Few business aircraft have been in production as long as the King Air B200, which essentially has been unchanged since 1981. It is the best selling, most enduring turbine powered business airplane ever made. More than 1,800 units have been delivered and today there are some 1,000 on the FAA registry.
*May 24 -- A single-engine Cessna U206G float-equipped airplane, was substantially damaged during a collision with a 17-foot powerboat during a water takeoff from the Bayou Fourchon Seaplane Base, near Leeville, La. The pilot and two passengers in the airplane were not injured, however the occupant of the motorboat was killed.
The instrument panel of Encore+ is far different from any previous Model 560. Encore+ marks the first time Rockwell Collins avionics have been installed in a legacy narrow-body Citation, following the move from Honeywell to Rockwell Collins equipment started by the CJ-series.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey is using the prospect of anger by voters over air traffic delays as impetus for Congress to "get it done" and pass the Bush administration's proposal for reauthorization of the FAA, one that includes a large spike in fuel taxes and a provision for user fees. Blakey delivered the threat scenario during a Congressional hearing on the Next Generation Air Transportation System --NextGen -- June 13. She warned the members and staffers in attendance that if Congress failed to pass the reauthorization bill by Sept.
TIMCO Aviation Services, Greensboro, N.C., announced that Leonard Kazmerski has joined the company as vice president of Marketing and Business Development.
During June, ARINC Direct rolled out phase one of a new service for customers: Expected Departure Clearance Time alerts when logging on to the ARINC Web site. Later in the summer, phase two will deploy automatic notification without the necessity to log on. EDCTs are issued in conjunction with nationwide traffic management plans such as Airspace Flow Plans and ground stops. Operators can access an FAA Web site, enter their tail number, and obtain their EDCT; ARINC Direct just makes it that much simpler.
These graphs are designed to illustrate the performance of the Encore+ under a variety of range, payload, speed and density altitude conditions. Do not use these data for flight planning purposes because they are gross approximations of actual aircraft performance.
NBAA, Washington, D.C., announced that Mike Nichols has been promoted to vice president, operations, education and economics; Jo Damato has been promoted to director, operations and education development; Ernie Stellings has been promoted to manager at NBAA's General Aviation (GA) Desk, located at the FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center; and Sue Ashley was promoted to assistant manager at the GA Desk.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certificated winglet systems developed for the Beech King Air 200 and 300 by BLR Aerospace. Officials at the Everett, Wash.-based company say that this approval clears the way for approximately 150 aircraft on the EASA registry to reap the same performance and aesthetic benefits their North American counterparts already enjoy.
Executive Airlines Pty. Ltd., is to open a new FBO at Perth Airport, Western Australia. The company is investing $3 million in the new facility, which will have its own dedicated passenger terminal and hangar due to open in September. The company is to base a Citation Sovereign and a longer range aircraft there as of July.
RMS Technology has added Live Weather, a third weather solution, in a recent update to Flitesoft flight planner. With Live Weather, users let Flitesoft gather and update weather automatically. It includes nationwide (48-state) NexRad, METARs, TAFs, winds aloft and weather maps, among other features. There is no added cost when using Live Weather, no user name or password is required, and there is no advertising, cookies, or expense of any kind, according to RMS. Price: No charge RMS Technology, Inc. 124 Berkeley Av..
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.
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)
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 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.
Sabreliner Corp., St. Louis, has promoted Cindy Tekeser to senior manager, contracts. Celia Reiter has been promoted to contracts administrator. Mark Stuesse has joined the company as proposal manager.
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.
THE DOT MAY BE the "parent" of the FAA on an organization flow chart, but this does not mean that it must take action on aviation matters through the agency. Simply put, the DOT enforces citizenship, economic and advertising issues, while the FAA enforces safety issues. The FAR Part 135 operational control issues that surfaced after the Montrose and Teterboro Challenger accidents highlighted how the authority of the DOT and FAA can overlap.
