Capt. Edward A. Sarkisian (B757/767 — United Airlines Via email )
I read Ross Detwiler's “Two Tiers of Training” (June 2013, page 40) with great interest. I agree that we must leave the technology aside and “fly the plane” with basics when in a critical phase of flight. Let's not get distracted by the technology. Use it in its proper modes, and if idiosyncrasies occur, put it aside if in a critical phase of flight. I recognize Ross's name from TEB from decades back when I flew for several charter operations there, followed by a few different corporate flight departments.
In a bizarre and embarrassing gaffe while reporting follow-up details on the July 6 crash of Asiana Flight 214 during a landing at nearby San Francisco, a daytime anchor on KTVU in Oakland, Calif., told viewers on July 12: “KTV was just learned the names of the four pilots on who were on board the flight. . . . The NTSB has confirmed these are the names of the pilots on board Flight 214 when it crashed.
A preliminary report of the facts involved in the July 7 Alaska crash of a TPE331-powered de Havilland Otter that killed the pilot and nine passengers was expected to be issued by the National Transportation Safety Board within weeks of the accident. However, no probable cause is likely to be determined for several months. The late morning crash of the DHC-3T occurred on takeoff from Runway 25 at Soldotna Municipal Airport. The aircraft (N93PC) was operated by Rediske Air, Inc., a long established charter firm and well regarded in the Kenai area.
GE Aviation has begun certification testing of its Passport engine that will power the Bombardier Global 7000 and 8000. Developed under a joint venture between GE, IHI of Japan and TechSpace Aero of Belgium, Passport is to be certified to produce 16,500 lb. thrust and meet Stage 4 noise regulations. First run occurred at GE Aviation's Peebles Testing Operation in Ohio. The engine company is planning a 4,000-hr./8,000-cycle ground test program involving eight engines and one core. Flight testing is scheduled for 2014, with certification following in 2015.
FlightSafety International, LaGuardia Airport, N.Y., promoted Christopher Weinberg to chief Information officer responsible for all aspects of FlightSafety's Information Technology programs as well as FSI's Competitive Advantage, Continuous Improvement, and Business Systems teams.
With the recent addition of Apollo Jets to its roster, the Air Charter Safety Foundation has raised to 104 the number of companies that are members of the Alexandria, Va.- based organization. Meanwhile, the Jeff Baum, president and CEO of Wisconsin Aviation and David Hewitt, president of Hewitt & Company, were recently installed as ACSF chairman and vice-chairman, respectively. Baum succeeds Dennis Keith, president of Jet Solutions, LLC whose term expired June 30. Both Baum and Hewitt were founding members of the organization.
One of the challenges of aviation's so-called Golden Age was the installation of radios. After all, how would you connect to the circuit to ground? The answer turned out to be using the metal airframe as a substitute for good old terra firma. Still, early radios were plagued with interference and noise issues. One solution was to add braided wire shielding to prevent stray electric fields from interfering with the radio transmission.
Raisbeck Engineering has earned Brazilian certification of its new swept-blade turbofan propellers for Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft. The higher-thrust props, which Seattle-based Raisbeck developed in cooperation with propeller manufacturer Hartzell, markedly improve takeoff performance without increasing cabin noise levels. Raisbeck says the new props especially enhance operations to and from higher-altitude airports on hot days and permit operators to carry greater payloads and fuel for more range.
June 21 — At 1240 EDT, a Cessna 172M (N9926Q) crashed during takeoff at the Oakland County International Airport (KPTK), Waterford, Mich. The pilot and three passengers were fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The Cessna was registered to and operated by Flight 101, LLC, Waterford, Mich., as a FAR Part 91 personal flight. It was operating VFR with no flight plan and the local flight was originating at the time of the accident. Control tower personnel saw the airplane lift off from Runway 09L and attained an altitude of about 100 ft.
Jet Professional is commemorating its 30th anniversary by launching a new global website with enhanced capabilities, user-friendly features and a streamlined presentation of information on the company's extensive line-up of human resources and staffing solutions. It features a new browse feature to view and apply to open positions and register a candidate profile for future consideration. There is quick access to pertinent documents such as time sheets, payroll cut-of dates and expense forms. There are also links to social media accounts.
Honeywell and Astro-Med have signed a long-term agreement to make the Astro-Med ToughWriter 5 cockpit printer available for Primus Epic and other Honeywell business aviation and regional air transport cockpits. The compact, 7.3-in.-deep printer is more than 5-lb. lighter than current non-Honeywell printers installed in Primus Epic cockpits.
