The decision was due by the end of September. It did not come, but there is very little doubt that the new Fairchild Dornier combo is going to hang a couple of turbofans on the Do 328 high-speed turboprop.
The altitude at which pilots can request more direct routing under the FAA's National Route Program (NRP) was reduced to FL 290 from FL 310. This step completes implementation of the NRP, designed to allow flights to select minimum time/cost routes beyond 200 nm at each end of a trip. In addition, the FAA is considering doing away with the 200 miles at each end of a trip in which ATC procedures are the least flexible. The agency also is looking at eliminating aircraft speed restrictions below 10,000 feet.
MentorPlus is likely to become a more familiar name in the aviation computing world. With the announcement that it has been purchased by Jeppesen, MentorPlus, Incorporated will gain the huge marketing leverage of Jeppesen. And Jeppesen will at last gain a foothold in the DUATS market. MentorPlus had, prior to its purchase, developed a FliteStar-like interface to Cirrus, GTE DUATS' new Windows-based automated DUATS briefing software. (See this month's Observer for more details on Cirrus.).
After two years in gestation, Australia's ruling Labor Party cleared the way for the Aussie federal government to proceed with its plan to lease up to 22 state-owned airports, including the yet-to-be-built Sydney West airfield. Initially, the government is seeking leaseholders for Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth airports. Sale of the airfields is not expected to immediately affect aircraft operations (B/CA, June 1994, page 20).
U.S. Customs is now basing an inspector at Long Island Jet Center, an FBO at MacArthur Airport. Two hours advance notice is required for customs clearance between 0800 and 1630 hours; four hours advance notice is required for service between 1630 and 2300 hours. (516) 588-2560.
Precision is one of those positive, comforting words. It implies accuracy and exactitude. It suggests a standard that exceeds all normal conditions. It calls to mind excellence in the small details, as in surgery or watchmaking. It is a principle that attracts the consumer and challenges the producer. ``Precision.'' It is reassuring and comforting. It has a nice ring to it.
Jet Aviation's aircraft-service operations in Germany have expanded their capabilities. The company recently added a hangar and more customer-service personnel at its Dusseldorf Airport facility. Jet Aviation's business aircraft center at Hannover received certification from Germany's civil aviation authorities to perform maintenance on Israel Aircraft Industries' 1124 Westwind corporate jets. This authority allows the facility to perform work that includes A, B, and C checks as well as landing gear and wing repairs.
Two years ago, the Flight Safety Foundation offered to sponsor a panel to study fatigue-avoidance principles and guidelines for corporate aircraft operations. A core team representing manufacturers, educators and operators was established, and Patricia Andrews, manager of global aircraft services for a major corporation, agreed to head the group. The panel interviewed almost 100 operators and received information gleaned from a research effort conducted by NASA.
The Flight Center recently completed a ``top-to-bottom'' renovation that was started soon after Craig O. McCaw purchased the Boeing Field FBO from Portland, Oregon-based Flightcraft (B/CA, July 1995, page 20). Included in the rebuild is a gourmet catering operation supervised by an on-site chef and featuring a viewing window so customers can watch inflight meals being prepared. The new Flight Center facility also offers crew and passenger lounges, a flight-planning and weather-briefing area, and heated hangar space.
Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) accident findings-in synopsis and full-report formats-have just become more useful and easier to acquire, thanks to the Internet. Currently, the TSB's Web site (http://bst-tsb.gc.ca/airlist.html) includes reports and synopses by type of occurrence, such as ``Controlled Flight into Terrain'' and ``Risk of Collision Between Aircraft.'' Reports have been compiled and filed from September 1991 through April 1995.
Illustration: Map: Tank Approach Making reservations for attending the NBAA annual convention doesn't stop with accommodations, transportation and dining. For those flying themselves and their passengers to the show, one more set of reservations is needed, courtesy of the FAA. From November 15 through November 25, all turbine IFR and VFR aircraft must have reserved arrival and departure slot times for the following airports: Orlando Executive (site of the convention's aircraft static display), Orlando International, Orlando Sanford and Kissimmee Municipal.
