Welcome to B/CA's 1995 Planning and Purchasing Handbook. As always, preparing the Handbook gives our staff an opportunity to take stock of our three primary constituencies-- the professionals who operate business aircraft and regional transports, the dedicated workers in the support services keeping these aircraft flying, and the technical wizards who design and build the airframes, engines, avionics and systems that make it all possible.
FAA's recent approval of new, larger deicing boots for ATR aircraft did not negate several operating restrictions previously imposed on the twin-turboprop commuter. Installation of the boots is expected to be completed by June 1. A new AD ``will be issued as soon as possible that will address the operational and flightcrew procedures that are to be used in conjunction with the newly modified deicing boots,'' the FAA said.
Your scribe gets lotsa mail (and keep those cards and letters coming) from friends who enclose bits of info about aviation events which might have gone unnoticed. The latest, from the U.K., was a clipping from London noting that in a recent auction, a piece of the Red Baron Von Richtofen's Fokker aircraft received not one bid from the assemblage. It is only conjecture that the piece to be auctioned had a minimum bid price as a requisite to the auction, otherwise sumbuddy would have bid a quid or two.
A new videotape from the AOPA shows ways pilots can reduce aircraft noise and associated problems. Included in the 20-minute video, titled ``Flying Friendly,'' is a case study about how a corporate flight department, airport authorities and community representatives worked together to resolve noise issues. Copies of ``Flying Friendly'' are available free of charge. Phone: (301) 695-2205.
Gulfstream's contender in the very-long-range segment, the G-V, is on schedule for first flight this November. Powered by a pair of BMW/Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofans, the G-V promises to fly 6,500 nm at 0.80 Mach with NBAA IFR reserves, carrying eight passengers at up to 51,000 feet.
Gulfstream IVSPs have been approved to use London City Center Airport, the closest airfield to downtown London. Located six miles east of the city, the airport has a single 3,933-foot runway. The G-IVSP is, to date, the largest business aircraft to receive approval for operations there. To obtain approval to use the airport, operators are required to fly no less than a 5.5-degree approach angle; to use FAA, ICAO or manufacturer-approved noise abatement departure procedures; and to generate no more than 94.5 EPNdB noise levels.
Table: GA&Air Taxi Hours Flown By Turbine Aircraft (This table is available electronically. Please see the May, 1995 issue.) When President Bill Clinton signed the General Aviation Revitalization Act on August 12, 1994, he set off the beginning of what many in the GA community hoped would be an industry renaissance. The landmark reform legislation limits airframe and components manufacturers' product liability by establishing an 18-year statute of repose for all general aviation aircraft.
Canadian government terminated a multi-million-dollar contract with Micronav International of Sydney, Nova Scotia to supply microwave landing systems to Canadian airports (B/CA, July 1993, page 28). A government official said current ILS technology and future application of satellite-based approach systems will be less costly and more efficient than continuing MLS development.
The next year, if the past 12 months are a useful indicator, should see a rapid continuation of the transition from ground-based to space-based navigation technology. Pilots are no longer asking if satellite navigation will replace NDB, VOR and ILS. Now they want to know how soon they can start flying precision instrument approaches using GPS.
The aviation community welcomed the DOT's recent request to the U.S. Congress to repeal the pre-employment alcohol-testing requirement for transportation industry employees to whom the rule applies. The DOT called the requirement an ``example of a misguided rule mandated by Congress.'' At press time, it wasn't clear when this ``act of Congress'' would occur. Meanwhile, industry advocates are still arguing for the DOT to lower the random drug-testing rate to 10 percent.
SimCom International said it will break ground soon for a training center in Scottsdale, Arizona. The new facility will be the first remote operation for the five-year-old, Orlando-based company. Slated for opening in November, the Scottsdale center initially will provide training for pilots of the Cessna 300/400 series and the King Air 90/100/200 series in SimCom-built flight-training devices featuring wide screens and visual-motion technology.
At press time, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) was negotiating with General Electric for the Japan-based company to be a revenue-sharing partner in the GE CF34-8C turbofan engine program. Canadair chose the powerplant for its 70-seat Regional Jet, the CRJ-X (see ``Emerging Aircraft''). The two companies already have signed a memorandum of agreement and if the negotiations are fruitful, IHI could have a 25-percent stake in the engine program.
