CMC Electronics Inc., Montreal and Ottawa, Canada, appointed Jean-Michel Comtois to the position of vice president of the company's military aviation business unit. He oversees the division's operations in Chicago, Montreal, Ottawa and the United Kingdom. Previously, Comtois served as vice president of government and public affairs. He is a retired general in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Many early customers of the Eclipse EA 500 are rubbing their hands in anticipation; not because they can't wait for their aircraft, but because they are being offered twice or even three times the $1.29 million manufacturer's asking price. As Eclipse's order book bulges with a backlog of 2,200 aircraft, new buyers face a potential three-year wait for an aircraft -- if they book now. The ``gotta-haves'' or those out to make a quick buck on an early delivery slot are driving these inflated rates.
The AOPA's 15th annual Fly-In and Open House, held June 4 at the association's headquarters in Frederick, Md., drew more than 5,000 attendees, 250 airplanes and nearly 100 exhibitors. The event included seminars on single-pilot IFR, the costs of flying and insurance, among others. AOPA President Phil Boyer staged an informal discussion that centered on the Washington Air Defense Identification Zone. AOPA has scheduled the 16th annual fly-in for June 3, 2006.
Flight Options LLC, Cleveland, named Sanjay Aggarwal as vice president of operations and planning. He is responsible for leading Flight Options' operations control, owner services, operations planning and information technology teams. Previously, he was the firm's vice president of planning.
Thales USA has been awarded a 12-year contract worth up to $60 million by the FAA to provide ILSes for U.S. airports. During the contract's first phase, Thales will develop and test three systems to ensure they meet FAA requirements. After that, it will produce up to 300 systems. The contract also includes 10 years of engineering support, training and installation by Thales. Thales said this will be the 10th generation of ILSes that the FAA has ordered from the company.
Lektro, Inc. of Warrenton, Ore., manufactures a line of battery powered, towbar-less aircraft tugs for aircraft up to 180,000 pounds. Designed to be operated by a single person, the operator maneuvers the tug in front of the aircraft's nosewheel, then using the tug's winch and strap assembly, gently draws the nosewheel onto a hydraulically controlled cradle. The strap secures the aircraft to the tug, and the cradle is lifted off the ground. This system eliminates the need for a towbar.
Aircraft Security & Alert Systems, Inc. of Dallas, has introduced a new series of locks for the Cessna Caravan series turboprops. The locks are now being installed on all new Caravan aircraft, as well as being offered as a Service Bulletin for older aircraft. Each aircraft can be equipped with seven individual locks for the pilot's, copilot's, airstair, cargo, belly pod doors and engine cowl; all can be accessed from one key that can only be duplicated by Aircraft Security & Alert Systems.
CE-525 (CitationJet 1) -- Remove and replace an old printed circuit board (PCB) assembly with a new design or modify an old PCB assembly to the new design to prevent a single-point failure in the electric pitch-trim system. CE-680 (Sovereign) -- Revise the airplane flight manual by adding procedures to facilitate recovery of the Honeywell Primus Epic cockpit display units in the event that they go blank. Also, conduct flight crew briefings on the use of standby instruments in case the cockpit display units go blank and do not recover.
The General Aviation Awards Program is a cooperative effort between the FAA and industry sponsors to annually recognize outstanding individuals in the fields of avionics, flight instruction and maintenance. In addition, the FAA annually recognizes outstanding aviation safety counselors. The awards highlight the important roles these individuals play in promoting aviation safety, education and professionalism. A revised PDF application/nomination form now allows users to fill out the form digitally. The form may be downloaded at www.gama.aero/resources/safety
GPS Techniques, one of the Air Facts series of DVDs, has been updated to include glass- panel technology as featured on the Garmin G1000 and Avidyne Entegra glass-panel systems. The two-program DVD, which includes GPS Approaches and GPS En Route, provides real-world use and practical application of this technology. GPS Approaches guides you through the intricacies of the GPS approach.
``General aviation is an expanding universe, with prices moving away from each other at a high rate of speed. Old is moving away from new [and] pristine is moving away from rough,'' said Fletcher Aldredge in the most recent edition of his quarterly newsletter, Market Leader.
Gulfstream Aerospace has received an FAA STC for the installation of its new ultra-high-speed Broad Band Multi-Link (BBML) data system in G450 and G350 business jets. The first installation of the system on a customer G450 was to be completed in June.
The Embraer 170 will not be fitted with a ventral speed-brake to attain steep approach certification to London City Airport (LCY). ``It was noisy and added 100 kilograms to the aircraft,'' said Luis Carlos Affonso, the father of the company's jet family. Instead, the Brazilian manufacturer says it will make the 70-seat aircraft compliant by using existing aircraft controls, deploying full flaps and using existing speed brakes to produce the adequate drag to keep speed and approach in the green.
