One aspect of the proposed commuter safety rule that was of great concern to regional airlines was the mandatory Part 139 certification of all airports served by aircraft of more than nine passengers. The FAA relented on the issue, in part because such a move would require congressional action.
The future manufacturing site for Lycoming LTS 101 aircraft engines may not be the U.S Army-owned, AlliedSignal-operated plant in Stratford, Connecticut. The facility, which also builds Army tank engines, is on the Pentagon's military installation shutdown list. AlliedSignal, which purchased the Lycoming Turbine Engine Division in late 1994, has laid off hundreds of workers since then and disagrees with the closure decision. AlliedSignal said it wants to remain in Stratford as long as staying ``makes good business sense.''
Table: Pistons/Non+Pressurized Turboprops (This table is available electronically. Please see the May, 1995 issue.) One year ago on this page, we suggested that 1994 ``may well go down in aviation history as the year of the regional jet.'' It did, and 1995 may well be a repeat. Delta Connection carriers Comair and SkyWest will operate 31 Canadair Regional Jets (CRJs) by the end of the summer, and together they hold additional orders and options for 59 aircraft.
Eight international telecommunications companies have agreed to form Skyways Alliance to provide satellite voice and data communications services via Inmarsat to general aviation and airline crews and passengers. Members of the proposed alliance are: Communication Authority of Thailand, COMSAT Mobile Communications (U.S.), INDOSAT (Indonesia), KDD (Japan), Korea Telecom, Philippine Long Distance Telephone, Telecom Italia and Telekom Malaysia.
ADVANCED AERODYNAMICS&STRUCTURES STRATOCRUZER With certification of its PT6A-powered Jetcruzer accomplished, Advanced Aerodynamics&Structures (AASI), of Long Beach, California, is turning its development focus to the twin-turbine Stratocruzer. Its first flight is expected this month, and the FAR Part 23 certification program is anticipated to run 18 to 24 months. At press time, the first prototype was about 85 percent complete.
Business aircraft manufacturers are riding the recovery wave that is surging through most sectors of the world economy. The firms that doggedly pursued new product development during the lean years of the late 1980s and early 1990s now are reaping strong results. Other manufacturers, with less ambitious aircraft development strategies, also are enjoying a sales resurgence as an indirect result of the market activity generated by the front-runners.
Signature Flight Support reinstated handling charges and introduced two fuel discount programs at all 35 of its FBOs. Fuel discounts of up to 65 cents per gallon can be earned, based on the total volume of Signature fuel an operator purchases during the preceding 12 months. Lesser discounts are available to those who tank up to 50 percent of the aircraft's fuel capacity at a single fueling. A ``handling charge'' will be assessed to those who don't buy fuel and who are not exempted based on the annual volume of fuel purchased.
New ICAO standards recommend the installation of GPWSes on GA aircraft used in international operations, but mandate the systems on overseas-bound commercial aircraft that weigh more than 33,000 pounds and meet certain other criteria. By the end of 1998, ICAO expects to issue a requirement that business and other general aviation aircraft weighing over 12,500 pounds MTOW, seating more than nine passengers and operating internationally must have GPSWes.
The aviation industry was hit by 19 new or revised notices of significant rulemaking over the last 12 months. These new proposals are indicated by a bullet () preceding them. References to previous B/CA items that detail the proposal are shown in parentheses.
Good news continues to be fairly sparse in the aviation business, and it is good news indeed when a group of aviation business people report results as good as or better than those of previous years. When asked about business conditions, managers at aircraft modifiers gave a predominantly positive response again this year to B/CA's annual, informal poll. Several executives mentioned a significant growth in export sales. One CEO said overseas sales now represent 40 percent of his company's total sales.
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.)
