Selenia Communications, previously Marconi Selenia, now offers the LOA-1000 Laser Obstacle Avoidance System for civil and military helicopters. The device uses an eye-safe laser radar rather than RF emissions to scan an area from less than 50 meters out to 2,000 meters around the helicopter's flight path. System software algorithms perform the echo analysis that detects and prioritizes obstacles and warns the crew in time to avoid a collision.
The FAA issued an Advisory Circular (AC 70-2) on Jan. 11 covering what pilots should do if illuminated by a laser. There has been a recent wave of such incidents across the United States. Essentially, pilots are to report such events to ATC using the specific phrase, ``Unauthorized Laser Illumination Event,'' followed by the UTC time of the event, position information in latitude-longitude or fixed radial distance (FRD) from a navaid, your altitude, the color of the laser, the direction and location of its origin and any other pertinent information.
The number of business jet accidents in 2004 increased to 22, which included five fatal accidents and 19 fatalities. In 2003, there were 18 accidents involving business jets, including eight fatal accidents and 16 passenger and crew fatalities. However, there was also a marked decrease in the number of incidents involving U.S. business jets -- 37 last year compared with 62 in 2003.
Cutter Aviation, Phoenix, named Jeff Smith director of operations for the company's FBOs at Phoenix's Sky Harbor and Deer Valley airports. Smith, who worked for Cutter on two previous occasions, is formerly of Flightcraft Aviation in Portland, Ore. In addition, at Cutter's Dallas Executive Airport operation, Neil Murdoch was named line service manager, responsible for increasing tenant space utilization and transit fuel sales, and Mickey Eidson was named aircraft service advisor, responsible for maintenance of King Air aircraft.
The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS) plans to break ground on another new U.S. aircraft facility on Jan. 17 to deliver the CASA CN-235 surveillance and patrol aircraft to the U.S. Coast Guard. The facility is located in Mobile, Ala. EADS also recently opened a new Eurocopter facility in Columbus, Miss. EADS CASA won an $87.4 million contract in February 2004 for two CN-235s for the Coast Guard's Deepwater modernization program. Delivery is scheduled for 2006.
Duncan Aviation has been awarded a ``multiple aircraft type'' STC that allows it to install Honeywell's Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) system on aircraft equipped with the manufacturer's Mark V or Mark VII EGPWS systems. The STC includes the option for an ``inhibit'' annunciator switch that allows flight crews to mute RAAS warnings for 30, 60 or 90 seconds. When the customer-specified time-delay expires, the RAAS system automatically resumes issuing audible warnings.
Gulfstream Aerospace has won an FAA STC for the installation of its Broad Band Multi-Link (BBML) ultra-high-speed Internet system on both the GIV and GV. According to Gulfstream, by using the SKYLink by ARINC Direct broadband service, GIV and GV passengers can access the Internet in flight at speeds (up to 3.5 megabytes per second) that are significantly faster than other high-speed data services. In addition, the airframe manufacturer says its service costs substantially less than those offered on commercial airlines.
An Airservices Australia subsidiary won a $15.6 million contract to manage six towers in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan. Airservices Pacific, Inc. won the contract over three other bidders. The previous contractor was a subsidiary of British company Serco, which operates 54 other contract towers in the United States. The contract towers in Hawaii are John Rogers Field (an Air National Guard airport in Kalaeloa), Keahole-Kona, Lihue and Molokai. The towers in Guam and Saipan are at the major airports on those islands. The contract, which begins Jan.
3M Aerospace of St. Paul, Minn., has two new aircraft sealant removal tools -- SR Cutter and SR Radial Bristle Disc -- to replace manual scrapers used during maintenance and repair. The SR Cutter is a plastic rotary cutting tool designed to remove thick sealant layers quickly and without damaging the underlying paint, anodized layer, or aluminum of the aircraft. Available in 0.40-inch diameter and 0.83-inch diameter, the SR Cutter has an integral metal mandrel for use on right-angle drills at low (850 rpm) speeds.
AgustaWestland Inc. and AgustaWestlandBell will relocate and consolidate their Virginia operations to Fairfax County, Va., this month and hire 300 new workers. The companies, currently located in nearby Arlington, Va., will occupy 30,000 square feet at the Plaza America complex in the Reston area. AgustaWestland Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of AgustaWestland, owned by Italy's Finmeccanica. AgustaWestlandBell is a joint venture with Bell Helicopter Textron and is the licensee of the US101 helicopter.
The National Air Transportation Association's Jim Coyne noted recent accidents involving charter operations raise questions about ``what we can do as an industry to improve safety.'' The association is working with its charter-operating members to develop recommendations for proactive charter-safety programs. But he said one of the first steps for improving safety must come from the federal government. ``We do not have good data at the federal level,'' he said, citing studies highlighting the FAA's lack of information on charter activity.
