NBAA's 1996 Business Aviation Fact Book contains an overview of the industry, including economic performance comparisons of companies that operate business aircraft and those that do not, size and composition of the worldwide fleet of business aircraft, noise-level comparisons of business jets, safety statistics, flying activity, and a list of members of Congress and how to contact them. Single copies of the publication are available at no charge from the NBAA. Phone: (202) 783-9286.
Innotech Aviation recently opened a new customer facility at its Montreal aircraft completion and refurbishment center. The facility provides eight individual offices-each equipped with a phone, fax, personal computer and modem. Complimentary beverages and snacks also are offered, as well as a conference room with a mockup of a Canadair Challenger interior. Innotech has installed interiors in over 100 Challengers.
AMR chairman Robert Crandall, angered by the RAA's opposition to the McCain Bill, ordered subsidiary AMR Eagle to ``suspend'' its RAA membership. The bill (S.1239), sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), would establish a fee system for specific services provided by the FAA, including air-traffic handling.
The U.S. government's recent announcement on GPS policy includes a decision to phase out-for civil services-the current practice of degrading the accuracy of satellite signals called selective availability (SA). Specifically, the U.S. Air Force would remove SA over the next four to 10 years, while the U.S. Defense Department perfects methods to maintain military safeguards. The policy also reaffirms the U.S. commitment to provide basic GPS services free of charge throughout the world.
Three corporate jets, a Piper Navajo and a Russian LET-410 landed without difficulty at Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia over the three- to four-hour period prior to the crash of a U.S. Air Force Boeing 737 in April, according to Croatian aviation officials. The accident killed all aboard, including U.S. Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown and several U.S. business leaders. Brown's aircraft had been cleared for the NDB approach to Runway 12. Weather was reported as 400 broken, 2,000 overcast, wind 120 at 12.
Dassault Falcon Jet and Gulfstream Aerospace are leading manufacturers' efforts to hasten FAA approval for Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) flights. Falcon Jet is seeking RVSM approval for its 2000, 900 and 50. Falcon 50EXs and 900EXs are expected to be RVSM-approved at delivery. Meanwhile, Gulfstream is attempting to address the RVSM-certification challenges for G-IIs and early G-IIIs. The company says that G-Vs, G-IVs, G-IVSPs and later G-IIIs are ``least affected'' by RVSM requirements.
Superior Turbine, a manufacturer of parts for Allison 250 helicopter engines, is on the selling block. Officials say they want to return the parent company, Superior Air Parts, to its original core business-parts and other accessories for piston engines. Dallas-based Superior Turbine was established in 1992 to provide an FAA parts manufacturer approved source of turbine engine parts, initially for Pratt&Whitney Canada PT6s (B/CA, January, page 30).
Two new programs from the NBAA will be available to non-members as well as members of the association. First, a newly published Business-Pilot Operations Manual is an effort to extend the professionalism of larger corporate flight departments to smaller flight departments and businessman-pilots. The association will introduce the manual at the first of a series of seminars this month. Another new NBAA program is a software package designed to help flight departments document the value of business aircraft. The new software is scheduled to be available in June.
Airframe designs of normal and transport-category rotorcraft submitted for FAA certification after June 11 must meet upgraded crashworthiness and occupant-protection standards. The adopted revisions essentially are unchanged from those proposed two years ago (B/CA, June 1994, page 22). Specifically, the FAA increased the static-design inertial load factors for restraining heavy items such as fuel tanks, crew and passenger seats, and for articles carried in cargo areas and baggage compartments.
The accident that killed test pilot Robert Overmyer apparently is not stopping Cirrus Design from continuing its attempt to develop production aircraft. Overmyer was killed March 22 when the experimental Cirrus VK-30 kit airplane he was test-piloting crashed. In addition to testing the modified VK-30, Overmyer also had been managing flight tests of the four-place, 200-hp SR20, the company's first attempt to move from building kit aircraft to building production aircraft (B/CA, May 1995, page 113).
