Feb. 14 — About 1630 EST, a Cessna 310H (N104DR) operated by a private individual was substantially damaged during impact with terrain, following an inflight loss of control during cruise flight near Yeehaw Junction, Fla. The private pilot, pilot-rated passenger and a second passenger were killed. It was marginal VFR and no flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Sebastian Municipal Airport (X26), Sebastian, Fla., around 1600, destined for Bartow Municipal Airport (BOW), Bartow, Fla.
Summing It Up GAMA has advanced three major objections to the EU's Emissions Trading System for aviation that pretty much condense the worldwide industry's misgivings about the program: The administrative burden far outweighs the environmental benefit from including small operators.
The emergence and strong sales of Robinson's R66 Turbine is causing helicopter manufacturers to think again about the light single-turbine market. For years, Robinson's piston R22 and R44s were considered to be in a league of their own. But the development and certification of the R66 — nearly 200 of which were delivered in 2012 — has raised eyebrows, as it begins to impinge on markets that were previously strongholds of models produced by Bell, MD, Enstrom and to some extent Eurocopter.
The King Schools Online High-Altitude Weather course contains seven major subject lessons including such topics as mountain waves, jet stream turbulence avoidance, thunderstorm avoidance, coping with icing conditions, among others. The course helps pilots meet the initial and transition pilot training requirements for weather, FAR 135.345(a)(3) and recurrent training, Part 135.351, also Part 91K (91.1065). Pilot may individually order and enroll or flight departments may order multiple courses.
After reading, “Who's Up Front?” (February 2013, page 9) I'd like to share my thoughts on airplanes without pilots. PA announcement of the future: “Folks, welcome aboard No Pilot Airlines Flight 1 to Frankfurt. You're currently at 35,000 ft. just east of Boston. You are flying an engineer's dream, a plane without pilots. “The engineers have won. At this mo–ment there are 1,500 airliners airborne and 40 U.S. and allied fighters heading to destroy terrorist targets. All of those are pilotless.
Despite broader economic woes and a continuing climate of fiscal uncertainty, this year's Heli-Expo convention set another record for attendance with well more than 20,393 visitors. The record marks the sixth consecutive year of growth. Matt Zuccaro, president of Heli-Expo organizer Helicopter Association International (HAI), says for the past five years “it has been trending up each year and exceeding attendance from the previous year.” Some 730 exhibitors booked 1 million sq. ft.
A Frasca Sikorsky S76 Level B full- flight simulator (FFS) is on its way to Bristow Helicopters in Scotland to join two other Frasca FFSs (for the S92 and EC225) already in service. Also, nearing delivery is an AW139 Level 6 flight training device (FTD) for the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard and a Bell 206 FTD for the Japanese Coast Guard.
Part 135 operators are increasingly adopting Aviation Safety Action Programs (ASAPs), says Chris MacWhorter, senior technical advisor for FAA's Flight Standards Service. Currently, 19 Part 135 operators and eight Part 135/91K operators have the programs in place, which provide a means for employees to voluntarily report safety issues and events. The Air Charter Safety Foundation has begun a program that would enable smaller operators to participate and ACSF Director of Safety Russ Lawton says four operators are on board with more in the works.
Helicopter Association International is mounting a legal challenge in federal court in Washington to what it sees as a potentially growing and unwarranted threat to airspace access for helicopters over residential areas of the U.S. The move follows the reintroduction of a bill in Congress that requires the FAA to set guidelines on flight paths and minimum altitudes used by helicopter operators over residential areas of Los Angeles County. The bill, which has been reintroduced in both the House and Senate, is sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Sens.
Metro Aviation has released a smart phone app with the potential to decrease response time by up to 5 min. When air transport is needed, hospitals and first responders can use Metro Alert to notify one of Metro Aviation's bases and send GPS coordinates using the helo- alert function. Users will receive an estimated time of arrival and availability of the closest helicopter, as well as have access to other functions such as tips for preparing the landing zone.
In the 1963 Handbook for Planning & Purchasing, the five most expensive aircraft listed in the “Fixed-Wing Business/Utility Aircraft” tables were: Lockheed JetStar 1329-23A, $1,450,000; Fairchild Stratos Corp., F-27 Business, $895,000; North American Aviation, Sabreliner 265-40, $795,000; de Havilland DH 125 Series I, $625,000; Howard Aero, Howard 500, $597,000. (In BCA's 2012 edition the most expensive airplanes listed are the Airbus Corporate Jetliner at $80 million and the Boeing BBJ at $70 million).
