Fletcher Aldredge, the Shawnee Mission, Kan.-based publisher of Vref aircraft value reference, sees a common thread in the current market for previously owned aircraft: ``Virtually 100 percent of the dealers and brokers we interviewed are optimistic about 2005.'' Aldredge made that comment in the fourth quarter 2004 edition of his Market Leader newsletter.
McAlpine Helicopters of Oxford Kidlington Airport delivered its first VIP-configured Eurocopter EC135. Both this and a second, for delivery in March, are destined for undisclosed Irish customers. McAlpine, the U.K.'s Eurocopter distribution, completions and maintenance center, has more of the $5.23 million VIP EC135s scheduled for delivery to Ireland in the second half of this year. The EC135s are supplied in a five-seat corporate interior layout with or without a bar and take around 20 weeks to complete, depending on the specification and the degree of complexity.
Cessna Aircraft released service bulletins that will allow installation of the Honeywell Runway Awareness and Advisory System in a variety of Citations. Cessna's Citation Service Center network will perform RAAS installations and associated certification work for all Bravos, Encores, Excels and Xs.
On Dec. 10, 2004, an MU-2B-60 operated by Flight Line, Inc. of Watkins, Colo., crashed while maneuvering near Denver's Centennial Airport (APA). The FAR Part 135 freight flight was on an IFR flight plan in night VMC. The airline transport-rated pilot and pilot-rated passenger died. (See ``Accidents in Brief,'' page 78.) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America (MHIA), Honeywell, Hartzell Propeller and the FAA were assisting the NTSB in the investigation.
Aviation Fabricators (AvFab) received STC approval for its King Air 300 and 350 commuter passenger seats. The company already holds commuter seat STCs for the King Air 90, 100 and 200 series. No airframe modification is required other than removing the existing seats and furnishings and sliding the new high-density commuter seats into the existing seat rails. Complete installation instructions, diagrams, and weight and balance are included with each kit. The seats come painted, and can be fitted with foam and upholstery for an additional fee.
MD900 helicopters -- Reduce the life limit of certain Notar fan system tension-torsion (TT) straps. Also, at specified intervals, remove each TT strap and perform a visual and x-ray inspection, replacing any unairworthy part before further flight. Report the discovery of any unairworthy TT strap.
There have been several recent incidents in which airline pilots reported being ``hit'' with laser beams while in flight. These reports are unsettling because of their potential implications -- are the flights being targeted? Do the lights themselves pose eye damage? The fact is that lasers -- an acronym for ``Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation'' -- are becoming a common element in modern life. They're everywhere, as this Jan. 5, 2005, NOTAM makes plain: !FDC 4/1765 ZLC MT. BOZEMAN, MONTANA.
Bombardier has received regulatory approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to upgrade the Learjet 45 with the Honeywell TFE731-20BR engine. The certification clears the way for Learjet 45 operators in EASA's 25 member countries to use a service bulletin, along with revisions to the aircraft flight manual, to upgrade their aircraft at Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services in Berlin, Germany. According to Bombardier, the engine upgrade gives the Learjet 45 ``significantly reduced balanced field length under hot and high conditions.''
The Embraer 175 airliner was granted its type certificate from the Centro Tecnico Aeroespacial (CTA), the Brazilian civil aviation regulatory agency. The Brazilian manufacturer expects EASA certification shortly, followed by Transport Canada Civil Aviation authority approval in the first half of this year. The EMB175, which is 70 inches longer than the EMB 170, is the second of Embraer's new four-member jet family to be awarded type certification.
Everyone knows what a laser is, right? It is a bright, focused light. Actually there is a lot more to it than that. First, laser is an acronym for ``Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.'' Second, there is that part about ``radiation.'' In this case, radiation is used to indicate energy transfer and not a level of radioactivity.
A detailed analysis of the past year's corporate/executive accidents involving turbine-powered aircraft will be included in the 2004 edition of Breiling's Annual Business Turbine Aircraft Accident Review, to be published later this year. Copies of the 2003 edition, which contains an analysis of accident involvement by make and model of aircraft, are currently available. For more information, contact Robert E. Breiling Associates at 765 N.E. 35th St., Ste. B, Boca Raton, FL 33431, or call the company at (561) 338-6900; fax: (561) 393-2387.
