With the recent purchase of Comant Industries by the Chelton Group, two aircraft antenna manufacturers have joined forces. Comant is based in Santa Fe Springs, California and Chelton, headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, is part of FR Group plc, a U.K. company. Chelton officials said that Bob Alexander will continue as president of Comant and ``no significant changes are expected in the company's staffing, marketing direction or management.''
Deere&Company of Moline, Illinois plans to install the first Flight Visions glareshield-mounted head-up display in a business jet. The company contracted with Elliott Aviation, also of Moline, to install a FV-2000 Advanced HUD on its Citation II. In this configuration, the HUD's optical projection unit is mounted beneath and flush with the glareshield surface, and the symbology is projected up onto a single-arm combiner. Elliott also will install, certificate and provide the glareshield system for other Citation IIs.
They are called aspirational owners. They require the speed, efficiency and flexibility of business aircraft, but their need is not so great as to justify buying an aircraft of their own. Traditionally, they are ideal candidates for charter transportation and, in some cases, for used aircraft.
The FAA recently selected St. Louis-based INAIR, Incorporated's fleet management system to help the agency track more than 50 of its flight inspection and executive transport aircraft. Under pressure from the NTSB to comply with its own regulations, the FAA began a two-year search for an off-the-shelf, integrated scheduling and management system before choosing the INAIR package.
New Zealand's Airways Corporation awarded a contract to CAE Electronics of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada to supply a satellite-based Oceanic Control System. When completed, the system will provide ATC services to GPS-equipped aircraft in the entire New Zealand Flight Information Region.
In the mid-1980s, a lot of ``Richard Santullis'' were around--namely, high energy entrepreneurs, bright, brash self-made. In some ways, the image of that decade was defined by them. All in all, Richard Santulli was a perfect candidate for a business aircraft.
REGIONAL Airlines of Nantes, France, will be the European launch customer for Embraer's new 50-passenger EMB-145 regional jet. The carrier has placed three on firm order, plus two options. Deliveries are to begin in third quarter 1996 and extend through 1998 if options are exercised.
There might be a peace dividend after all--at least for Simula Incorporated, a developer of crashworthiness technology for military aircraft. The Phoenix-based company was recently selected by Jetstream Aircraft to provide a passenger airbag system for the Jetstream 41, and it's a choice that represents the first commercial aviation application of the technology.
PPG Industries of Pittsburgh granted approval for Aircraft Window Repairs of Torrance, California to apply the windshield maker's Surface Seal Coating System to PPG glass windshields. The FAA-approved process that helps glass windshields shed rainwater is a heat-cured polymer coating that remains effective for thousands of flight hours, PPG officials say. Contact PPG Industries for a list of other repair facilities approved to apply the coating.
Vision Safe Corporation now offers a portable version of EVAS, the Emergency Vision Assurance System. EVAS enables pilots to see vital instruments and the flight path in emergency situations when dense, continuous smoke cloaks the cockpit. At 8.5 inches by 10 inches, with a thickness of three inches, the product fits into a Jeppesen manual bag. This new EVAS is built and tested to the same standards as the FAA-approved, permanently installed EVAS equipment. Price: $9,915. Vision Safe Corp., 46-217 Kahuhipa St., Kaneohe, HI 96744. (808) 235-0849.
It will not go away. The constructive outcome of the crash of American Eagle (Simmons) Flight 4184 in October 1994 will likely be a whole new set of icing certification standards for Part 25 transport category aircraft, and probably for Part 23 air carrier aircraft as well. The negative outcome is a public relations disaster that is going to impact the entire air transportation industry, not just regional airlines.
FAA is proposing rule changes to make training requirements for pilots of FAR Part 135 commuter aircraft with 10 or more seats the same as those for Part 121. The move is a follow-through on the FAA's early 1994 commitment to respond to NTSB recommendations on commuter airline safety. A CRM training requirement and a pitch to use simulators also are part of the proposal. Comments are due March 14. Contact the FAA in Washington, D.C. Phone: (202) 267-8521.