Embraer remains cautious about the business jet market, even as the company's revenues from the segment grew 15.5% last year. Embraer has been encouraged by the growth of American corporate profits and the number of millionaires worldwide. But the company says slow growth of some economies and uncertainty in Europe, as well as lower utilization of business jets are factors “that jeopardize a full recovery of the demand for business jets.” The company, which released its fourth-quarter 2012 results on March 13, delivered the same number of jets in 2012 as in 2011 (99).
Boeing is moving all of its full-flight simulators (FFS) from Seattle to Miami. The relocation began when the first 787 simulator was shipped by truck to the company's training facility at Miami International Airport. This starts a consolidation of the company's pilot training activities in Miami that is expected to finish by year-end. Maintenance training for all but the 787 will remain in Seattle.
EASA certified both the Dassault Falcon 2000S and 2000LXS March 11. This puts the 2000LXS ahead of schedule. It was originally anticipated to enter the market in 2014, but Dassault now expects the aircraft to enter service in the second half of this year. The Falcon 2000S is slated for first deliveries in the second quarter. Dassault unveiled the Falcon 2000S during the 2011 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition as a successor to the Falcon 2000DX.
EASA has updated guidance for flying in volcanic ash-contaminated airspace, revamping its recommendations to reflect the latest research conducted by industry groups studying the threat of ash to aircraft operations. Feedback from original equipment manufacturers convinced EASA to take a more aggressive stance on flying through ash clouds, and the agency's first recommendation urges carriers to “avoid operations in visible volcanic ash.”
The Bell 47 is reborn as a turbine. Scott's — Bell 47 (SB47), a Minnesota-based upgrade and modification specialist, has launched a program to restart production of an all-new variant of the venerable Bell 47 light utility helicopter. Although outwardly identical in most respects to the original 1946-vintage design, the new variant will feature an array of 21st century features, including composite main rotor blades, an improved instrument panel with solid-state electronics, LED lighting and a new interior.
Soloy Aviation Solutions has engineered and received STC approval for an LED-based aircraft lighting kit for the Cessna 206G and 206H. The kit installs a second light source on the leading wedge of the right wing to complement the factory installed left wing taxi and landing lights. It further converts both sides to LED illumination and is compatible with the 50-gal. fuel tanks from Sierra Industries. The new kit includes pulse-light capability pulsing the landing light between the two wings.
Sikorsky is taking another look at the fixed-wing M-28 light twin-engine transport plane. It inherited the development when it took over PZL Mielec back in 2007. The aircraft has achieved some success, with a large sale to the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, and the company is confident of more future sales .
Piper Aircraft has adopted the most recent Garmin G1000 software supporting a three-display avionics suite as standard equipment in new piston-twin Piper Seneca V models available in 2013. The announcement was made at Airshow 2013, the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition in February.
The Obama administration is again accusing business jet operators of enjoying “subsidies” and availing themselves of “loopholes that give advantages to the wealthy and to corporations that average Americans and average businesses don't have.” The so-called loophole is depreciation. For every other business, depreciation is normal course of business. But for business jet operators, apparently it is a loophole.
Gulfstream and FlightSafety International worked together three years prior to the G650's entering service to develop flight crew, cabin crew and maintenance technician training programs. Each G650 pilot instructor has flight time in the actual aircraft and each maintenance instructor has turned wrenches on real aircraft.
Dassault expects to see a boost in Falcon sales and slight increase in deliveries to 70 Falcon business jets in 2013. The improving sales would follow a year in which Dassault's Falcon net order intake (minus cancellations) increased by more than 50%, from 36 in 2011 to 58 in 2012. Deliveries were up last year by three units from 2011 to 66. But with the lead time in orders to deliveries, Dassault's production output is still reflecting slow orders during the downturn and is well beneath the 2010 peak of 95 deliveries.
After losing the USAF Light Air Support (LAS) competition for the second time Feb. 27 to a Sierra Nevada/Embraer team, Beechcraft once again protested the loss. The LAS contract is worth up to $950 million. Once a protest is filed with the Government Accountability Office, auditors have up to 100 days to review the case and make a determination. Citing the need “to honor a critical and time-sensitive U.S.
Duncan Aviation has put together an airframe-specific team dedicated to Gulfstream work at the company's Lincoln, Nebraska, campus. Duncan Aviation's Battle Creek, Michigan, location has been running with a dedicated Gulfstream airframe team since 1993, says Rod Christensen, Airframe Services Manager at Duncan's Battle Creek location.
