I loved, “The FAA is coming to your airport, and not to socialize” in “Return of the Ramp Check” (Point of Law, February 2012). That grabs attention. Greteman Group Wichita, Kan.
Perusing the range of available cabin lighting sources, a few products seem worthy to mention here. For example, Islip, N.Y.-based Aircraft Lighting International has developed new LED lighting systems that replace fluorescent lamps directly without requiring any new wiring or connectors. Meanwhile, EMTEQ, the Milwaukee-based manufacturer, is expanding into more “intelligent” lighting systems with its Daylight and Quasar lines.
Bell Helicopter has delivered the 4,000th helicopter produced at its Mirabel, Canada, facility. Bell began production at the Canadian facility 25 yr. ago. Bell primarily builds commercial helicopters in Mirabel, leaving the defense business to its Amarillo, Texas base. The 4,000th helicopter, a Bell 206L4 was handed over to longtime customer Air Medical Group Holding (AMGH), which is the second largest air emergency medical services provider, with service in 25 U.S. states. AMGH operates 155 Bell helicopters.
Hawker Beechcraft, Inc. replaced CEO Bill Boisture with turnaround specialist Robert S. “Steve” Miller. Boisture remains chairman of Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) the operating subsidiary of Hawker Beechcraft, Inc. Miller is currently chairman of the board of insurance giant AIG and is a director of Symantec Corporation. In an interview with BCA Miller said his experience in helping companies deal with difficult market conditions would benefit HBC after a three-year-old downturn that devastated sales and backlogs of small and medium-sized business jets.
Cessna Aircraft rolled its 400th Citation Mustang off the assembly line at its Independence, Kan., facility in January — a little more than five years since the Mustang's first delivery in November, 2006. Cessna says the Mustang's most common use is corporate business or personal travel. Its second most common use is air taxi service.
Universal Avionics Systems Corp. and Air Training International Ltd. (ATI) are partnering to provide Future Air Navigation System (FANS) operational training for the UniLink UL-800/801 Airborne Datalink System. “ATI's experts are skilled in providing a tailored curriculum that will be of exceptional benefit to FANS operators,” said Dan Reida, Universal's vice president of Sales, Marketing and Support. Upcoming mandates have prompted increased interest in Universals UniLink among operators in regions affected, specifically in the North Atlantic.
The FAA has approved data link air traffic control communications over the global high-frequency data link (HFDL) network of ARINC Inc. The technology is know as FOH, an acronym for FANS Future Air Navigation System) 1/A over HDFL. The decision means that aircraft already using HDFL for long distance operational communications will eventually be capable of using the ARINC service to communicate with controllers as well.
CAE announced that it will deploy three new simulation-based training programs for helicopter pilots and maintenance engineers. The new programs include Sikorsky S-92 training — including search-and-rescue (SAR) mission training capability — in Stavanger, Norway and Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Eurocopter EC-225 training in Sao Paulo. The programs will feature new CAE 3000 Series Level D flight and mission simulators and CAE Simfinity(TM) e-Learning options.
Bombardier has rolled out its first NetJets-bound aircraft from its assembly line in Toronto. The aircraft — a Global 6000 — will be flown to Bombardier's Global Completion Center in Dorval, Quebec for completion. The Global 6000 is part of a 50-aircraft deal that Bombardier announced with the fractional ownership provider in March 2011. NetJets ordered 30 Global 5000 and 6000 aircraft and 20 more of the new Global 7000 and 8000 jets that are still in development. Deliveries of the Global 7000 and 8000s are expected to begin in 2017.
“Butte Pilatus” (Cause & Circumstance, January 2012) was right on; another winner. It should be read over and over by every instrument rated pilot. As it states so clearly, airborne radar is not for flying IN thunderstorms, it's a tool to be used for staying OUT of them.
Jettech received FAA supplemental type certification for installation of the Garmin G600 glass panel electronic flight instrument system on legacy Cessna Citation 500 series aircraft, including Models 500, 501, 550, 551 and S550. The installation will add features such as synthetic vision, terrain awareness, traffic collision avoidance systems, digital weather radar, satellite weather radar and lightning strike information.
