Canadian manufacturer Bombardier announced at the Paris Air Show that it will proceed with development of the 70-passenger de Havilland Dash 8-400 regional- airliner derivative of the 50-passenger Dash 8-300. Development of the -400, which had been in the proposal stage since the mid 1980s, is scheduled to culminate in certification in late 1998. The twin-engine Dash 8-400 will be powered by the new P&WC PW150, a derivative of the PW100 turboprop family.
Jeppesen's new NavData Coordinate Directory provides location coordinates for airports, as well as navigation aids and waypoints within the contiguous 48 United States. The five-section directory includes decode lists for airport and navaid listings to facilitate cross-referencing. Softbound, the directory measures 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches, with seven holes to fit Jeppesen binders. The directory is available as a one-time reference ($19.95) or as an annual subscription service ($75 for six issues). Jeppesen, 55 Inverness Dr. E, Englewood, CO 80112. (303) 799-9090.
On July 10, Piper Aircraft could be out of bankruptcy, almost four years to the day after the company filed for Chapter 11 protection. A U.S. bankruptcy court scheduled a hearing for that date to examine the results of a vote by Piper's creditors on a reorganization plan, which was approved by the court on May 10. The plan calls for sale of the company to Newco Pac Incorporated, an entity owned by the Philadelphia investment firm of Dimeling, Schreiber&Park and Teledyne Industries, Piper's largest unsecured creditor (B/CA, May, page 14).
Following in the footsteps of Signature Flight Support and some other FBOs, Atlantic Aviation plans to start (perhaps as early as this month) charging customers who do not purchase fuel. The fee, applicable at five Atlantic FBO sites, will not apply to operators who buy fuel, and their per-gallon cost will be determined on a sliding scale based on the maximum fuel capacity of their aircraft. A formal announcement is planned for the NBAA convention in September.
One way that Sabreliner Corporation is helping to hold down costs is by keeping downtime to a minimum. The company's Midcoast unit recently introduced a video datalink procedure aimed at reducing the time it takes the manufacturer to approve structural repair projects. The procedure is currently available for Challenger and Falcon business jets.
FAA has clarified its previously released policy on enforcing applications for parts manufacturing approval (PMA). An FAA notice released in February stated, incorrectly, that all businesses producing aircraft parts must obtain a PMA (B/CA, April, page 26). In a notice published in early June, the FAA clarified that the enforcement policy applies only to firms producing parts for sale. Businesses making parts as incorporated in a repair or modification and not for sale ``over the counter'' are not subject to the enforcement policy.
B/CA queried several business-aircraft operators to see how they use trend monitoring and what benefits they derive from it. Here's what they had to say: Business Aircraft Leasing, Incorporated. Headquartered in Nashville, BAL owns a Beech King Air 200 that it places with corporate flight departments on short-term leases as a backup aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with a Shadin ETM.
Photograph: Older converted airliners are particularly suited for flight-testing new business turbine engines. Two 30-year-old-plus, four-engine Boeing 720 airliners are still in regular service in North America, but they haven't carried revenue passengers in decades. These two veterans, instead, are stuffed with test equipment and telemetering avionics. They are configured to fly with a fifth engine bolted onto a specially reinforced fuselage section just aft of the cockpit.
Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation of Harbin, China received FAA certification for its 19-seat, turboprop-powered Y-12, thus paving the way for sales to U.S. regionals. The STOL aircraft, powered by two P&WC PT6A-27s, was certified in China in December 1985 and in the United Kingdom in June 1990. The U.S. certification process took more than three years, and includes production of Chinese-made aircraft tires that can be sold in the United States.
FAA has approved the new AlliedSignal TFE731-60, that will power the Falcon 900EX, for an initial 2,500 hours between major periodic inspections (MPI) and 5,000 hours for compressor zone inspections (CZI). The CFE738, the General Electric/AlliedSignal turbofan that powers the Falcon 2000, has been approved for an initial MPI of 1,500 hours and a CZI of 3,000 hours. Separately, the FAA approved an extension to 3,500 hours between hot section/gear box inspections and 7,000 hours for an MPI on AlliedSignal's TPE331-12 and -14 turboprops.
From a recent issue of the New York Times: The scene is a small foyer outside the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria. The occasion is the American Heart Association's annual benefit dinner-dance. Says man in formal dinner suit, puffing on a cigarette: ``You know what I did when they prohibited smoking in planes?'' Queried woman in ball gown, puffing on a cigarette: ``No, what did you do?'' Retorted man in dinner suit: ``I bought my own airplane; now I have no problem.''
Photograph: During AHS ``Forum 51,'' Bell hosted a briefing on its new Model 407 at its research facility at nearby Arlington. Affordability has been a concern since the very beginning of rotorcraft development, so it's not surprising it was the chosen theme of the American Helicopter Society's ``Forum 51'' held in early May in Fort Worth. If helicopter manufacturers want to reverse the declining trend in sales, both acquisition and operating costs must be pared, said AHS Chairman C. Thomas Snyder of NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.
