Thank you so much for publishing the article by Tom Gillespie (Flight Log, February, page 84), my old mentor at Piper Aircraft, who started me on a rewarding general aviation career. After Business & Commercial Aviation provided me with his contact information, I called him and sent articles from the October and November issues in which he received accolades for his flying the MS-760 Paris Jet at the 1958 NBAA Convention in Philadelphia.
To learn more about aircraft wiring, visit the ATSRAC Web site at www.caasd.org/atsrac/index.html. The group has plenty of information on aging aircraft issues and has links to both the FAA guidance and advisory material. It even contains material on Time Domain Reflectometry, which is a method for determining wire integrty by sending a measured pulse signal through a wire and measuring the return signal, much like radar operates. The signal can pinpoint problem areas in terms of distance along the wire length.
Gulfstream Aerospace has received FAA authorization to use Automatic Dependent Surveillance — Contract (ADS-C) capabilities built into its PlaneView avionics for oceanic and remote area position reporting. Gulfstream is the first purpose-built business jet manufacturer to receive such approval. ADS-C is part of the Future Air Navigation System (FANS) data link application, which will include Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC). In late 2008, Gulfstream completed a full FANS flight across the Atlantic Ocean using CPDLC with ADS-C.
The six-month-long process of converting a former Atlantic Coast Airlines Dornier 328 into a 12-passenger VIP twinjet is under way at the 328 Support Services hangar at Operpfaffenhofen Airport, near Munich, Germany.
The FAA plans to formally withdraw a controversial NPRM that has generated significant opposition from general aviation groups since 2006. The proposal would establish new classifications for repair stations, and require quality programs. Opponents have complained that the requirements did not take into account small repair stations that worked on light aircraft. FAA earlier in the decade had to shelve a previous attempt at addressing those issues after receiving a similar outpouring of opposition. So for the second time, the FAA is capitulating.
A new report from financial services company UBS indicates that the rate of the business jet market’s decline may be slowing. Analyst David Strauss, writing in the company’s March edition of Business Jet Market Index, stated that the results of a UBS survey of broker/dealers, manufacturers, fractional providers and aircraft financial specialists worldwide indicate a “slower pace of deterioration” in the market for business jets is occurring.
The Aerospace Industries Association says that with export sales exceeding $90 billion annually, aerospace represents America’s leading manufacturing export industry. The AIA has launched an outreach campaign focused on supporting aerospace as a means of stabilizing the economy. The campaign, entitled “Aerospace and Defense: The Strength to Lift America,” is supplemented by an AIA White Paper detailing the background of the movement. www.aia-aerospace.org
Fill up the tanks and a Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350ER can fly six passengers more than 2,200 nm, according to our 2009 Purchase Planning Handbook. That’s enough range to fly from San Diego to Westchester County, N.Y., Pittsburgh to Van Nuys or Seattle to Orlando. The least expensive jet offering that same range costs $14 million — nearly double the price of the long-legged King Air.
— At about 1526 MDT, a Learjet 55, Canadian registry C-GCIL, was substantially damaged during an aborted takeoff at Natrona County International Airport (CPR), Casper, Wyo. The airplane was registered to and operated by Sunwest Aviation Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was VFR and an IFR flight plan had been filed for the cross-country flight to Lafayette, La.
Raytheon Co. will develop the NextGen Terminal Data Distribution System (TDDS), the first-of-its-kind terminal system applied in the FAA’s System Wide Information Management (SWIM) program. As aircraft fly in U.S. airspace, they pass through different tracking systems, which transmit data and communicate with each other using point-to-point interfaces, unique communication links and protocols. TDDS will automate the exchange of flight data among these disparate, net-enabled systems and integrate multiple data sources, replacing the point-to-point interfaces.
W.W. (Bill) Boisture took the reins of Hawker Beechcraft Corp. as chairman and CEO Mar. 23, replacing Jim Schuster, who had announced his plan to retire once a successor was in place. His second day on the job, Boisture told the Wichita Eagle that, “There’s going to be a lot of change required to adapt to the levels of demand required in the marketplace and the way our products can be deployed in the marketplace in the future. How many airplanes should we build? How large should the company be?
