A Bombardier Challenger 605 demonstrator has been test flying steep approaches at London City Airport (LCY).To qualify to operate at LCY, an aircraft must demonstrate its ability to be flown safely at a 5.5-degree (or greater) approach angle, take off and land on LCY's 1,319-meter (4,327-foot) runway, and meet the local noise requirements. If the CL605 achieves this, it will be the first of the Challenger series to do so.
The belly of a Eurocopter SA330J hit the runway surface at Lake County Airport in Lakeview, Ore. The pilot, student and a third passenger were not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned by Sky Cats Puma Corp. and operated by Evergreen Helicopters International, received serious damage. According to the pilot, during a simulated single-engine minimum ground run landing, the flight crew forgot to extend the landing gear and the helicopter touched down on its belly, driving the external load hook up into the airframe.
Flying nonstop from San Diego to Atlanta isn't a typical mission for a TBM 850, but that's precisely what B&CA did in late February with the help of average 65-knot tailwinds. Departing San Diego-Montgomery Field at 7:46 a.m., we arrived at Atlanta's DeKalb-Peachtree Airport at 4:10 p.m. and landed with healthy VFR fuel reserves. That's a distance of 1,700-plus nm, using the most direct available ATC routing that day and accounting for vectoring by ATC in the Atlanta area.
Turbine-powered and some piston aircraft operators can now expect more from their battery. Gill Battery's new 7638-44 sealed, valve regulated lead acid (VRLA), 44 AH 24-volt batteries will deliver more power and significantly better shelf life than traditional VRLA batteries, according to the company. Developed in-house by the engineering team at Gill Battery, a subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies, Inc. and thoroughly tested by an independent test and measurement firm, the 7638-44 employs an optimal lead alloy to enable the best possible performance in this chemistry.
Delta Connection Academy is partnering with Southern Aero Medical Institute (SAMI) to develop and operate high-altitude recovery training programs for pilots and flight attendants. The programs, designed to prepare crewmembers in case of cabin depressurization, will incorporate high-altitude physiological training and computer-based training. The course, initially offered exclusively to Delta Academy students, will be held at the SAMI campus in Melbourne, Fla.
President Bush has designated Thomas J. Barrett, currently the administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), to become acting deputy secretary of the DOT. Before his appointment to head the PHMSA in 2006, Barrett was vice president and chief operating officer of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. He had a 35-year career with the U.S. Coast Guard, rising to vice commandant. In that role, Barrett was second-in-command, agency acquisition executive, and responsible for the coordination of the Coast Guard Leadership Council.
I am writing to request a correction and clarification to "Doing the Math: The Providers Response" sidebar in David Esler's "Formerly Fractionalized" feature in the February issue (page 66). In Flexjet's response to Complaint 1, Flexjet would like to clarify that Jet Solutions LLC, a U.S. air carrier, operates the Flexjet 25 jet card program. Jet Solutions also leases aircraft from Flexjet to meet the needs of Flexjet 25 card owners, therefore not disrupting service to fractional owners.
I enjoyed your Viewpoint on the FAA's "Morning's Mayhem Review" (January, page 7), especially the item on the Dash 8 running out of runway. Reminds me of the incongruous yarn about the midair refueling tanker that crashed due to fuel exhaustion! I wrote a few paragraphs featuring a Dash 8 that I thought your readers might enjoy.
*Dassault Falcon 50, 900, 900EX, 2000 and 2000EX airplanes -- Inspect the identification plates of the outboard slats to determine the part numbers, and for certain airplanes, revise the "Limitations" and "Normal Procedures" sections of the airplane flight manual to provide procedures for operation in icing conditions. Also, replace the anti-icing manifold with an anti-icing manifold of the correct design, if necessary.
Raytheon Aircraft Co. is offering electronic dimmable window shades for all of the approximately 6,200 King Airs in service. These window shades, which permit passengers and pilots to instantly control the darkness of cabin windows by dynamically varying the tint, are being supplied by InspecTech Aero Service, Inc. The system utilizes a special patented SPD (suspended particle device) light-control film developed and licensed by Research Frontiers Inc.
Sikorsky Hawkworks Military Derivatives Completions Center will hire more than 100 aircraft assemblers, aircraft inspectors and engineers by the end of the year to support Black Hawk completions for international military sales. The new 100,000-square-foot completions facility is located at Schweizer Aircraft in Horseheads, N.Y. Specific skill sets needed include electrical hydraulics, airframe structures, final assembly, avionics checkout and flight line operations. Interested candidates may apply online at http://sikorskycareers.com.
After almost five months of reading Brazilian news articles about the Sept. 29, 2006, midair collision between ExcelAir's Legacy 600 and GOL Airlines' Boeing 737, l guess l have something of my own -- and humble -- experience to write about.
Adam Aircraft, Englewood, Colo., announced the appointment of Tom Bisges as senior vice president, Engineering and Program Management. Malcolm Thomson was named vice president of Flight Test Engineering.
Imagine rolling down the runway at full thrust and just as you reach the V1 takeoff decision speed, a bright red "FIRE" warning annunciator illuminates. A fire warning bell, buzzer or "Bong! Bong! Bong!" chime also sounds, as loud as a klaxon. Without doubt, there's nothing quite like a fire onboard an aircraft to rivet your attention.
Iridium Satellite formally launched its "Iridium Next" initiative at the Satellite 2007 Show in Washington, D.C. in February, marking the start of a multi-year design and development program for the world's largest commercial satellite constellation.
The NBAA recognized 18 people who completed a core curriculum in the NBAA Schedulers Professional Development Program (SPDP). The individuals completed six or more SPDP courses, which are tailored for business aviation schedulers and dispatchers.
Aviation Research Group/U.S. (ARG/US) has expanded its Charter Evaluation and Qualification (CHEQ) service to include international air charter operators. A series of audits in the European Union began early this year. The company is also planning to expand the I-CHEQ program to Mexico, South America and possibly the Far East. The CHEQ system provides access to the safety rating of 915 charter operators including 95 audited companies. the TripCHEQ feature provided information on the qualification of over 14,088 charter pilots and profiles of 3,870 charter aircraft.
Garmin (Europe) Ltd., a unit of Garmin Ltd., introduced the GTSX 328 Mode S transponder to meet the European regulation for Mode S implementation for VFR aircraft by March 31, 2008. The new unit is intended to serve VFR/Class 2 aircraft where there is adequate size and power consumption support for a GTX 328. It is designed to be a straightforward retrofit and maintains many of the STX 330 features such as OAT, altitude monitoring, count-up and countdown timers, density altitude functions, and front-panel input for flight ID.
JUST OVER A YEAR AGO we opined in this space that the TSA should add Dulles International Airport to the list of approved gateway airports corporate operators could pass through en route to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (B&CA, February 2006, page 81). Guess what? It's happened -- the TSA recently approved IAD as a DCA gateway airport. The pessimists might ask, "What difference is one more DCA gateway going to make?"
AIRCRAFT REPORTS Bombardier Introduces Challenger 605 Fred George Jan., p. 34 Hello, Hawker 850 Fred George Jan., p. 38 What's Wrong With the MU-2 Fred George Feb,. p. 40 Must Helicopters Be So Noisy? Fred George Feb., p. 68 First Look: Learjet 60XR Fred George March, p. 34 The Turboprop, Doing Just Fine at 50 George C. Larson March, p. 52 Analysis: Citations CJ1+ and CJ2+ Fred George April, p. 34
