With FAA certification for its patented Dual Pac combining gearbox imminent, Soloy Corporation has officially re-launched development of its long-planned, twin-turbine/single-propeller conversion for the Cessna 208 Caravan-a program that's been in the works for five years (B/CA, August 1990, page 24). Development of the Dual Pac Caravan had been delayed because the company couldn't afford to purchase a Caravan (B/CA, December 1994, page 30).
Mark Morro, former president of Wings West and senior Fairchild executive, is in the process of starting a new, low-fare jet airline-Air 21. The carrier, based at Fresno, California, plans to operate DC-9s from Fresno, Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as other western markets. Operations are scheduled to begin in mid summer.
Alitalia has placed an order for 15 Fokker 70s, giving that program a substantial boost. Two each will be delivered in October and November, followed by six in 1996 and the remainder in 1997.
Dassault's Falcon 900EX tri-engine business jet made its maiden flight on June 1, just 10 days prior to the start of the Paris Air Show, where it was scheduled to be on static display and in flight demonstrations. The $25.95-million aircraft will have a range of 4,500 nm with eight passengers and NBAA IFR reserves, an increase of about 700 nm over the $23.95-million 900B, which Dassault says will remain in production. The 900EX represents the first application of the recently certified AlliedSignal TFE731-60 turbine engines.
The news from Cessna at Paris is an internal training program aimed at making Citation Service Center employees more responsive to customer expectations in such areas as ``on-time delivery, fair treatment, fast response, no surprises and getting work done right the first time.'' The ``Sensible Service People'' program includes sending out an evaluation form with each invoice inviting customers to provide Cessna with comments on the quality of the service.
Jetphone, a cellular air-to-ground telephone network destined to serve all of Europe, was scheduled to begin operation in June. Jetphone is the product of a joint venture between the United Kingdom's BT (formerly British Telecom) and FCR (a subsidiary of France Telecom). Initially, the network is to be made up of 15 ground stations, but will eventually comprise more than 40 stations, each with a 160-nm range. Jetphone officials say the network will cover all of western Europe by the end of 1996. For details, phone +(44) 171 379 34 04.
A spokesman for Sino-Swearingen LP confirmed that the joint venture established to build the SJ30 business jet received $48 million from Taiwanese investors. And, the program's representative said Lockheed Martin, which is contributing $10 million and management know-how to the SJ30 program, was to begin hiring personnel for the program in June. Sino-Swearingen, a joint venture of San Antonio-based Swearingen Aircraft and Taiwan Aerospace, plans to build the SJ30 in Martinsburg, West Virginia and deliver the first SJ30 in 1996.
The facts of this accident were pretty uncomplicated. On June 18, 1994, at about 0625 hours, a Transportes Aeros Ejecutivos, S.A. (TAESA) Learjet 25D (XA-BBA) crashed 0.8-nm south of the threshold of Runway 1R at Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Chantilly, Virginia, during an ILS approach in Category III-level IMC. Two crewmembers and all 10 passengers were killed. The airplane was destroyed by impact.
Almost from the moment Orville and Wilbur first fired up the hand-built piston engine mounted on the lower wing of their Flyer biplane, pilots and mechanics have longed to know what was going on inside their aircraft's powerplants and systems.
Jeppesen's new book, Aviation Weather, by meteorology scholar Peter Lester, Ph.D., has more than 500 full-color illustrations depicting weather conditions such as wind shear, turbulence and icing. Each chapter contains FAA questions, key terms and recommended readings. An instructor's guide is available to make the book adaptable to the classroom. Price: $39.95. Jeppesen, 55 Inverness Dr. E, Englewood, CO 80112. (303) 799-9090.
Rockwell International's Collins Commercial Avionics division of Cedar Rapids, Iowa has introduced a fixed-cost avionics maintenance program for regional airlines. For a monthly fee, based on the number of flight hours per month, customers in the ``Collins Dispatch Plus'' program receive repair services and avionics spares support with a guaranteed 10-day turnaround. The repaired item is placed in the airline's support stock, ready for use when needed.
The need to learn Level I, II and III functions varies from aircraft to aircraft, and we offer this breakdown of basic, intermediate and advanced features for illustration purposes only. If the FMS is added as an option, for example, then only Level I knowledge would be needed for the first flight after installation-provided you were already rated to fly the specific aircraft type.
Gulfstream Aerospace Gulfstream Aerospace has scheduled service and product-support area meetings in August and November as follows: Dates in August are Singapore, 14th; Van Nuys, California, 18th; Detroit, 29th; Chicago, 30th; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, 31st. November dates are Washington, D.C., 8th; New Jersey, 9th; and White Plains, 10th. For further information, phone (912) 965-4414.