FlightWorks, Inc., Kennesaw, Ga., announced the appointment of Len Beauchemin as vice president of technical services. Previously, he worked as the aviation services manager for technical support at Eastman Kodak Co. in Rochester, N.Y. Additionally, Greg Kinsella was named Mid-Atlantic regional sales manager. He joined FlightWorks from Rolls-Royce in Chantilly, Va. Meanwhile, Mark Nelson was appointed quality control manager, and Mark Richardson was named director of customer service.
The FAA issued full type certification to Cessna's Model 525 Citation CJ1+ on June 17. Certification was awarded in just over 200 flights and 400 flight hours, spanning 11 months. According to Cessna, the Citation CJ1+ offers more performance, new integrated avionics, enhanced cabin features and expanded standard equipment over the CJ1. The newest Citation is powered by the new Williams FJ44-1AP with dual-channel FADEC. At 41,000 feet, the aircraft can travel more than 20 knots faster than the CJ1.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., has announced the initial results of an internal study that includes new flight symbology developed by the company to assist helicopter pilots landing in brownout conditions or other degraded visual environments (DVE). Sikorsky test pilots and company engineers who served overseas as pilots flew approaches in a fixed-base simulator with a special effects model that simulates realistic brownout conditions. Improved control at touchdown was noted as well as the pilot's ability to maintain awareness of lateral drift at low speeds.
BUSINESS AVIATION IS THE sign of a well-managed company. It is a form of transportation that maximizes the productivity of a firm's two most important assets -- people and time. Yet many companies, particularly those with public ownership, are reluctant to say much about their flight activities, instead preferring to take a very low profile whenever there are issues involving the use of company aircraft.
Rockwell Collins won a contract to provide its Pro Line 21 avionics to upgrade the U.S. Navy's fleet of 55 T-44A training aircraft. ARINC, the purchasing and installation agency for the program, awarded the contract. L-3 Communications is the prime contractor. The Pro Line upgrade for the Navy King Airs will include two 10-by-eight-inch, high-resolution LCDs with the FMS-3000 flight management system that will provide flight planning and navigation capabilities.
ARINC's Asia Pacific division will establish a joint venture with China's Aviation Data Communication Corp. (ADCC) to develop new products and services for the aviation market. The joint venture plans to take advantage of ARINC's expertise in airline communications and airport IT with ADCC's experience in application development. One project the joint venture is expected to undertake is airport tarmac management services, monitoring and managing aircraft on the ground.
UltraJet of Cleveland has announced a rewards program for its Private Jet Card customers. Cardholders are eligible for Round-trip Rewards when they travel on an UltraJet aircraft and return to the city of origin, the same or next day. The reward offers 20 percent free additional flight time that can be used for future travel. The jet card program supplies 25 hours of flight time in the UltraJet fleet of business aircraft with a one-time, pre-payment.
Garrett/Piedmont Hawthorne/Associated, Tempe, Ariz., appointed Roger E. Wolfe as executive vice president of operations. Wolfe, a 25-year industry veteran, most recently worked as general manager and vice president for Honeywell Airframe Systems.
Not since it was bombed and strafed in the Battle of Britain has there been so much excitement at Biggin Hill. Columbia Pictures is using the airfield to shoot scenes for the movie ``The Da Vinci Code.'' Anxious to use real locations from the best-selling book, movie director Ron Howard (of ``Apollo 13'' fame) checked out the corporate and general aviation airfield's suitability to portray itself a couple of months ago. Scheduled for release in summer 2006, the movie will star Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Alfred Molina and Sir Ian McKellen.
PATTERNED BEHAVIOR IS a natural part of living; once a thing is learned, repeating the action saves time and helps assure a good outcome. However, when the pattern is flawed, the outcome can be unwelcome -- even deadly. The following accidents all share similarities. The pattern may not be obvious at first, but will become abundantly clear.
Some have called it a ``science project'' and have little faith in the outcome. Others worry the United States is too late, or has too little commitment to it. Others believe there is still time, but that the United States must proceed with a sense of urgency. And, others say it must succeed, because it's all the United States has. ``If we don't do this,'' says Ron Swanda, senior vice president of operations for GAMA, ``in 2025, we will probably be able to watch men walk on Mars, but we probably won't be able to fly to Chicago.''
Grob Aerospace officially launched its twin-turbofan SPn Utility Jet at June's Paris Air Show. The SPn, short for exponential possibilities to the nth degree, is no VLJ. It will offer a super-light-jet-size cabin with double club seating. Known internally as project G180, the aircraft will feature Grob's signature all-composite construction; twin 2,800-pound-thrust, FADEC-equipped Williams International FJ44-3A turbofans; and four-display Honeywell avionics that look a lot like APEX.
