LJSC, a Wichita-based engineering consulting company, received an STC for its RVSM package for the Learjet 24 and 25. The kit, which features two Rosemount pitot-static probes and twin Innovative Solutions & Support air-data computers, takes between eight and 12 weeks to deliver to an installation center and approximately two weeks to install. The installed price for the LJSC RVSM Learjet solutions range from $145,000 to $158,000.
GAMA announced that shipments of piston-powered airplanes increased by 155 units to 2,051, a 20-year high. Turboprop shipments increased from 272 airplanes in 2003 to 321 in 2004. Shipments of general aviation business jets also increased, up 14.1 percent from 518 units in 2003 to 591 in 2004.
The FAA has issued a new rule for FAR Part 91 operators carrying candidates for political office that eliminates compensation restrictions for transporting state and local candidates that did not apply to candidates for federal office. The rule change allows operators who do not hold either a Part 121 or 135 certificate to receive payments for carrying local or state candidates if the state and local election laws require such payment. Part 91 operators already were permitted to receive payment for carrying candidates seeking federal offices.
The February ``Fast Five'' (page 26) belongs in an April Fool's edition of your magazine. Why would a credible magazine waste two-thirds of a page on this hoax? It makes me wonder about you and B&CA. The Moller Skycar is about as viable as Dr. Langley's full-scale steam-powered airplane. Why not stick with real aviation products that have at least a chance of becoming a reality.
The National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) held its second annual ``Day on the Hill'' on Feb. 3, during which members conducted face-to-face sessions with 40 senators, House members and their staffs in Washington, D.C. Complimenting NARA President Susan Sheets, Dane Jenning, head of NARA's Government Affairs Committee and director of used aircraft at Cessna, said arranging all those meetings had taken weeks, but they came off ``flawlessly.'' Prior to the individual meetings, Sam Whitehorn, senior counsel of the U.S.
West Star Aviation, a Colorado-based repair, maintenance and modification facility specializing in Learjets, Hawkers, Falcons, Conquests and Citations, expects to receive this month an STC for its RVSM package for the Cessna Conquest II. The company's Conquest II RVSM solution, announced in April 2004, is to cover aircraft equipped with the Rockwell Collins APS-65, Sperry SPZ-500 or Meggitt 2100 autopilots.
Logbook Pro from Sporty's automatically organizes and keeps a running total of all flight time, and allows the user to extract data in various formats. Features include auto-fill, automatic time calculations and error-checking to ensure compliance with regulations. Users can customize columns, generate more than 60 reports or design their own reports. Logbook Pro comes in three editions: Standard, Professional and Enterprise. The optional Logbook Pro PDA add-on allows users to take their logbooks along for the ride.
Scott Crislip, Rolls-Royce president -- Helicopter and Small Gas Turbine Engines, presented the Rolls-Royce Annual Forecast of Worldwide Turbine Helicopter Demand at Heli-Expo. He reported, ``Civil helicopter deliveries are projected to total 5,144 units during the next 10 years, roughly the same figure as 2004's forecast. The associated value of this market is forecast to be $13.8 billion in airframes and $1.9 billion in installed engines.
The New Jersey Aviation Association, Trenton, N.J., named John W. ``Jack'' Olcott president, replacing Tom Carver, who was appointed New Jersey labor commissioner. Olcott, president of the NBAA from 1992 to 2003, is currently president of General Aero Co., Inc. Other appointments include: Steve Barlage, vice president of regional sales for The Air Group, to the position of secretary; Matt Boyle, senior vice president and chief counsel of Dassault Falcon Jet, to vice chairman; and Maria Renner, government affairs coordinator for D.M.
In its annual report, GAMA says that the general aviation industry made a strong recovery in 2004. Industry billings totaled $11.9 billion, the third highest ever and a 19.1 percent increase above 2003 billings. The total number of airplanes shipped in 2004 increased to 2,963, a 10.3-percent increase above the previous year. Speaking at GAMA's Annual Industry Review and Market Outlook, James E. Schuster, chairman of GAMA's board, said, ``Bonus depreciation, coupled with the continuing growth of the U.S. economy, helped make 2004 a turning point for our industry.
At the Jan. 18 rollout ceremonies for the Gulfstream G150 at the Israel Aircraft Industries production hangar at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, IAI executives said they plan to deliver up to 15 green aircraft to Gulfstream Aerospace in 2006 and hope that rate will increase. They said the tooling can accommodate up to four aircraft per month. First flight is set for May 18, and the flight-test program is expected to involve 75 flights consuming 235 hours.
