Gulfstream Aerospace is keeping its powder dry in the supersonic business jet arena. Pres Henne, senior vice president of programs, engineering and test, says that the company's focus right now is not on building an airplane but on ``developing the technology to the point that if the rule [banning supersonic flight over land] is changed, we could build a business jet.'' The company hopes that new quiet technologies will help persuade regulators to change the rule.
Lou Churchville, Vice President Sales & Marketing (MAX-VIZ, Portland, Ore.)
John Wiley's article in the November issue (page 74) states that, "according to Air Safety professionals, Situational Awareness is a deadly serious concern." He goes on to say ". . . 88 percent of air carrier (and, we can deduce corporate aviation) accidents can be attributed to problems with situational awareness." The, primary component for situational awareness for pilots is visibility -- the ability to see unambiguously, to see clearly.
Mercury Computer Systems' compact low-cost multifunction display incorporates synthetic vision technology that integrates data from its internal inertial sensors, GPS, satellite weather, and terrain and navigation databases to provide pilots complete flight, navigation and full 3-D terrain views plus all the functions of a personal tablet computer.
During her annual ``State of the FAA'' speech to employees, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey told them that the agency achieved 28 of the 31 goals it set for itself in FY2005, including saving nearly $100 million though a cost-control program. The agency met its target of accomplishing at least 90 percent of the goals in the annual Flight Plan, Blakey said, which means employees will receive 100 percent of an incentive payment that is linked to the Flight Plan goals.
Orders for the Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) family have reached the 50-aircraft milestone with the sale of four more to an undisclosed customer earlier this year. The announcement comes in the same week that Boeing reported sales of its Boeing Business Jet topping the 100 mark. The BBJ program was launched in 1996, with Airbus entering the corporate market one year later. Airbus now claims to be catching up after a slow start, achieving its goal of winning at least half of top-of-the-line business jet sales, estimated at about 15 aircraft per year.
Duncan Aviation, Lincoln, Neb., appointed Tom Burt, a 26-year veteran of the company, to the position of chief operating officer for its Battle Creek, Mich., facility.
The Battery Lock will render an aircraft battery useless. It satisfies the TSA's security guidelines for general aviation airports publication A-011 and a second lock for the New Jersey DOT state-required two-lock system. The Battery Lock is constructed using a tough space-age plastic polymer and a seven-pin circular, hardened ball-bearing lock and can be installed and removed with one hand while reaching into the most difficult locations. The Battery Lock will work on all jets and helicopters using the battery type shown in the accompanying photo.
In the early 1990s, Cessna's highly successful Citation Ultra faced a formidable challenge from Bombardier's clean-sheet Learjet 45, which was positioned as a ``super-light'' jet with a large cabin, state-of-the-art systems and 440-knot speeds. But Cessna, the undisputed master of model iteration, had an ace up its sleeve. At the 1994 NBAA Convention it unveiled the Citation Excel, a Model 560 variant that combined a shortened Citation X fuselage and widened Citation V wing.
Engenuity Technologies released the next generation of its VAPS software, the VAPS XT, which enables development of visualization and simulation products, including avionics displays. Engenuity developed VAPS XT in concert with Rockwell Collins, DaimlerChrysler and automotive electronics supplier Valeo. VAPS XT simplifies flight display development.
Sandel Avionics and Kollsman, Inc., have formed a joint development program to integrate Sandel's advanced displays with Kollsman's small-footprint head-up display, the MicroHUD. A follow-on program will add Kollsman's new GAViS, heads-down, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) capability to Sandel's display products. The program's goal is to reduce the size and cost of the display technologies, making them suitable for use by general and business aviation aircraft.
Bombardier's new Learjet 60XR will feature a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite with four LCDs -- increasing display area by 75 percent over the Learjet 60 -- along with an integrated flight information system. The new stand-up cabin in the 60XR will seat nine, have a larger galley and additional storage space. The cabin electronics system will incorporate an audio-video system that can play XM satellite radio and have ports for laptops, DVDs and MP3 players. The 60XR is the eighth new Learjet model that Bombardier has introduced in the past 15 years.