An influx of flux in your aircraft can be removed with the BrushClean System from Chemtronics, the company says. The flux-removal system includes a cleaning brush, a spray nozzle, an extension tube and a five-ounce aerosol container of the cleaning agent CFC Free Flux Off 2000. Users can apply the solvent to loosen and remove R, RMA, RA, synthetic and no-clean fluxes. The product dries ``quickly, leaving no residue and offers excellent material compatibility,'' according to Chemtronics. Recommended applications include SMD pads, plugs, sockets and printed circuit boards.
Bombardier and the Canadian Export Development Corporation (EDC) have joined in a new leasing venture to boost sales of the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ). CRJ Capital Corporation (CRJCC) is being formed on a risk-shared basis, with Bombardier and EDC each providing equal amounts of equity. Other private-sector partners also may join in. CRJCC will then provide financing on commercial terms for the CRJ aircraft.
Bombardier became the first aircraft manufacturer to directly involve itself in shared ownership when it launched a joint venture earlier this year with AMR Combs (B/CA, June, page 26). Called Business JetSolutions, the new company initially will offer shared ownership of Learjet 31As, Learjet 60s and Canadair Challengers through a program called FlexJet. Eventually, the program will be expanded to include the new Bombardier Global Express and, possibly, corporate versions of the Canadair Regional Jet.
The side-facing bench seat, or divan, may well become one of the most visible casualties of the FAA's 16-g seat rule. Aircraft and seat manufacturers alike say it is very difficult to certify benches for use in takeoff and landing, given the constraints of the rules. ``Unless the FAA modifies its position, basically, you won't see side-facing divans,'' says Roger Koch, president of Aircraft Modular Products, a Miami company that produces seats for several business aircraft manufacturers, including Cessna and Dassault.
One of Raytheon Aircraft's themes at Paris was focused on efforts to improve customer service. ``Because of the success we had achieved over the years, we were too set in our ways,'' said CEO Art Wegner. ``The company had become internally focused rather than concentrating on the needs of our customers.'' He said the head of customer service and support functions would now report directly to the executive office. Wegner claimed, ``This is the first step in creating a customer-service operation that is second to none in the industry.''
Schweizer Aircraft is making inroads into the helicopter-training market with its 300CB, an approximately $184,000 basic model with which the company hopes to capture a share of a market dominated by Robinson Helicopter's R22. The Elmira, New York company introduced the 300CB at this year's Helicopter Association International Meeting (B/CA, March, page 20). Helicopter Adventures, one of the largest helicopter-training schools in the United States, has begun taking delivery of 10 300CBs, and most of them will replace Robinson R22s.
Edward W. Stimpson, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), was awarded the Aero Club of Washington's Trophy for Aviation Excellence. Stimpson was recognized for his dynamic leadership in furthering the enactment of the General Aviation Revitalization Act (product liability legislation). In accepting the honor, Stimpson said, ``While I am deeply honored to receive this award, I recognize that passage of this important legislation was the result of the entire general aviation industry working together for the common good.''
Phoenix-headquartered Garrett Aviation recently purchased Carrier Aircraft Interiors, a Los Angeles-based interior design and refurbishment company founded by Bob Carrier in 1956. A Garrett official said Carrier Aircraft (keeping its name and with Bob Carrier at the helm) will provide interior refurbs primarily for mid-size corporate jets, while the Garrett facility at Van Nuys, California will focus on interiors for larger corporate aircraft.
A Cessna Citation V simulator is now on line at Dallas-based SimuFlite Training International. The device, approved to FAA Level C standards, was originally scheduled to be operational more than three years ago (B/CA, January 1992, page 22). Meanwhile, SimuFlite is adding Honeywell integrated avionics trainers as part of a Challenger 601 simulator expected to be on line in November and a Gulfstream IV simulator, scheduled to be operational in January 1996.
There are notable differences between Learjet 60-0005, which we flew two years ago, and the current factory demonstrator 60-0048 that we flew in late May with Robert W. Agostino, Learjet's director of flight operations. After engine start using a GPU, we noticed the new aircraft's interior is noticeably quieter because of the improved cabin-air distribution system and upgraded acoustical insulation.
It's time to reach out once more to your representatives in Washington to let them know what you think about the various schemes designed to improve the operational efficiency of the FAA. Over the last few months, several plans have taken shape on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, and they're scheduled for formal review now.
On May 11, a Cessna Citation X brought New York closer to Los Angeles when it completed a coast-to-coast run from Teterboro to Van Nuys, California and back to White Plains, New York-all in one business day. Performance specifics were 4+49 hours en route from New Jersey to California, averaging 448 knots ground speed, and 4+10 hours en route from California to New York, averaging 525 knots ground speed. Despite hindering weather and wind, the aircraft demonstrated performance promises and remained on schedule.
