Twenty-two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall — the pivotal event marking the sunset of the USSR — former Soviet satellite states have emerged from the shadows to claim their place in the new Europe.
These graphs are designed to illustrate the performance of the Dassault Falcon 2000S under a variety of range, payload, speed and density altitude conditions. Bill Miller, Dassault Falcon Jet's chief sales engineer, provided the data for the Range/Payload Profile. Data for the Specific Range chart were extracted from the Dassault Falcon 2000LX Performance Manual, adjusted for the projected basic operating weight and fuel capacity of the Falcon 2000S.
Maximum Manuals has developed a package to enable charter operators to apply for approval and implement use of the Apple iPad as an Electronic Flight Bag. Maximum Manuals' iPad EFB Program includes a submittal package for application to the FAA, a training program for flight crews, supplemental language for company documents and full support throughout the approval process to obtain A061 Ops Specs.
Pilots often characterize flying as “hours and hours of boredom, occasionally punctuated by moments of terror.” Modern cockpit automation increases the risk that pilots will be lulled into a dull state, unaware of subtle changes that may portend increasing risks.
Investigators with the French Bureau d'Equetes et d'Analyses (BEA), the agency charged with investigating the crash of Air France Flight 447, now are focusing on a breakdown in situational awareness on the part of the flight crew and possible pilot error as contributing factors in the June 2009 mishap that killed 228 people when the Airbus A330 crashed into the South Atlantic. The latest findings broaden the scope of the inquiry well beyond a fly-by-wire flight control malfunction, possibly caused by iced-up pitot probes.
Development of new products always involves a decided end point at which the design will be frozen; once that point is reached, changes become more costly to make. Engineers therefore use a convenient tiered system to determine where the end point of a program will be. NASA and the Department of Defense, the government agencies aside from the FAA most closely involved in the aerospace sciences, provide a ready-made scale called the Technology Readiness Level to measure the maturity of a new technology.
In the days when a time clock actually had hands, punching the clock was the universal marker for the beginning or end of the workday. Late arrival or early departure meant a skinny payday; or depending on your boss's mood, an assignment to clean the lav service cart. The time card was all-important and represented the portion of your life you exchanged for a paycheck. When the hangar was busy, overtime meant a sometimes welcome opportunity to earn more cash at the expense of family life.
Investigators from Ireland's Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) are working with their peers from the U.K.'s AAIB, the American NTSB, Spain's CIAIAC and Israel's AIAI to determine the cause of the loss of a Fairchild Aircraft SA-227-BC Metro III on approach to Cork Airport on Feb. 10, 2011. Both pilots were killed as were four of the 10 passengers. The remaining passengers survived, some with serious injuries.
Faced with a ludicrous plan by the FAA to dismantle a well-run joint government/industry program that helps ensure the safety of thousands of aircraft and their occupants, the leaders of the NBAA, AOPA and EAA have joined forces to contest the FAA's misguided efforts.
The Department of Labor has a useful website to help explain the various labor laws. Although they are very complex, and almost every situation has a unique way to interpret the rules, the website has helpful explanatory brochures and regulatory and interpretative materials. It is available on the Wage and Hour Division's website: www.dol.gov/whd/
Honeywell is not the only company developing cockpit systems with active ingredients drawn from human factors sciences. Derek Jensen, senior engineering manager of flight deck user interfaces at Rockwell Collins, says his team engages customers early on and joins engineers, pilots, advisory groups and OEMs in evaluating functionality.
The 24th Salon International de l'Aeronautique held in June featured old-fashioned biplanes contrasting with the sleek tailfins of high-speed fighters. This is typical of the Salon's unique blend of serious trade show and old-time aviation country fair — parachute jumps (one with live radio commentary by the free-falling 'chutist), helicopter races and the “baptism of the air” (first airplane ride) for lucky ticket holders. Truly, it's the kind of show only the French could produce.
Piaggio Aero, one of the oldest names in aviation, expressed faith in its future by breaking ground for a new, ultra-modern and super-efficient manufacturing plant at Villanova d'Albenga, Italy. The new plant, set to open in 2013, will manufacture parts and subassemblies for the P180 Avanti II turboprop as well as aircraft engines. If Piaggio goes ahead with its long-studied business jet, that would also be manufactured there. Meanwhile, the Avanti pusher will continue to be assembled and finished at the company's historic facility in Genoa.
