L-3 Aviation Products announced that Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. selected the GH-3001 Electronic Standby Instrument System (ESIS), Stormscope WX-500 Lightning Detection System and the PS-885 Emergency Power Supply (EPS) for its H-60 and S-70i helicopter platforms. This follow-on award is a five-year contract that spans from 2013 through 2017. Designed with military platforms in mind, the night vision goggle (NVG)-compatible GH-3001 ESIS provides accurate attitude, altitude, airspeed and heading cues in a compact unit.
Conklin & de Decker released the Aircraft Cost Evaluator 2013 Vol. 1 that delivers up-to-date benchmarking, operating and ownership cost data. The product addresses more than 550 business jets, turboprops, helicopters and piston aircraft. The new release includes seven more aircraft including the Citation Sovereign, the ATR 72-500 and 72-600, the Caravan 208EX, the Eurocopter AS365N+ and EC 145 T2 and the M20C Ranger. Each new version also contains updated fuel costs, maintenance parts and labor costs, and data necessary for SEC reporting.
Long known for its high-performance single-engine civil and military turboprops, Pilatus Aircraft is entering an entirely new segment with the PC-24, its largest civil aircraft yet and powered by twin Williams FJ44-4A turbofans. Unveiled at the European Business Aircraft Convention and Exposition in Geneva in May, the pressurized aircraft has a cabin larger than the PC-12, but like that single will be able to operate from unimproved strips. With a 3435 lbst takeoff rating, the FJ44 engines are expected to deliver a cruise speed in excess of 400 kt.
There's been a lot of e-chatter lately concerning the place of pilots in aviation's future. The sentiments expressed celebrate the good old days when pilots, not engineers, were in charge and when the men at the controls were rugged individualists. In following these messages, it seems the fabled Pan American China Clippers were flown by pilots with “the right stuff.”
As part of the global refurbishment program announced in 2012, Jet Aviation Geneva is the first company facility to be transformed with a fresh new corporate look and feel. The newly refurbished Geneva FBO is nearly twice the size of the original, adding 313 sq. meters for a total of 648 sq. meters. The main floor of the FBO now offers a new reception area and three new customer lounges.
House lawmakers are pushing for a dramatic overhaul of certification regulations for small aircraft. Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) and Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) have introduced the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 that essentially calls for rewriting FAR Part 23 with the intention of halving certification costs while more than doubling safety. The rewrite has strong support from the highest levels of FAA and a number of international aviation authorities.
While industry leaders focus on potential aviation tax changes, such as proposals for new business jet depreciation schedules or aviation user fees, one analyst believes a tax change that took effect earlier this year is eroding sales. “We believe the income tax hike at the start of the year was a material driver of the fresh weakness [in the light jet market],” says J.P.Morgan. The analyst calls the latest detractor to the market “another leg down,” but says it is not a sign that the industry is impaired. Some industry indicators are improving.
Initial and recurrent training programs for the Phenom 300 got off to a strong start in 2009 at Embraer CAE Training Services (ECTS) near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). But some operators complained that when several key leaders left the joint venture, the quality of training programs nosedived. Classrooms were crowded, instructor knowledge was checkered, sim schedules were packed 24 hr. per day and customers encountered substantial scheduling delays.
Embraer has received both FAA and Brazilian Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) clearances for installation of its Prodigy Touch flight deck aboard the Phenom 300. NetJets is launching the new flight deck aboard the Phenom, and Embraer is offering the suite as an option for other Phenom 300 aircraft beginning in the fourth quarter. Based on the Garmin G3000 platform, the Prodigy Touch incorporates touch-screen technology with automation designed for single-pilot operation.
Dassault Falcon Jet's Little Rock, Ark., completion center, which is already the largest facility operated by the French manufacturer, is about to get considerably larger. In late May, the company unveiled plans to add several large outfitting hangars, presumably to accommodate a new, not-so-secret model that is expected to be unveiled at this fall's NBAA convention. Current production model Falcons are manufactured in France, then flown in “green” condition to the completion center where optional avionics and custom interiors are installed, and the aircraft are painted.
While Dassault's business jet deliveries dropped in the first quarter, the company expects shipments to improve throughout the year and remain on track to reach the highest total in three years. Dassault expects to deliver 70 Falcons this year, up slightly from the 66 delivered in 2012 and 63 in 2011, company executives say. As Dassault worked to certify its newest Falcon 2000 models, deliveries were down nearly 50% in the first quarter to eight, compared with 15 in the first quarter of 2012.
