You can sum up John Rahilly's strategy for KC Aviation in one word: growth. Rahilly was named president of the maintenance, completions and charter-services company in late July, succeeding Richard Emery, one of the longtime fixtures in the business. However, Rahilly is no stranger to KC. He's been with the company for 12 years, including a five-year stint as general manager of the Appleton, Wisconsin facility. Prior to assuming the post of president, Rahilly was vice president of marketing and sales.
AlliedSignal's General Aviation Avionics division introduced the GNS-Xls, a larger screen version of the GNS-X single-box flight management system family. The new FMS has a 5.5-inch, full-color, flat-panel liquid-crystal-display screen. Similar to the GNS-X, the Xls will have an internally mounted, eight-channel, GPS Xpress satellite navigation receiver that will enable the new FMS to earn TSO C129 A1/B1/C1 non-precision approach certification. The display, however, is limited to alphanumeric characters.
Embraer Aircraft Corporation (Fort Lauderdale, FL)-Samuel D. Hill is the new president of this U.S. subsidiary of Embraer, a Brazil-based manufacturer of regional aircraft.
There is a war in the skies over Europe, but it does not have to do with Fokkers and Sopwith Camels . . . well, maybe sort of. It does involve Fokkers, but the war is one of words and exactly who dominates the skies over Europe in terms of regional jets. ``In reaction to a gross misrepresentation in a recent press release issued by Avro International Aerospace, Fokker feels it necessary to set the record straight,'' the Dutch manufacturer said in recent press release of its own.
The NBAA chose this year's convention in late September as the venue to introduce its new Internet web site. Like many other businesses and organizations, the NBAA has joined the ``Internet Revolution'' and opened an electronic site, enabling its members and the public to contact the organization via personal computer. While anyone equipped with a PC, a modem and inexpensive Internet software (called a ``browser'') can visit the new ``home page,'' only NBAA members will be able to use all the features it provides.
New-start regional jet carrier ``air 21'' has turned to the Fokker F28 as its centerpiece, the Fresno, California-based company has announced. Chairman and CEO Mark Morro said the first two Series 4000 twinjets were delivered in September. An additional 12 airplanes will be delivered during the following months, he added. Air 21 had initially planned to utilize DC-9s.
FBO Resource Group (Denver)-George F. Brewer, a veteran FAA executive who retired from the agency as manager of the Denver Airport Development Office, has joined this FBO consultant company.
New from The Fab Shop is the Towmaster Model 1000 all-electric tow cart, with a built-in recharging system. One person can operate the tug, and it ``is capable of moving small aircraft up to 15,000 pounds into tight spots.'' The Model 1000's ground power unit is capable of handling either 12- or 14-volt systems. Other standard features allow for safety, security and nighttime operations. Price: $3,995. The Fab Shop, 400 N. Walnut, McPherson, KS 67460. (316) 241-1570.
Canadair's Challenger 604, which received Transport Canada certification on September 20, topped several of its performance targets. Canadair claims that range is now 4,060 nm, empty weight is 200 pounds lighter, takeoff length is 440 feet shorter and landing distance is down 275 feet. Canadair also introduced a three-year/3,000-hour warranty package on the entire airframe and all systems. The primary airframe structure warranty was boosted to 10 years/10,000 hours. FAA certification was expected by the end of October.
Final results from flight tests this spring at the FAA Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey confirmed that a Federal Express Boeing 727 made 100 ``hands off'' Category III approaches guided by DGPS signals, according to data issued by the FAA and Wilcox Electric. All the autolandings and sensor accuracies were within a 95-percent accuracy zone set by the FAA.
Support for the worldwide fleet of 425 IAI Jet Commanders, Westwinds and Astras is on the verge of getting a significant boost, according to Israel Aircraft Industries. ``Several million dollars'' will be spent to increase the manpower dedicated to both spares and technical support. Also, IAI will rewrite all maintenance and technical manuals and parts pricing catalogs to ``make them clearer and more concise.'' Meanwhile, service hours at IAI's main customer support center have been extended, and early in 1996, the company plans to open a spares facility on the U.S.
