Frost & Sullivan's new World Inflight Entertainment and Passenger Communications Markets reports that industry revenues totaled $2.18 billion in 2002 and are projected to reach $3.56 billion by 2008. However, it said inflight entertainment vendors may soon find their products becoming obsolete, giving way to remote distribution of content. DBS radio and television have successfully overcome bandwidth limitations and have become more affordable for inflight applications (see Intelligence, page 20, ``Avionics Innovations . . .'').
GPS Fault Detection and Exclusion (FDE) software is now standard on Garmin International's 400/500 series avionics systems. FDE is an algorithm that monitors the accuracy and reliability of GPS signals, detects erroneous GPS data, and excludes those data from the active navigation solution. Unlike Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM), which will terminate GPS navigation altogether if signal integrity is compromised, FDE enables the pilot to continue navigating with GPS, albeit in a degraded mode.
It all happens very quickly. Something goes bang! A red or yellow light illuminates. A warning bell goes off. With that, a routine flight becomes an emergency or ``non-normal.'' And then come those three words, ``I've got it!'' With that emphatic announcement, workload usually goes up and the pace quickens. The captain is now the Pilot Flying (PF) and the first officer is now Pilot Not Flying (PNF). But is this the best solution to handling a problem? Maybe not.
Honeywell's AS907 turbofan engine received European JAR certification on Dec. 3, 2002. The AS907 will power the Bombardier Challenger 300, scheduled to enter service this year. The 7,000-pound-thrust class engine, flat-rated to 6,500 pounds for life extension, has a 34.2-inch fan and a 4.2 bypass ratio.
Garrett Aviation Services, Tempe, Ariz., has named Tony Checa regional sales manager for Garrett's Eastern region, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
International SOS has launched China's first dedicated air-ambulance service with a specially configured Hawker 800XP on permanent standby in Beijing. Previously, SOS used its air ambulance based in Singapore to bring patients out of China. Jim Williams, International SOS chief operating officer, the Americas, stated that the flying range of the Hawker 800XP aircraft enables it to provide services anywhere in China and as far afield as Korea, Japan and Mongolia. Deer Jet, a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines, operates the Hawker. The Web site is www.internationalsos.com.
The Eclipse 500 program suffered a serious setback in late November when managers abandoned the Williams EJ22, claiming the engine was "weak" and its development too slow. Vern Raburn, Eclipse founder and CEO, said he soon hoped to select a replacement engine, which is likely to be in the 1,000 lbf thrust range. At press time both Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney were in the running, though development and certification of such an engine could involve a capital investment of $100-150 million.
Piaggio America will sell up to six Avanti P180s to Avia Aviation Ltd., a fractional operator based in Calgary, Alberta. The order calls for Piaggio to deliver three Avanti P180s this year, one in each of the first three quarters; with an option to purchase three additional aircraft in 2004. Avia President Joe Viveiros said he liked the cabin size of the Avanti and the 395-knot cruising speed. ``Plus,'' he noted, ``it has the Canadian-built PT6 engines.''
The Molasky Group is building a private jet hangar facility at McCarran International Airport (LAS) near Las Vegas. Jet Hangars, LLC, a development entity owned by the Molasky Group, a Las Vegas developer, has received a 40-year lease for an 11-acre parcel adjacent to the airport. The facility will include seven 14,000- to 18,000-foot condominium hangars, offices, garages and a small passenger facility with a pilot lounge and flight-planning stations.
Gulfstream Aerospace rolled out the 500th and final GIV in December 2002; that model is being succeeded by the G300 and G400. Speaking to some 3,000 employees and suppliers crowded into a production hangar at its headquarters in Savannah, Ga., on Dec. 3, Gulfstream President Bill Boisture said the model had generated more than $12.5 billion in revenues over its 15-year production history.
Raytheon Aircraft's Premier I is now certified in Denmark and Israel, bringing to eight the number of countries in which it is certified. The others are the United States, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico and Bermuda. Raytheon expected to receive certifications from Ireland, Brazil and Italy before the end of 2002. This year, Raytheon anticipates additional certifications from Turkey, Spain, Guatemala, France, Venezuela, Japan, Argentina, the United Kingdom and China.
A Rainbow Jet Co. Bombardier Challenger 604 successfully completed route-proving operations into and out of Lhasa, Tibet's Gongga Airport on Nov. 28, 2002. Szechuan, China-based Rainbow is a member of the Bombardier charter network; and Lhasa is a key destination for Chinese and foreign travelers, Rainbow officials said. Gongga Airport's field elevation is 11,621 feet and its main runway length is 13,123 feet. Rainbow Captain Liu Yi flew the aircraft with copilot He Feng.
