Passengers can enjoy a pilot's eye view via Aerial View Systems' AVS460 miniature color video camera. The camera is recessed into the cockpit glareshield and automatically adjusts to different viewing attitudes for taxi, takeoff and landing. Included with the camera system are a camera control unit, servo programmer, cables and connectors, and installation hardware. The system has been DO-160C tested for magnetic interference and for conducting and radiating electronic noise. Price: $12,000. Aerial View Systems, P.O. Box 9905, Newport Beach, CA 92658. (714) 759-1321.
Cessna's newest business jet, the eight-passenger Excel, has entered flight test on its way toward FAA certification in mid 1997 (B/CA, November 1994, page 18). The Excel, which made its first flight on February 29, combines a truncated Citation X cabin with the Citation V Ultra's wing and empennage. The new jet will have a maximum speed of 436 knots and a 1,600-nm range. A pair of P&WC 3,640-pounds-thrust PW545A turbofans powers the Excel. Thrust reversers and single-point refueling are standard. The purchase price currently is $6.595 million.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games are cosponsoring a conference on May 9 and 10 to provide operators with details of special ATC procedures that will be in effect during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta-July 19 through August 4. The conference fee is $35. For more information, contact Gary Stephens at (770) 946-7761. Meanwhile, the FAA published Special FAR 47 outlining the ATC procedures that will be in effect from May 15 to August 11.
The RAA is challenging the FAA's proposed flight-time and rest requirements based on the application of research science used to justify the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The RAA joins the Air Transport Association (ATA) and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) in stinging renunciation of the proposal.
Arizona Rotorcraft (Mesa, AZ)-George Adams has been promoted to director of marketing, and Dennis Linde was hired as Northeast sales and service representative at this authorized maintenance center for Allison engines.
The NBAA's Cabin Attendants Workshop is slated for May 11 in Dallas. The program will highlight the cabin attendant's managerial role that is critical to the safety and comfort of the passengers. Speakers will discuss various facets of this responsibility, such as developing a professional attitude, cockpit-cabin relations, budgeting techniques, duty and rest cycles, fatigue and health. The fee is $150 for NBAA members; $225 for non-members. Call (202) 783-9284 to register.
Why has it taken so long for the Advanced Qualification Program to take hold? While the philosophy underlying the program is fairly straightforward, implementing an AQP is a daunting task, requiring a sophisticated examination of what aviators do, how they do it, and how they are taught to do it. Here's a quick guide to building an AQP. Phase 1-Application. The opening shot is an application to the FAA that includes a basic outline of the proposed AQP and the plan for implementing the program.
The Flight Safety Foundation's 41st annual Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar, which convenes Wednesday, April 24 through Friday, April 26 in Orlando, will focus on the theme ``Solutions Today for a Safe Tomorrow.''
The opportunities and risks of doing business in Vietnam are significant, according to Charles Childers, president of Seattle-based Yukon Pacific Company, an aviation consultancy with substantial business interests in the country.
The Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS), initiated two years ago by the Helicopter Association International, became a stand-alone organization in February. The HAI's goal was to produce a program to help reduce air-tour industry accidents. TOPS recommends safety actions to be taken on five fronts: flight operations, management, maintenance, ground support and equipment. Compliance with suggested standards will bring air-tour operators up to FAR Part 135 standards, according to TOPS officials in Kirkland, Washington.
The second annual fly-in for owners of Twin Commanders will be held April 18-21 in San Antonio. This year's convention will focus heavily on maintenance tips, engine analyses, systems trouble-shooting, flight operations and controlling costs. The meeting also will have presentations and exhibits by Commander vendors. For more information, contact the Twin Commander Flight Group, 601 N.W. Jefferson, Ste. 5, Blue Spring, MO 64014. Phone: (816) 224-0346; fax: (816) 224-6877.
Rapidly expanding demand on ATC and emergence of new technologies like GPS and digital datalink are driving free-flight implementation, FAA Administrator David Hinson said at a free-flight kickoff on March 15. The concept allows pilot-selected routings, altitudes and speeds; and it will be safer, faster and will yield additional airspace capacity. Business jets already are the biggest single users of the National Route Program, a precursor to free flight, which likely will take at least a decade to fully implement (B/CA, June 1995, page 90).
The Duncan-Lightfoot bill that would create an independent FAA, was approved in the House in mid March. Representative Jim Lightfoot (R-IA) said the approval should be a ``clear signal'' to DOT Secretary Federico Pea that ``real aviation reform begins with restoring the FAA to an independent agency status, not with unjustified new aviation taxes.'' Pea wants a presidential veto of the legislation. At press time, Senate legislation calling for new user fees for operations and certification was under consideration.
