Think you're ready for any inflight emergency after your latest sim session? Many flight crews believe that checking all the boxes during recurrent simulator training fulfills all their training needs. That's false confidence, according to some experienced pilots.
Jet Works Air Center, Denton, Texas, announced that Gary Freeman and Chris Hicks have joined the company as regional sales managers responsible for maintenance, avionics, paint and interior services.
(Wichita) - Drew McEwen has been appointed vice president of domestic executive Beechcraft sales, which will handle marketing of the King Air C90GTi, Baron G58 and Bonanza G36. Brad Stancil, the former vice president of domestic Beechcraft sales, now serves as vice president of domestic corporate Beechcraft sales and will deal with the Premier II, Premier IA, King Air 350 and King Air B200GT.
Raisbeck Engineering, Seattle, has added Davud Kasparov as a design engineer and Aaron Jo-Nes as technical support manager. Anne Lockemy has been promoted to advertising and public relations manager.
Trindigo, a provider of Web-based aviation operations management software, announced Aug. 6 that its software is now fully integrated with the aircraft availability, trip request and quoting functions of CharterX, the online air charter marketplace. Trindigo provides charter aviation organizations with a Web-based platform that allows scheduling, operations, financial reporting and aircraft maintenance recordkeeping in real time from anywhere in the world The new partnership integrates the CharterX network and the Trindigo platform.
Pratt & Whitney Canada created the PT6A-67P using its well-proven, parts-bin engineering philosophy. The powerplant uses the -67A's core, including its high-temperature-tolerant single-crystal turbine blades, to boost maximum takeoff ITT to 850°C, a 30°C increase. Maximum continuous ITT is increased to 820°C, a 60°C improvement. This enables the engine to produce 1,200 shp continuously, or 200 shp more than the -67B that powered older PC-12 models. The -67P also has a special pad on the accessory gearbox that accommodates the second 300-amp generator.
At 1457 EST, a Socata TBM 700, N484RJ, was substantially damaged when it rolled inverted and collided with trees short of Runway 9, at Cobb County-McCollum Field (RYY), Kennesaw, Ga. It was VFR at the time of the accident, however and an IFR flight plan was filed for the flight from Southwest Georgia Regional Airport (ABY), Albany, Ga., to RYY. The airplane was registered to Flying Max LLC, and operated by the private pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. Witnesses at Cobb County Field stated that they saw the airplane on short final for Runway 9.
Exhibit space for NBAA2008 officially sold out in July. The event takes place Oct. 6-8 in Orlando. The total number of exhibit booths is 5,302 compared with last year's 5,257. More than 30,000 attendees are expected at the event at the Orlando-Orange County Convention Center. More than 120 aircraft are expected be on static display at Showalter Flying Services at Orlando Executive Airport (ORL). For more information about NBAA2008, visit www.nbaa.org/2008.
In a statement, Experimental Aircraft Association President Tom Poberezny exulted, "The concern was that 2008 would be less than a banner year [for AirVenture 2008] because of questions and challenges in areas such as fuel prices and the economy, but it turned out to be an overwhelming week." Held July 28-Aug. 3, the show attracted 540,000 visitors, only a slight decrease from 2007, from 71 countries.
Santa Monica Airport (SMO) has become one of the first general aviation airports to jump into the carbon trading fray, formally establishing itself as an offset facilitator. In July, the Los Angeles-area airport added a feature on its Web site that allows aircraft operators to calculate their carbon footprint and purchase carbon offsets. The calculator will estimate carbon produced by specific flight distances and number of passengers. Santa Monica said the purchases will be channeled to nonprofit organizations involved in reforestation and alternative energy projects.
less record-keeping ("Are You Ready to Go Paperless?" July, page 106) I was dumbfounded. The first company to come out with a complete paperless record-keeping system was LBO. We were the first to come out with electronic logbooks with electronic signatures, we were green before anyone thought of the word "green." Not only do we do logbooks but all record-keeping for any aircraft in a paperless format. But we were not even mentioned in the article.
