Dassault has received FAA certification for its new Falcon 2000DX, which is replacing the original Falcon 2000 introduced in 1989. The FAA clearance followed approval by EASA in September. The 2000DX, which will enter service in 2008, has a 3,250-nm range and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada 308C engines, each rated at 7,000 pounds of thrust. The engines also are on the Falcon 2000EX and 2000EX EASy. The 2000DX also will have Dassault's EASy flight deck as standard equipment.
Very few people are aware that Richard Aarons, B&CA's own safety editor (and holder of many other roles at the magazine since he first joined it in August 1968), once led a second life as a lawman. The 30-year resident of Ridgefield, Conn., says a stint as a crime reporter in Philadelphia sparked his initial interest in becoming a constable. "I got interested in trying to do something on the civic side. At that time we had supernumerary police officers, and the state would train you for 80 hours plus give you a firearms course," he recalls.
Most American boys know the drill: Your dad buys your first plastic U-control flying scale model for Christmas and you both run out to fly it. An hour later, dad's index finger bleeding from trying to prop-start the tiny Cox .049 glow-plug engine in the freezing cold, you both give it up and come in for hot cocoa -- and that's the end of it. Not for Peter Simons, though.
The FAA recently accepted delivery of the En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) system ahead of schedule. The next phase of operational testing will be primarily conducted by the FAA at its Atlantic City, N.J. technical center. The FAA stressed ERAM acceptance was achieved within budget and timeline, a notable accomplishment considering earlier concerns by the DOT inspector general that the program was a high risk for timetable slips due to its scale and complexity.
I n the late 1980s, Russ Meyer Jr., then chairman of Cessna Aircraft, got tired of listening to all the "Slotation" and birdstrike-from-the-rear jokes about the company's popular Citation series. He pretty much put an end to them at the 1990 NBAA Convention, when he announced that Cessna would build the Citation X, at 0.92 Mach, the world's fastest business jet.
The AOPA, which has strongly supported the overall concept for the NextGen ATC system, said it plans to thoroughly examine the 100-page proposal, but said the FAA still needed to answer a number of technical questions. The association noted that the proposal would enable the FAA to move away from its aging ground radar and that the money this saves should be considered in calculating future aviation fuel taxes. GAMA agreed, adding technical specifications still need to be set in concrete before manufacturers are comfortable with a full-scale ramp-up of ADS-B equipment.
Jet Professionals, the aviation staffing division of Jet Aviation, has created crewAdvantage, a new comprehensive crew benefits program that plans to offer health and welfare benefits, significant training discounts with a simplified training booking process, and client and candidate referral bonuses, available only to Jet Professionals crewmembers. To qualify for crewAdvantage, all participants will first need to meet Jet Professionals' strict requirements to ensure only the safest and best-qualified crewmembers take part in the program.
Raisbeck Engineering's founder and CEO, James D. Raisbeck, is the recipient of the prestigious Pathfinder Award from Seattle's Museum of Flight. The award honors individuals from the Pacific Northwest who have significantly contributed to aeronautics and astronautics. Raisbeck was cited for his numerous contributions to the safety and performance of aircraft and his influence on many business aircraft designs.
A Citation Mustang set a U.S. national record for speed over a recognized course - the first for a VLJ -- during a Sept. 22 flight from New York City to Atlanta. That trip, which was flown to commemorate the NBAA's 60th anniversary, took two hours, 23 minutes and 44 seconds and was flown at an average speed of 318.87 mph. Jim Perry, Cessna's senior demo pilot, and Bob Stangarone, the company's vice president of corporate communications, piloted the aircraft. Also on board were NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen; Pat Epps of Atlanta-based Epps Aviation, whose father, Ben T.
Also at NBAA 2007, NBAA posthumously presented the Platinum Wing Award to the late David W. Ewald and announced that the award will be renamed the David W. Ewald Platinum Wing Award for Lifetime Achievement and Excellence in Journalism. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen recognized Ewald as "someone who devoted over 50 years to aviation journalism." He also said, "It has often been noted that Dave was a publishing genius."
