Ross Detwiler's recap of teaching aerodynamics to would be Air Force pilots ("Board Time," July, page 76) brought back lots of memories, including the frustrations of dealing with "simplifications" (aka dumbing down of complex theory to meet both the needs and abilities of non-engineering types in training). However, the myth of Bernoulli's principle being the primary reason for lift produced by an airfoil needs to be challenged.
(Teterboro, NJ) -- Jeff Habib has been appointed senior vice president of U.S. sales for the company. Habib most recently was vice president of Western U.S. sales for the French business jet manufacturer.
To appreciate the difference between a 2.0 Mach cruise and the usual 0.86 Mach speed of other aircraft over the Atlantic, I am reminded of my second westbound flight in the jump seat of Concorde, when I spotted what I was sure was an eastbound Boeing 747 due to the rate of closure. When I pointed out "oncoming traffic" to the Concorde captain, he only smiled and said, "No, that is not oncoming traffic, but a 747 we are overtaking."
The FAA plans to commission new ASDE-X airport surface detection systems at five airports in 2008 - Washington Dulles, Phoenix, Detroit, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale. The agency plans to have 16 airports equipped with ASDE-X by the end of 2008, and eventually plans to install it at 35 airports. The system -- manufactured by Sensis -- is expected to improve controllers' situational awareness in all weather conditions and help reduce the risk of runway incursions, combining surveillance data from several different sources.
As I thought I'd made clear, the issue was Stage 2 and not a particular aircraft. While hush kitting is a well-known method for bringing such (though not all) aircraft into compliance, I concede that omitting their mention was an oversight on my part. Your letter should help complete the record. Thanks for writing, and good luck with the system.
The Portable Rechargeable Battery Association is applauding the DOT's Aug. 9 rule on shipment and transport of lithium ion batteries. The rule allows passengers to carry notebook computers, mobile phones and cameras powered by lithium ion batteries -- as well as spare batteries -- aboard aircraft, and urges that spare batteries be placed in plastic bags or otherwise protected from inadvertent shorting. The rule also prohibits spare batteries from being placed in checked baggage. The new provisions are consistent with international regulations.
Honeywell Aerospace is developing two new avionics products targeted at lower-end aircraft. The KSN 770 system will incorporate GPS and Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capability as well as a new software-based VHF comm and nav radio. The new INAV GA system will provide localizer and vertical guidance with WAAS capability and display a range of safety systems that include weather radar, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System, datalink weather, traffic, charts and maps. Honeywell expects to win FAA certification for the Bendix/King KSN 770 in late 2008.
Eagle Copters Ltd., the Canadian helicopter company based in Calgary, Alberta, has obtained a Transport Canada STC for its single-engine conversion of the Bell 212. According to company officials, the Eagle Single offers utility rotorcraft operators "increased payload capacity, easy accessibility to the engine and greater flexibility in mission configurations." The conversion also lowers the aircraft's empty weight and substantially increases its useful load.
For a manufacturer near terminal condition not all that long ago, Embraer has made a stunning comeback. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the company was confronting a triple-pronged crisis: market failure of its CBA-123 twin-pusher turboprop; world oil supply constraints; and the inability of the Brazilian government, its owner, to pay its debts. After the government privatized it in 1994, the company kept issuing pink slips by the gross so that its total employment fell to 3,200 in 1997.
I don't want to rain on Vern Raburn's parade, but the concept of a low-cost, single-engine turbofan, V-tail personal jet is hardly new; my introduction to the idea began when an errant copy of none other than B&CA mysteriously arrived in my mailbox one day in 2003.
The National Aviation Hall of Fame has presented the A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year Award to Russia, Ohio, high school teacher, Marcus Petitjean. He was selected for his experiential approach to engaging students in the application of math and science combined with industrial art, and eventually flying skills, through re-creating the achievements of the Wright brothers.
CAE Systems is developing a series of Web-based maintenance training modules for Mooney M20 series, Ovation and Acclaim fleets. The new program includes the development and implementation of a learning Web portal and maintenance modules that will be designed to assist Mooney in upgrading and updating its technical support standards throughout the company's authorized service center network. The online training course, which is scheduled for release in first quarter 2008, is being designed to be self-paced, interactive and engaging for participants.
Embraer says it plans to win landing privileges for the Lineage 1000 at London City and Teterboro. The first customer aircraft is to fly to Crane in the U.S. for completion work later this year and then return to Brazil for formal customer delivery. The EMB190 derivative is priced at $42.95 million, including interior. Embraer hopes to deliver three to four aircraft annually.
Aviation Partners, which is enjoying strong demand for the Falcon winglets that the Seattle-based company introduced earlier this year, could apply its patented, range-enhancing, fuel-saving airfoil technology to as many as 20 additional types of business aircraft, including possibly some turboprops, in the future, according to company CEO Joe Clark.
Gore Design Completions, Ltd. recently welcomed the arrival of a green Airbus A320 Prestige, marking its elevation as the second Airbus-approved U.S. completions center for Airbus corporate jetliners. The Aug. 10 occasion was marked by speeches and hors d'oeuvres at Gore's 120,000-square-foot hangar at Port San Antonio, Texas, site of the former Kelly Air Force Base. Among the 350 in attendance were the mayor and a group of Airbus executives. "This is the first of many projects," said CEO Jerry Gore.
While Adam Aircraft is focused on obtaining certification for its A700 VLJ, the company also is keeping an eye on new possibilities for the product line, Wolf said. According to the new CEO, expanding the product line is one of four steps the company is concentrating on as it moves from being a development company into a "world-class producer" of aircraft.
Inmarsat First service available to aviation users; operates 10 satellites, claims over 8,000 aircraft equipped; global headquarters in London. Launch of third I-4, latest generation satellite, will complete global broadband coverage. Globalstar
The Strategic Research Institute has invited members of the aviation, legal, government and financial community to attend the Cape Town Convention & Aircraft Protocol Training Seminar, which will be held Sep. 17 and 18 at the Westin Dublin Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.
Development of the Phenom 300 light jet, its cabin now lengthened 14 inches, is proceeding on schedule. Embraer says it has released some 5,000 drawings and that the first of the swept-wing aircraft will be flying before its smaller sibling is certified. The nine-seat jet, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535E engines rated at 3,200 pounds of thrust each, is expected to enter service in mid-2009. The 0.78 Mach, $6.65 million twinjet is projected to have a range with six occupants of 1,800 nm with NBAA IFR reserves.
In 2005, new international guidelines for the administration of CPR were introduced that placed greater emphasis on chest compressions and altered the practice of administering defibrillator shocks, with a result that makers of AEDs changed their machines' programming. If you bought an AED prior to the change in the guidelines, check with the manufacturer to find out how it can be re-programmed and, in some instances, how you can obtain a temporary substitute AED if the manufacturer requires you to return your unit.
The Avanti was one of the highlights of my career. The laminar flow airfoils were very clean sheet. I think they were the first of the new breed of laminar flow airfoils that demonstrated high performance at transonic speeds.