S-TEC Corporation is introducing its first product for the helicopter industry: a stability and control augmentation system (SCAS). The system is scheduled to be FAA approved in the fall, with the first STC to be completed for the Bell 206L-4. The Mineral Wells, Texas company says the basic SCAS (with a force trim optional) will be the first of a complete family of helicopter flight-control systems. S-TEC has been manufacturing flight-control systems for general-aviation airplanes since 1978.
An advisory circular on recognizing and coping with the loss of tail-rotor effectiveness (LTE) now is available. New AC 90-95, ``Unanticipated Right Yaw in Helicopters,'' also describes the conditions under which LTE may occur. Copies of the circular are available free of charge from the FAA, Flight Standards Service, AFS-804, 800 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20591.
''Forum 52,'' the American Helicopter Society's (AHS) 52nd Annual Forum and Technology Display will be held June 4-6 in Washington, D.C. This is the segment of the vertical-flight industry where engineers will meet with the user community to face a major global challenge: to reduce acquisition and operating costs so the industry can expand helicopter uses and applications.
The biennial International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) comes to Germany's Berlin-Schonefeld Airport May 13-19, touting a larger indoor exhibition area, shorter walks and more compact displays. Show planners are hoping to top 1994's statistics, which tallied 141,000 visitors and 250 aircraft of all categories and classes. Business aircraft exhibitors expected include Aerospatiale, Bell Helicopter, Canadair, Cessna (bringing the Citation Excel), Embraer Aircraft, Keystone Helicopter, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter and Saab Aircraft.
Your medical has been denied. Now what? Contrary to what you may have heard or read elsewhere, you do not immediately call an attorney or your congressman. Unfortunately, the alarmist perception was strengthened by the recent recertification saga involving air-show pilot Bob Hoover and what many people in the aviation industry felt was his unjustified, unfair grounding. In Hoover's case, there was tremendous publicity regarding how the matter was handled and resolved-allegedly through legal channels.
Transport aircraft's gust-load design standards have been revised by: adding a new requirement for a discrete tuned gust, modifying the method of establishing the airspeed for maximum gust intensity, and providing for an operational rough airspeed. The FAA says the proposed changes would be a ``more rational basis'' to account for the ``aerodynamic and structural dynamic characteristics'' of the airplanes. The changes also harmonize the FARs with European Joint Aviation Regulations (JARs).
Austin, TX-Fort Worth Jet Center purchased Austin Aero Center, an FBO at Mueller Airport. Austin Aero previously was owned by PLM International of San Francisco. Austin Aero offers 24-hour service, courtesy cars, on-site rental cars, conference room, crew and passenger lounges and computerized flight planning. (512) 479-6666.
The Mexican government has directed local airport officials to stop collecting a N$680 (approximately US$94) fee from corporate-registered aircraft, as long as they are operating on a non-commercial basis, according to the AOPA. At the beginning of the year, officials started charging the fee for any aircraft registered to a company-on the assumption it was a commercial flight. The AOPA cautioned, ``Pilots will have to prove to local [airport] commandants their non-commercial status.''
UXR seeks to make it easier for operators to perform their own hot-section inspections-affordably. The four-millimeter FF4000 Series PT6 flexible borescopes feature forward viewing direction with two-way articulation, +/-120 degrees (240 degrees overall range) once inside the engine. These instruments have built-in torque protection with quick release to prevent damage. Working lengths up to two meters can be ordered. Price: $3,600 without light source; $4,025 with light source. UXR, 67 W. Easy St., Unit 118, Simi Valley, CA 93065. (805) 527-9219.
The latest in headsets from SoftComm is The White Knight, Model C-35. For individual comfort, the unit offers several adjustment points. The black metal headband with a pillow-foam headpad adjusts automatically to fit head contours. The earcups rotate, al-lowing the headset to be compacted into a ball for easy storage. A new ``gooseneck''-style flex-boom enables exact positioning of the microphone. Price: $139.95. SoftComm Products, Inc., 2310 S. Airport Blvd., Chandler, AZ 85249. (602) 917-2328.
The Nilfisk GB833 vacuum is a dual-function system that sands metal and fiberglass parts of an aircraft to prepare for painting while, at the same time, it vacuums up the resulting paint dust and residue. The sander/vacuum combination prevents workers from inhaling toxins, and lowers dust levels to keep work surfaces more visible in the painting preparation area. The system has a tank capacity of 18 gallons of dry bulk. An optional ``HEPA filter'' can be ordered to ensure that ``99.97 percent'' of all ultra-fine particulates are retained.
