Maldivian Air Taxi (MAT), whose fleet of 24 DHC-6s makes it the largest Twin Otter seaplane operator in the world, is adding a pair of new Viking Series 400 Twin Otters to its stable. The carrier has over a decade of experience operating the type in the Indian Ocean. Viking Air, the Victoria, British Columbia-based manufacturer of the reincarnated aircraft, expects to begin delivery of the type this summer. The float-equipped prototype made its first flight Oct. 1.
Controllers at Airports Authority of India (AAI) have asked their management to urgently address “major” problems affecting air traffic management that could cause a “serious threat” to air safety, the Press Trust of India reported recently. In a memorandum to AAI Chairman K. Ramalingam, the Airports Authority Officers’ Association (AAOA) asserted that many Indian navaids and surveillance systems were not calibrated properly. “At present, the majority of the navigational equipment in India are not calibrated and they are overdue for calibration.
Thrane & Thrane has received Inmarsat type approval for its Aero-SB Lite system. This approval will enable Aero-SB to take full advantage of the Inmarsat SwiftBroadband service allowing Thrane & Thrane to start the first installation and certification on U.S.-registered aircraft. The system is a total cabin solution that exceeds the ongoing requirement to provide a true office in the sky by harnessing the Internet, VPN, e-mail, fax and telephone in one compact and lightweight package, according to the manufacturer.
French and Portuguese partners have developed a satellite-based system for managing airport ground traffic. Funded by Eureka, an intergovernmental initiative designed to spur European competitiveness, the “Safedrive” project uses signals from EGNOS, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, satellite system to provide position information to vehicle drivers and airport authorities.
Embraer’s Phenom 100, Brazil’s first purpose-built business jet, won certification Dec. 9 from Brazil’s ANAC and U.S. FAA certification on Dec. 12. FAA published special certification conditions in the Federal Register Nov. 28 but is not holding up certification waiting for comments. Those special conditions, according to the FAA, resulted from the fact that the entry-level jet had some “novel or unusual design features” not envisioned in Part 23.
At a Dec. 5 online press conference, Cirrus Design CEO Alan Klapmeier and senior executives gave an update on the status of the Cirrus Vision single-engine personal jet program, announcing that the company will begin the process of applying for an FAA Type Certificate for the aircraft. Notably, the company will not apply for European certification until the FAA and EASA reach an accommodation acceptable to Cirrus on the imposition and amount of certification and operator user fees. The production Vision will weigh in the vicinity of 6,000 pounds.
Universal Weather & Aviation, Inc. has released a redesigned and enhanced version of its UVflightplanner.com online flight planning software. Users can now accomplish multiple tasks without having to go to another application and can get a fuel quote, schedule handling, and view UVTripPlanner airport data, weather maps and leg requirements all from within one window.
Thank you for your two excellent articles on pilot medical certification issues (“The Doctor Is In” and “Disability and the Corporate Pilot,” November 2008). Both highlight one of the top fears of a professional pilot: loss of license due to medical factors. The first article noted that FAR Part 67 lists 15 disqualifying diagnoses, yet FAA policy and the Guide to Aviation Medical Examiners lists several hundred other disqualifying conditions for pilots.
Sandel Avionics prevailed for the third and final round in Delaware Federal Court, responding to allegations of infringing on TAWS patents by Honeywell International. The weeklong trial concluded Dec. 5, when a jury ruled in favor of Sandel. Gerry Block, president and CEO of Sandel, said his company “has paid a great price with respect to these repeated, baseless lawsuits by Honeywell, who has been trying to preclude legitimate competition over aircraft terrain warning systems.
The first delivery of a Sierra Industries’ Super II took place in November with an inaugural nonstop flight from San Antonio to Northern California. After climbing straight to FL 430 in 27 minutes at maximum takeoff weight, the flight arrived in California with 1.5 hours of fuel still remaining, despite a 50-knot headwind. General Manager Steve Guzek of San Antonio-based FlighTime Business Jets stated that the Sierra Super II will join their fleet of managed and charter aircraft.
Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Switzerland have joined in the Functional Airspace Block Europe Central (FABEC). The grouping is by far Europe’s largest and most complicated owing to its high air traffic density since it includes Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris. Europe is creating nine such blocks, which should be operational by 2012, in an effort to streamline air traffic management operations short of creating a single European sky. The FABEC agreement comes with a commitment from associated air navigation service providers to cooperate.
