The makers and marketers of aviation computing systems have been busy during the previous 12 months, introducing new or upgraded versions of their software, retiring older products, making proven products more versatile and powerful, launching or embellishing Internet services, selling their products outright to other vendors and scrutinizing the marketplace to anticipate the next wave of development.
Space-Ray has introduced a series of infrared gas tube heaters appropriate for hangars. Available in both natural and propane gas-fired models, the Space-Ray Cold Blocker comes in a smooth, 9.25-foot-long cast iron U-tube design with aluminum reflectors for uniform heat distribution. Units come factory assembled at mounting heights from six to 20 feet above the floor. Four different capacities can be ordered, ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 BTUs per hour. Price range: $800 to $1,600. Space-Ray, 305 Doggett St., Charlotte, NC 28236. (704) 372-3485.
Unless there is another postponement, and there have been several, the transition of Canada's government-operated ATC system to Nav Canada, a non-government, nonprofit corporation, is scheduled to occur on October 31. The changeover, which was originally targeted to occur on April 1, calls for the new organization to be funded totally from user fees, and many of them will be increased. The present Air Transport Taxes system will be phased out over a period of two years. Nav Canada is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, and Ken Copeland is the chief executive officer.
On November 4, U.S. Customs will start allowing pre-approved aircraft operators reentering the United States from Canada to clear customs by phoning (800) 98CLEAR. To participate in the General Aviation Telephonic Entry (GATE) program, operators must complete Customs Form 442 and submit it to the customs office nearest to the applicant's most frequently used airport. The forms should be available from local customs offices, but at press time some offices were not aware of GATE and didn't have forms. Direct questions to U.S. Customs in Washington, D.C.
Lack of federal funding has terminally paralyzed TCAS IV, the planned next-generation, GPS-based TCAS that would have offered a number of enhancements over TCAS II. But software Change 7 for TCAS II comes to the rescue: it will incorporate virtually all of the functions of TCAS IV with plenty of room for growth. Change 7 is expected to be released to the industry by the end of this year. (For a status report on TCAS, see page 60.)
Renovation of the terminal lobby, the acquisition of updated aircraft service equipment and the construction of a 50,000-square-foot hangar are all scheduled to be completed at Million Air's Salt Lake International Airport FBO by the middle of this month. The facility, which changed ownership early this year, operates on a 24-hour basis and includes a repair station. In addition, the company plans to offer aircraft management services.
Remember TCAS IV? That was to be the next-generation, GPS-based TCAS that would have offered a number of enhancements over today's TCAS II. TCAS IV proponents will tell you that development is quiescent, awaiting future federal funding. Wrong. TCAS IV is beyond coma-tose, much less resting comfortably. It's virtually dead. And in the absence of a Lazarus-like miracle in Congress, it won't be revived. (TCAS III never made it past the computer-aided-design screen, a victim of technological limitations on its horizontal collision avoidance logic.)
With its fuel pump teething pains now far behind it, the TFE731-40 is on course toward becoming one of AlliedSignal's most successful engines. Compared to the first- generation -3A 3,700-pound-thrust turbofans that power the Astra SP, the new 4,250-pound-thrust -40 produces 21 percent more high-altitude thrust, and it squeezes six percent more energy out of a pound of fuel. The -40, which weighs 119 pounds more than a -3A, has a scaled-down version of the wide-chord fan fitted to the -5B engine that is installed on the 731 Falcon 20 and Dassault Falcon Jet 900B.
Executive Jet Aviation's recent order for 45 Citation business jets, valued at more than $600 million, may be the largest multi-business-jet purchase in history. The order for 25 Citation Xs and 20 Citation VIIs is certainly the biggest single order Cessna has booked. Starting with deliveries in 1997, EJA will add the Citations to its NetJet fleet of aircraft sold on a fractional-ownership basis. EJA has been buying Citations since shortly after NetJets was formed in 1987 and currently operates more than 50 Citations.
Dallas-based TXI Aviation is considering adding helicopters to its new shared ownership program, ``Jet Partners.'' The company is offering 25-percent shares initially in a Falcon 10 and a Falcon 50, with each quarter-share entitling the buyer to 200 flight hours annually. No set length has been established for the term of the contract, and TXI is offering a money-back guarantee if an owner wants to drop out of Jet Partners within six months. The company also provides a buy-back guarantee of the aircraft's residual value.
