New helicopters that offer lower operating costs and quieter, smoother flight will help spur the market in coming years, Allison Engine Company predicted. Allison is forecasting average yearly sales of about 600 civil helicopters over the next decade. Allison's annual 10-year forecast shows a 46-percent overall increase in the number of helicopters sold, compared to 1995's prognosis. However, Allison cautioned sales will suffer if manufacturers do not continue to aggressively drive down costs. Allison is predicting 400 worldwide civil sales this year.
Hamilton Standard is helping Toyota conduct a study to determine the market for an aircraft version of the V-8 engine that powers Toyota's luxury car, the Lexus. The 360-hp, twin-turbocharged and water-cooled engine received FAA approval in February. Hamilton Standard is supplying a full-authority digital engine control in addition to a four-blade, composite propeller. The engine has been test flown as the right-side powerplant on a Cessna 340 (B/CA, October 1995, page 20).
From Oklahoma State University-the prime contractor for the NASA Aerospace Education Services Program-comes a new, three-day crew resource management (CRM) training course. According to OSU, the course is FAA approved and ``exceeds the latest regulatory changes to crew training for the regional airline industry.'' Three professors with commercial and military aviation experience developed the course to meet the training needs of corporate flight departments and regional airlines.
The Official Helicopter Blue Book now is available on CD-ROM in addition to the loose-leaf paper version that's been available since 1979. HeliValues, the Lincolnshire, Illinois publisher of the Blue Book, says the CD-ROM version will introduce improvements over the paper version, such as showing resale values more clearly and accurately. In addition to the basic Blue Book, the CD-ROM includes the company's helicopter specifications book and an equipment list and price guide.
Opponents to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's plans to close the city's Meigs Field have been joined by the National Air Transportation Association and Illinois Governor Jim Edgar. For months, Daley has been on record in support of turning the airport into a park, after the airport lease expires in September. NATA calls the action ``reprehensible'' since it would ``threaten the safety'' of air travelers and hurt the area economy. Governor Edgar recently reiterated his opposition to closing the airport.
While Tokyo's Narita Airport (as well as other Japanese airports) and Hong Kong International Airport continue to resist ready access by corporate aircraft, B/CA's recent tour along the central arc of the Pacific Rim has shown most flights to important destinations are being welcomed. For example, two new airports in the vicinity of Hong Kong have opened up and they allow reasonable access to this vital economic hub in the Pacific Rim. The new airfields are free of noise restraints, are operational around-the-clock and provide complete ground services.
Harry Combs, founder of the Combs Aircraft FBO chain and a president of Gates Learjet, is among four nominees for induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. Ceremonies will be held during the Hall of Fame's 35th enshrinement dinner on July 20. Besides founding Combs Aircraft (now AMR Combs), he sold the company in 1967 to Gates Rubber Corporation, which later bought Learjet. He became president of Gates Learjet, and served in that capacity from 1971 until 1983.
Watching how FAA headquarters operates these days inspires mixed emotions. The interested observer frequently doesn't know whether to laugh-because the FAA looks so silly-or to cry-because the agency's mission is so important and the focus of its leaders appears trained on the wrong objectives. The issue of equipment reliability within ATC facilities is one example, but first a bit of background:
With the completion of a new FBO facility at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport this month, three-year-old Eagle Flight Services will become the Las Vegas Executive Air Terminal. The new facility provides ramp parking for up to 200 aircraft, service and storage hangars with state-of-the-art fire-fighting systems, and a full-service terminal building that includes a wing-shaped canopy extending over the entrance to protect arriving and departing passengers from the elements.
Jonathan Ornstein has moved to London to become the chief executive officer of Virgin Europe, a new Southwest Airlines-type venture of Virgin Atlantic's Richard Branson and Continental Chairman David Bonderman.
Clearly apprehensions about investment in Vietnam are present, but international corporations seem to feel the risks of working with the Communist regime are acceptable. And the Communist regime seems to feel it must work to encourage partnerships.
