Edited by Paul RichfieldDavid Rimmer, in Vero Beach, Fla.
Although New Piper hasn't committed to producing a pure jet, the manufacturer says that it has defined much of the proposed aircraft's performance, including five- to six-seat capacity, 370-knot airspeed and one-stop Los Angeles to New York range at a cost of $2.5 million.
Sarah MacLeod, executive director of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), says the new FAR Part 145 rules are not likely to be withdrawn, as was a recent rule change affecting aircraft technician certification (Part 66). ``The noose is still around our necks,'' she says. ``Realistically, we must strive to obtain the issuance of a Supplemental NPRM.
At its annual International Air Safety Seminar (IASS) in Rio de Janeiro, the Flight Safety Foundation presented awards for people and organizations contributing to air safety. Winners included our own Dick Aarons for his coverage of aviation safety topics, Air BP for contributions to the ``ramp safety environment'' and Dr. Leonard M. Green, president of Safe Flight Instrument Corp. and inventor of such devices as the stall warning indicator and an airborne wind-shear warning system. Other winners: FAA inspector Charles T.
Edited by Paul RichfieldMike Vines, in Birmingham, England
Chauffair, a charter operator based at Farnborough Airport in the United Kingdom, has placed an order for seven Cessna Citation Excels to support its new fractional leasing business. First deliveries are scheduled for first quarter 2001, with all seven of the midsize business jets expected by the end of that year. According to Trevor Esling, Cessna's head of European sales, the $63 million deal is Cessna's largest single business aircraft order in Europe to date.
Aviation Employment Placement Service (A.E.P.S.) offers a number of services for job seekers and employers, including job listings, career fairs, background checks and a resume-posting service. Employment listings are divided by category, including sections for pilots, flight attendants, dispatchers, managers and maintenance. A.E.P.S. is used as a recruitment tool for various corporate operators, charter firms and airlines worldwide.
Pilot error caused the August 6,1997 crash of a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747-300 on Guam, according to the NTSB. In its final report on the Flight 801 accident, which killed 228 of the 254 people aboard, the Safety Board said the captain failed to adequately brief and execute the non-precision approach, and the first officer and flight engineer failed to effectively monitor the captain's performance.
NASA says its ability to undertake aeronautics research is severely compromised, due to a steady decline in its aviation budget over the past 10 years. According to former NASA official Roy Harris, current funding levels are not sufficient to meet the FAA's goal of an 80-percent reduction in the aircraft accident rate by 2010, and accidents ``could become a more frequent occurrence in the future.'' A decade ago, NASA's aeronautics budget was around $1 billion, or 10 to 12 percent of the agency's total budget.
BMW has effectively traded its half of the BMW Rolls-Royce partnership in return for a 10-percent stake in Rolls-Royce. Sir Ralph Robins, chairman of Rolls-Royce, says the stock deal will allow Rolls to streamline its operations while enabling BMW to ``broaden its exposure'' to Rolls' larger jet engine business. BMW Rolls-Royce was created in 1990 to develop the BR700 engine series, which now powers the Gulfstream V, the Bombardier Global Express and the Boeing 717. The company delivered around 100 engines this year, and plans to deliver more than 200 in 2000.
The FAA has extended the comment period on its proposed revision of FAR Part 145 -- the rules governing aircraft repair stations -- from the original October 19 deadline to December 3. The action is a response to requests from 21 repair stations and the various industry associations, which seek more time to study the FAA's proposal and its possible repercussions. (See August, page 40.) Around 4,509 repair stations in the United States and 525 overseas will be affected by the new rules, which would make repair stations responsible for all outsourced work.
The Chinese government has agreed to allow Hong Kong's Airport Authority (AA) to reduce aircraft parking and landing charges by 15 percent, effective January 1, 2000. According to the Hong Kong Digest, the AA will continue to pay for air traffic control and meteorology, but aircraft rescue and fire-fighting was seen to be ``required for public safety,'' so the government agreed to furnish its estimated $23.4 million budget for 1999-2000.
The standard avionics package for new Raytheon Baron 58, Bonanza A36 and B36TC aircraft will feature Garmin's GNS 430 navigation and communications system. Raytheon will continue to offer the AlliedSignal KLN 90B IFR-certified GPS as an option, and both packages will include AlliedSignal radios and KFC 225 autopilots. Faced with a sizable backlog for the GNS 430, Garmin says it has increased the production rate of the units, which retail for $9,250.
