New twin born to the Piper tribe: Long, sleek engine nacelles distinguish the newest addition to Piper's twin-engine line. Dubbed the Twin Comanche, the four-place aircraft has a top speed of 205 mph, a range of over 1,000 mi. and a price tag of $33,900.
Cessna recently completed the mating of the wing and fuselage of the first production unit Citation M2. The light jet, a step up from the company's Mustang very light jet, is on track for certification in the second half of this year. Wing mating clears the way for engine installation and preparation for function testing of the aircraft systems, including avionics, hydraulics and flight controls. The M2, powered by Williams FJ44-1AP-21 engines producing 1,965 lbst, will have a maximum cruising speed of 400 kt., a 1,300-nm range and the ability to take off in 3,250 ft.
AgustaWestland is planning a final assembly line for its new twin light-intermediate category AW169 at its Philadelphia facility. Assembly of the helicopter is to begin there in May 2014, with first customer delivery in early 2015. The Italian/British manufacturer expects to ramp up Philadelphia production to 20 helicopters per year by 2017. The new line will be scalable based on demand. AgustaWestland's facilities in Vergiate, Italy and Yeovil, U.K., will also be involved in AW169 production.
Rockwell Collins' HGS Flight app for the iPad, unveiled last year is now available with a Mandarin language option. Through a quick update via the Apple iTunes App Store or as a first-time download, users will have the option to view text in Mandarin, as well as use new flight sensitivity control. The app features synthetic vision to allow users to see a virtual view of terrain no matter what the weather conditions may be.
While industry leaders focus on potential aviation tax changes, such as proposals for new business jet depreciation schedules or aviation user fees, one analyst believes a tax change that took effect earlier this year is eroding sales. “We believe the income tax hike at the start of the year was a material driver of the fresh weakness [in the light jet market],” says J.P.Morgan. The analyst calls the latest detractor to the market “another leg down,” but says it is not a sign that the industry is impaired. Some industry indicators are improving.
Honda Aircraft, facing further delays in the certification of the GE Honda HF120 engine, is pushing back its target for certification of the HondaJet until the end of 2014. The program already has encountered series of delays, including one after problems with the HF120 surfaced during ice testing in 2011, forcing changes in the engine fan design. The company had hoped the redesigned engine would receive certification by mid-2013, clearing the way for certification and the first deliveries of HondaJet later this year.
General aviation groups this summer have agreed to highlight skills to avoid loss-of-control incidents as part of a multi-pronged effort to stem the recent increase in accidents that has raised the concern of industry, FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. The FAA recently held a meeting with a number of general aviation stakeholders to look at both short-term and long-term initiatives to help turn the accident rate, which has been stubbornly flat over the past five years and up in the past six months.
L-3 Aviation Products announced that Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. selected the GH-3001 Electronic Standby Instrument System (ESIS), Stormscope WX-500 Lightning Detection System and the PS-885 Emergency Power Supply (EPS) for its H-60 and S-70i helicopter platforms. This follow-on award is a five-year contract that spans from 2013 through 2017. Designed with military platforms in mind, the night vision goggle (NVG)-compatible GH-3001 ESIS provides accurate attitude, altitude, airspeed and heading cues in a compact unit.
While Dassault's business jet deliveries dropped in the first quarter, the company expects shipments to improve throughout the year and remain on track to reach the highest total in three years. Dassault expects to deliver 70 Falcons this year, up slightly from the 66 delivered in 2012 and 63 in 2011, company executives say. As Dassault worked to certify its newest Falcon 2000 models, deliveries were down nearly 50% in the first quarter to eight, compared with 15 in the first quarter of 2012.
There now are 260+ Phenom 100 aircraft in service. The aircraft went through some teething pains as first deliveries began in December 2008, but operators say it has evolved into a highly reliable means of business transportation in the last 30 months.
FAA has no studies on the possible toxicity of pilots' breathing 100% oxygen for prolonged periods, but Jeffrey Sventek, executive director of the Aerospace Medical Association, co-authored just such a study using rabbits in the mid-1980s. The goal was evaluate the possible side effects of breathing almost pure oxygen on the rabbits' cardiovascular systems. Significant changes in the rabbits' responses to certain enzymes that regulate blood pressure and heart rate were recorded after 72 hr. of almost continuous exposure to pure oxygen at normal atmospheric pressure.
In April a Gulfstream G650 set a city-pair speed record between Shanghai and Newark, N.J., by covering more than 6,855 nm (12,695 km) in 13 hr. and 32 minutes. The manufacturer said the aircraft departed Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 10:38 p.m. local time on April 18 with five passengers and four crewmembers on board. Once airborne, ATC held the aircraft below 31,000 ft. for an hour before it could climb to its normal cruising altitude of 41,000 to 51,000 ft. (12,500-15,500 meters).
