March 5 — About 1210 CST, a Sikorsky 269C (N1099N) operated by a private pilot received substantial damage when it impacted terrain during a forced landing near Staples, Texas. The personal flight was in VFR conditions. No flight plan was on file. The pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The flight's origin and destination are unknown. According to an initial pilot statement, he heard a “pop” sound and the helicopter yawed. He performed a forced landing and the helicopter hit the ground hard.
FAA Flight Standards Service Director John Allen is working to help expedite the process for business aircraft operators to obtain approvals for reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM). Allen, speaking during the Air Charter Safety Foundation's 2012 Air Charter Safety Symposium on Feb. 29, agreed the agency has fallen behind on the work, but said, “I'll expect improvements,” moving forward. NBAA Vice President, Safety, Security and Regulation Doug Carr notes that as RVSM has become more commonplace, applications for approval have mounted.
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According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. government's main audit agency, the FAA has to do a much better job of managing the big modernization programs that are essential to the success of the NextGen air traffic management system. A new GAO report the finds that although the FAA is improving in this area, there are still many cases where it is not following cost estimate and scheduling best practices. Specifically, the FAA should pay better attention to obtaining independent cost estimates, says the GAO.
The NTSB is proposing to alter the review procedures for FAA enforcement applications and to facilitate electronic filings. An NPRM, published in the Feb. 9 Federal Register, follows a December 2010 ANPRM that covered the standard of review for emergency determinations, discovery and information exchange, and electronic filing of documents. The NPRM questioned whether the agency should change its standard position that FAA's allegations against a party are true for the purposes of a five-day review of the emergency status of a revocation.
The FADEC-equipped -3AP is one of Williams' most-advanced versions of the FJ44 turbofan family, producing 2,300 lb. of thrust for takeoff and weighing only 510 lb. Compared to earlier -3 engines, the -3AP incorporates many aerodynamic and durability improvements, plus it weighs 8% less and has 3% better specific fuel consumption. A fuel/oil heat exchanger eliminates the need for an anti-icing fuel additive.
Helicopter Association International President Matt Zuccaro is appealing to the FAA to take action to “remove people who shouldn't be in the air.” During a “Meet the Regulators” session at February's Heli-Expo in Dallas, Zuccaro noted that some companies operate at unacceptable safety levels, but their actions get the most attention and hurt the entire industry. He conceded that it may be strange for a community to ask for more enforcement, but he notes that the industry must deal with the fallout of operators flying with thin safety margins.
Cessna's third-generation CitationJet, the CJ1+, is a considerably improved version of the original aircraft, thanks to its more powerful engines, a 100-lb. MTOW increase and slightly better fuel efficiency. Compared to the original CitationJet and second-generation CJ1, this aircraft can climb directly to FL 410 in 27 min., less than half the time, cruise up to 20 to 30-kt. faster and fly 75-nm farther. It also has vastly improved hot-and-high airport takeoff performance.
Nav Canada announced its traffic figures for February 2012 measured in weighted charging units for en route, terminal and oceanic air navigation services, in comparison to the last fiscal year. The traffic in February 2012 increased by an average of 3.6% compared to the same month in 2011.
The business aviation market is showing early signs that the momentum at the end of last year is carrying into 2012 with key indicators improving in January, according to initial analyst reports. Used aircraft sales continued to strengthen, and prices jumped dramatically in January for the first time in months, according to Jetnet's latest report. Business aircraft flights, meanwhile, reached their highest levels of activity in nearly a year, according to FAA and Morgan Stanley data.
The prototype Cessna Citation M2 made its first flight in early March. With Cessna engineering test pilot Peter Fisher at the controls, the flight lasted a little more than an hour and a half, and included tests of the avionics system, autopilot, aircraft systems and instrument approaches. The new light jet fills the gap between the Citation Mustang and the Citation CJ family. FAA FAR Part 23 certification is expected in the first half of 2013, with deliveries in the second half of 2013.
The distance from Dubai to Kabul is just over 1,000 nm. That's about two and a half hours in a Hawker 400XP — more than enough time to contemplate what might be awaiting in Afghanistan's war-ravaged capital. I know the unsettling feeling, because I made the trip in August 2007 on assignment for Aviation Week & Space Technology.
It has been more than two years, 786 days, to be precise, since our application for a simple, single-pilot FAR Part 135 air carrier certificate was filed with our local FSDO. While we were certainly not new to the bureaucracy and extended timelines that are trademarks of any FAA certification process, it was our reasonable expectation that within a year we would be close to certification.
Government and industry officials need to collaborate on ways to mitigate runway incursions before another disaster happens, says NTSB Commissioner Christopher Hart. “If we don't get our hands around this problem — and we don't have our hands around this — sooner or later it's going to happen again,” Hart told the Air Charter Safety Foundation's 2012 Air Charter Safety Symposium in February.
General aviation in China has a strong long-term future, but it's important not to confuse its initial spike in orders with that market's long-term character, which may be very different. So says aviation analyst Brian Foley. “Dreams of a limitless upside must be tempered with realism.
Embraer has delivered the 300th Phenom jet, the latest series of milestones, which include the assembly and first flight of the first aircraft from the company's year-old U.S. facility in Melbourne Fla. Embraer recently shifted global center of gravity for its business jets from Brazil to Melbourne, where it is creating 200 engineering and technical jobs. Fifty-percent of Phenom deliveries have been to North American customers, with Latin American operators accounting for another 30%.
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.
Mary “has been at DCA for decades” Miller (BBA Aviation/Signature Flight Support )
Thanks for the great article, “DCA's Slow, Steady Comeback” (February 2012). You have stayed interested in the complexities of operating our DCA location, as well as what lies ahead. For that, I am very grateful. BBA Aviation/Signature Flight Support Washington, D.C .
Embraer has signed an agreement for three Lineage 1000 ultra-large executive jets with China's Minsheng Financial Leasing Co., Ltd., one of the largest financial institutions providing executive jet leasing services in China. Announced at the recent Singapore Air Show, the aircraft are scheduled to begin being delivered this year.
Fractional operator Flight Options recently donated 10 hr. of jet flight time to the Corporate Angel Network (CAN), which arranges free flights to treatment for cancer patients using the empty seats on corporate jets. Founded 30 years ago, CAN has 5,380 participating corporations, which have flown nearly 40,000 cancer patients to and from treatment. The organization flies about 250 patients monthly.
FlightSafety International announced that its new Level D qualified AgustaWestland AW139 simulator will feature the company's latest advanced including a 220 deg. by 60 deg. field-of-view glass mirror display. The simulator's VITAL X visual system is optimized for training low-level flight operations, offers increased scene content, improved weather features and enhanced levels of detail for optimum cueing. It will also feature Honeywell's EPIC avionics suite that integrates a 4-axis digital AFCS with the rotor systems to provide complete autopilot functionality.
