At the end of the last decade, it seemed fairly certain that a robust, seamless backup to GPS, in the form of enhanced Loran (eLoran), could be made available at a reasonable cost to GPS users in North America.
Eurocopter and Nextant Aerospace are the newest members 0f the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). The association now has 80 member companies worldwide.
Rockwell Collins' Airshow 3-D moving map is now available for download in the iTunes App store. The iPad app delivers a unique, interactive way for business jet passengers to view the world around them and stay informed during their trip. With a simple system upgrade, existing Airshow 4000 or Venue HD cabin management system users can take advantage of the new app.
NTSB Vice Chairman Christopher A. Hart concurred with the Safety Board's findings and probable cause in this accident but expressed concern “that we are not giving enough attention to an emerging issue — the human factors issues associated with the improving reliability of automation.” What follows is excerpted from his concurring opinion.
While a University of Calgary undergrad in the 1970s, I flew ag planes in the summer. My boss, Bob Lukens, had good relations with the Hutterite community in rural Irma, convincing them that aerial spraying of their 5,000 acres of grain was a sound investment. While the religious group was close-knit and ultraconservative in speech and dress, their farming practices were some of the most modern in Alberta.
Eran Duvdevani (CEO Jet-ways Aviation Hertzlia, Israel )
A long-time subscriber, I enjoy your “operating in. . .” articles very much (e.g. “Life in the Far North: Operating in Scandinavia,” October 2012, page 26). As a Part 91 Bombardier Global 5000 pilot, I find it very helpful when planning our flights worldwide, and I keep the issues of the magazine just in case I will fly somewhere you wrote about.
Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics provide the backbone of the Gulfstream G280's PlaneView cockpit. The main instrument panel features three, 15-in., portrait configuration AMLCD adaptive flight display screens that are controlled by cursor control devices on the left- and right-side ledges and left and right standby multifunction controllers (SMCs) in the glareshield panel. Gulfstream invented the SMCs to provide each pilot with a full-function electronic standby instrument system that doubles as a display and test control box. The 3-in.-by-4-in.
DART Helicopter Services has expanded its office in Hawkesbury, Ontario, consolidating all Canadian divisions under one roof. Before the construction of the new office, the sales, marketing, customer support, engineering, accounting and manufacturing teams were not co-located. The 9,500-sq.-ft. office expansion allows the functions to come under one roof next to the manufacturing facility.
Bombardier Aerospace announced September 28 that it has received orders for a total of eight Global business jets from an undisclosed customer. The firm orders are for four Global 6000 and four Global 8000 aircraft. The customer had asked to remain unidentified. The transaction is valued at approximately $500 million based on the 2012 list price for typically equipped aircraft.
Cockpit Apps has launched iLOG, an app that provides flight crews an alternative to traditional pen and paper flight logs. According to the company, the easy-to-configure app follows a crew through a typical duty day, tracking critical components such as duty and flight time, VOR checks and RVSM altimeter settings. The app is also configured to record squawks as well as engine, airframe and component time. At the end of each day, crews can either electronically sign the documents using an iPad digital signature and email their flight logs to dispatch, or print them out.
On May 11, 1996, a ValuJet Airlines DC-9 departed Miami International Airport bound for Hartsfield International Airport, Atlanta. Shortly after takeoff, the crew was alerted by an electrical problem, rapidly followed by systems dropping offline and smoke in the cockpit. While making emergency calls to the tower, voices in the background could be heard shouting that the aircraft was on fire. The aircraft was cleared for an immediate return to Miami.
Honeywell's second-generation HTF7000 series engines are more powerful and fuel efficient than the original powerplant that entered service in 2003, plus they have lower emissions. Aboard the Gulfstream G280, they're rated at 7,624 lb. thrust for takeoff up to ISA+16.7C and they produce 7,240 lb. thrust at the max continuous rating.
The all-composite Learjet 85, arguably the most ambitious of Bombardier's several business jet development programs, is incorporating new processes and moving lots of dirt as it advances steadily toward first flight. Once certified and in service, the new model will be the largest, farthest ranging and fastest ever to bear the Learjet marque, and it will be the first FAR Part 25 business jet with a fuselage and wings fashioned mostly from composite material.
The embarrassing thing about international procedures is what a tiny percentage business aviation represents in terms of flights [about 6%] but what a large percentage we are in terms of operational errors,” lamented Nat Iyengar, captain and safety officer for a major corporate flight department. “Most of that comes down to bad procedures,” Iyengar continued. “We are too casual about the crossings due to the automation of our airplanes.” By “operational errors,” Iyengar was referring to:
Universal Aviation U.K., located at Stansted Airport (EGSS), has completely renovated its 10,712-sq.-ft. FBO. The updates include all-new crew and passenger lounges, a state-of-the-art business center and video conferencing facility, two client meeting rooms, private screening facilities and ultra-modern showers and changing rooms. The facility is home to Universal's ground-support business and its 24/7 European Operations Center, which offers trip facilitation within Europe and globally.
Honda has broken ground for a 90,000-sq.-ft. factory MRO facility on a 54-acre extension of the company's headquarters and manufacturing site at the Piedmont Triad International Airport.
The FAA has selected Harris Corp. Government Communications Systems to provide Data Communications Integrated Services (DCIS), with a subcontracting team that includes ARINC Inc., GE Aviation and Thales. DataComm supplements today's analog voice-only air-to-ground communications system with a digital system, and it will become the primary mode of communication in air traffic in the future. The FAA says DataComm will provide a two-way data exchange between controllers and flight crews for clearances, instructions, advisories, flight crew requests and reports.
During one of my six-month sim checks, my cockpit partner, a former U.S. Marine Corps A-4 pilot, was tasked with recovering from a nose-high unusual attitude. He did a nice smooth job of keeping the angle of attack (AOA) comfortably within control margins, but that wasn't good enough for the instructor. Rather, he leaned in and said, “As the only jet aerobatic trained pilot in this sim (he'd done aerobatics in the T-37 and T-38, both U.S.
Aerospace Education Corporation hosted its 4th Biennial Aviation and Aerospace Career Fair on October 4th and 5th at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY. The goal of the event was to educate middle and high school students about careers in aviation and aerospace and was attended by almost 2,500 people, who were able to meet with 30 exhibitors, speak with the pilots and technicians at over 10 aircraft on static display and listen to a presentation by NASA Astronaut Daniel Burbank about his time in space.
Gulfstream Aerospace has received a Type Certificate for the large-cabin, ultra-long-range G550 from the South African Civil Aviation Authority. The approval allows operators to register the aircraft in South Africa. The G550 fleet has accrued more than 650,000 flight hours and made more than 242,000 landings. At its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.85, the G550 will fly Cape Town to London in 12 hr.
Banyan has recently launched a mobile website to make it easier for their customers while they are traveling. Everything an operators needs from customer support to maintenance and avionics upgrades and services is now available. Enter www.banyanair.com into your phone's browser. Banyan has also received an STC from the FAA for the installation of the Honeywell Aspire 200LG Satcom system on Gulfstream GII, GIII and GIV aircraft.
Once a conch-wannabe living in Coconut Grove, I recently returned to the Sunshine State at the invitation of Embraer Executive Jets, which was showing off its new $52 million digs at Melbourne Airport. The Phenom maker has reason to strut; the sparkling campus is brand new, carefully considered, nicely executed and, well, a phenom.
Piper Aircraft appointed BAYMAP Aviation, Ankara, as its dealer for new aircraft in Turkey. BAYMAP is a subsidiary of Korfez Aerial Survey and Engineering Ltd. Co., which is active in Turkey, Libya, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia.
