Take a close look at Encore+ and you would be hard-pressed to guess that it's a third-generation derivative of the nearly two-decade-old Citation V. Cessna Aircraft, the undisputed master of iteration, has modified the wing, narrowed the track of the main landing gear and incorporated trailing link suspension, along with increasing range/payload flexibility, improving the cabin environment, reducing the airport noise footprint and cutting operating costs during that time period. Some of the block-point production changes almost make the iterations look like new models.
WE WERE EN ROUTE FROM one place to another -- the locations didn't matter; the going did -- in a BBJ, conversing with Richard Santulli, the founder and CEO of NetJets. At one point I mentioned what high praise Don Imus had heaped upon Santulli and his company during a recent radio broadcast and asked if he intended to capitalize on that nationwide free promotion it in any way. He shook his head and smiled ruefully. "Wait until something goes wrong," he said, "then he'll be telling those same listeners all about that, too."
The Helicopter Association International (HAI) is making the 2007 Helicopter Annual available on CD to HAI members and aviation professionals worldwide. It includes helicopter specifications, industry statistics, HAI membership directories by class and geographic matrix, listings of international civil aviation contracts, key FAA personnel, association committees and other data. The new CD allows viewers to navigate through each section by clicking the sections listed on the lift side of the screen. Price: Free download to members at www.rotor.com/annual
In April, the FAA announced the initiation of advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures at the Alaska ARTCC, which enables more direct routing and eliminates the time-honored paper strips for controllers. Atlantic and Pacific traffic already benefits from the new ATOP systems, which provide conflict alerts and allow controllers to ensure aircraft separation beyond radar and radio coverage. The work station environment for controllers is modern, automated, and efficient, and the system is capable of digital satellite data link communication and surveillance.
Boeing has raised its prediction for the size of the airline aircraft market over the next 20 years, but the majority of the jump comes from including Russia and the rest of the Commonwealth of Independent States for the first time. The manufacturer's Current Market Outlook estimates 28,600 aircraft will be delivered through 2026, compared with last year's forecast of 27,200 to be delivered through 2025. The latest total includes 1,060 aircraft for the CIS. Last year's forecast saw a similar jump -- 1,500 -- compared to the 2005 forecast.
A frequent question posed by flight crews wanting more information on ice particle-caused rollbacks is, "What type of atmospheric condition creates this problem?"
To further its nationwide reach, JetDirect Aviation Holdings of Berwyn, Pa., has acquired Novato, Calif.-based air charter operator Sunset Aviation for an undisclosed sum. Sunset operates a fleet of 25 aircraft, giving JetDirect a total of 130. Sunset's fleet includes Cessna Citation IIs; Hawker 800XPs, Beech Baron 58s and King Air 200s; and Pilatus PC-12s. Sunset also operates full-service maintenance facilities at three bases in California.
Embraer revised its Legacy 600 executive jet maintenance planning guide that is expected to reduce an operator's scheduled maintenance labor costs up to 18 percent over the previous iteration. Since the guide was first published in 2001, the maintenance man-hours-per-flight-hour ratio for the super midsize jet has dropped by 50 percent to 0.65 mmh/fh.
Geneva Aviation, a DART subsidiary, has developed the P-132 avionics console and the P-123 supplemental avionics console for Eurocopter AS 350 series helicopters to meet the growing demand for more space. The P-132 allows installation of a 10-inch stack of radios and other avionics controls typically required for law and ENG work. The P-123 supplemental console also mounts between the pilot and copilot seats.
Not surprisingly, outspoken Pogo Air Chairman and CEO Robert Crandall has a perspective on the FAA reauthorization debate. Crandall, retired CEO of American Airlines, offered his thoughts to B&CA via e-mail. Air taxi operator Pogo hopes to begin operations this year with a fleet of Eclipse VLJs.