It was a late August afternoon and we’d gathered at the Y for the summer day camp awards ceremony. There were medals for loudest laughter, most hot dogs downed, grubbiest T-shirt. The awards were always good, silly fun. Most of the camp kids were locals, like me. That made it tough for outsiders, and there were always a few. One I remember well was a quiet, gawky kid, unsure of himself, and always just outside the circle. He was nice enough, though, and happy to talk whenever anyone bothered.
Noting that terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the attacks on the bus and subway system in London happened shortly after new administrations came into power, the AOPA is urging pilots to report any suspicious activity around airports. “This is a time for all Americans to exercise heightened vigilance,” said Craig Spence, AOPA vice president of security. “General aviation pilots already have a program in place that they can follow — AOPA’s Airport Watch” (www.aopa.org).
Control Vision Corp.’s ATC is a special version of the HP iPAQ 310. It’s convenient and capable, including among its talents the patented “cones of safety” glide calculator, high-resolution terrain, flight planning, and obstacle and terrain warnings. Options include XM Weather and Pocket Plates approach plates that provide the features and safety margin available on modern panel-mounted units.
— A Cessna 170B (N8387N), sustained substantial damage following a forced landing in mountainous terrain about 12 nm northwest of Hanna, Utah. The pilot and one passenger sustained serious injuries, the second passenger died. The VFR flight departed Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), Salt Lake City, Utah, about 0930. Its destination was reported to be Colorado Springs, Colo.
The National Aircraft Resale Association plans to hold its 2009 spring meeting from April 30 through May 2 at the Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio. Individuals interested in making hotel reservations can call (800) 228-3000 and ask for the NARA discount rate of $239 (single or double occupancy). For more information on the hotel, visit www.westinlacantera.com. A meeting agenda is to be released shortly.
It’s a changing world, says BA-MEETUP’s creator and conference chairman, Bud Slabbaert, and at the Hilton in Lyon, France, on March 18-20, Europe’s business aviation community will meet the changes head on. Billed as “The first business aviation joint conference for schedulers, dispatchers, pilots, operators, FBOs, executive handling agents, business airports and international service providers in Europe and the Middle East,” the conference will offer 20 break-out sessions in four streams of parallel sessions over two days.
The 2009 inductees are: Charles Luttman (1908-2001) made outstanding contributions to the formation of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute. Thomas Lamb (1898-1969) founded Lamb Airways in 1935 and contributed significantly to the exploration and development of the northern regions of Manitoba and the Arctic. Barry Marsden cofounded Conair Aviation, Inc. in Abbotsford, B.C., in 1969, becoming president and CEO in 1991.
Cessna Conquest II operators are all aware of the halving of the airplane’s original forecast service life to 22,500 hours, and reports indicate only three airplanes operating in Australia were grounded by the action, which was taken by Cessna and not the FAA. In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) determined that an airplane manufacturer’s withdrawal of support after a service life limit was sufficient reason to ground the aircraft and did so.
Back in the mid-1980s, an outbreak of counterfeit aircraft parts rocked the aviation industry. Fake aircraft components disguised as legitimate parts were installed and several fatal accidents were attributed to the substandard parts. Time-expired parts were given new paperwork and sold as serviceable, look-alikes that even trained technicians could not tell apart from the real thing were being stamped out from overseas factories hidden in shadows, and criminals were reaping millions while the flying public was at risk.
Think flying at 0.80 Mach is genuine jet fast? Falcon 10 and 100 operators might wonder if they left their gear down at that speed. They routinely blast past lesser marques while cruising at 480 to 490 KTAS. Only the potent Citation X flies faster. Dassault’s second business jet, the Mystère 10 or “Mini Falcon,” was designed in the late 1960s as a smaller, less expensive derivative of the Falcon 20.
Hawker Beechcraft revealed Nov. 4 plans to lay off 5 percent of its workforce as it cuts production rates in the face of reduced demand for business and general aviation aircraft. The announcement coincided with the release of its third-quarter financial results. The manufacturer employs more than 9,700 people, the majority in Wichita. Hit by a four-week strike in August that slowed aircraft deliveries, the company saw third-quarter net sales decline 10 percent from a year earlier, to $783 million, and operating income drop 75 percent to just $15.3 million.
Northern Jet Management , Grand Rapids, Mich., has named Rhonda Young executive assistant to the president, and Melanie Huntoon has joined the accounting department as payroll clerk. Anthony Shupe and Donald Jaeger III have been promoted to captains, and Rick Hansen has been promoted to chief pilot.