ICAO is on the verge of accepting GLONASS in its Global Navigation Satellite System and to give it the same status as the U.S. GPS. This decision will be the culmination of Russia's five-year effort to get ICAO to recognize its GLONASS satellite-based navigation system on an equal footing with the U.S. GPS. GLONASS now has an entire 24-satellite constellation in orbit. Separately, Inmarsat also plans to offer navigation off its satellite network, but as an augmentation to GPS and GLONASS, not as a replacement.
Johnson Controls has acquired the Louisville, Kentucky FBO formerly operated by Signature Flight Support. A new terminal and three hangars being built at the FBO, now known as Johnson Controls Av Center, are expected to be completed by July. The new hangars will be able to accommodate large business jets. Johnson Controls also operates an FBO in Pittsburgh as well as the airports in Teterboro and Westchester County.
A London-based company failed to launch an aircraft fractional-ownership program and reportedly it has been dissolved by its parent, Air London International, a London-based air-charter firm. In late 1994, JetCo signed an agreement with Raytheon to purchase four Hawker Jets, four Beechjets and four King Air B200s (B/CA, October 1994, page 24), but never followed through with that agreement. Later, the company opted for Citations instead, but that plan also was scrubbed.
Dassault Aviation's Falcon 50EX made its first flight on April 10 with a two-hour hop in which the intercontinental business jet climbed to 41,000 feet and cruised at 320 knots (0.80 Mach). Stalls at reduced power also were performed. The aircraft, powered by three AlliedSignal TFE731-40 engines, outperforms its Falcon 50 predecessor in climb, range and speed-without additional fuel consumption, says Dassault. The $16-million 50EX is scheduled to receive certification in the third quarter.
HBAcorp, the Olympia, Washington-based FACTS cabin and cockpit crew emergency training company, lost its FACTS-II truck-mounted mobile training device in an April 7 head-on collision with another vehicle near Kingman, Arizona. The accident left the FACTS-II drivers uninjured, but two people in the other vehicle were killed. The 26-foot-long, four-way and motion-based simulator replicated the cabin and cockpit of a corporate airplane and was used to provide on-site training (B/CA, November 1993, page 42).
By June 19, comments are due on the FAA's proposed revision of flight- and duty-time rules. The FAA extended the original comment period by 90 days, but no other reprieve is expected. The air-taxi industry and other segments of general aviation are harshly criticizing the proposal. They say it fails completely to recognize the difference between on-demand air-charter operations and those of scheduled carriers and, thus, is an unjustified and costly burden on air-taxi operators.
Raytheon Aircraft Services signed an agreement in mid April to sell six of its 18 FBOs to Mercury Air Group. The sale will increase the number of FBOs operated by the Los Angeles-based company from five to 11. The Raytheon FBOs to be sold are located at California's Ontario International Airport; Bedford, Massachusetts' Hanscom Field; Hartfield and Peachtree airports in Atlanta; and Corpus Christi and Addison airports in Texas. Raytheon maintenance services will remain at Addison after the sale.
Photograph: Heads Up Technologies' voice checklist management system with checklist data update cartridge. Angle-of-Attack and Stall-Warning/Wind-Shear Detection AlliedSignal Avionics Avionics Specialties Rosemount Aerospace Safe Flight Instrument Corp. Antennas Aire-Sciences, Inc. AlliedSignal Avionics Chelton, Inc. Collins Commercial Avionics Comant Industries Dayton-Granger, Inc. Dorne and Margolin, Inc. Foxtronics, Inc. Honeywell Business&Commuter Div. Meriden Electronics Corp. Narco Avionics Radio Systems Technology Sensor Systems, Inc. SFIM, Inc.
The Million Air FBO at California's Long Beach Daugherty Field has taken over the FBO services previously offered by Aeroplex Aviation. Consequently, all of Million Air's transient aircraft services will be shifted to what is now the Million Air ramp, formerly managed by Aeroplex. Million Air will use its previous service ramp for administration only. Aeroplex will continue to handle leasing of hangar space and offices.
