Aircell announced that Travel Management Company (TMC) will introduce Aircell's Gogo Biz service across its entire fleet of light jet charter aircraft. The expansion is expected to be complete in October and will encompass nearly 70 aircraft with complimentary Gogo Biz service. TMC operates the largest, privately owned fleet of Hawker 400XP and 800XP charter aircraft in the U.S. John Wade, Aircell's executive vice president and general manager said, inflight connectivity “. . .
On July 2 the death sentence for Stage 2 business jets was published in the Federal Register. The FAA final rule, which prohibits operation of the noisy jets in the contiguous U.S. as of midnight, Dec. 31, 2015, essentially implements a ban that Congress made law as part of the FAA Modernization Reform Act of 2012. The rule applies to jet aircraft that weigh less than 75,000 lb. and do not meet Stage 3 noise levels. Commercial Stage 2 jets were banned as of Dec. 31, 1999. In the U.S., nearly 600 business jets will be affected by the ban.
Flight Display Systems announced that all company operations have been consolidated at their new Shiloh road, Alpharetta, Ga., location. “Bringing all company functions together under one roof creates a new synergy for us,” said CEO David Gray. “The 56,000-sq.-ft. facility will accommodate growth and the addition of several new product lines in the next few years.”
Executive AirShare, Kansas City, Kan., announced industry veteran Steve Gentry joined the company as senior sales director and will be based at the company's Love Field, Dallas facility. Gentry previously held positions at CitationAir, Bombardier FlexJet and a national turboprop fraction program. He is a pilot with more than 600 flight hours.
ForeFlight digital navigation charts and information are now available for Canada. The complete set of NAV CANADA charts, optimized for iPad display, includes Visual Navigation Charts (VNC), Visual Terminal Area Charts (VTA), and the Canadian Flight Supplement (CFS). ForeFlight Mobile now offers flight-planning capabilities; preflight weather information including METARs, TAFs, and radar from Environment Canada; and, inflight access to navigation charts, weather and moving map capabilities.
A bill calling for the rewriting of FAR Part 23 and designed to stimulate the light aircraft industry received unanimous approval by the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee July 10. Aviation subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) said the “Small Airplane Revitalization Act” entailed “necessary, common sense reforms” which together “will improve the safety of general aviation at half the cost and help revitalize this critical industry.” The Senate's Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is expected to approve a companion measure.
Rockwell Colins launched HeliSure, a family of products that will provide helicopter pilots with enhanced situational awareness to help them fly in congested and hazard-filled airspace. HeliSure delivers sensor data in real time through an intuitive user interface that features 3-D visualization for information that pilots can easily, quickly and effectively process.
Regarding “Command Presence” (Cause & Circumstance, June 2013, page 56), I would have called it “Raw Hider Results” since I have a different perspective on how this month's scenario ended in such a tragic way. I don't think anyone will question your excellent job of painting the perfectly clear picture of what must have happened. The personality of the guy holding that little girl in his lap is what I'm mindful of.
Yukon, Okla.-based Legacy Aviation Services was given DGAC (Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil) authority to repair and service Mexican-registered aircraft. With the lengthy paperwork process streamlined, Mexican aircraft can enter the U.S. for regular repair and maintenance, and for special modifications work at Legacy.
Robert E. Breiling Associates reports that in the first six months of 2013, the U.S. business jet fleet experienced seven accidents, three of which were fatal to nine persons versus 10 accidents including two fatal accidents and nine fatalities the same period in 2012. Two of the fatal U.S. business jet accidents were Beech Premier aircraft fatal to seven. Both aircraft crashed during abandoned landing approaches in VMC, one at night. The other fatal accident involved a Lear 60 the crashed on approach in Venezuela during a heavy rainstorm.
Citing “numerous” close calls, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wants the FAA to change separation standards for situations in which an aircraft departs one runway and another aircraft is performing a go-around on a different, non-intersecting runway.
