Kal Aero in Battle Creek, Michigan, has been appointed an authorized Falcon Jet service center . . . AvPac, Duncan Aviation's parts network, is now available on the Internet at http://www.avpac.com . . . In the fall, Honeywell is scheduled to open an avionics service facility in Shanghai . . . Learjet recently broke ground for a 98,000-square-foot expansion to the Bombardier Flight Test Center in Wichita. It is slated for completion before year's end . . . Western Aircraft, an FBO in Boise, Idaho, was selected as a dealer for the Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprop . .
Stork N.V. of the Netherlands is set to take over the shares of Fokker Aviation. The company, which is not related to the bankrupt Fokker Aircraft, is involved in two main areas: providing product support for the approximately 1,200 Fokker aircraft in operation and, as a subcontractor, providing components and services to other airframe manufacturers, including the building of empennages for the new Gulfstream V (B/CA, April, page 20).
Twelve revisions are being proposed to amend design standards and test requirements for large aircraft hydraulic systems covered by FAR Part 25.1435, in the latest effort to harmonize FARs with Europe's JARs. Comments on the proposals are due October 1. For details, contact the FAA in Renton, Washington. Phone: (206) 227-2142. The process to harmonize FARs with Joint Aviation Requirements has been under way since 1988.
English may be thought of as the international language of aviation, but the American way of using the aircraft altimeter is not followed by many other countries. Therefore, U.S.-based pilots flying outside North America must remember that another system almost certainly will be in use. Not fully comprehending the ``new'' system could spell trouble.
Effective September 16, revised FAR Part 61 and Part 67 pilot medical standards are being implemented. Among the new rules: Heart replacement, pacemaker implants and cardiac valve replacement will be disqualifying conditions for all classes of pilot medical certification. For second-class medicals, no blood cholesterol testing or EKGs are required. In addition, the blood pressure standard has been eliminated. Pilots with high blood pressure will be judged by the aviation medical examiner (AME) and the FAA on their overall status, including the use of medication.
The NTSB had never cited fatigue as a contributing factor in aviation accidents prior to an accident on August 18, 1993 involving a DC-8 attempting to land at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A senior NTSB official recently acknowledged that prior to that date, investigators had a ``mindset'' that resisted attributing aviation accidents to pilot and or aircrew fatigue. ``We tended to look at the action or inaction of the crew in cases where no mechanical or weather condition was the probable cause,'' said the official. ``Fatigue was not seriously considered.
Interstate Electronics Corporation in Anaheim, California recently received FAA certification for its GPS-based IEC 9002 FMS. The unit is certificated to TSO C-129 A1 standards and is approved for en route, terminal and non-precision approaches. Also, the unit is upgradable to accept data from the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and the Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS), and that will provide precision-approach capability.
Photograph: This 206L-4 LongRanger is one of 18 helicopters that Bell had at DeKalb-Peachtree airport. BELL HELICOPTER AT THE OLYMPICS The Olympics proved to be a marathon exercise in logistics for Bell Helicopter, which provided no fewer than 18 aircraft for the three weeks of the games. ``I don't think we have ever participated on this scale before for this long a period,'' said O.K. Moore, head of Bell's Olympic team.
Fifteen years ago, the promise of glass cockpits, automated flight-management software, and microprocessor-controlled avionics and aircraft systems was one of inclusion. Pilots would be in the loop; they would know all they needed to know to conduct a flight safely, efficiently and effectively. And, should flightcrew vigilance fail, automated systems would rise to save the situation. At that time, about 80 percent of all aircraft accidents were caused by crew performance or lack thereof.
The news is good. More corporate aircraft are now transiting oceans and ranging across borders than ever before. That is the conclusion of international aircraft service providers, or ``handlers,'' such as Air Routing, AMR International Aviation Services, BaseOps, Jeppesen Dataplan (and its affiliate Jeppesen UK), Universal Weather&Aviation and others, who are in a prime position to gauge the extent of international flying activity.
The former Artais Weather Check has become a division of Vaisala, headquartered in Finland. Artais, of Plain City, Ohio, manufactures automated weather observing systems (AWOS). Vaisala, with U.S. offices in Woburn, Massachusetts, also produces weather instruments. More than 300 Artais AWOS units are in operation worldwide, but the controversial and more expensive automated surface observing systems (ASOS) are the ``official'' choice of the FAA and National Weather Service (B/CA, November 1992, page 32 and July 1995, page 20).
