Seemingly contradicting the conclusions of the Eurocontrol air traffic report (see above), Bo Redeborn, director of ATM Strategies at Eurocontrol, said, "Growth on these levels presents a number of challenges for air traffic management. Business aviation generates peaks of demand at airports, and while it uses different flight levels from the major carriers, getting the different types of traffic to their preferred levels creates additional traffic complexity for controllers, particularly given the concentration of business aviation in an already busy airspace.
ExxonMobil Aviation International, Ltd., Fairfax, Va., appointed Kenny Warren as director, Global Aviation Fuels. If you would like to submit news of hires, promotions, appointments or awards for possible publication in On Duty, send e-mail to [email protected] or call (914) 933-7614.
Frasca International has delivered the first of six TruFlite H helicopter simulators to Silver State Helicopters of North Las Vegas, Nev. The units are installed in mobile trailers and will be assigned to training facilities in the United States. Silver State has ordered 22 simulators, which are reconfigurable as the piston-powered Robinson R22 and R44 and the Schweizer 300.
U.S. standard classifications for fire extinguishers are based on the type of fuel for which they are intended. Each type is marked by a distinctive symbol:
The Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) has set up an office in Hong Kong with a full-time executive administrator, the organization's first full-time employee. Ekavaj Amornvivat will be loaned to the AsBAA Hong Kong office for a year from Xjet Bangkok, Thailand.
Intelligence | 13 ?228-137? EBACE Is a Success Drawing 9,743 ?228-137? Boeing Considers a 737-700C Combi ?228-137? Falcon 7X Performance Confirmed ?228-137? Level D Electric Motion Simulator Certified ?228-137? The Foxjet Is Back Edited by James E. Swickard Commentary 7 | Viewpoint By William Garvey Plus Foie Gras? 80 | Cause & Circumstance By Richard N. Aarons Over Gross, Over Tired and Iced Over
BLR Aerospace, the Everett, Wash., company that certificated winglets for the Beech King Air 200 in autumn 2005, is in the process of flight testing several other performance-enhancing modifications for the popular twin turboprop. In April, company officials reported that they were flight-testing vortex generators and gurney flaps. Installation of these modifications is expected to result in reductions in stall speed, VMC and balanced field length for the King Air 200.
EVAS Worldwide cites FAA data and the Air Line Pilots Association when it says that inflight smoke causes an average of one diversion a day. But there's still no regulation requiring aircraft transporting passengers to equip with the Emergency Vision Assurance System that provides pilots with the only FAA-certified long-term guarantee they can see their primary flight instruments and continue to fly the airplane while they troubleshoot the source of the smoke.
AirCell is seeking European certification for its Axxess next-generation Satcom system. AirCell has lined up a number of installation facilities in Europe, including: Transairco SA in Geneva, Switzerland, for installation aboard a Falcon 50; EISA in Paris, France, also for installation aboard a Falcon 50, and Ruag Aerospace Services in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, for a Citation III. AirCell said its European business doubled last year, adding that it is working with more European airframers including Piaggio, Dassault and Pilatus.
Bombardier sold a Challenger 605 business jet to Swiss charter carrier Comlux Aviation. Comlux, the launch customer for the 605 in Switzerland, will take delivery of the aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2007. Comlux also operates two Challenger 604 business jets. The 605, announced during the NBAA annual meeting and convention in November, completed its first flight in January and has accumulated more than 100 flight hours. Transport Canada certification is expected in the fourth quarter of this year and the aircraft is scheduled to enter service in mid-2007.
Implementation of the new international aircraft registry on March 1 did not go as smoothly as hoped. However, an informal survey of aircraft brokers and dealers and officials from title companies, aircraft manufacturers and trade associations suggests that the initial glitches in the online system for registering financial interests in high-value aircraft and engines are being rectified and that most people who have used the system multiple times are encountering fewer problems once they have completed the initial registration process.
When weather moves into the Central Idaho highlands, it can be tough getting into the Sun Valley Airport. The instrument approaches just can't bring an aircraft very close to the runway due to those mountains towering nearby. And so as happens regularly, one day in 2005 ours was but one of many SUN-bound aircraft stacked at the beacon at Hailey listening to the three previous aircraft go missed approach.