With just a few hours between the events, the FAA, in a brief ceremony, granted one-year-old Alliance Engines its repair station certificate, and the company opened its first work order.
Phoenix-based Garrett Aviation Services is working on marketing a hush-kit program aimed at bringing Lockheed JetStar IIs and 731 JetStars into compliance with FAR Part 36, Stage 3 noise standards. An STC, being developed by Star 3 STC, Incorporated (a new California-based company), is expected in December. Meanwhile, Quiet Nacelle of Miami is nearing completion of its four-year effort with Britain's Aravco to certificate a Stage 3 hush kit in BAC 1-11s (B/CA, October 1992, page 22). The BAC 1-11 400 series is now scheduled to be certificated in June 1996.
National Flight Services, the Tampa, Florida company that has been overhauling TPE331 engines for nearly two decades, received an STC for modifications that ``significantly increase compressor section efficiency'' for TPE331-1 and -2 series turboprops.
Care Flight, the emergency medical helicopter program of northern Nevada's Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority (REMSA), based in Reno, is the first EMS provider to place a McDonnell Douglas MD900 Explorer into operation as an emergency medical transport aircraft. Previously, REMSA had leased an Alouette helicopter from Rocky Mountain Helicopters, which will now provide all maintenance and service functions for the Explorer.
Two U.S. turboprop sales were recorded in September 1995-one Beech King Air C90B and one King Air 350. Ten new sales were listed during September 1994. There were 36 resales compared to 78 in September 1994. Beech listed 21, Piper six, and three used Mitsubishi turboprops sold. Gulfstream and Swearingen each sold two used models and Cessna and SOCATA both posted single resales.
In the September ``Maintenance Resource Management'' feature, we reported that Grey Owl Aviation Consultants was located in Manitoba, Ontario, Canada. It should have read Onanole, Manitoba, Canada.
Cal Corporation of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is marketing an airborne telephone providing voice, fax and data services via American Mobil Satellite Corporation's AMSC-1 satellite. The firm says its Calquest phone services cover an area extending from Alaska to the Panama Canal and 200 miles off the North American coasts. Two special features are claimed for the Calquest: a low price of $15,500 (compared to that of other flight phones) and ease of use.
AlliedSignal, Bell Helicopter and Allison Engine Company have begun testing an accumulator staging valve (ASV) to prevent rotor droop in helicopters. Rotor droop occurs when the available torque to a helicopter's blade is reduced and rotor speed momentarily drops. A Bell 206L-4T TwinRanger, powered by two Allison 250-C20R turbines, is being used for the flight-test program. Following FAA certification on the TwinRanger, ASV conversion kits will be developed for other applications, including AlliedSignal (Lycoming) LTS-101 engines and other Allison 250 engines.
Following in the footsteps of Signature Flight Support and some other FBOs, all Atlantic Aviation facilities now are charging a ramp service fee to customers who do not purchase fuel. However, under the company's new Incentive Fuel Pricing program, the per-gallon cost of fuel decreases on a sliding scale, based on the maximum fuel capacity of the aircraft. AOPA members with piston aircraft receive an additional five percent off the price of avgas over the IFP discount price.
Available from Sporty's Pilot Shop is the JD-200 handheld transceiver, the follow-on to the A300. Newly incorporated features are a CDI with OBS and an LOC. Sporty's claims screen lighting has been improved, and keypad lighting has been added. EIght AA batteries operate the unit, and it can be powered by an optional cigarette-lighter adapter in aircraft with either a 12- or 24-volt system. The JD-200's other features are 760 comm frequencies, 200 nav frequencies, 20 memory channels, a to/from indicator for VOR operations, duplex communications and a low-battery indicator.
