The King Air 350i's flight deck is a mixture of new and old. The panel has three, large-format, portrait configuration AFD-3000 adaptive flight displays used for left and right PFDs plus a center MFD with engine instrument indications. The core of the system is the central Integrated Avionics Processing System, a computer chassis at the center of the system's hub-and-spoke architecture. Standard equipment includes an Integrated Flight Information System that hosts electronics charts, enhanced map graphics, and XM satellite radio or ACARS weather, among other functions.
On the evening of Dec. 29, 1972, a Lockheed L-1011 departed New York's JFK Airport, on a scheduled FAR Part 121 flight to Miami International Airport (MIA). Around 11:32 p.m, the crew received clearance and began the approach to Miami. The first officer lowered the landing gear but noticed that the nose gear down and locked indicator light did not illuminate. The pilots canceled the approach and entered a holding pattern at 2,000 ft. so that they could investigate the problem. They recycled the gear with no change.
The overriding benefit of a head-up display (HUD) system is facilitating the pilot's transition from instrument to visual flight near the ground for landing. What if the aircraft could be landed without “seeing” the ground? Take a look at the picture of a head-down display (HDD), synthetic vision PFD in Figure 1. That presentation would be the same at night, in VFR or in IFR. That image represents the future.
Esteemed colleague, veteran flight department manager and expert fighter and business pilot Ross Detwiler seems to have tunnel vision on the issue of head-up displays (HUDs). He's so focused on the pros and cons of the comparative benefits associated with using head-up versus head-down displays (HDD) just for low visibility approaches, he's lost sight, literally and figuratively, of what's going on outside the airplane for the other 99% of the flight.
Moscow-based ViraZH is buying 79 Cessna 172s for use at various flight schools throughout western Russia. The aircraft, which feature a Garmin G1000 panel, are to be delivered by the third quarter of 2014. The order follows a purchase of 11 Skyhawks by the training company in 2011 and makes ViraZH's one of the largest fleets of the Cessna model in the world. The Skyhawk is the most populous single-engine aircraft in production.
ProJet Aviation will host the eight annual Aviation Education and Career Expo on Oct. 25 at the ProJet corporate hangar on the Leesburg Executive Airport. The event is attended by more than 500 students, educators and parents who will interact with more than 40 aviation vendors. It's free to attendees and features speakers, videos and demonstrations that will showcase the variety of career opportunities in aviation. Speakers include Jamail Larkins (right), pilot and entrepreneur; Lt. Meagan Flannigan who has accumulated over 1,250 hr. flying F-14Ds, and F/A-18s; and Capt.
Global Aviation has added a Bombardier Challenger 300 to charter fleet. The additional aircraft joins the company's Global Express XRS, Challenger 604 and Hawker 800SP. Global Aviation plans to further expand its fleet later this year with a Gulfstream GV and a Hawker 900XP. Its fleet is based in Portland, Ore.
This past summer, the general aviation community welcomed the fact that the House GA Caucus had reached 200 members, making it one of the largest caucuses in the chamber. Its Senate counterpart also had grown in numbers, encompassing 35 members. Such strength is good news because the caucuses have played instrumental roles in key issues affecting the industry including debates on user fees, contract towers, air tour restrictions and other contentious matters, one of the most notable being the protection of general aviation privacy.
Aspen Avionics, Albuquerque, N.M., announced the Perri Coyne has joined the company as director of Marketing Operations. Perri comes to Aspen from Beechcraft Corp. Prior to that, she worked at Honeywell Aerospace in a variety of marking and media relations posts. She began her aviation career at Signature Flight Support in a marketing role.
AOPA, Frederick, Md., announced that Mark Baker is the new president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He replaces Craig Fuller, who has led the organization for the last five years.
The market adage, “Don't try to catch the falling knife,” was born of hard experience. But in the used aircraft world, the knife seems to have finally hit the floor, and buyers are gradually emerging from the shadows of recession. There is no doubt that buyers and sellers are wary now, but are they smarter?
Blu Halkin has become the fifth AOC-based operator at Cambridge International Airport, U.K., when it celebrated its maiden flight from Cambridge to Milan with its Citation CJ3 (G-PAOL). Blu Halkin's second base is in Northern Italy, and selected Cambridge because of its maintenance expertise and ground handling capabilities.
Standing before hundreds of business aviation operators clustered into hotel ballrooms at annual NBAA International Operators Conferences over the past decade, Bill Stine has urged attendees to begin mapping out plans for equipping their transcontinental business jets with FANS 1/A avionics.
Cardiff Aviation, Cardiff, appointed Andrew Braley as commercial director. His appointment follows the recent arrival of Allan Dunne as head of Flight Training.
Cessna Aircraft completed the first international delivery of its TTx, handing over the fixed-gear single-engine aircraft to a customer in Thailand. Cessna received certification of the TTx in July, marking a return of the former Corvalis program that had suspended production in late 2010. The new TTx is the first aircraft to sport the Garmin G2000 avionics system with a glass cockpit and dual 14.1-in. high-definition displays and touch screen controls.
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is seeking to potentially add one or two more fixed-base operations at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in California. LAWA, which oversees VNY in addition to Los Angeles International (LAX) and Ontario (ONT), issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for parties interested in operating an FBO at the airport. LAWA says it anticipates that two FBO areas will be made available — one on a lot that has been vacant for some time and the other on a site that Pentastar Aviation vacated last spring. Both involve parcels of up to 15 acres.
In mid-December 2011, NTSB investigators viewed black and white video images recorded on Nov. 23 by an outdoor security surveillance camera located about 6 mi. south of Superstition Mountain at Apache Junction, Ariz. The video file contained about 50 min. of image data covering the period from about 1810 to 1900.
CIRCOR, Corona, Calif., promoted Daniel Godin to vice president of Operations, North America. In his expanded role, he will continue to provide leadership for the company's Lean Manufacturing and growth initiatives.
Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Ga., named William Brown director of global security. He will manage activities to protect Gulfstream employees, assets and property. William Gibson was appointed director, Product Support Global Distribution. He previously spent 10 years at Honeywell, most recently as senior manager, customer operations for its Space and Defense segmant.
Cirrus Aircraft has partnered with Lake Superior College to develop and implement an Aircraft Assembly Pre-employment Program, which is part of a Minnesota Job Skills Program Grant for workforce development aimed at recruiting, training and preparing low income individuals for assembly jobs at Cirrus. The grant will fund the program's curriculum development and enrollment for up to 60 participants. Contact SOAR Career Solutions at (218) 722-3126 or [email protected].
In August, Charter flights continue to be the bright spot of business aircraft flying activity, up 14.3% year-over-year overall. Small and midsize aircraft charter operations drove that increase, improving 21.6% and 19.2%, respectively. Counting all operations, however, year-over-year flights are relatively flat in North America, with just a 1% slide, according to the latest ARGUS data. However, ARGUS is finding a month-over-month strengthening, up 3.2% from July. All categories improved except turboprop fractional and large-cabin charter operations.
One of the more interesting aircraft projects on the near horizon is in fact a second coming of what was surely one of the most controversial civil aircraft ever certified and produced — the Eclipse very light jet. Inspired by a proof-of-concept aircraft sponsored by Williams International to highlight its EJ-22 engine, the Eclipse project launched in 1998.
If the Vietnam War could be said to have provided anything good, it was its technological advancement of turbine-powered helicopters and development of a pool of qualified pilots to fly them. At the peak of the war, the U.S. Army was churning out some 300 pilots a month.