The GAMA Board of Directors elected Cessna Aircraft Chairman, President and CEO Jack J. Pelton as the organization's Chairman for 2006. Pelton previously served as GAMA's vice chairman and will continue as chairman of the association's Flight Operations Policy Committee. John J. Grisik was elected vice chairman for 2006. Grisik is president, Electronic Systems, Goodrich Corporation. Additionally, the following GAMA Board Members were appointed to serve as committee chairmen during 2006:
``There is a fundamental disagreement between the FAA and the AOPA about whether the aviation trust fund is running out of money,'' said AOPA President Phil Boyer in a recent message to the association's members. ``As I testified before Congress, even the White House Office of Management and Budget is forecasting continued growth in the fund, and the fiscal year 2005 numbers bear this out.''
Dassault Falcon Jet CEO John Rosanvallon says that this year international orders for Falcon Jets will exceed U.S. orders for the first time in many years. Dassault Falcon Jet officials expect to log orders for 100 new aircraft by the end of November, the first time in company history the French firm will have hit the three-digit mark in new orders in a single year. North America has traditionally accounted for about 75 percent of all business jets sold. Cessna and Raytheon Aircraft also report strong demand from overseas customers.
Whether you own a FAR Part 135 operation with a single King Air 200 or are a global enterprise operating a fleet of Gulfstreams, you have the compound responsibility of keeping your aircraft safe and airworthy while overseeing your maintenance budget wisely. To manage your aircraft and your money well, provide your maintenance technicians with the procedures, tools and the time they need. As an aircraft mechanic I am proud of my work ethic and having acquired the experience that enables me to do my job right. I've no doubt your people feel the same.
FAA ADMINISTRATOR MARION BLAKEY, addressing the agency's Second Annual International Aviation Forum in late October, turned to anthropology to make a point about safety.
Midcoast, St. Louis, has made the following appointments: Joe Thurman is now director, Global 5000/XRS program; Kelly Sepe has been promoted to manager, structural engineering; and Pat Quinn has been promoted to manager, certification/DAS administration.
SimCom now offers Socata TBM 700 training at its Orlando, Fla. and Scottsdale, Ariz. centers. Operators can choose between simulator-based instruction offered in Orlando, or in-aircraft programs at both Orlando and Scottsdale. Both centers now offer a course, specially designed for piston or low-time pilots upgrading to the TBM 700. SimCom also announced that it took over the lease at Lockheed Martin's former training facility in Orlando earlier this year.
THE FORECASTS FOR PUEBLO, Colo., Memorial Airport (PUB) on Feb. 16, 2005, called for eight knot winds out of the east, visibility greater than six miles with scattered clouds at 2,000 feet and overcast 500 feet above that. The weather folks pointed out that conditions would deteriorate temporarily between 0500 and 0900 local with visibility three miles in light freezing drizzle and mist with skies overcast at 1,000 feet.
There was a time when aviation fuel choices were limited to a few brands. Back then you paid the going price and the bill came at the end of the month. End of story. But now more than ever business aircraft operators want to squeeze every ounce of fuel they can out of every dollar invested.
Your Aircraft Source LLC, brought its updated, French-built MS 760 Paris Jet with a Chelton glass cockpit to NBAA. The Paris Jet, now touted as an immediately available and affordable VLJ, is a pressurized four-seater, with a big sliding canopy, T-tail, tip-tanks and a pair of 1,058-lbf Turbomeca Marbore VI turbojets that move it along at more than 400 mph at 20,000 feet over a 1,330-mile range.
Your Aircraft Source LLC, brought its updated, French-built MS 760 Paris Jet with a Chelton glass cockpit to NBAA. The Paris Jet, now touted as an immediately available and affordable VLJ, is a pressurized four-seater, with a big sliding canopy, T-tail, tip-tanks and a pair of 1,058-lbf Turbomeca Marboré VI turbojets that move it along at more than 400 mph at 20,000 feet over a 1,330-mile range.
FlightSafety International, Flushing, N.Y., promoted Ralph Lintelman to center manager of the company's La Guardia Learning Center. Al Ramsey was named center manager for the company's Seattle/Tacoma center. Derek Maeer has been promoted to vice president of simulation.
Forty years ago, when corporate pilots like 2005 NBAA Doswell Award recipient Ron Guerra and his business aviation colleagues began flying their employers' new Lockheed JetStars and Grumman Gulfstream IIs overseas, they had little support outside their flight departments beyond the local FAA flight service station.
