THERE WAS A TIME when I flew helicopters in the Gulf of Mexico where most of the oil rigs were unmanned platforms pumping what had already been found, rather than exploration drilling rigs. As a result, a lot of my flying was from one small pumping rig to another and then another, mostly taking technicians to monitor operations or resupply the platforms with tools. A normal day might consist of 25 to 30 short flights. I was an air taxi driver in the most literal sense.
Jeppesen has announced JeppView 3.0 -- a total electronic charting solution for both ground and airborne use. Included are electronic en route charts, approach charts, airport diagrams, SIDs, STARs and text pages. Traditional paper en route and area charts are included for those who prefer this format, and JeppView allows users to print charts when desired. Updates are delivered via the Internet or the traditional CD method. Users are relieved of the filing associated with paper-based services.
Siberia Airlines is the launch customer for Sukhoi's RRJ (Russian Regional Jet) with an order for 50 aircraft, including 10 options for the 95-seat RRJ-95B, the largest planned version of the six-variant RRJ family. The aircraft will be certified in Russia, the United States and Europe. Powered by two SNECMA/NPO Saturn SM146 turbofans mounted on underwing pylons, SNECMA says that one common engine will cover the six RRJ variants, within the three RRJ-65, RRJ-75 and RRJ-95 models, which include extended- and long-range versions.
Dassault's Falcon 2000 indeed was the firm's first ``design to cost'' business jet, one intended to please company accountants as much as pilots and passengers. In the 10 years since we first flew the aircraft for a comprehensive analysis, it's earned a reputation as a reliable, cost- and fuel-efficient large-cabin business jet in a class of its own. Its 0.80 Mach cruise speed, range and cabin comfort make it the dauphin of Falcon Jets, but its operating costs are close to what you'd expect to pay to fly a midsize jet.
Jet Aviation, with Kuwait-based partner United Projects Co., has announced plans to open an FBO at Kuwait International Airport in 2005. The new facility will offer handling services, line maintenance and hangarage for aircraft owners and operators. ``Kuwait will become our fourth FBO in this region after Jeddah and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. We are honored that Jet Aviation was chosen as a partner,'' said Heinz Kuhli, CEO of Jet Aviation Group.
The 3,000-pound-thrust-class -3A engine is the most powerful variant of the FJ44 that first made its appearance on the CitationJet in 1992. It's the first member of the FJ44 family to be fitted with a full, dual-channel FADEC. Throttle detents are provided for takeoff, climb and cruise, thus reducing pilot workload. But we found it a little difficult to make very small thrust changes at high cruise power settings because the power levers are hyper sensitive in that range.
Bombardier scored two Challenger 300 sales within 24 hours on July 21 and 22. Qatar Airways ordered a Challenger 300 super midsize business jet for regional and transcontinental on-demand charter, scheduled for delivery in March 2005. It will be operated by the Amiri Flight Division of Qatar Airways from its base at Doha International Airport. The Qatar Airways' VIP fleet has a second Bombardier Global Express ultra-long-range business jet on order.
Gulfstream Aerospace has received a type certificate for the G450, less than a year after the Savannah, Ga.-based manufacturer unveiled the large-cabin business jet. Announced during the 2003 NBAA annual convention, the G450 fills the niche between Gulfstream's ``mid-range'' G350 and very-long-range G500 and G550 aircraft. The G450 has been developed concurrently with the G550 and is similar in design, but has a 4,350-nm range at 0.80 Mach.
Aviation Research Group/US and its president, Joe Moeggenberg, won a summary judgment after being sued by Air Charter, Inc., the operator of the King Air that crashed on Oct. 25, 2002, killing Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone and everyone else on board. Air Charter claimed that ARG/US's Charter Evaluation and Qualifications (CHEQ) reporting system was unfair to it, and that Moeggenberg defamed the company in an interview by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
In late 1997, a Cessna 208 operated under FAR Part 135 for the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation crashed near Montrose, Colo., killing the pilot and all eight passengers. The aircraft had climbed to 15,400 feet, and during the ascent, radar tracked it changing course from southwest to northwest, back to southwest and then taking a sharp turn to the right before a rapid descent. The NTSB said the wreckage was ``consistent with a stall/spin event.'' The subsequent investigation found no evidence of airframe or flight control problems.
Avidyne delivered its 1,000th FlightMax Entegra integrated flight deck on July 27. ``Delivering 1,000 systems is a very significant milestone,'' said Dan Schwinn, Avidyne's president. ``Integrated flight decks are now the standard for new piston aircraft,'' said Mark Sandeen, Avidyne's vice president of sales and marketing. ``Avidyne was the first company to bring the integrated flight deck to light aircraft at an affordable price.