Honeywell is now offering regional airlines a power-by-the-hour maintenance program. Patterned after similar powerplant programs, the avionics manufacturer is offering one of three tailor-made maintenance programs for regional airlines, with a fixed fee each month after the warranty expires. USAir Subsidiary Jetstream International is the latest regional to opt for the program for its new Dornier 328 aircraft. Honeywell also is offering time and material and fixed-rate maintenance agreements.
Snowslide Wing Protection Systems are covers that fit on wings and tail surfaces to protect against snow and ice buildup, sun exposure, and blowing sand and debris. The lightweight protectors (3.5 to 3.75 ounces per square yard) are made of a nylon oxford denier with a polyurethane back, and are applied using clips and buckles. Two people can cover a medium-size corporate jet in roughly 10 minutes, the company claims.
Cessna plans to open its single-engine airplane factory in Independence, Kansas on Independence Day 1996. Late in 1996, production of new Cessna 172s, 182s and 206s will begin after a nine-year hiatus in the company's manufacture of single-engine recips. Construction of the facility started on May 22. Cessna has set its sights on a production rate of 2,000 units per year by 1998.
AvCom International's `95 Jet and Propjet Corporate Directory is a compendium of more than 18,000 aircraft in the world's business turbine fleet operated in the United States and its territories and 140 other countries. This 396-page reference lists 284 different models and derivatives, and 49 manufacturers. At the back of the book is a serial-number, make and model cross-reference index. Military-operated business aircraft are included. Price: $19.95, plus $3 shipping and handling in the United States. AvCom International, P.O. Box 2398, Wichita, KS 67201.
The first Boeing 727 executive aircraft modified with Rolls-Royce Tay engines entered service in May. The mod, part of the ``QX'' (Quiet eXecutive) program, is provided by San Antonio-based Dee Howard Company and includes the installation of winglets from Mobile Aerospace Engineering of Mobile, Alabama. At a cost of $13.5 million, the QX mod program enables the B-727-100 to meet Stage 3 noise levels and to have a maximum range of 4,200 nm. A QX mod costs $13.5 million.
IPTN, the state-owned aircraft manufacturer in Indonesia, confirmed an earlier disclosure that it plans to assemble its proposed N-250 twin-turboprop commuter in the United States (B/CA, May 1994, page 112). In mid-June, IPTN, the state of Alabama and the city of Mobile signed an agreement to assemble the aircraft at a facility to be built at Mobile's Brookley Industrial Complex. The first production version of the 64- to 68-passenger N-250-100 is scheduled to begin flight testing in 1996, with certification expected by the end of 1997.
User charges in Europe are threatening regional air services, according to a comprehensive study recently completed by the European Regional Airline Association (ERA).
Dassault Aviation says the newly certified Falcon 2000 business jet exceeds original performance goals in several parameters. Claimed gains (shown in parentheses) are: range-3,030 nm (+100 nm); time to FL 410-23.9 minutes (-4.5 minutes); landing-2,500 feet (-55 feet); Vref-108 KIAS (-3 knots); BFL SL-ISA-5,440 feet (-140 feet); BFL ISA+15-5,665 feet (-150 feet). Standard equipment on the Falcon 2000 now includes thrust reversers, second FMS (with GPS), two laser inertial reference systems, a second HF transceiver and a GPWS.
You might call it ``everything you ever wanted to know about avionics from AAC to ZFW.'' Collins Commercial Avionics has published a 32-page glossary of acronyms and terms relating to the avionics business. If you're still guessing, you can obtain your own copy of the glossary by calling Collins at (319) 395-4085 or by faxing a request to (319) 395-2297. (AAC is Airline Administrative Communications, and ZFW is Zero Fuel Weight.)
As part of its negotiation of the type-certification basis for the G-V, Gulfstream Aerospace conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the 16-g seat rule as it applies to business jets. The company calculated a ratio ranging between 0.011 and 0.41, depending on whose cost figures are used. The FAA, like other federal agencies, is required to do a cost-benefit analysis of all of its significant proposed rules. The acceptable cost-benefit ratio is held to be one-to-one.
The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) relocated its headquarters to Washington, D.C. on June 1, and appointed a full-time executive director to oversee PAMA activities.
New from JETporter, Incorporated is a 30,000-pound capacity, nosewheel-lifting electric aircraft tug designed for one-person operation. JETporter includes an all-gear drive with two-speed transmission, a 48-VDC motor and a dual braking system. No tow bars or adapters are needed. A pushbutton hydraulic lift and a conventional steering wheel aid in handling and stability. The tug has an onboard charger and a 12-, 24- and 30-volt GPU that does not require special batteries. A flat-deck transporter hauls baggage, oil, oxygen and supplies. Price: $14,950. JETporter, Inc., P.O.
Crew resource management (CRM) training has come to dispatchers. The FAA recently issued AC 121-32, an advisory circular to provide guidance on how to apply CRM to dispatcher training. The 10-page document defines the basic concept of ``Dispatch Resource Management'' (DRM) and provides details on implementing, assessing and revising DRM training. Copies of AC 121-32 are available free of charge from the DOT, Section M-45.3, Washington, DC 20590.