In a market long pervaded by Bell's ubiquitous 206, along with the Hughes/ McDonnell Douglas/MD Helicopters MD500 series, why would Eurocopter bother putting forward a light single-turbine utility machine? Specifically, with more than 8,000 JetRangers delivered since its introduction in 1967 and operating in every imaginable capacity around the world, what niche did Eurocopter hope to satisfy with its EC120B? The answer to those questions is surprisingly grand.
Grob's G160 Ranger turboprop business aircraft successfully concluded spin recovery tests, marking a significant step in the aircraft's certification program, says the company. The aircraft completed over 180 spins in 13 different configurations and according to a spokesman, ``was completely controllable and always recoverable.'' The prototype completed 60 hours of flight tests on 105 sorties and achieved 165 takeoffs and landings, some of which were on grass and snow. Grob says that the G160's robust trailing-link undercarriage has proved its worth on rough surfaces.
The last day of 2004 was an auspicious one for CEO Vern Raburn and hundreds of Albuquerque-based Eclipse Aviation employees. After several 80-hour work weeks during which they hammered out software glitches, struggled with cutting-edge starter/generator technology, coped with engine start fuel scheduling woes and fought numerous avionics battles, their efforts paid off. Assigned EJT (Eclipse Jet Test) 101, test pilots Bill Bubb and Brian Mathy lifted off Albuquerque-Sunport's Runway 17 at 10:16 a.m. for a 1+29 hour test flight in s.n.
General aviation supporter Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) was named to chair the Senate Commerce Committee, taking the reins from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the volatile senator who often took contrarian positions on key business aviation issues -- especially user fees. The appointment of Stevens to the Commerce chairmanship was one of several key committee leadership reshufflings due to Republican term limits on committee leadership positions. Stevens is stepping down as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Aerodynamics Inc. added James Day as a sales representative in the Southeast United States. Day, who has 25 years of sales, marketing and finance experience, previously sold the Embraer Legacy for Embraer.
Raytheon Aircraft has teamed with Aeromech to develop RVSM solutions for most King Airs. STCs were recently granted for King Air 200s, 300s and 350s equipped with an APS-65 or APS-80 autopilot and having an ADC-80 air-data computer configuration. Coupled with the manufacturer's previous solution for newer King Airs that use the ADC-85 air-data computer configuration, the majority of Rockwell Collins-equipped King Air 200s, 300s and 350s now have a factory-sponsored RVSM solution.
Bell 206 helicopters -- Conduct initial and repetitive inspections of the tail-rotor blades for a deformation or crack or a bent or deformed tail-rotor weight. Before further flight, replace each blade with an airworthy blade if a deformation, a crack, or a bent or deformed weight is found.
iviation, Memphis, appointed Peter Schouwenaars director of development and operations for the company's technical services department. Schouwenaars will oversee the company's aircraft maintenance programs, asset management, maintenance facilities and personnel. He has more than 35 years of management and maintenance experience in Parts 91, 121, 129, 135 and 145, and in military operations.
Bell Helicopter, Fort Worth, named Mike Cox interim director of public affairs and advertising. He assumed the position after the retirement of Carl Harris, who recently left the company after 38 years of service.
Lista International's wheeled ``Mechanic's Toolboxes'' feature a specially designed wide top drawer for storing long tools, and include an interlock safety system to prevent accidental tipping. The toolboxes come with a locking system and handles, as well as two rigid and two swivel heavy-duty ball-bearing casters with wheel locks. For heavier parts and tools, cabinet drawers provide a 440-pound load capacity.
For a long time, pilots have been confronted with the curious situation of having to comply with icing FARs that contain terms not defined anywhere in those regulations. For example, 14 CFR 91 Subpart F, which deals with large and turbine-powered multiengine airplanes and fractional ownership program aircraft, contains the following: 91.527 Operating in Icing Conditions
Dassault Aviation was awarded the Honeywell Bendix Trophy for Aviation Safety for the EASy flight deck at the Flight Safety Foundation's International Air Safety Seminar on Dec. 17, 2004, one year after the first EASy-equipped Falcon 900EX was delivered. The trophy recognizes contributions to aerospace safety by individuals or institutions through innovations in advanced safety equipment and equipment utilization. EASy uses Honeywell's Primus Epic, a large-format display integrated avionics system, as its foundation.
Packed onto the 2005 Pro-Flight Library CD are over 850 aviation publications and 6,000 graphics. A built-in search engine allows viewers to find the full text of all publications. Also, users can add bookmarks for reference and include personalized notes.
