The corporate aircraft terminal was completed, and emergency maintenance now is available at Petropavlovsk Airport in Kamchatka (UHPP). A Russian visa is not required for RONs. The new airway from north Alaska (R222) is now usable (Baseops International).
FAA recently released Version 5.0 of its Integrated Noise Model software used in noise assessments of new runways, arrival and departure paths, and flight procedures. The new version offers faster calculations, new graphics capability and easier data preparation via Windows. For more information, contact the FAA's Jake Plante in Washington, D.C. at (202) 267-3359 or John Gulding at 267-3654.
For those who have traveled extensively, no first-class accommodation in transportation can equal business aircraft for speed, comfort, security and efficiency-when the combination of aircraft and crew, ATC and ground facilities are at their best. Without exception, the network of fine airports around the world with suitable navigation equipment for ``all-weather'' operations and with ground-service facilities dedicated to business aircraft are an irreplaceable business asset in business aviation.
As a follow-up to its display of the XV- 15 tilt-rotor aircraft in corporate livery at the Paris Air Show in June, Bell Helicopter is actively polling the market to prepare for the possible launch of a small tilt-rotor for executive transport, EMS and utility operations. Details of the design are not firm, but Bell is shooting for a 275-knot aircraft that would sell for a price ranging from $6.5 million to $8 million, which would make it competitive with the Sikorsky S-76. Operating costs are expected to be lower than conventional helicopters', however.
Tamper-Evident thermal transfer labels from Kroy are now available for securing access panels, aircraft doors and fuel inlets on parked aircraft. Any tampering with the labels causes the word ``void'' to appear on both the label and the surface it was covering to indicate that security has been breached. The labels, provided on a 40-foot tape cartridge, are designed for use with the company's K2000 portable label and bar-code printer ($1,095). Tamper-Evident labels are resistant to chemicals, ultraviolet light, and temperature and humidity variances. Price: $39.95.
Four prominent aerospace trade groups representing airliner manufacturers have proclaimed their unified stand against more stringent noise and emissions standards. In a letter to ICAO, the U.S. Aerospace Industries Association, Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, Association Europeenne des Constructeurs de Material Aerospatial and the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies said current rules provide ``significant environmental safeguards'' and ``no [technological] breakthroughs [are] expected in the near future.''
AlliedSignal Aerospace is moving its Commercial Avionics Systems from Prescott, Arizona to the company's operations in Olathe, Kansas. The Prescott facility, to be completely phased out by May 1996, makes FMSes and communications radios for general-aviation aircraft. The company says it ``will continue to meet all its contractual and customer obligations during the transition period.''
Copies of the Pilot Guide to Large Aircraft Ground Deicing (FAA AC 120-58) and the Pilot Guide to Small Aircraft Ground Deicing (AC 135-17) are available from B/CA. The booklets contain general information in addition to specific procedures concerning ground-deicing operations. Single copies of the Guides are available, while they last, for $1 each (to cover postage and handling) from Business&Commercial Aviation, 4 International Dr., Ste. 260, Rye Brook, NY 10573.
MedLink, a medical emergency program from Phoenix-based MedAire, will be a standard feature for buyers of Israel Aircraft Industries' new Astra SPX and Galaxy business jets, and on the Gulfstream V. The MedLink service provides flightcrews with training for inflight medical emergencies, a MedAire first-aid kit and-for the Astra and Galaxy-one year of advisory assistance that enables the flightcrew to have direct, 24-hour radio contact with specially trained physicians.
Planning and construction of Mid-America Airport, a joint-use facility with Scott Air Force Base, is continuing towards an October 1997 opening. Located 24 miles east of St. Louis, the airport will be an FAA-designated reliever for Lambert-St.Louis International. The airfield's two parallel runways will be available for simultaneous use by both civil and military aircraft and will be connected by a 7,000-foot-long taxiway. Business aviation facilities will be built, but the provider for FBO services had not been selected at press time.
Another incarnation of the panel-mount Apollo Flybuddy GPS has been introduced by II Morrow. Known as the Flybuddy GPS Classic, the unit uses an eight-channel parallel GPS sensor, and includes a user-replaceable datacard, 10 flight plans, emergency search, airport city search, pilot-customized nav pages and a countdown timer. Datacards are available for either the Americas or international regions and contain information on all public-use airports. VORs and NDBs. The system fits into the company's standard Apollo Loran receiver tray. Price: $1,695. II Morrow, Inc.
FAA's holiday gift to FAR Part 135 operators is a reminder of three important regulatory compliance deadlines: By December 31, turbine aircraft with 10 to 30 passenger seats must have TCAS I systems installed. Operators with 10 or fewer employees have to implement their FAA-approved alcohol-testing program by January 1, 1996. And, the agency said it will take ``appropriate action'' against any operator that is not in full compliance with revised flight-attendant rest requirements and duty-time limitations by February 1, 1996.
