A Messerschmitt Me 262 A/B-1c made its first appearance since the end of World War II in German skies at May's Berlin Air Show. The replica, which is owned by the Messerschmitt Foundation, cost approximately $2 million and is one of only five being reverse engineered and built in the United States by Stormbirds of Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Two aircraft have flown and a third is on its own legs.
Lufthansa Flight Training (LFT) has signed a cooperation agreement with Rheinmetall Defence Electronics to achieve level D certification for the AVIOR laser projection system before year-end. Under the agreement, Rheinmetall will upgrade a Lufthansa Airbus A340 full-flight simulator with the new laser projection system. The companies say the laser-based system has advantages over CRT systems in terms of resolution, contrast, brightness, depth of focus and color space.
Aviareto, Dublin, Ireland. Niall Greene has been appointed a managing director. Rob Cowan was named head of operations responsible for systems and security.
A DAYLONG SEMINAR entitled "America's Aviation Crisis: Delayed, Not Canceled" was held recently at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Washington, D.C. The theme and its implications clearly resonated with people within government, the aviation industry and beyond. The turnout was impressive.
Airborne communications specialist AirCell was the high bidder in the FCC's recent spectrum auction for air-to-ground broadband frequencies. AirCell will obtain an exclusive license to provide wireless broadband services to business aircraft and airlines in the United States. The company says it is restructuring with a cash infusion from an investment firm in preparation for its new phase of business. Slated for deployment in 2007, the new services will enable passengers to use their own Wi-Fi devices such as laptops and PDAs to access the Internet.
Diamond Aircraft of Austria has developed the DA42-MPP and DA42 OPALE, two more surveillance versions of its DA42 twin. The spectacularly ugly MPP (Multi-Purpose Platform) version was flown only a few weeks before the recent Berlin Air Show and has already been at work with local government in Lower Austria. The aircraft carries a Riegel laser measurement system and a Vexcel UltraCam mapping camera. The OPALE is a cooperative program with Rheinmetall Defence Electronics and its sensor data can be downlinked in real-time via broadband over a range of 200 km (124 miles).
The U.S. House Appropriations Committee is considering a $15.2 billion budget for the FAA in fiscal 2007 in a bill that would provide $2.4 billion more for the agency than the Bush administration requested -- ignoring the administration's plans to slash airport funding. Earlier the House transportation subcommittee agreed to boost the FAA's funding by $1.4 billion over fiscal 2006 levels. The bill includes $3.7 billion for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) -- the congressionally authorized level.
T-Bird Aviation, West Chicago, Ill., announced that Dan Crestinger has been named president of the company. T-Bird is a corporate aircraft acquisition management and charter company.
More than 85 Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) have entered service, since initial green deliveries began in November 1998. BBJs are flown by operators based in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Middle East. The fleet has accumulated in excess of 175,000 flight hours with a dispatch reliability of better than 99.9 percent.
Jet Aviation, Spring Branch, Texas, appointed James Thomas as general manager of Jet Aviation Engineering Services. Jet Aviation Singapore has appointed Michael Sattler as the new vice present and general manager of the company's maintenance and FBO operation.
Piaggio Aero Industries has earned FAA certification of its speedy Avanti II turboprop pusher. With a range of over 1,800 miles, a speed of 398 knots (450 mph) and a maximum cruising altitude of 41,000 feet, its overall performance is similar to that of a jet but with 30 percent less operating costs, says Piaggio. The Avanti II is single pilot certified and can carry up to nine passengers.
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen exhorted members to voice opposition to user fees to Congress. Too often this issue is considered a Washington issue that doesn't affect the rest of the country, Bolen stated. But, he added, "This is clearly getting outside Washington, D.C. There's a real fire. Our community is very much under attack." He cited recent articles in Business Week and the Wall Street Journal.
(Chesterfield, Mo.) -- David W. Potter has been hired as vice president of aircraft sales. Potter, a veteran aircraft sales professional with more than 35 years of experience, began his career as the Midwest regional sales manager for Dassault Falcon Jet. In 1983, he joined Sabreliner Corp. as a member of its newly formed pre-owned business jet sales department and was subsequently promoted to director of aircraft sales.
