Effective June 1, the FAA Aircraft Registration Branch began an enforcement program that could result in suspension or revocation of an operator's aircraft registration and cancellation of his N-number if he fails to complete and return a registration report in a timely fashion.
West Star Aviation, an aviation support firm based in Grand Junction, Colo., has contracted with Kohlman Systems Research, a leading independent provider of aeronautical engineering services headquartered in Lawrence, Kan., for engineering services required to obtain a group RVSM approval for the Cessna Conquest II. In addition to the group approval, West Star engineers plan to obtain an STC for RVSM equipment installation and static system modifications in order to provide a turnkey solution to operators by the fourth quarter of this year.
Dassault Aviation says by developing the Falcon 7X in a virtual environment, it is halving the time required to assemble the new jet. In fact, Dassault Aviation will not produce a physical 7X prototype; rather, the first production jet, scheduled for delivery in March 2005, will be used for certification. The company says the digital mockup of the Falcon 7X is so accurate that fittings, supports and tubing developed almost fit perfectly.
You all know the drill from your regular simulator sessions. It's the hot-and-high, weight limited takeoff exercise. Just passing through V1, an engine fails as predictably as sunrise. So you rotate on cue from the copilot and fly out at V2. Aircraft performance, at least as portrayed by the simulator software, matches the FAR Part 25 AFM guarantees and you're able to fly out to flap retraction altitude with regulatory precision.
Intheairnet, LLC, announced an agreement to purchase IEC In-Flight Systems and to change that company's name to Intheairnet, Ltd. IEC In-Flight Systems, with headquarters near London's Heathrow Airport, is a cabin entertainment systems integrator of VIP and corporate aircraft. Products include LCD flat-panel switch controls, routers and displays, as well as Ethernet and wireless networks for passenger Internet communications and cabin entertainment.
PrivatAir is in negotiation with Swiss International Air Lines and other potential long-haul business-class-only scheduled operators. ``I can't go into any detail,'' said Dave Kinson, PrivatAir's chief operating officer, Europe and Middle East, ``but I can confirm that we are talking to Swiss to set up a similar scheduled transatlantic service that we already operate for Lufthansa.'' One of the problems facing Kinson is the unavailability of new equipment.
``It's the closest thing you'll experience in business aviation to working for the airlines,'' shuttle pilot and NBAA Shuttle Work Group co-chair Ron Craig told B/CA, commenting on the shuttle pilot lifestyle. ``It's a very predictable flight schedule. If you like to fly, this is an outstanding job, and because of the schedule, you can actually plan your life. You always know where you're going, so we can operate on canned flight plans, which reduces the workload a little, too.''
Airliners were grounded and passengers delayed yet again as the United Kingdom's National Air Traffic Services (NATS) Flight Data Processing System failed on June 3. The failure occurred around 0600 at West Drayton, London, during upgrade testing. All U.K. takeoffs were canceled initially and it took all day to get airline flights back into a semblance of order. Richard Everitt, NATS chief executive, said, ``To ensure safety levels were maintained we took traffic right down, handling the arrivals [manually] while we sorted the problem out.'' But U.K.
Clumsy paint removal scribe marks have caused serious damage on two Boeing 747s in Australia, and similar damage was also found on 32 737-100s/400s/500s and four 747s worldwide. The FAA and Australian safety regulators are working together to determine their next steps. An internal report from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said most of the damage was in the lap and butt joints in the aircraft fuselages, with paint removal being the predominant cause. ``Unfortunately sharp metal implements have been used for this task,'' the authority said.
I was standing in the PrivatAir exhibit at EBACE, chatting with Dave Hurley, an old friend who's now the outfit's vice chairman. Upon mentioning that I hoped to visit friends in Germany, he volunteered, ``Well then, you've got to fly with us.'' I hesitated. After all, this would complicate ground travel and schedules, I'd wind up at the wrong airport, my hotel reservations were elsewhere. A quandary. Fully three seconds passed before I accepted.
Mooney Aerospace Group filed a petition for reorganization under Chapter XI of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on June 10. The company said it intends to file a plan of reorganization. In May, Mooney Aerospace was socked with a $23.9 million penalty associated with breaking a lease on a facility owned by Long Beach Airport (B/CA, June, page 26). At that time, Mooney Aerospace said its legal travails would have no effect on Mooney Airplane Co., its operating subsidiary.
Sure enough, the New York State Assembly is moving forward on a bill that includes mandatory compliance with the TSA General Aviation Airport Security Guidelines (see previous item on NATA's concern regarding just such action), as well as other requirements that the NBAA considers excessively burdensome, including verification of passengers and cargo, and development of emergency maps and contacts. The NBAA believes that general aviation airport security is a national priority and that the TSA should administer any mandates for security.
