I just read Kent Jackson's December 2006 Point of Law ("Pilots with Wrenches," page 88). His points are very good, but I have a question that deals with some of the more current helicopters. Many newer four-blade helicopters have a blade-folding system that consists of an expandable bolt that can be removed and the blade can be folded next to the other. Of course the blade can be moved back into place and the expandable bolt reinstalled and secured with a safety latch. Can this be done by the pilot?
Aviation industry and White House officials objected to the House passage of a bill, H.R.1, that calls for implementing a number of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, including a mandate for screening of all air cargo aboard passenger aircraft. The House passed the bill 299 to 128 as part of the Democrats' "First 100 Hours" pledge. The bill would require that 35 percent of cargo carried on passenger aircraft be screened this year, 65 percent in fiscal 2008 and 100 percent by the end of fiscal 2009.
A Frontier A319 passed within 50 feet of another aircraft while executing a missed approach at Denver Airport on Jan. 5. The Frontier aircraft had broken out of cloud on approach when the crew sighted a Key Lime Air Swearingen Metroliner on the runway.
The Arabian Horse Association organizes its show competitions along the lines of traditional riding styles that are typical of most breed associations. So Kevin Hendrickson's 19-year-old daughter Stephanie could compete in hunter or Western and ride English or Western saddle along with the rider garb typical of either one. Instead, Stephanie competes in both. And wins.
Just before the NBAA's 2006 convention in Orlando, Cessna Aircraft introduced the CJ4, the fourth and newest member of its Citation CJ family. Although Cessna personnel were all-smiles, the announcement elicited yawns from many industry technocrats and harrumphs from those of the faster-higher-farther philosophy of aviation. After all, to them what was being unveiled was just the sequel to the sequel to the sequel. The aeronautical equivalent of double vanilla.
Landmark Aviation has received an STC for the installation of the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated display system (IDS) in a Dassault Falcon 50. Gary Bosemer, avionics and airframe sales manager for Landmark Aviation, said, "This system integrates additional information on the flight deck in large-format, flat-panel displays that offer numerous operational enhancements, such as graphical weather, electronic charts and maps, and flight management system overlays."
Bombardier Aerospace has signed up to a three-year, $66.6 million, U.K.-government research program, aimed at validating future composite wing construction. The Integrated Wing program brings together 17 U.K. organizations to develop a large-scale physical demonstrator. Bombardier will be focusing on developing composite technologies, simulation modeling, materials selection and manufacturing processes.
The business aviation editors at AVIATION WEEK, of which B&CA is a proud member, have begun a new blog for the community on a revamped and renamed website -- www.aviationweek.com. The blog, Business Aviation Now, is dedicated to business aviation in all its forms.
AmSafe Aviation, the Phoenix-based maker of restraint products, hopes to win certification in March of a safety belt with an integrated inflatable airbag for use in the Pilatus PC-12. The first application will be for a military customer, but the system is expected to be used by general aviation operators as well.
Blue Origin, the company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, released video and stills, as part of a recruiting pitch on its Web site, of a successful flight of a vertical launch/vertical descent test rocket at his 165,000-acre test range in Texas in front of company families and friends. The flight took place Nov. 13, 2006, but the news only recently came to light. The program, intended to take a small number of astronauts on a sub-orbital space journey, is dubbed Good Shepard. For more background on the program, visit its Web site at www.blueorigin.com.
Mike Doiron (Moncton Flight College, Dieppe, N.B., Canada)
I just finished reading "Aftermath," your January Viewpoint (page 7). I couldn't agree with you more. However, one item that is missing from the puzzle is the following insight that I've gained in over 30 years of working for the industry and the regulator. When we screw up in the cockpit or on the hangar floor, there is a cultural bias to look over our shoulder and if we didn't break anything and nobody noticed, we move on. Why? Because we know all things being equal, if we report on ourselves, we'll probably create a lot of grief. That tends to be the general scenario.
