JEPPESEN developed three new pilot training products: CFI Renewal Online; JeppChart Training Online, and JAA Airline Transport Product License (ATPL) Theoretical Knowledge Manuals. The CFI Renewal Online course is a joint effort between Jeppesen and AOPA Air Safety Foundation. Upon completion of the interactive course, a student can receive a temporary FAA flight instructor certification from Jeppesen/ASF. JeppChart Training currently covers the use of Jeppesen approach and airport charts, but soon will be expanded to cover a host of charts.
Bombardier began its year-long march toward certification last week with the first flight of its super mid-size Continental business jet. The aircraft, serial number 20001, took off from Bombardier's Learjet facilities at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport at 6:57 a.m. Aug 14 for a two-hour flight in "near-perfect" weather, Bombardier said. The aircraft reached an altitude of 17,500 feet and a speed of 231 knots.
THE BOMBARDIER GLOBAL EXPRESS with an Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) configuration completed its first flight at the Bombardier Flight Test Center in Wichita, Kan. Scheduled to enter service by 2005, ASTOR is the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense's long-range airborne surveillance system that will be installed on five Global Express aircraft. First production aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2002.
BOMBARDIER Model DHC-8-311 and -315 series airplanes (Docket No. 2000-NM-340-AD; Amendment 39-12366; AD 2001-15-31) - requires replacement of the door stops on the baggage bulkhead with new, improved door stops. This action is necessary to prevent the internal door on the baggage bulkhead from jamming in the closed position, precluding access to the baggage compartment, which is critical for firefighting during flight. None of the Bombardier Model DHC-8-311 and -315 series airplanes affected by this action are on the U.S. Registry.
BOMBARDIER promoted Michel Lord, formerly vice president of communications and public relations, to vice president of investor relations. Yvon Turcot, formerly a consulting firm head, was appointed to vice president of public affairs, and will be responsible for corporate communications, public and government relations. Both will report to Bombardier President and CEO Robert E. Brown.
TEXTRON LYCOMING delivered its 300,000th aircraft engine to Mike Reid, a home aircraft builder in Maple Lakes, Minn. Lycoming has been delivering horizontally opposed aircraft engines since 1938. "The fastest-growing segment of general aviation today is the kit/homebuilt market. We are encouraged when people like Mike Reid, who spend countless hours constructing their own airplane, choose Lycoming to power their project," said Mike Wolf, president of Textron Lycoming.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION last week released a new initiative to enhance the safety of aircraft wiring from design and installation through retirement. The plan, part of the agency's overall Aging Transport Non-Structural Systems program, follows several crashes in which safety experts raised questions about wiring systems and bundles. The impact of the initiative on general aviation aircraft is unclear since all of the wiring investigations have centered on large airliner aircraft.
THE SATCOM division of EMS Technologies, Inc. won a $2.5 million contract from the Thailand Department of Aviation for ground-based equipment and software to support search-and-rescue operations over the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. EMS will provide an ATLUT-500 Local User Terminal, which detects and locates distress beacons, an Operations Control Console system to be installed at the Thailand Mission Control Center, and a SARMaster Rescue Coordination Center system to consolidate and distribute distress alert information.
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL'S Wichita Cessna learning center received FAA Level D certification for its Citation CJ2 full motion flight simulator. FlightSafety Simulation designed and built the CJ2, the first simulator for the new aircraft, in Tulsa, Okla.
MALAYSIA canceled its $3 billion plan to build Northern Region International Airport for Peninsula Malaysia. The project site and timeline had been changed twice before the plans were finally dropped. The new airport would have replaced Penang International Airport (PIA) to serve the states of Penang, Perak, Kedah and Perlis.
ROCKWELL COLLINS will provide CDC Systems U.K. Ltd. with handheld military Global Positioning System units for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense BOWMAN program. The contract is valued at $86 million for 37,000 GPS receivers and accessories. Deliveries of Rockwell Collins Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver (PLGR)-III and Miniature PLGR engine products will start in early 2002 and continue for five years.
