General Aviation Manufacturers Association released the second edition of the ARINC 429 general-aviation data bus specifications. New material in this edition includes EFIS-FMS-EFIS data bus protocols, two graphics protocols defining various navigation patterns such as procedure turns and DME arcs, and several non-standard labels presently being used by general aviation. Copies of the new edition are available at $30 each from GAMA, 1400 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005.
David L. Burner has been elected president and a member of the board of directors of this provider of aircraft systems and services. John D. Ong, who had served as president since July 1994, will continue as chairman and CEO.
The University of Kansas has published its 1996 schedule of 32 different Aerospace Short Courses, offered at the Lawrence, Kansas campus and in Williamsburg, Virginia; San Diego; Manchester, England; Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Canberra, Australia.
Bombardier Aerospace has taken a step closer to its customers with the opening of a pilot and mechanic simulator training facility at the company's Montreal headquarters. The training center is a joint venture with CAE Electronics of Montreal. The facility, dedicated on December 7, 1995, currently houses two Canadair Regional Jet simulators and one Challenger 604 simulator. The 66,000-square-foot building could eventually hold up to eight full-motion flight simulators.
Freshly updated are the FAR and AIM books from Aviation Supplies&Academics, Inc. (ASA). The FAR/ AIM ($14.95) combines the FARs, AIM and U.S. Customs Guide into one publication. Included are FAR Parts 1, 43, 61, 67, 71, 73, 91, 97, 103, 105, 135, 137, 141, 143 and NTSB Part 830. FAR for Flight Crew ($16.95) incorporates Parts 1, 25, 63 and 121. FAR for Aviation Technicians ($18.95) has Parts 1, 13, 21, 23, 27, 33, 34, 35, 39, 43, 45, 47, 65, 91, 121, 125, 135, 145, 147, 183 and relevant ACs. ASA, 7005 132nd Pl. SE, Newcastle, WA 98059. (206) 235-1500.
An historic aviation artifact could get a permanent spot in the entertainment industry. The hangar in which Howard Hughes built his giant Spruce Goose will be converted to television sound stages when it becomes part of movie-director Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks production company's new studio. The facility is scheduled to be built on property near Los Angeles International Airport. As for the Spruce Goose itself, the mammoth aircraft resides with Evergreen International Aviation of McMinnville, Oregon, where it is being prepared for showing at a museum.
Nine regional airline stocks tracked by B/CA jumped 33.7 percent in average price per share during 1995. The average price increased from $7.84 per share at the December 1994 market close to $10.48 per share on December 29, 1995. The average ranged from a minimum of $7.83 per share in January to a maximum of $14.30 per share in June. The overall average for the year was $10.84 per share.
Israel Aircraft Industries' Astra SPX received FAA certification on January 8, some 18 months after the new business jet was unveiled at the NBAA convention in October 1994. Two 4,250-pounds-thrust AlliedSignal TFE731-40R turbofans push the SPX to a max cruise of 0.82 Mach. Seats-full range is more than 2,900 nm at 0.75 Mach. The SPX with a Collins Pro Line 4 EFIS has a base price of just under $10 million (B/CA August 1995, page 42).
Transport Canada recently certificated the 640-shp PW206C and the 2,500-pounds-thrust PW530A turbine engines. The PW206C was selected by Agusta for its A109 Power, currently undergoing flight-test in Italy (B/CA, July, 1995, page 14). The twin-turbine helicopter is scheduled to enter service later this year. The PW530A was selected by Cessna for its Citation Bravo business jet. FAA certification of the Bravo is scheduled for April (B/CA, May 1975, page 73).
The minimum altitude for operation of Mode C transponders would drop to 6,000 feet msl (from the current 10,000 feet), and most of the en route primary radar sites could be eliminated by the end of the century, under a draft of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The high cost of maintenance is the chief reason why the FAA wants to eliminate the aging radar system, which identifies aircraft by skin reflections only.
