allison-powered EMB-145 received Brazilian certification in November 1996. FAA certification was expected on December 16 and European certification this month.
BBA Group, the U.K. company that currently owns the Signature Flight Support FBO chain, plans to purchase International Airmotive Holding Company, the parent firm of Dallas Airmotive and International Turbine Service. Dallas Airmotive is an engine repair and maintenance firm, while ITS is a major parts distributor. Management teams for both Dallas Airmotive and ITS will remain in place, and day-to-day operations at both companies will continue unabated, said BBA company officials.
Certification of the McDonnell Douglas MD600N helicopter has again been delayed by an accident during flight testing, and it is now expected later this month. In early November 1996, one of three test aircraft was damaged during high-speed landing tests. According to the NTSB, the aircraft made a run-on landing at about 30 knots, and the tail boom was severed. In May 1996, another MD600N suffered a severed tail boom after an emergency autorotation and was destroyed in a post-accident fire.
Jane's Information Group has released a seven-volume set-Jane's Airports and Handling Agents 1996-97-as a comprehensive guide to airport services in each region of the world. Softcover books are available for Europe (two volumes-shown), United States/ Canada, Middle East/Africa, Far East/Asia, and Central and Latin America. The series contains data on over 1,700 airports and more than 2,500 handling agents and FBOs.
Some business aircraft manufacturers have gotten a jump on planning their 1997 maintenance and operations workshops. Meetings scheduled to date include: Cessna Citation, April 28-30 in Wichita; Gulfstream Aerospace, June 2-5 in Savannah and Raytheon Hawker Jet, May 18-21 in Colorado Springs. Dassault Falcon Jet and Learjet Incorporated will not host M&O meetings this year. See B/CA's Calendar for more details.
Mesa Air Group will retain its headquarters in Farmington, New Mexico, but will consolidate its training academy in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, the company has decided. The carrier said in August 1996 that it was evaluating a number of headquarters options as it transitioned to an all FAR Part 121 operation and placed orders and options for up to 48 Canadair Regional Jets, which could double the size of the company over the next five years.
On February 2-4 in Anaheim, California, some 10,000 helicopter professionals will converge for the 49th annual Heli Expo, presented by the Helicopter Association of America.
