Q Our flight department is considering using VNAV to fly non-precision approaches. How does VNAV differ from glideslope? -- A Hawker captain AVNAV is not a simple subject -- and the introduction of RNAV/VNAV procedures with published DAs adds to the complexity. Those approaches will be covered in a future article. First, let's examine the use of VNAV to fly traditional, navaid-based non-precision procedures.
Illustration: Graph: Premier I Comparison Profile (Percent Relative to Average) Tradeoffs are a reality of aircraft design, although engineers attempt to optimize the blend of capabilities, performance and passenger comfort. In order to portray graphically the strengths and compromises of specific aircraft, B/CA compares the subject aircraft to the composite characteristics of other aircraft in its class, computing the percentage differences for the various parameters.
September 4: A Raytheon King Air C90A was substantially damaged after flying through a flock of eight to 10 Canada geese while landing in Danbury, Conn. The pilot -- the sole occupant of the aircraft -- was uninjured.
Boston-Maine Airways (BMA), a Portsmouth, N.H.-based FAR Part 135 operator with a pending Part 121 application, will operate a corporate shuttle for the FAA. Under the terms of the agreement, the carrier will transport agency personnel between Atlantic City, N.J. (ACY) -- site of the FAA Technical Center -- and Washington, D.C. Service will be provided three days per week with a BAe Jetstream J31. The contract is renewable for up to four additional years.
Exercise is unquestionably the number-one weapon (assuming you don't smoke) in preventing heart disease. Don't be deprived of the joy and health benefits that regular exercise provides. You can lead a healthier, happier and more productive (not to mention longer) life if you stay physically active.
Airport operators have certain responsibilities with regard to wildlife hazard management, and these are identified in FAR Part 139.337. While the basic requirements generally pertain to incidents involving air carriers operating aircraft with 30 seats or more, the services and mechanisms for dealing with wildlife are available to all.
The founder of DB Aviation, Daniel A. Bitton, has sold his interest in the company to a private investment group. Bitton established the company at Illinois' Waukegan Regional Airport in 1987. DB Aviation will continue business under that name. The company's board of directors has appointed David G. Brittsan as the new chief operating officer and he has assumed Bitton's responsibilities.
A Federal Appeals Court has stayed the enforcement of the FAA's interpretation of the 16-hour pilot duty time limit until it hears oral arguments in January 2002. The Regional Airline Association and Air Transport Association contend that the FAA action is effectively a new rulemaking requiring public notification and comment. Without the court action airlines would have had until November 17 to align crew scheduling procedures with the FAA interpretation of the rule.
By David Rimmer Day of Terror Delays NBAA Convention Exhibitors and members wanted to devote attention and aircraft on national emergency
In the wake of terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, the NBAA postponed its 54th annual Meeting and Convention, originally scheduled for September 18 to 20 in New Orleans and rescheduled for Dec-ember 12 to 14 at the same location. NBAA President Jack Olcott said the group's initial response to the tragedies was ``we're not going to cave to terrorists,'' but that position soon changed as the fallout grew.
CompletionCenter.com is a new online listing of mod centers and suppliers to the corporate aircraft industry. Basic listings are free, with paid listings offering greater detail and photos. The Web site is intended to place this consolidated listing before potential modification and completion customers. The site also features sections devoted to styling and material selections, as well as employment information.
Continental Airlines postponed its proposed initial public offering of stock in Continental Express, the carrier's regional airline subsidiary, in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11. The IPO was intended to help Continental recoup its investment in the Express division, which is formally known as ExpressJet Holdings. After the terrorist bombings, Continental was the first carrier to announce layoffs and schedule reductions and said that, without federal aid, it faced the possibility of bankruptcy late this month.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is seeking companies wishing to prequalify for bidding on the fixed base operation at New York City's La Guardia Airport. To qualify, the agency requires that bidders have been in the FBO business continuously for the past five years and shall have generated $10 million in revenue in the past year, at least $4 million of which must come from operations at a single airport.
The Washington, D.C.-based consumer advocacy group Public Citizen has filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to require stronger label warnings for all of the cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins. Public Citizen is seeking a black box warning, which is the strongest labeling caution that can be mandated by the FDA.
Krautkramer is offering technicians its new USN 58R portable ultrasonic flaw detector. The USN 58R is designed to operate in cold environments down to -4F and the one-quarter-size VGA display enables 60-Hz update rates. Two rotary knobs on the sides of the unit allow the user to make fast adjustments. Weighing only six pounds, the unit can operate up to six hours on six standard D-cell batteries, and an AC adapter allows continuous bench-top use.
