Air taxi operators of turbine aircraft question if an NTSB recommendation calling for upgraded flight data recorders is appropriate to its segment of the industry. The National Air Transportation Association says no, it is not, and labels ``unacceptable'' the Safety Board's remarks that a cost estimate of up to $70,000 per aircraft is ``reasonable.'' The NTSB wants the upgraded FDRs on FAR Part 135 aircraft with 10 or more passenger seats (B/CA, April, page 22).
Piper Aircraft's latest reorganization filing with the U.S. bankruptcy court provides for the sale of the firm to Newco Pac, a new entity owned by Dimeling, Schreiber&Park (DS&P) and Teledyne Industries. DS&P is a Philadelphia-based partnership that owns a diverse portfolio, including Rocky Mountain Helicopters. Teledyne supplies engines to Piper and other manufacturers.
The big legislative question for the aviation community this year is what, if anything, Congress will do with a plethora of proposals put forward to change the structure of the FAA. Answering that question directly is difficult because the options proposed to date vary widely.
Aviall, Incorporated completed the sale (announced in summer 1994) of its business aviation engine overhaul business and its Dallas' Love Field FBO to Dallas Airmotive (B/CA, August 1994, page 28). The sale includes the business-airplane-repair and helicopter-engine-repair facilities located south of Love Field, plus six turbine-engine repair shops located throughout North America.
New airports open and under construction in the region promise substantial improvement in access, parking and ground services for corporate operators. Major handlers report Osaka's Kansai International Airport (RJBB), opened in September 1994, has taken some traffic pressure off Tokyo's Narita (RJAA) and Nagoya/Komaki (RJNN). RJBB provides fast response on slot time requests, and excellent ground handling and parking, according to major handlers.
The new Denver International Airport has received hundreds of complaints about aircraft noise, despite its mere three months in operation and its sparsely populated prairie surroundings. Part of the problem appears to be related to a local rule restricting westbound departures from Runway 25 to aircraft that meet Stage 3 noise levels. Another procedure puts aircraft in long straight-ins at relatively low altitude over residents of rural areas accustomed to low background noise levels and unaccustomed to numerous overflying aircraft.
Table: RESIDUAL CARGO CAPACITY (This table is available electronically. Please see the May, 1995 issue.) Delta Connection Business Express has now joined the growing number of regional airlines actively marketing their freight-carrying capabilities--and it is paying off, according to carrier officials. Airlines have gone to great lengths to fill empty airplane seats. Yield management has enabled carriers to anticipate the number of empty seats on a particular flight, for example, and offer those seats at a discounted rate.
NBAA has appealed to Walter Mondale, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, in its long-time battle to improve airport and airspace access for business aviation in Japan. In a letter to Mondale, the association said, ``It is ironic that at a time when Japan and the United States have been endeavoring to ease strained trade relations . . .
The organizational meeting of the Women Engaged in Corporate Aviation Network (WECAN) took place during the International Women in Aviation Conference held March 16-18 in St. Louis. WECAN was formed to serve as a support group for women in all aspects of business aviation. Loretta Cook, a pilot for the Washington D.C.-based Gannett newspaper chain, was elected president. The Women in Aviation Conference attracted 1,015 attendees (up 35 percent from 1994's total of 650), and all 50 U.S. states and nine nations were represented.
The enactment of product liability reform legislation in 1994 removed a big item from the agendas of five major national general aviation trade groups: the AOPA, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Helicopter Association International (HAI), National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and the NBAA.
Hawker Siddeley Canada's Orenda Aerospace has frozen the design of a 600-hp, fuel-injected, twin-turbo V-8 powerplant for aviation applications (B/CA, December 1994, page 30). Toronto-based Orenda hopes to certify the engine by the end of the year. The company has signed a contract with Stevens Aviation of Greenville, South Carolina to distribute the engines for initial installation in King Air 90s. The $100,000 engine will produce 500 hp at 25,000 feet.
Senator Wendell Ford (D-KY) has introduced S.682--the Clinton administration's proposed legislation requiring some or all FAR Part 139 certification requirements to apply to airports served by airline aircraft with nine or fewer passenger seats. Part 139 standards currently apply only to airports served by air carriers with more than nine passenger seats.
Fire safety--The FAA proposed a rule to require fuel-system vent protection during post-crash fires in transport aircraft used in commercial service (March 1995, page 16). Autopilots--A proposed revision to FAR Parts 121, 125 and 135 would permit use of an autopilot for takeoff and the initial climb. Current rules prohibit the autopilot for this use below 500 feet agl (February 1995, page 23).
