Flight Display Systems introduced a combination 32-in. HD LCD and low-profile motorized lift (FD320LIFT-LP). Unique features are the large high-definition 1080p LCD and its small 23-in. height in the stowed position. Recently, these two products were installed on a Gulfstream G550; Gulfstream Appleton has confirmed that other Gulfstream models will support a similar installation in a standard cabin credenza.
Embraer’s new Legacy 650 large-cabin jet debuted in New York at a Sept. 15 joint meeting of the Long Island Business Association and the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association at Republic airport in Farmingdale, N.Y.
Regarding “Weighty Subject” (Reader’s Feedback, July 2010, page 12), I’m afraid my friend Steve Zeller is way off on this one. I don’t know the average molecular weight of Jet-A and I don’t have time to look it up right now. So let’s take avgas as an example. All hydrocarbon fuels are a witch’s brew of a range of molecular weights centered around an average. In the case of avgas or mogas, octane C8H18 is a fair approximation. Taking the atomic weights C=12, O=16, H=1 then: C*8*12 + H*18*1 = 114 MW (molecular weight) of octane.
It was 1800 hours (Central European Time), late November 1990. The U.S. Air Force C-5 had been cleared to land on Rhein-Main’s (Frankfurt) 13,000-ft. Runway 25L. At this, the four-month mark of Desert Shield, it had been another day of bone-crushing fatigue.
NATA reacted strongly to language contained in the proposed rule regarding the FAA’s plan for future FAR Part 135 rulemaking, noting, “In its NPRM, the FAA states that ‘Part 135 operations are very similar to those conducted under Part 121 . . .
Electrical faults can be extremely frustrating to troubleshoot, especially with modern low voltage systems. The good old multimeter is fine for finding voltage drops, shorts and opens, but that just confirms the problem, not necessarily the solution. To increase your diagnosis capability, a time domain reflectometer (TDR) can help you pinpoint the problem without wringing out all of your wires at each connector. The TDR sends a pulsed signal through the wire and measures the time to return, similar to radar.
In reading “Fully Baked,” I agree, as usual, with your historical perspective on the TSA, the Large Aircraft Security Program and the knee-jerk government reaction to all things aviation. But here’s a question I would like you to consider: Doesn’t the yearlong break from the rhetoric and nonsense regarding corporate aviation from the TSA constitute sufficient proof that nothing needs to be changed?
Hawke Capital Partners, a rotorcraft-focused private equity investor, announced in September that it has recapitalized its wholly owned operating subsidiary, Uniflight, LLC, at Grand Prairie Municipal Airport in Texas, while simultaneously completing the acquisition of the assets of Aviation Services Unlimited, based at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, N.Y. As a result, Uniflight’s maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities have expanded to three locations: Grand Prairie; Reading, Pa.; and Rome, N.Y.
Great update on Mexico ops (“Operating in Mexico,” August 2010, page 30). We operate Learjet 45XRs out of Vancouver International Airport (CYVR) and fly to Los Cabos International Airport (MMSD) and other Mexican destinations multiple times during the fall, winter and spring. We are a charter operator with a Mexican permit.
John Didier, president of Sacramento Aviation, which specializes in handling Cessna Citations and Beechcraft King Airs, would like to believe that the market for previously owned business airplanes is improving, albeit slowly. The number of phone inquiries his company is receiving has increased, and he sees more “serious people” in the market for a used business aircraft.
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) will conduct its third regional forum, “One Europe: A Roadmap for Aligning East and West,” Jan. 20-21, 2011, at the Hilton Vienna in Austria. The forum will address issues including aircraft financing challenges, achieving industry standards for insurance benefits, and easing access for Eastern Europe-based operators into Western Europe and vice versa. A full schedule of speakers and discussion points will be released in the coming weeks. The Vienna forum in is open to EBAA members as well as non-members.
FAA is proposing a sweeping overhaul to airline pilot fatigue regulations that would ensure that pilots get 9 hr. of rest — not including commuting time — between duty periods and would restrict duty to 9 hr. to 13 hr. at a stretch. The FAA is required to show that stricter limits would save enough lives to justify the additional cost to airlines, which could reach into the billions of dollars. “We’re always very concerned about added costs without a demonstrable safety benefit,” said an Air Transport Association official.