Cessna appointed Chimes Aviation Academy at Sagar’s Dhana Airport as its third Cessna Pilot Center (CPC) in India. “Demand for aviation in India continues to grow, even during these tough global economic times,” said Julie Filucci, Cessna’s CPC manager. Uday Punj, director of Chimes Aviation, said, “We are driving a culture of excellence in all facets of flight training, beginning with our fleet of brand-new single-engine Cessna 172 aircraft with Garmin G1000 integrated glass cockpits.
Embraer named ABS Jets to be its authorized sales representative in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia. The Czech company is also an Embraer authorized service center and one of the largest Legacy 600 operators in Europe, and will be selling Embraer’s full line of business jets.
Bob Howie (Houston, TX), Assistant Chief Pilot (Houston, TX), Wing Aviation Charter Services (Houston, TX)
Well, the Super Bowl has come and gone for another year and while folks still laud the game, aviation would be remiss if it did not praise the efforts of the FAA and, in my case, Signature Flight Support in Tampa for their efforts in successfully orchestrating the post-game departures of what was likely more than 100 corporate jets. Ramp and ground control choreographed a ballet that would have made George Balanchine envious!
Proposed Rules Agusta A109E, A109S, A119 and AW119MKII helicopters — Using a 10-power or higher magnifying glass, visually inspect the cargo hook lever for cracks before each cargo hook operation. If any cracks are found, replace the cargo hook with one not having a cracked lever.
John Didier, president of Sacramento Aviation, which specializes in handling Citations and King Airs, believes the market may be turning. “The last quarter of 2008 was very slow. So was January. We went four months with just a few sales. Since the first part of February we have seen more activity — not big time — but the phones are ringing and we are getting an offer here and there. I think there is some light at the end of the tunnel.”
A corporate aircraft use policy sets forth the who, when, where and why of putting your people in your aircraft. For many years, the majority of corporate flight operators did not feel any need to put their policy in writing. It was simply understood. But times have changed. Now, you need to spell out your policy for yourself, your traveling and non-traveling employees, your shareholders, the IRS, the media, Congress and even the president of the United States.
Phoenix-based StandardAero released 119 employees at four locations in April. The layoffs were caused by a slowdown in shop volume, spokesman Mike Turner said. Affected are facilities in Augusta, Ga., Houston, Los Angeles and Springfield, Ill. “This reduction represents less than 3 percent of our overall work force and will take effect immediately,” Turner said. “We will continue to review our organizational needs and if we see an increase in work volume, we may call back employees.” StandardAero currently has 4,000 workers, he added.
Name withheld by author’s request (Williamsburg, VA)
With respect to the January Intelligence item by James E. Swickard about the “systemic shortcomings in Brazilian air traffic control concepts” (page 11), I offer a personal anecdote.
The TSA has assigned its general aviation liaison, Juan Barnes, whose charter is to address concerns over recent security measures. The AOPA’s online newsletter told members, “Now GA stakeholders can address questions to Barnes, the new line of communication to the TSA’s Office of General Aviation. Questions can be sent to Barnes at [email protected]. The AOPA will automatically be copied.”
Honeywell expects certification of SmartPath, its ground-based augmentation (GBAS) system that would replace traditional ILS. The company said certification could possibly come by the end of May. That will likely trigger similar moves by other national regulators, said Dan Ryan, Honeywell’s director of precision landing systems. GBAS has been used extensively in Australia, and Airservices Australia has played a major role in its development. In Australia, Airservices and Qantas have used SmartPath for more than 1,600 landings at Sydney Airport, using 737s.
— About 1340 EDT, a Cirrus SR22 (N213CP) was substantially damaged after it deployed its Cirrus Airplane Parachute System (CAPS) shortly after takeoff from the Montgomery County Airpark (GAI), Gaithersburg, Md. The private pilot was not injured. It was IFR and a flight plan had been filed for the flight destined for the Battle Creek International Airport (AZO), Kalamazoo, Mich. The airplane departed Runway 32, a 4,202-foot-long, asphalt runway. The pilot reported that he noticed air leaking from the passenger side door immediately after takeoff.
Cessna has again lowered its production plans for 2009 and 2010, company parent Textron announced in April. The move will result in another round of layoffs in addition to the 4,600 jobs lost since December 2008. There will also be a two-week factory shutdown in July. Textron did not specify details of the latest round.
Garmin has been granted an FAA STC for installation of its G1000 avionics suite onboard Beechcraft King Air 200s and B200s. The Olathe, Kan., avionics manufacturer said the STC applies to most configurations of the popular twin turboprop, including those with Blackhawk engines.
