Gulfstream Aerospace has enhanced the services available to operators with the addition of a mobile support vehicle and a renovated customer lobby at its Brunswick, Ga., facility. The specially outfitted truck includes an air compressor, generator and a laptop to sign off work in real time allowing technicians to perform or support many maintenance services and transport a range of replacement parts. The renovated lobby has Wi-Fi, a 52-in. HD television and new furniture, among other improvements. Brunswick's 25,000-sq.-ft.
FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 00-24B cautions that thunderstorms contain multiple weather hazards and that pilots should never regard any thunderstorm lightly, even when radar observers report the echoes are of light intensity. Avoiding thunderstorms is the best policy. Here are the FAA's Do's and Don'ts for thunderstorm avoidance: Don't land or take off in the face of an approaching thunderstorm. A sudden gust front of low-level turbulence could cause loss of control.
FAA issued Advisory Circular 90-114 regarding usage of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology in compliance with FAR 91.225 and 91.227. These regulations require aircraft operating in certain classes of airspace to be equipped with ADS-B Out beginning Jan. 1, 2020. The circular contains guidance on compliance, including an overview of the ADS-B system, general operating procedures and performance requirements.
CAE has opened Mexico's first business jet and civil helicopter training center. Full-flight simulators for the Bombardier Learjet 40/45 and the Bell 412 were recently qualified to Level D-equivalent standards by Mexico's Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil (DGAC). The new center is located at Aeropuerta Internacional de Toluca, which is easily accessible from Mexico City. Toluca is the seventh location in CAE's business aviation training network and the ninth for civil helicopter training. CAE www.cae.com
Eurocopter released improved performance specifications for its new EC175 helicopter scheduled to enter service by year-end. The company announced a baseline payload/radius-of-action with 16 passengers at 135 nm when configured for offshore oil and gas missions, a 30% increase compared with the initial performance baseline. For longer-range missions, EC175 can transport 12 passengers to a radius of action of 190 nm. An 18-passenger configuration option is under development with the goal of achieving a radius-of-action of 100 nm.
A unique “helipod” single-place helicopter design uses a shroud-ring to completely enclose coaxial short-span rotors. The shroud serves to shield counter-rotating blades to overcome lift dissymmetry and increase rotor efficiency. Helipod Inc. of California, which plans to build the ship in Japan, calls it a “shielding rotating wing biplane” and says the prototype will fly this summer.
Transport Canada has approved a 500-lb. gross weight increase for Bell Model 429 helicopter to 7,500 lb., the company says. As we go to press, Bell is seeking FAA and EASA validation. Responding to customer requests, Bell worked on the change for more than a year and spent the last several months validating data for the weight increase with Transport Canada. The improvement provides increases in range or longer loiter times — which the company notes can be particularly important for EMS and law enforcement, two key markets for the 429.
Business aviation's recent post-9/11 “record” day at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) has encouraged the general aviation community that changes implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are finally gaining some traction. Signature Flight Support, which runs the sole fixed base operation at DCA, reported that operations topped 30 in a single day, the most since before 9/11.
“Operators Survey: Dassault Falcon 7X” (March 2011, page 46) mentions fly-by-wire controls being offered by other manufacturers. Which other purpose-built corporate jets currently offer full FBW? As for the airplane, we were fortunate in that we have a later airplane with Load 10, enhanced brakes, higher crosswind limits, etc. installed prior to initial delivery, and we have had no problems other than a faulty radar altimeter, which we replaced.
The NBAA expressed strong opposition to a European court's ruling in December 2011 that a plan by European regulators to tax carbon emissions from aircraft should apply to all aircraft operators across the international aviation community, including those based in the U.S. In a decision announced Dec. 21, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said European authorities are authorized to obligate all operators, including the airlines and general aviation, to comply with the program, known as the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS).
Saab Sensis Corp. will install its airport surface surveillance technology at nine or more U.S. airports under a contract awarded by the FAA that could be worth up to $119 million. Sensis, a U.S. subsidiary of Saab, will install systems that fuse surveillance data from multiple sources, including multilateration and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B). This gives controllers a highly accurate picture of runway and taxiway movements, and the ability to detect conflicts and provide alerts.
TSA approved a five-year extension of its partnership with National Air Transportation Association Compliance Services (NATACS) to provide a range of general aviation security programs. The partnership recognizes NATACS as a Trusted Fingerprint Facility to process biographical and biometric information. The partnership, established in 2002, has been extended through December 2016. NATACS provides all pre-enrollment, enrollment, fingerprint collection, and secure data transmission for TSA-conducted background checks of aircrew members and flight students.
Daher-Socata delivered 38 TBM850 single-engine aircraft last year, equaling the total of the year before. Deliveries to buyers in the U.S. continued to dominate, with 84% of deliveries topping the 76% that found their way to the U.S. in 2010. Latin America was the second largest market, with Asia-Pacific and Europe following. Europe was the second largest market in 2010. Daher-Socata says it was the fourth best year for the TBM.
Sporty's has introduced the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit course that has 2 hr. of in-depth video content including Garmin's complete Cockpit Reference Guide, two G1000 Training Course Outlines (student and instructor versions), G1000 simulator software for download and a review quiz. The app is divided into 16 individual video segments for quick review and the quiz provides instant feedback on your score and the ability to review missed questions. It's available for the iPhone/iPad. Sporty's Pilot Shop www.sportys.com Price: $79.99
In the 1970s and early 1980s, this page of the magazine was in the capable hands of Arnold M. Lewis, Jr., a very good reporter who had been hired away from the Wichita Eagle newspaper to edit The Weekly of Business Aviation newsletter and write for Business & Commercial Aviation.
During the Thanksgiving weekend, my eldest took his significant other — a delightful, super smart, 10,000-watt Michigander — into New York City to show her Manhattan in its most glittering season. The day's adventure included sightseeing, an overpriced meal, ice-skating in Wollman Rink and then, of course, a hansom cab ride through Central Park.
Paul Newman's estate has put the late movie star's 1981 Sabreliner 65 up for sale. The white and blue aircraft, serial number 465-56, has a total time of less than 5,000 hr., its Honeywell TFE731 engines are on the MSP Gold maintenance plan, and the aircraft was reportedly pampered by Newman, its second owner, since he acquired it in 1995.
