The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore officially inaugurated the new Singapore Air Traffic Control Centre (SATCC) during the Singapore Airshow in February. The Centre represents a quantum leap in the capacity and ability of CAAS in providing high-quality air navigation services.
Dassault has named CAE as its approved training provider for the Falcon 5X jet, now under development. The selection covers pilot, maintenance and cabin crew training. Nick Leontidis, CAE Group President, Civil Simulation Products, Training and Services, says his company “will be ready for training with a complete training program, including the deployment of two full-flight simulators, to support entry-to-service of the 5X.” The location of the first 5X simulators has yet to be determined, but CAE says it plans additional deployments as the Falcon 5X fleet grows
John Leahy is not satisfied with the status quo of ACJ activity and wants to change that. The COO-Customers at Airbus, Leahy recently told reporters that the European manufacturer is making a renewed effort to revitalize Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ) sales to take a bigger share of the VIP market away from archrival Boeing. “If we look at Corporate Jets to BBJs, it looks like about an equal split there,” he said speaking of 2013 results, “but it won't be quite the same on a net basis.” He continued, “On our corporate jet program, it switches around.
It took a data link mandate in the North Atlantic and, finally, pressure from airframe OEMs and operators, but avionics manufacturers are stepping forward with Future Air Navigation System 1/A options and upgrades to allow customers continuous unimpeded access to prime aerial real estate in the North Atlantic region, especially on the Organized Track System. (See “CPDLC: Texting for Pilots,” October 2013 B&CA, page 80.)
It turns out that Christina Macfarland and I share a favorite place. By way of background, she is the great-great granddaughter of Henry Flagler, a founder of Standard Oil, and the man who created modern Florida by building The Breakers and other resorts, along with the railroad to bring yesteryear's snowbirds south.
Greenpoint Technologies, Kirkland, Wash., announced that Chairman Jon Buccola was named Executive of the Year by the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance, a non-profit organization geared toward growth and success of the aviation industry in the region.
Embraer, Sao Paulo, Brazil, appointed Peter Griffith vice president, sales and marketing for Europe and Africa, for the company's Executive Jets unit. Griffith has had sales positions with Raytheon Aircraft, Cessna and Honda, among others. Peter Walker was named vice president sales and marketing for the Middle East and Asia Pacific. He has served as a chief pilot and has had sales roles for Hawker Beechcraft and Nextant.
RUAG has delivered the first Dornier 228-212 to the Venezuelan government at the end of January. This is the first of 10 Dornier 228s in passenger configuration ordered by that government and includes spare parts, ground equipment and training. The Dornier fleet will improve travel between remote areas and regional hubs, and will give residents in hard to reach areas greater access to medical care and government support.
"Boosting DCA" (Washington Watch, February 2014, page 59) is the first article regarding Reagan Washington National Airport that hasn't totally ignored the fact that access to DCA is still severely limited. I've been getting very tired of aviation publications extolling TSA's superb efforts at relaxing the guidelines at DCA every time a new gateway airport is added. You are right on in acknowledging that there has been progress, but we are a long way from where we should be.
Recent high-profile aircraft accidents, most notably the Asiana 214 crash at San Francisco in July 2013, have air safety mavens asking tough questions about the state of flight crews' stick, rudder and energy management skills. Periodic refresher training most often focuses on instrument and night proficiency, systems knowledge and the perfunctory engine failure scenarios. But most refresher training only pays token attention to basic VFR piloting.
Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc. (IS&S) received an FAA STC for its Autothrottle System and Standby Display Unit incorporated into its Integrated Flight Management System (IFMS). The IS&S-developed autothrottle allows a pilot to control the power setting of the aircraft's engines by setting a desired flight characteristic rather than manually controlling fuel flow.
At the dawn of aviation, among the toughest challenges confronting its pioneers was controlling the aircraft. Otto Lilienthal steered his gliders by shifting his weight and upsetting the balance between the center of lift and gravity. The Wright brothers refined the control in all three axes through a combination of wing warping and coordinated movements of the elevator and rudder using pulleys and cables. As aircraft grew faster and larger, so did the forces necessary to maintain control.
