The following sources provide information on the effects and hazards of high-altitude flight: -- Mohler, Stanley R., ``A Sudden High-Altitude Cabin Decompression Immediately Threatens Safety of Aircraft Crew and Passengers,'' Human Factors&Aviation Medicine, Vol. 41, No. 6, November-December 1994. Flight Safety Foundation, 2200 Wilson Blvd., Ste. 500, Arlington, VA 22201. (703) 522-8300. -- Reinhart, Richard O., Fit to Fly, 1993. Tab Books Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294. (717) 794-2191.
Northrop Grumman will use a full-scale airfoil section of a Gulfstream business jet to demonstrate a ``smart-wing'' concept. The company is undertaking the project under a research contract administered by the U.S. Air Force's Wright Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio. Researchers aim to show that using new-technology materials and structures to change the wing's shape in flight will net greater payload, longer range and lower operating costs. Northrop Grumman will develop a system of ``smart'' actuators that can change the airfoil cross section.
The Astra SPX has one of the most versatile and capable avionics suites ever installed in a business airplane. All too often, system sophistication can overwhelm the pilot with myriad functions and arcane operating controls. Breathe easy. The Astra SPX's Pro Line 4 avionics, in our opinion, is one of the most intuitive layouts we've yet seen. This is Pro Line 4 at its best.
SoftComm Products' new Model C-45M ``Prince'' headset weighs less than 11 ounces and features eight built-in adjustment points so that every user is a ``perfect fit.'' Oversized earseals surround the ears and block out sound. The adjustable earcups are filled with a foam material yielding an average noise-reduction rating of -23 dB. SoftComm says Prince's advantages are its three-way articulating fulcrum, contoured mike boom, the RF immune microphone and heavy-duty gold-plated plugs attached to 70-inch cables. Price: $98. SoftComm Products, 2310 S.
The medical caregiver's creed states, in part: ``First, do no harm.'' It's a concept the rulemakers at the FAA would do well to embrace as they work to reform the certification and operations regulations governing commuter aircraft (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 95-5). In essence, the proposed rulemaking would impose Part 121 operating standards on scheduled carriers now using 10- to 19-seat aircraft under Part 135, and it would require expensive modification of existing aircraft.
FAA is investigating the circumstances surrounding the issuing and receiving of bogus type ratings. At press time, the agency had removed the certification authority of up to six FAA inspectors, and revoked or suspended the certificates of nearly 30 pilots allegedly involved in the scam-a group that included persons employed as corporate pilots. The agency said there is no evidence that any of those who received the fraudulent ratings used them to actually fly the aircraft, many of which were warbirds and other classics.
The crew of Air Express 1632 was nearing the end of a 14-hour, seven-leg day. One more landing, and they could head for Louisiana's Shreveport Comfort Inn and 10 hours of rest. Well, maybe seven hours of actual rest. Bill Stadnik, in the left seat, had been flying the Brasilia for five years-two of them as captain. Maria Sanchez, the copilot, was just completing her first year with the company and had come to know the Embraer pretty well. Bill was flying this leg from Beaumont to Shreveport. Michael Cray dispensed peanuts and beverages in the back.
Pratt&Whitney Canada (P&WC) PW305A engines on the Learjet 60 rank high among operators' favorite features. The turbofans are flat-rated at 4,600 pounds-thrust for takeoff up to 74F, but APR extends that thrust rating to 88F. The full-authority digital engine controls (FADECs)-a first for a Learjet-automate most functions including start, takeoff thrust setting, thrust adjustments for anti-ice bleeds and even automatic relight, should the need occur.
Consumer concern over commuter safety is waning, East Coast fares are rising and investors are betting on improved earnings for publicly held regional airlines in the June quarter.
Learjet 60 operators, at times, sound as though they are paid sales staff. They crow about the aircraft climbing directly to FL 410 in 11 to 14 minutes. They say it rivals the Learjet 35 for direct operating cost. They claim it offers more cabin comfort than any previous Learjet they have operated.
NTSB sent the FAA 10 recommendations that would require air-tour operators to meet still more stringent requirements. At press time, the FAA had not responded, but the National Air Transportation Association claims tour operators are highly regulated now, and another layer of rules will ``suffocate'' the industry. The Safety Board based its actions on a study of 139 accidents from October 1988 to April of this year. Of the 722 persons aboard, 117 (16.2 percent) were killed.