Honeywell selected Soloy to develop an STC for installing its upgraded LTS101-700D-2 turboshaft engine on Eurocopter AS350B2 AStar helicopters. Honeywell expects the upgrade installation to be relatively straightforward since the new -700D-2 installation ``footprint'' is the same as that of currently installed LTS101. The -700D-2 is designed to provide 14 percent more takeoff power at sea level than the current LTS101, and 18 percent more power in hot-and-high conditions. Soloy has already begun the new engine installation on a B2 AStar at its Olympia, Wash., facility.
Honeywell engineer Don Bateman, inventor of the Ground Proximity Warning System, was named one of 13 people to be inducted this year into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, in Akron, Ohio. Bateman, chief of technology for Honeywell's Commercial Electronic Systems business, led a team of engineers that developed GPWS in the 1970s and EGPWS in the 1990s.
Cessna mated the wing to the fuselage of the Mustang business jet, the latest milestone in preparation for first flight later this year. Cessna relocated 50 of its employees in Independence, Kan., and Columbus, Ga., to Wichita, where the first five Mustangs will be built. The airframes are in various stages of assembly. Three of the aircraft will be used for flight testing and two will be used for structural testing. Cessna has begun testing of various components, including the engine, avionics, autopilot, landing gear, environmental system and flight controls.
GAMA celebrated the 10th anniversary of the General Aviation Revitalization Act (GARA) at its Annual Industry Review on Feb. 14. Then-President Bill Clinton signed GARA in 1994. By reducing the number of frivolous lawsuits against general aviation manufacturers, GARA allowed a rebirth of the piston-engine airplane industry in the United States.
Good-hearted controllers evidently took care of the non-RVSM-qualified, clearing them to climb and descend through RVSM airspace, even though they were technically obligated to handle only one non-compliant aircraft per sector at a time. The FAA reported that on the first day of implementation, the agency did not experience a single operational error at any of the 21 air route traffic control centers. Recent estimates are that about one-third of the 10,000 aircraft that routinely fly at higher altitudes have not yet obtained RVSM approval.
Several years ago, values for Bombardier Challengers, like those of many other heavy-iron aircraft, dropped precipitously from their peaks. However, starting about a year ago, prices for Challenger 3As and 3Rs started to stabilize and have rebounded nicely in the succeeding months. Challenger 604s have fared even better.
Anthony P. Brown ( Flight Research Laboratory, NRC Canada Gloucester, Ottawa)
Events have shown that the aviation community has needed icing awareness further raised and Patrick Veillette's ``Super Ice, Serious Trouble'' (B&CA, January, page 56) goes toward serving that purpose. Perhaps a couple of clarifications would be helpful.
UNTIL TWO YEARS AGO, I crewed with a friend on his Hawker 125-700 mostly to stay current in jets, and because it was fun. Although we were not full-time professional pilots, we worked to meet that standard. We were both type rated and trained annually at SimuFlite.
Qantas Airways has become a new Dash 8 Q400 customer with its order for seven and options for a further 10, to be operated by regional subsidiary QantasLink. The firm order is valued at $168 million, with first deliveries scheduled for first quarter 2006.
DRVSM was implemented without a hitch on Jan. 20, according to the FAA and Robert Lamond, the NBAA's director of air traffic services and infrastructure. Besides U.S. airspace, RVSM (1,000-foot vertical separation between FL 290 and FL 410) took effect in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. Although the FAA maintains a database of RVSM-approved operators, U.S. controllers do not use a list to approve or deny access to RVSM airspace.
On May 10, 2004, a twin-engine Piper Seminole crashed on a mountain near Julian, Calif. The two pilots aboard were killed. As with so many such tragedies, this one involved failures -- and a system of long-standing -- that could compromise any one of us.
There is one decidedly low-tech system designed to combat cockpit smoke that's gaining favor within the business aviation community. It's the Emergency Vision Assurance System, or simply EVAS, and it could save your life. Essentially a see-through inflatable device forms a ``window'' between the pilot and the windscreen and flight instruments, allowing control of the aircraft to be maintained.
Business Jet Center at Oakland International Airport (OAK) completed construction of a new fuel farm, which allows the FBO to store 40,000 gallons of Jet-A and 12,000 gallons of avgas at the facility. This effectively triples the operator's previous capacity for Jet-A. The additional above-ground Fireguard fuel storage tanks were added to handle the increased traffic to the FBO. In late December 2004, Business Jet Center sold its one-millionth gallon of fuel at OAK.