FAA has adopted its comprehensive and controversial revision of FAR Part 61 and Part 67 pilot medical standards, some 15 months and 5,200 responses after the proposal to rewrite the rules was published. Among the new rules: Heart replacement, pacemaker implants and cardiac valve replacement will be disqualifying conditions for all classes of medical certification. And commercial pilots over age 50 must be tested annually to a more stringent vision standard. The new regulations take effect in September.
Atlanta-based ValuJet will receive local marketing support to provide service from Atlanta to Fort Walton Beach, Florida and Mobile, Alabama. The former is served by nine weekday Atlantic Southeast trips, and the latter receives eight Delta jet flights.
The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association is celebrating its silver anniversary next month with the 25th annual symposium and trade show in Nashville. ``Technically in Tune'' is the theme of the show, which runs from May 14 through May 18.
Dassault Falcon Jet is consolidating all aircraft completions and refurbishments at its Little Rock, Arkansas facility. Previously, the facility only outfitted new Falcon Jets purchased for Western Hemisphere customers, while aircraft destined for European operators were completed in France. To handle the expected increase in workload at Little Rock, Dassault plans to add in the fourth quarter a new support shop and paint-preparation building that will free up two hangar positions for outfitting.
In May, the FAA is expected to make a template Advanced Qualification Program available to small airlines and corporate pilot training organizations. The proficiency-based training program previously was limited to use by airlines. To spur AQP implementation, the FAA contracted with Columbus, Ohio-based Battelle to develop an AQP database. FlightSafety International is a subcontractor, and is charged with developing aircraft libraries to which the program can be applied. (See article beginning on page 64.)
The fruit of the labors of RTCA Special Committee 173, the working group that has studied radomes, is DO-213, the first industry standard for radome performance and repair. Although the FAA has no immediate plans to generate a TSO for radomes, DO-213 does provide the aircraft industry with much needed guidance regarding transmissivity, side lobe intensity and post-repair testing.
The Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) has been around for five years, yet, so far, only airline pilots--and relatively few at that--have been able to take advantage of what most agree is a revolution in the way pilots train. But that's about to change.
Recent introductions from Digifly are two moving-map display screens, the DU7 and DU8. These instruments are true map depictions, not moving plotters. The DU7 ($1,599) has a screen resolution of 320 by 460 pixels, and it can interface with any external GPS receiver that has an NMEA 0183 external port. The DU8 ($1,995) has a built-in GPS, a 640-by-480-pixel screen and an 8-inch backlit LCD. Both units provide mapping features such as highways, railroads, lakes and rivers, a-long with Jeppesen NavData for VFR flight.
Changes to flight-plan suffixes went into effect on March 28. Henceforth, the letter ``G'' will only classify GPS with oceanic, en route, terminal or approach capabilities. New suffix ``E'' will classify FMSes and VNAVs that have oceanic as well as en route, terminal and approach capabilities. And new suffix ``F'' will classify FMSes and VNAVs that have en route, terminal and approach capabilities, but do not have oceanic capability.
The following 1996 airframe manufacturer-sponsored maintenance and operations meetings have been scheduled: Canadair Challenger, Montreal, May 22-23; Cessna Citation, Wichita, April 29-May 1; Dassault Falcon Jet, Boca Raton, Florida, June 3-4; Gulfstream, Savannah, May 21-23; Learjet, Tucson, May 1-3; Raytheon Beechjet, San Antonio, May 5-7; and Sabreliner, St. Louis, April 11-12. Raytheon is holding M&O meetings for Hawker Jet operators April 15 in Philadelphia and April 17 in St. Louis.
Garmin International has introduced the hand-held GPS 38 Personal Navigator. The system features a redesigned moving map for a larger presentation of navigation information, a rotating compass dial display, a backtracking capability that allows users to retrace their course based on their track- log history, 11 different grid and position formats, and ``improved screen readability.'' The nine-ounce unit stores up to 250 waypoints and 20 routes. Price: $299.99. Garmin International, 1200 E. 151st St., Olathe, KS 66062. (913) 397-8200.