The newly TSOed 90004 air-data computer (ADC) from B&D Instruments and Avionics has joined the company's TAS/Plus air-data family. The Model 90004 was developed to provide an ``economical means'' of secondary air-data inputs for GPS, flight management systems and GPWS. Outputs in RS232/422, ARINC 429 and ARINC 575 data formats are provided. Also available for GPWS is an analog airspeed and altitude output. Price: $4,785 to $5,785, depending upon options ordered. B&D Instruments and Avionics, 209 W. Main, Valley Center, KS 67147. (316) 755-1223.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta can help you stay healthy while traveling abroad. A 24-hour international travelers hot line-(404) 332-4559-offers a menu of comprehensive and updated recorded messages about disease outbreaks, immunization recommendations, and disease risks and prevention for different regions of the world. The information also can be faxed to you.
Three new jets were delivered to customers outside the United States in December-one CitationJet, one Citation V Ultra and one Learjet 31A. Fifteen sales were reported in December 1994. There were four December 1995 resales-Cessna claimed two while Dassault and Raytheon each listed one. Nineteen resales were listed in December 1994. Monthly revisions added two new jet sales to November's total-one CitationJet and one Learjet 31A.
Despite attempts for years by San Jose city officials and others to close Reid-Hillview Airport, the AOPA will stage its 1996 convention at the airport (B/CA, August 1990, page 26). The association had threatened to find another site as a way of protesting the anti-airport forces, but now it hopes to use the convention to ``focus national attention'' on the controversy and as a ``platform to educate decision makers and citizens alike on general aviation's value to area businesses, commerce and quality of life,'' said AOPA president Phil Boyer.
This CAE Electronics full-flight simulator of a Canadair Challenger 601 is not only SimuFlite Training International's 15th business jet simulator, but it is also the company's first to be approved to FAA Level D qualification. A Level D simulator training program can qualify a pilot for a type rating without undergoing training in an actual aircraft.
With the December 1995 publishing of a notice of proposed rulemaking to reduce flightcrew work hours (B/CA, January, page 15), there is an increasing awareness among experts of what constitutes appropriate duty time and crew rest (B/CA, November 1995, page 76).
One of the keys to winning World War II was the rapid conversion of American industry to military manufacturing. Besides building millions of weapons and tens of thousands of vehicles and ships, the arsenal of democracy produced nearly 300,000 aircraft during the war, as aviation technology advanced from biplanes to jets. But by mid-August 1945, when final victory was at hand, U.S. military contracts for $9 billion worth of aviation equipment, including 31,000 aircraft, were canceled. Within two weeks, 450,000 factory workers were idled.
Following a nearly three-year review of its ``Age 60 Rule,'' the FAA now has decided not to change the rule. In addition, the agency said it is denying all pending petitions that were filed requesting rulemaking or exemptions to the rules. When the FAA launched its review in early 1993, proponents of allowing airmen over the age of 60 to serve as airline pilots were hopeful that the agency was taking the first steps toward modifying the rule (B/CA, June 1993, page 23).
``Legacy,'' a new CD-ROM produced by NASA's Langley Research Center, places 179 NASA and National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NASA's predecessor agency) reports literally at your fingertips. The reports, described as ``general aviation highlights from eight decades of NACA/NASA research,'' range from basic studies of landing technique and spin recovery to detailed studies of a range of stability and control issues.
Inadequate pilot training and fuel contaminated with water caused the crash of a helicopter near Boston on February 22, 1995, said the NTSB. Two Massachusetts State Police (MSP) pilots and two AT&T employees died when the Eurocopter AS-350B crashed into a Harvard University boat house. The Safety Board said the fuel came from an MSP fuel-storage tank that had not been maintained in 14 years and that contained rust and water. The Board's report on the accident also said the MSP had provided the pilot with only one training session in the past five years.
This FBO and FAA-certificated repair station added three new staff members: D. Chris Heredia as vice president and general manager, James Welch as technical service salesperson and Jim Wilcox as manager of avionics.
Corporate traffic to international airports Hanoi (VVGL), Danang (VVDN) and Ho Chi Minh City (VVTS) has increased, according to operator reports from the last six months. Ground handling and overflight services are arranged by Southeast Asia Air/Bangert Associates, with U.S. offices at 11 Green St., Boston, MA 02130. Phone: (617) 522-7810 (Jeppesen U.K.). R.B.P.
There are no reports yet of new turboprop deliveries for December 1995 and only one such sale was closed in December 1994. Three resales were listed-one each for Raytheon, Gulfstream and Piper. There were ten resales in December 1994. While November revisions added no new sales, the update included eight resales. None of these were reported initially.