Twenty-five years ago, Cessna introduced the Citation 500, a light business jet with all of the technical sophistication of a Golden Eagle 421 (piston twin) and all of the speed of a fast turboprop. The business-aviation community scoffed. ``Slow-tation'' jokes proliferated, such as the need for special FAA bird-strike certification-from the rear.
On July 17, Piper Aircraft Corporation's four-year effort to emerge from bankruptcy ended. On that momentous day, The New Piper Aircraft Incorporated, a privately held Vero Beach, Florida company backed mainly by the Philadelphia investment firm of Dimeling, Schreiber and Park, and engine-maker Teledyne Industries, purchased the assets of the 58-year-old general-aviation manufacturer.
NBAA Schedulers&Dispatchers Conference is scheduled for January 24-26, 1996 in Nashville at the Opryland Hotel. It will feature a panel discussion on special handling techniques for long-range aircraft, as well as basic and advanced overview sessions on planning and scheduling international trips. Weather topics to be covered include how to use weather maps and weather reports in your local area and how to effectively use terminal forecasts.
Two new U.S. turboprop sales were listed in October 1995-one Raytheon King Air C90B and one Pilatus PC-XII. There were seven turboprop deliveries in October 1994. Domestic resales totaled 28 on a preliminary basis, compared to 70 last October. Sixteen Raytheon/Beech previously owned models sold, while Piper and Mitsubishi each posted four resales. Three used Cessna turboprops were listed, along with one Gulfstream model.
FAA says the Cessna Citation Series 551 business jet, like the Series 501 and 525, is certificated under FAR Part 23 for single-pilot operations and, therefore, is clearly legal to fly with one pilot, under Parts 135 and 91. The clarification was issued at the urging of the National Air Transportation Association to correct a 1984 FAA memo that mistakenly included the 551 with the Citation 550 and 552 series as aircraft requiring a crew of two pilots under Part 135. However, the latter two series can be approved for single-pilot operations under Part 91.
Seattle/Tacoma-Spokane jumped to the top spot among regional-airline passenger markets in the United States during 1994, eclipsing Seattle/ Tacoma-Portland, the previous year's leader. Could it be? ``The introduction of Southwest service in the market produced stronger traffic for all regional airlines, which saw their activity increase by 33.6 percent year-over-year,'' said airline analyst Doug Abbey of Washington, D.C.-based AvStat Associates, developer of the market statistics.
GPS-receiver-manufacturer Magellan Systems and satellite-communications-equipment- maker Racal Avionics jointly will develop and produce an integrated, satellite-based navigation and communications system. The hybrid unit, to be marketed by Racal, will, among other things, provide access to ARINC's GlobaLink worldwide two-way datalink service. Linking VHF digital messaging with satcom will provide ``uninterrupted'' communications, the companies claim. Racal is based in London, England and Magellan is headquartered in San Dimas, California.
Raytheon Aircraft Services' new fuel-purchase discount program, called MaxPower, does not assess a ramp fee charge to customers who do not purchase fuel, as is the case with some other FBO networks, such as Atlantic Aviation and Signature Flight Support (B/CA, November, page 30). MaxPower, which is available at all 18 Raytheon (formerly United Beechcraft) FBOs, provides discounts of up to 40 cents per gallon to avgas customers and up to 55 cents per gallon for jet-fuel customers, based on the quantity of fuel they purchase annually.
KC Aviation has notified approximately 200 operators about potential problems with wood veneers used in their aircraft cabins. KC has begun re-testing and will pay for any required reworking. The company said some veneers might not be fire blocked, and test results for others were not properly recorded. Aircraft that were completed or refurbished in Dallas between April 1987 and May 1995, and in Appleton, Wisconsin between early 1981 and September 1995, are potentially affected. KC discovered the problem in July, and reported it to the FAA.
Joint Aviation Regulations (JAR) Part 145 repair-station privileges have been granted to Manchester, New Hampshire-based Stead Aviation, a provider of STCed avionics and other maintenance and retrofit services. Alliance Engines, a newly FAA-certificated engine maintenance facility in Maryville, Tennessee, also received JAR Part 145 acceptance. JAR Part 145 approval allows companies to perform repairs, inspections and modifications to European-registered aircraft.
AMR Chairman Robert Crandall is a master of the press conference-especially the teleconference press conference in which reporters can call an 800 number and ask the chairman questions. Bryan Bedford, the new young-tiger president of Northwest Airlink Mesaba, and formerly president of Business Express and financial chief at Phoenix Airline Services (d.b.a. Express Airlines I and II), thinks along the same lines. It was the first such teleconference this reporter can recall among regional airline bosses. And, it was very effective.
