While the sound of spinning rotors may mean lifesaving, safety or profit to members of the rotary-wing community, to most in the general population, the sound is just noise. Too often, unwelcome noise. And that’s a problem for everyone.
This month we are looking at another recent approach stall accident involving a large airplane with a highly experienced pilot serving as PIC. The NTSB says the FAA’s oversight of the operating company — Fresh Air Inc. — was lax, the operation of the airplane was sloppy and the crew coordination was poor. Training records were haphazard and de facto SOPs did not comply with the aircraft flight manual (AFM).
Pilots operating under Part 125 are not required to receive any specific training as defined by the FARs. However, per 14 CFR 125.287(b), captains are required to meet certain experience requirements, and both pilots are required to receive an annual competency check. In addition, per 14 CFR 125.291(a), each pilot-in-command (PIC) must receive an instrument proficiency check every six months. The instrument proficiency check is generally a more comprehensive check, so Part 125 allows the pilot to substitute an instrument proficiency check for the competency check.
Many of today’s pilots never had the opportunity to operate aircraft with big, radial, piston engines. These powerplants are beefy and complex and have systems to extract extra energy from heat and to deal with high heat and pressures. A water injection system, also known as anti-detonation injection, or simply ADI, is one of them. Another is an auto feathering system, designed to accelerate the feathering of a failing engine while preventing the manual feathering of the running engine. Choosing to use either or both systems creates takeoff weight restrictions.
Rated at 1,695 lb. thrust to ISA+10C, the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F is scaled-up version of the PW615F that powers the Citation Mustang with hot-section durability improvements added to withstand the rigors of the high-cycle operating environment of air-taxi operations. An automatic performance reserve feature boosts engine output to 1,777 lb. thrust in the event of engine failure on takeoff, if APR is armed prior to takeoff roll.
The Embraer Phenom 100’s Prodigy avionics package is a highly evolved and customized version of the Garmin G1000 system used in several other light turbofan aircraft, including the Cessna Citation Mustang. Embraer chose to fit the aircraft with three identical 12-in. AMLCDs having the same basic internal functionality. Any of them can assume the identity of a primary flight display or multifunction display. Using reversionary modes, this design feature allows the aircraft to be dispatched with one of the three displays inoperative.
General aviation aircraft deliveries and billings rose more than 4% in 2014 over 2013, although results in individual segments were mixed. Deliveries of business jet and piston-powered airplanes rose in 2014, for example, while shipments of turboprops and rotorcraft decreased. Total worldwide general aviation airplane deliveries rose 4.3%, from 2,353 units in 2013 to 2,454 units in 2014.
The general aviation industry contributed $219 billion to the U.S. economy in 2013 and supported 1.1 million direct and indirect U.S. jobs, according to a just-released 16-page report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. That’s up dramatically from the last study performed in 2004 and 2005, when the industry contributed $150 billion to the U.S. economy, said General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) President and CEO Pete Bunce. The last study was done when the industry was ascending and before the economic downturn.
The third prototype of the AgustaWestland AW609 commercial tiltrotor is set to fly in May, paving the way for deicing tests of the aircraft at year-end. Engineers are currently assembling the aircraft in Italy, where shakedown flights will be conducted before it is dismantled and sent to Philadelphia in preparation for testing of the aircraft’s deicing system in Minnesota toward year-end.
Jet Aviation is managing the FBO at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas, and has plans to add new hangars and remodel the interior. The Nassau facility features 305,000 sq. ft. of ramp space and includes on-site Customs and Immigration, concierge service, 20,000 sq. ft. of hangar space. It also plans to repave and expand the ramp and add new tenant hangars.
Duncan Aviation released its recently updated Straight Talk book on the NextGen initiative Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). The debate is over, and the January 2020 deadline gets closer every day. To find out what you need to know to make sure your aircraft is in compliance with the FAA’s mandate, go to: www.duncanaviation.aero/straighttalk/adsb/index.php . The updated book is free.
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will be on display at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, EBACE, in May. Organizers are dedicating a zone for unmanned aircraft system products so attendees can see them in action and take part in education sessions that will focus on the European Commission’s regulations regarding UAS, or remotely piloted aircraft systems, as they are better known in Europe. The move comes as UAS grows as part of the business aviation community worldwide.
