Raytheon Aircraft Services (RAS) is offering a new series of IFE packages for Raytheon aircraft operators to upgrade their entertainment systems. RAS's new MAX Entertainment System program allows Beechcraft King Air, Beechcraft Premier I, Beechjet, Diamond and all legacy and current Hawker series aircraft operators to choose among prepackaged options that include components such as XM Satellite Radio, JetMap II, Honeywell DVD players, flat-panel color monitor, Sennheiser wireless headsets, wireless remote control and optional speakers.
The rule allowing operators to seek approval to fly into DCA took effect Aug. 18, but operators waited for further guidance from the TSA before starting the process. Applications seeking TSA approval to operate into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) are expected to begin rolling in, now that the agency has released an application form and guidance on the approval process. Filling out the one-page form is just the first step in what is expected to be a lengthy vetting exercise. The TSA expects the first flight into DCA this month.
The NBAA released its new Aircraft Charter Consumer Guide designed to help potential air charter users find a suitable operator and broker. The guide includes information for seeking charter safety information, locating contractors that audit charter companies, developing pre-screening questions for vetting operators and obtaining and evaluating price quotes. For more information, visit www.nbaa.org/charter.
The NBAA has secured space for its annual meeting and convention in Orlando by moving the date up to Nov. 9-11 (Wednesday-Friday). The Orlando site will have nearly one million square feet of exhibit space, and NBAA President Ed Bolen said the association will have static aircraft display accommodations at Orlando Executive Airport for up to 150 aircraft. The latest information is at www.nbaa.org.
Embraer's chief expects stepped-up light jet and very light jet orders after the NBAA convention in November. President and CEO Mauricio Botelho says that while there's been no ``avalanche'' of early non-binding orders, deliveries aren't slated until 2008 for the Brazilian-made VLJ and mid-2009 for the LJ and that detailed configurations for the business jets have not yet been published.
Pilots flying a pressurized airplane capable of flight above 25,000 feet are required to have a high-altitude endorsement. With the dangers of sudden cabin depressurization featured in many recent headlines, pilots need to be aware of the dangers. King Schools has created an online course to fulfill the ground training requirements of the high-altitude endorsement and provide a valuable training resource. High-Altitude Endorsement Ground Training takes about two hours to complete anywhere just by connecting to the Internet.
CAE has built and certified the first Embraer 190 full-flight simulator and installed it at JetBlue University's support campus at Orlando International Airport. The interim initial FAA certification was to Level C, with an upgrade to Level D planned for 2006. The simulator had achieved Ready for Training (RFT) status in July, which allowed Embraer to use it to support the aircraft's certification program (see above), and was put to work on Embraer's successful Failure Hazard Analysis and wind-shear guidance certification programs for the EMB 190.
On Sunday night, Aug. 28, with hurricane Katrina bearing down on New Orleans, Maria Davis, 53, of Jefferson Parish, La., just west of New Orleans, was increasingly concerned about the safety of her parents. Davis, a U.S. Air Force veteran, believed the forecast and took heed of the calls to evacuate. Her parents -- Fernando Guity, 73, a retired merchant seaman, and her mother, Elicia, 72, lived in a small house near the French Quarter for 54 years. She rushed to her parents' home, determined to evacuate them from Katrina's path.
There's a double whammy in the aviation fuel tax rules in the Highway Bill (H.R. 3), signed by President Bush in August. Taxes on jet fuel will be assessed at the diesel fuel rate of $0.244 per gallon instead of the $0.219 per gallon jet fuel rate and deposited into the Highway Trust Fund. Only if and when the ``registered ultimate vendor'' applies for a refund for the difference will the taxes be transferred into the Airport & Airway Trust Fund.
When Agusta introduced the A109 in the mid-1970s, the company had specifically targeted the corporate market -- a bold move, untried by any of the other better known helicopter manufacturers. To address the go-anywhere-anytime demands of that new market, the aircraft was IFR-certified, multiengined and fast. The early models of the series -- the A109, A109 MkII and A109C -- were fitted with Allison 250-C20 engines. While that powerplant was the standard among light helicopters, most pilots of those initial A109s deemed their aircraft underpowered.
TWO OF THE WORST THINGS an aviation maintenance technician can experience are having his or her aircraft crash or go missing. I've had both. While still a teenager, I was crew chief on a medevac UH-1V Huey stationed at Seoul Army Heliport H-201 in Korea. I had just come off a four-day shift at our forward base at Camp Casey, near the DMZ, and was looking forward to a night on the town when our duty NCO came running down the barracks hallway, yelling: ``Dustoff 328 is down! They've crashed!'' I ran to the hallway, ``What happened?''
In a short Sept. 7 announcement, Bombardier announced the departure of Peter Edwards, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft, effective immediately. Bombardier Aerospace President and CEO Pierre Beaudoin will head the business aircraft unit until a replacement for Edwards is found. Sudden management shakeups are not unusual at Bombardier, but the 49-year-old Edwards is very highly regarded in industry circles, and the preponderance of industry speculation has him exiting Bombardier under his own power. But his destination -- as we go to press -- is unknown.
