TrueNorth Avionics, Inc. has partnered with Simphone dealer Mid-Canada Mod Center (MC2) to provide and install the Simphone OpenCabin airborne telecommunications system for Flying Colours’ Challenger 850 completion program.
Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS), the aftermarket division of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., acquired privately owned LifePort, Inc., a Washington aircraft accessories manufacturer that specializes in air medical systems, lightweight armor, interior furnishings and galley equipment for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. The acquisition establishes accessories as a new business segment for SAS. LifePort will operate as “LifePort, a Sikorsky Aerospace Services Company,” retaining its current executive management team.
The FAA has issued a final rule “to correct inconsistencies in critical operating procedures between the MU-2B specific training, the FAA-accepted pilot operating checklists and the AFMs [Airplane Flight Manuals].” The agency said that the inconsistencies, if not corrected, “could result in the pilot inadvertently taking inappropriate actions in critical operating conditions.” AD 2010-10-17, which supersedes a series of four earlier Airworthiness Directives, became effective on July 23 for the 355 Mitsubishi twin turboprops on the U.S. Registry.
ExecuJet Dubai was awarded Embraer Legacy maintenance approval from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and European Aviation Safety Agency in June. ExecuJet operates a maintenance and FBO facility at Dubai International Airport where it also offers aircraft management and charter services.
TWG Aviation Ltd., a provider of corporate aviation services under the trade names of Business Jet Access (BJA) and Business Jet Center (BJC), entered into an asset purchase agreement with Vitesse Aviation Services Jun. 15, to acquire the lease-hold improvements of the current Vitesse Aviation Services 7.5-acre location at Dallas Love Field. TWG plans to absorb the Vitesse aircraft maintenance, aircraft charter and management, and FBO fueling business.
Concerned about a recent spate of incidents in which airline pilots failed to activate the Pilot Controlled Lighting (PCL) systems at uncontrolled airports, the FAA has issued SAFO 10008, which recommends that manuals and training programs be reviewed for clarity regarding PCLs. The agency says flight crews need to demonstrate knowledge and proficiency during training and checking events in the use of the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) and PCL systems. Although aimed at airlines, the SAFO also applies to general aviation operations.
Hard on the heels of Delta Air Lines’ launch of its airline-to-jet Delta AirElite fusion, British Airways and CitationAir in mid-July announced PrivateConnect, a new service enabling BA customers to fly on a private jet to begin a journey or to complete one. For a simple per-hour rate, customers have access to CitationAir’s entire fleet, which numbers around 80 aircraft. The service is available to BA’s Executive Club, to those who have flown BA within the previous year and to holders of corporate accounts.
Women in Aviation, International received a bequest of approximately $203,000 from the estate of Arlene Elliott, who passed away in January. This is the single, largest bequest ever received by WAI. With her husband, Herb, Arlene Elliott founded Elliott Aviation in 1936, which today has more than 250 employees in seven states. Mrs. Elliott was inducted into WAI’s Pioneer Hall of Fame in 1999.
Brian Delauter, head of the TSA’s General Aviation branch, said TSA leaders plan to meet with stakeholders to discuss possibilities for changing the security procedures into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to make it more accessible to business aviation operators. Speaking at the NATA’s Air Charter Summit June 9, Delauter acknowledged that the current security plan — the DCA Access Standard Security Program (DASSP) — is too onerous for most operators to practically use DCA. “I have an open goal of increasing flights into DCA,” he says.
A French enthusiast group borescoped the engines of a Concorde supersonic airliner on display at the Le Bourget Air and Space Museum outside Paris and found them to be in perfect condition internally. “The objective is not to get [the Concorde] to fly again but to get the engines working again, hoping one day to see it taxi on the tarmac for the pleasure of visitors to the museum,” said Frederic Pinlet, head of Olympus 593, named after the Rolls-Royce/Snecma engines that power the aircraft.
Efforts to remove lead from aviation gasoline date from the mid-1970s when the first unleaded and low-lead fuels were introduced by refiners in response to the Clean Air Act. The initiative to qualify some light aircraft piston engines for operation on automotive fuel (“mogas”) stemmed from that era, as well.
