On January 9 and 10, the DOT conducted a hastily planned safety conference in Washington, D.C. According to DOT Secretary Federico Pea, the purpose of the conference was to focus on ways to improve safety measures and increase public confidence in traveling on major and regional carriers. The invitation-only meeting (with only a portion of it open to the press) apparently was organized during the New Year's holiday unbeknownst not only to most segments of the industry, but also to many top FAA officials.
On December 7, 1994, the Westland/Agusta EH101 received its civil certification from the FAA, British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Italian Registro Aeronautico Italiano (RAI). Westland forecasts a world market for 700 of the three-engine 30-seaters, which are offered in both civil and military configurations. The company has a firm order for 44 anti-submarine versions for the U.K. Royal Navy and says there is ``keen interest'' in the civil version from companies supporting the offshore oil industry in the North Sea.
SafeSolv 747 from Aero Cosmetics is the company's latest answer to removing messy and sticky residue from painted surfaces, bare metal, carpets and seats. The company says the ``environmentally safe, biodegradable product'' is formulated from the oils of orange peels to remove tar, hydraulic fluid, adhesives, gum and wax. Available in a 16-ounce spray bottle ($7.95) or by the gallon ($34.95). Aero Cosmetics, P.O. Box 460025, San Antonio, TX 78246. (210) 344-7921.
The Water Detection Probe from Stead Aviation is designed for installation in aircraft re-fuelers. If the unit senses water, it stops the flow of contaminated fuel to the aircraft. Should an electrical or power failure occur, the probe would disable the pumping system. The probe mounts to the filter vessel with a three-quarter-inch tapered pipe thread and extends roughly 3.5 inches below the sump inspection plate after installation. Price: $980 each, for under 100 units; approximately $880 each for 100 units or more.
A Sporty's Pilot Shop to serve European customers was scheduled to open this month in Wiesbaden, Germany, about 20 minutes from Frankfurt International Airport. All catalog items as well as region-specific products, such as charts, will be available at an on-site retail store managed by John Gauch. Sporty's Pilot Shop-Europa will be located at Hagenauerstr. 53, 65203 Wiesbaden. Phone: +(0611) 21067; fax: (0611) 20898. In Germany, the toll-free phone number is +0130 82 50 10.
Regional airline pilots, flight attendants, dispatchers and ATC personnel now can get together on-line on a newly established forum for users of the CompuServe Information Service. The new forum, RAPA (for Regional Airline Pilot Association), includes sections for regional airline pilots, American Eagle pilots, American Airline pilots, pilots of other airlines (some of whom used to work for regional carriers) and a public section for forum validation. On CompuServe, type ``GO RAPA'' or ``GO RPF4.''
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. If adopted, the rule would require operators to obtain specific FAA approval. For more information, contact Richard A. Temple at the FAA in Washington, D.C. Phone: (202) 267-5824.
On or about May 17, the FAA is scheduled to approve or disapprove a proposed FAR Part 150 noise abatement compatibility program for Florida's West Palm Beach International Airport. Under Part 150, interested parties have the right to comment on the proposals. For more information, contact the FAA in Orlando. Phone: (407) 648-6583. Separately, the comment period was extended to February 9 on a draft environmental impact statement to assess noise impacts of changes in flight patterns over New Jersey (B/CA, June 1993, page 30).
Many airport authorities in European Union countries are evaluating proposals to impose taxes based on a severity of aircraft noise or on the number of people near an airport who might be adversely affected by noise. Also, the EU is studying plans on how to phase out aircraft that don't meet the equivalent of FAR Part 36, Stage 3 as expeditiously as possible. Meanwhile, Switzerland, which is not a member of the European Union, recently announced plans to close all of its airports to non-Stage 3 aircraft, effective April 1.
One of the best places to see immediate results of Bell's Product Plan 2000 is in the after-sales support arena. Bell takes pride in its reputation for customer support, and its Product Support Plan 2000 aims to hold the line on parts prices and to increase accessibility to support for Bell's customers worldwide.
German regional Lufthansa CityLine made it a great Christmas for British Aerospace unit Avro and for the Bombardier Regional Aircraft Division (BRAD) in early December 1994. It ordered seven additional Avro RJ85s and eight new Canadair Regional Jets (CRJs). CityLine was the launch customer for the CRJ, inaugurating scheduled service with the 50-passenger twinjet on November 2, 1992. The fleet today stands at 15; delivery of the newest batch begins in April. The sale was valued at $146 million.