Eurocopter revealed its evolutionary EC130-T2 that retains the EC130's external lines, but approximately 70% of the airframe has been modified. The model's more powerful Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine provides the aircraft with a higher maximum gross takeoff weight (2,500 kg for internal loads and 3,050 kg when external loads are carried) and a speed increase of up to 10 kt. At the unveiling, Eurocopter announced seven launch customers had already accounted for 105 bookings.
The passenger cabin with its various elements including seating, tables, lights, control and connectivity systems, flooring, galleys and lavatories, is certainly one of the most important spaces on any business aircraft, and it grows more integrated and complicated every year.
Feb. 12 — At about 1120 UTC, a Gulfstream GIV (N2SA), operated by Trident Aviation of Wilmington, Del., crashed at Bukavu-Kamenbe Airport (BKY), Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The domestic private flight departed Kinshasa with an intermediate stop at Goma to enplane passengers and refuel. During the landing at BKY, the airplane overran the runway, went down an embankment and came to rest in a ravine. Of the 12 persons onboard, there were four fatalities, including the pilot, copilot and two passengers.
Rockwell Collins is increasing its global regional trip support with the addition of several new European flight planning features to its Ascend Flight Manager online program. The additions enable European operators to select pre-approved Eurocontrol routes and create routes to submit for Eurocontrol validation. Rockwell Collins also is providing a message management service that monitors and alerts flight departments about any Eurocontrol message related to their flights.
Cessna Aircraft has boosted the range of its new midsize Citation Latitude to a maximum of 2,300 nm. The range increase, up from the original announced range of 2,000 nm, was driven by customer requests, the company says. “The increased range will give the aircraft more flexibility to fly a wider variety of missions and meet our customer requirements for comfort and performance,” says Trevor Esling, vice president, sales — Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. The company also secured a launch customer in Europe for the aircraft — EFO Aviation GmbH & Co.
Hawthorne Global Aviation Services in January bought ExcelAire, an aircraft management and charter firm with an FBO at MacArthur Airport on Long Island, near New York City. The purchase price was not disclosed. Steven Levesque, Hawthorne CEO, says the ExcelAire management would remain in place and that the operation has “the capacity and the capability to do a lot more.” ExcelAire currently manages 20 aircraft. The management, charter and maintenance business will continue under the ExcelAire banner. The FBO part of the business would be rebranded as Hawthorne.
Most lighting projects can be accomplished with field approvals or, rarely, an STC. Your cabin completion center can likely answer any concerns you may have about lighting projects, but to be sure, FAR Part 25.812 spells out what's required for emergency lighting, while the SAE's Aircraft Cabin Illumination Standards cover the general recommendations for cabin lighting in order to provide satisfactory illumination for. Boarding and deplaning Movement about the cabin Reading Use of lavatories
Bell Helicopter unveiled its Model 525 Relentless at Heli Expo in Dallas. The largest helicopter ever developed by Bell, it bears a family resemblance to the Bell 429 but weighs in at more than 19,000 lb. Bell Helicopter President John Garrison says the company is “on a mission” to revitalize its commercial product line. A customer advisory panel helped Bell finalize the design. Equipped with the Garmin 5000 avionics system, the 525 has a BAE Systems-developed fly-by-wire flight control system.
Falcon 2000LX isn't a model designation, according to the FAA and EASA type certificate data sheets. It's actually a Falcon 2000EX with two key modifications that were approved in April 2009. Mod M2846 reinforces the outboard wing structure and installs API winglets. Mod M3229 installs more robust slats that can handle the increased wing-bending moments associated with the aero loads imposed by the winglets.
Max-Viz and Helijet of Vancouver, B.C. Canada are collaborating on the installation of the Max-Viz EVS-1500 enhanced vision system on three S-76 helicopters supporting emergency medical service operations under contract with the B.C. government.
Quest Aircraft received certification from Brazil's National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) for its Kodiak single turboprop utility aircraft. Seven countries have certified the Kodiak. The aircraft has received significant interest from Brazil, along with other Latin America countries. The aircraft last fall completed a demonstration tour in Brazil, the Caribbean and several Latin American countries.
Blue Sky Network introduced the portable HawkeyeLink Bluetooth device that enables hands-free Iridium phone calls and two-way messaging on users' smartphones in an aircraft or helicopter. After downloading the custom BSN app, HawkeyeLink uses Bluetooth technology to connect to an Android smartphone. Crew and passengers as far as 30 meters away can now use their phones over the Iridium network for communication anywhere in the air.
