Gulfstream Aerospace released its new PlaneBalance application, a weight and calculation tool. The app complements the company's PlaneBook iPad application. PlaneBalance is available from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore. Gulfstream's PlaneBook Software Version 2.0 must be downloaded onto the iPad prior to downloading PlaneBalance. For question or comments go to [email protected]
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., selected Dr. Brent Bowen as dean of the College of Aviation at the Prescott, Ariz., campus. He comes to ERAU from Purdue University, where he was professor and head of the Aviation Technology department.
The founders of Marquis Jet have struck a potential $1.4 billion deal with Beechcraft to launch new “private membership” venture, Wheels Up, which will be anchored around a fleet of King Air 350i's. The agreement includes firm orders and maintenance for 35 aircraft, with options for up to 70 more. Deliveries will begin this year with the remaining firm orders to be delivered at a rate of 1-1.5 per month, running through 2015. The options would then continue over the next few years.
The General Aviation Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives has topped the 200 member mark, or almost half the 435-seat chamber. The advocacy group is composed of both Republican and Democratic members of Congress and as Craig Fuller, president of the Aircraft and Pilots Association noted, “This level of bipartisan agreement is nearly unheard of in the modern political climate, and it is a true testament to the importance of general aviation.”
To no one's surprise, Richard Santulli is a major force in aviation once again. Before founding NetJets, the former Goldman Sachs wunderkind had begun RTS Helicopter Services, a leasing operation that grew to become among the largest such organizations in the world. RTS wound down as Santulli turned his focus to NetJets, but after severing relations with the fractional operation in 2009, the following year he founded Milestone Aviation Group.
Nat Iyengar (Contract Pilot (G550/450/V – CL604/605) San Diego, Calif. )
As a long haul Gulfstream pilot I have experienced much of what Ross Detweiler very correctly writes about in “Oh, for a Good Night's Sleep.” I wish he had held the OEMs' feet to the fire on their disregard for adequate and “valid” crew rest facilities as they design and launch longer range aircraft such as the G650 and Global 7000/8000 aircraft.
The UVair FBO Network has added Great Circle Flight Service at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport as their newest location. Great Circle operates 24/7 and provides customs and immigration support, licensed contract A&P technicians, lounges, courtesy transportation and on-site rental cars, among other amenities. The UVair Network now has 20 FBOs offering branded fuel, Bravo Rewards, acceptance of the EPIC Card and the UVair Fueling Card.
Nextant Aerospace, Cleveland, appointed James Immke to vice president of Quality and Safety. He joined the company in 2010 and has over 20 years of quality and safety experience in highly regulated industries, including aerospace and defense.
If pond scum is a problem in your life, I've a suggestion: Crank up a pair of Wright R-1820 Cyclones fitted with fat Ham Standard paddles. The green goo doesn't stand a chance. Nor does any other aquatic thing less than a Grumman Albatross, which boasts just such a mechanical hurricane.
Steven J. Twist (Vice President and General Counsel Services Group of America Scottsdale, Ariz. )
Your article “Command Presence” (Cause & Circumstance, June 2013) is grossly one-sided, is contradicted by every single eyewitness, omits reference to critical physical evidence, and as a result, has done a disservice to your readers. We trust in the future if you write about this horrific tragedy, you will attempt to be fair and balanced out of respect to the victims. Vice President and General Counsel Services Group of America Scottsdale, Ariz.
The FCC gave a Blanket License Radio Station Authorization for Ka-band aeronautical earth stations to ViaSat, Inc. The 15-yr., renewable license permits operation of the ViaSat Mantarray, low-profile airborne antenna on the ViaSat Ka-band satellite fleet of ViaSat-1, WildBlue-1 and Anik-F2. As the first license of its kind, this approval is another step toward the launch of the ViaSat Exede In the Air Service, the company says.
B. Coleman Aviation will develop a new Chicago-based FBO and general aviation facility at Chicago-Gary International Airport. Features include more than 25,00 sq. ft. of terminal and hangar area, and a 12,500-sq.-ft. airside canopy large enough to provide year round shelter for a Gulfstream V or Bombardier Global Express aircraft. Completion is scheduled for spring 2014.
Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, announced that is board of directors elected company President Kelly Ortberg to the additional role of CEO. He succeeds Clay Jones who retired as CEO after nearly 34 years with the company. Jones will continue as non-executive chairman.
Turbine business aircraft are so reliable, passengers are so predict–able and ATC services are so dependable that it's easy to slip into a cozy cocoon within which you're completely isolated from possible weather, mechanical, operational or physiological contingencies. In reality, though, “what if” contingencies pop up with alarming regularity. Some result in fatal consequences.
SimCom Training has completed the first initial training course for the new Total Eclipse using its recently qualified level-D full-flight simulator equipped with new IFMS avionics. The six-day course includes ground school, 14 hr. of brief/debrief time, and 18 hr. of simulator training. “The new simulator is extremely realistic and allows you to train for every conceivable emergency,” said Mike Bryant, the first customer to complete the new program.
The Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) AirVenture rapidly is becoming the U.S. national airshow, with a broad-spectrum demographic that includes a large, but low-profile group of turbine aircraft owners and pilots. Stéphane Mayer, Daher-Socata CEO, says 70 TBM700/850 operators were at Oshkosh this year.
To “unleash the potential for development of innovative civil applications” for unmanned aircraft in Europe, a 2012 European Commission white paper stated, “the first priority is to achieve a safe integration of RPAS [Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems] into the European air system as soon as possible.”
Yes, a picture can be worth a thousand words, and until recently, an aviator had to create a mental image of destination weather using charts and obscure abbreviations to make the final Go/No-Go decision. However, thanks to the Internet, it is now possible for a flight crew to actually see the current conditions at a wide variety of locations, including mountain passes, highways, runways and even FBO ramps.
Air Tractor recently delivered its 3,000th aircraft, a PT6A-34AG powered model 502B ag plane, to Agropecuaria Maggi Ltda., of Brazil. The operator has three other AT-502Bs for spraying crops of soybeans, cotton and corn. Last year the Olney, Tex., manufacturer produced a record 180 aircraft, all PT6-powered, which are used in ag work, fire fighting, narcotic crop eradication, fuel-hauling, fighting locust plagues, military strike/reconnaissance, and cleaning up oil spills in coastal waters. Air Tractors operate in 30 countries. For more information: www.airtractor.com
Has the ascent finally begun? The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) reports that during the first half of 2013 the industry shipped 1,014 new aircraft new aircraft, an increase of nearly 9% over the same period a year earlier. Total billing of $10.4 billion was up a whopping 26%, the first since 2008 that airplane revenues exceeded $10 billion at the halfway mark. Deliveries and dollars were up in all categories with the notable exception of business jets, whose numbers slipped from 295 in 2012, to 283 this year, and revenue dropped by 4%.
The National Weather Service has a good “go to” website for access to weather cameras. For my locality it brings up SLC as the regional center (www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc). When I click on the “Weather Cameras” link on the left side of the screen I get an abundance of choices of weather cameras and viewing directions; some are “looped” or animated. (It is useful to watch the trend over the last 30 min.) Also, pilots might find the Weather Underground website useful since it lists an extraordinary number of weather collection stations (www.wunderground.com).