NavAero's tBag C2 electronic flight bag (EFB) is designed for all phases of flight. Operating on the Windows XP Professional platform, the tBag C2 will run real-time satellite weather, electronic manuals and documents, terrain-avoidance, moving maps, scheduling programs, and performance and flight planning software. The tBag C2 incorporates navAero's tPad display -- a sunlight-readable, resistive touch screen, active-matrix LCD, that is fully dimmable for night flying (illumination as low as 3 nits). The display is available in 8.4-inch (standard) or 10.4-inch size.
John Goglia joined Washington, D.C.-based JDA Aviation Technology Solutions to lead the company's operations and safety programs. The former NTSB member has also accepted positions as the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association's vice president of government and technical programs, and professor of aviation at St. Louis University's Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology (see B/CA, August, page 30).
Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is the first U.S. facility to go operational with ASDE-X, which is coming online at other airports around the country, and by January 2007, will be operational at a total of 34 airports. Standard ASDE (airport surface detection equipment) is ground radar that depicts primary returns (raw radar) on the airport as an aid for the ground or ramp controller. ASDE-X is a multi-modal system that will display an ID tag next to every radar target depicted on the ground controller's display.
Flight Options, the fractional operator backed by Raytheon, launched JetPass, a program that provides access to the Flight Options fleet of business jets in 25-hour increments that bypass the complexities of buying a fractional share in a particular aircraft. ``Many of our individual and corporate clients are looking for private flight options in addition to ownership,'' said John Nahill, chairman and CEO. ``JetPass offers the luxury and convenience of private jet travel with a smaller commitment.''
These graphs are designed to illustrate the performance of the CJ3 under a variety of range, payload, speed and density altitude conditions. Do not use these data for flight planning purposes because they are gross approximations of actual aircraft performance. Time and Fuel vs. Distance -- This graph shows the relationship between distance flown, block time and fuel consumption. The CJ3's high-altitude, high-speed cruise performance is so fuel efficient that there's little need to throttle back to achieve maximum range, except on the longest missions.
Air-to-ground weather data links, such as those provided by VDL Mode 2, AFIS/ACARS, radiotelephones and aeronautical cellular service, are yesterday's technologies. Practically all major avionics manufacturers are embracing ``Rock'' and ``Roll'' for high-speed satcom broadcast weather for pilots flying over the continental United States. We're not talking about a musical genre, but graphical weather services for pilots beamed down from XM Radio's Western U.S. (``Rock'') and Eastern U.S. (``Roll'') geostationary satellites.
Two U.K. general aviation associations have merged. The Business Aircraft Users Association (BAUA) and the General Aviation Manufacturers and Traders Association (GAMTA) have combined to form the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA). Mark Wilson, the chief executive of GAMTA, has become the chief executive of the BBGA and will continue representing the interests of manufacturers, maintenance facilities, operators and traders.
I call them ``tombstone phrases'' -- grim words, the critical things pilots say in the moments before a fatal accident takes place. Although rarely the last spoken words captured by a CVR, the tombstone phrase represents the final window of opportunity for a crew to take action and alter the trajectory of their fate. The words are particularly disturbing when they reveal a crew's doubt and anxiety -- right before that crew does nothing to keep the aircraft from crashing.
Pentastar Aviation -- a Michigan-based aircraft brokerage, charter, management and maintenance company -- has won several STCs recently. The first is for installation of Honeywell's enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) in Gulfstream IIs, II-Bs and IIIs. The second is for installation of the same EGPWS in Gulfstream IVs. The third is for installation of CMC Electronics' CT-10000 electronic flight deck organizer (electronic flight bag) in GIVs.
Minneapolis-based Meteorlogix announced a partnership with Avidyne Corp. to provide Avidyne's FlightMax customers access to Meteorlogix weather information on the ground or in flight. Meteorlogix weather data will appear on FlightMax Entegra and EX500 systems using Avidyne's Narrowcast and MultiLink datalink capability to update and alert pilots and crewmembers on current weather conditions as well as anticipated weather conditions.
Bombardier's regional aircraft order book continued to grow with a 20-aircraft deal valued at $512 million for the 50-seat CRJ200 from Spanish carrier Air Nostrum. Under the contract, Air Nostrum can convert the orders to other models. Additionally, the Canadian manufacturer announced sales of single CRJ200s to Adria Airways of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and another to Styrian Spirit of Graz, Austria.
Veteran public relations executive Dave Franson has formed the Franson Consulting Group to provide clients with advice and support in written and verbal communications, strategic planning, community and media relations, and government affairs. Franson has more than 30 years of experience as a senior executive and company spokesman. He previously held senior public affairs posts with AlliedSignal Aerospace, the NBAA, Cessna and Learjet. Franson Consulting Group is based in Wichita and can be reached at (316) 733-8821 or via e-mail at [email protected].
The U.K. High Court has requested an expeditious hearing by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the case against the new European Union regulation on airline passenger compensation and assistance. The European Regional Airline Association (ERA) provided evidence on the consequences of the costs of compensation and assistance to be provided by airlines to passengers in the event of cancellations. The president of the ECJ will now consider when the case should be heard, but there is no certainty that the court will treat the case as a priority.
