Motocross is a fusion of "motorcycle" and "cross country" and is usually referred to by aficionados simply as "MX." An outgrowth of scrambling and other off-road activities, the sport matches all the obstacles nature can provide against riders garbed in lightweight fiberglass armor riding lightweight, powerful bikes with suspensions capable of extreme excursions. Tracks where riders compete for prizes have man-made jumps and berms, but not asphalt. This is dirt biking - no pavement, please.
The NBAA recently released a new interactive 90-minute training aid designed to improve safety during approach and landing. Developed in partnership with the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), the NBAA Approach-and-Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR) training aid tailors the FSF ALAR Tool Kit for business aircraft operators. The NBAA ALAR incorporates publications and presentations from the FSF Tool Kit and adds new visual aids and a discussion leader's guide.
In "Will Climate Change Challenge BizAv?" (February, page 40) Mal Gormley obviously has spent too much time listening to Al Gore. The idea that human activity is causing Earth to warm up is most definitely disputed by many scientists, as well as the fact that we can do anything about it. The current rate of climate change is well within the cycle of normal climate changes that have occurred in the past, such as when the Vikings farmed in Greenland and an ice sheet over a mile thick covered the Midwest.
This month, Executive Beechcraft, the Midwestern aircraft service company, expects to receive an STC for its installation of the Garmin G1000 integrated avionics suite in the Beechcraft King Air C90.
The DOT released the final requirements for Washington, D.C.-area businesses to seek reimbursement for lost income stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. DOT, which proposed the requirements in October, agreed to provide more time for businesses to submit an application and made other changes to the application process at the request of aviation groups. The final rule, published in the April 9 Federal Register, provides businesses 60 days from the rule's May 9, 2007 effective date to submit their application for reparations.
Brian Humphries, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) CEO, who took on the job in a part-time capacity, is to step down after holding the position for three years and become its part-time president. The Brussels-based association, which has become a major influence in European business aviation policy-making and is the co-sponsor of the annual EBACE convention, is looking for a high-profile, full-time successor to be based in Brussels, Belgium. Humphries will continue to serve as CEO until the post is filled.
Accidents involving U.S. business turbine aircraft were up slightly in the first quarter of 2007, but the number of fatalities decreased, according to data compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Fla. There were 19 accidents in the first three months, including five which resulted in 11 fatalities. During the same period in 2006, there were 16 accidents involving business turbine operators, with five of them claiming 15 lives.
Embraer has delivered its 100th Legacy corporate jet. It goes to ABS Jets of Prague, Czech Republic, the third acquired by ABS and the fourth on the Czech civil aircraft register. Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer's executive vice president Executive Jets, says the Legacy now accounts for 13.6 percent of the super-midsize market, a figure achieved in five years. So far the Legacy has been sold to 19 countries with 27 orders in 2006. Embraer's projected sales for 2007 and 2008 are in the region of 25 to 30 aircraft per year.
CAE Executive Vice President Simulation Products Marc Parent told B&CA that the company's new 5000 Series simulator line -- currently the 5200 and 5400 -- is designed to complement CAE's 7000 Series, with the 5000 Series applicable to initial and recurrent training for aircraft ranging from narrow-body airliners through VLJs. Parent stated that CAE would offer the simulators to third-party flight training organizations, airlines and airframe manufacturers as well as equipping its own training facilities.
UQM Technologies, a developer of alternative energy technologies, recently announced that one of its propulsion systems will drive a single-seat demonstrator airplane powered by a fuel cell and lightweight batteries as part of planned experimental flight tests this year by Boeing Research and Technology -- Europe (BR&TE) and industry partners. Flight tests will take place in Spain to demonstrate for the first time that a manned airplane can maintain straight and level flight with fuel cells as the only power source. The demonstrator aircraft is a Dimona motor glider.
Viking Air Limited confirmed April 9 that it would restart production of the 19-passenger DHC-6 Twin Otter. The company met its goals of sufficient firm orders; further investment by its majority shareholder, Westerkirk Capital; board approval; and the existence of a federal program that could provide repayable financial assistance for R&D to update the aircraft for operation in the 21st century.
AgustaWestland has been awarded a contract add-on by the Japan National Police Agency (JNPA) to supply five AW109 Power law enforcement helicopters as part of an ongoing program to modernize the police helicopter fleet. This contract follows ones for three helicopters each in 2003 and 2005 for operation by local police agencies, while four additional AW109 Powers were ordered in 2006 by the JNPA. Four AW109 Powers have been delivered to Japanese police agencies so far this year.
