Regarding “Righting the Wronged,” I hope the fact that James Inhofe is a sitting senator had nothing to do with his being allowed to keep his license after 7 hr. of remedial training following the incident. I only say this because he is 77 years old and I've seen quite a few elderly pilots who should not be flying, or at the very least not be allowed to carry passengers. Oregon
For unemployed U.S. military veterans seeking a career in aviation, a new Veterans Retraining Program (VRAP) now available through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs may allow veterans to participate in Jeppesen's FAA Dispatcher Certification program for high-demand aviation occupations. The program provides licensing of dispatchers along with the same body of knowledge that is required for the Airline Transport Pilot License, applicable to many aviation careers. Those interested in the training program should visit www.jeppesen.com/faasdispatcher.
GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce believes time is running short for the FAA to make substantial changes to the certification process, which he says is resulting in up to 18-month delays in products reaching market and costing jobs. Given potential budget cuts that Congress may be facing, he says changes in the way FAA operates — including using the designee program the way it was designed — must be made soon. “FAA absolutely has to change right now,” he says, noting the agency has the budget and congressional authority to make the changes.
Argus July 2012 TRAQPak data show business aircraft activity flat month-over-month, and year-over-year. TRAQPak data indicate that July 2012 business aircraft flight activity decreased from June 2012 at 1.1% overall. The results by operational category were all down from the previous month, with the exception of fractional activity, which posted a month-over-month increase of 3.3%. Operational categories: FAR Part 91, down 2.4%; Part 135, down 1.0%; fractional, up 3.3%.
Perhaps as the GWX design is firmed up and growth models are introduced, something will be added, making the identification of extreme intensity precipitation simple. In the meantime, here are a couple pilot's tricks to identify those “worse than bad” thunderstorms.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Thomas Petri (R-Wis.) wrote acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta asking the agency to reconsider its recent rule to mandate what had been voluntary helicopter routes over Long Island, N.Y. They asserted that the rule was “seemingly based solely on noise complaints as opposed to safety of flight.” The mandatory routes were debated at length during the House/Senate conference on the FAA reauthorization but were rejected, the lawmakers note.
I read with great concern the accolades being used to describe former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt (Intelligence, June 2012) in regard to his return to aviation consulting. I must take issue with the praise being given Babbitt in terms of his contribution to advancing aviation safety.
NetJets already is beginning to see possible returns from its new fleets, says Patrick Gallagher, senior vice president and head of sales for the fractional ownership provider. After announcing orders in June for midsize cabins — including the Cessna Citation Latitude and Challenger 300 series — the number of inquires on the Web and calls tripled, he says, adding that “customers are excited to see us reinvest in our business.”
Baker Aviation's new maintenance facility at Addison Airport (KADS) has been named a certified repair station by the FAA. Baker, the only certified repair station at KADS, is a full-service private aircraft charter, management and maintenance company licensed to provide professional aviation services in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
Aug. 7 — About 0845 CST, a Bell 214ST (N409SB) experienced a loss of tail rotor authority near Avalon, Texas. The pilots were not injured during the precautionary landing; however, the helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was owned and operated by Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth. VFR conditions prevailed for the local flight operating without a flight plan. An initial report from the commercial pilot to the responding FAA inspector stated that they had departed Arlington Municipal Airport (KGKY) on a test and evaluation flight.
The “bible” for operations over the high seas is ICAO Document 4444, Section 15, which delineates general oceanic contingency procedures. An accompanying reference is ICAO Document 7030, which covers supplementary (unique) procedures applying to the eight ICAO regions. These two can be purchased through ICAO's main website in paper or online subscriptions at www.icao.int/publications/catalog. (They are not presented gratis on the ICAO website as FARs are on the FAA website and must be purchased. However, the full set is included in a Jeppesen JeppView subscription.)
Pan Am International Flight Academy now has an agreement with Carnegie Speech to aid in the company's Aviation English training. Carnegie's patented language learning technology will be used at the Academy's training centers in the U.S. and abroad to increase English proficiency within the aviation field. To help students meet and surpass the ICAO requirements (known as Operational Level 4), Pan Am integrates Carnegie Speech's “NativeAcccent” technology and “Climb Level 4 Aviation English” software with their programs.