NATA announced a new partnership to help aviation businesses and individuals comply with new FAA requirements that will require all currently registered aircraft to re-register over the next three years. On Sept. 1, NATA and AIC Title Service, inaugurated an affordable, simple-to-use program that allows re-registrations to be processed and tracked using a straightforward Web interface.
Jeppesen and the Russian Ministry of Transportation have contracted for Jeppesen to access Russian domestic airport data. Jeppesen previously had access to Russian airway system data. With access to both airway and airport data, Jeppesen will be able to provide customers with a complete Russian flight information package, which includes domestic and international NavData services, JetPlan flight planning, OpsData aircraft performance analysis, and paper and digital charting.
In reading “Harder Than It Looks,” I wondered: You wouldn’t be a USAF Academy grad by any chance, would you? The “Gear up and go Falcons” caption didn’t go unnoticed. Beat Navy! Author’s note: I hoped it wouldn’t — USAFA class of 1966.
Conventional wisdom suggests the party in power in Washington can generally expect to suffer some losses in the mid-term election of a new presidential administration. But the balloting this November could see changes of major proportion.
T here are more than 100 Piaggio P180 Avanti II aircraft in service and they’ve logged more than 200,000 flight hours by some estimates, as of late August 2010. That’s an impressive number for less than five years of production, considering that only 105 of the original P180 aircraft were built between 1990 and 2005.
Flexjet will offer Aircell Gogo Biz wireless Internet service on its fractional aircraft at no additional charge to share owners. GoGo Biz enables passengers to use smartphones and laptops to access the Web in flight. Installation will begin on the 25 Challenger 300 and seven Challenger 604/605 jets in the current Flexjet fleet. Subsequently, all new Flexjet aircraft will be outfitted with the broadband equipment.
An EADS’s all-electric aircraft flew for the first time from Le Bourget Airport in Paris on Sept. 2. The composite-structure, four-motor, aerobatic Cri-Cri — jointly developed by EADS Innovation Works, Aero Composites Saintonge and the Green Cri-Cri Association — reportedly performed well during the 7-min. initial flight. The airframe design is directly descended from a tiny homebuilt beloved for decades in France.
StarPortUSA, a licensed FAA Repair Station based at Orlando-Sanford (Fla.) International Airport, is now an EASA-approved repair station for maintenance safety and training. The company is a full-service FBO, heavy maintenance service center and aircraft refurbishment center with an aircraft sales and acquisition division. StarPortUSA’s aircraft refurbishment capabilities include exterior paint and interior refurbishment, with full cabinet, upholstery and seat-shop services for small-, medium- and large-cabin business aircraft.
Business aircraft activity in August continued the recent trend with a modest increase over the previous month, according to the latest Argus TRAQPak report. August business aircraft activity was up 1.3% over July, and for the first time in months, the FAR Part 91 sector had the strongest results with a 3.2% increase over the previous month. Midsize cabin and large-cabin jets were up over July at 3.4% and 3.1%, respectively, while the fractional market for August generally broke even with July, posting a modest increase of 2.8% in the midsize-cabin jet segment.
Textron’s Bell Helicopter announced its Bell 429 won certification of a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) permitting a 9-deg. glidepath on LPV approaches at a minimum velocity for instrument procedures (Vmini) of 45 kt. , which allows point-in-space approaches to as low as 250 ft. the company says.
Predator Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) began operating out of Corpus Christi, Texas, on Sept. 1. With the deployment of a UAS in Texas, the Department of Homeland Securities’ unmanned aerial serveillance will now cover the Southwest border from the El Centro Sector in California all the way to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas — providing aerial surveillance assistance to ground personnel.
As the northern hemisphere slips into the cold seasons, cautious pilots will review the ice protection information located in their airplane’s documentation (AFM, POH, etc.) and their company’s winter operating procedures. Ice destroys lift and chokes off power. Ice takes down large aircraft and small. Ice is insidious. Small amounts of barely visible ice on a modern high-performance wing can glue your airplane to the ground and send you rolling off the end of the departure runway at takeoff velocity with no options and lousy prospects.
Six Predator UAVs are sitting in their shipping crates in Grand Forks, N.D., due to a dispute between military authorities and the FAA. The military is demanding a 31-by-45-mi. restricted training area for UAV operations and the FAA won’t go beyond a waiver agreement similar to that on the Southern border, fearing loss of operator control similar to the Aug. 2 incident where operators lost contact with a unmanned helicopter for 30 min. as it wandered toward the National Capital district.
