The ``Age 60'' debate has been officially jettisoned, judging from an FAA disposition notice (released December 14, 1995) stating that from a safety standpoint, there is no evidence that the rule requiring pilots when they reach age 60 to vacate the left seat in most airline operations should be changed.
DB Systems has introduced the TSOed Model 250 paging amplifier to increase ``high quality audio for cabin stereo and cabin entertainment.'' The Model 250 increases the aircraft's stereo power from two watts to 30 watts, with ``distortion of less than 0.25 percent.'' The unit is pin and mounting com- patible with the Model 240 that has been factory-installed on most Beech and Learjet aircraft over the past eight years. Price: $2,040. DB Systems, Inc., 2847 152nd Ave. NE, Redmond, WA 98052. (206) 883-9910.
By Richard N. AaronsRichard N. Aarons EDITOR IN CHIEF
Your comments on the FAA's proposed changes to crew duty-time limits are due in Washington by March 19. The rulemaking, contained in NPRM 95-18, has had all National Air Transportation Association members and many NBAA members in a rage since it was published. The proposal creates a single set of duty-period limitations and flight-time limitations, as well as rest requirements for virtually all flightcrew members.
Mexico's annual aviation trade show is moving from Guadalajara-where it has been held since it started in 1992-to Toluca, 25 miles west of Mexico City. Sponsors of Aero `96, scheduled for April 11-13, said they selected Toluca to take advantage of the large business-aviation market that exists in the area, as well as to enjoy the cooperation the show is receiving from Toluca FBOs. In addition to the trade show, at which more than 100 exhibitors are expected, the event includes a seminar program, an aircraft static display and demo flights.
Some segments of the aviation industry have responded coolly to the establishment in 1995 of a special FAA unit to handle issues involving suspected unapproved aircraft parts and other elements of the agency's bogus parts program. The Aeronautical Repair Station Association is miffed because it doesn't believe the FAA consulted enough with it or other groups working on the issue, including the agency's Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee. NATA says it is concerned the FAA will end up focusing on paperwork for documentation rather than on the issue of airworthiness.
The growing number of business jets in Asia has prompted Jet Aviation, the Switzerland-based business-aircraft-services company, to open a facility dedicated to the business-aircraft market at Seletar Airport in Singapore. Plans call for the company, named Jet Maintenance Pte. Limited, to focus first on maintenance. Later, the facility will expand into charter, and it eventually hopes to become an FBO.
Both FAA ``internal reviewers'' and a blue-ribbon panel of independent experts have concluded that ATC modernization is on the right course in the long term. However, both evaluating groups also recommended several near-term changes, such as hiring more technicians to work on aging Air Route Traffic Control Center computers, improving training for controllers in making the transition to back-up systems, and updating contingency plans for ATC outages. The FAA says new training has begun, and 431 new technicians will be added.
Airframe manufacturers' maintenance and operations meetings scheduled for this year include: 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 and Raytheon Beechjet, San Antonio, May 5-7. Raytheon will hold M&O meetings for Hawker Jet operators regionally: March 11 in Atlanta, March 15 in Houston, March 25 in Los Angeles, April 15 in Philadelphia and April 17 in St. Louis.
The new Honeywell/GEC Marconi HUD 2020 head-up display system began flight tests in February in Honeywell's Gulfstream IV. The HUD 2020, which costs about $500,000 installed, is to be approved for use in all phases of flight, including Category II landings. Honeywell seeks certification of the HUD as an option in the Gulfstream IVSP and G-V for third-quarter 1996 and 1997, respectively. Certification originally was targeted for July 1996 (B/CA, November 1995, page 20). All new G-Vs will be wired for the HUD 2020.
-- Two new features have been added to the MentorPlus FliteMap software program: Digitized NOS instrument charts via laptop computer now include non-precision approaches as well as ILS approaches for all U.S. airfields. Updates are available every 56 days on CD-ROM at an annual subscription cost of $495. This cost includes Jeppesen NavData software for flight planning.
From Magellan Systems comes the compact Sky-Blazer XL VFR GPS receiver, featuring an ``ultrahigh resolution LCD display.'' The company says the detail and bold on-screen characters heighten a pilot's situational awareness. The 14-ounce SkyBlazer XL shows the location of all U.S. airports with runways of at least 1,500 feet, navaids, intersections, special-use airspace and user waypoints. A ``pan mode'' allows the user to scan the map to view what is ahead, behind, left or right of the current position. Price: $699. Magellan Systems, 960 Overland Ct., San Dimas, CA 91773.