-Eurocopter AS-365N2, AS-365N3, EC155B, EC155B1, SA-365N and N1, and SA-366G1 helicopters -- Inspect the main gearbox base plate for cracks and replace the plate if a crack is found. -Eurocopter BO 105LS A-3 helicopters -- Replace certain fixed bolts and nuts, re-identify certain main-rotor nuts and revise the "Airworthiness Limitations -- Time Change Items" list to reflect the new life limits and new part numbers.
Europe's business aircraft fleet will grow by about 4 percent per year over the next 10 years -- from around 2,000 today to approximately 3,000 by 2015, says a report issued by Eurocontrol on May 3. This means around 1,100 extra flights each day in Europe by 2015, which will add between 0.4 percent per year to predicted growth in flights -- or up to 0.7 percent in a scenario with strong growth in VLJ traffic. The new report, "Getting to the Point: Business Aviation in Europe," says that in 2005, 6.9 percent of the 9.2 million flights in Europe were business aviation.
For most aircraft operators, emergency equipment is the least used hardware on the airplane. With the exception of personnel from flight departments who undergo on-site training using their own equipment, most corporate flight crews seldom touch such equipment as fire extinguishers, life rafts, medical kits and the like. Under FAR Part 91, the emergency equipment may be limited to whatever came with the airplane.
The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the crash of a CL-600 in Colorado on Nov. 28, 2004, was the flight crew's failure to ensure that the airplane's wings were free of ice or snow that accumulated while the airplane was on the ground. The Canadair, Ltd., CL-600-2A12, registered to Hop-a-Jet, Inc., and operated by Air Castle Corporation dba Global Aviation as Glo-Air Flight 73, collided with the ground during takeoff at Montrose Regional Airport, Montrose, Colo. IMC prevailed, and snow was falling.
Do you manage an FBO or tenant hangar? Are you having trouble finding room for all of your aircraft on your ramp or hangar? If you are looking for a solution to your space problems, Hangar and Ramp Space Planner is a software program designed just for you. The software system uses scaled aircraft diagrams and helps you determine aircraft placement for your particular parking problem.
Austrian-based charter operator JetAlliance has placed a firm order for an Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ), becoming the first Austrian customer. The ACJ will be powered by CFM International CFM56-5 engines. A completions outfitter has yet to be announced. This is the seventh ACJ order announced this year. JetAlliance Flugbetriebs AG has a fleet of 37 aircraft with an average age of 3.5 years -- one of the youngest in Europe. It operates under JAR OPS 1 in Europe, but is also FAA Part 129 certificated, allowing it to fly commercially in the United States and Canada.
Embraer began the Joint Definition Phase (JDP) of its Phenom 300 light jet program. "The Phenom 300 is the first clean-sheet design of its category in over two decades," said Luís Carlos Affonso, senior vice president, Executive Aviation Market. The Phenom 300 JDP will involve suppliers and Embraer engineers working together. According to Affonso, the company has assigned 300 engineers to the joint effort -- in addition to those already involved in the Phenom 100 program.
Adam Aircraft's A700 AdamJet flew to 41,000 feet and reached a true airspeed of 340 knots, the company says. The aircraft was crewed by Senior Turbine Test Pilot Ken Sasine and copilot Dan Brand. Passing through 39,000 feet the aircraft maintains a climb rate in excess of 1,000 fpm. "This flight signifies the continuing progress of the A700 program," said flight operations vice president Bill Watters. "Serial number 001 has demonstrated the aircraft's flight capabilities, s.n.
So, the GWX 68 has a wonderful big display, excellent performance and many useful features. Are there no howevers? Yes. First, the radar display is an MFD, meaning it has many knobs and buttons, which are unnecessary for staying away from thunderstorms. For radar operation you need only four controls -- MODE, RANGE, TILT and CALIBRATION, plus a couple of on/off switches. But on a multifunction display you also get multifunction buttons and knobs. On the G1000 MFD we counted 32 buttons and eight dual, some triple, function knobs.