The FAA has authorized Blackhawk Modifications to sell and install the XP42A Upgrade Package on Cessna Caravan 208A aircraft. The package includes a factory new P&WC PT6A-42A engine rated at 850 shp. It also uses a new, wide-chord, 100-in. diameter Hartzell four-blade propeller; a new composite cowling and high-efficiency inlet duct; a new 40% larger oil cooler; new Blackhawk DigiLog engine gauges and new exhaust stacks.
TWC Aviation, San Jose, Calif., promoted Jack Mulder to director of Operations. He has been with the company for seven and has chief pilot, director of Training and was a line pilot.
You know the drill. Same stuff, different day during the simulator session. If it's Tuesday, it must be time for V1 cuts. Wednesday, it will be electrical malfunctions and engine fires. Thursday, we'll see single engine circling approaches. Just put an X in every FAA or EASA required box and let's go home.
In May, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker heartened hundreds of people gathered in a hangar in Appleton by saying he was proud “to celebrate and promote general aviation. The economic impact created by general aviation is strong, and it plays such an important role in providing the transportation needs of individuals and businesses across the globe.”
eJet Aviation Holdings, Inc., Bethesda, Md., appointed Steven Harfst director, president and CEO of both eJet Aviation Holdings and eJet Services, Inc.
Hannay Reels introduced the N600 Series dual hose for applications requiring separate materials such as gases and liquids or air and coolant. The hose has a narrow-frame, spring rewind reel. Its thin profile and compact mounting base allow it to be used in work environments with limited space. A non-sparking ratchet assembly locks the reel at the desired length and it retracts with a pull. A declutching arbor is also included to prevent damage from reverse winding.
Cessna has resumed deliveries of the Corvalis single-piston aircraft, now called the TTx and equipped with a number of enhancements. Cessna announced in April 2012 that it would restart the TTx's production line, and began production later that year. The company flew the first of the new production TTx aircraft in early March. The first of the new TTx aircraft were handed over to customers during a ceremony at the company's facility in Independence, Kan., in late June. The TTx includes a number of updates, including Garmin G2000 avionics with dual 14.1-in.
During the second quarter of 2013, Embraer delivered 22 jetliners 29 executive jets comprising 11 Phenom 100s, 12 Phenom 300s, five Legacy 650s and one Lineage. For the first half of the year, the Brazilian manufacturer delivered 31 Phenoms and ten Legacy and Lineage models and had a firm order backlog for commercial and executive jets worth $17.1 billion, an increase of $3.8 billion over the first quarter and its highest since the third quarter of 2009.
In a bizarre and embarrassing gaffe while reporting follow-up details on the July 6 crash of Asiana Flight 214 during a landing at nearby San Francisco, a daytime anchor on KTVU in Oakland, Calif., told viewers on July 12: “KTV was just learned the names of the four pilots on who were on board the flight. . . . The NTSB has confirmed these are the names of the pilots on board Flight 214 when it crashed.
GE Aviation has begun certification testing of its Passport engine that will power the Bombardier Global 7000 and 8000. Developed under a joint venture between GE, IHI of Japan and TechSpace Aero of Belgium, Passport is to be certified to produce 16,500 lb. thrust and meet Stage 4 noise regulations. First run occurred at GE Aviation's Peebles Testing Operation in Ohio. The engine company is planning a 4,000-hr./8,000-cycle ground test program involving eight engines and one core. Flight testing is scheduled for 2014, with certification following in 2015.
One of the challenges of aviation's so-called Golden Age was the installation of radios. After all, how would you connect to the circuit to ground? The answer turned out to be using the metal airframe as a substitute for good old terra firma. Still, early radios were plagued with interference and noise issues. One solution was to add braided wire shielding to prevent stray electric fields from interfering with the radio transmission.
Bell Helicopter is re-entering what it calls the Short Light Single (SLS) turbine market with a new, as yet unnamed successor to the ubiquitous JetRanger. Since production of the latter ended in 2010, both the Robinson R66 and Eurocopter EC120 have rushed to fill the void. The new aircraft, which is to make its first flight in 2014, will be powered by a 450-550 shp Arrius 2R, similar to the EC120's power plant and the first Bell product to use a Turbomeca engine. The new aircraft will be a mix of metal and carbon fiber construction.