Single-pilot flying chores are seldom as easy as they are in the Pilatus PC-12. The standard instrument panel configuration features a two-tube AlliedSignal EFIS 40 in front of the pilot, flanked by conventional air-data instruments.
Cessna 172s, 182s and 206s could be rolling off the assembly lines by fall 1996 after a nine-year hiatus in the company's production of single-engine recips. In December 1994, Cessna announced it would build a factory in Independence, Kansas, where plans call for a production run of 2,000 units annually. (Annual output of single-engine recips from all U.S. companies combined has averaged less than 700 units since 1986.) At press time, no details were available as to pricing or the specifics of system changes for the new-production singles.
On January 11, the Miami judge overseeing Piper Aircraft's bankruptcy proceedings was due to decide whether to continue the company's reorganization efforts, to allow the company's creditors to take over the manufacturer as proposed in 1994 (B/CA, September 1994, page 18) or to allow the creditors to vote on a new bid to buy Piper. The new offer was submitted jointly by Piper International Corporation--an entity comprising Kaiser Aerospace and Electronics--and Teledyne Continental Motors, one of Piper's largest creditors.
FAA is considering a change in policy to allow insulin-using diabetics to obtain airman medical certification. The agency is seeking comments on the implications of the rule change, including the appropriate circumstances under which diabetes patients requiring insulin could receive a special issuance of a medical certificate. The American Diabetes Association and others have petitioned the FAA repeatedly to revise the rules (B/CA, September 1992, page 88 and April 1991, page 20). Comments on the proposal are due March 29.
Smaller aircraft operations have been singled out in recent months as inherently more dangerous than larger aircraft operations. That simply is not true. What is true is that certain segments of aviation have fewer accidents than other segments--regardless of the size of aircraft. And the statistics prove it.
Comments are due February 21 on a comprehensive revision of airman medical standards and certification procedures outlined in FAR Parts 61 and 67 (B/CA, December 1994, page 34). The proposed changes touch most major areas of FAA medical requirements: vision, cardiovascular fitness, administration, accuracy of information on medical forms and the duration of all three classes of medical certification. For more information, contact Dennis McEachen at (202) 493-4075 or Carol Thomas at (202) 493-4076 at the FAA in Washington, D.C.
A new single-engine turboprop pusher is now in flight test. An engineering prototype of the ST50, being designed by Cirrus Design Corporation under contract to an Israeli company, made its initial flight in early December 1994 from Cirrus' facilities at Duluth International Airport in Minnesota.
Incoming House Budget Chairman John Kasich (R-OH) has renewed a long-standing proposal to privatize the ATC system. Meanwhile, the concept of an FAA independent of the DOT also is gaining momentum among GA organizations, notably the AOPA, the NBAA, the Flight Freedom Foundation and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. But the Clinton administration is steadfast in its promotion of turning the FAA into a government-run corporation.
Effective January 1, the FAA discontinued issuing international crewmember certificates, since the U.S. Department of State no longer processes applications for the certificate. The certificates facilitated crewmembers' entry and clearance on commercial flights aboard U.S.-registered aircraft operating into ICAO-contracting states. Instead of the certificate, the FAA said international crewmembers will have to obtain standard international passports. For more information, contact the FAA at (202) 267-3749.
Opposition to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's plans to close the city's Meigs Field has been voiced by the NBAA. For months, Daley has been on record in support of closing the airport, but the issue resurfaced in December 1994 after he was quoted in the local media expressing his interest in shutting the airport down by 1996. In a letter to Daley, the NBAA reminded the mayor that the city's acceptance in 1989 of federal funds for airport improvements was based on assurances that the facility would remain open until at least 2009.
About 100 U.S. airports have aircraft noise-monitoring equipment and a trained staff to interpret the results and handle noise complaints. In 1982, during a protracted disagreement between local residents and airport users, New York's Westchester County Airport (HPN) became one of the first facilities to have a noise-monitoring system installed. The system demonstrated its value during a test period by providing the first accurate measure of the noise produced by aircraft landings and takeoffs at the airport.
Piper Aircraft Sales at the Bankstown Airport in New South Wales, Australia has been appointed by Piper Aircraft Corporation as the company's new airframe and parts-marketing facility for the entire continent. Those interested can contact Piper Aircraft Sales in Hangar 229, Bankstown Airport, NSW Australia 2200. Phone: +(02) 791-0377; fax: +(02) 791-0327.
