At press time, the first Learjet 45 was undergoing final checks in preparation for its inaugural flight. The flight-test program will be initiated on aircraft 45-001, the first production unit. But Learjet chose to use serial number 45-002 for the rollout ceremony on September 22, because it could be painted for the occasion without disrupting preparations for the first flight. (Original plans called for the inaugural flight to occur before the NBAA convention.)
Sikorsky Aircraft relocated its S-76 helicopter program management and marketing office from Stratford, Connecticut to West Palm Beach, Florida. ``Current and future customers will now be able to contact one facility for all their S-76 needs,'' said Sikorsky. West Palm Beach has been home to Sikorsky's final assembly plant, flight-test facility, training operations and customer delivery center since 1977. S-76 airframe assembly and several subassembly operations will remain at the Stratford plant.
Barely a year after celebrating passage of federal product-liability reform legislation, the aviation community is finding Washington to be an extremely hostile environment. Hardly a week goes by without the industry having to dive into its foxhole to avoid another salvo of misdirected regulation from the DOT or some legislative tax grenade hurled down from Capitol Hill.
Gary Adams, director of the Arizona Aeronautics Division, was elected president of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) at the organization's 64th annual meeting. He succeeds Gary Ness, director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission.
FAA has codified in the FARs a previously announced policy that permits pilots to deviate from ATC clearances when they are responding to a TCAS Resolution Advisory (B/CA, June 1994, page 15). Revised FAR Part 91.123 permits pilots to respond to an RA immediately, although they must advise ATC as soon as possible. A reminder: December 31 is the deadline for commercial operators of FAR Part 135 turbine-powered aircraft with 10 to 30 passenger seats to have TCAS I systems installed, and operators must complete an FAA-approved TCAS course.
NTSB and FAA report that wake-vortex flight tests completed recently provided a great deal of data but revealed no significant clues as to the cause of the September 1994 crash of a USAir Boeing 737 near Pittsburgh. Detailed results of the tests will be disclosed on November 15 when the Safety Board is scheduled to open public hearings on the accident (B/CA, September, page 22).
The Phillips 66 self-service fueling program is at a standstill, and in October the company entered mediation with Cornerstone Fuels, the supplier of the self-fueling units. Since launching the program in mid 1993, Phillips and Cornerstone have fallen far short of their goal of installing at least 20 self-service units a year (B/CA, December 1993, page 42). Meanwhile, Chevron Aviation, which launched its self-service fueling program in early 1994, has reportedly installed more than 30 units (B/CA, May 1994, page 18).
Standard Aero of Winnipeg, Manitoba now is marketing Crosscheck, a trend-monitoring system for Pratt&Whitney Canada PT6As. Crosscheck, developed in cooperation with Altair Corporation of Norwood, Massachusetts, is designed to record exceedances of critical engine parameters such as torque, temperature, gas-generator turbine speed and power turbine speed. The company says Crosscheck hardware can be installed in less than three hours, and that engine data can be downloaded to a Windows-based laptop PC. The system can record up to 500 flights and 1,500 events.
Conflicts over fueling rights at Illinois' DuPage Airport have been settled, with the airport's operating authority becoming the exclusive fuel-providing FBO. An agreement with independent J.A. Air Center has given fueling rights to the airport authority's DuPage Flite Center and, in return, the authority relinquished all its non-fuel-related services, including avionics repair, chartering, flight training and airframe/engine maintenance.
Major international handlers remind operators that European ATC slots are now issued through Eurocontrol Central Flow Management Unit (B/CA, May, page 30). The filing of a flight plan prompts the Integrated Initial Flight Plan Processing System to issue a slot-allocation message no earlier than two hours prior to the estimated time of departure.
Express Airlines I owner Michael Brady has named Jim Nides vice president of flight operations. Nides was most recently director of operations at Delta Connection Comair, where he was one of the original pilots and a 16-year veteran of the company. At Express, which operates as a Northwest Airlink carrier at both Memphis and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nides will oversee flight operations, flight training, system-operation control and publications and compliance. He is type-rated in the EMB-110 and 120, Saab 340, Shorts 360 and the Canadair Regional Jet.