With so much interest in very light jets, it seemed inevitable: The Foxjet is back. The brainchild of Tony Fox, a larger-than-life Minneapolis entrepreneur best known for his eponymous trash compactors, the Foxjet -- the original VLJ -- first appeared as full-scale air show mockups in the late 1970s. Promoted as a personal jet to be powered by a pair of cruise missile engines made by a then largely unknown company called Williams International, the project withered because the turbofans were uncertified and unavailable for the purpose.
Jet Aviation, London Biggin Hill, England, appointed Michael Girps to vice president and general manager. He will move to London from San Antonio, where he was in charge of Jet Aviation Engineering Services.
An aircraft's fuel system has a more profound effect on aircraft performance than any other airframe system. Without fuel, the mission inevitably comes to an abrupt stop and, unless the flight crew is very, very lucky, the ensuing forced landing will cause severe or catastrophic aircraft damage. That reality has been a great motivator for turbine aircraft designers, builders, maintainers and pilots for the past 60 years. Most fuel system designs, as a result, are very robust and very reliable in service, assuming they're properly maintained and operated.
One of the most common complains heard from the field is over the length of time it takes operators to obtain FAR Part 135 air carrier certification in order to "hold out," or fly charters. Air Charter Guide publisher Fred Gevalt claims it can take up to two years to get a charter ticket, and aviation attorney Alan Armstrong, cited in the main text of this report, says one of his clients has been waiting since October 2004. Often, getting aircraft approved for inclusion on one's Air Carrier Certificate can take as long, if operators are to believed.
The U.S. DOT's inspector general is auditing the FAA's Flight Service Station privatization program, and assessing runway incursion initiatives at three airline airports. The IG is examining "the controls implemented by the FAA over its conversion of flight service stations to contract operations." The FSS audit will address the progress of the transition, whether savings targets will be achieved, and that the "operational needs of users continue to be met." The change has received favorable reviews from the AOPA.
After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1964, Ritchie finished first in his pilot class and was assigned to fighters, first flying F-104s as a test pilot, then F-4s in Vietnam. It was during his second combat tour that he downed five MiG-21s in a four-month period in 1972, becoming one of two aces in that conflict. After an unsuccessful run for Congress in his native North Carolina, Ritchie moved to Colorado to work for Joe Coors. He later served in the Reagan Administration and formed his own speaking/consulting business.
Universal Avionics has completed its first WAAS flight test of its new "W" series FMS. Incorporated into Universal's UNS-1Ew, 1Fw and 1Lw FMS's, the new SCN 1000 software uses WAAS to enhance en route, terminal and instrument approach navigation. The flight was 3.5 hours, during which six WAAS instrument approaches were conducted. Five of the approaches were at the Farmington, N.M., airport, which has two WAAS instrument approaches, one each for Runways 05 and 07. The sixth approach was conducted at the Tucson International Airport (TUS) using the approach for Runway 29R.
Two forms of halon are in use today: 1211 and 1301. The four-digit identifiers actually describe the makeup of the chemical itself, with the leading "1" indicating that there's one carbon atom--the carbon at the center of what had been a methane gas molecule before it was halogenated. The next three digits represent the number of fluorine, chlorine, and bromine atoms that have taken up posts where the hydrogen atoms used to reside on the methane gas molecule. Some extinguishers use a blend of 1211/1301.
The Grob SPn Utility Jet has bettered its maximum weight landing distance forecast by around 10 percent, says the German manufacturer. Instead of the 3,000 foot BFL forecast, the prototype aircraft has demonstrated that it can come to rest in 2,670 feet, and this without anti-skid brakes fitted.
Honeywell continues to demonstrate the flexibility of its APEX integrated avionics suite, designed for turbine-class aircraft that can be flown single or dual pilot. By enhancing the APEX system, which has been the Grob SPn avionics suite since program launch, Honeywell aims to further reduce inflight workload, improve situational awareness and provide a more open platform for future avionics upgrades and options.