The business and general aviation market is gaining ground in 2012, with industry billings improving by double digits and business jet and turboprop deliveries both increasing, according to GAMA. Billings for the first half of 2012 reached $8.202 billion, a 13.2% increase from the $7.246 billion in the first six months of 2011. The jump in billings corresponds to a 13.1% increase in business jet shipments in the first half. Manufacturers delivered 294 business jets in the first half, compared with 260 in the same period in 2011.
In July, Manassas Regional Airport (HEF), Virginia's largest regional airport, began construction to extend its longest runway by an extra 500 ft., to 6,200 ft. The five-phase project is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2012. In the meantime, runway length availability will be reduced to 5,000 ft., with a threshold displacement of 700 ft. In the last 30 days, there will be a further reduction to 4,700 ft. Check NOTAMs.
Real Clean Aviation Products has introduced Turbine Soot Master, a carbon soot cleaner and degreaser. According to the company it is designed to effectively address carbon exhaust buildup and staining that occurs on most turboprop aircraft. The product's streak-free formula dissolves carbon, grease and oil with very little effort. Soot Master is rinse-free and does not require the use of any water. Spray it on and wipe the surface clean with a microfiber or terry cloth. View the video at www.youtube.com/RealCleanAircraft
Business jet sales continue to bolster Bombardier's aerospace business, accounting for the increase in revenues from $2.085 billion in the second quarter of 2011 to $2.265 billion this year. Revenues for the six months, however, were down from $4.273 billion in the first half of 2011 to $3.764 billion through June 30 of this year. That decline in part was attributable to the slowing of Global deliveries in the first quarter.
Signature Flight Support parent BBA Aviation is bracing for continued volatility in the market for the remainder of the year, but BBA CEO Simon Pryce maintains that “medium term” indicators look much stronger. Business aircraft traffic was softer than expected — remaining relatively flat — keeping a damper on services overall. Even so, the company reported growth in revenue of 3% to $1.094 billion, thanks to an 11% increase in aftermarket services and higher fuel prices.
Embraer Executive Jets milled the first part for its mid-light Legacy 450 executive jet last week, marking the beginning of fabrication for the new aircraft. A forward fuselage component was milled from a block of aluminum alloy by a five-axis, high-performance machining center. The fully-automated milling process drew data directly from a digital mockup of the 2,300-nm-range Legacy 450. Once completed, the part was approved by a quality control process that employs laser devices for design validation and conformity with the digital mockup.
What follows is a compilation of actual inflight emergencies experienced by business aviation flight crews in oceanic airspace. Note the follow-throughs, cockpit resource management, and adherence to ICAO contingency procedures these tales reflect.
CAE inaugurated pilot and maintenance technician training programs in Melbourne, Australia, for the Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. The program features a new CAE 5000 Series full-flight simulator, qualified to Level D standards by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Located in the Ansett Aviation Training facility, the CAE Melbourne location is part of CAE's expanding business aviation training network.
Beginning a design exercise on a clean sheet of paper has been a rare event in general aviation. The philosophy has always been you can tinker with it but, since it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. Witness the progression of the 1945 Beech Bonanza into the 2012 Baron, the 1945 Cessna 140 into the 2012 Stationair, the King KX 160 navcom to the KX 175, the RCA Primus 40 radar into the 21st century Primus 880. Even Garmin, with its image of being the great innovator, got into airborne weather radar by upgrading an ancient design (and very successfully, it should be noted).
The Citation CJ2, built from 2000 to 2006, filled a niche in Cessna's light jet product line that had been empty since the Citation I/SP went out of production in the early 1980s. The CitationJet and CJ1 were unable to fill that void, because their cabins were too short, tanks-full payload too puny and range too limited. The CJ2 remedied those shortcomings.
At the Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Cessna announced that it has increased the range expectation of its new midsize Citation Latitude from 2,300 nm to 2,500 nm. In 2011, the Latitude was originally announced with an expected range of 2,000 nm, but Cessna engineers responding to customer input pushed the range figure to, first 2,300 nm, and most recently to 2,500 nm. “As we talked with more customers, getting to 2,500 nautical miles was imperative,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, International Sales, South America.
Asia Pacific Jets has ordered 10 Nextant 400XT business jets to be delivered over three years, with the first two delivered by the end of this year. Singapore-based Asia Pacific provides medical evacuation and corporate charter services. The company will also become Nextant's sales agent in Asia and has partnered with Hong Kong-based AirMed Asia, a subsidiary of medical transportation specialist AirMed International, to establish a new operating base for that company in Singapore.