Strap into the left seat of any new turbofan aircraft and you'll soon take for granted the care-free engine handling characteristics that the engine fuel controls provide. The latest generation of computerized engine controls handles virtually all routine functions and abnormal situations with the aplomb of a seen-it-all flight engineer. That frees up pilot attention to focus on flying the aircraft and managing its systems and avionics.
AMI's attorneys said the FAA's action "is unwarranted and is contrary to AMI's nine-year impeccable record of safety and adherence to the highest standards for charter operations." In an effort to justify its determination of a purported "emergency," the filing charges that in its original suspension action, the FAA "cobbled together a mere 31 paragraphs of purported 'factual' allegations that attempt to portray AMI as a negligent, reckless charter operator that makes no effort to comply with FAA regulations.
The FAA formally published an NPRM that would require Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipment on aircraft that fly above 10,000 feet msl or in certain terminal airspace by 2020. ADS-B-equipped aircraft will broadcast their position via the GPS system to air traffic controllers and similarly equipped aircraft. The FAA says ADS-B is 10 times more accurate than current radar. The proposal would give operators more than 10 years to equip even though the FAA is on track to implement the ground-based system for ADS-B nationwide by 2013.
NetJets, Woodbridge, N.J., promoted David M. Powell to vice president of government relations and corporate responsibility. Powell will work on state and local issues impacting the company's business in Ohio and other local communities in the United States. In addition, he will oversee NetJets' environmental affairs program in the United States and coordinate the company's philanthropic activities in Greater Columbus.
*Dassault Falcon 50, 900, 900EX, 2000 and 2000EX airplanes - Verify the correct assembly of the flap rotating rods and associated retaining brackets installed in the left-hand and right-hand wing root compartment and in the left-hand and right-hand main landing gear compartment. Also, inspect the rods for damage. If damage is found, replace any damaged rods prior to further flight. In addition, check to ensure that the rod orientation and bracket positioning is correct, and take corrective actions, if necessary, before the next flight.
Infinity Aviation Group, Nashua, N.H., has acquired the assets of Keyson Airways and Keyson Enterprises, a full-service FBO located at the Nashua Airport.
Rockwell Collins has announced a new line of Software Programmable Switch Panels that will provide business jet passengers with more user friendly control over their cabin environment, while giving aircraft manufacturers an efficient, standard part that serves many applications. The switch panels offer an icon-based means for passengers to access and control a full range of cabin amenities and services and, when accompanied by Rockwell Collins' Media Center Device with Moving Map, offer integrated real-time flight information, such as time to destination and ground speed.
Forecast International of Newtown, Conn., a provider of market data, recently released a study analyzing the projected delivery of 14,200 rotorcraft in the years 2007 through 2016. Of those, 7,311 aircraft will be turboshaft powered; of those, twin engines are expected to make up a slim majority of 3,708 compared to 3,603 single-engine rotorcraft.
The U.S. Homeland Security Department says GE Security's shoe scanner does not meet minimum detection standards for widespread use at U.S. airports and has halted use of a prototype scanner at Orlando International Airport. "While significant improvements were made," the TSA says, following tests this summer, "the shoe scanner still does not meet standards to ensure detection of explosives." The news was a blow to GE partner Clear, which hoped the scanner would be a market differentiater among companies offering Registered Traveler services and at FBOs.
Intelligence | 15 * NTSB Wants Operators to Calculate 15% Runway Distance Margin * AMI Jet's Certificate Pulled * ADS-B Mandatory by 2020 * 'Green' Debate Could Flare Up Quickly in U.S., Experts Warn Edited by James E. Swickard Commentary 9 | Viewpoint By William Garvey Emitting Credibility 88 |Washington By David Collogan The Airlines' Big Lie 90 |Point of Law By Kent S. Jackson Voluntary Disclosure Programs
CAN was presented with a $28,000 check during a ceremony held at Chevron Global Aviation's exhibit during the NBAA's 60th Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlanta. Tom Henricks, president of McGraw-Hill's AVIATION WEEK, presented the check for the net proceeds of the Corporate Angel Award program to Peter Fleiss, CAN's executive director.
