I just finished reading “Operators Survey: King Air 250” (September 2014, page 28), a very enjoyable article about a wonderful plane. As a Blackhawk King Air 200 operator, I wanted to add a few things.
RUAG is now providing real wood flooring as an option for owners and operators looking to enhance the quality of their cabin environment. Developed by Austria’s LIST components and furniture GmbH, the wood flooring can be installed by RUAG on various aircraft types.
FlightSafety International is offering online training for the ground school portion of its Gulfstream G550 recurrent pilot training course. The course is offered to pilots who operate their aircraft under FAA or EASA regulations. It replaces two days of the recurrent training course normally taken at a Learning Center and includes a 13-hr.
Pelican Products Inc., introduced the Pelican ProGear 238R lightweight, rechargeable LED flashlight that uses Fraen patented dual reflector optics. The flashlight has three modes — high, low and strobe. A battery canister is included that will accept two disposal CR123 lithium batteries to allow for alternative or extended use.
CAVU Companies released the new version of EFB-Pro for iPad/IPhone with two new features. The Fuel Tankering module helps operators decide whether tankering fuel is an economical option. Landing fee rebates with minimum purchase are also factored into the solution and calculations are aircraft specific.
Landing slots are normally allocated a maximum of 15 minutes, although on special event days with peak demand slot are limited 5-minute with rotors running. Users exceeding these times are subject to short-term parking charges. Landing fees vary by size of helicopter. Helicopters comparable in size to the Airbus EC130 and the Bell 206 incur a landing fee of £325 ($540). For unplanned short-term parking, the hourly rate is £300 ($498). Helicopters comparable to an Agusta Westland 109 or Airbus EC135 will incur a landing fee of £725 ($1,20
Chicago Helicopter Express (CHE) has proposed building an extensive heliport along the south branch of the Chicago River to conduct helicopter tours. Its plans passed a critical chokepoint last April when the City Council approved the development. As envisioned, the $12.5 million heliport will have 14 helipads, a 17,500-sq.-ft. hangar, a terminal and an aircraft refueling station.
Despite the obvious benefits of city center helicopter operations, Washington, D.C.’s South Capitol Street Heliport (09W) has been closed to private and commercial helicopter operations since 2005. Only medevac and law enforcement flights are permitted there. A number of organizations — the NBAA, Helicopter Association International (HAI) and the Eastern Region Helicopter Council (ERHC), among them — think the time has come to open the facility to civilian traffic. Eleanor Holmes Norton agrees.
In 1958, the Helicopter Association of Great Britain issued a report stressing the necessity for a heliport, preferably on the banks of the River Thames within 15 min. of Westminster. Westland Helicopter took the initiative to build one on the southern bank, just beyond the Battersea Bridge, an area then surrounded by factories. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5cbiIqupkM to view footage of the surrounding location at the time. Obviously noise impact among the factories wasn’t an issue in that era.
FlightSafety International, New York, promoted Tracy Clough to director, International Teammate Resources. Neil Whiteman has joined the company as vice president and senior counsel for FlightSafety Services Corporation.
Sun Air Jets, Camarillo, California, announced the addition of Greg Paxson to their Maintenance Management team. Greg will fill the role of Part 135 Director of Maintenance. Dave Anderson, Sun Air’s current Part 135 director of maintenance, will move laterally and fill the role of Part 145 accountable manager.
Summit Aviation, Middletown, Delaware, hired Jeremy Bennett as manager of Business Development. Christin Sherwood is the new Over-the-Counter Parts sales representative.
NetJets, Cincinnati, named Robert Molsbergen president of Cincinnati, Ohio-based Executive Jet Management He will also serve as chief operating officer of NetJets Inc.’s international aircraft management business.
Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Georgia, appointed John R. “Bob” Ranck as the designated successor to Buddy Sams, senior vice president, Government Programs and Sales. Sams will retire at year-end. Ranck will become a member of the Gulfstream Leadership Team and report to Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream, in January 2015.
Yingling Aviation recently acquired the assets of ICT Aircraft Services, enabling the Wichita services company to provide Type One deicing and Type Four anti-icing services for aircraft at Mid-Continent Airport. The acquisition includes two Premier deicing trucks equipped with heated 1,800 and 1,500-gal. Type One glycol tanks, 300-gal.
Jet Aviation Basel recently expanded its authorization status with Bombardier to include the Challenger 350. The Swiss facility is authorized to provide line maintenance on the new Bombardier Challenger. The facility is factory authorized to service Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer and Gulfstream aircraft.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) says a new study by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) showing a steady increase in fatally injured pilots with drugs in their systems should be “regarded with caution,” while the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) noted that the board’s own researchers considered the findings inconclusive. The study, released Sept. 9, looked at toxicology tests from 6,677 U.S.