Fort Lauderdale--National Jet Air Center recently moved its FBO into new and larger facilities at Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Improved services include on-site rental and crew cars, discount hotel reservations, separate crew and passenger lounges, crew snooze room, conference rooms and WSI flight-planning area. (305) 359-0066.
Dornier, a division of German manufacturer Deutche Aerospace, received FAA and German certification of its Model 328-110 twin-turboprop commuter. The 30-passenger -110 features these improvements over its predecessor, the -100: Gross weight raised to 30,843 pounds; max-payload range extended to 1,000 nm; 32-degree flap setting added to reduce approach speed; and drag reductions made to lower direct operating costs. Dornier is providing -110 upgrade retrofits to -100 operators. The new aircraft has an equipped list price of $9.1 million (1994).
President Clinton nominated Robert T. Francis to serve on the NTSB. Francis, a licensed commercial pilot and experienced accident investigator, put in 17 years with the FAA and worked with major and regional airlines. Former NTSB chairman Carl W. Vogt has left the Board, and John Lauber will leave early this year (B/CA, September 1994, page 26). Lauber was scheduled to leave on December 31, 1994, but agreed to stay longer--chiefly to preserve a quorum on the Board.
At press time, safety investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the November 8, 1994 crash of a Mobil-owned Sikorsky S-76 helicopter. The twin-turbine rotorcraft was en route from a Mobil energy exploration platform in the Gulf of Mexico to the company's base in Cameron, Louisiana when it crashed about two miles offshore. The passenger, an employee of Universal Ogden Catering of New Orleans, was killed in the accident. The pilots, Jerry Wheeler of Mobil and Boyd Williamson of Excalibur Services of Lafayette, Louisiana, survived.
Tucson-based Universal Navigation recently completed STC flight testing for TSO C129 B1 and C1 certification of an FMS to fly complete GPS overlay non-precision approach procedures. The scheme, certificated on the company's Challenger business jet, utilizes the internal navigation database of the Universal UNS-1B FMS and the 12-channel Universal GPS-1000 sensor with real-time and predictive receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM).
Cooper Aviation Industries is now a worldwide distributor of Halonaire 1211-1301 fire extinguishers. Unlike dry chemical extinguishers, Halonaires discharge a colorless and odorless vapor that evaporates on contact, leaving no residue. Non-corrosive and electrically non-conductive, the fire- fighting agent can penetrate obstructed areas that dry chemicals cannot reach. List price: $39.95 for the 14-ounce size. Cooper Aviation Industries, 2149 E. Pratt Blvd., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007. (708) 364-2600.
FAA has proposed lowering the ceiling of the Los Angeles Class B Airspace from 12,500 feet to 10,000 feet; raising the base altitude west of Santa Monica from 4,000 feet to 7,000 feet; and expanding the eastern, southern and southeastern boundaries. The rulemaking comes more than two years after the FAA held public meetings on the proposed changes (B/CA, June 1992, page 26). Comments are due January 23. Contact the FAA in Washington, D.C. Phone: (202) 267-9230.
FAA reopened the comment period until March 4 for its proposal to upgrade the flammability resistance of seat and restraint systems on airplanes certificated to the commuter category of FAR Part 23 (19 or fewer passenger seats and MTOW of 19,000 pounds or less). The new standards would apply to all commuter category aircraft manufactured after June 16, 1996. The comment period originally closed November 12, 1993 (B/CA, September 1993, page 32), but the FAA has received numerous requests to extend the rulemaking process.
JSX Capital Corporation, a unit of British Aerospace, has agreed to make a $20-million capital infusion into United Express Atlantic Coast Airlines. Closing on the deal was expected before January 1 and was contingent upon regulatory approval.
The Safety Board has adopted numerous rule revisions governing air safety enforcement and related proceedings. Effective January 17, the NTSB revisions apply to filing motions, amicus appearances, pleadings, depositions, subpoenas, evidence, hearings and appeals. The revisions are based on a notice published in October 1993 asking for comments from users. Six comments were submitted, including replies from the AOPA and the Experimental Aircraft Association.