Sandel's 3-ATI ST3400 is an integrated TAWS computer and color display that meets TSO C151b in both its Class A and Class B versions. Designed to reduce the occurrence of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT), the single greatest cause of passenger fatalities, the ST3400 also functions as an RMI and displays terrain maps, topographic maps, navigational waypoint maps and TCAS data. Currently certified on Beech 1900s, the ST3400 is a drop-in cockpit instrument that requires no remote boxes and is compatible with almost all digital and analog aircraft.
Berlin's historic Tempelhof Airport is to close permanently at midnight on Oct. 31, a move that's prompting a legal challenge from some airlines. The local civil aviation authority ordered the closure at the request of Berliner Flughafen-Gesellschaft (BFG), the Berlin airports operating company. ``This decision relieves BFG from its single largest source of deficit,'' explained an airport company spokesman. Tempelhof generates double-digit losses of millions of euros annually, explained an airport source.
IT WAS NOV. 8, 2002. Forecasters at the aviation weather center (AWC) in Kansas City had been tracking a windy system across the western states, their area of responsibility, for a couple of days. The forecast they prepared for the New Mexico region called for ceilings broken at 12,000 feet msl layered to 20,000 feet, with widely scattered light rain showers. Surface winds were to come from the southwest gusting to 25 knots. By 1700 hours the ceiling was to drop to 9,000 feet msl with 3 to 5 miles visibility in light rain showers.
Safe Flight Instrument Corp. delivered its 600th N1 Computer to Cessna -- installed on a Citation CJ2. Programmed with the Airplane Flight Manual performance values, the N1 Computer helps maximize both performance and operating efficiency by displaying real-time target N1 thrust settings for takeoff, climb, cruise and go-around. Safe Flight says the computer lowers the risk of damaging overspeed and overtemp conditions, reduces engine repair costs, and extends operating life.
Most business aircraft at the Athens Summer Olympics will have to park as far away as the island of Crete, some 45 minutes' flight time from the host city. The only guaranteed parking space for corporate aircraft at Athens International Airport during the two-and-a-half-week span of the games will be for 49 confirmed governmental aircraft from around the world. Sponsors' aircraft will come next in the parking pecking order, but for the remainder, which will be the majority, it will be ``drop-offs'' only, with just two-hour parking available.
Aircraft sales professionals contend that it is becoming increasingly difficult to characterize the state of the used aircraft market as a whole. Age-related considerations -- particularly the need to retrofit early model airframes with RVSM, TAWS and other equipment -- are reducing the desirability, and hence the value, of older aircraft. Meanwhile, as the economic recovery has gained momentum, prices of newer models have firmed and availability has become an issue for select types of previously owned, turbine-powered business aircraft.
Avcraft recently signed a deal with Pratt & Whitney Canada guaranteeing the supply of upgraded PW306 engines. This follows some U.S. regional airlines suffering turbine blade problems, which has led to the certification of an improved high-pressure blade cooling system for the engine.
Independence Air was launched by its parent Atlantic Coast Airlines on June 16 with service from its Washington Dulles (IAD) hub to Raleigh-Durham (RDA). By later this summer Dulles will be the largest low-fare hub in America -- with 300 daily Independence Air departures.
The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) is urging its members to oppose the FAA's proposed expansion of drug and alcohol testing to cover thousands of additional workers employed by subcontractors.
Proposed Rules -- Bell 206L-1 and -3 helicopters -- Conduct a one-time inspection of the adjustable stop screws of the magnetic brake assembly. If necessary, repair certain mechanical damage to the cyclic and collective flight control magnetic brake arm assembly. Also, install the stop screw with the proper adhesive, adjusting the arm assembly travel and applying slippage marks.
For 40-plus years, entry-level Learjets were built primarily for pilots and pilot-size egos. This legacy was carried forward into the Learjet 31A, the Learjet 40's predecessor. As long as you turned left when you boarded one of those early Learjets, you could grin about your aircraft's climb performance, cruise speed, honest handling qualities and efficiency. Skilled pilots learned to master the Learjet's handling quirks, quickly gaining respect for the hard-edged low and high operating envelope limits.
CMC Electronics announced it is selling its Cincinnati Electronics business unit to L-3 Communications Corp. to focus on its core aviation electronics business. The agreement, signed on June 15, is for approximately $172 million (U.S.) in cash and is expected to be completed this month. Cincinnati Electronics makes infrared sensors used by CMC in its Enhanced Vision Systems. Among other things, CMC says the agreement provides long-term and exclusive access to Cincinnati Electronics' technology for the commercial and military EVS aviation markets.
