Eurocopter South East Asia (ESEA) has opened a new 8,200-sq.-meter (88,264 sq. ft.) facility at Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore that provides double the hangar space and 25% more office space than ESEA’s previous operation at Loyang Way near Changi Airport. The Seletar hangar accommodates 24 helicopters and is certified to perform modifications and repairs for interiors, avionics, structures and electrical systems. Scientists and engineers at EADS Innovation Works will also work there on rotorcraft research and development.
China Eastern Airlines Executive Air, a unit of the Chinese air carrier, is expected to soon launch business jet operations. The business aviation operator currently owns a Hawker 800, but hopes to expand the fleet to three business jets this year and then eventually to seven. The operation was established in 1995 as a ground handler in Shanghai, and has since provided services for more than 5,000 VIP, cargo, charter, air ambulance and other business jet flights.
Nav Canada has announced plans for a new series of flight trials aimed at reducing emissions and cutting fuel consumption in the busy transatlantic corridor. The project, titled Europe-North America Go ADS-B for a Greener Environment (ENGAGE), will involve the use of satellite-based surveillance to increase flight efficiency on North Atlantic routes. Trial flights are scheduled to begin in February and continue through the spring. Also involved are Air France and the U.K.’s National Air Traffic Services.
The FAA’s revised Flightcrew Member Duty and Rest Requirements NPRM, released in mid-September 2010, stirred up plenty of discussion regarding the need to update statutory requirements for consecutive duty periods, flight duty limits and rest periods in relation to time of day, circadian rhythms and actual sleep opportunities, among other factors.
Daher-Socata is planning a 100th Anniversary Special Edition TBM 850 this year as part of the celebration of the company’s centennial of continuous airplane production that began in 1911 with its predecessor company — Aeroplanes Morane-Saulnier. The Special Edition version will include a number of new features, including a program that lowers scheduled maintenance costs for five years or 1,000 hr.
ACSS (L-3 Communications and Thales Co.), Phoenix, announced that Terry Flaishans has been named vice president and general manager, reporting to Kris Ganase, president of L-3 Aviation Products. Air Charter Safety Foundation, Alexandria, Va., announced that Skyservice Business Aviation, Quebec, is the first international operator to be added to the ACSF Audit Standard (IAS) Registry. Angel MedFlight, Scottsdale, Ariz., promoted Rastislav “Rusty” Valko to COO, responsible for overseeing company-wide operations.
Airbus has set up Airbus ProSky as a dedicated subsidiary to manage its engagement with air traffic management activities. This is the latest step the aircraft maker has taken to strengthen its voice in ATM activities. The company also signed an agreement with Boeing to help ensure that U.S. and European ATM modernization activities — NextGen and SESAR — also reflect the view of aircraft makers. Airbus officials also are coordinating with air navigation service providers on route optimization.
The NTSB recently took a first step that could provide FAA certificate holders a better chance of receiving a fair shake if they run afoul of FAA safety inspectors. In an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) published just before Christmas, the NTSB said it is considering a change in the rules under which the agency’s administrative law judges adjudicate appeals of “emergency” certificate suspensions or revocations by the FAA.
“As an operator, you might want to advocate for air traffic improvements to be expanded as quickly as possible [to further promote green ops]. And if there is regulation of emissions [i.e., cap and trade], I would make a pitch for rational policies that the money extracted from the industry be invested back into the industry in research for green operations and reduction of emissions further.” — Ed Smith, Senior Vice President, International and Environmental Affairs General Aviation Manufacturers Association
Regardless of your views on global warming, there are compelling reasons for running a so-called “green” operation — and perhaps the most important one is “greenbacks,” or the money that can be saved through fuel conservation.
Sikorsky has begun final assembly of the first production S-76D, with delivery scheduled for 2012. Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody delivered the first production fuselage to Sikorsky Global Helicopters in Coatesville, Pa., in mid-November. The upgraded S-76D — with composite rotor blades, dual-speed rotor, active vibration control, Thales integrated flight deck and Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S engines — is Sikorsky’s response to increased competition in the intermediate helicopter market.
Sikorsky Aerospace Services delivered the first upgraded S-61 helicopter to the U.S. State Department, the company announced Dec. 3. Last year, the U.S. State Department entered into an IDIQ (indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity) agreement to purchase up to 110 upgraded S-61s for passenger and cargo transport missions in support of worldwide operations. To date, purchase orders for 17 aircraft have been placed by the State Department. The S-61 upgrade includes composite main rotor blades for better high/hot performance.