Certificate programs are becoming the cornerstone for continuing education in many professions, including aviation. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, for example, offers an aviation safety certificate program through its Center for Aerospace Safety Education (CASE) and its Division of Continuing Education. This program has been expanded and is now offered in fall sessions.
On September 11, legal counsel representing the AOPA, NBAA, GAMA and others filed suit in federal district court to prevent Chicago from closing Meigs Field and turning its property into a park. The Illinois DOT was expected to file a similar suit the next day. Also, the State of Illinois was taking steps to ``exercise its statutory right to acquire the title to Meigs Field'' to ensure the airport's continued operation.
Challenged by a contract guarantee with launch customer Crossair that the average cabin noise for the Saab 2000 would not exceed 76 dBA, Saab and engine-maker Allison Engine Company have come up with a fix. Even with an elaborate electronic active noise control (ANC) system, the noise level has been stuck on 77 dBA since the aircraft were first delivered. Although the company declined to provide details, B/CA is told the fix involves a one-inch propeller shaft extension, which moves the propeller tips down and out in relation to the fuselage.
Learjet Incorporated has modified the leading edge of the Learjet 45 wing to reduce airflow separation at high angles-of-attack. The modification came following a series of stall tests, and the company said the aircraft's stall speeds are on target and that it has ``excellent'' stall characteristics. FAA certification of the new aircraft is scheduled for the first quarter of 1997. Meanwhile, China certificated the Learjet 60, paving the way for delivery of a Model 60 to Hainan Airlines, which already operates a Learjet 55.
News that a business aviation center and a second runway are on tap for Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong's new international airport, triggered about 60 proposals from companies seeking to build and operate the corporate aviation FBO (B/CA, August, page 30). Proposals were submitted by companies in North America, Europe and Hong Kong. The airport is scheduled to open in April 1998, but the second runway will not be completed before October 1998. The business aviation center should open around April 1999.
Mesa Air Group says it will launch ``high-frequency, low-fare'' jet service from Fort Worth next May, answering one question of how it plans to employ its new fleet of 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jets (CRJ). A company statement said the service, building up to 60 flights daily within the first year, will operate from Meacham Airport ``to destinations throughout Texas and the region.
By year-end, Bombardier Aerospace expects to decide whether to launch or land the 70-passenger Canadair CRJ-X regional jetliner, a planned stretched version of the current 50-passenger Regional Jet (B/CA, May, page 122). The GE-powered CRJ-X would be offered in two versions-a 72,500-pound MTOW model that would transport 70 passengers 1,702 nm and a 75,000-pound MTOW version that would range to 2,032 nm with 70 passengers. If a launch decision is made by the end of this year, certification could occur in late 2000.
Entering the last month of the election campaign, there is hope we're finally approaching the end of Federico Pea's terrible tenure as secretary of transportation. As Yogi Berra said, ``It ain't over `til it's over;'' but it appears Pea will not continue in that post even if President Clinton is reelected.
In the continuing effort to establish common requirements between the FARs and Europe's JARs, revisions have been proposed to amend engine and airframe design standards. One set of proposals will require aircraft to withstand structural stress caused by the initial pitching motions during the sudden application of maximum braking force. Another set of proposals would upgrade water and hail ingestion standards for turbine engines. Comments on the two sets of proposals are due November 4 and November 7, respectively.
An airport reservation system and other special ATC procedures will be in effect for the Orlando area before, during and after the NBAA annual convention there. From November 15 through November 25, all turbine IFR and VFR aircraft arrivals and departures will be required to have a slot time for the following airports: Orlando Executive (site of the convention's aircraft static display), Orlando International, Orlando Sanford and Kissimmee Municipal. For IFR departures, the FAA expects aircraft to be ready to take off within five minutes of the slot reservation time.
Fairchild Dornier said it will decide soon whether to build a turbofan-powered, 30-passenger version of the twin-turboprop Do 328. Technical and marketing studies for the proposed $10-million regional jet were nearly complete at press time. The company said the Do 328 wing would be retained and that by moving the engines a little closer to the fuselage, no changes would be required for the empennage. Three engine models are being considered: the Pratt&Whitney Canada PW306, the AlliedSignal/GE CFE738 and the AlliedSignal LF5607.