A host of aviation organizations have sent a letter asking President Bush to speed up the timetable for ATC modernization. Despite differences in emphasis and agenda among the letter's signatories, all are convinced that the FAA's Operational Evolution Plan (OEP) will be overtaken by actual demand in as little as five years. The goal of the OEP is to support a 30-percent overall increase in commercial operations over a 10-year timeline.
Hot-and-high testing of the Avro RJX-85 has begun at Phoenix Williams Gateway Airport in Arizona. The airport is also home to Honeywell's AS977 engine manufacturing and support facility. Testing is expected to last two months. British European Airways is slated to take delivery of the first Avro RJX in April 2002, while launch customer Druk Air of Nepal will receive its first RJX-85 later in the year.
Thunder Aviation, Chesterfield, Mo., has appointed Jerry Leath president and chief operating officer of the company and James Mead as manager of FBO operations at its Spirit of St. Louis Airport facility.
The New Piper Meridian turboprop has received FAA flight into known icing (FIKI) certification. All Meridians under construction and all future aircraft will be FIKI system equipped. Chuck Suma, New Piper president and CEO, announced that Piper is implementing a retrofit program to bring the approximately 100 Meridians already delivered up to current production standards, including FIKI certification. Current owners can schedule their aircraft for the upgrades, beginning immediately.
August 28: The ATP-rated pilot and commercial-rated copilot of a Dassault Falcon 20 were uninjured when the aircraft landed gear-up at Detroit City Airport (DET). The aircraft sustained substantial damage. According to preliminary reports, the Grand Aire Express flight was returning to the airport after reporting an open door. Air traffic controllers had advised the crew prior to touchdown that the landing gear appeared to be up. The aircraft slid down Runway 33 into a graveyard adjacent to the airport.
In a recent study conducted by the Institute of Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy, people who regularly took low doses of aspirin had fewer heart attacks. (For study info, go to http://www.MayoClinic.com/home?id=NE0020) Does this mean that taking an aspirin should be an every-other-day event for you? Not necessarily, according to the Mayo Clinic, a leader in the field of Health Care, and the source of the following information. Aspirin and Platelets
In early September, charter pilot Todd Agee was returning alone from a morning flight in Condor Express' three-month-old King Air C-90B. The Connecticut weather was CAVU and calm as the 3,000-hour ATP began his descent into Danbury Municipal, Condor's home port. He was on short final and just above the displaced threshold for Run-way 26 when something caught the corner of his eye.
Citing ``the recognition that . . . demand for air transportation is expected to decline sharply,'' in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on this country, Midway Airlines in mid-September discontinued service and released most of its remaining employees. The Raleigh, N.C., carrier had been operating under bankruptcy protection since August 14, when it laid off nearly 700 employees -- including 183 pilots and 99 flight attendants -- grounded four Fokker F100s and 13 CRJs and thinned its route structure and flight schedules.
Japan Air Commuter has ordered five Bombardier Q400s to replace its aging NAMC YS-11 fleet. Deliveries of the 70- to 78-seat turboprops are set to begin in fourth quarter 2002. The Japanese regional, a division of the Japan Air System, operates a mixed fleet of 36-seat Saab 340Bs and 64-passenger YS-11s. The carrier's Japanese-made turboprops were originally manufactured between 1967 and 1971. Value of the deal is approximately $105 million and includes an option for additional aircraft.
DeCrane Aircraft Seating Division has introduced LXS, its latest lightweight executive seat for Challenger, Gulfstream and Falcon aircraft. Comfort features available on the LXS include a recliner-style leg rest, a ``lift and shift'' seat pan, full berthing, lumbar support, slide-down arms, in-arm meal trays and display monitor provisions. The low-profile aluminum base can provide up to three inches of additional legroom over the original aircraft seats. The frame of the LXS weighs 38 pounds and has a maximum finished weight of 120 pounds.
Honeywell's Primus Epic integrated avionics system has made its first fixed-wing flight on a Hawker Horizon, the launch aircraft for the new system. Primus Epic integrates control and management of avionics and aircraft utility systems on common cockpit displays and features a cursor control system as opposed to discrete controls and displays for each subsystem. On the Horizon, Primus Epic also controls the nosewheel steering, landing gear, fuel system display and management, the electronic brake control module and the engine vibration monitor.