The GAMA board also voted in six new members: Robert (Rob) Gillette, president and CEO, Honeywell Aerospace; Martin V. Glass, vice president, general manager Aircraft Engine Systems, Woodward Governor Co.; Gretchen Jahn, CEO of Mooney Aerospace Group, Ltd.; D. Scott Kallister, vice president, Corporate Jet Sales-North America, for Embraer; Tim Mahoney, president of business and general aviation for Honeywell Aerospace; and Simon Prior, general manager of Smiths Aerospace Mechanical Systems-Yakima.
Cessna's first production Mustang business jet (s.n. 0001) made its first flight Aug. 29 from the company's facilities in Wichita. The aircraft flew for exactly two hours, as the pilots performed systems and avionics checks, engaged the autopilot and evaluated handling characteristics. The very light jet logged 7.5 hours in its first four flights. ``We have a strong team working on the Mustang program, and they've achieved a major milestone by getting production unit one off the ground a month early,'' said Russ Meyer III, Mustang program manager.
The Cypress RSVP-720 mobile robot is designed for fully autonomous, 24/7 operation. Typical applications include: guard tours, hazardous area protection, visitor lobby and escort, random ID checking and alarm verification. The RSVP-720 features automatic docking for battery recharge, 802.11 wireless video, laser mapping and navigation, two-way audio, and Suprex technology for systems integration. Cypress Computer Systems, Inc. 1778 Imlay City Rd. Lapeer, MI 48446 (810) 245-2300 www.cypressworld.com
Capitalizing on the Garmin G-1000 MFD installed on Mooney Bravo and Ovation2 GX models, Mooney Aircraft is offering owners an STC-approved Garmin GDL-69A remote sensor installation that interfaces with the G-1000 to add location-specific XM WX satellite weather services powered by WxWorx, and up to 130 channels of XM satellite radio information and entertainment. Mooney says it has delivered more than 60 Bravo GX and Ovation2 GX piston singles that can take advantage of the optional upgrade.
Aviatrade Inc. plans to open an office in Shenzen, China. Philip Rushton, president of the jet acquisition consultancy, specializing in Gulfstreams, said, ``there will be substantial demand for private jet travel both within and to/from China in the near future and therefore plenty of business aviation-related opportunities for those willing to invest the time to cultivate and build on the necessary relationships.
The third-quarter edition of Vref Publishing's Market Leader newsletter believes that the market for previously owned aircraft is ``in the early stages of a moderate recovery.'' However, despite the continued rise in aircraft sales activity and values since the end of 2003, the publication cautions that the market still has a long way to go before returning to the heady days of the late 1990s.
Proposed Rules Bell 206A and 206B helicopters -- For aircraft modified by Aeronautical Accessories, periodically inspect the helicopter's cross tubes and replace any that are cracked. General Electric CF34 engines -- Conduct a one-time inspection of certain fan disks to determine it there are electrical arc-out indications. Replace the disks if necessary. Also, reduce the life limit of the fan disks.
The NBAA and National Air Transportation Association are creating a joint working group to encourage 100 percent filing for fuel tax refunds, as well as to develop a tax-secure process workable for business aviation. Currently, there are 54 fuel terminal areas at airports designated as secure by the IRS for fuel tax purposes.
In his opening remarks at the 2005 Canadian Business Aviation Association convention in Vancouver, organization President Rich Gage made a provocative statement. Referring to the increasingly isolationist ``Fortress America'' posture assumed by the Bush Administration since 9/11, Gage stated, ``If there's trouble brewing [for Canadian business aviation operators], this is where you're going to find it.'' Recently, B&CA asked the articulate Gage to elaborate on his CBAA convention remarks.
Delta AirElite Business Jets teamed with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to provide a package of special benefits to Delta's jet charter clients. Beyond preferred rates, Enterprise will deliver and pick up Delta clients' cars at most general aviation terminals as well as provide a complimentary upgrade from ``Premium'' to ``Luxury'' class vehicles when available.
A charter flight full of vacationers was about to depart for home from Mexico City when a mechanical problem put the Boeing 707 back in the gate. All the passengers were off-loaded and then kept around the departure gate for seven hours while the aircraft was restored to flying health. However, by then the crew had run out of duty time and could only make it across the border.
Steve Summers unwittingly may have set a record on Aug. 30. He pumped 14,000 gallons of fuel -- by himself -- in one day. The operations manager for Signature Flight Support's base at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) was the only person on the airport pumping fuel in the first few days after Hurricane Katrina, and he may have been the only person in New Orleans pumping jet fuel those first few days.
Precision Castparts Corp. is scheduled to close its purchase of Special Metals Corp. in the third quarter. The $540 million deal lacks only regulatory approval, the company said. PCC is a diversified manufacturer of complex metal components for a number of industries, including aerospace, where it supplies investment castings, airfoil castings and forged components used in jet aircraft engines and industrial gas turbines.