B&D Instruments and Avionics reports TSO approvals for its new solid-state flight recorders for large corporate aircraft. The Model 91005 Digital Flight Data Recorder ($13,500) is qualified to TSO C124 and meets the requirements of ARINC 747. The Model 89005 Cockpit Voice Recorder ($12,500) is qualified to TSO C123, and operates from either a 115-VAC 400-HZ source or a 27.5-VDC source. (Both recorders have been selected for the Gulfstream V.) B&D Instruments and Avionics, 209 W. Main, Valley Center, KS 67147. (316) 755-1223.
Bell Helicopter (Fort Worth)-Michael Robbins has been appointed this manufacturer's managing director in India and vice president of Textron India Incorporated.
Now lissen up, Hersch, and lissen up all you readers as well. The Congress of these United States is on a house-wrecking binge which could, if put in place, mean severe unemployment for those of you who move company nabobs around in their own aerial conveyances.
FAA adopted new security regulations requiring 10-year employment history background checks of individuals applying for positions that will authorize them to have unescorted access to secure areas at airports. The new rules, which go into effect January 31, 1996, will disqualify applicants who have been convicted of certain crimes within the past decade. Also, an applicant's job history will have to be reviewed for ``unexplained gaps'' in employment. The current rule requires a five-year employment history and less-stringent employment verification procedures.
Don Martin is back in the Aspen, Colorado market. His new start-up TriStar Airlines on December 15 will begin three-day-a-week service from Los Angeles to the popular, upscale ski resort.
Alpha Flying has purchased five Pilatus PC-12s for a fractional-ownership operation that will be based in Norwood, Massachusetts. The company is selling quarter shares in the new, single-engine turboprop for $625,000. Monthly management fees are $4,700. Owners are allotted 175 occupied flight hours per year at $510 per hour, and Alpha is guaranteeing a six-hour response time. Alpha's purchase brings the number of PC-12 orders to 57.
Training for Hawker 800 and 1000 pilots is scheduled to begin at SimuFlite Training International in the first quarter of 1996. SimuFlite will acquire the FAA Level C simulator formerly operated by Reflectone Training Center at Dulles International Airport and relocate it to the company's Dallas headquarters. Separately, SimuFlite now offers a three-day, FAA-approved accelerated recurrent training program as an alternative to its traditional five-day program.
Cincinnati-based Aviation Research Group/U.S. and AMSTAT Corporation of Fair Haven, New Jersey are teaming up to provide operating cost data on business aircraft. The alliance is designed to provide aircraft brokers and dealers with accurate data that can be used to develop comparative cost analyses and budget projections on a serial-number-specific basis for prospective aircraft owners.
Aero Cosmetics urges pilots to baby their aircraft with its reusable, 100-percent cotton, two-ply diapers for all cleaning purposes. Machine washable and dry-able, the diapers are soft and absorbent. Price: $26.95 per dozen, plus shipping and handling. Aero Cosmetics, P.O. Box 460025, San Antonio, TX 78246. (210) 525-0707.
AirPlan, a PC-based flight-planning product unveiled by Baseops International of Houston, enables operators to request flight via a laptop computer. The new system features North Atlantic Track selection; optimized random route and altitude capability; worldwide MSA data; graphical displays of winds, temperature, routings and Flight Information Regions; multi-user access; automatic track selection; global navdata updates; and more.
On the home stretch of the final assembly line at Raytheon Aircraft in Wichita are the first two production Hawker 800XP (Extended Performance) mid-size business jets. The aircraft were brought over green from Chester, England for systems and interiors installation in Kansas. Then, the company's Little Rock, Arkansas location will do the completions. Transfer of Hawker production from Chester to Raytheon's expanded facilities in Wichita will begin this fall and will be completed in 1997.
Before you drop the big bucks for an ultra-long-range business jet in Montreal or Savannah, there's a guy out in Renton, Washington who would love to pitch you an airplane.
Certain P&WC engines now are covered by an extended manufacturer warranty period. A 2,500-hour/five-year non-prorated warranty period now applies to the following engines used in corporate aircraft operations only: PT6A-21, PT6A-42, PT6A-60A, PT6A-64, PT6A-67B turboprops and JT15D-5 turbofans. Montreal, Quebec-based Pratt&Whitney Canada says the warranty covers basic unscheduled removals for engines damaged as a result of defects in manufacture or materials.