USAir Express carrier CCAir has posted operating and net profits for the first time in seven consecutive quarters, following a major financial restructuring. The Charlotte-based regional reported an operating profit of $395,807 and a net profit of $196,625 for the three-month period ended December 31, 1994. Operating costs during the quarter dropped by $1.9 million, or 11.3 percent, compared to the same 1993 period. Operating revenue, on the other hand, decreased $1.1 million, or only 6.6 percent.
Gust loads--The FAA proposes to revise the gust-load design standards for transport category airplanes as follows: by adding a new requirement for a discrete tuned gust; modifying the method of establishing the airspeed for maximum gust intensity; and providing for a rough-air airspeed (November 1994, page 26). Turbochargers--The FAA seeks to determine if circumstances surrounding accidents and incidents involving turbocharger failures warrant extensive AD or other actions (September 1994, page 18).
Barken International, a Utah-based maintenance, management and charter company, is one of the latest firms to introduce a fractional ownership program (B/CA, January, page 60). Called Interjets, the program offers buyers a 25-percent interest in Learjet 35s. Interjets is similar to other fractional ownership programs in that there is a monthly management fee, a discount rate for a minimum number of charter hours and a guarantee of aircraft availability. For more information, contact Interjets of Salt Lake City at (801) 539-7700.
NBAA's 1995 Business Aviation Fact Book contains an overview of the business aviation industry, including economic performance comparisons between companies that operate business aircraft and those that do not, the size and composition of the worldwide fleet of business aircraft, noise-level comparisons of business jets, fuel and safety statistics, flying activity, ATC and airport operations, aircraft sales and more. Single copies of the 36-page publication are available at no charge from the NBAA in Washington, D.C. Phone: (202) 783-9286.
There is a ``youth movement'' going on at Saab Aircraft of America (SAAI) with two ``thirty-somethings'' now holding the two top management positions and former President Ove Dahlen back to provide the oversight. The new president and CEO is Henrik Schruder, 39, a Swede and the son of retired Harald Schruder, former general manager of the Saab Aircraft Division and executive vice president of Saab-Scania. He replaces Jack Faherty, 65, who took the top spot with the early retirement of Dahlen, 61, in 1993.
The first quarter of 1995 saw worldwide sales of new and previously owned turbines drop 27 percent from first-quarter 1994 totals. Much of the decline continues to be attributable to especially weak overseas markets. Monthly declines, however, can be expected to narrow throughout the year if the last two years' trends continue.
The increasingly integrated avionics suites found in modern business aircraft come in a variety of sizes--mostly industry-standard boxes. Deciding which to choose depends on the aircraft and the complexity of the avionics installed. The large format display tubes found in the integrated cockpit systems of high-end aircraft are replacing many electromechanical instruments. Standard-size cutouts for Collins Pro Line 4 display tubes are 7.0 by 6.0 inches or 7.25 by 7.25 inches.
DOT's revised Standard Industry Fare Level (SIFL) rates for the six-month period from January 1 through June 30 increased slightly over the second half of 1994. The current per-mile rates are: 0-500 sm--$0.1724; 501-1,500 sm--$0.1315; and over 1,500 sm--$0.1264. The terminal charge is $31.52. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service requires SIFL rates to be used when computing the cost of transportation of non-business travelers aboard employer-provided aircraft.
Legislation has been introduced in Congress to repeal a 4.3-cents-per-gallon tax increase on jet fuel used in commercial operations. The tax, scheduled to go into effect October 1, was included in the Budget Act of 1993 and immediately applied to all operators except air taxis and airlines, which were given an exemption for two years (B/CA, October 1993, page 21). The legislation in its current form would not repeal the tax on commercial use of avgas.
Unless you regularly receive FAR Parts 135 or 121 check rides and don't do any instructing, you'll be taking a Biennial Flight Review sometime in the near future.
If the high-tech baggage system at the new Denver International Airport acts up and drives you to smoke, note that the airport's two Aviation Club lounges, in the Jeppesen Terminal Building and in Concourse B, are DEN's only public indoor smoking facilities. The lounges offer a full menu and bar service, and, of course, ashtrays.
The word ``more'' seems to characterize what's on deck for this year's National Air Transportation Association's Annual Convention and Trade Show to be held May 10-12 in New Orleans. ``This year we're exceeding the number of 1994 exhibitors by 10 percent, and we're offering 20 percent more seminars,'' said James K. Coyne, president of NATA. ``Our members will learn new ways to expand their businesses and how better to do business in this industry.''
