Alan Stiley, Rolls-Royce vice president for Marketing, Corporate and Regional Aircraft, said at October's NBAA Convention, "The market is recognizing the increasing value and utility of the new generation of medium and large business jets. While very light jets are getting a great deal of attention and will see large numbers of deliveries, it's the larger aircraft that will have the delivered aircraft and engine value.
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.
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.
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.
An Atlantic Airways BAe-146-200A, chartered by Aker Kvaerner, crashed after it overran the runway at the Stord-Sorstokken Airport in Norway. There were 12 passengers and four crew members onboard. A post-crash fire resulted in four fatalities -- three passengers and one crewmember. A pilot who had landed another aircraft earlier reported the weather conditions as good.
The National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) recently added three new associate members to its roster: Bombardier Flexjet, First Republic Bank and Jet Aviation Business Jets. NARA now has 92 members -- 30 broker/dealers and 62 associate members. The latter group includes finance companies, law firms, insurance providers, title companies, refurbishment and ground support specialists, and consultants.
Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics will be standard on Cessna's Citation XLS+. The XLS+ is scheduled to go into service in 2008. The Pro Line 21 avionics suite on the aircraft features four eight- by-10-inch active matrix LCDs in a portrait configuration. The system includes Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 CNS radio suite, integrated radio tuning, integrated Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System (EICAS), turbulence-detecting weather radar, advanced flight management capabilities, and Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS).
Iviation has released two i-Learn interactive computer-based learning courses for corporate, charter and commercial flight operations. The first two courses address human factors/crew resource management and aircraft icing. The company says that these courses are suitable for all size flight and charter operations that have a difficult time scheduling downtime, and will help CEOs and flight department managers determine what a pilot's knowledge level really is. By the end of 2007, iviation says it will release more than 40 i-Learn courses.
SimCom, Orlando, announced that Tracy Brannon has been appointed to the company's board of directors. He holds the position of senior vice president and managing director of SimCom Training Centers.
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.
General aviation advocates were sifting through the changes that lie ahead in Washington following the November elections, but were hopeful that one result would be a tougher road for any potential user-fee proposal.
-Nov. 6-9: Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Aviation Committee, Annual Aviation LIghting Seminar, Williamsburg Lodge and Convention Center, Williamsburg, VA. (845) 856-5375. www.iesalc.org -Nov. 9-11: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Expo 2006, Palm Springs, CA. (301) 695-2375. www.aopa.org -Nov. 14-16: IATA Aviation Fuel Forum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. www.iata.org/events -Nov. 16: NBAA Regional Forum, Long Beach, CA. www.nbaa.org 2007
EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, the funnies make me happy. I so look forward to grumpy "Shoe," my feathered, cigar-chomping counterpart, to "Doonesbury" zings, to the relief of "Zits" (since he's actually more slovenly than my kids), and to the doings of my old friends from childhood including, Hi and Lois, Beetle Bailey and Sarge, Blondie and Dagwood. While I still miss my daily dose of the wonderful absurdity Gary Larson delivered so brilliantly in his "Far Side," the comic strip I most eagerly anticipate now, albeit with a mixture of delight and dread, is "Dilbert."
When Orville and Wilbur Wright contacted 10 engine manufacturers in late 1902 to find a suitable powerplant for their Flyer, all they could find were designs that weighed 100 pounds, or more, per horsepower. Needing up to 12 hp to sustain flight, the Wrights couldn't put a 1,200-pound engine on their machine and hope to leave the surly bonds. So with help of mechanic Charles Taylor, they built their own 3.3-liter four-cylinder mill that weighed less than 200 pounds and produced 12 to 16 hp. It first ran in February 1903, but it had more than its share of growing pains.
Prism Business Media has acquired SpeedNews, Inc., which specializes in publishing aviation newsletters. SpeedNews founder Gilbert Speed will remain with the enterprise, according to John French, CEO of Prism Business Media, whose holdings include some 70 magazines, 150 newsletters and 17 industry trade shows.
The FAA has issued a production certificate to Adam Aircraft for the A500, along with an amended FAR Part 23 type certificate covering day/night VFR/IFR flight for the all-composite, pressurized centerline twin-piston aircraft. Adam received provisional certification for the A500 in May 2005. The aircraft must still achieve certification for flight into known icing and its maximum operating altitude is still limited to 12,500 feet. Adam hopes to secure approval to expand the maximum operating altitude to 25,000 feet concurrent with icing certification.
Avcon Industries of Newton, Kansas has earned a supplemental type certificate (STC) for a Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) package for the Learjet 23. The retrofit of the eight-passenger light jet features Innovative Solutions & Support air data display units and an analog interface unit. The package costs $139,000 and takes approximately two and a half weeks to install.
Regarding your Cause & Circumstance on stabilized approaches (September, page 74), your readers may be interested to know the standard calls adopted by my airline in line with the Flight Safety Foundation guidelines. These calls are made by the PNF (pilot not flying) on all approaches visual or IFR as follows: "Rad Alt Alive," "1000," "500 stable" or "500 not stable." (1,000 and 500 feet agl). A "500 not stable" call is a mandatory go-around.
A federal judge upheld his earlier ruling in favor of CAMP Systems International in a lawsuit brought by Gulfstream Aerospace. The business jet manufacturer had accused the maintenance management provider of copyright and trademark infringement for using Gulfstream maintenance manuals. Judge B. Avant Edenfield ruled in June that CAMP's use of the Gulfstream manuals was permissible, citing the "fair use doctrine" in a 1994 Supreme Court ruling. Gulfstream and GAMA had asked Edenfield to reconsider his opinion.
GE Infrastructure named Marcus Balmforth to lead its airport work within its GE Commercial Aviation Services unit. Balmforth joins the company from Macquarie Bank London, where he served as division director heading up European airports. Before joining Macquarie, he held senior management positions at London Luton Airport and BAA.
The feds came out with a new traffic management program this year called the Airspace Flow Program (AFP). Like a cold surf awaiting a bather, the encounter was not likely to be pleasant, but I figured it was the way operations were going to be conducted, so I'd better give learning it my best shot. Part of that educational process involved learning a new glossary of acronyms. I'll share them and their definitions with you, a courtesy that I did not find in many cases.
PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY will approach the Nov. 7 elections with a wide range of emotions and attitudes. Some will just ignore the entire process because they don't care about politics and don't believe their vote will make a difference.
JetDirect Aviation of Berwyn, Pa., announced it has embarked on an ambitious program to acquire premier FBOs and FAR Part 135 charter operators with significant fleets of managed aircraft. The company has acquired FBOs in St. Louis, Dallas and Philadelphia. It also has additional primary Part 135 bases in Farmingdale, N.Y., and in Van Nuys, Calif.