The long running and contentious contest over a (relatively) small Pentagon contract for a light attack aircraft for Afghanistan's Air Force has ended another round, with Beechcraft the loser. Again. Vying for the contract, potentially worth slightly less than $1 billion, is the Embraer Super Tucano and the Beechcraft AT-6, both single engine turboprops. The U.S. Air Force, which is overseeing the competition, initially chose the Embraer. However, a Beechcraft protest forced a second competition in which the Embraer was selected for a second time.
The FAA is formally soliciting industry to provide it with samples of unleaded fuels for testing as possible replacements to the 100LL avgas. The agency wants to assess the viability of candidate fuels in terms of impact upon the existing piston-engine fleet, production and distribution infrastructure, environment and toxicology, and economic considerations.
Eurocopter reports its X3 hybrid demonstrator reached a speed of 255 kt. (472 km/hr) in level flight on June 7, thus claiming an unofficial speed record for a helicopter. The speed mark was achieved at an altitude of around 10,000 ft. during a 40-minute flight over southern France near the Istres flight test center. The X3 configuration utilizes a pair of RTM 322 turboshaft FADEC-equipped engines to power a five-blade main rotor system with two propellers installed on short-span fixed wings.
Enstrom Helicopter Corp. is doubling the size of its facility in Menominee, Mich. The helicopter manufacturer last month held a groundbreaking for the project, which will add 77,000 sq. ft. to the current 85,000-sq.-ft. facility. The expansion will enable the installation of new paint, gel coat and sandblast booths for component parts, along with additional space in the manufacturing and flight line areas. The expansion will also include a second floor to house the engineering department, a new training center and space for other manufacturing capabilities.
Aeroparts de Paris is promoting alternatives to Le Bourget. The organization operates 14 airfields in the Paris area, including Orly and Charles de Gaulle, with four airports described as “major players” in European business aviation. In addition to Le Bourget, which can handle an Airbus A380, Toussus-le-Noble to the south has two paved runways; Pontoise-Cormeilles to the northwest has longer runways and an emphasis on business aviation and training; and the Heliport de Paris, in the city's 15th Arrondissement, which handled 12,222 operations in 2012.
Sabreliner Corp., delivered two highly modified UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters earlier this year bringing their total number of VVIP helicopter completions to 11. Sabreliner developed a frame-load isolation design that allows the combat-proven Blackhawk to be converted into VVIP aircraft. The company also created clam-shell doors with integrated steps maximizing the space in the cabin. The two Jordanian aircraft incorporate full entertainment systems that display iPad content and DVDs on individual and 17-in. monitors. An Iridium phone system allows conference calling.
Dubai, UAE-based United Aviation Services is offering free, all-inclusive trip planning services to existing and potential business aviation customers. The new service will provide: full route planning; full trip cost estimates, including clearance and navigation, coordination and ground handling, catering, airport and fuel charges; efficient and cost-effective fuel stops; equipment and handling availability at any station; a detailed airport brief; advisory services on immigration and Customs regulations; and general information and security/risk assessment.
In recent years, the experimental aircraft population has increased notably, growing from an active fleet of more than 20,407 in 2000 to an estimated 24,750 this year — a 20% gain. At the same time, the active certified piston aircraft population declined 12% — from 170,513 in 2000 to 150,535 this year, according to FAA estimates.
SimCom Training Centers and Eclipse Aerospace, Inc. announced a new Avio IFMS-equipped, full-motion Eclipse twin-engine simulator that is ready for training at SimCom's Orlando, Fla., center. It is an FAA certified, Level D device. The Avio IFMS is the latest avionics configuration installed in Eclipse jets. SimCom Training Centers www.simulator.com Eclipse Aerospace www.eclipse.aero
Speaking recently in New York, aviation consultant Rolland “Rollie” Vincent said the latest Jetnet iQ Global Business Aviation Survey forecast 9,300 business jets would be purchased over the next ten years.
This year's European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) gave some hope for change in the generally grim economic atmosphere long settled over the continent. At the close of the May 21-23 gathering at Geneva's Palexpo exhibition center, the organizers tallied 12,353 attendees, a figure that's just 285 shy of the previous year's gathering and the third highest in the event's 13-year history. As for the sellers, there were 460 Exhibitors, or 31 fewer than in 2012, and out at the adjacent static display there were 52 aircraft.
Beechcraft Corp., in the throes of divesting the Premier and Hawker 4000 programs, insists that the Hawker 400 and 800 programs are not for sale. “There's some perception in the marketplace that we're not in the Hawker business,” Brian Howell, vice president sales and business development, Global Customer Support, acknowledged recently. “That perception couldn't be more false.” The company has built up a parts inventory and service network to support a fleet that includes nearly 2,000 “classic” Model 125 Hawkers and another 400 Beechjet/Hawker 400s.