In its 75-year history, few innovations in business aviation have had the impact of fractional ownership, and today those programs account for as much as 20 percent of new turbine-powered aircraft deliveries. But after two decades of existence, is the fractional model becoming a victim of its own success?
Garmin has acquired a leading provider of ultra-low-power, low-cost wireless connectivity solutions. Dynastream Innovations Inc. is located in Cochrane, Alberta, and employs approximately 50 people including over 25 engineers and scientists. The Canadian firm is also a leader in the field of personal monitoring technology - such as foot pods and heart-rate monitors for sports and fitness products. Both the foot pod and heart-rate sensor use the ANT ultra-low-power wireless interface protocol invented by Dynastream.
Kaballit Nunaat is thawing quickly. The ice mass of the world's largest island -- a.k.a. Greenland -- is melting at a rate of 41 cubic miles per year. Using a technique that reveals regional changes in the weight of the massive ice sheet across the entire landmass, NASA scientists report that Greenland's low coastal regions lost 155 gigatons of ice per year between 2003 and 2005 from excess melting and icebergs, while the high-elevation interior gained 54 gigatons annually from excess snowfall.
Citing the expected continued growth in corporate profits, a new report on the business jet industry published in December by analysts at financial services company JPMorgan predicts that the market for corporate jets could remain robust for up to two more years.
EVERY YEAR IT PLAYS out the exact same way. The unflagging optimist, I plan a reasonable mid-morning getaway for the Christmas reunion, but my ETA is viewed as a quaint suggestion at best and is mostly ignored as searches are conducted for lost things; fraternal disputes erupt loudly, subside and then flare nosily again; packages get wrapped and ribboned; bags get stuffed; and the dog is shuffled off to the pet motel. And finally, finally, we leave.
Cessna is continuing its evaluation of a proof-of-concept light sport aircraft, logging some 50 flight hours on its POC aircraft to evaluate aircraft characteristics. The POC first flew Oct. 13, 2006, nine months after Cessna initiated the project. Cessna also continued to test the market, displaying the aircraft during the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo held recently in Sebring, Fla. The Wichita airplane-maker said the aircraft meets company expectations but has not announced when its evaluation would be completed.
I have been a reader of your fine aviation articles for many years. Please accept my complements for Richard Aarons' excellent Cause & Circumstance in the December 2006 issue ("Winter Weather," page 82). His last two paragraphs summarized it very well.
The FAA released a new ETOPS rule that effectively changes current limitations and opens up routes for twin-engine passenger airplanes by setting uniform standards for all multiengine commercial aircraft when they fly "extended operations" routes - more than three hours from an airport. Regulators said the final rule would govern the design, maintenance and operation of airplanes and engines for long-distance flights and extend some requirements that previously only applied to twin-engine airplanes to those with more than two engines.
The Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) working on America's next-generation air transportation system (NGATS) is conducting an analysis to determine what impact the NASA aeronautics directorate's shift toward fundamental research and away from demonstration projects may have on NGATS development. "This raises the question of what entity will do the developmental work that will be important to NGATS," the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a recent report.
CAE received a contract from Flight Simulation Co. to provide two Airbus A320 and two Boeing 737NG Level D flight simulators. The contract also calls for a used Dornier 328Jet simulator. CAE valued the contract at $52 million (Canadian).
Thank you for your comments and be assured, I agree with you about the hazardous attitudes. A non-punitive environment where safety issues can be discussed is always the best approach.
Intelligence | 11 * Business Aviation Leaders Plan Strategy for User-Fee Battle * B-52 Flies With All Engines Using Synthetic Fuel Blend * FAA to Revise Dec. 5 Notice on Air Ambulance Partt 135 Certificate Additions * EPA Rule Provides Relief for Fuel Truck Operators * EU Says Bulgarian Air Safety Falls Short Edited by James E. Swickard Commentary 7 | Viewpoint By William Garvey Code Breakers 76 | Point of Law By Kent S. Jackson
