FAA's Air Traffic Rules and Procedures Service is considering whether to proceed with a formal change proposal to replace the FAA flight plan form with the more lengthy International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) form. The FAA claims that a standardized form would make it easier for pilots to file from anywhere in the world, and it would reduce software costs for data-link equipment, DUATS and FSSes.
VHF upgrade: ICAO has set this date as the deadline for international business aircraft operators to be equipped with upgraded VHF receivers designed to provide better immunity from FM interference.
Two ``government'' Learjets made headlines in the last year for the worst of reasons. One was a U.S. Air Force C-21A that crashed on April 17 near Alexander City, Alabama. The accident claimed all eight persons aboard, including an assistant Air Force secretary and a major general. The other was a Phoenix Air Learjet 35A operated under contract to the California Air National Guard for which it flew training-support missions. Called ``Dart 21,'' this aircraft crashed when attempting an emergency landing with an electrical system fire.
United Kingdom-based Rolls-Royce has established Rolls-Royce North America (RRNA) as the overseeing organization for the company's U.S.-based operations. RRNA comprises entities including Rolls-Royce of Reston, Virginia and Allison Engine Company in Indianapolis, as well as Rolls-Royce Credit and Capital companies, Peebles Electric, and Syncrolift. Richard T. Turner is chairman, and John W. Sandford is president and CEO of the new organization.
Millville, New Jersey-based UNC Airwork is offering a warranty that covers all overhaul and maintenance work for the full TBO on P&WC PT6As and JT15Ds, AlliedSignal TFE731s, and Rolls-Royce Spey engines and engine modules. Airwork's new ``Engine Life Protection Plan'' is available to operators in the United States, Canada and other selected foreign locations. The company's engine trend-monitoring program is included free of charge. To obtain a facsimile of the warranty certificate, phone Airwork at (609) 825-6000 or fax 825-6408.
In a case that could provide a boost to opponents of the Age 60 rule, a federal court jury sided with a corporate pilot forced to retire from his job with International Paper when he reached age 60. The decision was the first in an Age 60 case to date; others have all been settled out of court. An International Paper spokeswoman said the company has a strong commitment to safety and continues to believe mandatory retirement for its pilots at age 60 is appropriate.
Like most people in the world of work, you've likely heard a lot about the Internet and all it has to offer anyone with a computer and a modem. But so far, you may not have heard what the Internet has to offer business aviation. We've been spending a little time in ``cyberspace'' lately, and discovered plenty of compelling reasons for you to sit in front of your PC, crank up your modem and see what's out there. Even if you're a regular user of one of the online services, you may have wondered what other areas of the Internet have to offer aviation.
America's undying love of baseball, seemingly unshakable until the 1994 players' strike, helped make the 1989 film Field of Dreams a modern classic. But for even the most ardent fan, it took a passion for the national pastime, plus a leap of faith, to believe that Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella should heed a mysterious voice that told him to build a baseball diamond in the middle of a cornfield in order to reconcile himself with his deceased father, a former pro ballplayer.
FAA and general-aviation trade groups are testing three flight-information service products being delivered through Mode S datalink within a 60-nm radius of Dulles International Airport. Aircraft equipped with datalink-capable Mode S transponders and a control-display unit will be able to receive ATIS, graphical weather and text weather services via the datalink. Widespread availability of Mode S datalink services will be possible by next summer, the FAA claims.
Russ Meyer, chairman and CEO of Cessna Aircraft Company, is the chosen recipient of the 1995 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. The award will be presented to Meyer for his ``leadership in the revitalization of general aviation, effective public service, and innovative aviation-related programs and opportunities for the disadvantaged and disabled.'' The National Aeronautic Association will present the award to Meyer at a ceremony on December 15 in Washington, D.C.
The Falcon 900EX's Pri-mus 2000 avionics package-plus related sys- tems-was still early in the development cycle when we flew the aircraft in mid June. However, the new instrument panel configuration said plenty about basic design philosophy. Compared to the Falcon 900B, the instrument panel of the 900EX is less cluttered, and it provides more and easier-to-use information.
When the Falcon 900EX first flew this spring, it did so with certificated production engines. In March, the -60 turbofans became the first of AlliedSignal's second-generation, TFE731 engines to receive FAA certification.
