Dave was amazed as he parked his car outside the hangar. He was disturbed, actually, by a serious episode of hydroplaning in his much-loved 4x4 on the way to work. Dave knew something about hydroplaning, of course. What pilot didn't? But Dave just hadn't figured that a little water on the road could lift the tires of his vehicle off the pavement enough to cause him a momentary loss of control.
Corporate operators using newly opened Macau International Airport report that services are prompt and efficient. Costs are described as ``reasonable.''
Canadair, The First Fifty Years, a new book by retired Canadair executive Ron Pickler and Larry Milberry, traces the company's roots as a ship builder that produced aircraft designed by other manufacturers to its later-generation status as a major contender in the design and building of business and regional jets. The authors devote a chapter each to the Challenger, Canadair under Bombardier and the Regional Jet and Global Express. Available from Canav Books of Toronto, Ontario, the 392-page book with hundreds of photos costs $45 postage paid.
Through February 29, those who own a portable GPS can purchase an eight-channel Apollo Precedus from an authorized II Morrow dealer, and then trade in their used hand-held GPS directly with II Morrow for a Precedus trade-up accessory package, valued from $459 to $799. Eligible for trade-in are Apollo's own 920 series (sweetened by an additional $150 to $250 cash rebate) and any portable GPS manufactured by Gar-min, Trimble or Magellan.
Watch for rising costs and shortages of domestic and imported refrigerants, solvents and other aircraft products containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). As of January 1, products containing ozone-depleting CFCs no longer are permitted to be manufactured in the United States-with some exceptions. Two replacements for CFCs also will be phased out over a longer timetable: HCFC-22 by 2020 and -123 by 2030. For more information and a list of currently available alternate products, contact the U.S.
Revised rules for Wisconsin aircraft owners requires biennial aircraft registration for aircraft less than 3,000 pounds MTOW and substantially increased late-registration penalty fees on all aircraft. In addition, a separate tax-exempt number has been established for aircraft dealerships, and antique aircraft are redefined as any aircraft built in 1955 or earlier. For more information, contact the state's aircraft registration office at (608) 266-1861.
The newest FBO to open its doors at North Dakota's Hector International Airport (FAR) is Fargo Jet Center. Fargo is operated by Patrick Sweeney, president (left), and his brother, James Sweeney, vice president. The new facility sells Texaco fuel and other line services on a 24-hour basis. A 12,000-square-foot hangar is used for maintenance and storage. A second hangar is scheduled to be built in the spring.
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.
