Ground-bound animals have been going airborne since 1783, when Frenchmen Joseph and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier launched a hot air balloon with a sheep, a duck and a rooster aboard. The cock died from a broken neck on landing, but the other animals survived, proving: (1) that it was indeed possible to breathe while traversing the skies, and (2) that the circumstances attendant to one's return to terra firma counts for a lot. Only after the animals alighted did King Louis XVI permit humans to go aloft.
The FAA issued on Aug. 14 an STC for Gulfstream's G550 with the PlaneView cockpit based on Honeywell's Primus Epic integrated avionics system. ``Certification of the G550's integrated cockpit is the culmination of one of the largest design efforts ever undertaken in the field of avionics, and it marks the beginning of a new period in which pilots will use electronic displays and cursor control devices in place of traditional dials, knobs and switches,'' said John Todd, director of Gulfstream Programs, Honeywell Business, Regional and General Aviation Avionics.
Many moons ago during my employment at Douglas Aircraft Co., later to become McDonnell Douglas Corp., I managed the Piaggio-Douglas PD-808 small corporate jet program, which was to be a production/marketing joint venture with Rinaldo Piaggio S.p.A. and Douglas Aircraft Co. Torch Lewis was with Bill Lear at this time and was aware of the PD-808's presence at Long Beach. He flew a Learjet to LGB to meet and chat with our DAC and Piaggio crew.
-- Howard Corey of Flightcraft, Inc., Portland, Ore., has received the FAA's Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, which recognizes aviation maintenance personnel who have more than 50 years of experience in the industry and who are a certified mechanic or repairman. The award is named after Charles Taylor, the engine builder and mechanic for the Wright brothers' historic airplane.
Pet relocation expenses are tax-deductible. IRS Publication #521, ``Moving Expenses,'' states that pet moving is a tax-deductible relocation expense when the relocation and moving is for purposes of change of employment. Consult your tax preparer for further information.
Oxford Airport's owner, BBA Group, has a go-ahead to use an extra 10 percent of its 5,092-foot runway for public transport category business aircraft, extending the usable length in this category from 3,937 feet to 4,327 feet, according to BBA Managing Director for Oxford Steve Jones. He said the runway ``extension'' will open up the airport to at least 15 more business jet models when they are operated in the public transport category. Private operators have routinely been able to legally take advantage of the full physical length of the runway.
Having recently flown UPS Aviation Technologies' CNX80 GPS moving map navigator, we can report that this panel-mount unit is a technological wonder. With a screen size about that of Garmin's GNS 430, it beats hands down both Garmin 400 and 500 series legacy products in terms of functionality and features. The highly touted WAAS receiver, with its five-times-per-second update rate, provides navigation guidance that's precise enough to drive down the center of a taxiway, never more than a stride away from the paint stripe.
L-3 Avionics Systems announced that version 5.0 of its I-line multifunction display software will allow the equipment to display weather text and graphics data from WSI. L-3's Web site is www.L-3com.com.
The Irish government will replace its 23-year-old Beech King Air 200 with a Learjet 45 to be operated by the Irish Air Corps in a Ministerial Air Transport role. The Irish government has decided not to proceed in replacing its Gulfstream IV with a long-range 40-seat aircraft. The Learjet 45 fuselage is built at Bombardier's plant in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and with content from suppliers south of the border, some 50 percent of the total aircraft is of Irish origin, says Bombardier.
EADS broke ground Aug. 7 for a new American Eurocopter Corp. (AEC) production site at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus, Miss. The $11 million facility will employ an initial work force of 100 for final assembly and flight-testing of A-Star series helicopters. American Eurocopter LLC is a subsidiary of Eurocopter, itself a subsidiary of EADS. American Eurocopter sells about 40 AS350 AStars per year in the United States. There are currently about 500 AStars in service in the United States. AEC's Web site is www.eurocopterusa.com.
The Sovereign, similar to several new business aircraft, is equipped with Honeywell's Primus Epic avionics suite that features large-format flat-panel displays, modular avionics units (MAUs) that host several functions, and modular Primus Epic radios that are smaller and lighter than the last generation of Primus II radios. All the units are tied together by the latest version of Honeywell's Avionics Standard Communications Bus local area network.
A number of factors determine how well a radar system performs, and just because a unit works well in one aircraft doesn't mean the same unit will work well in another. Where and how the unit is installed in the aircraft can have a significant bearing on its performance, and airframe manufacturers are not always cognizant of the subtle effects that even minor physical changes and hardware modifications may cause.