Human engineering is a term often heard when discussing contemporary avionics packages, but it truly applies to the Primus 1000 package in the Learjet 45. The accompanying photo shows its four eight-by-seven-inch CRT displays, the dual Primus II radio management units with flat-panel displays and its glareshield control panel.
It had been rumored for several months, but everybody said, ``Nah, it'll never happen!'' Well, it did! American Airlines has signed a three-year contract with independent Lone Star Airlines for a code-sharing agreement on three selected routes: Dallas/ Fort Worth-Knoxville, Dallas/Fort Worth-Aspen and Aspen-Denver.
A proposed AD would require operators of about 200 Raytheon 1900Ds to replace the right-side exhaust stack on both P&WC PT6 engines. The FAA says it has received reports of damage to cabin windows and wing skin (with associated fuel seepage) caused by exhaust heat. Replacement time is estimated at 10 hours, and parts are being provided at no cost to operators until June 1997, after which the cost will be $6,452 per aircraft. Comments are due November 20. Contact the FAA for more details. Phone: (316) 946-4407.
The latest version of the FAA transition plan reaffirms the target date of 2010 for completing the transition from land-based navaids to full reliance on GPS. An Intelligence item in our October issue (page 13) incorrectly stated the year as 2110.
Dallas-based Superior Air Parts sold its Turbine Division, a supplier of parts for Allison 250 helicopter engines, to Extex, Incorporated of Mesa, Arizona. The purchase adds Allison 250 Series II parts capabilities to Extex's current service of providing parts for Series IV engines. Officials said Superior will continue to furnish customer support for parts it has supplied. Meanwhile, former president and chief executive of Superior, David Sisson, was named president of AVSCO, an Atlanta-based parts supplier.
Barring an upset of Trumanesque proportions by Bob Dole, the polls and pundits were predicting President Bill Clinton will be reelected by a wide margin this month.
Alliance Aviation Services is now operating out of new facilities at Alliance Airport. The facilities include a 32,000-square-foot storage and maintenance hangar and a 20,000-square-foot executive terminal. Services include catering, courtesy ground transporation, on-site rental cars, computerized flight planning and weather data access, and business meeting amenities. (817) 890-1000.
The Canadian Government has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva to investigate Brazil's PROEX export financing scheme used to finance international sales of Embraer's new EMB-145 regional jet.
An ATC tower is now in operation at Anoka County-Blaine Airport, a busy general aviation facility. The tower's hours of operation are 0700 to 2200 daily in the spring and summer; 0700 to 2100 hours in the fall and winter. Edward McKinley is the tower's manager. (612) 786-9490.
First flight of the certification version of Israviation's ST-50 single-engine turboprop will be delayed because rocket attacks this past summer damaged the firm's facility in Israel's Upper Galilee, according to Dany Kleiman, vice president and chief engineer. Kleiman says the company was shut down nearly six weeks while facility repairs were made. First flight of the composite-constructed aircraft is now scheduled for early 1997 instead of next month (B/CA, July 1995, page 16).
With the September sale of its aerospace hardware products division to Odyssey Partners, Dallas-based Aviall Incorporated has finished unloading all its aviation units, except for the parts distribution and component repair businesses. Odyssey, a New York financial firm, says it intends to merge the former Aviall unit into Tri Star Aerospace, a Tulsa, Oklahoma provider of hardware. Aviall began shedding various aerospace units in 1994, shortly after splitting up with Ryder Service (B/CA, August 1993, page 26).
Transport Canada has published a safety-awareness pamphlet to brief passengers flying on private or charter aircraft without a flight attendant. The six-page brochure briefly describes some things passengers should know and do to enhance their own safety. Among the topics are planning, clothing, safety equipment, loading and dangerous goods. Flightcrew responsibilities also are listed. For copies of the pamphlet, ``A Safety Guide for Aircraft Charter Passengers,'' phone (613) 990-5446 or fax (613) 990-1301.