Soft-pedal the cockpit noise with Sennheiser Electronic's new six-ounce, HMEC 25KA headset with split headband. It offers over 30 dB of noise reduction, and the active noise cancellation (ANC) feature is powered by two AA batteries inside an in-line battery pack. The ``low-profile'' pack operates the ANC for roughly 30 hours, and features a two-color LED display to register power-on and low battery. Price: $949. Sennheiser Electronic Corp., 6 Vista Dr., Old Lyme, CT 06371. (860) 434-9190.
In the 10 years that I have written Reflections, I have been privileged to talk with a number of first-generation rotorcraft pioneers, including Charles Kaman, Bart Kelley, Joe Mashman, John Miller, Les Morris and Peter WrightBut it has been nearly seven decades since Philadelphian Harold Pitcairn brought the first rotating-wing aircraft to the United States, and many of the memories of the early days of vertical flight are fading fast. That is why it is important to preserve helicopter heritage before it is lost forever.
A reminder for international operators using the routes and altitudes in North Atlantic Minimum Navigation Performance Specification airspace: The deadline date for the mandatory renewal of Letters of Authority (LOA) to operate in MNPS is October 1. In addition, the FAA says that references to training programs in the LOA can now include the notation ``none.'' Also, the LOA equipment list now calls for the part number rather than the serial number of navigation and communications equipment.
This custom completions specialist announced three new appointments: Glen Webb to manager of planning, Bob Bannister to director of engineering and Walter Nubell III to director of material.
Houston Intercontinental Airport is the first airport to offer Automatic Terminal Information Service via datalink. The FAA commissioned the system August 1, but it has been in operation since July 19. The digital system enables pilots to receive ATIS through their Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). ARINC developed the ATIS feature as part of its tower datalink services, which also include pre-departure clearances. Digital ATIS will be available at 56 more airports by year-end, according to ARINC.
Cessna's long-awaited announcement of pricing for its line of revamped single-engine piston aircraft came with few surprises. The standard, VFR version of the Skyhawk will sell for $124,500. An IFR Skyhawk with an AlliedSignal avionics package that includes dual navcoms, ADF, a single-axis autopilot and a GPS will sell for $139,500. The standard Skylane is priced at $190,600, including a basic IFR package. Upgrading to an IFR-certificated GPS, ADF and dual-axis autopilot will add another $8,900 to the price. Cessna plans to build 600 Skyhawks and 300 Skylanes in 1997.
Don Roney was promoted to manager of FSI's San Antonio Learning Center, and Tim Fallon has joined the Tucson Learning Center as regional marketing manager for maintenance training.
Now available from the Aviation Group is the Powervamp portable GPU for turbine aircraft. The 49-pound unit delivers up to 1,500 peak amps and 26 peak volts, and can be carried on board because it has no free acid or gel. Measuring 13.38 inches by 4.33 inches by 17.71 inches, the 24-volt GPU is housed in a non-magnetic stainless steel case. The Powervamp is shipped charged and ready to use, and is engineered for multiple starts before requiring recharge. Price: $2,499. The Aviation Group, 1908 Clemma Ct., Erie, CO 80516. (303) 665-0352.
The 900EX has the most advanced avionics suite ever installed in a Dassault business aircraft. It's also one of the best designs with respect to hand-eye coordination. Knobs, switches and buttons are located close to their associated displays, indicators and dials. Honeywell's Primus 2000 integrated avionics suite incorporates a hub-and-spoke architecture. Dual integrated avionics computers (IACs), at the core of the system, are linked to other components by Honeywell's ASCB digital communications bus and by the more generic ARINC 429 bus.
At Avjobs in Atlanta, aviation job hunters will get the chance on September 20-21 for one-stop job prospecting. Avjobs is an exposition of global aerospace companies that are recruiting people at all levels and all job functions. Sponsored by the Future Aviation Professionals of America (FAPA), the event will attract human resource professionals, pilots, consultants, air traffic controllers, engineers, government officials, placement counselors, flight attendants and more-all trying to make the best match for their businesses.