An Electric Retract Mechanism (ERM) for inflight video entertainment systems has been developed by Hollingsead International. The ERM is appropriate for large corporate aircraft, according to Hol-lingsead. To install the ERM, the existing speaker panel is replaced with a video panel that Hollings-ead provides. The unit accommodates five-inch-to seven-inch-diagonal LCDs, fits in a seven-inch panel and requires fewer than 25 watts per unit. In cases of power loss or passenger obstruction, the mounting system automatically retracts.
Nomination applications for the 33rd annual Flight Instructor and Maintenance Technician of the Year Awards must be submitted to the FAA by April 26. The FAA-selected winners for 1996 will be flown to the Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-In at Oshkosh, Wisconsin in August to attend a ceremony in their honor and receive prizes.
Bombardier Aerospace and Singapore's Global Aviation have formed a strategic alliance with China Southern Airlines. The alliance has introduced a Western-style business jet charter service based in Zhuhai, China-near Hong Kong and Macao. The current fleet consists of two Learjet 31A-ERs, a Learjet 35A, a 36A and a Challenger 601-3A-ER. A Learjet 55 will be added later. Separately, Bombardier will open a permanent office in Beijing in April to handle aircraft sales and customer support.
A six-member international team is proceeding with development of the Sikorsky S-92 prototypes, aiming for first flight of the large helicopter in 1998 (B/CA, July 1995, page 14). Sikorsky is the leader of the program, heading overall design and final assembly. Jingdezhen Helicopter Group/CATIC will supply the tail section; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build the main cabin; and Aeronautical Industry Development Center (AIDC) will build the cockpit.
A one-week flight trial of prototype Inmarsat Aero-1 aircraft earth station (AES) satcom equipment was scheduled to occur in February on board a Cessna Citation. Inmarsat, the European-based satellite-operating consortium, plans to introduce Aero-1 satellite communications services for corporate jets and regional airliners later this year or in early 1997.
FAA is expected to adopt a series of proposed ADs that will prohibit certain turboprops from flying in freezing rain or freezing drizzle. The ADs also will limit or prohibit the use of various flight-control devices in icing conditions, and will provide flightcrews with recognition cues for severe icing conditions as well as procedures for exiting such conditions. The ADs will apply primarily to commuter aircraft built by ATR, Beech, BAe, Bombardier, CASA, DASA, Embraer, Fairchild and Saab.
On March 29, Sino-Swearingen Aircraft Company is scheduled to break ground for the SJ30 assembly plant in Martinsburg, West Virginia. This ceremony comes after several years of abortive attempts (and a previous ``ground breaking'' ceremony at Martinsburg) to bring the light jet into production (B/CA, February 1995, page 16). The San Antonio-based company expects the plant to be built by March 1997 in order to achieve FAA certification and initial customer deliveries of the SJ30 in March 1998.
Turbine Business Aircraft Sales (Revised 1995 and January 1996) Although this year is off to a traditionally slow start, revised figures for 1995 clearly show that the domestic market for new business jets and turboprops continued its climb. On a global basis, however, year-end sales of both new and used turbines slipped to a total of 2,584 aircraft, 2.5 percent fewer than in 1994. Deliveries of new planes rose 16.8 percent, but that increase was offset by a 5.4 percent drop in resales, according to Wichita-based Av-Data, Inc.
A final decision by the Joint Airworthiness Authorities to eliminate JAA-registered corporate aircraft from ETOPS (extended overwater operations) requirements reportedly is postponed until the end of this month (B/CA, January, page 40). Both the European Business Aviation Association in Brussels, Belgium and the Business Aircraft Users Association, based in Perthshire, Scotland, have confirmed this tabling action. There is no such ETOPS requirement for U.S. corporate-aircraft operations, nor is the FAA considering one.
One of the great joys in life is helping people in need. Americans, in general, have a history of generosity, and many people at Cessna, in particular, have been involved in local charitable activities for years. In fact, hundreds of the Kansas company's employees support the state's Special Olympics Summer Games, which are held annually at Cessna Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University.
Fokker Aircraft chairman Ben Van Schaik says the Dutch manufacturer's subcontract to provide the empennage for the Gulfstream V is secure, even though Fokker is operating under ``suspension of payments'' status and faces an uncertain future. (Majority owner DASA pulled the financial plug in January.) Fokker's Aerostructures unit is responsible for the Gulfstream work, and even if Fokker does not find a buyer for its aircraft manufacturing operations, Van Schaik said Aerostructures is a profitable, successful operation that surely will find a buyer.
National Air Transportation Association (Alexandria, VA)-Kristine Estes is this aviation trade group's new manager of government and industry affairs. She replaces Joseph Sprague, who left in December 1995.
Possibly in the entire history of the conduct of the airman medical certification program, no one decision has created more controversy than that concerning famed pilot Robert A. Hoover. Accusations about the revocation of Hoover's medical certificate ranged from allegations of a personal vendetta by the FAA to an agency bias against aging airmen.