According to a NASA study, distractions and interruptions while taxiing to the active are legion and have caused numerous flight crews to improperly configure their aircraft for takeoff. The study demonstrates that these events are more frequent than previously thought, because often the flight crews recover before something terrible happens. Consider the following:
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. received Type Certificate Validation from the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority for the Gulfstream G550 and G500, the company announced June 9. The approvals allow operators to register the business jets in the Emirates. The two aircraft join the large-cabin, long-range G450, which was approved for UAE certification in March 2008.
Now in its sixth year of production, Gulfstream's G450 is one of the few large-cabin aircraft capable of flying eight passengers 4,300 nm at Mach 0.80 and land with 200-nm NBAA IFR reserves. It has nearly 200 nm more range than the first- or second-generation GIV or GIV-SP aircraft, an increase made possible by subtle drag reduction improvements and upgraded Rolls Royce Tay Mk 611-8C turbofans. The G450 also has a larger capacity APU and revised intake and exhaust ducting that greatly reduces external noise.
After weeks of study, including close consultation with up-to-the-minute telecom experts — our kids — my bride ventured out into the digital jungle to bag the best multi-user cell phone plan and equipment. Her mission was clear: Get the best rate for our circumstances (e.g. four, separately located users, three of whom text message incessantly), the most simple (i.e. least expensive) unit and stand firm against the onslaught of never-used options, confusing features and time-wasting apps. Five hours later she returned, beaming.
Viking Air is building a network of strategic partnerships with industry specialists to provide factory-certified service and warranty repairs on items such as main and nose landing gear and rotable components. Team JAS of Jacksonville, Fla., and Universal Avionique Inc. of Miami are the first factory-endorsed component centers for its Twin Otter Series 400 and legacy de Havilland Canada aircraft support network.
Wayfarer Aviation had a near death experience in June, signing a letter of intent to sell the assets of the charter and management company to Arcadia Aviation on the very day they were scheduled to shut down. Wayfarer management alerted clients on June 8 that they would have to close their doors June 11 if they could not find a buyer. The agreement with Arcadia, a New York-based aircraft charter and management firm includes bridge financing to permit the company to remain operating in the interim.
The Lancair ES-P is a four-passenger homebuilt aircraft with some differences: To begin with, it’s pressurized. And its 350-hp Teledyne Continental TSIO-550 with twin turbochargers provides a true cruise airspeed of about 270 knots. No, that’s not a typo. It does 270 knots — that’s King Air speed from a little airplane with fixed gear. And Jay Taylor is building one.
AOPA President Craig Fuller announced May 24 the intention to merge the association’s two 501(c)(3) charitable organizations — the AOPA Foundation and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation — into a single entity known as the AOPA Foundation. Bruce Landsberg, present president of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation, will lead the new AOPA Foundation as president.
Jeppesen Flight Tracking now allows viewing of aircraft position reports with JetPlan.com and JetPlanner applications. As aircraft position data are gathered from several “global sources,” the new capability provides worldwide IFR flight tracking for business as well as airline and military aviation.
Bombardier’s Flexjet fractional ownership operation remained profitable in the first quarter, says Bombardier President and CEO Pierre Beaudoin. He believes operating a simpler fleet has helped Flexjet, adding that the unit can be more efficient than mixed-fleet competitors. At the same time, Beaudoin says the company is seeing increases in fractional and jet card sales.
The FAA opened a NextGen Integration and Evaluation Capability (NIEC) display facility at its William J. Hughes Technical Center at Atlantic City International Airport, June 7. The NIEC is a research platform where scientists will use simulation to explore, integrate and evaluate NextGen concepts, including area navigation (RNAV), trajectory-based operations, flying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace system, and more.
A third ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650 has joined the flight test program for the company’s new flagship model, accumulating 10 hours of flight time as of June 3, Gulfstream announced. This test aircraft is thoroughly instrumented to measure aerodynamic loads and ice-protection system performance. The aircraft is the primary test bed for the G650’s avionics, including the latest version of Gulfstream’s PlaneView cockpit and a new technology advanced backup instrument display that doubles as a multifunction control panel.
Air Transport Association President Jim May said new FAA rules requiring the installation and use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance — Broadcast (ADS-B) equipment and the considerable expense that the requirements would impose on carriers “must be based on a solid business case.” The regulation calls for operators to upgrade to ADS-B on all aircraft flying in A, B and C airspace and above 10,000 feet within 10 years.