At Dusseldorf's Rhein Ruhr Airport (EDDL), the European Business Aircraft Association (EBAA) reports arbitrary slot allocations seriously restrict corporate access on some days and provide no slots on other days. The EBAA has written the German Ministry of Transport and the European Union for immediate relief.
Officials at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (EHAM) notified the EBAA that its General Aviation Terminal will be closed by year-end. Corporate aircraft will be welcome ``as long as capacity allows.'' The Schiphol Airport authority has taken over nearby Lelystad Airport and intends to develop it ``fully'' by the end of the decade. Corporate-aircraft handling after December 31 at Schiphol will be at a ``temporary site.''
The threat of fees based on noise at all airports never materialized. The present weight-based landing fees remain: up to 50,000 pounds-$88.05 (U.S.); over 50,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds-$110.26; and over 100,000 pounds-$123.19 (Baseops International).
When modern aircraft come to grief, more often than not it's people, rather than systems, who are to blame. The human element continues to be implicated as the primary cause of about three-quarters of aircraft accidents and incidents. And when it comes to human error, pilots are not the only offenders.
Leonard Alexander is the new base manager at this corporate aircraft management, charter and consulting service's newest facility at the Leesburg, Virginia municipal Airport.
High Altitude Radiation Monitoring of Vermont Service (HARMS) has developed a tracking system to monitor aircraft occupant exposure to ionizing radiation, an occupational hazard on certain high-altitude flights. HARMS issues a badge on a quarterly basis to its customers. Then, the badges are collected and analyzed by radiation-specialist physicians after the next quarter's badges are sent out. Customers are notified immediately of unusually high readings. Price: $150 per person for badge and service. High Altitude Radiation Monitoring Service, P.O.
The former Textron Lycoming Flight Services FBO at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Bridgeport, Connecticut is now part of the Dallas-based Million Air family. Tom Sullivan, owner and operator of Million Air Hartford, has become the owner and operator of Million Air Bridgeport. The facility consists of a 44,000-square-foot hangar and a 12,000-square-foot office complex. The addition of the Bridgeport facility brings the number of Million Air FBOs to 25 in 16 states and Toronto.
The current generation of high-performance turbofan aircraft are designed to cruise in the mid forties or above-not for boardroom bragging rights, but for exceptional fuel efficiency, to avoid the traffic congestion of lower altitudes and to top most of the weather. The result is a smoother ride for passengers. A few aircraft even push FL 510 when they are lightly loaded. A price must be paid, however, for such high-performance rewards: Pilots must exercise razor-edge pitch control during climb, cruise and descent.
Comments are due September 18 on an FAA proposal to permit pilots to perform simple maintenance tasks that currently require written exemptions. The proposal applies to pilots of FAR Part 135 aircraft with fewer than 10 seats and would permit removing and installing seats, stretchers, medical oxygen bottles and some panel-mounted avionics. The FAA said it has granted hundreds of exemptions, and no accidents have been attributed to pilots reconfiguring cabins.
Rockwell International filed a formal protest with the U.S. General Accounting Office, objecting to the Pentagon's decision to award the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) contract to Raytheon Aircraft. Rockwell's action follows the protest filed by Cessna in July (B/CA, August, page 17). Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin, head of another team competing for the JPATS contract, withdrew its protest, saying it held little hope that the decision would be overturned.
VisionAire of Chesterfield, Missouri chose Ames, Iowa as the production site for the company's planned Vantage single-engine business jet (B/CA, September, page 60). Ames was selected, VisionAire said, with the expectation that financial incentives promised by local, state and other agencies will be forthcoming to meet the $2.4 million that VisionAire needs to fund development of the prototype. The company anticipates construction of the assembly plant to be completed by June 1997. First flight of the Vantage is targeted for April 1996.
I am embarrassed to report that during my 28-year involvement with the aviation industry I had not made a single pilgrimage to the Aviation Mecca: the annual Experimental Aircraft Association International Fly-In, Convention and Sport Aviation Exhibition-or ``Oshkosh'' as it's known around the world. It always seemed that something more important to a ``business aviator'' was competing for my time. And, after all, the EAA meeting was simply a gathering of homebuilders and kit-airplane enthusiasts, wasn't it?