The 1962 movie "The Longest Day," about the Allies' D-Day invasion of France in 1944, was epic both in scope and time. With a running time of more than three hours, the film was dubbed "The Longest Movie," by some critics who complained that it seemed longer than the invasion itself.
Rosen Aviation's new aviation quality DVD/CD player is a region-free design that allows passengers to view DVDs from around the world while in flight, according to the company. It will integrate with existing cabin entertainment equipment using RS 232 and RS 485 interfaces. It features a switched audio/video output that allows users to switch between the DVD and an auxiliary source such as a moving map, audio or visual briefings, or other A/V sources. The unit will operate vertically or horizontally allowing it to be placed where it will save the most cabin space.
Modern business aircraft efficiently cruise as high as 51,000 feet, where the outside air pressure is 89-percent less than that at sea-level and the temperature is a decidedly brisk -56.5°C (-87.7°F). If you were exposed unprotected to such an extreme altitude and temperature, you would lose consciousness in three to five seconds and then freeze to death in a matter of minutes.
Aruba Airport Authority and Universal Aviation Aruba, a subsidiary of Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc., welcomed corporate executives, local officials and media representatives as it celebrated the grand opening of Aruba's new 1,500 square-meter General Aviation Terminal April 20. The stand-alone facility is operated by Universal Aviation under an agreement with the Aruba Airport Authority and is located at the Queen Beatrix International Airport in Oranjestad, Aruba. The grand opening honored Universal's founder, Thomas G.
PremiAir, the U.K.'s largest helicopter charter operator, has been acquired by the von Essen Group, a British-owned luxury hotel chain, from Sir Robert McAlpine. The acquisition follows a successful relationship between the two companies with PremiAir managing von Essen's fleet of business helicopters and jets, and operating the London Heliport for it since earlier this year.
EXTEX has introduced a new Customer Assurance Program (CAP) that ensures that customers will be reimbursed for the cost of consequential damage - any downstream damage to engine parts - resulting from the failure of an EXTEX part. The program will cover all costs that are incurred to restore engines to an airworthy condition. CAP is the first program of its kind to be offered by any parts replacement company or OEM, according to the company.
*March 9 -- At 0405 UTC, a Piper PA-34-200T on a charter flight, operated by Executive Air Charter, crashed in a farm field near Lilongwe, Malawi. It was VFR at the time. The pilot and passenger were fatally inured and the aircraft was destroyed. There was no fire. The departure airport was Lilongwe International (LLW) and the destination was Karonga, Malawi. The accident is under investigation.
Bombardier Aerospace is partnering with the NBAA and EBAA to sponsor Safety Standdown Europe in Geneva, Switzerland, immediately following the close of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in that city. Patterned after Bombardier's annual North American safety standdown, the European event is free of charge to all pilots and crew regardless of what type aircraft they operate. The event will kick off with a welcome reception on the evening of May 24, followed by a full day of seminars on May 25.
Thomas E. Haueter was recently appointed head of the NTSB's Office of Aviation Safety. As an investigator-in-charge for the agency, he led some of the Safety Board's most sensitive and complex investigations, including the crash of a Boeing 737 near Pittsburgh, the crash of a commuter airliner in Georgia that killed former Sen. John Tower and 22 others, and the midair collision that claimed the life of Sen. John Heinz. He holds a commercial pilot license with multiengine and instrument ratings, and regularly flies a 1943 Stearman that he restored.
At about 1609 Alaska standard time, a Hughes 360D sustained substantial damage while hovering in ground effect, when its tail rotor was struck by a moose during a game management operation, about one mile southwest of Gustavus Airport, Gustavus, Alaska. The chief pilot for the operator said that the helicopter was involved in a moose-tagging operating for the Alaska State Department of Fish and Game. The moose had been shot with a tranquilizer dart from the helicopter. The helicopter usually is used to block the moose to prevent them from running into water and drowning.
Russell Chew, who just stepped down after three-plus years as chief operating officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization, is going to be COO of JetBlue Airways. Chew had accepted the top operations job at Hawaiian Airlines, but changed his mind when the New York-based low-cost carrier stepped forward with its $300,000-per-year proposal. Chew's new employer urgently needs to restore at least some of its near-mythical reputation as the passengers' friend.