Your April feature article "EADS Socata TBM 850," (page 62) poses an interesting challenge to emerging VLJ aircraft. In this article, Socata continues to categorize all VLJs into one group, yet all VLJs are not created equally. This is especially true when comparing the Eclipse 500 VLJ to the TBM 850. The assumptions presented create an excellent opportunity to highlight the real capabilities of the Eclipse 500 very light jet. A simple analysis reveals the true comparison of the Eclipse 500 vs. the TBM 850.
*Aerospatiale Corvette airplanes -- Conduct repetitive inspections of the left-hand and right-hand hinge fittings of the nose landing gear for cracks, and replace any cracked hinge fittings with new ones. *Bombardier Challenger CL-600, -601, -601-3A, -601-3R and CL-604 airplanes -- Identify the part and serial numbers of the selector valves of the nose landing gear and the nose landing gear door. Conduct related investigations and take corrective actions, if necessary.
Alakai Technologies, OpenAero and CAPACG have agreed to develop a flight-data management system using plug-and-play technology for piston-engine aircraft. The package is based on the Flight Operational Quality Assurance program for transport-category aircraft -- with one exception, there are no FAA requirements to be met. General aviation pilots will be able to monitor, as well as voluntarily and anonymously share, engine trend and flight ops data. They will also have the option of using the FDM system as a purely informational tool.
The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has a new online program called Pinch Hitter that is intended to familiarize non-pilots with basic cockpit layouts so they can become more comfortable when flying as a passenger. The course lets users get some virtual flying practice by controlling the ailerons and rudder, and landing the airplane. It includes tips on what to do in the event of pilot incapacitation. Intended only for the non-pilot, it is not to be used as a "learn to fly" course for student pilots. The running time is 45 to 60 minutes. Price: Free
Statements from witnesses who knew the pilot of a Beech Baron that broke up over Georgia on April 22 suggest that the crash that killed the pilot and all four passengers probably resulted from the pilot's obsession with performing aerobatics in the aircraft. A friend of the accident pilot told investigators the deceased was planning to purchase the 1989 aircraft. N5647C took off from Jack Edwards Airport (JKA) in Gulf Shores, Ala., and broke up in flight about two hours later near Hamilton, Ga.
Alcoa executives responsible for the company's $3 billion per year aerospace business say they agree with Morgan Stanley analysts that the upturn in the commercial jet market is likely to extend until 2010 or 2011. The latest prediction is more positive than an earlier assessment that the upturn will end in 2008 or 2009, partly due to a growing economic rationale for fleet replacement - the need for greater fuel efficiency.
One aviation firm with some good news on the environmental front is Aviation Partners, Inc. (API) of Seattle, which designs blended winglets for a variety of business jets and airliners, including the Hawker 800 series, the Gulfstream II and the Boeing 737. API says installation of its winglets reduces an aircraft's fuel usage by approximately 7 percent.
Flexjet has made its first GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) profit since start-up in 1995, and is to add 24 aircraft per year for the next three years, says Michael McQuay, president of Flexjet and Skyjet USA. Flexjet now has 660 fractional owners and 110 card members. Its current fleet numbers 93 aircraft. McQuay says that "the Challenger 300 is the hottest product we offer and will eclipse other Flexjet fleet groupings this year.
FlightSafety International, La Guardia Airport, New York, announced that Patrick Coulter has been promoted to manager of the Toronto Learning Center. Rick Armstrong has joined the company as vice president, FlightSafety Simulation.
You may have heard this from someone else by now, and I would not normally bother with what is essentially a trivial error, but I think you (and perhaps the readers) will find this interesting. Robert Searles Reflections article in the April issue says that Renton, Wash.'s airport is named after Will Rogers and Wiley Post. In fact, as a glance at the Seattle VFR terminal area chart will show, it is the seaplane base (W36) on Lake Washington at the north end of that airport that is named for Rogers and Post.
When US Airways' FOQA program revealed that aircraft arriving in Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (KCLT) via the Runway 23 back-course localizer had a higher incident of unstable approaches, it was able to demonstrate to the FAA that the procedure was a primary factor in the unstable approaches. The FAA agreed with the data and as a solution installed a new ILS. In another study, the carrier found certain airports had a high incidence of steep descents on arrival.