Steve Orr (Supervisory Special Agent/Pilot (Ret.) Drug Enforcement Administration Houston, Texas )
Thank you so much for your detailed, informative and comprehensive analysis of the Gulfstream G650 (April 2013, page 24). I do not know how long it took me to read it, but I was impressed with the facts that, as a professional pilot, I demand in an article. I read about six periodicals a month about flying and after reading a terrible article on the Bombardier 6000 in another magazine I decided to write to you. Excellent work and this is why I subscribe to BCA.
Becoming a professional aircraft maintenance technician is a long and difficult process. The price is also very high. Many of us struggled for years to save enough money to afford A&P School, or gave years of our lives serving in the military. Many did both. But earning that license was just the price of admission, an opportunity to get your foot in the door. Finding that all-important first job was the next hurdle.
London Gatwick Airport has reopened a helicopter landing site after a 12-year absence. Based at the end of taxiway Uniform on the west side of the airport, the helicopter aiming point (HAP) reopens after two years of feasibility discussions and joint planning between Gatwick officials and Signature Flight Support.
EASA has a far different requirement for supplemental oxygen aboard high flying jets. EU-OPS 1.770 (b)(iii) and (iv) only require that O2 masks “be within immediate reach of flight crew members” and that “quick donning” masks be installed for flight crewmembers in pressurized aircraft flying above 25,000 ft. Similarly, the ICAO Annex 6 3.4.4.2.2 rule for supplemental oxygen use essentially is the same as the EASA regulation. Canada, in contrast, requires one pilot to use an oxygen mask above FL 410, according to CAR 605.32.
Windblade Corp. has introduced the Inogen Aviator G3. An extension of the existing Inogen Aviator product line, the G3 weighs only 4.8 lb., which is almost 3 lb. lighter than the Inogen One G2-1050. The unit concentrates oxygen from ambient air and can be used by a single user up to 15,000 ft. Features include: a battery that runs up to 2.5 hr.; four flow settings; 12-32 VDC power converter; AC power supply 100-240 volts, 50-60 Hz; meets FAA guidelines for supplemental oxygen; three-year warranty.
There now are 260+ Phenom 100 aircraft in service. The aircraft went through some teething pains as first deliveries began in December 2008, but operators say it has evolved into a highly reliable means of business transportation in the last 30 months.
Fokker Services VIP Completions and DynamicSource AB have developed an iOS application to run Fortran Takeoff and Landing SCAP modules on the iPad. The app allows an operator to make the performance calculation shortly before takeoff thereby allowing the incorporation of last minute changes such as aircraft loading or runway conditions. The app is being used by commercial operators with the performance calculation and is now available for large cabin and airline-class business aircraft operators. Price: Free Fokker Services
AgustaWestland is planning a final assembly line for its new twin light-intermediate category AW169 at its Philadelphia facility. Assembly of the helicopter is to begin there in May 2014, with first customer delivery in early 2015. The Italian/British manufacturer expects to ramp up Philadelphia production to 20 helicopters per year by 2017. The new line will be scalable based on demand. AgustaWestland's facilities in Vergiate, Italy and Yeovil, U.K., will also be involved in AW169 production.
Universal Avionics and Duncan Aviation's partnership to launch a technologically advanced flight deck upgrade program for the Dassault Falcon 900B is scheduled to be completed, and the aircraft delivered, this month. The cockpit upgrade replaces 25 legacy instruments and significantly improves reliability and situational awareness, according the Universal.
EmptyLegMarket, an online marketplace for empty-leg flights, launched a mobile version of its website. The mobile website has the same listings that are on the full version of the company's website, however the mobile version has been optimized for viewing on various mobile devices.
CSI Aviation launched a more innovative and customer friendly website in support of its growing marketing efforts. The website enables customers to clearly view the company's value-added aviation management services from arranging charter, managing aviation programs, to using mission-specific aircraft for mapping and data collection and surveillance. The company also has a new logo. CSI Aviation Albuquerque, N.M. www.csiaviation.com
New twin born to the Piper tribe: Long, sleek engine nacelles distinguish the newest addition to Piper's twin-engine line. Dubbed the Twin Comanche, the four-place aircraft has a top speed of 205 mph, a range of over 1,000 mi. and a price tag of $33,900.
Honda Aircraft, facing further delays in the certification of the GE Honda HF120 engine, is pushing back its target for certification of the HondaJet until the end of 2014. The program already has encountered series of delays, including one after problems with the HF120 surfaced during ice testing in 2011, forcing changes in the engine fan design. The company had hoped the redesigned engine would receive certification by mid-2013, clearing the way for certification and the first deliveries of HondaJet later this year.