Savannah Air Center's expansion projects continue. This month's scheduled completion of a 12,500-square-foot cabinetry shop will be followed by construction of a new 12,500-square-foot upholstery shop. In spring 2004 Savannah plans to start work on a new 70,000-square-foot maintenance hangar, which will increase its capacity for large corporate aircraft modification and completion work. Additionally, Savannah Air Center has gained two STC approvals.
After a long takeoff run, the economy has taken flight, but its climb-out is modest at best. It will be a while before it reaches a comfortable cruise altitude. Last year's growth of 2.9 percent (Q4/Q4) slowed to 1.6 percent in fourth quarter 2002 and 1.9 percent in the first quarter of this year, as war clouds gathered. Acceleration is likely over the next few quarters, largely because of the new tax bill, to near 5 percent real growth. However, growth is likely to revert to near trend of 3 percent to 3.5 percent once the initial stimulus wears off.
Embraer recently obtained a US$200 million syndicated seven-year term loan, which was disbursed on July 1. The proceeds are designated for the purchase of components, parts and equipment for the production of the Embraer 170/190 family of aircraft. The syndicate was led by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), with ABN Amro Bank, Credit Lyonnais and Societe Generale joining as co-arrangers. Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), the Japanese government's export credit agency, is the commercial and political risk insurer.
The FAA officially turned on the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) at 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 10. The GPS-based system enables horizontal and vertical navigation with unprecedented precision. As envisioned, WAAS will enable precision approaches to thousands of general aviation runways and airports.
Wherever on the compass rose American operators point the noses of their business jets today, security should be uppermost on the minds of flight crews and passengers alike. Since the war in Iraq, U.S. approval abroad has rarely been lower, according to international surveys publicized this spring. The post-9/11 environment has conferred on operators a new aviation security vocabulary, Air Security International Vice President Charlie LeBlanc claims: Risk assessment: Doing your homework before you go.
What's the real benefit of winglets on a Boeing 737? According to Aviation Partners Boeing, blended winglets can deliver fuel savings of up to 4.5 percent. For a B737-300 flying 2,900 hours per year with 1.5-hour stage lengths, APBoeing's Mike Marino says the savings would amount to more than 65,000 gallons of Jet-A annually.
Shelley A. Longmuir took office as the NBAA's president on July 7. She was appointed to the position by the NBAA Board of Directors on June 24. In a farewell message, retiring President Jack Olcott said, ``Please join me in wishing Shelley well. She is a highly respected aviation professional with an outstanding education and valuable experience on Capitol Hill. You will be well served. I see great opportunities ahead for our community. The value of business aviation as a necessary form of transportation has never been higher.
Thunder Aviation, Chesterfield, Mo., has appointed Louis Churchville Jr. to vice president of sales and marketing. Churchville has more than 29 years of experience in various sales and marketing capacities regarding FBOs, avionics, charter sales, ground support and maintenance.
At press time, GAMA, responded to B/CA's request for the organization's position on EASA's assumption next month of aviation product certification and maintenance oversight in the European Union. Below are excerpts from an e-mail written by GAMA's Walter Desrosier, director, maintenance and engineering. (Earlier this year, GAMA expanded its membership to include manufacturers from outside the United States, making it for the first time in its history an international organization.) ``EASA has the potential to be a very positive development for U.S.
Mooney Aerospace Group says it has brought all of its required filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission current, including its Form 10Q for the quarter ending March 31, 2003. J. Nelson Happy, Mooney Aerospace president, stated: ``We are now current and we plan to stay that way.
Rockwell Collins will provide its Airshow 21 integrated cabin electronics system for the Bombardier Global 5000. The first system will be installed later this summer, the company said. Collins' Airshow 21 cabin electronics system features an advanced systems architecture that supports a complete line of cabin electronics configured for an operator's specific requirements as well as simplifying the installation of system upgrades.
The TSA in July began hiring 1,300 part-time employees to conduct screening at 30 airports. The agency says adding part-timers is part of its ``right-sizing plan,'' and will give it the flexibility needed to match its work force to peak passenger times. Part-time salaries will range from $11.30 to $16.96 an hour, with adjustments for different economic areas. Thus, New York screeners will earn as much as $19.82 an hour. Candidates must complete 44 hours of classroom training and 60 hours of on-the-job training.
