The FAA, in January, expanded its list of oxygen concentrators approved for inflight use aboard charter, corporate and airline aircraft, from four to 11. Oxygen concentrators separate oxygen from ambient air and deliver it to users at greater than 90-percent concentration. The units contain no compressed or liquid oxygen, which are classified as hazardous material. Airlines are also required to let passengers use them to move about the cabin, when the seat belt sign is off. Approved concentrators must be resistant to physical damage and be underseat stowable.
Probably the most significant tool for the marketing of empty legs has been the Internet, where several Web sites have emerged to list one-way trips for consumers, operators and charter brokers. Here are snapshots of four featured in this report:
Bell 429 Specifications Characteristics Standard Seating 1+7 VIP Luxury Seating 1+4 Capacity Standard Fuel 215 U.S. Gal. Auxiliary Fuel (Optional) 40 U.S. Gal. Cabin Floor Space (cu.
A “glow in the dark” safety coating system is now available for the first time in the civilian market. AfterGlo Photoluminescent Paint Kit AG110, a photoluminescent coating system, makes the tips of aircraft propeller blades and helicopter main and tail rotors visible in dark and low-light operations, increasing the awareness and safety of nearby personnel in hangars, airstrips, helipads and repair facilities. The coating system was developed under a U.S.
The demise of AMI Jet Charter (AMIJC) and TAG Aviation USA in 2007 after the FAA issued an “Emergency Order of Revocation” of the former’s operating certificate closed the chapter on one of the agency’s most controversial actions. But not the book.
A new FAA Airworthiness Directive (AD 2010-01-03) says that contaminated chemicals in Fire Fighting Enterprises Ltd. Portable Halon 1211 cabin and toilet compartment fire extinguishers could not only reduce their fire-suppression properties but may also release injurious toxic fumes. The AD requires the affected extinguishers to be removed and replaced with serviceable units within 90 days of the AD’s Jan. 8 effective date.
The TSA extended the comment period for its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking calling for all aircraft repair stations to adopt security programs, from Jan. 19 until Feb. 18. The extension came at the behest of the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association and International Air Transport Association. IATA cited the complexity and scope of the rule and said the additional time was necessary to provide foreign repair station operators time to review the proposal.
AircraftLogs, Columbus, Ohio, announced that John Taylor has joined the company as director of sales and marketing. He will serve as the primary point of contact for flight departments transitioning to AircraftLogs. Aspen Avionics, Albuquerque, announced that Angela Anderson has joined the company as marketing manager. She will be based in Albuquerque and will report to Brad Hayden, director of marketing.
As a former E-1B (and C-9B) aviator, I thought “Command Decision” (Flight Log, December 2009, page 72) was a great story with a great ending. I never had a single-engine-out carrier landing but had a few frightful carrier landing events. The story talked about seat swapping halfway through the four-hour flight to accommodate the other pilot to gain carrier landing experience. That surprised me; we never did that. Whoever was designated the plane commander, regardless of rank, was the sole authority for decision making for the safe operation of the aircraft.
Dec. 25, 2009 — At about 1258 CST, a Bell 407 helicopter (N600CE) was substantially damaged during a hard landing after a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff from the Wise Regional Health System Helipad (XA57) in Decatur, Texas. The pilot and flight medic sustained serious injuries and the flight nurse received minor injuries. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Air Evac EMS Inc., of North Plains, Mo. It was VFR and a company flight plan was filed for the positioning flight.
On the morning of July 31, 2008, a low-pressure system immediately west of the border intersections of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota anchored a stationary front extending southeast across southern Minnesota and Wisconsin. The system produced generally nasty weather in the area of the Owatonna, Minn., Degner Regional Airport (OWA), about 70 miles south of Minneapolis.
Even though many general aviation OEMs predict production cuts in 2010, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen notes other factors in the general aviation economy such as flight operations (see above) that are showing encouraging stability and even upturns. But even as manufacturers prepare for slower production this year, Bolen notes the manufacturing schedule will not necessarily reflect the state of the economy in 2010. “Production reflects orders taken at different times. This year may reflect the 2009 economic situation,” he said. “It takes a while to turn that ship.”
The Airbus Corporate Jet Center has created a quick-conversion kit that enables A320 airliners to be readily transformed into VIP airplanes, converting the forward area of the aircraft by installing two double-VIP and four club VIP seats, along with hi/lo tables. The conversion also includes quality leather upholstery, woolen carpets and curtains for added ambiance and privacy. The first kit is to be delivered during the second quarter to an unidentified Middle Eastern customer, along with provisions for installation of a second kit later this year.
The first European air ambulance meeting will be held in conjunction with the general aviation trade show AERO 2010, April 8-11 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The air ambulance meeting will provide a forum for air ambulance industry executives to network and exchange information. For more information, visit www.aero-expo.com.
Landing gear are highly reliant on repetitive Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), and your Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) may require successful completion of specific procedures. Most procedures require specialized skills and training that are beyond what the average A&P/IA possesses. To learn more about NDT procedures, and certifications, visit the American Society of Non-Destructive Testing’s Web site at www.asnt.org.
The aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) tasked with developing recommendations for Safety Management Systems (SMS) regulations is expected to present its initial findings to the FAA after its next meeting in March. Business aviation advocates are becoming increasingly concerned about missed deadlines for a formal SMS rulemaking. The ICAO established a January 2009 deadline for SMS rules for commercial operations and November 2010 for private operations.
FlightSafety International will open a new airline learning center in Johannesburg, South Africa, with training to begin in March 2010. The first simulators installed will be used in the training of pilots and maintenance technicians who operate and support Hawker Beechcraft 1900 and Bombardier Dash 8-100 and Q300 aircraft.
Forecast International of Newtown, Conn. predicts that a total of 11,277 business jets, worth an estimated $197 billion, will be produced in the 10-year period from 2009 through 2018. According to the survey, announced in November, “The Market for Business Jet Aircraft,” production is expected to total approximately 825 units in 2009, followed by 738 units in 2010 and 716 in 2011.
Dennis Andersen, president of Florida Jet Sales, Inc. of West Palm Beach, Fla., feels confident enough in the market for previously owned turbine-powered airplanes that he has begun to inventory aircraft again. “I am sticking my toe back in the water,” he said in late November 2009.
The House and Senate have passed another short-term extension of the FAA’s funding authorization and aviation excise taxes through March 31. Lawmakers were forced to opt for the stopgap bill while the Senate continued its all-consuming debate on health care reform. The House passed its version of a long-term FAA funding bill in May, but the Senate has not yet acted. While calling the extension necessary, House aviation subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) expressed concern over the lack of a long-term funding bill.
Mike Penrose (Via e-mail), Former AMIJC Chief Pilot (Via e-mail)
“Seeking the Sensible” (Viewpoint, December 2009, page 7) accurately summed up the TAG/AMIJC tragedy. [Impacted] 800 jobs, 800 families and 800 mortgages, for what?
Pilots climbing into the CJ4 may not recognize it as a member of the CitationJet family because the flight deck redesign has been so thorough. Four, eight-by-ten inch portrait-configuration AM-LCD screens dominate the instrument panel. The stand-alone radio tuning units have been eliminated, along with the glareshield-mounted annunciator light panel and flight guidance system controls buried in the center console.