L-3 Avionics Systems has added Synthetic Vision to its SmartDeck Integrated Flight Controls and Display System. It will be available as an option on new SmartDeck systems or as an add-on for existing models after certification, which is expected later this year. L-3's Synthetic Vision uses GPS location and altitude data in conjunction with SmartDeck's terrain database to depict 3-D images of land, mountains, obstacles, water and runways on the PFD. This image moves in real-time with the aircraft.
The use of celebrity endorsements is an old, familiar convention in advertising, going back way before a B-film actor named Ronald Reagan hawked Chesterfields in postwar magazine ads or a post-Beatles Ringo Starr promoted Oldsmobiles on TV. From time to time such celeb-centered ads even show up in aviation publications, but in 1958 Business & Commercial Aviation published a series of them that were unique in style, length and authorship.
In the August edition of its market research report, analysts at the Global Equity Research unit of JPMorgan declared, "July 2008 was another leg down for the business jet market, with a substantial increase in inventory and a decline in average asking price."
Dallas Airmotive, Grapevine, Texas, hired Jay Randall as regional engine manager for the Northeast United States. He will provide sales and technical assistance on P&WC PT6A, JT15D and PW500 engines.
As important as it is to get your passengers where they want to go, it is essential that, once arrived, they come to a safe stop. Braking malfunctions can have terrible consequences even before the aircraft gets airborne -- a failure to actuate, a single side brake failure or total lock-up during departure could be disastrous. Few systems are as essential to safe flight as the one that is used only on the ground. As aircraft design rapidly advanced in the early 1920s, paved runways and higher landing speeds made the drag skids obsolete.
The NBAA expressed great concern regarding the DOT's Aug. 5 announcement calling for a public auction for an unused slot pair at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The association said a report submitted to the DOT in December 2007 by the New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee, on which the NBAA participated, predicted price increases and service disruptions for consumers, a loss of service to general aviation and possible violations of bilateral and multilateral aviation agreements.
It's tough to improve upon one of the most capable and versatile turboprop airplanes ever built, but that's exactly what Pilatus Aircraft has done with its next-generation PC-12. The latest iteration of the Swiss-built single, the PC-12 NG, was FAA certified in March 2008 and it incorporates some half dozen improvements, including a more robust powerplant that helps increase cruise over older models as much as 11 knots and gives it more range because of improved climb performance. The electrical, cabin pressurization and environmental control systems have been improved.
-Agusta A109E and A119 helicopters - Inspect for interference between the hydraulic lines and the tail-rotor control rod assembly. If interference is found, replace the hydraulic lines with ones of new design. -Agusta AB 139 and AW 139 helicopters - Conduct repetitive inspections for cracks in the fuselage frame 5700 middle section. If cracks are found, repair them before further flight.
Following its acquisition of Czechoslovakia's Walter Engines, GE Aviation is launching the M601H-80, a new turboprop derivative engine with a new-technology hot section, and targeted for the utility, agriculture and retrofit aircraft segments. GE Aviation was taking orders for the engine in July at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture.
At 1439 PDT, a Cessna 172N (N75558) was substantially damaged when it hit trees while flying near McMurray, Wash. The commercial pilot and her two passengers were killed. The airplane was registered to Crest Airpark Inc., Kent, Wash., and operated by the pilot. It was VFR and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from the Roche Harbor Airport (WA09), Roche Harbor, Wash., at about 1402 with an intended destination of Auburn, Wash.
USUALLY, WE SAVE THE "lessons learned" comments for the end of this column, but this month's lessons are so important they need to come at the front. This case involved a well-experienced pilot dealing with an old light-twin. But with the median age of the light-twin fleet growing older and younger pilots moving into the aging fleet, a review of the basics seems in order. ?228-137?A light twin is simply a big single with its power divided and moved from the nose to each wing.