Europe's Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) has recommended that its 27 member nations approve the MD Explorer helicopter for Category A single-pilot IFR operations. The eight-place, twin-turbine helicopter was the first to receive FAA approval for Category A single-pilot flight, which involves the safe continuation of flight in the event of engine failure during takeoff or landing. Around 17 Explorers are used for aeromedical missions worldwide; the high-time aircraft (3,200 hours) is operated by REMSA in Reno, Nev.
FAA efforts to redesign airspace to enable aircraft to take full advantage of GPS and to ultimately move toward Free Flight won't be speedy. The first part of the redesign -- one of the FAA's top priorities -- centers on the New England region and will be a four- to five-year project including extensive public hearings where noise is expected to be a critical issue. Redesigning airspace in the rest of the country is expected to take an additional three to four years.
The NBAA is offering a two-video package designed to help members fight fatigue. Designed for all employees, the first video -- ``Managing Fatigue to Improve Flight Safety'' -- presents scenarios that illustrate the negative effects of fatigue. The second video -- ``Corporate Management's Role in Aviation Fatigue'' -- targets managers. The package is available to NBAA members for $30; non-members can buy it for $50. For more information, visit www.nbaa.org.
Century Aerospace says recent low-speed wind tunnel testing of its CA-100 Century Jet will not result in changes to the aircraft's performance specs or basic design, though the placement of engine nacelles and pylons may have to be ``fine-tuned.'' According to Century engineer Ian Gilchrist, ``the pre-test analysis and CFD [computational fluid dynamics] work paid off, and the airplane appears to have excellent flying characteristics, including a docile wing stall.'' Century used the University of Washington's Kirsten Wind Tunnel in Seattle for the tests, and additional
British software producer AvSoft has launched new software to track helicopter fleet information. Called HeliCAS, the software is a sister publication of ACAS for fixed-wing aircraft. HeliCAS tracks all pertinent information about the western-built turbine helicopter fleet, including owner and operator names, age, engine type and serial numbers. Information for Russian-built helicopters is available at an additional cost. Price: $5,950/annual subscription for single user; discounts available for multiple sites and users AvSoft Ltd.
The NBAA has produced a 45-page, glossy four-color guide to Business Aircraft Utilization Strategies. The guide profiles operators to illustrate 19 distinct usage strategies ranging from key employee travel to attracting and retaining key people to corporate shuttles and customer service. Also included are results of a joint NBAA/J.D. Power and Associates survey on utilization. The guide is available free to members and non-members alike. Call the NBAA at (202) 783-9000.
Three FAR Part 135 operators in Western Pennsylvania have pooled their resources to form a new company. Corporate Air Management, Davis Air and the charter business of Butler Air will now be known jointly as United Air Group (UAG). The new venture will remain at the Allegheny County Airport (AGC) in West Mifflin, Pa., just south of Pittsburgh. UAG will manage 22 aircraft, including four Hawkers, five Learjets and eight Citations.
Fast aircraft will be the theme of next summer's (July 26-August 1) Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) gathering in Oshkosh, Wis. Pilots attending the event will be encouraged to set records for their particular type and category of aircraft as they wing their way to the fly-in event. The EAA says it plans to work closely with the National Aeronautic Association, which maintains U.S. data for the Federation Aeronautique International, a France-based group that officiates over aviation record-setting.
Cessna has published a revision to the Citation X flight manual that reduces the runway required for landing by an average of 400 feet, and says ``confidence is high'' that similar revisions will affect takeoff data as well. Operator feedback instigated the change, Cessna says, indicating that the published runway performance numbers did not reflect the actual capabilities of the aircraft.
The Mexican government has ordered 24 Bell 206L-4 LongRanger helicopters worth $35 million to locate and destroy marijuana and opium poppy fields in remote mountainous areas.
SimuFlite Training International is upgrading the visual systems of 14 of its FAA Level C full-flight simulators. Older visual displays will be replaced with CAE Electronics' new Maxvue Plus daylight systems and BARCO/EIS Monitor Replacement Projectors. The first upgrade -- to a Learjet 55 simulator -- has been completed, and work on the remaining simulators at the company's Dallas facility is expected to be completed by first quarter 2001. Additionally, SimuFlite is providing 24-hour customer response service, available by calling (800) 527-2463 or (972) 456-8000.
SkyWest Airlines President and CEO Jerry Atkin has been named chairman of the Regional Airline Association (RAA), a Washington, D.C.-based trade group. Atkin will replace Horizon Air President and CEO George Bagley, who served as RAA chairman for 1999. Andy Price, president of Commutair, was elected vice chairman, Tim Coon of Mesa Air Group was elected treasurer and Cape Air's Dan Wolf was re-elected as secretary. The RAA has three new members: Air Jamaica, Chicago Express and Scenic Airlines, bringing its membership to 60 airlines.