The number of civil helicopter accidents in the U.S. fell 26% last year, showing good safety progress by the industry, the International Helicopter Safety Team said. The number of accidents fell to 3.64 accidents in 2014, from 4.95 accidents in 2013, the organization said. Over the past 10 years, however, the accident rate has dropped by more than half, according to the report. From 2001-2005, the number of civil helicopter accidents averaged 7.97 per 100,000 flight hours. The number of fatal accidents has also fallen.
Business aviation flights in Europe saw a big decline in January, marked by fewer flights in Western Europe and a continued free-fall in activity in Russia and the Ukraine, according to a report by WingX Advance. Overall, there were 49,929 business aviation flights in Europe in January, a decline of 5.8% compared to January 2013. “This fall takes last year’s tepid recovery well off course,” the report said. Activity last month was at a similar level to that of January 2009. Flight activity fell 4% in Western Europe.
Pilatus appoints Russian aviation company Nesterov Aviation as its PC-12 sales and service center for Russia. Nesterov has offices in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Pilatus calls Nesterov the “perfect partner” that can offer customized support to PC-12 owners in Russia. Nesterov Aviation will begin preparations this year for a maintenance center in the northwestern part of Russia to further expand its operations across the country.
TriState Careflight, which offers critical care transport services, is teaming with Baldwin Safety and Compliance, based in Hilton Head, South Carolina, to enhance and grow its safety management system. TriState offers services in Arizona, New Mexico. Colorado and Nevada. TriState, based in Bullhead City, Arizona, operates 27 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft and employs 380 people. TriState’s collaboration with Baldwin underscores its commitment to the most efficient and safest emergency medical service organization possible, the company said.
After languishing in storage in Toulouse for the last several years, the world’s first and only VVIP Airbus A380 has been retired. Airbus removed the aircraft from its order book in late 2014, ending speculation over if and when the giant aircraft would ever become the “Flying Palace” it was once intended to be. Airbus says it does not know what will happen to the aircraft, which was the third prototype.
Delta Private Jets turned in a record 2014 in revenue and fleet growth, and is growing in all its business units, the aircraft charter, aircraft management and jet card company said. The company, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, recently added six aircraft to its managed aircraft fleet, including two Citation CJ2s, a Citation CJ3, a Learjet 75, a Citation X and a Hawker 4000. The additions bring the company’s managed fleet to 64 aircraft. Jet card sales were up 17% last year.
NetJets Europe flew the first Phenom 300 into London City Airport after receiving certification to operate the light aircraft from the airport, it said. NetJets is the largest private operator at the airport, with 50% of all traffic, according to NetJets. It connected to 374 destinations around the globe from London. More than 53% of its European customer base comes from the London finance sector, it said. Last year, 41% of its new business in Europe was generated in the financial industry.
The Guimbal Cabri G2, a French-designed, piston-engine light helicopter, has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Cabri — designed by former Airbus Helicopters engineer Bruno Guimbal — was awarded the certification on Feb. 3 after a 16-month program which included a study of the aircraft’s operations documentation and flight tests, the company said. It comes eight years after the helicopter was granted certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency in December 2007.
Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter of Dwight D. Eisenhower, was in Wichita on Jan. 26 for the unveiling of a new logo and the official launch of the new name of Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. T he airport is now the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, named after the 34th U.S. president. “We were thrilled that she (Mary Eisenhower) came” for the event, said Victor White, director of airports. The new logo and name comes as the airport is constructing a new, state-of-the-art terminal building in Wichita.
Jet Aviation Zurich, a fixed base operator, handled the majority of the aircraft and delegates passing through Zurich International Airport on their way to the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The provider handled 582 aircraft movements and 1,485 passengers. Jet Aviation Zurich brought in additional staff to handle the record number of delegates expected to attend the World Economic Forum, it said. It also added a number of luxury vehicles to its fleet to handle ground transportation requirements for the surge of passengers.
FlightSafety International is building its fourth full-flight simulator for the G650. It will be available at FlightSafety’s Learning Center in Wilmington, Delaware, in early 2016. The new simulator will feature tightly integrated computer hardware and software across subsystems to allow for more accurate and higher fidelity simulation than found in other current and previous simulators, the FSI said.