EASA has a far different requirement for supplemental oxygen aboard high flying jets. EU-OPS 1.770 (b)(iii) and (iv) only require that O2 masks “be within immediate reach of flight crew members” and that “quick donning” masks be installed for flight crewmembers in pressurized aircraft flying above 25,000 ft. Similarly, the ICAO Annex 6 3.4.4.2.2 rule for supplemental oxygen use essentially is the same as the EASA regulation. Canada, in contrast, requires one pilot to use an oxygen mask above FL 410, according to CAR 605.32.
NetJets is taking a cautious approach toward its operations in China, beginning with its management of whole aircraft for clients there, says Chairman and CEO Jordan Hansell. He acknowledges other companies have announced plans to begin fractional operations in China, and says he's interested in watching how that develops. But the nature of the Chinese regulatory structure “does not lend itself to the flexibility” of fractional operations, he tells Aviation Week.
Steve Orr (Supervisory Special Agent/Pilot (Ret.) Drug Enforcement Administration Houston, Texas )
Thank you so much for your detailed, informative and comprehensive analysis of the Gulfstream G650 (April 2013, page 24). I do not know how long it took me to read it, but I was impressed with the facts that, as a professional pilot, I demand in an article. I read about six periodicals a month about flying and after reading a terrible article on the Bombardier 6000 in another magazine I decided to write to you. Excellent work and this is why I subscribe to BCA.
CSI Aviation launched a more innovative and customer friendly website in support of its growing marketing efforts. The website enables customers to clearly view the company's value-added aviation management services from arranging charter, managing aviation programs, to using mission-specific aircraft for mapping and data collection and surveillance. The company also has a new logo. CSI Aviation Albuquerque, N.M. www.csiaviation.com
Windblade Corp. has introduced the Inogen Aviator G3. An extension of the existing Inogen Aviator product line, the G3 weighs only 4.8 lb., which is almost 3 lb. lighter than the Inogen One G2-1050. The unit concentrates oxygen from ambient air and can be used by a single user up to 15,000 ft. Features include: a battery that runs up to 2.5 hr.; four flow settings; 12-32 VDC power converter; AC power supply 100-240 volts, 50-60 Hz; meets FAA guidelines for supplemental oxygen; three-year warranty.
London Gatwick Airport has reopened a helicopter landing site after a 12-year absence. Based at the end of taxiway Uniform on the west side of the airport, the helicopter aiming point (HAP) reopens after two years of feasibility discussions and joint planning between Gatwick officials and Signature Flight Support.
EmptyLegMarket, an online marketplace for empty-leg flights, launched a mobile version of its website. The mobile website has the same listings that are on the full version of the company's website, however the mobile version has been optimized for viewing on various mobile devices.
Becoming a professional aircraft maintenance technician is a long and difficult process. The price is also very high. Many of us struggled for years to save enough money to afford A&P School, or gave years of our lives serving in the military. Many did both. But earning that license was just the price of admission, an opportunity to get your foot in the door. Finding that all-important first job was the next hurdle.
Fokker Services VIP Completions and DynamicSource AB have developed an iOS application to run Fortran Takeoff and Landing SCAP modules on the iPad. The app allows an operator to make the performance calculation shortly before takeoff thereby allowing the incorporation of last minute changes such as aircraft loading or runway conditions. The app is being used by commercial operators with the performance calculation and is now available for large cabin and airline-class business aircraft operators. Price: Free Fokker Services
Gulfstream enhanced its Field and Airborne Support Teams (FAST) replacing two Gulfstream G100s with two G150s. A G100 serves as a backup. Other enhancements include adding a third shift of two pilots and naming a new chief pilot, Tenille Cromwell. Gulfstream FAST has made more than 3,400 mission flights and surpassed 10,000 flight hours. The team uses more than 20 vehicles throughout the U.S. and Europe, including a pair of specially outfitted rapid response trucks.
Think the unthinkable. Consider the grimmest of scenarios. Contemplate a crash. What's your contingency plan for handling an accident or a ditching with survivors on board? Could you execute it, if necessary? Have you ever thought about it?
House lawmakers are pushing for a dramatic overhaul of certification regulations for small aircraft. Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) and Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) have introduced the Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 that essentially calls for rewriting FAR Part 23 with the intention of halving certification costs while more than doubling safety. The rewrite has strong support from the highest levels of FAA and a number of international aviation authorities.
