Since many pilots, even some very experienced ones, admit they are not completely aware of the real nature of the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and its ground-based counterpart Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS), we offer a brief primer. WAAS is a Space-Based Augmentation System (SBAS), as is Europe's EGNOS, India's GAGAN and Japan's MSAS. All are intended to be compatible and even interoperable.
I had a nice chuckle over the first paragraph of “Day Trippers” (Viewpoint, September 2012, page 9). I know what I would've done with my shoe if that smart-!@# said the same to me. It sounds like a great journey to the West Coast. Your story is just another reminder of why I am happy I took the corporate route for my career. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the laugh! Captain/Safety Advisor SCANA Corp. Columbia, S.C.
China's Kunming Changshui International Airport, located in the southwest China, has installed a custom built-in airport bird control manufactured by Bird-X. The first device used was the BroadBand Pro, an electronic device that combines sonic and ultrasonic broadcasts to repel birds up to six acres. The ultrasonic frequencies are nearly silent to humans. The second device was the Mega Blaster Pro, a highly powerful sonic bird control system that uses intermittent distress calls to create a “danger zone” that frightens birds away for good.
Mark A. Carolla Airlines, Rail, Maritime & International Affairs Consultant Pierce, Pugliese & Carolla Air Analytics LLC (Herndon, Va. )
The “Fast Five” interview with the Reason Foundation's Robert Poole (September 2012, page 25) prompted this letter. Back when I was a kid traveling the New York State Thruway, my late dad used to point out the billboards facing the Thruway and the New York Central Railroad's main line, which taunted, “You'd be there by now if you flew Mohawk!” That was true — and Mohawk Airlines eventually eclipsed the passenger train as a means of getting around the Empire State for day business travelers.
NASA's Langley Research Center, Mitre and several partners have completed the first in a series of inflight evaluations of cooperative automatic sense-and-avoid (SAA) algorithms for unmanned air systems (UAS), in large part to validate a new testbed that will be used for more advanced trials next year. SAA is regarded as one of the top priorities — and one of the most difficult issues to solve — in the FAA and Defense Department's effort to safely integrate manned and unmanned aircraft in civil airspace.
Rockwell Collins' new GLU-925 Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR) enables operators to take advantage of evolving RNP/RNAV and ADS-B capabilities. It fulfills the requirements for aircraft navigation position source, Category III ILS, Category I Global Positioning Landing System (GLS) and accessing RNP/RNAV airspace (down to RNP Authorization Required 0.1). It also meets the GPS position and availability requirements for ADS-B Out mandates.
A few years back, I received a call from a man who wanted to compare his department with ours. I've found such “benchmarking” exercises to be a great way to share good ideas and hear what's working for others. Organizations such as the NBAA, manufacturers' websites and the Chief Pilots' Roundtable provide invaluable help in running flight organizations through that technique, disseminating information that's applicable to both administrative and technical operations. I looked forward to what I could glean from this man's large operation.
Bombardier's Learjet 75 reached another milestone with power applied to the first production aircraft's electrical systems on the Wichita production line the week of Aug. 21, as the aircraft progresses toward its 2013 entry-into-service. The Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 test aircraft are continuing their development work as the program moves forward.
Germany and the U.S. have signed an agreement to develop sustainable aviation biofuels on both sides of the Atlantic. The pact, signed at the ILA Berlin air show by German Federal Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer and U.S. Ambassador Philip Murphy, will serve as a guide to accelerate cooperation to bring “drop-in” biofuels to volume production. Unlike other sustainable fuel programs, drop-in biofuels are similar enough to hydrocarbon fuels to allow them to easily “drop in,” or replace, current fuel sources. The U.S.
Windy City Charter is rebranding as Ventis Aviation. The company's home offices, leadership and air carrier certificate remain unchanged. Ventis also announced the addition of a Beechcraft King Air 350 to its charter fleet at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) in Wheeling, Ill. Ventis' charter fleet includes a Hawker 700 based in Grand Junction, Colo., and a Beechcraft Baron based at Chicago Executive Airport.
West Star Aviation now has a roll-around HS 124-700A/B/ 800A/B/XP series landing gear shipset that will allow technicians to remove the original landing gear from the aircraft while still having the capability to reposition the aircraft as required for any additional services. The new equipment supports decreased downtime during gear swaps and multi-shop events where paint is tied to airframe maintenance and gear overhauls.
