Bombardier Aerospace showcased its upgraded Challenger 605 and the ultra-long-range Global Express XRS at the recent NBAA convention, where it announced that the former model's Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite had received approval from Transport Canada as had the aircraft's cabin windows, which are enlarged and raised. The Global Express XRS includes an Ethernet-based cabin electronic system and state-of-the-art entertainment equipment.
A group of 10 relatives of victims killed when a GOL jetliner crashed after allegedly colliding with a Legacy executive jet on Sept. 29 in Brazil has sued two companies at the U.S. Federal District Court in Brooklyn, N.Y. The lawsuit names as defendants ExcelAire Service, of Ronkonkoma, N.Y., as operator of the Legacy, and Honeywell International as maker of the aircraft's transponders. A spokeswoman for ExcelAire said the company is preparing a reply. U.S. attorneys for the group of plaintiffs said more victims' relatives would probably join this class-action suit.
PolyMax Hangar Floor Coating System is designed to withstand heavy wheeled traffic, abrasion, impact and spillage of aviation fluids. The three-coat system offers a clear epoxy primer with adhesion to concrete, a high-build pigmented intermediate coat to aid in impact resistance and a chemical resistant urethane finish for excellent abrasion and stain resistance, light reflectivity and resistance to ultra-violet degradation from direct sunlight. Price: Contact manufacturer PolyMax/Milamar Coatings 12005 N. Virginia Ave.
Ideally, all aircraft would be fitted with manually operated primary flight controls because the feel is completely natural. There is proportionate feedback with increasing aerodynamic loads so that control forces are light at low speeds and heavier at high speeds. Ideally, control response is crisp when low and slow, assuring plenty of maneuvering capability in gusting wind conditions. At maximum speeds control feel loads are manageable and there is enough control authority to recover from any likely upset.
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters' Innovation Award was given to Montreal-based Mechtronix Systems, a provider of flight training equipment, for new product design and commercialization.
Here's an example of a comprehensive SOP from the Jet Solutions manual addressing ground operations: Taxiing policies The company maintains a safe practice standpoint when the aircraft is under its own power. The comfort to the passengers is also an issue when taxiing an aircraft. Exercise caution on what is not only ahead, but also behind the aircraft. Follow the policies below:
METARs may contain information about snow/water runway coverage and friction coefficient, but you need a decipher code to find it. The runway report consists of eight digits in five groups (AABCDDEE) with the following interpretation:
More than 21 Citation Mustangs were in production in November at Cessna's facility in Independence, Kan., where teams of engineers and aircraft technicians have been working for months developing advanced production and tooling systems to ensure an efficient ramp-up to full production. The first three production aircraft assembled in Independence have all completed initial flight tests and are in final preparation for delivery. Component production at Cessna facilities in Columbus, Ga., and Wichita is also gearing up to meet production demands.
AS A PILOT, DIVER AND FATHER of three teenagers, there's adventure enough in my life. What I'm getting at here is food, which to me is more about fuel and company than it is about flavor or, I shiver, experimentation and discovery. I tend toward the familiar and simple. There's comfort in a BLT with cheese (burn the bacon, please), egg salad on rye with lettuce, tomato soup, and a New York strip, medium, with home fries and a green salad. Yum.
SheltAir Aviation Services, a Fort Lauderdale-based FBO chain, plans to increase its presence in the Northeast by acquiring Long Island Jet Center's Farmingdale (FRG) FBO. Two years ago, SheltAir, which operates seven FBOs in Florida, took over the La Guardia Airport (LGA) facility formerly operated by Signature Flight Support -- its first Northeast property.
The National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) introduced the 2007 members of its Executive Committee and Associate Member Advisory Council during the organization's fall membership meeting, which was held on Sunday, October 15 in Kissimmee, FL, just prior to the NBAA annual meeting and convention.
Eight Bombardier U.S. factory-owned service facilities have received the 2005 award: Addison, Clarksburg, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, Teterboro, Tucson and Wichita.
The FAA proposes mandatory training and experience requirements for MU-2B pilots as part of a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR). The SFAR is one of several actions that have resulted from last year's comprehensive safety review of the airplane. There's a detailed article on this subject on the AviationNow.com Web site's Business Aviation Channel.
CIT Group, Inc., New York, N.Y., appointed David A. Davis to the position of senior vice president and general manager of CIT Aerospace, Business Aircraft division.
This month we're going to forego tales of tin kicking and, rather, take a look at some of the important lessons learned from the air safety investigators' efforts during recent years. Aircraft operators in the northern temperate latitudes are slipping deep into the icing season and the NTSB wants pilots and dispatchers to review procedures for flight planning and execution when low temperatures and moisture conspire to trap the unwary crew.
Piaggio Aero Industries has signed an agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada to acquire 25 percent of the share capital of P&WC Turbo Engines Corp., which produces the PW206 and PW207 helicopter engines. With its 25-percent acquisition of P&WC Turbo Engines Corp., Piaggio Aero is adding to its business by participating in a new series of engines in the world helicopter market. Piaggio Aero's investment of almost $60 million is aimed at developing both technological and industrial contents. Expected returns over the next 20 years exceed $600 million.
Many college students have part-time jobs, working in the library or the bookstore, waiting tables, and such. Kenny Dichter worked at "Bucky's," a specialty clothing and gift store at the University of Wisconsin-Madison while a student there. But he didn't simply fetch things from the storage room. He co-owned the place.
Aviation Professionals Sharing Information (APSI), White Plains, N.Y., announced the appointment of Ronald Muller, director of Charter Sales for Infinity Aviation Group, to the post of president of APSI for a two-year term. APSI's mission is to promote education for business aviation professionals in the Northeast United States.
Some have found inspiration in a smile, in adversity, in a deadline. Matt Weisman found his in a government document, one of those tables-laden tomes. Then a third-year law student conducting research for some accident litigation, Weisman actually studied the industry forecast published by the FAA and fixed on a projection that showed a new category of aircraft called business jets growing rapidly in the near years. That got the University of Pennsylvania student to thinking.
Deep in the catacombs of the FAA, there's a nascent airport mapping project intended to build the most accurate airport siting and terrain database ever compiled plus lofting data for 3-D for over 4,000 U.S. airports -- but it's presently slated for internal government use only. The survey work is paid for by the airports using AIP grant money, with the overall effort dubbed the Airport -- GIS (Graphical Information System) initiative for use in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems and the FAA's Office of Safety and Standards.
TAG Aviation Holdings, Geneva, Switzerland, announced that President and CEO Roger N. McMullin will retire at year-end. He will relocate to San Francisco where he will serve as chairman of the board.
Nakanihon Air Service of Nagoya, Japan, and Infinity Aviation Group of Nashua N.H., have teamed up to introduce and manage preowned midsize corporate jets to the Japanese market. Nakanihon will lead the Japanese marketing and customer relations efforts and provide office, maintenance and hangar space as well as ground handling at its Nagoya facility. Infinity will acquire and outfit the aircraft in the United States and provide maintenance and operational control at Nagoya, utilizing Nakanihon's infrastructure, in accordance with "FAA guidelines."
