At the recent EBACE in Geneva, EMS introduced its new voice solution, the eNfusion CNX-400 Cabin Gateway product. The fourth in the CNX Cabin Gateway family of airborne-networking products, it will enhance the user experience and will enable even further cost savings when Inmarsat's new SwiftBroad service goes live later this year, according to EMS. The CNX-400 networking device combines the exclusive compression and acceleration functionality of the CNX-200 Network Accelerator with a new multi-functional voice solution and an integrated PBX.
In Paris on May 9, Bill Glover, managing director for environmental strategy at Boeing Commercial Aircraft, said his company's initial skepticism about alternative fuel plans has eased as technologies have advanced and regulatory pressures have grown, particularly in Europe. He said researchers are not optimistic about the prospects for synthetic kerosene derived from coal or natural gas -- a method being explored by the U.S.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univeristy's Prescott, Ariz. campus launched FlightView Dispatch in its classrooms for spring semester on nine computers used to instruct students in the FAA approved dispatch course on the effects on the airspace and routing when severe weather erupts. RLM Software, maker of FlightView, said the selection of its software for ERAU's classrooms was made by Randy Rehbach, chairman of the flight department at the Prescott campus.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who cast the deciding vote in May to keep a $25 per segment fee in the Senate version of the FAA reauthorization bill, now wants to exempt Alaskan pilots from paying any such fee. Stevens said he was surprised by reaction in his state against the fee. During a recent press conference, he said there was a lot of misunderstanding about the fee, which would only apply to turbine aircraft that fly between controlled airports -- for Alaskan pilots, that means for flights between Fairbanks and Anchorage.
The first customer Falcon 7X (s.n. 05) was delivered to Gilbert Chagoury, founder and chairman of The Chagoury Group June 13, after a non-stop flight from Dassault Falcon's Little Rock (Ark.) Completion Center to Le Bourget Airport in Paris, arriving at 0450 local time. The second customer delivery (s.n. 04) was also to Le Bourget where it reigned over the Dassault Aviation static display throughout the Paris Air Show before being turned over to proud owner Serge Dassault. This still leaves Dassault with a fat backlog of 165 orders for the flagship trijet.
For more than three decades, aircraft certification standards have become increasingly more stringent, thereby increasing safety margins and potentially reducing accident rates. During the same 30-year period, though, not much has changed with respect to pilot technique. The accident rate attributable to human error hasn't been reduced significantly. It still is a causal factor in nearly eight of 10 fatal accidents.
TAM/AIR, a division of Epic Aircraft, recently announced a flawless, 40-minute first flight of its new Elite, a single-pilot, twin-engine VLJ with company test pilots Dave Morss and Len Fox at the controls. The carbon-fiber Elite is powered by two Williams Jet FJ-33-4 engines, which deliver 3,120 pounds of thrust. The company expects the new jet to reach FL 410 in under 17 minutes, and have a top speed of 410 KTAS. Range at economy cruise is more than 1,600 miles with reserves and 1,330 pounds of usable payload.
The FAA in May addressed remaining concerns regarding pilot payment and other issues within its Part 135 Operational Specification A008. The NBAA and NATA appear satisfied that the new guidance. "This notice provides our members with additional information that will assist them in fully understanding the FAA's expectations regarding operational control while maintaining their existing business models," NATA President James Coyne said. (see some details below)
WHEN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS begin legislating technical matters that should be left to regulators, there is no limit to the potential mischief and disruption that can result. The most recent example is a provision inserted in the Senate version of the FAA reauthorization bill, which would prohibit the FAA from challenging or influencing weight restrictions or prior permission rules at the Teterboro, N.J., Airport (TEB).
EADS Socata received an order from European fractional aircraft ownership provider JETFLY for four TBM 850 single-turboprop aircraft. The aircraft will supplement JETFLY's existing fleet of three TBM 700s. EADS Socata valued the contract at $11.4 million.