Organizers of the 2014 Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE), set for April 15-17, report exhibitor registrations early this year were far ahead of last year's pace and have expanded the exhibit hall and pavilion to allow for more booths at the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Centre. ABACE is produced through a partnership between the Shanghai Airport Authority and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), and co-hosted by NBAA, the Asian Business Aviation Association and the Shanghai Exhibition Center.
After three consecutive quarterly losses, late 2013 certifications of its new Sovereign+ and M2 helped Cessna Aircraft finish the year with a $33 million fourth-quarter profit — $10 million better than the same quarter in 2012 — and position the company for a 19% growth in revenues in 2014. However, the Wichita planemaker posted an overall $48 million loss on the year, down from the $82 million profit in 2012. Revenues slid from $3.11 billion in 2012 to $2.78 billion in 2013.
The PC-12 you flew in “Finnoff PC-12 Upgrade” is based at Boulder Municipal Airport in Colorado, not California; and Boulder City Airport is in Nevada. Boulder, Colo.
Epic Aircraft is proceeding with plans to certify its E1000, a high-performance, carbon fiber, single-engine turboprop, which evolved from the Epic LT experimental aircraft. The Bend, Ore., manufacturer anticipates earning FAA approval by mid-2015, with deliveries beginning shortly thereafter. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-67A, the six-place Epic E1000 has a max cruise of 325 kt., a 34,000-ft. ceiling, and an economy cruise range of 1,650 nm.
There now are more than 50 Gulfstream G650 jets in service, an impressively large number of new aircraft deliveries for just over one year of production. Operators say the airframe, engines and basic systems have been remarkably trouble free, resulting in near flawless dispatch reliability. That's an impressive milestone as the G650 is the first completely clean-sheet Gulfstream since the 1967-vintage GII, doubly so because of the reliability of early serial number airplanes.
When a modern swept-wing aircraft is properly maintained within its certification limits, it is safe. Operating outside of the certification limits or not maintaining the aircraft to its airworthiness specifications can carry a steep price in the high-altitude environment.
Henry Ogrodzinski, the president and CEO of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) and a longtime industry advocate, died at his home in Washington, D.C. Jan. 22 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 65. A gentlemanly and friendly persuader, the genial “Henry O” spent his entire professional career in aviation, working with NASAO, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and Gulfstream Aerospace, among others.
Daher-Socata delivered 40 TBM 850 single-engine turboprops in 2013, up 5% from 2012 deliveries, and hopes the program will continue to expand as Europe considers permitting commercial operations of such aircraft in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The French manufacturer has delivered a total of 662 TBMs since introducing the TBM 700 in 1990; of the total, the 850 accounts for 338.
Universal Avionics, Tucson, Ariz., named Chris Cannady OEM sales manager responsible for developing and maintaining the company's products to original equipment manufacturers in the U.S.
RUAG Aviation and YASAVA are collaborating to deliver the innovative Astral design concept for long-range, large-cabin business jets such as Dassault Falcon 7Xs, Bombardier Globals and the Embraer Lineage 1000s. Some unique features include a dedicated VIP zone that has a day lounge that converts into a private bedroom with a double bed; a redesigned lav with a full shower. The VIP area for the Global features four 16-g, electrically articulating and swiveling Aiana seats that converts into a full-flat 2-meter bed.
Implicit in human achievement from the moment our ancestors climbed down from the trees to stand upright in the tall grass of the savannah has been the Law of Unintended Consequences. It works like this: Leave the arboreal sanctuary for the foraging temptations of the plains, and you increase your vulnerability to predation, perhaps winding up as some larger creature's lunch — and possibly leading to extinction of your species.
Metropolitan Aviation, Manassas, Va., announced that Justin Harris is the new director of safety. Tony Massinon was named the company's new director of operations.