Proposed noise abatement programs under FAR Part 150 have been submitted for approval to the FAA for San Diego's Lindbergh Field and Fort Worth Spinks Airport. An agency decision on both programs is expected in August. Under FAR Part 150, interested parties have the right to comment on the proposals. For more information, contact the district FAA airport or flight standards offices.
As most corporate flight department managers who have renewed insurance coverage in the past few months have already learned, insurance costs are on the rise.
Formal approval for production of the MD 600N eight-place, single-turbine helicopter, introduced in 1994 as the MD 630N, was given by McDonnell Douglas Corporation in late March. Officials of McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems expect FAA certification of the aircraft in 1996 and estimate a price in the ``one-million-dollar range.'' The company is promising direct operating costs of about $234 per hour. The MD 600N features a NOTAR anti-torque system and a max cruise speed of 134 knots. (See also ``Emerging Aircraft'' in this issue.)
Start-up Las Vegas-based Tri Star Airlines (T3) has found a niche: flying tourists from the Orient from the Los Angeles and San Francisco gateways to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said it will conduct an operational test this summer of the Aviation Gridded Forecast System (AGFS), a new technique to provide ATC and pilots with better locally specific, real-time weather information (B/CA, February 1994, page 60). AGFS is designed to provide timely data on icing, turbulence, precipitation, winds, temperature and cloud cover. Full implementation of AGFS will not occur before the end of this year.
Helicopter Association International and other industry representatives met with DOT Secretary Federico Pea in late March to express their concern about continued air access over national parks. Air-tour operators have been hit with rules and proposed rules to limit their operations for the declared purpose of improving safety and reducing noise. Industry reps want to ensure that the DOT, not the Department of Interior, retains sole authority over airspace rules.
Rulemaking procedures--The FAA is proposing new rulemaking procedures, including a provision that automatically would convert an NPRM into a rule if no negative comments are submitted (December 1994, page 17). Penalties--Proposed revisions to FAR Part 13 Civil Penalty Assessment Procedures make technical changes and improvements to clarify them, but do not alter the fundamental provisions (October 1994, page 21).
Slots and parking at Kai Tak International Airport (VHHH) are extremely difficult to obtain and will get worse during the summer (Jeppesen DataPlan). Chek Lap Kok airport, under construction on a largely man-made island, is scheduled to open in July 1997. The facility will be the largest airport in the region, reportedly able to handle up to 35 million (airline) passengers per year. Gates and facilities for corporate (and special) flights are expected to be built at the end of one arm of one of the Y-shaped airline terminals.
ARINC (Aeronautical Radio Incorporated) is bringing remote radio access technology to general aviation. Originally developed several years ago for the airlines, the system provides the interface of a VHF radio with the public telephone network. Thus, a pilot requesting issuance of an IFR clearance at an outlying airport can be in direct communication with ATC without leaving the cockpit or needing to use a phone. Recently tested at Virginia's Warrenton-Fauquier Airport, the system is expected to be implemented statewide.
Max Bleck, who started his career in general aviation with Stanley Aviation in 1951 and who, served, variously, as president of Beech, Cessna and Piper aircraft companies, retired to his home in Wichita on May 1. Bleck, 68, was most recently president and a member of the board of directors of Raytheon Company, the parent firm of Beech Aircraft and Raytheon Aircraft.
Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) has successfully proven its new enlarged ATR-72 deice boots. The new boots extend farther back on the wing to prevent ice accretion atop the wing and forward of the ailerons. The boots, which nearly double the coverage of the original design, were developed following tests behind a KC-135 water tanker at Edwards Air Force Base, California in December 1994. Those tests were prompted by the fatal American Eagle ATR-72 crash on October 31 near Roselawn, Indiana.
Under a new law, serious accidents or incidents involving virtually all public-use aircraft (aircraft owned, leased or operated by civil governments) must be reported immediately to the NTSB. The law also extends the FARs to virtually all public-use aircraft (B/CA, April, page 26). Previously, government-operated aircraft were exempt from reporting accidents to the NTSB or complying with many FARs.