A proposed noise-compatibility program for Saipan International Airport in the Northern Mariana Islands has been submitted to the FAA. The agency is scheduled to approve or disapprove the proposal under FAR Part 150 guidelines on or before September 25. To obtain more information and to submit comments, contact David J. Welhouse at the FAA in Honolulu. Phone: (808) 541-1243.
After a gestation period going back to mid 1991 and several false starts, Sikorsky Aircraft announced in Paris that it definitely plans to build the 19-passenger S-92 Helibus medium-lift helicopter (B/CA, September 1991, page 30 and April 1994, page 22). With the help of several international partners, including Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Brazil's Embraer, and firms in China and Spain, Sikorsky hopes to fly the aircraft in 1998 and certify it in 2000. G-IVB IS IN A GULFSTREAM HOLDING PATTERN
Australia-Brisbane Oceanic ATC Sector telephone (to be used only if HF comm is lost) is 61-7 866 3483. China-Opening of Macau International Airport, originally scheduled for this month, is delayed several months.
The controversy surrounding the proliferation of unapproved parts came to a head recently at a U.S. Senate government affairs subcommittee meeting. The FAA said the problem is one of the least serious threats to safe flight and has never been identified as the cause of accidents. But, the DOT's inspector general, Mary Schiavo, said unapproved parts could devastate safety. In addition, Schiavo charged that Anthony Broderick, one of the FAA's top officials, tried to interfere with a DOT investigation into the bogus-parts issue.
General aviation subscribers to Jeppesen charts will be selected to evaluate a proposed redesign of approach plates. The redesign includes these changes: approach data arranged in horizontal strips across the top of the plate, critical data in larger boldface type, symbolic depiction of approach lights and modular arrangements of certain data. Subscribers in the GA group are to be selected by year-end. Thirty airlines have already completed an evaluation.
Who will speak for the general aviation manufacturers? That was the question the 12 members of the Utility Airplane Council (UAC), a small group within the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), were asking themselves in late 1969.
Safety concerns over a helicopter short-haul transport system to be ready in time for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta have been settled, according to the Helicopter Association International. ``We believe questions about how the system would operate and how the helicopters would be controlled have been answered,'' said an HAI official. The system, to be used primarily for small-package deliveries between area businesses, would entail about 50 rotorcraft flying from as many as 19 helipads.
Beech Aircraft Corporation has long had a reputation for high-quality aircraft, but being short on the future. As former export-department employee Alex Kvassay put it in his autobiography, Alex In Wonderland, the company was known for ``50 years of quality, uninterrupted by progress.''
Let me assure you and your readers that a coalition of U.S. aviation organizations heartily supports the effort to achieve harmonization of standards and practices between the FAA and the 23 nations of the European Joint Aviation Authorities [JAA]. We intend to go at this tooth and nail.''
Ashanti Goldfields Company of Ghana, West Africa is now operating the first corporate version of the Beech 1900D. The aircraft is fitted with eight airline-type seats forward, a six-seat club aft, a galley and a lavatory.
Brian Barents, Learjet's president and CEO, doesn't pull any punches when answering questions about the Learjet 60's early production-model problems. ``The good news is that we've already addressed the problems operators have identified.'' Barents said that the firm delivered 22 Learjet 60 aircraft in 1994, and he expects to exceed that number this year. One of the reasons for his confidence is Learjet's aggressive stance on product improvement. Specifically, Learjet now offers these upgrades: Group I (No Cost)
A draft notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to allow passenger-carrying IFR flights in primarily single-engine turbine airplanes (such as the Cessna Caravan, Socata TBM-700 and Pilatus PC-12) was recently completed by the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee of FAA/industry representatives. The draft is similar to a Canadian rule adopted two years ago (B/CA, July 1993, page 22). A publication date for an NPRM was unknown as of press time.
Raytheon Aircraft says it will unveil a ``revolutionary'' new light business jet at the NBAA annual meeting in September in Las Vegas. The aircraft will incorporate new technologies, such as a fly-by-light control system for the engines and other systems and manufacturing processes that involve advanced use of composites at ``significantly'' reduced costs. The aircraft is expected to be the precursor of a new family of jets, including a regional airliner.
An Oklahoma judge dismissed claims of negligence in a class-action lawsuit that the Twin Commander Owners Association filed against Twin Commander Aircraft Corporation, Gulfstream Aerospace, Rockwell International and ALCOA. The Chicago-based group sought to recover damages for alleged negligence in the production of Twin Commanders (B/CA, April 1993, page 22). The lawsuit was based on costs of compliance with mandated wing-spar corrosion inspections and repairs (B/CA, June 1991, page 24). The association may appeal the decision.