ACSS (an L-3 Communication and Thales company) Phoenix, named Kimberly Murdoch vice president of operations, responsible for manufacturing repair and overhaul and integrated supply chain management. She will report to Terry Flaishans, ACSS vice president and general manager. American Helicopter Society International (AHS), Alexandria, Va., has selected Michael J. Hirschberg to be its executive director. He replaces M.E. Rhett Flater, who served the Society for 20 years.
A U.S. Air Force tactical airlift pilot during the Vietnam conflict, I crisscrossed the length and breadth of the war zone on a regular basis. My C-123K Provider was a 60,000-lb. workhorse whose curious pairing of two Pratt & Whitney R2800 radials and two General Electric J-85 wing-mounted turbojets made it surprisingly well-suited for its mission.
Hawker Beechcraft has developed new retrofit packages for the Hawker 750 and King Air 200GT and is approaching milestones in its upgrade programs for the Hawker 450 and 800.
New research from Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) and Corporate Jet Investor indicates that the majority of business aviation financing experts expect demand for financing to increase in Europe, the Middle East and Africa over the next five years. None of those interviewed anticipate demand for financing in those regions to fall. The findings are based on a poll of 48 aviation finance experts that was conducted at the International Corporate Jet & Helicopter Finance 2011 conference earlier this year.
The Innotech-Execaire Aviation Group — which has decades of experience performing a variety of completion, maintenance, repair and overhaul services — is also Canada's authorized sales representative for Cessna Aircraft. Recently, Andrew P. Pearce was appointed to grow the company's aircraft sales presence in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Middle East.
The Air France 447 tragedy might have been avoided if the flight crew had a display of critical and rudimentary aerodynamic performance data. That is angle of attack (AoA), the geometric angle between the mean chord of the wing and the relative airflow.
Rockwell Collins has introduced a digital high-definition (HD) upgrade to aircraft equipped with its ACMS and CMS-1 cabin management systems. The upgrade includes HD monitors, dual Blu-ray disc players and an HD audio/video distributor that also can upscale analog content to HD quality. The avionics manufacturer says the upgrade enables passengers to enjoy a high-end home-theater experience without the expense and downtime required by changing control switches and modifying the woodwork.
Fokker Aircraft Services recently handed over a converted Airbus A320 airliner to MasterJet, a Geneva, Switzerland-based operator. The makeover — which was done at the company facility in Woensdrecht, Netherlands — included a complete teardown of the airline interior and installation of five separate cabins, including a private suite with bedroom, bathroom and office; a conference and dining area; separate executive lounge; and special first-class seating area.
BAE Systems and U.K. design consultant Design Q recently unveiled the latest interior concept for the Avro Business Jet (ABJ) — the ABJ Eleganté. This new concept is the fourth of five new interiors developed by Design Q for ABJs. The Eleganté interior features a large forward galley, which can be shut off from the main cabin for privacy. The forward lounge has two large sofas, a dining table in the aft section and a 46-in. display. The dining area can be used as a work area.
St. Louis-based JetCorp Technical Services has received an STC for the installation of Aircell's Cabin Telecommunications Router (CTR) in a Bombardier Challenger 300 business jet. The CTR provides in-cabin Wi-Fi capability for the Gogo Biz Inflight Internet service, which enables passengers to use their BlackBerry, iPhone and other Wi-Fi enabled devices inflight at connectivity speeds equivalent to ground-based hotspots.
There are plenty of choices in today's pre-owned light jet market and plenty of trade-offs in cabin comfort, performance and direct operating cost. The Beechjet 400/400A has one of the roomiest cabins in its class, rivaling those of Phenom 300 or Learjet 40XR, although it's about two feet shorter in length. It will climb directly to FL 410, or higher, and cruise at 440 KIAS, assuming standard-day conditions. And most aircraft in the resale market are priced at $1.2-$1.8 million, an attractive value.
Rockwell Collins has received an STC to retrofit Pro Line 4-equipped Falcon 2000 and Falcon 2000EX aircraft with the Pro Line 21 avionics suite. The upgrade replaces the legacy CRT displays with LCD displays. Some 250 Falcon 2000 and 2000EX aircraft are eligible for the Pro Line 21 retrofit.
