Blu Halkin has become the fifth AOC-based operator at Cambridge International Airport, U.K., when it celebrated its maiden flight from Cambridge to Milan with its Citation CJ3 (G-PAOL). Blu Halkin's second base is in Northern Italy, and selected Cambridge because of its maintenance expertise and ground handling capabilities.
The King Air 350i's flight deck is a mixture of new and old. The panel has three, large-format, portrait configuration AFD-3000 adaptive flight displays used for left and right PFDs plus a center MFD with engine instrument indications. The core of the system is the central Integrated Avionics Processing System, a computer chassis at the center of the system's hub-and-spoke architecture. Standard equipment includes an Integrated Flight Information System that hosts electronics charts, enhanced map graphics, and XM satellite radio or ACARS weather, among other functions.
Esteemed colleague, veteran flight department manager and expert fighter and business pilot Ross Detwiler seems to have tunnel vision on the issue of head-up displays (HUDs). He's so focused on the pros and cons of the comparative benefits associated with using head-up versus head-down displays (HDD) just for low visibility approaches, he's lost sight, literally and figuratively, of what's going on outside the airplane for the other 99% of the flight.
The overriding benefit of a head-up display (HUD) system is facilitating the pilot's transition from instrument to visual flight near the ground for landing. What if the aircraft could be landed without “seeing” the ground? Take a look at the picture of a head-down display (HDD), synthetic vision PFD in Figure 1. That presentation would be the same at night, in VFR or in IFR. That image represents the future.
On the evening of Dec. 29, 1972, a Lockheed L-1011 departed New York's JFK Airport, on a scheduled FAR Part 121 flight to Miami International Airport (MIA). Around 11:32 p.m, the crew received clearance and began the approach to Miami. The first officer lowered the landing gear but noticed that the nose gear down and locked indicator light did not illuminate. The pilots canceled the approach and entered a holding pattern at 2,000 ft. so that they could investigate the problem. They recycled the gear with no change.
If the Vietnam War could be said to have provided anything good, it was its technological advancement of turbine-powered helicopters and development of a pool of qualified pilots to fly them. At the peak of the war, the U.S. Army was churning out some 300 pilots a month.
Standing before hundreds of business aviation operators clustered into hotel ballrooms at annual NBAA International Operators Conferences over the past decade, Bill Stine has urged attendees to begin mapping out plans for equipping their transcontinental business jets with FANS 1/A avionics.
In mid-December 2011, NTSB investigators viewed black and white video images recorded on Nov. 23 by an outdoor security surveillance camera located about 6 mi. south of Superstition Mountain at Apache Junction, Ariz. The video file contained about 50 min. of image data covering the period from about 1810 to 1900.
One of the more interesting aircraft projects on the near horizon is in fact a second coming of what was surely one of the most controversial civil aircraft ever certified and produced — the Eclipse very light jet. Inspired by a proof-of-concept aircraft sponsored by Williams International to highlight its EJ-22 engine, the Eclipse project launched in 1998.
This past summer, the general aviation community welcomed the fact that the House GA Caucus had reached 200 members, making it one of the largest caucuses in the chamber. Its Senate counterpart also had grown in numbers, encompassing 35 members. Such strength is good news because the caucuses have played instrumental roles in key issues affecting the industry including debates on user fees, contract towers, air tour restrictions and other contentious matters, one of the most notable being the protection of general aviation privacy.
The market adage, “Don't try to catch the falling knife,” was born of hard experience. But in the used aircraft world, the knife seems to have finally hit the floor, and buyers are gradually emerging from the shadows of recession. There is no doubt that buyers and sellers are wary now, but are they smarter?
AOPA, Frederick, Md., announced that Mark Baker is the new president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He replaces Craig Fuller, who has led the organization for the last five years.
Aspen Avionics, Albuquerque, N.M., announced the Perri Coyne has joined the company as director of Marketing Operations. Perri comes to Aspen from Beechcraft Corp. Prior to that, she worked at Honeywell Aerospace in a variety of marking and media relations posts. She began her aviation career at Signature Flight Support in a marketing role.
Cardiff Aviation, Cardiff, appointed Andrew Braley as commercial director. His appointment follows the recent arrival of Allan Dunne as head of Flight Training.
CIRCOR, Corona, Calif., promoted Daniel Godin to vice president of Operations, North America. In his expanded role, he will continue to provide leadership for the company's Lean Manufacturing and growth initiatives.
Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Ga., named William Brown director of global security. He will manage activities to protect Gulfstream employees, assets and property. William Gibson was appointed director, Product Support Global Distribution. He previously spent 10 years at Honeywell, most recently as senior manager, customer operations for its Space and Defense segmant.
Beechcraft King Air 350, or Model B300, is the largest business turboprop yet built by the Wichita manufacturer and by far its most versatile performer. More than 600 first-generation aircraft built between 1990 and 2008 still are in service. In 2009, it was succeeded by the more luxurious King Air 350i.
Jet Aviation recently received CAMO certification authorizing the company to manage the maintenance of aircraft registered in Bermuda. For aircraft registered in Bermuda, a CAMO is a mandatory requirement that was implemented in 2010. “With this service expansion, we now have the ability to offer our services to over 700 Bermuda-registered aircraft,” said Don Haloburdo, vice president and general manager of Jet Aviation Flight Services.
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is seeking to potentially add one or two more fixed-base operations at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in California. LAWA, which oversees VNY in addition to Los Angeles International (LAX) and Ontario (ONT), issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for parties interested in operating an FBO at the airport. LAWA says it anticipates that two FBO areas will be made available — one on a lot that has been vacant for some time and the other on a site that Pentastar Aviation vacated last spring. Both involve parcels of up to 15 acres.
I was surprised by a letter titled “One Sided” in the September B&CA (page 12) by Steven Twist, a lawyer for Services Group of America . . . and more so, that you even printed it. I read the referenced article, “Command Presence” (Cause & Circumstance, June 2013, page 55), and went over the NTSB documents several times and can find nothing in Dick Aarons' reporting that is even closely one-sided. Instead, I found it to be factual, to the point, and exactly what I expected when I viewed the NTSB report.
Ac-U-Kwik has developed an airport and FBO iPad app. Data available in the “Corporate Pilot's Airport/FBO Directory for North America and International” includes complete information on FBOs and fuel services, selective maintenance, catering, ground transportation, airport diagrams, clearance procedures, weather forecasts and updates, distance calculator and geo-referenced mapping. You can bookmark airport and make notes. For more information, go to: acukwik.com/ipad
Rockwell Collins' $1.39 billion buy of Arinc from the Carlyle Group gives the avionics maker its own end-to-end ground-to-cockpit communications link, a connection that is fundamental to the FAA's NextGen air traffic management system. The deal, announced in August, was expected close quickly.