Aerospace Products International, a subsidiary of First Aviation Services, Inc. completed the acquisition of five Superior Air Parts Inc. regional distribution centers for $4.6 million in cash. API earlier was appointed a worldwide distributor for Superior's line of FAA approved replacement parts for Lycoming and Continental aircraft engines (BA, Aug. 6/60). "This acquisition enables API to expand its customer base as well as its product and service offerings. As part of the transaction, we acquired $3.5 million of inventory.
HONEYWELL scored two firsts this month with the flight of its AS907 turbofans on the Bombardier Continental and the flight of its new Primus Epic avionics suite on the Raytheon Hawker Horizon. See articles below.
HONEYWELL AND THALES delivered the first MCS0-7000 satellite communications (SATCOM) system to Gulfstream's Appleton, Wis., completion center for installation on a Phillips Petroleum Gulfstream IV-SP. The seven-channel MCS-7000 SATCOM, which won FAA approval last month, will replace the Honeywell six-channel MCS-6000. The MCS-7000 uses the INMARSAT satellite constellation and can interface with future alternative satellite systems.
JOHN KONRAD was named vice president commercial marketing and sales for Boeing Satellite Systems. Konrad will be responsible for commercial business development, maintaining and expanding market share. Konrad has worked at BSS since the beginning of his career in 1976, and he was most recently the director of the Americas region for fixed and broadcast services.
WOODY CONTRACTING's Kaman K-MAX helicopter surpassed 10,000 airframe flight hours. The Summerville, Ore. company bought the K-MAX external lift helicopter in May 1996 for heli-logging operations in Idaho, Montana and Oregon. The aircraft is designed for medium- to heavy-lift duties with a narrow profile to allow the pilot a view of the external load, Kaman said.
TRANSCONTINENTAL AVIONICS CORPORATION acquired Xtreme Aviation, an online pilot shop in Ocala, Fla. The Xtreme website, which marketed more than 600 items of aviation equipment, has been moved and incorporated into TCA's website.
FOKKER Model F27 Mark 050 series airplanes (Docket No. 2001-NM-141-AD; Amendment 39-12367; AD 2001-15-32) - requires installation of a filler plate and a doubler to reinforce the area under the top antenna for the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). This action is necessary to prevent cracking due to fatigue in the area under the antenna for the TCAS, which could result in reduced structural capability of the airplane. None of the Fokker Model F27 Mark 050 series airplanes affected by this action are on the U.S. Registry. Currently, non-U.S.
The National Transportation Safety Board Friday wrapped up its on-scene investigation of the Aug. 10 crash of a Eurocopter AS 350 B2S helicopter, Serial Number N169PA, near the Grand Canyon that killed the pilot and five passengers. The helicopter, operated by Papillon Helicopters, was returning from a sightseeing tour of the Grand Canyon when it crashed near Boulder City, Nev. between 2:30 and 3 p.m. Pacific Time. The helicopter had stopped for fuel at Grand Canyon West Airport shortly before the crash.
HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL last week appealed to its members to help in the battle to fight wildfires in the western states. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho told HAI it immediately needs Type II helicopters capable of carrying 300 - 699 gallons of fire retardant, the association said. "We face a critical wildfire season in the western states right now," said HAI President Roy Resavage.
SEVERAL INDUSTRY ORGANIZATIONS have hired economic forecaster DRI-WEFA to conduct a new study on the overall impact of the aviation industry on the U.S. economy and how air traffic congestion could damage commerce. The organizations, including the Air Transport Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, National Business Aviation Association, Boeing and Aerospace Industries Association, hope to use the results of the study to impress upon national leaders the importance of relieving airspace congestion.
HARTZELL PROPELLER completed supplemental type certificate testing of the three-blade propeller for the Piper Cherokee 235. The 78-inch-diameter constant-speed propeller offers increased ground clearance and a longer time between overhaul, Hartzell said. FAA certification is expected soon.
LOCKHEED MARTIN AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT opened an office in Moscow to help Russia and other CIS states to modernize their civil aviation infrastructures. LMATM President Don Antonucci told a Moscow news conference the improvements "can open airspace, generate revenues via overflight and landing fees and thus contribute to economic development and progress in the region." The company proposed deploying new air traffic control technology for major segments of Russian airspace now uncontrolled by radar.