FlightSafety International, La Guardia Airport, N.Y., has named Ken Baggett as manager of the company's Toledo Learning Center. Baggett has been the center's assistant manager for the past five years, following four years as director of training.
They say that when everything looks good, you should look again. I relearned that lesson firsthand the other day. Everything looked good on the takeoff roll, and even better on the initial climb. Although the pitch attitude was normal, the airspeed was climbing faster than I expected, prompting me to quickly retract the gear. It was a cool fall day, I was alone in the airplane, and with a light fuel load I didn't think too much more about the great performance. Once I leveled off in cruise, the indicated airspeed was exactly as expected for the power setting.
Air Routing International has opened a satellite office at Teterboro Airport. Located at the Jet Aviation facility, it will serve primarily as a field marketing and client service office. Bill Berturelli, Air Routing's marketing director, said that in addition to the large number of corporate flight operations in the region, ``Seventy-five percent of our client base utilizes this airport [TEB].'' Lisa Sasse, a national accounts executive with Air Routing since 1996, will head the new office. The phone number for the new TEB office is (201) 288-8612.
Grounding a stationary aircraft is easy, but how about one that is moved? Lightning Eliminators and Consultants has developed a unique solution -- the Tow Bar Mounted Grounding Assembly (TBMGA). The device dissipates the bound charge and static discharge hazard by providing a direct ultra-low impedance path to earth of less than one ohm. The TBMGA is made of all stainless-steel components and clamps to any aircraft tow bar with U-bolts.
Bombardier Aerospace announced two additional European maintenance support sites for its business jets. Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services GmbH has recently begun providing factory service for Bombardier Learjet 60 and Challenger aircraft at a satellite location at Rhein-Main Airport in Frankfurt. In addition, Metro Business Aviation at Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom is now designated as a Bombardier Challenger Authorized Service Facility. Some 230 Bombardier business jets are currently based throughout Europe, the company said.
``I've never seen it in all the 26 years I have been testing water.'' Dr. Donald Hendrickson, Hossier Microbiology Laboratories, commenting on samplings of tap water from various airliners that were discovered to be contaminated with salmonella, aquatic insect eggs, and a bacterium carried by rodents, among other things. The Wall Street Journal ``It's just easier to get into your car and go.'' Doug Shifflet, whose agency conducts surveys of travel patterns, explaining why former short-distance air travelers are taking to the road.
The Fairchild Dornier saga continues. Earl Robinson, the former Fairchild Dornier executive who departed the manufacturer to form Alliance Aircraft, was in negotiations with German officials in December about acquiring the assets of the bankrupt manufacturer. Robinson, who worked for the company until 1998, claims to have found sufficient financing to buy Fairchild Dornier and complete development of the 728 regional jet. The German manufacturer's creditors committee was to make the final decision on bids for the company.
Jet Aviation International, Inc., West Palm Beach, Fla., has promoted Peggie Giles to director of U.S. FBO sales. She is based at Jet Aviation's Bedford, Mass., facility.
The Experimental Aircraft Association wants to remind you that if you plan to attend this summer's AirVenture at Oshkosh, Wis., the lodging-reservation season begins promptly on Jan. 2. As AirVenture time approaches, housing options shrink exponentially, according to the association. Find out more at www.eaa.org.
The NBAA's next Business Aviation Forum & Static Display is scheduled for March 27 at Long Beach (Calif.) Airport at AirFlite's FBO, hangar and ramp. In addition to a static display of aircraft and dozens of exhibits, this daylong event will feature seminars and briefings for NBAA members. For information, contact the NBAA's Benjamin Jones at [email protected] or Joe Ponte at [email protected].
GAMA, Washington, D.C., at its recent board of directors meeting presented Ray Siegfried II, chairman of the NORDAM Group, with the Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the association as chairman of the board for 2002. Siegfried joined GAMA's board of directors in 1994.
Avionics Innovations is marketing a Sirius Satellite Radio (SSR) receiver for installation on aircraft. Sirius broadcasts cover the United States with 100 digital channels of continuous information and entertainment. In small aircraft installations, it interfaces with the audio panel. In cabin installations, it can interface with the IFE system. The SSR, which operates on 14 to 28 VDC, features up/down seek tuning, preset memory mode, scrolling text display, screen saver and adjustable contrast. A subscription to the Sirius service costs $12.95 per month.
