A modified Diamond DA42 will be used for flights over Alaska later this year to measure greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost. Aurora Flight Sciences has performed flights of its Centaur aircraft over the Chesapeake Bay to calibrate the specially developed measurement system. The twin-diesel Centaur was developed as an optionally piloted aircraft (OPA), but will be flown manned for the measurement flights over Alaska's Northern Slope, says Aurora. The research mission is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
The FAA has authorized Blackhawk Modifications to sell and install the XP42A Upgrade Package on Cessna Caravan 208A aircraft. The package includes a factory new P&WC PT6A-42A engine rated at 850 shp. It also uses a new, wide-chord, 100-in. diameter Hartzell four-blade propeller; a new composite cowling and high-efficiency inlet duct; a new 40% larger oil cooler; new Blackhawk DigiLog engine gauges and new exhaust stacks.
Bristow Group has taken over search-and-rescue helicopter operations in the North of Scotland. As of July 1, Bristow crews flying Sikorsky S-92s took over from CHC flying SAR missions on behalf of the U.K. Maritime and Coast Guard Agency (MCA) under its Gap SAR contract awarded in February 2012.
If you're heading for that big continent in the southern half of the Western Hemisphere with a cabin full of high-worth individuals, you might first want to read Pablo Penalva's “Top Five Things to Know Before Flying to South America.”
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in September will launch a second review of the interoperability of the Single European Sky ATM Research (Sesar) and FAA's NextGen air traffic management systems. The review comes at the request of the House aviation subcommittee. The first review, conducted in 2011, concluded that the FAA and European Union (EU) were “working collaboratively,” but that the U.S. agency must “better inform aviation stakeholders of efforts toward interoperability” and to improve the credibility of the effort.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) has changed reporting requirements and certain entry-airport restrictions for its Southern Border Overflight Exemption, a move that should ease cost and administrative burdens for companies that have southern border crossings. CBP is also no longer requiring operators to seek passenger clearances and will let operators depart from any foreign airport south of the U.S. border, not just those included in the operator's overflight exemption, according to the NBAA.
ForeFlight digital navigation charts and information are now available for Canada. The complete set of NAV CANADA charts, optimized for iPad display, includes Visual Navigation Charts (VNC), Visual Terminal Area Charts (VTA), and the Canadian Flight Supplement (CFS). ForeFlight Mobile now offers flight-planning capabilities; preflight weather information including METARs, TAFs, and radar from Environment Canada; and, inflight access to navigation charts, weather and moving map capabilities.
Cessna Aircraft Co., Wichita, named Kriya Shortt senior vice president Sales and will lead the company's global sales force. Tom Perry will assume the role of vice president of Sales for EMEA based in the U.K.
Cessna is certainly working on injection to the inflection. Delivery of the new Citation Sovereign is expected in Q3 this year following FAA certification. Meanwhile, the upgraded Citation X should be in the market by yearend. The company reported the new M2 is sold out for 2013 with about a dozen slots open for 2014. Meanwhile, the midsize Citation Latitude and super midsize Citation Longitude, are also progressing with first flight of the former expected in early 2014 and the latter in mid-2016.
Diehl Aerosystems reports that two of its business units have been awarded Bombardier contracts for cabin interior products for Global 7000 and Global 8000 business aircraft. The work package covers cabin peripheries — including the baggage compartments — with high-end surface treatments and optimized acoustic behavior (Diehl Aircabin). The company is to provide all-LED cabin mood lighting. The contracts are a major success for Diehl in business jets, as they are “the first combined approach with both cabin interiors and cabin lighting products” in the segment.
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.
No one knows its true origins, but ever since aviation's early days there has been an artificial divide between maintenance technicians and pilots. Perhaps it's rooted in the mili–tary, where pilots were mostly officers and mechanics were enlisted men. Maybe it has to do with pilots putting life and limb at risk while the maintainers remain safely on the ground.
Col. John Scherer, USAF (Ret.) (Alder Companies Delavan, Wis. )
“Two Tiers of Training” (June 2013) is right on target! I was a T-37 IP at Reese AFB and taught spins and spin prevents as well. My son (U.S. Naval Academy 2010) just went through Navy pilot training at NAS Pensacola, Vance AFB and NAS Corpus Christi (he's flying P3s in Bahrain now). He described similar training in the T-6 as well.
Renovations of the Jet Centre at London City Airport (LCY) are now complete and a Border Force officer installed thereby supporting the facility's pledge to whisk business aircraft passengers from plane to car within 60 seconds. The airport-owned FBO now features an improved reception area, large passenger lounge, private meeting room, ground floor crew rest area and security screening area, as well as the border checking station.
Buoyed by greater-than-anticipated activity in the single-utility turboprop market, Honeywell is supporting a range of additional applications for its TPE331 family, as well as studying potential new engine developments to compete with Pratt & Whitney Canada's PT6 and its planned successor. “In the downturn we saw that the strongest small airplane market was turboprops, and we were fascinated by that,” says Jim Kroeger, Honeywell's director of engineering for propulsion systems.
Beechcraft's factory-owned Hawker Beechcraft Services facilities were authorized to install the CenTex Halo 250 gross-weigh increase modification for Beechcraft King Air 200 aircraft. The Halo 250 conversion adds 920 lb. of payload capacity through an increase in maximum takeoff weight from 12,500 lb. to 13,420 lb. Waco, Texas-based CenTex Aerospace developed the modification, which received FAA certification in October. The increase can be installed via a normal category supplemental type certificate (STC) or a commuter category STC.
Honeywell is partnering with Dubai-based Jetex to expand the global reach of its flight support services. Jetex will resell from Honeywell's Global Data Center Flight Support Services to customers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Jetex will provide international trip planning across multiple regions and after-trip concierge service to Honeywell customers. The agreement will enable end-to-end international flight services for operators globally. The joint services are expected to be available in the fourth quarter.
FlightSafety International, La Guardia Airport, N.Y., announced the Greg Arend was promoted to director, Commercial Programs for FSI's simulation design, manufacture and support facility in Tulsa, Okla. He will be responsible for delivery of all new training devices, as well as the relocation and modification of existing equipment. George Brady has been promoted to director, Product Support and Simulator Operations.
Gestair private Aviation, which has 10 FBOs in Spain, reports an investment of about EUR1.2 million to refurbish the old “Authorities Pavilion” at Madrid-Barajas and convert it into a modern FBO. The facility is 472 sq. meters (nearly 5,100 sq. ft.) including three VIP rooms for passengers and a fourth for crew, a passenger services office, a flight-planning area and a staff of 33. Gestair's FBOs handled 7,730 operations in 2012, up from 6,890 in 2011.
Sherwin-William Aerospace Coatings introduced a new Chrome Hazard Free Epoxy Primer (CM0483790) that is a high-performance, two-component, corrosion inhibitive epoxy primer. It provides outstanding sandability and provides Skydrol resistance in addition to excellent adhesion to treated substrates. This is one of the most flexible of chrome hazard free primers introduced by the company. Submittted for AMS 3095 certification, the new primer meets all VOC regulations that require a 2.9 lb./gal. (350g/L) VOC primer in aircraft maintenance painting settings.
Since the human brain is approximately 75% water, when the body becomes dehydrated, headaches, lightheadedness and fatigue are common symptoms. Dehydration results in increased tracking errors, slowed decision making, and decreased short-term memory.