Raisbeck Engineering will provide its Ram Air Recovery System (RARS) for the new Beechcraft King Air 250. The system boosts performance throughout the flight envelope by reducing engine inlet turbine temperature by about 20°C, Raisbeck says. The effects include increased flat-rating for operation at hot, high-altitude airports; increased climb capability; increased cruise speeds; and a more efficient engine. The system is installed as a retrofit on Super King Air 200s and B200s, and more than 1,000 systems have been installed on King Airs since 1982.
Thanks to the recent issuance of a series of FAA STCs, a number of in-service Dassault and Gulfstream aircraft equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 and Pro Line 21 avionics can be upgraded to provide Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (LPV).
Falcon 2000 owners can opt for a new cabin interior next time their aircraft visits Basel for major maintenance or a new paint job. Jet Aviation Basel, a designated Dassault Falcon completions center, launched its “Jet Falcon” cabin interior refurbishment program at MEBA 2010. The program offers three cabin interior designs — Classic, Style and Fashion, with standardized sets of designs and modular processes to keep downtime and costs to a minimum.
Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF), Alexandria, Va., announced the selection of Charles O’Dell, director of Sun Air Jets, Camarillo, Calif., as the newest member of the board of governors. Air Partner, London, England, has promoted Simon Wheatley to the position of U.K. manager of its Private Jets division, replacing Ben Bewsey, who has left the company. Air Transport Association, Washington, D.C., named Nicholas E. Calio president and CEO, effective Jan. 1. He succeeds James C. May, who has been president for the past eight years.
Embraer delivered the first Phenom 100 business jet in India, the first of 18 Phenom 100s ordered by India’s Invision Air Services Pvt. Ltd., a Mumbai-based on-demand charter company. Invision Air ordered the aircraft three years ago, along with two Phenom 300s.
Sometimes no news is just that: no news. Snecma’s Silvercrest engine was originally launched as a 9,500- to 12,000-lb-thrust motivator for large and long-range jets — read: Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault. The company announced an 80-hr. test run on a developmental prototype that reportedly exceeded expectations, and the engine was poised to appear in service in 2012, Snecma said. Of course, that was back in 2008, when the business aviation world slid into an economic abyss, and now the premiere date has slid to 2014 but with no application airframe named yet.
Lufthansa Technik and Panasonic Avionics Corp. are establishing a joint venture for the development, manufacture and sale of inflight entertainment (IFE) and cabin management systems (CMS) for VIP aircraft. Officials from the two companies say their new systems will be based on a combination of the technologies used in Panasonic’s X Series airline IFE system, Panasonic’s Global Communications Suite (eXConnect and eXPhone) and the “nice” CMS/IFE system developed by Lufthansa Technik’s Innovation Business Unit.
Look for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to form a group to try to advise governments around the world on how to craft laws that advance justice without threatening to disrupt aviation’s largely no-fault approach to safety. The recent criminal conviction and fines imposed on Continental Airlines and one of its mechanics in a French court a decade after the crash of an Air France Concorde supersonic transport is just the latest in what ICAO insiders see as a disturbing global trend toward “criminalizing” aviation accidents.
The FAA is providing more time for comments on a proposed rulemaking to require airport operators to establish safety management systems. The comment period, originally Jan. 5, has been extended to March 7 at the request of airports and other industry associations, including the Experimental Aircraft Association.
Barry McDaniel (Director, Jeppesen Corporate Quality and Standards)
In your recent article about aviation databases, and regulations governing the processing of aeronautical information (“Building Aviation Databases,” October 2010, page 86), several references were made to the requirements set forth by DO-200A and what Jeppesen or other data suppliers do — or do not do — with data originated by state sources. The article states, “. . . according to DO-200A, the official country data must be passed through the system — even if some is known to be erroneous.” This is not true.
Duncan Aviation has delivered its first integrated iPad application for wireless control of cabin systems in a Falcon 900, the company announced in December. The installation uses an iPad app, an Aircell CTR Wi-Fi source and an interface unit to communicate instructions to the Honeywell MH cabin management system. The fully customized iPad cabin control interface does not impact any existing functionality or tie up system resources. This is the first of many iPad control systems that Duncan Aviation plans to deliver over the next several months.