Elliott Aviation was awarded an STC to install a Rockwell Collins TCAS-4000 TCAS II/ACAS along with Transponder Flight ID aboard King Air B200 and 350 turboprops that are equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics.
Voyager Jet Center, Pittsburgh, named Karl Foerster vice president, director of operations. Foerster joined the company in 2003 following 13 years as a pilot with US Airways.
Anyone who has experienced a wheel or tire failure during a tire pressure check will appreciate a device that can protect against this potentially deadly occurrence. Alberth Aviation says its aviation tire cage is designed for ease of use while providing protection not found on truck ``cage'' type systems. The unit is constructed from one-quarter-inch-thick steel plates and double walled on four sides for half-inch-thick protection. Its dimensions are 28 inches wide by 42 inches high by 45 inches deep, and it weighs 1,200 pounds.
(a) General. No person may operate a civil aircraft of U.S. registry -- (1) At cabin pressure altitudes above 12,500 feet (msl) up to and including 14,000 feet (msl) unless the required minimum flight crew is provided with and uses supplemental oxygen for that part of the flight at those altitudes that is of more than 30 minutes' duration;
The Government Accountability Office called on the TSA to develop a plan to implement a risk-management approach to strengthen general aviation security. The GAO, which recently released its long-awaited review of general aviation security, also said the FAA should establish a process to review and revalidate restrictions. The GAO said that while increased federal oversight is needed, ``continued partnership with the private sector is critical to long-term success.''
Aircraft Investor Resources LLC, a joint venture of Epic Air LLC in Bend,Ore. and TAM (Tbilisi Aircraft State Association) of Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, plan to leverage their investment in the composite-construction Epic LT single-engine turboprop to create the Epic Jet, a $1.9 million, six-seat, twin-turbofan VLJ capable of cruising as fast as 385 KTAS, as high as FL 410 and as far as 1,300 nm. About the same external size as the Citation Mustang, the Epic Jet will have a similar cabin cross section but about two feet less interior length.
The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 was a massive tax package that took months of sometimes-contentious debate before it passed in Congress last October. The act contains well over 100 provisions, including some high-profile issues such as international trade tariffs. George W. Bush signed it into law on Oct. 22, 2004, without fanfare, but legislators ballyhooed the bill as a bipartisan effort that will ``end sanctions on U.S. exports, provide needed tax relief to U.S.
Piper Aircraft, known for its design conservatism, broke the mold when it earned certification of its PA-42-1000 Cheyenne IV in 1984, soon thereafter renamed the Cheyenne 400LS when Lear Siegler briefly took control of the company. Focused on creating a machine that would outperform rival Cessna's Citation I, Piper's engineers stripped the PA-42-720 Cheyenne III of its PWC PT6A-41 engines, beefed up the fuselage, increased the pressurization and then bolted on a pair of highly flat rated, 1,000-shp AiResearch TPE331-14 turboprops to create a 350-plus KTAS screamer.
Business Jet Center of Dallas planned in December 2004 to officially open its new executive FBO in Oakland International Airport's historic original terminal. The highly renovated 7,000-square-foot art deco building, erected in 1929, contains two conference rooms, offices, pilot and passenger lounges with views of the OAK North Field ramp, a private outdoor patio, and a state-of-the-art flight planning center. The Exxon Avitat dealer is also constructing its own fuel farm near the FBO accommodating 40,000 gallons of Jet-A and 12,000 gallons of avgas.
On Dec. 1, 2004, at 1623 EST, a Gulfstream IV, G-GMAC, crashed while landing at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport. The two pilots, one flight attendant and six passengers were uninjured in the incident. VMC prevailed on arrival for the flight that departed from London Luton Airport. ATC cleared the flight for the ILS Runway 19 approach, sidestep to land on Runway 24, a 6,013-foot-long, 150-foot-wide asphalt runway.
Wing Aviation, Lone Star Executive Airport, Conroe, Texas, hired Bob Howie as a Gulfstream first officer. Howie was formerly a pilot with Executive Jet Management.
The condition of the ATC displays at the Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Louis TRACON facilities has ``become critical,'' the DOT's inspector general said in a report just released. While the FAA has begun deploying its standard terminal automation replacement system (STARS) at smaller TRACONs, the new system won't be ready for these four sites until at least 2008.
The British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) has set as its priorities harmonizing European and U.S. security issues, defining fractional ownership, licensing aircraft maintenance and operations, Single Europe Sky legislation access and pricing. Formed in July 2004 with the merger of the Business Aircraft Users Association and the General Aviation Manufacturers and Traders Association, the BBGA now has increased resources ``to do more for our members,'' said Chief Executive Mark Wilson.
