This month, Fairchild Dornier is to begin using the full-scale test rig for the 728JET's fly-by-wire control system, just weeks after Belgian subcontractor SABCA first cut metal for the new regional jet. SABCA will build the cockpit structure and a section of rear fuselage for the 70- to 85-seat regional jet; CASA/EADS in Spain will build the aircraft's wings and tail sections.
Major aviation training facilities such as FlightSafety International, SimuFlite, Pan Am/Simcom and Bombardier pilot training centers will soon display safety posters for their students, courtesy of B/CA. The new posters focus on the conclusions of Flight Safety Foundation Task Force studies of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) avoidance and approach and landing accident reduction (ALAR). The posters are part of an NBAA Safety Committee effort to standardize training for CFIT avoidance and ALAR.
Through the efforts of multiple working groups ETM/IETMs generally can be classified into five categories. A Class 1 ETM is used for older and less frequently used aircraft, because the data are derived from a legacy hard copy manual that is raster scanned. This means the text and art are non-editable and only can be used as a page-turning ETM.
A pilot for Swiss regional carrier Crossair narrowly avoided injury in early October when a shootout erupted near his aircraft during an attempted robbery. The incident occurred at Luxembourg Airport when the pilot was conducting his walk-around inspection of the Saab 2000. Two armed men attempted to steal banknotes being loaded on the aircraft, which was scheduled to fly to Zurich with 37 passengers aboard. Six people were injured in the early morning melee, including the gunmen, two policemen and two civilians.
Barfield, Inc. has opened a 9,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Tempe, Ariz. Antoine Mocellin manages the facility, which provides repair and overhaul services for Barfield's Western U.S. and Pacific Rim customers.
Jeff Bordelon has been appointed regional turbine center manager, Dane McGuffe is JT15D regional engine manager for the Southeastern United States and Rob Haldeman has been named Rolls-Royce Model 250 regional engine manager.
NTSB investigators continue to examine why a Bombardier Challenger 604 crashed while taking off from Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport for high-altitude flight-testing. Test pilot Bryan Irelan and flight test engineer David Riggs perished in the accident, while test pilot Eric Fiore was severely burned. The aircraft's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were both recovered at the scene and sent to Washington, D.C. for analysis. Witnesses say that the aircraft left the ground briefly but cartwheeled out of control after experiencing severe wing rocking.
George Seielstad has been named president of NASA's Earth Science Infor-mation Partners Federation and Thomas Schellinger was named vice president of airline programs.
Jet Aviation is expanding its Teterboro (TEB) and Basel, Switzerland facilities. The Teterboro improvements include a four-acre ramp extension, with enough room to park 30 aircraft, and a five-story, 40,000-square-foot FBO terminal. The project is expected to be completed in July 2001. Jet is adding a new four-story building in Basel and adding a story to its existing facility. Construction will begin in early 2001 and is expected to be completed by mid-2002.
Messier-Dowty has restructured, creating separate business units for regional and business aircraft, Airbus and Boeing/Military programs. Former Messier-Dowty President Ken Laver has been named group vice president for regional and business aircraft. Laver says he hopes to expand on the Snecma unit's dominance in the business and regional markets. First project on his wish list: Raytheon's Hawker 450.
A backache is one of man's most-common ailments. Among flight crews, back pain is so ordinary that the majority of sufferers accept it as an occupational aggravation. Pilots have a powerful motivation to avoid seeking medical help, and as long as the pain is tolerable most will endure it for years. I bet you've had an aching back and never notified your doctor or flight surgeon. You even flew when it was sore. Nodding your head? I won't tell. I've had back pain and hid it. Unfortunately, I waited until it was almost too late to get help.
Three foreign operators recently ordered 24 new Cessna Citations valued at more than $120 million. Brazil's Taxi Aereo Marila (TAM) ordered 14 aircraft, including three CJ1s, five CJ2s, an Encore, three Bravos and two Excels. The order is in addition to 15 Citations TAM ordered previously. Separately, Avemex of Toluca, Mexico ordered seven new Citations -- three Excels, two Bravos, a CJ1 and a CJ2 -- scheduled for delivery between May 2002 and February 2003.
BAE Systems has leased 10 Jetstream 32EP's to Corporate Aircraft Partners (CAP), an Atlanta-based company that aims to fill a gap in the aircraft management/leasing market. The concept? Provide companies with on-demand air travel within an 800-mile radius of their home city, in the form of turboprop aircraft with luxury, 10-12 seat interiors and hookups for laptop computers.
GE Capital is offering what it calls ``bundled financing'' of various aircraft costs, including lease payments, training, engine maintenance and refurbishment.
Readers of the Modifications Directory should note that B/CA relies on the representations of the many companies it contacts for information while compiling the data. As B/CA has cautioned in the past few editions, because of the heightened emphasis on enforcement by FAA inspectors, particularly with respect to records, documents and the provenance of parts, operators should take great care to ensure that any modification under consideration complies with applicable FARs.
Masked by a year-long disinformation campaign, cleverly crafted around the development of the next-generation G-IV, Gulfstream officials startled industry observers by unveiling the new G-VSP. Gulfstream said the aircraft would have a maximum range of 6,750 nm with nine passengers. Additionally, it boasts more usable cabin volume than the Bombardier Global Express and has shorter takeoff distances. ``We absolutely, positively deliver nine-passenger, New York-to-Tokyo range all the time,'' said Gulfstream manufacturing chief Preston Henne.
Galaxy Aerospace is hoping that negotiations with Executive Jet lead to a firm deal for the sale of 50 Galaxy business jets and 50 options to the fractional operator by the end of the year. One stipulation of the deal is reportedly the establishment of an aircraft support network at Executive Jet's 10 most frequently visited cities.
A new 11,100-foot runway has opened at Memphis International Airport (MEM). Dubbed World Runway, the runway is a rebuild and extension of Runway 18C/36C, which was 8,400 feet long.
Construction has begun at an Ocala, Fla., fly-in community for business jet owners. Known as Jumbolair Estates, the property boasts a 7,550-foot paved runway, a VASI approach lighting system and a 10-acre aircraft parking area, as well as a community pool, gym and equestrian center. Jumbolair is the former home of Nautilus exercise equipment founder Arthur Jones -- and formerly housed Nautilus' three corporate Boeing 707s.
Cessna has appointed new authorized sales representatives (ASR) in Uruguay and Saudi Arabia for Caravans and Citations. The new ASRs are Riyadh-based Wallan Aviation and Aeromont Ltda., headquartered in Montevideo.