The used aircraft market is continuing to strengthen as the numbers of available aircraft shrink across the board, according a JetNet report on July activity. The percentage of the business jet fleet for sale dropped to 13.5% in July, a near low since the market plummeted in 2008, welcome news for business aircraft makers who have been waiting for the oversupply of used aircraft to dry up and spur demand for new aircraft. The 13.5% is a slight improvement over July 2011 — when it was 13.7% — but it marks a consistent downward trend.
VrefOnline.com, the Internet home of Vref Aircraft Value Reference, now includes helicopters. Vref is used by aircraft dealers, brokers, financial institutions and flight departments for airplane pricing. Helicopter data include average retail and wholesale pricing for each helicopter year model. Evaluations can be tailored to a specific serial number by adjusting for times and condition. An annual subscription is $195 per year and includes airplanes, helicopters and the Market Leader newsletter. Vref www.vrefpub.com
Rockwell Collins' Airshow 3-D moving map is now available for download in the Apple iTunes App Store. The iPad app delivers an interactive way for business jet passengers to view the world around them and stay informed during their journey. Existing Airshow 4000 or Venue HD cabin management system users can take advantage of the new app for passengers' iPads.
Littleton, Colo.-based Jettech obtained FAA supplemental type certification (STC) for installation of Garmin's touchscreen GTN 650/750 GPS/NAV/COM on Cessna Citation 500 series aircraft. The STC covers Models 500, 501, 550, 551, S550 and 560 business jets and includes the installation of Garmin GTX 33's transponders, remote GMA35 audio panels, and GA35/37 antennas. In addition, the company says the STC facilitates WAAS approvals.
Embraer is adding a Phenom 300 production line at its Melbourne, Fla. Plant. Assembly is set to launch with many of the major components, including the fuselage and wing, already on site in Melbourne, Embraer executives told BCA. The first aircraft is expected to be completed and delivered in early 2013. The Melbourne site is producing Phenoms at a rate of two a month, and plans call to build that up to a mix of eight Phenom 100s and 300s per month.
Argus TRAQPak data indicates that August 2012 business aircraft flight activity increased from July 2012 at 5.7% overall. The results by operational category were all positive from the previous month, led by Part 91 flight activity posting a 6.6% month-over-month increase. Part 135 charter activity was up 4.3%. Fractional activity was up 5.1% over July. Comparing August 2012 to August 2011, TRAQPak recorded a modest increase of 2.0% in overall aircraft activity. Results by operational category were once again led by Part 91 sector activity up 2.7%.
Flight Design GmbH and Sandel Avionics Inc. are GAMA's newest members, bringing total worldwide membership to 78 companies. Flight Design is based in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany, and manufactures the EASA type certified CTLS. Sandel Avionics engineers and manufactures terrain avoidance avionics for rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft.
Embraer's Phenom 100 executive jet has won a Validation of Type Certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). “Embraer has been strengthening its market position in China's executive aviation market over the past few years,” said Guan Dongyuan, president of Embraer China. “CAAC's certificate for the Phenom 100 is great news for Embraer and prospective customers.” The Phenom 100 accommodates up to eight occupants. Its range of 1,178 nm (2,182 km), with NBAA IFR fuel reserves, makes the aircraft capable of flying nonstop from Beijing to Tokyo.
An article in Intelligence (September 2012, page 24) states that Baker Aviation is the “only certified repair station in KADS,” yet our sister company, Elite Turbine Maintenance, has FAR Part 145 authorization (X5ER177Y) and we have been in business for over 13 years at Addison (Texas) Airport. Executive Vice President Aviation Services Elite
Hawker Beechcraft is beginning avionics installation on its first customer-bound Hawker 400XPR, jump-starting the upgrade program that had been slowed by the company's ongoing financial struggles.
European business aviation traffic continued its downward trend in July, as the region grapples with the lingering effects of the economic downturn and casts a wary eye toward global anxieties and other concerns. According to the July 2012 Business Aviation Traffic Tracker, published by the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), business aviation traffic throughout the European Union slipped 4% from July 2011 figures. That decline also contributed to a 2.6% drop in year-to-date traffic numbers compared with 2011 figures.
Aerodynamically clear F-28 has radically rigid-in-line three-blade rotor with elastometric bearings in the hub. Power goes from engine to main-rotor gearbox via a belt drive with controlled idler. Priced at under $30,000.
Nextant Aerospace has delivered its 16th 400XT business jet to a private buyer in the Czech Republic, the first to be registered in the European Union. The aircraft will be managed by Czech Republic-based Time Air, a provider of charter, aircraft acquisition and management services.