Piper Aircraft is looking for a new home. Headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla., Piper announced its intention earlier this year to conduct a detailed analysis of other possible plant locations, citing the high cost of living expenses for its employees and extremely high property insurance costs in the Vero Beach area in the wake of two devastating hurricanes that struck in 2004 and destroyed a number of Piper buildings.
The phased development of Singapore's Seletar Aerospace Park is expected to take about eight years, and cost in the region of $40 million for the first phases. The park will support a new integrated aerospace industry cluster incorporating aerospace MRO; design and manufacturing of aircraft systems and components; business and general aviation activities; and an aviation campus for the training of pilots, aviation professionals, and technical personnel. The Singapore government will develop about 350 acres of adjacent land at the airport.
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan Inc. for allegedly assisting secret CIA rendition flights of suspected terrorists. The federal lawsuit, filed in California, claims flight and logistical support services provided by Jeppesen enabled the clandestine transportation of three men to secret locations, where they were tortured and subjected to other "forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment."
Northstar Aerospace, Inc., Chicago, appointed Harry Schmink to the position of president, Gears and Transmission. Ian Taylor, formerly general manager of Northstar Aerospace (Canada) has been named vice president, programs. Tom Purvin is the new vice president, Sales and Market North America. David Fisher has been appointed director, Business Development North America.
As a 29-year FAR Part 121 pilot and, now, a Part135 pilot, I was very interested in David Huntzinger's article on crew duty limits ("On Duty Indefinitely," May, page 86). It does a good job of summarizing the deadly vise that can squeeze a pilot between the needs/ demands of his passengers/employer and his desire to operate safely.
Jeppesen has created a new pricing option for its International Trip Planning Services that is straightforward and easy to understand, according to the company. By dividing the world into eight predefined regions, Jeppesen has established fixed sector fees for each trip segment between or within these regions. Included with sector pricing are the most commonly used trip planning services, such as ground handling set up, permit acquisition, hotel reservations, flight plans, customs and immigration notifications and more.
Uvex, a brand of the Bacou-Dalloz Group, has launched Uvex Ignite, a comfortable, sleek addition to its line of premium safety eyewear. The lightweight, frameless design of the Uvex Ignite glasses offers 180 degrees of unobstructed, distortion-free vision, and provides wearers with all-day safety and comfort. Features include an adjustable saddle pad nose piece and soft, cushioned temple tips. Its nine-base, wrap-around unilens provides wearers with close-to-the-face coverage and compete eye protection.
Using input and testing from its students and instructors, Sporty's has designed a flight bag specifically for VFR flight. If you're a student pilot or a weekend flier, the VFR Flight Bag is right for you, according to the company. This compact bag features specially designed pockets for storing important items necessary for a VFR flight. The exterior features padded pockets to protect a headset while additional pockets allow quick access to charts and a logbook. An organizing section has an ID holder, pen and pencil holders, a key clip and a pocket for a cellphone.
With showbiz flare that included a choreographed performance by a suspended acrobat suspended from the simulator bay ceiling and ghostly vignettes of employees at work, CAE officially opened its new business aviation training center June 7 near Morristown Airport in New Jersey. The CAE SimuFlight Northeast Training Center will be the base of entitlement training for the Dassault Falcon 7X, as well as training on the Falcon 900EX EASy, Falcon 2000EX EASy, Gulfstream IV and Sikorsky S-76.
The NTSB, lawmakers and regulators are seeking faster ways to implement the board's "Most Wanted" safety recommendations and adopt new accident prevention methods. The often-contentious groups found common ground in the desire to enhance safety at a June 6 House Aviation Subcommittee hearing on the status of the NTSB's Most Wanted List of aviation safety improvements. The board color-codes the status of recommendations on the list that it has issued yearly since 1990.
Congratulatons on your April Reflections ("People Who Became Airports," page 46). I would like to mention Garner Field in Uvalde, Texas, was named for former U.S. Vice President John N. Garner. This field is very dear to hundreds of Brazilian Cadets who started their aviation training there, primary training in Stearmans. And thousands of American cadets were training there. I was class 45-F, U.S. Army Air Force, and I am very proud to be a former Garner student. Keep writing about the past so the next generations will learn about history.
